Is this for real? on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Pierce

November 04, 2012 9:29 PM

Game Two: Pecari vs Crotalus by Coach Pierce

The second Quidditch game of the season was generally less pleasant for players and spectators alike than the first and final games given that was generally held in early January when the weather was cold. Arizona didn't become uncomfortably cool until well after the season's first game and warmed up again well before the final, but it was still downright freezing in January. Coach Pierce was wearing her heaviest black robes, black leather gloves, and a Sonora Green hat to help keep the chill away from herself. The robes were additionally laced with a warming charm as well, though it was actually a little warmer here than it had been back in Boston over the midterm break. It was still more than a little chilly. The sun was shining though, providing some extra warmth to the afternoon, especially with her darker clothing to absorb some of the rays.

There had been a frost in the morning but that had already burned off. The snow from midterm, too, had melted, so the ground was the dull brown of dead and dried grass. Nobody would need to struggle against snow-glare blindness for this game, at least.

The teams playing today were Pecari and Crotalus. Like Teppenpaw and Aladren in the first game of the season, they hadn't faced each other since the current fifth years had been first years. In that time, Pecari's roster had changed completely. The only remaining member from their last game against Crotalus - Captain Jamison - had been playing a different position back then. Crotalus had significantly more original members from that game, but they had also seen changes, including their Seeker. This would be a very different game.

She waited for both captains to give their team speeches, but wasted no extra time in calling them over to her when they were done. "Welcome to the Pecari-Crotalus game. Captain Sam Bauer is leading Crotalus while Captain Sophie Jamison leads Pecari. Would the Captains please shake hands?" Once they had done so, she waved them back to their teams. She released the snitch and the bludgers. Picking up the Quaffle, she stood beside her own broom lying on the frozen ground and started things off. "Game begins on three and ends when the snitch is caught. One. Two. Three." She blew the whistle and threw the Quaffle into the air.

The second Quidditch game of the year had begun.

OOC: Hello and welcome to the second quidditch game of the year. Regular and Quidditch rules apply. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask on the OOC board. Also, to better tell apart the brown and red of the two teams, would Pecari players please use the tag around your names. Thank you.

Subthreads:

I Smell a Crotali Victory. by Cepheus Princeton, Seeker with Jade Owen, Seeker, Coach Pierce

Is this for real? by Waverly Canterbury, Chaser with Mellie Goodwin, Chaser, Ann Pierce, Chaser, Captain Sam Bauer, Chaser, Nic Sawyer, Keeper, Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater, Topher Calhoun, Beater

Watching by Paul Bennett, Reserve

Power and pride by Captain S. Jamison, Keeper

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

Cepheus Princeton, Seeker

November 05, 2012 8:33 PM

I Smell a Crotali Victory. by Cepheus Princeton, Seeker

Another year, another match, and Cepheus was determined to win this, if not for himself or his house, then for his new role model. Cepheus had decided that he was going to be like Sam Bauer someday, and he had taken it upon himself to try and imitate his older house-mate. It wasn’t easy and he and Sam weren’t exactly friends, but Ceph tried to watch him closely during Quidditch practises. Ceph had been working extra hard on perfecting his seeking techniques and his feints and his reflexes. He hadn’t had much time to seek anything except freedom during the summer months, but he had tried to make up for it during practise. On the day of the match, he felt exceptionally bright and clear-headed. He was determined to win.

The difference this year, however, was that his younger brother was on the opposing team. Cepheus had never imagined Rupert ever being in the Pecari house, but then again he wasn’t exactly surprised. Rup seemed to fit there, not that Cepheus would ever advocate for Pecari. Still, he was glad that he was not a Chaser or another Beater. He had seen his younger brother on the pitch, and Rup was a bit of a fright. In an extremely competitive way, that is. He wondered if he could get Rupert into trouble at home for smacking a bludger his way, if he dared to.

The air was crisp and cool, the way Cepheus liked it. It was slightly warmer than it had been in England, back home, and the sun was shining. That would help Ceph to see the gold of the Snitch easier, but it could also prove to be a distraction. Though Cepheus didn’t think he had much competition, of course. Jade Own had caught the Snitch once to win the Quidditch Cup for her house, but her team-mates this year weren’t exactly the people he would have expected to join the team. Waverly Canterbury was one girl Cepheus had definitely not been expecting, and he wasn’t sure if he should be disgusted that he was going to play against a team that had a muggle-born on it, or if he should be impressed that a muggle-born was playing Quidditch. He supposed her performance was what mattered most, and so saved his judgement for later.

Cepheus couldn’t remember Crotalus ever facing off against Pecari either, and though he hoped to win, he was dreading the final match. If Crotalus won this one, they would be playing against Aladren again. He was tired of hoping for wins and losing against them. He couldn’t imagine how Sam must feel, having lost to Aladren more times than he.

A count to three, the whistle blown, and Cepheus was up in the air, blue eyes scouring the pitch for the glint of gold. A win for his home team would win him house points, both literally and figuratively, and, so he hoped, a better chance to become the Crotalus captain some time in the future. He could at least hope.

The sun seemed to shine brighter now that the match had begun, and Cepheus wasn’t certain if it was his own sunny disposition towards this match. Though there were so many thoughts running through his head, the wind that rushed through his hair as he did a round around the pitch melted them away. He was glad to be back in the pitch. Where he was once nervous and unsure of himself, in two years he had certainly grown as an athlete. Out of the corner of his eye, Cepheus noticed the glint and turned his head so quickly he nearly pulled a muscle in his neck. He rubbed his neck with a scowl since the glint was gone now, and he looked around, wanting to see a colour as bright as his hair to appear as conveniently close as possible. And if there was anything the lad had learnt from the past matches was to keep an eye on the enemy. Sometimes they had the right idea, and sometimes they didn’t. Either way, it was best to make sure they didn’t get to the Snitch, and the prize, first.

0 Cepheus Princeton, Seeker I Smell a Crotali Victory. 0 Cepheus Princeton, Seeker 0 5

Waverly Canterbury, Chaser

November 05, 2012 10:10 PM

Is this for real? by Waverly Canterbury, Chaser

This was Waverly’s first Quidditch match ever, and she was scared beyond belief. She hadn’t expected to make the Quidditch team at all, and here she was, a Chaser. A freaking Chaser. She had tried not to hyperventilate when she woke up, but she could barely keep the knots from forming in her stomach. She really wished she had some sort of potion, but she refused to take a calming draught until she absolutely needed to.

When she arrived on the pitch, her Quidditch robes on along with her worn Pecari Converse for good luck, she wished she had taken that draught. When she had struggled to put the shoes she hadn’t worn all summer on that morning, they had felt tight and she had panicked. If her feet didn’t fit in her lucky Pecari shoes, did that mean something ominous was going to happen? She had forced her feet into them, so as she walked to the pitch on shaky legs, her toes felt slightly crushed. She would bear the discomfort if it meant something good would happen.

Waverly’s legs were shaking not only with cold, but with fear. She was afraid of those bludgers and getting hurt and falling off of her broom and breaking a bone, but also of letting her house down. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ she repeated over and over in her head, teeth chattering in the strange cold of Sonora.

She wasn’t naturally athletic; on her off-days, she had avoided sports like the plague. And it was super cold. Waverly lived in Central Phoenix, and the only time she had really experienced real cold was during the winter nights. Still, it had never really snowed in her part of Arizona, and she had to wonder whether or not this was part of the magic of the school.

Those thoughts of weather quickly went away as she mounted her broom, swallowing thickly and hoping she could remember all of the rules to Quidditch. She really hoped she wasn’t an idiot and accidentally scored a point for Crotalus. That was a way to get her shunned for sure. When the Coach blew her whistle, Waverly immediately went numb and sprang forward for the Quaffle, determined to do something while she wasn’t feeling any emotions. The Quaffle felt strange in her hands, but she tucked it into her arm and kept it close as she flew immediately towards the Crotalus hoops.

Waverly’s brown hair was tied back today in a bun so she wouldn’t get slapped by her ponytail. But the back of her head suddenly felt constricted as did her feet in her shoes. The cold seeped into her and she squeezed the Quaffle tighter to her side and narrowed her eyes to keep the sun from blinding her. She saw a fellow Pecari Chaser that was open and zoomed over. She tossed the Quaffle to them, her arm strength significantly stronger than she had first thought. Maybe all that kneading of dough had helped build up her arm muscles. Either way, the Quaffle had enough force to make it to her teammate, and Waverly kept her eye out for any bludgers, wary of getting hit, as well as trying to keep an eye on the Quaffle itself so she could leave herself open for a pass.

0 Waverly Canterbury, Chaser Is this for real? 0 Waverly Canterbury, Chaser 0 5

Mellie Goodwin, Chaser

November 06, 2012 2:24 PM

It's sort of upside-down, but I think it's definitely real. by Mellie Goodwin, Chaser

It wasn’t as cold here as it was at home, but Mellie still found herself shivering as she waited with the rest of the team for the Quidditch game to begin. She hadn’t been thinking of this part too well when she got ready for the match, and so now, she was about a layer less under her brown robes than she would have liked in this weather. Part of her shivers were from nerves about the game, going against Crotalus and here was their chance to repeat their win against Aladren in the finals and all that, but part of it was just the weather.

The dead grass was not an especially inspiring view, but the sunshine was more cheerful, bolstering her mood as she listened to Sophie giving them her speech and then watched as her captain shook hands with the Crotalus one, Sam Bauer. She touched her hair self-consciously, hoping that the bun she had worked so hard to accomplish before she came out here would hold up to the high speeds of the game. One of the major arguments in favor of chopping all her hair off, she had to admit, was that it wouldn’t be as much of a problem to consider during Quidditch, but since she wasn’t going along with the one where it would be easier to manage just on ordinary days, she wasn’t going to cut her hair all off for Quidditch, either.

It was stupid, she knew. She didn’t even like her hair. It was thick but fine, and since she was not good enough at girl stuff (yet, she assured herself; someday, she was sure to get the hang of it) to do the things which seemed effortless for other females with it, that usually translated into it being a crazy flyaway mess. It got tangled up and came out and it was just a problem. But yet, she kept it long – often up in ponytails and such, but long, because she wanted to…Well, she didn’t even know what she wanted to do, but it definitely tied in with having the long, pretty hair she imagined instead of the longish hair she really did.

She took her hands off it and mounted her broom as they were reminded that the Snitch would end the game, glancing at Jade as she did and silently wishing her luck. Her mother didn’t believe in luck, she knew – or at least she said she didn’t – but Mellie did, and thought that even if it wasn’t real, it couldn’t hurt to hope for some, especially when it came to the Quidditch status quo of Sonora. It was, after all, pretty resistant to change most of the time, and here they were, challenging it loudly.

The whistle blew, and she kicked off, looking for the Quaffle. That, for the next hour or so, was the thing she was worried about. The Snitch was Jade’s responsibility, not hers. She just needed to try to score a time or two, or help another Pecari do that, or at least keep Crotalus from it.

Waverly got the Quaffle, so Mellie went along with her, and when she passed, though the light was in her eyes, Mellie managed to catch the Quaffle. So far, so good. She crossed more ground before trying to pass again, hoping to keep them moving toward the Crotalus Keeper without getting hit by any Bludgers or losing the Quaffle to one of the Crotalus Chasers. Sooner or later, things weren’t going to go perfectly for them in this game, but maybe they could for a little while.

16 Mellie Goodwin, Chaser It's sort of upside-down, but I think it's definitely real. 206 Mellie Goodwin, Chaser 0 5

Ann Pierce, Chaser

November 08, 2012 10:58 PM

I think dreams are warmer by Ann Pierce, Chaser

Annette Pierce had been selected as the Ann Pierce for Pecari's first game. Annabelle had gotten them on the team, but it wasn't an alternating switch-off that had determined which of them would play in this next critical appearance. No, they had competed for the honor. They had set up a small three-part competition in a deserted part of the Gardens. Annabelle had won the broom agility contest, but Annette had edged her out in both the Quaffle throwing one and the race, thus winning the right to play in today's game.

As she stood in the center of the pitch with the rest of the Pecari team, she was both proud of this accomplishment and nervous about the prospect of facing off against Crotalus. The most experienced Chaser in the school was the seventh year Captain of the Crotalus team and one of the school's seventh year Keepers was a Crotalus as well. Crotalus's newest and least experienced Chaser was Linus and he was a fourth year. Pecari's best and most experienced Chaser was Mellie and she was the same year as Linus. For Ann and Waverly, it was the first time either of them were playing at all. Ann was, in fact, the only first year Chaser on the field today, which was more than a little scary. Even Waverly was a third year. Everybody Ann was playing against and with today was bigger than her by rather a lot.

She fidgeted as Sophie gave her speech (both nerves and a desire not to freeze kept her unable to hold still), but managed to pay attention to it. She picked up her broom as the captains shook hands. Glancing up into the stands, she found Annabelle seated primly in the front row of the Pecari section, right where they had agreed she should sit, looking put-out and disapproving. When she saw Annette looking at her though, the spectating twin gave a little nod of encouragement.

That filled Annette with resolve nearly as much as Sophie's pep-talk and she took off quickly at the sound of the whistle. She was both surprised and impressed that Waverly got the Quaffle first, and cheered the feat gleefully as she pushed her broom to keep up and gain altitude. She and Annabelle had two old brooms that they'd found and stolen from their home's attic that they used for their private garden practices, but for the games, even the school brooms were better than those. She'd found the best one she could find from the broom shed, but she really wished her family approved of girls playing so she could get a decent one worthy of her family's wealth.

Waverly passed to Mellie and Mellie even caught it, which was completely fantastic, and Ann let out another happy whoop at how well things were going so far. Maybe Crotalus wasn't as scary as all that after all.

Ann flew forward, trying to position herself for a pass and a run at the goal. She managed at least the first part, and Mellie passed to her. Ann caught it with only a little difficulty when she wobbled after taking both hands off the broom, but she held onto the ball and got one hand back on the broom to steady herself, and she kept going toward the red robed scarecrow that Crotalus had guarding their hoops.

Keeping her eye on the left-most one, she flew closer, trying to line up a good shot. Chickening out at the last moment, she opted not to take the chance at scoring and passed back to one of her older teammates instead. She'd been working on her arm strength so it had the flying power to make it at least mostly far enough to reach them, she hoped.

0 Ann Pierce, Chaser I think dreams are warmer 0 Ann Pierce, Chaser 0 5

Captain Sam Bauer, Chaser

November 14, 2012 4:07 PM

Depends on the dream, I'd guess. by Captain Sam Bauer, Chaser

By the time their first game of the year rolled around, Sam would not have been at all surprised to discover that the entire team hated his guts and was secretly planning to do all manner of unpleasant things to him one dark night near the end of the year when it wasn’t too likely to affect House points, but he didn’t think much about that kind of thing. The practices he held, after all, were not about this game with Pecari, which he, though he didn’t tell them about it, honestly did see as sort of a throwaway; it was all about the coming game, the one they still had to get to, the one against Aladren. This year, they were going to finally break the wings right off the Hawks. That was the gospel he had been preaching to the team all year, and he intended to see that it was true news as well as good.

It wasn’t even, he had finally decided after a lot of thought on the matter, anything personal. If Aladren recovered after Crotalus trounced it and came back next year and cut every other team in the school up for bait and propelled Arnold Carey into a position to quit school a year early to go pro, he honestly would not care at all. This was his last year, and what happened on Sonora’s Quidditch scene after he was gone was, frankly, none of his business. He just wanted to win this one and go out of school covered in accidental glory. He didn’t think it was an unreasonable position to take.

Not one to talk about, though – bad for morale. So he avoided any reference to his impending graduation as he spoke to the team before the game, acting as though it were any other game for him and he still had to think ahead. In a way, it wasn’t untrue; through some bizarre fluke where the whole team got sick as soon as they were in the air, or even the either much more mundane or much weirder explanation of how Aladren had lost to this very team a few years ago, Pecari could win, and then they’d be in trouble. He did have to take this one seriously and keep thinking ahead, just not as far ahead as he had before this year.

“Here we go,” he said. “Topher, Gareth, just remember Rule One: take out the Seeker. We can crush the rest of them like ice, but that’s no good to us if their Seeker gets lucky. That’s why Rule Two, watch the other guy’s Beaters, is also very important, we don’t need to lose Cepheus.” He glanced at his Seeker. “Cepheus? Don’t lose, got that? Great. We’ve got the rest of it under control, but you’ve got to take care of that.”

He shook Sophie Jamison’s hand politely enough, though with just a nod instead of any insincere wishes of good luck, checking out her team even as he did. Two new Chasers made him nervous, since those were unknown quantities, and he was a little worried, actually, about the Pierce kid – not because he thought that having the cousins she did meant she’d be any good, but rather because he had gathered she was a pureblood snot of a pretty princess having a rebellious moment, which meant she probably had no idea what she was doing with a broom, which made it harder for them to predict what she might do with one before she did it. A wild card was always something to be nervous about, if she didn’t oblige them all by being a stereotype of a firstie girl and falling off her broom in the first two minutes.

She didn’t, and neither did the other new girl; even Goodwin acquitted herself pretty well, all things considered, when the ball came her way, and so the ball made its way through all three Pecari girls without any trouble. Since this wasn’t Aladren, though, Sam wasn’t too worried – a little annoyed with Linus and Renée and himself, maybe, wondering for the umpteenth time if his Assistant Captain’s head was enough in the game this year to even keep her on the line, but not worried. It looked for a moment as though Pierce was going to try to take a shot, but he trusted Nic to deal with that, and when she passed instead, he intercepted it and changed directions, moving, with that feeling of relief that came after the Quaffle came too close to his own goals whether it had been a serious threat or not, away from Nic and moving back toward Sophie, crossing – as he wasn’t too worried about their Beaters, either – a respectable, though not reckless, amount of ground before finding an opening to pass toward one of his fellow red-robed Chasers.

So far, so good. Better if the Pecari Seeker had been taken out while he wasn’t looking, but good anyway. Now the pass just had to complete to make it a little better, so they could get on with scoring some goals….

16 Captain Sam Bauer, Chaser Depends on the dream, I'd guess. 163 Captain Sam Bauer, Chaser 0 5

Nic Sawyer, Keeper

November 14, 2012 11:00 PM

Bye-bye, ball by Nic Sawyer, Keeper

As Nic got ready for the game today, putting on his uniform (with several layers underneath for warmth), sorting out his broom, applying warming charms, and checking the mirror to make sure his hair wasn't doing anything strange (it was generally fairly well behaved though he rarely did more than run a comb through it in the morning and it thankfully held to pattern this afternoon), he did something he had almost never felt the need to do in the almost seven years of sharing a room with Sam Bauer: he spoke. It wasn't anything terribly impressive, just a couple of words really, an idle comment even, but as a rule, Eliza Bennett was the only person in the school Nic ever made idle comments to, so it was remarkable in that respect. He said, "Should be an easy game today."

He wasn't thinking so much of winning. That was up to the seekers at Sonora's level of play, and so had nothing to do with Nic and he was therefore uninterested in it. He meant what happened with the Quaffle and the score seconds before the end of the game, not counting the one hundred and fifty points that catching the snitch added on when the final whistle blew. That part of the game was the only part that Nic considered important. Specifically, the opponent's score because Nic's whole purpose in the game was to sure that stayed at zero. As far as Nic was concerned, the ideal victory condition for a game was for the opposing team to have either no points or only the snitch points when all was said and done. He thought he had a very good chance of it today, with two of the Pecari Chasers being new and the other one being only of middling talent. Crotalus, with one of the best and oldest Chasing teams in the school, should dominate and Nic ought to never even see the Quaffle up close.

He figured the only thing he was going to need to worry about between the kick-off and the snitch being caught was how not to freeze to death. He was from Miami and even after seven years at Sonora, he still hated winter games and practices and during that time he daily cursed the Irish founders who didn't consider sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit to be as cold as winter needed to be when they had designed their weather charms.

Once the whistle blew and the Pecari girls passed the ball one to another and made it right up close to his three hoops, not very long after Nic himself reached his position in front of those same goals, he decided he should never speak before a game again because it was clearly bad luck.

The littlest one had the ball last and she was going for the hoop to Nic's right (her left). He was absolutely sure of that. The certainty wasn't guaranteed to be as accurate as rain when his once-broken collarbone hurt - which happened every single dang time and it rained nearly every day in southern Florida during the summer so his collarbone hurt a bloody lot when he went home, so thank you, Edmond Carey - but he had some small talent for foresight and figuring out which hoop a chaser was going for was a talent that he ran about eighty-five percent correct on. That went up to about ninety-seven percent right when he actually got feeling about it and right now he had a feeling about it. She was going for the right hoop.

He didn't get directly in front of it. She would change her mind if he blocked it outright and then his foresight would have been for nothing. Instead, he made like he was trying to protect both the right one and the middle one, but making sure he could get to the right one as soon as the ball left her hands. She threw and Nic pushed his broom to get in front of it. He held his hands up to catch the Quaffle but it never came.

In some confusion, he looked around and saw Sam had it and was making his way back down the pitch toward Sophie and away from him.

Weird. Must've been the three percent inaccuracy. Thankfully, the kid had really been feinting for a pass instead of aiming for the middle hoop or that would have been a Pecari goal right there. Even better, Sam had made the intercept on her pass and got the ball out of there before the Chaser she passed it to could quickly throw it through the far hoop, which even Nic with his mile long arms probably couldn't have gotten to in time from way over in front of this one.

He began making his usual loops in front of his hoops again, keeping his blood moving in the cold cold air and his momentum going so he didn't get caught at a stand still if the Quaffle came back to him in a hurry.

1 Nic Sawyer, Keeper Bye-bye, ball 165 Nic Sawyer, Keeper 0 5

Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater

November 15, 2012 11:31 PM

Hello other ball... by Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater

Amira had worked very hard all year long on her new roles on the team. As an Assistant Captain, she decided she was going to be very mature from the point she got the Assistancy till the very end. That included with people like Jade Owen. She was determined to show she could do it, too. As a Beater, she had to learn how to fly while holding a bat, keeping her eyes out for her teammates and also for the mean and nasty Bludgers she so desperately disliked.

It was her job in the game to keep the rest of the team safe and keep the Bludgers away from her team, but still attacking the other team with the black spheres. We are Pecari… We have to win. We have to win. We have to win. she thought to herself over and over again over the Winter Break.

Amira spent most of her time over the vacation, living and breathing Quidditch, flying with her bat as Arista flew around throwing basketballs around as fake Bludgers for Mir to hit. Arista may not have been thrilled by not having her new broom to use, but at least she had her old one!

Arista was still upset and worked up over the Teppenpaw/Aladren game, mostly because they’d lost AGAIN and because she’d broken Uncle Bryan’s birthday present to her. But she’d worked out at least a little bit of the aggression of her losses over the break and Amira was glad to help her sister almost as much as she was glad that Ris helped her.

The two had sat together on the way back in the Wagon too, talking about the game they both loved. Mira hoped that talking to her about it, may help both of them as well. Amira wanted to keep the game on her mind all the time, and as for Ris, maybe talking about it will help her to realize that she had done her best in the game earlier on in the year. Their talking seemed to help Ris feel better about everything because she was back to her risky/worried self, staring at Addi through it all. Mira shrugged and gave up about it after a while.

Back at school, after the returning feast (where incidentally, a special package arrived by owl for Arista). It was long and Amira knew at once what it was. She was sure that Uncle Bryan had gotten word from someone, she wasn’t sure who, that Arista’s birthday broom had been broken in the game, and had obviously sent her a new one. Good. she remembered thinking. She was right. It had been a new broom. Which was really nice as that meant Arista was a happy person again almost the whole way through. The only thing she wanted for right then was a win for Kirstenna. There wasn’t anything else she could do about it though. Pecari still had a chance though, and Amira was ready for it.

*****

The night before the game, Amira looked back at the list of her teammates again. It wasn’t that she didn’t know who was on the team, she knew very well. It was more along the lines of a peaceful thing for the girl.

Keeper: Sophie Jamison I have to do this for her… I respect Sophie and she, and Pecari deserves a chance! she thought as she read down the list.

Beaters: Amira Thornton, Rupert Princeton Beater… I’m a beater…

Seeker: Jade Owen She’s our Seeker, not me…

Chasers: Ann Pierce, Waverly Canterbury Yay Waverly!, Mellie Goodwin (Head Chaser) That’s my roommate! We can do this… Pecari House RULES! she thought as she looked at her broom laying beside her bed on the floor and her uniform robes laying across the chair nearby, bat laying on top of it.

I’m a Beater… I’m a Beater… I’m a Beater… she thought as she yawned and pulled her covers up to her face, falling asleep dreaming about Quaffles, Bludgers and Snitches…

*****

Mir woke up the morning of the game with the sun shining right in her eyes from her window. She stretched her arms up into the air and kicked off her comforter. “This is going to be a great day.” she said softly as she still saw bumps on the beds around her. She knew at least some of her roommates were still sleeping. Even though she knew nobody was looking at her, she put her finger to her mouth (maybe even as a reminder to be quiet for them) and quietly got ready and left the room in no time at all.

Carrying all her gear out the door with her in one hand, she flexed the muscles on the empty arm and smiled. All the working out seems to be working… she thought to herself with a smile on her face. I look good… Amira’s smile widened as she kept walking down the hallway to Cascade Hall for breakfast before the game. She had plenty of time, so she was going to sit and enjoy herself for a few minutes before she went off to the Pitch to practice before everyone else arrived.

After a small meal of cereal and a banana with a glass of orange juice, the fourth year wiped her mouth to be sure she was clean and stood up. Picking up her gear, she walked out the heavy doors and towards the door. She pushed open the front door and shivered a tad. The red-head had put on layers of clothing, knowing it would be cold outside. When the air hit her face, she was glad she’d done it. As she walked across the grounds, she shivered a little bit as she was still carrying her Quidditch Robes. The second game of the year was always the worst one to play if you didn’t like cold weather and she knew it. However, it wasn’t like they were given the choices of when to play in the games! Pecari and Crotalus were to be the teams given to this game this year and she couldn’t change it. “I’ll just make the best of it…” she said into the breeze around her.

Getting to the benches, she put down everything she carried and put on her robes, performing the warming charm on them and pulling on her Beater’s gloves and bat, mounted her broom and flew off into the sky to fly around to practice before the others all arrived.

There was still a small bit of frost on the ground, as it was still early, but by the time the others all got there it was gone. Flying downwards to join the rest of her team, she noticed that the grass was a dull shade of brown which almost mimicked their robes, almost.

Sophie gave her speech and Amira nodded at all the right places, all-the-while watching her teammates. Noticing Waverly looking really nervous, she smiled towards her and gave her a thumbs up sign to show her younger friend that she had her back. The older Pecari knew how it felt a few times in her life to be that nervous and she was going to do all she could to relieve the nerves of the younger girl. What was best was that she had the means to do it.

Coach Pierce started to speak and Amira turned towards her to listen. "Welcome to the Pecari-Crotalus game. Captain Sam Bauer is leading Crotalus while Captain Sophie Jamison leads Pecari. Would the Captains please shake hands?"

Sophie and Sam shook hands, Amira watched, realizing at that moment that in two years time she would be doing just the same thing and suddenly her blood ran cold inside of her. Oh my god… It was then that she promised to herself that she would be the best she could be and she would try her hardest to lead their team to victory both as Assistant Captain and then (when Sophie graduated) as Captain. She had said she would even before that, but this promise was different. It was more real, it was going to happen.

The Snitch and Bludgers were released into the air and Coach spoke again, Quaffle in her hand. "Game begins on three and ends when the snitch is caught. One. Two. Three."

The whistle blew and the Quaffle got thrown into the air. The game had begun.

Amira re-mounted her broom, feeling more responsible than ever before over Pecari and the team. When she saw that Waverly was the one to catch the Quaffle she squealed with delight at her friend and teammates success. “ATTA GIRL!” she called out with a whoop of excitement. Waverly flew towards Nic and the Crotalus hoops and Mira, having decided she would cover the Chasers and Rup would cover Jade, followed closely behind the trio of Pecari Chasers down the Pitch. Waverly tossed the Quaffle to Mellie and when Mellie caught it, Mira did another whoop as she spotted one of the Bludgers going towards her roommate.

You WILL not get a Pecari! she thought as she pulled her bat into readiness and smacked it right towards one of Crotalus’ Chasers that was nearby trying to vy for the ball her team had somehow managed to corner right off the bat. Keeping her eye out for the Crotalus Beaters, the Bludger and her teammates, she followed the trio as Mellie passed the ball again towards Ann Pierce.

Amira was surprised that a female Pierce of their lineage had wanted to try out in the first place, but she wasn’t going to say anything of it. First off, it wasn’t her place. Second off, the kid wasn’t bad, and that was what was going to matter in the end. Mira knew that Ann was the smallest on their team and most likely on Crotalus too, which was another reason why she, herself, wanted to be on the Chasers this game. The other reason (and the more main one to boot) was the fact that she wanted Jade to feel comfortable enough to win the game for them. She didn’t like the girl, but she was going to at the very least tolerate her whilst she had to be around her.

When Ann flew forward and caught the ball with a slight bit of wobbling. Amira watched with bated breath and hoped she would keep hold of it! When the first year steadied herself Mira sighed with relief as Ann went on towards Nic. Amira watched, eyes widening as Ann flew closer and lined up a shot, but then seemingly chickening out entirely!

Mira watched as Ann passed the ball back towards one of the other Pecari Chasers, but Sam intercepted. She didn’t want to seem like a Cheerleader, but if anything like this happened again, she wouldn’t put it passed herself to do it. Sam moved the Quaffle back towards Sophie’s end of the Pitch and the fourth year frantically looked for a Bludger nearby, finally spotting one lazily floating towards one of the Pecari Chasers. Lazy? Odd… she thought as she went at it hardcore, sending it ‘Amira Fireball’ style right at the Crotalus Chaser he looked as if he was going to pass to. Come on Pecari! she silently chanted over and over again in her mind, seeing Pecari as CHAMPIONS once again, this time, helped by her too…

0 Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater Hello other ball... 0 Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater 0 5

Topher Calhoun, Beater

November 17, 2012 10:44 PM

Bye, other ball. by Topher Calhoun, Beater

Logic suggested that Topher, as the older and more experienced of Crotalus’ two Beaters, ought to be with the Seeker during games, but Cepheus and Gareth were roommates, a solid unit, and it was worth pointing out that Topher had never yet managed to injure Arnold Carey too badly for the Aladren Seeker to lose to either Cepheus or Marissa, so he usually ended up with the Chasers anyway. He found he didn’t mind it much. Playing with the Seekers could be exciting, at the end of the game, or any time when both Beaters took it into their heads to attack the Seekers at the same time, but in general, the bigger game was more fun to play in as well as usually more fun for the audience to watch. There was never much of a chance of getting bored with the Chasers – of losing focus from sheer exhaustion in some games, yes, but not of getting bored.

When Sam mentioned the importance of taking out the Seeker, though, he nodded his understanding anyway. If he got a chance, he would aim for Jade. In the end, after all, it didn’t really matter who made sure Cepheus was able to come home with the Snitch in his hand, just that it happened. Preferably with as many Pecari casualties as possible, just to hammer the point home and to give their reputation an insurance policy if something went worse than usual against the Aladrens….

It could, after all, do just that. It was always possible. Cepheus could get sick, Preston’s girl could dump him the day before the game and send him onto the Pitch with murder in his heart, and Arnold could just catch the Snitch with no interference whatsoever – or even make a production out of doing that. His mother didn’t like it when Topher voiced thoughts like that, but the fact of the matter was, it could always get worse.

He actually found that thought comforting, but could see that it was only so in a very gloomy way. Most of his teammates, he was sure, would only consider the thought of beating both Pecari and Aladren soundly to be cheerful. He just nodded, though, smiling thinly at Sam’s advice for Cepheus. That was the important part, he had to agree. If the Snitch would just fly right up to their Seeker in the first minute of the game, Topher would have no complaints. Just so they won this one, and didn’t have to deal with the humiliation of being the first of Crotalus and Aladren not to make the finals because of another team in his entire time at the school.

He was shivering as he kicked off, but he shrugged, trying to escape the feeling, and flew faster, looking for a Bludger, since one of those would allow him to get into the game and stop having to worry too much about that for a little while. Hitting the Bludgers was hard work, he didn’t really think it could be done for more than a minute or two without the hitter working up a sweat. In a way, the cold early-year weather could be seen as an incentive to play harder, both to get out of the cold faster and to try to warm themselves up by moving really fast and keeping the Bludgers flying.

Well, that was true for him and his fellow Beaters, anyway. As for the others…They would get plenty of motivation, anyway, by proxy, since most of them probably did have at least some desire to finish the game, not to mention live.

Pecari seized the Quaffle, and a Bludger did not make itself apparent to Topher right away, neither of which were circumstances which suited him. Just when it looked like the weakest group of Chasers, in his estimation, in the school was going to attempt a goal, though, Sam intercepted the Quaffle, getting the game moving back in the right direction. When one of their Beaters got a Bludger and hit it toward a Crotalus Chaser, Topher flew in fast to intercept it and thwack it back toward a brown uniform just as hard, getting the party properly started.

0 Topher Calhoun, Beater Bye, other ball. 0 Topher Calhoun, Beater 0 5

Paul Bennett, Reserve

November 18, 2012 5:35 PM

Watching by Paul Bennett, Reserve

One year, Paul had played Quidditch for Crotalus as an actual player, and he hadn’t liked it very much at all. In fact, he had been more worried about being murdered by someone he hit with a Bludger than he had been about whether or not Crotalus won the game. It had been an irrational fear, he knew – some people had been playing Beater for years, and were not even from families anyone would worry about, and no one had killed them – but that was just how his mind worked, it seemed. He kept imagining, for some reason, his sister in the position of the Chasers, and thinking of how he was pretty sure that Eliza wouldn’t be able to separate the game from real life and would take that kind of thing personally, and then he worried that she was not alone in that. She was, after all, reasonably popular – not just with ‘proper’ people, that was true, Sara Raines did better in that department, but even though the person he honestly thought his sister genuinely liked the most in the school was Nic Sawyer, she seemed to be on good terms with a lot of people, including a lot from outside of Crotalus, which to him implied that she must have something in common with those people, which meant the common trait, unlikely as it was, could be grudge-holding.

After that year, then, Paul had excused himself to the bench, almost always signing up late in the game, or even just walking on at tryouts, so the captains would have strong ideas about the team’s composition before he was introduced or at least confirmed, and then sitting back and watching the fun. That was fun for him; more, it was true, when the action was people interacting with people rather than with the balls, but watching them play Quidditch was entertaining, too.

Sam Bauer was brief in his opening remarks, concentrating on the Seekers; Paul assumed, with support from the ice comment, that meant he just didn’t see the Pecari Chasers as worthy of notice, which Paul thought was a mistake. Sure, two of them were new and one of them was a first year girl, but who knew? He hadn’t been here, but he’d heard the bulk of the current Aladren team had started being…itself…as first years from Eliza, that one year he was on the team for real. Those girls could be unhinged psychopaths out for blood for all they knew, it was bad to assume anything without evidence.

Though, there was always the chance that Bauer had spies, or had done some spying on the other team himself. That would be the smartest thing to do, and it was not for no reason that someone became a prefect, a Quidditch captain, and a Head Boy. So Paul took his place on the bench and reserved judgment until the game got underway.

Pecari got the ball, and kept it, but Paul didn’t think that either side really seemed urgent about it. The Beaters, however, had a little more energy, at least once they got the ball, Amira looking like she had put some force behind the Bludger and Topher like he had, too, when he deflected it.

Beaters were almost always especially fun to watch, and could galvanize everyone around them if they did their job right. Paul hoped that those two were going to do that for this game and start something more dramatic for him – and the rest of the audience, he guessed, the people who were here purely for fun – to watch soon. Nothing was worse than a January Quidditch match except a boring January Quidditch match.

0 Paul Bennett, Reserve Watching 201 Paul Bennett, Reserve 0 5

Captain S. Jamison, Keeper

November 18, 2012 6:22 PM

Power and pride by Captain S. Jamison, Keeper

Just as her team had made things difficult for her just with their signups (really, one Beater, two Seekers, and a bunch of misfits who couldn’t decide?) the weather was set on impeding the game, cold and uncomfortable. This was perhaps the most important game of Sophie’s life, and the weather sucked. Awesome, she thought sarcastically.

There was a knot firm in the pit of her stomach, inspiring regurgitation. Sophie had never felt this nervous before a match. Of course, this was no ordinary match; it was hers. She was Captain, a leader among athletes. It was her first game as Captain. She needed to win to keep Mel’s legend living, and at the same time, she needed to create her own legend. The blonde only had two years to solidify her name as Sonora’s Greatest Captain Ever.

Ever since the first time the seventeen year old had played—a rough scrimmage with her cousins and their friends, just enough for a team or two—she knew she was destined to be a Captain. She was certain to be a great Captain, just as she was already a great Keeper and, when the position was filled, had been a decent Chaser.

Sophie was not an overconfident person. In fact, she liked to think she was just appropriately confident for her abilities. When she was poor at something, she could admit it, but when she was talented, she wanted her credit. She knew she was an excellent strategist, something Quidditch Captaincy required. While her body was small and really not designed for Keeping (Why am I still not five foot?!), she more than compensated with her speed and agility.

It would take more than her own talent to win, however. Her teammates would have to back her up—well, technically she would be backing them up, but figuratively, they had to be behind her—in order to obtain the win. Amira and Rupert would have to occupy the Bludgers, maybe take down a few Crotali. Jade would have to catch the Snitch. The Chasers scoring a bunch of times, of course, would be great too.

All of the previously mentioned were now in the locker room, eager, she supposed, for her words. Personally, Sophie had always hated the pre-game speeches; if the players did not know what to do by now, there was no way in hell this little speech would change anything. Another thing Captains usually did was talk about how great the individual players were, but the sixth year also found that stupid. False confidence would only force unneeded adrenaline and cloud their minds. The confidence would be false, too, because they were not all that great. Practically everybody was playing a new position, and the others were not terribly skilled anyway.

Sam Bauer was probably inspiring his team with some load of bull about how cool they were, but Sophie meanwhile was saying very little. “You all know what you’re doing,” said the Englishwoman bluntly. “Don’t mess it up. Let’s go kick their butts. Hands in.” She thrust her arm forward and waited for everyone else to pile their hands atop hers. While she waited—perhaps some of them had never done this kind of thing before—she observed them; she hadn’t noticed before how many girls were on their team. It was kind of like the Amazons… and Rupert. Ah well.

“Pecari on three. One. Two. Three. Pecari!” With that, the Captain charged the pitch, a snarl on her lips. She shook Sam’s hand as she was instructed, squeezing tensely, and in the moment, she hated him. He was probably a fine and dandy young lad off the Pitch, but here and now, he was the enemy.

At the whistle, she rose to her position before the hoops, glaring down the field. She felt all-powerful, as if the world was revolving around her and she was remaining still, guiding it. Without her, her team would crumble. The school would crumble. The world would crumble. It was irrational and arrogant to think it, but the view from the hoops inspired nothing less than divinity. Only a Keeper could understand.

Sophie cheered audibly; the game was beginning excellently for Pecari. All three of her Chasers got their hands on the Quaffle before the Crotali even had one touch it. A thrill jumped through her spine. Having fun there, Bauer? Her smirk faded instantly as he intercepted Ann’s pass. It was unlikely her girls would let the Quaffle get all the way down to her, but just in case, her thighs tightened around the broom, and she twitched her fingers to prepare them for the action ahead. Even if Sam and his cohorts miraculously grew near enough to shoot, there was no way they were scoring. This was her match.

0 Captain S. Jamison, Keeper Power and pride 0 Captain S. Jamison, Keeper 0 5

Ann Pierce, Chaser

November 18, 2012 6:46 PM

Yikes! Other ball! by Ann Pierce, Chaser

Ann wished she hadn't changed her mind at the last moment when Sam intercepted her pass. She wasn't really fantastic at scoring goals in practice, even when she wasn't going up against Sophie, so Nic might have saved it anyway, but now she knew passing hadn't worked any better, so in retrospect she would have liked to at least have made an attempt at scoring. She grumbled under her breath and turned her broom around, chasing after the Crotalus Captain.

Then things starting happening really fast. Later, with Annabelle's report of what she'd seen in the stands, she'd be able to work out that the sequence of events was fairly straightforward, but in the thick of it, everything seemed to have happened all at once and she'd missed some of the important preliminary steps.

To her, she'd pushed her broom as fast as it would go and seen Sam throw the Quaffle to one of his teammates. Ann tried to intercept, thinking she was well positioned for it, and then she felt a whole lot of pain.

Annabelle said what actually happened was that Amira hit the bludger at the Chaser she was trying to rob of the Quaffle. Then Topher got in the way of the black ball and must have seen Annette was attempting to interrupt his team's play and tried to stop her by redirecting the bludger at Ann.

Ann had only been doing this for a couple of months and had not really internalized the sound of a wooden bat meeting metal as a sign of danger. If she had heard the warning thunks, she had not recognized them as important. She, of course, already understood on an intellectual level that bludgers were painful and to be avoided at all costs, but she just didn't have the experience or enough familiarity with the game to really get it at an instinctive level.

She had been entirely oblivious as she tried to grab the red ball out of its arc between the two Crotali. She thought she would have got it, too, maybe, if something hard and fast hadn't rammed into her back, just below the right shoulder, and made her careen off-course and scream in both surprise and agony.

She bent over, well, got pushed flat by the force of the bludger as it rolled up over her shoulder and kept going, and her hands grabbed hold of her broom with every survival instinct she had. Her vision blurred with tears and she had no idea what became of it, or the Quaffle, or the other players after that. All she knew was that it didn't come back to finish her off, a respite which she was very grateful for but not really able to acknowledge at the time.

Annette Pierce was a spoiled little girl who had lived a very pampered existence for most of her eleven years. The most painful thing she had ever experienced up until this moment, was jabbing herself with a needle when she wasn't paying enough attention to her cross-stitch. Even when she and Annabelle had sneaked away on their adventures, they had been lucky enough to avoid any injury beyond a minor scratch of a thorn that barely drew blood or a tiny bruise that they couldn't later recall how they had gotten.

This, this was way worse than anything she could have ever imagined when their older teammates had told them bludgers hurt.

Once she stabilized her broom - because, she was pleased to note, just because she was in agonizing pain, she could still think clearly enough in a crisis that she had enough presence of mind to ensure she wasn't about to die before she broke down into useless tears - the waterworks began. She hated herself a little bit for that. She would have very much liked to just shrug it off and keep playing. Pecari did not have a reserve player, after all. And she was supposed to be a brave and proud Pierce. Thad and Derry had never broken down into blubbering tears like a baby in front of the whole school.

Thad and Derry had never been hit almost point-black in the back with a bludger, either, a bitter part of her mind reminded her. They both had bats to protect themselves with.

Her breath coming in shaking, sobbing gasps, she wiped at her eyes with her sleeve and tried to figure out what was going on. Blinking through tears that refused to stop, she thought the game had moved a little beyond her position and tried to follow after them.

She might be hurt - and she was; her whole back and arm felt like they were on fire - and she might be little and inexperienced, but she was not going to give up. She was going to get back into this game. Pecaris were adaptable and she could learn to play even like this, even if it was just to get in the Crotalus players' way.

She just wished she could stop crying.

0 Ann Pierce, Chaser Yikes! Other ball! 0 Ann Pierce, Chaser 0 5

Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater

November 18, 2012 7:28 PM

Damn the other ball! by Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater

Amira wasn't planning on letting anything or anyone hurt anyone from her team, even Jade. She may not like the younger girl, but she was still the Assistant Captain's teammate. The third Thornton girl had been determined to stay respectful to become respected. She knew she’d been stupid in the passed, and she didn’t want it any longer. This game was the first of many where she would do as her team needed right away, no questions asked.

She was going to be a mentor to the younger children both of her family and also at school. There were younger players than her on the team who she was to be protecting. Ann, Waverly, Rupert, Jade… Then there was Mellie, her roommate; and Sophie who were either her age or older. SHE was the one who needed to watch out for the others. Amira, was Assistant Captain, Beater and she was the one who would need to watch out for them all. I got this… she thought as she had hit the mean black Bludger back at the Crotalus player that it looked as if Sam was passing to. What she hadn’t seen, however, was that Ann Pierce had been trying to intercept back at Sam’s pass to his fellow Crotalus, and had hit the ball in that direction!

It was too late when she realized it and shouted, “NO! ANN!” She wouldn’t have made it to the first year Chaser in time, but hopefully if she was warned she could move out of the way…

That wasn’t, however, what happened…

Topher hit the Bludger back right at Ann once more. Mira flew as fast as she could to try to hit it away from the first year, but missed by only a small margin. The sound she’d grown so familiar with happened, and faster than she thought, the black ball hit Ann right in the back.

Ann bent over by the force of the Bludger and Amira watched as the Chaser’s grip tightened instinctively on her broom handle. Damnit! she halfway cursed herself as she flew closer to the girl, while still watching both her and the other Chasers. She knew how it felt to get hit with the mean black ball, but she wasn’t as small as Ann was. Mira didn’t want the girl to fall, or hurt herself even moreso than she already was, this was why she stayed nearby. Spotting the mean ball, she looked at it with utter contempt for hurting her teammate and smacked it clear at one of the Crotalus players. She didn’t care who it hit, as long as it hit. Eyes back on all her teammates (Ann especially), she held tightly to her broom with one hand and her bat with the other, fuming in anger both at the Bludger and at herself for missing it.

Ann’s breaths (as heard by just below the first year) were shaky and full of gasps. Amira knew she was wiping at tears and wished she had gotten to her before the ball did! Damn me! I vow to keep a better watch on the others. I do! she thought as she swung her broom beside the first year and (while still keeping aware of the Bludgers and the other players on the Pitch) asked, “You gonna be okay?”

0 Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater Damn the other ball! 0 Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater 0 5

Jade Owen, Seeker

November 20, 2012 10:35 AM

,Then you need your nose checking by Jade Owen, Seeker

Merlin's thermals, Jade was cold. Normally she was sure it wouldn't have presented an issue - upstate New York was hardly known for its balmy winters - but she had spent midterm with her family in Florida, and the change in temperatures was more than palpable. She made efforts to combat the climate by layering up a mis-matched assortment of threadbare clothes. Her dark brown curls were getting in her way at every turn, so she looked for a pair of scissors to cut them off, couldn't find any, and so just scraped her hair into a messy bun to keep it from straying in front of her eyes during the game. She next wolfed down a pre-Quidditch breakfast of oatmeal, waffles with syrup, eggs on toast and a glass of pumpkin juice, and then raced to the broom shed to find her broom - the one with a star and her initials carved into its handle.

Sophie's pep talk was full of both pep and talk, neither of which interested Jade a great deal. The Pecari Seekersimply looked at the two teams as they assembled and one thing became pretty clear: she would need to catch the Snitch quickly, as there was no way Pecari would stand a chanceof winning any other way. That was a shame, because Jade wouldn't have minded a good hour or two up in the sky, but at least a quick capture would mean she'd get back inside with a hot chocolate sooner. Not that her personal desires would have any effect on the behavior of the Snitch, but she'd always believed in a positive mindset. She would catch the Snitch, and she would do it quickly.

So when the whistle blew and the players took to the skies, Jade kicked off hard from the ground and shot upwards at great speed, only leveling out once she was above game height. Only then was she ready to begin play, and her first step was to cast a quick glance about her for a sign of the Snitch. A gold speck in the distance, too far away to be sure of what she was seeing, was all that Jade was rewarded with. It was perhaps worth checking out, so the Pecari turned tail and headed for the other side of the pitch as her House cheered in unison; Jade guessed that Pecari must have caught the Quaffle first. An excellent start to an excellent game (and a little surprising, considering the relative playing experience of each team's Chasers).

Having no luck with the first glimmer she had glimpsed, jade instead looked to her opponent, who seemed to be engaging in similar start-of-the-game techniques, by scoping out the field and then the other Seeker. Jade offered a cheeky wave before barrel-rolling over to the right, just for the hell of it, and soaring under the game, instead, back across the pitch. You had to keep yourself moving as a Seeker, otherwise it would be easy to lose focus. That didn't often lead to great things happening, so Jade kept herself active, ready to move this way or that at any given moment.

The Quaffle was, presumably, changing hands, and Jade could hear Bludgers hitting into bats, so the game was evidently in full swing. Not that it mattered to her; the only way another player could influence her behavior was if one of the Crotalus Beaters was successful in smacking the sense out of her to an extent that she could no longer operate either mind or limb in her chosen fashion. Until that happened, she was her own free-spirited master, and if she wanted to barrel roll then, damn it, she would barrel roll.

Hello. The third year whipped her head around so fast she made her neck crick as she thought she saw something gold hovering off to her right. Definitely worth checking out: a quick Pecari victory might save her team some embarrassment in what would otherwise inevitably be a crushing display of Crotalus dominance. Hauling her broom handle to change direction, Jade shot off again as fast as if she had a rabid manticore on her tail. Could it really be the Snitch? Was it actually possible that she could be that lucky?

Unfortunately, in her excitement, Jade had neglected to keep tabs on the red-clad Seeker. Once she was sure, therefore, that it was in fact the Snitch she had seen, she had to summon up all her energy (considerable, her ample breakfast having been thus converted) to make sure she was the first to get there. The victorious whoop she let out as her fingers closed around the Snitch was resounding, and, breathless, she raised her clenched fist to signify the end of what had to be one of the shortest games in Sonora's history.

0 Jade Owen, Seeker ,Then you need your nose checking 0 Jade Owen, Seeker 0 5

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

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

<font color="red">Cepheus Princeton, Seeker</font>

I Smell a Crotali Victory. by <font color="red">Cepheus Princeton, Seeker</font>

<font color=tan>Waverly Canterbury, Chaser</font>

Is this for real? by <font color=tan>Waverly Canterbury, Chaser</font>

<font color="tan">Mellie Goodwin, Chaser</font>

It's sort of upside-down, but I think it's definitely real. by <font color="tan">Mellie Goodwin, Chaser</font>

<font color=tan>Ann Pierce, Chaser</font>

I think dreams are warmer by <font color=tan>Ann Pierce, Chaser</font>

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

Depends on the dream, I'd guess. by <font color="red">Captain Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>

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

Bye-bye, ball by <font color=red>Nic Sawyer, Keeper</font>

<font color=tan>Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater</font>

Hello other ball... by <font color=tan>Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater</font>

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

Bye, other ball. by <font color="red">Topher Calhoun, Beater</font>

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

Watching by <font color="red">Paul Bennett, Reserve</font>

<font color=tan>Captain S. Jamison, Keeper</font>

Power and pride by <font color=tan>Captain S. Jamison, Keeper</font>

<font color=tan>Ann Pierce, Chaser</font>

Yikes! Other ball! by <font color=tan>Ann Pierce, Chaser</font>

<font color=tan>Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater</font>

Damn the other ball! by <font color=tan>Asst. Capt. Amira T, Beater</font>

<font color="tan">Jade Owen, Seeker</font>

,Then you need your nose checking by <font color="tan">Jade Owen, Seeker</font>

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

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