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Tells (Hunter)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 07-02-12 18:38
Hunter, Green not Rabnott, chews his lower lip, eyes fixed on Jack Emerson trying to deduce what Jack's move will be. Hunter looks for what Uncle Woody refers to as tells. According to Uncle Woody, people often have them and don't even know it. Since his uncle first mentioned tells and explained them, Hunter's been trying to use the information to make himself a better keeper. It's helped some but he knows it's going to take more practice and more studying others.
Jack's hand with the quaffle is aimed towards Hunter's left but Hunter notices the Ravenclaw's eyes flick right. It's so quick if he'd not been looking for something he would have missed. It's highly possible all Jack was doing was a check for bludgers but Hunter readies himself to dart right.
Sure enough, just as the quaffle is leaving his hand, Jack propels it more to Hunter's right. Gryffindor's keeper sends his broom the same way, using one hand to bat the quaffle away. Ramona catches it, immediately passing to Deak, narrowly avoiding a bludger hit from Ella in the process. Hunter's eyes go to Deak but then his attention is draw to a bludger sent to him by his own sister. In that brief moment of taking his eyes off the quaffle, Deak throws it, successfully getting the ball through one of the hoops.
Ravenclaw has its first goal of the match, bringing the score to 20-10. As the chasers and beaters start the other direction, Marjani in possession of the quaffle, Hunter's eyes go to his sister. He knows the bludger hit from her was Jade just doing her job but just once he wishes he could smack her with a hard object and have no one question why he hit his sister.
Intercept and Redirect (Jade)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 07-02-12 19:20
Momentarily losing sight of both bludgers, Jade hovers on her broom, scanning the length of the pitch. Spying Alastor and Blake racing to get to one bludger first, she shifts her attention in search of the second bludger. Ella swinging her bat gets Jade's attention. She's spurring her broom forward as the Gryffindor beater's bat connects with the bludger.
In the bludger's path several of the chasers are clustered together as the quaffle rapidly changes hands, and team possession, a number of times. Jade can't tell if Ella's hit is aimed at one of the Ravenclaws in particular or if she's not particular, wishing only to hit one of them while the bunching is going on. Jade decides it doesn't really matter what Ella was hoping to accomplish because she's going to intercept and redirect.
Positioning herself for the interception, Jade readies her bat. When the bludger reaches just the right spot, Jade swings, targeting Etta who's just gotten her hands on the quaffle. Her redirect succeeds, the bludger catching Etta on the shoulder just as she's passing the quaffle. The hit affects the pass, which in turn allows Ramona to get in and steal the quaffle.
The same bludger within easy distance before another beater reaches it, Jade goes after it, this time with hitting Marjani in mind as Marjani is making things difficult for Ramona to move the quaffle down the pitch back in the direction of Jade's brother Hunter. Lining up her bat again, Jade gives the bludger a solid, hard hit. The sound the bat makes connecting against the bludger is extremely satisfying and now, with the bludger on its way again, Jade flies after it, thinking to get that same bludger a third time in a row once it's either reached its target or misses the mark.
Another Goal (Jack)
Author: Kody
Date: 07-03-12 13:04
Rubbing his forehead where he'd been hit by a bludger just moments ago, Jack Emerson can't help but feel a little stupid. It's one thing to get hit in the back or the side of the head by a bludger. It's another to be caught by a bludger coming straight towards the face. That he was in the process of catching the quaffle and even the act of ducking might mean Hunter Rabnott would be able to intercept doesn't really take away from how dumb Jack feels about it.
Already, he can feel a nice sized goose egg rising from his forehead like a new volcanic mountain emerging from the see. The bludger hit also gave him something of a headache but hopefully that will diminish soon, leaving only the raised bruise hurting, and that shouldn't be too bad after awhile unless he keeps poking at it to see how big it's getting.
Pulling his hand away from his forehead, Jack grips his broom to steer into an arc around Alastor Jenkins and the beater's bat that's being drawn back to connect with one of the two bludgers. His other hand has the quaffle in a grip against his chest. Alastor doesn't send the bludger very far. It comes very near to Jack, tapping Hunter R. on the leg. Hunter's close enough that Jack can very distinctly hear the not quite under his breath swear Hunter R. utters.
Jack reaches the outer most of what's considered optimal goal range, Hunter R. still near, the slight hit with the bludger to his leg not having deterred the Gryffindor in the slightest. Deak is further back while Ramona is fairly near Hunter Green but Ella Harville is also right there with a bludger ready to hit. It's probably not a good idea to pass to Ramona right now.
Jack decides to go on and take the shot though it does mean having to throw it harder and farther and that the longer distance the quaffle has to cover means Hunter G has more time to react, increasing his odds of making the block. Jack throws just as Ella directs that bludger at him. Expecting to miss, he hopes Ramona can catch a rebound if there is one and take a shot.
Hunter G isn't going to cooperate and bounce the ball away from the hoops. He catches it instead, putting it back into play with a pass to Marjani. Luck is with Ravenclaw just then when Jade returns the bludger just sent at Jack, smashing Marjani with it. Her grip loosens on the quaffle, allowing Ramona to dart in, steal, and immediately release the ball in a throw directly towards the center hoop. It all happens so fast that even though Hunter G is quick to react, he marginally misses the block.
Ravenclaw has now tied the game at 20 points apiece.
Lead On (Deak)
Author: Kody
Date: 07-03-12 13:05
Jubilant as he is that Ravenclaw has tied the match, Deak Bennett is trying not to yawn. Fast paces as this game has been so far he's tired. He's been increasing the amount of time spent studying for the NEWTs and the past couple of night, Deak's not slept all that well.
The yawn that does come causes him to scrunch his eyes somewhat, which in turn nearly gets him hit but a bludger. It grazes past, whiffling one sleeve but not making contact with his arm. Thinking about that yawn that came so close to earning him another bruise has the urge to yawn coming on again. Working harder to suppress it, Deak accelerates, bringing his broom between Etta and Hunter R when it looks like she might be looking to pass the quaffle to her teammate. One thing about no longer dating Etta means that all this is pure, friendly rivalry. There's no more of the underlying guilt over not letting his girlfriend any breaks in a game.
Etta gives Deak a look before throwing to Marjani, who's on her other side. Jack tries to ruin the pass but can't do it and he gets a bludger from Blake for the effort. Alastor reciprocates with a hit at Marjani. She avoids it but almost collides with Ramona in the process and ends up passing the ball back to Etta.
Deak has no idea if Etta's catch was bad, if the bit of wind buffeting them affected the throw, or if, though it looked like a good pass, Marjani's throw was off. Whatever the reason, Etta fumbles the quaffle. It drops from her hands with Deak, Marjani, Hunter R. Jack, and Ramona diving for it. Etta does too but belatedly since she had to readjust her position to better make the dive.
Hunter R. and Deak get their hands on the red ball at the same time and after a struggle for full possession referee Morgana Flowers blows her whistle. The chasers take up positions as Flowers takes the quaffle and puts it up for grabs again. This time it's Ramona with hands on first. She sprints off, pulling the quaffle in close to her body as she bends over her broom putting on speed.
The others follow, Jack and Deak catching up to fly with her in a formation, the two of them just a little behind and weaving back and forth to make it harder for one of the Gryffindors to get up on her to steal. Nearing Hunter G again, Ramona passes to Deak but his line of sight is hindered when both Marjani and Blake get in between him and the hoops. Deak makes a swift pass to Jack who drives in close, throwing the quaffle as he makes a pass in front of Hunter G and the three hoops.
Hunter gets fingers on the quaffle but not quite enough to stop its forward momentum. It is enough, however, to put a wobbly spin on the ball that has it veering at an odd angle. It hits a rim, bounces, hitting the rim again then falls through the hoop but to Ravenclaw's delight.
Ravenclaw now leads Gryffindor 30 to 20.
(Beatrix) Sunshine on a Cloudy Day
Author: Griet
Date: 07-03-12 18:01
Beatrix was starting to feel a lot better about the match, now that Ravenclaw not only had points on the scoreboard but had also managed to pull ahead of Gryffindor. Much like her sister Cornelia, Beatrix really didn't like losing, but unlike Cornelia, losing only made Beatrix feel sad. Cornelia was an angry loser.
Deak had just scored for Ravenclaw, and now the quaffle was back in Gryffindor hands. Beatrix focused on the path the ball took, watching as it rapidly changed hands. Sometimes the quaffle looked less like a ball and more like a red blur. Beatrix often wondered how the chasers could possible keep up with the quaffle when it changed hands as quickly as it often did. She supposed there was a reason she played keeper and not chaser.
About midfield, Ravenclaw intercepted the quaffle and doubled back to the Gryffindor hoops. Before anyone could get within scoring range, however, Gryffindor stole the ball back and hurried off in the opposite direction. Beatrix once again readied herself for the oncoming chasers, who seemed to be flying even faster than before thanks to a gust of wind buffeting them from behind. Beatrix had to move forward to avoid being pushed back into the hoops she guarded.
At last, the wind died down, but the Gryffindor chasers, now led by Hunter R., kept coming. Hunter had the quaffle in the crook of his arm, but also had it close to his body making it hard for any of the Ravenclaw's to pluck it from his grasp.
Beatrix prepared to follow Hunter's movements, but then the clouds briefly parted and a bright ray of sunshine hit Beatrix's eyes. She instinctively squinted her eyes at the same time Hunter let the quaffle fly.
The ball went through its goal unmolested. Gryffindor had managed to tie things up again, and it was all thanks to the blasted sun.
(Ramona) Foul!
Author: Griet
Date: 07-03-12 18:21
In the time it took Beatrix to recover the quaffle and pass it to her cousin Ramona, the clouds moved over the sun again, rendering a golden glow around their edges. Ramona hightailed it away from the Ravenclaw hoops, desperate to put as much distance between them and the quaffle as possible. She didn't want to risk Gryffindor scoring again.
When she saw an opening, she passed the quaffle to Deak. He, in turn, threw it at Jack. Jack held onto the quaffle for several long seconds before passing it back to Deak, who threw it overhand at Ramona. The quaffle went back and forth in quick succession, until it was Ramona with the quaffle again within scoring range. She prepared to throw the quaffle the same time Jade aimed one of the bludgers at her brother Hunter G.
Hunter wavered for half a second, debating whether to dodge the bludger and give Ramona the opportunity to score or to take the hit and possibly block the hoops effectively. In the end, it didn't matter because the wind, which had been a troublemaker for various players throughout the match, pushed Ramona so close to the goals that her whole arm went through one of the hoops with the quaffle still in her hand.
Three loud whistles sounded.
"Haversacking!" Viktor Krum called out.
He took the quaffle from Ramona, who hadn't let go of it and who definitely hadn't intended for her whole arm to go through the hoop.
The whole contingent flew across the Pitch so that Gryffindor could take a foul shot. Coach Krum gave the ball to Etta. She lined up in front of Beatrix, studied her options, and then hurled the ball at the left-most goal hoop. The quaffle smacked Beatrix's palm, stinging her and leaving it red, but at least it didn't go through the hoop.
Deak was the quickest to catch the ball in its freefall and moved away from the goals at lightning speed.
Bronwyn's List
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 07-03-12 18:32
Having Saturday off made studying the list I had taken from Bron easier. I didn't have to worry about work getting in the way. There were quite a few names on the list. With this many names Bronwyn probably just took down all that she was given, and just started crossing people off it. She crossed a lot of names off the list.
Dexter and Driver were both on the list. Both had several notes next to them. Dexter had a couple of interesting notes. Such as under 'Net Worth' Bron had written "very low." She'd also written "Not a good match." That's pretty good, I didn't realize Bron would be able to figure that out.
Under Driver he has "has potential" under 'Net Worth' thanks to tips at his job. Figures, Bron would say that. If she were in his bar, she'd give him a huge tip. She had also listed his job as a potential down side, seeing as he is probably hit on a lot by a bunch of women.
Other then that one possible downside, he did seem to be the best guy Bronwyn had on the list. It was amazing, the amount of information she seemed to have on some of these guys. Short of actually interviewing them, there was no way she could have gathered as much information as she had.
I just realized, if Bronwyn really did talk to most of these people, she has done one of the most thorough jobs I have ever seen. Short of a professional dating service. I may have to actually let her off the hook. It takes a special person to go through this much effort for nothing in return. I love my older sister.
Special Ability
Author: Christopher Chant
Date: 07-03-12 19:34
Searching down near the ground, glad that the field making up the pitch has extremely close cropped grass. The weather probably has been cool enough still that the grass grows very slowly, or for all Christopher knows, there's a spell or charm over the area to keep the grass down. Odd how he's never had a single thought about it until now. No matter the reason the grass is so short, if the snitch is down here somewhere, it will be easier to see it than if the grass were long.
Early in the game Christopher had seen the snitch near a stand filled mainly with students clad in the yellow and black of Hufflepuff. None noticed the snitch or that Christopher has sighted it because eyes were on Gryffindor scoring the first goals of the match. Charisma was at the other end of the pitch facing a different direction so also had not seen him right there with the snitch.
Christpher had thoughts of easing up on it, catching it, and, much to the disappointment of those here for the entertainment and competition of Quidditch, ended the match when it had hardly begun.
Christpher had gotten right up on the small ball. In the process of getting his hand around it, he'd blinked. That was all. A regular blink. A blink hardly takes any time at all yet in that nanosecond the snitch vanished from view. Christpher has decided that snitches have a special ability to apparate that is such a closely guarded secret of the snitch manufacturers no mention has been made anywhere ever.
Making one last pass mere inches above the grass, Christopher pulls into a shallow climb certain that as soon as he starts looking elsewhere, the snitch will apparate down near the grass where he's just been. Leveling off, he does a quick check for Charisma's position then gets to scanning for even a hint of winged white and gold.