Closed Ups and Downs

[Lars van Houten]

Lars was a little dazed from his match. He had lingered on the pitch until most other people had left, and then had started to wander around. Perhaps he should have gone to the castle with his team, but he didn't really feel like part of the team yet. Even though he had played, and hadn't even played that badly, he felt like he needed a moment alone. A moment to process what had just happened to him. The boy had done a walk around the Quidditch pitch in his robes, still carrying his broom. He decided to sit on the grass near the pitch and allowed himself to fall back on the ground, lying on his back and enjoying the spring sunshine. Perhaps he should go to the common room soon, but he was enjoying this moment of solitude. Images from the match kept playing in his mind, both good moments and bad. Lars' mind felt very crowded right now, and he thought a moment of quiet and peace would probably help a lot with that.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot had been hoping to catch Lars after the game and congratulate him, but after it seemed the rest of the Ravenclaw team had come and gone already with no sign of Lars, he'd started to wonder if he'd missed him somehow. Deciding to take a quick peak back at the pitch in case Lars was still cleaning up or whatever actual team members did after a match, Elliot was about to leave for the castle when he spotted someone in blue laying on the grass.
Recognizing Lars' gangling legs, Elliot was briefly worried Lars had hurt himself somehow after the match, jogging over quickly. "Lars, hey, there you are. You, uh, okay?" With no obvious injuries, and Lars looking pretty content, Elliot calmed down, smiling when he noticed Lars custom painting on his broom laying near by. "You were awesome today by the way, so many saves!" He hoped he wasn't interrupting Lars' quiet time or anything, but Elliot knew Lars had been nervous about playing. Heck, he'd been nervous for him too, but he was so impressed with how well Lars had done.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars wasn't sure how long he had been lying there on the grass when he heard someone approach. Lars sat up a bit and smiled slightly as he saw Elliot. At the sight of the other boy, he felt a warm feeling in his chest. A feeling he would paint a rose gold kind of color if he had to paint it on a canvas. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" He asked as he looked at the Hufflepuff, though a part of him felt pleased that he had been worried. "I didn't get hit by a bludger." He was glad about that, and relieved too. He felt his cheeks turn pink as Elliot complimented him, and knew from experience that his ears would be turning red too. "Oh. You think so?" He asked uncertainly. "I did save more than I let through... but I wasn't sure if I did well." He couldn't help thinking that Simon would have done a better job in the position.

 

[Blake van Houten]

Blake had gone to the Gryffindor v. Ravenclaw quidditch match somewhat begrudgingly. He loved watching people play sports, any sports, and if his captain ever saw sense and let him play, he wanted to know what the opposing teams styles were. It was frustrating though, watching and not knowing how long it'd take to get out on the pitch himself. It had been an exciting, if long match, but one thing Blake noticed had made him outright furious. He didn't know how that wimpy kid who'd been so rude had managed to make a team at all, but Blake burned with jealousy that the Ravenclaw had been allowed to play before him. He was angry and frustrated, and had a lot of steam to let off. So after the match he had gotten changed into his own Quidditch gear and gotten his broom, hoping to put some work in and improve his own chances of getting to play a match soon.

To Blake's frustration though, the object of his ire was still by the pitch for some stupid reason. Blake's blood burned, and he barely stopped to think as he approached the boys, broom gripped in his hand. "Guess Ravenclaw's really desperate for players, huh?" He scoffed, eyeing the boys as he approached. "How'd you manage not to fall off that thing you call a broom?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot smiled a little self-consciously when Lars asked why he wouldn't be okay, settling for just shrugging rather than explain his weird anxiety about his friends. "And I'm very glad of that too," He said when Lars reminded him he didn't get hit during the game. He still found it really exciting that Lars was on the team, especially after seeing him in action, but the thought of him getting hurt during a game was an unsettling one.
Elliot nodded emphatically when Lars mentioned his saves. He wasn't just saying nice things because Lars was his friend, he really did think he'd done great during the game. "Gryffindor's offense was rough, you killed it," He said simply, hoping Lars would accept the compliment.
He was just considering joining Lars on the ground when he heard a familiar condescending voice call out, feeling his stomach drop as he spotted Blake Irons walking over. Couldn't this guy just leave them alone for once? He really seemed to have in for Lars in particular. Although he normally hated conflict or confrontation, Blakes comments about Lars being on the team today made Elliot bristle. "Maybe you missed the game, but Ravenclaw's team is great, they won today. And Lars helped them do that. He's a great player."

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiled at Elliot as he said he was glad he didn't get hit too. He wondered briefly if Elliot would have visited him in the hospital wing otherwise, and wasn't sure why that thought pleased him. He decided not to worry about it, and instead enjoy the moment. "Thank you." He said softly as he said he had done well. It wasn't always easy for Lars to accept, but he did trust Elliot to be truthful with him. "Your sign was really nice." He added softly. He was just starting to relax and feel more at ease, when he heard a familiar voice that put him on edge again. Lars didn't have to move his gaze away from Elliot to know who had just approached. But after a beat, he did look at the Slytherin. "Why are you wearing quidditch things?" He asked him, the question coming to him automatically. "I didn't fall off because I held onto it." He added, though he was fairly sure Blake hadn't meant it as a real question. He was happy that Elliot defended him, though he was worried it would only make Blake stick around for longer. "If you're going to practice, we won't be in your way." He added meekly, hoping it would get the boy to leave them alone.