Slytherin v Gryffindor 3rd Game Finished

Watching a chaser on the Slytherin team even out the scores between the two houses... Shouldn't have made her happy. But seeing as it was her best friend that scored, she couldn't help but put aside her questionable sportsmanship and shoot a quick grin her way. But now, it was time to get back into the game. With it being the final stretch, she scrambled as to what to do, cursing at herself for not being sneaky enough and getting a stupid penalty lap. Marla eyed the quaffle intently, taking a few deep breaths. Just one more score, and they had this win. Just one more. It was now or never, and with the desire for victory burning in her eyes, she sped through the air with her eyes on the prize.

Action: Doing as Strategized

And finally! They scored again. They were back in the game. Nico couldn't help but slightly grin, behind her mask. Still carrying Roman on her broom, she glanced over her shoulder as she continued to zoom across the pitch. 'Well, Roman... Better keep an eye out... Things are going to get dangerous real quick again... We're nearly there.' The redhead had to keep her head in the game. These last moments will count the most....

Doing as strategised

At last. Freedom at last. Alexx felt utterly useless everytime she had to take a penalty lap, even if it was for nothing. But now, she was back, and she was ready to get back into the game. She was determined to be more useful than the last round (Alexx still couldn't believe that she missed). Leaving the edge of the Quidditch Pitch, she flew out to get back into position, scanning the area to see what was going on.

Doing as Strategized

~ * ~

A grin spread across Ruby's face as she scored again. She heard Koko congratulate her and saw the brief smile on Marla's face. Despite being on opposite teams now, it was good to know that she still had her friend's support. The game had been going pretty well for her personally, but the overall tone was quite sour. There was a lot of blatching going on and no one seemed to be in a decent mood. Perhaps it would be best for all of this to hurry up and end. Hopefully, they would be on the winning team. Maybe she or someone else could score once more.

Doing as strategized

~ * ~

Plott was anxious for the last and final round to begin. After experiencing the turbulent rollercoaster that Quidditch was, it was his obligation to close the game, though if it was up to him, he would have enthusiastically watched the Brits knock each other out of the sky until few strong, or even lucky, survived. He could already picture several students battling for their triumph. At least the school nurse would finally get a reason to ask for a raise. Undoubtedly after the game ended, her office would see a few faces, even some familiar, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. 

"Let's see... let's see..." He stood on his feet, fiddling with his thumbs to pass the time as he questioned if all competitions were performed like such. It was a sensational, yet pitiless, spectacle to see similar to most sports. In some, they even supported small fights and unmerciful tackles. But this? It was amazing to call something like it legal.

"It's a standoff game as we approach our final minutes of such a brutal Quidditch match. Will Palmer and his snakes clutch the victory, or will it be the Lions with a last-minute recovery? He had abandoned the poor excuse of a foreign accent, submerging deeper into the recreation. This was serious. Though he'd love to sit around and joke around with the crowd, it was time to put himself first. Missing a pivotal moment was nearly inexcusable. He could hear ancient music playing in the background softly as the two houses with an infamous record scuttled with each other, though it could have surely been his natural sense of flair making the game more appealing. This match wasn't going to get any better.

The Headmaster always cherished a good comeback story, it would have been a stretch to call it a cliché though. It was without a doubt his loyalty sided with the Snakes, there was no avoiding it. From their evasive actions to harsh blatches, they had a clear concept of what winning was and how to achieve it. But he couldn't tell anyone that. After all, a referee had an obligation to remain unbias. He couldn't wait for the game to be over so that he could return to the States and bewilder his students with astonishing spectacles. Of course, he didn't expect them to produce a vivid representation. If you told him the same British students he considered to be elegant and formal were flicking each other out the sky, he wouldn't buy it either. Perhaps they could even begin their own tournament, but there had to be someone to tell his adventures to.

─── ★ Quaffle Grabs ★ ─── 

─────────── Results ───────────

Out of the players, there were two selected lifeguards, one from each side undoubtedly. Bridget had abandoned her duties and positioned herself underneath the unscathed duo, eluding iron bludgers she'd usually chase after. It was a scary thought to choose between the two, but hoping dearly it wouldn't come to that, she glanced up a few times to guarantee their safety. Luckily for her, no charges had been thrown in their direction yet. Evelynn was also on the lookout. After feeling the pressure, she too gave herself the responsibility of saving a falling player. She didn't have anyone in mind. The thought of being knocked in the last round was simply too much to bear without a saver, but like Koko and Dan, no assaults had been fired.

The objective was clear; get the quaffle and score. Nothing more, nothing less. Roman had chosen to piggyback with Nico on her broom as she went after the leather, but five chasers (and Hugh) rushed after the ball, exerting their brooms like never before. Some simply weren't up for the task, though that could be blamed on the duration of the game. Like players, even the equipment fancied breaks from time to time. Ruby was definitely getting a taste of instant karma. She was last to reach the ball, but before she could get close, it was snatched away by another player. And it wasn't a fellow teammate. Last round, she evened out the scoreboards, keeping them in the game despite taking out a fourth of Gryffindor's players. It was something Plott couldn't get over, still unable to decipher their difference between stubbornness or passion.

"Back from their laps, it's Quinlan and Séverin going for it! Ruby and Charlie, looking to test their luck with another ten points!" He boomed, the wand resonating with every word he spoke. His eyes were clasped on the sky, for the fear of missing out truly began to hit him. Each chaser inched closer to the ball from his perspective. From the skies, however, it was the wind slapping them in the face that acknowledged how fast the brooms could go. "Gryffindor's got the quaffle!!"

It was then Nico and Roman who made it, followed by Alexx, but not even a finger managed to get the slip on the warm leather. Instead the ballcarrier danced through the daylight, the sun's ray bouncing off vibrant red hair that only made it shine even more. It was the second year Lion who, surprisingly, hadn't started the game off. Swooping the ball into her arms, she proceeded to the goals armed with her Silver Arrow. It was Koko who anticipated their success, it would have been a sin to forget the captain still holding on tight. After surviving four rounds, these two were staying in the game.

Bridget Collins is on lifeguard duty ------

Evelynn Decipio is on lifeguard duty Rafael D'Spacito is completing his penalty lap

─── ★ Keepers ★ ─── 

───────────── Results ─────────────

As Marla hurried off with the ball matching her jersey, the sun seemed to bother her less, but she couldn't drop the quaffle. Had such a thing ever happened? The idea was frightening to even consider... missing the game-winning shot. It was probably the best thing that could happen to Dan and his team. Leaving with a tie game, not a loss.

Spending the last round performing a lap wasn't exactly the way to go out. It could have been argued that applauding from the sidelines was much better. Nevertheless, the view from the perimeter of the stadium gave him a precise picture as Rafael watched the chaser carry the ball off to the goalposts. If he liked her before, the Gryffindor fanclub also began to pick up the same vibes.

Despite Slytherin's careless attempts to throw her off her game [Slytherin NPCs], the girl raised the quaffle in the air and prepared to launch it at the goals. It all came down to this, to her; a second-string, though extremely talented player. After all the sitting on the benches, it was finally her time to shine and who knew when she'd get another opportunity to do something like this. Making the shot and winning the game was the least she could do to make up for the missed blatch. It was the only thing she could do now that the Quaffle rested in her hands. With her hand winded back, she sent a dart flying in the duo's direction and-

"IT'S GOOD!! WINNING POINT SCORED BY MARLA QUINLAN AND GRYFFINDOR CLAIMS THEIR WIN! LIONS WIN! GRYFFINDOR WIN!! As amazing as their attempt was to stop the quaffle from soaring through the hoops, there was no stopping the flawless shot from Marla. Excitement coursed through his veins, and as if magically siding with the Lions, his loyalty skipped back and forth. It was an exhilarating match. He still couldn't believe the shot. There was no other way to describe it other than perfect. "And history continues to side with Gryffindor! That's the game!" He declared, still replaying the shot over and over again. Wishing he would have caught the performance on camera, Plott began cheering along with the sea of crimson and gold. The sound was magical. Claps, screams, and cheers all flooding into the Pitch. The sound was beyond using an outside voice, it was more of a stadium voice. One to use at a sporting event, or even a concert.

Loyalty was overrated. Having fun was overrated. It was all about winning.

──────── Scoreboard ────────

★ Gryffindor 30 ★

Slytherin 20

Edit: Added in Koko's auto-fail check!

–Action–
Penalty Lap; Celebrating

Interacting with @Marla Quinlan

The snitch was still far from being off her mind. In fact, she could hardly think straight for the desire to see that little winged golden ball firmly grasped within her fingers. Stormy eyes continued to flicker over the pitch. But she was running out of time. The clock was ticking down. Minute by minute. Second by second. It had been a grueling match against the snakes, and the match's limit was nearly up. Evelynn knew she wasn't likely to have time. She'd need a miracle to track that glint of gold and catch up to it before the conclusion was called. She knew that. But she didn't want to think about it. Instead, she kept her gaze focused, brows rigidly pinched with the intensity of her searching, until...

"No...." she breathed, all air going out of her as though an announcement had been made sounding Gryffindor's defeat. "No, please...."

It wasn't as though anyone would hear her. The pleas weren't uttered with any expectation of a change in strategy. Even still, she couldn't help but feel the bottom of her stomach drop at the signal. Although the game as a whole was still at large, her own had come to an end. Now, instead of searching for the little treasure trove of points, she'd have to watch for falling allies, and the taste of failure as a result was bile in her throat. She'd accomplished nothing, and the fact that neither of the other two seeker had either did little to ease the weight of her disappointment.

She wouldn't allow the shift to eliminate her hope entirely, though. There was still a chance, after all, however unlikely, that she could find the snitch. Maybe. If the stars aligned and Lady Luck found her worthy. ...right? But as Evelynn's gaze was forced to split itself between the increasingly futile hunt and the chaos of the game, she found herself more and more focused on the latter. The flying was becoming something else entirely. It seemed she wasn't the only one affected by the approaching end of the match. For some, it seemed the pressure dampened their ability, although prolonged exertion could just as easily have been the route. But for others...

Evelynn found her gaze drawn to Quinlan. She was flying spectacularly. In fact, even that was understatement. The co-captain hadn't witnessed much of her flying previously, but it was certain she would be taking careful note of it going forward. Perhaps it was simply that she was fresh off the bench and thus well rested, but Evelynn suspected it had a little more to do with it than simply that. She'd gotten the quaffle and broken free of the skirmish! A flick of a gaze indicated the sand of the hourglass was nearly run out. This was it. Evelynn's breath hitched in her chest. With Palmer having taken use of their keeper to hunt for the snitch, himself, it looked as though Quinlan would have a clean sh--

"Oh no..." Evelynn's lips parted with dismay as the blonde and brunette couplet made a sudden appearance. Clearly, the Slytherin were not one to be underestimated, their keeper obviously keeping a keen eye on the hoops despite the distraction. "Come ooon...." Evelynn breathed, not daring to hope, yet every fiber in her body tense with anticipation. "Come ooon..." she urged almost silently, frozen in place high above the rest as she watched on.

And then it flew. Perfectly. So perfectly in fact, that Evelynn couldn't quite be sure if the sounding of the gong had been her imagination and the quaffle had flown just a fraction too far. But the uproar said it all. She had scored. As though in slow motion, Evelynn's expression shifted from baited trepidation to one of absolute elation and without even thinking, her mind overcome with the sheer eruption of emotional joy that came from an incredibly hard-fought victory, she sped forward towards the girl.

"QUINLAN!" Evelynn practically squealed, beaming as a fit of hysterical laughter overcame her. "That was brilliant! I can't believe it! We won!" Almost forgetting to pull up when actually arriving at her teammate, she may perhaps have bumped her -- just a little bit -- before throwing her arms around her. "You did it! We WON!"

Action: Hugging Quinlan

Congrats to Gryffindor. They have won this game, House points have been given to the following players and these players are eligible for placing a single stat point in a stat of their choice. (Please link this post for the ease of the moderation staff)

• Evelynn Decipio
• Rafael D'Spacito
• Marla Quinlan
• Hugh Lowe
• Charlie Woodward
• Piérre Marchonné
• Wren Caster
• Allister-Jameson MacAllister
• Lamik Fillestar
• Griseldis Edelhardt
• Ariana Walker