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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Dec 13, 2016 19:29:25 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2016 19:29:25 GMT -7
Dastan couldn't completely tell if Jamie was serious or not, so he shrugged with a sly smile on his face when she asked if this was going to come back to bite her. "Probably not. I'm assuming you are trying to stop yourself from doing it, since you recognized it." At least, that's what Dastan did any time he realized he was doing something that would give him away. Still, maybe it wasn't good to assume too much. At least he was assuming positive things about her. He grinned when she said she was in the mood to try now. "Great!" He prepared himself near the hoops. Her aim probably wouldn't be off terribly, but it was better to be prepared. He was ready to spring into action after the ball, even dive if necessary. Really, he wanted to give her a good chance to practice what he'd suggested. It was a good method and Dastan was sure it wouldn't take her too long to get the hang of it. "I am ready when you are," he encouraged lightly.
@jamie
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Dec 15, 2016 15:33:14 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2016 15:33:14 GMT -7
Jamie nodded when Dastan correctly guessed that she was working on fixing her tell. “I am, but it’s the kind of habit that might take a while to break.” Then again, when she was in the professional league and it was more important that she break the habit, Jamie was certain that it would come a lot faster. Not that it wasn’t important no, but the House Cup wasn’t as high stakes as the Quidditch World Cup or something to that effect. And when she was out of school, she’d have loads more time to devote to Quidditch, since she wouldn’t have to study or anything of the sort. It was going to be strange, but Jamie also thought it would be kind of nice, to be able to devote all of her time to her career and her game plan. Dastan said that he was ready, and Jamie nodded, taking the Quaffle from him and flying about halfway down the pitch so she’d be able to gain some momentum. When Jamie approached Dastan and the goal, she shot the ball as Dastan had instructed, letting it roll off her fingers. She winced, already seeing that Dastan wouldn’t need to block it as it dipped too far down, on course to be a good meter or so beneath the goal hoop.
@dastan
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Dec 15, 2016 21:04:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2016 21:04:38 GMT -7
She was right, of course. It was easier to recognize a tell than to break one. "You can do it," he encouraged her with a smile. "I'll even help you practice." Obviously. That's what he was doing right now and he definitely wouldn't mind doing it again. Dastan watched as Jamie raced toward the goal and then did what he said, letting the ball roll off her fingers. He flinched a little, knowing right away that the ball wasn't even close to the hoop. Of course, it was expected. He told her that and he knew she believed him, but it was still hard watching it happen. He went for the ball and came back, tossing it to her. "Good try. Go again." She did it right; she just needed to practice and Dastan was going to make sure she got that practice.
@jamie
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Dec 21, 2016 19:20:17 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2016 19:20:17 GMT -7
Dastan was fairly good at encouragement, Jamie thought. She hadn’t been nervous to start with, but if she had been, Dastan’s reassurance would have made her feel better. As it was, they just boosted Jamie’s confidence more. And he seemed to accept her failure just as she had – as an inevitable part of the practice session. “Was the form correct?” Jamie asked, just to make sure. She didn’t want to keep failing at the shot because she was doing something fundamentally wrong. If she missed because she was adjusting to the new style, that was fine, of course. Receiving the Quaffle from Dastan, Jamie raised her hand to indicate she was going to try again before he answered her. This time he could look a little more at her form, too, in case he hadn’t been paying attention to that the first time. Jamie sent the ball spinning off her fingers again, and though it was another obvious miss, Jamie was hopeful that it was a slightly nearer miss than the first one.
@dastan
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Dec 21, 2016 19:44:13 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2016 19:44:13 GMT -7
Jamie asked about her form and Dastan opened his mouth to answer her, but she was already zooming away. It was just as well because she had the right form. She was doing it right, it was just going to take some time to get the aiming together. He watched her again as she approached, wanting to make sure that he hadn't seen wrong and that she really was doing it right. He watched her approach, nodding to himself as she spun the ball once more, missing the hoop entirely. He dipped a little bit to get the ball before it got too far away from him and then Dastan approached Jamie. "Your form is good. It's just the aim, which- like I said- takes practice. You'll get the hang of it. Go ahead and try again when you're ready," he encouraged, tossing the ball toward her once more. "If you want, I can show you?" He wasn't trying to show off, but maybe it would help her aim if she saw how he did it. Either way, the choice was hers and his offer was there.
@jamie
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Dec 22, 2016 8:47:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2016 8:47:23 GMT -7
Dastan went to retrieve the Quaffle again, and Jamie bit her lip, more than ready for any critiques he’d have for her. She was more than a little surprised to hear that her form really was fine, and it was just the aim. Surprised, but pleasantly so. “A demonstration would be nice.” Jamie admitted. She thought that she was getting the hang of it, but seeing the shot done correctly would certainly be helpful in teaching her how to adjust her aim, probably even more helpful than the trial-and-error thing she was doing right now. Besides, she was anxious to see if Dastan was half a good a Chaser as he was a Keeper. If he was, then Jamie was in trouble – she had almost zero versatility. She Chased, and she Chased well, but that was nothing in comparison to someone who could Chase and Keep, or Chase and Beat, or any combination of any of the other positions. Except Seeker – it was expected that a Seeker was highly specialized, Jamie thought, which made her kind of upset she wasn’t one. But it was too late to change now, so Jamie was just going to try her best to be the best Chaser there ever was.
@dastan
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Dec 23, 2016 14:24:24 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2016 14:24:24 GMT -7
Dastan nodded when Jamie said she would like a demonstration. That's why he offered, after all. Normally he would offer something like that to show off, but interestingly enough that wasn't the goal this time. He liked Jamie's work ethic and wanted to help her with her strategies. If this helped her, then he was willing to do that. He held his hands out for the ball and once he got it he said, "Well, here I go." He wasn't entirely sure what she would think of his flying, but he decided not to let that stop him. He flew away from her and into the middle of the field, turning around and taking a deep breath before he started. He flew forward with determination, his gaze entirely focused on the three rings. He was going to aim for the left one, but he kept his eyes on the middle ones. When he got close, he pulled his arm back and rolled the ball off his fingers, nodding shortly when he saw the ball go right where he wanted it to, straight towards the left ring. He didn't think his technique was anything special but he turned to Jamie after a second. "Did you see anything helpful there?" he asked.
@jamie
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Jan 3, 2017 20:48:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2017 20:48:01 GMT -7
Jamie watched intently as Dastan flew towards the goal posts, studying everything from the way he seated himself on the broom to how his eyes focused on the goals before he shot. Jamie drank in every detail, feeling hyperfocused as she saw the ball spinning off of Dastan’s fingertips and through the goal hoop. She took a moment to process the information before turning to Dastan, considering his question. “I think I did.” She said after reviewing her mental footage of the event. She had adjusted the aim in her wrist, of course, since that was how she had gotten the spin, but Jamie needed to adjust the way she aimed with her elbow, too, to keep the ball on a steadier path. She accepted the Quaffle from Dastan. “Last shot?” She suggested. Even if they hadn’t made that many shots, they had been at this for a while, and they could probably both use a shower and a good snack after all of this.
@dastan
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Jan 4, 2017 23:30:46 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2017 23:30:46 GMT -7
It was a relief when Jamie said that she caught something from his demonstration. He nodded, “Good.” Dastan knew that his technique was different and that no one really understood it at first, but he was glad that he could help her. He truly thought that his method was the best- then again, didn’t most people believe that? So maybe it was just pride and arrogance. Either way, he wouldn’t admit that if he didn’t have to. Then she asked if she could try one more and Dastan smiled, “Go ahead,” he told her easily. Hopefully it would go better for her this time, but if not he was going to watch closely so he could give her more advice. They could always find a time to come out and practice together again.
@jamie
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Jan 15, 2017 16:23:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2017 16:23:35 GMT -7
There was only thing that Jamie cared about this pass at the Quidditch goals was actually getting the ball in. She hoped that Dastan wouldn’t try too hard to block it, because it would be disappointing for her to make a shot that would have gone in if not for a Keeper. Learning to work with the Keeper (or beat him) was important, of course, but baby steps. She approached the goal more slowly than she had on her other attempts, trying to focus instead on precision, and took her last shot, watching as it spiraled towards the left hand hoop – on the perfect trajectory to go through it if Dastan didn’t block the shot.
@dastan
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Jan 17, 2017 19:02:53 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2017 19:02:53 GMT -7
It was her last try and Dastan watched Jamie carefully, wanting to see what she got out of watching him. In all honesty, he wasn't trying to protect the goalposts. He hadn't been trying to do that since he told her how to flick her wrist. He was more focused on her. This time, she seemed clearly determined as she came to the goalposts a little slower but he had a feeling that it was going to work. He watched her release and it was perfect! Dastan watched as it went toward the goalposts and flew behind them to catch the ball after it went through the hoops. "That was so much better," he encouraged with a smile. Hopefully she wouldn't take offense to the fact that he hadn't even tried to block, but he hadn't with the other two, so that wouldn't make any sense.
@jamie
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Jan 17, 2017 19:25:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2017 19:25:23 GMT -7
Jamie beamed as she watch her shot go right through the hoop, unhindered by poor aim or by Dastan. The Beauxbatons boy said that her shot had been much better, and she grinned even wider. “Thanks for teaching me such a cool trick!” She enthused. “We should practice together again sometime.” They had agreed that that would be Jamie’s last shot, and she was glad for it – she was already kind of exhausted, and she definitely needed a shower. Jamie raised her arm in a goodbye wave before landing her broom and making a beeline for the locker room so that she could get that shower that she so desperately needed.
@dastan
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last online Apr 28, 2024 20:11:24 GMT -7
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Jan 21, 2017 13:18:34 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 13:18:34 GMT -7
Dastan grinned at her obvious excitement about her success. "Not a problem," he said, about to add that they should come out together sometime when she said just the same thing. He chuckled a little and nodded. "I'll look forward to it, and to seeing how well you perfect that move." He had no doubt that she would be practicing it until she got it down, which would probably be before they practiced together again. Especially considering how quickly she learned the move in the first place. She left the pitch and Dastan flew around a few more times before finally landing and walking toward the carriage. It was time to get back to schoolwork. ---end--- @jamie
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