Closed The Macaws Win!

[Yukiko Edogawa]

Yukiko Edogawa winced as she made her way across the pitch towards the medical tent, the dull ache in her side a stark reminder of the brutal game against the Moutohora Macaws. The Toyohashi Tengu's had given their all, but the Macaws were relentless, and Yukiko had taken more than one hard hit from the bludgers during the match. The sun was beginning to set over the New Zealand Quidditch pitch, casting long shadows across the grounds. The air was still charged with the energy of the game, the distant cheers of the remaining spectators echoing in Yukiko's ears. Despite the pain, there was a sense of satisfaction in her chest—they had fought well, and though they hadn't won, they had held their ground admirably. The loss was minimal, after all, and they had lost only because the other teams seeker was better. She remembered he had been pretty good back in school (I hope you don't mind Rowan that I've kind of borrowed Blake!)

As she approached the medical tent, Yukiko could see the tell-tale signs of a busy evening. Healers hurried back and forth, attending to various players from both teams. The scent of antiseptic mixed with the earthy smell of freshly cut grass wafted through the air. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself before stepping inside. Just as she reached for the flap of the tent, Yukiko collided with someone, the impact causing her to stagger slightly. She looked up, her dark eyes meeting those of a girl who seemed equally surprised by the encounter.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Yukiko exclaimed, her voice laced with a mixture of apology and amusement. She quickly regained her balance, though the ache in her side protested the sudden movement. "I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"​

 

[Agnes Baros]

Having spent the last few years working in a field in which Agnes truly felt she belonged, it was this passion that meant she was able to see the universe with new eyes. For too long she'd spent running or hiding, afraid to be herself to the majority of those around her. Almost seven years ago she'd decided to hide amongst the muggles, retraining in their ways and doing what she could with no more than her knowledge and experience to get by, but it was only in the last twelve months that she was confident enough to come back to the wizarding world.

As rewarding as being a paramedic was, she knew that something was missing. That there were others out there that muggles couldn't help, that needed her as much as those she treated on a daily basis. For all her training, Agnes couldn't ignore the pull that out there, were witches and wizards who needed her almost as much as the muggles did.

Returning to this world, the one she'd spent so much time uncertain of, had taken a few weeks and a hefty amount of courage. Everything she'd grown up with was tied to these places, memories of things she'd have rather forgotten, or kept out of her mind in confidence that the pictures in her head weren't going to pop up at the most inopportune moments. Agnes knew the reasons why she did what she did, who it was she wanted to be proud of her. Whatever she did, Agnes just had to keep going.

"Woah," Agnes' eyes widened as she stepped outside the healer's tent, face to face with a girl. No, a player. Returning to the wizarding world meant that Agnes had the chance to combine what she knew, to enter the medical field and travel wherever she was needed, healing those that no muggles would ever get the chance to. It had been a few weeks since Agnes had been home, and today's match between Tengu's and the Macaws had been another stark reminder that her choice to return had been a good one. "Ms Edogawa," Agnes said after a moment, swallowing the sudden nervousness in her throat. It was part of the job to know who the players were, in case of such incidents after a match when you didn't want to be rushing around a tent to learn of your patients.

She'd thrown out her arms to the girl as she'd lost her balance, thankful she hadn't been carrying anything at the time. It was only then Agnes realized she had asked a question, as though she wasn't the one who'd just been smacked multiple times by a bludger. Quidditch had never really been something Agnes had wanted to participate in herself, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy watching the games, even if it did mean she could witness her patient's wounds first hand. "I'm, fine," Agnes brushed off the question with a small smile, averting her gaze from the face of the Quidditch player before she made any more of a fool of herself. "Here," she motioned behind her, opening the flap of the tent for Yukiko to come through, "hell of beating you took out there." Agnes didn't only mean the team's loss, although thought better than to mention that. "I can check your ribs for you, if you like?" she found herself offering as though it wasn't the sole reason she was supposed to be here in the first place. After the things she'd witnessed in the air, she was surprised Yukiko was still standing at all.​

 

[Yukiko Edogawa]

Yuki couldn't say she was ever going to get used to people just sort of knowing her name. The fact it was on the back of her uniform didn't really seem to make any difference. There weren't many places she could go without someone knowing her name, and more to the point, knowing her family - the fact her mother played Beater for years before finally retiring a couple of years back or the fact that half of the team was probably an Edogawa. Conan of course knocking about as Seeker and even though she loved her brother, he hadn't managed to beat Blake. She wasn't really very surprised though since he had been very good from what little she could remember of him before she'd transferred out. She had done as was suggested though and kept practicing until she'd made it onto one of the teams at Mohotoukoro - and then of course she'd been picked up by the Tengu's. Sometimes she still caught herself wondering if her mother might have gotten her - all of them really - onto the team. But she felt it was better not to speak about that.

Or to think about it really.

Yuki nodded tightly and stepped carefully around the woman, the caution more from the pain she was experiencing than from anything else. She'd taken three bludgers to the side before the game was ended and she might not have been an expert, as a healer might be, but she was pretty damn sure that she'd at best cracked a rib. At worst it was probably a full on break. They tended to have a mind of their own and even a beater's bat could not always cover them. Her usual play style was to take a hit for her team if she deemed it necessary and she was hardly going to allow the Macaws to take Conan out with their Beaters. She had a reputation for never allowing her Seeker to be taken out of play and she was going to stand by that if it meant she had to break every bone in her body. Her mother had taught her well after all and one of the reasons she suspected her mother retired was that her father grew tired of the bruises and breaks.

Bit different with his kids though. She supposed she was glad for it, and she also didn't mind it because she wasn't about to retire any time soon anyway.

"That's the game, isn't it?" she asked, a grin on her face. It was one of the things she'd always loved, not just the wind in her face and the feeling of freedom, but the fact that there was also a thrill, of getting hit, of missing a perfectly timed aim, of losing her seat - it all kind of leant itself to the thrill. "I've been flying since before I was born, this is nothing," she said, trying to put on a much braver face than she really had and wincing as she moved her arm way too fast. She sucked in a hiss and grimaced. "If you could... that would be great." They were at the medical tent after all, and this woman was a healer, right?

@Agnes Baros ​

 

[Agnes Baros]

Although Agnes wasn't considered a fully-fledged magical healer, she'd spent enough time working as a Paramedic in the muggle world that by the time she returned to the environment of Quidditch she'd seen most of it before. It would have been a different story if she were trying to deal with the consequences of flying spells, but flying wizards weren't out of her ballpark, especially when their injuries were more in line with those she'd seen before.

"Sure, but that doesn't make it any less brutal," Agnes smiled, following the player into the medical tent. The hiss Yukiko let out wasn't lost on the brunette, who guided her to a free bed that was specifically set up for the event. She'd seen how hard her team had played, as well as the number of times Yukiko herself had taken the impact of the bludger for Corey. "Take a seat," she offered, turning to pop on a fresh pair of gloves before she looked the beater over. Although she could work on broken bones and bruises, she'd have to make sure there were no other complications involved, otherwise she would have to refer her to a specialist. Yukiko may have been a beater, and perhaps accustomed to Bludger hits, but that didn't mean Agnes was going to treat her any differently than how she would any of her other patients. She gave Yukiko a moment to get more comfortable, not wanting her to feel rushed or as though Agnes' focus was anywhere else at that moment. "Can you show me where it hurts the most?" she asked, hands clasped together as she waited to see the source of the issue.

"Have you really been flying since you were so young?" she asked, trying to distract her patient with chatter that would serve as a way for Yukiko to think about something beyond the pain. Agnes hadn't flown beyond her first years at Hogwarts, and hadn't really been close to anyone during her school years that had either. At the time, Agnes hadn't known Leda enough to consider her a friend, although looking back it was interesting now that she'd shared a house with the woman who'd played Seeker for so long. "What made you want to play beater of all positions?" she asked, genuinely curious as to how Quidditch players felt most suitable to their roles.

@Yukiko Edogawa ​

 

[Zennon Baros]

Zennon realised the beater was being seen too, nodded to Agnes and then kept right on walking.

 

[Yukiko Edogawa]

The woman was right, Quidditch was indeed a brutal sort of game and it was easy to get swept up in it. In fact she really couldn't remember exactly how many bludgers she'd taken before the game finished. It was annoying because as the Beater of course her job was to take bludgers, and to keep them away from everyone else on the team, and that sometimes meant she had to use her body as a shield. It was extra important when it was her brother at the helm of the snitch. Tizi was an alright chaser, okay he was more than alright, and they might even have won the game if the Macaws seeker hadn't been saw good. That was just how things went though sometimes, you win some, you lose some. At the end of the day, things couldn't be helped. "You're right, it's not a sport for the feint of heart, that's true." Most of the professionals she knew played since they were young. Her own family included. Most of those on her team were related to her.

She moved over to the bed on the instructions of the medic and winced as she sat down. She was sure those ribs were broken, but she couldn't say for certain. "Corey better buy me a mother*cking drink for this," she complained, trying to make herself at least semi-decently comfortable with the way she was sitting. It wasn't an easy task since her ribs ached no matter what position she was in. "I think it's my ribs," she said, lifting the side of her robes to point out the very deep reddening on her side. It would be purple soon, she just knew it. "I took atleast two bludgers to my side, this is where it hurts the most." She really probably should have counted. She'd managed to avoid most of them, but every now and then she missed one, and she could hardly see everything after all.

"My mum flew for the Tengu as well, Taylor Blare-Edogawa, she's the coach now, but she flew when pregnant with all nine of my siblings," she said, wincing a little again as she moved. She couldn't explain it but she just loved being in the air, fighting off bludgers, racing from one side of the pitch to another. The longest game she'd ever played so far in her career was slightly less than a day, it was a good thing the teams had subs, though this game had barely lasted an hour. That was just the game sometimes. "I was just a beater from the start, mum says I was always crafty, always looking out for something to hit. She put a bat in my hand and that was that."​

 

[Agnes Baros]

The woman smiled as even now, Yukiko was making jokes. That was certainly a good sign and one that relieved the witch somewhat. She was a good sport about it, knowing that no one wanted to end up in the medical tent if they could help it, but now even that she had found herself here she was handling it well. "You certainly deserve it," she agreed, "I don't know what the Seekers would do out there if it weren't for Beaters."

Agnes leaned a little closer, carefully examining the area Yukiko showed her hurt the most. It was certainly red and swollen, and as someone who'd been a Beater most of her life, Agnes expected she knew what pain to recognise. "Do you have any other pain in your stomach, back, or shoulders?" she asked her, checking the location of the swelling to see where about on her ribs it would have affected. She had to be sure there wasn't any other damage beyond that to her ribs, and while annoying it would be to wait for the bones to fix themselves, it would have been the best-case scenario. "And how do you feel all pain aside? Any dizziness or light-headedness?" she asked, trying her best to cover all instances.

Moving round to the front of Yukiko once more, she looked into her eyes, checking her pupils for any signs that she may have been unwell. It was a challenge she'd had to overcome years ago, the ability to hold a conversation while still remaining professional, able to focus on the task at hand even while distraction was at the forefront. "Your mum sounds like she knows the game inside out then, if she could pinpoint your talents from such a young age," she added, "unless of course, your talent made it incredibly easy for her to notice. Did she do the same with your siblings?"​

 

[Yukiko Edogawa]

"Probably fall off of their brooms," honestly the amount of work that Yukiko had to put into protecting her seeker - who happened to be her brother, meant that she spent more time at his side when on her broom than she spent doing much else. She'd aimed a couple of the bludgers at Blake of course, but he'd been a little too quick, or he'd had another beater come up in her way. That was just the nature of the game, and sometimes things just worked out that way and you sort of just had to deal with it, letting things fall as they might, not that she was worried about it. Quidditch was the one thing she never seemed to need to stress about. It was all just so easy to deal with and she could play it as long as she wanted. Her mother being her coach not withstanding. "Beaters are... important, yet most teams don't have an alternate beater because you physically can't win a game without a seeker. But it's not like when people play in school, switching out your team is hard, when you play at the professional level, sometimes you just have to let it go. I couldn't play any other position, I'm not fast like a chaser, or a seeker and I'm not patient like a keeper, I'm scrappy like a beater and I always will be."

It was important to her that people understand how different professional quidditch was to the kind of games people played in school, it wasn't simple and easy like some people seemed to think and people could die in a professional game or get seriously hurt. It was possible in any game of quidditch, sure, but the kids playing at school didn't have the training that she had, they didn't have the upper body strength of the desire to kill as she had, they didn't need it. Maybe she didn't either, but she had it and she always had, that instinct to go in there and do what was necessary. She couldn't think about the person on the other end of her bludger too much or she wouldn't be trying to knock people off of their brooms with one. "Nah, it's just my side, I don't think it's anything else, but the pain there is sort of making everything else fade to the back of my mind," she admitted, unsure how to really know which parts were still hurting with all the pain concentrated at the side of her chest. "No dizziness or lightheadedness either. I think I walked away pretty unscathed all things considered."

"Well, she's the Tengu Coach these days, I suppose she sort of had to have the knack. She got sick of having to deal with her coach all the time, so she got them sacked and took their job and now basically my whole family has a spot on the team. There's no one on the team I'm not related to at present." And that was kind of wild, was that nepotism? It sounded like nepotism. Merlin, was she a nepotism baby? She was, wasn't she? Ah well, she was hardly going to do anything to change it now, she'd been flying for the Tengu for ages. "She had all my siblings out on brooms from a really young age. We sort of all knew where we were going to end up."

@Agnes Baros ​