(Untitled)

[jackie_zhang]

Week Name/Date/Time: 'Settling Down' / Tuesday, November 22 / 3:05 pm
Location: Quidditch Pitch
Open To: Phillip, Grady, Blaze, Trefor, Soren, Bran, Charlie, Sly
Currently Involving: Jackie

Comments

[p_davenport]

Phillip made his way out to the pitch, as always, skivving off a study hall to practice with Jackie. He paid no attention to the rain; it's not as though he'd never flown in it before. Truthfully, he was comfortable on the pitch in much worse weather. As he made his way out onto it, he glanced around, wondering idly if anyone else would show up today. The whole team was welcome, really most any Gryffindor who had a mind to play, but not everyone was so willing to skive off for a good round of Quidditch as Phillip.

He noted the trunk open on the field and looked up into the sky, spotting Jackie quickly. "Hallo, Jack!" he waved to her, grinning. Then he moved to the trunk, bending over to release one, ducking away as it zoomed into the air. Then he hoped onto his broom and glanced up at Jackie, "Shall we try both today, or just one?"

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie was sending telepathic thoughts to all the Gryffindor Quidditch players. At least, she hoped she was. She couldn't tell if the rain was interfering with her transmission or the fact that she kept being distracted by the puffy gray clouds and imagining what shapes they took. She thought maybe Blaze might join them, as she had ran into the girl earlier and mentioned their practice.

When Phillip called out to her, she grinned and waved. The bludger tried making a swipe at her, and she ducked it rather easily. "Let's be daring and try both!" She watched him take off and threw the Quaffle up. "Go long!" Then, she swung her broom around and batted the Quaffle far.

[p_davenport]

Phillip grinned when she suggested they try both, but didn't hesitate and released the second one, dodging away before it could knock into him immediately. Then he nodded as Jack let the Quaffle fly and zoomed off to follow it, at last catching it, smoothly and pulling up short to turn back around to face her.

He moved forward to pick up some speed, preparing to pass it back, but before he could, one of the bludgers came directly for him and he had to drop several feet. The Quaffle nearly slipped out of his grasp, slippery as it was, but he managed to catch it again. Finally, bludger gone, he regained altitude and sped forward again, Flinging the Quaffle as hard as he could across the pitch.

[jackie_zhang]

The second bludger seemed angrier than the first, if that was all possible, and it zoomed towards Jackie after having missed Phillip. Since she had the Quaffle in her sight, she caught a flicker of the bludger coming for her out of the corner of her eye. Before it could knock into her, she pulled up hard, almost breaking into a halt before looping and returning to her previous course.

The Quaffle was already starting its decent towards the hoops, and Jackie had to increase speed to catch it in time. She raced towards it and reached out, catching the Quaffle in her chest. She coughed, but went ahead and tucked it in her arm. She flew straight towards Phillip, ducking the first bludger on her way, hoping to make a close pass by him and pass the Quaffle back at him in a smooth move.

[p_davenport]

Phillip watched and waited for Jackie to make a pass back. Merlin, that bludger had it in for her, but he knew his teammates were all good enough to fend for themselves, so he wasn't the least bit worried. He shook his head, circling about, then prepared himself as Jackie came towards him.

As she passed the Quaffle to him, he grinned and took it deftly, flying off, quite pleased at how well they worked together. The Gryffindors had a formidable team to beat, for certain.

Just then, Blaze appeared down below and he grinned wider, "Hallo, Blaze!" he hollered as she rose into the air, then complying with her request, he sent the Quaffle off in her direction.

[jackie_zhang]

On that, Jackie would agree. The Slytherins had nothing on them, except maybe for those arrogant attitudes that couldn't be wiped off their faces even if they were cursed with the Cheering Charm. Who cares if they were finally going to get off their arses and practice that Saturday? Jackie only knew this because they actually had the decency to reserve the pitch.

When Blaze arrived, Jackie grinned. Awesomel! The three chasers together again! She watched Phillip throw the Quaffle at her, as she ducked the bludger on its return flight. "Nice of you to join us!"

[sorensigurd]

"Incredible, I’m actually late to a practice even when I had no class." Soren said when he was within hearing distance; well, hearing distance of at least one of them. Since everyone was on their brooms already, Soren as well, and flying about with the wind and added altitude, it could make hearing slightly difficult.

He made a beeline for the three hoops on one side of the field and placed himself, strategically of course, at equal distance away from the three. "Did Trefor show up earlier or say anything?" Team practice wasn’t practice unless the captain showed up and Soren admittedly, hadn’t seen his older best friend in well over a month now. Perhaps the Zoe-Skeeter event had left a strong impression. Whoops.

"Anyways, you Chasers, no more easy throwing Quaffles into unguarded hoops. Now you’re all going to have to get one past me!" Soren raised his arms to signal to them that he was ready for Keeping, just in case no one heard him.

[p_davenport]

Phillip grinned, soaring along beside the other Chasers. Brilliant to be practicing as always. Nothing could ruin his mood now. He swerved to dodge a bludger as it came straight for him, then moved back into position with the others just as Blaze passed the Quaffle off to Jackie.

Just then, he heard the familiar voice of Soren and swerved down a bit to holler back, "Oi, no use complaining about it. You're here now, yeah!"

He shrugged in response to the question about Trefor to signal that he hadn't heard from the older boy; he assumed that if Jackie or Blaze had heard from their captain, they could answer on their own. Then he moved back into position with the other Chasers.

He smirked at Soren's comment about no more easy times for the Chasers, "Oi, who says we need easy? We're the best Chasers at Hogwarts! Bet we can get a few past even you, right Jack, Blaze?" He lined up with the girls, eager and excited to finally have a proper Keeper to face off with.

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie laughed, glad to see that Soren had decided to come out. At least, he didn't have the excuse of Study Hall, although she knew he would have skipped that just as eagerly as Phillip did whenever the word 'Quidditch' was used

[sorensigurd]

"Probably snogging Zoe." Ever since the two had gotten back together, Soren had seen neither heads nor tails of the two.

"I have right to be, Blaze~ I had to have done something to have been able to stay and play Keeper for all these years. Show me your worst!" He still hadn't moved from his position while Jackie and Phil had been passing their Quaffle back and forth, though he was alert and ready should the Quaffle start beeline-ing for any particilar hoop.

The fact that all three Chasers were watching just one Quaffle disturbed him a little. There were two Bludgers (even if no beater was around to attack them with it) and the other Quaffles to look at. Create more distractions please, that would certainly intimidate the Hufflepuff Keeper.

[p_davenport]

Phillip caught the Quaffle as Jackie passed it to him, and quickly passed it off to Blaze. All the while, he was looping and swerving in the air with the other Chasers. He was paying attention to where the Quaffle was, sure, but he was also keeping a sharp look out for the loose Bludgers. There weren't any Beaters around to aim them at the three Chasers, but there also weren't any Beaters to protect them, either.

Since Phillip was the most experienced Chaser on the team, so he was more than willing to take the lead if he needed to; let the girls focus on the Quaffle. He looped around the girls and swerved away from them, trying to draw Soren's eyes for just a split-second from the Quaffle so the girls could score.

[jackie_zhang]

There was more than ONE Quaffle on the field? Why didn't anybody ever bother to tell Jackie about that? As far as she knew, there were two bludgers, ONE Quaffle, three chasers, one cocky keeper, and three hoops. The snitch hadn't been released, and since her training with Soren months before - to prep her for the Quidditch try-outs - she hadn't juggled more than one Quaffle in a long time.

Jackie swerved to duck an oncoming bludger, and continued in her pace towards Soren and his hoops. She knew they had practiced enough to try to outsmart Soren, and she doubted an extreme distraction was in order. If she really needed one, she'd point and yell something about Avery in the stands; or maybe catch Blaze's eyes and the girls would come up with their version of a distraction. Still, Phillip's looping made for show and Jackie quickly slipped the Quaffle into Blaze's hands. It was time for Fake-Out #1, right? She winked at Blaze, and muttered under her breath, "Let's do it!"