Pecari Beater responding to duty, sir! on Quidditch Pitch

Amy Fox

July 17, 2009 11:38 PM

Quidditch Match: Pecari vs. Teppenpaw by Amy Fox

It was the first match of the season. Amy had readied the pitch the night prior, ensuring that everything was prepared for the upcoming match. Sprays of brown, gold, yellow and maroon could be seen from the stands as the students and teachers began to pour in to spectate.

The weather was quite normal for a typical Arizona day and she knew that the day would produce a comfortable temperature for the players, quite unlike the varying weather she dealt with in her own matches. As the teams entered the pitch, Amy asked them to gather round.

"Alright folks, the rules are the same as always. Once the Quaffle is in the air, the game has begun and it will end with the catching of the Snitch. There will be no dirty plays." She turned toward Hannah and then Saul, motioning to the pair to come forward. "You will shake hands before returning to your teams." She waited for the captains to go through the usual routine before she moved toward the chest of balls. Dropping to her knees, she opened the heavy lid, quickly releasing the Snitch, the Bludgers and then grabbing the Quaffle before returning to her feet.

Moving back to place, she moved on to her broom before pushing off the ground. "When the Quaffle is released, a whistle will sound throughout the pitch and the game will begin." Drawing her wand from her robes, she shot the Quaffle into the air as a loud whistle rang. The game had begun.

OOC: Same rules as usual, folks. And have fun.

Subthreads:

Pecari takes possession of the Quaffle by Saul Pierce with Amber Carey, Beater, Kyler Kent

I agreed to play, but I never said I'd be enthusiastic. by Afton Stokes,Keeper

0 Amy Fox Quidditch Match: Pecari vs. Teppenpaw 0 Amy Fox 1 5

Saul Pierce

July 19, 2009 3:06 PM

Pecari takes possession of the Quaffle by Saul Pierce

On the morning of the first match, Saul was up early, even before his alarm had sounded. It was his senior year. He had to play well today if he wanted to make it to the finals for his last Quidditch game. He dressed in his Quidditch Robes, when down for a quick breakfast, then came back outside to await his team.

"Alright guys," he had encouraged them, "We're up against Teppenpaw. We've got the more experienced team here, and we beat them the last time we played them. Let's go show 'em what we're made of and make the finals again. Go Pecari!"

After shaking hands with Hannah and listening to the usual rules from the Coach, the Quaffle was released and the whistle blew. Saul launched up into the air and took possession of the Quaffle. He was the only seventh year Chaser on either team, so he might have had an advantage there in both experience and arm span, but that didn't lessen his grin of triumph as he climbed higher into the air with the red ball gripped securely under his arm.

Making his way toward Afton Stokes, who was guarding the Teppenpaw goals, he found his way blocked by yellow clad players. Turning, he spotted one of his brown robed teammates and called out their codename, "Wright!"

It had amused him to no end to rename each of the three Pecari Chasers with names of other Quidditch players on other teams. He thought it would help confuse the opponents and not make it so obvious who needed to get blocked when they passed the Quaffle between them. He just hoped his own Chasers remembered what names they were supposed to be answering to.

1 Saul Pierce Pecari takes possession of the Quaffle 82 Saul Pierce 0 5

Amber Carey, Beater

July 20, 2009 10:05 PM

Teppenpaw hits a Bludger at Pecari by Amber Carey, Beater

Quidditch, when it came right down to it, was nothing more than socially sanctioned violence. You went out, you broke other people's bones (or at least tried to), and you had a party (pity or otherwise) afterward instead of a detention for punching someone else's lights out. For many, that was one of the sport's main attractions, and Beaters were even more likely than the average player to feel that way.

Amber had never felt particularly violent before, but there was no denying that hitting things at people was cathartic. If fifth year had been hard, sixth year was proving to be a masterwork of some vengeful god bent on driving her utterly insane before her seventeenth birthday. How the real students, with their ambitions and crammed schedules, could get through a day without having a screaming fit was beyond her; three classes, two of them supposedly soft topics, and Quidditch practices were enough to make Amber feel entirely overwhelmed by the end of each day.

She didn't feel that way the morning of the first match of the season, though. Instead, she felt relief. She wasn't a Lexi Stafford by any means, but she was okay at Quidditch, which was more than she could say for most of her classes. Besides, on some level, she knew that most people wouldn't be surprised if they lost, which was a lot more than Amber could say about her father when she showed him her grades. As she put on her uniform robe and French-braided her hair to keep it out of the way, she was in a very good mood for someone who was about to spend at least five minutes doing her level best to hurt people.

The Pecaris, however, weren't doing much to encourage that good mood by taking the Quaffle straight off once they got through the rules speech and started the game. It wasn't a surprise - Saul was the most experienced Chaser out on the Pitch - but neither was it a desirable situation to the Teppenpaw mind, especially with a new Keeper.

Elly was out of range of the nearest Bludger, but Saul was probably not. Taking out the captain was almost as good as removing the Seeker. Flying up behind the ball, Amber put her whole arm behind her bat as she hit the Bludger before it turned on her, redirecting it toward the brown-clad back of a Pecari Chaser.

0 Amber Carey, Beater Teppenpaw hits a Bludger at Pecari 0 Amber Carey, Beater 0 5

Saul Pierce

July 21, 2009 9:13 AM

Pecari flees before Bludger in search of a Beater by Saul Pierce

Just as Saul passed the Quaffle toward his teammate, he heard the distinctive crack of a bat on metal ball. There was only one thing that sound meant and that was trouble. He turned quickly to see who it was coming after and spotted the bludger before he saw the bat bearing Teppenpaw behind it. With a startled sound, he jerked the broom upward and tried to give it all the speed the old school broom could handle.

A glance back showed the bludger was still gaining on him. Another quick survey of the field let him spot one of the Pecari Beaters. He changed his course to move in their direction and shouted their name. "Bludger delivery for you!" he called out, speeding as fast as he could while the metal ball continued to gain on him.

It was going to be a near thing who got to him first; the Beater or the bludger.

1 Saul Pierce Pecari flees before Bludger in search of a Beater 82 Saul Pierce 0 5

Elly Eriksson, Seeker

July 24, 2009 3:08 AM

Playing my own game by Elly Eriksson, Seeker

As the first Quidditch match of the season drew closer, Elly became increasingly eager to see how well the team would perform this year. With Meredith gone, the players perhaps weren't as experienced as she would have liked, but Mike was shaping up to be a pretty good Beater, and Caedence - well, she was practically indestructable. Elly was fairly sure Caedence had to be the scariest Beater in the school right now, and she was relieved to be on the same team. Raoul and Kyler had been with the team for a while now, and although they seemed to lack the riotous exuberance Elly had come to associate with the team, this didn't seem to detract any from their ability to play. They weren't flashy or show-off-ish like the rest of their Housemates, but maybe that was a good thing.

Most importantly, Elly was waiting to see whether their code names were going to have any effect. If so, they would have to think up a completely different set for next game. If not, well, at least it had been good fun. She didn't expect her own code name to be used - it wasn't normal for someone to need to call attention to the Seeker (except perhaps to warn of approaching Bludgers, in which case her own name would be fine) but she didn't want to be the only player without a new name.

Finally the day had arrived, and Elly was a jitter of excitement as they mounted their brooms to set off. Today her game play was simple. This was a great opportunity for the team to get used to working together in a game play scenario. Therefore unless they got battered (which seemed unlikely), she was in no hurry to catch the Snitch. All Elly had to do for the first part of the game was shadow Hannah and hope the younger Seeker didn't play too dirty... this was Teppenpaw, so Elly felt more comfortable with this idea than if they'd been playing Crotalus, for example. So as they kicked off at the whistle, Elly took a wide circle of the pitch and took to following the Tepp Seeker, not too close to crowd, but close enough to be right there if a Snitch did turn up. Keeping one eye on Hannah, the other looking out for the Snitch, and using her ears to signal Bludgers, Elly revelled in the adrenaline of competition as she flew.

0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker Playing my own game 0 Elly Eriksson, Seeker 0 5

Mike Song

July 27, 2009 2:59 AM

Pecari Beater responding to duty, sir! by Mike Song

Mike Song woke later than he probably should have. His House uniform, brand new and creased, nevertheless bore the tale-tell marks of wear and tear by the time he finished his much rushed breakfast. His elbow and knee pads, a hodge-podge of hand-me-downs and borrowed items, were decorated in much-necessitated spell-o-tape, grudgingly applied by his sister who he knew would be watching in the stands. As he entered the field with the rest of his team-mates, his stomach full of its enjoyed breakfast and empty of ordinarily anticipated pre-game jitters, Mike threw the bleachers a quick glance.

He told himself he was only checking that Euna had come as promised and not whether or not a certain fourth year brunette Pecari was also in attendance.

A more thorough inspection would have to wait; seconds later, Coach Fox called for the opening play, the chest of game balls begging notice behind her. The latch snapped open from her fingers, and immediately the Snitch and Bludgers sprung into the air. He tried to follow the Snitch as it twisted and rose dazzlingly, his brown gaze losing sight within seconds. The Bludgers were more easily spotted, and with the release of the Quaffle, the whistle ringing in his ears, he shot skywards, his knees clenched tightly around his school-borrowed broom and his grip sweaty around his bat.

Teppenpaw flew into play instantly, and Mike did his best to keep up, narrowly missing colliding with an opposing player in his effort to keep an eye on the rapidly moving Bludgers. He swung sideways awkwardly, only just regaining his balance in time to hear Saul call out a warning.

"Delivery? What-- !" Mike nearly fell a second time as the Bludger decided upon him, dashing past his left ear and then circling back around. He wasn't ready for its return, but a quick shift up on his legs, balancing the broom much like a surf board, gave him enough leverage to turn sharply and aim his bat for a Teppenpaw chaser who was gaining toward the goal posts.

His bat made contact, his elbow left aching from the jar of the impact, and he fell back into a sitting position, twisting his broom up and around to watch whether his hit went true. Belatedly, Mike reminded himself to check on the rest of the field and ensure that the other Bludger wasn't aiming for friendlies.

0 Mike Song Pecari Beater responding to duty, sir! 0 Mike Song 0 5

Afton Stokes,Keeper

July 27, 2009 3:05 AM

I agreed to play, but I never said I'd be enthusiastic. by Afton Stokes,Keeper

On the day of her first and possibly only Quidditch match, Afton felt neither excited nor anxious. She just plain felt indifferent. This wasn't to say that she wouldn't try her hardest to stop the Quaffle if Pecari tried for a goal, but Afton just wasn't all that into Quidditch, or any other sport. It wasn't that important in general and to be honest, she had always been a rather lazy person. There were many activities that Afton would have found more enjoyable, a great many of them unavailable to her at Sonora. What she wouldn't have given to play the Sims 2 or watch an episode of House right now instead.(Of course, House probably wasn't on at that exact moment. Perhaps Family Guy or some variation of Law and Order. Those were always on.)

She had the feeling that her teammates actually did care, however, so Afton tried her best to psych herself up by telling herself that they were playing Pecari, a team half composed of the popular kids that thought quite highly of themselves, and to show up the popular kids was a very good thing and possibly taught them a lesson in humility but truthfully, Afton didn't really hate them. She actually liked Saul (something she did not mention in front of Adam at all) and didn't even really know the rest of them. Still, she was a Keeper not a Beater and so all she had to do was stop the Quaffle from entering the goal post, not feel real bloodlust and try to kill them. Wanting to show them up and not let down her team was enough.

Hopefully, Tepp would be in possession and sending the Quaffle towards Pecari's goal most of the game. Not only would they hopefully score but Afton not have to do much then. She'd pretty much be spectating. Perhaps Hannah could even catch the snitch early and she could go do something else. Again, Afton thought television would have been great but over the years of magical schooling she had found other ways to amuse herself. Perhaps finding a book on some famous magical crimes...

So it was much to her dismay when Saul got the Quaffle straight off. Afton knew just enough about sports to know that the other team in possession of the ball was typically not a good thing. Plus, it meant she had to be alert and pay attention, something she normally wasn't that fond of anyway.

Afton nearly cheered then when her teammates got in the way, Saul had to pass the ball and Amber sent a bludger at him. Not because she wanted him hurt, she just didn't want to have to try and stop the Quaffle. She hoped one of her teammates would intercept it and take it towards the other goal. Make Pecari's keeper (Ramon was it? Raymond? Something like that..) have to do something, instead of her.

11 Afton Stokes,Keeper I agreed to play, but I never said I'd be enthusiastic. 77 Afton Stokes,Keeper 0 5

Elliot Valentine

July 30, 2009 3:14 PM

Better late than never by Elliot Valentine

Elliot had gotten up at the crack of dawn and read through the copy of Quidditch Through the Ages he had checked out from the library before getting into his Quidditch gear and checking himself out in the mirror. His Quidditch robes were a little big on him, but he felt he looked quite good. Even with his hair, which was yellow, courtesy of a color-changing charm Ethan had found the night before. It had faded a bunch during the night, so it wasn't as bright, but he thought people would get the hint. Feeling a little squeamish, Elliot skipped breakfast and headed down to the pitch. He sat in the changing room staring at his school broom until he heard the rest of the school making their way to the stadium. With a final deep breath, Elliot walked out to the middle of the field.

As the rest of the school screamed as one, Elliot tried to remind himself that he loved Quidditch, that he'd been taught by Earl every summer since he was 5, and that as the youngest person on the team by quite a few years, he probably didn't have to take the heat if the team crashed and burned. He listened to Hannah's speech, biting the inside of his cheek and fiddling with his broom. At the sound of the whistle, Elliot catapulted himself into the air, only to see the Pecari captain get to the quaffle first. Cursing under his breath, he spurred ahead flying just underneath and behind Saul, hoping he'd let go of the ball.

When Saul went to pass the quaffle, Elliot lunged out from behind him and raced after the quaffle, managing to grasp it by the tips of his fingers. He hugged it close to his body and turned toward the Pecari goal. He had barely flown three feet when he heard a dull 'thud' and throbbing pain in his arm. His arm was screaming for him to drop the ball, but he kept holding tight. He glanced around and, noticing a yellow-clad chaser nearby, threw the quaffle to her. Now he could let his arm ache in peace.

0 Elliot Valentine Better late than never 0 Elliot Valentine 0 5

Kyler Kent

July 31, 2009 2:10 PM

Pecari continues control of the Quaffle. by Kyler Kent

Kyler was running. Kyler was late. Kyler was paniking. Saul was going to kick his butt. He skidded to a halt as the group gathered for the pregame speech. He didn't know how he had left so late. He had gotten up on time, he had been dressed on time, he had been down to Cascade to grab a bite... When he looked up from his cereal and at his watch he recieved a shock. Where had that half an hour gone?? It didn't matter now though.... Right? He could still just get in the air? The team broke the huddle and Kyler looked around, probably looking like a terrified first year again. As a result, he quickly wiped the look off his face replacing it with his "I'm a man" game face.

Kyler waited with axious feet as the team moutned their brooms, all eyes on the whistle which they knew would start the game. The second it sounds, Kyler was in teh air. Saul, dependable as always, got to the Quaffle first. Kyler flew into formation ready for whenever his captain needed to pass to him. Unfortunately, that need came couple with a bludger. His ears caught his code name and he flew forward, seizing the Quaffle out of the air. His hands juggled it for a moment, but before it could slip from his grasp he clutched it to him. His flying wasn't great, he knew that, but he had improved greatly over the past few years he thought.

He looked around as he neared the goal, not completely confident in his scoring abilities quite yet. He spotted his teammate and called out, "Layne!" He passed with a good amount of force, hoping to get the Quaffle there quickly and efficiently. Gosh, Quidditch equals amazing.

0 Kyler Kent Pecari continues control of the Quaffle. 0 Kyler Kent 0 5

Irene Liddowe

July 31, 2009 10:45 PM

And again. by Irene Liddowe

Irene had been practicing her butt off. Honestly, she had. For some reason, this season seemed especially important to her. Maybe it was to prove that she was more than the plain Irene she kept picturing herself as, but nevertheless she had been giving her all. Come midterm she was going to be practicing in the snow with Josh and Renaye. It was going to be spectacular and she couldn't wait. This year with Elly and Saul had been awesome! She was so glad they were all on the same team. She had even grown closer with Kyler this year. The kid was so full of energy it was almost infectious. Irene stepped onto the pitch just about on time. Today she felt calmly ready to take on the Tepps.

The team huddled and broke, as always, and gathered at the center of the pitch to meet their opponents. Pecari's team was a force this year. Irene always thought their team was great, but honestly, this year they really had a good one. Elly almost never failed them, their beaters' eyes were glued to the things, the Keeper kept with the best of them, and their Chasers, losing modesty for a moment, could strategize and execute like never before. The whistle sounded and Irene kicked off. The Quaffle went to Saul, a bludger went to Saul, the Quaffle went to Kyler, and Kyler passed, calling out, "Layne!" For a moment, Irene looked confused. Helena was on a different... Oh right! She realized just in time to compute her codename and react to the Quaffle. The rings were so close...

Irene saw the momentary fear in the younger Chaser's eyes. For a moment she considered shooting it right back and forcing him to shoot. But the game was young... Irene zipped left, then right. As she neared the posts, carrying the Quaffle in her left hand, poised to shoot, she quickly tossed it to her right hand and shot towards the right hoop. She looped around, eyes glancing around for bludgers, teammates, and opponents, ears listening for the Pecari crowds reaction...

0 Irene Liddowe And again. 0 Irene Liddowe 0 5

Irene and Kyler

July 31, 2009 10:48 PM

GIANT SIGH by Irene and Kyler

OOC: Exclude the two posts above.... Missed the post in the beater thread. Sorry sorry sorry.

0 Irene and Kyler *GIANT SIGH* 0 Irene and Kyler 0 5

Captain Saul Pierce

August 09, 2009 9:42 AM

Retconning the contradictory posts by Captain Saul Pierce

OOC: So as not to waste Kyler and Irene's posts entirely, I'm just going to sort of insert Elliot's post just in front of what happened in theirs. If anyone has any objections, just scream at me. BIC:

"Thanks, Warren!" Saul called out as he heard the crack of a bat against the bludger chasing him. It belatedly occurred to him that maybe he should have saved Mike's code name for when it might actually confuse a play, but decided that it probably didn't largely matter.

He flew upwards to gain altitude and find out what he'd missed while he'd been distracted by the bludger. Mike had sent the bludger after the young Valentine Chaser from Teppenpaw - Elliot or Ethan, Saul couldn't remember off-hand which was the Tepp - who had the Quaffle and was running it toward the Pecari goals. He guessed his own pass to Kyler had been intercepted by the kid.

Saul winced a little as he saw the kid get banged on the arm by the bludger. Though very impressed that the boy didn't drop the Quaffle altogether, Saul wasn't all that surprised that Valentine passed, or that it got intercepted by Kyler, who must have been trying to make up for not getting it before.

Saul followed his other two Chasers back toward the Teppenpaw goals and cheered as a pass was successfully made between Kyler and Irene. He tried to keep himself open in case they needed to pass, but Irene made a go for the goals.

"WHOO! Go Pecari!" he cheered, hoping the shot would go in past the Teppenpaw Keeper.

1 Captain Saul Pierce Retconning the contradictory posts 82 Captain Saul Pierce 0 5

Saul

August 09, 2009 9:45 AM

See my post below 'Retconning..." by Saul

OOC: I think we can still use them, if we just modify what happened in Kyler's a little so he's catching the Quaffle from Elliot's throw instead of mine.

1 Saul See my post below 'Retconning..." 82 Saul 0 5

Afton

August 09, 2009 3:39 PM

grumbles by Afton

Afton had cheered inwardly when Elliot intercepted the Quaffle. Not so much due to any team pride or house pride, though Afton liked both just fine, she thought it was kind of obnoxious to be too gung-ho about it. To be like that was to say you were somehow a better person than someone in another house. Every house had good qualities and bad qualities and neutral qualities that manifested themselves in people in either positive or negative ways. Even Teppenpaw had a "dark" side. It was just that it was more dark as in irritatingly nauseatingly good than potential dark wizard.

No, the reason Afton was glad was because it meant the Quaffle would be traveling towards the Pecari Keeper (whose name she had spent half the game trying to remember, it was beginning to irritate her. She knew it was something that started with an R. Robert maybe? No, it wasn't that ordinary)and he would have to work at stopping it, not her.

So she could have screamed when the Pecari Beater, (whom Afton could have swore she heard someone call Mina, but that couldn't be right, as he was a guy. Maybe it was the other beater who was named Mina but Afton was pretty sure her name was Caedence) hit Elliot with a bludger and make him drop the Quaffle.

Afton also wasn't sure why they kept calling out the names of people who weren't on the team. Some sort of shout out perhaps? That would be nice, show that they actually gave a thought to people outside of their clique. Maybe Saul had actually listened to her last year. Afton was pretty sure that Wright was not the last name of the Keeper or the third Chaser (Kyle? Afton needed to learn these names, it made her feel bad that she didn't know them) that had now unfortunately intercepted the Quaffle from Elliot and she knew Layne was either Geoff Layne or his sister, neither of whom was in Pecari. If the Pecaris were indeed saying hi, good for them. Seemed a bit strange though at this time, but, it would be progress.

Oh crud, Kyle had passed the Quaffle to Irene and now it was coming towards her right hoop. Dear Merlin, no ! Afton (who had been hanging out in the middle hoop the whole time as it was quicker to fly to either of the others that way if she needed to) swore and zoomed over to the right hoop, managing to block the Quaffle with her stomach before it could go through the hoop, (which kind of hurt but not as much as a bludger would have) She grabbed it and threw it to the nearest Teppenpaw Chaser.

11 Afton *grumbles* 77 Afton 0 5

Josiah, Tepp beater

August 10, 2009 2:18 AM

Elly, I know you still love me even if i do injure you by Josiah, Tepp beater

Josiah was as always excited to be on the quidditch field. It was sort of his forbidden fruit in a sense. He was new to the whole beater thing, but after several practices he had finally gotten the hang of things and was able to be a pretty decent beater. It was a decent quidditch day, the usual conditions. Josiah hoped that they could whip Pecari’s butt this year. It would be pretty cool to win the cup after all.

He went through the pre-game routine just like every other game he played in. He actually kind of enjoyed the pre-game peptalks. They always did what they were supposed to do, and that was pump him up. He tossed his beater bat between his hands as he stood on the ground watching Fox go through the usual shaking hands routine before the balls that could fly on their own were released. Josiah looked over at the Pecari team. He flashed a wink at Elly, as a sort of good luck to her. Seeing Caedence with a beater bat gave him a slight shiver. The girl was dangerous without a bat and a metal ball to hit with it. He gave a few pumps of his knees, ready to leap into the air. The red ball soared into the air and Josiah sprang into action. He kept the bludgers in his line of sight at most of the times.

Pecari got possession of the quaffle too soon for his tastes, but the other Teppenpaw beater was on Saul first, sending a bludger his way. The new beater kid knocked it out of the way too fast, sadly, and Saul was not sent to the ground injured. No offense to the kid, but injured helped Teppenpaws chances. Josiah went off in search of a new bludger to hit when he heard the sound of a bludger hitting home. He turned around hoping to see that it was one of the Pecari’s but was sad to see it was his own teammate. Josiah muttered a curse as he went after another bludger. Grabbing his bat tightly in both hands, he swung hard at the metal ball, and with a satisfying crack it was off on its way to the target.

Josiah felt a bit of guilt because that target was a flash of red hair above everyone else looking for the snitch. “Sorry, Elly,” He whispered watching the metal ball fly, hoping it met its mark, taking out the girl. A seeker was vital, so hopefully he took her out. But Elly was such a good friend, he just hoped the bludger didn’t hurt her too awful much.

0 Josiah, Tepp beater Elly, I know you still love me even if i do injure you 0 Josiah, Tepp beater 0 5

Caedence

August 10, 2009 2:39 AM

Sounds good to me! by Caedence

Caedence glared at the Teppenpaw team, arms folded. Under one elbow dangled her beater’s bat from her traditionally gloved hands. Her hair, as ever it would probably be, was whipped into a braid. Her left foot was tapping impatiently. One hand unfolded from the other as she harshly commanded her broom, “Up!” She loved how it would spring to her, like an obedient dog. Her eyes met daringly with each person brave enough to look at her. She was in her element at the moment, and that was quidditch. She loved the game, but more than anything she loved being in the game with a stout wooden bat, ready to beat the snot out of someone else. She offered a rare smile to Elly, and whispered her wishes of the redhead’s luck. She then let the scowl slip back on her face.

For those who knew Caedence, they would know that anymore the scary demeanor was just show. After her new parents had adopted her, Caedence’s life had turned to the better and she finally was learning to smile. But scowling helped better to keep her in the beater mindset.

Plus it scared the daylights out of the people who didn’t know her.

Caedence found herself feeling a rare pang of sadness as she realized she was now considered the most frightening person on the pitch by many. That honor used to go to her old captains. Ash and Sorrel. Caedence missed their boot-camp way of running things. Sure, she was nothing more to them than an underclassmen, but Caedence often looked up to the two of them. She never got the opportunity to make them proud, due to her bludger magnetism. She wished that she could have though. She missed the twins a lot. In fact, she really missed a lot of the graduates. Stephen Baxter, their keeper, was always a riot. He could bring a chuckle to her scowling countenance almost without effort. Plus there was Zach Dill and his strange alien theories.

But it wasn’t just the old seventh years. Meredith, Echo, Brett. Their Pecari family seemed to be dissolving by the day. Saul graduated this year. That left only her, Irene, and Elly. Caedence couldn’t understand what happened, and where everyone went. Why? It wasn’t fair. Caedence has allowed herself to make friends with these people. Why did they all chose to leave her? They were the first people she could call her friends. The first people she began to trust. They felt like family before Caedence even knew what a family was, before she even had one. It was terrible to know that her family, her quidditch team, Pecari, had been shredded, leaving scraps of the older students behind. She knew that it did no good to brood on it, but she couldn’t help but to feel a pang of sadness when she looked over and saw Mere’s empty bed each night, or to not wake up to bid Elly goodbye as she ran off to greet Echo. Life was so not fair.

Caedence shook herself of these thoughts as she came back to the here and now. Saul shook hands with Hannah and the balls began being released. Then it was time for the quaffle and Caedence bolted into the air, letting the wind rush past her. She tried to let the gale rush away her troubled thoughts as well as she shot towards the clear blue above.

Saul got the quaffle first, as Pecari almost always did. But it seemed he was taking the place of the bludger magnet now that she held a bat. Mike, however, was able to bat the pesky ball away. Caedence growled. She wanted first strike! Well at least the kid managed to strike down the Teppenpaw twerp. Caedence called out her congrats to the new kid.

Following the path of the bludger, she was glad to see that Saul was making a pass at the goals. She saw a streak of yellow topped with red hair far away from where she was and Caedence felt a bit of panic knowing that the bludger was headed for Elly. She hoped Mike was nearby because Caedence knew that she couldn’t make it over to Elly in time. Instead, the blonde let her friend fend for herself, knowing that Elly was used to a chaotic barrage of bludgers. Caedence sometimes was a bit… over enthusiastic during practices.

She took her bat in both hands and focused all her stress and angers into swinging the bat into the bludger as hard as she could, sending it sailing to the Teppenpaw keeper. The wood make a crack like thunder as it collided and the screaming ball of metal soared on its path. Caedence hoped the keeper was tricky. Otherwise there would be problems choosing to block the goal or dodge the bludger. Or perhaps the other Teppenpaw beater would be fast enough?

0 Caedence Sounds good to me! 94 Caedence 0 5

Elly Eriksson

August 10, 2009 5:04 PM

Let's hope we never have to find out. by Elly Eriksson

She thought that Hannah had probably noticed it first. Elly watched the Teppenpaw Seeker, and was sure she'd seen her twitch to the side as if on reflex. Immediately her brain whirred into action as Elly began to wonder why, and a split-second later she could hear the whistling of the bludger getting louder. It was a decent aim, too - Elly was going to have to neglect her shadowing of Hannah for the moment of she didn't want a nasty collision in a matter of seconds. Snap decisions on the pitch were almost second nature to Elly by now; she followed her gut instinct and swerved harshly to the left, away from the game. Drawing the bludger towards the rest fo the players was only a good idea if she didn't mind who got hit. As it was, Elly wasn't keen for any of the Pecari players to be attacked by a Bludger - especially not one guided by her. So she pulled away from the game and, knowing the evil ball of metal would keep itself on her tail, she flew flat out up the pitch to deliver it to someone who would be thankful: a Beater.

A thud of metal on wood not far behind her allowed Elly to breathe a tiny sigh of relief - games were so much easier when one didn't have a Bludger in tow. Of course now she'd lost Hannah. Flying back up to ideal Seeking height, Elly first located the Tepp Seeker (due to her size relative to the other object being sought), and then tried to seek out the Snitch. No glitter nor glint presented itself, and Elly tried to remind herself that this was a good thing. If they really wanted to prove the team's worth, the Chasers had to score several points yet before the Snitch was caught. So long as Hannah didn't get it first, Elly didn't care how long that took. Though, that did mean that she really ought to get back to her tagging task. So with yet another burst of speed, Elly swooped and swerved her way back over to follow the other Seeker. Hopefully Mike and Caede would keep the Bludgers from her for a long while yet.

0 Elly Eriksson Let's hope we never have to find out. 0 Elly Eriksson 0 5

Afton

August 12, 2009 3:58 PM

More retconning by Afton

OOC-Caedence, I already wrote that Afton had blocked the Quaffle, so she doesn't have to choose between blocking the goal and dodging the bludger. We can just say the bludger was coming at her right after she had blocked the Quaffle.

BIC-As much as Afton would have rather been doing something else right now, she had to admit she was quite pleased over blocking the Quaffle. For one thing, her teammates would be happy that Pecari hadn't scored and not potentially be mad at her. Afton wouldn't have gotten all broken up over it but really, who actually wanted to have people be mad at them?

Fortunately, even though she wasn't great, she wasn't too dreadful on a broom. Afton never had been bad at flying, she'd been merely uninterested in playing Quidditch, so why bother putting in the effort to get really good when she never cared too much. At Salem, Afton had never signed up. Sal Salis had always had plenty of people and fortunately, she had never been needed.

The best thing was that now the Quaffle was back in play and Afton could resume what basically amounted to watching the game. (Oh and trying to remember the correct names of half of the other team.)

However, unfortunately, no sooner had Afton thrown off the Quaffle to the yellow-clad chaser than a bludger came zooming towards her. Seeing that Josiah was trying to take out Elly and not spotting exactly where Amber was, Afton figured she was going to have to avoid the bludger on her own. She jerked her broom upward quickly and the bludger sped by underneath her.

11 Afton More retconning 77 Afton 0 5

Hannah Laurent, Seeker

August 13, 2009 10:31 AM

It's not a hope I'm able to share. by Hannah Laurent, Seeker

Even though it was game day, Hannah was entirely too calm as she went about the usual routine of dressing in the yellow and maroon Quidditch robes and then going to eat a hearty breakfast of mushy oatmeal and cold toast. Of course, it was entirely her fault that her food had turned disgusting as she wondered why she was so eerily calm instead of being a nervous wreck or at least pumped up with excitement, but no, she was apathetic about the entire thing. It was quite sad, really. She was the Captain and she was terrible at it. With a sigh, she left the table to trudge off to her duty.

Giving her speech, she felt like an absolute fake. She was a fake with her enormous phony smile and false words of encouragement telling of how wonderful they all were and how they could do it. Okay, perhaps, it wasn’t completely untrue. Her teammates were all fine even the younger ones. The problem lied completely with her. How was she supposed to lead others when time and again she let everyone down when she couldn’t manage to even once catch the snitch before the opposing Seeker did? Especially since she was the leader. What a let down she must be!

At least at the time when Jake had been Captain, she had been young enough that her excuse had been being inexperienced, but what about now? She was a fifth year. What excuse did she really have to be a letdown to her teammates? She had absolutely not a one other than she was obviously a terrible leader. Why in the world did anyone think that she could do this? Maybe it was luck of the House. If she had been in any other House, she certainly wouldn’t have been named Captain, but at the time, she had been certainly competitive for a Teppenpaw who weren’t really known for such things.

After a rather quick speech from Coach Fox and a brief handshake with Saul, Hannah was up in the air paying more attention to the other players than finding the Snitch. She silently booed at Pecari’s immediate possession of the quaffle, but it didn’t come as a surprise since her Chasers were working against the larger force of Saul. Younger chasers really did seem to have a disadvantage in the game not just in size, but also in tricks as she heard him calling out to ‘Wright.’ She shook her blonde head slightly. They were doomed. No question about it.

All right, all right. She really needed to concentrate on her task at hand. Finding that Snitch. Unfortunately, in the meantime, she seemed to have acquired an unwanted appendage, as she looked over to where the other Seeker was. She couldn’t fault Elly though. It was classic strategy and she would be doing the same thing if the other girl hadn’t done it first. Her only hope was to find and actually catch the Snitch first, which the prospect of doing didn’t look good as Elly had always caught the little, gold ball before her in every game and it was made worse with the following.

As she hovered in the air, she considered her options. She could either leave things as they were or try to lose Elly. If she could lose the other Seeker, then there was the possibility of being able to get the Snitch, but there was also the possibility that Elly would find the Snitch and they would be too far away from each other for her to pose any threat. What to do? What to do? Before she could make any real decision, it was made for her as she saw the bludger heading towards them. Being as there was no reserve to take her place, it wouldn’t do to get injured. She swerved downwards into the crowd.

Righting herself, Hannah found herself alone. She breathed with relief at not feeling like her space was being invaded. In reality, Elly hadn’t been too close that she should have felt that way, but with her senses on high alert, any proximity was just too close for comfort. However, it was sure lived as soon enough, much too soon for her taste, there was Elly. Her lips twisted into a frown. Too much concentration was being placed on the other Seeker. Focus, focus, focus. Was that the Snitch over there? She flew towards it in vain hope only to be disappointed. Nope, just random shininess. Back to searching.

0 Hannah Laurent, Seeker It's not a hope I'm able to share. 0 Hannah Laurent, Seeker 0 5

Gabrielle DiCarlo

August 13, 2009 12:00 PM

Better late than never by Gabrielle DiCarlo

As they stood around listening to Hannah’s speech, Gabrielle toyed with the crystals attached to her broom. She probably had the most unique broom out of all the players on the field simply for this fact. It was also quite possible that most thought her crazy for this reason, but she didn’t care. Thus far, she had never been injured in a game so the crystals were doing their job in bringing protection and luck. She didn’t attach any crystals that would increase any other attributes as she viewed this as a form of cheating. It was only fair to win by one’s own merits rather than have any additional help.

On the note of fairness, she had also thought it only fair to give a protection crystal to each of her teammates, whether or not they used it. She wanted to look around to see if any were and smiled to see Lucie’s wrapped in her hair. That was especially good since Lucie was a fellow chaser and they would be counting heavily on each other to keep possession of the quaffle. Unfortunately, up in the air, they weren’t the first to gain possession of it as Saul quickly took hold of it and pass it off to someone named Wright, which really meant nothing to her as she barely knew the names of any of the other team.

But the pass was still made and she cheered when Elliot intercepted the ball only to then be disappointed when it was turned over to a young looking boy and then to along to some girl by the name of Layne. She wondered if the girl was related to Geoffrey Layne, who she knew of simply because he was the Head boy though she had heard talk of the surprise that it hadn’t been Saul Pierce, the Pecari team Captain. Fate had a mysterious way of working things out meaning that it was probably a good thing. She couldn’t imagine how stressful all that leadership would most likely become with every single person counting on you and some doubly so.

The girl took a shot at the hoops and Gabby crossed her fingers in vain hope that the quaffle would somehow miss. Thankfully, the Keeper, Afton, who she had completely managed to forget about, managed to block it. Excitedly, she clapped her hands together and nearly fell off the broom. She righted herself just in time to see the quaffle heading her way. Thankfully, reflexes worked faster than thoughts and she clasped onto the ball, tucking it neatly under her arm and was off like a light. She zoomed this way and that since she was now the acquired target and looked for an opening to pass.

One chaser seemed preoccupied, but the other seemed fairly opened. Catching their attention, she made the pass and watched the quaffle seemingly move in slow motion. It felt as though anyone could come and snatch it up before it made it to its goal. ’Please, please, please, don’t be intercepted,’ she mentally begged the Fates. If it got taken away now, they would never be able to make the goal. ’Please, please, please.’ Her fingers were crossed and if she could have crossed her toes, she would have done that too to ensure its safe passing.

0 Gabrielle DiCarlo Better late than never 85 Gabrielle DiCarlo 0 5

Afton

August 13, 2009 8:11 PM

Sort of my motto by Afton

Afton was quite happy that Gabrielle had caught the Quaffle after she'd thrown it. Of course, she'd have been equally happy if it had been Elliot or Lucie, but just that it was caught by a Teppenpaw Chaser and not one of the Pecaris (and now she could smack herself for such a Quentin-like thought.) For one thing, it meant her aim had not been off. Furthermore, Tepp having the ball meant the action would hopefully soon be moving away from her and the Tepp goal.

Seeing Gabrielle get the Quaffle reminded Afton of the crystals the younger girl had given her and the others beforehand. Hers was now in her pocket. That had been interesting. Crystals seemed more like the kind of magic that muggles who didn't know about real witchcraft and wizardry used. Like Wicca and stuff. Of course, as Gabrielle was really a witch probably meant the crystals were more likely to work. Afton wondered why they were never taught about this type of magic...and also why some muggles knew about it. Wouldn't that break secrecy laws?

Gabrielle had mentioned that they were for protection. It certainly seemed to have worked. Afton had avoided that bludger. That was pretty cool if the crystal had been a reason why. (It was also cool to have avoided because well, bludgers hurt. Afton had never been hit by one, this being the first time she'd even ever played Quidditch but it took neither brains nor experience to know that. It was simply common sense.) Afton had never been one to dismiss that kind of magic completely before she'd gotten her letter and she was certainly not going to completely dismiss anything now. Though it was still odd that they weren't taught about it, but then Sonora didn't even have a regular teacher for Transfiguration. Or Potions either, from what she heard, but then Afton wasn't taking Potions.

That's when she noticed that Gabrielle had sent the quaffle off. Afton sincerely hoped it would not be intercepted, that Lucie or Elliot would catch it. She had been fortunate enough to save it once, and didn't really relish testing her luck. Nor did she relish having to do anything, of course.

11 Afton Sort of my motto 77 Afton 0 5

Lucie Dupree, Chaser

August 14, 2009 12:06 AM

It's a good motto. by Lucie Dupree, Chaser

Bounce, bounce, bounce. That’s the way Lucie felt when she woke up. She loved the days that she played Quidditch. It was like everything in the world was different from even the most mundane things like the way the air smelled or the way her eggs tasted. It was all somehow made better. It didn’t even matter if they weren’t the favorite to win or whether or not they actually did. In all honesty, while it would have been nice, Lucie didn’t care. She loved playing for the sheer enjoyment of playing. It was a complete adrenaline rush to fly in ways that one never knew possible until actually done.

Bounce, bounce, bounce. After waking up, she bounded down to breakfast for the eggs that she always picked. Eggs and bacon were highly appropriate, because it was nearly Teppenpaw supportive, especially when she broke the yolk and it spilled over the sort of maroon coloring of the lightly cooked meat. Most people would probably think she was incredibly odd for thinking such a thing. Well, maybe not Grayson, as he tended to view things in a way that was different from the norm the way she did and part of the reason to why she felt a kinship with him.

Bounce, bounce, bounce. After breakfast, her mood of bounciness continued the entire way to the field. Though, the speeches were a bit of a damper, but thankfully were kept short. She always hated having to stay still to listen to the speeches. It felt unnatural to her general state of constant motion. Even standing still for speeches, she had the need to be moving in some way. She rocked on her heels and played with the ends of her braid. The protection crystal from Gabby, a nice gesture, was wound into it. She wondered if it would actually do any good.

Bounce, bounce, bounce. Her enthusiasm was at an all time high. Finally! Finally, all the boring stuff was over and it was time to play. She mounted her broom and soared up above the world. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that high, but it certainly felt like leaving it all behind. She loved that feeling. It was one that she wished that she could apply to the quickly forming oppression that was becoming her life. She was certain that the boy intended for her would disapprove entirely of her playing Quidditch. She could only imagine what he actually would approve of.

Bounce, bounce, bounce. Was it actually possible to bounce on a broom? She was about as close as she could get as she waited for the signal to begin. She wanted to get this game started. After what seemed forever, which unfortunately caused her to get lost within her head, the signal was given, and being distracted by her thoughts, Pecari gained possession of the quaffle. It was simply terrible and simply wouldn’t do. She followed after Saul and might have intercepted the pass except he called out the last name of Grayson, confusing her easily. Gray wasn’t playing right now.

Bounce, bounce, bounce. Frustration rushed through her, vibrating off every cell of her being. She didn’t like the type of tricks the Pecaris were playing. They were downright dirty in her opinion and she was mostly upset that she hadn’t thought of it first as horrible as that might be. The only thing left to do was to wait to see what the supposed names of every person was. So, Kyler was Wright and now she knew that Irene was Layne. Very odd choices in her opinion. If she were one of those people, she would probably be very annoyed that they were using they’re names.

Bounce, bounce, bounce. Of course, this left her with an amusing thought of what would happen if Pecari played Aladren. She could just imagine one of the Aladrens calling out to Geoff or Gray and one of the Pecaris responding. She could just picture the chaos. Okay, humorous thoughts aside, she really needed to focus on the game. More quaffle passing, potential scoring and yes, Gabby had the quaffle! She followed close to the older girl, anticipating the pass. Eye contact made. Wait for it, wait for it, and there it was. She reached out an arm, her fingers wrapping around the red ball.

Bounce, bounce, bounce. Flying as fast as she could towards the Pecari goals she was reminded of what it was like to ride a galloping horse. Not one of her favorite activities as it had a tendency to hurt her backside, but she had every intention of getting the quaffle safely to where it needed to be and taking the shot. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans had a way of not going as planned. Looking for the nearest Teppenpaw Chaser, she made the pass, hoping that there was little chance that it would be intercepted by someone on Pecari.

0 Lucie Dupree, Chaser It's a good motto. 0 Lucie Dupree, Chaser 0 5

Elly Eriksson

August 14, 2009 3:45 AM

Gee, feeling the love. by Elly Eriksson

Tailing another Seeker did take the fun out of the game somewhat. Yes, Elly felt the need for extra concentration, but she couldn’t just swoop out on a limb, or do a loop because she felt like it. These things were only slightly risky in a game, because if you couldn’t see the Snitch anyway, chances are that splitting for a second or two isn’t going to do any damage. In fact, it might even give you the different perspective needed to spot the blighter. Of course if Elly were to try any stunts like that right now, she might lose the tail on her Seeker. Though, Elly mused, staring at Hannah’s back, she wasn’t sure she was getting anywhere with this technique. The idea had merely been to give enough play time for the Chasers to score a record amount of goals. So far they hadn’t even managed one. Against Teppenpaw. Not that Elly was slighting the team in general; she wasn’t going to doubt that Hannah was a top Seeker, and she didn’t know how much Afton had played before, but most of Pecari’s players had been on the team for years. And they didn’t have any first years in the game. All in all, they should be doing a lot better than they really were.

As Hannah suddenly pulled forward, Elly’s head cleared – had she seen the Snitch? Tensing her muscles ready to go in for the chase, Elly relaxed again after only a moment: It was a false alarm, and Hannah seemed to slow back into searching speed. Maintaining her shadowing distance, Elly cast a furtive glance over her shoulder for the golden ball just in case. Seeing nothing, she too settled back into searching speed, and her mind drifted back to the team. She wondered what it was they hadn’t got quite right. It was a shame she had to Seek, because otherwise she would be in the stand, taking notes. Jose was watching the game, true enough, but Elly wasn’t convinced the kid really knew enough about Quidditch to give the team pointers. Plus some of the older players might not be especially comfortable with taking tips from a first year who hadn’t really made the team. Still, it was an idea to bear in mind. Maybe they could find a Quidditch enthusiast who didn’t want to be part of the flying team, but would be happy to give them pointers about their performance. Elly would bet there were lots of that sort in Aladren – there had to be at least one hiding away in Pecari. She would suggest the idea to Saul – perhaps it was something they could look into for the following year.

Elly was distracted once again from her thoughts as she saw a tiny glint up ahead. Now she was used to spying tiny glints – in fact, as a Seeker for several years now, Elly saw tiny glints everywhere. Anything shiny was likely to draw her attention away from a conversation or a class lecture; the reflex wasn’t confined to the pitch. She was like a magpie, doubly so when she was flying, though with a difference. Shiny something might be, but Elly wasn’t interested unless it was one particular shiny: The Snitch. In this instant, as in any other, Elly tried to suss out what the shine was without drawing a great deal of attention to herself. If she made a move too soon, and Hannah noticed, it would put more pressure on the chase. Though if she didn’t go for it soon enough, she would be giving the other Seeker the advantage. That was another of the pitfalls of tailing your opponent – they could see your every move even as you made it, which didn’t leave much room for error. Tracking the shine with her eyes, Elly decided it wasn’t a Snitch, after all. So, attention back on Hannah. Then another glint caught Elly’s vision from the other side. Quirky coincidence ... or someone was messing with her. Elly believed the first idea more; interfering with a Quidditch game was not taken lightly, and Elly didn’t believe anyone would be willing to face the wrath of Coach Fox for so silly a trick. So with that thought ruled out as soon as it had formed, Elly concluded this shine was another potential Snitch. Again, her muscles tightened as she tried to ascertain its origin: Snitch or otherwise. She loved the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her, preparing her body for the chase that may or may not be imminent. It was moments like this when Elly realised it wasn’t all about winning the game – playing it was what caused the excitement.

0 Elly Eriksson Gee, feeling the love. 0 Elly Eriksson 0 5

Gabrielle DiCarlo

August 14, 2009 11:07 AM

I like more nontraditional mottos. by Gabrielle DiCarlo

A grin of achievement flitted over Gabrielle’s face when Lucie managed to catch the quaffle. Playing Pecari, there was always a good chance that it would be intercepted. Pecari was more experienced than their team, which housed more than half of the team members being new, and therefore, it was a given that they would probably make more mistakes than the other team. While Hannah might not agree, Gabrielle didn’t really mind if mistakes were made. She viewed them as learning experiences. After all, how were they supposed to grow without such experiences?

Besides, if they didn’t, it would mean that everyone was perfect and then the world would be incredibly boring. At least, she thought it would be though not everyone might agree with such a perspective. Uh-oh. A red ball was coming at her. She really needed to learn to keep out of her thoughts. She was far too easily distracted by the thoughts that swirled around in her head and as a result nearly missed, again, the quaffle coming towards her. Thankfully, it had been aimed pretty straightforward to her and her stopping of the ball was mostly so it didn’t hit her in the stomach.

Holding tightly onto the quaffle, she urged her broom forward towards the Pecari goals. The wind whipped off her face bringing along with it the distant sound of bludgers whistling in the air. Bludgers were definitely the worst part of playing quidditch as she didn’t really relish the idea of having a broken wrist or worse, which is where those things normally led. Sometimes, she wished that they could all have a bat to get rid of the pesky metal balls, but of course, that would be defeating their true purpose of taking out the opposition. Plus, she shuddered to think of the entire Pecari team with bats. Scary.

Getting closer to the goals and holding the quaffle was like painting a big red bulls eye on her back. She was to be stopped at all costs and that meant she needed to get rid of the hot potato in her hand. Gaining the attention of another Teppenpaw Chaser, she threw the ball as hard as she could since there was a little more distance than she would have liked. A look of horror crossed her face as she realized that in doing so, her aim was completely off and causing the quaffle to go wonky. Oh no, oh no, oh no! Learning experience or not, this was definitely bad!

0 Gabrielle DiCarlo I like more nontraditional mottos. 85 Gabrielle DiCarlo 0 5

Capt Saul Pierce

August 14, 2009 4:34 PM

I'm currently going with 'fly like a rock or a rocket' by Capt Saul Pierce

It had been difficult, seeing the team get so close to scoring, what with the shot at the goals and the bludger as distraction, but the timing hadn't been quite right, and Afton had been able to avoid both getting hit and letting the ball through.

He hadn't been near enough to intercept the toss from the Keeper to Gabrielle, so he just rose higher than the Chasers normally flew and stayed ahead of the Quaffle as the Teppenpaws brought it back toward the dangerous side of the pitch. Twice, he nearly dropped down for an intercept, but they were too far back, or another flier got in the way before he could dive.

Finally, though, the conditions were right.

Gabrielle passed it again. He wasn't quite sure who to, but there was nobody in between where he flew overhead and where the Quaffle traveled toward no obvious Teppenpaw Chaser.

Saul took immediate advantage and dropped down at nearly a Seeker's speed, with gravity helping his own broom's acceleration. He snatched the Quaffle out the air, hugging to his chest as he dropped like a rock, loosing altitude at a rate that too fast to be comfortable. He pulled up on the nose of his broom, arching out to fly first parallel to the ground, then starting his ascend again, back toward the Teppenpaw side.

Still well below the height of even the lowest of the goal hoops, he looked up and spotted one of his other Chasers. He called out their code name and threw the Quaffle up at them, with all his strength, since it had to beat gravity to make it to his target. Not checking to see if it stayed in Pecari possession, Saul turned his broom straight upwards and tried to regain the altitude his dive had cost him, as fast as he could. He'd need the higher ground whether he was going to assist with another try on the goals, or another intercept.

1 Capt Saul Pierce I'm currently going with 'fly like a rock or a rocket' 82 Capt Saul Pierce 0 5

Afton

August 14, 2009 8:01 PM

I'll stick with mine by Afton

Afton was still pondering why they didn't study crystal magic. Obviously it was a legitimate branch of study. The crystals Gabrielle had given them seemed to be working. Nobody save for Elliot had had any contact with a bludger. (Well, and Amber and Josiah, who were beaters and had hit bludgers at people on the other team, which had been unfortunately avoided.) On the other hand, maybe they were not typically needed due to alternative forms of magic that did the same thing.

Or perhaps it was a branch of Charms. Professor Taylor didn't always teach them spells. Unfortunately, they were often doing either theory work and essays or stuff that would fit into muggle science classes. This was much to Afton's distaste. She'd never really liked science classes, particularly ones that used a lot of math and she didn't like writing essays at all. Plus, Afton was at a magic school. The last thing she wanted to do was stuff they did in a muggle school.

Alternately, she was trying to figure out the names of the other people on the Pecari team. It made Afton feel bad that she didn't know them. She should know them. The male beater she was convinced was named Mina and she felt sort of bad for him having a girl's name. Afton didn't really think the male chaser who wasn't Saul was named Kyle but she wasn't sure and she had little clue about the opposing keeper other than he had a name that started with R and was not a common name. Afton was also pretty sure it wasn't Roland because she would have remembered that by associating it with the song "Roland the Headless Gunner" or Raymond because she would have associated that with the T.V. show "Everybody Loves Raymond."

That was when Afton decided it was probably best to pay attention to the game for a few minutes anyway and check and see if Pecari was trying to score any goals. Lucie had caught Gabrielle's pass and had passed it back to the sixth year who sent it off again...

To be intercepted by Saul. Afton groaned inwardly. Pecari in possession was bad. That meant she had to pay attention and that had never truly been her strong suit. Saul threw it off again and Afton's hopes that a Teppenpaw Chaser would intercept it rose again.

11 Afton I'll stick with mine 77 Afton 0 5

Mike Song, Beater

August 20, 2009 11:54 AM

Providing (belated) cover! by Mike Song, Beater

Sports were sports, and beyond the occasional thrill that a tied score in the bottom of the ninth inning gave in baseball, Mike was used to feeling only brief moments of adrenaline-filled tension from a game. It wasn't like in surfing, when in the days before and after a hurricane the waves got up to triple overhead in height and every set sent his heart racing and breath rushing and skin tingling. Baseball was all about pacing and sprints and getting that double in the fourth; it was waiting and watching, and for Mike, that often equated large stretches of boredom.

A Quidditch match was not baseball. It was that rare twenty footer that his mother would kill him over for even considering attempting; it was pure rush, and god, but Mike was loving it.

He twisted upward and down the pitch, staying to the outskirts and leaving himself available for a quick sprint down the center and into the midst of the currently in possession Teppenpaw chasers. Three times he yanked back on his bat, prepped to aim a solid strike, but three times the chasers moved too quickly for him. His stomach dipped as they neared the Pecari keeper-

He scowled instinctively; Raoul was apparently a favorite of Holly's, a fact Mike did not like at all. Stupid accent and stupid manners and really, how much of a penalty would his team incur if Mike were to 'accidentally' send a bludger Raoul's way?

And then Saul was yelling out one of those code names, and Mike's attention whipped to the opposite end of the pitch. Hugging his chest to the broom, he knifed down and across the pitch, aiming for a bludger dangling midway between himself and the Pecari chasers. Deciding that the best defense was a violent offense, Mike aimed for the Teppenpaw chaser most likely to attempt to interfere and sent the bludger out with a crack.

0 Mike Song, Beater Providing (belated) cover! 0 Mike Song, Beater 0 5

Lucie Dupree, Chaser

August 21, 2009 9:18 PM

To my dismay by Lucie Dupree, Chaser

After Gabrielle caught the quaffle, Lucie tried to stay close to the other girl in case she passed it again. She supposed that Elliot could have caught it and, honestly, for a first year, he wasn’t doing badly, but that was just it. He was still a first year. He was still incredibly unseasoned and was therefore apt to make rookie mistakes, which could cost them possession of the quaffle or worse, the entire game. Of course, there was nothing to say that they wouldn’t lose to Pecari at any rate, because it seemed that most of the game rested on the Seekers’ shoulders and not for the first time, she was thankful that she was a Chaser and not a Seeker.

Unfortunately, what was said of Elliot could be said of Gabby as well. After talking to the older girl, Lucie had learned that she hadn’t played much at her previous school and that last year had been really the only experience that she had, which made Lucie one of the ‘senior’ members of the team by default. Watching Gabrielle’s throw, her brow furrowed in confusion. Why in the world was the quaffle now going that way? It was moments like this that made the inexperience show through, made all the worse by the fact that the Captain of the other team was able to intercept the quaffle, giving Pecari the opportunity to potentially score. ickness

Spinning so quickly around on her broom that she felt slight dizziness, she tailed after Saul, but not quite on the same air level he was since he was lower than most of the players. She was hoping that this fact would give her a chance to steal the quaffle if he tried to pass it on before he was in the thick of it again and she was far from disappointed as she heard him call out a wrong name again. Stupid names. Didn’t he realize that even though they didn’t know where the pass was going that there was definitely going to be one? Wouldn’t the wrong names have worked better as a determination for a play instead? That would have been much more confusing.

Instead, it just caused a further concentration on Saul’s motions. Was he leaning in a particular direction? Was someone paying closer attention? The answers were never to be found out, because the sound that chasers feared was coming ever closer, forcing her to swerve in another direction. The metal ball caught the end of her broom. Ugh. She was seeing double. Taking a breath, she righted herself and, without time to check the damage to her broom, immediately began scouting the area. Where was it? Where was the quaffle? Was it in Pecari’s continued possession or had some fortunate Teppenpaw managed to gain control once more?

0 Lucie Dupree, Chaser To my dismay 0 Lucie Dupree, Chaser 0 5

Amy Fox

Quidditch Match: Pecari vs. Teppenpaw by Amy Fox

<font color="brown">Saul Pierce</font>

Pecari takes possession of the Quaffle by <font color="brown">Saul Pierce</font>

<font color="yellow">Amber Carey, Beater</font>

Teppenpaw hits a Bludger at Pecari by <font color="yellow">Amber Carey, Beater</font>

<font color="brown">Saul Pierce</font>

Pecari flees before Bludger in search of a Beater by <font color="brown">Saul Pierce</font>

<font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

Playing my own game by <font color="brown">Elly Eriksson, Seeker</font>

<font color="brown">Mike Song</font>

Pecari Beater responding to duty, sir! by <font color="brown">Mike Song</font>

<font color="yellow">Afton Stokes,Keeper</font>

I agreed to play, but I never said I'd be enthusiastic. by <font color="yellow">Afton Stokes,Keeper</font>

<font color="yellow">Elliot Valentine</font>

Better late than never by <font color="yellow">Elliot Valentine</font>

<font color="brown">Kyler Kent</font>

Pecari continues control of the Quaffle. by <font color="brown">Kyler Kent</font>

<font color="brown">Irene Liddowe</font>

And again. by <font color="brown">Irene Liddowe</font>

Irene and Kyler

*GIANT SIGH* by Irene and Kyler

<font color="brown">Captain Saul Pierce</font>

Retconning the contradictory posts by <font color="brown">Captain Saul Pierce</font>

Saul

See my post below 'Retconning..." by Saul

<font color="yellow">Afton</font>

*grumbles* by <font color="yellow">Afton</font>

<font color="yellow">Josiah, Tepp beater</font>

Elly, I know you still love me even if i do injure you by <font color="yellow">Josiah, Tepp beater</font>

<font color="brown">Caedence</font>

Sounds good to me! by <font color="brown">Caedence</font>

<font color="brown">Elly Eriksson</font>

Let's hope we never have to find out. by <font color="brown">Elly Eriksson</font>

<font color="yellow">Afton</font>

More retconning by <font color="yellow">Afton</font>

<font color="yellow">Hannah Laurent, Seeker</font>

It's not a hope I'm able to share. by <font color="yellow">Hannah Laurent, Seeker</font>

<font color="yellow">Gabrielle DiCarlo</font>

Better late than never by <font color="yellow">Gabrielle DiCarlo</font>

<font color="yellow">Afton</font>

Sort of my motto by <font color="yellow">Afton</font>

<font color="yellow">Lucie Dupree, Chaser</font>

It's a good motto. by <font color="yellow">Lucie Dupree, Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Elly Eriksson</font>

Gee, feeling the love. by <font color="brown">Elly Eriksson</font>

<font color="yellow">Gabrielle DiCarlo</font>

I like more nontraditional mottos. by <font color="yellow">Gabrielle DiCarlo</font>

<font color="brown">Capt Saul Pierce</font>

I'm currently going with 'fly like a rock or a rocket' by <font color="brown">Capt Saul Pierce</font>

<font color="yellow">Afton</font>

I'll stick with mine by <font color="yellow">Afton</font>

<font color="brown">Mike Song, Beater</font>

Providing (belated) cover! by <font color="brown">Mike Song, Beater</font>

Lucie Dupree, Chaser

To my dismay by Lucie Dupree, Chaser

GIANT SIGH by Irene and Kyler

grumbles by <font color="yellow">Afton</font>