Stress relief (tag Stephen) on Quidditch Pitch

The Craven Twins

December 09, 2007 5:08 PM

Stress relief (tag Stephen) by The Craven Twins

The holidays had been fun. Not nag-free, unfortunately. Even though they'd stayed at school this time, there had been subtle suggestions in their mother's owls about revising and keeping up with their studies. Largely they had been. Ish. And, as such, the twins had earnt a break. You couldn't study hard all the time, or you'd just burn out. Given that he'd complained before the holidays about life lacking fun, and study taking over, they'd pinned a note to Stephen's pillow before embarking: Off for a throw/beat around. Come join us if you get your nose out of your homework, book-worm. It had the right amount of taunt that Stephen, surely, couldn't refuse; it wasn't an invitation... It was a challenge.

"Up for a little one-on-one, Sorrie?" Ash grinned, tauntingly chucking a Quaffle from hand-to-hand.

"You betcha," Sorrel replied, lunging to grab it. Ash had been waiting for that though, and held it as high as his arm could stretch; big as Sorrel was, for a girl, this was out of her reach. Mounting her broom, she kicked into the air to remove her height disadvantage. Ash was up barely a second after, but Sorrel was too near for him to get far. She grabbed him around the waist and forced her arms in between his, prying them apart. The Quaffle dropped, and she was on it, pulling the broom around in a hair-pin bend as she collected the ball, dashing off in the opposite direction.

Ash hadn't been surprised by her opening attack on him - he was just too close. He set off now in hot-pursuit of his sister, lunging forward when he drew near, making a grab for the tail of her broom. Once he was latched on, he began to pull her hand over hand, reeling her and the Quaffle back towards him. He wasn't going to get away with that though. Not because it was against the rules, because in Craven throw-abouts, anything went. She tried to barrel roll, but lacked the momentum, especially with Ash twisting all his might against it, and she was forced to yield up the Quaffle as he caught her.

0 The Craven Twins Stress relief (tag Stephen) 0 The Craven Twins 1 5

Stephen Baxter

December 10, 2007 7:01 AM

I hardly think that an apt way to describe you two :-p by Stephen Baxter

After the fun that'd happened in the holidays Stephen had been somewhat loathe to return to study, but knowing that it was necessary he'd been a good boy and returned to it none-the-less. But, he'd reasoned when he'd discovered the note on his pillow, it wasn't like it was CATS or RATS this year. There was still time for fun - it was just a little lax that Sorrel and Ash had taken their own sweet time getting around to reintroducing him to it. And they were calling him a book-worm! That accusation needed to be answered with definite and prompt action.

Ditching his books and locating Fido in what had to be mere moments, he was out of the dorm, out of the commons and headed for the pitch in a thrice.

He wasn't sure how long they'd been up there when he arrived, but it seemed they were certainly into the action by now. Stephen wasted no time in hopping onto Fido and joining them in the air.

"Which of you two comedians left the note?" he asked, trying not to laugh too hard at the spectacle. He figured - something he'd learnt from long experience - that Sorrel would take against him laughing outright at how easily Ash had apparently been able to physically overpower her.

39 Stephen Baxter I hardly think that an apt way to describe you two :-p 49 Stephen Baxter 0 5

The Craven Twins

December 19, 2007 5:51 PM

I'm sure we can contribute to some kind of catharsis... by The Craven Twins

"Joint effort," Ash shouted with a grin, as Stephen joined them on the pitch, griping about the note.

"And I don't remember us trying to be anything except totally serious," Sorrel smirked. She missed the fact that the corners of Stephen's mouth were twitching at the sight of them, partly because Stephen was nearly always wore an expression of barely concealed, if not outright, smug amusement, and partly because she was busy taking advatage of Ash's second-long lapse in concentration to swoop in. A swift kick to the shin, and the reflexive urge to grab the painful area that followed allowed her to snatch the ball.

"Been having fun in the library?" she hollered over her shoulder, swishing her broom tail out of Ash's attempt to simply grab her right back. Pushing the nose of her broom forward, she dove towards the ground, giving her the dual advantage of getting away from the guys as well as positioning the Quaffle at a more awkward angle for them if they tried to attack her from behind.

"In case you haven't gathered, the aim of the game's to get the Quaffle," Ash called out to Stephen, "However you like," he added, as he dropped into a dive of his own, going for bombing straight after Sorrel, rather than looping around in any more complex form of trick, as she already had a headstart on him.

0 The Craven Twins I'm sure we can contribute to some kind of catharsis... 0 The Craven Twins 0 5

Stephen Baxter

December 23, 2007 8:52 AM

some... no doubt by Stephen Baxter

"Fun, in the library?" Stephen asked, again stifling a grin. These two always seemed to mean business when it came to causing each other pain. He'd have to be on his guard against those same attacks that they were currently only levelling against each other - the twins personified the term 'anything goes' when it came to their sports. "Tonnes," he added when he remembered what he was saying.

She was shooting away and Ash was headed after her, leaving Stephen behind.

"Oh yeah, I got that," Stephen said as he set off after them, trying to come up with a strategy to overcome their twinness. Perhaps the trick would be to let the two of them see each other as the main threat and then take advantage of their not paying attention to him.

Or he could just enter the fray.

Fido seemed inclined towards the latter option. Shouting out a mildly incomprehensible war-cry (validated if for no other reason that because of that jibe about being a book-worm, but equally useful as a distraction and scare tactic) that Fido took to mean "Down, Fido" Stephen and Fido joined the dive, shooting down, down, down and showing the definite worthwhileness of racing stripes (or maybe the upgraded charms) by catching and over-taking Ash.

"Have you asked Lizzie to the ball yet?" he asked loudly as he raced past. He wasn't interested in the answer so much as hoping it'd pull Ash up short. Sorrel was going to be more difficult.

"If I get you," he shouted as he gained on her, "does that count as getting the Quaffle too?"

39 Stephen Baxter some... no doubt 49 Stephen Baxter 0 5

The Craven Twins

February 26, 2008 9:56 AM

All work and no play makes Stephen a dull boy... by The Craven Twins

Sorrel grinned at Stephen's reply, glad to have him back out where he belonged. As she dropped into her dive, the conversation between the guys became lost to her, against the rush of wind in her ears, and the grass hurtling up through the air towards her.

"Huh?!" asked Ash, as he heard mention of Liz and the ball. It wasn't that they were issues in themselves, it was just unexpected for pitch talk. "Oh, dirty trick, man," he said, shaking his head as Stephen overtook him. "At least I've got a girlfriend to take, gay," he retorted. It wasn't exactly the most eloquent come-back, but you had to make your attacks short when flying, otherwise your opponent would be out of hearing range. He flattened himself against his broom, trying to keep pace with Stephen.

Psyching herself to go the few extra inches, reminding herself that the ground was closer than it looked, and it was only over-cautious self-preservation telling her to pull up, Sorrel heard Stephen's shouts gaining on her.

"You have to get it," she replied, looking over her shoulder in spite of herself to see how close Stephen was. Both guys were following the same trajectory, which meant at least she wasn't pincered in. She pulled out of her dive, shooting off into the large available space they'd left. Stephen was more agile than her, and would be able to change direction and climb more swiftly, so she began to circle. For as long as she was above him, he'd have her legs to contend with before he got near the arms that clutched the Quaffle.

OOC - the author would like to note that she disapproves of using "gay" as an insult, or term to mean "bad" or "rubbish". Even though Ash is using to actually mean homosexual, he is still doing so derogatorily, which isn't something I personally find acceptable.

0 The Craven Twins All work and no play makes Stephen a dull boy... 0 The Craven Twins 0 5

Stephen

February 28, 2008 10:18 PM

I am not a dull boy by Stephen

Stephen snickered at Ash, but didn't bother to listen to him, concentrating more rightly on the prize. He wasn't sure how much attention she was paying, but he had a gleam in his eye as Sorrel looked back to reply to him. He echoed her change of direction, leaning to his side to aid in the change of direction even before he got around to pulling out of his dive.

"Yeah," he said, refusing to let the issue go, if only because it led to interesting ideas, "but if you've got it, and I've got you... that's just the same as me having it."

He closed the distance between them, trying to work out the best way to accomplish his goals. Fido was keen to have the advantage of height, but Stephen held off on focusing too much on his ascent so as to keep closer to Sorrel horizontally.

She was never one to pull her punches - he'd known her long and well enough to realise that. She was holding the quaffle, which meant there was the possibility of an arm and two legs to watch out for, depending on how she chose to retain her grip on her broom. Eh, why spend so much time thinking about this anyhow? Acting was much better than thinking. He'd been thinking too much lately.

Fido, apparently in tune with Stephen, stopped echoing Sorrel's moves and they leapt up in a short burst of speed, taking the advantage of height in one fell swoop. The were higher than her now, and turned back down, turning in a tight spiral as the distance between them disappeared. His hands had always been clever at catching and holding and now he put them to good use, snatching Sorrel from her broom and holding her close.

"Go on," he said, laughter and something else in his voice, "try and say I haven't got it now."

39 Stephen I am not a dull boy 0 Stephen 0 5

The Twins

March 07, 2008 1:34 PM

Obviously not, as you're playing. by The Twins

Sorrel kept a close watch on Stephen. Her brother had been slower in the change of direction, as she'd predicted, but Stephen was nippy. It was a new challenge. She was used to playing this with just Ash. 'Nippy' didn't really come into it. Just punching. She tried to barrel roll as Stephen dived towards her, so that she could kick at him with one leg (possibly - she wasn't sure gravity would be on her side for that one) or to at least keep the Quaffle further from his arms. It didn't seem to be the Quaffle he wanted to get though, and she wasn't rotated enough to prevent him seizing her torso, pinning her arms tight against her side. She felt herself being pulled away from her broom, the momentum from Stephen's dive helping him overcome the fact that she wasn't exactly a pixie. Luckily her legs had been gripping it, in preparation for her barrel roll, so she kept some purchase on it.

"To get your hands on the Quaffle, you'll have to take them off me," Sorrel growled, in a tone that suggested it might be in Stephen's best interest to do so, whether he wanted the Quaffle or not. She didn't wriggle her shoulders. She knew that probably wouldn't shake him off, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her struggling. She couldn't really kick him either, as that would mean loosening her precarious grip on her broom. She didn't want to be entirely dependent on Stephen for staying in the air. However, if he though depriving her of her arms and legs was going to keep him safe and win him this round, Stephen underestimated his friend. She spat in his face.

"That's a warning, seeing as you're new to this," she informed him. "If you don't let me go, I've still got the option of head-butting you. Let's see how many girls fancy you after I break your nose."

Whilst this was going on, Ash was circling just below the two. It looked like Stephen had a fairly tight grip around Sorrel (the kind which, if it was anyone but Stephen, who didn't count, would cause Ash to break their limbs). It didn't look as if he'd be able to get in between them to pluck the Quaffle out. His best chance seemed to be hoping a rugby-tackle style attack would knock both sufficiently off balance that the Quaffle would be dropped. If he grabbed both, they'd be more likely to cling together for balance... He'd be better off trying to knock one of them, pushing them apart. If he grabbed Sorrel, he might well take her broom out too. Whilst that was sometimes an option, he couldn't do it at this height without endangering her life, and that was beyond the limit, even for Craven play. If Stephen let go though, she could grab her broom back, hopefully at the expense of being able to hold onto the Quaffle. He drew around so they were side on to him and he had a better chance of grabbing just Stephen, and flattened himself on his broom. He bulletted towards them, reaching out his arms to grab Stephen's legs in a tackle hold, jerking him violently away from his sister.

0 The Twins Obviously not, as you're playing. 0 The Twins 0 5

Stephen

March 09, 2008 6:17 AM

Yes. If only you were. by Stephen

Perhaps, Stephen thought when Sorrel had spat in his face and followed that up with pointing out that that he was in a position where head-butting was going to be her next move, this was a bad idea. He hadn't really thought of either happening when he had grabbed her - girls tended to take his attentions in a rather more agreeable fashion - and had ignored the threat in her voice when she had initially warned him to let go.

She hadn't even tried to wiggle loose, which might have made this whole thing a little more worthwhile.

It was kind of weird to think that she'd do that when...

Definitely a mistake. Terrible, terrible mistake.

"Fine," he said sullenly, loosening his grip on her and making a move to wipe his face. "I guess I didn't realise that you were a frickin' geriatrics only zo-"

Perhaps - the thought randomly ran through Stephen's head as he fought to kick himself loose of Ash's grip, get his balance back and retain his grip on Fido - he shouldn't have said that. He grunted with effort and managed to get both properly seated and back in control all in the same movement before pulling a neat one eighty and sending a scowl in the general direction of both twins. Ash, regardless of how girly his name was, was no lightweight and that had been rather akin to being hit by a freight-train.

If they wanted it to be like this, then it'd be like this. Stephen whispered a few words under his breath at his broom and after a moment of stillness, returned to the fray. If nothing else he was going to get the Quaffle. \r\n\r\n

39 Stephen Yes. If only you were. 0 Stephen 0 5

The Craven Twins

March 26, 2008 7:30 PM

We may be playing rough, but it's still play by The Craven Twins

“What?” asked Sorrel, as Stephen was torn out of her path by Ash. She wondered whether he’d had a chance to hear the genuinely bemused exclamation, which she hadn’t been able to help but let out. Stephen had given up his attempts to get the Quaffle pathetically easily. His taunt, if that had been what it was meant to be, also didn’t make any sense to her. Realising she was free, and both competitors were tangled in a knot of brooms and limbs, Sorrel took advantage and sped away, replaying what Stephen had said as she went and trying to make sense of it. ‘Geriatric.’ That was what Stephen called her (actually-ex-but-she-would-never-admit-that-to-him) boyfriend. The guy she was or was not seeing didn’t seem relevant to whether or not tackled her and fought for the Quaffle. She would have attributed it to Stephen lacking taunting practice, but he was usually sharp on that kind of thing. Perhaps it was one of those insults that just hadn’t come off. Perhaps it would have made sense if Ash hadn’t interrupted him with a rugby tackle. Perhaps Stephen was just messed in the head (it had been suggested, mostly by them). Whatever it was, she didn’t know what he’d meant by whatever he’d begun to say.

Ash, meanwhile, had had too much wind streaming in his ears to have heard Stephen’s comment clearly. Taking care to ensure his broom tail bucked Stephen’s on his way out of the tackle in order to further disorientate his opponent, Ash, once again, focussed his energy into pummelling his twin sister. Sorrel was waiting for him this time. She couldn’t keep outrunning them both, and she couldn’t beat Ash on strength. Attack was therefore the best form of defence. She held the ball centrally, so that he wouldn’t try to dodge to the side that held it, and would thus be unable to punch him. As he steamed towards her, she made to look like she was going to dodge, only changing when he no longer had time to avoid a collision. She shifted the Quaffle to her left as he swerved towards her right to try to avoid her. Reaching out her right hand, she punched him in the stomach just where she knew it would wind him. Or as near as she could get at speed. From the way her knuckles hurt, she might have caught some rib. Then again, it might have just been the speed at which she’d hit. Realising he was in for it, Ash had attempted to deck her at the last minute, raising his arm to generally invade her space, and she'd got a strong slap across the face, but nothing to slow her down. Confident that it would take Ash a few minutes to recover, Sorrel turned her attention to keeping the other trouble off her back.
\r\n\r\n

0 The Craven Twins We may be playing rough, but it's still play 0 The Craven Twins 0 5