Beauxbatons Quidditch Practice

[Jessica Park]

Beauxbatons,Practice

It was a brisk, clear day and Jess couldn't wait to get started the first practice of the year going. Last year they had defeated the Hogwarts New Zealand team, but a lot of their team had also graduated, so she needed to make sure this team was ready to repeat that success. The thing that sucked about the New Zealand team was that it could be any of the Houses they had at school, and Sica had only played against two of them, so she couldn't even begin to strategize on how to beat the opposing school from experience in case they ended up playing another of the Houses she hadn't played before. So she and Brendan would just have to make sure they covered all their bases and had the team prepare for anything. Even the alternates couldn't slack off, she saw for herself how crucial the alternates were, and had to be ready to go into the final game at a moment's notice, sometimes even for positions they didn't regularly train for.

So many thoughts were running through her head as she headed out to the pitch early with the equipment crate under her arm. It was her last year so she wanted another win under her belt to prove she was good enough for a professional team, so her nerves were getting the best of her. She was usually never this anxious, so she was eager to get in the sky where she felt most comfortable. Jess was sure once her teammates arrived she'd feel normal again so she eagerly waited for them to arrive.
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Out of Character:

Practice will be open for 2 weeks! Remember activity is crucial for the success (and future) of this team on the site, so please participate! Please PM Jesse or I if you cannot make it to any practice.

 

[Fletcher Mercier]

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<FONT font="georgia"><SIZE size="50">Fletcher had been looking forward to when the time came that she'd be able to take to the air as part of a team. Teamwork wasn't something that came unnaturally to the third year, and she knew she was going to enjoy protecting the others as they played towards victory against the other schools. After changing into her Quidditch gear, and tying her bright auburn curls up on top of her head, she'd made her way down to the pitch, too nervous to eat any breakfast. As a newcomer she knew she had a lot to prove, and that the Captains would be watching her to ensure she'd been worth investing in. She spotted Jessica as she approached the field, hoping that she was going to do well enough as her Beater companion in the practice. "Hi," she said quietly, waiting for the others to arrive so they could get going.​

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[Brendan Fulke]

Brendan was pumped. It had been a troubling start to the year, losing some of their best players, and replacing them was a difficult task, but the try-outs had been pretty great, and he was looking forward to their first practice and seeing what the team really had to offer, and if they could keep up the good work over the rest of the year. With one win under their belt, Brendan wanted to keep it going, and show all of the foreign schools that Beauxbatons was a quidditch force to be reckoned with. The redhead trudged down to the pitch, feeling enthusiastic about the day, and gave his not-quite-the-same redheaded co-captain a wave in greeting, as well as one of the newer teammates. Being a co-captain was still taking some getting used to, and he leaned on Jessica for guidance until he got his bearings, while trying not to think about the fact that it was only a year until she graduated, too. Time flew by, and it seemed like everyone was leaving before he got a chance to really get to know them all.

"You ready?" Fulke asked the younger beater, hoping she'd brought her A-game - hoping they were all bringing their A-game today, and that their tryouts weren't just a once off. Being on the team didn't mean anyone was safe to slack off now, and he'd be keeping an eye out for anyone getting a little too comfortable too quickly. It may have been just a game to some people, but for Brendan, this was a career, what he wanted to do with his life, and he needed all of the experience he could get.

 

[Theodore Lacroix]

Théodore was still quite surprised to have made the team - even as an alternate, he felt important, and he was looking forward to being able to play with what he considered to be "the pros", in awe over the older students who played competitively against other countries, like New Zealand. It was crazy, and even crazier that he'd not really had any competition for the role of seeker. It was weird, considering he thought it was simply the best role, and expected everyone to go for it. Now here he was, with his second-hand broom, getting ready to play on a proper team for the first time. "Hi!" He greeted, scuffing his shoes against the pitch while they waited for the others to arrive. He was itching to get into the air again, and see if he'd have any luck getting the snitch. He wanted to prove himself, but it was way harder than it looked to chase after a tiny flying orb in the sky. Which already looked hard enough.

 

[Elvira Rojas]

Elvira had looked forward to the first practice of the year from the moment the tryouts had ended. In fact, it was the only thing she had actually written down on the calendar her parents had given her to help with her homework planning. She was a little early, grinning at Jessica and Brendan as she arrived, though she didn't see Celine or Cassi yet. Their captains were two of the only people that were left over from the team last year, though she and a few others had been alternates already. She waved at Jessica, then grinned at Brendan. But her focus was soon on the new alternate seeker, the boy taking over her position from last year. She headed over to him and waved. "Hi! I trust you to have my back if I ever die in the air, or something." She shrugged, smiling. "Excited for your first practice?"

 

[Celine Lussier]

As Celine made her way onto the Quidditch pitch for practice, she was happy to see Elvira there already chatting to the other members of the team. Making her way over to the group already forming, Celine smiled at her friend but didn't want to interrupt - instead she turned her attention to Jessica, who looked ready and eager for their practice today. Celine felt the same, and she began stretching slightly as she waited for the rest of the team to arrive. She wasn't an alternate this year, and if she'd felt pressure to perform well in that position previously it was certainly nothing compared to knowing how focused she had to be this year. Celine owed it the team, and to the captains... this practice was the beginning of it all, and she absolutely wanted it to go well.

 

[Cassiopeia Sparkes]

Cassi arrived at the pitch for the first practice of the year that she made it to the team. Although she watched them practice countless of times, this would be her first time to be a part of it.Up ahead, she could already see a group forming in the distance. She hurried her steps, thinking they might have a small huddle before flying. She spotted Elvira talking to her alternate and not far away was Celine Lussier, the official Keeper of the team. Approaching the girl, she smiled as she greeted her."Hi! I'm Cassi.Hope you don't mind me being your alternate." It was Cassi's first time to just walk to someone and say hello.

 

[Jamie Derouin]

Jamie arrived excitedly on the pitch, he waved at the others already their, grinning happily as he did so. Oh boy was he excited to actually be on the team, he couldn't wait until he was actually able to play properly. The boy had his new broom in hand and was stood with the rest of the quidditch team, eager to just get started on it. he was just sure that he could help the team get better overall, and he knew this practice would help him get better.
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[Theodore Lacroix]

Théodore kept an eye out for the other players approaching, realising none of them were all too close to his age. Was he really the youngest one there? He almost felt out of place, surrounded by older students he'd barely even had a chance to speak to before, given the year gap. He knew of a lot of them from watching practices, and they all probably already knew each other, too. Among the first of the people arriving was Elvira, and she waved at...him? He looked over his shoulder, saw no one, and turned back to her with a return wave of his own. Elvira was talking to him, and he didn't know how to react. As an experienced seeker, he looked up to her, and it was she who he focused on the most when he'd watched them play. "Haha, please try not to do that." He chuckled a little nervously in response, but despite that, it was a sincere request. He felt far from ready to have her back if she was incapacitated on the field. "Yeah! Yeah. I can't wait to get up there and actually play. Do you have any tips?" He asked her, hoping she could impart some handy seeker-knowledge onto him before they took off, anything that would help his chances.

 

[Maia Huang]

Maia smiled at the other the Quidditch team and nodded at the co-captains when she arrived on the pitch and sat down on the ground, wanting to focus her energy on the training that was about to start rather than having a conversation with anyone. She knew she hadn't shown the captains her best at the try-outs so was determined to fix that mistake.

 

[Cheryl Campbell]

Cheryl was happy on making the team. It wasn't a standard position as she wished she would have, but she was glad with making it. The team members seemed nice and it was a good opportunity to make more friends. The blonde entered the field and smiled as she hold her broom tight. '' Hi everyone! I'm Cheryl. I'm really looking forward to the practice!'' the blonde said with a smile and hoped she could do some good. It would become great fun the blonde thought and she looked at her new team members one by one and waited for it to begin.

 

[Fletcher Mercier]

Fletcher was becoming more aware that everyone seemed to be older, taller and louder than she, although she did wonder whether that would be to her advantage. She may not have been the strongest student, but she was determined to practise and keep up her skills in Quidditch, plus she knew she was fast from the days she'd been out hunting with the community back home, and she'd had to do her best not to doubt herself. She smiled as one of the Captains approached her, "I think so," she replied quietly, not wanting to appear overly confident. If she had what it took, she would just have to show them while out on the pitch. For now, the energy in the area was rising as more people joined the group, and Fletcher looked around at those she would from now call her teammates.​

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[Jessica Park]

Jessica smiled as the first few teammates showed up, happy to see that the young Beater was one of the first, and listened to her short conversation with Fulke. It was going to be strange not playing with Peter anymore. Although the two hadn't talked much outside of practice, they had worked in silent harmony up in the sky, and now Jessica needed to learn how to play with someone new. Then again, almost the entire team was new so she was going to have to adjust to new players regardless. If she scared easily the thought of it might've been daunting, but she was always ready for the challenge.

As the rest of the team arrived, Sica called everyone's attention to gather around her and Brendan. "Congrats again to our new team. I'm excited to get to train with everyone," she began with pleasantries before getting into captain mode. "A lot of you may be new but as long as we all take practice seriously, I know we can beat New Zealand again," she said with a brief smile at all the unfamiliar faces. "Treat this practice like an actual game; don't hold back or you'll develop that habit for real matches. Celine you guard the north hoops and Cassi you take the south. Chasers alternate between posts and Beaters work on aim and defense," she explained. "Elvira and Theodore you'll be competing against each other," she added, trying to hold back a smirk, hoping the idea of being potentially beaten by a second year would ignite Elvira's competitiveness and work hard to find the snitch. She looked around at the alternates and smiled at them encouragingly. One alternate, Cheryl, had even tried out for Keeper, but after a lot of deliberation, she and Brendan had seen potential for her as a Chaser instead, so she hoped she could adjust and they could all improve in their positions over time practicing.

With that, Jess instructed them all to mount their brooms to begin. She passed the Quaffle to Brendan to take with him up into the air since he was a Chaser, and then released the rest of the balls, signaling them to kick off into the air.
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Out of Character:

Don't forget you should always be pressing a button, whichever is appropriate for your game play during your post because it helps boost your overall stats!

 

[Cassiopeia Sparkes]

Cassi turned to Jessica as she called their attention and gave instructions. Holding her broom tight, the adrenaline was already there when she was told to guard the south hoops. Looking toward it, she could not wait for the practice to start. She may be an alternate and looked up to Celine but this did not mean that she would not take this seriously. With Jess' signal, they all mounted their brooms and she flew directly to her assigned hoops. Turning to face the opposite side, she positioned herself as she waited for the ball to be put in play.

 

[Brendan Fulke]

Brendan listened as Jessica welcomed everyone and kick-started the practice. He was enthused for the match, to see how well everyone competed. They had plenty of members now, and all their bases were covered, so hopefully the newer people would have more than enough experience by the time the older teammates graduated. Deftly taking the quaffle as it was passed to him, Fulke rose slowly into the sky, giving the Keepers time to adjust, before jetting off toward one of the hoops, ball tucked under his arm. He kept an eye out for the other chasers in the sky, looking for someone to pass to rather than keeping it to himself. The younger kids needed to experience more than he did.

 

[Elvira Rojas]

Elvira grinned when the boy asked her to please try not to die in the air. "Not before I get the snitch, anyway," she joked. He seemed nervous, and Elvira noticed for the first time that he was probably the youngest person here. It wasn't strange he was nervous, but Elvira wasn't all that good at being sensitive and making people feel at ease.She paused when he asked for any tips not prepared for the question at all. "Uhh... keep your eyes open?" She suggested with a weak smile. She knew it was pretty bad as far as advice went, but honestly she hardly felt like she knew what she was doing. She had no strategy aside from flying around and looking at everything. It was a relief when one of their captains started to talk and she could turn her attention to Jessica. She was more serious than she usually seemed, but Elvira supposed that had to do with being captain. She was a little startled to be put in direct competition with the new alternate, but grinned. She would show him how good she was! Giving him a playful grin, she hopped onto her broom and took to the air. She immediately lost track of who had the quaffle, as she focused entirely on finding the snitch. If the new boy beat her, she had a feeling she would never live it down.

 

[Fletcher Mercier]

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<FONT font="georgia"><SIZE size="50">As soon as their practise started, Fletcher mounted her broom and flew off into the air, beaters bat safety in her hand as she began to search the field for the two dangerous balls. Once everyone had taken up their positions, the third year just tried to concentrate on hitting the ball. It wasn't like the beaters were on a set team during this match, and so Fletcher just wanted to make sure her aim was on point for the real games against Hogwarts. The teen had barely been in the air long though when she spotted the small brown ball, and she leaned forward on her broom, her eyes focusing on it as she carefully raised her bat in the air. A few seconds later, she put all of her effort into swinging the bat, and her heart leapt as she felt it collide with the ball. She wasn't aiming to hit anyone in particular though, and so as she watched the ball fly through the air and head straight towards Elvira, Fletcher quickly covered her mouth with her free hands in shock. "I'm sorry!" she called out, hoping her teammate would be able to avoid it. She'd never been hit with a bludger herself but it always looked as though it hurt. She was secretly pleased she'd managed to hit it though.​

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[Elvira Rojas]

Elvira was so busy scanning for the snitch, she didn't notice the bludger flying her way until it was too late to dodge. With a yelp, she only managed to close her eyes and duck her head down instinctively before she was hit in the shoulder. "Ouch." She hissed, adding a few curses in Spanish under her breath. She had swerved to the left because of the impact and nearly collided with another player. She groaned, rubbing her shoulder, but gave the girl that had hit the bludger a pained smile to show her it was fine. If the younger girl did this enough during the match, they would be fine.

 

[Theodore Lacroix]

Theodore couldn't help but look utterly confused when Elvira suggested he keep his eyes open, not sure if it was a joke or what she considered to be actual advice. "Oh no. There goes my strategy of keeping them closed." He laughed, one that was cut short once their captain started talking. He gave her all of his attention pretty quickly, listening intently, and frowning a little as she said he'd be competing against Elvira, as if he had any chance of catching the snitch before she did. He blew out air in defeat already, feeling like a deflating balloon, but soon took to the air to try and find this snitch. Already it had zoomed off and completely disappeared from sight, and he kept semi close to Elvira in case she found it before him. It felt like his only chance to pursue it at this point. It turned out to be not the best of ideas, as the other seeker was hit by a bludger and almost ran into him. He quickly pulled his broom up and flew off, deciding that maybe it was better for him to strike out on his own.

 

[Brendan Fulke]

Brendan winced as already, one of his teammates had been hit by a bludger. He slowed down to make sure she was okay, before giving Fletcher a thumbs up. "You're a natural at this, Fletcher! Keep it up, just try not to hospitalise anyone." He hated seeing any of them hit with a bludger, but he had to say he was impressed by her showing some real talent right off the beaters bat. Turning his attention back to the hoops, he jetted forward once more, and kept an eye out for the other chasers.

 

[Fletcher Mercier]

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<FONT font="georgia">Fletcher winced as she watched the bludger make contact with Elvira, but tried to keep her focus as she raced off to try and catch another. She knew she needed to work on her aim, and keep a look out at who exactly she was firing the ball at. She turned to grin at Brendan, glad that her hit had been noticed. Turning back to the game she sped off once again in an attempt to this time defend her team instead of take them down. ​

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[Elvira Rojas]

Elvira knew that Fletcher was only practicing like everyone else, and honestly her aim was good for the team. That didn't mean her shoulder wasn't hurting. She gave Theodore a slight grimace of apology after she saw him fly away from her after their near collision, but then turned her attention back on her surroundings. She had to stay focused on the snitch, thought he bludgers were good to keep an eye on as well.

 

[Theodore Lacroix]

In departing from Elvira and flying off on his own, Theodore searched the skies for any sign of the snitch in the distance. As it turned out, he didn't need to look so far. Turning to the left, he saw the glittering ball of gold zipping almost toward him, and reflexively he lashed out with his free hand and snatched it out of the air, looking at it in disbelief. There was no way. Had he really caught it first? And so soon? Was the practice snitch easier than the real one? He had no idea, but he sat on his broom dumbfounded for half a minute, before raising his fist into the air. "I DID IT I GOT IT EVERYONE LOOK." He shouted, completely overjoyed to be off to such an amazing start. Eventually, and almost reluctantly, he let the golden ball go to flitter off again, with so much time left to practice with.

 

[Brendan Fulke]

Brendan entered the scoring zone, and the quaffle left his fingertips, just as he heard shouting from over his shoulder. The quaffle sailed through the hoops, but he barely had time to register the goal as his eyes fell on the newest seeker boy. He'd caught the snitch already? These new recruits were proving to be amazing. At this rate, New Zealand wasn't going to stand a chance. "Well done!" Fulke cheered, looking toward Elvira to try gauge her reaction to being upstaged by a twelve year old. Turning his attention back to the fact he'd scored a goal in all the action, the chaser drifted backwards and waited for the keeper to throw it back into play.

 

[Elvira Rojas]

Elvira was busy trying to find the snitch when she suddenly heard Theodore shout. Thinking at first that the boy had been hit by a bludger, she looked up. Her mouth dropped open in surprise and indignation at the sight she saw. He had gotten the snitch! Already! She fumed silently for a moment, her cheeks heating up. Theodore was either crazy talented or had some beginner's luck. She just hoped the captains wouldn't replace her with him for the match. She tried to push down her annoyance, but still felt how tense she was as she went back to looking for the golden ball after the young boy released it. She had to catch it during practice now, or they really might replace her. Pretending not to notice Brendan's look in her direction, Elvira scanned the sky for a golden glint. Maybe she shouldn't have told this kid to keep his eyes open after all. She gasped when she saw a golden glint shoot by her, and instinctively snatched it out of the air. She looked at the snitch in her hand and laughed, as this was sort of ridiculous. Hopefully they wouldn't think it was easier to catch it after someone else just had, though a part of her thought that was the case. "We're even!" she shouted at Theodore as she waved the snitch in the air before letting it go again. She smiled. Hogwarts New Zealand should be very afraid of their combined seeker powers.