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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 7, 2016 11:54:40 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2016 11:54:40 GMT -7
The fall Quidditch scouting session hadn't gone as well as Jamie had hoped. She hadn't made the best first impression, and she had beat herself up about that for a good while, but by now, she had realized that there was no use in crying over it. She would just show everyone that even though she wasn't a huge go-getter or attention-seeker like most of them seemed to be, she was still a great Quidditch player. Since her last excursion to the Quidditch field had been aborted due to helping Tania Krum to the hospital wing, Jamie was even more determined to get up in the air today. She had been relieved to find the locker room empty, and the pitch just as empty. Sometimes she needed some time to herself to warm up before people started watching her. It didn't take long for Jamie to mount her broom, and soon she was up in the air, a borrowed Quaffle tucked under her arm. She was going to practice some scoring maneuvers, but first, she wanted to fly a few laps.
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 17:34:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 17:34:42 GMT -7
Dastan felt crowded. Or claustrophobic. Or something. He didn't know exactly what it was, but something was off with him lately and he felt like he needed a break, some time to get some air or something. Some air. At that thought, Dastan realized what it was. He hadn't been flying since that scouting practice whatever-it-was. No wonder he was feeling so tense. Well, seeing as how he wasn't busy at the moment, Dastan decided to take a break from the castle and make his way down to the Quidditch pitch. To his surprise, someone else was already there. He squinted at the person, but he couldn't tell who it was from the ground. Shrugging to himself, he jumped onto his broom and soared straight toward the person. Hopefully they wouldn't mind, but his last one-on-one session with Dan had gone pretty well, so why wouldn't this. "Hey!" He called, hoping whoever it was already noticed him and was interested in practicing together.
@jamie
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 17:40:04 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 17:40:04 GMT -7
Jamie had flown around the pitch a few times when she saw someone enter from the locker room, broom in hand. Well, it was all well and good to practice on her own and get to clear her head, but in the long run, it was probably going to be better for honing her skills if she actually played against someone else. She continued to circle the pitch, just in case the boy on the ground wasn’t interested in practicing with her, but a few moments later, it was obvious that he had the same idea that she did. Now that the boy was closer, Jamie recognized him. They had been at Quidditch tryouts together, and he had really helped her out. “Hey.” She answered with a bright smile. “Care to practice Keeping?” Jamie asked, deciding to cut right to the chase. That was the position the boy played, if she wasn’t mistaken, which was a perfect complement to her position as Chaser.
@dastan
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 17:50:06 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 17:50:06 GMT -7
Dastan grinned when he got closer to the girl. He recognized her from the tryout thing the other day. She was the one he'd thrown the Quaffle to. He smiled, remembering that she was good. This was definitely going to be fun. She asked if he wanted to practice keeping, "Sounds great!" he told her, flying over to the goal posts quickly and taking up position. Dastan knew that he wasn't the best at everything, but when it came to Quidditch he felt confident in his ability to hold his own. He knew this girl was talented (just like Daniel was) so he was excited to get a good practice in. He smiled wryly as he thought to himself that coming to Hogwarts had probably been the best thing he could have done to better his Quidditch career. He got more practice here with more talented people than he ever had at Beauxbatons.
@jamie
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 17:54:48 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 17:54:48 GMT -7
It hadn’t taken much to convince the boy to take up Keeping, that was for sure. He flew immediately to the goal posts, and Jamie followed, though she kept a safe distance away, trying to make it obvious she wasn’t going to start the game yet. “My name’s Jamie, by the way!” She called across the distance between them. Since they hadn’t ever been properly introduced, and now they were playing against each other, Jamie thought it was only proper that they at least knew what to call each other. That out of the way, Jamie circled her broom around, flying to the opposite end of the pitch so that she could build up as much momentum as possible before throwing the Quaffle. Leaning down on her broom, Jamie hurtled across the field, wind whistling in her ears, before she pulled down sharply and lobbed the Quaffle towards the bottom of the right goal hoop.
@dastan
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 18:07:27 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 18:07:27 GMT -7
Dastan laughed softly to himself when he heard the girl introduce himself. Yup, typical Dastan. Getting caught up in the moment and forgetting to be polite. At least she didn't seem upset by his behavior. That was a definite relief. "I'm Dastan," he told her in response, waving at her. Then she flew across the field and Dastan narrowed his eyes and got ready. It was on and now was the time when he needed to focus. Not that it was hard. Keeping felt like second nature to him now. She turned around and zipped across the field, making her way towards him and Dastan drummed his fingers on the broomstick, keeping them light and agile, ready to move at a second's notice. When she finally threw the Quaffle, he was ready. He dove toward the ball, tipping it with the edge of his fingers so it didn't make its way through the hoop. Well that was close. Closer than he wanted. Dastan took a deep breath as he resolved to be more careful. Not that it really mattered, but he wanted to do well. At least he'd blocked it. Dastan allowed himself a small smile.
@jamie
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 18:16:47 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 18:16:47 GMT -7
Jamie nodded when the French boy said his name. Dastan. That was a name worth remembering. Well, all names were worth remembering to Jamie, but this one especially. Not only did he seem like a nice person, but he seemed like a fierce competitor, too. Jamie was reminded of just how fierce he was when he tipped her shot away from the goal. The Quaffle began to fall, and Jamie angled her broom downwards, scooping the ball under her arm just a few feet from the ground. Evidently speed hadn’t been the way to go with Dastan – he was quick, and Jamie wasn’t sure she could be quicker. If she wasn’t going to outpace him. Jamie figured that she had to outsmart him. Jamie knew a few feints, but chances were, Dastan knew them, too. She was going to have to get creative. Starting about midway towards the field, Jamie angled herself so she was facing the leftmost hoop. She leaned against her broom, intending to make it look like she was going for the same shot she had just made with a different hoop. At the last moment, though, Jamie twisted her body, launching the Quaffle towards the right hoop instead and hoping Dastan had fallen for her ruse.
@dastan
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 18:36:12 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 18:36:12 GMT -7
She was obviously focusing more, which was a good thing. The harder she tried, the harder it would be for Dastan to defend. After all, she'd almost made that last shot. Now Dastan was determined to not miss a shot. He watched as she caught the Quaffle and started to come at him again. She angled like the was going for the opposite post from last time but Dastan had a feeling that she was feinting. Obviously he didn't know her style at all yet, so he had no reason to think that, but he did. He hovered in the middle, figuring that she wouldn't go for the same shot she did last time. That was where he made his fatal mistake. Assumptions. At the last moment, she threw the Quaffle in the same place she had before and while Dastan was fast and almost stopped it- in fact, he barely touched it with the edge of his fingers again- this time the ball went through the hoop. He fought to not show his disappointment on his face, though he felt it fiercely. Competition was one word to describe Dastan completely and he hated losing- or even missing- no matter what it was. With Quidditch, he was even more competitive. He forced a smile and nodded at her, not wanting to seem a poor sport, though on the inside he was berating himself for assuming what she would do.
@jamie
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 18:54:08 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 18:54:08 GMT -7
Jamie was surprised that her feint had actually worked, but that didn’t keep her from being excited that it had. She didn’t want to smile too much so Dastan wouldn’t think that she was rubbing her victory for this shot in his face, but Jamie didn’t want to be one of those stoic players, either. Those were always unnerving, at least for Jamie. “You wanna fetch this one?” Jamie asked Dastan. “We could, I don’t know, debrief after each pair of shots or something?” Sure, playing Quidditch would make them both better, but talking about the shots they had made, what made them succeed or fail at their respective positions, would be helpful in the long run, too. Learning how your opponent thought gave the game a lot more finesse, and made it a lot more challenging. Jamie wasn’t sure that she could always claim to like to be challenged, but if she was going to make a go of it professionally, she was going to need to expand her knowledge base as much as possible.
@dastan
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2016 22:15:29 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2016 22:15:29 GMT -7
She was smiling, but not too much. Not enough that Dastan felt like she thought she was better than him, but enough that he knew she was proud of herself. Which was a good thing. He'd been surprised by his ability to stop her first throw, so he could understand her being pleased. When she suggested he get the Quaffle this time, Dastan nodded before turning his broom and diving after it. He heard her other question, but he obviously wasn't there to answer it right away. A few seconds later, he caught it and rose back to her altitude. "Sorry, I was gone before you started that second question," he apologized. "But talking about it sounds good to me. Honestly, both of your thoughts were really good. I couldn't tell where you were going until the very last second. With one of them, I had enough time to get it, with the other I didn't. So you're doing well at not being obvious." Which was more than Dastan could say than a lot of the players he knew at home. They were all glaringly obvious. To him, at least. He waited, wondering what she was going to say before they continued. He figured she would have something to say, since debriefing was her idea in the first place.
@jamie
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 9, 2016 6:43:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2016 6:43:01 GMT -7
Dastan went to go get the Quaffle, and when he returned, he said that he hadn’t heard her second question. “Sorry.” Jamie said hastily. She should have realized that Dastan would go and fetch the ball immediately, before it could bounce or roll into some hard-to-find corner of the field, and wouldn’t be able to hear the question. He seemed to understand what she wanted to do anyways, maybe because he had caught the end of it. Jamie smiled at the compliment he gave her, and nodded at it. She had been working on not projecting her movements, and she was glad to hear that she was making progress. “You’re really fast. A lot faster than some of the other Keepers I know. And you have great muscle control.” With someone less talented, Jamie’s first shot definitely would have gone in, as well. Even if they had been fast enough, Jamie doubted they could have made the reaching tipoff like Dastan had. “So I guess the question now is, how can I be faster, and how can you be better at reading me?” They certainly weren’t going to just tell each other how to beat them, but it was good, Jamie thought, to have a goal in mind.
@dastan
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 10, 2016 11:28:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2016 11:28:35 GMT -7
Dastan smiled, "It is not a problem. I heard your question, I just could not answer it right away," he told her to clarify. He listened to her comments about the last two shots and nodded, smiling when she told him how fast he was. It made him very good as a keeper, but it was also one of the benefits he had a chaser. Still, she didn't need to know everything, like how he was pretty diverse when it came to positions on the Quidditch field. Except for seeker. He wasn't good at spotting the snitch at all, though when he did see it he could normally catch it. "Hmm ..." Dastan thought for a moment, trying to think of some advice her could give her. "Well I think I will be better at reading you the more I play with you, but I also think I need to just pay more attention to your body movements to see if I can catch what you are going to do." He thought for another second, trying to think of how to explain his thoughts on how to be faster. "You can try rolling the Quaffle off your fingers as you throw it? That gives it a little more spin, which helps it move faster and makes it more difficult to control when trying to block it. Does that make any sense?" Dastan wasn't quite sure if she would understand what he was trying to say, but he was trying to be clear.
@jamie
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 12, 2016 17:30:22 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 17:30:22 GMT -7
Jamie smiled gratefully, glad that Dastan had heard her question, even if he hadn’t been able to answer as quickly as he would have liked. Dastan said that he would be better about predicting her movements if he had seen her play before, and Jamie nodded. “I’ll save you some trouble and tell you that a lot of my tells are in my knees. Even if my torso is pointed one way, if my knees are pointed the other way, chances are I’m going to be switching up soon.” Jamie had been trying to break herself of that habit, but she knew that it was still a big part of her playing style. Maybe Dastan would have liked to figure that out for himself, but Jamie thought it would be a better learning experience for both of them if they both knew her tics and could use them to their advantage or disadvantage. When Dastan made the comment about rolling the ball off her fingers, Jamie frowned a little. “Yeah, it makes sense. But doesn’t that make it harder to aim? I mean, the spin would introduce a little bit of variability into where the Quaffle went, wouldn’t it?” Especially the first few times she shot and was getting used to the feel of adding spin – there were sure to be a few crazy shots in there.
@dastan
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 12, 2016 21:28:46 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 21:28:46 GMT -7
Her knees? Well that was definitely an interesting tell, but one that Dastan was definitely going to work hard to remember. If both of them did end up playing professionally with one another, that would be an important thing to know. Obviously, if she was telling him about it she was aware, so she was probably working on it, but those kinds of tells were hard to hide completely. "That's good to know," he said, wanting to make sure she knew that he heard her. He shrugged when she asked if it was harder to aim. "Initially yes, but once you get used to it, aiming isn't hard. Personally, I aim better with the spin. Or maybe I just think I do since I know it's harder for people to block me." He thought about it for a moment. "Just something to try if you're ever in the mood," Dastan added. He didn't want her to feel pressured to use it right now, especially because her aim would be so off ... but if she did try now maybe he could give her some pointers? He'd just have to see where she went with it.
@jamie
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last online Mar 28, 2024 22:27:41 GMT -7
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Dec 13, 2016 15:34:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2016 15:34:38 GMT -7
Dastan had heard what she said about her tell, and Jamie nodded. “This is going to come back to bite me, isn’t it?” She teased. She didn’t plan on ever being Dastan’s teammate, since she wanted to be a part of an all-girls team, so really, telling him this could only hurt her when she went professional. Hopefully by then she would have nearly erased her tell, though, so she could only hope that she wouldn’t fail as a Chaser every time Dastan was Keeper. She nodded when he said that at first it was difficult to aim with the spin, but that he thought he aimed better after he got used to it. It was a lot better to aim when you were confident the Keeper couldn’t block you, that was for sure. “I’m in the mood now.” Jamie declared confidently. Since Dastan had admitted that it was initially harder to aim with the spin, it wasn’t like he could tease her when she inevitably missed her first few shots using that technique. And if she tried it now, that would mean that she’d have it down by the time the next Hufflepuff practice came around, which meant she could teach the rest of the Chasers on her team to do the same thing and make them an even more effective scoring unit.
@dastan
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