Recentering. Again. on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Amelia Pierce

April 29, 2011 10:29 AM

Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce

Spring was just beginning. It was still cool out, but compared to the cold it had been during the past months of practice, the Pitch must feel beautifully warm today. It certainly did to Amelia. While she was tempted to go with short sleeved robes, she decided to stick with the longer sleeves if only because it was a bit windy today. Cool air was one thing, cool gusts quite another.

She also tied her hair back in a tight french braid so it wouldn't get in her eyes and block her sight of the game at an inopportune time. Given how Aladren had gone after Teppenpaw during the first game of the season, she dared not risk anything impairing her ability to intervene in a timely fashion when they were up against Crotalus in the Final.

She allowed the captains as much time as they wished to use for their pre-game speeches then called them over when both looked to be finishing up. She realized as they approached that this was a battle of Heads - the Head Girl lead one team while the Head Boy lead the other. As if this match needed another reason to get messy.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Final match of the year," Amelia said, her voice assisted by a sonorus charm. "We have Aladren, lead by Captain Daniel Nash, up against Crotalus, lead by Captain Charlotte Abbott. You all know the rules; please keep to them so we can have a nice clean game today." Though, to be fair, neither Aladren nor Teppenpaw had actually broken any rules in their game and that one certainly hadn't been clean. "Would the captains please shake hands."

They did so, and she sent them back to their teams as she released first the snitch, and then the bludgers from the chest of balls beside her. Once they flew away, she picked up the Quaffle, and began the game with a countdown, "Game begins on my whistle. Three. Two. One." She threw the Quaffle into the air as high as she could, and blew into her whistle, the shrill sound piercing through the air.

She mounted her own broom, triple checked that her wand was ready for emergencies, and followed the Quaffle and the players into the air.

OOC: It's the final, so you've all done this before, but if you have any questions put them on the OOC board. Long detailed posts, and have fun!

Subthreads:

Go Aladren! by Captain Nash, Chaser with Russell Layne, Chaser, Sam Bauer, Chaser, Arthur Carey, Chaser, Edmond Carey, Beater, Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Coach Pierce, Renée Errant {Chaser}, Charlie, Crotalus Captain, Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Up, up, and away. by Marissa Stephenson Seeker with Arnold Carey, Seeker, Preston Stratford, Beater

Commentating by David Wilkes, Alternate

Recentering. Play continues up here. by Coach Pierce with Captain Nash, Chaser, Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

And we're recentering again! by Coach Pierce with Renée Errant, Arthur Carey, Chaser, Russell Layne, Chaser, Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Sam Bauer, Chaser, Captain Nash, Chaser, Renée Errant {Chaser}, Edmond Carey, Beater, Charlie Abbott, Chaser, Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Recentering. Again. by Coach Pierce with Arthur Carey, Chaser, Captain Nash, Chaser, Charlie Abbott, Chaser, Topher Calhoun, Beater, Edmond Carey, Beater, Sam Bauer, Chaser, Preston, Beater, Samantha Hamilton Keeper, Russell Layne, Chaser, Captain Nash, Chaser, Renée Errant {Chaser}, Renée Errant {Crotalus}, Arnold Carey, Seeker

I think we all know the drill by now. by Coach Pierce with Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

One more time. by Coach Pierce with Arnold Carey, Seeker

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Crotalus 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 1 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

April 29, 2011 12:50 PM

Go Aladren! by Captain Nash, Chaser

Daniel was glad it was getting warm again. He expected his team would be able to fly even better than they had in practice now that their fingers weren't frozen to their brooms. He gave a sidelong look toward Edmond to make sure he seemed present in mind as well as body - his assistant had be acting more withdrawn since midterm - but the school's oldest and most experienced Beater seemed at least attentive which was good enough for Daniel.

On top of his game would be ideal, of course, especially since this was the Championship, and Aladren's greatest strength over Crotalus was Edmond, but his step-mom (or possibly his adopted mom; Daniel wasn't up on the specifics) had died, and Daniel had lost enough step-dads (and not even to death, just divorce) that he wasn't going to expect Edmond to be playing his A-game again only a couple of months later.

Even so, Daniel still thought his fifth year Beater could fly circles around Crotalus's first years.

"Okay, folks," Daniel said, once his full team had assembled around him. "We did an amazing job against Teppenpaw last fall and we can do it again against Crotalus now. Chasers, we've got to watch out for their guys. They like to intercept. A lot. So keep your eyes open and keep track of where they are. Arnold, Marissa's got experience, but you've bested Kate already, and you can best Marissa, too. Still, Beaters, she's you're primary target. The Keeper shouldn't be a problem, so if you're not going for Marissa, go for one of the Chasers and break up that powerhouse. Samantha, you know what to do."

He glanced toward the Coach to make sure he wasn't taking too much time, but she seemed willing to wait for him to finish his last point. "Last thing. The wind." He waved his hand around as if to mimic its blowing. "That's probably our biggest enemy today. Short passes, Chasers. The Quaffle will probably be the ball most affected by it, but Beaters, you guys should probably account for the wind, too, when hitting the bludgers around. And hang onto your brooms. Let's try not to have anyone fall off them." He was careful not to look at Arnold as he said that, since Arnold's fall last game had been a bludger's fault, not a simple loss of balance caused by an unexpected gust.

He nodded, having completed all of the advice he could think to give, and finished up with, "We can win this. Go Aladren!"

By then, Coach Pierce was calling him over, so he went, and shook Charlie's hand. Returning to his broom, he mounted up and readied himself for the whistle. It came, and he kicked off. Fast enough to grab the Quaffle first, even, though he would admit that an errant breath of wind did give Aladren an unexpected advantage at just the right moment.

He flew upwards, gaining altitude as quickly as his broom would allow - and it was a very good broom, bought new over midterm with his Christmas money - and then evening out and heading for the Crotalus goals. He made it a little more than halfway to the goals before he began to worry about bludgers and began looking for an opportunity to pass. Catching the eye of another Aladren Chaser, he took a quick glance around to make sure there weren't any Crotali lying in wait right next to him, and threw the Quaffle toward his teammate.

Even if it did get intercepted, Crotalus had three-quarters of the Pitch to traverse to get back to the Aladren hoops. Plenty of time for Aladren to intercept them right back.

Daniel smiled. He had a good feeling about this game.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser Go Aladren! 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

April 29, 2011 3:13 PM

Keep going, Aladren! by Russell Layne, Chaser

In the first game of the year, Russell had succeeded where everyone else had failed and scored a goal against Kirstenna Melcher. That, he thought, should have been the pinnacle of his first year, a well-deserved moment of glory.

Unfortunately for him, Arnold had caught the Snitch at almost the same moment the Quaffle had left his hand, so that the whistle actually blew as the ball went through the hoop. He thought some people were aware of his accomplishment despite its poor timing, but his moment of glory had still been very much overshadowed by his roommate’s. Therefore, to avoid nerves, he was choosing today to think less about it being the Championship and more about it being a second chance. Thinking that way made his chances of keeping his breakfast where it belonged much better.

Though, logically, there was really no reason to be as worried as he was. Yes, their team had Marissa Stephenson, but his had Edmond Carey, who was very, very large and very, very equipped with a bat, which he was very, very encouraged by Captain Daniel to use to direct Bludgers toward Marissa Stephenson. And while school talk would make it look like Pecari was the nightmare of every other House on the Pitch and Crotalus a close second, Russell had checked out the school records, and in the past ten years, Aladren had made the finals more often than Crotalus. By one game, sure, but they had still done it, and won more times, too. And while the title Championship was intimidating all by itself, it was really just a game beneath that. The same rules applied. So there was no reason to be completely, mind-numbingly terrified of going out there today.

Acknowledging this did not help, but hey, he’d tried.

He listened to Daniel’s pre-game speech, nodding in what seemed like appropriate places. Wind bad. Short passes. Right. He could do this. It was all cool. Sure. Right. He was good. They were good. They’d played straight through a storm, which had been dark and wet as well as windy, and done great. This wasn’t nearly that bad. They were gonna win this one.

Somehow, that line of logic was a little more comforting – maybe because it dealt with the actual teams in questions, rather than with legends of the past – and it didn’t hurt that it was immediately reinforced by his captain getting the Quaffle and hurrying on with it. Holding his broom with both hands for the moment to help avoid being blown off-course, Russell followed.

When the pass came, it was to him, and he managed to stay on his broom despite the wind and taking both hands off it to make sure he got that Quaffle. Ultimately, though, he decided not to make the shot. He was the slightest of the three Aladren Chasers, which meant he was the most likely to have the ball blow back in his face instead of going forward toward the goals, and now that it came right down to it, he found himself superstitiously sure he couldn’t be lucky twice. So he imitated Daniel’s scan of his surroundings and tried another short pass.

It was also pretty close to the goals, so there might even be another benefit. If the new ball-carrier was quick enough, they might catch the Crotalus Keeper – who, despite Daniel’s assurance to the Beaters, looked dangerous enough to Russ – off-guard thinking that Russell was going to be the shooter. Made him feel slightly less chicken to parse it that way, anyway, so that was a good thing.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser Keep going, Aladren! 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson Seeker

April 29, 2011 3:34 PM

Up, up, and away. by Marissa Stephenson Seeker

Right up to the beginning of the speeches, Marissa was trying hard to find the balance between taking little Arnold Carey way too seriously and not totally underestimating him as a threat. In finding that balance, she was sure, lay the path to victory.

Crotalus, as she saw it, had two advantages. One was the Chasers. Aladren’s Chasers were kind of crazy, but two of them were first years, and besides, Crotalus’ had out-crazied them at the Pecari goals last game. The other was her. She was the most experienced Seeker in the school right now, which made the pressure to win enormous . It would be beyond humiliating to lose to a first year, even if he was a Carey who seemed to become mildly suicidal when he was in the air.

Luckily, it seemed that, for once, one of the usual hindrances of not being properly Seeker-sized was actually going to turn to her advantage. It was windy enough walking down to the Pitch, enough that she’d been glad she’d decided to put her hair all the way up instead of just in a braid for the match, and it was going to be crazy when they were up in the air and on speeding broomsticks. She was much less likely to be blown off-course, or even off her broom, than Arnold, who wasn’t big even for a firstie. Marissa knew she was light for her height, but there was enough muscle and bone there for her to be sure she had weight on him.

Once Charlie started speaking, though, Marissa made herself stop both thinking and lifting her feet, one after the other, up behind her to stretch so she could pay proper attention to the speech. Once it was done and Coach Pierce seemed to want them, she smiled at her teammates and wished them a quick “Good luck!” before they moved to the center for the introduction, handshakes, and kickoff.

A gust hit just as Marissa’s feet left the ground and she wobbled slightly before forcing her way up, gaining altitude and squinting her eyes against the light and air to look for the right flash of gold when wrong ones were sure to abound. She was planning to end this as quickly as possible, before Aladren could show off their expert use of their big advantage, which was having the school’s most experienced Beater.

16 Marissa Stephenson Seeker Up, up, and away. 147 Marissa Stephenson Seeker 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

April 29, 2011 3:53 PM

So does that make me a red stop sign? by Sam Bauer, Chaser

Sam felt great affection for his cousin Kate, but not enough to stand out in the rain just to squint at a tiny speck far up in the air that, in those visibility conditions, could just as easily be her opponent instead of her, so he hadn’t seen the now-infamous Aladren-Teppenpaw game. He’d seen the aftermath clear enough, though, and had heard enough from Kate about “crazy ninja firsties” in the months since to take Aladren seriously as a threat to Crotalus’ Quidditch dominance now. He was in a good mood as he came down to the Pitch, but by no means bouncing off the walls with happiness over his team’s superiority.

He listened to both the speeches offered up for his consumption, but during the coach’s, he divided his attention between doing that and summing up the condition of the Aladren team. He’d heard that both the captain and assistant captain had cracked up, but they both looked normal enough today, so they couldn’t use that, but he still, overall, thought his side had the edge. If Edmond could be kept away from Marissa and he and the other Chasers could box in Sam Hamilton the way they had Starbuck Gregory, they’d have it in the bag.

Of course, that second part assumed that all the Aladren Chasers sucked, since Pecari, with only one who showed clear signs of not doing so, had nearly broken the trap last time, but two of them were first years, the crazier-sounding of the Carey boys was not the one playing Chaser, and Daniel Nash had to be feeling a little overextended, between being Head Boy and being Quidditch Captain and being Daniel Nash. So they probably still had this one.

He went for the ball with the other Chasers when the game began, but Nash got it first and was off. He then passed, and was far enough ahead that there was no chance to intercept on that one. Small First Year Chaser – they all had brown hair, so that was his most distinctive characteristic, that he was a little scrawnier than his roommate; Sam, the pretty short guy with the really tall roommate, felt no sympathy – wasn’t as good, though, and Sam was able to sweep between him and his attempt at a close pass to seize the Quaffle for Crotalus. He then promptly lost altitude, turned, and got the heck out of Dodge before the Aladren Beaters could turn him into a pizza.

The fear of that was why, despite the wind and having just proven that interception was possible even with precautions, he, too, was soon looking to pass. He could only help Crotalus win if he was still alive to make interceptions and attempt goals and that kind of thing, and it was a very long way from a quarter of the way back from being close to the Crotalus goals to getting back to the Aladren ones. So, when he saw another red uniform close, he passed.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser So does that make me a red stop sign? 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

April 29, 2011 4:16 PM

A detour, possibly by Captain Nash, Chaser

Russell caught the Quaffle without any Crotalus interference. Short passes were helpful against more than the wind, it appeared. He smirked in pleased satisfaction and moved forward, pressing his broom to get him into a position to score on the chance that Russell couldn't find a opening. He also picked a position somewhat downwind, in case Nic Sawyer only managed to knock it aside instead of catching it. Doing so would put Daniel in a good position to recover the Quaffle and make a quick turn-around shot, like Russell had managed at the end of the last game, and Charlie had used a few times in hers.

Instead, Russell attempted to pass the ball directly to him on purpose. Possibly for his good position on a side shot to the left-most hoop, or possibly because passing to Daniel didn't incur as much of a wind hazard. Unfortunately, there was still a Crotalus hazard, and Sam Bauer swooped in and snatched the Quaffle from the air before it reached Daniel.

Doing what his position was named for, Daniel chased after him. He felt reasonably confident that his broom - not yet three months old and top-of-the-line - was among the best on the Pitch, and he kept up with the younger Crotalus, flying several feet above to make himself both less noticeable in a quick glance around and better positioned for a diving interception.

The opportunity presented itself and Daniel took it, diving in and grabbing the ball out of the air between two Crotali this time. Yanking on his broom handle, he turned sharply back the way they'd come from and sped back toward Nicodemus Sawyer. He thought about shooting for the goal, he even raised his arm as though about to take a shot, but decided at the last moment that his angle was bad given the wind direction, and chose instead to make a pass to one of his other Chasers.

The feint, he hoped, would draw most of the Crotali between him and the right-most goal, keeping his pass flight clear, as well as the path between his fellow Chaser and one of the Crotalus hoops.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser A detour, possibly 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

April 29, 2011 5:50 PM

Only a brief one, though by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Arthur had noticed that he was fidgeting with his things, or, once he was down at the Pitch and no longer had them around to fidget with, just his hands much more than usual, and that he felt strange, but it was a surprise to him to realize that the feeling was tension and that it was because of the game. He hadn’t expected that, not at all, and wasn’t sure what to do with it except try to hide it and hope it went away once he was concentrating on the moves of the Quaffle and the Bludgers instead of on how much this game was worth.

The numbers bothered him. Aladren had, he thought, the strongest academic background of any House, and the strongest Quidditch team at the moment, but somehow, they were still third in the points competition. Catching Teppenpaw today didn’t seem likely unless the score was ridiculous, but it might very well catapult them past Crotalus and get them in second. Then, at least, they would have a chance of winning both the Cups at the end of the year, and while it wouldn’t be a personal victory, exactly, Arthur thought he would still enjoy and take pride in it. Certainly the family would, and the happier the family was with things associated with him, the less the family tended to annoy him.

Plus, for them to win the Quidditch Cup, Arnold had to beat a much older Seeker, which would translate into prestige for his brother. Being the twin of someone well respected wouldn’t do him as much good as it might have if they’d been identical, but something that helped Arnold in any way was more likely to at least marginally benefit Arthur than it was to hurt him, and he would be pleased for Arnie even if the thing that helped Arnold didn’t affect him at all.

He was pleased to hear that Captain Nash’s speech was, for the most part, direct and focused on practical matters. It never failed to make him more nervous when people put too much time and effort into encouraging him, because it made him think they thought he needed bracing and, therefore, wasn’t good enough to do whatever it was he was supposed to be doing at all. Once it was over, he concentrated very hard on remaining impassive, as he had the last time he’d seen Grandfather so the old man wouldn’t realize Arthur knew they were enemies now, while Coach Pierce spoke and the other team could see him, and then they were in the air, Aladren in possession. At least things were getting off to a good start.

‘Start’ being the operative word. The Crotalus Chasers were about as good as the Aladren ones, which Mr. Bauer decided to prove at an inconvenient moment. Arthur joined in the chase, which Captain Nash ended, and then, when the captain passed again, swooped in to catch the Quaffle and shoot, hard, toward the left hoop.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Only a brief one, though 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

April 29, 2011 6:50 PM

Yeah, you away from the Snitch sounds good by Arnold Carey, Seeker

As he waited for the game to start, Arnold rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet a little, smiling around at his teammates – even when he noticed just how pointedly Daniel wasn’t looking at him while making that remark about falling – and feeling more recklessly cheerful than he did nervous or impatient, though he was still a little of each of those, too.

Nervousness was lowest on the list. He was ready for this match. He had spent hours above and beyond required team practices out on the Pitch, or occasionally in the sports room when other teams had the Pitch, working on plays and counter-plays even when he’d needed to do his homework. He’d made Arthur stop his homework to sit with him and go over every move of Miss Stephenson’s that either of them could remember from the Crotalus-Pecari match, and over every flaw and success in Arnold’s own strategy either of them could remember from the Aladren-Teppenpaw one as well. He’d gone to bed early last night, and eaten a good breakfast this morning, as all the experts recommended. He was as prepared as he was ever going to be, at least with the time to prepare he had available.

He just wished knowing that would take away all of the nervousness, but if it wasn’t gone by now, he knew that wish was not going to be granted. This wasn’t just Aladren’s reputation on the line, it was his, and – well, maybe calling it his family’s honor was going a little far, that would have to wait until he was captain, but his family had a stake in it as well. It would be – shaming was too strong a word, but something like that – for them if he failed. He wanted his father and grandfather to be proud of him, not having to admit that yes, he hadn’t been good enough and then quickly change the subject.

Once the game began, Arnold caught that Aladren had the Quaffle, then detached his mind from the rest of the game. The Beaters would take care of him, he could take it if they didn’t, and while visibility was better for him today, that meant it was also better for his opponent, and she had the advantage of experience. Arnold had been playing…Careyball was a better word for it, the family was too worried about the government thinking something was going on to have major reunions where there were enough boys for real games very often, but it had derived from Quidditch, as long as he could remember, but he’d grown up as a Chaser, not a Seeker. He could, if the weather had been better, have maybe toyed with Kate Bauer a little, since she was only a year his senior; if he wasn’t on the very top of his game with someone who’d been playing nothing but Seeker for a long time, he was going to lose, and Arnold did not want to lose.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker Yeah, you away from the Snitch sounds good 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

April 29, 2011 7:56 PM

Possibly much briefer than this one by Edmond Carey, Beater

His head hurt.

Edmond didn’t know why. It seemed to have just done that for no reason except to bother him when he could really do without the distraction, just as his sister said hers did. He had seen Morgaine in one minute walking around, looking tired and rubbing her neck and eyes a great deal but otherwise being fine, and then in the next have her face go blank as she reached out to grab something for support and ended up in bed for five hours, unable to move or hear any sounds or see any lights without making the pain worse. Once last summer, when he’d been on his mandatory visit, he’d taken her one of the hot towels she said helped a bit during one of those headaches, and she had taken it without opening her eyes, looking almost dead.

This wasn’t like that, but it was still enough to make him curse his blood family. Julia had always said bad blood would somehow make itself evident, and genetics were as easy as anything else to blame for the dull, slightly hot ache making him feel irritable and completely disinterested in playing this stupid game.

He had to play, though. He was the Assistant Captain. He had responsibilities. So he showed up in the right place at the right time wearing the right color and forced his expression to one of polite attention as Daniel told them all what they were supposed to do. He listened to all of it by rote, as he did in classes, as he’d been taught to do. He would rather his one surviving parent – and there was, now that he thought about it, something almost funny about realizing he’d already lost more parents than most people ever possessed – not come around to Jane’s way of thinking and disown him for being a disgrace as well as the reason his mother was dead, or be shunned here at school by those he could still be around, so he had to keep up certain skills. He nodded along with the speech and then, as they were walking toward the center, fell into step beside Preston.

“I would appreciate it,” he said to his smaller colleague, “if you would cover the Seekers, and try to keep all three of you out of my way.”

A feeble, flickery back corner of his consciousness protested that the last bit had been a little too blunt, too harsh, even impolite, and he was not impolite. The rest just thought that if he had to be here, he might as well do his job right and maybe even get something out of it, which wasn’t going to happen with the three little first years who thought they could break some heads getting under his feet. Let them trip over each other while Arnold and Marissa did the only work that mattered and he did his best to earn his still fairly new reputation as the dread Beater.

And, as he did, just not think - at least not about consequences, because out here, there were very few of those to be had. He couldn’t stop thinking completely, he’d tried, but at least he could think less. That was definitely a notable something.

The Bludgers were released, and his eyes followed first both and then one of them for a moment. For a moment, he wondered why, at the beginning of games, they flew away instead of just attacking the large group of people gathered right there for them, and if it was another charm besides the “attack what’s nearest” one, how it timed out exactly in time for the release of the Quaffle and what it might mean if it didn’t, and felt…different. Then the feeling passed as the Quaffle went up in the air and they all followed.

Fourteen players. Seven Aladrens, seven Crotali. Fourteen of the top people at this school, the achievers. And he was supposed to try to break exactly half of them into pieces. Amazing. Anywhere else, he’d get expelled for attacking the kind of people they had out here. They had more badges on this field than any one House did, or than would be present in a meeting of strictly prefects and Head Persons – two Head Person badges, two Prefects’ badges, two Captains’ badges, two Assistant Captains’ badges.

Those badges, of course, were attached to him, Marissa, Daniel, and Charlotte. Four people, eight badges, two apiece. Four people, four badges to a team. There was something about the elegance of it that tickled him. Unfortunately, however, the way the game was moving meant he couldn’t really go for Charlotte while being as effective as possible, so he instead directed the Bludger he’d seized control of near the action toward the Crotalus Keeper, hoping to clear Arthur’s shot.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Possibly much briefer than this one 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

April 29, 2011 8:34 PM

Um, Renee, I'm sorry I resented your interference last time. by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

Nic's flying had improved over the year. As his previous skill level had been pretty low, that wasn't saying a lot, but it was better. He could now fly in a mostly straight line and a reasonably quick pace, and he didn't run into things or people anymore, most of the time. He could even take both hands off the broom without hurdling to his death dozens of feet below. Well, he could when there weren't hurricane force gales blowing at his ridiculously skinny frame which probably had more surface area than volume.

Today wasn't hurricane force - he was from Florida, so he knew hurricane force all too well - but there was some good wind going. He had to brace himself a little to just stand and listen to Charlie's speech. Taking off made him veer a bit, and he fought with his broom all the way over to the goals. Thank Merlin Sam diverted the Quaffle for a little while anyway, or Nic may not have been in place in time.

But it did come back, all together too soon, and Nic found himself regretting his bored thoughts at the Pecari game. It seemed the Aladren Chasers were way more motivated to win than the Pecari ones had been. He guessed he could see that Daniel Nash II, Head Boy And Possibly Crazy, was probably scarier than Jose Hernandez, Friendly Prefect.

And Edmond Carey definitely was. Nic noticed that right away when the large Aladren prefect (who was nearly as tall as Nic himself, and not nearly as scrawny) swung his bat and sent a bludger right at him.

Nic was not particularly brave. He would fight other kids if he thought he had a reasonable chance of winning, but Black Bludger vs. Nicodemus Sawyer was not an encounter he would win if he stood up to it. So he did the same thing he did whenever he was faced with a fight that would leave his bruised and sore.

He fled.

Charlie would probably kill him for that later, but right now he was more concerned about escaping a beating than he was about stopping the red ball from going through the hoop. This was why he did not normally volunteer to play sports.

Honestly, he didn't even see who threw the bloody thing, but he caught the Quaffle on his way back up, after he shaken the bludger and it had gone through the stupid hoop. He knew it went through because the Aladren stands were all cheering and the Crotalus stands were all groaning, and that was when Nic remembered:

Rachel Bauer was probably watching.

He grimaced and moved back in front of the hoops. He tossed the Quaffle out to one of the red clad Chasers, and decided that, for Rachel, next time he'd take on the freaking bludger in his duty to keep out the Quaffle. For Glory. For Honor. For Crotalus.

To impress a girl.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper Um, Renee, I'm sorry I resented your interference last time. 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

April 29, 2011 8:37 PM

Aladren Scores! Score: 10-0 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Aladren Scores! Score: 10-0 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

April 29, 2011 9:10 PM

Trying this again. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

About the time Nic was forced to choose between allowing Bigger Firstie to score or facing the imminent collapse of his ribcage and chose to let the firstie score, Sam realized that he’d failed. He’d given it his best shot, but somehow, he’d still managed to underestimate Aladren.

He’d been playing since his first year at Sonora, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen a goal scored that fast, nor seen the Bludger-to-Keeper tactic and quick-at-goal-pass feint actually work. That would have been a beautiful thing to see if he’d been in the stands, or watching it happen at the opposite end of the Pitch, instead of having it used to beat the snot out of his team.

He glanced up at Marissa, and was relieved to see her still flying and not seeming to be, right this second, going through anything like the bizarre alternation of playing chicken and broom jousting that Kate had described while discussing Arnold Carey. Maybe he was intimidated by Marissa in a way he just wasn’t by Kate; he always thought of Marissa as having the personality of that one genuinely sweet cheerleader, as opposed to the evil cheerleaders or, more rarely, the Rachel-like Cheerleaders of the Damned, but to a first year playing directly against her, he guessed he could see how she looked terrifying.

Or maybe Carey was sick today, or used different tactics when it was sunny, or was just working his way up to being an annoying gnat to distract Marissa and get by her that way. Just so long as things were good right now and the Beaters still had time to swat him before he got too close to their girl to risk it.

Nic came back around, grabbing up the Quaffle – at least Aladren had possessed the good grace, as the goal was announced, to not do what Sam would have on the other end, and might have on this one if not for that Bludger still in the vicinity, and swoop in to grab the thing and try to score again – and tossing it back into action. Sam went for it, nearly losing his balance in his enthusiasm but catching it, before the blues could get any ideas. Then he flew as fast as possible back toward Sam Hamilton, pushing his old-ish (a polite way of saying ‘very old;’ his mom insisted that he have manners, and darned if he wasn’t going to try to do so) broom as hard as it would go and much, much further, about half the Pitch, than was safe or sane of him to try before looking to pass. He thought it was a good assumption to guess that either someone had taken a Bludger for him, or that he’d narrowly avoided one, but he’d had to get them out of Crotalus territory. Seeing at least one of his fellow Chasers still alive, though, he did a quick check for Aladrens and then tried to pass for the second time.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser Trying this again. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

April 29, 2011 10:08 PM

Funny, I was thinking just the opposite. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

Marissa flew down the Pitch, sweeping far away from what was going on with the Quaffle to both look for the Snitch over there, where it would be a little easier for her to see if it was there, and try to get adjusted to the way the wind changed her control over the broom, both generally and at speed. If it came down to a race, a Carey was likely to have a very good broom, so she’d need all the edge she could get even beyond having longer arms.

Not that her broom was bad, she was pretty sure, but while her parents wouldn’t buy her something at the bottom of the line unless they’d just gotten really terrible advice from the broom-selling people who could tell they were clueless, the Careys were a family her Head of House had specifically mentioned to her as being super-rich. Her family was prosperous enough to get their house renovations in the city magazine and join the country club and take nice vacations, but Mama had made a few comments that suggested not much got saved, and all of it had been made by Mama and Daddy since they finished law and medical school, respectively. Not super-rich, old-rich, legacy-at-Harvard-and-Yale types. Control in a race would be good.

She was hoping, though, it wouldn’t come to that. And that they wouldn’t even get near each other all game. It was easy to get frustrated in close quarters with another Seeker, shadowing and blocking and taunting each other, and while she really did think she had enough of a grip to not get too shaken up by anything an eleven-year-old could try…She didn’t want to bother. Just give everyone a good time and get home, victory in hand, before this was like Aladren-Teppenpaw.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Funny, I was thinking just the opposite. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

David Wilkes, Alternate

April 29, 2011 10:46 PM

Commentating by David Wilkes, Alternate

David had joined the Quidditch team to get some exercise and an excuse to be around other people and so socialize by default, and that had worked out pretty well for him so far. The one problem, as far as he could see, was with the games.

There was something about wearing the robes that made the game feel more personal than it had the time he’d come to see Aladren play in his first year. That made it a little frustrating, in a way, to be on the sidelines. He felt like he should be doing something, but unless somebody else got hurt, that wasn’t too likely to happen, so there wasn’t much to do except cheer when things went right for Aladren and watch in case he was asked about something later.

And get a phenomenal crick in his neck, looking down from about ground level instead of being in the elevated stands. That was another major drawback of his position. He did not enjoy that. It might even be his least-favorite drawback. But he’d live to observe at an awkward angle another day.

“Nice pass, nice pass,” he said when the captain, who’d taken the Quaffle right away, passed to Russell. Running commentary on the side was something to do to keep himself occupied. “Oh, bad luck, Russ,” he added a moment later when the next pass failed and the ball fell into enemy hands. “Better luck next time, firstie friend.” Then Daniel stole the Quaffle back from Crotalus’ one male Chaser as he tried to pass it off. “Nice one, Captain Dan! Very nice, you’re on a roll today. And – Carey collaboration gets the goal!” He considered the number of people who were related on his team. “Is that even legal? Who cares, my side wins.”

16 David Wilkes, Alternate Commentating 169 David Wilkes, Alternate 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

April 29, 2011 11:12 PM

Me, too by Edmond Carey, Beater

I must not assault the Keeper directly because he avoided a Bludger. I must not assault the Keeper directly because he avoided a Bludger. I must not –

Edmond cut the litany off abruptly as he flew after his Bludger, because it wasn’t helping. Instead, it was making him more frustrated on one hand and seriously worrying him on the other. He’d never wanted to just go over and beat someone up before in his life, never even thought of such a thing without feeling repelled, especially over something so petty. It wasn’t even a personal affront. Nothing was personal in Quidditch. And he had no reason to be cross, because Arthur had just scored. His strategy had been effective – another worrisome thought, too efficient, but not nearly as bad as the other – so why wasn’t he pleased that no one had gotten hurt? It wasn’t perfect, everyone knew that, an intact Mr. Sawyer meant the possibility of the next attempt on the goals being unsuccessful, but….

He went after the Bludger to vent. That was all. Find Bludgers, hit them at Crotali. Focus on that. Achieve relevant objectives. Hurting people was not the objective, winning was. It was just that hurting people was sometimes a consequence of doing what was necessary to win. It was the nature of the game they were playing. Everyone knew that.

That Crotalus in Jane’s year, Sam, was already moving down the Pitch when Edmond hit the Bludger after him. For a moment, he thought it would go true, but then the nearest-target problem kicked in and it nearly turned on Arthur, who shot up in the air to avoid it as Edmond hurried over to hit it back toward another Crotalus, the one furthest from any of his people. Hitting the Quaffle-bearer was best, but it was a perfectly legitimate strategy to pick off the other Chasers so they couldn’t, in turn and good time, become the Quaffle bearer, limiting the options the Chasers still standing had, the number of formations they could try to block out interceptions and make it down the Pitch….

All things he’d read in books about the strategy of Beating, all things he’d reasoned through himself and concluded were true. It was somewhat sloppy to only target the one with the Quaffle, and inefficient, and shortsighted, not to see further than the immediate situation. This game was sick.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Me, too 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

April 29, 2011 11:46 PM

Role reversal. by Russell Layne, Chaser

“Hey!” Russell exclaimed, or tried to exclaim, when his pass was abruptly going the wrong way and the Quaffle blending a little too well with what its bearer was wearing. The comment was cut off halfway through because of the wind, which made talking when he didn’t have to unpleasant at this speed. Instead, he turned to go get it back.

Daniel beat him to it, though, and the next pass went to Arthur, who scored. Russell clapped his hands together once, but then the ball was back in play. One of the hardest things about Quidditch was the pace; the moment they’d had to catch their breath due to Nic Sawyer taking a second to get the ball back because of Edmond’s Bludger was about as much as, Russell was starting to deduce, they could really expect in the entire game.

Crotalus ran with it, and Russell, still feeling a little annoyed with that guy, ran after it and, to his surprise, was able to catch up. The wind made him sway a few times, but since he kept going in the right direction, that much was good.

Actually getting involved again, though, looked harder, again because of the wind. It was hard to intercept without colliding with someone anyway, but with the wind throwing everyone just a little bit off….Crotali were supposed to be rule-abiding, which meant they knew the rules, which meant they could possibly talk and twist an accident into being flying with intent to collide, which was a foul. It probably didn’t hurt that their Head of House was the coach, even if she was officially neutral today. This could go kind of really not well.

He’d already not done something when he had a chance once today, though, and that hadn’t worked out too well for him. Maybe it was time to take a risk instead of trying to play it safer and rely on his more skilled teammates and see what happened. Couldn’t be much worse than what happened when he didn’t take the chance, could it? Except that, if a foul was called because of some rules lawyering by the Crotali, Daniel would probably kill him, but what was it Aunt Linda always said about never living if all one did was worry about getting killed….

He was sure he sort of mildly collided with Sam Bauer, but he came out with the Quaffle, and went up instead of down to turn and head back toward the Crotalus end. Another goal would be good.

Still wasn’t going to be him that scored it, though, at least not in one run. Not spending life in fear of death was great and all, but begging for skull injuries instead of just accepting their likelihood was going a little far for Russell’s tastes. If the ball came back to him close to the goals, he might try to score, but he wasn’t going to try carrying it all the way back down the Pitch to Nic Sawyer, who was probably not happy right now. When he saw a chance, he double checked for Crotali, this time, to avoid a repeat of the previous pass’ embarrassment if he possibly could, and then he passed it, already preparing himself to either turn and give chase if it was intercepted and try to get it back or to cover his teammate if the pass was good and it was Aladren that needed to worry about and protect against attempts at an interception. They could only do this if they worked together. Cliché, maybe, but here, at least, true.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser Role reversal. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

April 30, 2011 12:16 AM

That can be fun or terrifying by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Something unusual happened at the moment the Quaffle, with a little assistance from Edmond, went through the goal hoop, securing ten points to Aladren in the game. It wasn’t something unheard of, there were a few people, one of them searching for the Snitch, even at Sonora who could honestly say they’d seen it happen, but there were members of the first year class who never had.

Arthur, watching the ball fall back down the opposite side of the goal post, allowed his face to relax into a completely natural smile.

The general consensus, if anyone had been looking, would most likely have been that it looked weird.

He didn’t have much time to gloat, though, because the Quaffle was quickly back in play, and he with it. He raised an eyebrow, surprised and impressed despite his better judgment, when Russell risked a close interception to get the object of six people’s temporary obsession back into Aladren possession, but didn’t complain. He could see the weakness of the strategy the Crotali had used in their last match, battering the Keeper down by hugging the goals – Bludgers; eventually, the Pecari girls had gotten desperate enough to start risking their own by shooting into the huddle – but he still didn’t see any reason to let the Crotali get really into their half if it could possibly be avoided.

Arthur winced slightly when he saw that Russell was going to try to pass again, since that had worked not so fabulously the last time his roommate tried it, and decided to risk his own neck on it. The risk proved advisable, because he got the ball and was able to continue their work back down their half of the Pitch.

Having the Quaffle, though, involved doing the thing that consistently proved itself the hardest part of playing Quidditch for him: trusting his teammates. He preferred to micromanage, to be the one controlling when everything happened, or at least to be in control of the results of his own actions. In the game, though, it didn’t usually work that way. People could sneak up on you, teammates could fall behind…It was sometimes hard to guess what other people would do.

Since this was one of the few acceptable outlets he had, though, he forced himself to trust them, and if he couldn’t be forgiving, he at least kept his mouth shut. That was nice, just as no one saying anything about it when he fumbled against Teppenpaw because Arnold had gotten hurt had been nice. Besides, he was a first year Chaser. Talking about other people’s performance wasn’t his place.

He carried the ball a little way, gaining a respectable amount of ground, and then looked around for Crotali and another Aladren. Finding one of the latter and not detecting one of the latter coming from above, below, behind, or right on either side at that exact moment, though any of them could speed up at any time, he made a short, quick pass.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser That can be fun or terrifying 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

April 30, 2011 12:47 AM

But I can't be wrong. I'm an Aladren. by Arnold Carey, Seeker

Arnold saw Marissa’s long move out, but after a moment in which he moved in that direction, he determined that she wasn’t going for the Snitch and relaxed, going back to his own hunting ground. He didn’t want to go on the offensive yet if the Snitch wasn’t at stake, not least because he was still a little intimidated by her.

And because it wasn’t really sporting to start really Seeking this early in the game, not on a day when it wasn’t pouring rain. The rules were a little different then, but the first thing he’d picked up about Seeking, after ‘move really, really fast if the other person dives,’ was that he was integral to how entertained the audience was and how much catharsis the rest of the team got in. While also being responsible for how entertained the rest of the team was. If he caught the Snitch this early, no one would really have any fun except him, and even his would be kind of hollow. If he got it right now, it was luck. He wouldn’t have earned it against a worthy opponent.

Idly, with far less than half his mind on it, he wondered if they’d let him play Seeker this summer, too, so he didn’t lose his edge waiting for his second school season. It was the Five Years’ Reunion – he’d forgotten about it, not bothering to count years that much, but Arthur had heard their parents saying it was bound to be interesting this half-decade because of whatever had happened with Georgia – and now that Brandon was old enough, South Carolina was only one person short of having seven male members who fit into the acceptable age range and marital status. Since North Carolina only had one person who did fit those criteria, Arnold thought they might manage some inter-branch cooperation, at least long enough to beat Virginia. He’d barely been old enough to be involved five years ago, and half the ‘Virginia’ and ‘South Carolina’ teams had actually been composed of a hodgepodge of whatever was available, but he still hadn’t gotten over losing to Virginia at the last one.

Neither had anyone else. The Virginia-South Carolina rivalry was officially over now that the Fourth and Thomas were friends again, but they’d started playing Quidditch and Quidditch-like games against each other at the Five Years’ almost as soon as the reunions started being held because it was the easiest way – it had been, to Arnold’s greatest moment of amusement in a family history lesson ever, grown men, and even some grown women, back then, playing originally – to keep from killing each other. Everyone got all their distaste for their grandfather’s identical twin out of their systems, then they had dinner together and kept it to glaring, then at the end of the week they had a big party to celebrate still being alive and went home.

Which of the other branches supported which of the main ones usually depended on grown-up stuff to this day; Louisiana, for instance, had never played with Virginia, ever, because their founder had been Thomas’ son, and their first heir’s mother had kind of died under mysterious circumstances shortly before their founder, for all intents and purposes, ceased to be Thomas’ son. Georgia was now firmly behind Virginia because Edmond was basically from Virginia, but Father said that when he’d been younger, Georgia had been more friendly with South Carolina – not that you could count on much in terms of stability from Georgia about anything. And North Carolina usually went opposite of Georgia, except when they didn’t. North Carolina was weird. Grandfather had often said he’d wished the line had died out with the first Andrew, but he’d had two sons, who were no doubt going to be groomed to have more kids than Uncle Donnie so their line wasn’t forced to accept another Andrew (who had apparently been a very erratic, dangerous sort of fellow, prone to all sorts of family-endangering things; must have been his Georgia blood) as their only male heir. Since it meant South Carolina would have someone to throw in as the Keeper, Arnold wasn’t too upset about the survival of North Carolina, but he was smart enough to not say that to Grandfather.

He caught a glint of light and looped around to get a better angle to see what it was, but it proved to just be something down in the crowd. Would it really kill people to not wear their jewelry and bring shiny candy wrappers and whatever else they could think of out to the game? One day, he was going to dive at something he thought was the Snitch and plunge into the stands. Shaking his head, Arnold went back to searching, sometimes glancing at Marissa.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker But I can't be wrong. I'm an Aladren. 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

April 30, 2011 1:37 AM

Fun for us. Terrifying for you. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Delaying putting on her Quidditch robes, Renée spread her arms before the pitch while students continued to trickle into the stands, her own teammates and Aladren's hurrying into the locker rooms to change if they hadn't already. 'Finals!' The cool gusts of wind rippled through the thin shirt she wore, her deeply tanned skin drenched in the heat of the Spring sun. 'Finals!' She smiled in pure excitement, confidence radiating from her face. They were going to win. ''Course, not if I don't get dressed first. Rapida! Prisa!' She ran in, a blur of flying clothes, dark curls being pulled up, red robes being thrown on, long sleek wood gripped in her right hand. On the pitch, shifting her feet from one side to the other, she tried her best to stifle her impatience, and listen carefully to Charlie's speech. 'I just want to go. Lift up and fly. Please, please can we hurry?' The captains shook, Renée mounted her Febre broom, bent her knees, kicked off, and she was gone, rising higher and higher into the air. 'All right, nothing can stop us now. Noth - '
Aladren had the Quaffle. Renée spurred her broom on, chasing after Daniel Nash, who passed to another Aladren, who got intercepted by Sam. Grinning, Renée swerved to change directions, waiting for a pass and readied herself for it... Aladren, Aladren, and a shot was made at the left goal hoop. Renée watched from feet away as Nic, scared by a bludger, sped towards the opposite side of where the Quaffle was headed. She blinked at him, watching as he dropped in height to retrieve the red ball. Aladren had scored. Against them. The Crotalus chasers. 'Wait - what just happened?' No time to think, and she blinked as the Quaffle continued its passing around her. She locked her gaze on where the Quaffle was now, and dove after one of the Aladren chasers.

There was a pass, and bright dark brown eyes narrowed into the cool gust of wind growing stronger the faster she flew. "Yes!" She grinned as her legs passed just over the Aladren's head, careful not to touch him, and grabbed the Quaffle, spinning her broom in a downward spiral to escape the bludger sent by an Aladren Beater. She had already been hit once, she no longer held any curiosity over the feeling.

She kept lower than most of the players, her body parallel to the Febre as she urged her broom to go faster, left hand gripping the handle, the red leather bound ball tucked underneath her arm as the Aladren goals loomed closer and she sought for a quick pass. Making sure she was below a red robed figure, she suddenly shot up in height, hoping to startle any surrounding Aladrens whilst blocking any interceptions, and made a diagonal upward pass to one of her fellow chasers.

She supposed she had entered this game with the lingering sense of entitlement granted to her after the Pecari game. She hadn't thought that she would have to up her talents, actually have to strain for the ball. 'But I like this. It's better.' There was clearly a greater challenge this game, more so than the last. And a greater chance for Crotalus, then, to shine. 'They're only ten points up. We can surpass that easily.' Her face was spread into a wide smile, as she waited eagerly for her pass to be received.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Fun for us. Terrifying for you. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

April 30, 2011 10:52 AM

I don't feel terrified by Edmond Carey, Beater

His third attempt also missed, the Errant girl just dancing out of the way in time. Frowning, Edmond went for the Bludger again, enjoying the beginnings of strain on his muscles, not liking at all the realization that the game was going to be long and messy, and half-daring Mr. Calhoun or Mr. Lucore to try anything so bold as interfering.

Edmond had always disliked it when people seemed to find him intimidating just because he happened to be a large guy who had the great misfortune to get every unattractive feature – thick, curly red hair and, his sister said, a wide, thin mouth from his mother, a large, somewhat beaky nose, heavy, set features, and being very tall and wide across the shoulders from his father – either of his parents had to offer, but at the moment, it was convenient. He wanted them afraid of him, because that would make them run when he needed them to run, make them make mistakes just because they saw him from the corner of their eye, and that would make things better for his team. He didn’t even care if they carried the feeling off the Pitch anymore; the respect and liking of his classmates, something he’d always scrambled so hard for despite disadvantages ranging from his looks to his last name to his nonexistent social skills when he’d come to Sonora, had seemed increasingly irrelevant for a while, now, and seemed downright stupid today.

Catching his Bludger again, evidence that his ‘terrify first years’ strategy was most likely working, he hit it toward the person he’d been keeping an eye on as he approached and who now happened to be the person Miss Errant was passing to. As he came level, he slammed the bat into the Bludger as it began to turn on him, sending it toward his new target with all the force he could muster. Nothing counted out here, not even injuries, because it was just an illusion. Someone could appear mortally hurt one second and be back in the game five minutes later, if they could get ‘round the medic. Very nice.

He’d found a pattern that worked, where he didn’t think too much about the details of what he was doing: follow, aim, hit, follow, aim, hit, follow, again and again. He intended, barring something strange happening, to follow it for the rest of the game.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater I don't feel terrified 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

April 30, 2011 12:23 PM

I feel kind of annoyed.... by Sam Bauer, Chaser

Sam was displeased by the sudden outbreak of firstie vengeance and expressed his feelings through an unintelligible shout toward the already-retreating back of the Aladren Chaser as he turned to give chase again. Not fast enough, though, since Small Firstie managed to make a successful pass to his brother firstie before Crotalus had time to interfere.

Renée got in on the fun in the next pass, though, and Sam covered her warily even as he grinned over their success, knowing her liking for weird passes. Sure enough, the one she offered up wasn’t straightforward. The wind nearly blew it out of range, but Sam was able to pull off another lunge and get it back without losing his seat on the broom. Tucking it under his arm, he started to accelerate when a Bludger slammed into his shoulder, throwing him forward so he only just kept from breaking his nose on the broom handle as well.

“Oh – “ he said as he fought his way back mostly upright, then embellished the exclamation with a few more words, words his mom didn’t know he knew, but which knowledge of came part and parcel with spending his holidays in a fairly large and diverse city and neighborhood full of tough guys from elementary who’d gotten slightly older and tougher with time. He dropped in altitude, both to avoid another assault by the same Bludger – with luck, it would turn on an Aladren – and re-catch the Quaffle, which he’d dropped when the arm that had been around it had suddenly stopped working properly.

Most of the pain was dull and burning, which he thought was less bad, but some of it was stabbing, which seemed more bad. And it was his wand arm, too. Damn the Aladrens, and, he very much suspected, their Super-Beater. He was going to have to seriously work on making Topher and Phoenix more afraid of him and, since he could get loud but was still short, especially Nic than they were of Edmond Carey, or something like that, or they were all gonna end up dead by the time the big guy graduated.

Getting the ball back, he decided he really was that desperate and attempted, after clearing the area for Aladrens as well as he could and getting in as close as he dared, a one-handed pass to one of his fellow Crotalus Chasers, really hoping she’d be the one to start reversing their fortunes in this game, and then started trying to move his shoulder. It, predictably, hurt, but a little less with repetition, and he could move it at all, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Still not good, though, which brought up the awful question, the one that no one ever wanted to ask: should he duck out to get that looked at and risk not getting to come back, or should he just play on and hope for the best?

He really, really hadn’t wanted to ask that today.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser I feel kind of annoyed.... 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

April 30, 2011 1:09 PM

Don't be. Our luck's changing for the better. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

In the air, in the middle of the game, Renée's mind always succumbed to its usual transformation of fantasy into the reality that was all passes, dodges, catches, and throws. It became her world, and one of the few times she was actually able to fully focus on what was happening, because Quidditch could actually hold her entire interest, and there was no need for her mind to escape. No ned to twist reality into her own fancy; Quidditch was perfect. She couldn't imagine having to be seeker, though she had tried out for the position last year. She would have been terrible, paying no attention to anything and growing bored with trying to find an elusive golden snitch that just didn't want to be caught. Her mind would have delved under, emerging with herself thinking she had held something when she had only grasped air.

Being chaser focused her mind, gave her no room for idle thoughts, imaginations beyond the choices she made for a pass. She couldn't be good without giving herself to the game, and she had to be aware of everything around her, forgetting about what was inside. Focus on the wind, her curls threatening to unwind, the wood tucked between her thighs, her hands gripping the handle, or reaching out for a pass, aware of both Sam and Charlie and bludgers. She saw one now.

'Ouch.' She watched as it slammed into Sam, causing him to drop the ball, but her wince widened into a smile as he dove after the Quaffle. Things were a bit shakey, but she felt they were all starting to come together again. The Aladren chasers had surprised them only because they had let their guard down, and Renée could admit to herself that she had thought their trio the best the school had to offer... 'Because we are.' One Aladren goal wasn't going to change that fact. She caught the one handed pass from Sam, curving around the ball as she sped forward, Aladren goals looming even closer, the keeper in clear sight.

A passing bludger caused her to drop in height again, and she raised her arm, palming the Quaffle. 'Now or never.' She feinted to Charlie, her arms going through with the motion before she made a sharp turn in her ascent in the right direction, and threw the Quaffle with a curve so that it headed for the middle goal hoop, and then spun towards the right. Training for two years now had made her throws more confident, and while she had always been an instinctive player, she now had strategy, and power in her arms. Enough to cause the Quaffle to head as fast as it was going. She was aware of it, just as she was aware of the fact that they were going to win. She knew because she saw it in her mind, and she knew it had to be true because her mind did not delve into fantasy during a game. It was focused, and it was real. 'We're going to win.'

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Don't be. Our luck's changing for the better. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Charlie, Crotalus Captain

April 30, 2011 4:11 PM

Luck is on our side. by Charlie, Crotalus Captain

This championship game wasn’t making Charlie feel anywhere near as nervous as she knew it ought to. Aladren had practically slaughtered Teppenpaw earlier in the year. True enough, Crotalus had done their best to put the pressure on Pecari and had succeeded in beating them by a decent margin, but if the Aladren Beaters took out her entire team there wouldn’t be anything Charlie could do about it. She had no reserves, so she needed every player up in the air. Of course, Crotalus had the advantage that while they were up in the air, their formation was enviable. Only Aladren’s Beaters presented a real threat – their Keeper was improving but not excellent (certainly nothing like Starbuck Gregory), their Seeker had nothing at all on Marissa, and while Daniel had gotten better at chasing with practise, the Crotalus Chasing team was renowned for its efficiency. Plus Renée was insane. Perhaps it was Charlotte’s belief in her teammates that put her at ease concerning the game... or perhaps it was the opportunity to beat the same team again next year that made it less important to do so this year. With no graduating seventh year, it seemed unlikely the teams would change a great deal, and it wasn’t as if this would be Charlie’s last game – or Daniel’s for that matter. It just didn’t have the same ‘last game ever’ feeling that championship games usually did.

That didn’t mean that Charlie wouldn’t give it her all, naturally. In fact, she wanted to give it more than her all, if anything. She didn’t think she could stand it if Aladren won, and she’d have to acknowledge that Daniel had beaten her. In classes, fair enough – he was smarter, he tended to test well – she didn’t mind him being better than her there. In acting he would always be better, because he’d been born to it (and it wasn’t something that Charlie felt any need to be good at, anyway). Quidditch? No. No way - he wasn’t allowed to better at that than she was. She’d first flown a broomstick when she was four years old, had been Chasing with her brother and former team captain since her first year, and had been captain of the Crotalus team since her brother graduated. That all had to count for something. Right?

Meeting her team on the pitch in the morning of the game, Charlie looked fiercer than normal, which could have been due in equal parts to her determined game face and her hair being braided especially tightly to keep it in place in the breeze. “Okay, guys. Championship game, and I hope you all know what that means. We can’t let Aladren push us around – you all saw what they did to Teppenpaw. Be on the look-out for Bludgers, because we need a full team. Having said that, we don’t want to try long passes because of the wind, so if you need to do a full-pitch stream –” she couldn’t help looking at Renée when she said it “- just be careful, okay?” She then proceeded with the full and usual pep talk, telling each player what they already knew about their task for the game, and reminding her players quite passionately that they were the better team and could beat Aladren if they just kept their focus. With a more natural smile, Charlie added, “Plus if we don’t beat them they’ll never let us live it down. You know what Aladrens are like.”

Coach Pierce called the captains over to shake hands, and Charlie found herself wishing as she did every game she played that their Head of Coach could be somewhat less than impartial, but she knew it wouldn’t be the case – Coach Pierce played fair, and wouldn’t give the Crotalus team any leeway just because they were in her House. Daniel wasn’t especially easy to manipulate, either, but just in case it would do anything to unsettle him, Charlie gave a particularly flirtatious wink as she shook his hand. It had lip work and everything. She certainly wasn’t above playing dirty, so long as no actual rule-breaking occurred. With a thumbs-up to the Crotalus team, Charlie swung her leg over her broomstick and, on the whistle, kicked off from the ground, and soared into the air.

Aladren got to the Quaffle first, but that had never been on Charlie’s agenda – the Crotalus team preferred to intercept the Quaffle once the opposition had lured themselves into a false sense of security. The fact that it was Daniel who’d gotten the Quaffle first bothered her slightly, but she chose to ignore it. What bothered her a great deal more was that when Sam dutifully had captured the Quaffle from Aladren’s keep, as was the job of either him or Renée (while Charlotte herself held back to assist in getting the Quaffle back down the other end of the field), it was intercepted again by Aladren. By Daniel. No! That wasn’t supposed to happen – that had never happened before. The Crotalus captain was in dismay. That plan was failsafe – it always worked! No way was Daniel supposed to steal it back again, and then.... oh, and then it got worse. He took it to the hoops. Aladren were making a goal attempt, and in the same moment that Charlie was hoping today was one of Nic’s good days, the little cretin bolted from a Bludger, leaving the goal wide open for the ball to sail through. Was this the thanks she got for telling them to be careful of Bludgers? Sighing inwardly as the ball was retrieved, Charlie decided that Nic was only doing what she’s said, and she’d have to give him a second chance. If he blew that then he’d better hide from her for the rest of the year. For now, she’s have to move on past it, and she readied herself a second time as Sam once again had the Quaffle and started his way back down the pitch.

This time things were looking much better, as Bludgers were avoided, and largely the Quaffle was in the right hands and heading the right direction. Charlie was relived; she was just about considering abandoning their game plan and joining the rest of the players at that end of the pitch, rather than hanging back as was her traditional formula. Too many cooks spoiled the broth, or something equally as meaningless yet poignant. Her relief naturally was short-lived as one of Edmund’s Bludgers collided with Sam. She winced in sympathy, and a distant corner of her mind wondered what the Aladren Beater’s issues were – nobody hit like that without serious personal problems that needed working out. Regardless, Sam proved his worth as a Crotalus by retrieving the Quaffle anyway, and making a stellar pass to Renée. Excellent! This was more like it. As her fellow Chasers joined her further down the pitch, Charlie quipped, “I thought you’d left me for good!” loudly over the wind. She flew in formation with them, deterring interception and inevitably looking daunting as they made their way quickly to Aladren’s Keeper. Charlie wouldn’t have wanted to be in that girl’s shoes right then – Crotalus meant business, and now the Quaffle was down that end of the pitch she had no intention of letting it leave the goal area. The onslaught on the Pecari Keeper in their last game was about to be repeated, and Renée made the first move.

0 Charlie, Crotalus Captain Luck is on our side. 0 Charlie, Crotalus Captain 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

April 30, 2011 4:29 PM

Could you give it back please? by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

The draw of team events had always been that Samantha could never be wholly responsible for the outcome, whether it was victoriouos or otherwise. She had never liked to be in the limelight, especially when connected with losses. It had occasionally happened when she'd been identifiable as contributing more than others, but in the end they were still a team. In other words, even if she let in every goal Crotalus attempted, it still couldn't technically be her fault if Aladren lost the game. The Beaters and Chasers could have kept the ball away, and the Seeker could have caught the Snitch. All in all, Samantha thought that should be enough to keep her calm.

It wasn't.

She was reconsidering her place on the team again. She'd taken her second year out, anyway - maybe she'd take fourth year out, too. She could maybe just be on the Quidditch team every other year. the third year wasn't at all sure she liked the pressure that team members seemed to suffer in games, particularly the chammpionship game. As a Keeper, she thought that most of the time the pressure on her was usually quite low. When a lot of the game was taking place, she really didn't have to do a great deal. On the other hand, at crucial moments she had a lot of pressure, like trying to protect three large hoops all at once. She liked the adrenaline kick, and she loved sports, but she wasn't sure this was really the job for her. This, she knew, was just how she felt today - other days she loved playing Keeper and wouldn't give it up for anything.

Samantha managed some cereal for breakfast, and she tied her hair back as she pulled on her Quidditch robes and rummaged in the broom shed for one of the better school brooms. She didn't need to go fast or very far, so it was acceptable for her to use a school broom - she couldn't afford one of her own, anyway, and wouldn't have a clue where to buy one. She listened to Daniel's speech, and felt as she usually did at Quidditch practises - like the rest of the team forgot she was a girl. They even called her Sam a lot, which wasn't confusing when Sam Bauer wasn't around, but it still sounded like a boy's name. Samantha had used to like it, but increasingly she was feeling like she wanted to be treated as a girl.

Anyway, Sam Bauer was around now. In fact he was coming ever closer. Samantha had enjoyed the first few minutes of the game when the Quaffle had been at the other end of the pitch, but now it was heading her way, and it brought with it three Crotalus Chasers. Gulp. She'd seen in the Pecari game how relentless the Crotalus Chasers had been with their Keeper. She'd hoped desperately that it wouldn't happen to her, but it turned out her hoping hadn't been sufficient. Her nightmare was occurring.

Traumatized by three Chasers all at once, Samantha fumbled, lunged the wrong way, and let the ball go through the hoop. God, it was horrible. She felt her cheeks turn red to match the leather ball as she retrieved it. It was okay - it wasn't the end of the world. She tried to remind herself she was part of a team as she found another member of that team, and did her best to negotiate the players in front of her to get the Quaffle back into possession of the Aladren Chasers.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper Could you give it back please? 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

April 30, 2011 4:34 PM

Crotalus scores! 10-10 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Crotalus scores! 10-10 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Coach Pierce

April 30, 2011 4:44 PM

Recentering. Play continues up here. by Coach Pierce

What has happpened so far:

-Daniel got the quaffle right off. Passed successfully to Russell.
-Russell tried to pass to Daniel, but was intercepted by Sam.
-Sam tried to pass but was intercepted by Daniel.
-Daniel passed to Arthur, Arthur shot at goal, Edmund beat at Nic, Nic ran away
-Aladren scored. 10-0
-Nic passes to Sam
-Sam is intercepted by Russell
-Edmond swings and misses his target
-Russell passes to Arthur
-Arthur is intercepted by Renee
-Renee passes to Sam as he gets hit by Edmond's bludger, Sam recovers Quaffle and passes back to Renee
-Charlie lies in wait.
-Renee scores. 10-10

Meanwhile the Seekers are eyeing each other but not yet interfering with one another. Nor has anybody hit any bludgers at them.

0 Coach Pierce Recentering. Play continues up here. 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Preston Stratford, Beater

April 30, 2011 4:53 PM

Maim!Maim! by Preston Stratford, Beater

Incredible! His team had made it to the finals! Preston was proud about it. He liked being part of good things, things that signaled him as someone better, and being part of the Aladren team this year was certainly something that would make him shine. Throughout the year, a true liking of the sport had been growing in him. He had practiced a lot to improve his Beater abilities, and he was certain they had. The redhead had a lot to prove, first to his father and second, to Daniel. His father had been very upset that Preston had taken an interest in Quidditch, he couldn’t understand how doing it would help his son achieve the Headboyship in the future or the Prefectship for that matter. The first-year had explained it again over midterm, but his father really didn’t want to understand. He was just glad he had accepted it and moved on. Now, Daniel was some sort of role-model to the first-year, he had introduced him the wonders of Quidditch and student power. How could he not look up to him?

It was very important for the redhead to prove his worth to his teammates, especially Daniel and his fellow Beater, Edmond. Preston thought that Edmond was an awesome Beater, and he liked beating with him. With practice and time, they would become a great beating team. That is, until Edmond graduated in about a year. Then he would become the ´Main Beater´ and train the next newbie. That little thought made him smile in glee, he would be the Boss, sort of speak. He would be in charge of someone, and pass all of his well-earned knowledge about beating. It was going to be great! Though, he still had a lot to learn from Edmond before that could happen.

Anyways, it was the day of the final, and Preston was sort of nervous. He needed to give his best on the Pitch, anything less was an insult to his teammates. The day was nice, spring was already present. Awesome.

Preston listened to Coach Pierce talk and when it was time, he mounted his broom and began looking for the first Bludger he could see and send it to the opposing team. Edmond seemed to be doing a rather good job, as well as the Aladren Chasers. Go team! Preston followed a Bludger and decided to target the Crotalus Seeker. After all, Seeked defined the game. Preston smiled and swung his bat with every force he had and sent the Bludger towards the Crotalus Seeker. After that, he continued to search for someone to target.

0 Preston Stratford, Beater Maim!Maim! 0 Preston Stratford, Beater 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

April 30, 2011 4:59 PM

Continuing play up here by Captain Nash, Chaser

Daniel did not like the close passes the Crotali were engaging in now. He couldn't get between Renee and Sam when she passed up to him (and it probably would have messed Edmond up if he'd tried), and he couldn't get between Sam and Renee when he just handed over the ball to her. Then Renee's broom was a good one, so Daniel couldn't entirely overtake her in time to get between her and Samantha, and his Sam, with three Chasers coming at her, guessed the wrong way to jump, and the ball went through.

"It's okay!" he called out to his keeper, as encouragement. "You'll get it next time!" He believed it, too. Samantha was a good keeper but anyone would get a little rattled by three Crotali coming at her at once. Now she'd see it and wouldn't be as taken aback by it if it happened again.

Not that Daniel had any intention of letting that occur. He caught her pass and began flying back the other way. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Edmond's uncharacteristic viciousness, but so far it had earned them a goal and injured an opposing Chaser, so he wasn't going to complain about it. He just hoped the fifth year would cover him as he made a long run back to the middle of the Pitch.

Sure he had to be working on borrowed time by then, he looked for and found one of his amazingly good first year Chasers, and veered nearer to him before making a short pass. Then he moved back toward his own teams goals, since that pass was obviously telegraphed, and he wouldn't be too surprised if it got intercepted.

But maybe it wouldn't; that was the good thing about contigency plans - sometimes they weren't needed.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser Continuing play up here 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

April 30, 2011 5:07 PM

Continuing it further by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

The ball sailed beautifully in one direction while the Keeper dove spectacularly in the other. It was like carefully composed poetry. The captain was so pleased with her team. Well, not Nic so much, but at least he hadn’t gotten himself taken out of the game and left the hoops open for the remainder. Unless, of course, they managed to keep the Quaffle down this end of the pitch from now on, in which case he would have been better of just being smacked in the head by the Bludger and stopping Aladren from scoring. In the grand scheme of things, however, ten measly points probably weren’t going to make a difference. It probably wasn’t really worth Nic getting brain damage. Sam’s arm, though, that could present a problem. He needed both arms to be working properly so he could throw and catch and not fall off his broom. Damn that infernal Beater. It’s a shame Phoenix and Topher couldn’t gang up on Edmond and take him out from behind or something, save the rest of the team from being sent up to the Hospital wing in matchboxes. She’d told her Chasers to be careful! On the plus side, if Edmond was concentrating on taking out the Chasers and Keeper, it meant he wasn’t trying to kill Marissa, which could only be good news.

Also on the good news front was the fact that Crotalus had scored the equalizer, so were no longer pathetically behind Aladren. The game was shaping up nicely, and in their favour, which was all Charlie really cared about. She grinned inwardly (and a little bit outwardly) as the Aladren Keeper retrieved the ball and sent it sailing back to an Aladren Chaser. Not wanting to make it too obvious that they were going to do a Pecari-game repeat, Charlie had already begun to move back once she’d realized Renée wasn’t going to make the pass. She was happily going to do that thing where they let the Aladrens get the ball and then steal it from them right away. It was so much more satisfying that way.

Yet more satisfying was that it was Daniel who’d managed to catch the Quaffle. Fabulous news. It wasn’t brilliant that he’d decided to carry it way up the pitch, but it didn’t make much difference. She wasn’t sure if she was feeling particular animosity towards him over the other players because he was the Captain, because he was Head Boy, because he was the second-most experienced Chaser on the field after her, or just because he was Daniel. Regardless of the reason, it made the delight yet sweeter when Charlie swept in from beside him, and scooped her arm around the Quaffle, bringing it back into her body as she turned with her broom – one fluid motion that demonstrated what years of weekly Quidditch practise could do – and headed back towards the goals where Samantha would hopefully still be shaken from their first attempt. It was the first touch of the Quaffle Charlie’d had so far in the game, and she was reluctant to part with it so soon, but with Edmond on the loose there was really no point hanging onto it for longer than she already had, since Daniel was eager enough to have taken it so far in the first place. Contemplating her options, Charlie made a quick decision about whether to pass to Sam or Renée, and shot the Quaffle in their direction. It was time for another Crotalus goal.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Continuing it further 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

April 30, 2011 6:39 PM

Changing directions by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Arthur’s smile didn’t disappear as the game became more chaotic, the ball changing hands three times in a few seconds, but it did become narrower, and grimmer. He had mentioned Quidditch to Father as one of the things that failed to hold his interest, but that comment had been made in the general sense, referring to the way some people obsessively followed their favorite teams even when no games were being played. This, though, he had to admit, was fun.

Miss Errant being the one to intercept his pass, though, was also unacceptable. Aladren’s chance today lay in being a bunch of Arnolds – in all just saying ‘damn the odds’ and throwing themselves into it wholeheartedly, kicking and screaming, indifferent to difficulties up to the cracked skull level that appeared along the way. Part of that was making things personal, and after their one conversation, Arthur had deemed Miss Errant unworthy of further attention, as she didn’t make sense. People who could not make sensible arguments did not get to make a fool of him. He turned, so quickly he felt momentarily dizzy, and followed her. That Quaffle was his. Not hers. Not any Crotalus’. His. They couldn’t have it.

They disagreed. She got it to Mr. Bauer, who took a hit but still somehow managed to pass it back, and then he saw her trying to do the same thing Daniel had done to Nic Sawyer and make a last minute pass. Arthur dove forward, aiming straight for the space between her and Miss Abbott –

And kept going, nearly colliding with the goal posts, when there was no Quaffle there to take, because Miss Errant had just put it through another goal hoop.

Even as he fumed, Arthur couldn’t help but feel admiration. That had been very clever. It seemed that having no reason to exist did not make her unintelligent. Reminding himself of that very important point, and encouraging himself that it was really no worse now than it had been a few minutes ago when the score had been 0-0 and that Mr. Bauer wasn’t going to be his best if he didn’t get that fixed and would miss moves if he did, he went in to cover his captain as the Quaffle came back into play.

And then, the Crotalus girls got the better of him again, this time intercepting a pass to him instead of one from him. Somehow, that didn’t make him feel much better. Feeling the flutter in his left temple that signified the beginning of a headache and ignoring it, Arthur turned yet again and flew off. He had to get the Quaffle back. Twice, now, he had failed to keep it in Aladren possession. It had to be him who got it back.

On the chance that her run would be as ambitious as Daniel’s, Arthur watched Miss Abbott’s hands carefully, blocking out everything else. The noise of the crowds was neither really discouraging nor encouraging for him, the wind made it hard to hear Bludgers anyway, and Edmond had come out today to live up to his position description, so there was no reason to pay attention to those things, at least in this moment. When she made her pass clear of the immediate goal zone, so much better for him. He went forward at top speed, which was not inconsiderable with his broom, and intercepted, gaining altitude quickly and flying back toward the middle so fast he was half-afraid of coming off his broom. This dratted game was getting to him again. The Arthur-likk corner of his mind found this disturbing and a little irritating.

Luckily, one virtue of only half-voluntarily moving up and down and not holding to a perfectly straight line was it made him harder to hit with a Bludger, so he nearly reached center himself before a good pass opportunity came up and he took it. He threw as hard and accurately as he could, wondering, if it came to it, if he could really find it in him to break a rule and put his elbow in the enemy’s face and say it was an accident when asked. He thought not, but…it was tempting.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Changing directions 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

April 30, 2011 7:15 PM

Chanting with Preston, I suppose by Edmond Carey, Beater

It took Edmond a few seconds to realize what had happened, and when he did, he thought for one moment that he was going to pass out, or fall, or maybe just start screaming.

One of his hands was still very tightly wound around his bat, the other around the handle on his broom, and he couldn’t remember how to move them. He couldn’t remember how to move at all. Or he could remember, but it was taking all of his energy to hold his brain together, which left none for worrying about what his body was doing.

I have to get out of this, he thought quite clearly. I have to finish the game.

No, though, was what he thought, all he could think, even, in a mental gibber at the exact same time. Nononononononononononononononono…..

Busy forcing himself to breathe, only a small, dispassionate part of him realized that Crotalus had just scored, and he’d just missed a chance to take that troublesome Errant girl out of the game with a Bludger to the back of the head while she was distracted, which would have left the Crotalus team with only one intact Chaser. That small, dispassionate part berated him for that. It didn’t help. It didn’t help at all.

Finally, though, after what felt like an eternity but was significantly less, he realized he was breathing…not normally, but not gasping for air that wouldn’t come, either. I have to push it down, he told himself. Just for now. Just push it down now, deal with it later. I have to finish the game.

He threw himself back into it as Daniel shot down the field, hitting the first Bludger he saw toward the nearest Crotalus so hard he felt a flash of concern for his bat. It wasn’t enough, though, because the other captain, Charlotte, one-fourth of the badges, intercepted a pass to Arthur. Arthur intercepted a pass to one of her people, and Edmond took the chance to take a shot at Charlotte. Then, with no other options immediately apparent to him because his Bludger was over there and he had to go over there to get it and Crotali were still active, he flew straight at the Crotali, determined to prevent them from intercepting again. Very few people, the dispassionate part told him, were seriously going to care enough about anything to play chicken with him.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Chanting with Preston, I suppose 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

April 30, 2011 7:17 PM

Towards Aladren Goals by Renée Errant {Chaser}

She let out a delighted laugh as her shot went in. They were even now. She knew she had been right - they were going to win. Turning her broom around, she followed Charlie's lead and hung back slightly for the Aladren Keeper to pass to Daniel. As expected, Charlie sped forward and stole the Quaffle back to them, and Renée was in position to receive another pass, score another goal, impatient to pull in the lead. Unfortunately Arthur Carey intercepted and Renée was again taken aback, even as she hurtled her broom forward, dipping below the boy.

This was only her second year on the team, but Renée had grown accustomed to the thought - to the reality - that she, Sam, and Charlie were unbeatable Chasers. So every time these interceptions occurred in the game... it was bewildering. And it had to be corrected. This time, it was Aladren who was messing with reality. She kept dipping lower as Arthur went up and down, giving her a brief image of an ocean wave. Bright dark brown eyes were focused on his arm, not the Quaffle, and when it moved she shot up, gripping the Febre with her thighs and stretching out both arms to scoop up the waylaid ball. 'Sorry, you're supposed to be going the other way.' She grinned and flipped her broom over around Carey, and righted herself as she shot off from the other side of him, back to Aladren goals, swimming against the tide.

Her broom was a good one but not impervious to the wind that seemed to be picking up. She flattened herself even more so there was less wind resistance, and began flying even faster. She locked eyes on one of her fellow Crotali and shot off just above them, her whole body leaning and seemingly focused on the goals while she loosened her hold on the Quaffle and let it drop directly over her chosen chaser, not letting herself show much movement, and hoping that an Aladren chaser would be temporarily distracted by her still focused form that was heading towards the goals and not the quick flash of red that she had dropped.

She knew it could be hard for Charlie and Sam to always guess what she was planning since her pattern previous to the Pecari game had been to practice new passes during the actual game. This one she had actually tried with them in practice though. She broke from her focused gaze on the Aladren goals after the few seconds it would have taken for someone to realize she no longer had it, and looked behind and below, biting her lip to see if her gamble had worked. She knew the Crotalus chasers were the best - but Aladren interceptions had been forced in on her reality.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Towards Aladren Goals 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

April 30, 2011 10:21 PM

And back again by Captain Nash, Chaser

Sometimes, Daniel wished his pessimism wouldn't prove so accurate in predicting the future. His pass to Arthur was, in fact, intercepted by none other than Charlie Abbott herself. While he felt no particular ill will toward her, she was on the other team, and therefore the opposition until the end of the game.

The fact that she was his favorite person was irrelevant until then, and she should have known that before trying to flirt with him over the Captain's handshake earlier. She was, after all, one of two people in the school who knew his personality built around what was expected of him, and Captain Daniel Nash was not quite the same person as Daniel Nash II, Aladren student. Here and now, he was A Quidditch Player, first and foremost.

And right this moment, he was A Quidditch Player who was the captain of a team that could not seem to retain possession of the Quaffle. On a more positive note, Charlie was in the same boat. Daniel. Charlie. Arthur. Renee. Back and forth, back and forth, the Quaffle bounced one direction and then the other as if it were a tennis ball instead of one belonging to a team sport like Quidditch.

While Edmond did his best to occupy the Crotalus players with other concerns - mostly for their health and continued existence on Earth - Daniel took the opportunity to continue the trend. He'd been following closely behind Renee because his broom could handle it, and he spotted the drop pass because he knew she did weird things like that, and he pressed his broom harder and got to the Quaffle before it fell down all the way to her teammate.

He turned around as tightly as he could, and headed back toward the middle of the field again, convering the same distance that the Quaffle had traversed about five or six times now.

Hoping that this time was the one that the pattern would change, he drew in close to another Aladren Chaser and tossed the ball across the half dozen feet between them before speeding ahead to position himself for a goal later. Between Edmond and the extra short pass, he was gambling that not having a contigency plan this time wouldn't come back to bite him.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser And back again 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

April 30, 2011 11:41 PM

Playing along by Arthur Carey, Chaser

If Edmond was going to go to all the trouble of personally putting every single member of the Crotalus team in the hospital, Arthur thought with no little irritation, he could at least start with Miss Errant. Mr. Bauer had one arm and Miss Abbott had touched the Quaffle a grand total of a minute or so in the entire game, but Miss Errant had been buzzing around like a gnat Arthur was starting to want very much to swat – or, as the case was, see his cousin swat. Arthur considered himself too practical to be very worried about how something he wanted happened, so long as it did.

“Ha,” he said to himself, half-laughing for real, when Captain Nash intercepted one of her fancy passes and started to move things back toward the proper end of the Pitch. His feeling of satisfaction faded back into concentration, though, very quickly as Daniel approached the center of the field for at least the second time. They had to get back across that line, and then they had to get down to the other end, crossing both halves with as little passing as possible to trip up the main Crotalus strategy. Otherwise, this would turn into the same mess as Crotalus vs. Pecari, where he’d been humiliated for the Pecari Chasers just watching.

Being humiliated for himself, he very much suspected, would be worse.

So when Captain Nash passed at the center, Arthur was ready, and he decided to follow his theory of what Arnold would say to odds and hold on to the Quaffle for dear life once he had it. They couldn’t take it if he didn’t put it out there for them, at least not without a very physical tussle which was a bad idea for everyone when they were on speeding brooms and in a game with a rule about touching opposing players, and the captain had already made it halfway without being hit by a Bludger. What Nash dared, he dared.

Under the circumstances, anyway.

He went up and down and sideways very deliberately this time, to avoid damage and to keep the Crotali, if any of them were still conscious, from realizing what he was up to. What would they call this, anyway, a half-Brishen? It didn’t sound, he thought, too bad.

He had been going fast all the way down, but increased to that speed he really didn’t like at all again as he drew nearer to the Crotalus goal, knowing that if someone on their team was going to make a desperate last play, it was going to be now, and that beating Miss Errant’s broom was half the battle. He waited until the last moment possible, dropping rapidly from the high point in the air he’d gone to, then passed the ball slightly down while pulling away to the left, still moving fast, in the hopes of it looking like he was going to attempt a goal on that hoop. He suddenly envied the Crotali their robe color, which would have made that ploy much easier.

He wasn’t entirely sure about it. Trickery was the Crotalus tactic of the day, whereas Aladren had been relying, for the most part, on sheer force to get them through. Might it be bad luck to assume enemy tactics? But the Crotali had been doing very well since they managed to get their hands on the ball for more than five seconds, so it was worth at least a try. Besides, if the Crotali expected nothing but brute force, they wouldn’t be looking for trickery, and would be somewhere else trying to make any last-second plays. Arthur thought and really hoped so, anyway.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Playing along 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 01, 2011 12:02 AM

Providing cover. by Russell Layne, Chaser

Russell recognized that a certain amount of Quaffle movement was needed for the game to stay interesting, but he was really starting to think that this game was taking it too far. The ball kept changing hands again and again, going back down toward Samantha, bouncing back to the middle of the Pitch, going back toward Samantha little way, then back toward the middle of the Pitch…In his opinion, the scramble for the thing had already crossed the fine line between being fun and just being frustrating for everyone.

He thought Daniel must have agreed with him, because he kept making long runs when he got the Quaffle, enough that, at one point, they almost made it back across the line. The line was starting to feel like a taunt, since they’d make it there and then…some Crotalus would steal, starting the whole thing over again.

Russell, meanwhile, was having other problems. His broom wasn’t bad, it was a good year and model, but it was nothing like the brooms that Preston and Daniel and the twins and that one Crotalus girl had, and the result was that he was getting behind. He thought he might have gotten them back across the line, one time, if not for that Crotalus girl’s superior ride. That wasn’t just a little frustrating, that was really frustrating, because he felt like he was letting down his team by…not being fabulously wealthy. Which sucked, because what was he supposed to do about it, go rob a bank over the summer?

Actually, the more he thought about Arnold and Arthur and Preston and the personality flaws of theirs that Quidditch seemed to make larger, the more he thought he might not actually want to mention that, however clear the sarcasm in his voice was, to anyone. They might agree that it was a good idea and even provide the black clothes, and he thought he was a little young to embark on a life of crime.

He fell behind in the mad rush to the Crotalus goals, but pushed his broom as far as it would go, really hoping Edmond felt like protecting him as well as the captain and Ed’s cousin or whatever Arthur was to him, to get in the general range of the goals. He could block at least one attempt at sweeping up from behind to keep the ball from getting to the Keeper or being taken from between his teammates, and maybe do what he’d done last time and swoop in and score a second goal on the heels of the first, or just a surprise first, once this attempt either succeeded or failed. Twenty points was good, and he supposed he wasn’t the only person who would take it however he could get it, but thirty was even better.

He just had to be careful not to get a signature move, like Renee’s fancy passes seemed to be. Being predictable was okay sometimes, but it really wasn’t while playing Quidditch.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser Providing cover. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

May 01, 2011 12:26 AM

Catching up the Seekers. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

Her part of the game was still casual – she grimaced over the Aladren goal, but didn’t really get too worked up about it; Seeking was virtually a self-contained game, which it was rare for the Chaser antics to affect even among professionals – but Marissa wasn’t surprised when one of the Aladren Beaters tried to hit a Bludger at her. The only thing strange about it was that it was the little one instead of Edmond.

Of course, there was a lot strange about Edmond this semester. Marissa was actually a little worried for him, since while she wouldn’t say they were really friends, they were at least quite friendly acquaintances. They were both prefects, they’d both be Quidditch captains in their seventh year, and while she was more sure he was a lock than she was of her own chances, there was a decent chance they’d be Head Boy and Girl that year, too. That was a lot of being thrown together, in addition to a few times he’d at least attempted to be encouraging when she was having a bigger-than-usual crisis of confidence in class, and since they were both polite people who were usually pleasant to other people they encountered, they had always gotten along fairly well.

They weren’t close enough for her to feel it was really her place to say anything, though, and today, he was definitely her opponent, so while she still wasn’t happy if he was having some kind of issue instead of just a particularly nasty sophomore slump, she wasn’t going to complain about it being someone less large and skilled hitting a Bludger at her. She dodged it easily and smiled, amused, when he started looking for another target instead of going in for a repeated assault on her. He wasn’t bad for a first year, but he definitely had room to learn.

The action moved with Sam and Renee – she winced, much more than she had over Aladren’s goal, when Sam was hit; it seemed Edmond was taking his role seriously today – and Marissa moved away from it. Unfortunately, that put her back in what had become Arnold’s side of the Pitch, and she knew it was likely he’d interpret that as an assault on his territory. Which it sort of was, since the Snitch hadn’t been over there and was therefore likely to have been hiding beneath the chaos somewhere over here, but she still didn’t want to engage in the social aspect of Seeking if she could help it. The timing just didn’t feel right.

So, even though the Pitch was narrower than it was wide, she started out, at least, on the opposite side of it from Arnold, scanning the air beneath her and glancing up every now and then in case it was on top of her head.

In one sweep, she saw a flash of gold right behind Arnold, and thought her heart might have actually stopped for a second. The timing was now right. She couldn’t go that way without taking a very serious risk of him not thinking she was playing chicken, and she couldn’t win in a race from here. She was going to have to let the Snitch go and hope for another chance when she was better positioned soon.

If she was going to let it go, though, she wasn’t going to let him have it. Looking down again, she faked a look of concentration and dove, hoping to lure him away. If it worked, she might even be able to get to where he’d been and chase down that Snitch.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Catching up the Seekers. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

May 01, 2011 10:16 AM

All yours, Mr. Sawyer by Captain Nash, Chaser

The Carey twins were not difficult to tell apart. They were fraternal twins, so their looks distinguished them as much as their personalities did. In the months since they had joined his team, Daniel felt he had gotten a good grasp on which one was which. Arthur's run from the middle of the pitch, where Daniel had passed him the ball, back to the Crotalus goals made him wonder, if only briefly, if they had somehow managed to switch places. Maybe magical fraternal twins could do that as easily as muggle identical twins did.

Whilst Arthur had done a juking up and down, side to side run across the remaining half of the Pitch, as a wise precaution against bludgers and theft, Daniel was not holding onto the Quaffle and he felt it was safe enough to head for the Crotalus goals in a straight line. That got him there first, since his broom was faster than Russell's and Arthur was being fast but cautious. In as much as one could be cautious when flying halfway across the field at breakneck speeds.

Daniel moved into a scoring position and Arthur zoomed right over him, heading for the left hoop, and Daniel was almost surprised to find the Quaffle in his own possession. He didn't even think about it though. As soon as the red ball passed down into his hands, he was throwing it at the right hoop.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser All yours, Mr. Sawyer 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

May 01, 2011 10:37 AM

I don't want your gift, Mr. Nash by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

Pecari had gotten one shot off at him, and then the Quaffle had spent the rest of the game over on Starbuck's side of the Pitch. Renee had stopped that one Pecari attempt before it even reached him. He hadn't been so lucky this game, and a goal had been scored against Crotalus, but then Sam and Renee had gotten the Quaffle away from him, and he was able to breath again. For a little while, it looked like they were going to keep it over on the Aladren half again. The back and forth was happening a bit further away from the goals than it had in the Pecari game, but it was definitely on the Aladren side, and Nic was perfectly fine with that.

But then, somehow, the Aladrens broke away and one of the little firsties had the ball. Nic kept his eye on him and realized the kid was heading for the left hoop. He shifted over from where he was protecting the middle one from the Aladren captain, positioning himself to jump either to the left if short stuff took the shot, or to the right if there was a pass to the more experienced player.

Kid went right passed the blue-clad Captain and Nic moved left before he realized the ball really had been passed. He tried to change direction, but when he realized Nash was going for right hoop, not the center one, he let out a curse, and dove, throwing his long arms as far out as he could, trying to get his hands between the ball and the hoop, but he'd started from too far away.

The Quaffle only just flew passed his fingertips and through the hoop. Nic very nearly fell from his broom, but managed with some difficulty to reclaim possession of the length of bristled wood and fought to stay aloft. Unfortunately, by the time he had the broom under him again, someone else already had the ball.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper I don't want your gift, Mr. Nash 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 01, 2011 10:38 AM

Aladren scores! Score: 20-10 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Aladren scores! Score: 20-10 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 01, 2011 11:19 AM

Nic, have you written your will? by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

There was something not quite right with this game. Charlie wanted to blame the windy weather, she wanted to blame that built-like-a-machine Edmond Carey, but realistically she knew these were just factores of the game; it was just unnerving that Aladren kept getting the Quaffle. They weren't that good. Or, at least, they hadn't been all that spectacular last year, and even in the game against Pecari it had only been the Beaters who were remarkable. Edmond was undoubtedly holding his own in the game, and had already begun making the Crotalus team's lives very difficult, but the other players didn't seem to be doing too badly, either. Charlie had told her team not to underestimate Aladren, but she apparently hadn't taken her own advice. They seemed to have made an improvement, and while they weren't as good as she, Renée and Sam, their Chasing team was nevertheless good enough to present some competition. They just weren't used to that, as went to show when both her steal and Renée's ended up being intercepted by a blue-clad player. What was the world coming too?

Before the Quaffle could get all the way back up the wrong end of the pitch, Charlie neglected her rules of staying on her own side of the pitch as she urged her broom onwards to steal the Quaffle back before Nic could have another opportunity to embarrass himself. She was preparing to steal the ball as it left Daniel's hands, but had to divert last moment as a well-aimed Bludger made for her head. Charlie ducked out of the way, bitter about letting the Quaffle go on its way intercepted, but it was the better scenario out of that or having her skull caved in.

The unplanned pause in her flight was severly unwelcome, but Charlie chose to make use of it by rising back up above her previous height in the play (once the Bludger had passed safely by) and using this higher vantage point to see what was happening with the Quaffle. It had apparently been passed successfully to Arthur, and all the Aladren Chasers were making their way back to Nic's goals. Charlie swore lightly, and made to fly up there and join them - it wasn't her usual state of play to defend her own goals but sometimes a player had to be flexible, and the captain decided that this was one of these times - when she saw something out the corner of her eye approaching fast. In the first moment she thought it was a Bludger, despite the indicative whistling sound being absent (due to the wind, perhaps?), but she soon became aware that it wasn't the Bludger heading right for her, but the Beater.

'Holy' was the first word Charlie uttered, followed by a stream of expletives, the likes of which she reserved especially for Quidditch, as acknowledged the fearsome figure of Edmond Carey coming fast towards her. She had no objections to the fifth year in general, having never had a great deal to do with him, but he had a great deal more body mass than she did, not to mention a hefty Beater's bat. She was sure it would be a foul if he actually rammed into her, but she wasn't prepared to find out. Rising yet higher, Charlie urged her brother's old broom forward as fast as it could go to get out of the way of rampaging Aladrens, only settling herself nearer to the goals in a whole bunch of the same.

A little more shaken from having to avoid a Beater than she was prepared to admit, Charlotte looked down at the game to see the Quaffle right up at the goals. "Nic, your life hangs in the balance," she muttered as she tried to be discreet in lowering herself back to playing height to retrieve the Quaffle that Nic would surely catch.

He didn't.

Charlie swore yet again as she watched the Quaffle go sailing through the hoop and Nic wasn't even fast enough to collect the ball for himself. He'd just blown his second chance. She swore to Merlin that if she had the option of an alternate she would have pulled Nic right out the game there and then and sent in a replacement. But she didn't have a replacement to send in, and, as she calmed down, she realized that it was bound to happen from time to time that a Keeper let in a shot. Again, that extra ten points wasn't going to claim the win for Aladren. Just as well she had a reasonable streak (that was more heavily buried during Quidditch than at other times, but it still managed to raise its head when it was needed) that would prevent her from actually maiming her teammates. They were only human, and this was only a game. Right.

With this in mind, Charlie swept and wove on between the Aladren Chasers, hoping to be in just the right place at just the right time to catch the Quaffle when they inevitably let it be airborne. That being in amongst her opposition helped to protect her from potential Bludgers - not to mention Beaters - was a welcome bonus.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Nic, have you written your will? 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 01, 2011 2:11 PM

doing best to combat extreme anger by Renée Errant {Chaser}

"So much for that." She murmured, spinning around the keeper's goal posts and chasing after the Aladren chasers, the pleasure at having scored a goal now drenched with the embarrassment at her failed pass. The wind rippled through her curls, and she reminded herself she had to write her mother, and beg for the secret to Marianna's own secret for being able to keep the strands out of her face. But then again, Marianna never flew, never did sports, and so probably never had to deal with the problem. On a dive, Renée huffed in frustration as a curl finally loosened itself from its bondage and sprang in front of her eyes, settling over the lashes as she pulled up to streak beneath the passing Aladren chasers, steadily gaining on them but not yet able to intercept. They passed, they passed, they passed and a shot was made at Crotalus goals.

Going... going... going...

'Nic, Renée watched as the red leather bound ball passed through. 'I hate you.'

That was her last thought as she leaned forward and made a desperate dive, racing gravity as she circled around the goal posts, gripping the Quaffle with her fingers and pulled up just before she scraped the grounds, her knees inches away from it. She stayed low before making quick jumps in height, approaching the middle of the pitch, and kept her eyes on both Charlie and Sam. She couldn't think, no time for her favored passes. This was about movement, wind, a tight grip, Febre pushing faster and faster, hair getting out of her eyes, and locking her focused gaze on a fellow chaser.

She pulled back her arm and threw, a direct pass, enough power to stay straight on through the wind, and she kept moving after it, doing her best to block an interception from another Aladren player. Their goal just had to be keep it in their possession. Bring it up to Aladren goals, and show the school - show themselves - that they were still the best. Reality hadn't changed. The would still win. 'Catch it! Catch it! Catch it!'

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} *doing best to combat extreme anger* 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 01, 2011 4:16 PM

Aw, but you're so cute when you're angry by Arthur Carey, Chaser

It had worked. Arthur hadn’t realized how afraid he’d been that it wouldn’t work until it did, but now that his heart was beating again, he felt far giddier than he thought the situation really warranted. It had worked.

It seemed Miss Errant wasn’t, for some reason Arthur couldn’t begin to imagine the nature of, as pleased as he was about that fact. That lunge she made for the ball was really quite undignified. Still feeling fantastic, adrenaline from the victory overriding tiredness from the chaos of the game, Arthur turned and went after her.

And, as he did, made a note to inquire quietly about getting a better broom at home. Arnold was miles ahead of all the other Seekers, but some of the other Chasers were giving Arthur a run for his money, and he was quickly realizing that, at this level of play, broom speed could be and was the difference between a success and a failure, depending on where one was relative to the move. In Quidditch, one person’s success was almost always at least one other person’s failure.

Miss Errant wasn’t quite as desperate as he had been during that half-Pitch run of his, but she came close. Arthur was relieved. For one thing, it made her pass simpler, and for another, he refused to cross that damn line again. The Crotali were like sharks that scented blood in the water on the other side. So he cut between her and her fellow Crotalus, dodging her effort at blocking narrowly, and dove once he had the Quaffle, momentarily feeling ill as he realized he was doing that without a hand on the broom and rectified that situation before he could fall to his embarrassment before the entire school.

Once he had firm control, he turned and began rising back toward a more standard playing level as he headed back toward Mr. Sawyer. More than halfway back down, he checked for Crotali then made a pass about as narrow at the one Daniel had made to him before, hoping Aladren would have luck again.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Aw, but you're so cute when you're angry 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 01, 2011 4:29 PM

I'm cute all the time by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

Somehow Charlotte had been so annoyed with Nic that she initially missed Renée streaking past to sneak the Quaffle into her grasp once a goal had been scored. The moment she had realized that none of the three Aladren chasers round her had the Quaffle, and that the ball was actually in Crotalus possession, the captain didn't spare a moment in breaking free from the group and following Renée's tearaway flight down the pitch, back to the Crotalus goals. She was more careful than she had been in the opposite direction, looking and listening sharply for any sort of interception, whether it be in human or Bludger form. She took a leaf out of the Aladren cahsers' book and did her best to not fly in a staright line to further deter Bludgers, though she wanted to remain in Renée's line of sight so her teammate knew where to pass the Quaffle.

As such, she saw one of the little Aladren Chasers about to intercept. She didn't see him in time to stop him or Renée from doing the inevitable, but she did have time to drop beneath him and follow the opposing player back down the pitch a little while. She saw Daniel approaching, pre-empted the pass, and rose in front of the player in practise-perfect timing to take the Quaffle back. She's now used this manouevre twice in the same game, and therefore probably couldn't use it again, but hopefully twice would be enough. Touching the Quaffle for the second time that game, Charlie tucked the leather ball under her arm as she continued back on her track down the pitch. Luckily Arthur hadn't taken the Quaffle far, and so after a couple of seconds of fast flying she was past that middleway line. Great, now all they had to do was keep the Quaffle this side of the pitch and AWAY from Nic.

Dodging and weaving more than she could recall ever having done before in a Quidditch game - Edmond Carey certainly made life more interesting when it came to Quidditch. Shame he was one of those eery pureblood types and not a touch more attractive visually, as then he'd have the potential to make life more interesting in other ways, which would potentially lead to Charlie not being personally attacked, but that was really and truly a pondering for another moment - the Crotalus captain headed closer and closer to the goals guarded by Samantha Hamilton. Third year, easily intimidated, apparently. She couldn't keep hold of the Quaffle long enough to try a shot for herself, but her teammates were both in her line of sight. They were on home turf again (or sky, technically), and Charlie hadn't lost any of her earlier determination. In fact the opposite was now true - she was more convinced it was her team's turn to score, considering Aladren were currently ten points up, and that was just unacceptable.

With a quick check for any blue-robed players who might try to spoil her fun, Charlie gave a quick nod to her nearest chaser and passed the ball quickly and directly.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser I'm cute all the time 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Preston, Beater

May 01, 2011 4:30 PM

I don't think so by Preston, Beater

Preston was fairly certain that they would win this. They had an amazing team! Nothing could go wrong. Okay, maybe some injuries here and there, but the medic would be able to sort them out. Plus, Coach Pierce would not let them die or something like that. If that was the case, the school would be hit with so many lawsuits that it wouldn’t know what to do. It was better for everyone to remain as safe as possible, even when Quidditch was a violent game. They had people smacking iron balls from side to side. Anyways, Preston felt pretty confident about the outcome of the match. Aladren was going to win the cup and everything would be okay.

The redhead began flying around, looking for another Bludger to use, he needed to get into the game after sending one to the Crotalus Seeker, he hadn’t seen if it had hit her, since he needed to continue doing his job, protecting the other Aladrens. The game was moving along quite quickly, and he was happy to see that their Chasers had managed to score two goals, giving them an edge. The snitch still had to be caught, but he was sure Arnold would manage it.

The Aladren spotted a Bludger and followed it. He had every intention of sending it towards the Crotalus Captain, which had just intercepted a pass made by Arthur. Well, he couldn’t have that. With every ounce of force (his arms were going to hurt in the morning) he had, he smacked the ball at her. His aim had improved tremendously since he had started practicing at MARS. He could hear the crack and smiled at his move.

0 Preston, Beater I don't think so 0 Preston, Beater 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 01, 2011 4:46 PM

You don't think. Period. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Another Aladren interception, and Renée actually felt a scream of frustration well up inside her chest, threatening to explode, and sped after Arthur Carey. He made a pass and Renée pushed her broom faster... even faster... "Oh!" If brooms could skid on air, hers just did because just as quickly Charlie had stolen the Quaffle back. Renée followed her captain, watched as a pass was thrown and sped up, heading directly for the goals while catching the pass at the same time. The frustrated feeling left her and all there was was excitement and purpose.

The Aladren Keeper was in sight and Renée's face became flushed with the possibility of scoring again. The choices for how she would do so ran through her mind, droplets of water that trickled through the crevices and but when she tried to reach out and grasp them they slid off and fell through. The hoops were looming even closer now and there was no time to think. That was good, because Renée was better at acting.

She palmed the Quaffle and threw towards the right goal hoop, and then just as suddenly sped forward and grabbed it again, dropping lower and throwing at the middle goal hoop, trying to get it underneath the keeper's form. She watched the Quaffle fly for a second time, and tried to focus reality. The reality that they would win. 'Come on... go in! Go in! Go in!' Reality demanded they score.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} You don't think. Period. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

May 01, 2011 4:53 PM

Don't think. Act, by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

This time she was ready for them. Having the group of Crotalus Chasers come right at her the first time had been daunting, Samantha would admit that any day. Of course, having survived their first attack, she felt she was capable of surviving their second. She was still nervous – being seventy feet in the air on a magical broomstick while the whole school watched could do that to a girl – but she felt she had more control than earlier on in the game. She’d let the first goal in, but it wasn’t the end of the world. The Crotalus keeper had let in the first and second goals, and it hadn’t been the end of the world for him. His chances of making the team next year might be reduced, but that was all, and Samantha wasn’t currently convinced that she wanted to join the team again next year, anyway. Plus, she was remembering that teamwork thing.

So when it happened again that the Crotalus Chasers descended on her en masse, Samantha readied herself on her broomstick. She didn’t take her eyes off the Quaffle. She saw one of the girls, Renée, had it, and she watched as the red leather ball go towards the right hoop, then be reclaimed and go instead to the middle hoop . Her heart thudding wildly in her chest, Samantha felt a bit giddy with the adrenaline coursing through her, but she knew it would help her to perform her best. She moved back towards the middle hoop, and reached it just in time, stretching out her foot to kick the ball firmly away from the goal. She’s always been better at soccer than at Quidditch, anyway. Okay, so she hadn’t caught it, and she hadn’t knocked it far, but she’d stopped it from going in. For the time being, at least. Not catching the ball meant she had no say in where it went next. She hoped that an Aladren would materialize to gain possession of the Quaffle and get rid of the wretched ball back down the other end of the pitch, because she really didn’t want a repeat of that Pecari game. The prospect of it alone was making her nervous.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper Don't think. Act, 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 01, 2011 4:54 PM

Wonders why Arthur is laughing so hard by Edmond Carey, Beater

He didn’t, in the end, keep Errant away from the ball, but he did successfully scatter her support, with the result that the Quaffle was quickly back in Aladren hands and moving toward Mr. Sawyer. Edmond hit his retrieved Bludger toward the back of a Crotalus Chaser just as a final gesture as much as in the hopes of keeping anyone from bothering Daniel.

He didn’t stop – he had to finish the game – but he did slow down his pursuit, resisting the temptation to rub his shoulder. That moment of – insanity, energy, whatever one wanted to call it, had passed, and he was starting to feel exactly what the frantic pace he’d been keeping up since the opening whistle blew was doing to him. He would, if he wanted to walk tomorrow, need to visit the medic tonight to be sure nothing was actually damaged, a thought he dreaded. Handing himself over to someone like that, trusting them….

He shook his head. No. He couldn’t think that way. That was crazy. He sped up, ignoring the shoulder. Rubbing it would show weakness, which might give the Crotali more confidence than his failure to attack them again already had. He needed to seem more like an indestructible force of nature sent to ruin their days and put them in the hospital than he did like a Quidditch player.

The Crotalus Keeper missed again, and they were ten up. The game struggled for a moment, desperate rushes back and forth, he didn’t have a Bludger and his people were too much in the thick of it to try rushing them again, and then Charlotte took it back to Crotalus side of the Pitch just as Preston hit a Bludger at her.

It took him a moment to realize this meant Arnold and Marissa were either alone or going one-on-one with the Crotalus Beaters, and he took it taking a moment to mean that he really was either exhausted or losing his mind. No time to think about that, though. Aladren had to keep playing with all the Bludgers, or they were done.

Finding the other, and thanking Merlin for their attraction to groups of people for once, he swung hard at the third Crotalus Chaser - the problem child already being out of range - then followed, forcing himself to focus once more. The Errant girl had the best broom of the Crotalus Chasers, which meant she needed to be taken down. Now the Bludger, after his second attack on Mr. Bauer, was in range. As she took the shot at the Aladren goals, he took aim at the back of her head and hit the Bludger as hard as he could.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater *Wonders why Arthur is laughing so hard* 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 01, 2011 5:00 PM

Act your age? by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

Just as she’d let go of the Quaffle to pass to her teammate, Charlie saw the Bludger out the corner of her eye just a split-second too late. She hurriedly pulled her hands back out the way, but her reflexes weren’t fast enough, and the Bludger caught the back of the fingers on her left hand. As she sharply drew her hand back to her body, wishing she had time to nurse her wounds, she thanked Merlin that at least it had been her left hand, not her right. The pain was sharp and intense, but at the same time her brain managed to dull it as she focussed on the whereabouts of the Quaffle, rather than the likely event that she’d just broken two of her fingers.

Charlie saw that Renée made her attempt at the goal in her usual unpredictable style, if that wasn’t a contradiction in terms. The ball should, by all rights, have gone in, but the Aladren Keeper seemed to have gotten to it just in time. Which made her a damned sight better than Nic, Charlie thought grudgingly. On the plus side, she hadn’t actually caught the ball, which would serve in Crotalus’ favour. Having surged forward both to be nearer to her teammates, and the Quaffle, and to avoid further Bludger attacks – she thought this one might have come from firstie beater, not Edmond, which she wasn’t sure made things better or worse for her team – she was in a decent position to catch the ball that rebounded from Samantha’s foot.

Sweeping the Quaffle up in her uninjured right hand, Charlie lifted it and herself directly towards the left hoop, furthest from the Keeper, and made to smartly deposit the ball through the hoop. There, Aladren Keeper, try to stop that one! If Pecari thought they’d had it bad, it was nothing compared to what Aladren were going to get now.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Act your age? 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 01, 2011 5:07 PM

Why would I want to do that? by Arthur Carey, Chaser

“Drat,” Arthur shouted, that being the strongest piece of language he was prepared to use when people could hear him, when the Crotalus captain intercepted and then crossed the line again. Seeing no other choice, he plunged after her.

Preston tried to remove Miss Abbott from the game, but it didn’t matter for the Quaffle, because Miss Errant already had it. Accordingly, Arthur took no interest in whether or not his yearmate had been successful, but kept moving forward, praying that the girl would pass again and scowling and then smiling in rapid succession when first his prayer was not granted and then Samantha – he had tried thinking of her as ‘Miss Hamilton,’ but the title conjured images of the ghost of his great-great-grandmother’s maiden aunt, which was just wrong – came through for them and kept the score as it was with her foot.

Knowing he had only seconds, Arthur dove forward, throwing dignity to the winds, and missed. Seeing that it was a sixth year who had it instead didn’t bother him. Instead, he followed her, grabbing at the Quaffle and getting it. Then, throwing all caution to the winds, he began racing back toward the Aladren end, making his second half-Pitch run and then a bit before trying to pass yet again. He thoroughly expected to be hit by a Bludger at any second, but it would be worth if it the pass could succeed.

Later, of course, he would curse himself for being such an idiot, but it would be over then, and the part of his mind that knew all this was losing to the parts that insisted he could handle pain if it meant victory. The part that pointed out his performance meant little to the victory was even less effective at getting its message across.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Why would I want to do that? 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 01, 2011 5:31 PM

Maybe you wouldn't. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

There was a familiar CRACK that sounded the air, and Renée tensed as she sensed a bludger heading toward her, fighting the instinct to move away just yet, while watching events of the Qaffle unfold (Her shot was kicked away, Charlie got it, Charlie threw, and then somehow Arthur Carey had gotten it). She stayed stationary, deeply tanned knuckles whitening over the sleek wood. 'Not yet... not yet... not... now!' The bludger was barely two feet behind her when she shot off, heading directly toward the Aladren Keeper, bludger straining for her head. "Ung!" She pulled up suddenly and twisted around, shooting away from the goals while the bludger switched its attentions towards the Aladren keeper.

Arthur Carey was a good distance away but her own broom was able to cover the distance and the back of his head was visible. "This is getting to be a habit with us!" She grinned and dove for his pass, grabbing the Quaffle and twisting around again, heading back for Aladren goals. Yes, she actually preferred playing against chasers who posed a challenge to Crotalus, but the whole Arthur Carey swooping in, and herself stealing it back from him had become too habitual. 'Not that I'm going to stop.'

Past the midpoint line and again Aladren was in view. Renée feinted to one Crotalus chaser, and then threw to another whilst blocking the nearest Aladren chaser from intercepting, cutting her broom in front of them. Her forehead had begun to shine with a little perspiration but despite the fact that she was flushed, the wind was able to cool her down. Still her breaths were a little shallower than from the beginning of the game, and her heart was hammering a little harder. 'This is what a game should feel like.' She readied herself for either another pass or interception.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Maybe you wouldn't. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 01, 2011 8:23 PM

I shall not answer until I fully understand your meaning by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Arthur only just made out the words Miss Errant was shouting at him. “Then go away!” he bellowed back as she stole the Quaffle and went back again. It seemed Edmond had failed to break her skull open for him. What use was having a cousin the size of a house playing Beater if he couldn’t take out one measly, annoying, purposeless, annoying girl whose brain was so strange it should have been used as a display piece in a Healing college?

She might have been getting bored, but Arthur was just starting to get irritated. Irritated enough to double his pace as he turned on a dime, making himself dizzy in the process, and went after her again. This turned out to be a very bad idea, because when she suddenly turned to block him from her pass, it was too late for him to stop, only to slow slightly and start to wrench his broom out of the way so that, when the inevitable came to pass, it was him that collided with her instead of his broom handle that smashed into hers and came into pieces.

Unfortunately, the way things had happened was still not very good, because now he was having a very hard time staying on his broom, making a concentrated attempt not to fall the opposite way and end up plunging to earth and officially continue Aladren’s trend of bad luck in that area. He hoped to Merlin that his brother was too distracted to notice, because Arnold might come over here and, all chivalry and Seeker’s duties forgotten, attempt to assault her if he’d seen what was going on. That would be bad on more levels than Arthur really cared to contemplate.

Still, though. Even as he threw himself flat on the broom to stay on it and ended up rolling completely around and away from her before he could catch his balance, he took a certain grim pleasure in knowing she’d taken as hard a hit as he had, and might even be falling, since he thought she likely had less body mass than he did. If Aladren got a free shot because of the (admittedly, he suspected, highly) arguable instance of her flying with intent to collide, that would just be a bonus.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser I shall not answer until I fully understand your meaning 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

May 01, 2011 10:25 PM

I think we're already behind again by Arnold Carey, Seeker

Arnold had no idea what was going on with the rest of the game.

That bothered him, though he knew it shouldn’t. He wasn’t Arthur, wanting to know everything about everything everywhere, but he did like to know about his immediate surroundings, and the chaos going on beneath him was making it hard to do that. They really needed someone to commentate, and loudly, because he really didn’t think the audience was able to see what was going on beneath them any better than he could, which was not very well.

He could, however, see what was going on right across from him, and Miss Stephenson was now on his side of the Pitch. Arnold frowned at her, though he was sure she was too far away to see and too old and good at this to care – no, he was not going to think like that. He was good at what he did, and he was going to win this match for his team. He was not going to let her mess with his mind just by being within eyeshot of it. Scowling, he went back to looking for the Snitch –

And saw the sudden movement as she dove.

He didn’t take time to think before he dove, heading for the same point she seemed to be before he noticed there was nothing shiny there. But there had to be something shiny there, because he could not be tricked the same way by two girls in as many games.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker I think we're already behind again 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 01, 2011 11:17 PM

... it really wasn't a question. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

'Well,' Renée gasped in surprise, her pain momentarily suspended, as she collapsed on her broom, one hand gripping her side, the other one desperately gripping the broom as she lost control and began a rapid (familiar) descent. 'At least he switched it up a little.' She gritted her teeth as the pain struck in full, unable to decide if her left side was burning, stinging, or what felt possibly like splintering into little pieces trying to jab through her rib cage. 'At least it isn't boring.' She let out another gasp of pain, sweat and tears slipping down her face but she gritted her teeth again and pulled up, straining for higher air, lifting an arm from her side and wiping her face quickly, the wind taking care of the rest until her face was clear.

She looked up until she was level with him, her breathing labored but she tried to steady it, and watched Arthur Carey struggle to stay on his broom. Something clever flashed through her mind but she had no breath to waste on shouting it, and instead turned to where the Quaffle was headed and shot off there. The Febre wasn't damaged in the slightest, but she winced and slowed down for the sake of her side. 'Don't take it easy! This is what it should feel like. Play along with it.' She swallowed saliva that was starting to build up, and increased her speed again, gaze locked on the quaffle and continued on with the game...

TWEEET

But then she was able to hear the coach's whistle blow and she took the excuse to flatten on her broom once more and stop, turning her broom over to avoid flying into - well, having another player fly into her.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} ... it really wasn't a question. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 01, 2011 11:35 PM

And we're recentering again! by Coach Pierce

It wasn't as bad as the Teppenpaw game. Amelia Pierce had repeated this to herself several times already. The reason she believed herself was that she hadn't yet had to use her wand. She'd thought, for a little while, that she'd have to for Nic when he tried his second save, but he recovered. A few other times, she'd begun to reach for it after a bludger impact, but everyone stayed in the air, and none of the injuries so far seemed serious.

And then Renee Errant turned her broom and Arthur Carey crashed into her. Amelia's coach whistle was in her mouth and blowing shrilly through the air before she even consciously thought to grab it. She was also moving her broom in their direction and her wand was in hand.

Arthur managed to stay on his broom, if only barely. Renee seemed a bit battered from the collision, but also did not loose hold over her broom. She even started to go after the Quaffle again. That was dedication to the sport.

Even as she processed these facts, she was also reviewing the chain of events. No foul, she decided after a moment. Arthur rammed into Renee, but he hadn't really been given a lot of option given her manuever. But neither had Renee intentially touched Arthur. If he hadn't been so close behind or moving so fast, he should have been at least able to avoid hitting her. Amelia had serious doubts it had been Renee's intention to get run over.

So, no fault, no foul.

She indicated that the player holding the Quaffle should give it to her, and once the red ball was in hand, she said in a charm amplified voice, "We'll be moving play back to the center of the Pitch and throwing off again. No foul."

Once everyone had reconvened in the middle of the Pitch - it didn't take long, since they weren't far from it anyway - she dropped the sonorus charm to remind the players that the medic was on hand if they needed her services, but doing so was entirely voluntary and play would not wait for them. Then she held the Quaffle aloft and recast the charm, and summarized the current status of the game for the crowd.

"We're at a score of 20 points for Aladren, 10 points for Crotalus. The snitch has not been caught. Play resumes in three, two, one." She blew into her whistle again, threw the Quaffle into the air, and dove down out of the way.

0 Coach Pierce And we're recentering again! 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Renée Errant

May 01, 2011 11:54 PM

No pain, no gain... so I guess Crotalus will be gaining alot by Renée Errant

She didn't focus on what was being said, simply breathed and watched as the Quaffle was given to Coach Pierce. Her side was hurting (burning, stinging, splintering) and she couldn't push the pain to the back of her mind. Pain was the reality here, and Renée's mind was much too focused to ignore it. Her ears were buzzing in an oddly silenced sound, bright dark brown eyes suddenly realizing that there was an audience for the game and that she was on display. Her eyes stared at the audience in the stands, gradually becoming aware of the dark curls slackened across her forehead, pinned by the beads of sweat, and her hunched over form, entire body dependent on hovering wood.

TWEEET

The whistle blew, the Quaffle was thrown, and the audience disappeared, Renée's world and reality confined to the air and the pitch. She jumped in height, hitting the ball with her hand out of the reach of an Aladren chaser, and pushed forward again to grab it as it fell. 'Es hora de ganar. Ignorar el dolor!' She pushed her broom faster, weaving in and out of players, her ears alert for any loud CRACK's in the air, and squinted through the wind as the Aladren hoops again loomed near.

A flash of red across her vision, and she rose just a little more in the air, leaning over and lunging a direct drop pass at them, watching it begin to fall within their close and able reach. A soft groan escaped from her lips as she continued on towards Aladren's goals, passing the mid point line and not checking to see yet if her pass had made it; the strain of the pass lesser than if she had lunged a throw instead of dropping it. Still, it hurt, but the pain already was beginning to ebb away... coming back in great bursts whenever a sudden movement was made. 'Focus... focus on the reality. We're still going to win... and it's still just fun to play. Focus.'

0 Renée Errant No pain, no gain... so I guess Crotalus will be gaining alot 0 Renée Errant 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 02, 2011 8:31 AM

I think in Quidditch, it's inflicting pain that means gain by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Well, thought Arthur, trying not to fume too much, it could have been worse.

The coach could, after all, have been nepotistic enough to favor her own House and say he had been the one in the wrong, with Miss Errant had clearly turned right in front of him, intending to stop him from making things right at any cost. And while she didn’t seem to have been seriously injured, he, too, was intact, which he might not have been if things had gone just a little differently. So it definitely could have been worse.

But it definitely could have been better, too. He gave the Crotalus girl a look that he intended to strike deep fear in her heart about what was going to happen once the game resumed, but which instead looked more like an angry glower from a twelve-year-old who hadn’t gotten his way after becoming very accustomed to doing so.

Deep down, he felt perhaps the tiniest grain of respect starting to form, but to acknowledge such a grain during the game was, his subconscious informed him, unseemly at best, traitorous at worst. So he joined the rest of his team in a fine temper.

“Won’t you get her already?” he snapped at Edmond as the teams reconvened, but his cousin was pale, looked like he was about to be sick, and didn’t seem to hear him. He turned on his roommate instead. “Preston, would you mind hurting Miss Errant for me?”

Then the Quaffle was back in the air, and Arthur wasted no time. He was still aching from his collision with Miss Errant, becoming tired from the constant back and forth and strategizing, but he looked at Miss Errant and drew determination to fly forward and fly fast and get that ball before she could touch it again.

He missed, but that didn’t deter him in the slightest. When she passed, he was ready for it, and occupied the space between her and the other Crotalus in a flash that made the entire side that had endured a collision protest, coming out with the Quaffle, which he looped around to start moving down his side.

The distance looked longer, somehow, this time, but he pushed on until he only just heard the whine of a Bludger in time to pull away from it, and it brushed his sleeve instead of breaking his arm. He put on a little more speed to pass it so it would attack anyone behind him instead – if the Crotalus Beaters wanted to get involved now, it was their own fault if it went against them – and, finding himself about five feet from one of his teammates, passed, already mentally preparing to turn around again if one of the Crotali somehow got petulant again.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser I think in Quidditch, it's inflicting pain that means gain 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 02, 2011 8:37 AM

...I really am the token sane man, aren't I? by Russell Layne, Chaser

The game, to Russell's eyes, had descended into chaos. Pure, unrelieved, vivid black chaos. The Quaffle was changing hands almost as much as it had in the last Chimeras game he'd seen, and Edmond was playing the part of the angrily efficient Beater very well, but somehow, it all just seemed disordered and near-impossible to follow.

He guessed that had set in right after the goal, somewhere between diving for the falling Quaffle and being beaten to it by Renee and being ready to catch a pass from Arthur when it was suddenly intercepted by Crotalus' captain and then somehow finding himself at the wrong end of the Pitch watching Samantha save. He was sure logical decisions based on the circumstances had put him there, but everything had just happened so fast that he'd barely been able to take a breath between moves, never mind keep track of what he was doing. He wasn't happy to see Arthur collide with Renee, but he was undeniably, at least to himself, relieved when the game was restarted.

Renee beat them all to it again - stupid model broom was his guess - but Arthur seemed to be either taking something personally or much more dedicated to the sport than Russell would have given him credit for, and the ball was quickly back in Aladren's possession. Russell put his broom to its best to cover in case his roommate needed or wanted to pass.

Which Arthur soon did. His failure to repeat his earlier move wasn't entirely expected, but as he caught Art's pass, Russell did feel a little relieved about it. It was evidence of Arthur still being reasonably sane when Russell had been afraid that he, Russ Layne, was slowly morphing into the token sane man, which was only bad because of how unlikely he knew it was for anyone to believe someone who was the token sane man of three groups was actually, well, sane.

He didn't have the imagination to think of anything too flashy, but did try to look as though he were going to make a drop pass right outside the scoring area before sweeping his arms back up to shoot at the left hoop, his fingers crossing as soon as the Quaffle was clear of them so his toes could take a break if they wanted.

They, as it turned out, didn't.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser ...I really am the token sane man, aren't I? 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

May 02, 2011 9:30 AM

And to my roommate, Sam Bauer, I bequeath... by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

He'd missed again. If Charlie didn't murder him, it was possible Renee might spark off the Eliza War by coming after him for an entirely different and possibly well-founded (depending on how crazy Crotalus Quidditch made the judge) reason than what Eliza may avenge him for. And if that didn't, Nic slept in the same room as Sam, and if Sam didn't do it, there was a whole stand full of Crotalus fans who might come after him for missing not one, but two attempts on the goal.

Never mind that his life had been on the line the first time, and the Aladrens had tricked him the second time, and at the beginning of the year he couldn't quite fly in a straight line. He wanted to see any one else miss a Quaffle going through the left hoop by inches when they'd started the play most of the way over to the right one. He'd tried. Maybe if he'd fully leapt off his broom and fallen to his death instead of only half-doing so, he might have managed those last inches, but he wasn't crazy like Renee and most of the Aladren team seemed to be.

He had this thing called a self-preservation instinct and he was pretty sure most of living creatures on Earth had it too, including humanity, which made him normal and them weird.

That was just the way the it was and if you had to be completely mad to play Quidditch well, then maybe Charlie would ask him not to sign up next year and everyone would be much happier all around. It wasn't like he actually enjoyed doing something he so obviously sucked at in front of the entire school. Including Rachel Bauer.

As if too prove how unqualified he was, a loud whistle interrupted his thoughts so badly he nearly startled off his broom. He'd been idly watching the crowd of Chaser, making sure they weren't dangerously close to him, but they'd been on the Aladren side and no threat when the whistle blew and it took him entirely off guard.

He honestly had no idea why play was recentering in the middle, just that there was 'no foul' but Crotalus apparently lost ground for it anyway. Sometimes - not often, but sometimes - he thought he should maybe have someone go over some of the finer rules of the game beyond 'Keeper stops the ball from going through the three hoops on his side' and 'Game ends when the snitch is caught by a Seeker.' Those two were usually enough for him, and he seemed to be having enough trouble with the first one without adding more.

Then play resumed, and this time the whistle didn't make him jump out of his skin, so he counted that as improvement. The ball went away for a little while, but then it started coming back with a vengence and Nic groaned and readied himself to try another block.

Fortunately, aside from a feinted pass, they didn't to anything really complicated this time, and his brief reaction to that was not quite long or substantial enough to make Nic's very tall frame unable to get in its way once he did realize what was really happening.

True, he was only able to bat it away, not catch it entirely and throw to the player of his choice, but he stopped a goal attempt.

He stopped a goal. By himself. Maybe, maybe his death by Crotalus Quidditch Fans was not a given anymore. A success rate of one in three was infinitely better than a success rate of oh in two.

And maybe Rachel Bauer was a tiny bit impressed.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper And to my roommate, Sam Bauer, I bequeath... 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

May 02, 2011 10:14 AM

Do I want to know the end of that sentence? by Sam Bauer, Chaser

Sam was short and skinny, with one good arm and a lower-end-of-mediocre broom he'd inherited from his cousin many years ago. Edmond was tall and large, with one arm occupied with a weapon and, it seemed safe to assume, a much better broom than what his uncle could produce. Therefore, when Edmond, having failed to possibly literally take someone's head off with a Bludger, charged the Crotalus Chasers, Sam saw only one logical solution: he did what the fireman said and ran like hell.

It was official. That guy was crazy. With everyone scrambling for the Quaffle, he could have hit his own people as easily as anyone else. He hadn't, worse luck for Crotalus, or even earned Crotalus a free shot on his goals, but still. Sam shook his head as he steadied himself on his broom and looked for where the action was. People were crazy.

Evidence suggested Renee wasn't doing much better in the sanity department, but her crazy made him smile grimly. Making the interception under these conditions was as indicative of destructive tendencies as Edmond's rampage, but hers were at least keeping Crotalus in the running....

Or at least kept them from being completely humiliated by a bunch of nerds, two-thirds of which were first years. Daniel Nash had just intercepted, and with everyone still scattered from Edmond's one-man cavalry manouver, it was then successfully passed to the bigger firstie, who proceeded to join in the going-crazy fun and make a long run before -

Sam blinked as the goal was made with the Quaffle nowhere in sight. He worked his aching shoulder again, to make sure that was what had been hit and not his head. The heck had just happened?

And, more importantly in the big picture, where the heck was the Quaffle?

Oh. Renee had it again. They could move on.

Between the arm and either the worst or second-worst ride on the Pitch, he wasn't much use in the increasingly sharp-edged game, but he did succeed in catching a pass from Renee just in time to have the whistle blow, forcing him to surrender it. Then, after the restart, he missed another pass, and Aladren got to the goals, again. This was just fantastic.

At least Nic finally saved. If the score had gone 30-10 with no save between some of Aladren's goals, Sam thought Charlie might well have killed them all when it finally ended.

He didn't think he'd have much luck in the war that was about to erupt for the Quaffle, though, not at the rates Carey and Renee had been moving with it and it hadn't come in his direction anyhow, so he made his contribution to Crotalus' renaissance by trying to block one of the Aladrens. Breaking up the unit had gone pretty well for Aladren, and Sam was perfectly fine with derivative tactics. He just hoped he had better luck than Renee had, or else he was probably going to have to take Pierce up on that offer of a medic.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser Do I want to know the end of that sentence? 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

May 02, 2011 10:25 AM

Well, I can't claim that title, Russell by Captain Nash, Chaser

This game was completely mad. Daniel felt he had some authority on the subject of madness, and he was quite sure this game qualified. The seekers were diving at hallucinations (so far as he could tell, but he didn't have the trained eyesight of a Seeker). His beaters were obsessive (not that he was complaining). And the Chasers were . . . well the Chaser were erratic, paranoid (justly so, to be fair), and now, apparently violent.

Daniel winced as Arthur and Renee collided. Then he winced again from the sound of the Coach's whistle. She was a Crotalus, and it had technically been Arthur who slammed into Renee, even though it was obviously Renee's fault. Fortunately, a foul was not called on Aladren. Less fortunately, it was not call on Crotalus, either. But Aladren did regain some of the territory Renee reclaimed in her run for the Aladren side, so Daniel was taking that as a win. Especially since Renee now seemed to be having trouble with her ribs.

Despite her injury, Renee was somehow the fastest off the mark, but Arthur, despite his injury (if he had one; Daniel couldn't really tell), got in there and made another run for Crotalus's side. After the game, Daniel was definitely going to have to do something amazing for his team since they were doing such an increadible job today. Not that he would have expected anything less. Not after the Teppenpaw game.

Pecari, Daniel thought, could no longer lay claim to the school's most obsessive Quidditch players. Sure Aladren had previously had the Legend of Anne Wright, but this year, he felt, he may very well have a whole team of Anne Wrights. It was fantastic.

Arthur passed to Russell and Russell brought it the rest of the way to Nic Sawyer. He faked a pass to Daniel, but then took a shot, and Nic . . . Nic swatted it away. Daniel tried to go after it, but unfortunately, so did Sam Bauer. Daniel honestly wasn't sure if Sam was getting in Daniel's way to get in Daniel's way, or if he was trying to get at the ball, too, but it definitely seemed like the first. The kid managed to be sufficiently annoying that someone else got to the ball before Daniel could.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser Well, I can't claim that title, Russell 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 02, 2011 10:44 AM

Claims title....Wait, what did I just.... by Russell Layne, Chaser

He'd missed. Russell - caught up again, he guessed, in Quidditch madness - wanted to hit something. He had to be the one person who couldn't beat the Keeper?

Well, that wasn't fair. Arthur had likely only done it because Edmond had nearly killed the Keeper at the same time Arthur tried to beat him. But still. Was there some Carey rule saying that they could only help each other out? He'd gotten the impression, watching the twins, that their family was kind of weird, but still....

It wasn't over yet, though. The ball wasn't even going straight for a Crotalus. His good sense told him it was a bad idea, considering some of the people involved, but he told it to shut up and dove for the Quaffle.

Coming up, somehow, with it, he didn't so much hesitate for a split second as think of doing so before - Daniel being held up by the Bludgered Crotalus - passing to Arthur, hoping the sudden shift, combined with Aladren regaining the ball, would throw the Keeper off.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser *Claims title*....Wait, what did I just.... 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 02, 2011 10:53 AM

I am perfectly sane, thank you very much by Arthur Carey, Chaser

It took an effort, but Arthur managed not to glare at Russell in the second he realized that Mr. Sawyer was finally going to do what he was theoretically supposed to and keep the goals. It had been inevitable that someone would miss at some point, and that had not, as far as it went, been a bad attempt. He had to remember that, because he had to live with Russell for the next six years, and shouting at him about incompetence here would not be a step toward making that work. Plus, seeing division among the Aladrens might encourage the Crotali, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Still. A little imagination. Was it so much to ask for?

He forgave him a good deal, though, when he successfully retrieved the ball for Aladren. That, with the way Miss Errant had been flying around on that thing of hers, had taken some bravery. Was he a good enough flier that he’d avoided getting smashed to pieces between people, or was Miss Errant slowing down? Oh, Arthur hoped it was the second, hoped it so much even he realized it wasn’t proper. He’d hit her more with his shoulder than anything, but he’d grown up with Arnold and Jay, both of whom had seemed to find it fun to collide with anything that could be collided with up to the time Arnold collided with the window during a party last July. He had skills.

Then Russell passed to him, and Arthur didn’t waste any time throwing it toward the right hoop, knowing that he had seconds, if that, before the Keeper realized what had just happened and reacted to it. Thirty-ten sounded like a very nice score.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser I am perfectly sane, thank you very much 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 02, 2011 11:17 AM

Sanity has no place in Quidditch by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Forced to acknowlege that the eternal struggle for keeping possession of the ball wasn’t over, Renée took a moment to close her eyes, feeling where the pain was and trying to judge how bad it really was. ‘I could remove myself from the game for just a little while to get better… leave Crotalus with just two chasers.’ She couldn’t do that to her team. ‘Alright, just push past it. Do it until you black out.’ She could feel it happening. The injury hadn’t initially been bad, but the repetitive strain she was putting on it wasn’t helping. Her eyes opened and the focus she now gave, and renewed dedication helped her breathe easier, flatten herself on the broom, and take off, recovering ground as fast as her broom would allow.

Aladrens were passing in succession; she saw nothing but streaks of red bouncing off blue to blue to blue. She kept up her speed, until she saw a shot fired at the Crotalus goals and gave a groan in premptive disapointment as well as genuine physical pain. ‘No, ignore the pain. Ignore it.’ Her ribs burned and Nic had let in another –

‘Wait!’ The Quaffle was deflected and Renée dove beneath Sam and Daniel but saw another Aladren chaser grab the ball. She pulled just as suddenly away and sped towards the space a few feet below Arthur, trusting that Sam could block Daniel if the Aladren threw it his way. He didn’t, and Renée jumped up in height and twisted to get the pass, but she hadn’t been going fast enough and the Quaffle sailed past her. She just knew Arthur was going to make the shot. She couldn’t let him.

The Quaffle sailed to the right goal hoop and Renée sped around Nic and the middle goal hoop to slap it away, diving after it fell and grabbed it again. She let her broom go into a sort of free fall before she directed it up and sped forward, continuously going back in height until she hadn’t quite reached the midpoint line when she dove once more and passed underneath an Aladren chaser towards a Crotalus. It would be nice if a pass was completed this time.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Sanity has no place in Quidditch 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 02, 2011 11:55 AM

I suppose I fit in with it perfectly, then? by Edmond Carey, Beater

When the whistle blew, there was one second when Edmond felt relief. Even something like happiness. It was over. One of the Seekers had caught the Snitch, and this nightmare of a game was over. They could go home.

Then Edmond heard the Coach’s voice, and felt the disappointment almost like someone had just hit a Bludger into his abdomen. Damn it, why couldn’t Arnold or Marissa catch the Snitch? He didn’t even care which one of them did at this point, didn’t care if his team won or lost, didn’t care – so long as it was over and he wasn’t – wasn’t – wasn’t being asked to start again. He could not start again.

But he had to. He stood with the other Aladrens back in the center, feeling shaky, as though he were going to fall asleep while he was ill. His arms and back hurt. He couldn’t even hear what Coach Pierce was saying. But he had to start again. He was the Assistant Captain. He had to finish the game.

The Chasers went back to fighting for the Quaffle, while he and the other Beaters tried to figure out what had happened to their Bludgers. That bothered him. He had spent so much energy keeping in control of that one Bludger, and now it was just gone. And he couldn’t tell the stupid things apart, so even when he got another one, he wouldn’t know if it was his. And he really was coming unglued if he was worrying about that at the moment his team failed to score twice in a row.

He looked at the back of Miss Errant. She was injured now. She’d hit Arthur, and had come off, it seemed, the worse of it. He could see she was in pain. It would take next to nothing to break her, throw her out of the game for a time. Nothing would work so well as cracking her skull, she’d likely be out for an hour or two and still not be allowed back in the game even if she regained consciousness, but just taking her out for a few minutes would be a huge benefit to Aladren. They could make a goal without their Chasers either having to risk a foul by ramming her or him being in exactly the right place to fire on her and Mr. Sawyer alike, as he hadn't been just now. They were better; she was just desperate and acting erratically because of it.

And men who hit women were scum. How, exactly, had he thought things had been in the shape they were when he arrived? That his sisters had done that to themselves?

It was a perfect moment for Beating, with the wind picking up again to cover the whistle of the Bludger, and a perfect target, already injured and in pain and not able to concentrate as well as she might have. This was his moment, and it was perfect, and there had never really been any other choice. He took the shot at Miss Errant, thoroughly hoping, in that moment, that he broke her to pieces.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater I suppose I fit in with it perfectly, then? 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 02, 2011 12:06 PM

Most of us live up to that expectation. by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

The second she realized her shot wasn't even going to make it to thi hoop because a first year opposition Chaser had planted himself in her way, Charlie felt initially surprised, followed immediately by anger, humiliation, and then that ever-present determination again. This wasn't supposed to happen - Crotalus were supposed to be pushing on the Aladren Keeper, not failing to keep a hold of the damned Quaffle. She reluctantly had to admit that the Aladren team were pulling their weight. She started attempts at sending telepathic vibes to Topher and Phoenix: forget the Seeker, take out the Chasers and Keeper!. Honestly, the Chasers right now seemed to be presenting the bigger threat. Marissa could cope catching the Snitch with luck on her side, whereas the Aladren Beaters was ensuring the Crotalus Chasers were being well and truly slaughtered. Then, just when the ball was on its way back and charlie dared to be hopeful once more, the Coach blew the cursed whistle.

Seriously? She had to wait until Crotalus were in possession of the Quaffle on the right end of the pitch to stop the game? If this was a ruse to prove her allegiances didn't necessarily lie with the Crotalus team just because she was their assigned faculty, then the Coach was seriously going to lose favor. Nevertheless, Charlotte took advantage of the brief pause on the game to assess the damage caused to her left hand. Her first and middle finger did seem to be broken, which was just spectacular, she thought dryly. Withdrawing her wand from its holster on her thigh - the place she was least likely to sustain Bludger damage - Charlie cast a binding charm on the fingers to at least hold them in place before she could get them fixed properly after the game. She didn't want to try mending them herself at this stage - she suspected she'd do more harm than good.

Replacing her wand, the Crotalus Captain joined the other Chasers in the centre of the pitch. It was a sorry sight - Daniel and his two first year flaggers looked a little windswept, but otherwise heatlhy. Renée was sitting straight and Sam looked pale to Charlie's eyes as he nursed his shoulder, and she was effectively playing one-handed. If they came through this game with any dignity in tact Charlie would be surprised. Yet, despite this, as the whistle blew once more, it was Crotalus who were first to the Quaffle. Renée made a valiant effort, but inevitably the ball progressed once more to the goalds nic was doing an exceptionally poor job of guarding. Deciding that her usual method of hanging back and waiting for the Quaffle to come to her was a lost job this game, Charlie joined Sam and Renée in breaking up the throng of Aladren Chasers.

Somehow, it seemed to have worked. Nic actually saved the goal (and potentially himself), and between them, the Crotalus Chasers succeeded in blocking their opposition, stealing the ball back, and beginning to break away once more. Charlie wasn't hugely optimistic about them managing to keep the Quaffle their end, but keeping the ball away from Nic was usually a good starting point. Plus Aladren were still ten points up, and maybe Crotalus' bad luck couldn't endure the entire match.

Making herself available, Charlie caught the pass from Renée and continued with the trek to get the leather ball back away from her team's Keeper. She passed the Quaffle iunder her left arm, being able to steer on her broomstick better with her right hand. When she saw what she believed to be a decent opening, she made a terrible job of passing the ball back across her body to her right arm, but she'd already committed to the pass, and she made it, hoping for the best.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Most of us live up to that expectation. 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 02, 2011 1:08 PM

This shot had better been worth it. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Charlie caught her pass and Renée continued on, her whole body straining with the effort, and perspiration was no longer confined to her temple; her whole body felt drenched with salt, wind, and the blood that pounded within her. So loudly she was sure everyone around her could hear it, the deafening orchestra that wouldn’t stop playing throughout her body. The wind continued to pick up and it hurt even more to keep her Febre on a straight course, to keep up the speed. But through the din of sound and pain she actually came out smiling because she felt something picking up.

Aladren goals had gotten nearer and Renée readied herself for another pass from Charlie, shifting on the wood and found a position more comfortable and straightened up a little as she flew, body still focused on the goals ahead, and her ribs’ pain actually lessoned a bit. ‘Nothing has changed. We’re still the best. We can do this. We can beat this. We will.’ Charlie passed and Renée caught, rising higher in the air and throwing the last ounces of her force into the shot she gave to the left goal hoop. She watched with bated breath as it streaked through the air. Going in… going in… SLAM.

She didn’t scream, didn’t make a sound, just fell. Her body rolled over with the force of the bludger that had chosen to slam into the very side that had been causing her all that pain. There was a crack that made its way into her consciousness, her basest instincts allowing her to grip the broom with her thighs but she was still falling… At first it felt almost like the bludger had been her cure, had healed the pain with a force greater than any other she had experienced. But then the splintering feeling had magnified by a thousand and her mouth gasped open to suck in air she couldn’t actually register and she continued to fall. ‘That… damn… shot… had… better…’ She couldn’t finish the thought, darkness rushing up to greet her.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} This shot had better been worth it. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 02, 2011 2:04 PM

Escorting the wounded from the battlefield by Coach Pierce

And there it was. Amelia had known it was only a matter of time before someone lost their broom this game. She did not blow a whistle because (a) it was a straight up bludger hit so no foul, and (b) Crotalus was attempting to score, which really shouldn't make a difference, but sort of did. She tried very hard to remain an impartial referee, but she was Head of Crotalus and she did have a tiny bias on who she would like to see win this game. It was a tiny bias she was usually able to ignore, and a player losing consciousness was - somewhat cruelly, she'd realized later in life - not a play stopping event.

Her levitation spell caught the falling Chaser, and a summoning spell brought Renee's Febre broom to them as Amelia lowered them down toward the medic's tent. She did keep one eye on the Quaffle to see if the score tied up, so she could make sure Cleo could tell Renee if her goal scored when the girl woke up. It would undoubtably be her first question once she returned to consciousness.

0 Coach Pierce Escorting the wounded from the battlefield 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

May 02, 2011 3:54 PM

Battlefield is Right by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

There was a lot about Quidditch that Samantha did enjoy. She liked the excitement of a game, she liked the fact that it was played on broomsticks, and she loved playing team sports above anything else. However, there was plenty she didn’t enjoy, and it all came under the main canopy title of Injury and Potential Death. Every time a Bludger hit someone she winced herself as if she’d been hit, and every time someone fell off their broomstick the third year felt dizzy and nauseated. Consequently, by the time the Coach blew the whistle Samantha was already feeling unsettled, and she was disappointed to discover that the whistle didn’t signal the end of the game – she could see the Seekers from her vantage point, and neither of them looked victorious in Snitch-catching. Apparently the collision of two Chasers had been enough to pause the game for a moment, and Samantha was relieved when the Quaffle, once back in the game, didn’t head directly back towards the goalposts she was guarding.

Inevitably, however, it did come back, and sooner than Samantha really would have liked. Two Crotalus Chasers were passing the ball between them, both looking as if they’d seen better playing days, and perhaps it was desperation to make that equalizing goal that prompted the younger of the two to make an attempt at goal that was direct, rather than encumbered with fancy trickery, and from a distance enough away that with just a little skill any keeper could have caught it. Well, maybe not Crotalus’ own Keeper, but this shot was well within Samantha’s capabilities. She lunged over to the left hoop, and with a stretch she was able to knock the ball off course. Again, she didn’t catch it – she was still improving in her first year playing this position – but she had prevented a goal.

This news was probably the last thing Crotalus wanted to hear, especially as Samantha looked up directly after knocking the ball away, hoping to spy some Aladrens in the vicinity, to see the Chaser who’d taken the shot be taken out by a Bludger. It made the Keeper feel sick, and she shuddered from head to toe as she watched the other player slip on her broom and apparently sink out of consciousness. That was exactly why she shouldn’t be up here, playing Quidditch. Now the Crotalus players were really going to get desperate – Samantha only hoped this didn’t translate into the red-clad Beaters ganging up on her for making their Chaser’s efforts futile.

She also paused a moment to consider that while Quidditch games could go on a long time, she was glad they had no set interval or half-time – in this game, if she touched ground for even a moment, there was no way Samantha would be able to convince herself to get back on a broom and get back up in the air where there was a serious risk of Injury and Potential Death. She currently placed a high value on her life and limbs.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper Battlefield is Right 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 02, 2011 3:55 PM

Who's winning the Battle? by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

“No!” Charlie shouted as Renée made to shoot for the goals. They weren’t close enough, the Keeper would get to the ball, some Aladren would intervene and it would be the same play all over again, and Charlie was bored of it. Alas, her Chaser either didn’t hear her or didn’t care, because a split-second later and the Quaffle was soaring directly towards the left hoop, and the Keeper was on target to stop it. All Charlie could think was that she didn’t want the Quaffle to go into Aladren hands again, so she kept on her way towards the hoops, with the plan that the very least she could do was intercept a pass from the keeper to one of her own, and so keep the Quaffle in the right area and with the right team. Yet what she found was one stage better: the Keeper didn’t catch the ball. She saved the goal, yes – Crotalus players would be hanging their heads in shame for a year after this – but she hadn’t caught the ball. The Quaffle was deflected back into play, and her hurry to be in the right place at the right time meant that Charlie was, in fact, in the right place at the right time. As before, she swept the Quaffle up in her good arm (swaying ever so slightly as she did so, lacking the usual balance of her left hand gripping the broom) and continued on her path forwards.

Charlie dared a precautionary glance at the keeper, who seemed to be watching something different in the field, and seemed to be distracted, in Charlie’s opinion. She didn’t want to draw her attention before she could secure ten more points for Crotalus, though, so she threw the ball as quickly as she could, getting only as close as was reasonable, and begged all known and unknown deities that her shot would make it this time. The moment the Quaffle left her hands Charlie had to return them to her broom to steady herself. Meanwhile the noise of the crowds alerted her to something going on in the game she hadn’t seen. While she was focussing on making the goal she was able to block out the noise of the spectators, but now the matter was out of her hands (literally) she was able to hear that something was happening, and it didn’t sound good.

Chancing yet another swift glance, this time over her shoulder behind her, Charlie saw the horrifying sight of Renée and her broom being lowered back down to the ground. The captain felt momentarily like she might vomit. One player down, and it was crazy, daredevil Renée, who’d stolen them the Quaffle more times than am and Charlie put together. Good Merlin this game couldn’t get any worse, could it? With that thought now plaguing her mind, Charlie snapped her attention back to the goal, where only half a second ago she’d thrown a Quaffle. Please let this game get better.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Who's winning the Battle? 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

May 02, 2011 3:56 PM

We are. by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Watching the other girl fall from her broom was not something Samantha would easily forget. Yes, in her last game lots of people had been knocked from their brooms, but for this version Samantha practically had front row seats. She seemed to even hear the collision, though she knew that with the wind and the distance it wasn’t really true. She felt awful, and was so very much distracted by the occurrence that she barely registered the Crotalus Chaser catching the Quaffle and bringing it back her way. ’No,’ Samantha thought, ’I’ve only just gotten rid of that!’ Jumping into action, she gave her best efforts to stop the goal, but the Quaffle was already through the hoop before Samantha could do anything about it. Instead she went behind the hoop and dropped her broom, managing to scoop up the Quaffle.

It was okay, she tried to console herself for the second time that game. The scores were just equal now, Crotalus wasn’t winning. Besides, they were now a Chaser down, which made it 33% easier from Aladren, and especially for Samantha, who only had two players to watch now, instead of three. She didn’t like it when she found all the Chasers gathered round her, but two would definitely be more manageable than three. Plus trying to get a Quaffle to her own players would be easier with fewer people to intercept her pass.

With this buoying thought in mind, Samantha flew back up in front of her hoops with the red leather ball in her hands. She looked to identify the best Aladren player to receive her throw, and she passed the ball with strength that one wouldn’t expect a girl her age to have – least of all a girl her age in Aladren. Those people wouldn’t know she had been playing sports with her two brothers since as long as she could remember, and she’d had to be especially good to match their skills. It was handy to be deceptively strong from time to time, and this might prove to be one of those times.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper We are. 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 02, 2011 4:30 PM

Crotalus scores! 20-20 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Crotalus scores! 20-20 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 02, 2011 5:02 PM

Recentering. Again. by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Recentering. Again. 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 02, 2011 9:38 PM

We are winning, yes, we are, yes, we are.... by Arthur Carey, Chaser

When Miss Abbott shot, Arthur made a move forward, but knew even as he started that he wasn’t going to make it. He was too tired, and the more tired he got, and just mentally keeping up with what was going on was exhausting, never mind the actual physical effort involved, the more sore he felt.

And Miss Errant was gone. He had wanted her gone, but now that she actually was, Arthur felt strangely disappointed. It had been, in a way, on beating her that he was focused, and now that he no longer had that focus, he felt drained, like…Well, like someone who’d been playing in a grueling game of Quidditch for some time now and had then collided at a fairly high speed with another person. He tried to transfer his hostility to one of the other Crotalus Chasers, but Miss Abbott was too old, and she and Mr. Bauer were both playing with only one hand.

He shook his head as the ball went through the hoop and Samantha retrieved it. It was about to come back to Aladren, and he needed to focus. He very much doubted that Captain Nash would accept ‘I was tired’ as a legitimate excuse for not doing something right out here later. He wouldn’t have, if it had been his team that stood to be embarrassed by some first year’s lack of stamina. He was sure the older players were still doing fine.

When the pass came, he followed it, knowing he was going slower than he had been for most of the game and cursing himself for that. He made it more than halfway down the half, but not past the line between the two teams’ respective halves, before he finally gave up, checked for a clear line, and made a short pass.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser We are winning, yes, we are, yes, we are.... 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

May 03, 2011 3:02 PM

Technically, it's a tie, but we are definitely ahead by Captain Nash, Chaser

While Daniel was aware there was no rule that required play to stop when a player was hit bad enough to go down. Still, he couldn't help but feel that if it was a Crotalus player that fell, Crotalus Captain Charlie Abbott ought to be more distracted by it than Aladren Keeper Samantha Hamilton, and it should have been the throw that went wide, not the save that fell short.

Of course, Samantha did have the disadvantage of facing toward what happened while Charlie had her back to it. Daniel grumbled under his breath about the second goal, but didn't hold it against his Keeper. It wasn't like he had done any better to stop Charlie from getting the Quaffle or making the shot.

He'd been too busy cheering Edmond.

Sam did manage to get the Quaffle back in hand though, while Charlie finally figured out what had gone on behind her, and the pass to Arthur went off without a hitch. Arthur flew back toward the Crotalus goals, putting much needed distance between the Quaffle and their own, but he seemed to be flagging a little, not flying as fast, going as far, or bouncing around as much.

He still managed a good pass and Daniel caught it and sped up a notch, passing the Pitch's center and getting back into Crotalus territory. He jinked and juked to make himself a harder target for bludgers (he was kind of expecting some kind of retaliation for Renee), and once he was about a quarter of the field from the Crotalus goals, he spotted an opening to pass and took it. The distance was a little farther than they'd been making for most of the game, but he accounted for the wind velocity, and Crotalus was down a Chaser.

Still, it was a risky shot today, and he readied himself to turn around if necessary.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser Technically, it's a tie, but we are definitely ahead 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 03, 2011 4:23 PM

Technically it's a Ferret by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

She was tired, that was about the sum of it. yes, her fingers hurt, and yes they were down a player, but the biggest constraint Charlie felt just at that moment was that she was tired, and it seemed to take more effort than she really wanted to turn round on her broom and start to chase that infernal Quaffle back up the pitch. Again.

As she flew (staying under Arthur, just because she'd sort of gotten used to flying up the pitch like that this game) she felt some of her usual fiery determination slipping away, even to the point where she thought it might be pointless trying to get the ball back again. On the off-chance she managed to intercept, and retian the Quaffle, and get it back towards her own scoring end of the pitch, and make a successful pass to Sam, who caught it un-intercepted, and continued to the goals, and one of them tried to score, and then even if they were successful in scoring, they'd just have to repeat this pattern. Over, and over, and over... it was a dichotemy and paradox that the more interesting Quidditch games to an spectator were the more repetetive for the players.

Regardless of being tired and feeling her determination wear thin, Charlie was still the captain, still playing in the championship game against Aladren, and therefore she still needed to put in a hundred percent effort. She was lagging, that was all - her strength and energy were bound to return to her soon. Stealing the ball would probably make her feel a lot better. With this shining beacon on the horizon, Charlie realized she wouldn't be able to stop the short pass Arthur made, but when Daniel made the mistake of attempting a long-distance shot in windy weather with a Crotalus Chaser nearby, Charlie took full advantage of his lack of judgment. She flew up and in the Quaffle's way, taking the ball with her as she flew higher still and turned in the air, enabling an extra thrust of speed as she descended back to playing height, and back - again - down the pitch.

As she kept an eye and ear out for Bludgers, and unbidden thought entered Charlie's mind that it could possibly only be a matter of time before the Aladren beaters took out the rest of her team, but she decided that even if that unlikely scenario was the case, she was determined to go out fighting. Lining up for another risky long-distance shot to Sam (it wasn't ideal but what choice did she have?) Charlie pulled her right arm back and thrust the Quaffle forward, chewing the inside of her lip in desperation for it to reach its target.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Technically it's a Ferret 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Topher Calhoun, Beater

May 03, 2011 6:26 PM

Technically, this is a Bludger by Topher Calhoun, Beater

Topher had known going in that the Championship was going to be bad, but he’d had no idea it was going to be this bad.

He’d tried to get close to one of the Bludgers. Honestly he had. But he did have a desire to live, and since having his skull split so badly that his brains fell out on the Pitch wasn’t conducive to that, he hadn’t engaged with Edmond Carey to fight for one of them. Preston Stratford wasn’t much better; he was more of Topher’s size, but seemed to be trying to make up for it in sheer viciousness. Overall, the two of them made him feel sorry for the Carey twins, having to sleep in the same room as one and be, presumably, related to the other.

Not so sorry, though, that he wouldn’t gladly take Arnold out if he got the chance. Arnold seemed like a pretty good guy, as far as that clique of rich Aladren boys went, but he was the enemy Seeker, and if he was out of the way, then Marissa could Seek better, and they could end this before the Aladren Beaters ran out of standard targets and decided to try their hands at taking out Topher and Phoenix, too. The bad part was, Edmond could; Topher was good enough at judging a Bludger now to know that if he tried to deflect one of that guy’s shots before it had traveled about half the length of the Pitch, he was gonna get his arm messed up pretty bad.

Run to one end. Goal. Run to the other. Save. Run to the other. Save. Run to the other. Save, goal. It was as regular as one of those fancy dances, if one of those fancy dances suddenly involved weapons and was between strike teams.

Somehow, as Charlie passed, Topher found an opening. He did not know how he found it. He did not really care. He took a swing at the Bludger, aiming it toward one of the Aladren Chasers and hoping Crotalus’ bad luck with injuries today didn’t extend to the shot somehow going really wide and hitting his own Chasers.

0 Topher Calhoun, Beater Technically, this is a Bludger 0 Topher Calhoun, Beater 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 03, 2011 6:45 PM

Technically, I have no idea what Charlie was talking about by Edmond Carey, Beater

That, Edmond thought detachedly as Miss Errant fell, unconsciously if her lack of screaming was anything to go by, looked strangely graceful. Absently, he found himself wondering what it would feel like, one minute in the air, looking down at the ground the way he was now, the next, just falling, out of it….

He shook his head and went back toward the game. She had gotten to the goal before she was hit, which meant things were going to get hot again very soon. He had to be there, because the little Crotalus Beaters might try to make trouble to avenge their girl. He doubted either of them could do any real damage, at least by the standards of this game, but they could be irritating. It was good for morale that Aladren’s players were all still perfectly healthy while Crotalus’ were falling to pieces, and that was good.

Plus, he could see a way out for himself, now. If he could knock one girl unconscious and not really feel anything, he could do the same thing to another. If he could just keep going a little longer, he could give Arnold a clear field. There was no point in the rest of them staying in the air if Charlotte, Mr. Bauer, and Mr. Sawyer were all hospitalized, so all he had to do was take them out and then he would be done. Let the Seekers, and Preston if he insisted on Marissa being down and Arnold having a completely clear field, bother with it. He’d be done.

Goal to Crotalus. Arthur had the Quaffle. Now Daniel did. Now Charlotte. Now Mr. Calhoun had a Bludger. Lovely.

Edmond didn’t swing particularly hard as he redirected it toward a Crotalus, but still winced at the impact. He should have been paying more attention to how hard he was hitting all through the game, but had run on adrenaline, trying to block things out of his head through action and only giving himself more to think of, and now he was paying for it. Hopefully, Preston would be able to assist him in removing the remaining Crotali from the field, so he didn’t do himself a real injury before the game ended.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Technically, I have no idea what Charlie was talking about 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

May 03, 2011 7:34 PM

I have the Quaffle. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

Losing Renee, Sam knew, was a serious blow, but he tried to focus more on how they were keeping even with Aladren in the Chaser game and that even though they were now a player down, he and Charlie still had more experience than two of the Aladren Chasers put together. Charlie and Daniel were theoretically equal - though the way Charlie had handled that one pass made him think she must have been injured, too, whereas Edmond Carey was doing a very good job of keeping his boys intact - but Sam was two years older than the other two Aladren starters. They could keep up.

In his dreams, at least. Why were the first years not at least a little terrified of them? Renee, maybe, he could see them thinking of as no big deal, they had classes with her, but he was in intermediates. Where was his respect? Where was Charlie's?

Aladren got the ball back, and the Especially Fearless Firstie took it back down the road. That was the thing about a goal: more than half the time, it ended with having to turn, again, and do the whole thing over. Again.

Maybe it was this tired, pessimistic state of mind influencing it, but somehow, he wasn't surprised when the Aladrens didn't make their mistake until they were well inside Crotalus' territory. Pushing himself one more time, silently begging Marissa and any other entities with a god-like level of control over how this was going to let it be the last time, Sam caught up enough with Charlie in the turnaround and move for her to feel she could pass and caught the Quaffle with his good hand. Since this made him a target for Bludgers all over again, though, and he only just dodged one as he got the ball and, in dodging, nearly dropped it, he found it in him to go just a little faster once he had the ball.

He crossed the center line again, got a quarter of the remaining distance, and prayed for luck as he tried to pass to Charlie. Right now, he wouldn't put it past the Aladrens to just fly up and try to wrestle the ball away if one of them kept it too long, there were still those Bludgers, and he wasn't working with his dominant hand right now.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser I have the Quaffle. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Preston, Beater

May 04, 2011 2:04 AM

and now you have a Bludger going your way by Preston, Beater

The game became had become something similar to a violent battle. Bludgers were flying left and right, as well as the Quaffle. Preston felt he was playing for his life, or for conquering a whole new land. At least that was what he thought. The good guys (Aladren, of course) were battling for the survival of something awesome, like ancient magic or something. The eleven-year old could sometimes begin to create fantastical world, where he was the King and he commanded everything and fought for his life. He thought it was some sort of mechanism his mind used when he overexerted his brain with too much studying, but in his opinion there was nothing like too much studying. However, he sometimes found himself imagining things like that, but in this particular scenario, Daniel was the King and he was a knight fighting for him. Eventually, he would become King and everything would be alright.

His attempt to hit the Crotalus Seeker didn’t bring him any victory. She had easily dodged it, he frowned, but was glad his shot at their Captain had done some damage. He felt useful and he had to admit that it felt great. He didn’t know what that said about him, but he liked the feeling adrenaline running through his veins, he had never felt something like this before. Maybe, Victor wasn’t that far-off in his love for the game. One Crotalus chaser down and the other two were injured. Preston had to admit that Edmond was an excellent Beater, he made a mental note to ask him to train with him, so he could get better and be just as fearsome as him. It was an awesome plan.

The redhead flew around the Pitch chasing the Bludgers and sending them left and right, then he saw a Crotalus chaser (he really needed to learn their names), try and made a pass. He used this as his opportunity to assist Edmond in taking them down. With all of his force, he aimed a Bludger towards him. The loud resounding crack that came from the impact made the redhead smile. He could get used to this! Maybe, he would also ask Victor to train with him over the summer.

0 Preston, Beater and now you have a Bludger going your way 0 Preston, Beater 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 04, 2011 6:09 AM

I don't like this Chaser:Bludger ratio by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

Being back at this end of the pitch with Crotalus in possession of the Quaffle felt great, but at the same time Charlie felt horribly conspicuous. When there were three of them it was more difficult to predict what they were each going to do, but with only two remaining Chasers, she knew it was obvious that she and Sam were going to pass back and forth to each other unless they were trying to score. It sort of took the fun out of guessing. She couldn't fake a pass to Renée before actually passing to Sam, because Renée wasn't there anymore. Charlie hoped the medic would be seeing to her right now, giving her a quick potion or something and then telling her to get back on her broom. She knew that if Renée felt capable then that girl would be playing again after the shortest interval possible. Until then, she and Sam had to hold down the fort. Luckily, they had a fair amount of practise in working together - almost three years, now - and they seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it.

Sam caught Charlie's pass, despite his bad arm, and they managed to make it a decent way down the pitch, crossing the middle line, and being once more in potential goal-scoring territory. She saw that Sam had managed to dodge a Bludger - just as well, really, because if he was taken out the game, too, then Charlie thoguht she might be in danger of panicking. She supposed she could always just sit in front of those goals with Nic and they could just do everything in their power between them to stop any Quaffles from going in the hoops, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that; Charlie had never wanted to play Keeper.

When Sam prepared to pass back again, Charlie was ready. They were within goal-scoring distance from the hoops, now. She manouevred herself a little closer to make the pass easier. She caught the ball, tucked it under right arm, gripping the broom handle as best as she could with her left (her fingers had sort of numbed, so while they were fairly useless at least they weren't distracting her with pain) and built up speed as she headed towards Aladren's Keeper for what felt like the billionth time this game.

A simple shot wasn't going to cut it - the Keeper had an uninhibited view of Charlie and the Quaffle, so she was going to have to use some of her team's more creative tactics if she wanted to score (and of course she did, otherwise what was the point of being a Chaser?). Flying right towards the middle hoop, Charlie focussed her attention on the right. She wanted that right hoop. She glanced to the left every so often, and back at the middle, which served both to make sure she knew where the Keeper was, and to hopefully throw said Keeper off. Still flying at the middle hoop, Charlie nevertheless aimed the ball towards the right. When a few feet away, she took her left hand of the broom to join her right on the ball, and she lifted the red leather over her head, swiveled her body and thrust the ball, towards the left hoop. Only she didn't let go - she kept hold of it in her fingertips, swerved back to the right, guiding her broomstick with her thighs, and instead sent the ball through the right hoop - the one she'd been watching the whole time.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser I don't like this Chaser:Bludger ratio 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

May 04, 2011 6:49 AM

Deal With It by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Being embarrassed at having let in a goal purely because she was distracted by something else happening on the pitch was sufficient to draw Samantha's full attantion back to the game. She hadn't needed to let that goal in - she could have stopped it, if she hadn't been so busy being traumatized while a girl younger than her was knocked out of the game. Her own emotions were for her spare time, and had no place in a championship game, and she was annoyed with herself for letting Injury and Potential Death get in the way of her game even though she wasn't a victim.

When the Quaffle came back down her way again (you had to admire the remaining Crotalus Chasers for that, she thought) Samantha wasn't going to allow herself to be distracted. She hovered around the middle hoop, watching the blur of red get closer and take form, keeping her eyes on that Quaffle. Charlotte seemed to be looking at all of the hoops, though her focus was on the one to Samantha's left. It was a ruse - it had to be. There was no way she was just going to try for a straight shot, was there? Or maybe that was the ruse. Samantha tensed her muscles, waiting to lunge in either direction. It really looked like the Chaser was going for that hoop. Then, suddenly she shifted her body slightly in the opposite direction, and raised the ball to the hoop the other side. Aha! Practically on instinct, Samantha darted to protect the hoop on her right - the Chaser's left - only to discover that she'd fallen for a feint.

Twisting so quickly she felt something jar in her back, Samantha made instead for that first hoop - the one she'd been so sure the Chaser was going for (she really needed to trust her instincts) and made it in time to catch the Quaffle... after it had already passed through the hoop and scored another ten points to Crotalus. At least Aladren had the ball again now. Her cheeks tinged pink with exersion, frustration and embarrassment, Samantha flew with the Quaffle back in front of her goals, and threw a strong pass out back to one of the Aladren Chasers. She sort of hoped the Quaffle would make it back down her end of the pitch again, just so she could prove she wasn't really incompetent. Also she was starting to fear that Edmond or Preston might turn their bats on her, instead, for being just as useless as Nic - moreso in fact, because she'd now let in more goals than he had.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper Deal With It 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 04, 2011 9:46 AM

Crotalus scores! 30-20 with Crotalus ahead (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Crotalus scores! 30-20 with Crotalus ahead (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 04, 2011 11:15 AM

And here we go again. by Russell Layne, Chaser

It had, Russell knew, been close. He'd almost successfully taken that pass from Daniel. But almost didn't mean very much in Quidditch, and Crotalus both regained and kept the ball despite the Aladren Beaters' best efforts. It seemed that the Carey Crazy was failing them at last.

Samantha did a god job, too, trying to recover from the feint, but it came again to the value of 'almost.' 30-20, with Crotalus in the lead. Russell felt, feeling stupid for feeling that way even as he felt it, a little shaken by this turn of events. For the entire game, things had either been even or Aladren had been in the lead. This was the first time Crotalus had gained a real advantage over them besides their Seeker, who was nicely balanced out by the combination of Edmond being the only Beater here who'd played very long and had any size and by Arnold always being as crazy as Arthur was acting today.

Since Crotalus now had a points advantage not balanced by anything, though, that was a little bit of a problem. The only solution seemed to be to get Aladren back on top. Layne Lunacy for the win, he guessed.

He took the Quaffle out of Sam's pass back to them and then hightailed it for his own end of the Pitch. Since he was a little slower than Daniel or Arthur, he didn't make it all the way there, but covered about half the Crotalus side before carefully lining up a pass - he needed to be good at something, and if it was just being very careful about his passess, well, that could work - to one of his companions and giving it over to them to get back across the line. They could all chip back in on the other side to get it back down to Sawyer.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser And here we go again. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

May 04, 2011 12:13 PM

And again by Captain Nash, Chaser

Daniel wasn't quite sure what happened that Crotalus not only made it all the way back to Samantha, but even scored another goal when they were down a Chaser and both of the remaining ones were hurt. He could only assume they'd gotten a second wind of determination caused by Renee's fall, while his own Aladrens were getting tired and flagging. He'd turned around again after his pass was unsuccessful, but even he wasn't flying as fast as he had been before.

He'd had something like a false sense of security that must have made him think that just because Crotalus was down their craziest player, the game was now Aladren's. This was clearly delusional and the illusion popped completely when the double-feint took Samantha (and himself) off guard and another Crotalus goal was scored.

No more underestimating the Crotali now. They might be outnumbered and wounded, but they were still vicious and determined.

Picking up his own slack, Daniel flew out in front of Russell, setting himself up for a pass, and Russell took the opportunity. Daniel caught it easily, and increased his speed as he crossed over into Crotalus territory again. He considered making a run all the way to the goals, but earlier slump told him that exhausting himself further wasn't going to help Aladren any.

He found for an opening, and took a quick look to see if Charlie or Sam were threatening, and then made the short pass.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser And again 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 04, 2011 1:15 PM

A Good Time to Come Back by Renée Errant {Chaser}

She awoke from the deep darkness to a potion, and something hot scorching down her throat. Spluttering, she opened her eyes and was confused by what she saw, her brain struggling to catch up. Quaffle in hand... something loud, something hard, something go CRACK. Her vision was blurry but the images in her mind were becoming clearer and clearer and clearer. Moving of their own accord, her fingers traveled up from their resting position by her thighs and up to the side of her ribs, gently pressing the skin and she winced in expectation. Nothing. Her vision cleared and Renée sat up as best she could, a wave of dizziness coming upon her. She stilled and waited for the feeling to pass.

The next few minutes were one of confusion as someone approached her and told her something about a pass, a goal scored. She could make out the sounds of the audience cheering but knew not who for. ‘Which team am I on again?’ She slid out of whatever she was laying on and tried to focus her vision a little more. “My broom…” She mumbled, looking for it. She couldn’t tell if it was handed to her or if she had gotten it of her own accord but minutes later she had walked onto the pitch and sleek wood was once again in her hand. The wind hit her, the cold air, and Renée finally completely woke. No more darkness, but real and true color greeted her eyes. ‘Alright, I’m ready for this. I’m ready.’

Whatever had happened in the medic’s tent seemed to be working; like a long hot soothing shower that had poured along every inch of her body. She swung her legs over her Febre, felt the solid ground beneath her feet, bent her legs, and pushed off into the free air. ‘I’m a goddess.’ She flew gingerly below, not yet pushing her speed as she rose beneath the multitude of players; she savored the sight of bright red and blue. She focused on something that was being passed between them. ‘Right… the Quaffle. I remember that.’ She didn’t think to have maybe gone to Coach Pierce. She was only impatient to get back into the game, having no idea what the score was, only that she had to touch the red leather bound ball. There were still players flying around in a frenzy which meant no seeker had caught the snitch yet. Above a blue robed player looked around him and Renée giggled in her mind to think that he only thought there were two chasers to watch out for.

A pass… “Hola!” She shot up in between Daniel and another Aladren, her broom never failing to give her the burst of speed she needed, and she was off, weaving between players and grinning. ‘I’m baaaack.’ She saw one of her fellow chasers and feinted toward them, throwing the Quaffle to the other. Her strength wasn’t completely up yet, but she could feel the effects of whatever the medic had done to her start to work fast. Her ribs seemed intact, her dizziness and nausea gone. Her speed was thankfully dependent upon her broom, and the wind felt nice against her still slightly heated form. Hoping that she took the Aladrens by surprise (but not so much Charlie and Sam) she looked on in excitement to see if her pass was received. Her rest was over, and she wasn’t about to have one again.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} A Good Time to Come Back 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 04, 2011 2:29 PM

Oh, no you don't by Arthur Carey, Chaser

When he heard Errant’s voice, Arthur’s seemed to stop in his veins, and for the first time in his life, he thought he understood both his grandfather and how to make the family stronger all at once. He got along with Anthony VI about as well as one who would very sensibly use a fast-acting and antidoteless poison passed through several aliases and countries before it was administered would with one who would go out with a sword, hack the enemy to pieces, and then carve his initials into whatever was left, but that interception, making him look like a fool again, had just introduced him to a new concept: poisoned swords.

He could not, being a twelve-year-old boy instead of the god of the new world, actually do everything to her and the other Crotalus Chasers that he wanted to, but he thought he had it in him to at least keep this up until they were forced to walk off the Pitch weeping bitter, shamed tears of utter defeat and return to that state of mind any time any of them was in the presence of an Aladren Chaser. He knew he had that in him. He would keep on until that was either done or he collapsed, whichever came first, and he didn’t intend for it to be the second.

“Adios,” he exclaimed when he intercepted her pass in turn, then turned and took it back toward the Crotalus goals. Luckily, she hadn’t had time to do any real damage. No doubt she was still feeling her injuries a bit. Arthur was counting on Edmond to give her lots more, or never more be a cousin to him.

He wasn’t as cautious as Daniel, not when he was still coldly furious over that interception and her having the audacity to come back after he and Edmond had both hit her, and drove back far into Crotalus’ territory before he carefully checked for her and those others and then passed. They were close enough to the Crotalus goals now anyway that even an interception would make no difference. Aladren was going to tie within two minutes, and then, if he had anything to say about it, sneak in another goal right on the heels of that one while the Keeper was distracted. A third, too, if he could swing it. Just winning wasn’t good enough for him anymore. The Crotali had to be ground into the dirt, which meant a score of 200-30 was the absolute lowest he was prepared to accept.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Oh, no you don't 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 04, 2011 2:59 PM

I think I'm living on a tree by Edmond Carey, Beater

It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be.

Edmond watched numbly as the second year whose rib cage he had just smashed first stole from Arthur, then went back toward the Aladren end. He was sitting still, now officially the person on the Pitch most likely to be hit by a Bludger; if the end of it hadn’t been resting on the broom handle, his bat would have fallen uselessly to earth, because he certainly wasn’t paying any attention to holding it. All he could think was that one expression, a pointless denial of what was in front of him:

It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be.

But it was. Again, it was. Arthur had stolen back from her, and was making an insane run. Edmond needed to defend him. But what was the point? This was never going to end, because this was Hell. They were just going to keep going back and forth forever. He just wouldn’t stay dead.

He had to break them. Break the mirrors. The broken glass cut his hands, and the frames were splintery, but he had to break them, because that was the only –

Something else had happened with the Quaffle. He had to get in there, now, before things went wrong for his team. He had to finish the game, they all did, it was his job to make sure that everyone else finished it safe. Because he was the head of the Assistant Captainacy, he had to take care of everyone else, he had –

Terrified, he swung at a Bludger at random, hitting it toward the mess of other players, and was jarred back, completely, into his actual place and time by the stab of pain this produced in his shoulder. Horrified, he went after the Bludger again, to direct it properly toward the Crotalus players, then kept going. It was perfectly legal, he thought, for him to block other people if it came down to that, and he'd need to keep control of the Bludger, too.

And in the back of his head, he knew: something had to be done about this. The nightmares, the apathy, the increasing sense that he couldn’t stand this another day, those were his problems, but this was everyone else’s problem. He couldn’t go on like this. What if he became suddenly terrified like that when he had a wand in his hand instead of a Beater’s bat? This could not go on.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater I think I'm living on a tree 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

May 04, 2011 7:09 PM

I think my entire font color wishes you were.... by Sam Bauer, Chaser

“Ha,” Sam said under his breath as Charlie’s shot sailed through the hoop. The new score was like music to his brain. Aladren had been getting more aggressive and crazy as the game progressed, but they still couldn’t top the Crotali.

Sam wasn’t much of one for that kind of self-congratulation, but here, he thought it might just be a matter of the facts. Crotalus was saner, yes, and not so hot in the Beater department, which had factored more into this game than it did into some, but they had better Chasers, a better Seeker, and, based on pure numbers now, even a better Keeper. They were going to, despite their trouble with injuries and with Edmond Carey being maybe a little too invested in the noble sport of warlocks, win this game in good style.

His confidence didn’t keep Aladren from making a good run with the ball, but then, from out of nowhere, there was Renée again. Sam laughed aloud as she stole the ball back from between Daniel Nash and Arthur Carey. Good one on her, though she probably should have spared the greeting, because now, Carey looked really ticked off. And was their team’s equivalent of Crazy Renée, at least today. Which he promptly proved by stealing the ball back.

Sam flew around, and managed, with a wrench that made his damaged shoulder throb hard and his face turn a little paler than usual, to intercept the Quaffle. A second later, though, he heard a whistle even over the wind and had to dodge an incoming Bludger and, his stomach dropping a second before it happened from the knowledge it was going to happen, lost the grip he’d achieved on the Quaffle between his good and bad hands. He fumbled desperately, but it still fell.

He swore aloud and tried to dive after it, only to find this was definitely something that his arm was making harder. They had to get that Quaffle back. They had to.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser I think my entire font color wishes you were.... 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 04, 2011 7:31 PM

So we meet again, Mr. Sawyer. by Russell Layne, Chaser

Russell was keeping an eye open for the Quaffle, in case he was needed, but it looked like it was going to Arthur, who might make the goal or pass one more time. He was in the middle of reorienting himself so he was on Arthur’s other side, to give the other first year Chaser another passing or feinting option if he chose to either not go all the way for the goal or make it look for a moment as though he wasn’t going to do so, when suddenly he looked over to find Arthur had turned in the air and was racing off in the other direction.

….What….?

Oh. Renée was back. That had been fast. Russell found it comforting to know that the medical staff of his school was highly competent, especially since, despite arguably being the most useless member of the team, he didn’t see himself leaving the game any time soon. Sooner or later, if nothing changed to make him quit before he graduated, he was probably going to end up in Medic Rocamboli’s hands in a bigger way than he had after the Teppenpaw game, so it was good to see hard evidence of her skills, even if getting that evidence did mean returning Aladren’s biggest obstacle to winning to the game. She might not be at her crazy best right now, anyway, so this wasn’t as much of a despair moment for him, coming as it did right on the heels of Aladren’s view that things had been about to get easier, as it might have been. They could still swing this.

Arthur, it seemed, agreed with him, because he soon had the ball back and made a long run back into Crotalus’ territory. His attempt to pass was intercepted, but Edmond came through for them again, and Sam Bauer fumbled and dropped the Quaffle. The back of Russell’s mind was still uneasy about jumping in on older students, but the rest of it had become sufficiently used to it, not to mention more afraid of his own team, to let him jump in and steal it back as it fell, before the other Crotali could see and interfere.

Pushing his middle-of-the-line broom hard, he flew in toward the goals, feinted left, them pulled away and threw a long shot toward the right, hoping that it would go in instead of being intercepted or, worse, falling harmlessly toward the ground short of its goal. He thought he was strong enough to pull it off, had tried similar moves a few times in practice, but it was his experience that things usually went wrong not on either a frequent or infrequent basis, but just in the moment when it would be most embarrassing for them not to go right.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser So we meet again, Mr. Sawyer. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 04, 2011 9:05 PM

Learning from maneuvers past by Arthur Carey, Chaser

The sequence was confusing, and Arthur barely avoided the Bludger that had apparently been aimed at Mr. Bauer, but it somehow ended with Russell holding the Quaffle and approaching the goals. Arthur grinned in triumph as his roommate took the shot. So Crotalus was still operational. That was fine. So was Aladren.

He imagined what this feat was even now doing to Crotalus morale and smiled even more broadly. Their best girl had come back onto the field in triumph after her injury, the way she’d flown had suggested she might be the freshest person left on the Pitch, and yet, Aladren had still wrestled the ball away from her and made it back to the Crotalus goals. If he’d been in their shoes, that would have been highly discouraging to him, and he suspected it would be to them as well. He wasn’t that strange, he thought, at least not when he was competing. He was still never quite as intense as his twin, but since most people seemed to find Arnold’s devotion as unsettling as they did Arthur’s usual detachment, he thought that was a good thing.

Remembering another time at the goals – he couldn’t even remember what order shots were happening in, now, only a series of images, stop-points in the constant action – he very purposefully kept his eyes on Miss Errant, ready to move as soon as she did if she cared to repeat that little move they’d both used to stop a shot that should have made it. If she got in there to save her Keeper, it would only be after she ran over and through him, and even then with him still hanging on to the tail of her broom.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Learning from maneuvers past 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Crotalus}

May 04, 2011 10:02 PM

I think you could stand for a few more lessons. by Renée Errant {Crotalus}

She couldn't help but grin at Arthur Carey's exclamation, even as he stole the ball back. There was frustration laced in her body language, yes, but mostly she was just happy to be back playing, her strength returning as the seconds passed. She fell back behind Arthur as she took note of Sam's position, her vision growing sharper as well. 'He'll intercept, I go find a clear place for him to pass...' He intercepted but a bludger was already speeding toward him and Renée was distracted by the sight of red streaking through the air and not toward her. 'Hmmm... not good.'

She hesitated, and then dove, tense in the anticipation of more pain, but her entire body relaxed into the dive when she realized that she was finally fully healed. 'Thank you, medic.' Her relaxation cost her, and she had to make a sharp pull back up to avoid running into another Aladren chaser. There was a flare of discouragement, discontent settling in her mind and her broom followed at a slower pace as she reviewed reality.

Charlie and Daniel were probably around the same in Quidditch chasing talent (she thought Charlie perhaps a shade superior), Sam had two years more experience over the two Aladren Chasers, and she herself had talent. In all actuality, she was aware enough to realize that by herself she was no better than anyone, but she was an asset because she worked well within the team of her, Sam, and Charlie. 'But the team isn't working.' Was it her? Was it her passes? Doubt plagued her, replacing the pain she had felt in her sides and weighed her down, slowing her pace. Why weren't they as good that day? There must be a reason. There must be -

Something golden flashed across her vision, startling her out of her thoughts. It hovered momentarily in front of her face as if teasing her, and then swept around her and was off. With it, the meaningless thoughts and doubts, worries and uncertainties finally fully left her. No more pain, no more questions. Crotalus wasn't depending upon her to think... it was depending upon her to play.

What had felt like minutes had only been seconds locked inside her mind and Renée was off again, leaning parallel to her broom and basking in the hard wind that was hitting against her. Stronger now, growing stronger, even stronger. The Aladren chaser was quickly approaching the goals and Renée was gaining in on him. She saw his body seemingly turn to the left and on instinct prepared to move towards the right. There were no obstacles in front of her but air... and Arthur Carey.

She flew straight towards him, making a sharp curve to avoid him just barely and sped along towards the right, increasing her speed and diving for the Quaffle that she'd hoped would come her way. It was a long pass with power behind it and Renée held back a wince as it slapped against her hands, clenching them tightly and dropping to avoid the right goal post, circling around all three hoops and shot off, guessing that Arthur Carey probably wasn't too far behind. She couldn't blame them; the best beater on the pitch wasn't intent on trying to do away with Aladrens. But she had no time to wait for Nic to make a save when she was full of fresh energy, and had to make up for time wasted, selfishly unconscious when she should have been helping her team.

'Don't think. Act. Don't think. Don't think. Don't think.'

Sam or Charlie. Sam or Charlie. The wind hit her hard as she pushed to get near Aladren goals, approaching the midpoint line and moved closer to one chaser, rose her arm and made an obvious feint toward one, then a convincing feint toward the other, and then finally passed to her original chaser. The moment the feel of the brush of the Quaffle had left her fingertips she locked her gaze on the nearest Aladren and sped forward, curving away from impact but enough to slow them down from heading off towards her fellow Crotalus chaser. 'Because it worked so well the first time.' It didn't matter. She had gotten hurt before and rose again. 'Unbeatable.' It was only hindering one Aladren chaser, but anything she could do to help her team she would do.

0 Renée Errant {Crotalus} I think you could stand for a few more lessons. 0 Renée Errant {Crotalus} 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

May 04, 2011 10:32 PM

Bored now by Arnold Carey, Seeker

Arnold was getting restless. Aside from that one feint of Miss Stephenson’s that he’d fallen for but pulled out of in time to avoid a crash, not much interesting had been happening for the Seekers. He thought they had both been spending too much time watching the rest of the game.

Maybe that was okay for Marissa, but Arnold was easily bored. Just watching wasn’t enough. He was also getting frustrated on his brother’s behalf. Why couldn’t Edmond or Preston just put one to that girl’s head, crack her skull, and put her out for the rest of the game? That sort of injury, Arnold knew from personal experience with that window and then a wall last July, meant lying in bed with one’s head wrapped in bandages at least overnight, longer if one was stubborn and annoyed the Healer, who happened to be a personal friend of one’s mother. Then she would stop annoying Arthur.

And, for that matter, even beyond his sympathy with his brother and indignation that she had just very narrowly missed colliding with Arthur again, Arnold. They weren’t playing right. Getting in the way of a shot once was acceptable, since it showed one’s skill; doing it twice wasn’t playing right. It was ungentlemanly. They needed to be taught a lesson.

There were limits to even beyond the rules about what Arthur could and couldn’t do that kept him from teaching it to them without risking a penalty, since Coach Pierce was so obviously biased in Crotalus’ favor. Arnold, though, didn’t have some of those problems. The Snitch, after all, could be anywhere, and there was no way the Coach was trying to look for it when she had to deal with the possibility of Edmond killing someone or Arthur taking away Edmond’s bat and skipping the part where the first blunt instrument was used to make the second blunt instrument make someone leave the Pitch bleeding. Plus, it would annoy the Crotali and most likely get the ball back for Aladren, or at least give the boys a chance to go for it, and maybe, hopefully, draw Mariss – Miss Stephenson into a broom crash that would prove damaging. All in all, an excellent solution to multiple problems.

Faking a look of concentration, Arnold dove straight into the path of the Crotalus Chasers, only just missing them as he plunged straight through their ranks and, hopefully, both caused the Quaffle to fall and scattered them to the four winds. He couldn’t stay to look, though, because now he thought he really did see a flash of gold off over there, and needed to look convincing as he re-angled his broom to sail out of the steep dive and in that direction anyway. As though he’d been so focused on the ‘Snitch’ that he hadn’t even really noticed where he was going, though he didn’t think he’d technically broken a rule. He hadn’t collided with anyone, used his elbows, or even touched the Quaffle, even though he wasn’t sure that was illegal.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker Bored now 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 05, 2011 3:02 PM

So leave; I won't stop you by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

The Aladrens were certifably crazy - that was all there was to it. Earlier in the game Edmond had flown right at Charlie and Sam, apparently abandoning the middle party of the Bludger for a moment, and now the Seeker seemed to be having a go, too. Not to mention his twin had been acting like a crazy person all game, Daniel was definitely in the dubious sanity catergory, Preston had broken her fingers, and the other two were crazy enough to be on a team with the rest of them. It didn't seem to be doing them any favors, points wise - Crotalus was currently in the lead - but it wasn't really helping Crotalus out, either, so Charlie wished they'd just stop it. She was already in a state of mild surprise as Renée reppeared, and she watched Sam go into the group of Aladren Chasers to steal the Quaffle back, and then she had to halt in her tracks to avoid flying right into a Seeker for Merlin's sake. What in the name of all things great and small was going on?

When her heart calmed down a little from that episode, Charlie regained her senses sufficiently to realise that her team had the Quaffle, and Renée was moving towards her with it. Turning back round (she was already partly there due to the way she'd had to swerve into a stop to avoid a collision) Charlie joined her Chasers in heading back, once again, past the middle line. Renée passed, and Charlie caught it. She felt a smile twitch on her lips. This felt better. She knew in her heart it wouldn't last forever, but right in that moment she remembered why she loved Quidditch, and that her team boasted the best Chasers for a good reason.

Doing a sort of swerving flight that was becoming increasingly popular this game (with Edmond mostly to thank for that), Charlie flew fast as she dared, whilst still being on the look out for Bludgers and Aladrens. When she saw an opportunity to pass back to one of her teammates, she took it, having managed by now to adapt to throwing mostly with her right hand. the ball was on target, though still had the chance of being buffetted by the wind.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser So leave; I won't stop you 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 05, 2011 5:57 PM

He seems to be going for something as we speak by Edmond Carey, Beater

The Pitch was swimming slightly before his eyes, and even Edmond wasn’t sure if he was crying, about to collapse from exhaustion, or just losing his mind. It felt like all three at once as he plunged back into the chaos of the game.

He felt strangely out of balance, as though something had snapped, or at least very suddenly given way, inside his mind, and the whole front of it had gone numb. The rest seemed to be slowly doing the same. One deep corner seemed to have retreated to the library at home – he was reading for German, and Jane was outside with Julia; he could hear his sister giggling through the windows – while everything else was distant from what was going on around him.

He didn’t mind. Numb was pleasant. He’d spent a lot of time feeling that way since New Year’s Eve, though usually not without his calming draughts. He hadn’t taken any today, but knew he should have. Now, he was reaching the limit of his ability, under these conditions, to keep things pushed down without their aid, and so starting to make mistakes – he’d seen the Bludger there, could have made a very short shot that would have almost certainly hit on target and done a great deal of damage, but had been too confused by the movement, the colors, the bizarre, brutal pseudo-warfare of the game, and had missed it, too busy half-holding his bat up because his brain kept telling him he needed to defend himself. Then he’d hit one, and had only narrowly missed one of his own Chasers. He didn’t trust himself to actually Beat anything anymore.

But he had to do something. It was his job. So, when he could tell something was happening with the Crotali again and that they were about to pass, he swept toward them again, hoping to make the one the pass was to flee the way he had scattered all three of them before.

Just a little longer. This couldn’t last much longer. It had already gone too long. Soon, they would all start falling away whether he hit them or not. He just had to keep going until that happened or he hit them all, which couldn’t be long even if Arnold and Marissa didn’t hurry. He wished they would, though. He was tired now.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater He seems to be going for something as we speak 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 05, 2011 6:27 PM

Earning my crazy label. by Russell Layne, Chaser

As the Quaffle sailed away toward the hoop, Russell’s breath caught in anticipation and fear, knowing how wonderful it would feel if the shot was a success, but knowing, too, how bad it would feel if it was a failure. His eyes darted back and forth between Sawyer and the ball, waiting, hoping –

Feeling a thrill of horror, lurching forward, trying to head Renée off before she could mess up his moment of glory. Failing. Just failing. Arthur had tried, Russell had tried, but once again, she was foiling all their plans.

For a second, he felt something like weary grief. Then, he just got mad.

He was a first year who’d grown up in an urban environment, so he’d never had the kind of time to practice people like the twins, people who grew up on remote estates the size of a county, did, and he had the slowest broom on the Aladren Chasing team, and the one time he’d ever gotten one past a Keeper, he had been immediately overshadowed by Arnold catching the Snitch, so that very few people even knew that goal had been scored. The ones that Daniel and Arthur had put away today, people would remember them, though, and that shot had been his best chance of not being automatically classed as Aladren’s Least Useful Player. And she had ruined it, and now, Russell was annoyed. Scowling, he shot after her with the rest, determined to get that ball back or die trying.

Arnold tried to help out, too, but the pass from Renée to Charlie Abbott went off anyway, and Crotalus crossed the line. Russell kept going anyway. That Quaffle was his, and nothing short of a Bludger to the head was going to keep him from it.

He saw what Edmond was doing as the next pass was set up, and knew it would be all too easy for him to get caught up in a huge broom crash if someone went the wrong way because of it, but he was still feeling the adrenaline too much to care. Instead of hesitating, as was his custom, he shot between the two Crotali, heard Sam Bauer curse, and knew he had the Quaffle before he even felt it between his hands.

Now, though, there was a bit more than half the length of the Pitch left for him to consider. There was no solid evidence for it, but deep down, he knew that if he didn’t take all that himself, they’d never make it back to the Crotalus goals, and he could not stand to see the red of the Quaffle held against the red of a Crotalus uniform again. He was also probably, due to his cowardice and caution and so forth, the freshest player they had left, discounting David in his role as team cheerleader. Tobar Brishen had made a crazier run in the Teppenpaw game; Russell could make this one.

Going as fast as he could, so fast he was half-convinced he felt the broom shaking, he plowed back down the field, trusting the others to cover him in a way he hadn’t before, and exploited a rule he had read about. It was traditional to shoot from further out, but technically, one Chaser could enter the scoring area. He began to slow as he approached it, so he didn’t actually hurt someone, but was still moving fast as he charged at the Keeper, only pulling away at the last second – for one heartbeat, he almost thought it was a second too late, and that they were going to crash, but then he gave his broom an almighty wrench and prevented it – and fired at the right goal hoop. It was possible that Sawyer might somehow get in there to save it, but, he was fairly sure, no way another player could get into the mix. He’d made it as close as he could.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser Earning my crazy label. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 06, 2011 12:00 PM

I think we all know the drill by now. by Coach Pierce

Recap:

-Daniel got the quaffle right off. Passed successfully to Russell.
-Russell tried to pass to Daniel, but was intercepted by Sam.
-Sam tried to pass but was intercepted by Daniel.
-Daniel passed to Arthur, Arthur shot at goal, Edmund beat at Nic, Nic ran away
-Aladren scored. 10-0
-Nic passes to Sam
-Sam is intercepted by Russell
-Edmond swings and misses his target
-Russell passes to Arthur
-Arthur is intercepted by Renee
-Renee passes to Sam as he gets hit by another of Edmond's bludgers (he's got a bad shoulder now), Sam fumbles but recovers Quaffle and passes back to Renee
-Renee scores. 10-10
-Nash gets the ball and heads back toward Crotalus' goals
-Charlie intercepts and heads back to Aladren's side
-Arthur intercepts and heads back to Crotalus's side
-Renee intercepts and heads back to Aladren's side
-Edmond attacks most of the Crotali, either with a bludger or by flying chicken
-Daniel intercepts and heads back to Crotalus's side
-Aladren manages an completed pass and Arthur has the ball
-Arthur passes back to Daniel, who shoots and scores. 20-10
-Charlie fumes
-Renee gets the falling Quaffle and heads back to Aladren's side
-Arthur intercepts and turns around
-Charlie intercepts and turns around, passes successfully to Renee
-Preston hits at Charlie and clips her hand; she may have broken fingers
-Renee shoots at the goal, but Samantha saves
-Charlie gets the ball, shoots at the goal, but Arthur intercepts and heads back the other way
-Renee intercepts and turns around
-Arthur intercepts and turns around
-Renee intercepts and turns around and when she passes, she stops short and gets in the way of anyone trying to intercept from behind
-Arthur rams into her
-Nobody falls, but Renee's hurt (for those keeping track, that's all three Crotali Chasers injured)
-Coach blows her whistle, brief time-out, play recenters and resumes
-Renee wins the toss up
-Arthur intercepts, passes successfully to Russell
-Russell shoots at Crotalus's goals
-Nic makes his first save of the game
-Sam blocks Daniel from recovering the Quaffle.
-Arthur gets it instead
-Renee intercepts and flys back toward Aladren
-She passes to Charlie
-Charlie passes back
-Edmond hits a bludger at Renee
-Renee takes a shot at the goals and takes a bad hit to her already injured ribs. Renee's world goes black.
-Samantha saves
-Charlie recovers Quaffle and tries again. She scores. 20-20
-Coach catches Renee and brings her and her broom to the medic; tells medic to tell Renee she had an assist on the score-tying goal when she wakes up
-Samantha recovers Quaffle and throws it toward an Aladren
-Arthur gets it passes it to Daniel
-Daniel gets it into Crotalus territory, passes
-Charlie intercepts, brings it back, passes to Sam
-Topher gets a bludger for the first time, hits it at an Aladren
-Edmond's there and redirects
-Sam avoids bludger, crosses back into Aladren territory, passes to Charlie
-Preston hits another bludger at Crotalus
-Charlie double feints and scores, 30-20 Crotalus ahead
-Samantha throws the Quaffle back to Russell
-Russell passes to Daniel
-Daniel crosses center line and attempts to pass to Arthur
-Renee magicall reappears and intercepts, she turns around and passes
-Arthur chases after her and intercepted back, he turns around and passes
-Edmond flips out a little and hits a bludger. Twice.
-Sam intercepts Arthur's pass but is then assaulted by Edmond's bludger and he drops the ball in his effort to avoid it
-Russell recoveres it and attempts to score
-Arthur tries to block Renee from getting in the way of the attempt
-It doesn't work; she's got it and is heading back the other way
-Arnold attempts to reclaim his title of The Crazy Carey Twin, and dives through the crowd of Chasers in an attempt to disrupt Crotalus, also, he may have seen the Snitch as he pulls out of the dive
-Charlie is disrupted, but still catches Renee's pass
-Edmond decides to bodily charge a Crotalus again
-Russell intercepts Charlie's pass to Sam, and takes a page out of Edmond's Crazy Playbook, and bodily charges Nic. Then he swerves just before a crash would have occurred and he takes a shot at the right hoop.

Meanwhile the Seekers have been busy, too:
-They started by mostly ignoring each other
-Preston bludgered at Marissa but missed
-Marissa may have seen the Snitch near Arnold and dove, faking a sighting near her to keep him from noticiing it
-Arnold fell for it and dove after her

0 Coach Pierce I think we all know the drill by now. 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

May 06, 2011 12:39 PM

Looks like Sam will be inheriting my Lego Collection by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

He saved a goal. And then Samantha didn't. And then Samantha didn't again. (Admittedly, he probably wouldn't have made any of those saves either, but they weren't made at him.) And that put Crotalus in the lead. And that meant Charlie and Renee and Sam would probably not kill him for the two he had let in earlier.

Which meant the Will revisions he'd been writing in the downtime would both have a chance to be written legally, and prove ultimate pointless. Unless, of course, he died for reasons entirely unrelated to his Keeper abilities, like possibly a skateboarding accident (in which case, his decision to leave Sophie Jamison his skateboard might turn out to be a bit morbid and she wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much) or as a casualty in the Eliza War, if that ever broke into bloodshed (in which case, Rachel may forgive him when she received her inherited sketchbook full of pictures of herself, because he thought she liked Eliza more than Renee and she would appreciate Nic's sacrifice).

He was just getting used to this idea of continued survival - or, at least, Death By Causes Other than Quidditch - when one of the Aladren Chasers apparently decided he wanted to kill Nic personally, right now, and planned to do so by ramming into him.

Mass was not something he had a lot of. He did not weigh much more than an average third year. His greater size was solely and entirely in height, not weight. But he was a third year. And Incoming Chaser was a first year, and not a very big one at that. So Nic was reasonably certain that if they collided, it would be Little Guy who took the brunt of it. All Nic had to do was make sure he didn't get skewered by the broom handle or all bets were off.

Working on the assumption - and the kid's relentless determination to run Nic down certainly seemed to support it - that the Aladren intended to make him abandon his post the same way the bludger had and score into the center goal right behind him, Nic planted himself as well as he could while hovering in mid-air and prepared to adjust his height as neccessary so it was Aladren Kid who took a broom handle to the gut, not Nic.

This time, he thought to himself, Charlie and Rachel and Sam and Renee would be pleased. He would hold. his. ground. He wasn't going to run away from some squeaky little midget just because he was flying at him at ramming speed.

And then . . . in the last second before the Aladren kid would have taking Nic's broom right to his stomach, the Squeaky Little Midget wasn't flying at him anymore. He'd turned aside.

For a moment, Nic thought victoriously, HA! No one plays chicken with me and wins! But then he made a horrible realization. Squeaky Little Midget still had the Quaffle and now there was no one in between him and the side goal hoop.

Nic cursed and then dove, but it was too late. The ball went through.

He had the saving grace of recovering the Quaffle again before any of the Aladrens did, but he didn't think it was much of a mitigating circumstance. Flying back in front of the goals, the goals he wasn't doing too hot a job of guarding, Nic threw the Quaffle back into play, aiming it toward one of his Crotalus teammates.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper Looks like Sam will be inheriting my Lego Collection 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 06, 2011 12:40 PM

Aladren scores! Score: 30-30 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Aladren scores! Score: 30-30 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

May 06, 2011 2:29 PM

Thanks, man. It's been good knowing you. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

Sam made a mental note to himself. If he ever reproduced, and the product of said reproduction was Sorted into Aladren, he was to disown it immediately, because the entire House was out of its collective tree. It was one thing when the Careys were acting like a bunch of wackos, even Jane, the most normal of the lot, was kinda creepy sometimes in how utterly calm and pleasant she always was, and it worked for Nash to be a little weird because he had years of exposure to the Aladren culture of being weird, but the first year who wasn’t a Carey was now acting as nutty as the rest of them. Either the whole House was composed of crazy people, or exposure drove one mad very, very fast.

He didn’t, therefore, hold it against Nic when the first year scored. It was still only a tie. They could get back in the lead in no time.

Assuming Edmond didn’t kill them all. There was still that. Sam had always seen the Aladren prefect as being a lot like his sister, maybe more socially awkward than Jane but still affable enough, but he must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today or something. Not his position and never would be, so he couldn’t be sure, but he was fairly certain that there was Beating and then there was going on some kind of berserker rampage of death and blood. Sam was beginning to have moments where he wondered if the guy cared, or even noticed, if other Aladrens got in the way. It was a little unsettling.

Nic got the Quaffle back into his possession this time, which was a relief. At this point, it didn’t really matter, not with all the moves they’d been using (and occasionally, he was pretty sure, with Renée and the Carey twins, showing off with) on each other, but still – it had been the first year without the weight of that surname behind him who’d just gotten one in, and it would have felt a little embarrassing to have Aladren put another one away by catching the Quaffle as it fell. It wouldn’t be too bad for Aladren to do that in general right now, they had proven they were good enough that it just was what it was at this point, but right on the heels of Little Firstie….Yeah.

Sam forced his injured side to play along with him long enough to catch the Quaffle, then went back to using his left hand, the one attached to his bruised, maybe-a-bit-more-than-bruised shoulder, to hold onto the broom and using his right to handle the ball as he hurtled back toward the Aladren end – hurtled, anyway, as well as he could while minding his balance, which was being messed with by holding the ball in his non-wand hand and automatically, except when he really thought about it, favoring his left side. He crossed some space, thought not enough to make it back to the line because he was not about to beg for another Bludger, and then tried another one-handed pass to one of the other Crotali.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser Thanks, man. It's been good knowing you. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

May 06, 2011 4:12 PM

The drill is becoming familiar.... by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

Marissa had felt a momentary thrill of triumph when her feint had successfully drawn Arnold away from the Snitch, but it had faded fast when she still hadn’t managed to get over to the Snitch in time herself. By the time she was where she thought it had been, it was gone again, lost somewhere in the long length and insane tangle of players that made up today’s Pitch.

She didn’t pay too much attention to what was going on in games while she was Seeking, having been doing this long enough to know that it wouldn’t help, but she was still picking up enough to know that it was getting really nasty down there. It was also getting a little dull and frustrating for her, being responsible for all her teammates being put through a grinder while she could do nothing but wheel around, trying to watch everything and a specific first year at the same time to make sure she was the one who got to an elusive flash of light first. So when Arnold suddenly went diving, Marissa followed.

It didn’t take her long to realize that he wasn’t diving for the Snitch, but to distract the Crotalus Chasers from getting away with the Quaffle. Cursing herself for being duped, she pulled out of the dive before she could make the situation worse, looked for Arnold –

- And found him still moving, no longer straight down, but off to the side, and with purpose. Borrowing a few words from Charlie that it would have shocked anyone from home to hear her use or even realize she knew, she went off after him.

Had to catch up. Had to win this. She could not get beaten by some hotshot first year just because he was too crazy to predict and had a better broom. For one thing, Charlie would kill her, and for another, she would then never be able to show her undead face in public again. She thought, based on their behavior today, the Aladrens might be just ill-mannered enough to gloat about it if she did.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker The drill is becoming familiar.... 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 06, 2011 4:17 PM

I can't say I share that view by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

The Quaffle being intercepted was, at this point, about as expected as not. It was, however, a surprise that it was the other first year, whose name Charlie couldn't currently recall, that took the ball. It was a much greater shock - at first, anyway - that he then took the ball and flew pretty much the entire length of the pitch with it. As she tore after him, however, Charlie decided that it was actually to be expected, rather than shocking: he was, after all, on Aladren, and they were clearly all crazy. This game pretty much proved that point. Edmond was by far the craziest at this point, but the rest of the team mates seemed eager to catch up with him.

When Russell kept going without any intention of passing, Charlie felt her chest tighten. Oh no, he was going to try for a goal. She kept all her extremeties crossed, but even with what little faith she had in nic remaining, she knew an assault-type goal like that would be difficult to block. Nic didn't block it; Aladren scored. Well, that was pretty much standard for this game, she guessed. At least Crotalus had been in the lead points-wise for a moment, and hey, they'd been down a player and were all injured, so if anything that just supported her belief that they had the best Chasing team. It didn't however, do anything to improve her current appreciation of her Keeper. She knew, in her heart, that it had been a difficult goal to have stopped. That just made the fact he'd let in two previous goals all the worse, really - if he was going to just let one in, it should have been that one, not the past two in the game. She wanted to fume at him, honestly she did, but Nic wasn't doing any worse than Aladren's Keeper. He just wasn't doing any better, either. At least he retained the Quaffle; that was a small mercy.

before much time at all had passed, the Quaffle was back in Crotalus possession, and Sam was coming back down the pitch. He didn't look as stable as he could be, so Charlie moved in closer to him as he came back away from the goals Nic was guarding. Luck was against them - not to mention Edmond - and with Sam only with one good arm charlie thought she ought to do her part in making his job easier. it worked, for the time being at least; she caught his pass and continued taking the Quaffle back down the pitch. That's what they were there to do, and now, more than ever before, Charlie appreciated why their position was titled 'Chaser.' With the leather ball tucked under her left arm this time, the Crotalus captain continued with the ball down the pitch, and decided not to go for Aladren crazy tactics. She hadn't quite made it to the half-way line before she passed again to one of her teammates.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser I can't say I share that view 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 06, 2011 11:41 PM

Nor I. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

She watched as the other Aladren chaser sped down the pitch, scoring against Nic. Sam took the pass, and they were flying back towards Aladren goals again. There had been a flicker of impatient anger at Nic, but they were apparently tied now, and she had no energy to focus on him. Or Crotalus' absent beaters. She knew nothing but wind, flapping red robes, a red ball, and the wood beneath her form. She pushed her broom forward when she saw Sam pass to Charlie and followed her captain down the pitch, keeping an eye out for Aladrens and bludgers. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Charlie prepare to pass again and felt surprise, but quickly adapted and caught the ball, rising a little to catch it against her chest and leaned forward over it, pinning it to the broom and sped faster past the mid point line.

She felt impatient to take another shot, but the Aladren Keeper wouldn't be surprised from a simple burst of speed. Renée straightened up a bit and palmed the Quaffle in her hands, thinking that Charlie wanted to keep up quick passes, keeping control of the ball. At the sight of another Aladren, Renée made a sudden drop in height and threw under their broom, watching the Quaffle travel with direct purpose towards her intended Crotalus chaser, and dropped back in distance to intercept any other Aladrens, providing support from behind to both Charlie and Sam.

She felt parts of her were detached. There was still sweat beading her temple, blood pumping through her veins, excitement tingling the air. But she also sensed something fun had been lost for other players which made no sense because this was what every game should be like. Frustration at a fail laced with exquisite joy at a goal, mixed with pain at the force of a bludger together with breathless anticipation of a made or intercepted pass. Like the anticipation she held now.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Nor I. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 07, 2011 12:24 PM

Come on you reds! by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

It seemed to be a miracle that during this game Crotalus had made three successful passes in a row (Nic to Sam to Charlie to Renée) and still they had possession of the Quaffle. It was fairly normal for any other game but, as Charlie reminded herself, this didn't seem to have quite the same patterns as a normal game. Aladren and Crotalus were apparently well-matched, with the blue team making up in insanity and strength what they lacked in actual skill. Speaking of skill, Renée caught the Quaffle that Charlie had passed, and the Crotalus Chasing team continued on their mission to score once again, and put themselves back in the lead with points scored.

As she flew, Quidditch robes rippling heavily in the wind that still persisted, and her broken fingers starting to throb once more, Charlie took the opportunity to revel in the thrill of being in the Quidditch Championship. She'd worked hard for this since she was in her first year, and her team, for the most part, had worked hard since they were in their first years. Nic had sort of been pulled in against his will (though he had remained willingly) so Charlie cut him a little more slack than everyone else. Just as well, really, considering that while he was actually getting better he was still far from the best Keeper on the pitch. he was, however, the best Keeper Crotalus had to offer and, as his infrequent saves proved, having a bad Keeper was better than having no Keeper at all. Nic would continue to improve, Charlie was sure of it; even Grayson Wright had improved before he graduated.

They were now past that mid-way line, and making good ground (or sky) towards their goals. Renée looked round her, and, anticipating a pass, charlie watched her teamate carefully and shifted her hands on her broom so her right was free to catch the Quaffle when it came sailing her way. She had to drop a little, but she'd been prepared for it, so she caught the ball with little difficulty. Four successful passes in a row - this was now starting to worry her, because the longer they kept passing, surely the more likely it would be that they got intercepted. On the other hand, Charlie didn't think she could quite make a goal just yet. She flew in a little closer, feinted towards the right hoop, and instead passed the Quaffle back to a fellow Chaser. She knew from previous attempts this Keeper could save a staright shot - they needed to play with tactics to score those points.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Come on you reds! 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 07, 2011 12:49 PM

is stirred to passion by Renée Errant {Chaser}

They kept going, and Renée's nervous excitement levels were being raised as the goals came into sharp focus, and the pounding grew louder and harder within her chest. She continued to be behind Charlie, flying without full force of speed, ready to prevent any Aladrens from intercepting. There was a pleasant strain on her muscles she was sure would have been near agony had the Aladren Beater (and she preferred thinking it was Edmond who had hit her and not someone who was slightly shorter and younger than her) not sent her to the medic's tent to be refreshed. Wide brown eyes narrowed in acknowlegement of Charlie's barely lifted arm, but focused her eyes on the Quaffle while Charlie lifted her arm and motioned to the right goal hoop. 'Quaffle - still - hand!'

No time for coherent thoughts, she shot forward to recieve the backwards pass Charlie sent her, and popped out from behind Charlie to send a shot at the left goal hoops, excited to see the speed her Quaffle was traveling in, and how well it felt to jump in on that instinctive play. The series of completed passes between Sam, her, and Charlie felt as if they were making a come back. 'Hah! not that we had left. Just that now we're at our very very best.'

As much as she would have liked to just watch her Quaffle sail through, she made a sharp turn to prevent any Aladren chasers from blocking her shot, confident enough to even risk getting hurt again. It was true the Aladrens were giving her a run for her money, but reality informed her that she was still the craziest one there - on and off the pitch.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} *is stirred to passion* 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 07, 2011 3:53 PM

In that lies the path to the Dark Side by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Arthur was as surprised as anyone by the sudden appearance of Arnold in the Chaser game, but immediately concluded that he shouldn’t have been. Arnold had always been the one who enjoyed the chaos and bones breaking and so on and so forth, and if this had ever been just a game instead of a battle that they were all taking extremely seriously, it was rapidly ceasing to be a game and devolving into that no-holds-barred battle for supremacy. In ten minutes, he reckoned, someone was going to throw the rules to the wind and try to tackle someone else off his broom. It had been ridiculous to think that Arnold would resist the temptation to play at least a small part in the madness of this brawl forever.

To Arthur’s irritation, though, it was only a small part, because Crotalus somehow pulled out the pass, and then…and then Russell Layne went stone-cold crazy.

Even as his body moved automatically, Arthur’s mind was busy being stunned, especially once he realized that Russell had no intentions of passing the ball. Russell was a calm, balancing figure in the life of the dorm, a nice contrast to Arnold’s stubbornness and energy and Preston’s…fine wiring. Collected, introverted. Not the kind of person who made long runs like that, or went at that speed for very long at all. Arthur knew that Miss Errant was frustrating, he’d done everything in his power to crash with her when she somehow slid around him and was vowing revenge even now, but…That was something Arnold would do, not Russell.

Except, Russell had done it, and Arthur made a mental note to reevaluate Russell’s file as soon as this ended and he regained the wits to get out his files, find Russell’s, and examine them without being immediately caught by the other boys. His fellow Chaser was, it seemed, going to bear more watching than he’d originally anticipated.

The moment of triumph for Aladren that came with Russell’s run and goal, though, was short-lived; Crotalus, despite having only one player with two good hands, got the ball back, and Arthur couldn’t get in there to steal again. He finally got frustrated enough to override some of the tiredness, but still not enough to do his best, and by that point, Crotalus was at their end of the Pitch.

When he saw Miss Errant turning again, though, he couldn’t resist. Smiling grimly to himself, he pulled his broom and shot around her, just as she’d done to him at the other end. It was a little harder for him because his shoulder was still aching from their collision, and so the angle was no good for catching the Quaffle, but he managed to hit it off course with the tail of his broom.

He didn’t even care who caught it. Samantha was ready now, she could keep her eyes on the Quaffle all the way, so their chances of making another save if Crotalus recovered were better, and he had established his ability to cut past a block as well as his opponent could. As he looked at Miss Errant, he noticed his face felt strange, and realized he was smiling at her. Guess we’re even now, then, Miss Errant.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser In that lies the path to the Dark Side 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 07, 2011 5:16 PM

It also clouds one's judgment by Edmond Carey, Beater

Edmond looked on at the mess the Chasers were making of everything in exasperation. “Why won’t you all go away?” he asked, the question both muttered and in German.

It would, he was sure, all be better if they would just go away, and stop fluttering around in a tangle of color and Bludger-avoidance and diversion tactics, occasionally shouting at each other. It could only have been worse if there had been a commentator, which, thankfully, was a position Sonora had seen fit to leave unfilled. If the plays had been announced, with everyone knowing exactly who did what at all times, Edmond was sure the pressure to show off would have driven everyone a little mad.

That was the thing about the Aladren team, and maybe that Crotalus girl he was trying not to look at because it made him think he was going to panic. They were all playing from emotion. Frustration and stubbornness was most likely what was keeping them all going. He couldn’t do that anymore, though, because between the part of him that still jumped at sudden movement and the part that knew this was just a game, he had gotten so turned around that, for one moment, he hadn’t known where he was, or what he was fighting, and that frightened him.

That didn’t help matters, either. He thought he was in control, but he had thought he was in control ever since January, and clearly, that wasn’t working as well for him as he’d thought it was. He had to look past what he wanted to think and see the impartial evidence, which suggested that he was losing his grip on things.

It was, as the Crotalus team moved away and took the action with them and he was overwhelmed by too much apathy for a moment to follow, getting harder to focus on the end of the game as a time to work on that. The thought that the game was never going to end was lingering, and while he knew it was irrational, he couldn’t shake it.

He tried to catch up with the game, then to hit a Bludger toward one of the Crotalus Chasers. Things were better when there were fewer of them.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater It also clouds one's judgment 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Topher Calhoun, Beater

May 07, 2011 6:33 PM

Guess we're all crazy, then by Topher Calhoun, Beater

Topher’s first attempt at hitting something hadn’t worked out so hot. Nothing horrible had happened, he hadn’t hit anyone from his own team with a Bludger or anything like that, but the Big Aladren Beater from Hell had gotten in the way and sent it on its merry way toward the Crotalus team anyway.

Yeah, Topher really wished he was with the Chasers. That was way more fun, and, despite Bludgers generally being hit at Chasers and not being hit at Beaters because they could use them, better for his overall health. If he got in the way of the big guy’s shots, the big guy would kill him, but if he didn’t start doing a little better job of keeping the big guy off the Crotali, Charlie would kill him. Either way, it seemed, he was in trouble.

Coming to that conclusion, though, wasn’t a bad thing, because it meant that he had nothing to lose, and once he had nothing to lose, he could pretty much do whatever he wanted without worrying too much about his manner of death. So when another Bludger sailed toward Crotali as they made an attempt on the goals, Topher jumped in and swung at it hard, redirecting it toward an Aladren.

About time, in Topher’s opinion, the blues started taking some damage, especially since the big guy seemed to be getting tired or something. He didn’t seem to be going after everyone else on the Pitch with the same homicidal energy as before. This was in large part why Topher had found the courage to intervene, and show off that ‘aiming well’ trait that partially balanced out his tall (for eleven, anyway)-but-thin trait that was such a disadvantage in this spot. One of his shoulders and both his wrists felt a little stunned from the impact, but if he could break that crazy energy of the Aladren team, it would be more than worth it.

0 Topher Calhoun, Beater Guess we're all crazy, then 0 Topher Calhoun, Beater 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 08, 2011 5:10 AM

Go Topher Go! by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

As Renée caught the pass again, Charlie felt excitrd butterflies in her stomach. If only they could get this Quaffle to go in now, they would have shown the Aladrens that they were unequivocably the best team out on the pitch today. To get the Quaffle all the way down the pitch - by passing properly, not just making a crazy mad dash - and then score at the end of it in a true team effort would be the best thing ever. She watched Renée take the Quaffle up to the hoop, and then actually felt a little sick as she saw one of the mini Aladrens swoop in and obstruct the ball with the tail end of his broom. Charlie hoped he was unfortunate enough that the Quaffle broke enough of the twigs that it made turning his brrom very tricky for the rest of the game.

Luckily, however, the ball rebounded in her direction, and by accomplishing a stomach-jolting drop as she shot forwards, Charlie was able to get to the ball. She moved quickly, hoping that it would be difficult for anyone to keep close tabs on what she was doing as she brough her broom back up to playing height, heading towards the middle hoop. they were in prime goal-scoring area, but she knew full well there was at least one pesky Aladren chaser in the vicinity who could potentially spoil her fun. Trying to pass again now was too risky, and she thought she might as well have another go at the goals while she was here; the other option was to pass again, and that would have a poorer chance of success, with no points scored in the case of victory.

With the Quaffle in her right hand, Charlie drew up closer to the middle hoop, spied a red-clad Chaser to her side, feinted a pass, and then threw the leather ball towards the left hoop. Her aim was a little off, but for Charlie that just meant it might get close enough to skim the inner edge of the hoop rather than go directly through its centre; she'd been playing long enough that even her skewed throws hit their target when she was at this short distance. She only hoped that the confusion with Arthur Carey catching the ball with his broom, and Charlie's feint before throwing to the goals had been enough to distract the Keeper.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Go Topher Go! 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

May 08, 2011 5:39 AM

Stop, Quaffle, stop. by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Whenever Aladren scored a goal, Samantha felt pleased for two reasons. Firstly because it meant her team were scoring points, and that was always good news; secondly because it demonstrated that she wasn't the only Keeper on the pitch letting Quaffles in, and she didn't like to feel inferior. When Aladren scored the equalizing goal, she was therefore ecstatic. She wasn't quite so cheerful to see the Quaffle and Crotalus Chasers heading back down towards her directly following the event.

As they got closer, Samantha vowed to herself that the ball wasn't getting past her this time. She found it difficult to deflect the Crotalus shots because they looked like they were going to throw one way and then threw another, and even though she knew they were going to do this, it really did still make it harder for her to follow the ball. he wasn't going to be caught out again, though. Not this time.

The first attempt Crotalus made, samantha didn't even need to worry about. Arthur came up and kncoked the Quaffle out of the way for her, which she didn't mind. If her teammates were starting to get the impression that she needed help fielding the goals then it was only because of her own poor performance, and so they were perfectly entitiled to think that. She wasn't going to take umbridge because a chaser had helped her in preventing Crotalus from scoring. I did make it a little trickier for her to keep an eye on the Quaffle, but once the players had shifted themselves from between Samantha and the Quaffle, bringing the red ball back into her line of sight, the Aladren Keeper could tell she wasn't safe yet; the Crotalus captain had the ball, and was probably going to try and score. Let her try - Samantha was ready for her.

She watched as the player brought the ball up towards the middle hoop, and went as if to throw to a teammate. Samantha didn't believe it for a second, and remained alert, so that when the Quaffle was actually thrown towards a hoop she was moving to make the save the instant the ball left the Crotalus Chaser's hand. Samantha darted to the side, reached out and caught the Quaffle with gloved hands. Ha, she thought. They couldn't get past her so easily/. Flying out a little to clear the ball from her goal area, Samantha sent out another strong, one-armed pass to one of the Aladren players.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper Stop, Quaffle, stop. 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Renée Errant

May 08, 2011 12:08 PM

I don't think it wants to. by Renée Errant

With surprise and disappointment (and no matter how many times it continued to happen, Arthur Carey popping out of nowhere continued to surprise her) Renée watched her Quaffle be deflected by the tail end of Arthur Carey's broom. While her instinct should have been to immediately dive after it, it was made awkward by Arthur's position in front of her, and her eyes were caught by the odd expression on his face looking at her. Her own face was stretched into a smile at the continuous exhilaration of the game, and she thought for a moment how odd it was that they were both caught up in it and looking at each other.

It felt weird and she swerved around him, too late to go for the Quaffle but watched as Charlie gathered it up and took a shot. The Aladren Keeper took it out and Renée sped from below, locking her gaze on an Aladren chaser and rose quickly to intercept the pass, grunting lightly at the impact on her hands from the force of it. She ducked a stray bludger, and sped back towards the goals. They had only taken a detour just outside the scoring area and it was easy enough to take another shot.

Her gaze and whole body was directed toward the keeper's left goal hoop. Wind swayed her broom somewhat but she was able to still hold herself in a direct direction towards that left goal hoop. She quickly turned her broom around, threw her arm out with a sharp motion towards the middle goal hoop, and then let go of the Quaffle in a drop pass to a Crotalus chaser she saw below. Flipping her broom around, the rest of her curly hair came out of its bun into her face while she positioned herself to be of use in case Sam or Charlie felt like a backwards pass or if they made a shot and she could help bring it back up to the goalhoops again. Her hands quickly left the Febre to twist up her hair again, a hair tie binding it together from where it had waited on her wrist. It took about five seconds but in Quidditch that was enough time for several exciting things to happen.

0 Renée Errant I don't think it wants to. 0 Renée Errant 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 08, 2011 3:19 PM

Yeah, it really misses Nic and the Crotalus goal hoops. by Russell Layne, Chaser

With Renee playing again, the Crotali got ahead. As Russell, still feeling some of the warm glow of success from his goal, pursued anyway, he was seriously considering the viability of a proposal that all school games should be played on standardized brooms so the games would really be about skill instead of just who had more money and, therefore, better brooms. The school ones weren't too bad, Sonora was a small but reasonably affluent school with all the families that donated, but if they wouldn't work, maybe they could establish some fund from the NQL alumni to buy Quidditch brooms of median quality every four or five years....

But then, the reason Sonora functioned was because of rich people who were accustomed to privilege, and they were likely to oppose any such measure even if, by some miracle, he could get student support for it. Which wasn't likely. He figured Preston and the twins would ritually kill him if he proposed such a thing, and the other rich kids of the school didn't even know him.

"Go, Arthur," he cheered, albeit, after all the flying, a little too quietly and breathlessly for there to be much chance of being heard when he was mildly uncomfortable with such things anyway, when Arthur turned the bad situation of Crotalus making it to the Aladren goals into something a bit better. Crotalus still made the shot, but it wasn't as good, and Samantha saved it.

He expected it to be Daniel who got the Quaffle, but before that could happen, Renee intercepted again. His jaw clenching with frustration, Russell watched, sure there was nothing anyone could do to get between her and Samantha.... And saw the Quaffle falling. A drop pass.

Russell was almost afraid it was too good to be true, but didn't have time to think about it too much. He shot forward, between the two Crotali, and intercepted. Then, since Topher was starting to play now that the Chasers were wearing down (typical, Russell thought, between irritation with and pride for his friend), he ran for his life.

The long-run tactic had worked well for Aladren so far, but Russell didn't want to risk it again. Not with Crotalus, their arrogance breaking up, starting to really play even as Aladren's energy decreased. He got more than halfway back to the line before he began to feel truly unsafe, and once he did, he checked for Crotali, lined up carefully with another Aladren, and made the shortest pass he thought he could without colliding with his teammate or getting them both smashed up by the Bludgers.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser Yeah, it really misses Nic and the Crotalus goal hoops. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Preston, Beater

May 08, 2011 5:15 PM

Nice of you to send it back to Nic! by Preston, Beater

The game was nerve-wrecking, 30-30, and the snitch hadn’t been caught. Preston was anxious about that, he wanted Arnold to catch it and get it over with. The redhead wanted to win so bad, that he could taste it on his mouth. He was getting tired of smacking Bludgers left and right, his arms were beginning to ache, and he was sure he was going to be in pain tomorrow. Not something he was looking forward to, but it would happen. He needed to gain force in his arms for next season. He was going to train during summer, he decided. He would ask his father for a Quidditch trainer and all would be good, he just hoped he would say yes. His father was somewhat unpredictable, and the redhead got irritated every time he thought something would happen and his father ended up doing or saying another thing entirely. Preston liked structure in his life; he had a daily routine, one he never skipped. Well, just under extreme circumstances.

It wasn’t time to dwell on what his father might do or not do, he was in a game, and it needed his full attention. The first-year Aladren, looked around for a Bludger and realized one was heading Russell’s way, he chased it and smacked it towards a Crotalus chaser. Now that the Crotalus had a full team, once again, he needed to step-up his game, and crush them. He didn’t know how Daniel would react if they lost in the final. Preston was sure it wasn’t going to be a pretty sight, and he wasn’t interested in watching it, or living it, for that matter. There was something about watching your role-model lose it, that the redhead didn’t want to see. Daniel was what Preston wanted to be once he became a sixth or seventh year, and he wanted to have the image of a confident Daniel Nash, not a crazy person.

0 Preston, Beater Nice of you to send it back to Nic! 0 Preston, Beater 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

May 08, 2011 6:21 PM

He does look so lonely over there by Captain Nash, Chaser

Daniel had covered Russell's run for the goal as well as he could, and it seemed to have been enough, because Russell was neither knocked off nor bludgered and he even scored, which Daniel had cheered until his voice went hoarse. He hadn't liked being behind in the score.

He also hadn't much liked Crotalus's run back to Samantha, and the interception attempts he'd made had all come up short until he looked back and noticed some of the bristles on his broom had been bent by either a close brush with another player or a bludger that he'd unknownly avoided by only inches. It took entirely too long to fix that, as far as Quidditch Game Time went, but once it was, his broom was flying at (almost) its best speed again, and Sam was making a save.

He cheered that for as long as his voice held out, but it was already ragged from all his previous shouting and the wind and his own slightly out-of-breath breathing. A word Barry never scripted for Nate (though some other writers had) slipped out as Sam's toss back into play was intercepted by Renee, but he gave a short cheer again as Russell got it back.

Daniel flew out ahead - his brief distraction with his broom had left him further back from the goals anyway - and was ready when Russell moved in close and passed it over to him. Speeding up again, Daniel kept the Quaffle moving away from Samantha. He thought she was a fine Keeper, but the Crotali were just dangerous so the further the ball was from their goals, the lower Aladren's score would stay.

Crossing back over the center line, Daniel felt his tension relax a little, knowing any interception would have to go back over half the field to get back to Samantha. Of course, the Crotali had already amply demonstrated that doing so was not as difficult for them as Daniel would have liked, so he did not let himself relax too much.

He went a little further, but they were still more than a quarter of the Pitch away from Nic Sawyer when Daniel closed the distance back toward one of his younger - but amazing - Chasers and passed the Quaffle the short distance between them. Even if Renee hadn't come back onto the field, he knew better than to try another long throw.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser He does look so lonely over there 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 08, 2011 6:35 PM

And Russell's a very nice guy by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Arthur wasn’t sure what to think when Miss Errant smiled back at him, but since he had to almost immediately try – and fail; he cursed that stupid girl as harshly as he knew how to, since this meant he was going to have to do something reckless again soon to even the score – to block her, he tucked it away as a matter for later consideration and readied himself to fly like mad again when Samantha saved….

Only for the Quaffle to seemingly drop into Russell’s hands. Any doubts that might have begun to rise in Arthur’s mind about the superiority of Aladren vanished just like that. She couldn’t have done Aladren more of a favor if she’d suddenly torn off her robe to reveal a blue one underneath it and started being a Bludger-catcher for them. They were still the best. Hunched slightly over his broom to avoid becoming a Bludger-catcher himself, and blessing the Crotali for not producing from their ranks any guys big enough to hit hard, he moved after the Quaffle.

It went from Russell to Daniel, then from Daniel to…Arthur. He was perhaps a little too enthusiastic in how he reached out for the ball and pulled it from the air, but he thought he had a good excuse. The Crotali were as good at interceptions as his people, and Miss Errant was fast enough to bother him and Daniel if she tried, which, it seemed, she was usually eager to do.

Plus, Edmond was getting tired or something, because he wasn’t everywhere anymore, and that meant they needed to keep moving as much as possible, because the Crotali might come back for revenge after all the time they had spent in fear of life and limb in the majority of the game. Arthur didn’t believe in trusting anyone completely to keep him safe, including himself, but he was already writing his cousin off as being highly reliable for the remainder of their time today. He might still be of some use, but Arthur had nearly taken a Bludger when Preston re-directed it toward Crotali in the flight from the goals, and that meant that moving was his best option for staying intact.

He moved across most of the last stretch of the Pitch, then had a momentary, split-second debate with himself about what to do. He had already passed late once, so it might be expected of him, but then, it might not. But this was further out than that had been, since that had been right at the goals. Since either teammate seemed to be an option for reasonably short passes, he feinted to one, then passed to the other for the goal.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser And Russell's a very nice guy 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

May 08, 2011 10:46 PM

Just a little bit by Arnold Carey, Seeker

Arnold realized that Miss Stephenson had avoided a painful collision with her own Chasers, but was still ahead when they seemed to be heading in the same direction, so it didn’t bother him. He could beat her in speed any time, so the important thing was, now that it was definitely all right to Seek in earnest, just to stay near her and do that when the Snitch made itself seen.

He was convinced it had, but now that he was where he thought he’d seen it, it was gone. Arnold grimaced, deeply annoyed with it. It had been right there. Where had it gone so fast? He couldn’t see anything remotely Snitch-like anywhere, and that was both worrisome and irritating.

Since ending the game wasn’t going to happen any second soon, he instead decided to focus on keeping the other Seeker from doing so, and himself from becoming bored again. He flew up level with Miss Stephenson. “Your team is pathetic,” he called. “Your Chasers are getting beaten up by a pair of first years!”

It did occur to him that older students could likely use more sophisticated insults than he could, since he was defaulting to the kind of things he used at home with his brothers and cousins and it wasn’t even terribly effective with his brothers. Or even with his cousins, if he didn’t catch them off-guard, and he’d scaled back on trying since Mother had told him that, despite her seeming to just throw it back at him, she thought he might really have hurt Terry’s feelings a few times. But if Miss Stephenson was distracted, even if that distraction happened because she was laughing at him, then that was a good thing.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker Just a little bit 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 08, 2011 11:08 PM

I surely am (WotW). by Russell Layne, Chaser

He had tried three things in a row now that worked, but as the Aladren Chasers drew ever closer to the Crotalus goal hoops again, Russell knew something as well as he knew his own name: he didn’t want to be the one who made the shot again.

He could tell himself what a stupid-fool-coward it made him all day long, and it still didn’t change that fact. Though it was really no bigger a deal than it had been when they started, in terms of objective things that on even the slightest level mattered off the Pitch, it felt like the stakes had been steadily going up with every move of the Quaffle, and he was beginning to be afraid of the reaction that failure, or even a temporary setback, might get him. Daniel was a fantastic captain, particularly in the understanding-that-players-are-human-and-therefore-going-to-mess-up department, but he had to be getting as ready for this to end or at least for Aladren to easily dominate as everyone else was, and Russell had to dwell in not only the same House but the same room as Arthur, for whom the match seemed to have devolved into some kind of duel between him and Renee Errant. Making one mistake out here now felt tantamount to flunking an exam and having to write home to his parents and Mrs. Ballard about it.

So when Arthur feinted toward Daniel, Russell felt one moment of relief, which was immediately dashed to the ground, smashed into a thousand tiny little stained glass pieces, crushed beneath a shoe, and then ground back into sand and washed away in pumpkin juice while the kids partying laughed about it when his roommate changed directions and sent the Quaffle to him. He guessed he could understand the logic – Daniel was the obvious choice, the best out here, so it might take brains a few seconds to catch up with Arthur having picked the inferior teammate – but he preferred the logic where they put their best man forward at the goals.

Unfortunately, Arthur had not asked his opinion, and now he had the Quaffle, which he’d obtained by catching it as energetically as his traitor roommate had a minute before. He couldn’t have done anything else, because if he had, Crotalus would have intercepted, and that would have been far worse than missing a goal. The goals were always at least a little luck; letting a pass get intercepted, in this game at least, was giving the enemy a Best Chasers In Sonora point.

So he flew on the goals, turning his broom and starting to raise his arm as though he planned to go right, then pulling away and making a shot toward the center goal, simultaneously turning to block off any Crotalus interference. It was more likely that the Keeper would save the middle than it would have been if Russell had shot left, but a shot that long would have begged the Crotali to jump in again while making it next to impossible for the Aladrens to completely block them off from the ball’s trajectory. He really didn’t want to get mad and fly wild again in this game.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser I surely am (WotW). 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

May 08, 2011 11:24 PM

I'm sure we'll have it down pat soon. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

Seriously? Marissa thought, taking her eyes off the air for one second to give Arnold Carey an incredulous look. She really, really hoped that kids had been a little better at taunting their rivals when she was a firstie.

Of course, when she was a firstie, games hadn’t gotten this nasty. She did not like this new viciousness about it all at all, but she had no idea how to stop it. Catching the Snitch and ending this specific game wasn’t it. The game against Pecari had been pretty tangled, too, and Aladren’s game Teppenpaw, before that, had been out of hand; one more player down, and they could have started a team out of the hospital wing. That, combined with today, made it tempting to blame the trend on one team suddenly being virtually all male and dominated by one family with a…strange reputation, but Aladren hadn’t been in with them when her team had played Pecari.

Still, as long as everyone as having their fun with the Chasers, she thought she could, with just a smidge of luck that put the Snitch a little closer to her than it was to him, beat Arnold. His Seeking was better than his insults, but considering how easily he seemed to fall for feints, she was fairly certain that had been playing Seeker longer than him, Carey or no Carey. She resumed looking for the Snitch without bothering to acknowledge the dig about her Chasers, or try to turn the first year comment back on him somehow. That took a level of concentration, for her, that she didn’t really have to spare while performing her positional duties.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker I'm sure we'll have it down pat soon. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 09, 2011 12:23 AM

You are indeed by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Relief flooded Arthur’s veins when Russell successfully completed the attempt at a pass despite the feint, but he tried to force that emotion aside, because it was associated with a task being complete when the task, according to the lack of whistle-blowing on Miss Pierce’s part, was not complete. If he relaxed, he’d start to feel the physical impact of the game much more, and then he’d be finished. It might, he thought dryly, only be a few minutes earlier than he was going to be finished anyway if he was too much overestimating his abilities, but those few minutes could make a difference.

Now, for instance. A Crotalus Chaser was getting in the way of that shot over Arthur’s dead body. He’d been raised to treat girls differently from boys, but today had finally convinced him of a thought he’d been considering for some time: girls who came on the Pitch became guys until they left it again, and the only difference was that if the game escalated to the point where he didn’t mind taking a foul, their long hair was much easier to grab than most boys’ was.

He saw Russell was already turning to block one of the Crotalus Chasers and moved to help him by blocking another, so, if he was thinking through the angles correctly, neither could move without being seen and moved against, or get past them without colliding with one of them. He didn’t mind getting hurt again and having to take a few minutes to recuperate with the medic if that was what it took to keep the integrity of the shot. Times when one of them had to take one for the team were what they had David for.

Hopefully, though, the Crotali would have noticed the reaction to their last try at mid-goal interception had gotten and realized that doing that was only going to make Aladren angry enough to first do anything to get the Quaffle back and then do anything to score with it. He would take a hit to keep them away, and even be a little glad of it because it would mean he could stop for a few minutes and come back better, but he still had just enough of his own mentality in place around the mass of being Arnold-like to prefer that everyone acted in the best interests of their bone health and let Mr. Sawyer deal with the shot so they could move to the next equally unhealthy phase of the game.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser You are indeed 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 09, 2011 1:08 AM

Niceness is nice by Edmond Carey, Beater

The Little Crotalus Beater That Could intercepted the Bludger, which was then intercepted again by Preston and vanished. Edmond rubbed his eyes, then left his hand pressed into his forehead for a second because it felt good there. He should have known that getting rid of them wouldn’t be that easy.

In another life, he was sure, everything had been easy. He had made near-perfect marks without expending a great deal of effort ninety percent of the time, had enjoyed his classes, gotten along with his classmates, been liked and respected by his professors, and had played this game as a means of entertainment and socialization. He had, he supposed, worried about his future sometimes, not really knowing what he wanted to do, but wiping his memory to the bone and starting over hadn’t been on the list of desirable options. Now, though, he couldn’t even get rid of the Crotalus Chasers when their Beaters were about a foot shorter than him. Pathetic.

The action, though, was moving back toward this end, so he stayed where he was to wait on it, trusting the Bludgers to follow their nature and follow the crowd at the same time. They wanted blood, and the blood was coming toward him.

His theory did not prove entirely unfounded. We didn’t do that when I was a Chaser, he noted dimly, watching the Chasers blocking each other. He’d been seeing that more and more since that collision, which made no sense since clearly it was an injury tactic that turned on its wielder as well as on the wielder’s intended victim, but there they went again as he bit his lip and went for a Bludger again, half-hoping it would just attack him.

As he approached, thought, he realized he was in very nearly the position he had been in at the beginning of the game, when Arthur had been shooting. This was it. He knew it. If he could replicate that, even if it was with Russell Layne shooting instead of Arthur, then this would end. He knew it. He felt something like happiness as he swung, knowing he’d either remove the Keeper, make the Keeper run, or at least interrupt or hit anyone who tried another of these close-goal interceptions that were also ridiculously popular today. In just a moment, Aladren would score and someone would catch the Snitch. He knew it.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Niceness is nice 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

May 09, 2011 1:35 AM

Positive thinking, that's the way by Arnold Carey, Seeker

Arnold was, despite knowing it hadn’t been a very good dig, a little surprised when Miss Stephenson failed to react at all to the slight against her Chasers except for a look that implied he was very strange. She was the Assistant Captain, which made them hers in a way that the Aladren Chasers, except Arthur, weren’t his. Daniel was his captain, the face of a group Arnold belonged to, and Russell was his roommate, so their standing did impact his, but he and Russell were equals and Daniel was his superior, not the other way around. Shouldn’t she have looked at least a little bothered by him denouncing what was hers?

Perhaps she just had a very good card face. That was it. She was hiding any feelings she had on the subject so he wouldn’t know he’d won a bit, or intentionally to mess with his head. He had forgotten, used to Miss Fae being a very nice girl and Miss Adair being the female Arthur, that there were sub-species of Crotali that had a very specific reputation.

Still, he wasn’t going to try insulting her anymore, because while he could play long games, he preferred quick, visible results from different moves in the larger piece. Arthur said it was by grace alone that he was too stubborn to be in Pecari, which would have not only been an embarrassment to the family, but would also have meant they were separated, since if there hadn’t been Aladren, Arthur would have almost certainly been a Crotalus. It was as close to an expression of affection as his brother had ever offered him at school, that indication that Arthur wouldn’t have liked it if they were split up, and he had appreciated it, though he’d of course not said so. He had his pride, too, and the only time people other than Mother were allowed to be openly affectionate was when they were ill or – as had happened to each of them exactly once in life – injured badly enough that Mother called an actual Healer in. Father disliked medicine, but he had an excellent bedside manner. Arthur’s was terrible, particularly since he had a habit of eyeing the Healers as though expecting them to pounce on him while he was well because he spent more time with them than anyone else they knew and seemed to think Arnold would actually like to have their lessons read to him in Arthur’s academic monotone while he was stuck in bed for some reason, but he tried.

He dove below Miss Stephenson’s position, then came up on her other side, scanned the surroundings, and sailed out ahead for a moment before looping back to her. Playing against someone with whom he had nothing in common was strange and off-putting, but everyone hated gnats flitting around their faces, and he thought it might help to put her a little off-balance, too.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker Positive thinking, that's the way 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

May 09, 2011 1:54 AM

Well, that was more like probability at this point. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

For a moment, Marissa thought Arnold might have given up on attempts to mess with her, but then he started looping around her and going and coming back. She didn’t think it was because he just enjoyed flying – even the most flight-happy of them had to be getting sick of sitting on a broom at this point – or thought he saw anything. It was just to be an annoying little jerk and keep her focus off.

There were some games where the Seekers never came into contact, and it was just sheer dumb luck which one was in the right place and alertness level at the right time and caught the Snitch. There were others where the Seekers engaged in a, to the audience, completely invisible but even more completely brutal game of psychological warfare, watching each other’s every move, analyzing it, and using it to play with the other person’s mind in pursuit of an advantage, despite this actually distracting them from looking for the Snitch as much as it did the opponent, if not more. Marissa wasn’t partial to that, but it seemed Arnold Carey was. He wasn’t old enough to be very good at it, but she was aware that her not taking him seriously because he was eleven or twelve might be something he was counting on – he was an Aladren, Aladrens were smart, and if it typically wasn’t in the manipulative-Crotalus way, well, sometimes it could be – which went right back to why she didn’t enjoy Seeker games that turned into this. Not descending into complete paranoia was nearly impossible.

She briefly considered insulting his brother, but decided that might be going a little far. Not only was talking about people’s families a Bad Thing where she came from, the kind of thing that could get one shot, as much as it seemed to be among purebloods, but they were twins, too, and one heard stories about that kind of thing. Pureblood twins might get very touchy even if she had felt comfortable descending to that level, which Marissa didn’t. Instead of responding, then, she turned and flew away at a good clip, assuming they would either revert to their earlier pattern of avoiding each other or that he’d follow her and start again but that she’d have a minute or two of peace anyway.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Well, that was more like probability at this point. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

May 09, 2011 11:08 AM

This is decidedly not nice. by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

Nic was not an expert on the subject of Quidditch. This was the third game he'd played in, which brought the total number of games he'd ever watched up to . . . three. So he could admit that wasn't a large enough number of games to really draw any conclusions about what a 'normal' game looked like, and Merlin (or a good portion of the wizarding population that did not include the Florida Sawyers) only knew what happened in Professional games but, in his experience, this particular match was crazy.

The first two games he'd played in, he hadn't even been put in a position where he had to block a shot at the goals. The two times the Quaffle had come anywhere near him, Charlie or Renee had intercepted it well before he had to do anything. But even given that Crotalus Chasers were just better, even they hadn't gotten much more than one goal in either of the other games he'd played in before the Snitch got caught. This game, there had been six goals. And the Quaffle had done a lot of traveling in between each one.

He wasn't sure if it was actually taking the Seekers longer this time to find that blasted gold ball or if it just seemed that way. He did wish the little one would stop playing around and let Marrissa do her job so they could all go on with their lives.

Or before those returning Aladrens could make it back to him again. The big beater seemed to be taking a breather, which Nic was perfectly fine with and the guy could keep on doing that for the rest of the game; Crotalus wouldn't complain at all. Nic certainly wouldn't; it let him focus on the Quaffle.

The Carey Chaser was getting close. Nic perched on his broom in front of the middle hoop, ready to dash either way as necessary. When it looked like he'd pass to the Aladren Captain, he started shifting that way, but then the kid passed it to the Crazy Chaser Who Cheats At Chicken, and Nic scowled as he shifted back the other way and tried to get to the far hoop, but then the CCWCAC threw it at the middle and thank Merlin it was from so far out so he had time to change directions again and get back to the center hoop.

Between the wind blowing, his own concentration and the effort of keeping up with all the feints and complications the Aladrens were throwing at him, his disregard of the Carey Beater, and growing noise from the crowd, he didn't hear the bludger until it was too late. He tried to dodge, he did try, but there wasn't enough time.

He grunted (he was irrationally happy over the fact that he made a manly grunt instead of a girly scream) as the bludger slammed into him, only scant inches from crushing his windpipe. Instead, his took him on the left collar bone and he thought he might have heard it crack. Or maybe that was just the sound bludger normally makes when it crashes into a person.

It hurt though. It hurt a lot. And there was more wind. No, no that was air resistence. Because he was falling. Yes. He'd had his hands up to catch the Quaffle. So there'd been nothing but his knees holding onto the broom. The impact had knocked him over.

There was something else. The quaffle, right. Yes. There it was. Going right through the same space he'd been blocking a moment ago. Then it went through the hoop. That was getting pretty far away now. Oh, right, he was falling. He felt like that should feel more important that it did. Everything was just sort of . . . turning black.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper This is decidedly not nice. 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 09, 2011 11:11 AM

Aladren scores! Score 40-30 with Aladren ahead (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Aladren scores! Score 40-30 with Aladren ahead (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 09, 2011 11:36 AM

One more time. by Coach Pierce

Recap:

-Daniel got the quaffle right off. Passed successfully to Russell.
-Russell tried to pass to Daniel, but was intercepted by Sam.
-Sam tried to pass but was intercepted by Daniel.
-Daniel passed to Arthur, Arthur shot at goal, Edmund beat at Nic, Nic ran away
-Aladren scored. 10-0
-Nic passes to Sam
-Sam is intercepted by Russell
-Edmond swings and misses his target
-Russell passes to Arthur
-Arthur is intercepted by Renee
-Renee passes to Sam as he gets hit by another of Edmond's bludgers (he's got a bad shoulder now), Sam fumbles but recovers Quaffle and passes back to Renee
-Renee scores. 10-10
-Nash gets the ball and heads back toward Crotalus' goals
-Charlie intercepts and heads back to Aladren's side
-Arthur intercepts and heads back to Crotalus's side
-Renee intercepts and heads back to Aladren's side
-Edmond attacks most of the Crotali, either with a bludger or by flying chicken
-Daniel intercepts and heads back to Crotalus's side
-Aladren manages an completed pass and Arthur has the ball
-Arthur passes back to Daniel, who shoots and scores. 20-10
-Charlie fumes
-Renee gets the falling Quaffle and heads back to Aladren's side
-Arthur intercepts and turns around
-Charlie intercepts and turns around, passes successfully to Renee
-Preston hits at Charlie and clips her hand; she may have broken fingers
-Renee shoots at the goal, but Samantha saves
-Charlie gets the ball, shoots at the goal, but Arthur intercepts and heads back the other way
-Renee intercepts and turns around
-Arthur intercepts and turns around
-Renee intercepts and turns around and when she passes, she stops short and gets in the way of anyone trying to intercept from behind
-Arthur rams into her
-Nobody falls, but Renee's hurt (for those keeping track, that's all three Crotali Chasers injured)
-Coach blows her whistle, brief time-out, play recenters and resumes
-Renee wins the toss up
-Arthur intercepts, passes successfully to Russell
-Russell shoots at Crotalus's goals
-Nic makes his first save of the game
-Sam blocks Daniel from recovering the Quaffle.
-Arthur gets it instead
-Renee intercepts and flys back toward Aladren
-She passes to Charlie
-Charlie passes back
-Edmond hits a bludger at Renee
-Renee takes a shot at the goals and takes a bad hit to her already injured ribs. Renee's world goes black.
-Samantha saves
-Charlie recovers Quaffle and tries again. She scores. 20-20
-Coach catches Renee and brings her and her broom to the medic; tells medic to tell Renee she had an assist on the score-tying goal when she wakes up
-Samantha recovers Quaffle and throws it toward an Aladren
-Arthur gets it passes it to Daniel
-Daniel gets it into Crotalus territory, passes
-Charlie intercepts, brings it back, passes to Sam
-Topher gets a bludger for the first time, hits it at an Aladren
-Edmond's there and redirects
-Sam avoids bludger, crosses back into Aladren territory, passes to Charlie
-Preston hits another bludger at Crotalus
-Charlie double feints and scores, 30-20 Crotalus ahead
-Samantha throws the Quaffle back to Russell
-Russell passes to Daniel
-Daniel crosses center line and attempts to pass to Arthur
-Renee magicall reappears and intercepts, she turns around and passes
-Arthur chases after her and intercepted back, he turns around and passes
-Edmond flips out a little and hits a bludger. Twice.
-Sam intercepts Arthur's pass but is then assaulted by Edmond's bludger and he drops the ball in his effort to avoid it
-Russell recoveres it and attempts to score
-Arthur tries to block Renee from getting in the way of the attempt
-It doesn't work; she's got it and is heading back the other way
-Arnold attempts to reclaim his title of The Crazy Carey Twin, and dives through the crowd of Chasers in an attempt to disrupt Crotalus, also, he may have seen the Snitch as he pulls out of the dive
-Charlie is disrupted, but still catches Renee's pass
-Edmond decides to bodily charge a Crotalus again
-Russell intercepts Charlie's pass to Sam, and takes a page out of Edmond's Crazy Playbook, and bodily charges Nic. Then he swerves just before a crash would have occurred and he takes a shot at the right hoop.
-Nic stands his ground at the center hoop, winning the Chicken game, but losing the 10 points to Aladren as Russell scores on the right hoop
-Nic throws the quaffle to Sam
-Sam throws it to Charlie
-Charlie throws it to Renee
-Renee throws it back to Charlie
-Charlie throws it back to Renee
-Renee tries to score and then tries to block Arthur from getting in the way of the attempt
-It doesn't work; he's got it and is heading back the other way
-Edmond tries to wish everyone away but that doesn't work either
-Topher hits at an Aladren
-Charlie intercepts Arthur's pass and heads back to Samantha to try to score again
-Samantha saves (putting her at two saves to Nic's one) and throws the Quaffle to an Aladren
-Renee intercepts the pass
-Russell intercepts her pass
-Preston intercepts Topher's bludger at Russell
-Daniel catches Russell's pass and crosses the midpoint
-Arthur catches Daniel's pass. Arthur feints a return pass to Daniel, but throws to Russell
-Russell feints a throw at the right hoop, but attempts to score through the middle, and tries to block Chaser interference
-Arthur tries to block Chaser interference
-Edmond tries to take out Nic again
-Nic does not notice Edmond's bludger in time to get away. It breaks his collar bone, he falls and passes out. But not before he experiences shock and watches the Quaffle sail throught the center hoop as he falls the first dozen or so feet. Aladren Scores, 40-30 with Aladren ahead.
-The Quaffle is falling on the far side of the goal hoops.

Meanwhile the Seekers have been busy, too:
-They started by mostly ignoring each other
-Preston bludgered at Marissa but missed
-Marissa may have seen the Snitch near Arnold and dove, faking a sighting near her to keep him from noticiing it
-Arnold fell for it and dove after her
-Later Arnold jumps through the Chaser Action and thinks he sees the Snitch as he pulls out of the dive
-Marissa dives after him, but is more careful about the Chasers
-Arnold lost the snitch, but decides to start bothering Marissa
-Marissa tries to ignore him
-Arnold increases his efforts to be annoying
-Marissa tries to flee

0 Coach Pierce One more time. 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 09, 2011 12:30 PM

Am I Red Cross or Referee? by Coach Pierce

It had only been a matter of time before people started dropping like flies in this game, as they had in the Teppenpaw game earlier in the year. Amelia had assumed when it happened that Renee was only the first to fall, not that she'd probably be only one to do so, as she might have any other season. She wasn't entirely sure what had changed between last year and this year, that Sonora Quidditch had become suddenly so much more intense. Yes, Aladren had lost a lot of players, and a few other teams had graduated players as well, but surely that couldn't be all of it. Graduation was something every team experienced nearly every year.

She wanted to blame it on Aladren. Aladren had seen the most overhaul after losing three seventh years all at once. But Pecari had hit that, too, a few years earlier, and they hadn't won the Championship since. They certainly hadn't come back stronger for the influx of first years on the team. Usually, logically, a team made up of mostly first years was not this . . . vicious. Or victorious. So it kind of made sense to blame Aladren.

But even Teppenpaw, which hadn't even been able to field a full team last year, had stepped up this year. They'd held their own against Aladren. Not quite well enough to win, but they'd played much better than she could remember Teppenpaw playing in a long time. Crotalus, too, had stepped up their game, and not just in the game against Aladren. They'd all but massacred Pecari.

Most of the massacring seemed to going on in the Aladren games.

Case in point.

Another bludger took down another Crotalus player. Nicodemus Sawyer was falling, and Aladren was scoring. She took care of the important part first - casting a levitation spell to stop Nic's fall and calling his broom to her as she flew over to his hovering (and apparently unconscious; looked like there'd be another visitor for Cleo this game) body. Only after both of those were stabilized and no longer falling toward a collision with the planet, did she charm her voice to announce the goal. "Aladren scores! Forty points to Crotalus's thirty!"

If there had been an alternate, now would probably be a good time to bring them in, but Crotalus didn't have one, and the hit had Nic had not been a foul, so there wasn't much she could do to help her House recover without seeming obviously biased. Still, she did give a shrill blow into her whistle, as she gave Charlie the only break she could, "There was no foul, but we will recenter the game; Captain Abott may take this breif respite to reassign one of her team to Keeper."

She instructed one of the chasers to collect the quaffle for her while she brought the unconscious Nic and his broom back to the middle of the field. She left them hover a few dozen feet below the normal play altitude, got the Quaffle back from the one carrying it, and said, "Play resumes on my whistle. Three, two, one!" The whistle tweeted, and the Quaffle flew into the air, and Amelia brought Nic down to the Medic's tent.

"He took a bludger right here," she told Cleo, once he was settled onto a cot. She tapped where it had hit Nic on her own body, right near her collarbone, "and passed out." The Keeper was skinny enough that even she could see that the bone there didn't look right.

0 Coach Pierce Am I Red Cross or Referee? 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 09, 2011 3:14 PM

One more time? You think that'll be it? by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

Genuinely, Charlie thought Edmond Carey should seek some professional variety of help. There was a distinct difference between aiming Bludgers at the opposition to unsettle them and potentially injure them on a temporary stint sufficiently long enough to remove them from the game, but nobody who had all their parts screwed on right tried to kill the other players. She'd happened to be watching the goals, praying for a save, as she watched Nic get hit. She dry hurled a couple of times, and only by furiously working to compose herself did she keep her breakfast down. Coach Pierce mercifully blew the whistle, and the Crotalus captain took a deep breath and joined her fellow Chasers back at the centre of the field. To hell with the score - she just would count herself lucky if the whole team got out alive at this rate.

With this sobering thought in mind, Charlie called out, "We'll play without a Keeper," loud enough for the Coach and her teammates to hear her. They didn't have a reserve, and Topher had been side-training as a Chaser, and Phoenix as Seeker; they had no Keeper alternatives. Besides, in the interest of staying alive, Charlie would opt for two Beaters in the hope they'd provide at least some resistence to Edmond's rampage. To Sam and Renée, she added, "We just have to keep the ball away from the Aladrens, got it?" She used a few more words than that in actuality, but none of them should be repeated. She was determined that Crotalus wouldn't be the laughing stock of the school by a ridiculous point advantage on Aladren's part. They'd played more or less equal all game; the Crotalus players just had to get another goal in, that was all. No problem.

On the Coach's whistle, Charlie did something she'd never done before: rather than hang back on the sidelines, she went for the Quaffle. She flew out, reached out and grabbed it before the Aladrens had a whiff of opportunity. She took a wide circle to turn and head towards the Aladren'guarded goals, in part to gain a view of which players was where. The disadvantage of bringing the game back to centre was that the Aladren players wouldn't be far away, and any pass had the danger of being intercepted. Of course, the flip side was that any great length of holding the Quaffle had the danger of Death by Bludger attatched, and as much as Charlie loved Quidditch, she loved her life more. She had that scrap of sanity still that the Aladrens seemed to have all abandoned - some before others, admittedly, but now they were apparently being driven by something other than the House's trademark good sense.

Once she flown as long as she dared, gradually bringing the Quaffle back center as she came further down the pitch, she took a breath, and passed the Quaffle onward towards one of her fellow players. She had good faith in Renée and Sam; they were both excellent Chasers. Luck (nor Edmond) was on their side this game, and yet they were still holding their ground. An equalizing goal would help them, and anyone else who was playing in or watching the game, remember that Crotalus would not go down without a fight.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser One more time? You think that'll be it? 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

May 09, 2011 4:45 PM

Mondays must make her feel optimistic. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

It was Quidditch, and in Quidditch people got hurt, and injuries that would kill a Muggle, he’d figured out after prolonged exposure to both worlds, wouldn’t even cripple a wizard, but still – Sam felt distinct sympathy with Charlie’s apparent nausea when his roommate took a hit that put him out of the game, and which (Sam had not been on the side the Bludger was coming from, but rather the one it was coming toward) might very well have just broken Nic’s neck.

He told himself it had been an accident. The Aladrens were crazy, but surely they weren’t actually homicidal. He’d never played Beater, but aiming a Bludger didn’t look easy, or like an exact science. It might have just been aimed at Nic generally and happened to hit where it had.

Then he thought about the implications for the surviving Crotali if the Aladrens were hitting wild, now, and decided he didn’t like that thought after all. The problem was, he still didn’t like the idea of the Aladrens really wanting them all dead, either. He’d come out here after the points, so Crotalus could maintain second and possibly even climb to first, and guessed some of the Aladrens were gunning for the same thing, but it was still a game, and the prestige of winning both cups was not that prestigious. Sam knew he wasn’t a representative, really, of either of the Houses out here, as he dwelt in a shadowy non-space between the face-of-Crotalus Crotali and the neurotic-wallflower Crotali and only had just enough Aladren traits to understand why Aladrens could take them further than he did, but he could not believe that anyone could really take the Cups seriously enough to try to actually kill instead of injure someone over unless that seriousness was just a smokescreen for deeper issues or an excuse for acting out sociopathic tendencies that were there anyway.

In any case, though, Crotalus was in trouble. Despite it being a little morbid, Sam decided to take the coach floating Nic around behind her for a bit instead of taking him straight to the medic as a reassurance that his roommate wasn’t too likely to die, but the team still didn’t have a Keeper. He considered telling Charlie he’d take over the spot despite being closer to Seeker proportions than Marissa was, but as he opened his mouth, she announced that they were going to play on without a Keeper. He could only assume she was hoping Nic would recover as quickly as Renee had, because objectively, Sam saw only the slimmest of slim chances that the Aladrens wouldn’t remain a force if Marissa didn’t catch the Snitch right now.

Despite her bad hand, she succeeded in starting their move toward completing her strongly-worded mission for them, and Sam, not wanting to see her reaction if her call turned out to have been a bad one, put extra effort into being there when she passed and catching the ball.

Then came the decision: did he complete the half and try to score, or did he, too, pass? He had yet to score a goal, but he wasn’t one of those guys who really cared about personal honor in these things. So long as Crotalus scored, it was fine with him. Actually, any situation where no one else was in serious injury of life or limb was fine with him. He could live with the score as it was.

He swore aloud, then feinted and passed.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser Mondays must make her feel optimistic. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 09, 2011 7:51 PM

We don't need optimism. We know we're gonna win. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

There was a lot to take in. Too much. Renée's mind chose to let it simply sweep over her, each pass she had failed to intercept from the Aladrens was ignored. 'Moving on... moving on... moving on.' Until the Aladrens had moved too far and both a Quaffle and bludger were heading towards Nic. "Oh!" Bright dark brown eyes widened, a shocked sound emitted from her throat as she saw Nic's body take the brunt of the hard force of the bludger. Watched him fall with a mixture of concern, but also more than a little fascination about herself. 'Was that what I looked like?' She had imagined herself as an angel gracefully descending. But this was fast and brutal. It had an intriguing beauty to its own. The whistle was blown - TWEET - and Crotalus was granted a break.

Turning her broom around, Renée drifted towards Charlie and the rest of her team. When Charlie said they'd play without a keeper, Renée utilized the little tact Soledad had forced upon her and successfully resisted saying, 'So, not much changes then, does it?' Charlie turned to her and Sam and Renée wasn't sure whether it was best to smile confidently or nod grimly. She settled for something calm and determined. There was a level of desperation that seemed to thicken the air. But Renée was not perturbed. She had recovered fairly quickly. And even if Nic did not receive as fine treatment as she had, well, it wasn't really like he was the biggest asset for the team. 'He's like a figurehead.' She thought, rising a little more into the air while they readied to begin. 'A symbol for defense without actually providing it.' The Quaffle was thrown up and again the game began.

Charlie got to the ball first. A pass to Sam and Renée watched as Sam carried the ball a little further, pushing her Febre to keep up with him. She was close enough to hear him utter a swear word and raised her brows in slight shock. She had been around Charlie enough to hear that language, but swear words always sounded funny to her. When she tried to spout them out herself she always ended up giggling, the words felt so strange within her mouth. She lacked the consistency of anger to spout them out habitually. She caught Sam's pass while her mind was still wandering, now entering the scoring area without even realizing it, running several thoughts through her mind.

She thought there was a flash of blue and raised her arm to throw the quaffle. Her vision slammed into consciousness and she directed her gaze at the right goal hoop, raising her hand cupping the Quaffle and threw... except the Quaffle didn't go in that direction, but made a sharp curve towards the middle. The wind seemed to almost carry the Quaffle faster and Renée watched the Aladren keeper, her eyes focused for these few seconds of limbo; a place between evening the score, or delaying the inevitable win for Crotalus.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} We don't need optimism. We know we're gonna win. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

May 10, 2011 8:37 AM

I wouldn't place bets if I were you by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

Well now the Crotalus team didn't have a Keeper at all, at least for the time being. Samantha hadn't seen what happened, being as far away from the incident as she was, but she had seen the opposition's Keeper being levitated down to the medic's tent. She concluded from this that while she was definitely the better Keeper on the pitch right now; then again, she was also the worst. She had saved exactly half of the goals attempted by Crotalus so far: three she had saved, three she had let it (plus there had been that one that Arthur saved before she really had to make it her concern). These weren't the best stats she could have hoped for, but she always thought that being average was preferable by far to being worse than average. Plus, with Aladren ten points up and no Keeper to protect the goals now, Samantha was optimistic that Crotalus wouldn't make it into the lead again.

Of course, she hadn't banked on the Crotlaus Chasers collecting the Quaffle from the recentering and bringing it her way without any interception. Readying herself to defend Aladren's goals, and her own integrity into the bargain, Samantha watched the Quaffle pass from one player to another. She thought for a moment that Sam Bauer might take a shot, but then he passed it to the younger Chaser, which was not good news because she was the least predictable and hardest to follow of the lot of them. She watched the youngest Crotalus Chaser aim towards the right hoop, and she realized that didn't necessarily mean the Quaffle was headed there, but as the ball actually left the player's hands, Samantha moved towards the right hoop.

Then the strangest thing happened. It had been a windy game, some times just breezy, other time they were gently buffeted by larger gusts, which had made the passing during the game all the more difficult (though had probably reduced the number of Bludger hits, because it was sirely difficult to hit a Bludger on target as the weather knocked it off course). As the Quaffle left Renée's hands, there seems the biggest gust of wind Samantha thought they'd endured all game. It had to be the worst timing ever. Her hair, though tied back, was blown right in front of her face. She struggled to keep watch on the Quaffle with strands whipping into her eyes, making them sting, and keep her school broom on track as she was a split-second away from reaching the right hoop, only to squint and notice that the evil red ball was now skittering back towards the middle hoop. That just wasn't right.

Wishing the wind would push her as fast and easily as it had pushed the Quaffle, Samantha willed her broom to get the the middle hoop before the Quaffle did. She reached her hands off the broom the reach out for the ball, and in doing so almost got buffetted by the wind directly into the ring of the hoops itself. It was like a comedy scene, or like trying to catch a frisbee thrown by someone who didn't know how to throw the stupid disc. The further Samantha reached, the further the Quaffle blew out of her way, and slipped effortlessly, unavoidably, through the middle hoop at its point furtherst from Samantha's reach. All this happened in mere seconds, but to Samantha it all played as if in slow motion. The moment she saw the ball go through the hoop, it was as if time sped up again. She followed the Quaffle on its blustery descent, and caught it this time. Too late, but surely better than letting it go directly back into the hands of the Crotalus team.

Quaffle safely in hand, Samantha flew in front of the hoops again. It seemed as if the Coach and the weather were both on Crotalus' side. Just as well Aladren had insanity in its favor. Samantha waited until the wind died down a little, and then threw the ball back out to her teammates. It should be easy for them to take the ball back up the field and score, now there was no Keeper to get past. She doubted Aladren would suffer the equal score for much longer.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper I wouldn't place bets if I were you 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 10, 2011 10:57 AM

Crotalus Scores! 40-40 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Crotalus Scores! 40-40 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 10, 2011 12:32 PM

I really, really wouldn't by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Unbelievable, Arthur thought darkly, taking the one second he knew wasn’t going to matter to turn his head just enough to give the coach a suspicious look. The Crotali had just pulled back into a tie because of the wind. It seemed a little too neat to him, and after Crotalus had gotten a ‘brief respite’ to deal with their Keeper-lessness, even if they hadn’t taken her up on it, he couldn’t help but wonder if the Crotalus Head of House had engaged in some covert wandwork to make that happen.

What was done, though, was done, and Arthur kept a grim eye on the Quaffle as Samantha waited for the wind to quiet enough for a return pass. He knew he was in the worst shape of the Aladren Chasers at this point, but he wasn’t sure the others did, since he had been the one making interceptions and generally behaving as though he were invincible all game, so the ball might come to him, and if it did, he was going to receive and carry it. Crotalus was not going to do to Aladren what it had done to Pecari at their game, not even when they now had so much more motivation than they had against Pecari.

His left shoulder ached dully, and he forced it to move. Then he made his right shoulder do so as well. That wasn’t comfortable, either, but not as bad as the other side. All he had to do was get the Quaffle away from the Crotalus goals and, with Edmond apparently deciding he didn’t need to give it his all anymore, assist with getting it the rest of the way down the Pitch as needed. Then, with no Crotalus Keeper, Aladren would no longer have any problems. The Keeper was almost guaranteed to come back before the end of it, because Aladren did not have that kind of luck today, but if they could keep the Crotali covered and move fast enough, they might be able to score enough points in the meantime, assuming they could then keep the Quaffle away from Samantha again, to make the catching of the Snitch irrelevant.

Everything hung on ‘ifs.’ He wasn’t sure which of his emotions about that kind of thing was stronger, hatred or exhilaration.

The Quaffle came back, and Arthur took it from the air and the vicinity of Samantha. Knowing the Crotali were going to be either strategically smart enough to see why not fighting tooth and nail for the Quaffle was a bad idea or emotional enough to want to avenge their fallen fellow, he ran long, not quite to center, but irregularly, taking more time because he was weaving in and out of the other players so much to avoid Crotalus Bludgers, and ended up with a completely different teammate to his right than he’d started out with. Feeling truly tired, now, his arm hurting, he took a good opportunity for a Crotalus check, feint, and short pass.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser I really, really wouldn't 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

May 10, 2011 1:13 PM

Here we go again by Arnold Carey, Seeker

For a moment, Arnold debated whether he should follow Miss Stephenson or maintain his ground, but then the whistle blew, making everything everyone except Edmond had been doing for the past few minutes irrelevant anyway. The sight of the Crotalus Keeper floating behind his Head of House wasn’t a pretty one, but Arnold smiled a little anyway. Aladren was having a reasonably good day.

Well, except for that one girl, anyway. She was just weird. He knew as well as anyone that girls could be tough, his cousin Theresa might go home after taking a hard spill but would do it without crying, but Miss Errant was starting to remind him not so much of Terry as…himself. Which was just unnatural. Girls weren’t even supposed to play Quidditch, never mind keep going after they got hurt twice in five minutes. She had seen Medic Rocamboli after her fall, but still. Coming back was what he would have done, but he wasn’t a girl.

Of course, he had no intentions of doing things that were blatantly against the Rules in front of adults any time soon, either, so he wasn’t too worried about turning out to have an illegitimate sibling at the moment, and a girl wouldn’t matter anyway. There were eleven male heirs, and while nine of them didn’t have children, it was unlikely that all nine would die without doing so. A legitimate sister of his would be completely irrelevant, never mind one whose mother wasn’t even part of the family. His aunts would come ahead of a boy who was such a person in the order of inheritance, and they were both married and so even further down the line than Uncle Donnie’s daughters.

The game resumed, and Crotalus took the Quaffle. Arnold scowled, then returned to Seeking.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker Here we go again 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Captain Nash, Chaser

May 10, 2011 3:16 PM

You're going to lose. Try pessimism instead. by Captain Nash, Chaser

Daniel wasn't quite sure what was with Crotalus making it back to Samantha so easily. True, they gained half the field by the recentering thing (he wondered if he had any grounds to protest that when Crotalus had also lost ground - though not as much - to a recentering earlier?) but there had been three passes. How had they missed all of those opportunities to steal it back?

And then there had been the goal. Samantha had been completely on top of that before the wind decided to come in on Crotalus's side and shunt the Quaffle into an entirely different hoop. Talk about bad luck. He called out an "It's okay!" over to Samantha so she wouldn't feel bad for not predicting the unpredictable. He had thought she'd had that save, too.

She passed the ball back to Arthur, and Arthur got it nearly to the center line (probably would have made it if he were going in a straight line) before he passed. Daniel veered in and caught the Quaffle before an interception could occur and took off again for the goals Nic was no longer guarding.

There were other players on the field Daniel would rather Edmond had taken out - he was quite sure he'd mentioned that Nic probably wasn't worth their bother during the pre-game speech - but it had earned them a goal, and wide-open hoops, so he wasn't going to complain about the disregard of his advice.

Though it would be nice if at least one of his beaters would pester Marissa a bit more to give Arnold a better shot. Now wasn't the time to worry about that, though, not when he was the one holding the Quaffle. His broom picked up speed, and while his speed wasn't much bothered by the damage the bristles had taken earlier, his manuevering was. He didn't even bother trying to jink and juke around and just tried to make some distance as quickly as he could.

Of course, that was dangerous, so he started looking for a pass opportunity as soon and he crossed into Crotalus territory. The first one he rejected because he caught sight of a flash of red robes just before he threw it, but the second opening seemed safer and he took it. He threw the red ball to his team mate.

And then he started signaling for Preston to go pester Marissa now that Arnold wasn't doing so himself anymore. It would be nice if Arnold would catch that snitch before Nic made it back. The less the Aladren Seeker had to worry about his Crotalus competition, the more likely that would happen.

0 Captain Nash, Chaser You're going to lose. Try pessimism instead. 0 Captain Nash, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 10, 2011 8:09 PM

It'll just make things better in the long run by Arthur Carey, Chaser

His pass to Captain Nash went through without interruption, and Arthur took his first breath in several seconds, his lungs burning slightly, dully, from lack of air during that time. Now, when Crotalus had everything to lose, he knew for sure which of them had the better Chasing team.

Or, alternatively, Crotalus was getting tired, too, and the overall rate of interceptions was going to drop. Whichever. So long as Aladren had the ball right now and was moving along toward the wide-open Crotalus goals, Arthur wasn’t going to quibble about specifics. Besides, he didn’t have time. They crossed the line, and then the Quaffle was heading toward him again.

He caught it with both hands, and, for one moment, thought he’d had it and was going to fall. The sky ahead seemed to tilt as he wavered on the broom, feeling like he would fall the way he was pointed if he stayed as he was but fall backward and head for the ground just as quickly if he tried to straighten up. His heart rate accelerated; he tried fiercely to cling to the exact moment, which, while unhappy, was at least solid and comparatively safe….

And then his right arm pulled away from the Quaffle and seized the broomstick, and he was able, still moving, to haul himself upright and make up the drop in speed he’d suffered during his five seconds, which had felt more like five minutes, of unbalanced panic.

Arthur knew it was foolish, and that he was perfectly safe now, but he still felt shaken by the moment, and didn’t go as far or as wide as he had before, just going forward in a fast, straight line before pulling in close to another Aladren Chaser for a close pass and making it, still with a bit less than half the remaining Pitch to go. If it turned out that his brother was merely messing around with Miss Stephenson and having himself a good time without even noticing that the rest of them were steadily falling to pieces down here, Arthur was going to hit him….as soon as he had a few potions, and a good afternoon and night’s sleep, and recovered.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser It'll just make things better in the long run 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 10, 2011 8:25 PM

Wandering off-course again by Edmond Carey, Beater

For the second time in one game, Edmond heard the whistle, felt a brief moment of hope that his prayers for the game to end had just been answered…Only to hear, instead of a final score, that they were starting over again.

The bleakness he felt when that happened was enough that he instinctually pushed back with anger to keep functioning. For one crazy moment, he considered just aiming one of the Bludgers at Coach Pierce so she wouldn’t do that again, but then the feeble, flickering candle flame of Sanity came back and spread into enough of a wall to let him realize that he’d just get expelled from school, and that it wasn’t yet bad enough for that. Besides, she wasn’t playing, exactly, which meant she wasn’t the source of the problem, just a detail of it.

Still, when the game resumed, he didn’t run for the Bludgers. Nor did he really take much notice of who had the Quaffle. Instead, he began to watch the Seekers.

He had been thinking that removing the other Crotalus players would give Arnold more room to work with, since the Quaffle would remain firmly planted at one end of the Pitch, but that wasn’t working. They were too good at rising from the ashes and soldiering on. Admirable, he would admit, but currently undesirable. So perhaps he should just get Arnold’s main distraction out of the way. If he had no one to compete against, he could concentrate, and if the Crotalus team had their Seeker unconscious in the hospital wing, they had to feel despair, didn’t they? That was the worst thing that could happen to a team with an alternate, much less one that didn’t.

He felt a certain reluctance to attack Marissa, though. She was sweet, and, because of her lack of skill with a wand, she was also completely helpless. That shouldn’t have mattered in Quidditch, where they couldn’t use wands and she had an advantage over a lot of the people on the Pitch just based on seniority, but he was not particularly good with new thoughts, and he had long since become accustomed to thinking of Marissa as someone he helped.

“I really am sorry about this,” he said, though no one was around to hear him, and then flew to a loose Bludger and hit it toward her as hard as he still could.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater Wandering off-course again 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 10, 2011 8:56 PM

The long run ends with Crotalus winning. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

OOC: So, who decides whether or not an Aladren shot goes in? Now that we don't have a keeper, I mean.

BIC:

Feeling pretty good, and refreshed by the wind which continuously worked to cool her down, Renée let a few seconds of basking in the glory go by before she pushed it away and rejoined the game. There would be enough glory basking at the end of it all once they'd won. The Aladrens, seemingly spurred by the recent tied score, made quick effectual passes that Renée saw from behind. Weaving in between the other players, she flew higher and decided to speed towards the goals, unsure now about strategy, but decided to just do what felt right. The tactics had changed; she had never before played without a keeper.

Below her she saw a streak of red and immediately slowed down, but was torn between going ahead towards the goals for defense or trying for an interception which, if failed, would cost her in ground. Arthur Carey seemed unsteady and Renée dove only a moment later, plummeting through the space of him and his intended chaser, making a sharp turn and pulled up, now racing back towards Aladren Goals, Quaffle safely tucked against her chest, pinned by one arm.

'Everybody should get hit by a bludger.' She swerved around an Aladren in her attempt to get back to the other side of the pitch. She made it just past the midpoint line and didn't break speed when feinting toward one of her fellow Chasers, feinted to the other, and then passed back to the original, rising in height so that it would have a slightly greater arch over any aggressive interceptors. 'It's the best refresher.' Perhaps this was best for Nic, and if or when he recovered he might actually be refreshed and give a better performance. 'Then again, it's not like he hasn't saved anything.' Despite the slight frustration, or even contempt, she felt for his skills as a keeper, she had to admit that he had a hard job, she couldn't do it, the Aladrens weren't terrible, and it was better to have something guarding the goal posts than nothing at all. While he may not have showed it every time, Nic was more useful than air. 'Then again...' Her most recent goal entered her mind and she smiled. Even the very elements of earth were acting favorably, helping along the spin she had put on the Quaffle. 'This is our game.'

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} The long run ends with Crotalus winning. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Preston, Beater

May 11, 2011 12:24 AM

Keep dreaming by Preston, Beater

The game was getting crazier and crazier which it passing second. Preston was sort of in awe with everything that was happening. He knew people got injured while playing it was all part of the game. Thankfully, he hadn’t been injured, he really didn’t want to feel the collision of a bludger to his body, he was quite certain it was going to hurt, and the redhead was not a fan of that kind of pain. Maybe the pain that came after a grueling practice, but not by a hit of a really heavy, murderous ball. He was supposed to be the one hitting people, that simple thought made him visibly relax at the prospect of being injured. He hadn’t really thought about that slight chance. Beaters focused on targeting the other players, not the other Beaters. However, it was sort of a good idea to get rid of the other Beaters, no one to guard the rest of the opponents.

He was flying around the Pitch looking for a bludger to continue doing his job, a job he rather liked. He was really starting to like this whole Quidditch affair. He would have to thank Daniel later on, he was the sole reason he was playing now. He had been right to follow his Captan’s advice. He knew he wasn’t the best Beater out there, but he was going to become one. He was sure.

He saw a Bludger and smiled. He flew behind it and smacked it with all of his force towards the Crotalus Chaser, since she had recently scored, after being injured by Edmond. He heard a loud crack when his bat collided with the ball, and he saw as the ball sped towards the Crotalus player. It was good to be out here, creating a name for himself.

0 Preston, Beater Keep dreaming 0 Preston, Beater 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 11, 2011 7:53 AM

Now, Preston, you shouldn't encourage her delusions by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Animals were not a field Arthur had devoted a good deal of his time to learning about, but he had heard there were several that could smell weakness or something of the like. When he found the Quaffle leaving the space between him and his fellow, he decided that Crotali must be among these.

Or perhaps just Miss Errant. The others were not acting completely rabid. That was another point of detail, though, that he wasn’t too worried about. He was too busy looping around to go get the Quaffle again.

This really was becoming boring. He got the Quaffle, she stole it, he stole it back, maybe it changed hands with others a few times, but generally, that was the pattern they followed. Stealing like professional thieves, with most of their efforts concentrated on each other. Challenging at first, dead boring now. Arthur wondered if he could play a different position next year, or, better yet, find some way to disable her before games. He could only think of a few ways that would keep someone down long enough, and both were high-risk, but maybe he could do research….

He thought back on his midterm discussion with his father. It would have to be very careful research, and he wasn’t sure he was careful enough yet to escape the Seventh’s notice, since he had thought he was before and had been detected anyway. Drat.

One thing Arthur knew he was, though, was highly observant. Details, he’d learned, were key. So, since something he’d observed about her was that she enjoyed double feints and over-complicated moves, to the point where he couldn’t remember her making a straightforward move all game, he watched her hands as carefully as he did the ball, only accelerating, hard, when she actually threw it.

It was a close thing, closer than any interception he had made in the entire game and much closer than he would have liked even at the beginning, but he came out of it with the Quaffle and without a collision, rising in the air and making a wide loop to turn around so he ended up progressing further to his right than the line the ball had originally been following – and, for the moment, clear of the Crotali. He accelerated again, hoping to put distance between himself and them and a good bit of it between him and two of them, and when he saw a chance for a close pass again, he quickly checked for red robes that were immediately threatening and, not seeing any, then took the opportunity to make himself less of a Bludger magnet for a minute or two.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Now, Preston, you shouldn't encourage her delusions 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Topher Calhoun, Beater

May 11, 2011 10:09 PM

Couldn't you have stuck to terrorizing Chasers? by Topher Calhoun, Beater

He knew it was kinda stupid, but Topher couldn’t help feeling kinda irritated that it was Stratford who intercepted his shot and sent it off toward a Crotalus. The guy was, Topher thought, shorter than he was, for goodness’ sake. If Carey got involved, well, no one could help that, but Statford? He was just a regulation weirdo.

People weren’t intercepting as much now, so the Quaffle moved out of the middle, but the game was still moving fast, and it was hard to get a definite sighting of one of the Bludgers, much less do much with it. Even the Aladrens weren’t going for it as energetically. Both of the instruments of pain were on the loose, attacking at random, which meant both teams were at a disadvantage until someone seized control of them again.

The Aladrens got there first. More than that, both the Aladrens got there first. Topher looked one way and then the other, then flew, as fast as he could, toward Marissa.

As he did this, it occurred to him that he was crazy. Sane people, when given the choice, got in the way of Bludgers hit by Preston Stratford, not Edmond Carey, for Preston Stratford was small and Edmond Carey was not. Though blaming things on Daniel Gardiner’s malign influence on his genes was more fun and his usual strategy, Topher thought he was going to have to blame this one on his mother. His origin story indicated that she had some crazy tendencies.

It turned out that either Carey was slowing down or that Topher had overestimated him, because his shoulder didn’t dislocate the second he hit the Bludger away from Marissa, but he definitely hit the impact. Since the Bludger was loose again, though, he didn’t have time to think about it, instead going after it and turning it on an Aladren.

0 Topher Calhoun, Beater Couldn't you have stuck to terrorizing Chasers? 0 Topher Calhoun, Beater 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 12, 2011 4:01 AM

An Aladren should not devalue delusions by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

Patterns seemed to be a central theme of this game, Charlie considered. Well, that and the fact that Edmond was trying to mutilate her team. It perhaps made sense that if patterns were what was working for them, that maybe she should try patterns of her own. She'd flown underneath Arthur Carey as he'd carried the Quaffle up the pitch twice so far this game, and both times had been successful in intercepting his pass afterwards. As she couldn't stop him from getting hold of the Quaffle in the first place, on this occasion nor the previous two, perhaps she should take a lesson from her previous success in this and repeat the pattern. Generally speaking, Charlie didn't like to be predictable in Quidditch (or at any other time, for that matter) so she didn't like to repeat maouevres too often, especially in one game. However, as Arthur Carey had the Quaffle, she thought about her previous success rate, and so she executed the move for the third time in the game. Three times had to be the limit; what was the saying? Once bitten, twice shy... maybe three times was the charm (though she was almost certainly mixing her proverbs now).

Flying underneath someone wasn't an easy task. You had to watch where you were going, watch where they were going, and at the moment of interception you had to be ready, and be sure you weren't going to fly into anyone else, potentially giving your opposition a penalty shot. Luckily, Charlie had this down. She was the most experienced player on the pitch, more than a little competetive, and even slightly outrageous flying would still make her look sane compared to the field of lunatics that had assembled today. So when the Quaffle left Arthur's hands, Charlie shot out from underneath him, and decided that she wasn't going to reach the Quaffle with her hands in time, so she flew the nose of her broomstick into it, instead, hitting it off course.

Now the Quaffle was loose in the air, not heading directly towards anyone, and not in possession of any team. Charlie turned her broom a little towards it, heading out to the side of the pitch, and raced forward, intent on being the first player to catch it. Unlike a Bludger, a Quaffle's movements were predictable (unless it got stuck on a gust of wind, like their last goal had demonstrated), and so Charlie was able to follow it and reach out to grab it without much exursion. It had very handily not gone towards the Keeper-free goals, though it hadn't done much else in her favor, having travelled almost directly parallel to the middle line, invisible in the air but just about perceptible on the ground far below. Its direction made little difference to the Crotalus captain as she tucked the red ball under her arm, completed the turn she'd begun on her interception, and flew back down the pitch again.

See: patterns. Besides, she was even less keen than usual to allow the Quaffle to make it back to the goals, as there was no Keeper. It wasn't just that Aladren might score once, but if her own Chasing team wasn't around to stop them, they had the potential to just keep scoring, and that definitely wasn't on the agenda. Not today, not ever. At least, not while they were playing Crotalus - such a thing might be funny if they were playing against one of the other teams. That wasn't the point. The point was, if Charlie didn't get rid of this Quaffle soon she could expect a Bludger, and she really wasn't keen on that concept. So she looked for a teammate, flew a little closer, and made quick work of a relatively short pass.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser An Aladren should not devalue delusions 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 12, 2011 10:29 AM

Especially when they turn out to be real by Renée Errant {Chaser}

‘Algo va a tener que cambiar.’ Renée wasn’t sure what she would have to do, but she would do it. Her passes were being intercepted much too often, and while the Aladrens also suffered around the same amount of interceptions, this made the two teams of chasers seemingly equal and Renée had never been much of an advocate for equality. ‘Yo soy - somos - mejor que ellos en todos los sentidos. ’

She careened out of the way when both a bludger and Arthur Carey emerged, her path and pass disrupted. Still too close to the bludger, it made a sharp turn and tried to hit her again. She ducked and sped to the nearest Aladren chaser, turning sharply so that the bludger targeted them instead. She rose in the air, eyes narrowed and scanning the field for the Quaffle. She caught sight of Charlie diving for it and trusted her to get it, turning her broom towards Aladren goals again not going quite as fast, waiting for Charlie to catch up. She did and Renée moved closer for the pass, increasing her speed and keeping her fellow Crotali, Aladrens, and bludgers within her sight as much as possible.

‘Algo va a tener que cambiar.’

She kept the Quaffle tucked tight as she moved through the air, the wind continuously jumping up and down in strength, and her tanned knuckles grew whiter the harder she clutched on the sleek wood. She had to keep steady, she had to focus, and she had to win. ‘Why do I have to win?’ Because they weren’t equal. Because they really were the best. She suddenly felt a well of unusual shame enter her, because of her thoughts surrounding Nic. He may be practically talentless, but he was on her team. Though she felt utterly justified in expecting him to defend every goal, she realized too that she should not hate him when he acted below expectation… because she couldn’t afford to be mad at anyone on her team. That took something away from her, and left her distracted. A gust of wind and Renée let the anger seep out, feeling lighter already. Something had to change. If she wanted to win, equality had to be dismissed. She knew Marissa had a much greater chance of catching the snitch than Arnold Carey, so that superiority was already established. But Renée felt she was holding Sam and Charlie back by her apparently utter predictable unpredictability. She would have to switch it up, and do something no one would expect.

She raised her arm, palming the Quaffle, and made a quick short pass to one of her fellow chasers, throwing harder so that it wouldn’t be sent astray by the wind. Direct, and no trick except the lack of trick, which hopefully would temporarily throw an Aladren off. It would be hard to make an interception anyway; she had moved closer, too impatient to uneven the score to allow somebody to delay them further. Marissa was probably going to catch the snitch soon, and she would rather the score be 200 – 40, rather than 190 – 40. 200 had a much better ring to it.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Especially when they turn out to be real 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Arthur Carey, Aladren

May 12, 2011 3:39 PM

...You do both realize gibberish is a sign of desperation? by Arthur Carey, Aladren

Arthur made a note of something as Miss Abbott, as she occasionally did, decided to get in the middle of things. He needed, in future, to pay more attention to what was beneath him and come up with strategies to head it off without breaking the no-contact rule in a clear and visible way. He thought he was normally a better sport than all this, but most things he engaged in were far more subtle by nature than this. Unless next season was a complete dud, the Quidditch players were likely to become highly visible in the school – that was one of the reasons he hadn’t really wanted to join the team with Arnold in the first place – and he could not be seen as an easy mark.

He grimaced, then, when the Quaffle went from the un-kicked Miss Abbott to her minion Miss Errant, since he really should have intercepted that one just as a point of pride, but he was definitely not his best anymore, so he let it go. There would most likely be another chance…

Which he was not supposed to sail right through the other side of. He glared at her for a second before he could restrain himself. It was ridiculously petulant, he knew, to begrudge the other team the same ability to see what was in front of their noses as he took pride in his team having, but he decided that if the rest of the world wanted to consider him a twelve-year-old, he could feel like one every now and then without serious damage to his self-respect so long as he didn’t make any demonstration of those feelings. He still had a few years before he had to be on top of things every second of every day.

Right now, not on top of much of anything, he could only watch for any last-second passes or, if that didn’t happen before they reached the goals yet again today, the moment Samantha passed it back into the game. Whichever came first. That was hard enough.

0 Arthur Carey, Aladren ...You do both realize gibberish is a sign of desperation? 0 Arthur Carey, Aladren 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 12, 2011 3:48 PM

It's like a dream coming true by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

Soon, she would be flying back down to the ground, whether in victory or defeat. Soon she'd be changing out her Quidditch gear (once her fingers had been fixed) and taking a long, hot shower before either collapsing in her pajamas for the rest of the day to wallow in defeat, or dressing up in something red an low-cut for a victory party. Either way, Charlie was sort of looking froward to it. Not at the expense of the game ending early, but it had been going on quite long enough now; a game hadn't lasted this long since she'd started Sonora five and a half years ago. Marissa could catch the Snitch any time now, it would be just fine.

Chancing a look round for the Seekers, Charlie saw Marissa trying to fly with both Edmond and Topher with raised bats nearby. She was relieved one of her Beaters was looking after Marissa. When Renée had been absent they had struggled, with Nic gone they were at a disadvantage, but if Marissa was taken out they were a term that Charlie only ever used on the pitch, and not when she thought first years were in earshot. She willed Marissa to catch the Snitch. Her Chasers were making good progress back down to the goals, but their Keeper had saved around hlaf their attempts, more or less, and with Aladren keeping equal they weren't going to win the game on goals alone; they needed to catch the Snitch. Marissa needed to catch the Snitch. if Edmond Carey made it his business to knock her off her broom, though... Charlie hoped Topher could keep him away.

Returning her focus back to her own challenge, Charlie knew Renée would have to pass the Quaffle again soon. Charlie made sure she wasn't in danger of being intercepted by some pesky Aladren, and signalled to her teammate that she was ready to receive the Quaffle, whenever she wanted to pass. Renée made a simple, short pass, that reached Charlie easily - unfortunately the strength behind the pass made Charlie wince as the Quaffle slammed into her broken fingers, and tears threatened her eyes with sharp prickles, but Charlie kept them back - she needed her vision to be clear. She directed her thoughts at the game, and caontinued to carry the Quaffle forward.

They were approaching the scoring area, now. Charlie didn't want to try to score - she didn't feel balanced just now; that last catch had thrown her again. She awkwardly shuffled the Quaffle into her right hand and passed to a teammate, wobbling horribly as she failed to maintain a good grip with her left hand. Just when she thought she was fine, too - they hadn't hurt for ages, she'd practically forgotten she was injured. She only hoped one of her teammates caught her clumsy throw.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser It's like a dream coming true 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

May 12, 2011 4:10 PM

I'm more partial to Charlie's dream theory, really. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

When the Quaffle began to move his way from Charlie, Sam assumed, even as he reached for it, that it was going to be intercepted, or at least, now that everyone was tired and half of them had been injured, that an attempt at intercepting it was going to cause a thirty-broom pile-up and put them all in the hospital wing, where he’d have to either put in some magically reinforced ear plugs or go on a killing spree once the others all started trash talking each other while he was just waiting for his skull to heal. Sam had never been and knew he was still not a pleasant fellow to be around when he was sick or hurt.

Instead, though, he felt the ball first on his fingertips, then in his hands. And then he really started to panic, because it looked like it was going to be him that took the shot. Carey Chaser Twin was right over there, no doubt waiting to try to out-crazify the other Careys here again, and the other Aladrens couldn’t be far away, and he knew he was deader than dead if he tried a pass when all three of them were doubtless honing in on him and lost the ball right on the verge of the scoring area and then Aladren did another of their crazy things and scored while Nic was still out of it down there.

He reminded himself that Sam Hamilton was easily the least intimidating person on the Aladren team – not because she was a girl, because he honestly thought sometimes that Renee needed five or six different kinds of a psychiatric evaluation and Charlie could be positively terrifying when she wanted to be, but just because she was the only one of them who wasn’t either being frighteningly efficient at what she did today or just plain nuts about it. He almost felt a kind of kinship with her, actually, the same one he felt with Nic today. They were just three ordinary humans, doing the best they could but screwing up occasionally anyway, who’d somehow gotten stuck in a game with eight or nine very bloodthirsty demigods. He just hoped that him doing his best was a hair better than her doing her best, that was all. Nothing personal, and he didn’t even expect it to be true, but hope sprang eternal until reality caught up and all that.

He knew he’d be expected to use his good arm, and there were indeed advantages to that, but he decided to shake it up a little when he saw a too-close-for-comfort flash of blue and forced himself to switch hands and send it not toward the middle, but toward the side, throwing hard enough that he was pretty sure he’d either just pushed something back where it went or ruined it for life. That hadn’t felt entirely like just bruise. Either way, though, it hurt enough that he instinctively half-doubled over as the Quaffle left his hand before catching himself and pushing himself back up. Yeah, definitely not the smartest call he’d ever made, especially since he was pretty sure, now that he’d done it, the ball wasn’t flying as hard as it might have, but maybe he’d get lucky and it would be enough. Merlin help him if it wasn’t and Marissa didn’t catch the Snitch in the same second that became evident.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser I'm more partial to Charlie's dream theory, really. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

May 12, 2011 4:30 PM

Or at least go back to it now? by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

Trendsetter wasn’t really a word Marissa would have normally applied to Edmond Carey, the nice but somewhat geeky six-foot-tall and plain guy who dressed more old-school and formally than most people’s grandfathers, but in this game, that seemed to be what he was. Not only was he strongly influencing the flight plans of the Chasers, he was also, as far as she could tell, single-handedly controlling the locations of the other Beaters. Because he’d chosen to spend his time ridding the school of its Chaser population, the other Beaters, aside from that one shot at her, hadn’t really had much time to do anything but stay in that same area. She suspected Aladren’s other Beater wasn’t so much helping him as trying to make sure he didn’t hit their Chasers, though it was hard to say.

She wasn’t really objecting too much to the lack of danger to her life and limbs, though, so when Marissa saw him heading her way, her reaction was to think something very impolite. Maybe Topher and Phoenix would be pulled in and succeed in taking out Arnold, but it was more likely that Marissa was going to leave the Pitch in pieces if he didn’t get bored or distracted very soon. She wished Cassie was playing, because then, all they would have needed to do was put his girlfriend in peril and, if Marissa was right in several things she’d deduced about his character and personality over the years, Edmond would have been off to deal with that like a shot, leaving her with considerably less, even if Arnold and Preston were both still there to bother her, to worry about.

Unfortunately, Cassie was not playing, and it had never even been publicly confirmed that Edmond was actually her boyfriend and not just her amiable stalker. Goodness knew they had never so much as casually touched in public, or the whole school probably would have known about it by the end of the hour. So all Marissa could do was fly off toward Arnold, hoping that it would make Edmond wary of hitting his cousin and so he didn’t try to hit her.

It didn’t work, though Marissa did make a note to thank Topher after the game. That had taken some nerve on his part, and she appreciated it. Unfortunately, now she was back in range of annoying Arnold, and who even knew what was going on with the Bludgers….

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Or at least go back to it now? 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Edmond Carey, Beater

May 12, 2011 4:44 PM

I'm afraid both answers are 'no.' by Edmond Carey, Beater

Edmond blinked in surprise when one of the Crotalus Beaters materialized and deflected the shot toward Marissa. He hadn’t anticipated that, and wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. Admirable, he supposed, of the first year to get involved like that when there was almost certainly still plenty of action for him in the game proper, but foolish; the best equipped person here to protect Marissa was Marissa, and that fellow the worst.

Marissa was now closer to Arnold, which normally would have made a second attempt inadvisable, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance, and Arnold could dart around like a gnat you could never quite swat during practice. If he could do it then, he could do it now, and prove that whatever Anthony the Seventh had spent on his broom had been a worthwhile investment. He’d wanted to go for Charlotte the entire game, but Marissa was the target now, and a first year wasn’t going to meddle with that.

Not bothering to try to look intimidating, he swept toward the redirected shot, then hit it off-course. As a tiny mark of respect to his fellow Beater, he didn’t hit it directly back toward where he wanted it to go, which was also back toward Mr. Calhoun, but instead flew fast toward the neutral direction, then hit it back toward Marissa at an angle. She wouldn’t, he thought, be expecting it now. Not like that.

He smiled vaguely. It was always slightly better when the other Beaters gave him something to work around, so it wasn’t so straightforward. So it was about solving the puzzle of getting around them, rather than just about hurting as many people as he could. Why had he told Preston to keep himself and the other Beaters out of his way at the beginning? He couldn’t quite remember.

A puzzle to solve. That was it.

0 Edmond Carey, Beater I'm afraid both answers are 'no.' 0 Edmond Carey, Beater 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

May 12, 2011 5:07 PM

Well, it was worth a try. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

After a second of looking around for the Snitch and anything else that might not be going her way, Marissa saw what was happening with the Bludgers. The Beaters were playing tennis or something.

She knew that wasn’t going to last. Topher tried really hard, but he was maybe all of twelve, and was maybe still eleven. Edmond had been doing more, so he wasn’t as dangerous as he’d been at the beginning of the game, but she would still bet that he could outlast Topher any day of the week. Still, if they were playing ping-pong with the Bludger, interrupting each other’s moves and dancing around a little below where the Seekers were, even for a few minutes, that was a few minutes she wouldn’t otherwise have had. She focused her full attention on looking for the Snitch.

It didn’t appear at once as she frantically scanned the air, and she shook her head, trying to force herself to refocus. Marissa had just felt the jolt of her heart that came when she thought she saw a flash that looked good when a Bludger slammed into her midsection.

For a dazed second, she thought something about how that was so much for the tennis match theory. Then, going backward by instinct to get away from the damn thing, she began gasping for air. Or at least trying to. The air seemed to be catching somewhere in her throat, refusing to go down to her lungs as she tried also to force herself to be calm, to not panic, to fight the impulse to breathe fast and hard and instead control what she was doing, going for slow and deep despite the pain that came with even thinking about that.

She tried to think through what she’d picked up about anatomy as a doctor’s daughter. She thought that if anything important – spleen, kidneys, liver, stomach – had really taken serious damage, ruptured or something, she’d be in a lot more pain, but thinking was hard, and she wouldn’t have been a doctor even if she’d stayed in the Muggle world. She was going to have to have the medic do whatever it was magicals did to check for that.

Once she got the Snitch. She had to get the Snitch. Right now. Or at least as close to right now as she could figure out how to dive again without immediately falling off the Pitch. She tried to just drop in altitude while remaining upright, thinking that was better than nothing.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Well, it was worth a try. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Samantha Hamilton Keeper

May 12, 2011 5:46 PM

I wish I was dreaming by Samantha Hamilton Keeper

No way. Seriously, this couldn't be happening. She'd managed to throw the ball back to her Chasers, and there wasn't a Keeper at the other end of the pitch. How had the Quaffle arrived back here without Aladren scoring again? That just didn't seem right. The Crotalus Chasers had a good reputation, but Samantha thought the performance of the Aladren Chasers in this game had been sufficient to prove they were just as good. So why was the ball back already? She supposed she should be thankful that at least she wasn't the target of Crotalus beaters, who had pretty much ignored her entirely for the whole game. It was a mercy.

Over the duration of the game, Samantha had gotten used to the approaching throng of red players. They passed between them, and it looked like Sam Bauer - the name theif - was going to take the shot. He threw with less force and aim that she'd anticipated - the Aladren Beaters were doing their job well today - and she sort of felt bad as she reached the ball in time and scopped it into her grasp. She liked Other Sam well enough off the pitch, and when she forgot she was an Aladren she felt sympathy for the Crotalus team today, who were taking a heaving beating. But this was Quidditch, and all was fair if it was in the rules. Her job was to stop the Quaffle from going through the hoops, and she'd done that. Before the Crotalus players could collect themselves enough to make a nuisance, she threw the ball over-arm back out into play, towards one of her teammates.

0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper I wish I was dreaming 0 Samantha Hamilton Keeper 0 5

Topher Calhoun, Beater

May 12, 2011 5:49 PM

So is this by Topher Calhoun, Beater

Having a shot intercepted by Edmond Carey wasn’t, as Topher had predicted, as annoying as having one intercepted by Preston Stratford, but it still wasn’t an especially good feeling. It wasn’t as bad, though, as the one that came when he realized what Carey was doing with the Bludger.

As far as he could tell from today’s game, there wasn’t much to playing formal Quidditch other than thinking really fast and being one step ahead of the next guy. It was a little thrilling, really – even in the moment he realized that the other guy, here, was one step ahead of him. It wasn’t a good thrill, like the ones that came from noticing how the game worked or realizing he was a step ahead, but it was a thrill anyway. It made him want to try that much harder to beat his own certainty that he wasn’t going to make it, that it was already over. Doing what he was pretty sure he couldn’t would be a fine thing.

What happened when he not only realized that he wasn’t going to make it there in time, but actually saw what happened when he didn’t, though, was more of a sick feeling. Not as sick as he guessed Marissa felt with a Bludger to the gut, but it was bad enough to get on with. With it too late to help that, he knew he had to get in there and at least try to return the favor to Aladren. Especially since the Bludger could still potentially attack Marissa as she descended. He had to get it going toward Arnold.

So, pushing his broom a little to manage it, he did.

0 Topher Calhoun, Beater So is this 0 Topher Calhoun, Beater 0 5

Preston, Beater

May 12, 2011 6:25 PM

This is more of a nightmare, really. Especially for Crotalus by Preston, Beater

Preston was getting tired, this game was brutal. He could see Edmond going all crazy towards the Crotalus Seeker, and then a Crotalus Beater suddenly appeared out of nowhere and saved her from the Edmond impending doom. Preston had to admit that he was impressed, since he would have never ever gotten in the way of a Bludger hit by Edmond. He was still small, and pain was not one of his favorite things. Nor he though people usually liked that. He hoped, he really did.

The Crotalus Chasers were good, there was no way in denying it, but Aladren had a better team overall. Of that he was sure. Preston became distracted for a few minutes, while he looked around to see what was happening. He shook his head, and focused once again on what was going on. He couldn’t waste any more time. Thankfully, Samantha grabbed the Quaffle and it was once again on the air and presumably on Aladren’s hands. Yey Team!

The redhead flew looking for a stray Bludger he could send to any Crotalus player, leaving the Seeker to Edmond. One zoomed towards him and with a swing, he smacked the ball to the nearest Crotalus player. Even when he was tired, he made an effort to smack it with a lot of force. He definitely needed to build some muscle, which was weird to think, he had never been a very athletic boy, but that was changing.

0 Preston, Beater This is more of a nightmare, really. Especially for Crotalus 0 Preston, Beater 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 12, 2011 6:42 PM

Learn how to trash talk by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

There was something up with Sam's arm. Charlie knew that, she'd figured it out much earlier on in the game, but she hadn't yet seen it impair his performance in the game, so she hadn't thought twice about passing the ball to him when they were looking to score a goal. Though when he tried to use his bad arm to throw the Quaffle, Charlie was reminded that her team wasn't in great shape. The Aladren keeper, on the other hand, seemed to be in practically perfect condition, as nobody had hit a Bludger at her all game. The Crotalus Beaters had been largely over-ruled by Edmond this game; it wasn't their fault they hadn't managed to take out Aladren's Keeper. She sort of wished they had, though, as the Quaffle was saved.

Out of the corner of her eye, Charlie saw some Bludger movement by the Seekers as before she could help it she'd turned her head a litle to see, and wished she hadn't. A Bludger slammed right into Marissa, and Charlie began to mourn for her team. Their Seeker was still on her broom, but Charlie had seen and been hit by Bludgers enough times to know something like that would hurt. Hoping Marissa was okay, Charlie tore her eyes away from her Seeker and back to the game, to see the Quaffle fly over her head. She wouldn't have been able to intercept that even if she had been paying full attention. It wasn't really an excuse for being distracted - she was the captain, after all - but at least it hadn't done any harm on this occasion.

Knowing she hadn't got the Quaffle just meant that it was essential for Charlie to get hold of it soon. She made her way out a little, keeping her eye on the Quaffle. She wanted to be prepared to intercept the ball if Aladren got it, or catch it if her own teamates caught it. Although she hoped the game would end soon, they might be able to get a few more points scored first.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Learn how to trash talk 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

May 12, 2011 7:26 PM

Good try by Arnold Carey, Seeker

Arnold had been oblivious to all the Beater drama going on, but that changed when Miss Stephenson suddenly appeared again and he began to hear cracking sounds way too close for comfort. For a second, he wasn’t sure what Edmond was doing, but then, he saw and he flew straight up.

It was good for Aladren that he hadn’t tipped his fellow Seeker off, but in the moment, he hadn’t cared if he did. He had just been trying to keep from being broken apart himself, and now that he looked at the damage done to her, he didn’t regret it one bit. She was still on her broom, but looked like she was about to die; he, smaller, most likely would have gone down. Impact alone might have taken him off the broom, even assuming that their height difference wouldn’t have made the same Bludger do serious damage to his sternum or just take off his head.

He glanced warily at Aladren’s lead Beater, trying to believe that he hadn’t been in as much jeopardy as he’d thought he had. Surely, even with David in reserve, Edmond wouldn’t have risked his own team. Even if sticking to the other Seeker like glue was a time-honored anti-Bludger measure at the school level of play. He couldn’t have been that reckless. Maybe they hadn’t been as close together as it had looked like.

When Miss Stephenson began to descend, he assumed it was for medical, but then he saw the same flash she had. For a moment, he felt almost bad, knowing it would be even less of a race than her broom dictated with her in this condition, but then he thought about his brother and how very dead he would be if he prolonged this because he wanted to be a gentleman or play against a worthy opponent or whatever other excuse he came up with to give Arthur later. Sorry, Miss Marissa, he thought, and dove, too.

Five seconds later, he nearly came off his broom as a Bludger slammed into his right elbow. Fumbling with his other hand, he pulled out of the dive and ended up nearly rolling before he got control back, everything he had going into not clutching at the injured joint. His vision went gray-dark for a second, and it was taking an effort not to retch. This is just fantastic, he thought distantly, swallowing hard and forcing himself to go forward. Just a few more seconds, and it would be over. He couldn't give up now.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker Good try 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 12, 2011 7:29 PM

First, he should learn how to hit a bludger. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Sam's version of a shot made a nice anticlimactic ending to all the effort they had all put into taking the Quaffle up the pitch, though it followed fittingly with Charlie's clumsy pass. Fury welled within her, replacing shame. A fire that was stoked by the wind, growing larger and brighter. The Quaffle was thrown by the Aladren Keeper, and incredulousness was added to her ire. The Quaffle soared right over Charlie's distracted head - her captain's head - and Renée sat on her broom a short distance away, brain working furiously to figure out what had just happened.

What was up with the negativity in the air?! Okay, yes they had suffered a few blows... their keeper was gone, Charlie's fingers were seemingly broken, Sam had something wrong with his arm... she looked up at the passing seekers, startled to see something amiss with Marissa. 'Okay...' But still! The score was even. And regardless whether or not Marissa had been hurt, she was still a better seeker than a first year. Renée blinked and brought her head back into the game, tearing through the air to set herself up for either a pass or an interception.

It didn't matter if they had suffered a few blows. It would make victory all the more sweeter. 'It's not a win if there's no challenge.' She could begrudge the Aladrens many things; being a challenge wasn't one of them. 'I still think they'd be better off studying books, or cleaning their glasses or something.'

Unable to think of a new strategy on the spot, she chose to dive and stay low, beneath the other chasers so she could pop up and do her thing. It had become habitual but worked. It was late in the game, and she sensed that the snitch would soon be caught. There was always that tension that creased the air for her, eyes being drawn to certain points on the pitch, feeling the gaze of two people straining for something below or above or in front of behind. Something golden and beautiful and small but could captivate the entire stadium's attention.

Sweat dribbled over her eyes, and Renée rubbed the droplet impatiently away, annoyed at the weakness of her body, fighting the urge to slump across her broom and simply float. Half of her was thoroughly enjoying the work out, challenge, the intensity of the game. But a little of the negativity had gotten to her; the lack of smiles, of cheers - all replaced with grimaces and pain due to the loud CRACK of bludgers. Part of her was content with flying, chasing, passing, attempting to score, scoring(!) forever... another part (larger) just wanted to have its attention diverted towards Marissa's hand, and see the silver wings of the snitch beating helplessly against it.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} First, he should learn how to hit a bludger. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 12, 2011 7:54 PM

You should learn some respect for your teammates. by Russell Layne, Chaser

Russell had to say, the Crotali were tough. He had to respect a team with one Chaser who’d been knocked out for a while, two who were flying with injuries, and no Keeper which was still holding its ground against Aladren. ‘Course, he thought their lack of a Keeper was part of the reason why Crotalus was fighting so hard after this latest recentering, it would be a lot harder for them to save a shot on the empty goals once they were already there and all three Aladren Chasers and two Aladren Beaters could focus on stopping them – or, in the Beaters’ case, killing them; the Beaters made him a little uneasy today – but it was still really impressive.

They weren’t doing as well as they had, though, because Sam prevented – er – Sam’s attempt to score easily. Russell had fallen a little behind in the scramble toward the goals, which turned out to work pretty well, because the Quaffle came over everyone’s heads to him. Hey, whatever worked. He wouldn’t complain so long as, with no telling how long the game might go on now that it looked like both the Seekers had been hit with Bludgers, the Quaffle was in his team’s hands. He flew up, looped, and shot back toward the Crotalus end of the Pitch.

Because he wasn't quite as fast as they were, Russell didn’t try one of Daniel and Arthur’s long runs, instead just keeping on the move against Bludgers and focusing on getting at least far enough away from the Aladren goals that there would be a chance to fly ahead or do some blocking or something if they intercepted – something to keep them from just turning around neatly and trying to put away another goal.

When he felt like he’d gone that far, or at least as far as he thought he could now that Edmond was no longer in the Chaser game to strike terror into the hearts of Crotali, he went through his usual routine of checking around and beneath him. Finding Renee there, he sighed and flew off in the other direction as fast as he could before lining up and making a close pass to one of his teammates.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser You should learn some respect for your teammates. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

May 12, 2011 8:03 PM

No, we should use her lack of it to divide and conquer by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Crotalus made it back to the goals, but they didn’t get another shot in. Mr. Bauer was, no doubt, perfectly decent at what he did when he was intact, but Edmond had taken care of that small problem a lifetime ago, near the start of the match. Samantha saved it easily, and the Quaffle was moving back toward Aladren, going straight over Miss Abbott’s head. Arthur couldn’t help but smile.

He smiled briefly, anyway, then he followed Russell back down the Pitch, covering him for the time when he passed. That he was going to was a given; he was a good Chaser, but he wasn’t as fast as Arthur or Captain Nash, and it was possible, now that the Crotalus Beaters were starting to try a bit since Edmond had lost his edge, that he’d get badly hurt if he carried the Quaffle too far. Arthur didn’t fault him for that line of thinking, because Aladren would lose both a Chaser and likely the Quaffle if he thought otherwise and was wrong. They had to be practical here if they wanted to remain intact until the Snitch was caught.

When Russell suddenly flew off away from his original line, Arthur was momentarily confused, but then glanced down and saw Miss Errant. He couldn’t help it: as he followed, he laughed aloud. Oh, that was great. Russell was definitely a good fellow, and getting a new note in his file as soon as Arthur had time for it. He was going to go very far in life, Arthur was sure of it, and would be a good person to know once he got there.

When he passed, Arthur caught it, not as easily as he might have at the beginning of the game but still firmly, and sped up, moving down the Pitch with a new feeling of optimism. He knew it wouldn’t last long, that he was tired and battered enough by the wind and Miss Errant that he would be right back to aching and wanting to murder Arnold for his lack of Snitch-catching, but right now…right now, he felt good. Better, anyway. Just seeing her plan thwarted that easily reminded him that she wasn’t a threat, she was just a cocky lunatic who happened to have some small skill and luck in this arena.

He made sure to look down, too, before, after crossing the line and a bit more territory, he, too, passed.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser No, we should use her lack of it to divide and conquer 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Russell Layne, Chaser

May 12, 2011 8:23 PM

I am surrounded by morally ambiguous masterminds. by Russell Layne, Chaser

Russell guessed the being-tired-from-playing-mad-Quidditch-for-ages was getting to his brain, because as he saw that the pass was going and the pass was good, Russell felt a moment of real camaraderie with Arthur – Arthur, who, much more than Preston or Arthur’s own twin brother, usually seemed like he wasn’t so much from another social class as he was from another planet, one where adults were the size of twelve-year-old boys and could easily be put into a first year dorm by mistake when they showed up at Sonora to take the new history professor position.

Probably just his brain going funny, the cohesive effect of playing with the same group of people against the same group of people for so long, but he’d take it, and keep running with it. That sort of thing was supposed to make people play better, and he thought they could all use any boost they could get at this point.

And any strategic advantage. Preparing himself to go at his broom’s top speed again, he cut across in front of the Crotalus Chasers, moving fast to avoid a collision but hopefully slowing them down by a second or two as Arthur pulled ahead with the Quaffle. Seconds could matter at this place, on this day. By risking his neck like so, he could have just made the difference as to whether they ended the game ten points higher or lower. It wouldn’t help much if they ended the game 190-50 with Crotalus leading, but it might a little, and 200-40 with Aladren in the lead would make those ten points the cherry on top of the epic sundae.

Once he was past them, he looped wide and headed forward, though his speed now was more about avoiding Bludgers than anything. He doubted he could completely catch up, so instead, he was gonna hang back slightly and be there to cut through again if he needed to deflect an interception or quickly re-intercept anything Crotalus managed to intercept in spite of those efforts. He didn’t think the Crotali would really be expecting that.

16 Russell Layne, Chaser I am surrounded by morally ambiguous masterminds. 183 Russell Layne, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 12, 2011 9:09 PM

I appreciate that you realize you lack a mind. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

The Aladren Chaser (Renée had taken to referring to him as the Other Chaser) looked down, catching sight of her. She had a split second to use this as her advantage. Her body had stilled almost guiltily when she had been found out, but it was not hard to keep pace with him once he had shot off in another direction. Above her, also, was Arthur Carey. There was a pass, and then she swerved up as Arthur Carey looked down, and caught the Quaffle he threw a moment later. "Gracias." She had tried to force smugness in her tone, but there was a slight breathlessness in her voice, and her fatigue made her sound genuinely grateful. She noticed this about herself and laughed it off in her mind, her body focused on the game.

Quaffle tucked beneath her arm she looked around for either Sam or Charlie, whom she had seen following the Aladrens as well. She took the ball back towards the pitch, and moved in a circle rather than a direct path, fighting harder against the soreness that was redeveloping in her muscles, and especially her legs which felt slightly cramped up after all the tightening she had done on her broom to stay in the air. A chance to pass, Other Chaser was in view, and she dove suddenly making it a short quick one to her fellow Crotalus, following the dive with a pause beneath her fellow chaser's broom and rose back up again on the other side and behind to block Other Chaser by heading directly towards them and rising up just before collision. 'Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon.' She thought she had finally run out of breath. She made another turn and looked for the Quaffle, chasing after it again for either yet another - she couldn't even think the "I" word without growing slightly disgruntled (sick, angry, furious.... amused) - or a pass. Soon there would be another shot. Another score. A win for Crotalus, for herself, for her team. 'Go team!' The enthusiasm was beginning to waver in her own mind... had wavered.

The game had succumbed to something both great and tiresome. Renée found her own self tiresome; was she really helping Crotalus or just rewinding them again and again? Ego and self consciousness battled inside her; she thought she was trying her best, but she wasn't doing her best. Or was this what it was, and her best just wasn't good enough? Her doubts moved up and down with the currents of the wind playing with her hair, beating her skin in cool affection. She was only as good as her last play; a failed interception, a failed pass, a failed shot at the goal... she wasn't established like Charlie, or Daniel, or even Sam. Her accomplishments mattered in the moment, nothing more. 'I'm a goddess. I'm perfect. So show it!' Somehow what had started as a Quidditch game she was sure to win, had become this fight within her, driving her to go after the ball again and again and again until she was moving past breath, energy, strength. Which would explain the dizziness she felt inside, the nausea of the constant movement and the ache she now felt once more in her sides...

She was suddenly sure of a fact. She knew things like this about her body; she knew an hour before it would happen that her body would succumb to cold, or that she would get a stomach ache, or that she would feel sore in the afternoon just by laying peacefully in bed on a Sunday morning. She was sure now, too, that she would be able to handle one more shot because she would force herself to, but that after that, or if something hit her, she would be out. Done with the game. This knowledge of herself gave her clarity, and she breathed a little easier knowing the time she had left. 'Get one more shot at the goals. And then I'm through.' She followed the flight of the Quaffle, intent to get that one last goal in before the pain of everything would undoubtedly strike, or the snitch would be caught by Marissa. She staved off the prickling in her side for just a few moments longer.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} I appreciate that you realize you lack a mind. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Topher Calhoun, Beater

May 12, 2011 10:39 PM

Thank you by Topher Calhoun, Beater

One step ahead. That was the key. When his shot was a success, Topher didn’t even take time to gloat before he flew off after the Bludger again. The idea was to beat Edmond to it, but he also did this at least partially because if he stopped for one second, it would occur to him that he was deliberately going after something Edmond “Aladren-Has-Me-Your-Argument-Is-Invalid” Carey wanted, and then he would have to run away in panic.

Both the Seekers were injured now, both had been slowed down by their injuries, but he would still bet on Marissa’s hit to the stomach being more debilitating, not least because Arnold had won the Teppenpaw match with a broken or at least bruised-up arm last time. He could handle one hit. That was why Topher had to try his very best to land him with two. He didn’t think he’d get lucky enough to try for three, so the second one, if he made it, had to count.

He made it, but was sufficiently terrified of what the other Carey in their section of the game might do to him when he arrived that it put his aim off. He hit the Bludger at Arnold without bothering to aim for any particular bit of him, just making sure it was definitely heading more toward Arnold than it was toward Marissa, and then he got out of there while he still had all of his limbs attached and unbroken.

Maybe he was temporarily insane and maybe he wasn’t, but one thing Christopher Davison Michael Proctor-Calhoun never was, under any sanity conditions, was stupid. And staying around the place where he’d just assaulted a Carey with a Bludger, possibly right under the nose of another Carey who had a weapon equal to Topher’s and a greater ability to use it, would have, he was reasonably sure, been very, very stupid.

0 Topher Calhoun, Beater Thank you 0 Topher Calhoun, Beater 0 5

Charlie Abbott, Chaser

May 13, 2011 5:30 AM

Insanity is inevitable, it seems by Charlie Abbott, Chaser

Following the Aladrens up the pitch was, by this stage, as much necessity as habit. Samantha’s long throw that had evaded Charlie capture had apparently been successful in by-passing all the Crotalus Chasers, and the Quaffle was now firmly back in Aladren possession, heading up the pitch to their un-guarded goals. Hanging around wasn’t an option that Charlotte contemplated as she took chase. They had to stop the ball from getting to the scoring area – that much was obvious. She had considered just going straight for the goalposts herself, just in case the Quaffle got that far, so she would be ready for it. However, defense had never been one of her strong points. She’d trained to pass, intercept and to score, and while intercepting could potentially involve many similar skills to Keeping, she doubted they were similar enough for her to instantly be a commendable Keeper. So, rather than executing that plan, Charlie resolved to play as usual – or even better than usual – to be successful in stealing the Quaffle back. She and her teammates had been fairly successful in this endeavour for most of the game; there was nothing at all to suggest they couldn’t pull it off now.

Flying fast up the pitch, Charlie wasn’t sure whether to pull ahead or stay behind as she watched the Quaffle move from one firstie Chaser to the other. There was so much to watch in Quidditch, and that wasn’t including the Seekers who, for the time being, Charlie’d pushed from her thoughts. Last she’d seen of Marissa, the Assistant Captain was still on her broom, and so still in the game. Last she’d seen of Renée, the younger girl had been marking the Aladren Chasers, preparing to take their ball. Charlie had faith; she held back just a little. Not too much that she couldn’t make a mad dash for the scoring area if that seemed necessary, but enough that once the Quaffle was in Renée’s hands, Charlie could join her in travelling back down the pitch.

It happened – the moment she had been anticipating; the interception she had been waiting for. Crotalus had the Quaffle again, tucked safely under Renée’s arm as she circled round. Ready, and wanting to be in the right place to catch the pass, Charlie urged her own broom back again. She felt it shudder as it turned; it was a few years old, now, and while it still gave a commendable performance every time she flew, Charlie hadn’t pushed it this far for this long since it had been in her possession. Even during practises she granted her players and their broomsticks refreshment breaks every so often, and the activities changed to keep them all alert. This repetitive and strenuous flying was not only taking its toll of the players, but on their equipment, too. Charlie feared that one good knock with a Bludger to her broom and it’d all be over. She’d been comparatively successful in avoiding Bludgers thus far in the game. Her fingers were presenting her with a small problem, but generally she had managed to overcome it: no permanent injuries to her person or broom had so far been inflicted upon the captain. She did her best to believe that meant she was safe, rather than the opposite thought that was trying to break through into her consciousness: that it just meant she was next on the agenda.

Being especially vigilant for Bludgers, Charlie flew parallel to Renée, glancing her way every so often, waiting for the moment – there it was. Her teammate dove towards her, flexing her elbows in preparation to pass as she did so. The Quaffle left Renée’s hold, and sailed neatly towards Charlie’s out-stretched hands. Her fingers had numbed again, thank whichever deity was responsible for that, and she was able to tuck the ball securely under her left arm, using her right hand to obtain a good grasp on her broomstick’s handle as she took the ball back across the middle line and nearer to the Aladren Keeper, where it belonged. She held on to it a little longer than usual, not least because she’d seen Edmond most recently distracted with the Seekers (and despite it having been Other Beater who’d instigated Charlie’s own injuries, she was still more intimidated by far by Edmond), but also because desperation was running high. Maybe that’s why the Aladren’s had all apparently cracked early on in the game; it was perhaps inevitable that insanity would take them all in this epic monstrosity of a game, but Crotalus students were made of something harder to break. They were more resilient, but not completely immune.

It was a good theory, Charlie considered as she pushed her broom harder, looking up to see where her teammates were placed – and the opposition, for that matter. She did, however, retain the majority of her sanity. She’d flown for long enough; she wasn’t going to be able to get close enough to the hoops to attempt another shot. She passed the Quaffle across her body – with more ease on this occasion that the first time she’d attempted the manoeuvre – and settled the Quaffle in her right hand. She carefully selected her moment, flew in a little towards her teammate, and made the pass to her fellow Chaser. If they could score again before the Snitch was caught and the whistle sounded, it would make all this effort worth it.

0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser Insanity is inevitable, it seems 0 Charlie Abbott, Chaser 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

May 13, 2011 9:17 AM

I guess that means most of us are inevitable. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

They continued a little further down, and Renée felt awkward moving in a straight line. Somehow moving in a more circular path towards the goals felt better, sort of like she was running away from the pain inside her body. She saw Charlie get ready for a pass and began to rotate around her captain, catching the Quaffle when she was parallel and they were both close to the goals...

She shot off instantly, brown eyes locked in on the Aladren Keeper's. This was sure to be the last shot she'd make in the game; either because the feeling was true of Marissa soon catching the snitch, or the feeling was true of herself lapsing into the staggering pain of her side. This shot had to count for something, had to go in, score, be perfect.

She engaged in a short zig zag path, continuously switching the Quaffle in her hands as well (she had to keep moving, distracting herself from the pain). By now, the Aladren Keeper must have realized that she never shot at the hoops she was initially facing. And in that suspended second of indecision, when her brain paused time to choose, and her body continued forward toward the left goal hoops, she decided it would still be stupid to just throw at the left goal hoops in hopes that the keeper would think she was feinting... or was it?

Hoping that Charlie or Sam would make the interception if the Quaffle was saved, Renée made her decision (the last one) and stuck with it. Feint towards the left goal hoop, and then another throw, this time towards the long pole holding the hoop up. She flew after it and caught the rebound as the Quaffle reflected off the pole, and then shot up again to throw it hard and fast towards the middle goal hoop. Were the distractions good enough? Was her throw good enough? Had she made the shot or had she at least helped set up another winning one? No questions were answered yet as she clenched her side and groaned at the stinging pain. She flew out of the way from the other players to find a patch of air to settle on her broom and simply wait the pain out. It seemed to ripple through her ribs. Not waiting to see what had happened, she sped off towards Crotalus goals. The least she could do was to provide a figurehead of defense if the Aladren Chasers came back in time, before Marissa caught the snitch.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} I guess that means most of us are inevitable. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

May 13, 2011 12:52 PM

No need to thank me... by Arnold Carey, Seeker

Everything in his head seemed to be rocking a little, as though his brain were on a boat, from the combination of diving and pain, but Arnold forced himself to go. Just another second, one more, he was ahead now, and he could pass out at his leisure, because the game would be over and Aladren would have won.

Dimly, he hoped that his teammates appreciated this, and would consider it reason enough to forgive the length and brutality of their game. He was, after all, the only Aladren player, unless something had changed in the past minute, to be injured, while the only Crotali who hadn’t caught Bludgers were the Beaters, and the one who’d gone after him might have stress injuries or something. To catch the Snitch anyway….

Still, he couldn’t make a habit of this. Winning in spite of injury. It was impressive, but if he did it too often, no one would be impressed anymore. He really needed, next time, to make sure he came out of the game intact.

His eyes watering, he caught the flash of the Snitch moving, and redirected his broom to follow, having another near miss with being sick as he did. This hurt more than last time; he could only guess it was because it was a joint. Arthur would have known, Arthur chatted away with Healers and mediwizards and witches all the time, but Arnold had never really been that interested. Why did he care why it hurt more at the elbow than off the side of his shoulder? It just hurt.

And there was the Snitch. He wrenched his other arm away from the broom, and his hand closed around the ball, the round of it smacking his palm and the wings cutting at his fingers for a second, just as another Bludger slammed into the back of his right leg. Things went dark for a second too long; as soon as he won the struggle to blink it away, he realized he was falling.

Yeah, that was definitely something else he didn’t plan to make a habit of in games. Dramatic, but maybe a little too much. And there was never any telling, playing Crotalus when the referee was with them….

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker No need to thank me... 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Coach Pierce

May 13, 2011 3:46 PM

GAME OVER! Aladren wins! 190-40 by Coach Pierce

After dropping Nic and his broom off at the medic tent, Amelia returned to the air and didn't bother putting away her wand. She was more surprised than she probably should have been that the next few bludger hits did not require her (or Cleo's) intervention. Despite this, she kept an eye on the Chaser action, ready to announce goals, or blow her whistle for a foul, but she remained within semi-close proximity to the Seekers.

That was, after all, where Edmond was now.

She kept low, well out of the way of both stray bludgers, the Quaffle mess, and certainly the Seekers themselves. When they started to dive, she shifted even further out, and thought she might see what they were going for herself. When Arthur reach out, she was sure of it. The snitch had definitely been spotted.

Bringing her whistle up to her mouth, she blew out the signal for the end of the game in three long bursts as Arthur's fingers closed around the golden ball. The last burst of sound ended rather abruptly, as Arthur took a final bludger hit and Amelia dropped the whistle in favor of casting the levitation charm before he fell too far. He seemed conscious, so he couldn't be too badly off, and she sent his broom back to him.

She then used another charm on her voice to announce, "Aladren has caught the Snitch. The final score is 190 to 40. Aladren wins!"

Ending the sonorus charm, she flew her broom over to the injured Seekers, and asked, "Can you both make it down to the medic's tent on your own, or do you need help?" The Crotalus Chasers, she assumed, could make their own way down to Cleo since most of them had been playing the majority of the game with their injuries. Though she would be making sure every one of them visited Cleo today.

0 Coach Pierce GAME OVER! Aladren wins! 190-40 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Arnold Carey

May 13, 2011 10:31 PM

...It's over? Really? by Arnold Carey

Arnold was deeply relieved to have his worst suspicions about the Crotalus Head of House proven false when he stopped falling despite succeeding where her girl had failed. He climbed back on his broom with difficulty, since one arm was most likely broken and the other was busy with the Snitch, but he managed it, and was sitting up by the time Coach Pierce arrived.

“Yes,” he said, then realized he hadn’t technically answered her question. “I can get there.”

It all felt slightly anticlimactic, somehow. He had just won the Quidditch Championship for his House. There should have been some fanfare, something a little more dramatic than this. He was supposed to be feeling triumphant, not hurting and like he had somehow missed something, not feeling like he’d drifted aside and completely disappeared. Like none of it had even mattered at all.

There had to be one better, somewhere. Something he could do and feel like he’d done something at the end of it, not like he’d been playacting and was now realizing it wasn’t real. Maybe next year’s Championship.

He laughed a little, then, because of how strangely that thought came together, and then tried to stop when he realized he might sound like a crazy person. He was just winding down, he guessed. “Medic. Right. I won.” Announcing that made him feel a little better, and he headed off in the direction he had been instructed.

“Hi,” he said to the medic. “A Bludger hit my elbow, and then the back of my leg.” He was slurring his words a little; stupid pain kicking in. “I think something broke in the arm. And I won the match.” He was still holding the Snitch, and held up the hand doing that as evidence. He expected to repeat the display a few times once the rest of the team caught up.

0 Arnold Carey ...It's over? Really? 181 Arnold Carey 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce

<font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

Go Aladren! by <font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

Keep going, Aladren! by <font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

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

Up, up, and away. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson Seeker</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

So does that make me a red stop sign? by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

<font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

A detour, possibly by <font color=blue>Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Only a brief one, though by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

Yeah, you away from the Snitch sounds good by <font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

Possibly much briefer than this one by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

Um, Renee, I'm sorry I resented your interference last time. by <font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Aladren Scores! Score: 10-0 (nm) by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

Trying this again. by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

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

Funny, I was thinking just the opposite. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">David Wilkes, Alternate</font>

Commentating by <font color="blue">David Wilkes, Alternate</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

Me, too by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

Role reversal. by <font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

That can be fun or terrifying by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

But I can't be wrong. I'm an Aladren. by <font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

<font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Fun for us. Terrifying for you. by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

I don't feel terrified by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

I feel kind of annoyed.... by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

<font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Don't be. Our luck's changing for the better. by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color="red">Charlie, Crotalus Captain</font>

Luck is on our side. by <font color="red">Charlie, Crotalus Captain</font>

<font color="blue">Samantha Hamilton Keeper</font>

Could you give it back please? by <font color="blue">Samantha Hamilton Keeper</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Crotalus scores! 10-10 (nm) by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Recentering. Play continues up here. by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color=blue>Preston Stratford, Beater</font>

Maim!Maim! by <font color=blue>Preston Stratford, Beater</font>

<font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

Continuing play up here by <font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

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

Continuing it further by <font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Changing directions by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

Chanting with Preston, I suppose by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>

<font color=red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Towards Aladren Goals by <font color=red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

And back again by <font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Playing along by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

Providing cover. by <font color="blue">Russell Layne, Chaser</font>

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

Catching up the Seekers. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

All yours, Mr. Sawyer by <font color="blue">Captain Nash, Chaser</font>

<font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

I don't want your gift, Mr. Nash by <font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

<font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

Aladren scores! Score: 20-10 (nm) by <font color=white>Coach Pierce</font>

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

Nic, have you written your will? by <font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>

doing best to combat extreme anger by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Wonders why Arthur is laughing so hard by <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Beater</font>