Oh Sweet Anticipation Quidditch Match

Her nervousness was clear as day for anyone to see. She knew that much when she heard the words of one of her closest friends. Rosie told her to do her best... That... That she could do. Before she could answer, Reid approached too. Looking up as she felt his hand on her shoulder, she stared at him for a moment before nodding affirmatively to the pair of them.

Serena started in her usual position in the field, quickly flying up in the air as soon as the game started as though she was going for the snitch. But in a turn of events, she swooped down at the last minute and went straight for the quaffle. For the first time in the history of her quidditch games, the Seeker grabbed the quaffle and went straight for the goals.

It was not a move she had done before. But it was one that paid off. She had successfully grabbed the quaffle. As she zipped through the players on the field, trying to get to the hoops, she spotted him. A relatively cute but also very cheating boy [HANZO] came at her. The game had just begun and he was already coming for her. The dread filled her heart. It was in that very moment that she realised the simple truth: Durmstrang were cheats.

Serena gripped the quaffle as tightly as she could under her arm, leaning forward. The boy cheated in an attempt to knock her off her broom! She would have been surprised by the attack if... she had not been on the receiving end of multiple blatches by now. Seriously, what was with cheaters and their inability to play properly?! Serena grumbled as she quickly evaded the attack, rather easily.

For the first time in her Quidditch record, she approached the hoops. Her eyes narrowed at the scene. There was no keeper... Something was wrong. Swallowing, she threw the quaffle straight into the unguarded hoops. 10 POINTS TO HUFFLEPUFF. But she did not have the time to celebrate. She turned quickly. The keeper... where was the keep- That was when she spotted another student.

"Sh-" She cursed under her breathe as she quickly nosedived. The Keeper [ROMEO] almost whacked her off her broom. He left the goals to... attack her? Her hands gripped on the handle of her broom tightly.

Managing to get away from him, she turned to quickly try and get her hands on the quaffle once more, "Those cheating little bas-" She started grumbling under her breathe. The corner of her eyes saw it though. Bludgers. Inhaling sharply, she saw the first bludger whiz past her. It was so fast. She could a breeze on her arm as it zoomed right past, narrowly missing her. But she had no time to rest.

Are they bloody serious? Yes. Yes they were. They were coming for her. She had done nothing but score a single quaffle and yet, they were coming for her. It was not because she had scored. It was because of her position. She knew that.

"Ohmymerlin," Serena panted out. She had absolutely no idea how she was still on her broom after all of those attacks... Somehow, she had managed to pull out every single ninja move she knew - which she did not even know she could do.

Being 4 ft 10, less than forty kilos and arms compared to noodles, Serena Towers was not normally considered scary, intimidating or at all threatening. She was tiny. Considered a baby to some! Hell, she cried enough to be a baby! The badger normally sported the biggest grin on her face, trying to be inclusive and friendly to all. But out here, on the Quidditch Pitch... It seemed like she was far more threatening than she realised.

Durmstrang - a school known for their impressive discipline and enthusiasm for sports, that included Quidditch - appeared to be threatened by a team of Hogwarts students renowned for being among the kindest, sweetest lot in school. It was almost laughable. In fact, if Serena was not being attacked left, right and centre, she would be laughing. The game started and within moments, they launched their attack. Their strategy was clear as both beaters aimed their bludgers at her. She would have accepted that. Most beaters aimed for the seeker. It was a very common strategy that she had seen time and time again at Hogwarts. Get the seeker out early, win the game early. But... Durmstrang went one step further. They cheated. Not once, but twice. They felt that threatened by her that they cheated, within moments of the game starting.

Serena panted as she dodged four attacks consecutively. It was obvious. She knew it right then and there that this game would not be easy. They were coming at her, with everything they had - and they were willing to cheat for what they wanted. Her hand clutched her broom, holding on for dear life - knowing that, at any point, she could be thrown right off it. She would have to watch out for every single player it seemed... They pulled their keeper out, just to knock her out.

Thoughts of winning or losing faded. Thoughts of even having fun seemed lost. Right now, she just held on for dear life. Because they were coming for her. The nerves that ate her stomach, twisting it started to fuel into something else. She breathed audible, flying around the pitch to dodge the incoming attacks. Durmstrang considered her a threat. She had no idea how long she would last in this game but she sure as hell was not going down without a fight. Give 'em hell, Reid had said... They were intending on doing just that to her it seemed.

A smile broke out of her lips as she realised that their plans had not worked. For now, she was safe and they were suffering a loss for it. Right. You got this... At least for now, she had managed to evade their attacks. They really felt that threatened by little Serena? Well, good. She had just saved the team from being hit by any bludgers or blatches if they were targeting her.

ACTION: Whatever Captain Healy / Co-Captain Jones tells me to do~

FOR MOD - Stats:

Reducio

POSITION:

Seeker: First-String

STATISTICS:

Stamina: 7 (+3) = 10
Evasion: 10 + (3) = 13
Strength: 1+ (3) = 4
Wisdom: 11 + (3) = 14
Arcane Power: 4 + (3) = 7
Accuracy: 10 + (3) =13

BROOM:

Silver Arrow
Handmade by Leonard Jewkes and can reach speeds of 68 mph.
Stats: +3 to every stat [Added above for ease]

ABILITIES:

Race: Part-Goblin
Abilities: Evasive Maneuvers

[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Annie Morgan, @Willow Anderson | MENTIONS @Rafael D'Spacito (Hanzo), @Serena Towers, @Piérre Marchonné (Romeo), @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood (Der Niffler)[/font]

There was nothing quite like the calm before the storm, when the first string players of two teams squared off against each other before the quaffle was tossed into the air and everyone kicked off to quickly fall into the maelstrom of chaos, flashing colours, blurred movements, and collisions. Greta had attempted to learn as much as she was able from their opposition, but really hadn't learned much other than most of them were very tall. Some, very very tall. Her gaze drifted in the direction of their Captain and a shiver ran down her spine. The only reassuring thought was that at least he wasn't likely to be able to sneak up on any of them. Hopefully.

With a whistle, the game was called to action. Greta knew her role. Ever since joining the team, she had been married to the crimson leather. Face contorting into sheer concentration as it was released, she flattened herself against her broom to shoot after it. She was quick. Her size, her broom, her skill in the air — all of it worked in tandem to create within her a little goshawk. Small, fierce, agile, and fast. Only.. not quite fast enough. She'd underestimated the Hogwarts students, and had hesitated just slightly as soon as she realized that she would have no support from her team. It was a mistake she would not recover from as she watched the quaffle snatched up by none other than their...Seeker? That stirred within the little Durmstrang a somewhat irrational annoyance. How dare a Seeker interfere in the battle of Chasers. As much as she tried to speed after the girl, though, Greta just couldn't keep up. What was worse, there was nothing stopping her from scoring. The net was completely open.

Where was Romeo?

The weight of that goal fell heavily onto Greta's shoulders. She'd been the only line of defense to prevent those points, and where she had promised to gain a lead to assure Der Niffler's nerves in his hunt, she had failed. Never again. As their positions reset, she resolved to do better. To instill within them a newfound respect. She would not be underestimated. She would not disappoint her captain. Her brother. Within the shadows of her warpaint, her eyes darkened with focus and she sped forward the moment the second quaffle had left the ref's fingers. This time, it was hers. Weaving through the three others who had contested her, she raced for the breakaway. Periodically, she scanned the field looking to see if passing would be necessary, but there were none to receive it anyway. It seemed the entirety of her team had taken to harrassing the opponent seeker.

Had she not been in the air, had the fury of the battle not set her blood afire and evoked her warrior's spirit, Greta might have felt badly. Although her brother tended to be a little trigger-happy, and the great majority of her team were all too eager to do whatever it took to win, Greta didn't necessarily agree. Tricks were mean. But then again...Serves her right for putting her grubby hands on the quaffle. It was just her and the Keeper, then. Hawk to the Badger. And in this battle, Greta proved the swifter. As she lined up her shot, a manic gleam hazed her gaze; and as she released it, an unintelligible war-cry spilled from lips pulled into a wide grin. The ding of her success was music to the wardrum beat of her pulse echoing in her mind and she hurried back to position.

Not quite as successful in the grab on the third occasion, Greta still managed to lay a hand on the quaffle alongside one of the others. There would be no relenting without a fight, however. Deceptive for the size of her frame, an adrenaline inspired strength filled her. That, coupled with the her clever use of leveraging force against the weakspots of her opponent's grip allowed her to take full possession. No time was wasted in taking off again, her body practically vibrating with the thrill of having (somehow) physically overpowered someone. It was an experience she didn't often get to taste. She might have liked to have used that as an excuse as to why her next shot didn't make it. In truth, it might have been a component. Her shot was far from her best, veering off target to be easily intercepted. Her warcry increased in tempo to an annoyed cry of self-incriminating anger as soon as the quaffle released from her hand. She didn't even bother to watch its capture. Inherently, she knew it would fail.

But, the next one wouldn't.

Action: Doing as Captain Hanzo and Co-Captain Romeo say

Action: Benched
Free action: Choking
Mentioning: Valentin "Der Niffler" Schnell, Greta Fransson, Hanzo Fransson

────────────────── ♖ ──────────────────

Interacting With: N/A
Mentioning: Serena Towers • Willow Anderson
Hex Color: #0080BF

─────────────────── • ───────────────────

The game was off to an absolutely horrendous start.

Perhaps Hanzo, in his thoughtful strategizing against the well-versed Hogwarts Champions, had failed to properly estimate the guile of the Hufflepuff Seeker. In past matches, both practice and professional, the Russian Team had seemed to absolutely thrive off of scathing plays and less-than admirable moves, their specialty in targeting vital and specific players with a volley of overwhelming firepower, in the hopes to cripple a team relying on their strongest players and brooms. However, the simple art of blatching had failed the Captain in the first five minutes – all that attention directed at Serena Towers, and the group hadn’t landed a single hit. A growl escaped the lips of the Quidditch Captain, already tired of being pushed around by players older and stronger than him. It looked as if Durmstrang was against a worthy opponent – this wouldn’t be an easy win.

However, never let it be said that the team didn’t focus on the long game. Having just failed his blatching attempt, an action he’d done little to pay attention to past pure muscle memory, Hanzo couldn’t help but grimace, his eyes narrowing at the very indication of a penalty lap. To the average onlooker, there would be no sense of cordiality on his face as he directed his broom in the direction of his punishment, nor a kindly or apologetic expression on his features as he flew – on the contrary, his visage was stark and calculating, a scowl pulling at the ends of his lips as his keen eyes turned towards the ongoing game, a cheer resounding through the air as the Hufflepuff Keeper [WILLOW] blocked a score attempt by his sister. Whether it was luck or pure anticipation, the Russians would have to pick themselves up after leaving themselves so vulnerable – where were the team’s weak points? Who was giving the Durmstrang players grief? How could his own team crush the Badgers, leave their ranks in absolute tatters?

He would have to think fast, for there wasn’t much time until something worthwhile happened. Pondering for a quick moment, the boy would subtlely attempt to catch the eyes of the appropriate people, taking a moment to gesture at the new targets, liabilities. Would they be in good taste? Only time would tell. Meanwhile, the boy narrowed his field of vision, leaning forward as his broom whistled through the air. His penalty was almost over…

Action • Penalty Lap

Hanzo Fransson || First-String Chaser

STAM | 4 EVA | 11 STR | 4

WIS | 9 ARC | 1 ACC | 12

────────────────────────────── Monster Hunter | You are a human unlike these.... these... monsters! This ability only works on magical creatures. +2 accuracy against anything that has non-human ancestry. ──────────────────────────────

Broom | Nimbus 1700 [Stats Added Above]

@Rafael D'Spacito & @Serena Towers

And we were off.

The minute the Quaffle was up, I was already on the move, tailing behind the Hufflepuff Seeker from a distance, having abandoned the goalposts in pursuit of my main goal.

Now the game swiftly became dirty, the strategy that Hanzo and I had worked out ahead of time coming to what I hoped would be fruition. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, sailing like a red comet towards his goal: The Hufflepuff Seeker. It took a blink, and the moment had passed; the seeker unharmed, and Hanzo called on a penalty for Blatching. Without a second to lose, I dedicated myself to my strategy. Already, I could see that leaving our hoops unguarded had been a mistake, as the Seeker herself made the first goal. If that wasn't going to make my blood boil, than nothing would.

"Merda! Shit" I cuss to myself under my breath. Piérre would have greatly disapproved of that moment of potty mouth, but him being in the stands and I in the air, well, we'll just never mention it, yeah?

Evidently, Greta was also aggravated with the performance, for the next two goals were hers to claim, a score and a block by the Hufflepuff keeper. I'll give it to them, they're dedicated; and they learn quickly to boot.

With a corkscrew spin and a set of grim determination on my features, I fell away from the Seeker's tail, maneuvering myself into what would be an advantageous position... before bracing myself fearlessly and aggressively in order to bodyslam the small part-goblin seeker. I could see the fear and the surprise in her eyes as her mouth moved in indiscernible words. So close, so close...

At what seemed the very last second, I whiffed a yellow robe, its fabric smacking me across the face. I felt a brush of wind as I barely touched, and then went skittering off, carried by my momentum. The call was quickly made, a penalty lap for me and my fellow teammate. I would have to trust my Beaters to succeed where I had failed.

Moments later, a hard impact slammed my side, causing me to slip from my broom, held up by a quicktime reaction of my grabbing the shaft of my broom and hefting myself up. Sneaky, sneaky. Nice to know I was enough of a threat to be backbeated. I hadn't even noticed the first bludger that had whiffed me entirely, then caught by one of my teammates to miss the Seeker, though the attack seemed solid enough.

Fine. We'll do this the hard way.

No more Mister Nice Italy.

At least I would get a chance to talk strategy with Hanzo; enough time to enjoy the way his eyes sparkled with determination and the way that the stern yet jovial set of his face betrayed his concentration. Time enough for that, just a distraction for the set time of penalty.

Doing as Strategized
Taking a penalty lap with his boyriend Hanzo

It never took long after the game was signaled to begin for approximately 1,000 things to start happening on the field. Quaffles were being grabbed, people were being bludgered, some people were already cheating. But Willow was really only focused on one thing, and that was keeping her eye on the quaffle. While they normally sent Serena after the snitch, they threw her into the mix for quaffle grabs for this game, and it paid off. She easily scored a goal against a keeper that wasn't there. Which was just blasphemous to Willow, how could you abandon the goal posts and leave them completely vulnerable? Well, she had done that her first game. But it was to save her captain. Otherwise her and the goals were inseparable.

There was a new move she had been trying in practice, the Starfish and Stick. It wasn't easy, especially for someone like her that was small and easily unbalanced on the broom. It was one of her skills that needed the most work. That, and trusting other's flying skills when it came to riding tandem with someone. For this move, she had her left leg dangling down, and her right arm released from the broom already in a position to block. This left only two limbs to guide and keep the broom steady. No pressure in this game to try out a new move right? Only three schools watching, representing her whole school, and everyone's eyes on her when the quaffle comes her way.

Her eyes narrowed in concentration as Greta approached, watching her every move like a hawk to catch the earliest predictor of her movement towards which goal she was going towards. There. Willow started to move her broom towards where she thought Greta might send it, but ended up throwing herself off balance and nearly falling off of her broom. Luckily, she caught herself. But her breath caught in her throat as she watched the quaffle fly easily through the hoops. "Get your stuff together Willow, you got this." A tiny pep talk to herself as she readjusted herself on the broom to better maneuver in this awkward position. Greta was coming back towards her, and this time she wouldn't let her have such an easy goal.

As the girl flew towards her with the quaffle in hand, Willow was already on the move. Instead of going from 0-saving, she tried to see if already being in motion would pay off and it did. She flew up and with her arm already being poised to block she smacked it away easily. There was a crowd roar, and threw it all she could hear one of her best friends shouting for her. While keeping her eyes on the field, she gave a thumbs up to let him know that she heard him and loved him for it. A simple gesture that she hoped communicated all of that.

The game started, people racing off. One unified goal for both teams was to score, and catch the snitch, however this time it was a bit different for Espen. His job remained secret to him. He attempted to hide any body language that may provide a hint to the enemy team about his actions. Avoiding staring for too long in one location, his eyes panned the field.

The only explanation for the turn of events could be luck. Durmstrang was skilled. Each teammate was performing exceptionally well, yet somehow many Hogwarts players were arriving last minute to screw over Durmstrang. Frustrated, Espen flew around the pitch, careful to avoid any incoming bludgers.

His team began to close in on each other for a quick moment of strategizing. As he awaited the next orders, Valentin reached out his hand for a fist bump that the boy quickly returned. Their seeker was one who could be easily distracted by shiny objects, but was a phenomenal player when he spotted the snitch, chasing down the flying gold ball. With new orders for the next play of the game, Espen turned away from the 'huddle' and flew off.

Stamina: 10 (13)	Evasion: 10 (13)	Abilities: Charmer Effect: -1 accuracy to all of your opponents (as defined at the start of the instance regardless of later betrayal)
Strength: 5 (8)	Wisdom: 0 (3)	Broom: Silver Arrow | +3 to all stats as indicated by the bold numbers in (#)
Arcane Power: 0 (3)	Accuracy: 10 (13)	Position: First-String Chaser

Action: Getting into position | Doing as strategized
Mentioning: @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood AKA Valentin Schnell

And so, the game commenced. As the chasers and Serena made their way towards the Quaffle, Saskia focused her gaze on the field, gripping on her bat as she scanned for her target. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, although there wouldn't be any other visible signs of nervousness on the former Quidditch Captain. Her face remained as still as ever, and she kept an iron grip on her bat. In Quidditch, there was no hesitation. Even a second of delay was enough to leave an opportunity for the other team. Durmstrang was going to give it their all, so she would have to do her best not to disappoint. She may not have had the expectations of a Quidditch Captain, but she still needed to make sure Hogwarts' reputation wouldn't plummet into the dirt either. She owed it to her team. She owed it to everyone else.

She stopped her gaze at the Durmstrang Keeper, who was making a beeline towards Serena. Was it really a surprise? Seekers practically had the biggest targets painted on their backs, and it wouldn't change here either. Saskia took a deep breath, steadying her bat. She wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her teammate, or rather, her friend. She had to make sure this one hit, no matter what.

As soon as the bludger came her way, she swung her bat. However, instead of the typical swing, she opted for a more discrete approach in the hopes that she could catch the Keeper by surprise. After watching it sail towards the boy, she could say that it worked. But it wasn't enough to knock him down. Of course. She wouldn't expect a Durmstrang kid to fall that easily, would she? Not that the Keeper didn't get his comeuppance for his foul either, now that he'd have to take that penalty lap around the field.

She repositioned the bat in her hands, waiting for what would happen next.

Action: Doing as strategized

Stats
Stamina: 9+3 = 12
Evasion: 6+3 = 9
Strength: 7+3 = 10
Wisdom: 7+3 = 10
Arcane Power: 6+3 = 9
Accuracy: 8+3 = 11

Broom: Silver Arrow (+3 to every stat)

Abilities: Fearless

Atlas knew this game was going to be intense from start to finish and yet it still surprised her when the game started and within seconds bludgers were speeding about and the players were swooping around each other like a dance in the air.

Atlas watched as Serena abandoned the hunt for the snitch as she went for a quaffle. It was a bold move but Atlas believed in her team but she quickly saw issues as one of the Durmstrang students was cheating! "Oooo they are playing dirty..." Atlas grumbled as she edged forward on the bench balling her fists as she watched Serena expertly evade the cheater quickly throwing the quaffle through the hoop and scoring the first points of the game in Hufflepuff's favor.

Jumping up from the bench, Atlas threw her fist in the air as she cheered loudly, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "YESSS SERENAAA GOOO!!" She yelled jumping up and down.

It seemed like Serena was the popular target thus far as several Durmstrang members tried to take her down, drawing Atlas' attention to Willow her fellow keeper. She knew that Willow would be trying out a new move this game but she was a quick learner and Atlas knew under pressure, Willow would shine.

Watching her delicately balancing on her broom, Atlas watched with bated breath as one of the Durmstrang players raced towards the hoop. Willow lost her balance on her broom as she almost fell off leaving Atlas standing in shock as her heart beat rapidly in her chest. 10 points to Durmstrang but Atlas was just thankful that Willow was alright watching her stabilize herself on her broom again as another Durmstrang player tried to make a goal but Willow was ready this time and her Starfish and Stick was perfect as she gorgeously blocked a second goal from being made.

"OH MY GOD YESSS!!! WILLOW YES YES YES! YOU DID IT! HUFFLEPUFF FOR THE WIN!! WOOOOO!" Atlas screamed, her spirits immediately lifted. It was no doubt going to be a close game but her team was strong and they were going to win this game.

ACTION: Benched and Loudly Cheering on her Team
For MOD - Stats:

Reducio

POSITION:
Keeper: Second String

STATISTICS:
Stamina: 6 (+1) = 7
Evasion: 7
Strength: 4 (+1) = 5
Wisdom: 7
Arc. Power: 7
Accuracy: 5 (+1) = 6

BROOM:
Nimbus 1000
Racing broom available on the market in 1967, it combines the Oakshaft 79's sturdiness with the Cleansweeps maneuverability.
Stats: +1 accuracy, +1 strength, +1 stamina [Added above for ease]

ABILITIES:
Fearless