Amy Fox, Quidditch Coach Extraordinaire
October 12, 2007 10:49 PM
Quidditch Match Two: Crotalus vs. Teppenpaw by Amy Fox, Quidditch Coach Extraordinaire
The Crots and Paws were set to play nearly a month following the Als and Pecs. The game landed on the second Saturday of November, the temperature predicted to be in the low 70s. Moving a bit slower than usual that morning, Amy browsed over the team rosters in the confines of her room, seated comfortably in a plush lounge chair.A bit of observation led Amy to note that Crotalus's team, quite like Aladren's and Pecari's, was full of returning players. Geoffrey Spindler had been promoted to the position of Assistant Captain due in part to his enthusiasm for the sport and in part because Amy just plain liked the kid. She couldn't really place why she viewed him in a different light than the other ankle-biting nose-miners, but she had a feeling that it was primarily because of the match from the year prior. Something he had said had hit a soft spot. Jennifer, as Seeker and Captain, had chosen a team of returning players who would be experienced with the sport.
In turn, Teppenpaw's team was also complete with returning players. Amy mentally congratulated herself on forbidding first years from signing up this year. Not only did it allow these first years to actually learn how to fly, it also allowed older students the opportunity to improve upon their skills. Dalila Bastet had been chosen to be the team's Assistant Captain. Amy knew little of the student but rumors of her enthusiasm for the sport had reached her. With WAIL running rampant around the school, Quidditch teams needed students who lived and breathed the sport to take leadership roles. Jake would have a good team this year.
Amy began to realize that all four teams were pretty much evenly matched this year. If anyone had asked her though, she would have openly stated that she couldn't care a fig. They were student teams and she had bothered little to know any of the players. Who cared who won? But a part of her, the part that just loved everything dealing with Quidditch, still realized that it was nice to have two teams that were evenly matched. To have four house teams in such a manner was amazing.
Placing the rosters on the side table, Amy rose from her seat. She had already dressed for the day in a pair of mint green robes. Glancing out the window, she noted the frost on the ground and frowned. Although the temperature would surely be rising, Amy had a feeling that she would need a heating charm or two to face the beginning of the match. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, Amy tossed one last look behind her before exiting her room.
Feet crunching in the frosted grass, she quickly cast multiple heating charms upon her person, keeping out the chill. Although she knew the temperature couldn't be much lower than the low 50s, it was still quite a change from temperature of the day before.
She made a quick stop by the storage closet to grab the chest of balls, which floated magically behind her, and then made her way out onto the pitch. Once again, the medic's tent had already been erected and was sitting toward one end of the field. Amy mentally rolled her eyes, making a point to steer clear of the medic.
Reaching the center of the field, Amy dropped both her bag and the trunk of balls to the ground. It was nearly time for the game to begin. The stands were rapidly filling and the teams would be joining her momentarily. Crouching down, Amy dug into her bag, removing her broom, goggles and gloves. Standing, Amy took a chance to glance around her. Though the temperature would be rising through the day to the low-70s, the sky was overcast and it was slightly windy.
Amy began pulling on her gloves as the teams approached. "You all know the drill. I'll just take a moment to cover the rules with you again and then we can get this game underway. No cheating. No dirty plays. Stay on the pitch. If you get injured, the medic's tent is on the field and I'm sure he'll help you." Pulling on her goggles, Amy instructed the Captains to move forward and shake hands. "When you're finished, move back to your teams."
Moving toward the trunk, Amy opened the lid. The Snitch was the first to be released, quickly followed by the Bludgers, which zipped quickly through the air and out of sight for the moment. Grabbing hold of the Quaffle, Amy straddled her broom. "Quite like the last game, we'll start this one with a sound of a whistle." Lifting her wand into the air, Amy paused for approximately three seconds before a loud, shrill whistle reverberated through the pitch. Lobbing the Quaffle in to the air, Amy pushed off the ground and moved to the side to keep an eye on the play. The game had begun.
OOC: Alright, I need your name, your team and your position in the name heading. Be sure that you read all of the previous posts before posting so you won't miss something important. I expect these posts to be detailed, with special attention being paid to spelling and grammar. That being said, good luck and have fun!
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Subthreads: Pre-Game Team Meetings (nm) by Fox
Spectators Post Here! (nm) by Fox with Nicoletta Dupree, Laurie Cider, Irene Liddowe and Renaye and Josh Warren
Re: Quidditch Match Two: Crotalus vs. Teppenpaw by Kaylie Brockert, Teppenpaw Seeker with Geoffrey Spindler, Crotali Chaser
Pitch Hospital Tent - Injured Players Post Here by Nicolas Wolfe, Medic
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Amy Fox, Quidditch Coach Extraordinaire
Quidditch Match Two: Crotalus vs. Teppenpaw
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Amy Fox, Quidditch Coach Extraordinaire
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Kaylie Brockert, Teppenpaw Seeker
October 13, 2007 4:21 PMKaylie Brockert, Teppenpaw Seeker
AlumnusHouse: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert
Age in Post: 16
Birthday: July 14
Re: Quidditch Match Two: Crotalus vs. Teppenpaw by Kaylie Brockert, Teppenpaw Seeker
It was still cool out the morning of the game. Kaylie shivered. At least it wasn't going to be hot even if it would warm up later.She eyed the other team with apprehension. Until she'd seen them, it hadn't really sunk in that she'd be playing against Lily . Kaylie shuddered involuntarily. Her distant cousin had a real pension for trying to harm the other team and now she was the other team. She knew Lily felt bad for her about Chris but the Crotalus wasn't the type who let things like that or being family stop her from trying to win. The whole thing was going to make the game harder for Kaylie. Not only did she have to try to catch the snitch but dodge Bludgers as well.
Kaylie listened carefully to Coach Fox's speech, a tinge of color coming to her cheeks when leaving the pitch was mentioned. She knew that was in there because of the time she'd had heat exhaustion and went to go throw up, so others wouldn't see. Kaylie might not have worried as much about public humiliation as Adam did, but she had her limits. As for cheating and dirty plays, she couldn't imagine who would do such things, especially on these two teams. The worst Kaylie expected them to do was the Beaters trying to take out the other team. Quidditch was supposed to be fun but she knew some people, such as Lily, seemed to see it as a battle to the death. Still, cheating wasn't right and she wasn't too worried that she would get in trouble for that. As a seeker, Kaylie was barely involved in plays anyway. It was her job to just get the snitch, while the Chasers in particular worked on plays.
After the whistle blew, Kaylie took off into the air. She kept one eye out for the snitch and the other out for Lily and her bludgers.
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Kaylie Brockert, Teppenpaw Seeker
Re: Quidditch Match Two: Crotalus vs. Teppenpaw
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Kaylie Brockert, Teppenpaw Seeker
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Geoffrey Spindler, Crotali Chaser
October 13, 2007 10:25 PM
Gettin' that quaffle and passin' it on by Geoffrey Spindler, Crotali Chaser
OOC: Nice malapropism ;) BIC:His gloves were too tight. Geoffrey listened to the Coach lay out the usual ground-rules and fidgeted with them, trying to make them fit better. He'd thought that, if anything, they'd be a little looser this year but it seemed that having his growth spurt hit meant loosing a fair bit of the extra weight (he was still a little over, but if watching some of the other boys was any indication, it probably wouldn't last too much longer if he continued to shoot up), but the growing had clearly had other things in mind.
At least he could still sit indian style on the ground though. Stephen had discovered during the holidays that somewhere in the midst of all his own growing that his legs wouldn't quite co-operate when he tried to do so. It was pretty funny watching his cousin when he'd tried it a few times before finally giving it up as a bad job. For now, at least.
Geoffrey pulled the fingers of his gloves more absently, still trying to stretch them so they fit a little less snugly as the balls started to show up. He watched the Snitch for a moment until it shot out of sight and then the Bludgers follow it, but it was the Quaffle that kept and held his attention. He stopped fidgeting, recalled that he needed to be on his broom and corrected that with lovely timing, meaning that as the whistle blew he was ready to spring from the ground and claim the Quaffle first. He tucked it securely under his arm as he executed a tight turn in the air and headed in the direction of the goals, moving as fast as he could to get out of the general scrum that would have resulted from both team's Chasers attempting to get their hands on the Quaffle first. Once he was in less congested airspace he varied his course a little, so as to be a less available target for the opposing Beaters and took the time to work out where his fellow Chasers were positioned.
There was still a ways to go before the goals, and not wanting to have the Quaffle stolen from him, he picked out the best trajectory for passing the ball, and sent it flying towards the nearest of his fellow red-clad Chasers.
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Geoffrey Spindler, Crotali Chaser
Gettin' that quaffle and passin' it on
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Geoffrey Spindler, Crotali Chaser
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Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
October 15, 2007 2:08 AM
But not to who you wanted by Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
Hannah stood huddled near her teammates. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a bun. The lack of hair surrounding her on top of the fact of having a thin frame made it all that much worse with the chill in the air. She had crossed one arm over herself in an attempt to gain some warmth. Back home, because of all the humidity in the air, it never felt as cold. She couldn’t wait to be up in the air. Once she got moving, the cold would be gone from her bones.Sighing, she slumped against her broom, willing the game to begin. Unfortunately, it would still be another few moments as the Coach and Captain each had to give their pre-game speeches. She tried to be patient since it was only normal. She was thankful that the Coach’s was so brief. Once they finished, she straddled the broom and kicked off with the others. Today, she would be playing as more than a reserve. Today, she would be playing the position, her position, of Chaser. A silly grin was on her face at the sheer excitement of it all, but she quickly chased to her game face before the whistle sounded.
While she waited, Hannah chanced a glance at Kaylie, their team’s Seeker. Last year, she was the reserve Seeker and ended up having to play the position. They had lost since the Pecari Seeker had reached the snitch first. After having played the spot, it was without a doubt that she could say it was rather difficult. She had done everything she could to shake Elly, but the girl had been there every step of the way and more. She had been highly disappointed at the turn of events and was glad that Kaylie was playing this game and hopefully every other game.
When the whistle sounded, the other team got the quaffle. She gave an internal groan, as there was no time to vocalize it. She immediately started after the one with the ball. She followed a little behind and a little lower in a hard to view area. She just had to wait for a golden opportunity. Quickly enough, it came, but to her, it seemed to take forever in the high-paced game. As soon as she saw his arm and hand making the motion to pass, she made her move. When it left, it was heading towards another Crotalus chaser. She was now close enough. She reached out, her hand making clean contact with the ball. She had intercepted it! It was all hers now. She tucked it neatly into her side while flying around towards the other goals.
Halfway there, she made eye contact with one of her fellow Chasers. They knew that she had to adjust for the curve of her aim. The Teppenpaw Chaser was in the perfect location for an unadjusted throw. She gave a grin and made the pass, hoping that none of the Crotali caught on.
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Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
But not to who you wanted
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Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
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Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater
October 15, 2007 3:14 PM
Maybe I'll have better luck. by Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater
Gwen rubbed her shoulder absently as the talking part wound down, at least temporarily relieving some of the tension in it. Why she was tense, she had no idea. Stage fright made a kind of sense, but it would be virtually impossible for the spectators to tell her from Lily, and she wasn't interested in impressing any of the other players. She wasn't all that worried about winning, either, though she would enjoy doing so. Her job was simple: hit the people in yellow before the Beaters in yellow hit the people in red. She didn't need to start worrying until she accidentally hit Jen or something.Maybe that was it. She had almost accidentally removed her own captain from the game during the Championship, and she still wasn't sure people realized it had been an accident. Her credibility would plummet like an uncharmed Bludger if she actually succeeded in injuring her own people, even if people didn't think it was deliberate.
Maybe she was just cold. One of the things she remembered most about Bellevue was the climate. The weather would be cooling down about now, but she thought it would still be warmer than this. Spending most of the summer with Andrew and company in the mountains, where she had spent several nights under the impression she was going to freeze off a few extremities, might have helped, but Sonora's weather, by and large, had been warmer so far.
It didn't matter. She would get rid of a lot of the tension in the first few minutes, and she would, in all likelihood, get it all back with interest before the game ended. It was just how it went. Mounting her broom along with the others, she kicked off at the sound of the whistle and went Bludger hunting, keeping tabs on the game more or less successfully at the same time.
Things seemed to be going relatively well. Geoffrey had the Quaffle, and Jennifer did not appear to be falling fifty or so feet to the ground. That changed when a Teppenpaw Chaser Gwen thought might be new intercepted Geoff's pass and took the game back towards the Crotalus goals. That wouldn't do. Mentally and mock-regretfully shaking her head, she whacked the nearest Bludger as hard as she could without losing her balance towards the yellow-robed Chasers.
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Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater
Maybe I'll have better luck.
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Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater
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Jake Santoro, Teppenpaw Beater, Captain
October 15, 2007 6:23 PMJake Santoro, Teppenpaw Beater, Captain
AlumnusHouse: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi
Age in Post: 16
Not if I can help it. by Jake Santoro, Teppenpaw Beater, Captain
Jake was having a very tense sort of day. Not only was today the first match of the season for the Teppenpaws and Jake had to rely heavily on his teammates. Something that he hadn't really been able to do in the past due to various events that caused one teammate or another to not be available. Luckily, this year, he had multiple players willing to play multiple positions.But, aside from relying on his team, Jake also had to play against his girlfriend's team. They had won the championship last year, which Jake was proud of because he knew how happy that made Jennifer, but he didn't want to have to face beating her or losing to her. Not that he had much choice at this point in time, but he had been lucky not to have to deal with this until now. Still, he wasn't sure how he would handle losing to his girlfriend, especially since Quidditch was all he was good for while she was good at everything. And, he didn't know how she would take losing to him if he ended up winning.
Thankfully, his team all had at least one year of experience with playing Quidditch (although, he could only guess at Red's experience with watching her and from what she told him). He had faith in Dalila being able to take control of the Chasers now that Tally was out of the picture, plus she was Assistant Captain, so she knew all the plays and then some that Jake had taught them and her. He was slightly nervous of putting both Hannah and Law on the team as double positions, but they were equally excited about having the responsibililty and both did real well in practice in each prospective position.
Standing on the field with his team, Jake glanced around. As usual, the game brought out a nice amount of spectators. Whenever he wasn't playing, he was always found in the stands. Not only because he loved the sport, but because he needed to know what the other teams were up to. It was dreadfully hard being a Captain.
Jake only partly listened to Coach Fox. Her speeches were always the same, so he didn't think he was missing all that much. He only moved when she instructed on the handshake. Jake gave a semi-tense grin at his girlfriend and wished her luck before returning to his team. While the Coach was dealing with the balls, Jake turned to his team. "Law, if Pepper's taken out, take her spot. Hannah if Kaylie's taken out, take her spot. Law, if Pepper remains in the game but a chaser's taken out, take that spot. Red, if Lexi or I are taken out, take over." Jake knew that they knew this already, but he thought he ought to reinerate anytway.
Jake positioned himself at the ready when the Coach came back and kicked off the ground when the whistle blew. The air was chillier than expected, but Jake knew that smacking around the bludgers would make him sweat in no time at all. Eyes intense, Jake chased after the first bludger that came near him while keeping an eye on those around him. It didn't take him long to see the blonde chick on Jennifer's team take aim at Hannah. Switching bludgers, Jake gave a hard right and intersected the bludger with a loud crack of the bludger meeting his bat. Satisfied as he watched it fly out towards a Crotalus player, Jake gave a nod of encouragement to Hannah and took off again in search for the other bludger.\r\n\r\n
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Jake Santoro, Teppenpaw Beater, Captain
Not if I can help it.
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Jake Santoro, Teppenpaw Beater, Captain
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Dalila Bastet, Teppenpaw Chaser, Assn. Cap't
October 15, 2007 11:28 PM
I can help it. by Dalila Bastet, Teppenpaw Chaser, Assn. Cap't
Dalila leaned against her broom, waiting for the game to begin. She was incredibly antsy to get started after how well the practices went. She wanted to show off. Not only her skills, but to show that her new position as Assistant captain didn't go to waste. She grinned at the thought. She couldn't let Jake down. Jake...Dalila looked over at her captain, biting her lip. It wasn't so bad, actually. She had put on a brave face at the beginning of the year, but a summer away from Jake and close to Adam had done it's job. Dalila still felt a twinge of hurt every time she thought of Jake with Jen, but that was it. She had Adam. She was more than happy.Dalila glanced off to the stands to see if her boyfriend was watching. His team wasn't playing and she hadn't even bothered to ask him if he were coming. Adam probably wouldn't want to be out in this weather anyways. A chill burst of wind sliced through Dalila's game gear, making her shiver. It would be even colder once she started flying, but numbness and adrenaline would replace that feeling. Giving up on her search for Adam, Dalila turned her attention to Coach Fox when she began her customary beginning of the match speech.
Luckily, Coach Fox decided to make her starting speech quick and in no time Dalila was on her broom, in the air, chasing after the quaffle. Hannah stole the quaffle and headed toward the Crotalus goals. Dalila sped up so she could have someone to pass to. She remembered Hannah at practice. Not very good aim. Dalila prayed that she had learned to curve the ball so it went straight.
Suddenly the quaffle was thrust in her general direction. Grinning, Dalila chased off after it. She almost didn't see the bludger heading her way, but swerved out of the way just in time. But her detour had made her miss the ball and it was careening towards the frosty ground. Putting on a burst of downward speed she went after the quaffle and caught up to it about five feet from the ground. She soared back up to playing height and tossed it back to the nearest yellow-clad chaser.
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Dalila Bastet, Teppenpaw Chaser, Assn. Cap't
I can help it.
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Dalila Bastet, Teppenpaw Chaser, Assn. Cap't
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Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker, Captain
October 16, 2007 1:03 AMJennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker, Captain
AlumnusHouse: Crotalus
Written by:
Age in Post: 16
Birthday: katana
I'm not even going to try by Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker, Captain
Jennifer hadn’t been surprised when the team schedules were announced, and she and Jake were playing each other first. After all, Crotalus had played Aladren last year in prelims, and Pecari in the finals, so it only made sense. And, while she still wished playing her boyfriend could have waited until after things had gotten back a bit more back to normal (she still occasionally thought Jake hadn’t quite forgiven her for the Felipe thing over the summer, even if it wasn’t her fault. Not that she blamed him for being worried, but still…the entire thing was just a bit touchy.)However, out of all the teams she could have been playing, Teppenpaw was probably the best. After all, at least her fellow captain liked her (she could never figure out precisely what Anne thought about her, but Jennifer figured it wasn’t complimentary), nor did Jake have some innate desire to kill everyone on the opposing team like the Cravens. That had to mean something, didn’t it? Besides, Jennifer and Jake had nearly been dating for an entire year. Surely that meant that a little quidditch game wasn’t going to affect things. She hoped.
It was colder out than it had been for the previous game, Aladren versus Pecari. Of course, she’d been safely in the stands for that one. Things would warm up within a few minutes of taking off, even if the temperature didn’t rise, just because they were moving around. Still, for the time being, it was chilly enough to be aggravating, and Jennifer rubbed her hands over her arms as she waited for her team to gather around for the pre-game meeting.
“Alright, so, good luck to all of you,” she began almost immediately once everyone was there, one eye on Fox to make sure the coach didn’t decide to start her lecture early, meaning they’d miss it (not that anything out of the ordinary would be said. Jennifer just figured that not obviously ignoring it would make the ref/coach happier with them, which would yield better results on the whole).
“You know the rules. Please, please try not to get yourselves killed, because Earl’s the only one with a sub, and I’d like not having to go man-down, or put Lutece in a brand new position during the first match of the season. Also, watch for cockiness. I know you guys, and I know any arrogance is (usually) warranted, but…just keep an eye out. Us winning last year doesn’t really mean anything now. Though, in my own humble opinion, I think we should pull this one off, and that we’re the stronger team, though don’t tell Jake that I said that,” she added as an afterthought, grinning.
“Anyway, not much more I can tell you that you don’t already know by heart. Chasers—score as quickly and as much as you possibly can. Beaters—try to take out the seeker first, if you can, then go for the chasers or keeper. Please, don’t give the bludgers to the Tepp beaters. Not that you would,” she said, holding up her hands in a ‘don’t attack me’ gesture. “Just…some pretty weird things have happened in the past, and I’d prefer for us not to become part of them. Earl—self-explanatory, really. Alright, let’s go.”
Jennifer actually did listen to Fox’s speech this time, just to see if anything had changed over the summer. It didn’t appear so, but it never hurt to make sure. She shot Jake an equally tense grin as they shook hands (for all her bravado, she really was insanely nervous about the outcome of the game), and then returned to her team to wait for the balls to be released.
Once airborne, she broke with her usual habit, and immediately left the other seeker behind in her search for the snitch. While she supposed that there was a slight possibility that Kaylie would find the snitch within the first few minutes, it happened so rarely at Sonora that Jennifer kind of ignored the possibility. After a few moments of gazing around, though, she thought she spotted a glimmer toward the Teppenpaw goal, and rushed toward it.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t been paying as much attention as she should have been to the rest of the game or, more specifically, what was happening to the bludgers. Therefore, when one was hit her way, she only had a few seconds between when she realized what the sound was and when the bludgers got to her to try and get out of the way. She succeeded, for the most part, though it had clipped her in the shoulder pretty badly.
Jennifer hissed inaudibly at the hit, though whether it was because of the pain (which was bad, but not too bad. It might have been a while since she’d gotten hit by something, but it was pretty easy to tell. It hadn’t been that serious a strike, and the worst that she figured could happen was a nasty bruise. However, those hurt enough, even without more serious injuries). Reflexively, she glanced back to see who had made the hit, and wasn’t all that surprised to see that it was Jake. She couldn’t blame him, of course, nor did she try. He had just been doing his job. She was the one who hadn’t acted quickly enough.
Stupid, stupid, stupid she repeated to herself mentally after a few seconds, once she’d determined she really was fine, and continued back to her task of looking for the snitch (whatever it was by the goals had vanished). Lecture your team about cockiness, and then you’re the one stupid and absentminded enough to get yourself hurt. You’re lucky you didn’t break something, because then where would you be? However, after a few more minutes of that, and of no snitch-sightings, Jennifer turned the inner rant off as best she could. There would be times for yelling at herself later. Now she couldn’t be distracted.
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Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker, Captain
I'm not even going to try
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Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker, Captain
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Nicoletta Dupree
October 16, 2007 1:20 PM
Here in support by Nicoletta Dupree
Nicoletta sat in the stands at the Crotalus versus Teppenpaw match, dressed in what one would hardly call a natty outfit, consisting of a red shirt with a silver open heart, dark jean shorts, and a pair of silver sandals. Her dark hair was left loose despite the warm for her temperatures, because it was comforting. It was a feeling she so desperately needed in her life, which was part of what had lead her to coming to the game today. She wanted to there for her new friend just as he had been there for her.She wasn’t quite sure how it had all happened. She had managed to keep her composure in front of Jordanna and Catherine in their dorm room, but had broken down in front of Earl in a friendly afternoon. Okay, it had been more than friendly when he had kissed her. It had been the final breaking of the barrier that had been holding her emotions in.
She felt a little better afterwards, even though she had soaked his shirt, and wished she could say she felt the same from her talk with Adam later on. It felt unresolved, even though they said they would remain friends. She doubted that it would come to pass. It was the same as saying ’It’s not you, it’s me. She wished he had said he hated her rather than saying he loved her. It was like a cruel game, one whose end would only come with graduation when she no longer had to see him, them.
She shook her head, clearing it of the thoughts. She didn’t want to think about it, but then it was right in front of her face. They were playing Teppenpaw and Dalila was on the team. She couldn’t help, but wish the girl would get taken out. Of course, then Adam would probably rush to her side if he was here. She made a disgusted face on the idea and instead concentrated on the Crotalus Keeper area, where Earl was, hoping he blocked every quaffle.
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Nicoletta Dupree
Here in support
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Nicoletta Dupree
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Definitely a spectator sport. by Laurie Cider
Laurie awoke after a night of fitful dreams involving swerving brooms and talking bludgers. The dreams weren't inspired from fear, but from excitement. She hadn't attended the last Quidditch match, the one between Pecari and Aladren. She'd been caught up researching the history of Sonora’s various protective charms. There were wards against Muggle interest, charms for weather control, spells for a chameleon type affect- the list went on and on. She had no idea how Professor Williams had managed to get anything to work in her classroom. She knew her dad was hell-bent on bringing technology to the school, but she just couldn’t see how it would work out! Her father was convinced it was more an issue of will rather than way, but the more she read, and the more she investigated, it was definitely the way that prevented cell phones from infesting the hallways, and handhelds from adding their noise pollution to the common rooms.The brisk November post-dusk air was doing its best to erase her night of dreams. Laurie shivered, pulling tightly on the silver and red scarf that surrounded her throat. The scarf had arrived just before Halloween along with a box stuffed with huge, miscellaneously sorted bags of candy. She had hidden the entire stash under bed, planning to bring it out at an opportune time of needed self-indulgence. The pitch was filling rapidly. She was excited to finally see the game in full action. After her cram session in the gardens when she first arrived, Laurie had snuck in peaks at the various teams during their practices. This, though, was the real thing.
And boy, was she getting more and more excited by the second.
Laurie leaned forward from her perch on the bleachers. From below, she saw as her flying instructor, Amy Fox, strolled into view. The crowd quieted once Fox began to speak. The snitch was released, and Laurie strained to keep it in view. Her eyes quickly lost sight of it, and so she squinted and watched as bludgers were hit left and right, the quaffle stolen and then regained. She gasped as one of the Teppenpaw players narrowly missed a bludger, and then just as suddenly, she unintentionally grabbed her neighbor's arm in alarm as said bludger smashed in her house’s captain.
Apologzing, Laurie released her hold. “Sorry! I just got excited- this is my first Quidditch game.”
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Laurie Cider
Definitely a spectator sport.
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Laurie Cider
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Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser
October 17, 2007 3:08 PM
That's not a very Captain-like attitude by Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser
Having got up and dressed far too early in eager anticipation, Oliver had ample time before the match to work himself into some sort of nervous frenzy. He kept up a steady stream of positive thoughts, trying to remind himself that he had played loads of sports before, and that he didn’t get nervous at big games. His efforts were in vain; by the time the Coach released the quaffle and the players took to the air, Oliver was in so much of a dither that he pushed off from the game later than all the other players. So now he was the youngest player on the team, the newest player on the team, and the stupidest, too. Plus the red sunhat made him easily identifiable to the crowd below. Oliver groaned to himself as he headed towards Geoffrey and the quaffle, and groaned yet louder when he didn’t catch the ball and it was intercepted instead by Hannah on the Teppenpaw team.Eager to try and stop Jen from regretting putting him on the team, Oliver wheeled his ball around and followed Hannah up the pitch, aiming to get the quaffle from her any way he could. He failed miserably. Hannah’s shot wasn’t caught, but by the time Oliver realised this, another Tepp Chaser was already on her way to collect it, and there just wasn’t a chance that Oliver could get there in time. There was a chance that he could get it back though.
Oliver hung off to the side, closer to his own team’s posts, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. When the Tepp Chaser regained her height and threw the ball, Oliver was ready. He put on a burst of speed (of which his Bluebottle, a gift from his Uncle, was more than capable) and intercepted the pass, pleased as punch to finally find the quaffle in his hands. Actually, he was so surprised to have caught it that he nearly dropped it again.
Not hesitating, Oliver carried on back down the pitch, heading towards those Teppenpaw goals. The further he got, though, the more panicky he got that someone was going to ram him, or bludger him. In fact, Oliver suddenly found he didn’t want to be holding the quaffle any more. Almost desperately, he sought out the nearest Crotalus Chaser, and, after a firm mental reminder to calm down, passed the ball.
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Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser
That's not a very Captain-like attitude
0
Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser
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5
Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser
October 17, 2007 8:34 PM
A lot of leadership is setting a good example. by Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser
After four checks, Helena was relatively sure her hair was going to stay up. Her breakfast also seemed likely to stay down. She had put her robes on back-to-back, her broom was in good condition, and had even managed to match her shoes and socks. Though still a little nervous, Helena was doing much better than she usually did before games. She thought her team might actually stand a chance for once, which, as it turned out, made a real difference. It was easier to be objective now.The speeches from the coach and captain were fairly routine and predictable, though Jennifer's made her smile a little. She certainly wasn't going to have a problem with getting a tad too big for her boots. Several members of the team were very good. Helena was not one of them. She wasn't terrible, or didn't think she was, but she wasn't that great, either. Cockiness was more of a Geoff characteristic, and even he'd had some of the arrogance knocked out of him recently.
She had decided on a game plan of her own long before the game had started, and began following it as soon as Coach Fox began the game. It was as simple as she could make it for practical reasons, involving staying relatively close to the other Chasers and avoiding the Bludgers. Those two things, as she soon discovered, didn't always go hand-in-hand; doing the second kept her from doing the first, and by the time she shook off the Bludger, a Teppenpaw Chaser had somehow gotten the Quaffle away from Geoffrey.
Keeping an eye out for more Bludgers, she began making her way back towards other red-clad bodies. Another Teppenpaw, this one more familiar, had taken the Quaffle from the one who'd taken it from Geoffrey. Oliver was entering the mix, sort of sneaking up on them as the Teppenpaw tried to pass the red ball. Grinning widely, Helena changed direction by a few degrees to get within passing range. Not long after, Oliver passed the Quaffle to her. She barely fumbled it at all before securing it in one arm, using the other to keep her broom straight as she continued flying toward the goal posts.
She reminded herself not to panic. Panicking was the worst thing she could possibly do at the moment. Even if the way it would affect the game was ignored, she was also a long, long way from ground. Panic and heights did not mix, which meant panic, Bludgers, and heights definitely did not mix. It was just like another practice session. Feinting toward the right, she used her right hand to throw the Quaffle at the left hoop at the last possible-seeming moment.
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Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser
A lot of leadership is setting a good example.
88
Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser
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5
Pepper Jones, Teppenpaw Keeper
October 19, 2007 1:44 PM
The whole "Do as I say, not as I do" thing? by Pepper Jones, Teppenpaw Keeper
Pepper's stomach was not performing an advanced trapeze act as she made her way down to the pitch. She was still nervous, and thought she probably always would be before a Quidditch match, but her stomach was definitely down to the level of a beginners' gymnastics class. A lot of it had to do with their match against Pecari the previous year, which was somewhat odd, given that it had been the most dramatically violent thing she'd seen on the pitch since she arrived at the school, but within that crazy fray, she had made her first save. A particularly nasty penalty had been being called out at the time, and the game had ended in the following seconds, so it was debatable whether the goal would have counted anyway, or whether anyone had even noticed, but it mattered a lot to her that she no longer had that mental big fat zero beside her name. Walking onto the pitch, excitement tingled alongside the low-level anxiety. She'd certainly come a long way from her first match, where she'd nearly thrown up on the pitch, and failed to catch her own lost shoe, returned by Kaylie. There was also a more prominent difference, in the form of the several inches she'd grown since her current Quidditch robes had been fitted. The difference wasn't so obvious in her school robes, as her mother had insisted upon her uniform looking smart, but Pepper had put her foot down over new Quidditch robes, when they were only going to get dirty and possibly even ripped. She always felt guilty about how much her parents had to spend on her school supplies, when they couldn't (so far) be passed down to her siblings. Now she was standing under the stern eyes of Coach Fox, she felt a little anxious about the extra material her mother had sewed to the cuffs and hem of her robes. Neat as the stitching was, it couldn't be invisible. However, she seemed to be passed as fit, as there was nothing to stop her jumping (fairly literally) into the game as the whistle went.Once she reached the goal posts, it was just a case of trying to steer clear of Bludgers, and not work herself up into a tizzy, until the game came her way. Jake’s pre-game speech had made her stomach throw a couple of intermediate level moves, she had to admit. She knew it was irrational, as just saying it didn’t increase the chances, but since there had been reserves, there had been an increase in the amount of times the words “if Pepper gets taken out” had been uttered. But, just because he had spares, didn’t mean Jake wasn’t going to do his level best to protect them, and she trusted very highly in that best.
She looped to and fro as the Quaffle fluttered up and down the pitch, flinching a little as Jennifer dive-bombed her, only dodging away from the goals because a Bludger was on her tail. Pepper allowed her Keeping to take her, momentarily, to the furthest hoop, until she noticed that the Crotalus Chasers were coming her way. She’d learnt a long time ago that feinting hurt her head. It wasn’t the concept itself, but the fact that Chasers knew you’d expect them to feint, so perhaps that meant they wouldn’t, but if they knew you knew… You got into second and third guessing whether everyone was double, triple or quadruple bluffing. So she hovered in front of the central hoop, not keeping totally fixed to one spot (partly to maintain some momentum, partly through nervous fidgeting) and locked her eyes on the Quaffle, trying to focus on that, rather than the Chaser’s arms. Helena threw to her own left, Pepper’s right, as Pepper was twitching a little more to the left in her patrolling. She threw her weight hard right, although that meant her broom jerked sideways in a slide, which was far less aerodynamic. A turn would take up precious seconds, so - knuckles whitening - she tilted her broom to the left, stretching her legs out as far as they would go. She swung her right foot back, before bringing it against the Quaffle in a hefty kick, that sent in soaring back out into the field of play. Straightening up, she realised her entire body was tingling, as her senses spread back out from the narrow field of focussing on the Quaffle and she could see and hear the spectators again. No penalties were being called, and no Snitch was being grabbed to steal her thunder. This time, she was sure they had to have noticed.
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Pepper Jones, Teppenpaw Keeper
The whole "Do as I say, not as I do" thing?
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Pepper Jones, Teppenpaw Keeper
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5
Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
October 19, 2007 8:32 PM
I'll settle for doing as told by Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
If the blonde was prone to swearing, she would have been doing so when the bludger caused Dalila to miss the quaffle. Luckily, the other Chaser managed to dodge the evil ball of doom. Hannah gripped her broom tightly in a bundle of nerves as the Assistant Captain dove quickly after the quaffle. Would she be able to get it before one of the Crotalus Chasers did? She breathed a sigh of relief when the other girl resurfaced with the ball.Just as quickly as she had come up, Dalila threw the ball. She was ready to catch it, but...it was intercepted! Oliver now had it. An enormous growl escaped her lips, as she turned her broom around, intent on following him. He had a lead though. She leaned forward, urging her broom to go faster. She was almost on his tail now, closing the gap. Then, he no longer had the quaffle. One of the older Chasers did. Lovely. In what seemed to be in the next instant, but was probably longer, the Chaser had attempted to score. More lovely.
Thank goodness for their Keeper though, as she swiftly kicked the quaffle away and back into play. Being close to where it was heading, she went forward to meet it. It was a bit over her head and she had to reach both hands up to catch it, which caused the broom to tilt back slightly. Wobbling slightly, afraid she was going to fall off, she tilted forward automatically, gripping the handle. Forcing the broom to turn, she started flying towards the Crotalus goals.
Halfway across the field, she glanced around for the nearest Teppenpaw Chaser to pass the quaffle to. She was already a target by having it and any longer, she was sure to get hit by a bludger. Spotting one, she adjusted her aim, throwing it towards them. She crossed her fingers, hoping a Crot didn't make a move.
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Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
I'll settle for doing as told
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Hannah Laurent, Teppenpaw Chaser
0
5
Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater
October 19, 2007 8:39 PM
I always thought that was kind of hypocritical by Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater
The morning of the Quidditch game, Lily got up far earlier than she normally would on a Saturday. She was not what one would call a morning person, which naturally made her more irritable than she would have been later on in the day. It was probably a good thing that it was no longer too hot, as that also made Lily grouchier.As usual, the game started off with the speeches. She listened her best to Jennifer, smirking about the not giving the other team's beaters the bludgers. On the other hand, Lily did not really listen to Coach Fox. The Coach's speeches were always the same, about not cheating or leaving the pitch. They got really repetitive and dull.
Coach Fox's whistle blew and the game began, Lily took off into the air, keeping her eyes peeled for a Bludger to hit. She noticed that one of Teppenpaw's Chasers had the Quaffle and was moving to get one of the Bludgers but Gwen got there first. Fortunately Crotalus got the Quaffle back and Helena went for a shot. Lily groaned when the Teppenpaw Keeper kicked it back. Perhaps she should take the girl out.
As the Quaffle went back into the game, Lily zoomed for the nearest bludger and hit hard at the Teppenpaw Chaser closest to it, hoping that the bludger would hit and they'd miss the Quaffle because they were falling off their broom.
11
Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater
I always thought that was kind of hypocritical
45
Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater
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5
Law Cooper, Teppenpaw Chaser
October 20, 2007 7:14 PM
I'm just trying to do what's best by Law Cooper, Teppenpaw Chaser
There was a little man tap dancing on Lawrence Michael Cooper’s stomach, he was sure of it. What else would cause his stomach to toss and turn the way it did? He’d been playing Quidditch ever since he was a little kid, and never had he felt this nervous as he kicked off the field. Of course, Law had never played on a regulation Pitch with uniforms and a ref and everything, either. He swallowed hard.At least he only found out that he was going to be starting this game as a Chaser only several minutes before the game had started. Imagine how much worse off he'd be if he found out the night before? Perhaps he would have forgotten to put on his riding gloves, or put his sneakers on the wrong feet. Or perhaps he would have reconciled whatever nerves he had, and this little tap dance going on atop his stomach would long be over. But Law was of the optimistic variety, and so he decided that it must be better that he was informed later, rather than sooner.
He spent the first part of the game just getting acclimated to the flow of play. It was faster, and the players had greater skill than any other group of kids he’d ever played Quidditch with.
And yet there was something to be said for all of his experience on a broom, and his positive disposition. The heavy boy’s experience kept him from getting too overwhelmed, and his idealism kept him from realizing just how much of a novice he was compared to many of the players flying above the field. Working in harmony, these two things helped to give the boy confidence he needed to search within himself and pluck that little tap dancer off his stomach, and cast him down to the ground far, far below. Now he was ready to concentrate on the game properly.
He gave out a whoop and pumped his left fist high into the air as Pepper made the save, “Good job Pepper!” he called out encouragingly. The second year grinned as he recalled what Quidditch really was about. It was about teamwork and fun, and sometimes winning came along with that. Sometimes it didn’t. But as long as you enjoyed yourself and did your best for your team, what did that matter?
A bludger grazed his right shoulder as he turned to follow Hannah, and it made him glad that his body was particularly tall and portly for his age. It made it a great deal more difficult for anyone to knock him off of his broom. That didn’t mean that he couldn’t feel pain, and he winced. But leaning forward, he carried on, flying as speedily as he dared – though that was a far cry from being extremely fast by many people’s standards. Despite all his optimism, he was a cautious boy, but he supposed that some of that caution would just have to follow that tap dancer on its journey to the ground, if his team needed him to be a little more daring than he liked.
When Hannah passed the ball to him, he was several yards ahead and a couple of feet above her. As he had some experience receiving passes from Hannah, he caught the ball with ease, and brought it to his chest. Right arm above the Quaffle, left arm cradling it from below, he tucked it close to his chest. Leaning even further forward, he guided the broom with his knees closer to the hoops.
And then it hit him again. Maybe it was the same bludger, maybe it was the other one. In any case, it had his left shoulder causing him to roll over, and over again… he held onto the Quaffle for dear life, and his legs wrapped around his broom as tightly as possible. After rolling almost seven-hundred-twenty degrees – and rolling fast - he was able to stabilize himself. But Merlin was he dizzy.
He swallowed hard, and hoped he wouldn’t get sick. Yes, he had thrown a great deal of caution as well as the tap dancer to the ground below, but he hadn’t intended for his stomach to follow suit. So he took a deep breath – his nausea wasn’t that bad. He just wanted to get rid of the Quaffle before it got any worse. Law was only yards away from the hoops now, but he knew he was in no state to try for a goal. Faking an attempt on the leftmost goal to throw off the keeper, he threw to the nearest Teppenpaw chaser he could see. Then he put both hands on the handle of his broom, and exhaled heavily. It was going to be okay, he was not going to puke. And if he could just keep telling himself so, maybe his thoughts would become true.
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Law Cooper, Teppenpaw Chaser
I'm just trying to do what's best
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Law Cooper, Teppenpaw Chaser
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Pitch Hospital Tent - Injured Players Post Here by Nicolas Wolfe, Medic
Nicolas Wolfe looked checked his pocket watch for the third time in thirty minutes. He would not be late for this match. From what he could tell Quidditch was a senseless and violent sport played by idiots with deathwishes on brooms with balls and sticks. Actually, that rather sounded like… But Wolfe didn’t feel like contemplating evolution on this fine day. It was fine out, wasn’t it? He stole a glance out the window just to make sure.He had been reading the newest edition of some pompous medimagical journal for over an hour. That wasn’t strictly true. He had been thinking of ways to end Fox’s life for the past hour without being incriminated. That woman was a menace to society. He would be doing humanity a favour by disposing of her. Heaven help the witch if she ever found herself under his care.
The medic sighed as he stretched. His familiar was safely locked in his file cabinet. The jarvey could do no harm today. He needed to be on his way to the pitch anyhow. “Enjoy your day, my friend. I will let you out when I can keep an eye on you. You did this to yourself when you threw the scalpels at the second years.”
The witch was already on the pitch when he arrived. ‘She would be here, the hoyden,' Wolfe sneered while setting his equipment down. His bag contained most of what he needed for the day: his tent, several cots, standard medical potions and equipment all shrunken down for his convenience. Erecting the tent proved a bit of a challenge even with magic. The directions never seemed to help, but with a good deal of effort on the medic’s part the tent was up and ready shortly before the match began. Hopefully, there would be no need for his expertise today.
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Nicolas Wolfe, Medic
Pitch Hospital Tent - Injured Players Post Here
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Nicolas Wolfe, Medic
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5
Irene Liddowe and Renaye and Josh Warren
October 21, 2007 10:33 AM
Conflict in the houses! [Tag: Brett] by Irene Liddowe and Renaye and Josh Warren
Irene had woken up early the morning of the Crotalus vs. Teppenpaw match. She ran a brush through her hair, not bothering to do anything too special. It was the weekend! Slacking day. She threw on a pair of jeans along with an old yellow t-shirt. Apologies to the Warrens, but she would not be supporting Crotalus. She was excited for this game. She was always on the bench, just far enough to where she couldn't take to Raye, Josh, or Brett. Quidditch was owning her soul at the moment. But she was deditcated. She wasn't going to slack just because she didn't get the spot she wanted. Reserve or not, she was still on the team.Irene grabbed her maroon scarf and headed to Cascade. She ate quickly before heading towards the stands. She was suppose to meet Renaye and Josh here...
"Irene!"
Irene turned around to find Renaye and Josh, decked out in Crotalus red, running towards her. Renaye wrinkled her nose as she looked at Irene.
"What are you wearing?"
Irene grinned mischieviously. "I thought you'd like that. Sorry, but no matter who's the Crotali are, I'm still a Pecari." Renaye rolled her green eyes and grabbed Irene's arm. Josh followed along as they headed to find spots in the stands. Irene resisted Renaye's direction towards the Crotalus support stands and turned towards the Teppenpaw end. Renaye groaned.
"Irene," Josh said, "It's not going to kill you to sit over there."
Irene laughed. "You sound like a first year! I'm on the Pecari team. Crotalus... Pecari... Have you noticed that we don't eactly get along? Plus, I'm on the Pecari team. That's an extra point to the Don't-sit-over-there thing."
They took a spot in the middle of the stands. Irene cheered as the Teppenpaw Keeper made a very nice save, kicking the Quaffle away from the goal. She looked over to Josh. His bright blue eyes look sad and full of longing as he watched the game. Irene smiled lightly at him and ruffled his black hair.
"Don't be sad Joshie..." She said, "It's more fun here with us anyway." Josh gave her a look that said very clearly, 'You're insane,' before turning back to the game.
Irene turned and scanned the stands. She was hoping to find Brett and meet him here. She knew he didn't play Quidditch, he was a soccer guy, but she did know that he usually came to the games... Maybe he'd show up later...
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Irene Liddowe and Renaye and Josh Warren
Conflict in the houses! [Tag: Brett]
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Irene Liddowe and Renaye and Josh Warren
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5
Cecily Smythe
October 21, 2007 1:10 PM
You call this a sport? by Cecily Smythe
Although she was by now getting into the rhythm of life at Sonora, there were still several phenomena Cecily didn’t quite understand. One of them was Quidditch, and how it had managed to divide the girls in her dormitory on their first evening together. She hadn’t bothered to attend the first Quidditch game of the season; in fact she’d barely noticed as it had come and gone without any affect on her life. The second game had caused more of a ruckus, though, because Cecily’s own house, Crotalus, would be playing. Partly out of curiosity, and partly to show support for her team, Cecily had eventually decided to brave the crowds and find out what all this Quidditch stuff was about.Clad in smart red leather boots and her red dragonskin coat fastened neatly at her waist, Cecily carefully picked her way along the stands and settled herself down amongst some other Crotalus supporters. Not knowing anything about Quidditch at all (other than it being a violent sport played on brooms, and therefore eminently more suitable for boys than girls), Cecily spent the first few moments of the game trying to work out what in Merlin’s name was going on. She had been right about it being a horribly violent sport – two players on each team were hitting large metal balls at the other players! How utterly barbaric! Cecily found herself grimacing in disgust, wishing quite forcefully that she hadn’t bothered to attend the match after all; she didn’t want to have any part of this horrid sport.
Cecily stood to leave, but a hand clenched firmly around her arm, forcing the first year to stay her ground. Cecily looked down to see none other than her Muggle raised roommate, Laurie. The other girl apologised, and explained her action by way of excitement at seeing her first ever game. Cecily was torn between horror and disbelief at her housemate’s excitement (as well as being indignant that her best jacket had been grabbed so forcefully). All in all it was too much for Cecily to process, and she sat back down rather more heavily than was intended. It was a couple of seconds before she found her voice.
“Do you mean that you are actually enjoying this blatantly aggressive excuse for a game?” she asked, the quiet disbelief of her tone replacing any scorn that might otherwise have been there.
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Cecily Smythe
You call this a sport?
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Cecily Smythe
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5
Here I am! by Brett Hodges
Brett's usual routine as an Official Pecari Spectator(tm) was to arrive with Echo a little earlier than most and then wave anyone they knew over to their out of the way bench so that by the time the game started, it wasn't as out of the way as Echo had been hoping. Today, though, with it being a non Pecari match, Echo had chickened out, pleading both a fever and homework. The punk was hiding in his room right now for fear that someone would still convince him to come. Someone, in this case, meant Elly and Meredith, whose power over Echo was such that if they said, "Hey Echo, you coming?" they would have gotten an instant, "Yeah, I guess," even though all Brett's attempts had met with a very firm, "No."He tried bringing this up with Echo, who looked up from his book again just long enough to say, "Yeah. And your point is...?"
So Brett had come alone to the Tepps vs. Crots match. He spotted Laurie Cider and Cicily Smythe, two of the new first years, and he saw a few others he knew. And then he spotted Irene and her two cousins. He grinned and, going around the thickest crowds out of habit, snuck up behind them. One of her cousins saw him first and he motioned not to give him away.
He took the seat behind his girlfriend and reached around to cover her eyes.
"Hey, Agent Iris!" he said, laughing, "Guess who?"
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Brett Hodges
Here I am!
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Brett Hodges
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5
Irene with Renaye and Josh
October 22, 2007 3:41 PM
There you are! by Irene with Renaye and Josh
Irene jumped as her vision was suddenly blocked. Her first instinct was to jump away and shout, "Hey! I'm missing the game!" but the voice that followed made her relax."Hey, Agent Iris!" he said, laughing, "Guess who?"
She grinned. "Agent whose-name-has-not-been-thought-up-yet?" she said, taking his hand and restoring her vision causing her to notice Josh giving Brett the eye. She shot him a warning look. Josh always got so protective over everyone... She remembered when Renaye had caught the attention of a boy on their Quidditch team. He had a close encounter with a bludger the next practice. Josh would never hurt anyone, but he would make sure you knew he was watching.
Irene gestured to the seat next to her. "Glad you made it!"
One thing that had softened the blow from being put on reserve, besides Sorrel's helpful explanation, was that she had everything else going for her. This was one year that her dad wasn't going to mess up. Okay, so he had made a reappearance, but that before. She didn't have to worry about him until Christmas. This year was going to be normal. And she had a boyfriend now! After all of last year, this year was going to be great...
"I want Teppenpaw to win this so bad..." She said, watching as Teppenpaw took control of the Quaffle. A light breeze blew by, chilling her through the maroon sweater she had thrown on. She was greatful that she had thought to bring it, but also regreting not checking the temperature before leaving. She could have grabbed her jacket...
Her comment earned a glare from Renaye and Josh. "What are you going to do when we play each other next year?" Renaye said, smiling at the same time.
"Beat you," Irene said shortly, grinning at her. She looked over to Brett. "They're so naive... They obviously don't know the awesomeness that is Pecari."
Renaye 'Ooh'-ed as a Teppenpaw chaser, Law, did a nice fake shot but instead went for the pass.
"Come on Crotalus!" She shouted, her blonde hair falling over her green eyes as she jumped in excitement.
Josh looked over to Brett.
"I remember you," he said. "You played Quidditch over the summer right?"
Irene shot him a look. Don't talk about the summer... Don't talk about the summer... She had spent plenty of time avoiding the subject. Why was he bringing it up? She didn't like lying to all of those people. It made her feel like a horrible friend, not telling them. But telling them would have been worse than not. She didn't need those worried glances or the concerned comments. Irene got enough of that as it was from Raye, Josh, Uncle Mike, and even little Laina.
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Irene with Renaye and Josh
There you are!
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Irene with Renaye and Josh
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5
Whereever I am, there I be. by Brett Hodges
Brett let Irene push his hands away and his smile only faded slightly at the look her cousins gave him. It widened again as he dropped down a row to the seat Irene offered him and listened to Irene and Josh exchange jibes about their respective Quidditch teams.As the teams kept playing, Josh turned to him and said, "I remember you. You played Quidditch over the summer right?"
Belated recognition, but Brett was willing to take it--as long as it wasn't <>too well remembered. It had been his first time playing Quidditch and his skills were found to be lacking. For a sports guy like Brett, that sort of failure was up on his wall of shame. "Yeah," he said, glancing at Irene. "I came with that quiet curly haired kid and the red headed talker."
Irene had been a little off at that party, and now she seemed a little off again. Huh. Well, what was a little lack of respect from the cousins next to Irene being uncomfortable about whatever it was she was uncomfortable about?
"Yeah," he said in the carefree way of a class clown, "I was the one who couldn't hardly stay on the broom."
That was an exaggeration. He could stay on. He could stay on like a cowboy on a wild horse--it wasn't that hard when you got a good grip on the handle--it just wasn't worth staying on because he couldn't control the thing worth spit. It really was a good thing Echo had convinced him not to try out for the Quidditch team.
Really.
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Brett Hodges
Whereever I am, there I be.
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Brett Hodges
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5
Irene and Renaye with some Josh
October 23, 2007 5:40 PM
Quidditch is where you be today then by Irene and Renaye with some Josh
OOC: I changed POV about halfway through. So if you're confused, after Brett says the thing about staying on the broom, the POV changes to Irene there. It made sense to me, but I'm the one writing it, so assuming it makes sense doesn't always work =)BIC:
Renaye assumed that Josh had forgotten their silent agreement not to talk about anything mildly related to summer. She knew he was just being stupid and making a random observation, but still... Irene was her best friend and she didn't like seeing her all uncomfortable about anything. And there she goes, putting her hair in her face again. Raye made a mental note to do an intervention... This insecurity from her needed to stop. For her own good. Irene was so much stronger than anyone else she had ever met and Raye wasn't going to let one meeting ruin her confidence. Maybe she could get Brett in on this... Later. They would talk later.
"Yeah," he said, glancing at Irene. "I came with that quiet curly haired kid and the red headed talker."
Renaye turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, you're the soccer guy! That was fun. I hadn't played anything but Quidditch before that, but soccer was definitely cool," she said, trying to save the poor guy from Josh's scrutiny. Josh was being protective. Both she and Irene hated it when he did that...
Renaye scanned the stands fot framiliar faces, wanting to see if anyone might want to join them. Her eyes found Laurie, watching the game with... Cecily? Raye bit her lip. It seemed odd that Cecily would be at a game. Wasn't she one of the girls who had disliked the sport? If Laurie needed any help, Raye would be there to jump in. Quidditch game plus roommates... probably not a good mix. She turned back to the current convorsation in time to here Brett say,
Yeah," he said in the carefree way of a class clown, "I was the one who couldn't hardly stay on the broom."
Irene laughed slightly. "You played fine," she said. Irene hadn't expected him to be anything like professional level. She knew soccer was his main focus, and that was cool. In fact, she thought it was kind of a good thing. There was something to talk about. It was good to have things in common, but to be completely similar would be boring.
"I'm glad I'm not out there playing today," Irene said, watching the teams continue play. "Can you imagine how cold the wind is up there?"
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Irene and Renaye with some Josh
Quidditch is where you be today then
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Irene and Renaye with some Josh
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Well, competition, points, and sweat. . .so, yeah? by Laurie Cider
Laurie tucked her hands into her lap nervously. The arm she had attached to belonged to one of her roommates, one of the many she was, well, not precisely friends with. Ever since that first day in the room, things had been civil, but dry. A couple words exchanged in the bathroom, cursory greetings in the mornings or at night. As she wasn't one to antagonize, Laurie brushed off most of what she was sure were unintentional slights, convinced that she was merely being over sensitive."Cecily, hi." She glanced at where she had grabbed the girl's arm. She was half tempted to smooth down the fabric, recognizing it only as something expensive. "Sorry about your jacket."
Laurie pulled back slightly as the girl sat back down, her smile wavering. “Do you mean that you are actually enjoying this blatantly aggressive excuse for a game?” She winced at the question. It was rather argumentative in nature. She was enjoying watching it, yes, but not because it was 'blatantly aggressive.'
"Honestly? So far, yes. I mean, it's no less violent than a football game, and hockey definitely beats it so far." She tugged on her scarf, pulling it more tightly against her throat. "But you probably don't know what those sports are, do you? My dad warned me that not every family, especially the Pureblood ones, would know about Muggle everyday things."
Laurie drew back into her scarf, one eye closing in aghast as a Teppenpaw chaser began spinning crazily on his broom. Thankfully, he evened the spin out, and she let out a breath of relief. She turned her brown eyes to consider her housemate. "You know, Cecily, if you had questions or anything about Muggle stuff, I'd be happy to tell you about it. Sometimes, different doesn't mean bad, you know?"
She ended her optimistic appeal with a hesitant smile, unsure of how Cecily Smythe in her polished attire and sophisticated air would receive it.
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Laurie Cider
Well, competition, points, and sweat. . .so, yeah?
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Laurie Cider
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Lexi Stafford, Teppenpaw Beater
October 24, 2007 12:09 AM
That's all anyone can ask of you by Lexi Stafford, Teppenpaw Beater
When Lexi Stafford had woken up that morning, something had just felt…off. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, since she’d gotten enough rest the night before, and nothing serious had happened recently enough that would distract her. Still, even as she ate breakfast, went down to the pitch, and Fox blew the whistle to start the game, Lexi couldn’t fight the semi-sluggish feeling that was plaguing her, for whatever reason.She had hung back for most of the game so far. It hadn’t seemed like very much action had been going on so far, bludgers-wise, and Jake seemed more on the offensive than she did, so she settled for a defensive mindset. She’d had her games of insane plays with regards to trying to take the other team out. This game wasn’t one.
Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t trying to get at the bludgers first. She was, she would swear it. Gwen and Lily just kept beating her to them (no pun intended), that was all. Lexi had been on the opposite side of the pitch when Lily had hit the first bludger at Law, and there had been now way for her to get there in time, and it didn’t look like the second year had gotten hit too badly.
However, she’d gotten preoccupied by trying to get to that bludger before one of the Crotali did, and succeeded, for the first time that game, slamming it toward the Crotalus seeker as hard as she could. She doubted that Jake had it in him to seriously try and take Jennifer out at the time, which Lexi couldn’t really blame him for. Sentimentality aside, though, it was still the cardinal rule of beater-hood, and somebody had to do it.
Unfortunately, while she was doing that, the other bludgers had found Law, and she turned just in time to see the boy do two quick rolls in the air, wincing for him. She’d gotten hit a time or two, and it had hurt an unbelievable amount. And, unlike the last time, she could have gotten to him before the bludgers, if she’d been paying attention to everything like she should have been. She wasn’t that far away, after all.
She moved faster now, sluggishness gone, to be replaced by a smattering of shame. Never mind that she’d succeeded in doing something else, she wasn’t supposed to allow her own team, particularly the younger members like Law, to get hurt. She barreled after the rogue bludgers, which didn’t seem to have gone very far, and hit it as hard as she could toward Earl, since, even though a shot hadn’t been made, the quaffle was still in scoring position, so it wasn’t illegal (she thought).
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Lexi Stafford, Teppenpaw Beater
That's all anyone can ask of you
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Lexi Stafford, Teppenpaw Beater
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And that's giving the ball to me! by Dalila
Dalila stayed behind the action a bit, swerving left and right so she always had an eye on the quaffle, so if she was needed, she'd be right there. Dodging something - she couldn't remember what -, she maneuvered herself near the Crotalus goals just in time to see the chubby kid -his name started with an 'L', she thought - catch the quaffle and immediately get hit by a bludger. She wince in sympathy, but was too enthralled by his midair somersaults to do much more.He looked a little sick, and Dalila whole heartedly agreed when he decided to pass the ball. That kid was in no condition to make a shot, unless they wanted to play with a vomit-y quaffle the rest of the game.
Dalila easily received the quaffle from kid (Law!she remembered)and flew it towards the goal. She had gotten the ball only a few feet from the goals so she met no obstacles except that she was at a strange angled. Aiming the ball as best she could, Dalila threw it towards the left hoop, hoping her aim was true.
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Dalila
And that's giving the ball to me!
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Dalila
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Jake
October 26, 2007 7:11 PM
You did very well, just the same by Jake
Jake felt like he was flying around the pitch hitting bludgers but making no progress while his team did all they could to keep the Teppenpaws in the running. He had worked up a sweat already, his arm was starting to grow tight from over work. And yet, not one Crotalus had gone down. Jake almost wondered if Lexi lost her touch, but then shook that thought away. It was only a game and he didn't want to really put anyone in harm's way.He heard a few people cheer and turned to find that Pepper had made a brilliant save. He cheered in his head, not yet ready to let his guard down. He could remember a couple of years ago how Pepper had been so down on herself as the Keeper. Look how far she had come now. Jake was glad she had stayed on the team.
The celebration was short lived as Law was smacked by a bludger and nearly spun right off his broom. Jake swore loudly at the sight of one of his players being hit like that. From his position, Jake hadn't been anywhere near Law and knew he wouldn't have been able to prevent it from happening, but that didn't lessen the guilt of it. Luckily though, Law managed to hang on long enough to toss the quaffle that Dalila snagged. "Alright Law?" Jake shouted, already chasing after the offensive bludger. "Good work!" Jake continued, as he flew off to tackle some more of his duties.
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Jake
You did very well, just the same
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Jake
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<font color="pink">NO MORE POSTING</font> (nm) (nm) by Fox
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Fox
<font color="pink">NO MORE POSTING</font> (nm) (nm)
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Fox
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Well when you put it like that... by Cecily
Laurie did at least apologise for having grabbed Cecily’s arm, but in almost the same breath she also confessed to enjoying the so-called game they both were spectating. She compared it with other sports, of which Cecily had never heard, and neither did she want to. Laurie explained they were Muggle sports, though Cecily probably wouldn’t have recognised them had they been magical sports – athletics weren’t really her field of interest. Cecily didn’t really know how to respond; she couldn’t find anything especially enjoyable about this game, but if her roommate liked to watch violent sports then Cecily certainly wasn’t going to stop her. That didn’t mean Cecily had to stay herself, though. She was on the verge of standing once again to leave, when Laurie spoke again.“You know, Cecily, if you had any questions or anything about Muggle stuff, I’d be happy to tell you about it. Sometimes different doesn’t mean bad, you know?”
“I know,” Cecily replied loftily, aborting her movements towards leaving, and remained seated with Laurie a little longer. “And if you have any question about magic stuff then you can ask me,” Cecily offered, returning Laurie's hesitant smile. She didn’t like that the girls had gotten off on the wrong foot, especially as it was over something as silly as Quidditch. “You are Muggleborn, aren’t you?” Cecily asked just to clarify. She had met a few Muggleborns at her time in Sonora, but still managed to find some fascination in them.
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Cecily
Well when you put it like that...
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Cecily
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Kaylie, Tepp Seeker and Lily, Crot Beater.
October 28, 2007 3:12 PMKaylie, Tepp Seeker and Lily, Crot Beater.
AlumnusHouse: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert
Age in Post: 16
Birthday: July 14
The End: An extremely lucky catch. by Kaylie, Tepp Seeker and Lily, Crot Beater.
Kaylie had been flying along for some time now, searching for the elusive golden Snitch. She was surprised she'd had yet to deal with avoiding bludgers. Finally she spotted the small object, way down below the main action of the game.She sped down. Snitchs moved pretty fast, so when Kaylie saw it, she had to be quick or it would be gone before she got there. She kept her eyes on it, not knowing where Jennifer was, not aware of where Lily and the bludgers were. Kaylie did not want the Snitch to vanish from her line of vision again.
In Lily's line of vision, however, was her cousin, and a bludger. She noticed the other girl speeding down with a purpose. That probably meant she saw something and Tepp was probably about to win. Lily simply could not let that happen. She went for the bludger and slammed it with all her might, using what some might call excessive force. It was even more than she normally used trying to take out Pecari chasers. However, this was ultimately for the game. If Kaylie was out, the Snitch would continue floating around until Jennifer caught it. Then Crotalus would have to win.
Approaching the tiny ball, Kaylie closed her hand around it. That's when she felt it smack into her back, hard. The bludger Lily had just fired had hit her. She heard if crack and winced in pain.
She began to fall, fortunately not too far from the ground as it was. Kaylie made sure not to let go of the Snitch and clutched tight. She finally hit the bottom, landing on her behind, which was another hard jolt.
However, the real pain was in her back. Kaylie grimaced. She had never in her life experienced anything that physically hurt so much. She was sure she was going to pass out any moment.
Up above, Lily noticed that Kaylie had caught the Snitch only seconds before the bludger hit. She swore, knowing that even though she'd hit her target, it wasn't quick enough.
That's when she saw the other girl sitting on the ground. Kaylie looked absolutely white. Though Lily was far from a Seer, her gut told her something was horribly wrong with her cousin.
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Kaylie, Tepp Seeker and Lily, Crot Beater.
The End: An extremely lucky catch.
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Kaylie, Tepp Seeker and Lily, Crot Beater.
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