Aladren Try-Outs; Walk-ons very welcome on Quidditch Pitch

Captain Thomas Fitzgerald

August 29, 2010 7:44 PM

Aladren Try-Outs; Walk-ons very welcome by Captain Thomas Fitzgerald

The school year, for Thomas, always began in a bustle of efficiency and good spirits. That never lasted long; by the time he'd gotten through Fawcett's doom syllabi, never mind the assignments he was expected to complete before he ever had a class or session with the man, he was feeling burned out, harassed, and generally in possession of a desire to start cooking up illegal anxiety and sleeping potions under his bed. Luckily, though, that phase never lasted long, either, and he had roommates whose presence (and, in Gray's case, habit of writing things) kept him from doing things that he'd later regret during it. When tryouts rolled around, he was back to being efficient, if a little grimmer beneath the surface and realistically focused than at first.

The fact that they only had six players when they needed seven was of concern to him, but since the missing player was probably a Beater, he didn't see it as a crippling thing. They could, if it came right down to that, play with just one; Edmond was a big guy even for someone a bit older than he actually was, and if the Chasers were doing their jobs, then protecting Jera was all that was utterly necessary anyway.

The Chasers, therefore, were his main problem. As usual. Aladren's strategy had largely revolved around "keep the Quaffle the hell away from our end at any costs until the Seeker finds something" since Gray had joined the team, back when it had been run by Geoff Layne. There was a new kid, Brad, who wanted to mix that up a bit, but since they didn't have a full team even with Gray, that wasn't an option. His roommate had improved tremendously since that first year, but Gray in a highly mobile position was still a liability at best and a case where Anne Wright came after him with a machete because she felt it was his fault that her cousin died of a broken neck at worst. Therefore, Gray had to be Keeper, and the Chasers had to be both really good and willing, which was where the problem with Mr. Hayman might come in.

It could be managed, though. It would be managed. Believing that was essential.

"Afternoon, everyone," he said once his watch lined up with the time he'd called for this to begin. "For anyone who doesn't know me, I'm Thomas Fitzgerald, the captain of this team." They had, of course, all seen him accepting the Head Boy's badge at the Welcoming Feast, but it would do no harm to reinforce the introduction. Most of the world did have a problem with inattention. "These two are Jera Valson and Daniel Nash, my Assistant Captains. We'll all be taking turns at conducting practices and working with different groups of players throughout the year."

It seemed the best way to ensure that, in being captains, he and Daniel didn't forget how to be Chasers. Not when the entire team strategy rested on Jera and the Chasers. "Also returning to us this year are Edmond Carey, our Beater, and Gray Wright, our Keeper. New to the team is Brad Hayman." He nodded to Brad. It had seemed worth his time to observe the new kid a little once he realized who he was, and while it had initially seemed like a slightly pathetic way of getting out of studying, it had given him a few useful bits of information. The most important was that Brad was possibly weirder than Gray. "Anyone new, please, introduce yourself and tell us your prospective position."

Introductions done, he got down to business. "Our immediate problem is that our sign-up sheet only has six names on it," he said. "So we're either short a Beater or a Chaser. I'll leave which spot you take up to you, Brad. All of you feel free to try to talk your friends or roommates into joining up. Alternates are always welcome here, and I'd rather not have to resort to kidnap to get a full team this early in the term. For now, though, everyone make a few laps around the Pitch and then we'll get out the balls."

All of this, mostly, a test to see what the new guy would do, not to mention whether or not he could fly. He trusted Edmond, if Brad decided to work with him after this, not to aim a Bludger at his head for sport - he was very good at seeming well-balanced, to be one of the infamous Careys; if he could ever learn to talk normally, he might have a future outside of costumed villainy - and felt reasonably sure that he and Danny could train a half-decent Chaser if he went that way, but that was the extent of his assumptions about where things were going to go from here.

0 Captain Thomas Fitzgerald Aladren Try-Outs; Walk-ons very welcome 0 Captain Thomas Fitzgerald 1 5

Brad Hayman

September 04, 2010 11:17 PM

Shut down once again :( by Brad Hayman

Brad grinned as he skipped all the way down to the Quidditch Pitch, his red, mop-top hair flying every which way. He was extremely excited for try-outs because he knew this was his chance to do something very heroic! He had a lot of chances to do that now that he was a wizard and everything, but playing Keeper would be one of the ultimate superhero experiences. He hadn’t been so lucky when he’d tried out for soccer, but it was different this time. Not only was the position better, but he had the distinct feeling that he was going to get it! Maybe he was psychic! Wizards being able to see the future would totally make sense!

Once he arrived at the Pitch, he ran over to the shed and got himself a broom. Just holding the wood made him feel powerful! He got the same kind of feeling whenever he touched his wand. He could be imagining it, but he didn’t think so. After all, these brooms weren’t normal—if they could fly with them, they had to have super-special properties. This ~~could be~~ was the tingle of magic pulsing through his veins! It was so exhilarating!

Brad bounced up and down as he waited for everyone else to show up. His grin widened when the Captain spoke, making the second-year’s green braces very evident. His eyes matched the width of his smile when the Captain addressed him personally! He waved at everyone with the utmost enthusiasm. “Hi!”

“So we’re either short a Beater or a Chaser. I’ll leave which spot you take up to you, Brad.” Brad blinked a few times, still donning a grin on his face. The weight of Captain Fitzgerald’s took a little while to sink in. When the older boy wrapped up his speech and the try-outs commenced, Brad continued to stand in the same spot. His grin slowly turned to a frown, a very big one. He was crushed. Positively crushed.

“But…,” he said to no one in particular. “But…” Would the Captain not even give him a chance to try and show his Keeping skills? He’d practiced an awful lot with Reneé, and he thought he’d gotten a lot better with her help, and…and…

Brad’s eyes suddenly latched onto Captain Fitzgerald; the twelve-year-old looked very distraught as he ran over to him. “Wait!” he exclaimed with great concern, “Can’t I be Keeper? Can’t I show you I have what it takes!?” His green eyes were pleading. If he had to be a sidekick—a number-two—he didn’t know what he’d do!

0 Brad Hayman Shut down once again :( 0 Brad Hayman 0 5

Thomas Fitzgerald

September 15, 2010 10:37 PM

Maybe more like put into suspend mode by Thomas Fitzgerald

Aladrens, as a rule, were not expressive people. That was, in Thomas' opinion, as much a blessing as it was a curse. People who didn't speak their opinions could bottle up a lot of resentment over time, which could cause problems, but they could also go a long time before they got into causing problems. People who spoke their minds, more often than not, caused problems immediately.

He supposed he could just tell Brad the truth - that if he could con enough of his lower-level friend into joining to make a full team for them, thus making Gray-as-placeholder unnecessary, then Thomas would not only let him be Keeper, he'd do half the kid's homework for him until midterm. It was very much on his mind that Pierce might not even let them on the field with just six; he'd heard of some games going on when one team didn't have a Seeker, but those had been in England, where they also didn't allow alternates.

Of course, he was the guy whose granddad had told him the truth was to be treated with caution even at the best of times when he was six. So he wasn't going to do that. Especially not with a second year. He could remember being twelve, and a cynical number game would have been crushing if his memories were good enough for him to deduce how he would have responded to something.

"I'm sure you do," he said, trying to pick words carefully without going slowly and making it obvious. "Or will. It's customary to work your way up to a position when you're new." An idea hit him. "How about this. You play Chaser, you get a chance to see how to beat a Keeper, all the tricks you don't see on that side, and then you have that much more of an advantage next year. Sound like a good deal?"

0 Thomas Fitzgerald Maybe more like put into suspend mode 109 Thomas Fitzgerald 0 5