Making life easy on Quidditch Pitch

Anne Wright

November 27, 2008 7:06 PM

Aladren Quidditch Try-Outs by Anne Wright

She waited as long as she could, bestowing bright smiles on old members of the team and nodding to new, but was finally forced to conclude that no one else was going to arrive for the try-outs. Standing, Anne moved in front of her recruits and looked them over, unconsciously pulling the ends of her braided hair.

"Welcome," she said briskly, "to the Aladren Qudditch try-outs. If you're not an Aladren, leave now." Since this was her last year and she was sentimental about that, she took a moment to wait for any non-Aladrens to leave, just as in the old days. "If you're a first year, also leave now. I'm not a fan of that rule, but I obey it anyway, and the Head Boy is here." Anne shot Chris an apologetic look, trusting he wouldn't mind, and smiled at them all. "Don't want to cause any trouble around him.

"For the new recruits, I'm Anne Wright, and I'm the captain of this Quidditch team. Call me whatever. Your other senior team members are Chris Dupree, Geoff Layne - he's also your Assistant Captain, which means he calls the shots if I'm in a coma - Z - " She caught herself just short of introducing Zack and Zoey and cleared her throat roughly before calling the remaining returns. "And for y'all, the new ones are..."

Once she had that list read off as well, Anne put down her list. "Any walk-ins can see me after I dismiss you to sign the roster. We've got too many Beaters, so you three - " a wave of her hand indicated Chris, Paul, and Chrissy - "can go try to work that out between you over there. If none of you wants to step down, I'll let the first two to knock me off a broom have the spots. I'll be much happier if one of you can agree to play something else, though." Maybe not a talent-friendly way to get her spots filled, but keeping a harmonious group running was hard enough without endorsing nine different kinds of grudges.

Which brought her to another potential headache...

"Seeker's the most important job on the field," she said to the two second year girls, trying, with a degree of success if she did say so herself, to sound slightly more pleasant. No need to scare them off. "You weren't positive about what you wanted, Jera, so I want you to try out for it, too."

The girl's name was Valson, but Anne was almost certain she was Professor Powell's daughter. It was difficult to keep a piece of information secure at Sonora, and she didn't think too much effort had really gone into hiding it. If Jera was the Seeker, she'd be a target, but Anne would have a reason to keep one of the Beaters hovering over her, which greatly increased the chances of keeping Jera unharmed and Anne out of Professor Powell's bad books. She was rather fond of her Ancient Runes teacher; having Powell seeking her head would be a blow, if not as large of a blow as losing in her final Championship.

She half-turned from the two little girls, who looked, from her perspective, far smaller than she thought she'd done at their age. "Layne, get over here and watch me run a trial." Turning back to the girls, she smiled as nicely as she knew how. "By the way," she added. "I like your names." This was a lie in Delany's case - Trempaw was just a hair too close to Teppenpaw for her liking - but she'd gotten the idea that she had to coddle them, much as she'd coddled Zack but, because they were very young and both girls, with a different focus.

Geoff handed her the Snitch when he arrived and got a smile for it. Anne loved it when he knew what she was thinking of before she did. "Thanks, Layne," she said. "You two, get on your brooms. This is a game, and I'm the ref. Layne here is the border scout, you know, making sure you don't leave the Pitch. You can go as soon as I release this."

She waited until they were both on their brooms before she let the walnut-sized ball go free. "So," she said to Geoff once they were both after it, not taking her eyes off them as they flew, "whatcha think?"

OOC: Quality versus quantity, of course, but follow all the standard posting rules for minimum post length and spelling and grammar. Creativity and realism are more likely to land you the spot of your choice than IC perfection. Tryouts are set as ending in the area of Dec. 10-14 on the Schedule, so get your posts in before then!

Beaters, I may take a few days to sort out your group if it isn't worked out between you because of finals, but it will be gotten to as quickly as possible. Seekers, you can write up to thinking you're about to catch the Snitch, but, as in a game, not to actually catching it for now. Have fun, all!

Subthreads:

Making life easy by Chris Dupree with Geoffrey Layne and Anne, Paul Tarwater, Chris

Flying Free by Jera Valson with Delany

16 Anne Wright Aladren Quidditch Try-Outs 59 Anne Wright 1 5

Chris Dupree

November 28, 2008 1:20 AM

Making life easy by Chris Dupree

As with everything else since it was Chris’ last year, it would be his last year of Quidditch, both in try-outs and games. Though, he wasn’t emotional about it, he would admit that it felt a bit strange to think at this time next year he could be doing a countless number of thing, which was disconcerting to think about. He knew he would be running the family business, as he had been set to do, but he also had to think of what else he wanted to do. At some point, he would probably end up seriously discussing the future with Bella, but for now, there was the present.

Chris glanced briefly out of curiosity to the new, younger students. They seemed so tiny in comparison. Had he been that small when he had tried out for the team the first time? Probably. It seemed like so long ago. His attention was drawn to the other people trying out for Beater when Anne made mention of them sorting it amongst themselves. His index finger and thumb pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit he did out of frustration. He had been prepared to compete for his position. He hadn’t been prepared to decide between them.

He sighed. There was only one solution. It was one that he didn’t want to do. He really wanted the spot. He felt that he should have the spot, but he was him, which meant he would take the responsibility upon himself to step down. Paul had a good couple more years on the team. It wasn’t right to make him play a different position. Then, there was the girl. He felt bad for her since she was probably a Salem transfer and she had to be feeling out of place. Besides, he had a soft spot for all females, as evidenced by Bella and Lexi.

“Anne, we’re already sorted. I’ll step down. Just figure out everyone else and stick me where you need me,” he told her with a slight shrug, as he moved out of the way. He had already played two spots, he figured there was no reason he couldn’t end up playing a third if he ended up in a Chaser spot. Besides, even he was horrible in the spot he would only be playing in the position for a year. At least, with the two new girls trying out, he had no worry that he would end up in the Seeker spot. If that were the case, there would be absolutely no way they would win. Not only did he not have the frame for it, he could never see the blasted thing.

0 Chris Dupree Making life easy 0 Chris Dupree 0 5

Geoffrey Layne and Anne

November 28, 2008 7:26 PM

Th' art kind. by Geoffrey Layne and Anne

"So," she said to Geoff once they were both after it, not taking her eyes off them as they flew, "whatcha think?"

"That you're being an idiot," Geoff said bluntly. Anne went very still, but otherwise didn't react to the insult. She'd all but stopped arguing with him over the past year, and he wasn't sure he liked it that way. "What was that about with the Beaters? For all you know, the new girl can't even hang onto a broom for ten seconds."

"I have to live with her," she said, but without her usual irritability; she sounded almost apologetic. "She's in the dorm with me and Bella and her sister. This way, maybe the lot of them all stay happy - "

"Since when do you give a damn if the recruits are happy?" he interrupted. "Anne, for Merlin's sake - "

"Keep your voice down," she said sharply. "I told you, I'm still in charge out here. If you have an opinion, you tell me about it when we're not in front of everyone. I'm still in charge, and everyone's got to see it that way."

Geoff resisted the urge to rub his temples, to tell her not to do this again. This, actually, was why he'd never wanted to come back to the team in the first place: he was, simply put, sick and tired of being caught in her dramatics every other day. The girl could take any little thing, take it into her head it was a hurricane, and not listen when he told her it was really just a shower-bath. He'd endured her tempers for as long as he could remember, but he thought it had gotten worse with the years.

"I'm just saying," he said, with forced calm, "that it's a miracle if we win anything with a second-year Seeker. Your policy has always been 'win no matter what', so..."

She took a moment to consider that, then groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I'm an idiot. Oh, Merlin, I mess everything up."

She might - indeed, if he knew her, would - have continued in that vein for some time, but Chris Dupree grabbed their attention by resolving the Beater problem.

She beckoned Dupree over to them. "You're sure about that?" she asked him. "You're safe anyway, you know. I'm not about to put the last member of my original team where he doesn't want to be if I can help it, and you're a lot more reliable than Tarwater if Hollister's feeling argumentative."

Geoff realized he was gaping. Everyone knew Anne was easily the most nepotistic team captain in recent memory, but this coming right out in the open with it was new. So much for a particle of sense entering her head just now. He thought he should have seen that coming, too. Anne might say the right things and make the right gestures in a moment, but when it came right down to it, she was still Anne and still just as prone to smashing up her own things as ever.

16 Geoffrey Layne and Anne Th' art kind. 59 Geoffrey Layne and Anne 0 5

Paul Tarwater

November 28, 2008 8:25 PM

Nope, nothing normal here. by Paul Tarwater

Paul lugged himself outside, broom and bat behind him as he made his way to the Quidditch Pitch for another year of difficultly on this team. First year, it had been good to play to let off all his pent up anger, same with second year (so he could hit something and keep his mind off what his sister did to him). Third year it was fine too, but Paul had completely lost the need for anything anymore fourth year (still he did so, knowing that "normalcy" would please his parents). Fifth year, now, he was trying to get back to "normal" for himself, and while the year was proving already to be the end of the world, Paul hoped him acting more normal may offset that. Folding his arms over himself , he did his normal "looking around the Pitch" while also trying to not look like the paranoid freak that he was.

There was a new girl, one who was incredibly obviously not a first year. The others he'd seen around the dorm, but this girl he hadn't. She was probably a transfer, he remembered that other school had closed down. And plus, there had probably been transfers before (most of them out of Sonora though), it shouldn't be that big a deal. She helped complete the team, so Paul disregarded it for now, looking away, back to Anne who had said something of concern to Paul.

He was being put on the spotlight again, with Chris and the new girl. They all wanted the Beater position, and now they were going to have to compete. Paul's heart sank and he looked away from Anne now too, his eyes flicked to Chris. The boy was pretty much his superior in almost everything (the whole Prefect thing still hit Paul badly) and he didn't want to ruin the guy's last year here or anything. And the girl, she was new, he knew almost nothing about her except that she wanted the Beater spot. Paul hadn't even wanted to really rejoin this year...

"Chris I'll," Paul started, on the low note so that the older boy would be the only one to (barely) hear him. Paul supposed, however, that he wasn't heard at all because he cut himself off when Chris stepped up to the plate and offered to step down. Paul's heart sank in guilt, what else was he going to do. Should he push the topic and call more attention to himself for being the second to step down? Or should he say nothing and come off as the stubborn jerk he'd always put himself out as. Paul's mouth dried out, so the jerk option seemed best.

Anne called Chris up, and he tried his hardest to not listen in. Of course, there was two words he did hear, and that was "reliable" and his name. Looking down Paul wished to sink into the background, he was a jerk wasn't he? (Why was he even trying to question it like he never realized it before? He had already seen how he was, and never cared before.) It was Chris's last year, and this girl's first, he was stuck in the middle. "Chris... you don't need to. I don't need to be Beater, it really doesn't matter to me," he said, trying out his unsure and unused voice again. Beater was a comfort, nothing more, however this miniscule conflict was making Paul start to think about his ideas of the end of the world again. Was this another sign? He was freaking out here.

0 Paul Tarwater Nope, nothing normal here. 0 Paul Tarwater 0 5

Chris

November 29, 2008 12:18 PM

I'm sure there's at least one normal thing. by Chris

Before Chris could sit and wait to be placed somewhere else, Anne called him over. He lazily half jogged over, hoping that she wasn’t going to be slightly insane and decide she wanted him to try out for the Seeker position as well when she already had two young hopefuls that were sure to be much better than he could ever be. He breathed a sigh of relief when she merely asked if he was sure, but Paul spoke up first talking about how he didn’t need to be Beater.

His blue eyes shifted to the younger student. Paul wasn’t what most would call the model student, yet Chris thought he had potential. His top trait was being an Aladren. While other Houses did have intelligent students, it was a given for theirs. The Headmaster must have also seen the possibilities for he had named the boy as a Prefect. Added on to this, Paul had been on the Quidditch team for the last few years as a Beater. He also had a good chance at being Captain one day. With all of this, it seemed he was well on his way to being a star pupil. It was wrong for him to take away even a piece of it, which it what he would be doing if he took the Beater spot over Paul even for a year.

“No, Paul,” Chris stated with a wave of his hand for the other student to let it go. “You belong in the Beater spot.” His gaze moved back to Anne and with a nod of his head confirmed his decision, “Yeah, I’m sure about not being a Beater. It’s the right thing to do...for the team.” He had been referring to what was actually the moral part of his decision, but guised it as best for the team given that there was a certain logic to it. “Besides, with a new Seeker and probably a new Chaser, you’re going to need the Keeper and Chaser spots to be strong. Tarwater’s only ever played Beater, but he’s decent at it. Plus, we don’t know what Hollister is capable of. If you put her in the Chaser spot along with another new player, you’ll be asking to take on all the scoring yourself and even in your greatness, you can’t do it alone.”

He finished with a grin to let Anne know that it was fine. He had no hard feelings and really why should he? It was her last year too and there was no doubt that it was bound to be stressful. There were the ever approaching RATS. Then, she had to deal with being Quidditch Captain with a new Assistant and three new players. He couldn’t blame her for wanting them to sort it out, especially being Head Boy; he should be able to handle some simple responsibility. If he couldn’t, what did that say about him being in the position? That he didn’t belong in it, which he actually did worry about, though, he tried not to appear like he did.

0 Chris I'm sure there's at least one normal thing. 0 Chris 0 5

Jera Valson

December 03, 2008 11:35 AM

Flying Free by Jera Valson

It wasn't as though she was desperate for a spot on the team - this was more for fun than anything - so Jera was spared the nerves that some potentials players might suffer. If she got on the team then great - she would train with the older players until she was good enough for a game. If she didn't, then nevermind, at least she had tried.

Despite that, there were a lot of older players gathered when Jera arrived with her roommate, and she suddenly felt very small standing next to Delany. She clutched a school broom in her hand as the team was introduced; she might get her own broom one day, but as she didn't use it right now there didn't seem to be any real point. And even if Jera had been worried about the tryouts, the captain, Anne, was really nice. When she asked the girls to play against each other to catch the Snitch, Jera whispered good luck to Delany before mounting her broom. It was in fairly good condition, but quite an old model. It wouldn't go very fast but that was okay with Jera - she wasn't sure she could fly fast without falling off just yet.

As she took off, Jera's stomach did a funny flip. She wasn't afraid of heights, but the thought of falling from this high did make her feel a bit funny. Knowing she had to release the broom with one - or maybe both - hands to play Quidditch, Jera tentatively lifted her left hand from the handle and held it outstretched. She didn't wobble too much, giving her the confidence to lift the other hand, too. This, however, almost upset her completely, and Jera took firm hold of the broom with both hands. She would try that agin later, she decided, maybe once she found the Snitch.

Flying a bit higher, Jera started to circle around looking for the gold ball. This bit was easy enough - they'd covered basic flying in their lessons last year. The Snitch, it seemed, hadn't strayed too far. In fact, if Jera had been watching it instead of experimenting with one-handed flying she might have been a lot closer by this point. But no matter - aiming her broom in the right direction, Jera tried flying faster towards it. Not really fast, because her broom didn't go really fast, but certainly fast enough to make her grit her teeth.

0 Jera Valson Flying Free 112 Jera Valson 0 5

Anne

December 03, 2008 10:18 PM

Has to be. by Anne

Shortly after Paul joined the fracas, Anne realized she had a death grip on her hair and was pulling steadily. Her hand fell back to her side as Chris waved Paul down and told her the logic behind his decision.

She smiled faintly at the statement that she couldn't score every point they needed alone. "My greatness," she repeated wryly. "Well, I don't know about that." She did know, but a less pleasant topic was hard to imagine. She didn't want to think that everyone, probably including Geoff, would be all too happy to see her go, or that she'd probably never be on a real team again. Quidditch had been her entire life since she was eleven, and nothing - not Latin or dancing or music or drama - that she'd come across seemed sufficient to fill the void it would leave.

No, she wasn't great, but he had been teasing, anyway. The rest was more important. "You're right, though." Anne made a face. "I could overdose on Felix Felicis and not get two goals in under forty minutes." She glanced at Geoff as his hand rested, unobtrusively, on her elbow. Apparently, she hadn't done anything too bad this time. It hadn't occurred to her that she was doing anything wrong, actually, but... He thought she had. Apparently.

"Go watch the Seekers," she told him. This was her place; Geoff couldn't have it. "Tell me if they try to foul each other, or can't sit their brooms." He didn't look pleased with it, but he did as she said. That was good. He'd have his year to try to keep a team of intellectuals afloat in good time, but this one was hers. "Paul, go work with the new girl. Try to get her talking experience."

She looked back up at Chris. "D'you want Keeper back?" she asked him. "No offense, but I was thinking three positions might be a little too much even for your greatness, especially if you've never played Chaser." Geoff had never played Chaser, either, but he could learn. Teaching him to pass couldn't add more than a few hours a week to her half made schedule, and he'd do it for her. They weren't always the best to each other, but in the end, they did take care of each other.

16 Anne Has to be. 59 Anne 0 5

Delany

December 06, 2008 10:31 PM

Flying Fast... by Delany

Delany had made sure to get to the pitch early. She didn't want them to think at all that she was uninterested in playing. She was however, shocked that Seamus hadn't signed up. But she brushed it off as a minor concern right now. She new she was ready. She had been practicing all summer with her dad and was pretty positive that she was good enough for the team.

She walked over to the group of Aladrens and was surprised to see most people there already. She listened quietly, next to Jera and did feel a small creeping sensation. Everyone was so much bigger. It was...strange. But it was over soon and everyone was being told what to do. Delany listened and her heart panicked when she heard her name...accompanied with Jera's. She had to relax! She couldn't even hear what was happening. She listened to the last part and gripped her broom tightly. She hadn't even been able to fly on it yet. It was new, and her dad had bought it for her so she could try-out "successfully" he had said.

Anne waited for them to mount their brooms, and Delany heard Jera wish her luck. She nodded and repeated the phrase, focusing on the snitch about to be released. When Anne released the snitch, Delany shot off into the air, watching the snitch skip from one place to another. She watched it for a few seconds, slightly struggling to keep her eye on it. When she got used to keeping track of the snitch, she shot off towards it.

As she was flying, she realized that she would have to take her hand or both her hands off her broom. She took a deep breath and lifted her hand off her broom handle. She was good. And that’s all she wanted to do now. She took off towards the snitch again, and made a few grabs at it, but never caught it. After one big grab, she lost her balance and wobbled a bit on her broom. She pulled back on her speed, hoping she would be able to gain control again easily. When she looked back up, Jera was also behind the snitch, but slightly closer than her. Delany thought about it as she sped forward, that slightly wasn't a correct term. She was much closer than Delany.

Delany sped up until she was right behind Jera's broom tail, and was trying to get evenly next to her.

0 Delany Flying Fast... 0 Delany 0 5