Let's get this show on the road on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Pierce

August 29, 2013 10:35 PM

Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Teppenpaw by Coach Pierce

The morning of the Quidditch final dawned bright and clear, with warm but not too warm temperatures. Unfortunately, the Quidditch final was scheduled for the afternoon, and by the time the players and spectators had gathered on the Pitch, dark clouds and spring showers had also arrived. No thunder, though, and the light rain was at least warm, so Amelia was still counting it as better weather than the January game.

She pulled her hair back into a wet tangled ponytail as the two captains gave their final speeches. Her dark hair was still clinging to her neck, but at least it wasn't plastered to her face anymore. Both teams were being led by seventh years, Aladren trying to hold onto its long held Cup, while Teppenpaw hoped to grasp the trophy for the first time in eight years.

This match, she could honestly say she was impartial toward the two teams. When Crotalus played, she had to try hard not to let her desire to keep the Cup in her own office for a change influence any of her decisions. When Teppenpaw played, she felt a growing bias toward young Derry Four now that he was a part of her branch of the Pierce family. That bias, however, was equally balanced by her fraternal bias toward Thaddeus on Aladren, so either relative claiming victory would please her today. The Anns, bless their identical hearts, had not yet achieved any personal favor with her either by blood or close association, so she could only hope an unconscious preference for the other teams had never unfavorably and unfairly affected Pecari.

She was already as wet as she could be, and flying around in the rain wasn't going improve matters, so she let the two captains take as long as they needed for their speeches before summoning them to her. "Today," she announced for the audience with the magnifying assistance of a sonorus charm, "we have the two finalists: Aladren, led by Arnold Carey, against Teppenpaw, led by Derwent Pierce the Fourth," she could not leave off the numeral if she used his full name because, to her, 'Derwent Pierce' alone almost always invoked images of her late great-grandfather, or, if not him, then occasionally her uncle, neither of which were playing today. "Please shake hands."

Once they had done so, she sent them back to their teams, and began release the snitch and bludgers as she continued her customary rules summary, "The game begins with my whistle and ends when a seeker catches the snitch. Players, on three." She picked up the red Quaffle. "One. Two. Tweet!" she blew her whistle and threw the ball high into the air. Then she picked up her broom and followed the players into the air.

The game had begun.

Subthreads:

Let's get this show on the road by Francesca Wolseithcrafte with Darina Porter (Chaser), Arthur Carey, Chaser, Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser, Jay Carey, Chaser, Laurie, Tepp Beater, Dimitri Porter, Tepp Keeper, Darina Porter, Tepp Chaser

SHOW?! Where? by Bri Thornton (Seeker) with Captain Carey, Seeker, Captain Derry, Beater, Thad Pierce, Beater, Arnold Carey, Seeker, Aubrielle Thornton, Seeker

Musing on the bench by Anthony Carey VIII

0 Coach Pierce Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Teppenpaw 0 Coach Pierce 1 5

Francesca Wolseithcrafte

September 01, 2013 8:59 AM

Let's get this show on the road by Francesca Wolseithcrafte

Life was good. Surprisingly so. Not only did she have a handful of people whom she counted as friends but, in three of the four cases, the relationship was not just in spite of her playing Quidditch. She would not go so far as to say it was because of it – after all, she had initially fostered the friendships with Adam and the Anns off the pitch – but the game definitely enhanced them. Their rivalry was fun, and extended their common ground. This was not the case with Ginny, but the other girl did not seem off-put by her playing. She treasured the friends that she hadn't thought she would have, and they brought real happiness into her life. However, they also brought their own set of worries. Previously, she had thought that she would have to deal with loneliness and isolation, and had somewhat resigned herself to it. She would have had Quidditch to throw herself into, and her studies. Now, however, she had the rather unexpected feeling of having something to lose. On balance, she knew it was a good exchange. But it just... took time to get used to. And she wasn't sure she would ever stop worrying about it all blowing up in her face.

Those worries were off the pitch though. Right now, she had something else to contend with. Two things, in fact. Rain and Teppenpaw. She knew that, off the pitch, Teppenpaw were the fluffy, cuddly house but she didn't expect that to mean they pulled their punches during a game. Anyone who had got this far deserved to be taken seriously, and she knew she would have to put her full effort in to stand a chance of beating them. The rain she would just have to ignore. It wasn't heavy enough to obstruct her vision, it was just going to make her wet and, if she let it, irritated. Irritation would disrupt her playing, and she would have to do her best to brush it off.

As the whistle sounded, she leapt to the air with the rest of the players. This time, she was prepared. She was determined not to let them overwhelm her. She had tried to throw herself into the thick of it at training for practise. Once you factored in that the Keepers, Seekers and Beaters were all trying to get themselves out of the mix, you could just about replicate the scrum of Chasers with just one team. She saw a flash of scarlet, in front of her and to the left. Holding on tight with her right hand, she threw out her left, allowing her weight to pull her over in that direction. It wasn't her dominant hand, and the catch was a little clumsy but she scooped the ball into her chest. She felt triumphant, pleased that she had equalled Adam's achievement from the last match. Everyone usually soared up at the start of the match. She dropped in height, close to the grass, aiming to quickly get untangled from the group of people, and perhaps escape notice for a moment or two – though, as she was carrying a bright red ball which everyone was currently looking for, she doubted that would be the case for long.

Keeping half an eye on the sky above, she began the run towards Pecari's goal. She tried to regain height as she went, looking out for a blue clad player coming to meet her half way. Seeing someone, she swerved as close as she could, sliding the Quaffle over to her right arm for a stronger throw. Curving it back, she sent the balling flying confidently towards the other player.

13 Francesca Wolseithcrafte Let's get this show on the road 250 Francesca Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Darina Porter (Chaser)

September 04, 2013 3:33 PM

Maybe if the road was dryer? by Darina Porter (Chaser)

Darina was terrified. The game her team had played the last half term had caught her nerves. And as on the fence as she had been to sign up, she was really very tempted to ask for them to try to find a replacement for her for the Finals. She knew that would be much too hard for Derry to do as there were no replacements to be had there in Teppenpaw House, so she vowed to play through the year and then HOPE beyond all hopes that there would be enough players for her not to ever have to play again.

Sure, the adrenaline was great, but she didn’t need the ability of getting hurt so easily from those Bludgers… There was no way she needed that… She still shivered when they practiced with the Bludgers. Rina completely despised the mean black ball. Both because it hurt her, and her cousins. Bri had even broken her foot, and even Mira ended up having to block one with HERSELF in Pecari’s game against Aladren. Not to mention the fact that Clara had even fallen off from the hoops in the same game! This game was MUCH too dangerous. She had no idea why she’d wanted to sign up in the first place…

“No idea…” she said softly, as she joined the others on the Pitch on the wet and dreary afternoon of the Final Game. Rina was nervous and scared and she knew it showed. She always wore her emotions on her sleeve and this time would be no different. The fact that Bri came over and spoke to her showed how accurate that statement was. “Yeah…” she answered her older cousin as she shook in her shoes. Her now short, dark hair was wet and matted to the top of her head. It was too short to put up in a pony tail as Bri’s was now in again, so she just let it alone. She knew that would be an issue later, but there wasn’t exactly anything she could do with it now. I knew I should have held off on the haircut till Summer… But I just wanted a change so bad… she thought with a shrug as Derry started with his Captain’s speech.

Darina listened to him, hoping that this game wouldn’t be nearly as awful as Aladren versus Pecari had been, or as awful as their last game was, but she wouldn’t know until it started and ended if it would be just so.

Coach Pierce spoke up and asked the Captains to shake each other’s hands. Derry went to do just that and Rina shivered in the damp robes and nerves until he came back and the balls were sent off into the air. The first year Teppenpaw Chaser mounted her broom and as the Quaffle was released she thought about how awesome it would be to be the one to catch the red ball and start off the game as Adam had been from Pecari last game. I can do this… I can do this… she thought, taking a page from her older cousin Addison’s book of positive thinking. I like rain, its not going to distract me from the ball… I like rain and nothing will distract me… Nothing… she thought on as the ball was released.

She was not at the other end of the catch, however. Francesca had grabbed up the Quaffle and had flew off with it just when Rina had moved the wet hair out of her right eye. Darnit! she thought as she tried to fly off after the blue clad Second Year. I can do this… I can do this… she thought as she saw Francesca just up ahead of her. The second year made her pass and Rina reached out for it, trying to knock it out of the path of the blue clad Chaser Francesca had been aiming for, but only managed to touch the ball with one finger and still didn’t end up with the ball. She grimaced and flew after it again as the other player caught it and flew on towards Mitri in the hoops.

0 Darina Porter (Chaser) Maybe if the road was dryer? 0 Darina Porter (Chaser) 0 5

Bri Thornton (Seeker)

September 04, 2013 3:34 PM

SHOW?! Where? by Bri Thornton (Seeker)

The whole week before the game Brielle could hardly sleep. It was almost as if she wouldn’t ever sleep again. Sure, she had caught the Snitch in their game last half term, but she knew now that it was more luck and adrenaline than anything else. Her foot twinged in the cool-ish weather, only a little bit, and as she tried to relax with a cuppa tea out in the Gardens before she had to be on the Pitch to meet the rest of the team. The game was scheduled for the afternoon, thank goodness, so she could try to relax beforehand. Unfortunately, the day had started bright and clear, but by the afternoon there were dark storm clouds and rain. Oh of course… You would Mother Nature… You would…. She thought to herself as she walked from the Gardens to the Pitch and over to the rest of her team.

It’s hard enough to see the Snitch without rain… Now I’ll have that to battle with too, and not just having to try to get the silly golden winged ball before Arnold Carey… she thought as she came up to Derry and the others. Bri glanced towards Rina and noticed the terrified and nervous look on her face. Aubrielle knew just how her little cousin felt, she felt the same way, but she wasn’t going to let it show to Rina. “Hey cuz. It’s okay, if we win today, that’s great, but if we don’t… We got to the finals for the first time in MANY years, so we did great!” she said, glancing around to find Mitri, to see if he had a similar look on his face.

Not having caught him right away, Brielle glanced back to Derry as their Captain made his speech. This would be Derry’s last year on the team and she didn’t want it to be in vain, however, she’d also seen what happened when Aladren played in a game…

Sure, Bri was worried, terrified in fact. But she didn’t want to let it throw off her game. It’s just like going onstage for a show. Sure, you’re nervous, sometimes very nervous, but it will go off well and the show isn’t over until the fat lady sings… she thought to herself, as she wondered deep down if Aladren would be her fat lady that day.

Brielle pulled her hair out of the pony she’d had it in at the Gardens and fixed the wet red hair into a better pony, one that wouldn’t let the little hairs fall out. Soaking wet already, she pulled out her wand and took the water off of her with the handy little charm she’d learned for that very reason. She knew she’d get wet again, but she shrugged that fact off. It will be what it will be… she thought as Coach Pierce spoke up. Derry went off to shake hands with Arnold and Bri watched feeling very apprehensive.

Both Captains were seventh years and both wanted the win. Arnold wanted it to be a winner again, she was sure. But Derry wanted it for Teppenpaw’s first win in a LONG time. The fact that Andri was on Aladren’s team, as was Lucian (even though he was a part of Clara falling down entirely in the last game) and Kitty, helped a little bit (sort of). At least there would be a win in the family if either team won… Though Bri wanted so badly for Teppenpaw to win the Finals too. Then maybe Ris, Kate and Kirstenna would be proud of what they helped to create too… They could have the trophy in THEIR Head of House’s office for once, and it would be wonderful!

With hands shaken, both Captains were sent back to their teams and the balls were released. Brielle mounted her broom and as quickly as she could, she followed the slight glimmer of gold of the released Snitch. (At least, what she hoped was the released Snitch… But she’d never really know unless she actually caught up to it.)

0 Bri Thornton (Seeker) SHOW?! Where? 0 Bri Thornton (Seeker) 0 5

Captain Carey, Seeker

September 07, 2013 11:26 PM

The show has arrived by Captain Carey, Seeker

It was Fate. It had to be. There was no other explanation, at least not that Arnold could think of. Even Arthur, who thought he was superstitious to the point of stupidity and frowned upon most of Arnold’s opinions about Quidditch, had to admit that the odds had not been good that Teppenpaw would somehow manage to be both the first and the last team Arnold played against at Sonora. They hadn’t, after all, made it out of the first round since before then, so the only way it should have been possible would have involved Arnold losing another game. Somehow, though, the planets had aligned just so, and though both teams were practically unrecognizable except for him and Arthur and Derry, Arnold had spent the past week in a better mood than he’d probably been in for any length of time for about two months. When it started raining on game day, he went from happy to outright cheerful again. It was all working out.

Arthur, worried he was getting overconfident, had tried turning his superstitions against him: the final was always Aladren-Crotalus, and when it had not been, Arnold had lost. He had to admit it was a valid consideration. He was going to sort of miss Crotalus, too; he was aware enough to know Cepheus wasn’t going to miss him, that it was probably impossible to be fond of someone who’d beaten you every single year, but he had a lot of respect for Topher as a Beater and a captain. It would have been an honor to get beaten up by him one last time, too, and with the long rivalry and an older, more experienced enemy Seeker in the mix, Arnold was sure they could have put on a memorable show. On the whole, though, he was still happier that it was Derry. He guessed he was just sentimental that way.

He grinned at his team as they got together before the game. “Here we are,” he said, rocking a little on the balls of his feet. Merlin, but he felt good today. It was like everything else – the strain of daily practices of his own on top of the team and far too many classes and having a girlfriend, worrying about his RATS and his future and whether or not he was going to drive away everyone he knew being snappish for no reason sometimes – had just melted away, leaving him back in his game for the first time in forever. “It’s the Finals. We should be able to do this pretty easily, and let’s give the audience the best show we can, but focus on winning, okay? Chasers, your guys are pretty little, keep them on the run – Beaters, one of you guys help them out, make them panic if you can, keep them from working together.”

He didn’t specify a Beater in case Thad had decided he could not go against Derry; Quidditch at this school was almost a family feud just waiting to happen, and he counted himself very fortunate than Malcolm, whatever else Arthur might think he was or was not, was apparently possessed of the athletic ability of a flobberworm and so couldn’t start an inter-branch incident through the Pecari team. “As for the Seeking game…their girl did beat Cepheus, so don’t discount her. If she looks like she’s making a move on the Snitch, take her out if you can, and as for the rest, well, you know your game.”

He pointedly did not look at Andri, who was, Arthur had said, the Teppenpaw Seeker’s sister; a good thing about Crotalus would have been that their Seeker was old enough and male enough and familiar enough for Arnold to have no problem picking on him and giving his blessing to whatever force the Beaters could make work, but the girl had signed up for this, and it wasn’t his fault that the game was the game. Besides, the medic would have her right again in no time if Derry was sloppy enough to let her get her skull cracked open, anyway. It wasn’t like it was really a problem. “It’s okay if I get roughed up a little, you know, makes for a better show, don’t beat yourselves up about it, but let’s try to avoid a repeat of the time when I passed out five seconds after I caught the Snitch, yeah?”

Arthur gave him a very disapproving look at that – he and Fae fussed too much over a few bruises; what kind of show was it if the Seekers didn’t get hurt? People came to see him get bloodied up and then win anyway, that was half the fun of watching a game for most people – but said nothing. That had been a good game; they had all been half-dead by the end of it. “We can do this, no problem,” he said. “Anyone need an Impervious Charm? Ask Arthur if you do.” Arnold was perfectly capable of the spell, but Arthur’s were better than his, and the idea was to keep people as dry and visibility as high as it could be.

“Feels like first year again, doesn’t it?” he said pleasantly to Derry as they shook hands, then tried not to look visibly impatient until the whistle blew and he could kick off.

In the air, he started out fast, blinking more often than usual against the rain as he looked for the Snitch and the Teppenpaws who would help him play his game. He spotted the latter first. It really was no fun, playing a little girl; he wondered, in retrospect, if his old adversaries worrying about feeling like they were picking on people not at all their own size might have had something to do with his early wins. Merlin knew he was not as good as everyone seemed to think he was – of that, Arnold was absolutely sure. It made sense that perhaps they had not wanted to pick on, as strange as the idea of himself as one at all was, a little kid, rather than that he’d really been better than them…

However, if he got too squeamish and lost because it, Arthur would kill him, so he tried not to think of that. It wasn’t relevant. He stayed close enough to, by his estimate of his broom, catch her quickly if she started moving too purposefully in any direction, but didn’t engage for now, both because it was a little early to get himself Bludgered – it might give the game a nasty tone, to almost begin on that note, and he didn’t really want to go out in one of those games, he’d had as many of them as he wanted – and because he figured that as much as anything might mess with her head. Arnold was no good at politics, but even he knew that having a reputation could be useful, whether he followed it or, in this case, did not.

0 Captain Carey, Seeker The show has arrived 0 Captain Carey, Seeker 0 5

Captain Derry, Beater

September 08, 2013 3:45 PM

Yes, it's right here: Pierce Beater Battle by Captain Derry, Beater

They had made it to the final. Derry still wasn't quite certain he hadn't dreamed the whole thing, but when he showed up with his team on game day, nobody tried to kick them off the Pitch or out of the locker room with the admonishment that Crotalus was supposed to be playing today, not them, so it must have been real. It was just them and Aladren and Amel- er, Coach Pierce - out in the middle of the field in the rain.

He brushed shaggy wet hair out of his eyes, kind of wishing for his tricorn hat but it wasn't regulation uniform even if he hadn't given it to Reggie, and looked around at the yellow clad players gathered around him. "Okay, guys," he said, "and girls," he added as an afterthought, hoping not to offend anyone, "the final. We're here. That means we're already winners, no matter what else happens today." He paused a moment, then added, "But winning today, too, would be awesome, you know?"

"Anyway," he continued, shaking his head and focusing on the business at hand, "We've got rain, so visibility is down. Short passes would probably work best for you guys," he suggested, looking at the Chasers. He didn't know a great deal about Chasing, though, having never played the position himself, so that was the only pearl of wisdom he could offer for today's circumstances. "Laurie, you keep our Chasers protected and go after the Aladren ones, I'll keep with Brielle and Arnold. Bri, do what you did last game, but hopefully without the bludger, and you'll do great." He knew less about Seeking than he did Chasing, but whatever she'd done last time had obviously worked, even with him letting one of the bludgers get to her. "Dimitri, keep a sharp eye out and don't let the Chasers sneak up on you in the rain."

With that, he finished up his speech with a Team Spirit cheer, "Okay, let's go, Teppenpaw!" and held out his hands for each of them to high-five. Once that was done, Amel - Coach Pierce, that was - called him and Arnold over and they shook hands. Derry grinned back at the Carey twin's cheer, though, honestly, he didn't think it really felt much like first year at all. He was the only person on his team who was the same, and even Aladren had seen a good amount of turnover this year as apparently several of the bookish House's seventh players seemed to have opted for RATS study instead of keeping in the game.

He returned to his team, picked up his bat and his broom, and crouched, ready for take-off at the signal. The whistle blew and he was up and off. Arnold was the best Seeker the school had seen in a long while, so he went after a bludger right away instead of just covering Brielle as he had last game. Finding one, he glanced at the blue clad adversaries and couldn't help a grin from creeping across his face as he saw Thad had decided to cover Arnold this game.

Derry knew he was the better Beater of the the two of them. True, it had been some years since they'd been able to practice together over the summer, but from what he'd seen two years ago, or even at the beginning of the calendar year, he didn't thing Thad had improved enough to really challenge him. Teppenpaw definitely had the Beating edge over Aladren this year, with Preston not playing. Lucien was pretty good from what Derry had seen in January, but it was the kid's first year on the team. Laurie should have the advantage there, too.

Deciding to test Thad more than seriously challenge Arnold, Derry swung his bat hard and connected with a loud, wet thunk as wood met metal and sent the bludger screaming directly at his cousin, who was currently positioned directly between Derry and Arnold. Before the bat had even finished vibrating from the hit, Derry moved to put himself between Thad and Aubrielle. Testing Thad was one thing. Endangering his Seeker was quite another.

1 Captain Derry, Beater Yes, it's right here: Pierce Beater Battle 189 Captain Derry, Beater 0 5

Thad Pierce, Beater

September 08, 2013 4:24 PM

Can we watch a different show? by Thad Pierce, Beater

Thaddeus disliked rain. He disliked rain even more on Quidditch days, in part because Quidditch was held outdoors and he therefore had to go out in said rain because the crazy people running the sport like Coach Pierce and Captain Carey did not seem to think this was a valid reason to cancel or postpone practices or games, and in part because playing Quidditch in the rain made holding onto his bat much more difficult. The impervious charm only helped so much; it helped prevent his robes from sticking to him and impeding movement, it helped the wood from becoming water logged and therefore heavier and prone to warping or eventually rotting, but there wasn't much it could do if water droplets got between his hand and the bat.

Still, those things it did do were helpful, so he made sure he cast it even before heading out to the Pitch, and couldn't help a small scowl as the rain collected in his hair and dripped down his neck in a small rivulet anyway. Impervious though he might be, the rain had to go somewhere. He wondered briefly if there was an evaporation charm somewhere that would make the rain disappear entirely it it tried to land on him. He made a mental note to look it up later but it wasn't going to help him now, so he put the thought out of his mind as Arnold began speaking. The guy seemed entirely too happy to be out in the rain, in Thaddeus's opinion.

As the captains shook hands, Thaddeus turned to Lucien and said, "You did really well in the Chaser game this winter. You should handle them again, while I watch out for Arnold again." This was in part because Thaddeus really did not do well among the Chasers - there was too much to keep track of and he spent too much time analyzing what was going on and not enough actually Beating even when his cousins weren't playing - and in part because he knew Derry's tricks better than Lucien possibly could.

Of course, the same could also be said for Derry knowing Thad's tricks, but Thad was the more experienced beater of the two Aladrens, so he felt he should be the one to try to take on a seventh year.

So he took off when the whistle blew and positioned himself near Arnold. It wasn't much more than a minute into the game before the unmistakable sound of a bat hitting bludger was heard and Thad looked around, bat ready in his right hand and his left ready to steer his broom to position himself between the threat and Arnold. He wasn't really expecting to already be in that position, so it took a little longer than it should have to spot where the dark bludger actually was (which was not easy against the rainy backdrop either). By the time he did, he only had time to get the bat in place to hit an unaimed deflection rather than a redirect for Teppenpaw's seeker.

The impact came in hard, too, hard enough to jar both of his arms and make his wrists and elbows ache for a minute, but he managed not to take any lasting damage to himself, his broom, his bat, or his Seeker. He didn't even drop the bat. Not bad, he thought in self-congratulatory victory. He'd stopped Derry's first attempt at Arnold. Not bad at all. This game was already going better than the weather's bad omens had portended.

0 Thad Pierce, Beater Can we watch a different show? 0 Thad Pierce, Beater 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

September 08, 2013 6:36 PM

We shall persevere to spite the weather by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Today was not a good day. The weather was rotten, standing in it was uncomfortable, and he was worried about his brother on top of everything else. Arnold was in almost, after the past few months, unnervingly high spirits today, and if he didn’t get himself hurt badly enough to require medical attention and leave Arthur with the unenviable task of putting up and attempting to reason with a hysterical woman as a result, Arthur was inclined never to become a betting man. He could just picture it, and that was not at all a thing he wished to do. All he wished to do was go inside, have a very hot bath, get dry, and then get a book and some coffee and chase off anyone who approached the fire he took up residence in front of at wandpoint.

As none of those things, particularly the last, was an option at the moment, though, he schooled himself to looking impassive, only breaking his card face once to glare at Arnold when his twin confirmed that it was indeed all right if the Beaters let him get injured. He did not make it one of their looks, which only Arnold would likely notice or comprehend, either, hoping that the Beaters would also notice this and that they would think for a moment which of the twins was less pleasant-natured. He would not do anything to them, as Arnold was an idiot and they could hardly be held responsible for this, but there was no harm in it if they did their jobs better because they thought he would.

Merlin, let him win, he thought as he watched his brother shake hands with Derwent Pierce, one of them or the other apparently deciding to speak to the other, if he was reading them right. Arthur prided himself on knowing his family and how they were likely to react, but if Arnold lost today, he really had no idea what would happen. It would cast such a pall on the past six years, though, that he couldn’t imagine it would be good….

The whistle blew, and with an effort, he stopped thinking of Arnold. Arnold was far above him already, looking for the Snitch and trouble with likely equal enthusiasm for each task, and he had his own job to do. Miss Wolseithcrafte took the Quaffle first, earning a nod of approval he was absolutely certain she did not mark, and he began to look for her rise back into higher air to get into formation for the passes.

It went wrong. Had the wind thrown it off a little, or the water weighed down Miss Wolseithcrafte’s sleeve just enough to decrease the Quaffle’s speed, or had the Teppenpaw girl just gotten lucky? It was possible the rain had actually worked to Aladren’s benefit, keeping her from getting a grip on the Quaffle when she knocked it off-course. No matter what the case was, though, Arthur did not have the Quaffle, nor did he know exactly where it was in the tight quarters the Teppenpaw girl’s intrusion had created, and that was not a state of affairs he found much more agreeable than he did the rain.

Muttering briefly and darkly to himself, he split away from the situation to try to get a better look, his hands tense on his broom handle for the moment when he might need to make a quick turn or dive. It was always somewhere; Pennifolds didn’t hit the ground that quickly. They would have it back soon enough in spite of this minor, temporary setback.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser We shall persevere to spite the weather 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

September 08, 2013 7:45 PM

Sounds like a good idea to me by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

Carter grumbled when his alarm clock went off the morning of the final game. It took him a moment to realize that his team actually made it to the finals this time around. They had actually managed to beat Crotalus in the last game. He grinned to himself at that thought and pushed back the covers. He got dressed quickly and grabbed his broom on his way out of the Teppenpaw dorms. He walked down to Cascade Hall for a quick breakfast to calm his nervous stomach. Once he finished eating he made his way out towards the pitch. He glanced up at the rain and closed his eyes as it cascaded down his face. Carter had always loved the rain so the fact that their final game was taking place while it was raining actually made him more excited. He enjoyed flying around while it was raining despite his mother’s protests. Today he would get to fly around in the rain without being griped at by his mother. He finished the walk to the pitch and joined his teammates that had already gathered around Derry.

He nodded as he listened to Derry’s speech and found himself agreeing with Derry’s statement about them already being winners for having made it this far. Sure they wanted to win the final game as well, but if all they managed to do was make it to the finals Carter would be very happy with that. He knew that he should want for them to win more than anything, but he couldn’t focus on that thought alone. He knew that if he obsessed only about winning he was going to make a vital mistake and it could very well cost them the game. Instead he focused on just having fun that day, win or lose. He would do his job as Derry had instructed, but he wasn’t going to obsess about it. He would leave that to the Aladren players. He was glad that he and Darina would have Laurie watching out for them today and nodded towards the older boy. He glanced over towards Darina and noticed that she was clearly nervous about the game. If he didn’t know any better he was pretty sure she was shivering. He reasoned that she was probably shivering because it was chilly and rainy outside. Standing around in damp clothes couldn’t have been helping. He waited for Derry to finish his speech and slapped hands with him before walking by Darina and Dimitri.

“Derry’s right guys…we did good making it this far,” he told them both while Derry was shaking hands with the Aladren captain. Carter turned towards Darina then. “Don’t worry…it will be fine and Laurie has our backs. Just try to have fun with it and forget about the Aladrens and the bludgers,” he told her, mounting his broom near her. “Let’s go partners,” he said, nodding to both Darina and Enion as they heard the whistle blow to start the game. Carter kicked off the wet ground, slipping a bit on the wet grass under his feet. His hair was plastered to his head in wet curls, but he didn’t care. He flipped his head around to remove his hair from his sight and took off after the Aladren chasers and the coveted red ball. He heard a crack of wood on metal and caught a glance of Derry smacking one of the bludgers towards Thad and Arnold (or was it Arthur?), Carter couldn’t tell from that distance through the rain drops. He turned his attention back to the Chasers flying around and caught sight of the quaffle in what he assumed was Francesca’s possession. He was fairly certain that he saw her try and pass the quaffle only to have Darina interfere.

He felt his hand ball into a fist that was raised in celebration maybe as he heard the word “Yes!” escape his lips as he raced towards them. He didn’t see the quaffle in Darina’s possession, but falling just off to the side of her and raced forward to try and grab it before it reached the ground. He reached out his hand and felt the red ball make contact with his fingers. He tried to grasp it completely, but found it difficult slightly since his gloves were all wet from the rain. He put more into the catch and managed to get his hand completely around it. He brought the ball tight into his chest and began flying in what he believed to be a straight line towards the Aladren side of the pitch. He glanced around and caught sight of Arnold? nearby, but couldn’t quite tell which side of the pitch they were still on. He strained to see past the flyers and caught sight of the goal hoops in the near distance. He was fairly certain that the Keeper guarding them was an Aladren since she was wearing blue as far as he could tell through the rain.

Carter continued to head in his current direction and prayed that one of the other Tepp Chasers were somewhere close by. Seeing what he was fairly certain was a yellow player he made a short pass to them hoping that the rain and wind didn’t hinder them too much.

0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser Sounds like a good idea to me 0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

September 08, 2013 9:19 PM

The Victory Channel's supposed to be good tonight by Arnold Carey, Seeker

It was always hard to be really sure of an estimate of what was or wasn’t a good range in Quidditch, so Arnold was pleased when the Beaters tested it out and proved him at least partially right in his best-educated guesses a moment later. Thad’s performance wasn’t quite what he might have hoped for, but it had probably given anyone watching their game a good moment of suspense, and he hadn’t gotten injured, so it was all so far, so good.

“Nice!” he congratulated his Beater, then turned, flying further away from the Teppenpaws before looping back. One of the hardest choices, for him, as a Seeker wasn’t whether or not a move was too risky to take even if it might mean catching the Snitch, but whether or not he should keep a close eye on his competitor or go search independently, leaving her behind. He might have, normally, but, well, she’d beaten Cepheus, and was kind of the wild card of the Seeker lineup at the moment – she could be like him and get lucky, either because she was just lucky or because she didn’t know how crazy some of the things she was doing was until someone told her, though admittedly, Arnold still didn’t really care about that kind of thing on his own account. He played it a little safer for Fae’s sake, but they still had very different ideas of what that constituted, and if it came to being safe or getting the Snitch, he couldn’t think of a lot of cases where he wouldn’t risk his neck before he even thought about it and not regret it once he did.

If she did win, for whatever…well, he hoped he could be a good sport about it. He’d had a good run, so it would be ungracious to hold it too much against someone luck chose to favor as it had once favored him if today didn’t go well. He still hoped more, though, that he didn’t find out. At home, he was perfectly comfortable looking like the least competent runner of races ever born when playing with his younger cousins, but it wasn’t just him winning or losing today, however easy it was to forget that when he considered how much of the burden of winning was on him. It was Thad, and Arthur and Jay and Anthony, and the rest of the team, and Fae, and Professor Fawcett, and much of the House….

He shook his head a little, then turned it back toward the earth, scanning for any sign of the Snitch, before looking up to check over his head just in case. Many a Seeker better and worse than him, older and younger, had been made to look like a great fool by a Snitch right on top of his head which he did not catch, so Arnold tried to always remember to look up, no matter how high in the air he was already. Nothing was there, though. Not yet. He flew a little further out, still looking.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker The Victory Channel's supposed to be good tonight 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Jay Carey, Chaser

September 08, 2013 10:03 PM

Here for another party by Jay Carey, Chaser

Playing in one game had been unexpected; playing in both was not something Jay had foreseen as a possibility at all. Honestly, when Arnold had told him yesterday, Jay had thought he should probably refuse, say at least to let Anthony have a turn in the name of being fair, or something. In the end, though, the feelings of being flattered and wanting to show off a little had won out. Jay had lived all his life with the sure knowledge that he was not one of the stars of his family, and while he didn’t mind that, he wasn’t afraid of the light, either, and couldn’t quite resist the temptation to stand out as something a little more public than the one planning to take over Arthur’s job as the primary tutor to the younger Careys next year once his cousin was gone. As long as he didn’t do it again next year, he didn’t think it mattered too much.

As his cousin gave his captain’s speech, Jay was glad to see him looking happier than he had for a while, but frowned a little as Arnold went on, thinking that the tactics he was suggesting almost sounded contradictory. He wanted them to both give a good show and to win quickly using fairly brutal tactics; maybe Jay just wasn’t following something, but those two didn’t sound as though they went together to him. At least not by Arnold’s standards of a good show, anyway; his cousin usually went for one where they didn’t look like the bad guys and Arnold himself was the underdog, though admittedly, it would be kind of hard for him, who’d lost once ever, to play that part against Aubrielle Thornton. Maybe Arnold himself didn’t know quite what he wanted to do with that?

That wasn’t a comforting thought, that the captain wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. Arthur, however, seemed to have some pretty clear opinions about the strategies they should follow. Jay was pretty sure that if it were up to Arthur, they’d go entirely for quick and brutal and let the history books be their judges; Arthur was nearly done with this school anyway, so it didn’t really matter to him what people thought of them. If Arthur cared what people thought of him at all. It was hard to tell if he did sometimes, but Jay was sure he cared more about Arnold succeeding than about whether or not people considered them all unnecessarily aggressive, if too many in the audience were inclined to interpret things that way.

Uncomfortably, he wondered if Aria would be in the audience. Teppenpaw was her House and they were friends, sort of, so he wouldn’t be surprised if she was, even in the rain. He could be wrong, but he didn’t see Aria as one to mind the rain too much. She knew, obviously, that he didn’t follow the traditions of her community at all, but, well…He was actually pretty comfortable in her company, just on the basis of them both being a little outside of the social order of their year. He would rather that not change because the team was extremely rough on its opponent, her House.

In any case, Arnold had a point when he usually talked about a good show in Quidditch – just long enough for the audience not to feel cheated, not so long they got bored and their rear ends ached from the stadium benches, and with neither side just pulverizing the other. It had to at least look like a fair fight, or the audience wouldn’t be happy, and since they all had to live with the audience after the game if they didn’t die of something from all this rain first….

He willed his head not to feel stuffed up already as the captains shook hands before kickoff, and concluded as play began that Arnold was the only one happy about the idea of playing in the rain. Francesca got the Quaffle, then it fell before Arthur could get it thanks to one of the Teppenpaw Chasers hitting it without getting it, then one of the Teppenpaw Chasers did get it, and Jay followed him.

When he saw the other guy look like he was going to pass, Jay decided he was probably going to really throw it that way because it wasn’t very far to the other Teppenpaw. It would be hard to get in there. He might, though, be able to get above them and intercept that way, or at least knock it out of the pass, the way the other Teppenpaw had just done to them. If he knocked it far enough ahead, Francesca might stand a good chance, she was small and quick enough to dart in there – but he had it in his hands, and flushed, as chilly as he was starting to feel because of the rain, with pride as he rose higher before turning around, perhaps confusing the Teppenpaws for a moment, though his main purpose was just to get clear so he didn’t hit anyone.

That goal accomplished, he tried to wipe the water off the Quaffle with one hand to get a better grip with the other, realized this was a pointless endeavor, and started back toward the Teppenpaw goals, regaining some ground before lining up for a pass with one of the other Aladren Chasers, hoping the third was either blocking a Teppenpaw or flying at them like crazy to scare them or watching to follow one if they did intercept it again, or...something.

0 Jay Carey, Chaser Here for another party 0 Jay Carey, Chaser 0 5

Laurie, Tepp Beater

September 10, 2013 1:20 PM

Here I go on my ownnnn! by Laurie, Tepp Beater

Wow. They were in the finals!! How awesome was that? It was pretty awesome in Laurie’s very humble opinion. Quidditch was his passion, his reason to bear his semi-existence at Sonora, and he was very good at what he did. He trained hard to achieve the level of beating expertise he currently possessed and there was nothing in the world that would deter him from his dream of playing professional Quidditch like his dad had. Out of his siblings, he was the only one that had decided to pursue that career. Darren and Larissa were too involved in the Pureblood social aspect of their lives that they didn’t see past their noses or friendships. It was hard being at home which was why Laurie spent most of the summer at Quidditch Camp honing his playing skills.

The redhead knew that he was escaping his problems, but it was really hard to focus on what his parents wanted from him when it clashed horribly with what he wanted out of life. Laurie wanted to be free. He didn’t want to live by prejudices or barbaric rules. The Teppenpaw just wanted to enjoy life, and his family made it very difficult for him to do so.

Every negative thought was erased from his mind as soon as he entered the pitch. He didn’t mind the rain purring down on them. It just made things more interesting. They were going to beat Aladren if it was the last thing they did. Over the years the rivalry between Preston and him had grown exponentially and even though his cousin wasn’t playing anymore there was nothing like seeing his old team lose. Yes, that would make Preston scream in frustration.

Laurie smiled at the prospect of what a win would bring him. The beater was already drenched before the game started but it didn’t matter. He was ready to make some Aladren players cry under his continuous attacks. It was a good thing that Derry and him had a good playing dynamics. As soon as the game started the other beater went with the seekers while he would focus on the chasers.

The rain was making it difficult to see or concentrate, but he was ready. Laurie found the nearest Bludger and sent it towards the nearest Aladren chaser which happened to have the Quaffle in his power.

0 Laurie, Tepp Beater Here I go on my ownnnn! 0 Laurie, Tepp Beater 0 5

Francesca Wolseithcrafte

September 12, 2013 6:05 PM

There's no I in team... by Francesca Wolseithcrafte

Francesca was a very logical, objective person, and she knew that very little in Quidditch was remotely personal in nature. Therefore, when Arnold made the jibe about the other team's Chasers being green around the gills, she tried not to wonder what it meant he thought of her. He'd put her on the team, and she felt she was holding her own well enough to vindicate that decision. No, she wasn't as skilled as some eighteen year old who'd been on the team since first year, but she knew that no one expected that of her. She was acquitting herself decently for her level. And she didn't look like she was about to throw up on the pitch, unlike Darina Porter, which somewhat explained how Arnold's remarks could be true without being disparaging of her too.

For all her apparent nerves though, the Teppenpaw girl managed to get in her way. It was barely a contact with the ball but it was enough to turn it away from Arthur's grip and over to one of the Teppenpaws. It was frustrating but that was the game. Frustration was natural but not useful. With a struggle, she tried to check the emotion. She may have been in a lucky spot but, if her face at the start of the game had been anything to go by, Darina should be easily spooked. Veering to head after the Quaffle, Francesca swerved tightly in front of the younger girl. It wasn't close enough to be reckless but it was probably near enough to be startling. Especially as her judgement and ability to manoeuvre were probably slightly more tuned than Darina's; the move may not have been dangerous but that wasn't to say Darina knew that.

One-hundred and eighty turn completed, and feeling her frustrations oddly sated, she sped off after the boy with the Quaffle. Her little extra loop around Darina had taken mere seconds but that could be a lot in Quidditch and she didn't think she would catch him before he passed. She saw Jay up ahead, in a much better position, and adjusted her ideas to getting herself into a suitable position to support him coming back down the pitch. She cheered silently to herself as he got the Quaffle. As he pulled up out of the crowd, she tried to do the same, still speeding towards the Aladren goal end to try to meet him half way. As she drew near with him, she sat up straight, keeping one hand on her broom, ready to receive the Quaffle with the other. It was at that point she heard the thwack of the Bludger, but she was already committed to the move. The effect of her altered position had the dual advantage of opening up her posture to safely draw the Quaffle into her chest, which she neatly did, as well as bringing her broom to a screeching halt. The inertia was enough to start a swing back around, and she virtually turned on the spot. She threw herself flat against the broom. The sound of the whistling metal ball had been coming from Jay's other side, and so she hadn't been in much danger. He was though. But she didn't have time to hang around and see whether it got him. There was time for a rushed shout of 'Bludger!' as she received the ball, and then she was off, trying not to worry what had happened to him. It was nothing personal. It was just Quidditch.

She focussed ahead, looking for Arthur. It occurred to her at this point to wonder what had happened to Darina, as she hadn't had time to see the outcome of that little stunt either. Spying her fellow Aladren Chaser up ahead, she swerved in. The visibility was poor in the rain, and getting as close as possible would help. As she pulled up alongside, she made for the short pass, hoping (and trying to scout out) as she did so that Darina was compromised (if only emotionally) and Jay was not.

13 Francesca Wolseithcrafte There's no I in team... 250 Francesca Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Jay Carey, Chaser

September 13, 2013 12:49 AM

Is the 'a' for 'aaagh?' by Jay Carey, Chaser

Jay heard Francesca shout as she caught the Quaffle, but it took his brain a second to unscramble what she had shouted and what it had meant – shouting on the Pitch, after all, sometimes being relevant and about what they were doing, and sometimes celebratory, angry, or just because, from what he had gathered. Really, they needed to work out a better system, because by the time he figured out what Francesca was saying, it was already a little late.

He shouted, too, when the Bludger caught him on the leg when he didn’t pull away quickly enough, but stopped shouting even more quickly as he felt the pain and simultaneously felt as though he were going to throw up. It wasn’t broken; he was pretty sure it wasn’t broken. One time, when he was eight, he had fallen out of a tree and broken his arm when he hit a rock at the bottom, and that had hurt a lot worse than this. But oh, it still hurt. His eyes were smarting a little independently of the rain and he wanted to get out of here and deal with it.

Getting out of the immediate vicinity was, at least, a possibility, and as for the rest, it was amazing how much it helped to pretend, as he maneuvered away from the Bludger, that he was at home, a process itself helped along by Arnold and Arthur being here. His brother and cousin would never let him live it down if he quit the game, probably pointing out that his sisters wouldn’t quit what they were doing for that. One of the benefits of growing up around a lot of boys and very tough girls, he guessed, was that he had a highly developed sense of shame and something he guessed he could vaguely label ‘honor,’ though he had a feeling that was a misuse of the word….

Reminding himself that staring off into space would be no more well-received than quitting, and that it might lead to another Bludger besides, he ran his arm over his eyes, just getting more water in them off his sleeve, and tried to find the Quaffle again. He needed to keep up with the Quaffle, or, if he was too shaky to handle it, at least be there to block other people from getting it.

Get a grip, Jay, he told himself angrily. He would be steady enough to handle the Quaffle the next time he had to. He had been more battered than this, surely. Just not recently....

0 Jay Carey, Chaser Is the 'a' for 'aaagh?' 0 Jay Carey, Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

September 13, 2013 9:45 AM

No, no, none of that. by Arthur Carey, Chaser

Arthur experienced perhaps ten seconds of relative satisfaction when Jay and Miss Wolseithcrafte completed a pass before he realized something was not right. From there, it was not a long way to determining that the problem was a Bludger and that his cousin had not completely avoided it. Nor did Jay seem to be taking it exactly in stride, as might have been hoped but not, he supposed, too much expected. It had probably been a good while since Jay had gotten hit that by hard by something; most of the trouble Jay had ever gotten into had been found following Arnold, and Arnold’s removal from home, from Jay’s immediate vicinity for two years before he too left home, along with the duties of an eldest son to a large number of challenging younger siblings, had allowed their cousin to develop a morsel of sense.

An unfortunate thing to have, in Quidditch, but Jay would have to take care of himself as best he could and get out of the way if he could not. There was nothing Arthur could do to help or harm him now. His sole business was following the Quaffle and doing what he could to keep it away from Teppenpaws.

Still, he spared a glance for the higher skies, for the darkish blot he thought might be his twin. Hurry it up, Arnold, he willed him. He knew it would be a bit of a disappointment to his brother to have a smooth game, not to get to win his last one in spectacular style, and to tell the truth Arthur would find it a bit of a letdown, too, but they needed to finish this up. It was cold, they couldn’t see well, so they were going to get hurt more often, and losing this game would be a crushing blow to everything they had built. Arthur had no desire whatsoever to have his brother’s legacy be that of a failure.

Miss Wolseithcrafte passed again, and this time, Arthur completed the pass without any interfering Teppenpaws throwing it all off course and sending them ‘round in a circle again to get back to where they were. Well! Perhaps things were looking up. Or would go wrong in the next move. Quidditch was unpredictable like that, if one did not cheat, which Arthur was not doing today. He might have tried it next year, if there had been a next year, but he expected to be doing something very different by this time next year – probably, at this exact time, enduring with great patience a large number of very irritating people associated with the circus which would be his brother’s wedding, but Arthur hoped there would be some interludes more pleasant than Quidditch or weddings in the mix, too.

Mindful of Bludgers himself, not sharing his brother’s idea of them making a good game when it involved him or Arnold interacting, as it were, directly with them, he covered some distance, flinching once at what he thought at first was the sound of a Bludger but which he concluded had just been wind or something, then tried to pass again, squinting as his colleagues and judging the distance and weather resistance as best he could before throwing the Quaffle.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser No, no, none of that. 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Francesca Wolseithcrafte

September 13, 2013 2:31 PM

And no sappy motivational posters either by Francesca Wolseithcrafte

Francesca smiled a little to herself as Arthur successfully grabbed her pass. She was sure that she had disrupted her fair share of plays between the other team – in fact, appearing that she was going to ram them was probably in rapid danger of becoming a signature move – however, it was always easier to remember the times when one had been scuppered. It was good to see something go right. Relieved of that responsibility for the time being, she chanced a glance over her shoulder but only for a second or so. In that time, it was difficult to pick Jay out from the blur of players, the water in her eyes not helping.

Hopefully he was catching them up. Regaining ground or even over-taking whilst they wove their way towards Teppenpaw's goal. For her part, she focussed her attention back on Arthur, aiming to stick close by him. Not so close that Teppenpaw could surround them and head them off, or at least not consistently so. She looped under him or over him, taking a slightly scenic route along the path to make herself harder to mark, but repeatedly coming in close before swerving off again. Always under, over or behind, and aiming to keep an eye out for anything that might make him swerve, so as not to be in his way if that became necessary. It was always a balancing act, a calculated risk. She certainly didn't want to be responsible for him being hit by a Bludger because she was in the space he needed to move to. But short passes worked in this game, so the benefit of staying close outweighed the risk, especially if she stayed alert. It was a tall order, with so much happening, and with an irritating trickle of water steadily snaking its way down her back, and with her hands starting to feel rubbed and sore from the wet broom handle. But she didn't have the pressure of being the one holding the Quaffle right now. It was amazing how being in that position somehow narrowed your senses. Or it did for her, anyway. It was something she was working on. Checking that adrenaline rush that took over once the ball was in her grip, the kind that verged on a slight panic. The fight or flight, she thought to herself, with a wry grin.

She was honing back in on Arthur as she saw him look up to her. She steadied her pace, ensuring that she wouldn't have swept underneath him before he could complete the pass. The red ball sailed through the air, and she snatched it, before continuing under Arthur and forwards. Even with the gripping Charms, the ball was slippery in the rain. Catching was a hazardous moment. She sped upwards, trying to get away from the action, and hoping that the Seekers would have no cause to come this way. She was getting close to the edge of the scoring zone now. Very close. The moment had come to decide who would enter. Hoping that they could take the Teppenpaws by surprise, and that the Aladren Chaser was close enough to the line, she threw the ball forward. From her position above the hoops, it arched slightly, taking it just beyond the boundary line that marked the scoring zone and down towards the players below. Perhaps it would even tempt the Keeper away from the goal, as he was now the only Teppenpaw player who could make a grab for it without committing a foul. That would be an added bonus, as she was sure the position of the ball favoured Aladren getting to it first. If they then faced a poorly guarded goal, all the better.

13 Francesca Wolseithcrafte And no sappy motivational posters either 250 Francesca Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Dimitri Porter, Tepp Keeper

September 13, 2013 5:13 PM

No sappy posters...got it by Dimitri Porter, Tepp Keeper

Dimitri groaned sleepily at the alarm when it went off the morning of their final Quidditch match. He stared at it blankly trying to convince himself it was time to get up. He really didn’t want to, but he made himself do it anyway. Once he was up and moving he was actually excited about the idea of the whole thing. His first time playing actual Quidditch and his team had won their game. He still couldn’t believe it. From everything he had heard about the Crotalus team and the Aladrens he had been sure that their house was going to get creamed. Little did he see his house being the victors against Crotalus and moving on to the final game. He took a quick shower pulling his clothes and game robes out of his trunk beforehand. He got dressed and after making sure that he had all his game stuff, he headed out of the common room and towards Cascade Hall. He wanted to make sure that he had the chance to eat before he went up against the Aladrens. He hadn’t seen his sister when he left the common room so either she was still inside up in the girls side of the dorm or she was already on her way over to the pitch. He wasn’t quite sure at the moment. He grabbed himself a light breakfast and then hurried out to the Quidditch pitch.

Dimitri was determined to reach the pitch before the captains did their speeches and the handshakes. He glanced up at the sky as the rain freely fell wondering if this was somehow an omen of things to come. “Great,” he grumbled to himself as he realized that his warm shower had pretty much been fro naught. He arrived onto the pitch about the same time that Carter did and nodded towards the older boy, his curly hair dripping wet and sticking around his face. He was beyond soaked as he took up a spot by his sister Darina and Enion and waited for Derry’s speech. Derry addressed them all and Dimitri nodded. He was a little nervous about the whole endeavor, but he told himself to keep calm. Once he started breathing normally again he glanced towards his sister who looked even more afraid than he had. He reached over and nudged her gently with his elbow. “It’ll be fine Rina,” he whispered to her. “Just pretend you’re beating me at something and you’ll be fine.” He flashed a bratty smile towards his sister and nodded his agreement as Carter gave her his own sort of pep talk. Dimitri followed Carter, his sister and the others towards the center of the pitch for the start of the game. He mounted up his broom and waited for coach Pierce to finish addressing everyone and blow her whistle.

Once Coach Pierce blew her whistle everyone took off into the air including Dimitri. He vaguely saw people flying every which way, but made a beeline for the Tepp goal hoops. He flew as fast as the rain and his drenched clothing would allow. He really disliked the fact that it was pouring rain right now because that meant that he would have to work twice as hard to try and spot the Chaser who held onto the quaffle. Last he saw Francesca had it, but he lost sight of her and the quaffle thanks to the rain. He strained to see what was going on, but couldn’t quite keep a good eye on everyone so he decided to pay attention to just the objects flying in his immediate direction. He figured that should simplify things a bit he hoped. Until that happened Dimitri would just have to stay where he was and wait. He was pretty certain he wouldn’t have to wait long. He watched as Darina made a move to intercept a pass between the Aladrens, but he couldn’t tell if she had gotten it or not. He squinted through the rain and spotted what may have been Carter with it heading towards the Aladrens side of the pitch, but again lost partial sight of it due to poor visibility. He tried to wipe at least some of the water out of his eyes as he strained to see what was going on.

He heard the crack of wood on metal somewhere nearby and turned in the sounds general direction. He couldn’t tell which of the Aladrens had gotten hit by it, but he was pretty sure it had gone in their direction. He brushed his wet hair back away from his face with his gloved hand and waited to see what happened. He moved around a little uncomfortably on his broomstick as his clothes and Quidditch robes clung heavily to him. He waited to see if they would make a play towards him and grinned slightly as he spotted what may have been Francesca and Arthur heading in his direction. He watched their approach as closely as he could despite the rain fall and frowned slightly when Francesca appeared to disappear slightly. He strained around trying to catch sight of her and instead caught sight of the quaffle falling down towards the border line of the Teppenpaw scoring zone. He figured he could grab it before one of the Aladrens did and decided it was a calculated risk. He took off towards the quaffle and managed to get his hands on it. Despite the fact that the rain was making the ball slick to hold onto, he managed to tuck it up under his arm and hold onto it until he caught sight of one of his own teammates flying close by. Once he spotted one of them close enough to pass it to, he lobbed it in their direction hoping that he got the distancing right. Once he was fairly sure that the quaffle was in safe hands he flew back towards the goal hoops.

0 Dimitri Porter, Tepp Keeper No sappy posters...got it 0 Dimitri Porter, Tepp Keeper 0 5

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

September 13, 2013 8:51 PM

I won't do them if you won't by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

Carter grumbled under his breath as he watched Francesca take off with an interception when he tried to pass it. He sighed heavily and circled back around towards where she had been when she stole the ball from them. He was having a heck of a time trying to see thanks to the wet mop that was his hair in his face and eyes. He spent most of the game flying around with his hair in his face and his clothes clinging to him. It had to be the most uncomfortable way to fly around that he had ever encountered. He watched as she flew away from the Aladren side of the pitch towards the Teppenpaw end. He prayed silently as he flew behind her that if she did manage to get to their goal that despite the rain Dimitri might be able to stop her. He caught sight of the ball being passed and grumbled that he was too far away to do anything about it. He wondered where Darina and Enion were on the pitch and prayed that maybe one of them could get to her and intercept the pass. He grumbled again to himself as she completed the pass to Jay and Jay took the ball further towards his goal still.

Carter mumbled obscene words to himself as he made his way towards the Aladrens that were now closer to his side of the Pitch. He knew that if his mother heard any of these unsavory words his rear end would never be able to touch a seat ever again nor would he ever see the light of day. He caught sight of the quaffle being passed again and grumbled. He wasn’t entirely sure which of them had the quaffle, but he was determined to try and keep an eye on them anyway as he tried to get closer. He saw the quaffle pass again to Arthur and tried to get closer as he made his way back towards his goal hoops. He flew as close to them as he could without calling attention to himself. He hoped that if they passed the quaffle again he might have the chance to intercept it this time. He frowned however, when Francesca seemed to disappear from Arthur’s side. Carter grumbled some more and kept up behind them. Wherever Francesca disappeared to, she would have to reappear soon because they were fastly approaching the scoring boundry line where he definitely wouldn’t be able to do anything without fouling.

He heard what he thought might be a metallic whiz behind him and chanced a glance backwards. He saw what he thought might be one of the bludgers heading towards him and moved upwards slightly to avoid it. He really detested playing in the rain. He moved back towards his hoops just outside the boundary line and glanced around. He caught sight of Francesca up above where he was and caught sight of the ball heading downwards. He caught sight of the other Aladren chasers nearby and debated on whether or not he’d be able to make it to the quaffle before the Aladrens did. He went to move closer and found himself grinning when he caught sight of Dimitri whipping through the rain towards them. He raised his fist in the air in celebration as Dimitri managed to take possession of the quaffle before the Aladrens could get it back and score on them. He stayed close by for when Dimitri threw the ball back into the game and caught it tucking it close to himself.

Carter raced off through the heavy rain away from the Tepps goal and back towards the center of the pitch. The ball was slightly slippery thanks to the rain and he worried about losing his grip on it as he flew. He had a hard time seeing thanks to the wet hair in his face and figured that he might want to pass it soon if only to keep from crashing into something since he couldn’t really see. He glanced around and seeing that there was a yellow player flying nearby he made the short pass to them. He prayed that if nothing else they could keep the Aladrens away from their goal hoops.

0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser I won't do them if you won't 0 Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser 0 5

Arthur Carey, Chaser

September 14, 2013 1:59 AM

Would you like a condolence card after the game? by Arthur Carey, Chaser

The dangers of relatively new players, Arthur thought, was that you never really knew what they might do. Technically, he thought it might still be legal for the Keeper to leave the goal hoops and fly a distance as though he were a Chaser, but it had gone out of style quite some time ago, making it hard to say if Mr. Porter was a trivia man who had decided to take a risk or if he simply didn’t know any better.

As interesting as Arthur would find the answer to that question, regardless of which answer it was, however, he had other matters to think about right now. Such as the move throwing him, and presumably the others as well, off enough that they had allowed Teppenpaw to regain the Quaffle, all within spitting distance of the goal hoops, too. The whole thing, in the rain, felt very much of wasted effort – not a thing he liked in general anyway, but especially not when the whole school was watching.

He could just imagine Arnold’s response: well, at least the Teppenpaws are entertained. He’ll be a hero to them. Sometimes, Arthur really did think Arnold took the entertainment aspect of Quidditch far too seriously. The game had been invented for fun, as far as he understood, but it was not like that now. Being a showman only counted when it was for one’s own side, and Aladren probably felt their players had just made them look very foolish. He did not care if the Teppenpaws were entertained or not, as he seriously doubted any of them were betting on his side of the match, just as much as he doubted that any Aladrens who were would give Arnold a cut of the profits for actually winning the damn thing.

Whether anyone was entertained or not, Mr. Browning had the Quaffle, and Arthur decided to swoop at one of their Chasers and try to chase it off, opening the door for either of his colleagues to intercept an unambiguous pass if possible. Unlike Arnold, he did not underestimate the abilities of the younger players; he and Russell had been perfectly capable of a number of feints by their first Final, so these, who were older than they had been then, could most likely manage something at least if they had the opportunity. He had no interest in giving it to them.

0 Arthur Carey, Chaser Would you like a condolence card after the game? 0 Arthur Carey, Chaser 0 5

Jay Carey, Chaser

September 14, 2013 2:00 AM

You're going to need one. by Jay Carey, Chaser

For a second, Jay thought his vision must have been disrupted by some combination of the rain pouring down in front of his eyes and the pain throbbing in his leg. Everything which happened near the Teppenpaw goals looked hazy and complicated and not at all normal, which opened up the possibility of misinterpretation.

A second later, he still wasn’t totally sure what had happened, but the Quaffle was heading back toward Andri, and he knew what to do about that. That couldn’t be allowed – wasn’t what they were supposed to do. So he turned his broom around, gasping at the novel sensations that introduced to his injured limb – he really hadn’t gotten hurt recently enough, he thought grimly; too much tutoring, not enough falling in his summers – before he followed, determined to at least be seen on the spot, to still be in the game, and hopefully fool the Teppenpaws, who had to be as rain-blind as he was if not worse, into thinking Aladren was everywhere and completely uninjured.

He did, after all, have to live with one of the other Chasers all summer, and while he suspected Arthur would lose interest in the sport once he was officially no longer on the team, well, he had worked hard to not be regarded as one of the silly littles at home. Opening himself up to criticism wasn’t the way to maintain that status, especially since the twins were bound to spend a while feeling superior to the rest of them once they finished school.

He figured out Carter Browning had the Quaffle, then started looking for his supporters, only to see him starting to pass to one of them. Not thinking of his leg for one blessed second, Jay flew forward, grabbed for it, got it – then gasped again, his bruise going from throbbing to stabbing in protest at him taking both hands off his broom and staying on it entirely with his legs, and the Quaffle was wet, and his hands fumbled it just so that it shot out from between the heels of them and began to fall.

“Oh, great. Oh, great,” he said to himself, then again, not even really thinking about it – “oh, great” – as he dove after it, feeling, though he knew it wasn’t really true, as though this was the moment in his life he would never live down. He hated Quidditch.

0 Jay Carey, Chaser You're going to need one. 0 Jay Carey, Chaser 0 5

Anthony Carey VIII

September 14, 2013 2:13 AM

Musing on the bench by Anthony Carey VIII

Anthony couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t had the knack of blending in with the scenery when he wanted to, and today, dressed in blue identical to everyone else’s and not really distinguishable from Jay with the water darkening their hair and straightening his cousin’s, Anthony decided to use the skill. He felt, as he first listened to Arnold rattle on and then took his place on the alternate’s bench, disturbed and unbalanced, as though everything was just a little off-axis, and he didn’t see what good being noticed when that was how he was feeling could possibly do him or anyone else. Today was about his brothers, not him, and he didn’t want them noticing him feeling odd about it.

Still, though, he couldn’t shake the thought himself: after this, Arnold wouldn’t be the Aladren Seeker anymore.

It wasn’t a surprise. He had known all year that his brothers were both finishing in June, that they wouldn’t come back in the fall, and that they therefore wouldn’t play Quidditch here anymore. It was still, though, incredible to really think about. He could remember a time when Arnold had not been what he was now – before Sonora, Arnold had just been the funnier, kinder of his brothers, and the one with whom his relationship was not very complicated and layered, even at the young ages they’d been then – but for most of his life, he had either been watching his brother play Quidditch or else staring eagerly out the window for the detailed play-by-play reconstructions of games Arnold sent Mother after games, then hanging around the table or sofa while Mother read them aloud to him and Father, along with explanatory comments for the latter, who had never seen the point of flying around getting hit by evil metal balls and didn’t know much about the sport beyond that and the existence of the Snitch. It was just strange, now, to think of all that being suddenly over.

Looking up at the stands, he wondered if the family had made it out today in spite of the rotten weather, but he couldn’t see much. Henry, he knew, almost certainly wouldn’t come – his cousin couldn’t stand the crowds, the noise, the violence, the excitement, the heights. Theresa might, though. Mal, probably not – what did he care about Arnold and Arthur? It was possible, though; he and Anthony were….friends wasn’t the word, but they were in more or less the same position, born to expectations no one could want or uphold, so there was common ground there, anyway, and Mal had been in Arthur’s challenge group last year. Fae might or might not, Anthony always wanted to ask about her and Arnold, but he never did, having the vague idea that it was none of his business and that he might learn more than he actually wanted to know if he did and would never be able to look his sister-in-law-to-be in the face as long as he lived and, for some reason, because he thought Arthur would regard it as an imposition into something which was not supposed to go beyond his brothers. The twins were much more…proper around him than they were when they thought they were alone together, from what he’d overheard a few times….

He hoped she was here, anyway, for Arnold’s sake, and that Theresa was, too, and wasn’t sure if he wanted to go into the game at all or not. On one hand, it would be sort of neat, he thought, for the three of them to all play together one time. On the other hand, though, that meant someone else would be badly hurt, and he didn’t want that to happen, either, any more than he wanted to make a fool of himself by not being as good as someone in his family should be, as good as an Anthony should be at whatever he did.

As the game began, he allowed his thoughts to stray to next year. To his disappointment, he had started to definitely follow in their father’s shape: thin, to be sure, light-boned, but tall and lanky, not short and quick like Arnold. Taking his brother’s place as Seeker probably wasn’t going to work, especially since he just kept getting taller and kept getting clumsier every time that happened. Plus, if one of them moved up, it would surely be Jay after he’d played this year, and the new captain might not feel right, having too many members of one family on one team, any more than Arnold apparently did. Would he continue on here? He wasn’t sure.

He watched Arnold dodge a Bludger, then the Quaffle moving back and forth between Chasers, up and down, sideways, in loops. That looked like fun; maybe one day, this summer, if Arthur happened to be in a good mood and Jay was around, too....

He checked on what Arnold was doing again, then looked back just in time to see Jay look like he’d been hit by a Bludger. Anthony made a face in sympathy, biting the inside of his mouth. That was rotten luck, especially in rotten weather, whatever Arnold said about a good show. Anthony hoped it was their last for the day. Anxiously, he looked toward his eldest brother again, but Arnold still seemed all right, except for lacking the Snitch or any gymnastics it was really safe to do in this rain for no good reason.

0 Anthony Carey VIII Musing on the bench 0 Anthony Carey VIII 0 5

Darina Porter, Tepp Chaser

September 14, 2013 4:00 AM

I don't want a card... I want my Mommy... by Darina Porter, Tepp Chaser

Darina was still terrified, even though Bri had some nice things to tell her. Mitri, as well, had something attempting to be nice to say to her. But neither had meant that it made playing in this game any easier! Rina went along with the others and flew up into the air at the start of the game. She’d thought she’d give it a try with all the positive affirmations that Addison had been talking about, so she went for the Quaffle to try to get it back from Aladren.

The only problem was that she’d missed it entirely. The water in her eyes and that wet the ball hadn’t helped anything. Rina knew that this was not going to bode well for them, especially not Teppenpaw who was currently fielding a new Seeker this year, and two first years versus only one new player on the team’s first string for Aladren. This is not good… she thought to herself as the ball went from hand to hand. She couldn’t see well through her hair and the rain wasn’t helping in the least.

Francesca swerved in front of her and at the same time Darina heard the telltale sign of the bat hitting a Bludger and her eyes searched wildly for the scary black ball. The second year was the least of her worries right at that point in time! She couldn’t find the Bludger and swallowed a large ball of saliva, and, terrified it was coming near her, flew upwards and out of the range of the possible hurtling black ball of pain. I can’t do this… I can’t do this… I can’t do this… she thought to herself, feeling like the biggest coward in the world!

In doing so, she missed seeing where the Quaffle had ended up until she saw, below her, the cluster of Chasers and her cheeks blushed with embarrassment and just plain wetness. They were headed for Mitri! Oh no… Oh no… Oh no…. she thought to herself as she put her chest as close to the broom handle as she could to try to head them off. It didn’t work though, but it didn’t seem to matter much. Just as she got close enough to see who had the red ball, Dimitri was after it! Rina wanted to cheer for her brother, but she didn’t have it in her to cheer. She’d possibly just screwed up Teppenpaw’s whole chance to win just by being a scaredy cat!

Mitri got the ball and threw it right back out of his territory towards Carter. We’re back in the game… We still have a chance… We still have a chance… she thought to herself as a little voice in the back of her head said, “As long as you’re not stupid and run away again!”

Rina pursed her lips together and went after Carter. The problem was, that first the dark haired Teppenpaw first year had seen the older boy, but then he was gone again! “This rain stinks…” she mumbled to herself quietly as she spotted him again. She was after him like a shot out of a gun, moving her chest as close to her broom as she could make it go. She felt her soaking wet hair fly behind her in the process and she finally caught up to Carter just as he‘d decided to make a short pass! It‘s coming towards me... It’s coming towards me… It’s coming towards- she thought as Jay, one of the Aladren Chasers was right there, right on her spot!

NO! she thought to herself, actually tearing up on top of the rain now. But not even seconds later, she realized that as quickly as the boy had gotten the Quaffle, he’d also dropped it too!

Darina wasn’t feeling so brave, but she knew that she had to at least try! She turned her broomstick downwards and pushed herself close to the wood of it once more. I have to get below the ball… she said, knowing just what she had to do, but hating what it was at the same time…

Rina flew downwards and just before it fell completely, she managed to get ahead of the speeding ball and scoop it up, thanks to the help of her broomstick and her hands for catching both before she fell entirely off her broom to boot! She was shaking, hard, but she’d managed to do it, somehow…

I got it… I got it… I actually got it! she thought to herself as she flew upwards and back into the game, heading back towards Andri, hoping beyond all hopes that Carter or Enion were around somewhere, because if she didn’t get rid of the ball she knew she’d drop it, and soon! Her hands were shaking and she felt strangely heavy… Seeing what she thought was yellow, she hoped they’d seen her, and she lobbed the Chaser a pass, hoping they’d get it…

For at that point, she was feeling very dizzy…

0 Darina Porter, Tepp Chaser I don't want a card... I want my Mommy... 0 Darina Porter, Tepp Chaser 0 5

Aubrielle Thornton, Seeker

September 14, 2013 4:32 AM

ABC Family usually is... by Aubrielle Thornton, Seeker

Aubrielle had told Darina that it truly didn’t matter if Teppenpaw won this game. The thing that mattered most was that they won the first game of the year and they’d MADE IT to the finals. THAT was something to be proud of. She knew it was true, what she’d told her cousin, but that didn’t change the fact that it scared the stuffing out of her that she had to face Arnold Carey, who she knew, and NOBODY had to tell her that, was the best Seeker in the school…

She knew that if Teppenpaw lost today it would most likely be her fault more than anything else, and that hurt her more than the Bludger hit to her foot in the last game. Her mistake would cause Derry to lose his last game there at school, just like Kate’s, Rista’s and Kirstenna’s before that. It’ll all be MY fault… she said to herself as she flew off after the golden glint that was the Snitch.

Bri knew that Derry had her back so the thunk of wood on metal didn’t phaze her. At least she pretended it didn’t… Inside, her heart jumped and almost felt as if it skipped a beat, but she never stopped flying. It won’t get me, it can’t… she thought to herself as she put her mind back to the job and task at hand. To find the Golden Snitch, and before Arnold Carey did!

Bri tried her hardest to find a glint of gold through the rain drops, but it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. A few times she’d thought she saw the golden color of the Snitch flying elsewhere and had flown to where she thought she’d seen it, but it wasn’t there. “Either it flew off already or it was never here to begin with…” she said softly to herself. Nobody could have possibly heard her through the rain, and what did she care if someone had heard her? So, she was a Thornton, who cared? So some of her sisters weren’t liked so much, again, who cared? She had best friends that deeply cared for her and she had the same. She wasn’t like most of her sisters. And NOBODY would tell her differently.

Brielle flew higher to see if perchance she could see the golden glint that way as she hadn’t seen it really, or so she thought…

0 Aubrielle Thornton, Seeker ABC Family usually is... 0 Aubrielle Thornton, Seeker 0 5

Arnold Carey, Seeker

September 14, 2013 1:36 PM

I'll stick to Victory, thanks. by Arnold Carey, Seeker

In one way, anyway, this was not like first year at all. Arnold was pretty sure he never would have gotten away with this much flying back and forth without any particular urgency to just look for the Snitch at his leisure in that game. He and Kate Bauer had been all over the place, maneuvering against each other, dodging Bludgers all over the place, catching a few, and, in one memorable moment, nearly getting flattened by the onslaught of their own Chasers –

Or had that been a different game? He had played Kate a few times, after all. She had been fun, a good opponent, and he’d admired her stubborn refusal to just give up more than once. Weird to think the other Bauer girl – the one in Aladren, Thad and the newest sort-of-in-law’s friend, the one who looked about as interesting as a Sunday afternoon tea – was her sister, though Arthur asserted this was so.

He thought it had been that first mad game, anyway, and it didn’t really matter anyway. He was able to take it easy this time, so at least Fae would be happy – something he reminded himself of fairly often. It was still weird for him, a little, considering someone else’s feelings about everything he did, but he guessed he had better get used to it.

Turning around near their own so-far unassaulted goal posts with a wave to Andri, he looked down and felt the familiar old jolt which came with seeing something move against the grass. It wasn’t as bright as it would usually be in this rain, wasn’t really bright at all, but – “

He dove, determined his target, and though it made one dodge as he approached it, the catch itself was smooth. Grinning from relief more than anything, Arnold held it up for everyone to see - what Arthur, being Arthur, would have probably called the end of an era.

0 Arnold Carey, Seeker I'll stick to Victory, thanks. 181 Arnold Carey, Seeker 0 5

Coach Pierce

Quidditch Final: Aladren vs Teppenpaw by Coach Pierce

<font color='blue'>Francesca Wolseithcrafte</font>

Let's get this show on the road by <font color='blue'>Francesca Wolseithcrafte</font>

<font color=yellow>Darina Porter (Chaser)</font>

Maybe if the road was dryer? by <font color=yellow>Darina Porter (Chaser)</font>

<font color=yellow>Bri Thornton (Seeker)</font>

SHOW?! Where? by <font color=yellow>Bri Thornton (Seeker)</font>

<font color="blue">Captain Carey, Seeker</font>

The show has arrived by <font color="blue">Captain Carey, Seeker</font>

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

Yes, it's right here: Pierce Beater Battle by <font color=yellow>Captain Derry, Beater</font>

<font color=blue>Thad Pierce, Beater</font>

Can we watch a different show? by <font color=blue>Thad Pierce, Beater</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

We shall persevere to spite the weather by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

Sounds like a good idea to me by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

<font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

The Victory Channel's supposed to be good tonight by <font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">Jay Carey, Chaser</font>

Here for another party by <font color="blue">Jay Carey, Chaser</font>

Laurie, Tepp Beater

Here I go on my ownnnn! by Laurie, Tepp Beater

<font color='blue'>Francesca Wolseithcrafte</font>

There's no I in team... by <font color='blue'>Francesca Wolseithcrafte</font>

<font color="blue">Jay Carey, Chaser</font>

Is the 'a' for 'aaagh?' by <font color="blue">Jay Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

No, no, none of that. by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color='blue'>Francesca Wolseithcrafte</font>

And no sappy motivational posters either by <font color='blue'>Francesca Wolseithcrafte</font>

Dimitri Porter, Tepp Keeper

No sappy posters...got it by Dimitri Porter, Tepp Keeper

Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

I won't do them if you won't by Carter Browning, Teppenpaw Chaser

<font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

Would you like a condolence card after the game? by <font color="blue">Arthur Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Jay Carey, Chaser</font>

You're going to need one. by <font color="blue">Jay Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="blue">Anthony Carey VIII</font>

Musing on the bench by <font color="blue">Anthony Carey VIII</font>

Darina Porter, Tepp Chaser

I don't want a card... I want my Mommy... by Darina Porter, Tepp Chaser

Aubrielle Thornton, Seeker

ABC Family usually is... by Aubrielle Thornton, Seeker

<font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>

I'll stick to Victory, thanks. by <font color="blue">Arnold Carey, Seeker</font>