Wendy Canterbury
February 13, 2015 8:42 PM
Being supportive in the stands by Wendy Canterbury
Now that Wendy was officially, or unofficially, going out with Rupert, she thought it would be good of her to come out and support him. She had come to like watching the rather violent sport, but today it was hard to find the motivation. The rain put a damper on her usually carefree mood, but her loyalty to her house, her friends, and Rupert got her black-and-white rain boots on, a burgundy raincoat with the hood up to cover her blonde hair, and her sunflower umbrella. She trudged through the mud and wet up to the stands and took a seat near the front.She tried to peer through the thick rain to see people she could recognize. At least Professor Olivers' voice came loud and clear, and she was surprised to hear that Crotalus and Teppenpaw had joined together to form a team. In her mind, those two houses were the last two she could see together, though maybe there would be more hard feelings between Crotalus and Aladren. In any case, she settled down to watch as much as she could of the game. She did wish she had brought some kind of waterproof binoculars, but this would have to do.
There weren't butterflies in Wendy's stomach when she recognized Rupert, but she did feel warm inside knowing that he was there. They'd never actually given themselves a label as boyfriend or girlfriend, but she didn't really care for labels much anyway. She liked it how it was right now, spending time together and kisses here and there. It was a good way to spend her last year at Sonora and a nice way to relax from the stressful responsibilities as Head Girl.
She'd come to like her role a lot. Being Head Girl was like being president of the student council in high school, a role she never would have though to try out for before. But at Sonora, first being appointed Prefect by the staff members, then voted Head Girl by her peers, she had been given the push she needed to be more responsible and practice the leadership skills that she was surprised to find. There was a lot of her sister within her; when Wendy tried, she was sure she could be just as ambitious and creative as Waverly was.
Everyone on the pitch was flying now and she tried to see if the Quaffle had been thrown yet. As she continued to hold her umbrella above her, she saw someone in the stands who had come without one. It was a little silly to come outside in this weather without an umbrella, and she moved to sit next to them. "Care to share my umbrella?" she asked with a friendly smile. Even with a hoodie or a rain slicker, in this kind of pour it was impossible to be fully protected without an umbrella, and hers just happened to be big enough for two.
Subthreads: Supporting the other side. by John and Julian Umland
<font color="orange">True colours</font> by Jemima with Caelia & Emrys Lucan
Spectating by Aiden O'Neil
Supporting someone else, somewhere else. by Chaslyn Brockert
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Wendy Canterbury
Being supportive in the stands
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John and Julian Umland
February 16, 2015 7:59 PM
Supporting the other side. by John and Julian Umland
John would not have bet an imitation knut on the game ending in a way that didn’t involve Pecari engaging in more overkill than a firing squad armed with machine guns, but he still thought it was really cool that some of the Crotali and Teppenpaws (most of them his classmates, who he now found much more interesting as a result) had the nerve to try. Books, youth organizations, and even his family had done their best to impress on him that discretion coupled with valor would get him a lot further than valor alone, and he tried to follow their advice in real situations, but he had listened to Mom tell him (admittedly, in rather edited form) the stories in her books first, and an awful lot of them involved people continuing to fight even when it was obvious they had no hope of survival. The...Teppali, he guessed the plural would run, were stupid, but he just couldn’t help but find their stupidity rather grand. He almost wished he could ride out with them, even if it did end in an overnight trip to the hospital wing.Such romantic thoughts, though, he kept to himself. For one thing, it sounded really stupid and un-Aladren-like without Mom narrating, and for another, his sister was the oldest Teppenpaw prefect. Julian had an obligation to support her boys and girl in temporary uniform and reminding her of how doomed they probably were would have been unkind.
From her expression as she looked out a window at the rain on the day of the match, though, he thought she already knew. He tried to cheer her up by pointing out that the Pecari Seeker really didn’t seem very good at what she did, ignoring how Annabelle Pierce had had a seventh year Beater in her way last year and how even their Seeker winning them the game probably wouldn’t make the Teppali look that good if the rest of the team was cut to pieces before the Crotalus girl caught the Snitch, but it didn’t seem to do much good. She just sighed, adjusted her hat - an utterly impractical sort of hat he did not think was actually going to keep any rain at all off of her face, or even her head after about a minute - and asked if he was sure he would rather not act like a sensible human being and stay indoors.
John would have rather found a place somewhere under the stands and watched and analyzed the match through the gaps in them while eating a sandwich, but since he didn’t have the heart to let her face it by herself (she'd never left him in the lurch, after all), he didn’t mention that and denied firmly any desire to act like a sensible human being. And between them - John casting the enlarging charm he’d learned in Charms on an umbrella, Julian anchoring it to the back of the bench and spreading some waterproofed blankets on the bench itself - they managed to make a bit of the stands as comfortable as he thought was possible under current conditions. It was more comfortable than he’d expected, anyway, though he guessed he was biased; virtually every time he’d had to participate in camping activities for badges or awards instead of with the family back home, it had rained, and he hadn’t had access to the kinds of magic they’d just done on those occasions. By the time he’d gotten that damn Canadian Camper award, he’d wanted to demonstrate his skill at tying knots by hanging a few rain gods in effigy, but had found checking off another box on his list an immensely satisfying experience.
“You should put up the hood on your jacket,” he told Julian, following his own advice and then copying the way Julian had pulled her feet back toward the edge of the wood beneath their feet, her heels hanging over an edge, to accommodate for the umbrella not quite reaching far enough forward to ensure them dry shoes if they left their feet in more natural positions. The stands, built, like most of the school, for a lot more people than Sonora held, were empty enough and people in general unlikely enough to particularly want either this spot or his or Julian’s company that he didn’t think their umbrella would have really been in anyone’s way if he had made it larger, but it might have obscured such view as they were going to have of the match.
He raised his binoculars (not a very powerful pair, but they got the job done generally; Dad had gotten them for him on his eleventh birthday) and peered at the little figures on the ground. “They might have a chance,” he said, then pulled the binoculars back in to try to dry them off. Julian took them from him and tapped the lenses with her wand.
As the players kicked off, John grimaced in disappointment over Pecari getting the Quaffle and Julian in disappointment over her hair, apparently, not wanting to hold the pins she’d used to secure her useless hat to it. “Why are you wearing that, anyway?” asked John, half his attention still on the moves. Pecari would, he expected, use pretty simple techniques, relying on superior flying, superior brooms, and Adam and Annette’s superior sizes to shut their opponents out without many fancy tricks. Joella would most likely get a taste of John’s sort of Chasing experience, as the rain would probably mean the other two wouldn’t have the luxury to hold her hands like they had last year.
“I thought it looked smart,” she said, adjusting it again. John decided to assume she meant ‘neat, well-put-together’ or something along those lines instead of ‘intelligent,’ as he didn’t particularly associate most hats with academia….
“I thought most people quit wearing hats before Mom and Dad were even born,” said John.
“Then why do the shops still sell them? And anyway, that’s - not-magic people, and I heard somewhere that fashionable American women wear pretty hats when they watch even ground sports….”
John looked away from the game for a moment just to check that she wasn’t joking. “What?” he asked, honestly bewildered as he mentally ran through all the problems with that statement, or at least with Julian making it. Not only (by virtue of being born north of the border and less than, depending on jurisdiction, either seventeen or eighteen years ago) was she neither American nor a woman, she was also not even a fashionable Canadian girl. And they all liked her that way. She was too good for it, not to mention too sensible. So even if she was right about how their female classmates would dress when watching sports when they grew up, what did it matter to her? Yeah, she was joking or something and just maintaining a good poker face.
She flushed, but her expression changed and then became a polite smile before he could figure out what she'd looked like before. Someone was nearby after all, and he knew that strange bit of conversation was not going to turn into a strange line as a result. John peered at the game again, noticing that Pecari was about to try for a goal. “That was quick,” he commented.
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Supporting the other side.
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Jemima
February 17, 2015 9:15 AM
<font color="orange">True colours</font> by Jemima
Jemima had seen plenty of Quidditch matches growing up. Generally, she took more interest in people watching and the pre-match displays than the sport itself. For once though, those priorities were reversed. Sonora was not very likely to have the latter and, as she looked out of the window, she thought the weather might limit her options on the former. She was, however, still determined to go to the match and support her housemates. She wanted to say ‘especially Ginger’ because Ginger was her room-mate and her friend but that seemed a bit mean to all the other Teppenpaws, especially Andrew Carey whom, even though she had spoken to him very little, was the sort of person she was meant to like very much. And anyway, Owen was her friend and he and Owen were room-mates so that counted too.She had been preparing very hard for the match, making use of the art room in MARS to paint a banner. She had thought long and hard about what to put on it, because ‘Go Teppenpaw and Crotalus’ was a bit unwieldy but it seemed unkind to leave the Crotali out. She had been glad to hear the combined name being bandied about, as that was much easier to fit on. She had considered her colours only momentarily - it had not been a hard choice, when faced with alternating red and yellow or mixing them together to choose the latter, as orange was her favourite colour. She had been delighted when she had found out that someone else shared her reasoning and the team would actually be playing in it. The only thing she hadn’t merged together were the house mascots because she thought that would look more like a Transfiguration gone wrong than a sign of encouragement, so the Teppenpaw prairie dog stood proudly on one side, whilst the Crotalus Rattlesnake was on the other. She also had plenty of orange clothes in her wardrobe, and was wearing an orange skirt with white polka dots paired with a white blouse. The large umbrella she carried with her was also a bright shade of the same colour, leaving no doubt as to whom she was supporting.
She took her place in the stands, deciding she would rather not sit down on the soggy bench. She clutched the rolled banner to her chest. Little drips of water were making their way in, as they always did, flecking her clothes. If she unrolled it, it was sure to get utterly ruined and she had worked so hard on it…. But she wanted the team to see it and know that they were being cheered for, though she supposed they might well be able to see her thematically appropriate umbrella from this distance.
“Excuse me?” she asked a nearby student. “Do you know how to do the water repelling charm? I made a banner but I didn’t know how….” she explained.
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<font color="orange">True colours</font>
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Aiden O'Neil
February 17, 2015 5:22 PM
Spectating by Aiden O'Neil
Aiden was excited to watch the Quidditch game. He sometimes wished that he was part of the Quidditch team like his roommates were. He thought that it might give them something more to bond over rather than just them being friendly to one another (he wasn’t even sure if Tobi liked him at all or just tolerated him because of Liac), but Aiden was not made for the game. Even if he wasn’t of the extra large persuasion, Aiden had no hand and eye coordination to make the team. Flying a broom was easy, but flying a broom, keeping track of the opposing team, catching a quaffle being thrown full force at him, and aiming for a hoop with the hopes of confusing the Keeper? Nope, not for Aiden. But even though he couldn’t join the team, he would do his best to support his roommates and his house.It was a shame that the weather was not cooperating for the first game of the year. Especially since this was really the first time that the Teppenpaw/Crotalus team would showcase what they’ve been training for since the team formed. He didn’t really think that they would win against Pecari considering the skill level of Pecari over the new team, but perhaps if the weather had been better, they might have had more of a fighting chance.
He had to think positive though because if he went in thinking poorly, it’ll only leave disappointment in it’s wake. It was great that there were three teams this year instead of two. It meant that there were going to be three full games and maybe a championship game. This was fantastic. If his friends didn’t win, that was okay too because it just meant that they had to work harder for next year and have a better chance of winning.
Aiden layered up and wore a rain slicker and hat to keep himself dry throughout the match. The hardest part was going to be trying to actually see the match through the rain. he didn’t have glasses to keep the rain out of his eyes, so he would have to do a lot of squinting. Even so, he didn’t think he’d really be able to see much of anything. He’d have to just go with the flow of the crowd.
Finding a seat in the stands, Aiden hoped some of his friends who weren’t on the Quidditch team would come sit with him. It might end up being a terribly boring time for him otherwise. But he was determined to enjoy the game whether he did so alone and in the rain or not.
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Spectating
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Chaslyn Brockert
February 18, 2015 11:50 PM
Supporting someone else, somewhere else. by Chaslyn Brockert
Chaslyn was nervous. She knew she shouldn't be here, at the game. She had so much that she could be doing instead, so much she had to study and practice. Mother would be furious if she found out that Chaslyn wasn't using this time appropriately and her abilities suffered for it. She'd be in major trouble-and she knew, mostly from how Mother had punished Amity, that would not be a good thing. Plus, Chaslyn just plain hated confrontation and conflict and making people upset. It hurt her stomach.Still, Liac was playing. He was co-captain of the combined Crotalus/Teppenpaw team. He was her friend, and she wanted to be there for him. Actually, if he could be at something of hers-and she wasn't paranoid about failure and making a fool of herself and Mother's reaction to him-Chaslyn would like that. Having someone there who cared about her and would support her but not be angry if she didn't do well. Sometimes Father came, but sometimes, he had to work. Besides, if she didn't win or made a mistake and Mother got mad, it would cause tension between her parents and that upset her too. Things weren't good when she messed up and it was all her fault.
Granted, things didn't always used to be her fault, the focus had been on what Amity did wrong and even when Chaslyn had done wrong too then, her sister had always done more wrong. Still, the Crotalus missed her terribly and not because she wanted Amity in trouble either of course. Next year, Amity might even be married and have her own life. They wouldn't see each other at all . She'd be here and in the summer, she would be busy. They didn't see each other during summers now . Instead Kira got all Amity's attention and Chaslyn couldn't help but resent her for it. Yes, the Aladren spent time with Effie here too but it didn't feel like Effie was taking her role. Nor was Phillip Tremont, though he actually was the reason she wouldn't see her sister, not Kira really. Still, Phillip was going to be Amity's husband, not a substitute little sister when the seventh year had her already.
It was raining pretty hard as the third year entered the stands in her rain-proofed cloak. Honestly, Chaslyn felt it would serve her right if she caught cold because she'd risked angering Mother over her friendship with an "inappropriate boy". Oh yes, she knew-thanks to Kelsey-that Liac's mother was a Muggle and that the Reinhardts were tradesmen to start with but still, the second year was the only person here besides her family she felt cared about her. And with Amity graduating and probably getting married next year, she'd need him more than ever.
She found a spot and sat down by herself. Liac was on the field, and she didn't even know if any of her relatives were coming. Amity hadn't seemed crazy about the idea of coming when Chaslyn had talked to her because of the rain and that she didn't really know to root for Annabelle Pierce or against Rupert Princeton anyway and the third year hadn't actually talked to Kelsey about coming, because she didn't want Kelsey to know why she was interested much more than she wanted Mother to.
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Chaslyn Brockert
Supporting someone else, somewhere else.
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Caelia & Emrys Lucan
February 20, 2015 12:48 PM
Funny, we're just here for the rain (jk) by Caelia & Emrys Lucan
Quidditch was not Caelia’s thing. However, since Alistair was not only been the first person she had talked to at Sonora but also the Right Sort, she figured she could make an exception. Granted, the team he was on was a mixed team with Teppenpaw and their new color as a result was a dastardly sort of orange, but Caelia figured that didn’t really matter—Alistair had been named co-captain and he was her friend (or, at least, she hoped they were on their way to becoming friends). Making the decision to go to the game had been rather easy—making the decision on what to wear, however, had not.She absolutely detested the color orange, feeling it much too bright and gaudy for her tastes, and though she had many pastel yellow dresses she didn’t feel quite right wearing them to the match since yellow was for Teppenpaw and neither herself nor Alistair were in Teppenpaw. Caelia had tried on several different combinations of outfits before finally settling on a three quarter sleeved, light tangerine colored dress that was not so bright as to assault her eyes, with a high neckline and adorned with tasteful gold embroidery along the cuffs, neckline, hem and across the chest. She gave a little spin in the mirror, pleased with how her look had turned out, using two pins with tiny pearls at the ends to pull her curly blonde hair out of her eyes. It was too bad really, Caelia thought, that it was raining. She looked forlornly at her floral umbrella, thinking about how the rain really did call for it though it would ruin her outfit and slipped her feet into the black Mary Jane school shoes that Grandmother had charmed to be protected from all weathers. Apparently, wearing wellies or other weather appropriate clothing to school was not something Lucan women were supposed to do and as such Grandmother had emphasized the importance of learning charms to protect non-weather-appropriate clothing in the case of stepping out into a blizzard in heels.
She mulled something over in her head before finally deciding that it was best if she brought her dark grey coat since it would help to alleviate the clash of the dress and the umbrella. And besides, she thought, there was orange enough in the floral pattern so it wouldn’t really matter too much if she weren’t proclaiming the orange color too obviously. Satisfied, Caelia tidied up her area and set off for the Quidditch pitch alone. She hadn’t asked her roommate to come with her, slightly embarrassed that she was going solely for a guy, and hadn’t asked her brother for the same but slightly different reason. Besides, she would probably find someone to sit with once she got there and if not she was perfectly able to talk to people she didn’t know even if they weren’t the Right Sort, because proper dressing and manners aside Caelia really did love to chatter.
Caelia was arranging herself in a good spot on the audience when the girl sitting next to her asked if she knew the water repelling charm. It was a charm that Grandmother had said was a good one for her to know so she could keep her shoes nice even in the rain. However, Caelia could not for the life of her remember if they had covered it in Charms or not. And besides, even if they had, she wasn’t sure she remembered it. Funnily enough, Caelia had found that once she got the pronunciations down right, she didn’t have too much trouble completing the assignments set to them in class, generally being amongst the first to finish. It was a new sensation to her and she enjoyed feeling like she could actually do something academic for a change. However, it was the actual homework, quizzes and tests that threw her.
She gave the other girl a shy sort of smile—not something she was accustomed to having on her face as Caelia was a rather bubbly sort of girl. She didn’t know the other girl that well, only enough to know that she was a fellow first year, in Teppenpaw, her name was Jemima Wolseithcrafte and therefore was the Right Sort. Well, fellow first year, Teppenpaw, and Right Sort Jemima was about to be let down rather hard as Caelia expected some of the students had probably figured out her aptitude for the hands on class projects by that point and now they were about to start finding out that her prowess did not extend to outside of the classroom.
“I’m sorry,” she said, making sure to look extra apologetic. “But I can’t remember it. I would have liked to use it on my hair myself so that I wouldn’t have to take this umbrella but…” Caelia shrugged. “Perhaps an older student could help?” It was at this moment that Caelia kind of wished she had invited her brother to come with her because if anyone could do the charm she was sure Emrys could.
“I thought I’d find you here—” a familiar voice said and Caelia turned to see Emrys, dressed in a horribly ugly blue sweater and a raincoat casually zipped up half way. His hood was down and his blonde hair was wet and matted and in his eyes and was sort of starting to look like the light brown it had once been when he was younger.
“What are you doing here, Emrys?” she asked, glee filling her voice. She was not about to hide her happiness at seeing her big brother who always seemed to show up at the right time. She certainly hadn’t told him she’d be there and since he was neither a Quidditch fan nor was Aladren playing Caelia was at a loss.
Emrys looked at her with an expression of amusement. “You missed our study date,” he said with a smile and Caelia wrinkled her nose. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to have met Emrys in the Library to go over the past week’s school work. They had bi-weekly tutoring sessions in which he worked with her spell by spell in order to try and help her learn and remember them but it was generally to no avail. “I was about to find a Crotalus to go and see if you were okay when I looked out the window and saw your umbrella making it’s way to the Quidditch pitch, thought I’d keep you some company during the game but I see you’ve already found some?” He turned to Jemima. “Emrys Lucan,” he said holding out his hand. “This crazy’s brother. And you are?” Caelia suppressed an eye roll--Emrys always did love an informal introduction.
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Caelia & Emrys Lucan
Funny, we're just here for the rain (jk)
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