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Swing and a Miss PV Annie Morgan Closed

@Annie Morgan
It was a few days after the Hufflepuff and Slytherin game, but there was still that small sense of elation and pride that bubbled inside her. She had won her very first Quidditch game. Of course, she couldn't have accomplished that feat alone. She had faith in her team, and with hard work and dedication, they were able to work together to earn their victory. Admittedly, there were some bumps along the way, like Quinn being taken out of the game very early on, and Julie also being taken out just as she was about to catch the Snitch. At the time, it made the young captain falter somewhat. No one was able to save them in time, and a part of her felt responsible for not doing anything to help them. Thankfully, any injuries they had were easily mended in the Hospital Wing. It still didn't help the fact that they were probably in a lot of pain for a while, but at least it wouldn't last for long.

That didn't mean facing off the Slytherin team wasn't a challenge at all. In fact, their players were quite talented, and they seemed to have a solid strategy. Their keeper, in particular, had managed to block every single Quaffle the chasers tried to score. It was rather annoying to know that they haven't scored even once, and to add insult to injury, the other team had managed to score once. In the end, it was Serena who had to catch the snitch in order to secure a victory for Hufflepuff. But for what it was worth, this match was a good way to gain some first-hand experience at what a real game was like. She would have been able to learn from her own mistakes, improve herself, and hopefully be more prepared for the next match.

It was already close to evening, and practice had just ended. The actual team meeting ended much earlier, but Saskia decided to stay back to work on her bludgering skills for a little longer. As team captain, it was important for her to set up a good example for the rest of her teammates to raise morale and inspire everyone else. In their latest game, she failed to bludger anyone, and she even got knocked off her broom because she wasn't able to properly defend against an incoming Bludger. It was only thanks to Carson that she didn't plummet to her own demise. Even Reid was doing a much better job than her, although she shouldn't have been surprised. He seemed like he had more experience, and if anything, she should have been learning more from him.

This time, she practiced on her own, trying to hit the Bludger as many times as she could. It was tedious ordeal, for the most part. She had to be careful not to accidentally get knocked out if it got out of control, and she also had to take the time to find the Bludger once she hit it. It would have been even worse if she stayed on a broom while trying to dodge the Bludger and making sure she didn't fall off, which was why she elected to stay on the ground. She might not have been able to have the full experience of playing in an actual game, but it was more practical that way.

But now that she was done for the day, Saskia already packed away her Quidditch equipment. As always, it was a struggle to wrestle the Bludger back in the case, but it was a lot easier to do it than it was the first time she did it. The Hufflepuff then picked up the case, walking out of the field.
"Honestas ante honores."
Stam: 9 | Eva: 6 | Str: 7 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 6 | Acc: 8
Abilities: Fearless
Swing and a Miss PV Annie Morgan Closed
Mentions: @Saskia Nicholson
Annie had just finished pulling on her boots and headed down to the training Pitch for some more training. She was ecstatic that she got accepted on the Hufflepuff Quddich team and she had been even more joyous when they won their game against Slytherin. Annie clutched her broom in one hand and bit her lip while she thought to herself wondering if she should go and practice.

Not that I had scored any points though.. Well that's what I'm going down to practice.

A small frown appeared on her lips as the negative thought flooded her head but it was quickly replace by a positive one. "It's the only way I'm going to ever improve and if I want to stay on the team I will have to work hard and earn my place." She narrowed her eyes in determination before pausing in her walking as she appeared on the pitch. Her eyes locked onto the girl before she heard the Crack! of the bludger.

Annie hummed and finally put a name to her face, Saskia, it was her team captain! How stupid was she to forget her captain. She internally cringed but got pulled out of her head when she saw Saskia fly down to the girl and wrestle the bludger back in case. The Hufflepuff winced at her team members that got struck by bludgers and she was lucky to have avoided them so far.

The girl gazed over at Saskia fast approaching her direction, still staring wide-eyed at the girl. It took a lot of strength and control which Annie admired. For some reason she got embarrassed for thinking about that and instead went to greet her halfway. "More training? Well I guess that could never hurt hm, uh do you need help with anything?" She became flustered and stared at the ground.

Why am I acting like this, okay maybe I look up to her like a lot but I don't understand.. urgh..
♡ Life is just a trip, don't let it trip you up - Cash Campbell
Swing and a Miss PV Annie Morgan Closed
If Saskia was being honest, the case was quite heavy. Then again, what was she really expecting from a box filled with two iron balls and a leather ball the size of a Muggle football? She had enough training sessions to know how heavy the case would be, but it was still a struggle to have to carry it all the way back inside, especially if she didn't want to drop it by accident and let the bludgers and quaffles fly loose around the corridors. She was used to it by now. She knew the risks, and she knew she needed to be careful. It would have been entirely unprofessional if she had no idea what she was doing, after all. And as much of a pain it was to have to drag it in, this was just standard procedure stuff. She could handle this any day of the week.

As she kept walking, she saw one of her teammates heading towards her. Annie was one of her chasers. They haven't talked much outside of training sessions, and even then, it never lasted long. But she definitely saw the potential in the other second year. She was very accurate and nimble, especially when it came to catching the quaffle, and it showed in their previous game. It was something she admired, even if Koko made it difficult for her to score. Saskia herself wasn't as accurate as she wanted to be, and she barely managed to hit any of her opponents. If anything, Reid outshone her, and she was supposed to be the captain, for Merlin's sake. She really had to get better.

Saskia waved over to Annie, grinning at the girl. "Hey, Annie. I just finished using the Training Pitch, so go ahead if you want to use it." Then she asked if she needed help with anything. As nice as it was for her to offer to help, she didn't really want to have to assign Annie with something that could have been so easily accomplished individually when she could have spent the rest of the day doing whatever it was that she was planning to do in the first place. "No, not really. I was just going to head back inside. This thing is pretty heavy, but I'll manage. Thanks for offering, though."
"Honestas ante honores."
Stam: 9 | Eva: 6 | Str: 7 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 6 | Acc: 8
Abilities: Fearless
Swing and a Miss PV Annie Morgan Closed
Annie nervously tugged the sleeves of her robe as Saskia exchanged a few words with her. She couldn't bring herself to lift her eyes to meet her fellow Captain. "Snap out of it, why are you acting all shy!" The girl snapped her head up at the mention of the case being quite heavy. Sure she wasn't that strong but maybe she could help. "I know you said you don't want my help but I insist to help you in some way.." Annie almost stuttered but caught herself. Man was she acting weird, maybe it was something she ate.

"Really, I can practice another time. I- also wanted to talk to you." Annie took a small breath and closed her eyes while doing so before opening them and continuing. "I-I felt really bad about not being able to score any goals this game. Why'd you even choose for me to be a first-string chaser?" This wasn't what she had in mind of telling her Captain but she did feel a heavy weight on her chest lift as she explained her self-consciousness about her addition to the team. Annie trusted her Captain's judgement and was exstatic when she was accepted on the team. Flying always made her feel free but she seemed to always fail her team when trying to score points. At least Serena can make up for you pathetic attempts at scoring.." Her mind laughed at her and she visibly winced, tears pricking her eyes. "No no no, don't cry in front of the Captain!"
♡ Life is just a trip, don't let it trip you up - Cash Campbell
Swing and a Miss PV Annie Morgan Closed
Despite Saskia's attempt to downplay the issue at hand (which wasn't even that big to begin with), Annie was still insistent on helping. All she could do was laugh, not out of a need to ridicule her, but because if she was being honest, it was actually cute that she wanted to help so badly. It wasn't the kind of help that someone would give out of pity because she might be incapable of doing it on her own. If anything, it was like she wanted to prove something. She wanted to help because she wanted to, and because it was the good thing to do. It was one of those things that she came to slowly admire in other people.

She seemed nervous as well. Perhaps she just wasn't used to talking to her privately. But she also didn't want to be completely intimidating. She might have been captain, but that didn't mean she was suddenly in a higher pedestal than everyone else. Either way, she was curious to know what exactly she wanted to say. "If you're sure about that, then I guess I can't stop you." She flashed another grin to the other Hufflepuff, tilting her head towards the right where she was holding the case as a gesture for Annie to come over and help her.

Saskia listened to Annie's question. It wasn't a question she was expecting from her, or any of her teammates, really. If they got on the team, they knew why they got on, and there wasn't much of an argument they could really bring up to convince her otherwise. She knew what she doing when she chose the players on her team. She knew better than to choose on a whim for this kind of thing. Once her mind was made, it was hard to change it.

Something about what the girl said still struck a chord in her. It was the very same question she asked herself when she was first appointed as Quidditch Captain. Not that she ever got a real answer from anyone else. She could come up with some theories, but in the end, the answers weren't as satisfying. Over time, it was easier to just accept it and continue doing what she did best. That was how she coped and the doubts slowly, but surely, disappeared.

But here she was, having someone else come up to her and ask that question. Annie had reasons to ask. Unwarranted ones, but Saskia could understand where she was coming from. It must have felt humiliating to know that she wasn't able to score any goals for the team. But it wasn't something she could blame her for. She wasn't here to chew her out on her performance anyway, and even if she could, she didn't want to.

"I chose you because you have what it takes to be on the team. You were put your heart into the game. You have determination, and you were willing to put in the work to prove that. You also have skill too. I've seen how you flew before, and you got the Quaffle first before any of the Slytherins could get to it. You might not have been able to get the Quaffle in the goal, but that's okay. This was only our first game, and the first time we played against another team in an official match. We have more games to play and more time to improve. But what I'm really trying to say here is that you're better than you think you are. As long as you keep working hard, you'll do great." She paused, taking in a breath before she continued.

"I mean, take me for example. I haven't taken a single player out in the game and I mostly stood around like a sitting duck while Reid, and when I did actually get to do something, I got knocked off and someone had to save me before I broke all my bones cannon-balling to the ground." She laughed, cringing slightly at the memory. She wasn't exactly proud of bringing that moment up again, but she wasn't worried about Annie judging her for it. She had probably seen it for herself anyway.

"But if you're really worried, I could help you the next time we practice, if you'd like. I'd be glad to assist in any way you need me to," she offered with a smile.
"Honestas ante honores."
Stam: 9 | Eva: 6 | Str: 7 | Wis: 7 | Arc: 6 | Acc: 8
Abilities: Fearless
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