Quidditch Scrimmage 2021 PV

Credit to the wonderful Cassandra Ironwoods

Reducio

The Outfit

Interacting with: @Opeila Winters, @Cassandra Ironwoods, @Everly Charlton & the rest of team Pitch Please and Team Hollythorn

"St-Starlee, hey, please don't kill me just yet..."

She heard Opeila just after she had ended her shouts toward Cash, realizing her bat was getting rather close to her broom-mate's head. She quickly withdrew her bat closer to her chest and murmured an meek "Oop... Sorry 'bout that..." as a response. She was getting rather excited about it all, wondering more and more if she should just become Cash's 'beater ward', perhaps even training more with them. The sound of the bat making contact with the little iron ball was absolutely satisfying.

But this was Quidditch, and she didn't have time to ponder on weather or not she should switch to the Quidditch team; she had to get back in on the action. She had successfully knocked Kage off their broom once already, perhaps she could take the two of them out? She also had a new grudge formed against the one who caught Kage - Violet. Oh how she would show them.

For what would be the final time of the match, she told Opeila to head toward another bludger nearby, and Starlee gave it another good whack. It cracked loudly as it began racing toward the pair, hitting them both directly and tossing them both off their broom. Fortunately for their health, but unfortunately in Starlee's eyes, there were two players ready for this exact instance, and Henry and Pericles swooped to pick them back up. Well, at least that meant less people doing things! "Cash!!! I did it again! That training worked!" she yelled down at the beater again, entirely missing not only Aurora's spiral dive to catch the snitch, but her subsequent hit from an opposing beater.

She quickly turned to see Aurora falling, and then managing to be retrieved by Everly. Wow, maybe they should both switch to Quidditch! "Whoa, nice catch!" she yelled over to her. It wasn't until their commentator announced that in the chaos, Aurora had caught the snitch, and she hollered her approval loudly.

Once the pair reached solid ground again, she congratulated her teammates, and thanked the opposing team. Of course, someone had to loose, and, of course, Starlee would pretend to be above such foolish competitiveness, but on the inside she was certainly squealing with joy.

She headed back toward Cash and asked, "Sooooo... when are we getting that chocolate you promised?" with a puppy dog eye's smile.

Starlee leaves the Thread.

Nicholas answered Henry with a nod, the other boy seeming to share his desire for revenge. His blood boiling was not out of some misplaced anger at the fact that they had taken Gia out through underhanded tactics, nor was it due to the fact that they'd wiped her off her broom and sent her crashing down. At a game level, Nicholas respected the plays, he understood them and wished he could have pulled them off himself. That, there, was where his frustrations lay. He was upset with himself, his own failures had continued to run through his mind throughout the game, he'd continuously missed his bludgers, and when he'd finally switched his beating style in order to ensure that his blows would hit, he found that they lacked the proper oomph to make an impact. His frustration at his inability to take out his opponents, his main job as a beater, had been externalised. That externalisation led to his outburst.

Still, there was a game to win, and there was plenty of time on the clock. Besides, he was not the only one who seemed to have bloodlust and violence on the mind. The two girls riding on one broom on the other team sent out another bludger, and Nicholas watched helplessly as Kage and Violet were sent falling. Fortunately, Henry and Pericles were there to save them, but that meant that four players were now out of play for the moment. With Rose handling the quaffle, her own battle underway with the opposing keeper, and Ana commencing her search, Nicholas was left as the sole active participant upon the pitch. The only one who could stop Pitch Please from winning through grabbing the snitch.

And thus, as if fate itself had decided to grant him a boon, the seeker once more opened herself up to be bludgered. She was wounded from his previous attack, and one more good hit should do the trick. As he smashed the ball towards her, he was confident that in spite of her fast movement, she would be sent tumbling back down to the dirt. He could not see just how close she was to the snitch, nor did he know that she was in the midst of catching it, her dive mistaken for yet another attempt to chase.

The sight of the young girl being sent off her broom sent a wave of relief washing over the beater, finally he'd managed to achieve what he'd been meaning to do for the game's duration. He had taken out an opposing player, and the seeker no less. Everly catching her was beside the point, he'd at least bought them some time.

The shouts of joy that emanated from the seeker shattered that excitement, elation turned to confusion and then to frustration. She had caught it!? He felt a pit well in his stomach, threatening to swallow him whole. It was as if he was lost in a moment in time, a wind tunnel of disappointment threatening to throw him from his broom. He had been too late, they had lost, he had let his team down.

He blinked. And blinked again.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, he barely even had time to register that Aurora was upon him and making good on her bonking promise until the bat had come down upon him. It didn't hurt, but the look he shot toward her was positively venomous. It lasted for a moment before he forced it away, replacing it with a false smile and the thin veneer of good sportsmanship. After all, politeness and fair play were also a part of the rules, and he would make an attempt to pay lip-service to them.

The order of the next few movements seemed to come all at once, returning the borrowed club, words of congratulations and 'good game' to the opponents and commiserations with his own team. They were all joyful enough, but it was clear that the boy was forcing them, his eyes betraying his frustration.

No more was that more present than when he finally bid the other players farewell, "Good game, all!"

He all but sulked off of the pitch, the earlier excitement lost to the realities of yet another loss. It seemed that between the trial, dueling and quidditch, he just couldn't seem to win. Perhaps that was just who he was, decidedly mediocre.

Action: Leaving the thread
Stats: STA: 7 | EVA: 6 | STR: 8 | WIS: 6 | ARC: 4 | ACC: 4
Abilities: Foulplay
Broom: School Broom

Thank you to our fantastic mods for the thread for running and refereeing @Cecily Quinn & @Ami Procoppio! Thank you also everyone from both Hollythorn (the best team) and Pitch Please (good win, I'm not crying I promise)! Absolute pleasure playing!

Bridget ended the game on a penalty lap. Being out of the action was lamentable, but it was kind of nice to just watch it all come together. She'd done her part, anyhow; with Gia out, they were able to play a more defensive game. Anastasia was skilled on a broom and would be a threat if allowed time to spot and catch the Snitch, so their goal was to end this before they got there, to capitalize on Aurora being locked onto the golden ball's location. All there was left to do now was count on their Seeker to succeed and catch her if she fell.

Which she did. It came as no surprise for Nicholas to try to finish her off; the first year was barely hanging on after his last bludger. He struck true, the task no doubt made easier by Aurora's Spiral Dive, all efforts going into securing the elusive ball. Everly was ready for her, as was Emma, technically. Multiple attacks were anticipated, if not to Aurora then to Opeila and Starlee, but none came. A waste of what Emma could be doing, but it was better to play it safe. Perhaps Hollythorn's reduction in offense had to do with the pair falling toward the ground, both caught before they could join their first-string Seeker. That was four players caught up in one thing, so perhaps the single attack did make sense.

Aurora was yelling again, those noises joined by the voice of the commentator. She'd caught the Snitch. They'd won! Coming out of her lap around the Pitch, she grinned. That had actually been a pretty impressive game, especially for a scrimmage largely filled with people who hadn't played in a Quidditch game before. And 230 to 20. Wow. Her team had done a magnificent job scoring, hadn't they?

Slowly, she made her way to the ground, dismounting the Tinderblast. "You all did amazing!" The praise was directed to her teammates, but she nodded respectfully to the other players, too, returning any 'good games'. Had she taken this whole thing a little too seriously at moments? Yes. Now that it was over, though, there was no need to be anything but friendly.

After that, she would go around to each member of Pitch Please, complimenting them on what they'd done well. Aurora, of course, had done a great job of catching the Snitch, not to mention how tough she'd been. Seeker could be a rough position. The difference of eight to two Quaffle scores would not have been possible without James' defending of their hoops and knowing when to go after the Quaffle himself. She was pretty sure Everly hadn't scored, but any added competition for the Quaffle was useful and she'd adjusted quickly to different plays, pulling off the save of Aurora at the most crucial moment. Emma was praised for her several scores and, much like Everly, transitioning quickly to wherever she was needed. Opeila had secured at least one goal before saving Starlee and from there done a great job of keeping them safe from various attacks. And finally, she let Starlee know what a great job she'd done as Beater, forcing the other team to double up and sticking with it after a few misses.

Offering a thank you to the organizers of the scrimmage, upperclassmen Cecily Quinn and Ami Procoppio, she would then head out, laughing as she watched Aurora bonk the members of Team Hollythorn on the head. She was an... interesting individual. How she gave off the same aura of dread as Lana Monet, Bridget had no idea. This had undoubtedly been a highlight of the year and she had no doubt it would be a fond memory to look back on.

Cecily and Ami, thank you so much for organizing and moderating this! I had a lot of fun

Mentioning Gia, Rose, Violet
Interacting with Kage, Aurora, the refs, Pitch Please & Hollythorn generally

Pericles' final round was spent the same as most: circling, watching, waiting to catch a falling teammate while strategizing on the fly. Their balance between offense and defense had perhaps been too cautious at times, but after Gia's fall, he held no regret for taking on a protective posture. Rose managed to snag a score in the Chasers' stead, and he wouldn't be idle for all too long after that. He had just been speaking with Kage and Violet a moment ago. Swooping back out over the field, a bludger blew by and struck them. A jolt of panic spurred him into motion. Pericles veered about, leaned in, dove as all thoughts were drowned by the chant of catch, catch, catch. The icy sting of surprise was numbed by crackling adrenaline, lost as the wind howled in his ears. One hand clenched tight to the broom, the other outstretched, trying to snag a hand or bit of fabric with which to pull Kage onto the back of the Tinderblast. Only when he was sure the broom was beneath her did he pull back, coaxing it into an upwards angle, realizing teeth were clenched and lips drawn tight. Tension easing with a sharp exhale, he called over a shoulder, "I had a feeling that would happen- you and Violet were playing too well for them to ignore!" But the game was coming to an end: Aurora had snatched the snitch.

The faux team captain slowed to a stop, suspended in disbelief. Win or lose, he didn't want the game to be over yet- his first taste of actually getting to play Quidditch had been too much fun. Yet a sad smile eased into place, bittersweet acceptance arriving with the gentle crease of eyebrows and a soft lamentation. "Ah... I suppose that's it, then, he sighed to the Beater behind him. "Let's get you back to your broom." He would help her track it down if allowed, or return her to the safe stable ground if not. Like any other kid, Pericles had wanted to win, and had poured all efforts into securing their success. Fate was fickle as ever, though that wasn't to say it was a total loss. He could at least say with confidence that his team had played spectacularly, particularly given the majority lacked prior experience, while his own mediocre flying had been improved with high-speed practice. Pericles could salvage a sense of accomplishment from most losses. Defeat didn't eliminate what he had learned, nor the rush he had felt.

Moderately crestfallen, then resolutely reassured, and lastly... confused? What was Aurora up to? She was gliding his way, yelling his name. If it was someone else, he might have been concerned, yet Aurora wasn't exactly the threatening sort. Erratic perhaps, strange certainly, but both in an endearing way. She was one of those eclectic types of Ravenclaws whose eccentricity was like a bright splash of color compared to the more bookish breeds. He raised his hands in mock surrender, eyebrows arched in falsified surprise, both banished by a broad smile as she decided he was, blessedly, undeserving of The Bonk. "I could never," Peri insisted, thinly veiled amusement lining the edge of his composed tone. "Congradulations, Aurora, and-" cupping his mouth "well-played, Pitch Please." Oh, he yelled it, alack the poor pureblood absolutely did not get the pun, but if he had.... "Pleasure playing with you, Hollythorn!" Pericles would coast to the grass, making sure to return the borrowed broom and give his gratitude to Ami and Cecily before leaving.

Exits the scene
(GOOD GAME HOLLYTHORN AND PITCH PLEASE, THANK YOU AMI AND CECILY)