It looks like we both are. on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Olivers

February 13, 2015 7:20 PM

Quidditch Game I: Pecari vs. Teppalus by Coach Olivers

The grass was freshly cut, the air was fresh, and the sky was a beautiful blue canvas with splashes of white here and there. At least, that’s what Florence had dreamt before waking up to the torrent outside her window. She hadn’t expected it to rain so hard like this in the fall, but it didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon. Once she was dressed and covered by her raincoat, dark purple rainboots, and with a clear umbrella over her head, she stood under the stands half an hour before the players were expected to arrive, waiting for a clap of thunder or a glimpse of lightening. Any lightening and the match would have to be canceled. But, though thunder sounded, there was no lightening around the Quidditch pitch and Florence deemed it safe enough to play. Despite the very heavy rain, of course. The spectators would be hard-pressed to see everything that went on.

This year there weren’t enough players for Teppenpaw and Crotalus to form individual teams, so Pecari would be playing against a combined team today. Florence wasn’t sure how the players felt about it, but she was sure that for some students it didn’t matter as long as they were able to play. As for Pecari’s team, she was glad to see that the same team from last year was playing this year. She had wondered briefly if Rupert was going to change any players in since there were quite a few reserves on their team this time around, but it didn’t look like he had. For quite a few of them, this was going to be their last chance to play competitively on a serious Quidditch team unless they decided to go professional.

The Quidditch scouts had deigned to come another day when it wasn’t raining so hard, so today it was purely going to be fun and games for these kids. As the players made their way onto the sopping pitch, she handed them goggles that were charmed to stay clear and dry. “Make sure you put these on tight around your head,” she told them, wearing a pair herself. “It will be very difficult to see without them.” If it wasn’t for her rain gear, she would be completely soaked already. She felt a little sorry for the players, but they had chosen to play no matter what the weather. There was luckily a tent over the benches on the side of the pitch where the reserves were going to be. They wouldn’t have to worry about getting wet unless they were called in to play. Florence hadn’t yet seen the first-years play the sport, though she had seen them on a broom during Flying Class, and she was looking forward to seeing them eventually in action.

Once the hour for the game arrived, Florence charmed her voice and gestured to the stands. “Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the year,” she said, her voice echoing through the stadium, “and thank you to all who decided to support your houses in this weather. Here we have Pecari, led by Captain Rupert Princeton, playing against the combined Crotalus and Teppenpaw team led by co-captains Alistair Johnson from Crotalus and Liac Reinhardt from Teppenpaw. Captains, if you will please shake hands.” When the captains came together, she nodded at them, her throat already feeling scratchy again. It was odd, seeing two against one. “When I blow my whistle, the game begins. The game ends when the Snitch is caught. Players, please take your positions.”

She waited for the Keepers to fly up to their posts and the others to mount their brooms. As they did so, Florence released the Snitch and picked up the Quaffle. She would set the bludgers loose once the Quaffle was tossed. She put the silver whistle into her mouth, the umbrella tilted slightly so there would be no danger of it interfering with the Quaffle, and made eye-contact with the Chasers. After a curt nod, she blew her whistle and threw the Quaffle into the air, eager to get back under the tents to watch the game progress.

OOC: Welcome to Quidditch! As per posting rules, two paragraphs minimum are expected, but creative, detailed, and realistic posts will earn more points for your team. Have their skill level be on par with their age. Reserves are encouraged to post as well—your contribution will count as points for your team. Make sure your names are colored according to your house color as well as according to the rules. In addition, no one should be falling from their broom to their deaths/injury. Florence will intervene before anyone crashes to the ground. If you have any questions, tag Coach Olivers on the OOC board. Have fun!

Subthreads:

And we are off to a wet but good start by Annette Pierce, Chaser with Adam Spencer, Chaser, Andrew Carey, Chaser, Ali Johnson, Chaser, Ginger Pierce, Keeper

Life hates me. Quidditch hates me. Weather charms hate me. by Annabelle Pierce, Seeker

Finally, some action. by Rupert Princeton, Beater

Eagerly in reserve by Anna Clarissa C-F

I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore... by T. Reinhardt, Beater with Uzume Shinohara,Seeker, Annabelle Pierce, Seeker, Coach Olivers

0 Coach Olivers Quidditch Game I: Pecari vs. Teppalus 0 Coach Olivers 1 5

Annette Pierce, Chaser

February 14, 2015 4:11 PM

And we are off to a wet but good start by Annette Pierce, Chaser

When Annette looked out the window the morning of the first Quidditch match, she groaned. It was raining buckets and didn't look like it was showing any signs of stopping in time for the game. "You'd think," she'd grumbled, "that a school in the desert would have fewer rainy days." At that point, Annabelle had come over and looked out as well. Annette had perversely felt a little bit better when her sister took one look out at the rain and said, "Life hates me." After that, Annette's attempts to reassure her twin utterly failed to impress Annabelle, but did succeed in cheering herself up. By the time the Anns were heading out to the pitch wearing their Quidditch robes, carrying their best brooms, and protected by the best water repelling charms two seventh year Charms RATS students could perform, Annette was feeling almost cheerful.

She'd played competitively in the pouring rain before, and so had Adam. And even though Joella had only faced heat and fog during last year's matches, she'd at least seen rain in practice a few times. She bet those little first-time Chasers on the Teppenpaw-Crotalus team had no such experience in this kind of adverse weather. Likewise their second year Seeker who hadn't even tried to play last year. This game was already to Pecari's advantage, and the rain was only ensuring the victory. If anything, she felt a little bad for the rag-tag team of little kids. That didn't mean she was going to show them any mercy, though. This was Quidditch. More than that, it was her second to last game of Quidditch ever, and they'd need every bit of edge they could gain going into the final match against Aladren. Annette was going to play this match to her fullest.

She listened to Rupert's speech attentively, but didn't expect him to offer any insight she didn't already know. Then he shook hands with the two captains from the other team, and then it was game on. The Quaffle went up. The whistle blew. Annette surged forward, barely even noticing the rain as, between them, her charms, her experience, and the goggles eliminated the worst of the torrential rainfall's inconvenience. The rain pounded down on her head and shoulder, making her ascent more sluggish than normal, but she pushed through, urging her fine broom to overcome this obstacle better than its inferior peers, and her fingers touched the leather hide of the Quaffle first. It was slick from the wet, but she managed, with only a minor fumble, to keep possession of the ball and pull it in close to her chest for a more secure hold.

From there, she rose higher into the sky, evening out when she was about the same altitude as the hoops she was aiming for on the Teppalus end of the pitch. After a few more dozen feet, she looked to her right and left. She spotted one of her teammates who had kept up with her and she thought she had a clear shot at a pass. Not wanting to tempt fate any longer, she took the opportunity and threw the Quaffle toward the brown clad chaser, knowing from past mistakes to give the toss a bit more oomph to get it through the driving rain to its intended target.

Of course, her arm strength was never her best attribute, so the other player would still probably need to reach for it (Adam, for one, would probably even know to anticipate that after all these years of playing together), but the Quaffle should at least come close enough to give the Pecari Chaser a fair chance at completing the pass.

0 Annette Pierce, Chaser And we are off to a wet but good start 0 Annette Pierce, Chaser 0 5

Annabelle Pierce, Seeker

February 14, 2015 4:44 PM

Life hates me. Quidditch hates me. Weather charms hate me. by Annabelle Pierce, Seeker

Annabelle liked Quidditch. Really, she did. Perhaps not quite as much as Annette did, but she enjoyed the feel of the wind in her face, the competition, the drive to succeed and strive for victory. Her zeal had flagged a bit after Clark Dill had managed to best her two games in a row last year, making her doubt both herself and her skill, but when she looked out the window that morning after Annette had drawn her attention to the weather outside, she felt, for just one moment, that she absolutely hated Quidditch and she didn't want to play anymore. She was fairly well convinced that Quidditch hated her right back, and so did life, and so did the blasted weather charms on the school. There was no other reason they would all conspire so cruelly to make her miserable.

Annette tried to her level best to make her feel better, arguing that the kid playing for Crotalus (Annabelle refused to use the cutesy word people had begun to use for the combined Teppenpaw-Crotalus team, and as such had made a mental note to refer to them formally as either Teppenpaw-Crotalus or just Teppenpaw or Crotalus, depending on the House of the player she was discussing) would be at even more of a disadvantage than Annabelle given that Annabelle had played in the rain before. Of course, that argument fell apart upon closer consideration because the truth was that Annabelle had never had to play Seeker in torrential rain before, and quite frankly, her practices in the rain last year had gone quite dismally. Finding the snitch in this kind of weather was totally up to the luck of being in the right place at the right time, and she had already determined - mostly through facing Clark Dill, but today's weather just confirmed it - that the only luck Annabelle had when it came to Quidditch was bad.

Her only chance today was going to depend on Uzume Shinohara having equally crummy luck. Since the second year Crotalus was likewise stuck playing in these conditions, Annabelle wasn't going to discount the possibility entirely. She noted with no small amount of hatred that the absurdly lucky Clark Dill would be able to spend the match either safely inside or under the protection of an umbrella in the stands.

At least this time around she had the advantage of seventh year RATS level water repelling charms. Out of pity for her younger teammates - even the lucky ones who would be allowed spend the match under the cover of the reserve tent - she offered the same advantage to any of her fellow Pecaris who looked like they needed it.

The goggles helped, too. Perhaps Seeking wasn't going to be quite as impossible a task as she had imagined it would be.

Still, it was wet, and it was miserable, and no amount of water repellent was going to save her hair from looking awful in these kinds of conditions. Rupert spoke, the Coach spoke, the captains shook hands, and then the whistle blew. Annabelle took to the air quickly, grumbling under her breath at the effort it took to push up through the downpour. She began scanning the pitch, hoping the snitch would show itself quickly today, so she could just catch it and be done with this. She wanted to go inside where it was dry.

0 Annabelle Pierce, Seeker Life hates me. Quidditch hates me. Weather charms hate me. 0 Annabelle Pierce, Seeker 0 5

Rupert Princeton, Beater

February 15, 2015 1:15 AM

Finally, some action. by Rupert Princeton, Beater

Rupert felt rather lucky these days. He was dating the Head Girl, his team was spot-on and well-experienced and he had the best team-mates he could have ever asked for. It would be difficult to part with them, all of them, and hand over the leadership to his cousin, but the legacy had to continue. Rup had hoped for the Quidditch scouts to show up today, but after taking a look outside, he knew it wouldn’t be likely.

He went to breakfast with his team, feeling nostalgic over a cup of black American coffee that had been Jade’s game-day staple during her time here. He’d been fond of the previous captain despite her headstrong tendencies and disagreements with Amira. Nevertheless, he and Jade had formed a healthy relationship after he’d been assigned to guard her from the bludgers, and he hoped Atlas and Annabelle would be able to form that sort of amicable relationship as well before they parted ways.

After a light breakfast of cereal, toast and tea, Rupert felt energised and ready to face the day. His robes were charmed this time to stay a stable temperature and he prepared himself mentally to be drenched. After receiving the goggles from Coach Olivers, he gathered his team-mates under the tent meant to cover the reserves. He had to shout a bit over the noise of rain hitting the tarp.

“First match of the year, mates. We’ve practised hard together and this weather shouldn’t stop us from winning. Atlas, guard Annabelle with all you’ve got and keep a firm grip on your bat. Annabelle, I believe in you. It’s hard weather out there, but I know how committed you’ve been to this sport since the beginning. You've got the ability to catch it before the others, I know you have. Chasers, Liliana, do us proud. We’ve got an advantage because we’ve played together before. And before I forget, don’t forget to cast the Anti-Slip charm on your brooms.” Rupert cast the charm on his own custom broom before he said anything else, and Coach Olivers called the captains.

It was odd shaking hands with two co-captains, but he did so with a firm grip and a friendly smile. Rupert’s blond fringe was getting into his eyes and he wished now that he’d cut it beforehand. He didn’t take a look at the stands; it wasn’t about how many of his house-mates showed up to support; today it was about winning and keeping his team happy. Rup rose up on his broom when Coach Olivers told them to take their positions, keeping an eye on the Quaffle and his bat firmly in his left hand. When she blew the whistle, he immediately watched and waited for the first bludger to be released. Pecari snatched the Quaffle first and Rupert felt himself swell a bit with pride. Once the first iron ball was free, he took the opportunity to swoop by and slam it right at an Aladren Chaser. His aim was impeccable after years of training and practise, and with the force of his arm he knew he had enough power to make an excellent shot. It was the weather and his target, however, that would determine whether or not the bludger would hit its mark.

0 Rupert Princeton, Beater Finally, some action. 0 Rupert Princeton, Beater 0 5

Adam Spencer, Chaser

February 15, 2015 1:21 AM

A very good start, I believe. by Adam Spencer, Chaser

Adam always, always hated game days. He never had a restful night and his stomach was always knotted up. He could hardly eat anything during breakfast, but he drank loads of water which, seeing the weather outside, was somewhat unnecessary. He visited the toilets before hurrying to the pitch, but the rotten feeling in his stomach didn’t fade. He hated feeling so nervous before matches; what sort of Assistant Captain was he? He doubted Rupert felt nervous at all, and the Anns or Joella probably didn’t think much of it either. Adam took deep breaths, wondering if falling off of his broom was a possibility in this awful weather. At least they weren’t playing Aladren today; now that his little brother was a Chaser as well, Adam knew he was going to be slightly distracted by him.

No, today they were playing against Teppenpaw and Crotalus. Playing against lesser experienced players didn't do much to ease his anxiety, but Adam swallowed it down. After making a quick assessment of the opposing Chasers, he joined the others and received a pair of goggles to strap on. During Rupert's speech, he made brief eye-contact with Annette and Joella. He knew his fellow Chasers, Annette better than Joella, and he was very pleased to still be playing these matches with them. Strapping his goggles on and casting a water repellant charm on his clothing, Adam thought he could feel as ready as ever. He admired his cousin for being so confident in his speech, as if he had no doubt that they could win. It made Adam feel slightly better, if only just.

The weather was bloody horrid and Adam’s brown hair flattened almost immediately when he stepped out from under the tarp. He clutched his broom as he carried it, trying to channel his anxiety into a physical motion, and listened to Professor Olivers’s voice boom throughout the pitch. The words went through one ear and out the other, words he’d heard often enough to practically recite them word for word. It was time to mount their brooms, then the Quaffle and Adam didn’t have the luxury to be nervous any more.

Annette picked it up and he followed her immediately, focused now on making himself open for a pass. She’d gotten rather far and Adam knew she would pass soon enough. With Aladren Chasers on the move, he knew it wouldn’t take long before they had her surrounded. Even in this dense weather, with the rain pounding everywhere, he could see the idiosyncratic signs foretelling Annette’s pass. He made himself known, drew closer and swooped in to grab it, giving a bit of room to secure the Quaffle in his arm. With the leather ball, he continued on towards the Teppalus hoops, determined to make see it to the end.

It was never too early for an attempt at the hoops in his opinion, so Adam decided to take the shot. He had always been afraid to be the one to make it, either handing it off to a team-mate at the last minute or making a pass before he was in range. But this time there was opportunity, and he was determined to at least show himself that his practise was not in vain. He was at the same height as the hoops, and he pushed forward to go faster, the raindrops slicing his pale cheeks as he cut through them. As he approached the Keeper, he veered towards the right hoop, feinted a throw to the left, then aimed the Quaffle at the golden hoop at the top. Now that the ball had left his hand, he flew away, waiting for some sort of indication that his Quaffle had made it in or been deflected.

0 Adam Spencer, Chaser A very good start, I believe. 0 Adam Spencer, Chaser 0 5

Anna Clarissa C-F

February 15, 2015 1:44 PM

Eagerly in reserve by Anna Clarissa C-F

What Anna Clarissa noticed when she stepped outside in her shiny Quidditch uniform was that it was raining.

It probably would have been a little more helpful if she'd noticed that while she was inside but because the curly-haired Pecari was running exactly on time, she didn't have the time to run back to her room and find something like maybe a hat to put on her head. Probably she wouldn't die but with her dampened curls already sagging down around her ears, Anna Clarissa wasn't enthused about spending the next couple of hours getting progressively more damp. On the plus side, though, there was a point at which she couldn't get any more damp than she already was, so she decided to look forward to that.

Coach Olivers gave her some nice goggles when she stepped on to the Pitch, which was very nice of her as they allowed Anna Clarissa to see without squinting her eyes against the downpour. Magic was real nifty sometimes!

Anna Clarissa followed her Captain underneath the tent that was for the reserve players. There were other reserves and she wasn't particularly hurt that she hadn't been put on the main team (she was smaller than most people and also had never done Quidditch before outside of things like practice) so she was looking forward to cheering her team on as loudly as possible. Rupert gave them a very nice pep talk and told Annabelle that he believed in her, which was very nice of him. Anna Clarissa thought Annabelle had the hardest job of all and her experiences with the older girl had only been positive so far, especially since she'd just now offered to help cast some water repelling charms, which Anna Clarissa had, with some relief, taken her up on.

As everyone else flew upwards in the air, Anna Clarissa took her spot on the reserves bench, which was thankfully underneath a tent. It was still colder than she would have liked, particularly as her robes had already gotten soaked but the excitement of Quidditch was still enough to keep her spirits up.

It seemed like Pecari was getting off to a good start and the hazel-eyed first year cheered loudly and accordingly. One of their Chasers (although she couldn't quite see who in the weather and from the distance) even threw the Quaffle towards the goal posts already! Anna Clarissa hooted in excitement, eyes scanning the field to check out what was going on.

Even though the distance was probably making things look smaller than they were, it seemed to Anna Clarissa that the other team was physicaly smaller than hers. And now thinking about it, she thought she remembered some classmates talking about being involved in Quidditch which she'd thought meant reserves too, but now realized she might be wrong.

"Hey, are the Teppenpaws and Crotaluses younger?" she asked inquisitively. "Did something happen to their teams or something?"

OOC: I couldn't fit my whole name in and also turn it colors so I elected to just turn it colors, sorry!

0 Anna Clarissa C-F Eagerly in reserve 0 Anna Clarissa C-F 0 5

Andrew Carey, Chaser

February 16, 2015 1:02 AM

It's not the start that counts in the end by Andrew Carey, Chaser

Orange was on its own, in Andrew’s opinion, an okay color, but it was not one which suited him. His first thought upon seeing himself in a mirror in his charmed robe was that his already pale complexion, only a little darkened by his weeks in Arizona - he was unlucky and just burned and peeled in the sun far more often than he tanned - looked completely washed out and that the Pecaris, and maybe even his own teammates, might get the wrong idea and think he was pale and sick with nerves, which bothered him. Mama and Stepmother were both very interested in him and Mal dying of natural causes someday, but even they didn’t want their sons to be thought of as cowards who were afraid of something as trivial as playing Quidditch, even if it was against a lot of older, much more experienced kids. He’d always heard that people called Careys a lot of unflattering things, but he’d never heard of them being called cowards.

The way it made his robe darker as soon as he walked outside and no doubt made his features hard to make out for anyone not close enough to slap him were, then, good things about the rain. As far as Andrew could tell, they were the only good things about the rain. Getting goggles from Coach Olivers helped, but the weather was awful, and it occurred to him that Mama would be furious if she knew he was out in this. Mama wasn’t as bad as Stepmother was about Mal - Andrew was sure his brother was not in attendance, though he wasn’t sure Mal really got sentimental enough about him or about Pecari that he would have come even in better weather - but she still did not approve of him acting like what Stepmother would call an idiot man. If he caught cold, he would have to make sure that no one wrote home about it, to anyone, so he wouldn’t get in trouble if the word got back to his mother.

He tried to listen to whatever their captains and coach had to say, though it was hard to pay attention when distracted by a grumble of thunder in the distance. Mama would kill him if she found out about this, so he really hoped it did not occur to Mal that it would be funny to make him sweat by threatening to tell her.

A Pecari Chaser - a shape who quickly became blurry as she flew far enough ahead of him that sheets of rain existed between them, interfering with his vision despite the clean lenses of the goggles - got the Quaffle first and flew away with it. Andrew saw the Quaffle moving through the air toward the boy Chaser and tried to speed up in the hopes of interfering with it, but had no luck - the boy got it and kept going toward the goals. Andrew guessed he didn’t feel like taking his chances on a pass in this weather, because he kept going right to Ginger. Frustrated, feeling like he had failed already even though he knew that was a really stupid and not helpful way to look at it, Andrew started looking for a way to fly around the Pecari Chasers so he could catch the Quaffle if it was thrown his way after the noise from the stands hopefully told him if Ginger saved it or not, since between the rain and his own maneuvering, he didn’t expect to see it too clearly.

0 Andrew Carey, Chaser It's not the start that counts in the end 0 Andrew Carey, Chaser 0 5

Ali Johnson, Chaser

February 16, 2015 5:59 AM

But a good start is an advantage. by Ali Johnson, Chaser

Alistair was rather displeased to hear that his Quidditch robes would be charmed orange for the match, a combination of the Crotalus red and the Teppenpaw yellow. He still wasn't convinced about Teppenpaw sharing any Crotalus glory but had since resolved to accept it and work with it. He was the captain after all, well technically co-captain, and Alistair found that some consolation. The other thing that impaired the first years excitement on the morning of his very first proper Quidditch match was the weather. Being in born and raised in the Arizona state, Alistair would have thought climate couldn't bother him. But it was raining, raining really hard. Where Alistair came from it very rarely rained and he had assumed it would be the same in the painted desert. Back home if it did happen to rain he simply wouldn't go out to play. Here, however, no one seemed to be considering postponing the match and Alistair certainly wasn't going to be the one to suggest it. Just because he hadn't done so before didn't mean he couldn't play in rain and Alistair Johnson was never one to doubt himself.

Expensive broom in hand and a determined look upon his face, Alistair made his way down to the pitch. He took the goggles gladly from the Quidditch coach, virtually soaked through already. He glanced briefly at his co-captain, Liac Reinhardt, before calling the team under the shelter of one tent.

Alistair knew he and Liac were now meant to give some kind of pep talk and he felt a sudden weight on his shoulders as he realised the full extent of his captain duties. How could he inspire his team when they opposed a much more experienced team and a bucket load of nasty weather?

"Alright team, listen up!" Alistair spoke loudly over noise of the rain, gesturing with his hands that his team move in closer. "This is the first time we're playing together but that doesn't mean we don't how to. We've covered a lot in practises and we're well prepared." In his mind Alistair didn't really agree that they were well prepared but now wasn't the time to think like that, let alone share the opinion. "The weather isn't a problem so don't let it put you off. It will affect the Pecaris in the same way it affects us. Shinohara, you concentrate solely on catching the Snitch. Tobi's job is to protect you from the bludgers." He now admitted that he wasn't the only captain under the shelter as he looked to Liac. "That alright?" he wasn't asking whether his pep talk had been alright but if his appointment of Liac's cousin to protecting the Seeker was a good decision. Alistair, for one, thought it would be best that Liac was the one out of the two Reinhardt's who went up against the Pecari captain Rupert Princeton is defending the Teppalus Chasers and attacking the Pecaris.

Alistair shook hands with the Pecari captain, his expression not matching the friendly smile of Rupert Princeton. He took the smile to mean confidence and didn't like the thought that Pecari were confident about beating Crotalus, or rather Teppalus. His hand shake was firm and his face almost bore a scowl, yet not quite because that just wasn't polite and he'd come to learn that Princeton was a pureblood name. Alistair then took his position as told and waited for the go-ahead. The whistle was blown, the Quaffle tossed and Alistair was up in the air. Pecari came out with the Quaffle and the Chaser made a speedy getaway. Frustratingly, Alistair got a little caught in the scrum and therefore allowed the Pecaris a good start. He sped after the girl with the Quaffle and was on her tail by the time she passed to her teammate, not fast enough to intercept. He noted Andrew Carey also missed interception and before he knew it the older Pecari boy was attempting a shot.

Alistair felt irritated at how quickly Pecari had made a goal attempt. It had all been far too easy for them and all Alistair could do now was hope little Ginger Pierce would make a save. Considering her size, she wasn't bad but the Pecari Assistant Captain had made a good shot. Not stopped to watch events unfold, Alistair positioned himself in an open space should Ginger pass to him, noticing that Carey was doing the same on the other side of the hoops. It wasn't a good start but Alistair planned to do his best to change things around.

8 Ali Johnson, Chaser But a good start is an advantage. 306 Ali Johnson, Chaser 0 5

Ginger Pierce, Keeper

February 16, 2015 10:56 AM

I guess I'm up, huh? by Ginger Pierce, Keeper

Ginger woke up early the day of the first Quidditch match. She was so excited she couldn't sleep past 5:30 and no matter how hard she tried to go back to dreamland, it remained just out of reach. So at 6:15 she gave up trying and got up. She got dressed in her lucky green t-shirt (it had a leprechaun on it which, by definition as far as she was concerned, made it lucky) and her favorite pair of jeans, but opted not to put on her Quidditch robes until after she ate. She was by no means a messy eater most of the time, but just she didn't want to chance getting anything on it.

On her way down to the Cascade Hall, she'd glanced out the window and there went her plans of getting in a morning run to get her blood flowing before the match. It was raining buckets out there. And while she didn't mind the rain so much, mud was really hard to jog in. She was a bit surprised, but not at all disappointed to learn that the downpour was not sufficient cause to cancel the match. If anything, she would have been disappointed if it had been.

So, some hours later, with her charmed orange robes (she secretly liked them better in their original yellow, but as part of a team, it was only fitting that everyone match) and the rain no lesser than before, she headed out to the pitch, singing cheerfully. "Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a gloooooorious feeling - hi!" she greeted her teammates as she spotted some of them through the sheets of water falling from the sky. "Great day, isn't it?" The remark was not at all ironic. Ginger loved being out in heavy rain. And though wet Quidditch robes were kind of heavy, they weren't nearly as bad as soaked through Renaissance dresses.

The goggles that Coach Olivers handed out, though, were super helpful for seeing in it better.

Still, she'd never flown in the rain though, and when she was instructed to take her place, she found her hands kept slipping a little bit on her broom. She also found wiping them on her legs was less than useless because her legs were just as wet, if not moreso, than her hands.

She had no sooner reached her position and turned around when she realized the Pecaris were already advancing on her position. She tried to anticipate where the lead Chaser was going to target, while trying also to be ready to rush to one of the other hoops if she was wrong or he passed at the last second.

As it turned out, she did guess wrong, edging closer to the right hoop, but then he faked to the left and went for the middle one. She changed directions quickly, and pressed for the middle, reaching her right hand out while her left gripped tight to the broom so she wouldn't slide right off. Ginger just barely felt her finger tips graze against the Quaffle, but it was too wet and just a bit too far away for her to get any kind of purchase on it. The ball sailed past her and through the hoop.

She followed after it, catching it on its descent on the other side. "Sorry," she called out in apology as she came back around and threw it back into play toward one of her orange robed teammates who looked more open than the others.

1 Ginger Pierce, Keeper I guess I'm up, huh? 302 Ginger Pierce, Keeper 0 5

Isaac Douglas, Chaser

February 16, 2015 12:18 PM

It looks like we both are. by Isaac Douglas, Chaser

As he blinked rapidly, trying to get used to looking at everything through goggles, and resisted the urge to rub the top of his head as raindrops made their way through his hair and ran down his scalp, Isaac realized he still half-expected someone to jump out and admit this had all been a really elaborate joke. The orange robes, the height disparities, the tiny Crotalus talking as though he were a real captain and the little Keeper singing...it was all ridiculous. They weren’t really going to go through with this, were they?

The others, though, kept their poker faces, moving along just as if this were real and not a prank on - someone. A whistle blew. People started to rise into the air. Isaac, looking at nothing in particular in the gray field of rain, laughed for lack of any other response to make as he followed them.

He didn’t do that long, though, because the wind blew rain into his mouth. Nothing like cold water to the face to sober a body up, he thought grimly, watching as first one Pecari and then another handled the ball.

The other two boys both acted as though they wanted to try to intercept, but Isaac had better sense. Spencer and Pierce were a talented team, experienced both in the game and in working together. If they were going to intercept, it would most likely be either while applying heavy pressure to the Pecaris - not likely, given their collective skills or lack thereof and how hard it would be even for good Beaters to provide support in this weather without hitting their own people - or maybe when a pass was heading toward the second year. They might get lucky, but probably, they would have to wait for Beaters to knock the Quaffle-bearer over, the rain to make the Quaffle slip away, or for the Keeper to give it back to them, because they’d look even stupider if they crashed into the Pecaris and fell off their brooms.

Spencer didn’t seem to want to chance it, because he didn’t pass again. The Beaters failed spectacularly to take him down and so he shot and he scored. Isaac’s eyes widened slightly behind the goggles when he realized Ginger was aiming toward him with the Quaffle, but he darted forward and caught it and turned to head the other way, toward the distant figure of the Pecari Keeper.

The Pecaris could cover half the Pitch in two jumps today, but Isaac knew that if he tried such a thing, he was dead, and if he tried to cover more than half the Pitch, they would have to scrape bits of him off the Bludgers. The Pecari Beaters would treat him like a lame duck in a box. Once he was well clear of the goal area, then, he started to look for the others. When he spotted one, he took aim and tried, hough his peripheral vision was messed up by the goggles, to check for lurking Pecaris who might want to intercept before passing toward the robe he really hoped had been orange before it was soaked through.

16 Isaac Douglas, Chaser It looks like we both are. 273 Isaac Douglas, Chaser 0 5

Coach Olivers

February 16, 2015 2:06 PM

Pecari scores! 10 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers

0 Coach Olivers Pecari scores! 10 - 0 (nm) 0 Coach Olivers 0 5

Liliana Bannister, Keeper

February 20, 2015 4:04 AM

IBTFY (when the rain starts to pour) by Liliana Bannister, Keeper

Liliana was ready for the first game of the year. She and Atlas were good again despite a dispute over his reaction (or lack of reaction) to Ann-Marie’s using him. Liliana snorted derisively, thoughts of how the twit had him wrapped around her little finger causing her to tie her game braid a little too tight. She contemplated re-doing it as she snapped the elastic in place but upon remembering what the weather had been like on her way to and from breakfast decided a tight braid was probably a good idea.

“Hey,” she said, linking her arm through Atlas’ when she arrived in the common room. “You ready?” The excitement showed on her face and in the way she bounced instead of walked. “So, did you tell Ann-Marie you’re a world class beater yet?” She teased lightly, delighted there was a part of Atlas’ life that was just hers and that Ann-Marie could never be a part of.

When they got to the Pitch, Liliana cheerily greeted her teammates, making sure to bestow extra cheer in the direction of Jamie Park who was sulking, again, before strapping on the charmed goggles Olivers had given out. Despite the rain she was ready and overjoyed to be playing again—after all she only had these few years of her schooling left before she was meant to go out into the real world and become the society woman her entire family expected her to be. The thought which had once in her life been so appealing to her nearly caused Liliana’s mood to turn sour but the thought no sooner entered her head than she pushed it out, determined not to let the future muck up her attitude in the present. What mattered was that now, in that moment, she was doing something she wanted to do. And now, in that moment, her family supported her and didn’t mind since she was still “only a child” despite her insistence fourteen was not babyish.

Once the Quaffle came into play, Liliana attentively watched the match. The opposing Keeper was a first year girl on a team mainly composed of underclassmen, and watching the other girl’s small form caused Liliana to flashback to her first year. She had only saved that goal by the grace of Merlin because somehow, someone out there wanted her to succeed. Though she desperately wanted Pecari to win—to take back the title they’d had her first year of playing, Liliana also wanted the non-society Pierce girl to succeed. It was terrifying being a first year in the Keepers hoops, Liliana knew, but what made it even worse for Pierce was that the Teppalus team likely did not have as many experienced players as Pecari’s did during her first year.

So, when the Pierce girl let the Quaffle through the hoops, scoring ten points for Pecari Liliana grimaced, hoping the girl wouldn't take it too hard—she knew that she herself as a first year would have been extra hard on herself. However, Quidditch had been the first thing at Sonora that Liliana had ever really begun to enjoy, the idea that as a first year she could play on a team while her cousins had not even been allowed their own broom, had filled her with a vindictive glee and though she wanted Pierce to be able to prove herself Liliana also recognized the younger girl as her competitor and so cheered Adam and Annette on for working together like such a well-oiled machine and scoring the first points of the match.

As the match reset, Liliana had time to realize just how wet it was. She would be in desperate need for a chai tea or a hot chocolate upon her return to the school. After a long, hot bath that was. She shivered, the wetness of her Quidditch uniform and the gloves and guards she sported served only to make her colder. At least it’s neither thundering nor lightninging, she thought to herself as she watched her fellow players fly around the field. Is lightning even a word? she asked, forehead frowning as her eyes squinted trying to decide who had just caught the Quaffle. Orange and brown were two very different colors though it seemed, at least to her from her position on the other side of the field, that when wet the two colors did slightly resemble each other. “Though one thing is for certain,” she commented dryly to herself even though no one was really around to hear. “No matter what their robes look like one can still tell who from who just by looking at the size of all the players.”

OOC: Okayed with Atlas the mini convo they had :)

10 Liliana Bannister, Keeper IBTFY (when the rain starts to pour) 274 Liliana Bannister, Keeper 0 5

T. Reinhardt, Beater

February 20, 2015 12:40 PM

I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore... by T. Reinhardt, Beater

Tobi groaned as he got dressed for the match that day against Pecari. It wasn't that he minded the rainstorm that was sieging the school and it’s surrounding areas. In fact, he wished that he would be doing something else rather than getting ready to play Quidditch of all things in the rain. Something else, anything else—playing lacrosse, going for a walk, looking for birds hiding themselves under bushes or in trees to keep their wings dry, climbing said trees. Wait, no, he didn’t want to do that last one since the rainstorm could turn into a thunder-and-lightning storm and Tobi didn’t really want to be struck by lightning because he was sitting in a tree. And, by that logic, he didn’t really want to be flying either in case that made him a target for lightning too. After thinking about it some more, however, Tobi came to the conclusion that the school wouldn’t let them play if they thought it was dangerous so there probably wasn’t a risk of there being a lightning storm anyway. But then, when he thought about it even more, the school was allowing for eleven year olds to face off seventeen year olds in a game where magically charmed metal objects raced around trying to knock people off their brooms. And not only that, he had actually chosen to participate in the barbaric activity because he loved his cousin so much and not only that, but he had also tried out for the position of batting around those crazy things to hit people off their brooms.

He slouched down on his bed and groaned. Just perfect, he thought as he ran his hand through his dark hair. He had fastened it in a neat, small braid so that it wouldn’t get in his eyes but his hands had just messed that up. With another groan, he ripped the hair band out. It was annoying, sometimes, having long hair, but he did enjoy it and Arne had cut his hair off so as to differentiate himself from Tobi so he didn’t really feel like he ought to copy his younger brother since that might have upset him further. Besides, having long hair was sometimes nice like when he went swimming he could feel the water actually running through every part of his body which was quite a nice feeling indeed.

Tobi sat back up to redo his braid, letting his fingers automatically weave his dark hair together while he talked to Liac. “How do you think today’s going to go? Co-captaining a pep talk, I mean?” It was both interesting and nice that Skies and Xavier had chosen a team captain from each house and all in all he thought a combined house team was a good idea—interhouse unity and all that, and besides he was proud that out of all five Teppenpaws his cousin had been recognized and chosen to be one of the captains.

But, as he hovered in the air waiting around for a bludger to come his way, he realized that despite his reluctance to play he was not having a bad time--the walk to the Pitch had been fairly nice despite the rain because he and Liac had walked over together and they never ran out of things to talk about. And Tobi had been perfectly happy to do whatever it was either Liac or Alistair asked him to do because that’s what he was there for as a team, so when he was assigned to protect Shinohara from the bludgers he had nodded his head even if he didn’t like the way Alistair was acting as though he were the only captain. He'd given Shinohara a friendly smile, trying not to show that he was too intimidated. Frankly, his year mate kind of frightened him. He liked that she had spunk because it reminded him of his younger sister, but he also felt nervous around her—like how he acted around an animal that spooked easy. He didn’t really know what to expect out of her.

The Pecari captain got the first bludger that was released which brought Tobi back to that moment. But since it was for a Chaser who was closer to Liac than it was himself he let his cousin handle that one, waiting instead for the next bludger to be released. He was positioned close enough to Shinohara that he could protect her from on-coming bludgers but far enough away that she had enough room to maneuver in case she saw the Snitch. Tobi did realize that it was probably far too early in the game for the Snitch to even be released, but he wanted to be prepared just in case the Snitch wasn’t out yet, so he figured Shinohara wouldn’t be in too much danger and he could probably manage to get the second bludger going in the direction of a Pecari player. While he waited, he scanned the field for a Pecari player that was slightly off from the Pecari beaters. It was sort of like looking for someone to pass the ball to in lacrosse only instead of passing a harmless rubber ball in a net to a teammate, he was looking for an opposing player to hit a possessed metal ball intent on doing damage. Boy, it was going to take some getting used to lacrosse again when he went home.

OOC: Conversation with Liac okayed by his author. Also, sorry for the weird name-- character limit :/

10 T. Reinhardt, Beater I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore... 289 T. Reinhardt, Beater 0 5

Rupert Princeton, Beater

February 20, 2015 12:40 PM

Providing an obstacle. by Rupert Princeton, Beater

Rupert watched his first bludger stray off, harming no one, and he followed after another to catch a Chaser unawares. Annette and Adam seemed to be doing splendidly. Annette snatched the Quaffle quickly and was very aggressive in her approach; that was one trait he liked very much about the Anns. They weren’t afraid to ruffle feathers to play a sport which they all loved so much. Being nostalgic, however, wasn’t going to help Pecari win, and Rupert smothered the memory of the twins arriving at the try-outs covered head to toe from his thoughts with his present task.

Annette passed to Adam, and Rup could see that they knew each others’ strengths and weaknesses. He swelled with pride and quickly followed along, deciding to protect his Chasers instead of targeting another. It was crucial that they made it down the pitch without any obstacles. Rupert followed his cousin closely, at first waiting for a pass to be made, then surprised that Adam was daring enough to press on. Rup allowed a bit of slack as they approached the hoops, and Adam flew the rest of the way to make the first goal of the match for Pecari. Rupert had seen his cousin practise his feint before, but Adam was not nearly as confident as he ought to be in his own abilities. Rupert couldn’t understand his cousin’s mentality completely; after all, Rupert knew his abilities and he wasn’t afraid to use them on the pitch.

There was a younger Keeper for the combined team, and Rupert’s eyebrows raised as he watched the Quaffle soar in. “Brilliant shot, Adam!” said Rupert as he whizzed by him, leaving his Chaser behind to find a bludger. An orange-clad wizard took hold of the Quaffle then and Rupert had an iron ball ready for him. With a crack! it soared towards Douglas with furious speed. Despite the years of experience on Rupert’s shoulders, the weather and the dodging ability of the target were crucial to the success or failure of hitting his mark. Rup hoped to catch Douglas unaware, but he couldn’t be entirely sure that the rain hadn’t amplified the sound instead of muffled it.

He was finding his fond memories of Sonora becoming more and more distracting as the year progressed. Rupert wanted to do his best and leave some sort of legacy behind with his team and the friends he’d made her. Granted, his mark on Sonora wasn’t nearly as controversial as his older brother’s, but Rup wanted to be less scandalous and more of a team player. He wanted his team-mates to remember him as fondly as he remembered the previous captains of Pecari’s team.

But he was getting distracted again. The rain was making it difficult for him to concentrate. He hadn’t even looked to see if his bludger had hit its mark or not, nor was he sure who had the Quaffle now. He took note of the Chasers he was meant to be protecting before taking a glance to see how Atlas was doing.

0 Rupert Princeton, Beater Providing an obstacle. 0 Rupert Princeton, Beater 0 5

Adam Spencer, Chaser

February 20, 2015 12:43 PM

Stepping in, thanks. by Adam Spencer, Chaser

Attempting goals always made Adam nervous, even during practises. He didn’t want to look in case he missed, and yet he was dying to see the Quaffle soar into the hoop. It was one thing to make goals during team practise, but another to make a shot during a match. He turned briefly, but the announcement of a goal towards Pecari came first. The rain had most likely played in his favour today, but he knew he wasn’t exactly a new player on the pitch either. Torn between congratulating himself or thanking the rain, he pumped his fist in the air with a pleased grin. “Yes!” It was his first goal in his Quidditch career which, considering his current age, was a bit late.

Nevertheless, he was pleased. He hoped both Francesca and Ginny were here to support him, and he equally hoped they’d both seen his goal. It gave him the confidence he needed to try his hand again, if given the opportunity. He did, however, hope the Keeper hadn't taken it too hard. He didn't want to make any enemies on the pitch nor did he want to leave anyone with any hard feelings.

An orange colour took the Quaffle on, and Adam flew after him. It was strange playing a team with such vibrant robes. Orange didn’t seem to suit any of them, but a team of two houses needed to compromise somehow. His own robe was the Pecari brown, and he was proud to be representing his house. Though Adam wasn’t as competitive as others and his best mates were from different houses, he did have some house pride. How could he not, being both Prefect and the Assistant Captain of this team?

Adam intercepted the pass from Douglas, flying away as quickly as possible when he saw Rupert’s arm rise several metres behind his opponent. The resounding smack reverberated from every direction, it seemed, thanks to the rain, and it was difficult to know exactly where the sound was coming from. In any case Adam didn’t want to see any iron near him. He turned the Quaffle around and flew back towards the Keeper of the Teppenpaw-Crotalus team, a shorter distance than the ground he'd covered earlier, but he didn’t want to push his luck again. He had never liked to gamble. Adam made eye-contact with one of his fellow Chasers and threw the Quaffle over to her, sweeping behind her as an attempt to protect her while she made the shot.

0 Adam Spencer, Chaser Stepping in, thanks. 0 Adam Spencer, Chaser 0 5

Andrew Carey, Chaser

February 21, 2015 10:02 AM

Don't go out of your way on our account... by Andrew Carey, Chaser

Andrew watched the older boy with the Quaffle closely, expecting him to pass the ball and give Teppalus another chance at it. The older boy didn't oblige him. Andrew groaned quietly as Pecari scored.

He didn't think he held it against Ginger - he hadn't been able to intercept the Quaffle before, either, after all. That was why he was glad to see Isaac get the Quaffle. Mal had said something about money-grubbing, social-climbing westerners when Andrew had told his brother about his teammates, but whatever else Isaac was, he was the oldest of them and so the one Andrew trusted the most to get the Quaffle away from Pecari.

It only took him a moment, though, to remember the problem with that: since the only people Isaac had to pass to were Andrew and Alistair, he couldn't exactly carry the game, at least not unless he was very brave, very self-sacrificing, and very fast. He chose to try to pass, and the Pecari boy intercepted and started back toward Ginger again.

Andrew just watched the ball. When it started moving toward a girl Chaser, his mouth opened in surprise, but he had trained enough and was immersed enough in the game now that he was already moving toward the Quaffle. He sped up, flew as quick as he could, with the tangential thought that being smaller than the Pecaris might actually have one benefit for them if they could get it together enough to use it, as he swerved to avoid the Pecari boy's next move, and more collided with the Quaffle than caught it.

He got a grip on it, though, which was the important part. Now came the other important part: getting far away before someone crushed him. Turning, he held his broom with one hand and the Quaffle with the other, feeling constantly as though both were about to slip away, and flew away.

It was strange how much different, he thought, having the Quaffle now felt was from how it felt in practices. Now, it felt like every eye on the Pitch and in the stands was focused squarely on him. Knowing that probably wasn't literally true did not help much.

He wanted to hold on to the ball for two reasons. One, the good one, was not wanting Pecari to steal it back again. The other, bad, one was not wanting to take the hand he had on it off the broom. It had to be done, though. Screwing up his courage, Andrew forced himself more upright, shifted the Quaffle away from his side and toward his stomach, and then took it in both hands.

Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down. One of his teammates was a little ahead of him; he didn't know if it was on purpose or just because Andrew had slowed down during his preparations, but he was glad to see them there. He threw the Quaffle forward toward that teammate and then grabbed his broom again, relieved to feel in control of his position again even before he saw if the pass had worked.

0 Andrew Carey, Chaser Don't go out of your way on our account... 0 Andrew Carey, Chaser 0 5

Annette Pierce, Chaser

February 21, 2015 2:53 PM

Oh, no trouble at all by Annette Pierce, Chaser

Adam had taken advantage of her push and gone right for a goal. The little Californian that Teppalus had fielded as their keeper made a valiant effort worthy of her Pierce name to block it, but she was just too small to close the distance in time. Annette felt no misplaced family loyalty to the half-breed, but she did feel a little bad for the kid. It was rough being a first year playing against bigger kids. That didn't stop her from gleefully cheering Adam's goal though.

The Californian passed to the largest of the Teppalus players. He brought the Quaffle away from the scoring zone, but between them, Rupert and Adam disrupted the other team enough that Adam ended up in possession and brought it back to the scoring area. He passed back to Annette who had placed herself in a good scoring position, but the little Carey got in the way for the intercept.

Annette followed after him as he carried it away again, trying to stay back in his blind spot. The rain and the goggles that killed peripheral vision must have helped hide her because he passed without seeming to realize she was right behind him. She pushed her broom for its best speed, flying past the boy who had slowed down as he threw and snatched the Quaffle from the rain-filled air.

Changing directions, Annette headed back toward the Californian once more. She made as if to go for a goal in the leftmost hoop, but at the last moment tossed the Quaffle sideways toward one of her teammates instead, hoping to take the California Pierce kid off guard and give Pecari an open shot at one of the other hoops.

0 Annette Pierce, Chaser Oh, no trouble at all 0 Annette Pierce, Chaser 0 5

Isaac Douglas, Chaser

February 21, 2015 5:31 PM

Not even a little? by Isaac Douglas, Chaser

It didn't happen often, but sometimes, Isaac was surprised to find that he hadn't been quite pessimistic enough. He was really surprised to find it possible under current conditions. The sight of his first year companions in the Cascade Hall had been enough to fill him with gloom for the past week, but for some reason, he was surprised when Adam Spencer stole the Quaffle back.

Surprised, and a little offended. Spencer had already made them, or at the very least the Reinhardts, look like idiots once in the past five minutes. It would have been annoying if one of the girls had done it, embarrassing if the second year girl had done it, but the same person doing it just seemed worse. Spencer was already Assistant Captain and widely, Isaac thought, acknowledged as a good player, he really didn't need to try that hard....

One should always try that hard, he imagined his father replying as he turned around again. Take nothing for granted -

He allowed himself to mentally skim over the parts of the imaginary lecture about the vestigial empires of the old families and the rise of families like theirs, and even the likes of Isaac's half-sisters, to levels of respectability and acceptance that would have been unthinkable for all of them a century ago. He had heard it far too many times, though he did indulge himself in imagining Dad would have added something about how one should try to avoid being too obvious about things, which Spencer was surely being now.

It looked like Spencer was also going to display the character flaws of arrogance and a mild dose of sadism by doing the exact same thing he'd done before, which made it another surprise when Isaac saw Andrew Carey flying like a madman. That wasn't too surprising, though; Careys had a reputation for playing Quidditch like guys who didn't care if they came out alive, plus Andrew was one of the Tiny Teppenpaws. He could have just cracked under pressure. More surprising was Andrew somehow getting the Quaffle out of...whatever had just happened....

Oh, well. Not like it mattered now. Isaac turned, too, flew after the Quaffle, then stopped in confusion when Andrew was suddenly out of formation. Where had he...?

Isaac turned just in time to see Annette Pierce steal the Quaffle. Isaac scowled. Here they went again.....

He covered Annette - he tried very hard not to imagine Annette telling Alicia all about this in excruciating detail over the holidays, or about Alicia then coming to one of the family get-togethers this year just to repeat that version of the tale right after Isaac presented a more flattering version; he could only hope Alicia's tendency to prefer male company to that of other witches extended even to witches who shared Loverboy's perfect genes - on the wrong side to intercept when she passed near the goals. Isaac kept going forward, looking for an open position to receive the Quaffle if necessary that wasn't open enough to practically ask a Beater to pick him off before Ginger could return the Quaffle to play.

16 Isaac Douglas, Chaser Not even a little? 273 Isaac Douglas, Chaser 0 5

Uzume Shinohara,Seeker

February 21, 2015 7:25 PM

...Nor Japan. by Uzume Shinohara,Seeker

Uzu walked to the Quidditch pitch in a huff, still feeling rather dazed after the incident in the bathroom. She thought she was past that stage…he wasn’t supposed to be there anymore. He was gone, out of the picture, and she was supposed to be focusing on herself, not on him. But seeing his face again brought up everything she was supposed to have forgotten, everything she was supposed to have put behind her and everything she was, in actuality, far from forgetting…

"Uzume, who was rather fed up with her long hair, had reach her last nerve once she saw the heavy storm from outside her window. Her wooden hair combs, which had previously served her so well, could never withstand the heavy rains, and Uzume groaned to think that she was actually in need of Makenzie’s, or Kamo no Yasunori-forbid, Araceli’s assistance with her hair. As a result she decided to take things into her own hands, tradition aside. Grabbing a pair of scissors, Uzume headed to the washroom.

As she approached the mirror she carefully studied how much she would cut. After finding a suitable amount, she pulled the hair back with her hand into a ponytail, ready to cut-off the excess, until she saw the eyes of another in the mirror. Uzu stood dumbfounded, shocked by the image reflected in the glass. It didn't happen often, but when it did it left her speechless. Her eyes were locked on the face of her twin brother—his eyes in turn, remained emotionless as he looked on from the other side. If not for the light tapping of the rain against the windowpane, she surely would have become lost in the gaze of her own warped reflection. A low rumble echoed in the distance, forcing her attention to leave the mirror for a moment to check for any lightning. Just one flash would mean the cancelation of the game, and time to find an alternate solution to her problem. However, her efforts were in vain, for nothing broke through the clouds except for another boom of thunder, thus signaling the storm wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon.

Glancing sheepishly back to the mirror, she caught the sight of her own reflection. Shinohara Uzume, 12 years old, Crotalus Seeker. Jun on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. She hated that about him, just when she thought he was really gone, he would seep back into her life and give her all these mixed feelings. She gripped her hair tighter, her scissors pushed up against it. Uzu took a breath, ready to cut it all away. She tried and failed one last time, before she released the handful of hair.

Going back to her original plan of braiding her hair, she tried her best to copy the motions she’d observed from other girls. The twisted strands of hair felt incredibly awkward between her fingers as she worked her way down the braid so that the end result looked more like a rat’s nest than an actual hairstyle. She grimaced at her reflection for a moment before beginning her work of detangling the thick strands. Taking a koshi-himo tie that she usually used for her yukata, she tried again to tie her hair back. Despite the tie fighting with her the entire time; she managed to get it into a loose ponytail. Tugging it to check its hold, the hairstyle seemed firm enough to suffice for now.

Looking back to her reflection, she tried to find a small bit of Jun in herself. Of course she looked like him, she was Jun after all, but her reflection now wasn’t the same as before. It was just like him, to come and go as he pleased. Of course he would have wanted to see her off to the game, seeing as it was one of his many pastimes. Still unable to find him in the mirror and spurred by a mixture of anger and anxiety, she raised her wand, casting a sloppy attempt at one of the charms she had been taught in her dancing—a spell she had not yet been allowed to try. However, instead of removing her reflection like she had originally intended, the spell created a black cloud that made it near impossible to see anything clearly. After momentarily looking over the results of her failed attempt, the young girl shrugged and turned her back on the mess, perfectly content leaving it for someone else to cleanup. After all, she had a snitch to catch. "

Uzume tuned back in as the “Captain” speech began but soon wished she hadn’t—it was anything but uplifting. In fact, she barely listened to the rambling of the ‘Captains’ or whatever they had fancied to call themselves. The fact that her ‘captain’, her ‘taichou’ was a koukai, a younger student, infuriated her. A younger inexperienced student trying to tell her how to do her job, how she ought to behave made her blood boil. At least Reinhardt had the good sense to show modesty in his leadership and not try to belittle the older students like Johnson was. The mere fact that he thought he had the right to tell those older than him what to do was preposterous. In Japan that never would have flown. Though, in Japan, it would have been the Teppalus reserve or the other Crotalus player who would have been the captains seeing as they were the eldest students on the team.

Her beating out Manger only showed just how odd this school system was. The fact that she, a younger, and therefore, less respectable player (in terms of age, not skill) was permitted to represent the Teppulas team was totally confusing. When she had first heard the news, she almost thought it was a practical joke Jamie had coaxed the older students into playing on her. However, as fate would have it, she had managed to steal the position from her Senpai, someone older than her who had tried out for the team before and therefore was more worthy to receive the starting position—even if she believed she was a better Seeker than he. Manger was older, he had seniority, and that’s what mattered. She continued to think about the situation as she mounted her broom, glancing every now and then to Manger-Senpai in the reserves’ tent, a mixture of shame and triumph flowing through her as she kicked off to start the match.

0 Uzume Shinohara,Seeker ...Nor Japan. 0 Uzume Shinohara,Seeker 0 5

Ali Johnson, Chaser

February 23, 2015 6:14 PM

Desperately wanting to give you trouble. by Ali Johnson, Chaser

Alistair let out a quiet groan as the Quaffle soared past the little Teppalus Keeper and through the hoop. He didn't blame Ginger for Pecari's triumph as the feint had been well performed but was none the less sad to see a goal so early in the game, before any Teppalus player had even so much as touched the Quaffle.

The first year comforted himself with the thought that they had at least now been given possession of the Quaffle, small consolation for a 10 point lead to Pecari. Alistair heard the Teppenpaw girl called out an apology and should he not be captain and therefore tasked with ensuring a good team mentally he would have undoubtedly ignored it. But yet, he wasn't quite close enough to say anything worth the effort in the time frame he allowed himself and therefore gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile before darting up the pitch to ready himself for a pass from Isaac Douglas when the older Crotalus felt the need to lose the Quaffle.

He didn't think Ginger's attempt had been terrible. Unsuccessful it was but she'd moved quickly to adapt to the Pecari Chaser's sudden change of direction and Alistair found himself thinking that with practise she could be alright (praise enough coming from Alistair), she was already proving far better than he'd given her credit for.

For a moment, Alistair felt the excitement as he thought he was finally going to get his turn with the Quaffle but then that same Pecari Chaser who had just scored intercepted Isaac's pass, snatching away the scarlet ball before Alistair had a chance to do anything. Then Spencer passed and Alistair felt his heart leap to his throat as he watched the events unfold, urging his own broom to catch up with the action. Andrew Carey was, much like Ginger, showing himself to be better than his Crotalus captain had previously thought him to be. Sure, his playing never seemed to have that finesse that Alistair always strived to perform but he was on possession of the Quaffle and that already was more than Alistair had done.

It was difficult for the first year to gage when his teammate was going to pass but now that they had turned the tables once more, Alistair found himself in a good position ahead of the Teppenpaw Carey to pass to him. But there Pecari went again, this time the girl stealing the Quaffle and spinning the game back around to face Ginger in the Teppalus hoops.

Alistair ground his teeth in sheer frustration, feeling as though Pecari were running circles around them (or rather, flying circles). The Pierce twin looked as though she were going to take a shot but like Pecari's Assistant Captain used the element of surprise and passed the Quaffle last minute. It was a smooth move and Alistair was certainly not prepared for it. Whether Ginger was prepared for such a sly shot or not, the first year Crotalus sincerely hoped she saved this time around as he kept a close eye on Beaters, bludgers and opposing Chasers to get in a good position for the Teppalus Keeper to pass out to him.

8 Ali Johnson, Chaser Desperately wanting to give you trouble. 306 Ali Johnson, Chaser 0 5

Joella Curtis, Chaser

February 24, 2015 2:43 AM

Go on then. by Joella Curtis, Chaser

Joella was more than happy to be back playing with the same team she had last year. Only this time around she thought herself even more excited. She was no longer new to competitive play and had a bigger desire to see Pecari win. It was also an exciting prospect to have the all new Teppalus team to play against. She had undeniably been surprised to hear that her childhood friend, first year Alistair Johnson, was co-captaining the team along with Teppenpaw Liac Reinhardt. Not only was it am interesting partnership but the two were both young students at Sonora.

When she realized, however, that Isaac Douglas was the only older student on the whole team things made a little more sense. Nevertheless, it didn't stop her feeling about how such a title in his first year would go straight to her old friend's head. Perhaps it was this or generally her competitive streak but Joella felt sure that Pecari would win, they just had to. Otherwise there would be no stopping Alistair. The rain was, of course, a slight disappointment when Joella took a look outside but it would be an experience she was willing to learn from.

Her enthusiasm not dampened by the weather but increased by Rupert's words, the Pecari second year took to the pitch. Annette did well in grabbing the Quaffle first and taking it up some way towards the Teppalus hoops. Then Adam took a shot, a good one too. Joella was impressed and let out a whoop as her teammate scored Pecaris first goal of the year. It was a good start and she found herself grinning inspite of how drenched she was.

The little Teppalus Keeper threw the Quaffle back into play but it wasn't long before Adam had snatched it back. Joella flew back up towards the Teppalus hoops but was surprised when one of the opposing Chasers intercepted Adam's pass to Annette. But the game only turned momentarily as Annette soon had the Quaffle back under Pecari control. Joella was aware that Alistair would by now be getting frustrated about every pass to him being cut off and found herself smiling at the thought. She shook her head, reminding herself to focus should her fellow Chaser suddenly need to pass.

For a moment Joella was sure Annette was going to attempt a shot in the left hoop but rather cleverly the older Pecari sent the Quaffle towards Joella instead. Fortunately Joella caught it easily. She flew quickly into the scoring area and took a shot it the right side hoop, hoping that Annette's manoeuvre would have confused the first year Keeper. The attempt was well aimed and thrown with a fair amount of force, scoring being her strong point. Joella hadn't hung around waiting for any encouragement that this was her call but instead gone ahead and seized the opportunity and she could only hope Annette's clever pass and her speedy reaction had paid off.

8 Joella Curtis, Chaser Go on then. 295 Joella Curtis, Chaser 0 5

Ginger Pierce, Keeper

February 24, 2015 3:38 PM

You people are not being nice to me at all by Ginger Pierce, Keeper

Ginger thought she was handling her first miss pretty well. She passed to Isaac and Alistair even spared her a reassuring smile (something she didn't think came naturally to him), so she tried to recenter herself (mostly emotionally, but physically as well, flying in front of the center hoop until she knew where she might be needed next) and resolved to do better next time.

Next time came much more quickly than she would have liked. The Pecaris did not let up.

The guy who scored on her already stole the pass from Isaac and then flew back to threaten another goal. She positioned herself to hopefully best block a shot from him, but was ready to redirect on a dime again since he seemed to like feints. He passed though and Andrew thankfully handled that.

Then the Pierce chaser - one of the younger set of New Hampshire twins - brought it back to threaten again. She was going for the left hoop, so Ginger got in the way. But then Pierce Twin One passed to a Pecari girl on the far right side who immediately shot for the distant right hoop.

Ginger had zero chance of getting over there in time but she tried anyway.

Her extended fingers reaching for the impossible block were still feet away when it sailed unmolested through the hoop, and Ginger had to bite her lip really hard to keep from crying. She had no idea what she could have done there to stop that. If she hadn't blocked the left side Twin Chaser would have taken the shot and scored. But she had blocked it so Twin Chaser had passed and someone went for the hoop she couldn't have possibly physically have gotten to in time. How did professional Keepers do this?

She made a mental note to watch a few professional games over the summer.

Retrieving the Quaffle, rose back up in front of the goals, hoping people thought her sniffling was because of the rain and not because of her frustration with the impossible saves the Pecaris were throwing at her during her very first minutes of ever playing the game. She didn't think a seventh year could have made that save, never mind a eleven year old in the rain flying for maybe the twentieth time ever in her life. This wasn't fair.

She passed the Quaffle off to one of her teammates and hoped they'd keep the stupid ball away from the Pecaris a little longer this time.

1 Ginger Pierce, Keeper You people are not being nice to me at all 302 Ginger Pierce, Keeper 0 5

Coach Olivers

February 25, 2015 2:31 AM

Pecari scores! 20 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers

0 Coach Olivers Pecari scores! 20 - 0 (nm) 0 Coach Olivers 0 5

Annabelle Pierce, Seeker

February 26, 2015 7:47 PM

Welcome to Sonora. by Annabelle Pierce, Seeker

After a few sweeps through the rain-soaked pitch, Annabelle decided that if she was going to be miserable and unlucky, she was going to be miserable and unlucky close to the younger Seeker to share the misery and unluckiness. The advantage would be two-fold.

First, it would make it riskier for the Teppenpaw-Crotalus beater to try to knock a bludger at her without endangering his own Seeker. She trusted Atlas well enough to look after her, and he did have both age and experience on the other team's beaters, but she had never been up against the Reinhardts before. Better not to take too much risk with an unknown quantity on the field. And the rain made sound weird today; it could muffle the crack of bat meeting bludger which would make it harder to know when to dodge.

Second, and perhaps more to point, it would make it much easier to keep an on the other Seeker and know if she spotted the Snitch before Annabelle did. If the other girl didn't get too much of a head start, Annabelle was sure she could out-fly the less experienced player and get her hands on the snitch first. Keeping close would make it much harder for the second year to get the kind of lead Clark Dill had taken advantage of twice last year.

Of course, if meant she wouldn't have any kind of lead either, if she spotted it first, but that hadn't happened yet, so Annabelle wasn't going to worry about that one too much. She was still confident of her ability to fly faster and more precisely than the Crotalus, so it didn't much matter anyway. Her broom was a very high quality one, still in excellent condition despite not being brand new anymore, and she'd been flying it long enough now that she knew it like an extension of herself.

This was going to be her game.

And, if she was really lucky, which she didn't count on at this point at all, maybe Uzume Shinohara would find Annabelle's hovering presence annoying and distracting.

0 Annabelle Pierce, Seeker Welcome to Sonora. 0 Annabelle Pierce, Seeker 0 5

Andrew Carey, Chaser

February 26, 2015 10:57 PM

Let's try this again... by Andrew Carey, Chaser

Andrew bit his lip, hard, as Pecari scored for the second time. As he did, another good thing about the rain occurred to him: it made it really hard to tell what sorts of noises were coming from the stands. Maybe the spectators, on both sides, were behaving like gentlemen and ladies, but he didn’t want to know for sure right now.

He’d known it was going to be hard, he guessed. Rain made a game more challenging even for experienced players, which the other guys had a lot of and his team had almost none of. Just how hard it was, though, was not something he’d foreseen. He felt awful for Ginger, himself, and…well, everybody on his team. Andrew wasn’t all that sure that he liked Isaac or Alistair all that much, but he was pretty sure they weren’t bad enough people for this to be their just desserts….

Of course, if you gave people who were that bad their just desserts, they would probably react to the humiliation by doing horrible things to all of your kids someday. Even he knew that. Plus, he guessed he could also see the argument that you deserved what you got on the Pitch because you could always have tried harder before the match – he was sure that was the view Morgaine, and so, since she was the one who occasionally gave him and Mal some of the lectures their father should have in the hopes that they wouldn’t suffer too much from just being raised by a pair of wives instead of by a real Carey, the family as a whole would take. So he guessed things were going to be all wrong no matter what. It didn’t, though, mean he had to like it. At all.

Ginger passed the Quaffle to him and he forced a confident smile before flying away. He flew faster than he knew was really smart in this rain, flying unevenly. Finally, he swerved closer to one fellow Chaser and then the other before trying to pass to the first after all, knowing his execution of the maneuver was a little clumsy but hoping they might finally make a successful pass in this game.

0 Andrew Carey, Chaser Let's try this again... 0 Andrew Carey, Chaser 0 5

Isaac Douglas, Chaser

February 27, 2015 12:29 PM

With a bit of success this time! by Isaac Douglas, Chaser

Pecari scored again. Isaac watched the ball sail through the hoop stoically, at least until he found it urgent to take the brief respite a goal attempt gave them to wipe away rain which was pooling at the top of his goggles and then running, in a rather annoying fashion, down his temples and toward his ears. The top of his head was numb with cold, his short hair completely soaked through and of no protective value to him whatsoever anymore.

Good thing the Keeper was a Teppenpaw - in Crotalus, he suspected her reception in the dorms would have been distinctly frosty. Maybe Teppenpaws would feel sorry for her, but in Crotalus...well, gambles like this were not a Crotalus thing anyway, it was why most of the team was Teppenpaw, and she was a girl. Their House was still probably the least friendly toward girls in the game, which was probably why they couldn’t field an independent team anymore, since the House probably also leaned at least as heavily to girls as Aladren did to boys….

Irrelevant thoughts, so fleeting he barely registered them as he watched Ginger re-collect the Quaffle again. This time, it went back out to Andrew, and so they began again.

For a moment, once they had put a little distance between themselves and Ginger, Isaac thought the Carey kid had simply lost his mind (again), but then he realized there was a method to his madness: Andrew was trying to confuse Pecari about which way he was going to pass. Or maybe just to avoid Bludgers, but either way, he was trying something. A tiny bit of Isaac admired him for that, at least for a second. Admiration and the more dominant weary certainty that it couldn’t work and that it was stupid to try were both washed away in surprise when he saw the Quaffle sailing through the air again and then, somehow, found it in his own hands.

He blinked at it, surprise seguing into shock, wondering if he had gone mad. Then he briefly wondered why they didn’t have French horns or something for moments like this, because it surely deserved them. Then, in the same breath, remembered that he was a Crotalus and that Crotali didn’t court danger and that the Quaffle was a dangerous thing to hold. He sped up, holding the Quaffle against his torso with one arm and clinging to the broom so tightly with his other hand that the joints in it ached. He ignored them; falling or getting hit had the potential to hurt a lot worse, and anyway, they distracted him a bit from the ache which had formed in his back.

They should give us laurel wreaths, he still thought absently, picturing himself and Andrew thus adorned. Or at least homework passes. A moment of competence should be rewarded.

It didn’t seem likely, though, and he could see Skies and Xavier’s point: if they did that, it would make them the laughingstocks of the staff room, since Aladren and Pecari required no such inducements to play competently. They had to guard their own positions, and while encouraging competence in their students would increase their status in the long run, being obvious about it - about the need for it - would lower their status right now. Xavier in particular couldn’t afford that. The game was the game, and students were really very insignificant pieces in it from their point of view. It was still a pity, though, and Isaac just hoped he and Andrew gained personal status among the other students at least. Though he wasn’t sure what endgame he should hope for to further that; if they won the game, their Seeker would naturally get most of the glory, but if she didn’t, the Houses might be too depressed to care about his and Andrew’s moments of competence….

To find out, though, he needed to be conscious, not recovering from a cracked skull in the hospital wing for a few days (an injury might earn him more praise if he could somehow not cry at the time, but one that took more than a minute to heal meant everyone would have forgotten all about that by the time he was in a position to enjoy their praise, and anyway, he knew his chances of not dropping the Quaffle and then crying like a six-year-old girl if he broke a bone were pretty much slim to none), so once he had used the confidence boost of the catch to put a respectable amount of distance between him and his starting point, he looked for an opening and then tried passing toward a teammate behind him.

16 Isaac Douglas, Chaser With a bit of success this time! 273 Isaac Douglas, Chaser 0 5

Annette, Chaser

February 27, 2015 1:25 PM

I liked the other result better by Annette, Chaser

Joella caught the ball Annette had passed, if not perfectly, then competently enough that Annette didn't see any flaws in her catch and quick redirect toward the far goal from where she sat on her broom, made somewhat fuzzy and indistinct by the sheets of falling rain dropping down between them. It looked good though from Annette's vantage and it worked. The little Teppenpaw wasn't even close to blocking that one, and Annette whooped as it sailed through the hoop farthest from her.

Then Andrew Carey again had the Quaffle. Following behind in his blind spot as she had before, she pushed forward when he faked to one chaser then tossed to the other. Annette got between them, reaching for the Quaffle but it wasn't there. It took her a moment to work through her confusion and realize it hadn't just magically vanished through some vile trickery or possibly just a rain-induced fumble and drop, but that Carey had actually passed to the first guy after all.

She muttered under her breath, not quite angry, but definitely irritated that she had been so deceived. Not hard feelings, though, of course; the irritation was focussed on herself not Carey. He'd just been doing what he was supposed to be doing.

So she set her broom to fly after Douglas, trying to keep between him and one of the Teppalus kids to block a pass that way. She wasn't sneaky about it or anything, so it came as no real surprise when he decided the other chaser was a safer risk and threw to that teammate instead of the one she was covering.

0 Annette, Chaser I liked the other result better 0 Annette, Chaser 0 5

Adam Spencer, Chaser

February 27, 2015 6:02 PM

As did I. Let's keep it going. by Adam Spencer, Chaser

The whole match was a beautiful piece of work despite the horrendous torrential downpour and the slippery Quaffle. After making his first goal, Adam had followed the others closely, though not close enough to make any interceptions. He liked to allow his team-mates to have a turn in the limelight, and they certainly did. Annette and Joella were brilliant in their play, and Adam let out a cheer almost without realising it. They had the advantage of experience over many of the Teppalus players, and whilst he felt sorry for them, condolences would have to wait until after the match was over.

The other team they would play would be Aladren, and Adam was much less enthusiastic about that one. First off, his little brother was going to be an opposing Chaser, and secondly Aladren had done very well the year prior. Their team had its incredible strengths, every one of those strengths revealing itself during this match, but he wasn't certain how it would match up compared to Aladren's team that was both tried and true, save Jackie.

Though Jack was much more competitive and serious than he, Adam still didn't want to play so hard that the little first year would start crying. It was hardly fair even playing against Pierce who was still inexperienced at Keeping, or so he assumed. He didn't want to feel bad about being a good player and on a good team, but he still did just a bit.

Adam was impressed by Carey's pass, and equally impressed when Douglas managed to catch it. A faux pass usually required a solid knowledge of each others' play or sheer luck. Adam was betting on the latter in their case, but it didn't matter. What did matter was Douglas had the Quaffle now and he was sure to pass it soon. Annette had been covering Carey who had managed to catch her off-guard, and Adam followed behind, keeping close to the fray. Annette was covering one Chaser near Douglas, so Adam took a position covering the other.

When Douglas made a move to pass, Adam was in the right position to intercept it. With both Annette and Adam hovering closely over Douglas, there wasn't as much room for him to successfully complete a pass, though certainly it wasn't impossible. Adam had to slow down considerably to successfully catch the Quaffle, but the leather ball was slippery and eased by like the rain through his fingers. The Quaffle, after making it past Adam's hands, dropped quickly, and after the split-second of the initial shock had passed, Adam quickly flew after it, hoping desperately another Pecari Chaser would snatch it up before it fell into the arms of an awaiting Teppalus Chaser.

0 Adam Spencer, Chaser As did I. Let's keep it going. 0 Adam Spencer, Chaser 0 5

Ali Johnson, Chaser

February 27, 2015 7:10 PM

Doing exactly that. by Ali Johnson, Chaser

Alistair had never imagined a Quidditch game could be so painful. As soon as the older Pecari girl passed the Quaffle after looking as though she intended to shoot, Alistair knew that there was no stopping Pecari's second goal. Joella was a good shot and there was little way that any Chaser could miss such an opportunity. This time, however, the Crotalus first year's only response was the twitching of a muscle of annoyance in his face. The whole weight of the game seemed to be falling on poor Ginger's shoulders and Alistair did not like to think that he may be failing his duty as a Chaser. It only added to his irritation that it was Joella Curtis who had scored against his team but, of course, she didn't bear thinking about at this moment.

Jaw set firm in renewed determination, he turned back up the pitch as the Teppalus Keeper threw the ball out to Carey. Alistair's fellow first year Chaser was undoubtedly not a very aesetically pleasing player but his pass was successful and Alistair didn't really think he could afford to complain about such "minor detail" with the way the game was going so far. It suddenly crossed the young Crotalus's mind that Andrew Carey hadnt actually been doing too badly so far, he'd been a great deal more involved and more helpful than Alistair himself had, anyway (something Alistair did not care to think about). Douglas received the pass, which the Pecari Chasers fortunately failed to intercept this time around.

The older boy flew a fair distance further up the pitch before passing back his eager captain. However, Douglas had been rather optimistic and the pass was quickly stopped by none other than Adam Spencer. But barely seconds later and the Pecari had dropped the Quaffle. Not allowing himself a moment of surprise, Alistair continued the momentum he had been powering towards Douglas's pass to collect the dropping ball. To make the catch, Spencer had slowed down a little and Alistair found himself close to crashing into the older student, although he of course avoided such an incident occurring with his swift manoeuvring of his broom.

Alistair wasn't quite sure how it had happened but as he accelerated on in the direction of the Pecari hoops with the Quaffle held tightly against his soaking wet chest, he fancied that his success had not at all be down to luck but his own expertise. Now he had possession of the Quaffle, the Crotalus felt the whole game improve somewhat. The rain didn't make flying easy but he continued with a fair amount of speed, knowing that Spencer would likely be hot on his heels. Teppalus simply had to get in a goal attempt sooner or later.

8 Ali Johnson, Chaser Doing exactly that. 306 Ali Johnson, Chaser 0 5

Rupert Princeton, Beater

February 27, 2015 7:45 PM

Throwing in a distraction. by Rupert Princeton, Beater

Rupert was feeling a bit frustrated. His team was doing extraordinarily well, almost better than he had hoped, and he was very proud of his team-mates. But he was frustrated in his performance. Not only were his bludgers seeming to disappear into nothingness, but the quickness of the Chasers made it nearly impossible to pin one down. It wasn't his job to smash an opponent's broom into bits, but it would have made him feel a bit better about himself and his ability to play in harsh weather conditions.

It was lovely to see his team-mates apply themselves so well and perform to the best of their abilities. When Adam and Joella each made a goal, Rupert could have crowed for joy. Instead, he kept a close eye on them, aiming to protect his Chasers and keep this brilliant offence going without too much opposition from the other younger, and considerably less experienced, team. Whilst Rupert enjoyed the company of younger years, he had no mercy on the pitch for anyone. Playing against his own brother had been slightly disconcerting at the beginning of his Sonora Quidditch career, but Cepheus had since graduated and Rupert had improved in his position as a Beater. It was never personal, and he had learnt to separate his personal business from Quidditch.

The Quaffle bounced around and Rup followed it as best he could whilst keeping an eye out for the closest bludger. It would be prudent to stay on his toes in case an opportunity arose, but for now he didn't try his luck by throwing an iron ball into the fray. He was tempted to do so anyway out of spite, an attempt to make himself feel more competent as a Beater, but he held back, hoping the opportunity would arise more naturally.

It did when poor Adam made a blunder and an orange Chaser took the Quaffle on. He was one of the captains, Rupert remembered, and a rather young one for a combined team. He could only imagine how he'd received the position; perhaps his enthusiasm for the sport had been the greatest? In any case, Rupert felt even more inclined to bat a bludger his way, and he decided to finally try his hand at it and hope for impact. Not that he wanted Johnson obliterated by any means; maybe just a broken bone or a broken broom.

His broom was quick and Rupert flew parallel to Johnson. A bludger was approaching, and though Rupert was a bit a ways away from the opposing Chaser, his aim was sharp even in the rain. As soon as Rupert was within the bludger's vicinity, he slowed considerably and immediately cracked his bat against the bludger to send it flying to the spot where Johnson would no doubt be by the time the bludger met him there. Rupert waited, hoping for something, some indication to tell him he still had the possibility of impressing scouts for the next match. This match was only practise in comparison.

0 Rupert Princeton, Beater Throwing in a distraction. 0 Rupert Princeton, Beater 0 5

Ali Johnson, Chaser

March 01, 2015 3:29 PM

More than a distraction, I'll say. by Ali Johnson, Chaser

Alistair's current tactic was simply to fly as fast as his broom and the weather would allow towards the Pecari hoops for as long as the opposing team allowed him to do so. There was no point passing unless absolutely necessary as it only ever seemed to open windows for Pecari interception. The young Crotalus tried to keep his wits about him but it was difficult to concentrate on too many things, so when he saw the dim outline of a few other players out of the corners of his eyes he didn't bother to waste time checking out the threats but instead just fly on, Quaffle gripped tightly against his orange-robed chest.

Having never been one to get caught out by obstacles, Alistair was more confident of his dodging and escaping bludgers than of his throwing aim. Despite his love for the position of Chaser, the majority of his talents lay in flying rather than ball-play. That being said, Alistair was a decent shot much of the time and would most definitely never even consider such a vital area of the game being his "weakness".

So perhaps it was the noise of the rain and the sheets of water obscuring his vision, or maybe it was the adrenaline of the nearing hoops in the unfamiliar competitive situation, but Alistair wasn't ready for the bludger that suddenly came flying into his course. It had been well-aimed, undoubtedly by the skilled Pecari Captain, and Alistair gave everything he had to both slow down and veer away from it at the same time. His efforts saved him from what could have been very nasty, but still the bludger was on target and travelling at a hard force and Alistair had been flying far too fast for him to get away lightly. Sitting up sharply, the first year Teppalus player managed to brake a little in the short space of time that his realization allowed but as he attempted to swerve away last minute, the bludger struck him forcefully on the back, largely at his left shoulder. Shock shot through Alistair's body, the off-centre impact sending him back around to face the Teppalus hoops and throwing him forwards onto his broomstick, his face smashing into the broom handle and the Quaffle obviously relinquishing itself from his hold. The young Crotalus was momentarily lost for breath, the pain so agonizing where the bludger had struck his deltoid. He pushed himself upright after a moment, recollecting himself. A sickening feeling threatened to overwhelm him but right now Alistair was more concerned about the wounding of his pride than of his body. Had he not already been feeling so much frustration, his anger now would perhaps not have given him the determination he needed to continue the game, but his adrenaline was not lost and the excruciating pain he would do his best to ignore, as much as possible anyway.

Alistair wiped some of the blood off his face, fought back the tears that felt imminent (due to the impact of the blow, of course, because Alistair was never one to show such "weakness") and looked for the Quaffle he had dropped. He felt foolish for the incident and couldn't help berating himself on what he could have done differently. He certainly was making a very good name for himself.

8 Ali Johnson, Chaser More than a distraction, I'll say. 306 Ali Johnson, Chaser 0 5

Annabelle Pierce, Seeker

March 01, 2015 8:29 PM

Oh, thank Merlin, it's over. by Annabelle Pierce, Seeker

Annabelle tagged after Uzume Shinohara for a little while, but the younger girl seemed to be having no better luck than Annabelle herself in spotting even a faint glimmer in the driving rain. Then, as she was getting bored with the shadowing anyway, she thought . . . maybe . . . she might have seen something off to the Pecari side of the pitch. Trying to just seem irritated with her current strategy's lack of success, Annabelle slowly started flying her broom over toward where she might have seen the snitch (or where she might have just seen some wind blow the rain around and she was just chasing ghosts).

For the first minute, as she got closer to the area, she thought she must have imagined the whole thing because nothing was there. Then she spotted it. Down near the bottom of the left Pecari hoop, there it was. The snitch, flitting about as if mocking her for not seeing it sooner.

Annabelle dove, not checking behind her to see where Miss Shinohara was, or even where the beaters and bludgers were. This was the first time in her seeking career she had been in a good position to actually catch it first and nothing else mattered. She was single-mindedly focused on that tiny ball of gold. It was going to be hers this time. She was not sure she could survive the disgrace if she lost again to a second year. She pushed her broom faster than was probably safe in this weather but she didn't care.

It was getting closer and no upstart Aladren was in her way. Even when it darted up and more toward the middle of the pitch, she changed direction seamlessly and followed after its new trajectory. Soon it was nearly in reach and she extended her hand. Her fingers reached out. They closed around it.

She had it! She'd won! Pecari had won!

She squealed in delight, waving the snitch over her head, and slowed her broom and leveled it out. For the first time this match, she forgot how miserable the weather was and, laughing, did a quick triumphant loop in the air.

Of course, on the upshoot, she got a face-full of rain that left her spluttering, so then she swiftly headed down to the ground after that, once again eager to get this whole thing over with so she could dry off and celebrate Pecari's win properly without risking death by drowning.

0 Annabelle Pierce, Seeker Oh, thank Merlin, it's over. 0 Annabelle Pierce, Seeker 0 5

Coach Olivers

March 02, 2015 2:29 AM

Pecari wins! 170 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers

0 Coach Olivers Pecari wins! 170 - 0 (nm) 0 Coach Olivers 0 5

Coach Olivers

Quidditch Game I: Pecari vs. Teppalus by Coach Olivers

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

And we are off to a wet but good start by <font color=tan>Annette Pierce, Chaser</font>

<font color=tan>Annabelle Pierce, Seeker</font>

Life hates me. Quidditch hates me. Weather charms hate me. by <font color=tan>Annabelle Pierce, Seeker</font>

<font color=tan>Rupert Princeton, Beater</font>

Finally, some action. by <font color=tan>Rupert Princeton, Beater</font>

<font color=tan>Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

A very good start, I believe. by <font color=tan>Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

<font color='tan'>Anna Clarissa C-F</font>

Eagerly in reserve by <font color='tan'>Anna Clarissa C-F</font>

<font color="orange">Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

It's not the start that counts in the end by <font color="orange">Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

But a good start is an advantage. by <font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

<font color=orange>Ginger Pierce, Keeper</font>

I guess I'm up, huh? by <font color=orange>Ginger Pierce, Keeper</font>

<font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

It looks like we both are. by <font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

Coach Olivers

Pecari scores! 10 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers

<font color='tan'>Liliana Bannister, Keeper</font>

IBTFY (when the rain starts to pour) by <font color='tan'>Liliana Bannister, Keeper</font>

<font color="orange">T. Reinhardt, Beater</font>

I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore... by <font color="orange">T. Reinhardt, Beater</font>

<font color=tan>Rupert Princeton, Beater</font>

Providing an obstacle. by <font color=tan>Rupert Princeton, Beater</font>

<font color=tan>Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

Stepping in, thanks. by <font color=tan>Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

<font color="orange"> Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

Don't go out of your way on our account... by <font color="orange"> Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

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

Oh, no trouble at all by <font color=tan>Annette Pierce, Chaser</font>

<font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

Not even a little? by <font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

<font color='orange'>Uzume Shinohara,Seeker</font>

...Nor Japan. by <font color='orange'>Uzume Shinohara,Seeker</font>

<font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

Desperately wanting to give you trouble. by <font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

<font color='tan'>Joella Curtis, Chaser</font>

Go on then. by <font color='tan'>Joella Curtis, Chaser</font>

<font color=orange>Ginger Pierce, Keeper</font>

You people are not being nice to me at all by <font color=orange>Ginger Pierce, Keeper</font>

Coach Olivers

Pecari scores! 20 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers

<font color=tan>Annabelle Pierce, Seeker</font>

Welcome to Sonora. by <font color=tan>Annabelle Pierce, Seeker</font>

<font color="orange">Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

Let's try this again... by <font color="orange">Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

<font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

With a bit of success this time! by <font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

<font color=tan>Annette, Chaser</font>

I liked the other result better by <font color=tan>Annette, Chaser</font>

<font color=tan>Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

As did I. Let's keep it going. by <font color=tan>Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

<font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

Doing exactly that. by <font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

<font color=tan>Rupert Princeton, Beater</font>

Throwing in a distraction. by <font color=tan>Rupert Princeton, Beater</font>

<font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

More than a distraction, I'll say. by <font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

<font color=tan>Annabelle Pierce, Seeker</font>

Oh, thank Merlin, it's over. by <font color=tan>Annabelle Pierce, Seeker</font>

Coach Olivers

Pecari wins! 170 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers