Elly still couldn’t quite believe it. She had known from the start that she didn’t have much of a chance of catching the Snitch playing against Jen, but there was still quite a big part of her, which hadn’t listened to reason, and still felt that Pecari would win. It was done now, anyway, and she just had to get over it. The problem was that it was easier said than done. Elly had been playing hockey as long as she could remember, and she could never remember losing a game. Ever! There had been a couple of draws, but her team had always come away as winners of the championship. Now Quidditch was afar cry from hockey by anyone’s standards, but the feeling was the same: the competition, the adrenaline, the exercise, the sportsmanship... even battered shins. The only thing that was different was that they hadn’t won, and Elly felt as though she had let her team down.
To top it all off, she had a huge, very ugly bruise on her leg, and Elly hadn’t the heart to ask the Medic for something. With a colossal sigh, Elly slumped into one of the more comfortable chairs in the commons, and just sat, staring into space, replaying the game in her head in a hundred different ways – all ended with her catching the Snitch.
0Elly ErikssonAfter the Quidditch game92Elly Eriksson15
Irene entered the Pecari common room, still a little shaken but at the same time disappointed. She had just played her first game ever. Crotalus had seemed to favor the whole "Kill the Firstie" motive which had given her a workout. Irene thought she had done... okay for her first game, but she wished her team could have won. They had been a force on brooms, but apparently that wasn't good enough. Honestly, Jen's catch of the snitch had been really good actually. Too bad she was for the Crotalus team. It was amazing to actually be up there, in the air, with the team. Irene hoped that she could be able to do that next year.
Renaye and Josh would be trying out for beaters, definitely. Those two... Man oh man, Irene pitied the fool who got in their way... Irene looked around and saw Elly on the couch, not looking to pumped up about the result of the match either. Irene sank onto the couch and looked over at Elly.
Apparently it's the taking part that counts...
by Elly
“You too, huh?” Elly looked up to see that Irene had joined her. She smiled weakly.
“Yeah,” she replied, sighing. “I shouldn’t complain, really – the team played really well. You were great Irene,” Elly said, with a fair amount of enthusiasm. She was glad that Irene had the chance to play – she had been so eager - although it was unfortunate it came at the cost of Lizzie’s injury. Elly hoped she’d be okay, but wasn’t too worried – apparently the Medic at Sonora was well accustomed to fixing up bumps from Quidditch. “It’s just… losing sucks, you know?” She shrugged but then grinned.
“Ah well, it was just one game. We’ll win next year, yeah?” Elly stretched then; her muscles, tired from the game, were starting to fall asleep on her. She didn’t want that to happen, otherwise she knew she’d feel ever so stiff the following day. What she could do with now was a good meal and a good sleep. Until the hall opened for dinner, though, she was quite content to sit and do nothing; she was more than happy to have Irene as company, or almost anyone else, for that matter.
0EllyApparently it's the taking part that counts...0Elly05
Irene smiled back at Elly as she gave her a small smile. Irene was about ready to collapse on the couch and just sleep. Forever. Sleeping clears her mind and right now it could use some clearing.
“I shouldn’t complain, really – the team played really well. You were great Irene,”
Irene smiled gratefully at her. Was she? Irene knew she was almost nothing compared to Lizzie, but she had tried her best and she could only hope that was good enough. It hadn't been, but they were already at a disadvantage. Irene hoped Lizzie was okay. That bludger had slammed her wrist. She couldn't imagine the pain that would have caused...
"Yeah, the team was great," she agreed. "You'd never have known Caedence was playing with a broken broom. The Crotalus beater were beasts! Man..."
“Ah well, it was just one game. We’ll win next year, yeah?”
Irene grinned back at her. "Oh yeah! Most definitely. Can't wait to see the game next year!" Irene said, grinning at the thought. The Pecari team wasn't going to be happy about the loss and someone was going to have to take the wrath.
Irene let out a yawn and pulled her knees up to her. She rested her head on them, closed her eyes and mumbled, "Tired... hungry... When's dinner?" She said, more as a sarcastic complaint than a question.
As crazy as it sounded, even to her, she missed Uncle Mike's sandwhich dinners and experimental sundaes. Come summer she was going to get plenty of them. She was going to have the twins and Elaina there to share the summer with too! Irene smiled at the thought and, bringing her head off her knees, Irene looked over to Elly.
"Excited for summer?"
0IrenePfft, rules... Just toss them, I say!0Irene05
Elly laughed – that was just how she felt too. “Not for about another hour yet,” Elly groaned, lying her head back against the sofa so she was looking almost up at the ceiling.
“Excited for summer?” asked Irene.
“Yeah,” Elly replied. “Caedence is going to come over for a bit.” She grinned – she could imagine that a lot of people wouldn’t look upon that as something to look forward too. “We’re just going to chill, maybe go out shopping. Nothing strenuous,” she said, with a short laugh. “And I’ll go stay with my Grandma at the end of the summer, too. And I’ll see my Dad for a bit,” she added. Truthfully her Dad hadn’t specified when he’d be home, but he had put in his letter ‘I’ll see you when you come home’, so Elly just assumed that he would be around at some stage.
She brought her chin back forward then, and turned to look at Irene. “How about you?” Elly returned the question. "You looking forward to summer?"
Irene listened as Elly told her about her summer with Caedence, her Grandma, and her dad. That sounded nice, just chilling at home...
"That's cool! Nothing strenuous is always fun," she said with a grin.
"You looking forward to summer?"
Irene grinned. "Yeah. My cousins are staying for the summer. We'll probably hang out, play Quidditch, all that jazz," she said, already itching to get home. "I think my Uncle Will and Aunt Claera are going to give us a test run of on of their new brooms! They run a Quidditch shop and develop gear."
Last summer, Irene was able to test out the Blurr 3000. Renaye and Josh weren't impressed. Irene thought it was amazing! Irene's not the toughest critic, though... She couldn't wait to see what they had this year. Uncle Will always offers to let them have a broom if they'd like. She'd always turned him down, not wanting to be greedy or anything. She might take him up on it this time...
0Irene*tosses book out the window* What now?0Irene05
Irene said that her cousins were coming over for summer, and it sounded as though she was looking forward to it. Elly wouldn’t know what to do with her cousins – she’d only met them once. They were Muggles, of course, and didn’t speak English, so she wasn’t sure what exactly they would do. When she met them last she’d been five, so they must have been two or three. She guessed the language barrier wasn’t so much of a problem then.
Irene also said that her aunt and uncle run a Quidditch shop. That was so cool – Irene got to try out the new brooms and everything! Elly’s aunt and uncle owned a grocery shop outside of Neulengbach. She was sure it was nowhere near as interesting. Why was her mother’s side of the family so dull?
“That sounds really cool,” she told Irene. “I don’t have any relatives living in the same country, except my parents and my Grandma, and she’s always saying how she wants to go back to Poland anyway. My Mum’s family all live in Austria, but she fell in love with my Dad and now we live in London,” Elly said, not really aware she was still talking. “And I’m Muggleborn so none of my relatives have ever even heard of Quidditch, let alone run a supplies shop,” she said, smiling grimly. “Your family sound wicked,” she told Irene.
“Right then,” Elly said, stretching again. “I guess it would be polite to shower before I go find some food.” She stood up and grinned down at Irene. “See you later, Irene.” Elly smiled and headed off to her dormitory.