Uh No!
Author: Coco Nutt
Date: 03-18-04 10:11
Coco, loving the feel of the wind whipping past as she darts here and there to connecting time and again to one of the bludgers, wishes her team was winning. Never down about anything though, Coco shrugs off any depressive thoughts with the philosophical outlook that one team will lose and even if it's her team today that's defeated, there's no reason she still can't have fun.
Agilely dodging a bludger then setting up to hit that very bludger towards one of the Hufflepuff chasers, two of whom seem to be sharing one brain with the exact same thoughts for playing this game. Just how a well gelled team should be. Thank heaven all the Hufflepuffs aren't playing with that same single-minded mentality or most likely Ravenclaw would be even deeper in the hole point wise.
Bat firmly gripped in her left hand, Coco swings in a perfect arc, connecting with the bludger but something much larger than the other bludger slams into her. The collision is huge with a cracking of brooms and two bodies. The quaffle held by Alden goes soaring just before Alden's head hits Coco's bat then on to slam is forehead into Coco's temple.
Coco's vaguely aware of screams and shouts as the ground rapidly approaches and of one big hand that looks alot like Professor Krum's passing just over her line of sight. In a tangle of arms and legs, Alden and Coco smash into the hard, frozen ground. After that, neither are aware of anything until much later when waking up in the hospital wing.
Re: Happy Landings
Author: Adam Sparrow
Date: 03-18-04 14:33
"Yeah!" Adam jerked his fist back and raised just a bit off his seat! He looked at the scoreboard like somehow someone would magically change the points to favor Ravenclaw but still they were 40 points behind.
"Who won?" Sidi didn't bother to look up from her book.
"No one won. Ravenclaw scored ten points. Finally someone woke up out there!" He reached down and grabbed his bag and proceeded to explain the play through a mouth full of buttered popcorn with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.
"Mmm, great," Sidi responded not understanding a word of his popcorn accented description and not caring at all about it. Movement caught her attention. She looked beyond Adam to the seat next to him.
"Adam! LOOK!" Sidi pointed. "Look beside you!" She giggled. She bent forward. "Oh you know you are so gorgeous! The first time I saw you, you know I fell in love with you completely!!!! Come over here and sit on my lap!!!"
Adam was too busy writhing in agony on his knees over the latest blunder by Ravenclaw that brought Hufflepuff up to eighty points.
Electron pulled his hat down and peered at the very attractive woman two seats down. He stood and took his glasses off and considered his prospects. She smiled and continued to pat her lap. Well, it wouldn't be a hardship that's for sure. He glanced over again as she tucked "To Invoke and Compel: A Treatise on Successful Spirit Interface" into a tote bag by her side.
Ravenclaw gained possession again, but were rather sluggish. With a war cry of "Norvel Twonk!" Sebastian and Arley executed a pincer maneuver, closing in on the Ravenclaw Chaser with the Quaffle from either side, overwhelming him and disabling his passing, and finally snatching away the Quaffle. Another goal was scored promptly, the Quaffle whizzing just past the Ravenclaw Keeper's head and into the hoop. Ninety, and no sign of a slowdown.
"OH God, this is misery!" Adam yelled, thoroughly devistated that the team he was rooting for was getting clobbered. It was no matter that he'd never heard of them before they walked into the stands.
Sidi was relentless. She crossed her legs. "I'll give you a treat if you come here!"
"Who the HELL are you talking to?!" Her husband yelled. Taking his increasing frustration out on his wife. He looked over to the man standing next to him with his sunglasses in his hand.
Adam grabbed his thermos and removed the lid. He looked up at the man. Adam's jaw dropped. His eyes grew wide. The thermos tipped in his hand and poured hot coffee onto the standing man's shoes as he stared in utter amazement.
"See there Adam!?" She squealed. He nodded still dumbstruck.
That's one of Nevvyn's brownies!! Isn't he CUTE??!" She pulled a piece of candy from Adam's bag. "Come here baby!! Do you like peppermints?"
Elecron sat replaced his glasses and sat down. Adam was still a foot away staring. Okay Electron, He said to himself. What's the next move?
Knights Walpurgis: Death Is The End
Author: Nathaniel Hawkins
Date: 03-18-04 14:47
Bryon de Lacey let out a roar of anger and charged at Appollonia. She met his every parry with a skill he didn't think was possible. She didn't possess his strength, but she made up for it with cunning.
And now for his carelessness he wore a scarlet stripe down one arm where her sword had caused a glancing blow. His charge was unexpected and Appollonia parried it at the last moment – a shower of sparks enveloping the combatants. He grinned at her, feeling her sword waver against his. At last the woman's strength was beginning to wane and it would only be a matter of minutes before it ran out all together.
His sword slid the length of Appollonia's blade, resting against the hilt and mere millimeters from her fingers. Suddenly he twisted the blade and forced her sword away, bringing it down in an arc under her guard and slicing neatly into her side. She gasped, her other hand covering the wound. De Lacey laughed, victory within his grasp at last.
He watched the blood drip through her fingers and stain the white cloak she wore. He wagered that after this fight Hawkins would have to replace the item, rather than just have it laundered.
She parried his next blow but she was much weaker, and in a great deal of pain. All he had to show for it was a shallow graze on his bicep. Victory was his.
Is It?!
Author: Tranquillina Aemilius
Date: 03-18-04 19:40
Tranquillina looked from Roane to the cards of Captain Electron she'd removed from her pockets, to the frame in the omnioculars, and back to Roane. It couldn't be! It obviously wasn't---was it?
"I-Is it?!" Tranquillina stammered looking intently at Roane.
Roane nodded a reply.
"Oh my word!!!" Tranquillina jumped up and down excitedly.
Knights Walpurgis: I Think I'll Die Another Day
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 03-18-04 20:33
Greim go daingean - Hold Fast. My battle-cry, now true at an alarming level. I have to act fast, before I collapse from loss of blood. He expects me to lose confidence now, wants me to beg for mercy. Instead, I match his gaze without wavering, without fear.
I am going to win this fight.
I know I can't outlast his strength. But I can think fast. I have a plan.
I let the man disarm me. My sword goes flying in an arc over the crowd. De Lacey does the obvious thing, going straight for me. But befoe he reaches me, I lunge forward and grab the dagger from his belt - the same one he threw at me. His momentum is too great to turn around without loosing balance. By the time he's at stopped, just short of my former position, I am at the other end of the ring.
Now it's my trnr to grin.
Before he knows what's happened, the dagger is embedded in his chest. Fatally.
"That is how you throw a dagger."
It takes a moment for the ring of knights to realize I've just won the second round.
Another point for the Fenian.
Yahoo
Author: Kody
Date: 03-18-04 22:51
Coco out of the game. Alden out of the game. Ariana acting more and more like her mind is someplace else. Fritz doing his best to keep up with the two bludgers, both hitting them at the Hufflepuffs and intercepting them from hitting any of the Ravenclaws. Kody sighs, trying not to be down about how his team's falling apart and being behind by ninety points. He keeps repeating the mantra It's only a game. Have fun! It's only a game. Have fun! but so far it's not having any positive affect on Kody's current outlook.
Kody perks up slightly when Trey fumbles the quaffle. Darting within reach of the Hufflepuff, Kody easily snags the quaffle as it falls from Trey's grasp. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Lawrence Masterson aiming a bludger his way. Kody does a combination roll over and sharp turn but still feels the bludger grazing his hip. He senses more than sees Trey coming up fast beside him to reclaim the quaffle but Kody bluffs by making the Hufflepuff think he's going into a steep dive before actually angling slightly to one side.
The other two Hufflepuff chasers are converging on him from opposite sides. Ariana is straight ahead but when Kody yells, "Mason!" with the intention of sending her the quaffle, all he gets in return is a blank stare. Growling in frustration, Kody crouches low over his broom and urges it to go faster. Fritz appears out of nowhere, working hard to keep the past clear for Kody. Desdemona, perfectly centered in front of the middle goal, is waiting for him, watching closely for the tiniest tell as to which hoop he's going for.
Kody flies straight at Desi, quaffle clenched tightly in his hand. Just before reaching the Hufflepuff keeper, Kody pulls up while banking left. He lets go of the quaffle. He does a quick turn and watches with satisfaction as the quaffle goes through the right hoop. Just as rapidly as the grin appeared it vanishes as Kody thinks, "Woo hoo. Twenty whole points. Only eighty to go to catch up and that's only IF Hufflepuff doesn't scored again."
Is It Over Yet?
Author: Drucilla Eternal
Date: 03-19-04 13:27
The bench I was sitting on was hard, and the air blowing on my face was nippy. I was feeling bored and cold. Who would have ever thought a Quidditch match could run so long! At this point I had completely lost track of who was winning, or even who was playing for that matter. But even though I felt miserable, I didn't let any of those thoughts or feelings surface on the outside. As far as anyone looking at me could tell, I was feeling happy and delighted.
Not to say that the day had been a complete waste. Quite the opposite in fact! I had met the famous Albus Dumbledore who seemed to be quite taken with me. He kept up a friendly banter beside me, and would look at me and smile throughout the match. (I don't know why I was so nervous about meeting him - he was as easy to fool as Sirius!) And good old Sirius had even invited Harry Potter to meet him during the next Hogsmeade trip. Not that Harry had actually agreed to it yet, but I’m sure he would show up. Of course, I would be around too. There was no way I was going to miss out spending more time around Harry. And I'm sure there wouldn’t be any objections from either Sirius or Harry for that matter, because even though Harry was not in the friendliest of moods today, he didn't seem to object seeing me together with his Godfather.
Wrapping myself more tightly in my traveling robes, I smiled to myself. Things were falling into place nicely. My Dark Lord would be pleased with me.
Knights Walpurgis: Guessing Game
Author: Nathaniel Hawkins
Date: 03-19-04 14:42
There was a stunned silence from the circle of knights as Bryon de Lacey fell stone dead to the ground, the dagger embedded in his chest. Not even a sigh escaped de Lacey as he hit the ground. Abruptly there was the sound of chinking metal as much coin passed hands among the knights. More than a few have lost a small fortune this day.
Nathaniel looked to Merdroit and was amused to see the man smirking – obviously his pride had been injured this morning when he had been the first to loose the bet over the woman. Now he was enjoying the discomfiture of the other knights as they were forced to pay up too.
There was still hope for some of them however, as the woman had still to complete the final task. As far as Nathaniel could tell she was bleeding everywhere and he still had seven minutes left on his bet that she would last two hours.
Calling for quiet, Nathaniel stepped forward and held his arms out. He grinned evilly at Appollonia, who was looking very pale.
"The final task awaits you," he began as the knights stepped to the side, revealing a table bearing three cups. "You must now choose your own fate. One of these cups holds a healing brew and the two other have different but deadly poisons in them. Do not think to use your sense of smell either; all traces of odor have been removed. You must rely purely on your trust in your own self, proving that sometimes we cannot rely on others or our senses to help us out. You may take as long as you like, but be aware I stand to loose a lot of money in the next four minutes."
The knights guffawed with laughter at the last remark. This test proved to be the most amusing of all. On the table stood the three cups – one was heavy and stunted and bronze in finish, with the bare minimum of decoration. The second was carved in wood with ivy circling the stem, and the third was made of pure silver and studded with tiny pearls and gemstones. The only person who knew which cup held the healing drink was Nathaniel, and he wasn’t about to impart that information to anybody.
Knights Walpurgis: Aqua Vitae
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 03-19-04 17:55
"I don't care how much money you lose, nor anyone else present." I say, then turn to the task at hand. After testing my resourcefulness and stamina, they are now testing my intuition. The real test, for me, is not choosing the correct chalice, but brining myself down to a level of calmness to access my intuition. More so, doing it fast enough that I don't still die of blood loss.
I take a breath, it comes out rather ragged, but I ignore that.
I focus on each chalice.
Silver is connected to the Otherworld, has many magical properties. But none present would know that. In Muggle films it's always the simplest chalice that is the true one. But amongst the purebreds of the Knights Walpurgis, that wouldn't matter. It would be another reason for it to NOT be that one. The bronze simply doesn't feel right. In fact, all three have a feel of evil about them.
"All three contain poison."
Still smirking Nathaniel replies, "Then I suggest you find the healing potion quickly."
"Indeed." I look around the field, the gathered Knights. I'm feeling lightheaded and my vision is blurred. Hawkins is right: it's imperative that I find the healing one quickly.
I start walking around the horseshoe. As I near the middle, I feel a force pulling me. I walk through the formation of gathered knights and keep walking. I feel the power form the pace, but can't see anything. I look around, under rocks, still nothing. I notice that a stump seems loose and out of place, so push it aside. Then I dig in the earth loosened by the roots. Digging quickly as possible. Physical strain is now stronger than my will; I can barely make my arms dig anymore. Then I feel something smooth. I manage to pull it up. I don't need to see or smell the liquid to recognise it: Water from a spring like that in the Feririan cave. I fumble with the stopper, barely able to grip it tight enough to pull out the cork. Finally is comes out. I wipe the dirt from around the rim and take a gulp of the liquid.
My vision focuses, and my lightheadedness passes. I stand up, strong again, and walk steadily back to Nathaniel Hawkins.
"I have found the potion."
A third, and final, point for the Fenian.
Snapping To
Author: Ariana Maison
Date: 03-19-04 23:27
Ariana wasn't exactly sure what happened. But by the looks of it, she'd missed something... Ravenclaw had twenty points but they still had a lot to go to catch up to Hufflepuff.
Suddenly noticing Alden was out of the game, she realized she'd better get to it. Biting her lip and searching for both Kody and the quaffle to get back into the flow of things, she took off through the air. There still was a chance to win this game...unlikely...but Ariana wasn't going down without a fight.
Knights Walpurgis: The First Order
Author: Nathaniel Hawkins
Date: 03-20-04 11:03
Appollonia Solon looks pleased with herself and somewhat relived to Nathaniel's eye. After all, she had just passed all three trials and also healed herself, putting herself for the moment out of immediate danger.
Most of the other knights wear expressions of interest or just downright hate; he could see that life was going to far from easy for the new apprentice.
"Well done, Appollonia," says Nathaniel. "You have met the three challenges with courage and success, and now all that remains is to welcome you into the circle of the knights. We will hold the ceremony at dusk."
He stands to one side and gestures for her to return to the shack. "You must prepare yourself for the coming ceremony," he begins. "I shall expect you to meditate on the wisdom of joining such a group as ours, and what you expect to accomplish once you are part of us."
Once inside the shed Appollonia was to call home for the next few hours, Nathaniel retrieved a smock from a chest. "You will wear this," he commanded.
Appollonia heard the door shut and lock behind Nathaniel, aware again that even though she had passed the test she was still not trusted.
******************
As the sun dipped below the horizon Appollonia was ready. She was dressed in the white overshirt that Nathaniel had provided. Thankfully it reached her ankles and prevented her knees from getting cold in the dewy evening. She could see the approach of a torch from outside and then heard the door open. Nathaniel stood there once again, dressed in the full regalia of the knights. He wore a silver cuirass with the shield emblem embossed on the front, surrounding the gold eagle of the Knights of Walpurgis. A heavy red cloak sat on his broad shoulders, and he rested one hand on a huge sword which hung suspended from his belt.
"You are ready?" he asked in a serious tone.
Appollonia nodded, and followed Nathaniel at a discrete distance, wishing she had been provided with shoes for the occasion. A party of the knights fell in behind her, forming two lines with blazing torches as they headed for a small stone building which must serve as the temple here. They entered between two stone columns and the knights fanned out to form a large semicircle behind her and the altar.
Upon the altar rested a red cloak and Nathaniel picked this up in both hands. "We welcome you, Appollonia Solon, to the rank of First Order of the Knights of Walpurgis. We ask that you treat this honor with the respect and attention it deserves. May you also put the lives of your brothers before your own, and offer your soul in the service of the Knights."
With a flourish he placed the red cloak around her shoulders and stood back. There was a muted cheer from the gathered brothers.
The ceremony was over.
