I'm gonna puke! (literally!) on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Amelia Pierce

December 11, 2009 10:33 AM

Game One: Pecari vs. Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce

It dawned a nice, early autumn day on the date of the Sonora's first Quidditch match of the year. The sun shone brightly, but not too warmly. It was at just that temperature that Amelia liked best - cool enough to be bracing, but warm enough to be comfortable without a coat, even for the people just watching the game.

The two teams, Crotalus and Pecari, were on the pitch. She looked them both over, making sure both had exactly seven players. As she glanced over the red uniformed Crotalus players, she felt a brief worry about perceived bias, given that she was their Head of House now. There was also the issue of having a distant cousin on the Pecari team, but she felt that was less of a problem. If she went back far enough, she was probably related to half the purebloods in the school. Despite another of Derwent One's descendants being on the field, it was the Crotali that she felt the most kinship toward.

She'd been very careful to make sure she didn't have any red clothing on when she got dressed that morning. Black, she'd decided, was thoroughly neutral. Aladren wasn't playing today, after all.

"Okay, Teams, we're here for a good game of Quidditch!" she called out once it looked like the Captains were done with their pep talks. She gestured for them to all come toward her, and she reminded them of the important bits, though everyone already knew them. It was a formality.

"Game starts at the whistle. Game ends when someone catches the snitch. Keep it clean in between. Medic's on hand if she's needed. Have fun, guys. Captains, shake hands." Once Elly Eriksson and Helena Layne had done so, Amelia released first the snitch and then the bludgers. Lastly, she picked up the Quaffle. "Three. Two. One." She blew into her whistle and threw the Quaffle up into the air at the same time.

The game had begun.

Subthreads:

Pecari, Pecari, Pecari! by Elly Eriksson, Seeker with Demelza Eagle, Beater

Up, up, and away. by QC Helena Layne Chaser with Jose Hernandez, Chaser, Oliver Abbott, Chaser, Theo Manazan, Beater, Demelza Eagle, Beater, Charlotte Abbott, Chaser, Starbuck Gregory Keeper

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Game One: Pecari vs. Crotalus 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 1 5

Elly Eriksson, Seeker

December 11, 2009 12:19 PM

Pecari, Pecari, Pecari! by Elly Eriksson, Seeker

Elly had butterflies the morning of the first Quidditch game. That was odd. But then again, she'd never been captain before; never been solely responsible for the way her team had been trained. Elly wasn't too worried. Crotalus had excellent Chasers, true enough, but the rest of their team had yet to be proven. Pecari's Chasers were... working fairly well together, and with Caedence as a Beater and herself as a Seeker, Elly fancied her chances.

Elly did feel a bit sorry for Danae that morning, because she and Caedence were hardly quiet getting ready for their match. Elly wore some fluorescent green socks beneath her worn sneakers, and her ginger curls were tamed back into a couple of plaited pigtails. Her brown and gold Quidditch robes were fresh and clean, and as Elly grabbed her broom she felt ready to take on the world. Crotalus would be easy.

Greeting her other players on the pitch, Elly knew they'd done all they could to be their best. She just needed to give them a final few words of encouragement. Gathering everyone around, she ignored the buzzing somewhere in her gut and gave them a wide grin. "First game of the year!" she announced. "You've been working really hard at practises, and you all look great in those robes," she dedicated the second part of the sentence to the first years, kitted in House colours for the first time. "The Crotalus Chasers are good, so if attack isn't working, focus on defense. Beaters, try to take out the captain and the assistant - the team will be in pieces without them, and they don't have any reserves." Elly liked Helena and Oliver well enough off the pitch, but this was Quidditch, and Quidditch was akin to war. "Basically, we're going to win this. The Coach is a snake though, so she'll be on there side. Don't give her anything - and I mean anything - to work with. We have Raoul but I'd rather not see any of you getting sent off for foul play." Elly couldn't help but glance at her roomate here - caedence was an awesome Beater, but she wasn't famous for sticking to the rules. "So work hard, have fun, and I'll see you in the commons later for a victory party." Elly smiled again and offered a wink as she was called over to shake hands with the opposition. "Good luck," Elly said to Helena, not forgetting she'd basically signed the girl's death warrant by asking Caedence to take her out. She didn't put too much pressure into the handshake - that sort of bullying tactic was for boys and Sorrel only - and managed a smile at the rival captain before walking away again to mount her broom.

The Snitch was released, and, as usual, Elly failed to keep a visual as the ball skittered off to do its own thing. Then the whistle was blown, and Elly dug her heels hard into the ground, shooting up to a great height in very little time. Let the game begin!

0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker Pecari, Pecari, Pecari! 0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker 0 5

QC Helena Layne Chaser

December 11, 2009 2:00 PM

Up, up, and away. by QC Helena Layne Chaser

This didn't, objectively speaking, matter. If Crotalus was dealt out a miserable defeat today, the only people in the world who'd care would be the players, and maybe the coach once she remembered that she was a nominal Crotalus. They, of course, would all be disappointed in the moment, but it would pass; they'd all lost games before. Unless Anne came up with some way to possess Elly and return in a decidedly unorthodox fashion to her favorite place (Helena knew that there was no way Anne would ever touch her mind, or stoop to impersonating a regular player), this game wasn't a matter of life and death to anyone.

That was why it surprised her, just a little, to find that she'd somehow come back around to really, really wanting a win.

She'd had her "training year", where she didn't have a clue what she was doing, last year, after Geoffrey had left. She didn't have another year. It was, for all practical intents and purposes, now or never for her. And she really liked to think of proper, reserved Crotalus kicking the stuffing out of Pecari. It had several individual members she liked well enough, but as a collective, Pecari was such that Helena's surprise would know no bounds if Aladren and Teppenpaw felt any less of a desire to beat Pecari specifically than she did.

Plus, these days, she just really liked the idea of kicking something, and her so-called "niece" was off-limits. She hated to do it to Elly, but she had to take all of that out on someone.

"All right," she said to her team, her tone businesslike but not unfriendly. She had to play to what would work. "It's bright out there, so try to avoid the sun where you can. It might make the Snitch sparkle a little brighter for Marissa, but it's as likely as not to blind all of us to Bludgers if we aren't careful. Keep your ears open; they have Caedence Redoak, and she's almost as good at hitting a Bludger as she used to be at getting hit by one."

The basic strategy was to keep the Pecaris in as much of a knot as they could without actually committing a lot of fouls, though a few would be deemed acceptable if it gave Marissa time to look for the Snitch. The kid was steadier than Helena would have expected even after a few practices dedicated to trying to knock her off her broom, but she was still too young and nice for Helena's peace of mind. A good Seeker was rather paranoid, a little suicidal, and totally ruthless on the field, and the girl didn't seem like she was any of the above. Team strategy, rather than individual play, was their only hope.

"Their Chasers are completely untried, but we can't let ourselves relax because of that. We've been trained so much that the plays are in our bones, but there's no telling what they might do. Don't be nice to them because they're new; they chose this, they can deal with the consequences." Oliver, she was sure, already knew that, but she was still a little unsure of his sister. "Beaters, you know the rules - if you see a chance, knock them off their brooms. Elly is your main target, but any heads you break are an advantage to us."

For a moment, she couldn't believe she had said that. It was so - so blunt. It was something Geoff, the Aladren one, might have said. Her entire life strategy was based on appearing pleasant. She wanted to win this one more than she'd thought. "I know we can win this thing. We just have to concentrate. Don't let your guards down for a minute." She glanced across the Pitch. "Good luck, everyone, and let's go get 'em!"

She nodded politely through the speech she already knew all the components of and smiled as she shook hands with Elly. Until the game started, they had no quarrel with each other that she knew of. When the whistle blew, though, all bets were off. Darting forward, she grabbed the Quaffle and set off for the Pecari goals.

She didn't make it before a brown uniform started to get too close for comfort. Helena thought she could beat any of the Pecari Chasers, but as one of her own was to the other side, she decided not to risk it. Even if the pass was, by some miracle, caught, she figured even she could steal the ball back from a first or second year. With as much precision as was reasonably possible on a speeding broom, she threw the red ball toward the nearest red uniform.

16 QC Helena Layne Chaser Up, up, and away. 88 QC Helena Layne Chaser 0 5

Demelza Eagle, Beater

December 11, 2009 2:36 PM

So far, a rocking debut by Demelza Eagle, Beater

The morning of the first game of the season, the first official game of her life, Demelza could finally wipe her silly grin off her face. The night before she had been static about it and discussed tactics with her two roommates also on the team- Delilah and Starbuck. She woke up much earlier than usual (and that is saying something. She was even up before the prairie elves had even started breakfast.) She hardly ate anything because she was so nervous, but going to change back up in her common room changed her feelings a bit.

She put on her brown and gold quidditch robe and admired it in the mirror. She was finally part of something big and exciting, and that made her grin. She pulled her long maine of dark brown hair into a long ponytail, grabbed her broom, new beater's glove, her bat, and set off down to the pitch to get a pep talk from Elly, Pecari's captain. She listened closely and hoped to get even more tips then what she had gotten already from practices- she was much better now that before.

She had to try to aim for the captain and assistant captain. She glanced around quickly and then spotted them. She studied them so she could remember their faces and try to aim the bludger toward them. She was very lucky that she had Caendence to help her: that would make her part a lot easier.

When Elly finished her speech, Demelza shouldered her broom and carried her bat with her other hand. After walking over to her position, she mounted her broom and braced herself. And as she heard the whistle ring thrice, she kicked very hard off the ground, propelling herself 10s of feet above the ground. She grasped her right hand on her broom, and held her left hand out; her hand with her bat.

Immediately, or so it seemed, a bludger flew in her way. She reacted smartly and aimed it toward a Crotalus chaser. She felt the familiar elbow-shattering felling in her arm prickle trough, but she ignored, as she has her whole live. The bludger went just as she tried to aim it, but the thing that could make it not hit the chaser was if 1, she aimed it wrong, and 2, the chaser saw it coming and got away in time. If she was lucky, neither of that would happen.

But soon after that she took an advantage and went after the bludger that looked as though, from her position, it was going to hit Elly. She dived forward and stretched her arm out toward the bludger. She also noticed that she could aim it toward the captain, she that it what she did. She swung her arm back and hit the bludger away, as fast as she can, with all her might.

She gave herself a little grin at what she had done. It wasn't too bad. And she wasn't too bad. So far, she preformed better than she thought she would. Which is a very good thing. Very good....

0 Demelza Eagle, Beater So far, a rocking debut 0 Demelza Eagle, Beater 0 5

Jose Hernandez, Chaser

December 11, 2009 4:45 PM

Yeah. Up. Great. Away's good, though. by Jose Hernandez, Chaser

After a quick breakfast of toast with strawberry jam, apple juice, and a banana, Jose had gone back to his room and changed into his brown Quidditch robes. Today, he'd be in the air, playing in his first real game. It was like donning a costume, and he felt more Quidditch Player-y already. He headed out to the Pitch a little early to make sure he could find himself a decent school broom, and spent the extra time tending to it, giving it all the special treatments personal brooms usually got.

He was oddly calm, and he hadn't even taken the special vegan anti-anxiety potion Elly had brewed for him yet. He looked up into the stands and felt a familiar sense of purpose settle over him. It was like the reverse of stage fright. The growing audience, the number of eyes about to watch his every move, and the anticipation of cheering and applause did more for his nerves than any potion ever could. This was why he had joined the team.

He was a showman before he was anything else.

Jose left the vial of potion in his pocket. He'd take it if the calm didn't last past the twenty foot mark he couldn't rise above without physical symptoms of a panic attack, but he was hoping his love of performing would cancel out his fear of heights. He was pretty sure his mania was stronger than his phobia. Heights posed a definite risk of dying, but if he couldn't give a decent show to an audience, what was the point of living?

Once the whistle blew, though, Jose put the thoughts out of his mind as much as possible. The surest way to trigger a panic attack was to think about what scared you. He just flew up.

He hadn't been fast enough off the mark to make the initial Quaffle grab, but that was neither a surprise or a disappointment. It would have rattled him more if he'd gotten it straight off. Crowd or no crowd, he liked having both hands on the broom during an ascent.

He followed after Helena, impressed with his own gall at going after the other team's captain. Of course, when they hit fifteen feet, the butterflies started, and at twenty, his heart was pounding harder. But then he heard the crowd.

Shouts for Pecari. Shouts for Crotalus. Some cheers for Helena possibly, or maybe for someone else. The shouts were too garbled to make them all out, but he thought he heard someone yell out his name.

And it all fell together. A year and a month of practices. A year and a month of flying lessons. All the advice. All the reassurances. All the confidence he'd never felt on a broom. It all just came together with one shout of his own name.

Or maybe it was Elly's attempt at hypnosis finally taking root, but he was pretty sure it was deeper than that. It was the crowd.

Jose lived for an audience. And now he had one. And somebody out there had called his name.

It would kill him worse than a fall to give less than his best performance.

His heart rate was still pounding, but it was different now, and he laughed aloud as he chased Captain Helena Layne of Crotalus up into the air. This was the exhilaration of stepping out onto a stage. The world shrank down to just this one show, this one immediate scene. Nothing else was important.

Jose flew.

And completely failed his first attempt to intercept a pass.

But he was okay with that, too, because the attempt was met with cheers and jeers and groans from the people watching him. The people emotionally invested in what he did next. The people he would show that he could do better.

The people keeping him from being afraid.

0 Jose Hernandez, Chaser Yeah. Up. Great. Away's good, though. 0 Jose Hernandez, Chaser 0 5

Oliver Abbott, Chaser

December 14, 2009 9:49 AM

So keep away from us. Thanks. by Oliver Abbott, Chaser

It was interesting how Quidditch could change people. Charlie, for example, used to be of the opinion that all sports were a waste of time, and she dedicated her passion to dancing alone. This morning, she sat next to Oliver while they ate breakfast together and she was talking downright fiercely about Quidditch. The same thing seemed to have happened to Helena; as Oliver greeted their captain on the pitch, the seventh year seemed more highly-strung than usual, and her pre-game speech bordered on vicious. Not that Oliver was complaining - he'd like to beat Pecari into the ground as much as anyone. So as the whistle blew and he felt his body pump with adrenaline, Oliver kept his eye on the game, and on making the Pecari team look like a bunch of children. Which they were, really.

Helena got to the Quaffle first - good good. It would have been embarrassing any other way. It was only moments later that she was passing the ball over to Oliver, who caught it easily, despite the failed attempts of a second-year Pcari Chaser to intercept the Quaffle. Tucking the red ball tightly under his arm, Oliver leant forward on his broom and set off at speed down the pitch towards the goals, currently being guarded by a teeny little first year. He knew better than to try to keep the ball the entire way up the pitch. Besides, the Crotalus Chasers worked well together as a team, so it was pointless if they didn't use this to their advantage.

Throwing a glance over each shoulder, Oliver would normally have passed to Charlie, but she seemed to have dropped back - probably avoideding a bludger (Oliver couldn't think of any other reason his sister wouldn't be there waiting for the Quaffle). So instead Oliver sought out Helena. With the briefest of nods, he angled his broom to close the gap between them just a little, and he passed firmly, watching the quaffle soar in a gentle arc towards his teamate.

0 Oliver Abbott, Chaser So keep away from us. Thanks. 0 Oliver Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Helena Layne, Chaser

December 14, 2009 10:53 PM

I'd listen to the boy if I were you. by Helena Layne, Chaser

For a moment, Helena seriously thought the little Pecari was going to get his hands on the Quaffle. That her life and Quidditch skills just sucked that much. She'd gotten used to the idea of going down in history as, bar none, the worst passer of her generation, but being both team captain and a seventh year and getting beat by some first year, that was a bit much...

And then she had her first bit of true good luck in about a year: Oliver, not the kid, caught the Quaffle. She kept her head on externally, but couldn't help a little mental cheer at the event. She wasn't one for omens, but if she wasn't a great deal mistaken, that was the first pass she had thrown in years that hadn't been intercepted. That made for a good beginning.

Things continued to go well when Oliver passed the Quaffle back and she actually caught it. She didn't waste time for celebrating this time, though; her attention was on making a quick analysis of the distance left between them and the goals. She might be able to make it, but she wasn't going to count on being able to pass and shoot on the same day; her role as captain, she was sure, had much more of a basis in her ability to coordinate a history project under pressure than it did with her skill on a broom, because in any comparison to the Great Players of Sonora, Helena knew she didn't even rank. Besides, she wanted to see Pecari in a series of bloody heaps on the ground, not to end up like that herself, and carrying the Quaffle put a double target on her back. She passed it off again, once more taking all the precautions she could to see that it went where it was supposed to and not into enemy hands.

16 Helena Layne, Chaser I'd listen to the boy if I were you. 88 Helena Layne, Chaser 0 5

Theo Manazan, Beater

December 15, 2009 2:16 PM

Ah hitting the ball! by Theo Manazan, Beater

Theo was nervous about his first Quidditch game. His mother and father seemed to be very happy he had made the team but they were nervous that he had such a rough position. He smiled at himself in the mirror after putting on his Quidditch robes. Finally he made his way down to the pitch. He smiled at his team as Helena made a speech. As they got into the air he happily laughed and watched out for bludgers. He loved to hear the cheers of the other students and knew he had made the right choice for joining the team.

After a while he finally he saw a bludger zooming towards him. He grinned like a mad man he loved the fact that he was going to be trying to knock people off their brooms. This is the moment he had been waiting for; to prove to his team he wasn’t a mistake. He held the bat tight in his hands and bit her lip a hard. The heavy ball was flying at him and he swung with all his might. Contact! He laughed as he watched it soar towards one of the brown uniforms. He grinned again happy that he hadn’t swung and missed, that would have been embarrassing.

0 Theo Manazan, Beater Ah hitting the ball! 0 Theo Manazan, Beater 0 5

Jose Hernandez, Chaser

December 15, 2009 3:42 PM

Oh, man. by Jose Hernandez, Chaser

Despite the crowd and how relatively not-afraid he was compared to his usual practices, Jose was aware he wasn't doing great. First he'd been too late to make his interception between Helena and Oliver. Then, having expected Oliver to pass to Charlie, he'd missed his chance to even attempt interrupting the pass from Oliver back to Helena.

And then, just when he thought he could maybe stop Helena's second pass, he heard the crack of a bat meeting a bludger, and he turned toward the sound to find one of the dark metal balls heading straight at him.

Forgetting all about Helena and her pass, Jose let out a little squeak of fear (later, he would deny this with every fiber of his being) and fled before the bludger. Thankfully, he spotted one of his team's beaters not far off and he changed direction toward her. "Help!" he called out, and really hoped he didn't sound as terrified as he felt.

Performing well in front of the crowds was one thing when he just had to deal with heights. Heights and a bludger immediately on his tail constituted an entirely different level of threat and no amount of crowd response was going to make that a less scary predicament.

0 Jose Hernandez, Chaser Oh, man. 0 Jose Hernandez, Chaser 0 5

Demelza Eagle, Beater

December 15, 2009 5:38 PM

Here to save you! (and for revenge) by Demelza Eagle, Beater

What a fail. Demelza actually thought her first encounter with the bludger was going to be a for sure hit, but how very wrong she was: she missed. And as her attitude was lowering, she spotted something, or, well, someone who made her feel determined. That was the fact that she just thought that she spotted her worst enemy. Playing beater. That person happened to be Theo Manazan. And that brought her motivation way up. She wanted to beat the stuffing out of him and the Crotalus team! And with that, she hunted for the bludger like a seeker hunts for the snitch. And it didn't take her too long to find it. It was heading for Jose! He was obviously freaking out, but she knew that she mustn't. Lucky for him, she had heard his cry for help after she had seen the bludger, so she was already on her way there.

She swung her arm back, and hit the ball with all her might, and as hard as she could toward the Crotalus Chaser that the Crotalus Captain passed to. She did it none-too-kindly, too. She hit the ball harded than she has ever hit anything in her life. It was out of revenge, most certainly. Breathing heavily, she stared the ball down, and grinned. Not at what she had done (although, that was part of the reason), but because she would be one up on Theo, and that made her extremely pleased.

Quickly, Demelza was back in her game face, and she was ready to do that again. She was pumped! She shot a look at Jose that clearly said "Now that your 'bludger-free', you better get the quaffle on Percari's side or else". She was tired of it costantly being in the hands of Crotalus chasers. Besides Jose, where was Pecari?

And since the quaffle was over there (but, perhaps if the bludger hits Helena, Demelza may be in better shape) Demelza had to keep a close eye out for when she can whack a bludger. And for when she was needed by her own team. She was ready, so bring it on!

0 Demelza Eagle, Beater Here to save you! (and for revenge) 0 Demelza Eagle, Beater 0 5

Charlotte Abbott, Chaser

December 16, 2009 10:44 AM

Could you take revenge on someone else? by Charlotte Abbott, Chaser

There was something brilliant about Quidditch. Charlotte thought it might just be that it was so non-Muggle; flying on broomsticks while they played a team sport was far more elgant than running around in the mud. Plus she got to wear cool house team robes, and she had Oliver's old broom. Yes, it was a hand-me-down, but it was much better than borrowing one of the school's brooms. The Bluebottle was only six years old and Oliver had looked after it well.

Charlie ate breakfast with her brother, the assistant captain, and they headed down to the pitch together. It was a nice day, for which Charlie was greatful because she seriously did not fancy playing in the rain. For a start it would mess up her hair (tied in a tight knot to keep it out the way) and secondly it would make the quaffle more difficult to hold. Anyway, the sun was shining and it was warm - though as Helena pointed out the sun might make it tricky for them to see. It was about the gentlest part of the captain's speech - it sounded as though helena really wanted to win this game. Well Charlie would do all she could to help out.

Mounting her broom, Charlotte pushed off on the blow of the whistle. She was the last Crotalus Chaser in the air, but that was okay - Oliver and Helena were both much more experienced, and Charlie could join their usual formation even if she happened to be a couple of seconds late into the air. She cheered a little when she saw that Helena had the Quaffle, and smiled to herself when Jose failed to intercept the pass. Pecari weren't that good. Next it was Charlotte's turn, except she could hear that tell-tale whistling of a bluger. Turning her head a little, Charlie's breath caught in her throat as she saw the new Pecari Beater smacking the ball right at her. No way was she going to try to out-fly that thing. Without hesitating, Charlie dropped back - it was the wrong direction for the game, but it kept her safe from being knocked off her broom.

When she was sure she was safe again, Charlotte had to make up for lost time. helena had the ball again and was practically at the goals. Flying up and over the game, Charlie positioned herself close enough that Helena could pass to her if she wanted. Just as the captain threw the ball, Charlie heard another crack of Bludger on bat. This time it was heading for Jose - no problem. Charlotte leant in to catch the Quaffle, and she kept it in her fingertips, about to make an attempt at scoring. Wait - there was that Pecari Beater again, and the Bludger was no longer heading towards Pecari! In a panic, Charlie lobbed the Quaffle as hard as she could at the nearest hoop - it was about fifty fifty whether it would be on target or not - and dropped several feet in height to again avoid the metal ball. That was a really close call. What did that Pecari have against her, anyway?

0 Charlotte Abbott, Chaser Could you take revenge on someone else? 0 Charlotte Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Starbuck Gregory Keeper

December 16, 2009 1:17 PM

The nervous keeper by Starbuck Gregory Keeper

Starbuck was nervous she had made the team as keeper and was proud of it. Since then she had spent as much time as she could riding one of the school brooms practicing, and reading about the sport. She might be a muggleborn but she was excited about playing. She had written home about making the team as always her brother answered, not her parents. She had talked about the icky school brooms and he said they would just have to buy her a new one for Christmas and that had made her grin. Finally it was the day of the first game.

She made her way down to the Quidditch Pitch and smiled at her team. She planned to do as best as she could but right now her skills weren’t the best. This was only her first game but she hoped she could make her house proud. She kicked off into the air and began to watch the game ready to defend the goals. The other team seemed to have possession of the Quaffle a lot so she was ready.

Starbuck groaned inwardly when the Quaffle came towards her. Glad the chaser didn’t get a good throw on it. She soared over and caught the ball. Amazed she looked at it for a moment before grinning ear to ear and tossing to a player in brown. She had stopped the ball even if that was the only one she stopped she was happy.

0 Starbuck Gregory Keeper The nervous keeper 0 Starbuck Gregory Keeper 0 5

Jose Hernandez, Chaser

December 16, 2009 4:02 PM

Heading back the other way. by Jose Hernandez, Chaser

Demelza was an angel. Jose didn't normally like the sound of a bat meeting a bludger but, in this case, he could make a heartfelt exception as the younger Beater knocked the metal ball far away from him. "Thank you!" he called after her even as he was already turning his broom back toward where the Quaffle was in play.

He was just in time to see Starbuck make the save and he whooped with the rest of the Pecari crowd.

Though still a little bit shaky from his close encounter with the bludger, he managed to catch her pass to him, and turned his broom back toward the Crotalus side of the Pitch. He might have heard his name again from the crowd, and that just cinched his determination not to mess up any more than he already had.

When he felt he had flown as far across the field as was safe, given the Crotalus Chasers he was sure must be closing in on him, he threw the ball over to the nearest open brown clad Chaser, hoping to keep it in Pecari possession.

Plus, it was good to get both hands back down on his broom.

0 Jose Hernandez, Chaser Heading back the other way. 0 Jose Hernandez, Chaser 0 5

Ethan Valentine

December 22, 2009 8:10 PM

Not for long by Ethan Valentine

Ethan regretted not bringing his sunglasses with him to the game. The sun was right in his eyes and he had to hold his hand over his head to see where his teammates were huddled. When he spotted them, jogged the rest of the way over just in time to listen to Helena start her speech. Ethan was impressed with her speech. He always thought of his Quidditch captain as rather timid and nice, but this was a side of her that he'd never seen. It was awesome. He grinned broadly and braced himself to launch into the air.

Flying was like heaven to Ethan. Like any problems he had stayed on the ground. He closed his eyes and let the feeling of the wind spread across his face. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was in the middle of a Quidditch game and flying with your eyes closed was not the best idea. He quickly opened his eyes and searched out the bludgers, which were nowhere near him, and the quaffle which was also across the field. He probably looked stupid sitting alone on one side of the pitch. Getting his head back in the game, he pressed his broom forward into the melee.

The quaffle was in his sight. He saw it get passed to a Pecari chaser that almost got ht by a quaffle. He hissed to himself. It would've so nice to have an opposing chaser go down. He carefully followed the chaser across the field just below him and out of sight, trying his best to avoid other players and bludgers. When the chaser(he thought it was Jose, but he wasn't paying enough attention to make sue) finally passed the quaffle, Ethan was ready. He darted upward as fast as his school broom could go and swiped the quaffle before it could reach its intended destination.

He let out a whoop and started off in the opposite direction. He gotten the quaffle back to the opposite side of the field when he felt a bludger graze his leg and come back for more. Ethan cursed. That was his cue to pass to someone else. He found a fellow chaser and made eye contact right before he tossed the quaffle over and dodged out of the way of the demon bludger. He just hoped Crotalus was on its way to the goal.

0 Ethan Valentine Not for long 138 Ethan Valentine 0 5

Charlotte Abbott, Chaser

December 30, 2009 11:53 AM

Ignoring Ethan, as requested by Charlotte Abbott, Chaser

Charlotte cursed under her breath as her shot was saved by a first year. She blamed the Bludger - but wait, that had been sent by another firstie. Did Pecari have some secret first year attack plan? Whatever it was, it seemed to be working. Charlie was hoping for plain dumb luck. Whatever it was, it was making Crotalus look bad, and although Charlie didn't generally care for such nonsense as House pride, she knew it would be her neck if Oliver and Helena thought she wasn't giving the game one hundred percent of her efforts. So when firstie Keeper threw the ball back into the game, Charlie regained her focus. She kept an ear and an eye out for any more Bludger trouble, and she kept the other of each receptor trained on the Quaffle.

The one thing that could definitely be said about the CRotalus Chasers was that they worked well as a team. Oliver and Helena had been playing together for six years, and Charlie had lived with Oliver for twice as long as that. In short, it was hardly surprising that the Quaffle had barely been in pecari possession since the start of the game. It was time to put a stop to that nonsense. Noticing her brother shadowing the Pecari's one side, Charlotte hovered a little behind him on his other. When the ball was passed, she shot forward as if her life depended on it, knocking the Quaffle off its course. Fumbling with it on the edge of her fingertips for a heart-stopping couple of seconds, the brunette managed to reel the ball back in and tuck it safely under her arm.

Mission accomplished, Charlotte flew higher just for a moment to catch her breath and calm the adrenaline that was making it difficult for her to think. Then she did pulled sharply on her broom, turning a tight corner and heading back to the goals. Give that firstie another run for her money. Charlie didn't want to be a Bludger target again, and so once traveling again in the right direction, she looked down for the nearest red robe. Dipping the handle of her broom, she aimed, and passed. Intercept that, Pecari.

0 Charlotte Abbott, Chaser Ignoring Ethan, as requested 0 Charlotte Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Elly Eriksson, Seeker

December 30, 2009 1:15 PM

Ignoring the game in general by Elly Eriksson, Seeker

Naturally, the Seeker’s main aim was to find the Snitch and to catch it before the opposing player. Yet at the same time, Elly was trying to keep an eye on her team – she could hardly coach them to improve if she couldn’t see how well they were playing. Yet on the other hand, their playing abilities would be useless if she neglected to put the required effort into her own position and allowed the Snitch to be caught by some second year with no game experience. It was a tough decision to call.

After a failed couple of minutes once the game started trying to search for the Snitch and watch the game, Elly eventually settled for Seeking with her eyes, and Captaining with her ears. The crowds told her a lot – which team had the Quaffle, whether it was dropped or intercepted, and how close those Bludgers were getting to the players. The sound of a wooden bat cracking onto a metal ball was never a pleasant one to hear, and Elly was silently relieved she wasn’t being targeted for once. It didn’t make logical sense: if she’d been Helena she would have told her Beaters to take out the Captain and Seeker as first priority. Maybe Pecari’s Beaters were simply doing their job and keeping the Bludgers within the game to take out Oliver and Helena. Elly hoped that was the case; it sounded as if their Chasers weren’t doing too well, so hopefully the Beaters were at least performing to standard.

Elly tensed as she heard the crowd hush – that could only mean that an attempt was being made at a goal. Determined to keep her visual focus on the thus far invisible Snitch, Elly searched the skies, and was delighted at the cheer rising from the Pecari supporting section of the spectators. Starbuck had saved her first goal – way to go! Elly chanced a look at the game and saw Jose in possession of the Quaffle. Her team were really doing her proud, and it gave Elly an extra burst of enthusiasm. She simply had to catch the Snitch now, otherwise she would be letting the team down in a big way. Time to put in that extra bit of effort she liked to call the extra ten percent, Elly flew yet higher over the game, allowing her an eagle-eye view of the stadium below, and a wider scope for Snitch-spying. The sunshine made this all the more difficult: watches, jewellery and even discarded sweet wrappers all managed to distract Elly’s attention as they glistened under the sun’s rays. But there – what was that?

With no desire to call her opponent’s attention to the possible Snitch sighting, Elly didn’t take her eyes of the spot and she manoeuvred her broom closer. It was hovering and darting about – yes, that might just be the ball she was looking for. She was so far away from it though! With careful movements, Elly turned her head this way and that, trying to give the appearance that she was still searching for the Golden Snitch, while in face she kept her eyes trained on that solitary glint. As fast as she dared go without wanting to call attention to herself, Elly made her way over to the other side of the pitch to get a better view. The game hadn’t been going on all that long, but Snitches didn’t care about things like that. They pleased themselves.

0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker Ignoring the game in general 0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker 0 5

Demelza Eagle, Beater

December 30, 2009 6:04 PM

I'm gonna puke! (literally!) by Demelza Eagle, Beater

Oh the shame of being on a team with little chaser skills. Why weren't they preforming up to expectations? They were doing just fine in practices! If only Crotalus wasn't so experienced. Although, it wasn't like she was the oddball from her team: she was just as unexperienced as two of her teammates. She had yet to see Delilah, but was absolutely delighted when her bludger helped Starbuck save the quaffle. She gave a little cheer along with the rest of Pecari in the stands after the save. Motivation was going up, but apparently that wasn't a good thing for Percari. She swore something under her breath when she heard a cheer from Crotalus that would make her brothers proud. She glanced around quickly to see that the quaffle was in Crotalus' possession. Again. Now feeling exasperated, she spotted a bludger on Percari's side.

Oh good, she thought, I can take a Crotalus out in exchange for a Percari. If Crotalus lost a player, that would be good. Really good. They had no reserves, so Demelza choose to aim it at either the Captain of the assistant Captain. And just her luck, they were who the quaffle was passed to. She grinned evilly chasing over to the bludger that was aiming for Pecari's chasers. Immediately as she zoomed up to hit, she swung. But she really, really, really wanted it this time. She wanted it to crush the quaffle out of Crotalus. She wanted Pacari to get a goal.

She was here to win.

Her swing was dead on, which was hard considering how fast she had gotten over there. Her arm twitched in pain from the way she hit contact with the bludger, and there was a loud crack from the wood hitting the bludger, and, or maybe she was only imagining it from the horrible pain that shot up in her arm, a cracking of bones. The bludger did exactly as she wanted it to. But she was now caring little about that. After the bludger was off on hits course to kill, Demelza grabbed her left arm with her right hand really tightly. She bit her lip as though that would release the horrible pain in her arm. It felt familiar, like the last two times she shattered her elbow from the awkward way she hit a bludger. With all her might, she looked down at her arm and was horrified to see that it had swollen to twice it's normal size. Tears possible would be swimming in her eyes (although she hardly ever cried), except if it wasn't for the fact that her vision was focusing in and out.

She suddenly wasn't able to hear the crowd for quite a few seconds, and it took every ounce of strength she still had not to fall of her broom. She was holding on to her broom and bat in her right hand, although her grip was slipping as she felt as though she was about to faint. Her head started swimming, and before she was really able to let everything soak in, she puked onto the field below her. Oh, gosh, that was just disgusting. But she was still able to stay on her broom. It must be some kind of miracle!

She then was able to see and hear again after that disgusting/ disturbing scene, so she used the little amount of strength she had to hold on to the bat while letting her left arm dangle. She didn't want to back out on her first game, so she tried to fight through the horrible pain and wait it out until the end. However, the medic and coach may already be coming up to her after throwing up on the field while 30 feet up in the air. She wasn't in any state to beat anything (obviously), so she was just going to act as though she was alright (fail) and wait for the snitch to be caught. C'mon, Elly, save me! she thought.

0 Demelza Eagle, Beater I'm gonna puke! (literally!) 0 Demelza Eagle, Beater 0 5

Helena Layne, Chaser

December 31, 2009 1:19 PM

Yeah, really could have done without seeing that... by Helena Layne, Chaser

The firstie got lucky, Helena told herself firmly as she turned her broom to pursue that annoying Pecari kid who actually seemed to be here to play. It's not Charlotte's fault. It won't happen again. If you concentrate, you might even get the stupid ball back.

It only took her a few seconds to amend that. She would get the stupid ball back. The ball belonged to Crotali today, and no plucky underclassman would be allowed to get it away from them. Her Beaters had apparently decided that they could take a vacay, but she'd flatten the kid herself if she had to. It might earn a penalty if she couldn't lie well enough, but if Plucky Boy was hospitalized, they'd be in possession for the rest of the game. Apparently, all of the other Pecari Chasers had decided to check out with her Beaters.

Happily, however, it didn't come to flattening the kid. The Quaffle was passed, and Charlotte caught it. Good girl; she might be another one to follow in her brother's footsteps a few years from now if she could keep that up. When the ball was passed again, Helena caught it easily.

She had learned, a long time ago, to mostly block out the noise of the crowd and pay attention to the noises of the Pitch, which was how she heard the whistle of a Bludger's flight. One of the downsides of being the captain: it put an enormous target on her back, and that target magically sprouted a little sign that said "squash me" any time she laid hands on the Quaffle. She dodged it, hoping that its path led it straight to Plucky Boy, and took a quick look in the direction from which it had come to see who'd sent it at her.

The sight was not edifying; the new Pecari Beater seemed to be getting violently sick. No one had done that in years as far as she could remember, and she rather wished no one had done it now. It helped Crotalus - if the girl was very sick or injured, she was out of the game, and any Pecari out was a good thing - but public vomiting was so unappealing. With a slight nose wrinkle, Helena looked away and found another red robe to pass to before another Bludger found her.

16 Helena Layne, Chaser Yeah, really could have done without seeing that... 88 Helena Layne, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

December 31, 2009 2:39 PM

Paying attention to you. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

She was as light as a feather. She was as serene as water. She was a leaf on the wind, and she was going to soar, not get randomly killed halfway through the quote. She was two seconds away from fainting and cracking her sku -

Wait. No. That wasn't how it was supposed to go. There were no negative thoughts allowed in her head.

If the records were right, Marissa had been performing in a public venue on a semi-regular basis since before she could remember; her mother had put her in gymnastics and dance as soon as she could find an instructor to take her. Since she had done that, stage fright had never been a problem, and a lot of people had been very surprised when, having passed a variety of aptitude tests and joined a mess of teams, she'd revealed a tendency to have panic attacks before entering a competition. Her mother had made her see a counselor, who'd done wonders; once she had a forum where she could talk and the person she was talking to had no stake in whether she'd done well enough to win the next meet or pageant and had an introduction to a few coping strategies, she had managed to get enough of a grip on her anxiety to keep it together, at least as long as she was in public. She'd become very, very fond of Miss Melanie before the end; the one point on which they hadn't really been able to come to a consensus was the matter of how much Marissa was involved in. Melanie had not seemed to think it was healthy for her to do everything she had, especially when a lot of it involved trying to win the same things as her own sister.

Well, Miss Melanie would be proud of her now. Sonora didn't have any of the things her mother had put her into, however briefly, along the way. The only form of formal, organized, official competition on campus was Quidditch, and Marissa's inclination had been to focus on her studies instead of run for glory there. She had only joined the team because she'd been too intimidated to say no to an irritable seventh year with power, and now she was doing a good job of visualizing things that kept her from panicking over realizing that she was about to compete in something she'd been doing for less than a year.

It was all about confidence. That was what Aunt Kelly said, not Miss Melanie, but she'd take what she could get. It was all going to be fine. Helena had apparently made it a major life goal to see that Marissa wouldn't flinch when a cannon ball or person twice her size tried to collide with her way too high above the ground, and it had worked. She could get out of the way without losing her head or completely losing touch with what was going on with the Snitch. She had also, thanks to her mother, been involved in one sport or another since she was three, so she was in decent shape and used to a level of danger anyway. She had even come out and worked, as well as she could, on flying on her own on nights when a little free time had come up. She was going to be okay. She was prepared. She was...

Oh, goodness. She was playing directly opposite a seventh year, with another seventh year who'd gone from being all Miss FBLA to being all Miss WWE overnight as her captain. That wasn't very good at all. Marissa decided it was time to stop worrying about being calm and collected and start worrying about not throwing up in front of a crowd. She'd never done that even before Miss Melanie, and it would be awful to start now.

Just focus on the Snitch, she thought as, with the rest of the Crotalus team, she kicked off. The Snitch, and the Bludgers. Just that. Forget about how long Elly's been doing this and how Helena might get violent if we're not successful...

She was definitely going to need a follow-up appointment at Miss Melanie's over Christmas break. The second she got off this Pitch, she was going to write home and have her mother go ahead and book it for her.

With that reassuring thought in mind, she settled her mind into the task at hand: looking for the Snitch. It would've been hard to see even if it had moved slowly, just because it was very small and the air was kind of crowded with all the red and brown uniforms. Since it moved fast, Marissa's attention had to be totally on it. Wherever it was; it had escaped her view while everyone was getting in the air.

One tactic she had read about was to keep a close eye on an opposing Seeker, especially when the opposing Seeker had an advantage. She could do that. It could lead, though, to the two of them getting into a race, in which circumstances the Pecari captain was likely to win. She could make herself go fast, especially when Helena cursing her into oblivion felt like a possible consequence of going slow, but she wasn't a fan of diving toward the ground fast. It was supposed to be not much more dangerous than some gymnastics routines she'd done, and people survived crashes all the time, but...Well, she had never survived a crash, and it felt like she had just jumped off the side of a building when she did it. She decided to look on her own for a while and just sort of keep an eye out for any sudden movements on Elly's part.

Since she hadn't worn a watch - it was no use when she was looking for the Snitch - and had never really been able to follow time on her own, she had no idea how long she spent scanning the ground and the air and the mass of players in between the two before she had to blink hard to try to get her eyes to stop straining. Her shoulders were knotted up, too, from tension. If she kept this up, she might still be the champion, but she'd be spending the victory party over in the hospital wing with a headache.

Pecari had scored, but Crotalus had the Quaffle. That was good. But where was Elly? Glancing up, Marissa found that her opposite number had gone even higher and was starting to move in her direction, albeit slowly and left of where her actual position was. What was she up to? From all she had read, Seekers generally moved fast if they could find the Snitch, because it didn't like to hold its positions. Marissa decided to go around her, hopefully to prevent it from being clear that she was shadowing her, and then try to cut her off if she sped up. If she could just keep the older girl away from the Snitch until it was came a great deal closer to her than it was to Elly, she might be able to get it and save her skin and the House's pride.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Paying attention to you. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Elly Eriksson, Seeker

December 31, 2009 6:51 PM

Likewise by Elly Eriksson, Seeker

Flying was a very strange concept, when you thought about it. Not that Elly had ever really gotten on board with physics, one could appreciate that gravity was an irrefutable force pulling things to the ground. Muggles had hot air and propellers to combat this; she had wingardium leviosa or, as on this occasion, her broomstick. This particular Pecari had never bothered looking into what sort of charm was used to make the solid object not only disobey gravity, but also to bend to her every whim, and she couldn’t help but be impressed by it.

Like now, as she tried desperately to get closer to the Snitch and not let it out of her sight or draw the other Seeker’s attention to it, despite the fact that the kid seemed to be playing shadows (or some variation on a theme), Elly was still almost a hundred feet in the air, and yet perfectly safe, presuming she continued to be unblighted by Bludgers. Her broom continued to glide smoothly, its polished handle glistening in the sunlight, it’s perfectly clipped (well, close enough to perfect) tail twigs exacting minimal drag as the redhead flew in gentle curves round to where that fluttering ball had been.

Wait, she’d lost it. Oh no, she’d lost it! Or, more accurately, she’d taken her eyes off the glint she’d seen earlier just for a split second to locate Crotalus’ Seeker, and when she’d turned back, it had gone. Curses! Elly decided to continue on her path regardless, unsure now of what to do. It might not really have been the Snitch – she’d been a long way off and it was only a possible sighting. She attempted to console herself with this, but failed miserably, biting the inside of her lip as she strained her eyes searching around the area, just in case. Just in case there was a miracle and the Snitch showed up exactly where she wanted it, or just in case her eyes were simply tired from their quest, and had missed it upon only a casual glance. In any case, she couldn’t just turn tail and feint in the opposite direction – no wait, she could do just that, in fact.

When yet another desperate staring match with a patch of thin air yielded no Snitch-spying results, Elly tried a new tactic. It had two aims: the first was to check quite how closely Marissa (was that her name?) was following her moves. The second was to widen her search for the tiny golden ball. Elly had been a Seeker for several years, and there was something in her gut telling her that the glint she’d seen before was in fact the Snitch, but that just meant she’d let it get away. It couldn’t have gone that far – she’d only stopped watching it for a split second. She just needed to get closer to the area to find out more. The only problems was that this could encourage the opposition closer, too, and that generally wasn’t the best plan. So without further hesitation, Elly tugged hard on her physics-defying broomstick, pulling a hard left and flying quite rapidly – though not flat out – across to the other side of the pitch. There she sank yet lower, casting furtive and potentially frantic looks about her until – there. She saw it. Several feet from where she’d seen it the first time, but in the same vague area. From this new angle Elly could ascertain with some certainty that this was in fact the ball she wanted, and not some distracting shimmer from another random object.

Here was the dilemma: Elly was fairly sure she was closer to the Snitch than her opposition at this point, but without looking – and wasting valuable moments in doing so – she couldn’t be sure. A visual confirmation was obviously not a viable option, and so Elly just had to rely on her superior broomstick, greater experience, stronger determination, and more extensive length in her skinny arms than her diminutive counterpart. She had done it before; she could do it again. Suddenly lying practically horizontal on her broom, Elly kicked in the sort of speed that in any other circumstance would be considered dangerous. This time she didn’t even blink, let alone look away. The prize was in sight.

0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker Likewise 0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker 0 5

Caedence Redoak, Beater

December 31, 2009 10:39 PM

Yeah, ick major. by Caedence Redoak, Beater

The game seemed to be going well so far. After all, it was a pretty well back and forth match, with neither team scoring yet. It was a good game and while Caedence would love to have been in the crowds watching she had a job to do. A job which she took sick pleasure in. She had been cracking bludgers every now and then at the other team, but not with much viciousness. She wanted Demelza to get her field experience. But of course things could never go right at Sonora in quidditch. It was unpredictable just like everything else. And of course that meant injuries.

Namely her partner in crime. It seemed like Demelza looked a bit woozy after hitting the bludger. Caedence’s stomach twisted. She knew that crack. That was not bat on ball. That was bone. Breaking. Like a bad breaking sound. Caedence knew it. She had broke her leg and arm many many times in her career as a bludger magnet… err chaser, and she knew what that was like. And she knew that the medic would soon be taking Demelza down. Caedence herself almost got stunned outta the air once for ignoring the medic. “Dem, are you-?” She began but the other girl suddenly got sick all over the air and anyone who might be underneath her. Caedence rolled her eyes. So weak.

Caedence followed the bludger that missed Helena and was going towards Jose. She took her beaters bat in both hands and smashed the bludger back Helena’s way as hard as she could. No more holding back now that her fellow beater was pretty much out of the picture. Caedence whistled, the bludger sure was soaring fast, wasn’t it? She must have had some misplaced aggression that she had been holding back or something. She sure hoped that she didn’t seriously hurt Helena if she hit the other girl. Looking back at Demelza Caedence figured there might be a new bludger magnet in town!

0 Caedence Redoak, Beater Yeah, ick major. 94 Caedence Redoak, Beater 0 5

Delilah Kerrigan,Chaser

December 31, 2009 11:27 PM

Blissfully oblivious by Delilah Kerrigan,Chaser

How inexperienced Delilah was had not come into realization until this game. Sure, she had played the game at home, but there was certainly a difference when the rest of the players didn’t have years of practice (and growth) on their side. The only one that had shown any vast hope of giving them a chance was Jose, which was made sadder by the fact that their one veteran chaser seemed to be just as lacking as she was. So, what was that saying about the Pecari team? At this rate, it would be a miracle if they won and she was even wearing her lucky shoes! They were three years old and didn’t quite fit anymore, but she had worn them for every pickup game she had ever played and ever won. Were they about to turn on her? She hated to even think of the possibility.

Though, if they did lose, Veronica would probably list all of the positives of such a thing. She would talk about how now Delilah could quit and spend more time concentrating on the important things in life, which basically consisted of everything that most people, as did she, considered shallow. This would undoubtedly lead to how she should get rid of her lucky shoes since they were obviously not so lucky and this in turn would lead to discussions of an entirely new wardrobe though she happened to like what she had. The only supportive part of the entire conversation would be the two-minute window where Veronica would say that at least she had tried and wasn’t that the truth! It seemed like she really held true to the title of chaser since that’s all she appeared to be doing from the start.

First, it was Helena Layne obtaining possession of the quaffle first and geez, no wonder she was Captain for Crotalus. She wasn’t even near the girl when she passed the ball. Jose was, but well, it was a valiant try and much better than she was doing. Next came Oliver Abbott, which was not much better than Layne since he was the Assistant Captain. Really, how much chance did they have when both the Captain and Assistant Captain were chasers? Then, she was back to attempting to follow Helena in a pitiful attempt, but not all hope was lost as she spotted the Pecari male chaser once more. Though, the lightness of her chest was short-lived when a bludger barged rudely in. She really hated those things and was seriously worried that if she messed up this game that her punishment next year would be to end up a beater. Awful, awful!

Charlotte, Jose, Charlotte. Back to Helena. A low groan escaped her. She was already sweating from the physical workout of the game and needed to step it up quite a few notches, but now it was like she was even on the belt when it came to having to be on terms with the Captain. A scowl was on her fair face as she concentrated on one thing and one thing only. Helena. With a great deal of effort, more from lack of serious gaming than her actual broom, she tailed the girl. She was so focused on the other girl that Mel’s less than pleasant public show was missed out on. A very good thing since she absolutely couldn’t stand to see anyone upchucking. Though, she really couldn’t imagine anyone enjoying it, but it tended to make her feel slightly ill herself at the sight of such a thing. So, yes, it was a very good thing.

Like a cat stalking its prey, her muscles were tensed for the opportunity to steal the quaffle. And there it was. She angled her body to push the broom in the right direction, but it wasn’t quite enough. Without thinking, she reached forward, her broom aiming more downward as she tried to get her hand to connect with the ball. Her ears suddenly heard a soft thud. Contact had been made. For the first time in this game, and possibly the last, she had the quaffle. It was utterly satisfying and completely short lived, as she knew how dangerous it was to keep. Brown eyes darted around. She needed to pass the quaffle as soon as possible, but it was hard to do, especially as she noticed Mel. She frowned. She looked…completely off. She mentally shook it off. She would have to worry about it later. For now, opportunity had presented itself and she threw the ball with as much precision and strength as she could muster.

0 Delilah Kerrigan,Chaser Blissfully oblivious 0 Delilah Kerrigan,Chaser 0 5

Oliver Abbott, Chaser

January 01, 2010 12:15 PM

To everything? by Oliver Abbott, Chaser

It wasn't Charlie's fault. Oliver knew that, and if it had been any of his other teammates who'd failed at scoring against a newbie Keeper he would have believed it hadn't been their fault. She was dodging a Bludger, and having her in the game was better than not. Yet he was still disappointed with her - maybe he was just used to being harder on his sister, but she'd need to make it up after that. She didn't score against a first year.

Taking a deep breath, Oliver finally managed to get over it as his sister stole the Quaffle back from Jose. Maybe he could forgive her. Plus he fully intended to show her up by scoring himself, if he could get his hands on the Quaffle. It seemed to be going backl and forth between the two teams without even moving very far. Another Pecari first year player (there seemed to be a lot of them this game) somehow managed to steal the ball from Helena. Must have been fluke. Then whether it was surprise or panic, Oliver couldn't tell, but something made the girl want to get rid of the ball pronto.

It was a sound logic to carry the Quaffle as little distance as necessary due to the danger of becoming a Bludger target. It wasn't sound logic to just throw the ball around when an opposing Chaser was just waiting to intercept. Which Oliver did, with what he liked to think was well-practised finesse. He caught the Quaffle neatly, and shot back towards the goal posts, away from the huddle of Chasers, Beaters and Bludgers that had formed on the pitch. He mostly had a clear run, and took his opportunity to make the Keeper feel uncomfortable. He flew directly towards the central hoop, looking as though he wasn't going to slow down. At the last possible moment, he threw the ball into the right-hand hoop, and flew up and over the middle post himself. Surely that one would have gone in.

0 Oliver Abbott, Chaser To everything? 0 Oliver Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Starbuck Gregory, Keeper

January 01, 2010 3:14 PM

I wish I was by Starbuck Gregory, Keeper

Starbuck was still flying high on her first save when Jose took the quaffle. Good she thought watching the game keep the ball over away from her side. She didn’t want to be the reason they lost of the game. She turned her face away from Dem’s getting sick, hoping the other girl was okay. As the two people fought over the quaffle she saw the older boy coming towards her. ‘Oh dear.’

She watched him closely, was he going to stop? He wasn’t going to stop was he? Starbuck’s breath got caught in her throat. This wasn’t going to end well. She looked around her eyes wide in fear. She wanted to block her hoops that what she was supposed to do but he was coming right towards her! They were going to collide if she didn’t do something. This was awfully like the game of chicken her brothers had forced her to play. She wasn’t very good at it either. He was still coming right at her but she stayed until the last second and verve to the left.

She groaned when she saw him throw it right and go over the hoop. She had failed her team but it was only once, she had saved it once too. ‘Just block the rest Stary.” She said to herself glad no one could hear her. She couldn’t be the best player all the time no matter how hard one tired.

0 Starbuck Gregory, Keeper I wish I was 0 Starbuck Gregory, Keeper 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

January 04, 2010 2:26 PM

Goal to Crotalus! by Coach Amelia Pierce

Amelia could have lived her life quite happily if the first game she hosted at Sonora Academy did not involve any serious injuries. It looked like she was going to have to find a new way to have a happy life. She winced at the sound of breaking bone. She'd just turned toward the sound and changed the direction of her broom in time to see the upchuck. Lovely.

Surprisingly, the girl wasn't heading down to the ground where the medic had set up a small tent for tending injuries. The attempt to keep playing was noble and admirable, but not something Amelia could allow.

"Eagle," she called, but got distracted by the crowd roaring to their feet, and snapped her attention over toward the Pecari goals, where most of the game's action had centered so far. Sure enough, a goal had been made by Crotalus's more experienced team of Chasers. "Wait there. Don't move," she told Demelza, then headed over to the goals, blowing into her whistle and diving low to catch the Quaffle before it hit ground.

"Goal scored by Oliver Abbott!" she called out with the assistance of a Sonorus charm so the people in the stands could easily hear her. "The score is 10-0 Crotalus!" She urged the chasers back toward the center of the field and threw the Quaffle directly upwards and into play. The game back in motion, she headed back to Demelza.

"You've got to go down to see the Medic. You can play with a broken arm if you insist enough, but she's got to at least put a temporary cast on you."

OOC:
The email to the winning seeker has been sent out, but until that post is made, the game is not yet officially over.

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Goal to Crotalus! 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 0 5

Demelza Eagle, the puking beater

January 04, 2010 5:58 PM

NOOOoooOOOooo! D: by Demelza Eagle, the puking beater

Slowly, very slowly, Demelza could feel the energy coming back into her. She was now slightly embarrassed at her little scene. People are going to think of her as weak, and perhaps make fun of her. And then she would get offensive, and perhaps violent. But that totally went against her policies of trying to be nice for people, so she just had to laugh along with the embarrassment. Besides, that wasn't the biggest thing on her mind at the moment. Her arm still hurt her (but she had slightly gotten over it) and Crotalus was winning (Or, well, they will be soon if Percari's chasers don't step it up, she thought.). And to top that, Coach Pierce called her over. After swearing agin slightly under her breath, (not loud enough so anyone can hear) She turned her broom with her right hand over to her.

But she stopped immediately once she heard a cheer roar from the crowd. She could guess what had just happened: Crotalus had scored. Coach Pierce told her to stay where she was. She didn't move, for she was extremely disappointed. It was only one goal though, she told herself. She was really disappointed because she couldn't be in the thicket of action.

When Coach Pierce came back to her after she announced the score, Demelza heard exactly what she didn't want to hear. Really, she just had a little teny-tiny moment of weakness, and she now has forgotten some of the pain in her disappointment. She has already broken that arm like, what, 2 times? And she has shattered her elbow there twice, too. But, it was really swollen, and she wasn't going to be able to play without a cast, so she was going to have to get one.

She nodded briefly toward the Quidditch Coach before flying down to the medic. She winced slightly when hitting the ground because pain had briefly shot through it. Immediately, she tried to persuade the medic to let her play.

"Please, miss, I can still be able to play, right? I'll be fine, trust me, I've broken this arm like 3 times now, I should be ok. Just get me a cast for a day or something and I'll be fine, right?" she asked, a little too fast. "And I'm not sick," she added, remembering her little scene again. "I just, um, was a bit surprised when I saw my arm, that's all. But, c'mon, I can play!" she finished, loudly. And as she looked back at the field, she knew then that there probably wouldn't be any need for her to play on, considering the determined look on Elly's face and the speed she kicked in at the moment. It looked as though the snitch was in sight for her. Well, Demelza still most certainly did live her first game to the fullest. Over all, even with puking on the field and breaking her arm, she still would call it a successful game.

0 Demelza Eagle, the puking beater NOOOoooOOOooo! D: 0 Demelza Eagle, the puking beater 0 5

Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

January 05, 2010 2:19 PM

I think you mean YEAAAAAAAAAH !!! by Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

She was hurtling like a bullet from a gun... or some other metaphor that meant going really fast that her teammates and peers might understand. What went really fast, other than a broomstick? Would a bat out of Hell have any relevant meaning in the wizarding world? Elly didn't really have time to ponder this as she moved fast as lightening (maybe a simile would work better?), not evening blinking, not daring to let that little gold ball out of her sight.

It was there, and although it was moving, it was playing nice and just twitching from side to side. Elly took her right hand off the broom. Any second now and she would hold it in her hand. She strecthed her arm out in front of her, delicately shifting her weight to counter-balance her movement. Almost there! She opened out her fist, widening her fingers, her Seeker's gloves protecting her fingers from being sliced by the rapidly beating wings of the Snitch. Any second now, and the Coach would blow the whistle, and Pecari would win the game. Any second..... NOW!

Closing her fingers around the ball, Elly screamed in delight, but her throat was so constricted by adrenaline that no sound came out. It didn't matter, she triumphantly raised her arm above her head and, only now slowing down, climbed higher so the corwd could see her as she flew a victory lap. It looked as though Crotalus had scored. Good for them - Pecari still won by 140 points!

As Elly flew towards her teammates for an excited air-to-ground huddle, she only had one thought on her mind: Party. In the commons. Right now.

0 Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker I think you mean YEAAAAAAAAAH !!! 0 Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker 0 5

Coach Pierce

January 05, 2010 4:43 PM

Game over: 150-10 Pecari wins! (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Game over: 150-10 Pecari wins! (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

Game One: Pecari vs. Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce

<font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

Pecari, Pecari, Pecari! by <font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

<font color="red">QC Helena Layne Chaser</font>

Up, up, and away. by <font color="red">QC Helena Layne Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>

So far, a rocking debut by <font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>

<font color="brown">Jose Hernandez, Chaser</font>

Yeah. Up. Great. Away's good, though. by <font color="brown">Jose Hernandez, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>

So keep away from us. Thanks. by <font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Helena Layne, Chaser</font>

I'd listen to the boy if I were you. by <font color="red">Helena Layne, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Theo Manazan, Beater</font>

Ah hitting the ball! by <font color="red">Theo Manazan, Beater</font>

<font color="brown">Jose Hernandez, Chaser</font>

Oh, man. by <font color="brown">Jose Hernandez, Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>

Here to save you! (and for revenge) by <font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>

<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>

Could you take revenge on someone else? by <font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Starbuck Gregory Keeper</font>

The nervous keeper by <font color="brown">Starbuck Gregory Keeper</font>

<font color="brown">Jose Hernandez, Chaser</font>

Heading back the other way. by <font color="brown">Jose Hernandez, Chaser</font>

Ethan Valentine

Not for long by Ethan Valentine

<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>

Ignoring Ethan, as requested by <font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

Ignoring the game in general by <font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

<font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>

I'm gonna puke! (literally!) by <font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>

<font color="red">Helena Layne, Chaser</font>

Yeah, really could have done without seeing that... by <font color="red">Helena Layne, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

Paying attention to you. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

Likewise by <font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

<font color="brown">Caedence Redoak, Beater</font>

Yeah, ick major. by <font color="brown">Caedence Redoak, Beater</font>

<font color="brown">Delilah Kerrigan,Chaser</font>

Blissfully oblivious by <font color="brown">Delilah Kerrigan,Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>

To everything? by <font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>

Starbuck Gregory, Keeper

I wish I was by Starbuck Gregory, Keeper

Coach Amelia Pierce

Goal to Crotalus! by Coach Amelia Pierce

Demelza Eagle, the puking beater

NOOOoooOOOooo! D: by Demelza Eagle, the puking beater

Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

I think you mean YEAAAAAAAAAH !!! by Elly Eriksson, Pecari Seeker

Coach Pierce

Game over: 150-10 Pecari wins! (nm) by Coach Pierce