The Coach
June 26, 2020 1:18 PM
Quidditch Game 1! Winner: Green team! by The Coach
The game was today. The first game was today! The team had been practicing for a few weeks and this was a home v home game, so the coach wasn't terribly worried about pitting the students against those from other schools. In a lot of ways, this was a trial run. But the school had pulled out all the stops.Banners and decorations with jersey numbers of the players, showing which color they were playing for today, were hung around the stadium, and some of the elves had gone as far as setting up booths for students to get such treats as cotton candy, caramel corn, hot dogs, nachos, and more thematic foods, like mozzarella broomsticks, Quaffles (the coach was pretty sure they were pigs in blankets essentially), and a wide variety of candy. The coach appreciated the effort because it was well known that the students would decide today what this was going to look like in the future, and it was up to them to decide how popular or not this would be as well.
The coach addressed the waiting players as a whole, and smiled at all of them. They were mixed today, which was just as well because they were otherwise pretty uneven. It also meant that they all had the same knowledge and experience with any secret moves, which leveled the playing field a bit. A roster hung on the wall to remind players where they were playing today anyway:
Orange team:
Keeper: Tatiana Vorontsova
Chasers: Ness McLeod, Valentine Duell, Heinrich Hexenmeister
Seeker: Jeremy Mordue
Beaters: Felipe De Matteo, Hilda Hexenmeister
Green team:
Keeper: Graham Osbrook
Chasers: Morgan Garrett, Bonny Row, Parker Fitzgerald
Seeker: Anya Delachene
Beaters: Nathaniel Mordue, Evelyn Stones
"Today's game is going to be an experiment," the coach began, lingering on each set of eyes. "And you're going to show me just how well you can do. There's a stadium out there full of your peers. Let's show them what you can do, too."
The game began and the teams were, to the coach's pleasure, well balanced. This would be a good day. The music and fanfare outside was proof enough of that. It grew and surged throughout the game until finally, a very close game ended with the green team winning. It was exhilarating to be part of and to watch and most of the action was probably lost on the crowd, who were both distracted with the atmosphere of attending a sporting event, and undoubtedly out of practice with watching the play-by-play of a back-and-forth game of Quidditch. For some of the audience, the coach knew, this was their first time ever seeing a game. Heck, that was true for some of the players probably. This was, the coach thought, going to be a very exciting season.
Highlights -
- Near the end of the game, when the Seekers were nearing the Snitch, Felipe De Matteo attempted to smack a bludger at the opposing team and found it instead colliding hard with Jeremy Mordue. Jeremy sought medical attention after the game. (Approved by Felipe and Jeremy's authors).
OOC - Hello, all! This is an experiment as much for us as it is for our players and I am excited to see how it goes. You'll notice below that there is room for folks to thread pre-game, during the game, in the stadium during the game, and post-game. The goal is to really encourage anyone and everyone to be able to participate, not just players. You'll also please notice to I have (well, chatzy has) selected a winning team. That is to give us the most variety of threads we can do without the back and forth that can go with an FnF game when that hasn't happened for a long time. That being said, if there's a moment you want to thread during the game, feel free to do so.
Just don't assume that they won or lost for their team if that's not what I/chatzy decided. I think this will be a lot of fun and I am excited to see how it goes!
Happy threading!!
Subthreads:Pre-Game
Dang kids and their sporting things by Osvaldo Alamilla
Have you seen my mommy? by Dora Xavier with Alexander Pierce-Beales
During Game (players)
Chasing on a team! by Valentine Duell with Nathaniel Mordue
WHAT is your DEAL?! by Felipe De Matteo
This is going to be brilliant by Jeremy Mordue
That's me. I'm green. I win? I WIN! by Anya Delachene with Bonabelle Row
During Game (crowd)
Caramel corn? I'm there. [Marsh? Katey? Bueler?] by Killian Row with Selina Skies
Frustration (medical tent) by Jean Wolfe
Just here for the nachos by Sophia Priory with Josephine Clyde
Yay! Sportsing! by Gary Harper with Dorian Montoir
Post-Game
How did that happen? [Nathaniel] by Evelyn Stones with Nathaniel Mordue
Cheering for the team I'm booing for. [Jeremy, medical tent] by Leonor De Matteo with Jeremy Mordue, Nathaniel Mordue
I'm fine by Jean Wolfe with Jezebel Reed-Fischer
Fun times and nachos by Zara Jackson with Felipe De Matteo
About me being fine... (tag Katey) by Jean Wolfe with Katey Willow
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The Coach
Quidditch Game 1! Winner: Green team!
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The Coach
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Leonor De Matteo
July 03, 2020 8:37 PM
Cheering for the team I'm booing for. [Jeremy, medical tent] by Leonor De Matteo
CW - Homophobia, microaggressionsIt was really a shame that Felipe and Jeremy were playing on the same team this time, although it did make for Leonor's banner to be that much ruder. She'd waited until she'd been sure what color Jeremy was playing for and then decorated the banner with a few quick charms, so it flashed between "Go, Orange Team!" and "Go, Jeremy!" There was glitter and sparkles and moving figures of seekers and Leonor was cheering on an orange team seeker with a superiority complex she couldn't help admire.
Then they lost.
She felt a bit bad thinking that maybe she influenced Felipe to lose by messing with his head too much? The problem wasn't even really that they lost though, it was that they lost because Felipe took Jeremy out of the game. It couldn't have been an accident. It couldn't have. And if Leonor still had much accidental magic in her, Felipe would've taken the brunt of it then. He almost took the brunt of some purposeful magic before she reminded herself that that wouldn't do any good anyway. She didn't think of her brother as a violent person and maybe it really was an accident, but if that was the case, it was an accident by virtue of negligence and she was sure Felipe would have loved to have done it on purpose.
When the game was done, Leonor picked her way through the crowd to stand near the bottom. Under normal circumstances, she thought that Jeremy would probably like to make as much of a show of his fanclub as he could, unless he was such an utterly sore loser that he was about to be ticked off at her, in which case she could ignore him and talk to someone else. Felipe, she was sure, would not try to stop and talk to her. At least not in public. He'd seemed particularly sad recently and she felt the familiar twinges of guilt gnawing at her stomach, but she was getting better at pushing those away. In fact, she was starting to feel them less often, even. She had high hopes they'd go away entirely at some point. It was made all the easier by knowing that Felipe had behaved monstrously in this most recent display of his unsuitability of inheritance. Felipe's girlfriend, Leonor was sure, would be around too, cheering on the orange team with nearly the same banner if she wasn't too busy making out with Felipe to make one. She wondered what the Jackson girl would think of her boyfriend being an utter pigheaded jerk. How she'd love to see the girl's face when she'd noticed Leonor's banner, if she'd taken her eyes off Felipe long enough to do so. It was really disgusting. People shouldn't like each other that much. Especially people who couldn't seem to find it in themselves to like their own self. Not that she could blame Felipe for that; she didn't find him particularly likeable either. Sure, he was helpful in his way, and a fairly decent example of kindness and altruism, but what was that to the sort of adventurous soul that kept Leonor going when the going got tough? Nothing, that's what.
She hesitated before making her way onto the pitch. At first, she hesitated because she wasn't actually sure whether Jeremy would want to see her at all. Their relationship wasn't particularly meaningful to either of them and Leonor would have been perfectly happy to wait until a more convenient time to catch up if not for the fact that that would just be rude and improper for her to do. Whatever they were, they were something. Ish. So she waited at the bottom of the stadium for a moment after the game, hoping to see Jeremy emerge before she'd have to make a decision, early enough that she could blame it on the crowd. She'd gotten there quickly, though (not because she was worried) and had run her own bid out. Nervous energy threatened to make her bubble up on her toes but she maintained a blasé posture as she set out across the grass.
The medical tent was being manned by the regular healer and her full time wannabe, Jean-Loup. Leonor didn't have a direct issue with boys liking boys but she did prefer not to have it shoved in her face all the time. At least his roost in the Hospital Wing meant the lovebirds were usually out of sight. Truth be told, she couldn't say for sure how much of her problem with the one notable gay relationship on campus (staff excluded since there were a plethora of them there) was because of who they were/how they were, or because of herself. There had been a time in her life when she might have been free to choose to be gay too. She could've been with anyone she wanted. Now that lifestyle was completely off the table and she was making her way to check in on her plaything who was only her plaything because he was high society enough to matter and because Felipe hated him. When the heck had her life turned into all this?
She was relieved to find that Jean-Loup was walking - stomping? - away from the tent by the time she got there. He looked angry, which probably meant that Jeremy had arrived, and she ignored him. He was not important. Honestly, nothing was really very important, but the feelings of someone who would make her chest feel heavy certainly weren't. Because soon, she would hear exactly what Jeremy was shouting about - she could hear his voice as she neared the tent - and she would have to decide who she wanted to be. She knew the answer of course; she wanted to be important. If important meant thinking that Jean-Loup, the boy with the sad eyes and helping hands, was a freak, then so be it. If nothing was important, then anything that made her feel better for a moment it would have to do the trick.
Taking one last breath of air, air that tasted surprisingly bitter and was tinged with regret and something that felt a lot like saying goodbye to freedom, Leonor pushed open the entrance to the medical tent to find Jeremy.
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Leonor De Matteo
Cheering for the team I'm booing for. [Jeremy, medical tent]
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Leonor De Matteo
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Jeremy Mordue
July 05, 2020 8:28 AM
Lot of that going around by Jeremy Mordue
CW - homophobiaThe pace of the match was so-so. Obviously, it was one of the problems with being streaks ahead of most people on the pitch. It meant that sometimes there wasn't enough of a challenge. Incompetence could breed its own challenges of course, people getting in his way, or Bludgers, if his beaters weren't up to scratch - that was likely to be his biggest issue. Chasers suffered more when there were poor fliers on the pitch, as they were all in each other's space all the time. He sometimes needed to dive through or around others, but hopefully they knew not to get in his way. Overall, the level balanced out enough that it was just sort of slow.
Eventually though, he saw the tell-tale hint of gold. He felt that familiar spike of adrenaline that made all of this worth it. All the hours training. All the underappreciation. All the hours of the game spent on edge but not being rewarded - here was the rush. When he was chasing down the Snitch, all the bad things melted away. There was the screaming thrill of the chase, driving him to get there first, and the knowledge that glory was racing closer with every second. There was euphoria in the world. There were reasons to feel good. For other people to like and to celebrate him and-
SMACK!
Something slammed into his shoulder so hard he let out an involuntary scream of pain and surprise. He was pitched forward but had enough of a grip on his broom to take that with him as he jolted violently off course.
He tried to pull himself right again, even as he did so, knowing it would be too late. Split seconds mattered in Seeking. The only way the Snitch wouldn't be gone would be if someone else was holding it.
After the whistle blew, he touched down, still smarting both physically and emotionally. He would have won! He was sure his hand had been closer than Delachene's - he was sure it had been, he was better than her! But for that Bludger. And he wanted to rage and kick and be angry, specifically because that was exactly the game. Someone had played their part better than him, done exactly what they were suppsed to, and that meant that he couldn't be bitter or angry, which made it all the harder not to be.
Not with them, anyway. They were a team. Still would be, after this, and he'd be playing with some of the victors next time. And not with someone who had the responsibility of putting him back together. Luckily, there was one person in between him and there. Jeremy strode into the medical tent, finding the new healer and the intern.
"You can keep your unqualified *** hands off me," he snarled. He would have loved to physically push him back but for now words would have to do. He felt a deep sense of satisfaction and a slight balm to his own wounds at the pain he was inflicting on someone else. Not much of it showed on Jean-Loup's face but Jeremy had grown up around enough repressed, uptight people to notice the tiny tells like the stiffening of a jaw.
As Jean-Loup strode out, he turned to the proper medic.
"I need my shoulder to be perfect," he informed her briskly. He imagined she already knew that to be the problem both if she had watched the game and if she was looking at him. It felt all wrong, and it looked weirdly angled. Jeremy had played enough Quidditch to know suffering, and to have weathered a few broken bones. This felt close to the same level of pain, but he wasn't sure if the sick feeling in his stomach was from that or from the loss.
"I would have won," he stated, still seething about it. He didn't want to cry. Not from pain and not from disappointment. It was easier to be angry. He sort of wished Nathaniel was here so he could have someone to rage and kick things at who wasn't in charge of fixing him. "I would have! I was so close!" he glared, slamming his good fist against the bed. He perched himself on it in a seated position so she could examine him.
He would have won and... Who had stopped him? He had been in too much pain and misery to consider it much. Hilda had been on his team. And for all he had mentioned De Matteo's incompetence to Nathaniel at the start of the match, he had meant that more in the sense of Felipe failing to prevent an attack. His mind went to the rival Beaters. And he wasn't sure Stones could hit a fish in a barrell. She'd batted wide the whole game, never hitting another player.
That left one person.
Jeremy thumped the bed in frustration again. It didn't matter that he would have done it to Nathaniel in a heartbeat, positions reversed. Nathaniel talked about family beyond all else. All this duty and responsibility stuff. And he had literally fired on Jeremy's turned back, costing him the game!
The flap of the tent lifted. It wasn't like he wanted his brother now. Because he wasn't on Jeremy's side. And he hadn't come anyway.
"Oh, it's you," he frowned. He was surprised Leonor had come (and Nathaniel hadn't), and was unable to think up anything less mildly insulting between the pain and the rage at his brother.
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Jeremy Mordue
Lot of that going around
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Leonor De Matteo
July 05, 2020 11:45 AM
Seems like. by Leonor De Matteo
Leonor cocked an eyebrow, not appreciating that sort of greeting. She knew he was in pain, but geez. Had he expected someone else instead? Felipe to come down here and start apologising right away? Felipe was generally kind, not stupid, and that was especially true if he had done this on purpose. He wasn't one to gloat and if he wasn't about to apologise to Jeremy just yet, then there wasn't a lot of good to be had in coming to visit him."I can go," she said, gesturing back over her shoulder with her thumb. "I wasn't sure whether you'd like a friendly face." Because this was for him. Not because Leonor cared. Not because Leonor was worried. But because Jeremy might benefit from her deigning to visit and that was it. Because it kept up appearances on a thing that she wasn't even sure whether it was fake or not. Whether she wanted it to be fake or not.
Not really expecting him to ask her to leave, she took a seat on a stool in the corner, out of the healer's way. "I'm sorry you're hurt," she murmured, meaning it. "I'm sorry Felipe is such a moron," she added, grimacing. It would be better to rip off the bandage and address the awkward connection they now shared. Much as they found Felipe irritating, she didn't necessarily want to be straight up associated with his bad decision on this part. It would be better to take a stance now and show which side she was on. Where her sympathies lay. Guilty as this whole thing made her feel sometimes, she was not a bit surprised that her sympathies did not lay with her brother in this case.
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Leonor De Matteo
Seems like.
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Nathaniel Mordue
July 05, 2020 5:03 PM
We're all nothing if not complex. by Nathaniel Mordue
Interactions with Jeremy were, usually, predictable – something which was sometimes soothing and sometimes frustrating and sometimes depressing, but which was true more often than not. There were exceptions, of course, because no-one was completely predictable, but most of the time, Nathaniel felt qualified to guess what his brother was liable to do. With this thought in mind, he excused himself from Evelyn (“if you’ll excuse me – really ought to check on him. Shouldn’t be more than a minute, though, if you want me to catch up?”) before approaching the medical tent, only to pause when he saw Jean-Loup Arceneaux leaving it with visible displeasure.Well, Jeremy was probably talking, then, at least….
Watching Arceneaux, Nathaniel had the strangest, maddest compulsion to go speak to him. He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to say – he couldn’t, after all, really apologize for Jeremy’s manners in this case; it was against social norms to even admit that Arceneaux existed – but somehow he felt that he ought to say something.
Perhaps, he thought, it was just the desire to convince himself that Arceneaux actually did exist, even if the polite thing to do was pretend he didn’t. He was, after all, unfathomable, and while he had met other people who were as unfathomable in the same way (indeed, the people in question were his parents), he had yet to find one who had done an adequate job of explaining it to him: what would make a person care so much about an outsider, a – a sex object, basically – that the person could give up everything for the outsider? His father, of course, had never tried to explain, but his mother had. Parts of it were always about being happy, as though that was likely to last, and which he took for euphemisms, but she also went on sometimes about how meeting Elphwick had made her realize society was bad and that they should leave it. Nathaniel agreed it sucked, but to leave it? If Nathaniel had not chosen to prioritize his blood before his morals and honor, then his mother would have had no family whatsoever. Elphwick could have treated her any way he wanted and there would have been no-one to intervene on her behalf. The thing about society was that, as terrible as it could be, it was no worse than the rest of the world. Life was just a long series of disappointments and disasters. If one had family, at least one could have more disappointments than disasters. Probably.
Or perhaps, he thought, he was merely too soft. He remembered his fourth year in so much detail that…he didn’t know exactly how it had happened, but he found himself feeling sorry for almost everyone, in the end. Once, he had even caught himself in the middle of the thought that he might let Elphwick live, if he could determine that Mama’s health really was as much improved as she claimed whenever he finally got to see her in person again. If he could think that, or at least start to, then it was probably not surprising that other people’s sex acts which didn’t affect his family at all couldn’t quite get as much of a reaction from him as they should have.
He would have to be careful, he thought. Make sure her attempts at arguments in their letters hadn’t started getting to him. Later, though. Now, he had to confirm the condition of her other son, so he could assure her Jeremy had no more lasting damage than a few days of poor temper to show for the Quidditch match when he reported home about it.
He stepped into the medical tent just in time to hear Leonor De Matteo say the words ”Felipe is such a moron.” He half-raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear such blatant disloyalty from his sister, spoken directly to one of Jeremy’s worse enemies. Perhaps she cared more for honor than family. Some people did.
“I think we can all agree on that,” he said crisply, joining them. “Hello, Miss De Matteo. You all right, Jeremy?” he asked his brother, rather more casually than felt quite natural – worry was almost a default note in his voice, as there was always something to be worried about – because of the outside presence. For all he knew, she was gathering information for her brother, hoping to goad Jeremy into saying something stupid or…something, he didn’t know, all he knew was that he didn’t much like having a member of his family and an outsider and himself all in the same place at the same time because of the same reason, broadly speaking, and when he didn’t like things, he defaulted to propriety heavily tinted with stoicism. Emotions were dangerous, even when they were merely habitual as much as anything.
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Nathaniel Mordue
We're all nothing if not complex.
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Jeremy Mordue
July 06, 2020 5:44 AM
I'm complex? by Jeremy Mordue
’I can go.’ Oh good, she sounded moody. Was she gonna get in a snit now, over him not being on his best behaviour? He had a freaking dislocated shoulder! If ever there was a time that he could be cut some freaking slack for not being ‘well-mannered’ - he was the victim here! Part of him wanted to tell her to leave. It was… frustrating. He liked that she cared, but he didn’t want to be weak or bad tempered with her watching and he felt like being both. That made her presence an inconvenience, increasing his desire to be bad-tempered but reducing any possibility of being. He would have shrugged her remark off, but obviously he couldn’t right now. Leonor, however, took a seat in spite of what she’d said, and started bad mouthing Felipe.“Yes, he is” he agreed, without much enthusiasm. He supposed that was her idea of a subject that might cheer him up, and whilst calling Felipe every name under the sun was tempting it felt rather detached from the current sources of his pain and misery.
The tent flap opened again, and this time it was Nathaniel. Jeremy wasn’t relieved. He absolutely did not want Nathaniel to somehow swoop in and protect him or make this better. It shouldn’t have mattered that Nathaniel had come because that was just what was expected, and Jeremy didn’t want him here anyway, and he was a traitor. He didn’t seem shifty or guilt-ridden however, and much to Jeremy’s surprise he joined in the bad-mouthing of Felipe. With the words ‘I think we can all agree on that.’ When had he and Jeremy ever agreed on their opinion of a single person?!
“Fantastic,” Jeremy bit out each flattened and bitter syllable in response to Nathaniel’s query about his well being.
“I must look awful if you’re resorting to agreeing with me,” he challenged Nathaniel, wondering whether this was how his brother's guilt was manifesting itself. That probably wasn't the kind of thing he was supposed to say in front of other people but oh well. Maybe Nathaniel should have thought of that earlier. Again, he didn't think he could be expected to be at his best right now. “I didn’t think you believed in speaking ill of anyone.”
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Jeremy Mordue
I'm complex?
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Leonor De Matteo
July 06, 2020 2:16 PM
Not as much as me. by Leonor De Matteo
Leonor stiffened some when Nathaniel Mordue entered the tent, but nodded politely at his greeting. She wasn't precisely sure how much Jeremy had told him or what her reputation was at this point - the thing was new enough she doubted she had one, to be fair - but she didn't have any real reason to want to irritate this older brother and she wasn't sure whether her presence would do so. Another twist of guilt made her want to defend Felipe but she found that there was nothing defensible about him in this moment. It was interesting to note that Jeremy did not look happy to see Nathaniel. She supposed she wouldn't have been happy to see Felipe, but she generally didn't assume everyone had the same relationship with their brother as she did. Besides, Nathaniel had a generally decent reputation for being nice and he was a Teppenpaw so it was hard to imagine him giving Jeremy a lot of problems. But then, what was nice and what was considered nice weren't always the same thing. Felipe had a decent reputation as far as she knew - at least, he had before today - and that didn't make a lick of difference to her.She cocked an eyebrow at Jeremy again, this one more confused than anything. "Your brother would have to be a troll not to agree in this case, I think," she replied. Her natural tone was cool, so there was nothing especially chilly about her voice now but it wasn't exactly warm either, just by virtue of being who she was. She wondered what Nathaniel thought of that. "Anyone who hits their own teammate with a bludger is a moron, whether or not he's actually a moron in other cases." She wrinkled her nose. "Felipe just happens to be both."
It was a bit funny hearing Jeremy be so sarcastic about being 'fantastic' because his sense of sarcasm and dull wit meant he was probably actually doing sort of okay, all things considered. She resisted the urge to fuss over him, because she absolutely didn't care at all and was here for show. Nathaniel seemed about as equally disinterested in Jeremy as she was though, and it intrigued her tremendously. This, she thought, was how families were supposed to behave. There was a level of mutual concern, but propriety mattered. Behaving appropriately and encouraging others to behave appropriately mattered. Felipe's method of correction generally seemed to be disappointment or self-flagellation, neither of which were Leonor's modus operandi. She did momentarily forget that she was supposed to take opportunities to compliment Jeremy, though, and she shook her head belatedly at the idea that he looked bad. "And you don't look awful," she pointed out. "You never look awful."
Complimenting him in front of his brother would either go really well - look how cool your brother is with this super cute plaything hanging around ready to tell him how handsome he was - or it would go very poorly - look at your brother with this super cute plaything hanging around ready to tell him how handsome he was. Whatever the interpretation, the facts were the same, and she was super cute either way; that part was undeniable. In this case, she settled on being the super cute plaything who vaguely suggested that he was handsome instead of anything more direct.
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Leonor De Matteo
Not as much as me.
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Nathaniel Mordue
July 06, 2020 2:45 PM
You’re getting there, though. by Nathaniel Mordue
“Either a moron or a coward without honor who attacks when his opponent’s back is turned,” said Nathaniel, a bit sharply, with a nod to Leonor. “When those are the options, I suppose calling him a moron is speaking less ill of him than I could.” His mouth twisted with distaste, the deviation from his usual range of sad or vaguely pleasant expressions momentarily increasing his already strong resemblance to his brother. He had forsaken any real claim to courage or honor himself, two years ago, but he had, at least, not yet stooped to doing something like that.Of course, with Elphwick, there was the issue of access. With his uncle...there it was more complicated, as he could have done any number of things. All of them would have been as distasteful as what Felipe had done, but....
He hated the world sometimes, for existing in such a spectrum of greys, with none of the clear, clean rules it appeared to have at first glance. Thinking on this was not really terribly useful here, though, so he tried to dismiss it from his mind.
“Your shoulder, I’m guessing?” he asked Jeremy, noticing how his brother was holding himself, the standard note of mild anxiety reentering his voice. “I saw him hit the Bludger, but I didn’t see exactly how it hit you. Anything broken?” If there was, Nathaniel hoped Felipe could find a nice soft bit of floor somewhere outside of Crotalus to sleep on, because he might not survive until morning if he tried to sleep in the dorm. Seekers were almost as preoccupied with their arms and hands as musicians - preoccupied enough to rival their concern with their weight, even - and a broken shoulder was a nasty business. The bones could be healed well enough rather quickly (where was the medic, then?), but repeated traumas could take a toll, over time, and Nathaniel rather suspected his brother of ambitions toward a career in the sport.
As for Leonor’s comments on Jeremy’s appearance, he decided to ignore that. It seemed like a time where a Joke might have been appropriate if it had been at his own expense, but he didn’t think Jeremy had ever made a formal study of Humor, or that Jeremy was good-natured enough, particularly while in pain, to respond positively to such a thing. This left him with few ideas for comments, which made ignoring that the best option on the table.
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Nathaniel Mordue
You’re getting there, though.
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Jeremy Mordue
July 08, 2020 5:36 AM
Who's the screw up now? by Jeremy Mordue
Leonor was overestimating Nathaniel if she thought that Felipe's flaws were so glaring that- wait."He did what?" Jeremy snarled, almost jerking himself out of the medic's grip as his posture swelled with the surge of rage pulsing through him. Every hair stood on end, tingling with the unresolved desire to go do something deeply unpleasant to Felipe. Preferably something permanent. For all that the medic was going to be able to pop his shoulder back in without too much bother, injuries left scars. In this case, the more permanent damage was more likely to be to the bare shred of civility that had been maintained between Jeremy amd Felipe after the fight. Perhaps Jeremy should have cared about continuing to make that work given that they had to live together but... well, he didn't have to worry about that if Felipe was dead.
"He did this?!" he thundered. The medic had numbed his shoulder, thus substantially lessening the risk he was about to cry in front of Leonor, and the revelation that Felipe was to blame only made it easier to channel all his hurt and disappointment into anger instead of a visible display of any less acceptable emotion.
"What the heck is wrong with him?!" he demanded, rather too preoccupied to acknowledge Leonor's compliment. There were a string of other things he wanted to say. However, it was hard to forget the presence of someone who was popping his shoulder back into place, and so he gritted his teeth against the string of creative threats about how many Quaffles he could make from De Matteo's skin, which he would remove with him very much still alive and able to feel it. Adults tended to frown at the sort of language.
"Yes, shoulder, dislocated," he muttered in response to Nathaniel.
There was some fussing about after that, with ointment and a support to help him rest his shoulder. Even though everything should settle down within a couple of hours, it would be safest to rest it for a couple of days. That, he supposed, gave Felipe a couple of days of leeway on being strangled.
Thus dismissed, he made his way out with Leonor and Nathaniel, waiting until they were safely out of earshot of the tent.
"So, how exactly are we murdering him?" he asked.
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Jeremy Mordue
Who's the screw up now?
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Leonor De Matteo
July 08, 2020 10:00 PM
That hasn't changed. by Leonor De Matteo
Jeremy's anger was satisfying. It was, Leonor realised, anger that had made her the way she'd become. Anger at Felipe, anger at her family, anger at the Muggles who made her family throw their worth away. Anger at a world that would always see her as second choice and a world that made her ambitions come true only to show her they weren't at all what she actually wanted. Anger at everyone else for deciding everything for her. She was done with that, with all of it. She was not going to stand by anymore. The reason was fear, but she didn't go deep enough to figure that out. There was a moment before she settled on 'satisfying' in which Leonor found Jeremy's anger frightening instead. Anger was not something she was used to seeing much of except in the mirror and she wasn't sure what to do about it. The uncertainty and feeling of cowing made her angry and she briefly wondered if that's what made people good leaders. When the fear was overwhelming and the resulting anger was too hot, you learned to take charge. Shape the world that tried to shape you.It was, Leonor knew, a decision point. Take a side. Mordues or De Matteos? While she didn't actively want Felipe to be hurt, she did want things to change. If that meant Felipe had to be pushed aside at best and had some sense knocked into him at worst, then was that really so bad? He'd left her behind with his problems and she was becoming more sure by the second that he'd done this on purpose. What right did he have to take people out or to hurt people just because he didn't like them? So what, Jeremy said something Felipe didn't like once? So what, Leonor was cheering for Jeremy at the game? Perhaps it would be best for Felipe to learn just what that felt like, since he'd managed to be the arguably less injured of the two in their fist fight and he'd come away from this completely clear so far. Again, she wasn't about to suggest they mob him. But she was also definitely willing to play her part in making sure Felipe knew just how badly he'd screwed up. At least in as much as it benefited her.
As the conversation was put on hold for the healer to finish her job (seriously, woman, how long was this going to take you?), Leonor considered her options. If she was about to put her weight behind the Mordue family, she wanted reassurances that it would be worth her time. This wasn't just about her own family at this point and she wasn't about to support another one without knowing it would work out for her, or at least that she could get out from under the crumbling mess they may try to leave her with. She either wanted in all the way, or she wanted in anonymously. If that couldn't be guaranteed, she wanted out.
Arguably, her options were still limited. It wasn't like she could outright hex or betray Felipe, both because she did still care about him in some ways and because that sort of in-fighting was a bad look. The plan to get handsy with Jeremy and annoy Felipe was still on the table and she was becoming more interested in what that might look like, but Angry Jeremy didn't seem half so interested in making out as Lonely Jeremy, and she wasn't sure that making out with a beginner was a great look for Jeremy anyway. As much as she knew she needed to preserve her own reputation for future plans, she also needed to make sure Jeremy had a reasonably good one too if he was going to be any use to her. She and Jeremy did have an advantage that Felipe did not though - Nathaniel.
Nathaniel was an older student with a good reputation mostly across the board (known to be decent to people who weren't pureblood without actually ticking off any pureblood families of any importance), and he was a prefect. Felipe was not much of anything and his only real connections were a muggleborn socialite with family secrets for days - one who would have made a much better match for him in Leonor's opinion - and a muggleborn extremist who literally ran a cultural center intended to make things a bit more even. Sure, there were pros to that, but they had no place in Leonor's plans for her own future. If she was going to be wealthy, comfortable, and live in luxury, she needed to not worry so much about the Muggles of Ciudad de Matteo, let alone of . . . what, Boston?
Thus, when Jeremy asked how they were going to murder Felipe, Leonor had already done her share of thinking on exactly that topic. "Felipe is a worrier," she began, starting with the biggest thing she could contribute: insider knowledge. "He'll be beating himself up about this before you can start to, and that's whether he did it on purpose or not. But if he thinks the school's turned on him? If everyone takes your side on this and he comes out with nothing? He'll break."
Once more, a squirm of guilt made Leonor feel woozy. This time, she had made her decision. She stamped it out with a forceful lick of angry flame that burned in her belly. This time, the guilt stayed gone. "If you have the team, you have the school, and you have me--" she said the last of these with a suggestive stroke of the back of her fingers down Jeremy's good arm, wanting to make it clear that she wasn't just intending to stand by his side for this but stand as close as he'd let her get. "--then what does he have? Jackson won't be able to help him for anything then, even if she stays with him. I want in, but only if you don't take me down with him," she added firmly, making it very clear which side she was already on.
Sorry, Felipe, she thought bitterly. You should've been a better big brother. You should've been a better heir.
22
Leonor De Matteo
That hasn't changed.
1471
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Nathaniel Mordue
July 09, 2020 8:33 AM
Everyone has their problems I guess. by Nathaniel Mordue
“Yes, he did, but calm down, calm down – “ said Nathaniel, making the universal sort of gestures for lowering volume, intending it to mean both literal volume and just the overall intensity and slight movement. Getting agitated was not, after all, going to help Jeremy’s shoulder any, nor was it going to help anyone’s case even if a genuine accident happened to De Matteo in the near future….Outside the tent, he opened his mouth to tell Jeremy that murdering people was a strenuous activity which he had no business attempting for a day or two…and then closed it when Leonor De Matteo, still following them around for some reason, started informing them of her brother’s insecurities. He looked at Jeremy over her head, confused and scandalized and a little concerned.
He moved more and more toward scandalized and concerned as she went on. It was one thing to admit that her brother was a screwup who had done a bad thing; it was another to talk to them about taking him down and ruining him. There were occasions when Nathaniel might apologize for something Jeremy did on behalf of the family; there were none in which he would suggest ‘breaking’ Jeremy to other people, because that was not how family worked, and how would anyone ever trust her, if she was so willing to turn on her own? It wasn’t even a matter of principle, by the sounds of it, and…what was she doing there, with the…touching…?
“I…expect your brother is going to be rather unpopular with the team, anyway,” he said finally. “I was planning to give him a piece of my mind at the next practice anyway. No-one reasonable could hold you responsible for his, er, whatever, though,” he said, deciding to pretend that she wasn’t talking like someone betraying a criminal syndicate to either the authorities or another, more powerful syndicate. It just seemed wiser, somehow.
16
Nathaniel Mordue
Everyone has their problems I guess.
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Jeremy Mordue
July 10, 2020 7:45 PM
Some more than others by Jeremy Mordue
Jeremy grinned. Leonor telling him all the ways to needle Felipe was doing just as much as the numbing charm in helping his shoulder. Nathaniel was, of course, being more moderate. Jeremy - as he was finding himself in a surprisingly good mood for someone who had just been attacked - refrained from rolling his eyes at his brother.“I won’t literally murder him,” he reassured Nathaniel, his tone halfway between the flat, blunt register that suggested Nathaniel was being a dense or a killjoy, and actual deadpan humour.
He was pleased to find that Nathaniel was actually still on his side though. He was all for consequences, even if they were more mundane than flaying Felipe alive. Still, the thought of Nathaniel laying into his roommate (instead of him, for once) was deeply satisfying.
“So, do you believe me now that he’s always been the problem?” he challenged.
He smiled at Leonor as she stroked his arm, feeling rather pleased with himself for getting her on side (amazing how he was able to credit her coming up to him as if it was his own idea, somehow). She was a valuable asset, and a flattering one.
“Nathaniel’s right, this is clearly on him. If anyone asks, I’ll be sure to mention you’re nothing like him.” He was about to add ‘you have halfway decent aim for starters’ but that implied Felipe hadn’t been intending to hit him, and he suspected that was far from true. How low down stinking and pathetic did you have to be- “Was this the whole reason he joined the team this year?” he asked Leonor. Felipe’s sudden out of nowhere interest in the sport had seemed mainly annoying but now it was leaning more towards suspicious, “Is he just trying to mess with me?” he demanded. Just because he was doing the same as far as possible to Felipe didn’t make that fair. In fact, Felipe had started it, he had stepped on Jeremy’s turf by joining the Quidditch team - so, he thought, looking at Leonor, Felipe only had himself to blame if Jeremy stomped right back onto his.
13
Jeremy Mordue
Some more than others
1443
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5
Leonor De Matteo
July 10, 2020 8:17 PM
Some people's problems are other people. by Leonor De Matteo
Leonor decided fairly quickly that Nathaniel was maybe not the asset she had originally decided. While he probably would do well to make sure that they avoided any unforeseen pitfalls in their workings, he also didn't seem on board. She supposed that made sense; he was in a protective position with Jeremy and probably wasn't sure what to make of Leonor herself. Just as well seeing as she had less use for him anyway; the only way she needed to make a good impression was by sticking around, and that wouldn't be hard to do if this kept going this direction. She was surprised by Jeremy's question suggesting that Nathaniel hadn't previously believed his brother. With that in mind, it seemed he really did need to get off his high horse before judging Leonor for not standing by her own brother. Perhaps she was reading too much into it. After all, all he'd actually said out loud was to try to reel them back in some. Great.She smiled back at Jeremy when he smiled at her, feeling very pleased with herself. Roping him in had been tougher than she'd expected purely in terms of him being an idiot, but he was a cute idiot and if she had to snuggle up with someone, it was going to be a cute idiot who mattered. Good job, Leonor. Her smile grew into something more outwardly pleased when Jeremy said he'd tell people she wasn't like her brother. As if that weren't already obvious. Still, it was good to have an ally in this.
She shook her head, though, at the idea that Felipe joined the team for this purpose. "I don't think he would have thought that far ahead," she admitted. Felipe was smart when he wanted to be but he was better with big picture than detail and planning. "Plus, he's just so . . . emotional." Pointing out that Felipe probably hit Jeremy because he'd seen her with the banner wasn't helpful but there was no denying that Felipe was just losing his self-control at this point.
The way Jeremy looked at her made Leonor feel both very good about herself and very nervous. It wasn't quite fair of her to be upset that he looked at her like a thing to use, especially since she was doing the same and they were plotting together so it wasn't like that's all they were, but she couldn't help wondering a bit at the safety and wisdom in letting that happen. All in all, she wasn't too worried, though. She was plenty strong in the magic department and of the two of them, she was the much more important and thus had more power. Plus, she had a lot of questions that could only be answered through experience and if that experience turned out to not be good, then she could turn him out on his backside before she'd had her quinceañera.
She considered letting her hand slide into Jeremy's but decided that might be pushing it, so she let her hand drop near enough that he could take hers if he wanted - and if he was smart enough to figure it out - or she could just be close if not. Looking up at Nathaniel, she smiled sweetly. "It's good to meet you officially, by the way," she said, a hint of a playful smirk playing in her eyes.
22
Leonor De Matteo
Some people's problems are other people.
1471
0
5
