Peyton stood in the middle of the Quidditch pitch with his trusty broom Phoenix resting on his shoulder. He wore a light long sleeved cotton shirt with a pair a form fitting jeans, not so tight to be uncomfortable to move in but not loose enough to be trouble on his broom. His gloves and pads were strapped over her clothes. It was a little odd seeing him out of his Quidditch robes but this was just a practice and he had only recently been reinstated as Captain, he didn't want to come across as too uptight - though he was sure after today everything would be business as usual.

Peyton had been unable to play in their last game against Slytherin due to a very untimely detention. The team had been rocked by the Snakes and he knew most of the morale was down the tube. Chloe had taken it the hardest from what he had seen. He had no idea why she was no longer in the Captain's Chair but Peyton was more than willing to take up the mantle again and get the C back on his robes. The only problem was, under Chloe's reign he had no idea where the team stood anymore and was afraid he may have to work his way up from the bottom again.

He looked at the assembled students in front of him with a grin. Even though he was a tough and hard working Captain, he could never hide his enthusiasm for the game, "Alright guys, we're starting over again. The Snakes may have gotten us beat last game but we're still in this to win it. We're going to work harder than we ever have before, we're going to Practice every chance we get, we are going to eat sleep and breathe Quidditch until we bring home that Cup!"

"We're going to start out with some dry runs, figure out where everyone's comfortable and what positions we need covered. Most of you I already know and have been playing aside for years now, some others are newer to the game. I want you all to tell your name and what position you'd like to play."

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If you've been on the team before and don't see your name on the roster, don't fret. It's been a long time since we're been able to RP a Quidditch match and want everyone to get a chance to play if they want to. Quidditch comes with a lot of injuries and it's very possible to have a second string of players on the side lines in case someone gets hurt, or in case a writer goes inactive, So don't be afraid to have your character jump into the thread even if the positions aren't open. The more the merrier!

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Elijah stood on the pitch in a drowsy stupor. The night had been rough on the poor Ravenclaw, and the crazy amounts of studying put Eli in a rather subdued mood. His dark blue robes hollowed about his lanky frame in the slight wind.

Upon his shoulder, mirroring his roommate, sat his broom. The thing seemed to hum in his grip, as if it were eager to be in the air again. Truthfully, Eli was excited to be in the air too. There was just something about the wind whipping about oneself that seemed to strip all worries and cares away.

There was a match coming up, Eli knew, and he was determined not to lose again... well... at least not as bad as they had before. It was dismal, disheartening, and downright distasteful to lose to the snakes in the dungeons. After all, eagles flew, but snakes were meant for the ground.

When Peyton finished his mini-speech, Eli was the first to pipe up and answer, "Uh... I'm Elijah Grimlish... which most of you already know... and I play beater, or chaser,"

Why their fearless leader wanted him to spout information they already knew was beyond him... but who was he to question his superiors? Especially when they shared the same dorm space.

With a slight sigh, Sasha came to stand next to Eli with his broom in hand.  Like his fellow Ravenclaw, he'd spent most of the night studying.  End of the year exams were just around the corner and a year of a full schedule of classes had left him worn and ragged.  And, their team's record that year was doing little to lighten the mood. 

He couldn't help but take their miserable record personally.  He was their Seeker, after all.  Despite everything that could be said about team work, team efforts and all that other stuff, they lost because he hadn't caught the snitch. 

He would like to be able to say he knew it was just a matter of a bad year.  That he'd been Seeker the previous year and he wouldn't still be the team's Seeker if he was completely rubbish.  But, he'd missed most of the games last year for one reason or another.  He really didn't know, did he?  While he'd managed to stay in school (despite close calls due to various experimenting with necromancy and trying to see how angry Professor Storm could get), there were still so many other things going on. 

No wonder, in tournaments past, they'd usually cancelled the year's quidditch season. 

"I'm ... well, I'm Sasha."  Like Eli, most probably knew that.  "And, I have been playing Seeker.  Assuming-"  He glanced at the rest of the group, gathered, half expecting a new face to step forward and announce Peyton had recruited him or her to take over the position.

A few steps behind the sixth-years, Alvis leaned his broom against one shoulder and fidgeted with his glasses. After the Hufflepuff game where he'd lost the pair in mid-save he'd been experimenting with various spells and bands to keep them attached. The current effort itched to the point of distraction.

At least it was better than thinking about their current standings as a team. Wentworth was gung-ho about bringing back the cup for Ravenclaw, but fact of the matter was they'd lost every game this year. Hell, they hadn't even managed a triple-digit score. Privately, Alvis thought it might be better to call this season a wash and pour all their focus into doing better next year. But that would put a damper on Wentworth's return to Captain and probably make everyone feel bad, so he wasn't about to say it out-loud.

He would, however, comment on the strangeness of being called to introduce himself to a team he'd played for the last seven months. "Are introductions really necessary?" he asked, bewildered. "New to the game or not we all live together."

He stared at the captain, unblinking, for a moment after that. Then he shrugged. "Alvis Norling. I play Keeper, usually."

Ever the ray of sunshine, the always smiling Avalon made his way down to the pitch with a little extra bounce in his step. It was a nice day, he slept well last night, his headache was gone, and frankly...things were just going well in general. His happy demeanor went well with his grunge rock style put away for the day he dawned his playtime gear and skipped the shower this morning knowing he would probably end up dirty anyway. With the wind the way it was, his raven colored strands were wild atop his head looking more a crown to a rooster, but he ran with it--and rocked it anyway.

Avalon was a little late, but he was just in time to hear Alvis introduce himself and was quick to snatch up the younger boy and put him in a playful headlock. He dug his knuckles into his hair messing it up, and almost knocked his glasses off his face. Having always been an only child he loved that he felt like all of the younger years could be his younger siblings and though he teased them as much as he could--he would also put down his life for them.

With a smirk to the rest of the team he let Alvis go and pointed to his own jacket where his last name was, and pulled his pack of cigarettes from his back pocket to light one up while they waited. He was a chaser, but they knew that by now. And he did it rather well despite being mute, but Avalon rarely let that get him down anywhere. Once his cigarette was lit he took a long drag and puffed the smoke away from his team before turning it over and offering it to Alvis.

This would be fun. He wondered if the boy's face would get red from just the blush alone or if he truly would take a drag and they would have to spend the rest of their practice in the healing hut.

Peyton gave his team a cheeky grin. He had let his enthusiasm get the better of him. His eagerness to get back on his broom and at the helm of his team kept him from seeing just how ridiculous his instructions had been until they pointed it out to him. They still complied though and Peyton managed to recover quickly, "You've all known each other for years, many of you have played on this very team with each other for years and yet you still dutifully introduced yourselves as if you hadn't. Why? Because I asked you to. You've all demonstrated something very important: you can follow orders."

Peyton gave them a wink as if his little mind game had been the intention all along, "right then," he unlatched the ball trunk and retrieved the quaffle tossing it to the nearest of his chasers. Then he ducked down and carefully unlatched one of the twin bludgers watching it whip over the team's heads before rising up to usual game heights. For now he left the snitch where it was. He gave Sasha a sympathetic glance but the seasoned Seeker knew they could be out there forever if he released it.

"Norling I want you in goal. Grimlish, try to keep that bludger off us. Roth, I want you practicing your passes and throws with our other Chasers. Sasha practice dives and weaving around us." He showed a small golf ball he pulled from his pocket, "I'll be tossing this around, I want you to try catching it before it hits the pitch." Without further instruction Peyton mounted Phoenix and soared into the sky.

---

This thread is still open to any that want to hop on the Quidditch team. Feel free to act as if your character has been there all along or even show up late for practice. There's still a beater and a chaser spot open but you're also welcome to hop in if your character is better suited for another position and we'll figure things out come game time.

Avalon's oh-so-friendly arrival earned a startled, "Eep!" from Alvis as his head was snatched and his hair was mussed. When released his hands automatically went to his glasses, even though the elastic charm he'd used was already reeling them back into place. He still wasn't used to the overwhelming physicality of Avalon Roth. The contrast of affectionate energy and utter silence took a lot of getting used.

The appearance of the cigarette was even more baffling. Belatedly, Alvis realized that the extended tobacco stick was meant as an offer. He felt his cheeks go red and raised both of his hands with the palms flat. "Um, no. I don't -- no, no, thank you. Not for me."

Peyton's reaffirmation of leadership was greeted with a sigh of relief. Alvis fidgeted with his wrist armor and, when directly addressed by their captain, nodded his affirmation.

Thirty seconds later he was on his broom and following Peyton into the air. Once they leveled out, he broke from the group and flew to the goals, his arms tingling with anticipation. In a real match, the Keeper's game ran in cycles -- low tension when your team had the ball, high when the opponents did, up and down like the bike trail between his village and the market. In practice, it was all tension all the time, always on high alert. It was, he felt, the closest he would ever get to being on the same emotional level as the chasers and beaters. However long the game lasted, they were always in the thick.

Alvis hovered before the center goalpost, rolling his shoulders as he watched the Chasers move into formation. He gave his glasses one last push, rubbed his hand together, and gripped the broom handle with the hint of a grin. "All right," he muttered. "Bring it on."

Sasha had offered a warm grin in greeting but the grin had shifted to confusion and, finally, surprised disappointment directed at Avalon when the other sixth year walked up to next to the fourth year and offered him a cigarette.  Sasha knew he hadn't been sleeping in the boys' dorms a lot this year (or much of last year) but when had he missed Avalon picking up that habit?  Let alone the practice of sharing it with younger years. 

"Really?!" he'd started to mouth towards Avalon but Peyton was directing their attention back to the practice.  He blinked, glanced questioningly at their captain as a practice plan was laid forth. 

"Is this part of a new strategy?  Are we blackening our lungs during practice in hopes of increasing our endurance for the game?"  Sasha had really intended for the comment to be a mental quip that would have been for his own benefit and no one else's but it had somehow managed to escape him. 

But, Alvis and Peyton had taken to the skies.  After another confused scowl towards Avalon, Sasha got on his own broom and climbed altitude.  His confusion could wait for a different time to get sorted out. 

As soon as they'd taken their positions, Sasha turned his attention to the task at hand.  One eye was fixed on the small white ball in Peyton's hand, the other was keeping a lookout for the bludger. 

With a long drag Avalon held the smoke between his lips only long enough to blow it in Sasha's face, and his normal peace outward appearance dared him to make something of it. Was that little quip really necessary? Was Sasha his mother? Last time he checked it wasn't, but he flicked the end off into the grass and took to the skies.