Fall Games Spectator Thread

Matches like these were always a conflict for her. On the one hand, she of course wanted her house to win. Everyone wanted their respective house to win in Quidditch! On the other hand, she wouldn't have ever conceded to venture all the way out to the pitch, sitting and soaking in the autum cold and rain, if it weren't for the possibility that Kyle might get the chance to play. She never missed a chance to cheer him on, knowing how important quidditch was to the lad and frankly she thought it was vital to him to be able to play at all. Of course, with such a rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, one did have to try to be somewhat low key.

All the same, at least sitting and freezing her butt off wasn't about to be for naught. The moment the opportunity came for her cousin to take to the air, she was on her feet, not about to let herself miss a thing now. Prior, she'd just been sitting in misery hoping the game would be over quickly, now she was actually engaged and excited. Mentally, she cheered for the lad, hoping somehow he'd telepathically know. Had this been a match between Gryffindor and anyone else, she'd gladly be cheering aloud for him.

Pale eyes followed him across the sky, though for a moment, her heart stopped when a bludger came hurdling straight for his head. By some miracle, it miss him, but he was nearly knocked off his broom, hanging upside down for several moments before he finally managed to right himself and get back onto it. The snake released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet and clapping gloved hands as the players soared about.
Outfit

Flash listened carefully to the opinions of his counterpart, his wand held aloft and still between them. He nodded along, though he could hardly make eye contact by the way Quidditch always moved along so quickly. She was doing the same, both of them working their eyes to the limit to determine who was doing what. If he wasn’t mistaken, Pierre was going after the Quaffle by himself this time around, and was actually doing quite the job of it. Besides the fact that his likely brother had done the exact same thing in the final, he was a lot more successful at it. In fact, he was even better than the Chasers at getting the Quaffle past Miss Koko. A wonder, or perhaps a misnomer on Rafael’s part to place Pierre correctly? Well, he knew too little to make such a brash assumption. Perhaps Pierre was just lucky, or Koko was losing her effectiveness as the downpour continued.

”I see, he’s only been in four games. I suppose that’s not enough to make a verdict, though…” Flash’s eyes looked around the field for the outliers-- the Seekers were usually fairly simple to spot given that they had to do a wide sweep of the area. It wouldn’t be able to see something so small in such weather, but if he wasn’t mistaken… ”I believe… Miss Evelynn is on to something.”

That was exciting, if true. Though if anyone else besides him had noticed, she just became the shining beacon of a target. Not only that, but Rafael and Anastasia were almost done with their penalty lap. The Beaters seemed content to beat each other, though perhaps the rain was getting in their eyes, since no Bludgers were hitting anyone. As Cash was quietly returned to their broom, it seemed Slytherin was in a precarious situation. It really wasn’t a good round for them, doing little but getting one free goal.

”I don’t think the game will last much longer…” Flash was nearing the edge of his seat. It was a bit shameful, but he hoped Evelynn would catch the snitch. House loyalty only meant so much when the enemy team had one of his closest companions doing her best. ”I haven’t seen Miss Evelynn play before, but… I think she’s brilliant.”

Flash glanced at Bridget briefly, as she was likely to be a lot more crestfallen at the turn of events. ”You say she’s beaten Dan before? Maybe he should let Edric have a go after all…”

Eyes back on the game.

Interacting with: @Bridget Collins
Mentioning: Koko Riddle @Piérre Marchonné Rafael D'Spacito @Dan Palmer @Evelynn Decipio
Outfit:

Reducio

A girl by the name of Alexx met little resistance in repetitive attempts to score. Seemingly a multifaceted talent as one could judge by her Quidditch play and role on the paper. Given Thomas has recently joined the paper primarily as a sports writer and analyst, he anticipated he will get to know her in some capacity soon enough. In other action, the Quidditch seeker of Gryffindor, Evelynn Decipio appears to have an edge to her pursuit. An intensity that could imply she’s closing in on the be all end all.

The boy’s focus on the field led to a negligence of his surroundings. One of the few times he would find himself spatially unaware. As Thomas scribbled the game log on dampened parchment, adding the current score: 20-20. A certain Gryffindor saw this as an opportunity upon her approach. A swift hand grasped the boy’s journal, tugging it away from his unsuspecting grip. With a wand in her other hand, she stood above him with the umbrella charm over her head. Aurelia Notrésvace.

A girl with elegance, undeniably alluring--though her appearance had an ominous undertone of late. A chance encounter in the streets of London allowed the boy to see her in a different light. Though decidedly miffed in this moment as she ripped the page and retained his journal. With a huff, Thomas rose to face her. The girl returned a smirk of amusement, pleased with herself. He would not reach for his possession immediately. “We’ll be even when you’re flying.” Yes, a reference to her unintentional assault--but an idle threat, the boy could not attack her with so many witnesses.

Aurelia failed to realize the ground they stood. The boy was a witness to an intimate moment of despair that evening with the boggart. They both saw a side of the other that provided a unique entry. She may have received the answers to her questions with the right approach. Though after stealing his possession, Thomas would be difficult in his ire. “You don’t know?” Thomas offered a conceited smile, how could the monster enthusiast be so uninformed. The boy glared into her grey-blue eyes that appeared more grey with the gloomy setting. “I’ll take that back.” He turned his head back towards the action on the field. “Then I will consider answering your questions.”

@Flash Holmwood

Flash was quite right in saying the four games Dan had played in weren't really enough to reach a verdict. With all sorts of factors at play, you wanted a broad range of information; with only a few instances to go off of, the evidence was more likely to be affected by some sort of fluke. She didn't have long to dwell on the conversation, though, as the action had never really stopped.

Alexx and Nico were back at it again, racing towards the red leather ball. Instead of Alan, Pierre was now going after the Quaffle, perhaps having decided his Seeker wasn't at an immediate risk of falling. While he didn't guard his hoops, she supposed his tactic of trying to score himself would work. Well, at least until a Slytherin player secured the Quaffle. And maybe it was a very calculated move because he managed to not only grab the Quaffle twice but score against Koko. Bridget frowned; despite Koko's best attempts, she hadn't been able to stop Pierre. Perhaps hanging from her broom by two limbs in this weather was more of a distraction than an advantage. Pierre, however, didn't have complete control of the leather ball and lost it to Nico, who in a show of either strategy or selflessness, or perhaps a combination of the two, lobbed the ball to Alexx who sent the ball flying once more through Gryffindor's unguarded hoops. The score was tied.

It was the bludgers she had her eye on, though. Quaffle scores were certainly exciting, but at this point far from the most important part of the game. What were those ten points but something for the crowd to watch when the action died down elsewhere and a bit of a morale boost for the team? At this level, it almost always came down to who caught the Snitch. The Beaters were trying to take each other out, yet every attack missed. Erin was still in the game, which was quite the improvement from last year where she was mostly out within the first few minutes. Then again, Kyle DeRook hadn't been taken out either and he was a threat.

Speaking of the Snitch being the deciding factor in victory or defeat, Flash did what she asked and informed her Evelynn Decipio was onto something. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she located the opposing Seeker. He was right; she was definitely flying with purpose. Dan was still flying around, looking in vain for the Snitch.

The worry, which had somewhat faded, came back full-force. This was definitely bad and she hated that Flash was entirely right in saying the game might be over soon despite having only just started. Still, it wasn't hopeless yet. Slytherin would notice the purpose in her chase and she would become a target of their bludgers and possibly blatches. She felt a little bad; Flash seemed to have a positive relationship with Evelynn and it was quite likely he was about to watch her get pelted with attacks. She probably wouldn't fall, though; Gryffindor would be sure to have someone to catch her. Losing a Seeker who had her eyes on the Snitch would be a huge mistake.

"No, actually. Last time we played Gryffindor the game came down to Quaffle scores. Well, a Quaffle score. Time was running out, neither Seeker had spotted the Snitch, and the score was tied up." She shrugged. "Gryffindor was the one to get the Quaffle and Koko didn't block it." Honestly, she would rather have Dan in the game at this particular moment. Throwing in a Seeker who had never played when the game was very much on the line would probably be a bit too much pressure; best to have their Captain in and calling the shots. Bridget, like Flash, was on the edge of her seat, simultaneously eager and worried for what came next.

”I… really?”

Flash was surprised, earnestly. Games so rarely came down to Quaffle points that it was always extra exciting when it did. He couldn’t help but think of Durmstrang’s massive point lead, and how it had all been for nothing once the snitch was caught. It was a sticking point for some, though the role of Seeker was balanced by being highly targeted. Certainly Serena Towers nor the many badgers who fell defending her thought the snitch win was easy.

Looking back, it was the most intense part of the game. A ticking clock where everyone’s eyes were on the Seekers. Inching closer to the edge of his seat, he made sure to pay as much attention as he could to the other activity as well. Just like the game Bridget described, it wasn’t always a done deal once the snitch was seen.

Appropriately, the team captains had seen fit to leave the Quaffle grab to one person on their team each-- Alan and Nico in this case. However, Nico’s experience in the sport shone through, since Alan couldn’t seem to get a hold of the thing even once. Knowing it was his first game, Flash figured that must have been disappointing, though it wasn’t as if he had been useless in the game. Because of Pierre’s preoccupation with doing anything besides tending the goal, Slytherin got 30 easy points added to their score.

The Gryffindor’s style was certainly brash. It fit Rafael, somehow, though this was the first actual game Flash had seen him play. Blatching and asking the Keeper to do anything but his assigned job showed aggressive confidence. Slytherin took advantage of that for free points, and thanks to the immense skill of Erin Ryan, the blatching seemed rather pointless. They were desperate to get rid of her, but were hopeless in their attempts.

Flash knew Miss Erin was strong, she was making a point of it the last time he talked to her over summer, going on morning jogs so early that she had finished hers before he had even begun his. She proved that she was a threat once again by dodging a Bludger herself then beating one into Evelynn with alarming accuracy and power. Not only that, but Rafael went for another unsuccessful blatch on her. One might be tempted to think he enjoyed the penalty zone more than the field.

Flash could see now where Evelynn’s frustration came from. If she didn’t manage to capture the snitch soon, they would be coming out of this match looking a bit foolish. In a way, all of the pressure had been put on her to perform, because the Beaters and Chasers were making very little impact on the Slytherin team.

”Slytherin is doing well. Everyone but Dan, that is.” Flash said, a bit of frustration leaking into his voice. There was tension inherent in a Seeker not being able to find the snitch. Wasn’t it a bad position for the captain, when he had to also be giving constant feedback to his team? ”We should be winning, but he clearly hasn’t seen the snitch…”

There was a sudden flurry of action, Evelynn fell from her broom. Alexx was nearby, as if she were going to blatch, but it hadn’t looked like she did. It was curious, something must have happened, but the announcer said nothing. Perhaps it was a delayed reaction to the Bludger, after having been tossed by a teammate to try to inch closer to the golden orb.

It seemed the Gryffindor Keeper had been spending his time keeping the Seeker instead of the goals, as she landed safely on Pierre’s broom. She still had a chance to catch the glimmer in the rain that she saw, and Dan was still lost. Flash hadn’t noticed himself doing so, but the entire time he was leanere further forward, craning to try to get a better look. How was he supposed to spectate a game that was so obscured? He huffed an annoyed breath out of his nose, already eager for the next set of games that would hopefully be dry. He thought he might get a headache from all the squinting he was doing.

”What happened? Miss Evelynn fell…”

There was likely not much time left before the match would end. If Slytherin wanted to snatch it out of the lion’s mouth, they would have to finish Evelynn off. Not that Flash was wishing for that in any capacity. He didn’t know what he was wishing for, but he was holding his breath.

Interacting with: @Bridget Collins
Mentioning:

Reducio

@Nico Shymane @Alan Vanes @Erin Ryan @Evelynn Decipio @Rafael D'Spacito @Piérre Marchonné @Dan Palmer @Alexx Séverin

Note: Funnily enough I also rolled to catch Alexx's foulplay and failed. [1d4: 4] She's just that good.
Outfit:

Reducio

@Flash Holmwood

With the game heating up elsewhere, Quaffle scores were pushed to more of an afterthought. The red leather ball hadn't been forgotten entirely, though, and Nico and Alan were certainly in fierce competition over it. However, it was clear Nico had the upper hand as she beat him to it three times in a row. Despite Bridget's worry for the rest of the game, she managed to smile a bit; Nico had mostly been in the shadow last season, often being the one to save falling players, so it was nice to finally see her get a chance to show off her skill. Besides, she doubted this game would come down to Quaffle scores--Flash's surprise was very warranted as it didn't happen often--but having the lead couldn't hurt.

Gryffindor had spotted the Snitch and naturally, they wanted to get to it as fast as possible. Instead of simply chasing after the elusive golden thing, one of the Beaters swung Evelynn around in an Alley Oop. She couldn't see the Snitch through the rain and didn't have practice spotting it either, but from what it looked like, the maneuver hadn't worked. That, at least, was a relief. Between her own observation and Flash's commentary, it was clear Dan still hadn't found the Snitch. She understood her companion's frustration; didn't Evelynn quite clearly chasing something clue him in to the Snitch's location? Maybe at this point it would be better to have Edric in. Maybe they didn't need game experience right now but rather a fresh set of eyes.

Besides, she wondered if Flash was perhaps a bit frustrated because he had aspirations to be Seeker. Especially with Dan performing so poorly, it would be all too easy to picture himself doing better, and frankly, perhaps he would be doing better. Not that they would ever know for certain. All they could really hope was that Dan got his act together and spotted the Snitch.

Just as she'd expected, Evelynn had become a very large target indeed. Erin absolutely nailed her with a bludger, still managing to avoid Kyle's bludger and Rafael's second failed blatch attempt while Cassandra narrowly missed hitting Pierre. Evelynn was someone still hanging onto her broom, although she certainly wasn't doing well after a hit like Erin's... and then she was falling. Perhaps being on the same team as the fourth year for a year had her expecting the move, because Bridget just managed to make out the sopping green uniform that was Alexx colliding with Evelynn. It was incredibly impressive, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sort of thing, and the announcer clearly hadn't seen it, meaning Alexx wouldn't be sentenced to a penalty lap.

Flash, just like most everyone else, was at a loss for what exactly had happened. Honestly, Bridget wasn't entirely sure herself that she'd seen it right, but it made sense with everything she knew about Alexx. The older girl was not the type to sit out on all the action and she had plenty of experience latching. "I'm pretty sure it was Alexx." The falling form of the Gryffindor Seeker was saved from a nasty impact by Pierre. Unfortunately for Evelynn, she wouldn't get even a short break, no lapse in the action.

Nico became the only one to go for the Quaffle as everyone else's focus was on the Seeker; Gryffindor was doing everything they could to protect Evelynn while Slytherin was trying their hardest to take her out. Despite the fact her grabbing of the Quaffle was uncontested, she didn't quite manage to grab it at first. Perhaps the rain had made her fingers slip or maybe she'd just miscalculated her reach. The red-haired girl had no problem after that, though, sending the Quaffle flying through Gryffindor's still very much unguarded hoops. Even if Slytherin didn't manage to win this game, they'd certainly have a point advantage at the end of the year.

Winning, of course, would be preferable, though Dan still hadn't spotted the Snitch as far as she could tell. Bridget bit her lip; Gryffindor likely wouldn't let Evelynn fall so long as they had the players to catch her so Dan really needed to find the Snitch before it was in Evelynn's hand.

The game stayed just as brutal. Gryffindor didn't resort to blatching, probably because Rafael was stuck on another penalty lap, but Slytherin did. Alexx hadn't been caught for her previous crime, so why not take advantage of it? The blonde Slytherin rammed into Pierre and Evelynn, knocking them from their shared broom, but still the foul wasn't called. Was the announcer purposely turning a blind eye or something? It was possible Alexx was just that good, and Bridget had likely only seen the second blatch since she'd expected it after last time. She hoped that was the case; Bridget wanted Slytherin to win, of course, but not if they hadn't won the right way.

Cassandra missed again, this time aiming for Kyle. Would things be going better if Bridget was still there? Could she have taken out Pierre previously before he had a chance to catch Evelynn? No, that was ridiculous. She wasn't on the team anymore and that was the end of the story. Both Kyle and Scarlett sent bludgers hurtling towards Dan, and while he clearly needed to work on his snitch spotting, he was undeniably good at dodging. It was a little odd, though, that Gryffindor had gone for him. It was pretty clear he still hadn't seen the Snitch and could honestly prove more detrimental to them if Slytherin's second-string Seeker came in and managed to see it. Maybe they'd simply identified he was going to be hard to hit and wanted to eliminate him before he became a threat.

Erin sent her bludger flying towards Pierre and Alan, which would prove detrimental to Gryffindor if it landed as it would mean them losing one or both of them, but the ball of metal missed. Kyle, in a show of speed, managed to hit it back at Dan, but once again he swerved out of the way. Things weren't going horribly yet, but how long would it take for Evelynn to catch the Snitch?

Note: I rolled to catch Alexx's blatches with Sixth Sense and apparently the dice were in my favor. [2d4: 4,4]

Bridget pointed out the culprit, having only a small bit of hesitation in her appraisal. Of everyone in the crowd, she was probably most likely to know. She would have played alongside Alexx for a while, and knew her longer than Professor Jemari did. Looking at her watching each player and tactic with rapidly darting eyes, it was clear to tell she felt like she was still playing. Flash nearly expected her to pull out a hidden broom and join in.

”What do you think? Do you have any regrets about your time playing Quidditch? About leaving?” Flash would look for the reflex expression the question gave her, but not apply any pressure. No eye contact, a casual tone of voice.

Previously she admitted to feeling tense, feeling like she was still out on the field, but hadn’t divulged any further. If she wanted to remain terse on the subject, or didn’t know, nothing needed to be said. He was just interested in her well-being. He had watched her first duel recently, and it certainly could have gone better. It wasn’t the worst match he had seen, Ruka’s took the cake by far, but she had been paired with the co-captain and neither of them could seem to get their spells to land. Certainly she would have wanted a match that would have earned her more confidence in the switch.

Regardless of whether that conversation continued, Flash’s attention was still being held by the action as well. As much attention as he could afford, with the rain not letting up for a second. At least it was easy to see that everyone besides Miss Nico had abandoned the Quaffle. When Flash honestly thought of the tactics on display-- Rafael versus Dan-- he had to say Dan was playing much smarter. That was a bit stereotypically true of Slytherins when against Gryffindors, it was almost funny to see it so clearly on display. With a steady hand on Quaffle points, as well as their cheating being subtle enough to not be noticed, Slytherin was playing a long game and using their strengths. If Gryffindor won at this point, it would be because Evelynn’s skill as a Seeker, not likely because of the captain’s orders.

”For what it’s worth, Dan seems like a smart captain.” Several Bludgers had been sent his way, as Kyle and Miss Scarlett tried to take him out. Unlike poor Evelynn, he seemed to move out of the way with no problem. After three consecutive attempts, not a single one touched him. Dodging and giving orders was all good, so long as he caught the snitch eventually. If he didn't, this would be the game were his 50% catch rate turned into a 40%. ”He’s fast too. Slippery. Pff.”

Flash held no animosity for being on the waitlist, he didn’t sign up expecting to be on the team. He was a patient person, not to mention he learned from a young age to meter his expectations, and to generally always expect the worst. The worst in this case would be being waitlisted for seven years, and never getting the chance to participate in any of the Hogwarts sports at all, but even then he was emotionally prepared for that outcome. He had other things to occupy himself besides being an athlete, after all. If he ever got put on the team, it would likely become a hyper focus for him. He almost wanted to wait longer, perhaps have his life more in order so he could balance the extra responsibility.

It was those thoughts that were going through his head as Persephone flew off the field. A few people in the crowd gawked in surprise, but not Flash. It was a strange move for sure, but Flash had an idea of what was going on. He had talked to her shortly after she had made it onto the team, and her trepidation about it had been clear as day. With how fickle the mind of a young person is, and how brutal the game of Quidditch is, it was never easy to find a roster that was perfectly suited. Bridget, for instance, had mentioned that she had never wanted to be a Beater per se, but that it was the position that the team needed at the time. It was shifting positions like that which made the game interesting to watch. Who would come out of their school year as a star Quidditch player, and who would have it on their college applications as a minor extra curricular?

In this instance, it meant that it was Miss Tyranni’s turn to get on the field. As their Quidditch co-captain for a while at this point, she hadn’t actually had the chance to play, as far as he knew. What were the chances she would actually get to do anything before the game was over?

It would go on at least a bit longer, since Evelynn was once again knocked off Piérre's broom before she could grab anything. This time, Flash was watching more carefully, with Bridget’s direction. She was right, though it was difficult to actually see her doing it. Alexx had blatched for a second time, and no matter how long Flash waited for Professor Jemari’s call to take a lap, it never came. Frankly, this was exactly what Flash was thinking of when he thought of blatching as a tool. If one was planning on using it, it had better count. He was impressed.

Evelynn and Piérre were both rescued out of the air though, Anastasia having swooped in with what could only be described as top-tier flying. Would she be more successful in leading Eveylnn to the snitch? He learned from their conversations lately that she was one of the people who played Quidditch for the love of the game-- she even mentioned the idea of going pro. At this point, Flash moved as though he was going to stand up-- as though the few feet of space in front of him would make his vision of the game clearer. He stopped when he remembered the wand in his hand, an invisible canopy spreading the drenching rain away from their heads. He glanced a look at her, laughing at himself a bit with a smirk. He couldn’t help but be invested, the two girls on that broom were precious to him.

”Sorry, Miss Evelynn is…” He began to speak, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He used to compartmentalize his relationships, put them into clean categories, but the truth was that they weren’t nearly so simple. ”Her and Miss Anastasia both, I’m quite fond of them. Forgive me if I cheer them on a bit.”

He still hoped Slytherin would win, it would benefit him the most, but he couldn’t say he would be upset if Evelynn succeeded. On the contrary, he was feeling some sort of pride in her for all her efforts so far. Of course, Flash didn’t know Bridget’s opinions on Anastasia, someone who he had a blind spot for. In his presence she had only ever been friendly and lovely. He assumed the rumors about her aggressiveness were completely unfounded.

Interacting with: @Bridget Collins
Mentioning: @Anastasia Beckett @Persephone Barret @Tyranni Whitethorn @Evelynn Decipio @Rafael D'Spacito @Dan Palmer @Alexx Séverin
Note: Roll to see Alexx's foul: [1d4:2]
Outfit:

Reducio

@Flash Holmwood

There was a pause after Flash asked his questions. It wasn't that she hadn't heard him but rather that she wasn't quite sure how to respond. The whole thing was... complicated. She liked duelling, of course, but she also missed Quidditch. She hadn't let herself dwell on the topic very long--she'd made the switch knowing full well she wouldn't be able to just go back if she was unhappy with her decision--but there were still moments where the doubt crept in. Her duel several days prior hadn't gone how she would've liked, what with her first spell backfiring and her struggle to land a hit after that. It wasn't like she'd been amazing at Quidditch either, though. At times, in fact, it had felt like she was somewhat of a deadweight.

Beyond her performance, there was also the question of her own enjoyment. She loved flying and casting spells equally, but even as a Quidditch player she'd dedicated time to practicing her casting. Finding time to fly anymore was difficult with duelling practice, homework, and everything else. And as for the team itself... well, that too was complicated, wasn't it? A year of training together had naturally established relationships with her Quidditch teammates that duelling hadn't yet reached.

"I'm not really sure," she finally answered. Her eyes were still on the game, but her attention was mostly elsewhere. "I mean, of course I miss Quidditch, but I like duelling, too."

She'd missed the Quaffle scores, momentarily lost in thought, but a glance at the scoreboard was all it took to figure out what had happened. One score for Slytherin, two for Gryffindor. Slytherin was still in the lead.

Her attention was again drawn away from the game as Flash made a move to stand up right as Anastasia Beckett caught Evelynn Decipio, who was once again falling. He seemed to decide against it, remembering he was the one holding the magical umbrella that was keeping them dry. She felt a little bad for making him hold it up the whole time, but she hadn't even thought about it until that moment. The possibility of offering to switch crossed her mind, but she didn't want to distract him or anyone else from the game. Besides, she was still apprehensive about the spell.

He explained his excitement, saying that he cared about both Evelynn and Anastasia. Bridget was fine with him cheering on his friends and would probably be doing the same thing if, say, Katrina was out there. What had her momentarily looking confused was who exactly he was cheering on. She didn't know much about Evelynn, but Anastasia... Well, it probably wasn't fair to say she knew Anastasia that well either, but she hadn't been expecting him to say that. She hoped he was right about whatever had led him to have a positive opinion of Anastasia, though, because Bridget didn't exactly trust the Gryffindor with the people she cared about.

Now wasn't the time to discuss whether or not Anastasia was a good person, at any rate, so she decided to leave it. She cringed at what happened next. Gryffindor hadn't gone on the offensive at all this time, instead devoting their efforts to protecting their Seeker and catching whoever fell. Slytherin, however... Well, she agreed with Flash, Dan was a smart Captain, but it was moments like this that made her question that. The scene reminded her of their opening attack in the previous game versus Gryffindor, except worse. Kyle came in between Erin and Cassandra's bludgers, unable to do anything but take the hit. The Beater tumbled off his broom and was caught by Rafael, back from his penalty lap and seemingly having decided to not try the same thing a third time. That wasn't the bad part, though. No, the bad part was that they had three people blatching. Three. How did the prospect of having three of their players simultaneously out of the action for as long as it took them to do a penalty lap outweigh the potential reward? She supposed Dan could be betting on Alexx's ability to avoid detection, but seriously, after Evelynn falling twice for seemingly no reason, the referee had to be catching on.

Maybe if the blatches had worked she would have let it go, but every single one of them missed. Bridget groaned. One, two, three whistles... it looked like Alexx's attempt hadn't gone unnoticed this time. That, at least, was forgivable--they'd gotten three blatches, two of them successful, at the price of one penalty lap--but add in the fact Koko and Tyranni had nothing to show for and all of this was happening at the same time, it was a disaster. While true that Gryffindor was limited by all the players they had doubled up on brooms, that was still arguably better than having three players on penalty laps.

Not helping her mounting frustration was Dan's continued failure to spot the snitch. It was of little comfort that Evelynn hadn't caught it yet; how much longer could she go without securing those 150 points? And their 40 point lead was definitely not enough to hope they could somehow win without catching the snitch. Things were not looking up for Slytherin.

Interacting with @Caelan Stewart & @Henry Knight
Mentioning @Cassandra Ironwoods

This being Starlee's first real quidditch match, she really didn't know what to expect. The fact that they were playing in the rain seemed dangerous enough, but the bludgers just seemed... so intense. Starlee was proud to have a friend on the Slytherin Quidditch team, and she was whooping and hollering next to the two boys she had sat down with. It seemed tensions were high as no one had said anything, and both the seekers were unable to find the snitch in a timely manner. It seemed like this match was dragging on and on, and Starlee was getting annoyed with the intensity of the rain. Perhaps that was why the snitch was so elusive? Cash had been able to make some pretty good hits and even though she was proud of them, she also couldn't help but wince as the Gryffindor's got hurt.

However, fate was not in the hands of the Slytherins, as finally, the Gryffindor seeker managed to catch the snitch, setting the final score at 110-200. She had really hoped Slytherin would win, as much as she felt like she didn't fit in there, she did want to see Cash succeed. She let out a dejected sigh and stood up. "Well it was nice sitting with you two... I'm gonna go find something to cheer Cash up." she said, determined to help her friend feel better. She turned, pulling her raincoat over her head further, and began to head back to the castle. "Probably just some sweets from the kitchens..." she mumbled, beginning to feel a little more upset about the loss than she anticipated, and certainly needing some sweets to cheer herself up too.

Starlee Leaves the Thread.

interacting: @Starlee Kennedy | @Caelan Stewart
Mentioning: @Scarlett Aden | @Cassandra Ironwoods
Closed to interactions

As players zoomed last and points were scored at first it seemed like slytherin would win which for Henry would both be good and bad since while he was a slytherin himself and did want slytherin to win there was a small part of him that was cheering for gryffindor inside since he had some friends in that house that were kind of close to him and all.

As the game went on and Henry cheered he was glad to be with Nick and Starlee. It felt good to be surrounded by others; one a friend and the other who seemed like they were becoming friends sooner or later as he watched and got ready to celebrate a slytherin winning that's when the gryffindor got the stitch and ended the game making it a gryffindor win and a small sadness fell upon Henry as he turned when he heard Starlee speak.

"Yeah it was nice seeing you to Starlee and I hope to see you again. Give Cash a hug for me while you meet her, I'm sure next match our house will win," Henry spoke to Starlee with a smile whole thinking of the purple haired slytherin and how to cheer them up before looking over to Nick and saying " I'll see you around then mate," as the boy left the stadium he remembered Scarlett and while they weren't best of friends that didn't mean he didn't care for the girl and he was glad that her team won so a idea was brewing his mind.

Henry has left the thread