Icarus PV Slytherin Quidditch Team Closed

@Elena Jones

Quidditch could be brutal. Yes, the iconic wizarding sport was fun, and it was an honor to be part of the house team, but watching helplessly from the stands as a teammate plummeted to the ground was horrible. This was what Thora hated most about being a reserve. No, she wasn't salty about not being able to play. No, she didn't blame her teammates for failing to save Elena. They just didn't have enough people and resources to do so just that time.

But being a reserve meant that Thora was powerless until she got onto the field. She couldn't help, couldn't save, couldn't score. She couldn't even make sure her fallen teammates were okay. She was stuck on the bench.

This was exactly how Thora had turned up in the Hospital Wing. Even though she didn't know Elena too well, the blue-haired girl seemed like a pretty nice girl. Not only that, but Elena was the team's deputy captain and a very valuable Chaser. So, when Thora had been forced to watch her fall from her broken broom and crash to the ground, it had been torture. The cracks that resounded through the air was all Thora needed to know that Elena was not fine, that she needed help. It was all Thora could do to at least make sure her teammates were okay.

Pushing open the Hospital Wing doors with a shoulder, Thora fought back a wave of nausea as the whiteness of the room brought back memories, both of scrapes where she herself had ended up in the Hospital Wing, as well as the fateful time she had been at St. Mungo's to check on Jorah following the ball. Typically, the flashbacks would've overwhelmed her, even for a moment, but not today. Today, her concern outweighed her fear. The cracks that had sounded when Elena landed hadn't sounded too promising.

The flash of blue hair against a white pillowcase wasn't hard to spot, and Thora dashed over at once. "Elena," she called, panting. The Chaser seemed to be awake and alert, although in a whole new world of pain due to the lack of pain medication that seemed to forever plague the Hospital Wing. "Are you okay? I saw you fall..." Obviously, Elena was by no means okay, but Thora didn't know what else to say. At least she was here. Now all she could do was hope that a few more teammates might show up.

Some friends they were. Alexx, with her abundance of perfectly nice friends, had guided herself up the stairs of the castle and to the hospital wing. Even with a broken rib, she was doing things on her own. To be fair, Alexx didn't know that is was broken, but it certainly wasn't right. Thanks to that Ravenclaw beater, she'd likely be spending the night here, or at least the evening.

At least Alexx wasn't Elena, who was out as quickly as she came. The girl might have been an annoying pest who Alexx had no intention of conversing with, but she didn't was her to be here. She hadn't even seen their amazing win!

Thora had also beaten Alexx here, which wasn't a surprise as Thora was merely a second-string. She supposed that people who didn't have to actually do the dirty work were swifter to get out once the game was done. That was something that Alexx and Elena could relate to, at least; they both knew how rough it was up there in the sky. With Koko's amazing skills, Alexx would be surprised if Thora got the chance to be up in the air as a Keeper this year. Koko was practically unstoppable.

Last game, Alexx came up here doing the walk of shame. Hufflepuff had beaten them, and pretty bad, too. There was no excuse not to win. Not to be the best house in everything that they did... It was unforgivable. But this time... Well, the emerald house had just beaten Ravenclaw for the second time. Alexx held her head high and was willing to show off her battle scar with pride. She had earned this nasty hit by contributing to the game. It wasn't easy being this good, anyway. People knew that she was a threat; not in the sense that Alexx could score easily (she probably could, but hadn't tried much), but because she was quick to send people falling through the sky and onto wherever caught them next. That was threatening.

Alexx, with an empty heart, wondered if her friends would come and visit her again. After the last game against Ravenclaw, Reid was there. He always was. During her duel, Reid, Scott, and Ami were there to cheer her on. She remembered the last game when Max cheered for her in the crowds. Where were they now? When she was actually hurt? She supposed she'd been a shitty friend to most of them, anyway. Max not so much, but the other three... Yeah. Ignoring Reid, ghosting Ami for Simon, and then... Well, she hadn't seen Scott around as much as she'd hoped. The quartet wasn't drifting apart, per se. They could have reunited now and been just fine. Alexx just needed time and space, but she was giving herself that in the worst possible way.

She joined the other two on a nearby bed, not because she liked either of them (she didn't), but because she didn't want to be alone. And besides, maybe someone from the team who she did like would come and join her.

@Elena Jones | @Thora Larkston | @Alexx Séverin

Slytherin had won their first Quidditch game of the season. It was a time for celebration, but Bridget couldn't celebrate, at least not yet. It was unlikely her failures in the match would allow her to ever really feel happy about the victory. First though, she needed to check on Elena. She needed to make sure the Chaser was okay, to apologize for not catching her.

Rushing into the Hospital Wing, she first looked around at who was in the room. With her distrustful nature, it was a sort of habit to take stock of what she would have to deal with before rushing into things. That way she could know who to be wary of. First, the blue-haired girl she was here for was in a bed with Thora standing next to her. On an adjacent bed was Alexx, who she instantly categorized into the 'be wary of' category. Sure, she thought the third year was a good Quidditch player, but that didn't change the fact she'd knocked Bridget unconscious from setting her on fire repeatedly, and, duel or not, you generally didn't like or trust people after they did that.

Approaching the bed, Bridget found her hazel eyes flitting from her feet to Elena, trying to see how badly she was hurt, to Alexx, making sure she wasn't doing anything suspicious, and back to her feet. "We won. Dan caught the Snitch," she said after a moment, trying to sound excited. But how could she when it was her fault Elena hadn't been there to see the victory for herself. Finally, she couldn't handle it anymore. Bridget hated apologies, hated admitting she was wrong, but Elena at least deserved to know she was sorry. "I'm so sorry I didn't catch you..." She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Some teammate she was.

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[font=Abadi MT Condensed Light]People in the hospital wing, that wasn’t new exactly, looks like Alexx copped an injury so that made sense. Bridget on the other hand was here for Elena, which given her own laments on the lack of friends made the girl’s eyes brighten a little around the edges.

Funnily enough, Elena had employed a similar strategy to Alexx’s in her very first duel but not managed to follow it up in the second. Scott was a good sport about the whole thing though, and even was friendly afterwards, showing yet again that every house had their good and bad parts.

“Knew you guys could do it. Dan’s a good seeker.“ Maybe it was the thought of victory but the ever present ache in Elena’s ribs seemed to ease a bit now that Bridget was here, “Hey, don’t worry about it Bridget, no way you could’ve gotten over to me in time. And imagine the absolute fit that would’ve been pitched if Erin’d fallen. We’d be practically cleaning Nico’s self esteem and blood off of the walls.”

At the thought of the absolutely terrifying, overdramatic purple haired beater rampaging around the castle with a vengeance, Elena laughed but ended up hurting herself again. That was a bad decision.[/font]

@Elena Jones | @Bridget Collins | @Alexx Séverin

Thora promptly closed her open mouth as two more girls from her Quidditch team--Bridget and Alexx--made their entrance. The blonde, clearly older than Thora herself, walked over and plopped down in a bed next to Elena. Alexx didn't seem to care about any of their presences, which was quite fine with Thora as honestly, she didn't exactly expect to be liked by the older girl, having been in a duel against her. 

But Alexx looked lonely in the next bed despite herself, Elena and Bridget being present--almost forlorn. The Chaser had played well--amazingly well, in Thora's opinion--and although the brunette was honestly a little scared of her, she admired her too. After all, Alexx possessed skills Thora couldn't exactly show, as evidenced of her lower second-string status, and so, it had been especially scary watching such a good player fall from the sky. Moreover, there had been a crack. A very loud crack. A crack that probably meant a break, or something close. 

"Alexx, a-are you okay?" Thora was pretty sure that Alexx didn't want her pity, as she was a third year and Editor in Chief, for Merlin's sake. Well, at least she could say something. If the girl chose to acknowledge her, that was fine. If she continued to ignore her, well, that was fine with Thora too. Wasn't everyone ignoring her? Bridget, someone she currently considered a friend, had run in without giving her a second glance and reported to Elena. Sure, Thora could understand why she did that, but it still hurt, especially when the two second years began conversing between them. 

Bridget's concern for Elena was understandable, as Thora had done the same. But the blue-haired girl hadn't even so much as looked at the little Irish girl, let alone acknowledged her question. With a sigh, Thora stood her ground. Maybe she was meant to be alone. Maybe she was meant to be friendless, traversing her years of Hogwarts alone. Thora knew she was being a little melodramatic because she did have people to turn to, but alone and friendless was what she felt at the moment.

And at the moment, Thora found herself wondering whether or not to jump into the conversation. Why not? She was a second string. Someone who couldn't relate to the real life action of a Quidditch game. Someone who couldn't yet relate to falling through thin air with nothing to catch her but cold hard ground. Someone who was an outsider of the team--something she felt quite sorely. So, the snek stood off to the side and waited. If someone wanted to talk to her, she would answer. If not, then, well, that was that.

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[font=Abadi MT Condensed Light]“And thank you for rushing to visit me Thora, I just couldn’t speak when you came in, ribs are... not good, and since I’m absolutely stark raving mad I said no to painkiller potions. Don’t like how loopy they make me.” Elena scrinched her eyes shut for a moment, “Jesus, remind me to petition for referees to catch people. Like, they’d still be out but at least there’s no risk of a fractured spine.”

Maybe second strings if not referees, the fact nobody has to catch falling quidditch players to start with was terrible, and bad for insurance. Do wizards have health insurance? Does Hogwarts even have liability insurance? You know, probably not, since it doesn’t have electric lights, normal pens, or spiral notebooks. Insurance is one of those things that wizards just might not have, maybe that could be her legacy, pioneer of wizarding insurance. Does not cover Acts of God, Acts of Edge, or Acts of Dark Lord.

Broom insurance, now that’s something that people needed. Cauldron warranties. Now Elena must be really loopy from pain rather than anything else, “Thora, Bridget, do either of you want to start an insurance company with me? I just realised that Hogwarts probably has no insurance, and I don’t either. And I don’t think the magic flying things have insurance.”[/font]

@Thora Larkston

Was she alright? Clearly she was just in the hospital wing for fun! She wouldn't have done what her fellow teammates were doing, catching up the injured Elena on the happenings of the game, had she been perfectly fine. In fact, she would have left the field and returned to her common room to bathe in the glory that, surely, many of her fellow Slytherin peers would wish to bestow on her. She would not be sitting on a bed in a room full of children if she had any other choice.

One might have thought that if she were injured as badly as she was about to let on, perhaps a professor would have escorted her here. Well, Alexx had slipped away, not wanting to draw attention to her weakness. Unlike Elena, she was conscious even after the hit, though she had acquired a throbbing migraine that made her wish otherwise. Her entire body ached, and while she no longer decided that her rib was broken (she suspected not, anyway, or perhaps her adrenaline was just so high that it didn't feel like it) something was certainly wrong.

Huffing, Alexx elected to respond rather than to ignore the poor girl. "What, you think I climb into hospital beds for the thrill of it?" She said gruffly, turning away from her. In truth, it was shame that Alexx was dealing with, not so much resentment for her teammate. She didn't know Thora other than the duel that the two had been in together. And if Bridget and Thora were so upset about that, they should have gone on to join the dueling team to get better, not do Quidditch.

In Alexx's mind, there were valuable teammates and then there were people who just took up space. Dan was an excellent seeker, and while their game against Hufflepuff was something Alexx chose to ignore, it was a wakeup call for the team. Dan proved himself this match. Erin Ryan, as much as Alexx hated to admit it, was a damn good beater. She was like the devil incarnate out there on the field. Then there was Koko, their keeper, who floated in the air like a steel wall. Out of all the chasers, Alexx didn't feel like the MVP or anything, but she certainly felt like the other two fell aloof in some aspects. Sure, Alexx didn't score as much as she could, but perhaps this was because she was busy knocking people off their brooms. When all else fails, eliminate the competition, right?

Turning back to Thora, Alexx started again. "Or perhaps you're blind and didn't catch that bird brain knocking me square in the ribs?" It was odd to see Alexx with an attitude such as this one. Sure, when she was wearing a badge and presenting means of authority, she could be pretty mean. However, on a day-to-day basis, she was rather calm. Perhaps a bit rushed, but mostly on account of people wasting her time. If what they had to say wasn't useful to her, then they needed to move on. "I'm just here to get better and go, kid."

Across from her was Elena, miss popular, ever sociable. Alexx didn't understand chatterboxes. She felt as though things were better left being concise. Cut straight to the point, say no more than needs to be said. Additionally, Elena seemed rather dramatic. That was made clear to her when the two had first officially met at that little party that Ami had hosted, and then for whatever reason Elena resigned not long afterward. It didn't matter much to Alexx, she had no business tampering with it, but she did wonder to herself how one becomes like Elena. It wasn't that Alexx wanted to be like her, because she certainly didn't. She was more concerned with the appeal in doing the most. She imagined that Elena and Marla Quinlan would get along swimmingly.

@Elena Jones | @Thora Larkston | @Alexx Séverin

Bridget breathed a sigh of relief when Elena said she wasn't mad and didn't blame her, feeling an imaginary weight lifted off her shoulders. Sure, she still blamed herself a bit, but knowing Elena didn't blame her was helpful. Her smile at the blue-haired girl's joke about Erin murdering Nico if she fell turned into a frown when Elena stopped, clearly in pain. She was just trying to figure out what in the world to say to the injured girl's idea for an insurance petition when she heard what Alexx was saying.

Instantly, white hot anger flared inside her. Bridget didn't usually have a temper or anything, but she was not going to stand by while some third year she already didn't like was being rude to her friend for no reason. It was stupid, really; what kind of person insulted someone because they tried to be nice? It was probably a good thing she didn't have her wand on her or she would've recklessly hexed Alexx right then and there. As much as she wanted to punch Alexx, she wasn't very strong and getting into fights was not like her at all. There was a level of formality she needed to keep with her teammates and as such, she chose words. Maybe they weren't her strongest suit, but Bridget was going to make it work. She was going to try and defend Thora, who'd already been through a lot and didn't deserve someone being awful to her.

But the words wouldn't come. All she could muster was the iciest glare she had ever given anyone, shooting it like daggers in Alexx's direction. If looks could kill, this one would. Of course she wanted to back up Thora, but what was she supposed to say? If Alexx could spin an "are you okay" into an offensive comment, what would she do with Bridget's likely blundered comeback? The short girl decided that she would have preferred to have her faithful wand with her. That way she could say all the words she wanted to in a single incantation.

@Alexx Séverin | @Bridget Collins

Well, that was great. Somehow, Alexx Séverin, former Slytherin prefect and current Editor-in-Chief of the Hogwarts Headliner, had taken her kind comment as some sort of insult. She certainly hadn't meant anything of the sort, but she had learned much too quickly that people often misunderstood. Or perhaps Alexx was just in a bad mood? Either way, Thora didn't think that she had the authority to be so rude. Sure, she was older and could argue that she had more power in terms of school years, but that didn't matter, did it? 

Now, Thora wasn't one to disrespect authority. No, she was one of the ones that submitted, afraid of what would happen to her otherwise. Many times had she been called a goody-two-shoes for doing so, and as a result, she was no stranger to the fact that she tended to float towards following a more assertive figure rather than taking charge. But this? This was a little too far. 

Bridget seemed to be trying to defend her, glaring at Alexx. Thankfully, she wasn't alone on this. Thora didn't need help--she could stand up for herself--but mere support was quite helpful in of itself. That said, while Thora was a girl of little words, she cared. However much she disliked Alexx--both for her words and for her rather rude front about it all--the brunette couldn't find the gut to talk back. How utterly pathetic.

Well, Thora wasn't totally helpless. Not at all. She could be plenty sassy when she wanted to--having a sister kind of ensured snarky comebacks, at least for her. "Well, I'm sorry for caring," Thora finally retorted, green eyes flashing fire. "I just wanted to say hope you're alright, and if you're not, hope you'll get better soon so you can up and leave." Turning away, Thora felt a warm heat rise to her cheeks and a wave of shame batter the weak defenses of her brain. What had she just done? Would she be in trouble? Could a simple defensive comeback land her in detention? 

The snek's guilty conscience urged her to apologize, but for once, the girl ignored it. What was there to apologize for? She hadn't exactly been nice, but then, neither had Alexx. She was a third year, a sort of example--or so Thora assumed. Besides, she didn't know what else to do. A woozy-appearing Elena was rambling about some sort of insurance company. How was she supposed to respond to that? 

"What insurance company?" Thora asked softly, turning around to the girl in the bed just behind her. "Also, have they given you anything for the pain?" The blue-haired girl didn't seem quite in a right state, and although Thora had arrived quickly following the game, she didn't know what had happened prior to her arrival. Forcing a few deep breaths, Thora turned back to Alexx. She still had half a mind to apologize, but simply couldn't bring herself to. Pinching herself, Thora tried to make sense of everything. Who was she and what had she just done?