Catching the Quaffle on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Pierce

August 22, 2011 12:22 PM

Game Two: Teppenpaw vs Crotalus by Coach Pierce

It the first weeknend after midterm. That meant it was January, and freaking cold. This was Arizona, though, and the weather charms did help some, so it certainly wasn't as bitterly frozen as Boston had been last week, but even Amelia would call this winter weather. Nice winter weather, but winter weather none-the-less.

She'd chosen heavy black robes for the day's game, because the sun was shining brightly and it might provide a little extra warmth as the dark cloth absorbed the sun's rays. Beyond that, she was counting on her matching purple scarf and winter hat (the Aether colors would probably not make people temporarily forget that she was the Head of House for one of the teams playing today, but she could hope it would remind at least herself to remain objective), plus some warming charms to keep from freezing. Gloves, unfortunately, were not really an option, because they would make it difficult for her to draw her wand quickly.

The fact that Aladren's last game had only one tumble (from a distance so near the ground that the girl in question had been back on her broom and in the air again before Amelia could get her whistle to her lips; she'd been impressed enough with the kid's gumption that she hadn't bothered with a time-out because the little Pecari hadn't needed one) was no guarantee that today's game would go as smoothly. Aladren may have been obvious team to blame for last year's viciousness, but Teppenpaw and Crotalus had both fought back with enough fierce determination that Amelia was not going to fall into a false sense of security just because the Hawks were not on the field today.

She rubbed her hands together and shifted on her feet to keep her blood moving as she waited for the two captains to finish talking to their teams. After she felt she'd given them sufficient time, she called them over to shake hands. "Today we have the second game of the Quidditch Season. We have Kirstenna Melcher captaining the Teppenpaw team and Charlotte Abbott captaining the Crotalus team. Captains, please shake hands." She waited for them to do so, then sent them back to their respective teams.

"Game begins at my whistle," she continued the standard spiel as she released first the snitch, and then the two bludgers into the air. "And it ends when one of the Seekers catches the snitch." She picked up the quaffle and raised her whistle to her lips. "Three. Two. One."

Tweet!

The quaffle was in the air and the game had begun.

Subthreads:

Catching the Quaffle by Charlie, Chaser, Captain with Sam Bauer, Chaser, Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Andrew Duell, Chaser, Topher Calhoun, Beater, Renée Errant {Chaser}, Derry Four, Beater, Captain Kirstenna,Keeper, Laurie S., Chaser, Paul Bennett, Beater, Arista Thornton, Chaser

Seeking. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker with Kate Bauer, Seeker

Recentering. by Coach Pierce with Charlie, Chaser, Captain, Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

0 Coach Pierce Game Two: Teppenpaw vs Crotalus 0 Coach Pierce 1 5

Charlie, Chaser, Captain

August 22, 2011 4:10 PM

Catching the Quaffle by Charlie, Chaser, Captain

For some illogical reason, Charlie was far less stressed about this game than the previous game Crotalus had played. Admittedly the last game had been the championship, and against ~~Daniel~~ Aladren, but this game could potentially be the last game Charlie ever played at Sonora. Of course she hoped they would win, but then they’d be in the championship against Aladren again... somehow it wasn’t as exhilarating as last year. It might have been simply because they were playing Teppenpaw, a team that had just never managed to come off as aggressive. That didn’t mean they were a bad team – in fact, looking at their line up, Charlie thought they had as a good a chance as anyone at winning – just that they were easy to underestimate. As captain, she’d have to make sure her team didn’t make the mistake of doing that today; having reached the final last year, they really ought to get at least that far this year.

“Good morning everyone,” Charlie greeted her team cheerfully as they gathered at the edge of the pitch. She’d already breakfasted on poached eggs, bacon with the fat cut off, and a handful of berries, nuts and seeds, and dressed in the red Crotalus robes. As the weather was wintery, she also had thick tights under her black sports pants, fingerless gloves with fine rubber grip, and an extra vest under everything. Her hair was braided back to keep it out of her vision, but that left her ears exposed and they were turning pink already. “I hope you’re all wearing extra layers because you’re going to need them. Line up here for a regulation warming charm,” she instructed her teammates, and cast the legal (she’d checked with her Head of House to make double sure) warming charm on each of the red-clad players in turn, finishing with herself. The tingling sensation moved outwards from her chest to her fingertips and down to her toes, spreading a steady warmth that would probably be unnoticeable once she took to the sky.

“We’ve got a great chance of winning,” Charlie said, her bright tone unfailing, “as long as we stick to our game. You’ve all worked really hard in practises, so now we just need to show everyone we’ve put the effort in, okay?” Not to mention it would be nice to silence those rumours that she’d bullied half her team into playing. It wasn’t strictly true – Nic and Renée didn’t come to half. “Nic, Rachel’s watching, try not to look like an idiot,” she said to her Keeper with a playful wink (another rumour surrounding Nic, and one apparently just as true as the other).

“Topher, Paul,” her newbie Beater could have been a lot worse, and last year’s newbie had improved since this time last year, and he’d stood up to Edmond Carey in previous games – Charlie didn’t care what people said about her Beaters; she had every confidence in them. “You guys are at least as good as Tepp’s Beaters,” (they were well-matched in terms of age and experience, anyway), “if not better. Remember they’ve got a reserve player, so there’s no need to try and unseat players – just keep them on their toes, get them confused, distracted, so we can swoop in and take over, okay?” Charlie didn’t feel the need to say anything to Marissa, who would be captaining the team next year anyway, or to Sam and Renée, with whom Charlie had worked for long enough to know they were the undoubtedly the best Chasing team Sonora currently had to offer.

As Coach Pierce called the captains over to shake hands, Charlie gave a parting thumbs-up to her team as she joined Kirstenna. The younger captain was Charlie’s main cause for concern this game; she was a much better Keeper than Nic, and so the Crotalus Chasers would have to work much harder than their Teppenpaw counterparts. If that was all they needed to win, then so be it – Charlie was up to the challenge. She shook Kirstenna’s hand with a smile, but uttered nothing; any wishes of luck would be insincere, and nothing else seemed appropriate. Just a simple handshake, and back to her team where, with one last shout of encouragement, Charlie slung her right leg over her broom and flexed her fingers on its handle. The whistle blew, and she kicked off, the hard ground presenting an excellent springboard for a fast ascent.

Just a second later, and Charlie was in the air, wind whipping round her face, freezing her extremities, and stinging her eyes. It was a phenomenal sensation. The exhilarating start to any game was always satisfying, but never so much so as when you happened to find yourself in front of a Quaffle without really intending it. Determined not to waste the opportunity, Charlie reached out and caught the leather ball, promptly tucking it under her arm and flying towards the goals the other captain had recently arrived to guard. She wove a little, dove a little, glanced this way and that, and then, when she thought it was an optimum moment to pass to a teammate, she let go of the Quaffle, taking careful aim and pushing it with her fingertips for that extra oomph.

The very moment the ball was no longer in her possession, Charlie almost felt her muscles tighten in anticipation. Would her own team catch the ball, or would it fall so soon into Teppenpaw possession? She was tensed, ready to change direction suddenly if necessary, or to continue onward if that was the more appropriate action. She worked very well with her other Chasers, much better, she was sure, than the Teppenpaw Chasers, even if simply because they hadn't been together so long. More than that, though, she'd been playing and practising with Sam and Renée long enough for them to instinctively know what the others were doing (unless Renée was having one of her unpredictable bouts, in which case all that was for sure was that she was doing something crazy that could either save the game or send her to the medic.... or both). They had their schemas, patterns, formations, and habits. So long as Teppenpaw Chasers and Beaters didn't prove to be too much of a nuisance, they had goal scoring in the bag. Then it was just up to Marissa to catch the Snitch. No problem.

0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain Catching the Quaffle 0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

August 22, 2011 5:24 PM

Continuing that theme. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

The day wasn’t ideal for being outside, but Sam had just come out of a colder January than Sonora’s, so he wasn’t worried about the weather impairing his play too much. If this year was much like last year, he was willing to bet the exertion would warm him up soon enough.

To distract himself from being cold right now, though, he focused on thoughts of the game and the other team. He had never lost the idea of Crotalus as a good team despite their losses, but Teppenpaw had put up a decent fight against Aladren last year, so he had to guess they would do the same against the Rattlers today. Pecari had gotten its hands on the ball and made it all the way to Aladren’s goals before term despite the greater skill and luck of the Hawks, so at this point, it felt safest not to assume anything about anybody.

Not an encouraging thought, not to him, but Sam had given up on ever getting the hang of optimism. He’d tried it out a few times, but it always seemed to slide off the surface of his mind like water off Teflon, lingering only briefly and leaving no lasting impression on him. Being himself and acknowledging that things were at least as likely as not to go wrong most of the time had always worked okay for him, and he thought it helped with not letting losing make him crazy.

After a speech with very welcome warming charm from Charlie and a few remarks from the Coach, the whistle shrieked through the cold air and the game was on. Sam stopped thinking on the drawn-out, conscious level and threw himself forward with the other Chasers, eventually coming out on the other side to find that Charlie had it. Soon afterward, he found Charlie passing it to him, and he continued on the way to the Teppenpaw goals, doing his part to further their team goal of keeping the Quaffle as far away from Nic as possible so Charlie didn’t kill him some dark night and frame his innocent but ally-less roommate for it.

He could have gone ahead and made the first shot, he knew, but when he spotted another Crotalus Chaser, a blur of red robes and dark hair that he only bothered knowing was female because both of the others were, he chose instead to pass. It might throw Kirstenna off, and plus, the girls were both, he wasn't (very) ashamed to admit to himself, better than he was at the playing of the game, Charlie because she was more experienced and Renée because she just plain needed her head examined when the season wasn't on. Never when it was, though. Regaining her sanity was for when they didn’t need her to be crazy.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser Continuing that theme. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

August 22, 2011 7:53 PM

Staying on my side of the pitch by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

One of the many reasons Nic had almost quit Quidditch was that Quidditch made him go outside in winter. Unfortunately, it hadn't been one of his primary thoughts when he let Charlie bully him back onto the team, but now it was forefront on his mind and he was deeply regretting the decision. He was from Florida and he had approximately two insulating fat cells on his entire body. Anything less than sixty Fahrenheit was roughly equivalent to zero Kelvin as far as he was concerned. To make things worse, it had been almost eighty degrees last week in Miami.

Ignoring the logic that said wearing too much clothing would hamper his ability to move quickly and agile-ly, Nic put on thermal underclothes, a sweatsuit, and a jacket on underneath his red Quidditch robes. For the first time in his life, Nic appeared broad shouldered. The hat on his head was assisted in its effort to keep his head warm by a pair of earmuffs and a scarf that covered all of his face below his eyes. The only bare skin showing was the narrow slot between scarf and hat where his eyes were. On his hands, he wore a pair of gloves inside his mittens, and his shoes had been difficult to get on over three pairs of socks.

He was still cold as he stood with the rest of his team on the pitch, and he was grateful for the warming charm Charlie granted to each of them. He felt her advice not to look like an idiot might have come a little too late, but he was pretty sure she meant in Quidditch skill rather than the potentially excessive amount of winter gear/bludger padding he was wearing today. Not that he thought he'd do a lot better in that arena.

He'd grown two and a half inches since the Opening Feast, putting him close to five eleven now. He had no clear idea where his feet and hands were in relation to the rest of his body and he was as likely to overestimate as underestimate now that he'd slowed his vertical growth again and no longer had to compensate for additional length anymore. Plus, the potions that he drank to dull the bone ache from growing so fast made him just a little sluggish - not enough to be noticeable on a normal day, but enough that it could make the difference in front of the Goals. In short, he really wished Charlie had had another option for Keeper today.

Especially if Rachel was watching, like Charlie said. He had no reason to disbelieve her. Well, aside from the fact that it was effing cold out here and if he could have been happily ensconced inside the heated walls of the school, he totally would have been.

The only saving grace was that Charlie, Renee, and Sam were an awesome Chasing team and he was hopeful he could go through the entire game without the Quaffle coming within fifty feet of him.

In fact, the first to people to touch the ball once the whistle blew were Charlie and Sam, so Nic went to his side of the Pitch and hoped desperately that this good fortune would stay with the Crotalus team.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper Staying on my side of the pitch 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Andrew Duell, Chaser

August 22, 2011 7:59 PM

Coming back over to your side! by Andrew Duell, Chaser

Ahh... his first game of the year. Andrew was ready, for the most part anyway. They were going up against Crotalus, and that was some mild cause for concern. He contemplated the situation all day while getting ready. Why couldn't they be going up against... wait, Aladrens were crazy, and Pecari had Jhon. So, this was what a no win situation felt like. The way Aladren played, he would be lucky to get out alive, he had watched as they hounded Jose in their match against Pecari. He was glad to not have been in Jose's shoes at that point, but... if they won today, he still might find himself there. As for Pecari, Jhon would have made his life a living nightmare in either case; whether he cruelly beat her without remorse or if she triumphed over his horrible incompetence. Either way he'd lose and she'd be sure to bring both of their mothers into it.

So, Crotalus it was. That just meant he had to be very careful. Luckily, as a chaser he shouldn't directly interfere with Marissa's seeking. At the moment he was so very thankful that Kirstenna had kept him as a chaser and never made him a beater. Marissa had, for some yet unknown reason, agreed to go to the dance with him, and there was no way he could jeopardize that by... doing whatever to her. He had to be good enough to impress her though, but at the same time he couldn't make her team, and therefore her, look to bad. This really didn't worry him to much, because he wasn't that good of a quidditch player. He was just the oldest one on the Teppenpaw team, and that somehow made him feel like he should be really, really awesome at this. 'Should' being the key word there.

He got ready in his normal routine, breakfast, warm-ups, lots of warm clothing and then down to the pitch. It was really chilly outside, but he stood with his teammates as Kirstenna gave her speech and got ready for the game to start. He was in the air like a shot after the Coach's whistle blew, but missed the ball as Charlie grabbed it and flew away towards their goal. He figured that would be their strategy, Crotalus' weak point was almost as obvious as Pecari's. They would do everything in their power to keep that ball as far away from Nic as possible. It was his job to exploit that weakness as much as possible.

Missing the ball at the start, Andrew raced for the Teppenpaw end of the field. He saw Charlie pass the ball to Sam as he began to move into position. The Crotali were doing well to keep the ball moving, he was almost certain that Sam wouldn't go for the shot yet, they were going to have to work to get around Kirstenna. So, when he saw another of the Crotalus chasers moving near Sam, Andrew kicked his broom into high gear and shot between them.

He intercepted the pass and immediately turned for the far end of the pitch. Now to make them sweat, how close to Nic could they get? He covered quite a bit of distance before he saw another of his Chasers nearby, he passed it towards them and stopped just hoping to mess up the flight paths of the Crotalus chasers that were no doubt following him and shield his teammates from the even if just for a moment. He grinned, quidditch was fun.

2 Andrew Duell, Chaser Coming back over to your side! 145 Andrew Duell, Chaser 0 5

Topher Calhoun, Beater

August 23, 2011 1:06 AM

Bad idea, dude by Topher Calhoun, Beater

There were lots of reasons to be a little nervous about any Quidditch game, even when you were one of the four people lucky enough to have a bat to defend yourself with, but Topher was still in more of a good, optimistic mood than not as he got ready for the game in the cold against Teppenpaw. The chill might make him fumble his bat at just the wrong moment, and he knew Derry Pierce (or, for that matter, probably Paul; Topher was taller than those two, but narrower, more one of Nature's Chasers than one of her Beaters) could likely knock the stuffing out of him if he really felt like it, but at least this time he wasn't up against Edmond Carey.

He still didn't know what had possessed him in that final game last year, when he'd decided it was a good idea to get in the middle of Edmond and a Bludger and the person Edmond wanted that Bludger to hit a few times. It had seemed to earn him points with Charlie and the team, but that didn't make it any less crazy, especially once he started using those redirected Bludgers to hit Arnold Carey. Topher didn't know much about the Careys except that there were lots of them and they seemed to have a slightly dark reputation, but he thought most pureblood families had a certain pack mentality where an assault on one was an assault on them all. If they faced Aladren again, he was going to pay for those successful attempts to injure the Aladren Seeker, he was sure of it.

He tried not to be, though, because the whole point of this match was to get to face Aladren again, and he was slightly more afraid, however happy she seemed today and cool she was being by using the warming charms on them, of Charlie than he was of Edmond or the vindictive, take-no-prisoners aura of the Aladren team in general. They couldn't follow him into his common room. So he was going to play his best, and no mistake. He wasn't convinced anything could, but if something could, Topher didn't think his courageous stupidity of last year was the thing that could earn enough points to get him forgiven for doing anything else.

His team got the Quaffle right away, but then the oldest Teppenpaw got it out of Sam's pass. Sighing over people making him do his job this early in the game, Topher caught up to a Bludger and quickly smacked it toward the offending yellow uniform.

0 Topher Calhoun, Beater Bad idea, dude 0 Topher Calhoun, Beater 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

August 23, 2011 11:02 AM

Steam by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Crying in the shower. Renée wondered whether that could possibly be interpreted as a good sign. In a way it definitely felt soothing; shoulders shaking up and down, loosening those muscles, and the rawness in her throat only indicated release. She needed release. She needed to cry. Most of all she needed to stop. Because the game was starting. Her fingers reached out for the knob, tanned hands lightened from the lack of proper sun. She´d stayed with David in New York, not wanting to see her abuela, not wanting to have to try to avoid the truth and end up outright lying instead. (No... no of course I did as you said. No more Quidditch, of course. No more.) Renée cried just a little more, her forehead pressed against the wall, the long dark curls matted to her head, flattened against the nape of her neck, dripping down her back, flowing over her shoulders. There was no shampoo, no soap, all she wanted was water. And steam. It was thick, eagerly wafting into her lungs, the entrance constantly opening wider and wider and wider. Her fingers finally gripped the nob hard, prepared to turn it off. (Papa, it wasn´t her. I swear. I chose to quit the team, si. I´m just not interested in it anymore.) She turned the knob and the heat rose, her back flinching at the contact, then easing into the burn. More water, more heat, more steam. It coated her, dressed her bare form, and all at once she was disassembled. (No, Dios, don´t tell Gabriel. Dios mio he doesn´t need to know. It´s nothing, so nobody needs to know.) Nothing more than air.

She turned the knob and the water filtered away, the last drip drip drips. She lifted a wet hand to her face, the other pulling open the curtain, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The steam seemed to have freshened her face, and her lungs felt healed. She imagined herself walking out onto the pitch as she was (free, liberated, truthful - Renée) but all she did was lie these days. To walk as she was - truly was - was beyond her. A sacrifice she had made for a prize beyond her as well. Everything was slipping over the horizon these days. Somehow she still thought she could fly to it. Catch it. She couldn´t. Grabbing the Quaffle was the next best thing. She stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and gently patting herself down, the steam doing most of the work to dry her off. Gradually details of the upcoming match (five minutes... four minutes... three minutes... hurry, Renée, hurry!) slipped into her mind, gently pulling her into game mode. They were playing Teppenpaw today which means they were really practicing for Aladren. Renée couldn´t pretend to believe this a challenge. Teppenpaw was mild, soft, weak. Despite Charlie´s warnings of not underestimating opponents Renée didn´t really feel like wasting any anxiety over them. Done drying off (two minutes... one minute... girl, you better hurry!) she pulled on her underwear, her underclothing, her Quidditch robes and brought up the wet strands of hair, longer than usual due to its dampness. She looked briefly at the mirror, trying to decide what other people saw her as. ´The hell do I care?´ She turned and rushed out, heading for the pitch.

Charlie spoke, a whistle sounded, Renée kicked off into the air. Like steam she rose easily, her Febre broom in tune to her subtle movements. The broom and her fellow chasers made up most of what Renée was on the pitch. Charlie was direction; Renée did her best to follow, adjust herself to meet the captain´s needs, help set up a shot since Charlie was the best scorer out of the three. Probably out of all the teams. Sam was balance; that which Renée did not have, he provided. Everyone else on the team could be easily forgotten. What did she care of beaters or seekers or even her own keeper (if that title could be accurately attributed to Nic)? All she saw was red, all she ached for was red. Catching and releasing, she breathed for that streak against the sky. Through the air, steam carrying forwards and backwards, side to side. And she was that shifting breeze that carried it, cared for it, made sure it did what she desired. ´How could you - how could any of you have expected for me to give this up?´ Charlie grabbed the quaffle and Renée glanced over the Teppenpaw chasers, dark brown eyes locking in on one flying toward Sam. Charlie passed to Sam and Renée pulled back on her broom, dipping low as Sam passed quickly, the Teppenpaw chaser intercepting and turning around. ´Can´t let him get to Nic.´ She flew fast and direct, turning over, her loose bun hanging upside down as she watched the yellow robed chaser shoot for Crotalus goals. She felt like a fish through water - no, a shark. Patiently waiting for the moment. Enjoying the hunt but eager for prey. The Teppenpaw jerked his arm and the hunt was on.

¨Ha!¨ She jumped from below, her broom having rightened up and her fist pointed up, flying in between the two Teppenpaw chasers, the Quaffle bumping on her tightly curled fingers. She continued to rise in the air, bumping the Quaffle once more and turning her hand, letting it relax open, the Quaffle falling back on her soft palm. A backwards dive, red leather bound ball tucked into her arm, and Crotalus was rightened, heading toward enemy goals. Dark eyes were brightened, seeking out Charlie and Sam. A feint to one, her whole body enthused and vying for its audience to believe, and then a turn and a drop pass as she rose to fly over her other teammate. With that one simple action she was there, she was in the game, she was free. Water, heat, steam.

She was Renée.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Steam 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

August 23, 2011 11:38 AM

Seeking. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

As Marissa put on her red robes and tied her long, plain brown hair up, it occurred to her that this might very well be the last game she was ever Assistant Captain, rather than Actual Captain in. If they lost today, the championship game would be between Aladren and Teppenpaw, and Crotalus wouldn’t come out again until after Charlie graduated.

Technically, Marissa knew, it didn’t matter, since the same amount of time was going to elapse between today and when she became captain no matter what happened, but she found herself irrationally feeling that it would be much better, much more like putting off the inevitable, if they won today and she had that one more game with Charlie as their face between her and the captainacy. She thought she made an excellent second fiddle, a good second-in-command; she was still completely unsure, despite what her elementary school teachers had always said about her clearly having leadership potential, how she’d do as the first authority.

Oddly, and she knew even more irrationally, the thought of being Head Girl didn’t faze her nearly as much as the thought of being Quidditch captain. She knew she would have her stomach in knots every time she had to lead something at a prefect meeting, or try to mediate any disputes between other prefects, sure she was going to do or say something wrong, but it still felt…different. Like it would be easier to keep on a calm, pleasant mask while going through those duties than to project the confidence and control of a team captain.

Though for all she knew, it might very well end up completely the other way around even if she did become Head Girl, which she very well might not, and none of it was going to happen until next year, so she supposed she might as well not waste time thinking about it.

She smiled, glad Charlie seemed to be in a good mood today, as the opening remarks were made to the team, putting on that particular mask against the anxiety associated with the chance she might not catch the Snitch without any difficulty after so much practice. “Good luck, everyone!” she wished the team when Charlie finished and Coach Pierce started motioning for them to come along, and then crossed her fingers for a second in the hopes it would give her a little, too.

Losing to Kate Bauer wouldn’t just put them out of the Championship, it would…well, she didn’t know, exactly, but it would be horribly unpleasant. It felt like the kind of thing, after half a year of struggling with Advanced classes and losing as often as she won, that might break her confidence entirely, and while she’d experienced that feeling before and had gotten back up anyway, she never liked risking it. If she hadn’t been afraid it might backfire, she would have taken a page out of the books of the pure- and some half-bloods and asked Merlin for a little help; the thought of her parents’ disapproval of actually praying about something as trivial as a game was enough to stop her from turning to more familiar sources except to ask for assistance with keeping her composure.

She watched Charlie and Kirstenna shake hands, shook her head against the dreamlike feeling bothering it, and kicked off, forcing herself to calm, suppressing the bubbling, anxious urge to let her eyes dart for the Snitch. That did not work. She knew it did not. Patient, calm study of the ground was the only way to do this.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Seeking. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Derry Four, Beater

August 23, 2011 12:45 PM

Providing a little more yellow to the game by Derry Four, Beater

Derry had stayed at Sonora over midterm which meant that, in addition to shooting targets with arrows and making helmets (which he had breifly considered wearing to the game today but then he decided his bat was protection enough), he could practice hitting bludgers in the MARS room where it was warmer or on the pitch where he could experience similar conditions to his next game. Because of the archery, of course, the Pitch was sometimes off-limits, but that hadn't really affected Derry's practice schedule at all.

He felt he was probably one of players best prepared for this game since everyone else was coming off a break where they may not have gotten much practice time in recently. This boosted his confidence almost as much as the fact that he was facing neither Edmond Carey nor Demelza Eagle today. He was, quite possibly, the oldest beater on the pitch, having been thirteen since November.

Careful to avoid looking at Coach Pierce in case she somehow knew just by looking at him that he knew The Truth now, he listened to Kirstenna then took to the air at the sound of the whistle. Deciding to play a more defensive game and leave Teppenpaw's offense to Ben, Derry first eyed Kate but it was a little early yet to go after Seekers, so he followed the Quaffle action instead.

He cheered when Andrew got the ball back for their side, but didn't have time to bemoan Renee's intercept a little while later. He was too busy getting between Topher's hit and the yellow-clad chaser under his protection. He swung his bat, redirecting the heavy metal ball toward the nearest red robed Chaser instead.

1 Derry Four, Beater Providing a little more yellow to the game 189 Derry Four, Beater 0 5

Charlie, Chaser, Captain

August 24, 2011 8:19 AM

Oi, we'll have none of that here. by Charlie, Chaser, Captain

Charlie's first pass to Sam had worked just fine, and they were already progressing nicely down the pitch towards the hoops Kirstenna was guarding. She knew instinctively that at this stage in the game she ought not to be pleased that things had started off well, but she couldn't help it all the same - she decided to take it as a good omen, one that was only dented and not completely shattered when Andrew, curse him, intercepted the Quaffle and tried to take it away from the right end of the pitch. Charlie had sort of forgotten about his penchant for making mad-dash attempts, but she was reminded of previous games in an irritating flash as he took their ball away. Luckily, Tohpher was on board and Renée, as always, was right on target. Charlie didn't know where that girl got her energy, but she'd sure like to have that much herself from time to time.

Resignedly turning tail to place herself in a suitable position to receive the Quaffle that was now back in crotalus possession, where it should be, Charlie was dimly aware of cracking of Bludgers on bats. She didn't think anything was too near her, though, so she fell into flight in a pattern to more or less match Renée's, making it easier for the younger Chaser to follow her, and pass if necessary. Then, for just a moment, Charlie thought the ball might go to sam, instead. Luckily, she'd been playing with Renée long enough to know never to make assumptions, and feinting was near the top of the list of Crotalus Chaser skills. So when the Quaffle did leave her hands after all, Charlie could only assume it was coming her way. She glanced over her shoulders for other players and - oh, there was that Bludger. She caught the ball from above, and continued on a dive, trying to shake the Bludger off her tail. It was widely accepted that if you couldn't shake a Bludger by changing movement quickly, your next best bet was to fly into a group of people and hope it latched onto one of them, instead. With this in mind, Charlie glanced up and actually headed towards a Teppenpaw player - she didn't actually check to see whether the Bludger was even still following her, but she needed to regain height somewhere, so that seemed as good a place as any.

Placing herself with the offending yellow on her left, Charlie glanced to her right, and, seeing an available teammate, wasted no time in making the pass. The goals were within shooting range now for whichever crotalus player succeeded in catching the Quaffle, but that didn't mean they would necessarily take the shot - Kirstenna was probably the best Keeper currently attending Sonora, so they'd have to use some real skill to get the ball past her - simple and straight-forward shots weren't going to cut it this game.

0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain Oi, we'll have none of that here. 0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain 0 5

Kate Bauer, Seeker

August 24, 2011 12:45 PM

Seeking a win. by Kate Bauer, Seeker

Kate felt nervous as she got ready for the game, but in a way that translated itself into excitement more than fear. Fear was there, a tight, ice-cold and ice-hard knot in the bottom of her stomach, but it was smaller than it might have been and mostly just added an edge to the excitement. More than anything, she was just eager to get out there and play, half for the sake of playing and half just to get it over with.

When the teams lined up for the handshake, Kate smiled at Marissa Stephenson, noticing the parallels between the two teams. The Assistant Captains were against each other as Seekers, and the actual captains were almost as directly against each other as Keeper and Chaser. She and Marissa wouldn’t be captains against each other unless something unexpected and probably bad happened with Kirstenna, though, or it really would have been a little weird. It amused her anyway, though, in her current state of mind.

When the whistle blew, she pushed off the ground and into the air, the cold air stinging her face as she accelerated in a wide arc above the movements of the Chasers and Beaters. The Beaters were almost evenly matched today, with Teppenpaw maybe having a little advantage from both of their Beaters being second years while Crotalus had to make do with one first year, but she would just as soon avoid all four of them for the rest of the game.

Marissa was older than her, and more used to looking for the Snitch and spotting it, she guessed, but she didn’t think that meant she couldn’t win. Seeking was a lot about quick eyes, and speed, and all that, but there was also a hefty measure of luck. It was with determination and a generous helping of the optimism so alien to her cousin on the other team that she joined Marissa in searching for the Snitch, the comforting thought in the back of her head that she had years and years left even if today didn’t work out, that losing today wouldn’t mean starting as captain after a loss. She wasn’t conscious of the fact that she did so, but she thought that might actually give her a little bit of an edge, which Merlin knew she was going to need almost as much today as she would if they went up against Aladren again.

16 Kate Bauer, Seeker Seeking a win. 170 Kate Bauer, Seeker 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

August 24, 2011 5:13 PM

Red is a prettier color. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Continuing her straight path, Renée flew ahead of Charlie, the hard wind drying off the remaining droplets of water from her hair. She was eager to get to the goals though the game had only just started. Her first year on the team she´d been too afraid of failure to try an attempt at the goals, happy enough to assist Sam or Charlie. Now she enjoyed that bubble of nervousness spreading in her gut, expanding into something hard and rubber within her chest. That anxiety made her lean further parallel to her broom, her speed increasing, dark brown eyes squinting as the wind slapped her face, desperate to face off with her own fear. ´We´re there, we´re there, we´re almost there.´ A sharp turn as yellow robes flashed across her vision and Renée caught Charlie´s eye. The Quaffle flew quickly through the air, and Renée rose as soon as she felt the leather touch her outstretched palms, her fingers clamping down upon it. There was no time to waste, and though Renée had little to no respect for Teppenpaws (because, you know, they were in Teppenpaw) she knew that Kirstenna Melcher wasn´t a terrible Keeper. Wasn´t a bad one, anyway. She was good. Good enough that the rubber was growing harder, now cement, and René´s rationality loosened.

That was okay. Too much planning, too much thinking, and anxiety overran her natural instincts. She let the plots go and just focused on herself, the Quaffle, her broom, the goal hoops - left, center, right. Straight shots wouldn´t work, no matter how much power and speed behind it. Kirstenna would catch those. Oh no - that was a thought. No more thoughts. Renée dove to escape them, quickly rightening to fly straight, heading toward center goals... closer and Kirstenna´s form was clearer... closer and her arm was pulling back, Quaffle rocking back in her palm, ready to spring flee and soar on its own, no chaser or keeper to restrain its potential. She jumped back in height and thrust her arm forward, fingers rocking the Quaffle and she watched it curve, heading past the center goal hoop, aiming for the right. She´d made it a low shot, sure that if it succeeded in passing Kirstenna it would skim the bottom of the ring, hoping that the drop in height would throw Kirstenna of.

She´d become dimply aware that this game and the Championship were Charlie´s last. The incredible chasing team would be ruined. She hadn´t really delved into anger at Charlie leaving them (who the heck was going to be able to fill her shoes? who the heck was going to be able to work as well with Sam and René?) since the fact that Soledad was probably going to kill her once she found out Renée was still on the team would make these her last games as well. But on the off chance that her life was spared, Renée knew she´d be sad to see Charlie go. That was part of the reason she´d been working even harder, more furiously, in practice, dedicating a little more time to mastering a few more tricks for the game. Perhaps if Charlie saw how good a team they were - perhaps if they actually won the championship this time - Charlie wouldn´t leave, the team would be preserved, and Renée would have a comfort from the daily frustrations of life. Not to mention, Marissa wasn´t exactly Captain material. She didn´t give off the dragon aura Charlie did. Renée liked that aura. It reminded her of home. Her eyes blinked and she watched the Quaffle sail, that brilliant streak of red. Maybe it was the heating charms, but she felt disproportionately flushed. ´Go in... go in... I know you´re going to go in.´

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Red is a prettier color. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Captain Kirstenna,Keeper

August 25, 2011 12:38 PM

That's a matter of opinion. by Captain Kirstenna,Keeper

This was it. Her big day. Well, really it was a big day for the whole Teppenpaw team, no member was really more important than any other. They were all needed, all had their role to play, and Kirstenna had always made sure that the rest of the team knew it.

Still, it was her first game as Captain and she was slightly nervous yet excited. Kirstenna was glad it was Crotalus they were playing and not Aladren. As mean as it felt to think it, she knew she was a way better Keeper than Nic Sawyer.

The unfortunate thing, though, was that the Crotalus team included Renee Errant who had not only proved to be a bit insane on the pitch but who was a dark evil creature. It was different than Aladren's craziness, they were Imperiused and couldn't help it. Renee was a dark creature naturally even if she had been unleashed on Sonora by the Imposter.

And now the Teppenpaw Captain would have to keep an eye on them both . Who knew what either would try?

Actually given Renee's function was to make others act negatively, leading them into causing trouble, perhaps Kirstenna would have to keep an eye on everyone.

Prior to the game, Kirstenna gathered the Teppenpaw team around her to give her Captain's speech. "Okay, I know that Marissa and Charlie are older and have more experience and their Chasing team works very well together, but we are just as good. I have complete confidence in us. One of their beaters is new and they're both young. Furthermore, the Crotalus Keeper...is not one of the best." Kirstenna felt slightly guilty criticizing Nic but she was sure he had other strengths. Keeping just wasn't one of them. "So try to get the ball down to their goals and you should have no trouble scoring."

She turned to Derry and Ben. "Don't worry about taking out their keeper. Worry about taking out their Chasers and Seeker and make sure to protect the Teppenpaws." She gave them a wide smile. "Other than that, I don't have much to tell you. You're all great players and I have every confidence in you all."

The game about to begin, the teams lined up and the Imposter had Kirstenna and Charlie shake hands. The whistle sounded and everyone took to the air.

Crotalus got the Quaffle first and the fourth year groaned. but kept her eye on it. She grinned as Andrew briefly had it but winced as it was intercepted by Renee of all people. Then Renee passed it to Charlie and then it was back to Renee again and now the dark creature was going for a shot.

Kirstenna braced herself. Renee's shot was low going for the right hoop. It was not an easy shot to catch but fortunately Kirstenna had her eye on Renee more so than Sam or Charlie (though admittedly, her eyes did wander to her fellow fourth year on occasion but Sam was not the one she worried about. He was a fine Chaser but he was not a dark twisted evil creature who was stealing Kirstenna's best friend and leading her to do bad things.)

The Teppenpaw zoomed down. She would not let this go in. Letting Renee, a dark creature, score on her was definitely different than letting Sam or Charlie score. Kirstenna reached for the ball, unable to catch it, but at least knocking it out of the way so it did not go in.

The Captain retrieved the ball and threw it towards the nearest Teppenpaw Chaser. Now hopefully, the Quaffle would go where it belonged, through the Crotalus goals.

11 Captain Kirstenna,Keeper That's a matter of opinion. 161 Captain Kirstenna,Keeper 0 5

Andrew, Chaser

August 25, 2011 1:04 PM

I agree by Andrew, Chaser

Dangit... how had he missed Renee? She had been right there... it didn't matter, he turned to give chase when he heard the crack of a beater's bat not terribly far away. He dived reflexively and looked back over his shoulder. It had been Derry saving him, whew. He shouted back a "Thank!" as he shot back towards the Quaffle. Those Crotalus chasers were doing a heck of a job, they really didn't want that ball anywhere near their end of the field. He was going to have to step up his game to match. No problem.

Andrew soared into the confusion as Renee made her shot, Kirstenna would get that one easy. Right? Yeah. It was a little closer than he would have liked, but his captain saved the day. He swung around the goal getting close enough for her to pass it to him as he was already heading back towards Crotalus territory. Unfortunately that meant all of the Crotalus Chasers were between him and that goal. He spotted one of his fellow chasers not far off, so he curled the ball up in his arm and tried to cover it a bit with his robes. Then he dove and went into what he hoped looked like 'evasive maneuvers' to get through the chasers.

One of those maneuvers was something of a corkscrew, and if he timed this release right the ball would use the rotational energy to make it to his teammate without making such an obvious throw. He had experimented with this once or twice during practices, but probably should have tried it a bit more. The ball went loose quickly, and he retucked his arm into place then continued towards the Crotalus end hoping they still thought he had the ball. He glanced back to see what had happened. The ball had flown close to on track but a bit higher than he'd planned. Would they catch it?

2 Andrew, Chaser I agree 145 Andrew, Chaser 0 5

Laurie S., Chaser

August 25, 2011 4:21 PM

Me too! by Laurie S., Chaser

Lawrence Roman Stratford was nervous, really nervous. He had a game of Quidditch to play, in a position he hadn’t chose. He woke up that morning feeling a little bit queasy about the whole affair. He couldn’t even eat breakfast, he had been afraid of puking all over Cascade Hall. That would be a horrible sight for everyone in attendance, and it would give a false image of him. Okay, not a false image, he was still nervous and afraid of not giving the best in him. He had trained hard as a Chaser, but he was not a 100% comfortable with the position. If he wanted to play, he needed to suck it up and do a good job. Laurie hadn’t said a thing to anyone, he had just practiced with Preston and hoped for the best, but he had heard that Crotalus was a very tough team.

Laurie was ready, as ready as he would be. He entered the Pitch showing off a confidence he didn’t feel, it was all part of the game, or so his father claimed. The Teppenpaw had learned a lot about chasing from his father, and he was grateful for it. He would end up being just as amazing as he was! He was sure of it.

It was cold, but not like it had been back at home. The Vermont native felt somewhat comfortable in this weather, it was nice winter weather! Under his Quidditch robes he had donned a purple sweater with some jeans, he preferred the casual look. Formality was not his style.

When he went up into the air, he could feel the chill on his face. He was sure his cheeks were red from the chill. It felt amazing! Laurie loved how it felt to soar through the air. There was nothing better. His nervousness was slowly being erased by the chill air. He smiled when Coach Pierce declared the game started.

For the first few minutes of the game he didn’t know what was happening, he could see Bludgers fly, the Quaffle change hands and a Crotalus Chaser even tried to score. Thankfully, their Captain was able to save the day. He blinked. He had missed so much! Laurie looked at Andrew, he had the Quaffle. He flew near him, ready to catch the red ball at any moment’s notice. The older Teppenpaw Chaser began the movements for a rather complicated maneuver, one he had used during practice, and he could say he was somewhat prepared for the pass. The Quaffle flew and he caught it, almost dropping it. Laurie had never claimed to be an exceptional Chaser.

He grinned at the feel of the Quaffle protected by his body, and flew with it for a few seconds before making a pass to a nearby fellow Teppenpaw Chaser.

0 Laurie S., Chaser Me too! 0 Laurie S., Chaser 0 5

Paul Bennett, Beater

August 25, 2011 10:53 PM

You have an opinion, I have a bat. by Paul Bennett, Beater

There was a time, Paul knew, to do things. There was also a time to listen, observe, and analyze.

So his father said, anyway. Paul had not yet gotten the reliable hang of knowing when it was a good time to act instead of a good time just to watch and draw his own conclusions about how things were, so he mostly stuck with just watching. On the Crotalus Quidditch team, he thought that might have seemed like a good idea for a beginner to him even if he hadn’t come into the group with Eliza for a sister. He had learned a lot.

For one thing, he now knew who That Female was, and that she wasn’t an immediate threat to him. Eliza was growing paranoid, thinking that the other girl was plotting something against her in secret and only pretending to be an excitable moron, but Paul thought he spent more time around Errant than she did, and he was pretty sure the girl really was just an excitable moron. She didn’t seem to notice he existed, which suited him fine.

For another, he had discovered that while his sister did think of him as an agent on the inside, and expected him to repeat to her every word that anyone said at practice regardless of whether or not it involved terminology she didn’t understand because she had been to a grand total of two Quidditch games in her life and had spent them talking about clothes with Mother, the team did not seem to see him as a spy for enemy forces. In fact, they seemed supremely unconcerned with Eliza Bennett wanting their star’s head on a plate. Maybe even completely unaware, even more unaware than Errant herself seemed to be. He had almost expected that, since Lize was only fourteen and not really a threat to anybody, but he had been a lot more comfortable since he’d had it confirmed for him. To them, he thought he was just Paul the Beater.

Another thing he had noticed was that he…liked that. But that wasn’t a thought he really felt like exploring, especially not right now, so he chose instead to pay attention to his layers, his equipment, and, most importantly, his warming charm. Even after nearly five Illinois winters, cold still didn’t really suit him well.

Charlotte seemed all confidence today, so Paul decided he could afford to feel good about their chances, too. He was smiling a little at nothing in particular when the whistle blew for kickoff, though the look was gone and replaced with concentration once he was in the air. The game was on.

As the Teppenpaws hurried away from their captain with the Quaffle, he saw an opening and hit a Bludger toward them just as Lawrence Stratford from his year tried to pass, hoping, by replicating – Topher’s, it was still strange, calling someone outside of his family by a short name – move, he would either unsettle one, or make one run so the pass didn’t complete, or at least make them drop it so Crotalus would have a chance to steal. That had been what the captain had ordered him to do. Keeping them unsettled, creating openings, was what the Beaters were doing today. And if he wasn’t too sure of himself, everyone else had to be sure of him, so that meant acting the best he could and trying not to show it if he made a bad call somehow. He thought Crotalus’ Chasers, even Errant, were good enough to avoid friendly fire in a situation like this one.

0 Paul Bennett, Beater You have an opinion, I have a bat. 201 Paul Bennett, Beater 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

August 26, 2011 3:45 AM

And Crotalus has the Quaffle. by Renée Errant {Chaser}

For a moment Kirstenna couldn´t catch it and Renée was sure her shot would go - but then Kirstenna´s hands came in time and the Quaffle was falling, a sad shade of red. Renée turned her Febre around and shot off toward the middle of the pitch, turning back around again, a pout forming quickly on her lips. She´d so wanted to make the first goal and she´d wanted to make it right then. The feeling of elation hadn´t quite dimmed - she was flying and free within the air after all - but she felt the rising spikes of determination pierce her sides. She´d get the next shot in. In any case, they´d succeeded in putting pressure on the Teppenpaw keeper. The Crotalus chasers usually always managed the first goal attempt of the game. Always challenging the opposing team to step up. Which Renée was sure Teppenpaw could not do.

Except they did.

Brow a little furrowed, Renée struggled to follow Andrew Duell´s path as he made an odd corkscrew reminscent movement toward the Crotalus chasers. She dropped in height, turning to follow him, head tilted up to find where he´d had the Quaffle safely tucked. ´Oh. No Quaffle.´ She resented being impressed, and broke away from tracking Andrew to fly below the little first year chaser that had the ball. ´I want to try that. I want to do that.´ She watched the little baby chaser raise his arm to make a pass and rose again (she enjoyed the Jack-in-the-box feeling everytime she popped back up to steal the Quaffle, though every so often it was best she change it up so they´d continue to expect her from below while she came in a different direction) feeling a little silly and imagined herself tilting her face so that the Quaffle would balance itself on her nose. But she instead rose level with the ball´s trajectory and caught it on her side, her arm clamping down quickly to catch it as it rolled down her rib cage. She was aware of the bludger that had granted her an opening and as she turned to face Teppenpaw once more she saw Paul, Crotalus´own ickle widdle beater with his bat just finishing the motions of hitting a bludger.

Perhaps because she vaguely knew of Eliza´s hatred towards her, and because she was dimly aware that Paul was Eliza´s brother she paused in the air to wink playfully at him (oh, she could imagine Eliza´s sweet little burn) in thanks before leaning parallel to her broom and shooting off again. The biggest mistake - that Andrew, despite his obvious talent, liked to make - was trying to gain ground by sacrificing a pass. The most effective method was to keep passing and gain ground that way. Since by now her feints were probably expected if players happened to pay attention to her in previous games, she rose a little more in the air to one of her teammates, and made a quick pass, the pout now gone on her face, smiling at the prospect of getting back to those teasing metal hoops. She fell back a little, thinking it would be best to keep the formation of arrowhead, where the chaser in possesion of the Quaffle flew ahead while the two others fell back to flank them. She liked the imagery even more than the practicality, and hoped Charlie and Sam approved it. Crotalus chasers, when in sync, were a glorious weapon on the field. She hoped Charlie remembered this before deciding whether or not (Renée chose to ignore the fact that graduation was mandatory) to leave.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} And Crotalus has the Quaffle. 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

August 29, 2011 4:04 PM

So we do. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

There was always a flash of disappointment, followed close by irritation, when a rival Keeper successfully saved. Sam grimaced as that moment came, then put it aside and joined in the chase as the Teppenpaws reclaimed the Quaffle and flew back toward Nic. There was no time for distracting emotions when the Crotalus team’s, his team’s, ability to win with a little dignity and not just because Marissa beat Kate after Teppenpaw’s Chasers gained a huge Quaffle lead was at stake.

Two Tepps gained the Quaffle, then Renée intercepted. He would have rather taken a pass from Charlie, since she didn’t try to play it fancy as often as Renée did, but he covered the younger girl anyway and was surprised to find the Quaffle coming straight into his hands instead of being feinted toward him and then passed to Charlie for real. Completely unpredictable, that girl. Unpredictability was a trait as good as anything against the other team, but it could pose some difficulties for her own team if, say, he or Charlie froze for a second too long out of surprise.

Today, though, wasn’t the day he was destined to do that, and he kept flying with barely a hesitation in his catch of the ball, continuing the drive back toward Kirstenna. Kirstenna. He hadn’t really thought about that part yet, how this could be potentially awkward – indeed, about all the relationships, rumored and confirmed, on the Pitch and in the stands today that could make things awkward. Oh, well, it couldn’t be much worse than reversing to pass out of a hawkshead formation, which it looked like he was going to have to do. That always made him feel a bit like his stomach had been turned inside out, all his bones jarred, and, if he did it fast enough, like his jaws had been pulled out through his nose at the same time.

He’d have to do it fast now, so he decided, for the sake of his bones, not to do it very far, throwing back to one of the girls at an angle, just not as far back as it would have been from his original position in the formation. Hopefully, it would confuse the Teppenpaw Chasers a little that he was still, for the moment, visibly in front until the new Quaffle-bearer passed him. Best he could think of right this second, anyway.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser So we do. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Arista Thornton, Chaser

August 30, 2011 9:59 PM

No WE do! by Arista Thornton, Chaser

Arista hadn't had the best midterm break, matter of fact, not a single Thornton seemed to have had one. Their break was spent chauffeuring the triplets from one doctor to another to another. Arista (Addi and Amira as well) was very unhappy with this arrangement because it showed that something truly was wrong with two of the three. Yes, Arista was worried about them, but it looked like Addison and Amira had it worse. Addison looked just miserable and Amira looked as if she was going to punch a hole in the wall of their bedroom. Arista had tried to take the lead for her slightly younger sisters, but she was just as miserable as they were.

The red headed third year felt as if her heart had a hole in it. Two of her sisters were having major problems (one was deaf and the other blind) and the whole family wasn’t sure if they’d ever be able to understand anything said or done around them like that. To make the whole situation worse, Andri was throwing a fit when they left again. With a sigh, Arista had promised the same promise to Andri that she’d promised to Amira when Addison was going with her to school, leaving her behind. “Andri, you’ll be there with us next year! It’ll be awesome, but now, now we need you here to take care of the little ones, they need you!” Ris had said to her as she left to get to the carriage. Her words rewound in her head like a cd permanently skipping after the same few words over and over again until it drove her nearly mad! Silent tears had fallen down her cheeks as she watched out the windows. She hadn’t wanted the younger two Thornton’s to see her cry. The third year was the strong one, not the one that cried… That was Addison. Not the one that worried herself to an anger point… That was Amira. And certainly not the one who just was angry… That was Andri…

She’d gotten off the carriage and somehow managed to lose both her younger sisters and curled up in a ball to cry.

Feeling a little better, she went to Cascade Hall to eat. She didn’t know that day if she had a red face, she truly didn’t care.

Days later, when the first game of the term was to start, she knew she’d have to get over her misery. She knew that she had to pull herself together, if anything, for her Captain Kirstenna’s sake! Arista knew that it was the Keeper’s first game as Captain and she knew that she wanted to win it. The red head wasn’t about to stop it from happening. Taking in deep breaths as she dressed in a pair of yellow leggings, a yellow long sleeve shirt, yellow socks and yellow sneakers, she let out her breaths in short spurts. The Teppenpaw was showing team spirit, hopefully helping her to feel more sunny in her disposition as well. Her mind was elsewhere so she didn’t even year Addison chattering down the steps from Teppenpaw’s Common Room to her.

Right foot… Left foot… Right foot… Left foot… she thought to herself as she somehow made her way to Cascade Hall.

“HELLO! ARISTA!” Addison said as she waved her hands in front of her older sister. “ Are you awake?!”

Shaking herself back into reality, she looked confusedly at her younger sister. “Huh?”

“Ris.. You’re shoes are on the wrong feet!” Addi said as their younger sister joined them at the table. Amira also looked at Arista as if she had three heads and Ris looked at them both.

“Oh!” She blushed (a fake blush, but what they didn’t know wouldn’t kill them, right?). “Guess I wasn’t paying attention… Thanks!” she said, plastering a smile on her face as she filled her plate with pancakes. She picked at them, but barely ate any of it.

“Ris?” Addi asked, worriedly.

“I’m fine! Really! Just a little nervous about the game…” Arista said, hoping it sounded sincere.

“Alright…” Amira said with a shrug, knowing how it felt to have game jitters. She set her head on her older sister’s shoulder and whispered into her ear. “You’ll be fine! You rock at Quidditch!”

Arista smiled at her younger sister and nodded. “Well, I’d better go, or Kirstenna’s gonna start to worry!” she said to her sisters. “You’re coming to the game, right?” she asked them both. Amira nodded emphatically, but Addison looked wary, then nodded too. “Good!” she said happily as she stood up. “Dress warm! It’s cold!”

Walking out of the Hall, she got her yellow robes on and walked out towards the Pitch. Kirstenna started her speech when she got there and she listened as best as she could without much focus in her brain on anyone or anything else other than her sisters. She’s got confidence in us… she thought over and over again, trying to change the broken record message in her head as she listened to the rest of the speech. Closing her eyes, Arista tried to focus on the game at hand when Kirstenna spoke to Derry and Ben.

Deep breath in… Deep breath out… Deep breath in… Deep breath out… she thought to herself as the whistle blew its shrill sound.

Flying fast into the cold air, the third year Teppenpaw tried to get the first ball, but missed and it went right to Crotalus! “DARNIT!” she said aloud to nobody in particular. Chasing after it, the red-head, feeling heated at the miss, she watched as it went from one Crotalus Chaser to another, then Andrew intercepted it and she tried to catch his pass. However, she missed once more.

Screaming words of nothing into the air, she let out her frustration and brought herself back into reality. The red Quaffle passed from one hand to another, to another and she followed it like a puppy does to its owner. Kirstenna managed to not let the ball into her hoop and Arista whooped with joy, hoping to keep that joy herself!

Tepp was in possession of the Quaffle and just as Arista got to the other two, Renée intercepted it. “NO!” Ris shouted angrily as she went after it herself. Renée passed the ball to Sam and he went back towards Kirstenna at the hoops. “Oh no you don’t!” Arista said as she focused hard on what she was about to do.

Flying fast and hard, she swooped around Sam to try to confuse him. It was her little trick she’d been working on with Amira and Andri at home and it always managed to confuse them. I can do it… she thought as she saw what he was about to do. He was going to reverse the pass! Arista hung back and watched the angle of his throw and she did it!

“INTERCEPT!” she called out and immediately flew off with the Quaffle tucked under her arm right towards the Crotalus Goal Posts and Nic Sawyer. She didn’t know where her other Chasers were, but she didn’t care. The hot-headed red head wanted to show her Captain what she had in her and there was no way that she was going to let something like her throbbing arm stop her!

She flew faster and faster, the air around her made her feel awake and alive again. This time she wouldn’t fail! This time she would get this score! Raining down on the Crotalus hoops, she aimed at the left hoop, but then at the last second feinted to the right hoop. She’d been hoping to confuse Nic. Then, aiming hard as she could right at the left hoop, she flew off, unsure if it went in or not. The third year knew that to stay still with bludgers around was a bad idea and she didn’t want to be hit with one of those, especially not after seeing her little sister get hit by one the game before.

0 Arista Thornton, Chaser No WE do! 0 Arista Thornton, Chaser 0 5

Charlie, Chaser, Captain

August 31, 2011 10:32 AM

Think again, maniac by Charlie, Chaser, Captain

The Teppenpaw Chasers were all supreme idiots, Charlie thought with disdainful dismay as yet again one of them tried to take the Quaffle all the way up the pitch. It had been sheer dumb luck that little female Chaser had ended up with it in her possession. Charlie had been all ready to catch the red leather ball that Sam had passed to her, and she had it in her mind that she would just fly right up towards Kirstenna and fluidly drop the Quaffle through the left hoop. It would be easy; she was so well positioned for it, and eyes would be on Sam, leading the V of Crotalus Chasers. Then something, some hell-sent, damned-by-the-devil himself, evil and cursed grit, or sand, or Charlie didn't know what, had landed itself in her eye with a quick and painful collision. She tried not to let it phase her. She was a Quidditch player; Captain of the Crotalus team, Head of the Rattlesnakes, and she wasn't going to let something so tiny get in her way and ruin her game. Except there'd been nothing she could do - her eyes instinctively closed and watered, her hand reached out in vain as she moved towards the Quaffle, but all that happened was her fingers brushed the clipped tail end of some teeny Tepp Chaser's broomstick.

Uttering a stream of choice words and blinking furiously, Charlie hastily turned and tried to make up for her momentary mistake. She flew close to the Thornton girl (A-something, who cared what), just waiting for her to try and make a pass. With her greater reach (and experience on the pitch), Charlie would just stretch an arm over and take the Quaffle for her own.

Except the pass never game.

The further they got up the field, the more incredulous Charlie became. Her own broomstick was managing fine keeping up with Thornton's speed, but her internal monologue couldn't deal with the sheer distance this kid was trying to fly without passing. If tackling the opposition for the Quaffle was actually a legal move in Quidditch then Charlie would definitely be doing that right about now, but there was no point in giving a penalty shot to Teppenaw, or worse - facing being removed from the team for the remainder of the game. No, it was safer to just let the miniature maniac continue with her pointless and frustrating mission, even if it required all Charlie's self-restraint not to just reach over and grab the ball. Instead she settled for hurling mild abuse, such as, "Are you braindead? Pass the -," her language would still suprise some who didn't play Quidditch with her often, "- ball, you moron!"

It was only after they were well past the half-way point that Charlie considered her flying next to this wannabe-heroine might be putting off the Crotalus Beaters from Bludgering her to sweet death. She mentally begged them to hit the kid anyway - she would be fine herself; Charlie had seven years experience of evading Bludgers hit much more violently than Topher or Paul could manage with their current physiques. This Tepp Chaser had it coming, though - who did that, really? Flew practically all the way from one end of the pitch to the other without passing? Maybe Andrew had been imparting his singular wisdom on the rest of the Chasing team. God help them.

Finally, finally, the girl decided to let go of the Quaffle. It was irrelevant whether or not Nic would have been able to save the shot, because now that Charlotte had been flying alongside the girl for the duration of her fanciful flight, she wasn't in a temper to simply let the Quaffle fly. No; she did as she'd always planned - the second the red leather ball left the other players' fingertips, Charlie reached over, knocked the ball off course back towards herself, and then got a good grip of it before hauling her broomstick up and back round in a phenomenal loop that was as much showing off to the spectators as it was functional. "Idiot," she murmured to herself. It was grating on her nerves to have wasted her precious playing time to follow a moronic player for no good reason. She sincerely hoped that Paul and Topher would decide to ignore her earlier advice about not attacking players, and to Beat that annoying redhead to a miserable pulp for her dumbass long run up the pitch. Really, she had been asking for it.

Calming down as the biting cold wind rushed past her, her vision now thankfully restored, Charlie began to descend from her loop, her height an advantage in scoping out her fellow Crotalus players. Selecting her best option, she dove with fierce precision, going fast enough to make her own stomach jolt excitedly, but not so recklessly she lost control. Slowing every so slightly as she neared her target, Charlie made the shortest pass possible directly towards one of her Chasers, before continuing the dive a little further than necessary in an attempt to breed confusion. Not that these Tepps needed confusing - they were quite obviously mad as a whole tea party full of hatters.

0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain Think again, maniac 0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain 0 5

Sam Bauer, Chaser

August 31, 2011 1:22 PM

I'd listen to the lady. by Sam Bauer, Chaser

For a second, because of his position at the front of the maneuver, Sam didn’t realize what had happened, but when he did, for just a moment, he felt extremely irritated about it. Far, far more irritated than he had been when Renée’s goal didn’t happen. Kirstenna was at least, whatever else she might be, a worthy foe who’d beaten off Aladren last year, whereas this girl…He wasn’t too sure, but he thought she was the kid who’d gone totally the wrong direction at one point last year before Edmond Carey hit her in the head with a Bludger, taking her out of the rest of that game. Her getting in the way was downright insulting, somehow. Yeah, she was little, so it made sense that she could infiltrate better than the other two, but….

As quickly as he could, he turned to follow, feeling a little assured when he saw that Charlie was already on her – and irritated. There were probably bears which would think twice about opposing Charlie too pointedly when she was irritated, which meant the first year was sure to panic any old time now. The Quaffle would never get anywhere near….

Oh. It was in close proximity to Nic. And the Beaters couldn’t do much without risking hitting him or Charlie instead of the Teppenpaw Chaser. It seemed none of them had ever heard of passing, or had else borrowed that move from their former captain after he put some kind of super-spell on it so all Teppenpaw Chasers could make very long runs without getting killed. If Sam tried it, he’d still be talking about pink elephants three weeks after the initial concussion, but they could do it just fine and dandy….

Then, he saw it. The girl looping away without waiting to see if her shot was a success, and Charlie getting in there to make sure it wasn’t. Sam found himself grinning. The only way this moment could be better was if the Teppenpaw Chaser had been hit by a Bludger at that very moment.

Still, they weren’t out of the woods, so he covered his captain and caught the very short pass she made without too much difficulty. He guessed that if he got anywhere near the hoops, he was just going to have to shoot without trying to confuse Kirstenna with a sudden pass, because for one thing he’d started to do that before so she might have noticed and for another thing it had been intercepted both times he passed anywhere near the Teppenpaw end. Right now, though, they just needed to get over the center line.

He thought he had a bit of a grace period if Charlie’s dive had confused the Teppenpaws, but he flew fast anyway once he had the Quaffle in case he didn’t. They wouldn’t have stayed fooled long, even with the advantage of his robes being red and him trying to conceal the Quaffle, with one Crotalus Chaser shooting on past his Quaffle-bearing captain as she continued to go down and then not turn to follow her. When he saw an opening for a pass almost as close as the one Charlie had made to him, he took it, rather liking having gotten this far through the game without being hit by a Bludger and not seeing any handy nearby Teppenpaw Chasers that would prevent the two little Teppenpaw Beaters from trying to hit him. They were no bigger than Crotalus’, but the problem was, Sam wasn’t much bigger than any of them despite his greater age. They could still kinda hurt him.

16 Sam Bauer, Chaser I'd listen to the lady. 163 Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

August 31, 2011 5:09 PM

Aren't we all. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

After a few minutes, Marissa felt some of the tension beginning to work its way out of her shoulders, and her head began to clear as well. She was still giving a corner of her attention over to breathing, in two seconds and holding two seconds before exhaling for two seconds, but she felt steadier now, and that, she knew, was going to translate into higher performance.

She did, though, with another corner of attention, hope that she didn’t have to dive down among the Chasers to get the Snitch. The game wasn’t nearly as wild as some she had seen, but there was still a lot of going back and forth, and if the Snitch appeared near the Teppenpaw end of the Pitch, she would be right in the middle of them all more likely than not, since Crotalus seemed to be mainly in charge except for the occasional super-long run of a Teppenpaw Chaser. She had never been in or caused a massive broom pile-up, and didn’t really want today to be the day she started. The Chasers would have their attention on each other and Bludgers, not on her suddenly coming down like a bolt from the sky.

If it came to that, maybe she should yell really loudly as she dove. Though that might make people think she was crazy or something else was wrong, so maybe not. Better if it just never happened.

She made a wide, not overly fast loop, looking around and flexing her shoulders a few times experimentally. The trick was just to become calmer. Then she’d be able to focus better, and then she’d win the game. That was the ticket.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of gold, and thought ended as she turned toward it.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Aren't we all. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Kate Bauer, Seeker

August 31, 2011 5:20 PM

There should be a question mark at the end of that. by Kate Bauer, Seeker

For a few minutes, though Kate looked assiduously for it, the Snitch did not appear, and nothing happened.

That, especially from the perspective of the Teppenpaw team, was not a good thing. She had to pay attention to her surroundings and be thinking of the point the whole way through if this was going to work, and when nothing happened, she found her mind starting to wander. Things like how the air felt on her arms when she flew fast and how neither team’s strategy for covering ground was actually earning them any goals and the shade of red the Crotali had on were interesting, but they weren’t helpful when it came to finding the Snitch.

She did, at least, have the presence of mind to keep an eye on Marissa. Kate felt almost proud of herself for that. Kirstenna wasn’t as scary as Charlie Abbott, simply by virtue of not being a seventh year and Head Girl on top of being captain since Kate only knew of Charlie’s alleged fierceness from Sam and he might have been lying to make his team seem tougher and intimidate her, but Kate really wouldn’t like to explain that she had totally missed the Snitch because she was daydreaming instead of doing the bare minimum her position required and keeping an eye on the other Seeker.

When Marissa turned, then, Kate saw, and followed, especially since the other girl was going in a straight line and not in the dive that would have indicated a feint. Sure enough, she saw the same gleam of gold in a moment – and its darting moved it almost in her direction more than Marissa’s.

Her pulse quickened with excitement as she pushed her broom harder. She could get there first. She knew she could get there first…She put a hand out without thinking ahead to how far away she still was.

16 Kate Bauer, Seeker There should be a question mark at the end of that. 170 Kate Bauer, Seeker 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

August 31, 2011 5:44 PM

There's something very odd about this conversation. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

Marissa hadn’t realized that Kate Bauer was watching her when she turned, but she caught on to the younger girl following her pretty quickly. Gritting her teeth a little, she sped up, too, hoping to outpace the smaller Seeker. She could not lose to this person. Marissa wasn’t sure if Kate was in third or fourth year, but either way, she probably hadn’t been able to multiply when Marissa was first enrolled in Sonora, if not when she first became Seeker. She had to win this one, she had to….

Kate Bauer had the rest of her years at Sonora to win. Marissa had, at the most, three more games before she left the sport for good. Marissa had, at the most, two more games before she had to write her college applications. Something sharp and hard began to edge her thought processes. She tried to be a good sport, tried to value fairness and be exactly what she was supposed to be, she’d spent her whole life trying to be exactly what everyone told her she should be, but – but some younger girl winning, now, when she and her captain had practically forever to win and Marissa and hers didn’t, just didn’t seem fair.

She wanted to shout something about how that was going to end well when Kate put her arm out, since she had been at the Crotalus-Pecari game and guessed everyone else had been, too, but she didn’t want to spare the breath for it. She just kept going, adjusting her trajectory a little to accommodate for the Snitch’s movements and trying to go faster, her eyes moving only as much as was necessary to keep them on the ball.

She ignored the little doubting voice that always lived in her chest. She’d get there first.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker There's something very odd about this conversation. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Paul Bennett, Beater

August 31, 2011 10:02 PM

Or at least to this Bludger by Paul Bennett, Beater

So far, he hadn’t succeeded in actually hitting anyone, but Paul had managed to create enough of an opening for That Girl to get the Quaffle back into Crotalus possession. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, and only became less sure when she suddenly winked at him. What did that mean, anyhow?

Then, though, he shook himself a little, reminding himself that he had seen firsthand how paranoia and seeing enemies everywhere could do bad things to a person. Eliza hardly seemed like the same girl she had been before Sonora. Rationally, Paul knew that whatever it was that had made her snap over what he’d eventually pieced together was just a simple insult from That Female must have been somewhere in her character to begin with, but he could also think it would have never come out if not for her interactions at Sonora, so he couldn’t like That Female, but nor could he let himself get pulled into his sister’s war beyond just being her spy. Otherwise, he would go stark raving mad while trying to both be someone’s enemy and protect them whenever Crotalus played Quidditch.

Things were going smoothly, Crotalus had the Quaffle and was approaching the goals in a hawkshead formation, when…one of those Teppenpaws suddenly cut in and went flying back the other way. All the way the other way. Paul saw an opening to hit her, but hesitated a second too long when he saw Charlie flying right next to her, and by then, he was only able to hit the Bludger away from him so he wasn’t hit by it himself.

He hurried after it even as it sailed away over the main action of the game, looking for a chance to do some damage to the Teppenpaws. Marissa and Kate were close together right now, so he didn’t want to try that, but…Yes. The Teppenpaw was looping back around, not even knowing that Charlie had recaptured her shot at the goals. Approaching the Bludger, he aimed as well as he could, his face contorted with concentration as he did, and hit it with all the strength in his arms toward that Teppenpaw Chaser. She was their answer to That Female, which meant she had to be driven away from where the Quaffle was going. He thought he could pull that off long enough for Sam’s pass to complete, anyway.

0 Paul Bennett, Beater Or at least to this Bludger 201 Paul Bennett, Beater 0 5

Charlie, Chaser, Captain

September 02, 2011 2:10 PM

Or Crotalus in general by Charlie, Chaser, Captain

As she continued the deception intention detail of her dive, Charlie experienced an unusual sensation of not wanting to stop. She could keep going, right towards the ground, and either pull up at last moment in one of the more renowned feints, or just let her broom crash nose-first into the floor while she made rapid dismount and rolled to safety. The latter wouldn't be an option because then she'd have no broomstick, and while Oliver had, in effect, given it to her, she was sure he'd be nonetheless dismayed to hear she'd taken it on a kamikaze mission. The first option wasn't much more viable, as Charlie's never successfully completed a Wornski manouevre, and doubted today would show any marked improvement. Besides, it would be pointless. She wasn't a Seeker; she didn't need to attract attention like that. What she needed to do was stop suffering from lemming-like tendencies and get back in the game, so that's precisely what she did.

Pulling herself back up almost to usual playing height, Charlie craned her neck to see Sam still with the ball, which was excellent news, and herself positioned very nearly in the same placed she'd been last time when she thought she'd been about to score a goal. A little further out, a little higher, and not quite so well place to confuse Kirstenna entirely, but she'd have to work with what was there, and hopefully she'd still have a decent shot.

Determined not to let lightning strike twice, Charlie gave a good glance around her for any suicidal Teppenpaws before flying in a little closer to Sam, making it easier for him to make the short pass uninterupted. It was successful; Charlie ended up a little higher than she wanted to be, but she had barely lost speed, and she had the Quaffle, so she wasn't really complaining. She dropped in height a little once more - nothing studendoues, but enough to get that rush of speed and ascent that had a tendency to make Nic panic... it might be sufficient to throw Kirstenna off. The best Charlie could do was try.

At the optimum distance, the Crotalus Captain hauled her handle up suddenly, as if aiming for the central hoop. Then, passing it, she turned instead for the far hoop, cutting right across from where she'd received the Quaffle, and flung the ball mightily down towards the hoop, where, with any luck, it would enter from above and sail right through. If, however, Tepp's captain was continuing her saving streak (did one so far really count as a streak?), at least the Chaser was well placed now to dive now and reclaim the Quaffle for another attempt.

0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain Or Crotalus in general 0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain 0 5

Kirstenna, Keeper

September 03, 2011 6:43 PM

I'd rather not. by Kirstenna, Keeper

So far this game was not really going the way Kirstenna wanted it to. Andrew had caught her pass and handed it off to Laurie, but Renee-dark foul creature that she was-had intercepted it. Kirstenna was certain that the third year's Quidditch prowess was a result of some special dark power that she had. Which was really unfair advantage. Yes, Teppenpaw-though Kirstenna didn't like to think it because it seemed arrogant-had the clear advantage in Keepers but the fourth year was still just a normal witch not someone with extra (evil) super powers.

But then, who else would the Imposter have on her house team? Especially when there were no Careys in Crotalus. Of course the little demon she'd unleashed upon Sonora in order to corrupt students would play Quidditch as well.

Which made Kirstenna feel slightly nervous for Sam being so close to her. She didn't want Renee to do to him what she was doing to Sophia.

Amazingly though, Arista got the Quaffle away from Sam and Kirstenna whooped with glee as the Chaser made a run for the Crotalus goals. She had every confidence in Arista getting one in on Nic.

Unfortunately, Charlie intercepted it before the third year could score. Kirstenna readied herself for the ball to come back her way but hoping someone would intercept the ball and fly back towards the opposite end of the pitch.

But no such luck, after a back and forth pass between the Crotalus captain and Sam, Charlie was speeding towards the middle hoop and had risen in the air. Kirstenna went upwards as well and prepared herself to dive towards either of the other two at the slightest hint. She had learned over the last few years of playing Keeper to expect things like that. So as Charlie threw for the far hoop, Kirstenna sped over there and managed to catch the Quaffle to her chest before it could go in.

11 Kirstenna, Keeper I'd rather not. 161 Kirstenna, Keeper 0 5

Laurie S., Chaser

September 03, 2011 9:07 PM

Woot!! I got it! by Laurie S., Chaser

OOC: Kirstenna’s author said she let go of the Quaffle and threw it back into the game.

Laurie wasn’t feeling as confident as when he had entered the Pitch, the Crotalus Chasers were amazing…and he was not. If truth be told, he was a tad bit vexed with the Captain, she had given him the position of Chaser when he wasn’t qualified to be one, but at least he was on team. He supposed. He sighed while trying to keep up with the game, he was feeling somewhat lost in the hassle of trying to procure the Quaffle for his team, but it was beginning to be a futile attempt. Crotalus was too good, a new found respect for the other team was beginning to grow, and if he wanted to compete against so many good teams, he needed to practice more. He didn’t like when he let people down, and he would definitely do that if he didn’t become a better Chaser or got the Beater position next year, either one of those scenarios sounded good enough.

His green-eyes darted from player to player, trying to find the perfect opportunity to steal the Quaffle from the Crotalus Chasers, but they seemed to be holding on to the red ball like their life depended on them, it probably did. Their Captain was somewhat fearsome, yes she was. Laurie saw in awe as she flew directly towards Kirstenna, he blinked hoping that Mrs. Fearsome Captain Lady didn’t do something stupid like colliding against his Captain, or worse, the hoops poles. At the last minute she did a complicated move and sent the Quaffle to another hoop, Laurie was in awe with her. She was really good!

Thankfully Kirstenna managed to block the pass. Yey Captain! She threw the Quaffle and Laurie was close enough to catch it. He sped towards the other side of the Pitch, since he wanted to have as much distance between him and Mrs. Fearsome Captain Lady, when he was somewhat assured that there was a good distance between them, he looked to his sides looking for a Teppenpaw Chaser to pass the Quaffle. He saw some yellow to his right and passed the Quaffle. He slowed down and waited to see if he was needed for another pass.

0 Laurie S., Chaser Woot!! I got it! 0 Laurie S., Chaser 0 5

Coach Pierce

September 03, 2011 10:10 PM

Recentering. by Coach Pierce

-Game starts on a clear cool day that is warmer than New England's recent midterm weather but much colder than Florida's.
-Charlie grabs the Quaffle first and passes to Sam
-Sam catches the Quaffle and attempts a pass
-Nic is freezing but happy the ball is on the far end of the pitch
-Andrew intercepts Sam's pass and runs it back Nic's way some before passing
-Topher hits a bludger at Andrew that Derry blocks
-Renee intercepts Andrew's pass and makes one of her own to Charlie
-Charlie passes back to Renee and Renee takes a shot at goal
-Kirstenna saves and throws the ball to Andrew
-Andrew does a complicated corkscrew pass to Laurie
-Laurie manages to catch it, but his pass is complicated by a bludger hit by Paul, and Renee intercepts
-Renee feints to Charlie but passes to Sam
-Sam passes backwards to Charlie but Arista intercepts and runs the whole way back to Nic and attempts to score
-Charlie's been tailing right behind her, though, and snatches the ball from the air and runs back the other way, then makes a short pass to Sam
-Paul hits a retaliatory bludger at Amira
-Sam crosses the center line and makes another short pass to Charlie
-Charlie makes a run at the Tepp goals
-Kirstenna makes the save and passes to Laurie
-Laurie flies back in the other direction and attempts a pass

Seekers
-Marissa looks for the Snitch
-Kate looks for the Snitch
-Marissa spots a flash of gold and heads for it
-Kate figures out Marissa spotted something and then sees it, too. She goes for it, thinking she can get there first.
-Marissa is determined to prove her wrong.

Score is zero-zero. Game continues until Monday when the Seeker emails go out.

0 Coach Pierce Recentering. 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

Charlie, Chaser, Captain

September 05, 2011 9:45 AM

Re-attempting by Charlie, Chaser, Captain

Curse that Kirstenna! At least they were ready for her, Charlie supposed - it wasn't as if the Crotalus team had expected every attempt they made at goal to sail though without trouble. The Teppenpaw Keeper and captain was good - she'd earned her place, rather than being bullied and bribed into it. Charlotte had a momentary thought that in her next game against Teppenpaw she might make taking out their Keeper her Beaters' priority, but then she remembered she didn't have another game against Teppenpaw. This was it - their final showdown. Only one of the two teams could continue into the championship to play against Aladren, and while Charlie wasn't exactly eager to have her team slaughtered by Edmond again, neither was she going to give up the opportunity to claim a Quidditch Cup easily. So when her shot didn't go in, and the Quaffle was tossed back out into play, she didn't waste a great deal of time on being frustrated that her efforts hadn't paid off, but threw her emotions into reclaiming that ball, instead; perhaps her team would be third time lucky.

It made sense that the little critter would want to get the ball far, far away, but Charlie was on him instantly like a hawk. The tiny little yellow spec didn't really stand a chance at making a successful pass, as she swooped in and stole the ball mid-air, turning in a tight, no-nonsense curve this time, focussed only on getting the Quaffle back to the goals for a second shot. With the leather ball tucked under her right arm, she blocked out the noise of the crowd and any other distractions, allowing only important information to filter through her sense: other players, Bludgers, her position on the pitch.

Coming back closer to the goals, Charlie looked for a teamate to pass to. She was much too far away to make a shot for herself, so it would be up to Sam or Renée, whoever caught the Quaffle, whether they would be prepared to take the shot or pass again (actually Charlie thought she could predict what would happen either way; Sam would prefer to pass again, whereas Renée would prefer to try for the goal. She knew her Chasers well; it was probably going to be weird for the two of them next year, having to learn to work with someone else). Spying a red-clad player to her right, charlie swerved out, tilting a little on her broom to cut across the diagonal with ease and speed. With a cursory glance over her shoulder to check that no Tepps were going to get in the way, she brought the Quaffle up with her arm, rolling it up her body to bring it to the right height for throwing, whereupon she shifted her grip, brought the ball back above her shoulder, and then flung it forward with force and aim, right from her shoulder to her fingertips, sending it hurtling towards another Crotalus Chaser.

0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain Re-attempting 0 Charlie, Chaser, Captain 0 5

Renée Errant {Chaser}

September 05, 2011 11:25 AM

Re-shooting by Renée Errant {Chaser}

Another shot, another save. Renée sucked her teeth and then turned her broom around, shooting off again, following Kirstenna's pass with her eyes, watching as the little firstie Teppenpaw caught it. Charlie was catching up faster to him so, trusting that Charlie could make an interception, Renée turned her broom around and paused in the air. Waiting... waiting... the Teppenpaw threw it, Charlie grabbed it and Crotalus was heading back toward opposing goals. Renée turned her own broom more fully toward the goals and then went at a moderate speed, waiting for Charlie to catch up and pass. Charlie pulled up and Renée pushed her Febre to match Charlie's speed. A few seconds and Renée turned her head, a few curls loosening from the messy bun, one soft strand flapping in the wind across her nose. Red was streaking toward her and she kept one hand tight against the wood handle, one arm extending and a palm feeling that delicious slap of leather on skin. She tucked the Quaffle under her arm and shot forward faster, rising up in the air as she neared the goals. Kirstenna seemed to be in top form today. It was a fair bet that she'd been to enough games and played enough games to be able to prepare for feints and difficult shots from the Crotalus chasers. 'What to do, then?' When the complicated didn't work, sometimes simple was best. With a grin, Renée went juvenile.

Dark brown eyes brightened, seeking Kirstenna's eyes as she approached at top speed, the grin spreading on her lips, flushed with color and excitement. She was trying to coax the Teppenpaw keeper into holding her gaze, trying to convince her that this wasn't playing chicken, that she really would crash into her if that got the Quaffle in. For a few seconds of her wind swept streak through the air, Renée couldn't absolutely say she wasn't going to simply fly into Kirstenna. She needed to be truthful. How could she convince Kirstenna she would crash if her own body didn't believe it? Gradually, nearing closer... closer... closer... her body did. Parallel to the broom, the wood nice, sleek, comforting, Renée raised her arm, left hand cradling the Quaffle. Dark eyes brightened and still seeking the Keeper's, she was heading to crash... to crash... to crash...

'Don't crash!'

The inner shout startled her body and it reacted instinctively. A sharp turn and Renée flew toward a goal Kirstenna was not in front of, her arm already thrusting out, her hand pushing hard, her fingers giving that leather one last curve through the air away from the Keeper and toward the metal goal hoop. Unsure how well she'd fit through the hoops herself, Renée continued her sharp turn, diving out of the way to gather up speed, going into a descending spiral before shooting away from the Teppenpaw posts and rising once more, looking back to get an inclination of whether her shot had gone in or not.

0 Renée Errant {Chaser} Re-shooting 0 Renée Errant {Chaser} 0 5

Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

September 06, 2011 12:20 PM

Re...I don't think the theme works here. by Marissa Stephenson,Seeker

Marissa had been determined to get to the Snitch first, but she knew how her luck ran. She had been lucky enough to have lots of nice things when she was born, like a nice house and parents who made enough money to buy her nice clothes and things and a decent brain, and the universe had let her enjoy all that for eleven years before demanding that she pay the piper and have horrible luck as a witch. She was the oldest and most experienced of the Seekers, but that would become significantly less intimidating to any nosy younger student who did some poking around and then compared her number of wins across six years to the number the Aladren Seeker, annoying little twit that he was, had managed to rack up in just a year and a half.

So even though she had seen that she was in the lead a little, and had been grimly determined to win this game from the start, it still came as a shock to feel the sting against her palm and then her fingers locking around the little ball. She gasped as her heart seemed to slam to a stop for a second, then resumed beating in an uneven, unhealthy-feeling cadence. Her stomach was light with disbelief, though her head still felt tense and concentrated, as though it hadn’t quite caught up with what had happened.

That thought came hard, but come it did. They were going to the Finals. They were going to the Final!

“Oh, wow,” she whispered, since she didn’t think she had enough breath for speaking any better than that. “Oh, we won, we won, we won!”

Maybe it wasn’t kind to be so happy, when Teppenpaw most likely wouldn’t even have a shot at the House Cup to compensate as Crotalus would have, but she couldn’t care enough to stop smiling, if tiredly. Winning felt so good. If she could only take her Transfiguration RATS right now…Or, her mind amended as sense cut through moderate euphoria, at least immediately after a win next year, once she was as informationally ready as she was going to get.

16 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker Re...I don't think the theme works here. 147 Marissa Stephenson,Seeker 0 5

Coach Pierce

September 06, 2011 12:32 PM

Crotalus Wins! 150-0 (nm) by Coach Pierce

0 Coach Pierce Crotalus Wins! 150-0 (nm) 0 Coach Pierce 0 5

<font color=silver>Coach Pierce</font>

Game Two: Teppenpaw vs Crotalus by <font color=silver>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

Catching the Quaffle by <font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

Continuing that theme. by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

<font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

Staying on my side of the pitch by <font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

<font color ="yellow">Andrew Duell, Chaser</font>

Coming back over to your side! by <font color ="yellow">Andrew Duell, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Topher Calhoun, Beater</font>

Bad idea, dude by <font color="red">Topher Calhoun, Beater</font>

<font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Steam by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

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

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

<font color=yellow>Derry Four, Beater</font>

Providing a little more yellow to the game by <font color=yellow>Derry Four, Beater</font>

<font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

Oi, we'll have none of that here. by <font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

<font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>

Seeking a win. by <font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>

<font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Red is a prettier color. by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color=yellow>Captain Kirstenna,Keeper</font>

That's a matter of opinion. by <font color=yellow>Captain Kirstenna,Keeper</font>

<font color="yellow">Andrew, Chaser</font>

I agree by <font color="yellow">Andrew, Chaser</font>

<font color="yellow">Laurie S., Chaser</font>

Me too! by <font color="yellow">Laurie S., Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Paul Bennett, Beater</font>

You have an opinion, I have a bat. by <font color="red">Paul Bennett, Beater</font>

<font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

And Crotalus has the Quaffle. by <font color = red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

So we do. by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

<font color=yellow>Arista Thornton, Chaser</font>

No WE do! by <font color=yellow>Arista Thornton, Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

Think again, maniac by <font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

I'd listen to the lady. by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

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

Aren't we all. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>

There should be a question mark at the end of that. by <font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>

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

There's something very odd about this conversation. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color="red">Paul Bennett, Beater</font>

Or at least to this Bludger by <font color="red">Paul Bennett, Beater</font>

<font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

Or Crotalus in general by <font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

<font color=yellow>Kirstenna, Keeper</font>

I'd rather not. by <font color=yellow>Kirstenna, Keeper</font>

<font color="yellow">Laurie S., Chaser</font>

Woot!! I got it! by <font color="yellow">Laurie S., Chaser</font>

<font color=silver>Coach Pierce</font>

Recentering. by <font color=silver>Coach Pierce</font>

<font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

Re-attempting by <font color="red">Charlie, Chaser, Captain</font>

<font color=red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

Re-shooting by <font color=red>Renée Errant {Chaser}</font>

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

Re...I don't think the theme works here. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>

<font color=silver>Coach Pierce</font>

Crotalus Wins! 150-0 (nm) by <font color=silver>Coach Pierce</font>