ROCKING THIS JOINT on Quidditch Pitch

Amy Fox

August 27, 2008 1:07 AM

Quidditch Match: Crotalus v. Pecari by Amy Fox

It was hard to believe that four and a half years had already passed and that she was still at Sonora biding her time. At first, she had assumed that her banishment would be a short one. She would receive a small slap on the wrist, be banned for the rest of the season, but then start again the following year. Of course, it had become apparent to her some time during her first or second year at Sonora that her stay at the school might be an extended one- and oh, she had dreaded it and hoped otherwise. She wasn't made out for teaching. She didn't have the temperament.

But time had passed and it was yet again time for another Quidditch match. It was hard to believe that this would be one of the last matches for most of the captains, Anne being the only exemption.

For once, she had made her way out to the pitch early, wanting some time alone to herself. It was a cool morning, only in the mid-50s but the temperature would definitely increase as the day progressed. The weather forecast, Amy had noted, had stated that the day would most likely be warm for February, being in the mid-to-upper 60s with only a slight breeze.

Taking a seat on the field, Amy removed the rumpled piece of parchment from her pocket, unfolding it so she could read over the missive yet another time. Her eyes scanned over the words, still hardly believing the content. Shaking her head, she refolded the parchment and stuffed it in her pocket. The decision would have to wait until later.

Dear Miss Fox, the letter read,

I am writing to inform you that after careful consideration of this committee, it has been decided that you may once again play Professional Quidditch. Please understand that you will be placed under a trial period, during which you will be held under the close scrutiny of this committee. Should you act in any way that is discordant with the rules and regulations set by this committee, then your banishment will be considered permanent.

Although the last few lines were difficult to read, it was clear that a dedline was mentioned and the letter ended with a valediction and signature.

Pushing herself to her feet, she looked over to make sure that the equipment was ready for play. The balls were situated on the field beside her bag and broom. She would have just enough time to unlock the supply closet before the teams and spectators arrived. Turning on her heel, she started down the pitch. Reaching the shed, she made her way around to the supply closet, unlocking it with a quick flick of the wrist. She had checked the brooms the night before and all were in excellent condition for the days match. Finished, she slowly began to return to her place in the middle of the pitch just as the stands were beginning to fill.

Time passed quickly and soon the teams were making their way out to the center of the field. The ritual was quite simple and all of the captains should have been fairly familiar with it. When the teams were within hearing, Amy called the captains over, instructing them to shake hands. She then went over the obligatory rules, making sure that everyone understood that it was entirely unacceptable to cheat. "Am I understood?" she ended.

Moving over the giant chest of balls, Amy grabbed her broom and opened the balls, letting the Snitch and Bludgers loose before taking hold of the Quaffle. Turning back to the teams, she straddled her broom and pushed off the ground. "Alright," she said, "on the count of three: one, two, three!" At three, the Quaffle was released from her fingers, being lobbed into the air. As the teams rose into the air, Amy flew to the sidelines, watching as the game began.

OOC: Alright, have fun and being creative. I expect lengthy posts of excellent quality. Make this game interesting!

Subthreads:

Here it goes by Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater with Irene Liddowe, Pecari Chaser, Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

ROCKING THIS JOINT by Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker with Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren

0 Amy Fox Quidditch Match: Crotalus v. Pecari 0 Amy Fox 1 5

Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater

August 27, 2008 8:55 AM

Here it goes by Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater

This was payback. Josh knew it. He hadn't been nervous for tryouts so nerves were attacking him full force now. Now, before the game! The black-haired boy sat on the edge of his bed staring at the wall in front of him, carefully focusing his gaze away from any Quidditch posters. He rose from the mattress slowly as to not upset his already twisted insides. He had been completely suited up before realizing he had skipped two buttons on his jersey. Josh was astounded at the amount of focus it was taking for him to simply put on a shirt. He didn't even bother dragging a comb through his hair. His mind was numb. The only things running through it were disasters scenes of the game just an hour away.

Those scenes were still playing on repeat as he made his way past Cascade, his broom resting on his shoulder. He could see Renaye eating her breakfast and chatting enthusiastically with some nearby students. He wasn't very hungry. He had the feeling that, if he ate, he would be seeing it again. He gave a quick wave to Renaye and Laurie before continuing on. Josh reached the locker room a good fifteen, twenty minutes early. He attempted to calm his mind by inspected his broom, readjusting his gloves, imagining a Crotalus victory, even simply staring at the wall ahead. The team soon trickled in, alerting Josh that Game Time would soon be upon them. He felt a bump on his shoulder and looked over to see Renaye, grinning excitedly and holding out a piece of bacon. Josh took it and tore a small piece off, purely for something to do with his hands.

"What are you nervous about?" She said, pulling her long blonde hair into a ponytail. Josh shrugged, taking another bite of the bacon. "Oh, my bad. I thought you liked Quidditch..."

"I do!" He exclaimed at this injustice. He scowled in response to Raye's satisfied smile, happy that she had gotten him to speak. Josh clenched his jaw, refusing to speak anymore. Renaye folded her arms, giving him a scrutinizing look.

"Then why don't you want to play? I just thought, if you liked Quidditch you would want to be out there--"

"I do want to be out there!" He exclaimed again, regretting speaking moments later. This was his first Sonora game. This wasn't their little league anymore. He wanted to be a part of it and she knew it. Renaye adopted a doubtful expression and turned to her broom. Josh felt a wave of annoyance at her genius ways of turning a situation around and turned his back to her. Not only had she reduced his nerves but she had found a way to plant a seed of motivation in him too. She did that on purpose.

The twins tuned in as the Captain began her pre-game speech. The buzzing from the crowd was growing steadily louder as game time came closer and closer. Instead of falling victim to nerves, Josh was battling the annoyance towards his sister. He knew she was just trying to get under his skin but the fact that it worked was plenty irksome in itself. The final words were said and the twins were ready to fly out. Josh felt a twinge in his stomach, signaling the smallest return of his nerves which coupled the want to show Renaye up. Didn't want to be out there... They'd see about that.

The team gathered on the pitch and mounted their brooms. Coach Fox held the Quaffle in her hands and Josh watched with nervous anticipation. One, two, three! At the shout of the word, Josh kicked off, his Flare reacting with the exact speed he had been hoping for, giving him that familiar thrill, that feeling that flying gives to you. How could someone not love this? Josh loved the competition, ferocity of the games, especially rivalry ones like this. The teams swarmed into the air, beginning the battle. Josh saw Irene out of the corner of his eye and winced at the thought of hitting a bludger at her. Suddenly, Renaye's words rang in his head. With a small grimace, his pale blue eyes found the nearest bluder. Winding back his bat, looking for the red dot that was the Quaffle, he took a fercious swing at it, sending it hurtling at the Chaser with the Quaffle. He looked around for Lily, checking to see who had the other bludger on their side.

Josh loved Quidditch.

0 Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater Here it goes 0 Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Irene Liddowe, Pecari Chaser

August 27, 2008 9:25 AM

Here it goes, here it goes again. by Irene Liddowe, Pecari Chaser

Irene supposed that the years of being on reserve had helped with this odd lack of nerves. She woke up that morning, wishing it was time to get on the field. In a matter of minutes, Irene was pulling her brown hair into a ponytail and tugging on her Pecari uniform. This was her first real starting game and she was dying to get out there. The anxious feeling that kept with her was reminding her of exactly how much she wanted to be kicking off, hearing the excitement of the crowds, battling against Pecari's rivalry right now. She had no patience for the pre-game frivolities. Irene had tons of support for her house, yet again, most of her house felt the same way, but something about today... She had a good feeling about this. They could really win this! Yes, yes, doesn't matter, play for the love of the game, blah blah blah... It always helps to have that joy of victory on your side.

Irene made a pit stop at Cascade, pulling all that stuff that gave you energy towards her. Her blue-green eyes saw a uniformed figure walk by the door and she reccognized him as Josh, looking incredibly tense. She felt a stab of sympathy for her cousin and hoped (as much as it didn't help her team) that he would snap out of it. She finished her breakfast, joining the team as they made their way towards the pitch. It suddenly struck her that this would be the seventh year's last chance to beat these guys. They could pull it off. The team gathered on the pitch after enduring the pre-game speech from the Captains and Coach Fox. Irene waited, her heart hammering, for the sound of- Three! Irene kicked at the ground, following the Quaffle's ascention. She game her trusted Blurr 3000 a squeeze and shot forward, snatching the Quaffle from the air. Pecari in possession! She hurtled her way towards the Crotalus goal, keeping the Quaffle tucked under her arm. Irene looked around for a Pecari player, but in that action, spotted the bludger tearing after her. She tugged her broom to the right, turning sharply. She saw Josh, flying in search of bludgers and reminded herself that this is how the game went. Just like Quidditch in the yard, but more people, and a crowd, and this held a bit more signifigance. The bludger whizzed by and Irene called out to the nearest Pecari Chaser,

"Heads up!"

0 Irene Liddowe, Pecari Chaser Here it goes, here it goes again. 0 Irene Liddowe, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

August 27, 2008 2:17 PM

Catch and release by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

As the current assistant captain, and the future captain, Saul was on the pitch relatively early, arriving just after Coach Fox unlocked the broom shed. Still without one of his own (it somehow never seemed important enough to ask for one), he went in and found one that he'd used before and liked.

Heading out to the Pitch proper, he grinned and greeted each of the rest of his team as they arrived. Soon enough it was nearly time for the first game of the season to begin. While Coach Fox had the captains shake hands, Saul looked up into the stands, seeking and finding Simon and Roni right where Simon had promised to be. He waved at his cousin and his mouse, and startled badly when the coach's whistle blew to signal the start of the game.

He hurried to mount his broom and launch up into the air, but his untimely distraction meant that Irene beat him to the Quaffle. Saul whooped in approval and encouragement because it was her first real game as a non-alternate and she was already doing great.

Cutting his broom to a more direct shot at the Crotalus goals, Saul sped out in front of her, positioning himself for a pass. Then, as a Pecari first, a Pecari Chaser managed to actually evade a bludger during a game and even cleanly pass off the Quaffle once she was clear.

Too busy catching the red ball to give that the proper applause and cheering it deserved, Saul settled for a quick grin in her direction before shooting his broom closer still to the Crotalus goals. He aimed his flight straight at the Keeper, but then veered abruptly upwards for a better angle and took a shot at the leftmost hoop.\r\n\r\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser Catch and release 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

August 27, 2008 4:03 PM

Flying by by Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

Wow, Pecari were on form today. Not thirty seconds from the game start whistle and Saul was already making an aim towards the goals. Excellent! Elly couldn't help but grin as she flew above the game, affording her a good view of all the pitch and, with any luck, the Snitch.

She had a good feeling about today's match. It started when she woke up in a good mood, and she could swear she even saw Caedence smile. Elly dressed in her much-loved Quidditch robes, and grasped her wonderful broom firmly as she fleetingly passed through the Hall, grabbing a quick breakfast of buttered toast. She saw Irene's cousin Josh looking nervous, and so small in his Crotalus team robes, and the competetive streak in her hoped his anxiety would last long enough to mess up a few bludger swings.

Even the weather was celebrating; Elly hadn't had a day like this in her previous two weeks of practise. Her hopes of winning the game only increased as she jogged onto the pitch and greeted the rest of the Pecari team with a wide smile. They had a fantastic team, not least because it was almost entirely complied of a collection of Elly's closest friends. Also, Elly had confidence in her own abilities. She'd been playing Seeker on the team for the past three years, and she was good. The problem was that all the other teams' Seekers were good, too, and had often beaten Elly to the punch. Or, more acurately, the Snitch. Not this time! Today was going to be a win for Pecari. She just knew it.

The ground was just right for a great push off - firm but not too hard - and Elly soared up high into the air, leaving the sounds of the crowd behind her. Still grinning as she circled round the Crotalus hoops, she chanced another swift glance at the game to see if the Quaffle passed through the hoop without being intercepted.

0 Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker Flying by 0 Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker 0 5

Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater

August 27, 2008 7:00 PM

Trying to hit you... by Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater

Lily scowled and shot her fellow beater a dirty look. Why had that new kid missed? It seemed to her, if he was really as good as he thought he was, that he would have hit Pecari's chaser. That was what he was here to do. It didn't matter who she was to him-and Lily didn't even know if she was anyone or if he just didn't have it in him to really hurt the opposing team-he shouldn't have shown her any mercy. After all, Lily did exactly that-and now her cousin couldn't play anymore and was in constant pain.

Now, the other team was going for a goal. It was up to Earl to stop it and Lily, of course, had no faith in that. Or one of the Crotalus chasers could intercept it, she supposed. She had a bit more confidence in that.

Quickly, Lily was after the wayward bludger that had missed Irene. She could see the Pecari seeker circling the Crotalus hoops. This was basic Beating. As Saul had sent the Quaffle towards the hoop and was thus none of the Pecaris were actually in posession of it at this time, Lily would try to take out the seeker. No seeker meant nobody to catch the Snitch for Pecari.

She aimed the bludger at the redhead, slamming it with all her might. If this missed, then the girl simply got lucky. After all, everyone knew Lily was perfectly capable of injuring people and taking them out. Everyone knew full well that she had it in her.

11 Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater Trying to hit you... 45 Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper

August 29, 2008 2:51 AM

Catch...or not by Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper

Time had long passes for Earl to be nervous before a Quidditch game. Especially now that he was on the other side of CATs, graduation seemed so close. And while he was starting to be thrilled at the idea of leaving Sonora and finding his own way, he would never be sorry to leave the Quidditch Pitch.

This first game of the year sent a shiver of anticipation up his spine. After dressing quickly, grabbing his broom, and scarfing down three pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice, he made his way to the field.

As usual, he glazed out during the start of game speeches. After5 years on the team, he'd heard it enough to have everything memorized. Instead he looked out on the crowd, scanning for familiar faces. He spotted Eavan holding a Crotalus flag and waved enthusiastically.

Suddenly the word "Three!" was shouted and Earl felt himself automatically climbing onto his broom and blasting off into the direction of the Crotalus goals. Usually at this time, he could relax, circle the hoops a few times and watch the game, occasionally tensing up in anticipation as the quaffle drew nearer, but rare got as far as the goal before a Crotalus chaser or beater intercepted the play.

This time things happened much quicker. Ear barely had time to locate the position of the quaffle before he realized it was heading his way, fast. A quick glance told him where the chaser was going and Earl lunged to block the middle hoop. Earl realized a split second too late where the quaffle was aimed. Earl tried to make up for it and race the ball to the ground, but it was nowhere in sight. He looked around, confused before noticing the ball heading back towards the center of the field. The tail-end of his broom had hit the quaffle away from the goal post. He couldn't believe it. Earl stared after the ball, in amazement, as it was taken into play again and passed around. After a few seconds, he grinned widely and started circling the goals again. The next time, that quaffle was going to stop because of his skills and not just dumb luck.

0 Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper Catch...or not 0 Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper 0 5

Josh, Crotalus Beater

August 29, 2008 4:02 PM

Co-smashing by Josh, Crotalus Beater

Josh's pale blue eyes spotted the second bludger, whirring away by the edge of the pitch. He put on an extra burst of speed, looking back quickly for Lily and making sure the Cravens were in sight. The bludger that had missed Irene was now speeding towards the red-headed seeker. After finding the Pecari chaser that had almost (thank you, Earl) scored the goal, Saul, he was pretty sure was his name, Josh aimed the metal ball, smashing the bat into it. The bludger hurtled in the direction of the brown-clad player with an impressive speed, if he said so. Saul was one the more experienced players. If he had heard right from Irene, he was the future captain. Taking him out would mean taking out a key player on their team.

Josh let out a small breath of relief, feeling like he was finally settled into his element. The competitiveness of the game was seeping into him, almost giving extra energy into his swings. Now that he was out in the air Josh felt a fierce energy drving him forward. Lily, it seemed, never let her game face down, on the field and off. The black haired boy kept an eye on the bludger heading towards the opposing Seeker, flying towards that end, ready to take possesion when the time came.

With a quick glance at the stands, Josh saw the many house colors situated amongst the spectators. He remembered the games from the previous year, when he had watched bitterly from the sidelines . There were a few perks to being on the side, but it was so much better in the air. Now that he was in the game facing the... eccentric Pecaris, he had a much better feel of the game. Flying was better. So so much better.

0 Josh, Crotalus Beater Co-smashing 0 Josh, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Caedence

August 29, 2008 8:03 PM

Trying not to do something stupid...and catchign the quaffle by Caedence

Caedence had woken up that morning wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Of course, she hadn’t slept at all the night before, really, but she was wide awake none the less. She combed through her long blonde hair (she swore it had grown another few inches since the start of the year). Once, she caught herself humming softly and stopped immediately, humiliated. After taking great care to braid it, this time braiding in the crimson-and-black ribbon with the locks that she had gotten for Christmas so many years ago.

It really was a while ago that she was a first year, wasn’t it? It seemed forever ago. Back when she didn’t even take friends. Well, even now her group of friends was severely limited. But she had them now. And she had sleepovers with Elly. It almost disgusted her to say it, but she felt that she had become normal.

She had even wrote “home” and asked for some makeup to try. Her “mom” had obliged with sending her a few shades of lavender and pink to try. She promptly dumped them in the rubbish bin and asked for colors that weren’t so disgusting. Mary sent her dark browns, grays, eyeliner and mascara.

Caedence had messed around with them for ages, not ever quite getting it like the picture she saw. Eventually, however, she got it right. Today she opted out of much makeup. However, she applied her eye liner heavily as the sun was bright. She read that Egyptians wore kohl to keep sun out of their eyes. It was worth a try.

Her breakfast consisted of her usual of a barely choked down piece of toast and a few sips of milk. She dressed quickly into her quidditch robes ( a little too quick as she attempted to shove her hands in the opposite gloves) and listened to the usual pre-game pep talk. She had heard it so often that the words went in one ear and out the other. She zoned out several times, half-listening half twiddling her thumbs. She jiggled her foot, more likely than not annoying the other people around her, to quell her nerves.

It wasn’t usual pre-game jitters. No, this was worse. Because this year, she was let back on to first string. And Irene was one of them as well. Her, Irene, Saul. Then there were the other usuals. And a new face on the team. The little French kid, Raoul. She was surprised someone was trying to take Stephens spot. The Pecari keeper seemed like such a part of the team. It was weird to think the little boy was replacing him next year. And of course the twins were leaving. It made her swell with fierce determination to win this game. They had to. Not just because it was Crotalus either! She had to do it, in a last-ditch effort to make her captain proud. And this time she wasn’t chasing a bludger to do it.

Finally, finally they were on the pitch waiting for the whistle giving the go-ahead. One…. Caedence ground her toes into the dirt, waiting to kick off. Two…. Three seemed to be taking forever to get here. Come on… Come on…

Yes! She kicked off hard as the whistle blew, streaking for the red ball. Irene caught it first, and Caedence backed off to let her keep it. A bludger streaked towards the younger girl and Caedence winced preemptively, but heard no sickening crunch of chaser bones. When she glanced up again, Saul was making a goal. Caedence screamed her approval, which changed to a cry of disappointment. The goal didn’t make it. But the ball hadn’t made it into the hands of the Crotali yet. Perhaps she could get it?

She glanced over to see the bane of Pecari’s existence heading towards her two good friends. Saul and Elly. Caedence was torn between doing something stupid which she would very, very much regret… such as taking one for the team, and getting that red ball which every second could be snatched up by the Crotali.

“SAUL, ELLY! HEADS UP! BLUDGERS!” She hollered. Hating herself every second of the way, she swooped down on the ball and caught it.

She didn’t dare look back to see if the bludgers found their marks. She would hear it soon enough. Caedence hoped, and felt bad for doing so, that if one were to get it that it would be Saul. They needed Elly. Raoul wasn’t ever trained to take her spot.

“Irene!” She barked, pulling up to her teammate. “Hot Potato! Catch!” She yelled, tossing over the red ball, keeping level with her friend if the need to pass back arose.
\n

0 Caedence Trying not to do something stupid...and catchign the quaffle 94 Caedence 0 5

Caedence

August 29, 2008 8:06 PM

replied to down below (nm) by Caedence

0 Caedence replied to down below (nm) 94 Caedence 0 5

Irene

August 29, 2008 10:44 PM

Trying to help Caedence not do anything stupid... by Irene

Irene had actually had her fist ready to punch the air as the ball got that close to soaring through the hoop. The cheer had half left her lips before she realized that it had been saved. She let out a groan and turned towards the Pecari end, her eyes catching both bludgers charging towards her team. Elly, who was circling the field, was the target of one. Saul the other. She heard Caedence's cry of warning, silently thanking her for doing so. She then looked towards the braided girl, to see that she had caught the Quaffle! Irene grinned and swooped into the play, reaching out and seizing the colorful ball, hearing the cry of "Hot Potato! Catch!" After the ball was put into her possession, Irene immediately chucked it back to her teammate.

Irene had to admit, the starting line was great this year. She had spoken with Elly at the start of term feast where they both confessed hopes of both managing to get on the team. Irene hadn't thought that was possible. She and Elly were both competing for Seeker. When the list had gone up, her mind skipped immediately down to Seeker. She hadn't been surprised to see the name Elly Eriksson evinced on the line and her eyes then traveled down to the reserve list. Her stomach felt like it had sank a mile. Not even on the reserve list? Had she been that bad? It wasn't until she checked the rest of the list that she found her name and the cause for small yelp that left her. And now she was here, after many long practices, playing against Crotalus.

Her eyes darted to her teammates for the smallest of seconds, looking around to see if they were still set for the match. They couldn't afford to loose players. Not in this game. She knew Lily's fierce reputation and Josh played the game no matter what. They needed their beaters to jump in at the moment...

0 Irene Trying to help Caedence not do anything stupid... 0 Irene 0 5

Elly, Pecari Seeker

August 30, 2008 11:11 AM

Where's a Pecari beater when you need one? by Elly, Pecari Seeker

A thump of wood on metal and a whooshing sound coming ever closer reminded Elly of the reason she didn't like to play Crotalus. She couldn't fault Lily's play; as a beater she was truly excellent, but that just made it all the more scary to be on the opposing team. Lily was relentless, and the jolt of fear that ran through Elly as she realised the bludger fast approaching had come via Lily was sufficient to kick in enough adrenaline for her to drop several feet, in the way that made you feel like you'd left your stomach behind, but stopped you getting bloodied up. It was just as well Elly had been looking at the game anyway, otherwise she might not have avoided it. She'd have to be more careful; now that Irene was a starting chaser, there was no-one to sub in as Seeker if Elly got taken out. Besides, this was the Cravens' final year, and Elly was going to show them they hadn't been wrong in keeping her as Seeker all this time: she was going to catch the Snitch!

Nerves and resolve settled, Elly pulled on her broom, checking the surrounding sky for bludgers, and returned to Seeking height. Far above the other players, Elly scanned below her for some sort of sign of the elusive little ball. She spied Jen, her rival for this game, and was flooded yet again with renewed determination. This would be Jen's final year, too, and her desire to win would be equally as strong. They couldn't both win, that much was for sure. Elly had nothing against the Crotalus girl, but this time she was going to have to miss out; there was no way she was going to let her win.

When Elly had caught the Snitch before, she was using an old school broom. Now she had her fabulous own broom, a Christmas present last year. Plus she had Seeker's gloves, which, although not so new, were beautifully moulded to fit Elly's hands. In addition to her well-honed skills, Elly was fully equipped, and determined as ever. As a demonstration of this, she put on a burst of speed and, eyes peeled for any sign of Snitch or bludger, she completed a circle of the pitch in record time. Sadly it didn't help her to find her target, but it felt fantastic.

0 Elly, Pecari Seeker Where's a Pecari beater when you need one? 0 Elly, Pecari Seeker 0 5

Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

August 30, 2008 11:37 AM

Epic fail! by Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

Oliver was glad to be playing Pecari. True, they had the Cravens, but Crotalus had Lily, so it was well balanced. He didn't want to be playing Teppenpaw, simply because either he or Hannah had to lose. All was fair in Quidditch, but that was just going to feel awkward. Aladren wouldn't be too bad either, he supposed, though he had a feeling their captain might be a bit unhinged.

Feeling unusually confident, Oliver had a breakfast that reflected his state of growing boy: two pieces of toast, two fried eggs, three sausages, a small stack of pancakes with syrup, and two small oranges. Quidditch was an exhausting game, and he needed his strength. Once full, Oliver headed down to the pitch with his trusty Bluebottle slung over his shoulder. His teammates would no doubt be used to his sunglasses and gray sunhat by now; even the new team members would have seen him at practises.

Catching the main points of the Coach's speech, Oliver psyched himself for the game and was disappointed that Pecari got the quaffle first. Still, he worked to Jen and Geoff's training, and kept a close eye on the ball. He was rewarded when a Pecari Chaser made the mistake of making a quick return pass without checking around for other players.

Not believing his luck, Oliver surged forward and intercepted the pass with ease, catching the Quaffle and swiftly shifting it to the crook of his arm. Now came the hard part: turning to face the other way without losing the quaffle. He'd had plenty of practise, though, and Oliver pulled his broom higher as he made the turn, afforing him a clearer view of his closest available teammate. Not hesitating, Oliver brought the nose of his broom back down to join the players, and brough the quaffle forth from under his elbow. With his arms raised to his chest, Oliver passed the quaffle across to the closest Crotalus chaser.

0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser Epic fail! 0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Josh, Crotalus Beater

August 30, 2008 2:24 PM

Not here by Josh, Crotalus Beater

Josh's attention stayed on the bludger, waiting for the contact to be made. Closer... closer... Josh let out a small sound of disappointment but took his speed up a notch. He tore off towards the flying metal ball and looked quickly around for a threatening Pecari player. At the moment it seemed that, besides Saul, Irene was the most threatening Chaser. Letting out sigh and saying a silent apology, Josh pulled his arm back, aiming in her direction, and brought his bat around in a fierce swing. He heard the satisfying crack of bat on ball, sending the bludger away at rapid speed.

Part of being a beater was that everyone was your focus, excluding your teammates (unless you had a grudge against one of them). Josh knew that meant he would be sending the bludger at anyone he could. Everyone had their own reasons for wanting a team victory. Both teams had seventh year captains. Josh was starting in his first game, as was Irene. At the end of it, both teams would be going all out. Crotalus would just have to be better. At the moment, Josh didn't care who wanted it and why. He wanted to win this and he was going to do anything in his power to make it happen.

The nerves had evaporated and had been replaced with a determination to do all he could to win the game. He didn't have to worry about Irene. She knew that Quidditch was Quidditch. Nothing personal (for him at least). This game was going to the Crotali if he had anything to say about it.

0 Josh, Crotalus Beater Not here 0 Josh, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

August 30, 2008 2:37 PM

Just paving the way toward our epic win. by Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

Helena felt relaxed as she joined the rest of the Quidditch team. She had gotten up early to run through her pre-major-event relaxation exercises before breakfast, the components of which she had picked carefully so that she was full, but not too full. She had also avoided Anne, whose near-constant anxiety did not mix well with her beloved coffees. She did not need her friend's nerves to set hers off again, because if they did, it might mean a regression to the days of having to eat breakfast twice before a game or exam, and those days had not been fun.

Pecari was a formidable opponent, but not invincible. They had proved that when they lost first to her House and then to Aladren - the two teams that, at least since she'd been at Sonora, were most frequently discounted in the race for the Quidditch Cup. Helena tightened and relaxed muscles in her shoulders and legs before they went out, then listened carefully to Coach Fox's speech. She had almost learned it by heart now, but focusing on that allowed her to miss any face-making or intimidation attempts by the Pecaris. Those were not helpful, even if she was right in thinking they'd lost the power to really affect her.

Chasing when the other team had the Quaffle required being able to divide one's attention between the ball, the other opposing players, one's teammates, and the Bludgers, so it was almost as much a matter of mental ability as it was of physical. Since Bludgers made noise and the Quaffle wasn't moving, she kept her eyes mostly trained on it, both hands on her broom handle in case a Pecari decided to play dirty and try to knock her off her broom. She grinned when Earl, in what had to be either genius or a total accident, saved the goal with the tail of his broom, but didn't waste time celebrating as the Quaffle reentered play.

There was an advantage to Crotalus when Caedence Redoak had the Quaffle, and that was her habit of being taken out by a convenient Bludger. It might have been for that reason that Caedence passed it off to a younger girl - Ida? Irina? - in short order, but that, too, wound up helping Helena's team, because when the brown-haired girl tried to pass it, Oliver swept in and took it. She moved to cover him as he went up, came back down, and passed it to her.

Her mind, as it had a way of doing, went blank for a split second when she first caught the ball two-handed, but they had trained to the point where protecting the Quaffle with one arm while putting the other hand back to her broom was reflexive. Seeing a flash of brown, she went up to miss it and, finding another set of red robes, angled her broom to minimize the chances of a Pecari slipping in the middle as she made the pass.

16 Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser Just paving the way toward our epic win. 88 Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Irene, Pecari Chaser

August 30, 2008 3:37 PM

How am I suppose to reply to that? by Irene, Pecari Chaser

Irene let out a groan as she watched the Quaffle fall into Crotalus posession due to her incompleted pass. As she pulled her broom around, heading in the direction that Oliver had turned, she took a second to beat the mistake into her brain. Check. around. you. On the plus side, Elly had escaped Lily's wrath and was on her way around the pitch. Thank God, Pecari couldn't afford to loose their Seeker. Not to mention the fact that Irene wasn't so willing to let her friend fall victim to a bludger. She didn't have time to check for Saul and instead pushed her broom to go faster. Her brown poinytail flew behind her as she sped up to Oliver, hoping she had the time to recapture the Quaffle.

Irene lined herself up behind Oliver, knowing he wouldn't be able to see her there. If he was going to pass, she was going to be right there on the other side. Her eyes widened for a moment as she watched his arms take the Quaffle to his chest. She ducked out from Oliver's shadow and raced into the space between him and the opposing chaser. She held out a hand to intercept the airborne Quaffle. A moving object caught her eye and Irene looked around to see a speeding bludger a matter of feet away. A wave of fear, surprise, and panic rushed through her as she let all control of her broom go, hoping to drop out of the way of the metal death-trap's path. The racing bludger, however, was too fast for her decent to get her out of the way. The metal ball skinned the top of her left shoulder, whooshing past her ear. In quick succession with this action, Irene's right hand, so previously intent on catching the Quaffle, felt the thump of the Quaffle, tipping it out of it's direction. Her hand jumped to clutch her shoulder as she let out a quick gasp of pain. The air rushing past her reminded her that she was still falling and, with an amount of sense returning to her, she clenched her broom with her left hand, ceasing the free-fall.

The shock of the bludger was wearing away, forced out by the stinging pain in her shoulder and a frustrated anger taking the place of shock. She was so close to getting the Quaffle back, but the Pecari bludger curse happened to fall upon her at that time. Letting out a small growl of determination, Irene pulled her broom around and swooped after the falling Quaffle, her Seeking tryouts kicking in as she controlled the dive. She was soon upon the Quaffle and reached out to seize it. Flying was much more difficult with the limited movement of her shoulder. The tender skin twinged at movement, making reactions a little slower. After a bobbled recovery of the Quaffle, Irene shakily leveled her broom, almost dropping the Quaffle once more. Pulling her broom to playing height, Irene looked around for teammates as well as opponents. Spotting a Pecari Chaser, she called out, "Heads up!" and passed the ball.

Irene's right hand returned to her shoulder, giving it a quick rub before returning her full focus to the game, her competitive nature bubbling up inside her. Enough of this. Pecari was going to win. They had to.

0 Irene, Pecari Chaser How am I suppose to reply to that? 0 Irene, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Irene, Pecari Chaser

August 30, 2008 3:45 PM

Don't know about that... by Irene, Pecari Chaser

OOC: Confusion... Editing...

BIC:

Irene let out a groan as she watched the Quaffle fall into Crotalus posession due to her incompleted pass. As she pulled her broom around, heading in the direction that Oliver had turned, she took a second to beat the mistake into her brain. Check. around. you. On the plus side, Elly had escaped Lily's wrath and was on her way around the pitch. Thank God, Pecari couldn't afford to loose their Seeker. Not to mention the fact that Irene wasn't so willing to let her friend fall victim to a bludger. She didn't have time to check for Saul and instead pushed her broom to go faster. Her brown poinytail flew behind her as she sped up to Oliver, hoping she had the time to recapture the Quaffle.

Irene lined herself up behind Oliver, knowing he wouldn't be able to see her there. If he was going to pass, she was going to be right there on the other side. Her eyes widened for a moment as she watched his arms take the Quaffle to his chest. She ducked out from Oliver's shadow and watched the Quaffle fall into another girl's possession. This girl, when making her pass, made it decently difficult to slip between the other chaser. Irene angled herself just behind the girl, but enough to the Crotalus's side to where she could try to get a hand on the Quaffle. She held out a hand to intercept the airborne Quaffle, but a moving object caught her eye and Irene looked around to see a speeding bludger a matter of feet away. A wave of fear, surprise, and panic rushed through her as she let all control of her broom go, hoping to drop out of the way of the metal death-trap's path. The racing bludger, however, was too fast for her decent to get her out of the way. The metal ball skinned the top of her left shoulder, whooshing past her ear. In quick succession with this action, Irene's right hand, so previously intent on catching the Quaffle, felt the thump of the Quaffle, tipping it out of it's direction. Her hand jumped to clutch her shoulder as she let out a quick gasp of pain. The air rushing past her reminded her that she was still falling and, with an amount of sense returning to her, she clenched her broom with her left hand, ceasing the free-fall.

The shock of the bludger was wearing away, forced out by the stinging pain in her shoulder and a frustrated anger taking the place of shock. She was so close to getting the Quaffle back, but the Pecari bludger curse happened to fall upon her at that time. Letting out a small growl of determination, Irene pulled her broom around and swooped after the falling Quaffle, her Seeking tryouts kicking in as she controlled the dive. She was soon upon the Quaffle and reached out to seize it. Flying was much more difficult with the limited movement of her shoulder. The tender skin twinged at movement, making reactions a little slower. After a bobbled recovery of the Quaffle, Irene shakily leveled her broom, almost dropping the Quaffle once more. Pulling her broom to playing height, Irene looked around for teammates as well as opponents. Spotting a Pecari Chaser, she called out, "Heads up!" and passed the ball.

Irene's right hand returned to her shoulder, giving it a quick rub before returning her full focus to the game, her competitive nature bubbling up inside her. Enough of this. Pecari was going to win. They had to.

0 Irene, Pecari Chaser Don't know about that... 0 Irene, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Irene

August 30, 2008 3:45 PM

OOC: ^^ Ignore... (nm) by Irene

0 Irene OOC: ^^ Ignore... (nm) 0 Irene 0 5

Ash and Sorrel Craven, Pecari Beaters

September 01, 2008 7:40 PM

We'll dig it up as fast as you can lay it. by Ash and Sorrel Craven, Pecari Beaters

This was it. Their final season as captains. The twins did not get nervous before Quidditch; they got determined. The weight of this match hung on them, clear in their set jaws and the fact that they seemed to be attempting to wither people's internal organs with the power of their stares far more than usual. In their pre-game speech they were, as ever, people of few words, but their tone carried the clout for them; it dared the team to see what would happen if they didn't give it their all, and then the rest.

Kicking off on the whistle, they were aggravated to watch the Crotalus Beaters reach the Bludgers first. The short lived balm to this was watching their Chasers take possession, only to have their attempt on goal blocked by mere fluke.

"Why don't you take an early shower and just leave your broom to man the goal?" Ash hollered as he looped past Earl, "Looks like it does better without you on it!" He didn't want the kid, a nervous and inept Keeper at the best of times, suddenly getting a surge of confidence from this accident. He wanted to be sure the boy kept up with his track record of nervous fumbling.

He carried on up, flying above the game, as Sorrel headed for the other end of the pitch (Stephen's end... Had she done that on purpose? Not that he thought she would get distracted or stop giving her proper attention to the game, but had she split for Stephen's end deliberately, because it was Stephen's and she was being nauseatingly close and cutesy?). Brushing the things he didn't want to think about his sister doing to one side, Ash scouted around for the Bludgers. Elly had just successfully ducked one from Little Miss Mental, and now... Now the kid was going for both? He had a nerve! Of course, this meant it was entirely possible that Lily was just as likely to murder him as one of the twins, for stealing her prey and her chances to do damage. He could hope. Seeing one Crotalus Beater bludgeoning the other to death and then getting sent off for violent conduct would be a beautiful sight. He swerved after the Bludger that looked like it had the most pace on it and was thus the biggest threat. Catching up to it, he leant forward, his bat stretching out in front of it, swinging back in the direction opposite to that in which the Bludger was travelling. It wasn't the most powerful way to hit it, the awkward angle, weaker swing and opposing force combining against it being a truly mighty smash, but that was why Ash had chosen that shot. Although he gained the most satisfaction from hitting with his considerable might and watching the havoc that ensued, it would have been misplaced here. The Chasers all being clustered together quite far below him, along with the Bludgers' propensity for randomly changing its mind meant that egging it on towards the heat of the action was as likely to get one of his own team hit as a Crotalus player. His backwards shot drove the ball away from the group of Chasers, as well as slowing it down and thus keeping it near enough him that he was able to swing a quick 180, aided by the momentum from the hit, and catch up to the ball before it strayed out of his territory and into someone else's. He glanced around to check what progress Sorrel had made with the other Bludger. The action having been closer to the end from which he'd looped up, she'd had a sprint to catch it. One beyond the speed of her broom, it seemed. He winced as the ball grazed Irene's shoulder, although the impact didn't look too devastating, particularly as she still had the Quaffle in her grasp.

Sorrel plunged into the fray, scowling heartily at the Bludger that had hit Irene on her watch. She had thrown herself flat out after the thing, but she had never been one to be comforted by the thought that she had done all she could when that hadn't been enough. Being closer to the group than Ash, it was easier for her to pick a target with reasonable assurance she could hit it before the Bludger changed its mind; each individual Chaser was larger to her, it was not as if she was just aiming at the group in general, and there would also be less time for the contrary iron ball to choose its own path. Aiming for the closest red blur, she swung decisively, cracking the Bludger at full force towards the opposing Chaser, keeping pace alongside the ball in case it decided to change its mind.

Above the game, Ash returned his attention to his own Bludger with a slight feeling of disappointment. It seemed a waste of his excellent shot, the one that had kept the ball in his possession, that he and Sorrel were now not going to be able to do anything particularly interesting. Winding his arm back to its full swing, he smashed the ball forcefully towards the Crotalus Seeker (rule one was rule one for a reason), hoping Sorrel and the other Bludger would make their way into his section of sky before he lost control. In an attempt to minimise the likelihood of this, he leant into his broom, tailing his shot across the pitch.

13 Ash and Sorrel Craven, Pecari Beaters We'll dig it up as fast as you can lay it. 50 Ash and Sorrel Craven, Pecari Beaters 0 5

Caedence

September 03, 2008 6:54 PM

If we all do what we're supposed to by Caedence

Caedence thought she was ready for the pass, but by some considerable skill, Oliver ended that thought. He threaded between the two girls like… well thread through a needle. Then, he made a pass to Helena. Caedence tried to keep her broom level with them, but bludgers were flying around like hot Hollywood gossip. The cravens were mercilessly beating towards the Crotali, and the Crotali were mercilessly beating at the Pecari. It was all the bludger magnet could do to keep uninjured. She winced at Irene’s obvious injury, even though it couldn’t be so bad. After all, the girl was still moving on.

Caedence swooped in for a pass, keeping clear of the Craven’s beating maneuvering. She fell in line a few feet behind Irene. She looked around, but in the heat of the moment, she couldn’t spot Saul. Where was he? The strange, yet skilled chaser was usually their last resort. Almost always it turned out that he was the one who could avoid the bludgers. In fact, in one game he was the last surviving chaser left. Caedence had broken her arm that year, if she remembered correctly.

She gently smirked to herself, remembering some of her worse ideas that had gone completely awry. She really did deserve the name ’bludger magnet’ didn’t she? It wasn’t like the name bothered her. After all, she was pretty stupid. But not today. Today she would be all here. She would keep her head in the game.

“Heads Up!“

Caedence cursed herself as she found the ball headed her way. She let her mind wander right when she was thinking about how much she needed to focus!

Her gloved hands fumbled on the quaffle. Her careworn beaters gloves had rubber grips on them which she found better at holding a ball than chaser gloves. But the grips couldn’t help a lousy catch.

Caedence groped the air for the ball. One, two, three times it bounced between her hands. On the fourth fumble, she gripped it, but barely. Breathing a sigh of relief, the young blonde tucked it securely in her arms.

Now, to go after the goal. Earl wasn’t ever that reliable. He had the skill, but not the nerve. The last save was lucky. Perhaps next time he wouldn’t be so lucky. Caedence would be the one to test her luck…

… Then again, the last time she tried to hog the ball, she ended up in pain. Ball hogs were great targets for bludgers. And it wasn’t like Caedence was known for keeping out of trouble on the pitch. Yes, she had had the ball long enough now.

Looking around, a brown-clad player showed up in her vision. Just as she was about to throw, a red player got between them. Cursing lowly, she looked around. Where was the other one…

There! Caedence took careful aim, faked to the red-blocked player on her right, then tossed the ball deftly to the free brown player on her left. Time for Pecari to win. Time for them to take the Quidditch Cup! \n

0 Caedence If we all do what we're supposed to 94 Caedence 0 5

Irene, Pecari Chaser

September 04, 2008 5:44 PM

Don't we always? by Irene, Pecari Chaser

It was times like these when Irene was perfectly aware of why Quidditch was the first part of the magical world she came to love. She had been in Uncle Mike's house a total of a week, all adventures completed (twice), before he introduced her to the game. Once the explanation was out Irene was on the old broom. Remembering that old thing makes her appreciate her Blurr so much more too. Quidditch was her first glimpse into the magical world. She had many wonderful, cherished memories of it that inspired fond feelings of the sport. Currently, all those sweet feelings were forgotten. Her stinging shoudler helped that along. Her mind was focused on beating Crotalus and putting all of her energy into getting what she needed done, done.

Irene held her breath as she watched Caedence fumble for the Quaffle, fearing for a moment that it might be dropped. Her teammate managed to cling to it and Irene allowed herself to breathe again, keeping pace with the braided player. As they neared the hoops, Irene dropped low, coming back up on Caedence's left. Saul was being blocked by one of the Crotali, leaving the chance of the Quaffle being passed to him quite slim. She continued flying with the team, keeping her eyes open. When she saw the makings of a pass begin in his direction, she felt her nerves tense-- Oh, wait. Irene's reflexes jumped as the Quaffle was suddenly in her direction. She closed her fingers around it, her eyes focused on the goal.

The current score (zero to zero) needed to be changed. Irene had the tools in her hands, not to mention that her hands happened to be one of said objects, to kick this game of in their favor. She pushed her broom into a high speed, racing towards the center hoop. As she neared, Irene pulled back the Quaffle and, at the last possible moment, hoping to fake out the Keeper, fired it towards the left hoop. Turning away towards her teammates, Irene glanced back, hoping to see a few disappointed Crotali.

0 Irene, Pecari Chaser Don't we always? 0 Irene, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Earl, Crotalus Keeper

September 05, 2008 1:46 AM

Until we stop you by Earl, Crotalus Keeper

Earl felt his grin falter and fade, turning into a deep frown when Ash Craven made fun of him. Earl gestured at him rudely and told him what he could do with his own broom. It was either that or stick his tongue out at Ash and Earl felt that that was a little childish, even for him. For the most part, Earl had very little problem with the Craven twins. Sorrel was scary and Ash looked like he could pulverize Earl in an instant, but neither of them really paid much attention to him and Earl did the same. Now, with this insult and the fact that they were graduating in a few months, Earl decided that it was fine to feel some almost undeserved hatred towards them. Or at least Ash. Still cussing Ash he dragged his attention back to the game.

He watched the quaffle fly back and forth between the chasers, a red blur flying through the air between streaks of maroon and brown. The blur stopped, suddenly hidden by a brown set of robes. that began heading in his direction. The chaser was small, no more than a fourth year. Saul was one thing, but unless he was fairly mistaken, this was her first year actually on the team full time.

He saw a look in her eyes. It was nothing more than a quick glance and Earl barely had time to register it, but his body automatically adjusted his broom to dash in front of the quaffle just as it soared out of the girl's hands. Earl caught it deftly with a huge grin on face. She had done almost the same thing as Saul. It was almost too easy. He glanced around for Ash, looking to gloat, but couldn't spot him in among the players.

Instead his brown eyes searched out a Crotalus chaser and passed to the first one he saw that wasn't being blocked. Take that Pecari!

0 Earl, Crotalus Keeper Until we stop you 0 Earl, Crotalus Keeper 0 5

Oliver, Crotalus chaser

September 05, 2008 5:22 AM

Which we will by Oliver, Crotalus chaser

Oliver cursed loudly when Irene just about managed to claim the Quaffle from its path towards him. No matter; they would be back in possession again soon. Locating the other Croatlus Chasers, Oliver made it his duty to make at least one of the Pecari chasers inaccessible. He made it his temporary duty to make it incredibly difficult to pass to Saul, by staying between him and the girls as much as he could. Although he plan seemed to have worked, Irene nevertheless still managed to retreive the ball and send it out to the other Chaser. Oliver's reflexes caused his muscles to tighten when it looked like the ball would be dropped once again, but after that false alarm they relaxed again as he flew with the chasers, doing his best to make their life difficult.

Somehow, the Pecari team managed another shot at the goal. Oliver hated to deny it but they seemed to know what they were doing. He wasn't worried though; Earl had been Keeper many years and didn't let his team down. With a whoop, Oliver flew fast away from the Chaser he'd been shadowing, and successfully caught the Quaffle after Earl's release. Knowing he had to get the red ball as far away from Crotalus' goals as he could, Oliver tore down the pitch with the Quaffle tucked safely under his arm, leaving other players in a blur behind him.

A fair distance down the pitch, Oliver turned to look for another Crotalus chaser. Carrying the ball for too long only made him a bludger target, and gave time for Pecari to block Oliver's teammates and narrow his options. Eyes settling on the nearest red-clad player, Oliver passed the ball with a strong overarm and readied himself for the next play.

0 Oliver, Crotalus chaser Which we will 0 Oliver, Crotalus chaser 0 5

Lily, Crotalus Beater

September 07, 2008 7:09 PM

Back at the seeker by Lily, Crotalus Beater

Lily swore mentally as the Pecari seeker avoided the bludger she had sent her way. This was followed by eye-rolling at her fellow beater going after both bludgers. Josh seemed to be a bit of a show-off. Still, Lily was glad that at least he was doing what he was supposed to in the game.

She saw her arch-nemesis block a goal with his broom tail and heard Ash Craven's rude comment towards Earl. Normally Lily was all for being snide and nasty towards the Crotalus Keeper but she didn't really like hearing her teammate get this kind of treatment from one of the I'm-so-much-better-than-you Pecaris. It was rather unsportsmanlike. At least Lily kept her insulting comments about the other team (and Earl) to herself during the game, though she was pretty sure that her feelings were well-known, especially given last year's yearbook had named herself and Earl "Worst Enemies".

A look of annoyance came to her face when she realized the Cravens had both bludgers and both were heading towards Crotalus players. Sorrel's was going towards the Chasers and Ash's towards Jennifer. Lily zoomed towards the nearest one,the one heading towards her roommate and slammed it, firing at back at the Pecari seeker.

11 Lily, Crotalus Beater Back at the seeker 45 Lily, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Elly, Pecari Seeker

September 08, 2008 1:56 PM

Your favourite target by Elly, Pecari Seeker

This relentless Snitch-searching could do funny things to your vision. Even the tiniest glint, like sunlight off someone's glasses in the stands, or a piece of foil caught in the grass, was enough to make a Seeker's muscles tense. After each false alarm Elly became forever more hopeful to find the Snitch soon. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted to keep the game short for her teammates (though less time with the bludgers was probably a good thing), but it really drained concentration to be constantly searching for something so tiny as the Snitch.

On another circle of the pitch - possibly her fifth this game? - Elly was squinting this way and that, trying to keep half an eye on Jennifer, and so she almost didn't notice the bludger until it was too late. It wasn't as fast as Lily's last shot, which meant she had probably deflected a shot with good accuracy (or luck) onto Elly. She swerved harshly, pulling the polished wooden handle firmly with fists clenched so tight her knuckles were probably white under her gloves, but the metal ball still clipped the very tail end of her broom. Unexpectedly flung sideways, Elly gripped her broom tighter still to retian balance, and soared further upwards out of harm's way; it was much harder for a beater to gain momentum when aiming the bludger vertical. Yet even as she was pleased to have escaped a direct hit, Elly inwardly cringed for her broom - it was its first hit. She still had three whole years at Sonora to get through, preferably on this broom. Hopefully the damage was minimal and repaired easily enough by clipping the damaged twigs, but she wasn't foolish enough to pause playing to peer behind her and check.

Her stomach muscles starting to settle from their subconscious clenching at her close encounter, Elly was tempted to remain far above the game, so as not to fall prey to Lily again. Yet that left Jen with a distinct advantage if the Snitch came in closer to the ground, and that just wasn't acceptable. Well, Elly certainly couldn't stop the Crotalus beaters from aiming at her - it was sort of their job, after all - but she could make them think twice. Testing a stratergy she hadn't had to employ in a game before, Elly sought out the smaller, though older, Seeker and dove straight for her. Elly was going to shadow Jen like... well, a shadow. She had every faith in her broom; all she had to do was see the Snitch first and make sure she could outstrip her rival. No problem, right?

Pulling right up beside the Crotalus Seeker, so close they could almost bump elbows, Elly didn't take her eyes of her flightpath as she said, "Hey. I'm Elly Eriksson and I'll be accompanying you on your flight today."

0 Elly, Pecari Seeker Your favourite target 0 Elly, Pecari Seeker 0 5

Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

September 08, 2008 10:01 PM

Every time. by Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

Helena didn't see exactly what happened between her passing and another Chaser taking the Quaffle, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out. Somehow, some apparently-not-quite impossible way, the Pecaris had intercepted the Quaffle. It was almost enough to make her add a little to the amount of cursing going on, but Quidditch wasn't worth sending up her blood pressure and the Pecaris didn't need the satisfaction of knowing they'd shaken her into being emotional about the game.

Irene got the Quaffle back to Caedence, who somehow managed to reach the goal area without being taken out by a Bludger from either team. It was all down to Earl now, and then she and the boys took over responsibility for making the Pecari team and supporters unhappy. A seed of irritation was stuck in the bottom of her chest cavity, but she had regained her grip on it; she was not going to become desperate or wildly angry or Annish. Earl made the save, Oliver caught the ball from him, and action resumed.

She moved back down the Pitch with Oliver, keeping an eye out for any Pecari attempts to close in on him that would require blocking and on him in case he needed or chose to pass the Quaffle off again. It would, in all probability, be better for Geoffrey to take over - when it came to him and her, he was easily the better player - but situations on the Quidditch Pitch were seldom ideal, and no one with half a brain held onto the ball too long. When Oliver got rid of it before his brains could be chosen to ornament a Pecari bat, Helena caught it more smoothly than the first time.

Decision time. Should she try a run on the goals or try to pass again? Both options involved a risk that Pecari would get the ball back, maybe even before she reached the goals if she went with option one. When the sharp whistling of a Bludger reached her ears, she dropped in altitude to avoid it and rose again close to a red-clad teammate. It was all the sign she needed. Taking both hands from the broom, she tried for the second time to land the Quaffle in the hands of another Crotalus Chaser.

16 Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser Every time. 88 Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

September 12, 2008 11:13 AM

May I cut in? by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Saul had watched his shot soar towards the hoop and for a moment, he thought Earl had missed it, but no . . . his broom knocked the quaffle off course. Saul didn't see where it went from there because Caedance was shouting his name and a bludger was coming at him. Saul dodged and jinked around, missing the next couple of quaffle passes as he tried to lose his tail. Fortunately, one of the Cravens stepped in before it could catch up and do any damage. Well, aside from the fact that he'd been out of play for awhile.

His teammates seemed to be doing alright though. Caedance was fumbling with the ball, no she had it. He flew towards her, setting himself up for a pass but Oliver was there in between them and she passed to Irene instead.

Saul cheered Irene's attempt at scoring, but this time Earl caught it solidly and passed it on to Oliver. Saul chased after him, following him back toward the Pecari goals, but he passed to Helena before Saul could draw even and try to wrestle it away.

Pulling up and away from Oliver, Saul positioned himself just above the line between him and Helena so he could drop down suddenly if she tried to make a pass back, but not so close that a quick glance from her would show that Oliver was covered. Sure enough, a short while later, the quaffle came flying back towards Oliver.

Saul dove down and snatched it out of its path between the two Crotali. He barrel-rolled and shot back toward Earl's side of the Pitch at his top speed. Climbing in altitude as he went (the dive had dropped him well below the normal playing level), he looked around and spotted one of his teammates who had positioned herself just ahead and above him. "Here!" he called, throwing the quaffle up at her.

\r\n\r\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser May I cut in? 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Irene, Pecari Chaser

September 12, 2008 4:47 PM

Please do! by Irene, Pecari Chaser

"Oh, come on!" Irene cried out as the ball was captured by that red team once more. Pecari was on a rampage offensively, but unfortunately the Crotali's keeper was annoyingly fortunate today. The brunette girl kicked her broom to speed, kicking in the Pecari defense now. Their team was a force to be reckoned with and this was the chance to prove it. This motivation was coupled with her desire to win her first starting game. Her blue-green eyes narrowed at the players ahead of her, the Quaffle being tossed from Oliver to Helena. Irene could no longer hear the sounds of the crowd. In her mind, the pitch was in another world. Her senses only picked up the feel of the wind and the sound of bludgers being whacked at in the distance. The ball was in the air again! From the corner of her eye, she saw Saul leap into action.

"Alright, Saul!"

A grin spread over her face as she saw the red ball fall into his hands as she turned and flew not too far above the scene. Irene heard him call out to her and the next second the Quaffle was close enough to snatch from the air. Her hands reached out, seizing it from the space in front of her and tucking it into her arm. She shifted her speed up one more gear, drawing closer to the goal. Irene's eyes scanned the area around her, spotting each red-clad player. If she kept the ball too long it would mean additional pain from additional bludgers. The dull pain in her shoulder had subsided decently, but that may be because her mind was focused elsewhere. Looking around, Irene found a fellow Pecari Chaser and, not wanting to make the mistake she had before, checked for Crotali before passing the Quaffle their way.

0 Irene, Pecari Chaser Please do! 0 Irene, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

September 15, 2008 4:17 PM

Snip snip by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Without the encumbrance of the Quaffle (not so much its size as much as the fact that opposing chasers and bludgers got in your way and tried to beat you up when you had one, though the ability to lean forward helped, too), Saul jumped forward and put himself in a good position for another scoring run.

Irene spotted him and tossed the Quaffle back his way. It was a good solid pass and Saul caught it easily. With a whoop that was half triumph at keeping control of the ball and half war cry, Saul sped forward and aimed up for the center hoop again. Both he and Irene had made the same play earlier, so he was hoping doing it again, would make Earl feel like he knew what was going to happen.

This time though, instead of throwing to the side as they'd done previously, Saul faked it and then took his shot, going for the far hoop on the other side. It was an awkward angle though, and a blind shot. Saul only had about a one in five chance of getting it in without defenders. He'd felt good going into it though, and when he completed the turn he whooped again and pumped both fists into the air (with just a little too much surprise to credibly claim that he was sure of his skill on that throw) because it looked like it was on target. Maybe a little too high and to the far side, but he thought if that red blur on a broom didn't get there in time, the quaffle would skim the inside rim on its way through rather than bounce off it.

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser Snip snip 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker

September 16, 2008 11:57 PM

Finally Showing Up by Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker

For the first match of her last year, Jennifer was nowhere near as excited as she should have been. It was actually rather anti-climactic, to tell the truth. While she continued to enjoy practices (if only because they got her out of the library, and forced contact with the outside world), the games had ceased mattering. She hadn’t let that notion slip to her assistant captain, of course; Geoffrey would have probably checked her into the hospital wing. But it was there.

Still, the morning of the first game, she followed the set-down path of a quidditch captain—making sure her team was awake and function, going out early to check the field, and giving a nice, hopefully inspiring speech to the team, and shaking hands with the opposing captains. Of all the other houses she had to face, it would be Pecari first up. She couldn’t quite meet Ash’s eyes when they shook hands. While she wasn’t sure what was going on with him and Lizzie, Jennifer was also fairly certain that he hadn’t been told his girlfriend had slept with someone else, and thus the entire situation was a bit awkward.

After the whistle blew, she kicked off and immediately began searching for the snitch, ignoring the rest of the game. It wasn’t difficult; it never was. While she kept an eye out for Elly and the bludgers, for the most part she let go of the world around her, and focused on the snitch, which seemed to be invisible thus far this game.

That was, until her opponent showed up right next to her. Aggravating, that was what this was. She was smaller than the younger girl, so she had faith in her ability to outfly Elly (after all, that was why seekers were supposed to be tiny in the first place) based on rudimentary physics alone. However, it was much harder to find a small, fast-paced object when one was being shadowed by the person who should not be allowed to see it.

“That’s nice,” she replied simply, not bothering to look at her opponent. “You’re going to drive the Cravens crazy, though; can’t follow the first rule if your seeker’s in the way.” Then, without any warning, she jerked her broom hard to the side Elly wasn’t on, making a full turn. While she didn’t imagine it would deter the Pecari for long, it was just the beginning of a long list of feints she had compiled through the years. Perhaps she could attempt a Wronski later; she’d always wanted to try one, and, if the redhead was true to her word, it might come in handy.
\r\n\r\n

0 Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker Finally Showing Up 48 Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker 0 5

Elly, Pecari Seeker

September 18, 2008 3:14 PM

Hi there! by Elly, Pecari Seeker

It was very peculiar to be able to converse with someone whilst playing a Quidditch game. Elly didn't even have the 'here, catch!' utternaces belonging to the Chasers. until today, Quidditch games had been a mainly non-verbal event (aside form the occasional expletive; she was only human). To be flying alongside was bizarre enough in itself, but conversation was a total novelty, and not an opportunity Elly was likely to pass up on, now it had been presented to her.

"You're going to drive the Craven's crazy," Jen commented. That had occurred to Elly, already. Still, the captains had three Chasers and a Keeper still to target, and one less player to protect of she stayed near Jen, so she figured they wouldn't mind too much... especially if she caught the Snitch. Though as Jennifer turned harshly away and Elly fought to follow her, she wondered whether her plan had actually been as genius as she'd first anticipated. After all, she was under no delusion that she could out-fly Jen in terms of skill; the Crotalus Seeker had been not only on the team, but the captain of the team since Elly had started Sonora. If practise made perfect, Jen was a pro. Still, there was always the fantastic speed of her broom, Elly's reach advantage with her longer limbs, and luck that might be on her side.

Catching back up with her quarry, Elly replied, "I don't imagine I'm impressing Lily much either. But if it keeps her off my back I'm all for it." Even through her speaking, Elly kept a sharp look out for the Snitch and flew as close to Jen as she dared, waiting for the next avoidance manouevre that would surely be coming.

0 Elly, Pecari Seeker Hi there! 0 Elly, Pecari Seeker 0 5

Caedence

September 25, 2008 7:33 PM

Look ma! A plan that doesn't get me injured! (I hope...) by Caedence

Caedence had been keeping up with the game as best as she could, but she often found herself blocked by other players. Another attempt at a score failed, and Caedence was starting to cure Pecari’s bad luck. The ball passed back and forth between the two teams for a while. She resisted the urge to curse loudly to relieve some tension. Caedence urged her broom forward, keeping up with the other players.

The ball never seemed to get the opportunity to get in her possession. Caedence knew it wasn’t anything against her, and that it was just poor passing opportunity to get to her. Still in her head she screamed “I’m right here!” willing the ball to get to her.

Saul, Irene, Saul. The ball zoomed back and forth, making its way down the field. Well, at least Caedence couldn’t say this game was lacking in tension. Saul pitched the ball somewhat blindly Earl’s way. Caedence took this opportunity to let out the swears she had been saving up. The game was still tied, nothing to nothing. The ball was going a bit cockeyed and it didn’t look like it was going to make it.

But what if it was? What if the ball was going to make it in to the hoop? Perhaps Caedence was stressing over nothing. But every second she thought, the longer the ball was flying. That meant the less time to save a throw that was off. But Saul seemed happy enough about it…

Caedence had a sudden idea. It was a stupid and juvenile one. But, perhaps it might just work. If all else failed, her team would get a good laugh at her. Preparing with a low curse at the stupidity of the idea, Caedence took a deep breath.

“HEY! YOU! EARL! LOOK OVER HERE!” she bellowed at the keeper. She hoped it was enough to get him to look over at her and ignore the quaffle for the second it would take to get into the hoop. Her cheeks flushed, embarrassed at her plan. Too late to take it back. At least this plan didn’t involve stupid heroics or chasing bludgers.

0 Caedence Look ma! A plan that doesn't get me injured! (I hope...) 94 Caedence 0 5

Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

October 31, 2008 2:29 PM

ROCKING THIS JOINT by Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

Although Crotalus' Seeker was doing her best to keep out of Elly's shadow, Pecari's Seeker was managing to maintain her position of elbow-bumping closeness. "Don't you think it's nice to have company for a change?" she said to Jen, loudly enough to be heard over the whistling off the wind rushing past.

That's when she saw it. That beautiful gold ball up ahead. She wasn't sure whether Jen had spotted it or not, but Elly didn't turn to find out as she put on the most fantastic burst of speed she could manage. With her eye on the prize - quite literally as the Snitch was prone to fluttering and jumping about most erratically - Elly was almost oblivious to the excited flutterings in her stomach. This had to be the most thrilling experience on the planet.

As she covered the distance between herself and the ball in what had to be some sort of record-breaking time, the tiny ball darted slightly to the side. Elly almost cheered - if Jen was indeed right by her, the Snitch had just moved in Elly's favour.

Lying practically flat out on her broom, Elly outstretched her arm. Her gamble paid off: her broom was faster, and her limbs longer, as she had already concluded. With the Snitch on her side, Elly's heart sang as she closed her trembling fingers around it.

With a resounding whoop, Elly soared back into the air, uttertly unaware of the rest of the game, with her hand held high. In that fantastic moment, she did spare a twinge of sympathy for the Crotalus captain in what might be her last game, but this was quickly overwhelmed by Elly's own feelings of glory. She had caught the Snitch; Pecari had won!

0 Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker ROCKING THIS JOINT 0 Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker 0 5

Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren

October 31, 2008 6:28 PM

Irene brings out party music Josh has small violin by Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren

Irene was still in full on flight mode as she circled the pitch, trying to find some hole in the the Crotali's plays. The chasers were doing plenty to keep the Pecaris blocked out. The thing that was keeping her motivated was the fact that the opposing team had not managed to hold onto the Quaffle long enough to get a shot on goal. That had been left to the Pecaris. Irene had to admit, it was a bit of confidence booster to realize that she hadn't humiliated herself throughout this game. That bludger to the shoulder was a minor set back... she thought as she followed the play. That incident had, however, given her a bit of an angry motivation to fight back a little stronger. The brown haired girl kept an eye on the beaters, as well as watching out for Elly. She always loved to see the game-ending play.

There was something about the whole "first-time first-string player" that made Irene want to prove herself. The people in the stands must be thinking that she was not good enough for the team, having been on reserve for two years. She'd show them. As long as Pecari won this game she was all set. Everything after that was... Well, the Championship. But this game came first. So when Irene's hazel eyes caught sight of Elly, swooping in on a glittering object in the air, she felt her stomach give a lurch. This could be it... This could be it! Irene gave a shout of victory as her friend held the snitch in the air.

The ongoing play forgotten, Irene swerved in her direction, setting her course to the redhead above. She collided with her in midair, giving her a squeeze.

"Elly! We won!" She exclaimed, finally releasing her friend from her grip. "Amazing catch!" Irene looked around, her eyes finding a particularly sullen Crotalus and making her way to him. She felt the smallest bit guilty for taking his first game from him, but at the same time, this was her first game too, right? Josh looked around, putting a smile on for her and holding his hand up for a high-five. Irene twisted her arm around his shoulders, giving him a brief hug.

"You did awesome, you know," She said with a bright smile. "You got a hit, first game!" She punched his shoulder with a decent amount of force. "Thanks for that." She grinned, hoping her caught her humor. Josh gave a guilty smile.

"Go celebrate with your team," he said, gesturing at the victorious brown-clad players in the air above them. "Nice game." Irene smiled once more before turning around, joining her team with a whoop of victory.

0 Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren *Irene brings out party music* *Josh has small violin* 0 Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren 0 5

Amy Fox

Quidditch Match: Crotalus v. Pecari by Amy Fox

Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater

Here it goes by Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater

Irene Liddowe, Pecari Chaser

Here it goes, here it goes again. by Irene Liddowe, Pecari Chaser

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Catch and release by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

Flying by by Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater

Trying to hit you... by Lily Collins, Crotalus Beater

Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper

Catch...or not by Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper

Josh, Crotalus Beater

Co-smashing by Josh, Crotalus Beater

Caedence

Trying not to do something stupid...and catchign the quaffle by Caedence

Caedence

replied to down below (nm) by Caedence

Irene

Trying to help Caedence not do anything stupid... by Irene

Elly, Pecari Seeker

Where's a Pecari beater when you need one? by Elly, Pecari Seeker

Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

Epic fail! by Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

Josh, Crotalus Beater

Not here by Josh, Crotalus Beater

Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

Just paving the way toward our epic win. by Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

Irene, Pecari Chaser

How am I suppose to reply to that? by Irene, Pecari Chaser

Irene, Pecari Chaser

Don't know about that... by Irene, Pecari Chaser

Irene

OOC: ^^ Ignore... (nm) by Irene

Ash and Sorrel Craven, Pecari Beaters

We'll dig it up as fast as you can lay it. by Ash and Sorrel Craven, Pecari Beaters

Caedence

If we all do what we're supposed to by Caedence

Irene, Pecari Chaser

Don't we always? by Irene, Pecari Chaser

Earl, Crotalus Keeper

Until we stop you by Earl, Crotalus Keeper

Oliver, Crotalus chaser

Which we will by Oliver, Crotalus chaser

Lily, Crotalus Beater

Back at the seeker by Lily, Crotalus Beater

Elly, Pecari Seeker

Your favourite target by Elly, Pecari Seeker

Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

Every time. by Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

May I cut in? by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Irene, Pecari Chaser

Please do! by Irene, Pecari Chaser

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Snip snip by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker

Finally Showing Up by Jennifer Zucchero, Crotalus Seeker

Elly, Pecari Seeker

Hi there! by Elly, Pecari Seeker

Caedence

Look ma! A plan that doesn't get me injured! (I hope...) by Caedence

Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

ROCKING THIS JOINT by Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren

*Irene brings out party music* *Josh has small violin* by Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren

Irene brings out party music Josh has small violin by Irene Liddowe and Josh Warren