Three~ Pre-Game Antics
It was not the typical Great Britain weather this morning. Jae propped herself against the building where her team would be meeting prior to the game. Her eyes were closed to the brightness of the sun. Her team arrived and she felt a hand go on her shoulder. She turned her head and her eyes met those of her team's Captain, Marcus Flint.
"It is time," his crisp accent said looking down into her hazel eyes.
She turned her face from him and shrugged his hand off her shoulder and moved away from him.
His eyes narrowed at his star Chaser and sighed.
Jae hardly paid attention to Flint's speech and final run-through of plays they could use. She wondered if he was aware that it would not be as easy as he thought it would be. She believed Oliver was a formidable opponent and could possible be her only challenge she has had since she was a forth year at Carolinas. Flint had played against Wood back when they were at Hogwarts, but in Jae's mind that did not make him an expert on his opponent. She was going to play the way she always had. She would not change for anyone no matter what.
Jae pulled on her blood-red robes of her team and stepped out and the men came out behind her. She stared blankly in front of her and walked towards the Quidditch pitch with Flint on her left hand side and their team flanking behind them.
"They have a cave troll," a rolling deep voice said with an edge.
Flint made one quick move and was on top of Wood throwing punches at him.
The victim dodged each swing with agility despite the pinned to the ground situation. Flint swung at his face desperately but never made contact. Wood's team rushed to his aid but none could get Flint off of him. He wouldn't stop his attempt at assault of the enemy team's Captain. One swing Wood grabbed his hand and stopped it mid punch and tried to shove the Slytherin off.
Suddenly a hand grabbed the back of the collar of Flint and yanked him off of Wood with such force that he ended up on his back opposite Wood, who was now being helped up by his team. Puddlemere United stood in awe at the 5'6" black haired hazel eyed woman standing there looking down at the Captain of her team the Wigtown Wanderers with fire in her eyes.
Flint pulled himself up, took one look in Jae's eyes and turned on his heel and stalked off to where their brooms were before they headed into the game.
She stared after them as they left, her eyes burning with a fury at her Captain. She felt a hand on her left shoulder. Jae's gaze softened as she turned to see Oliver Wood in his Puddlemere United blue and gold robes.
"Thank you," he said quietly as he slightly noticed his team heading off to their brooms.
"Anytime," Jae said. "You scared?"
He laughed taking his hand off her shoulder. "Of what?"
"What I can do."
He shook his head. "Not anymore than you should be of me," he said raising an eyebrow.
Jae smirked and looked away from him. "I fear nothing." For a second she closed her eyes and frowned, but didn't let herself dwell on that and resumed her smirk before Oliver could notice.
"Really?"
She turned ad looked at Oliver with a glint in her eye. Closing her eyes again for a second she said to him, "Your first ever Quidditch game you remember quite well, for it is foremost on your mind." She looked back up at him and noticed the surprise in his rich brown eyes. "Took a Bludger to the head two minutes in, woke up in the hospital a week later. That correct?"
He only nodded in response.
She was amused by the bewildered look on his face when she spoke these words to him for she knew full well that Oliver was not accustomed to someone speaking his thoughts to him. She just smiled and said, "Me too."
With that she flipped her hair as she departed from him to prepare for the match.
There was a splitting pain increasing between her eyes, but she did not react to it. She thought she sensed something dangerous, but there was no way she would let that be known. She loved Quidditch and did not wish to cancel a game at all, no matter what. There was no reason so severe that the game had to be cancelled. One would call her way of things suicide, but she had felt that she didn't have much else to live for other than Quidditch, not since the people behind the Wigtown Wanderers fired the scout who had found her, Tier Splinta, who had been a former Gryffindor Beater and was two years older than her. They had gone against his better judgment and recruited Marcus Flint to the team as the team Captain over her. She didn't mind not being Captain, but a man of his stature ruling over her she knew that nothing good would've come out of it. They were not the best team out there, but Flint was blind to that and thought they were. He would do anything to beat another team, whether it be legal or not. Jae was weary of such tactics. She didn't care about winning. All she cared about was playing her game.
She noticed a badger waddle in front of her. He was headed away from the Quidditch pitch. His waddling was more pronounced than a normal badger's was, although Jae didn't remember seeing many badgers before. She rose her eyebrow in question as she tried to get a better look at the creature. The white stripes on his head looked like he had been strategically struck by lightning. She thought she had smelt alcohol in his fur as he walked by. She wrinkled up her nose in reaction to the foul stench as she watched the drunken badger waddle as quickly as he could away from where the game would be played.
An owl white as snow with a couple red stripes in her feathers flew down and took a perch on Jae's shoulder. "What is it Tyger?" the Chaser asked.
The owl just hooted like she was frantic.
"I will be playing my game today you know that."
Tyger looked sad at this and tried to lead Jae away from the broom shed. The woman would not be moved.
"You know what to do. If you sense danger before it happens, go for help. Nothing will stop me from playing my game."
The owl hooted in submission and flew off.
~~~~~~~
Flint made no sound of warning as soon as Jae came to the broom shed. Within seconds she was suspended in the air, pinned to the wall and held by her throat. He squeezed her with his hand and glared right through her.
"Don't you ever humiliate me like that again," he yelled.
Jae stared at him defiantly and choked out, "Don't give me reason."
He squeezed harder. "One more move like that you'll be off the team and no team will take you. I will make sure of that."
She tried to speak but Flint was crushing her windpipe.
"I can taint your name so high that no one respectable will want to be seen with you."
She squirmed against his grip but he only increased it.
"One more move like that and you'll never play Quidditch again." With these words he dropped her to the ground and she landed with a thud on her knees. He then snatched up his broom and stalked out leaving Jae behind. She was left alone to come to the game alone. She looked up at the space where he had occupied only to see him just leave the building. Her hand went to her throat as she gasped for air, fighting the tears that were edging in her eyes.
It was not the typical Great Britain weather this morning. Jae propped herself against the building where her team would be meeting prior to the game. Her eyes were closed to the brightness of the sun. Her team arrived and she felt a hand go on her shoulder. She turned her head and her eyes met those of her team's Captain, Marcus Flint.
"It is time," his crisp accent said looking down into her hazel eyes.
She turned her face from him and shrugged his hand off her shoulder and moved away from him.
His eyes narrowed at his star Chaser and sighed.
Jae hardly paid attention to Flint's speech and final run-through of plays they could use. She wondered if he was aware that it would not be as easy as he thought it would be. She believed Oliver was a formidable opponent and could possible be her only challenge she has had since she was a forth year at Carolinas. Flint had played against Wood back when they were at Hogwarts, but in Jae's mind that did not make him an expert on his opponent. She was going to play the way she always had. She would not change for anyone no matter what.
Jae pulled on her blood-red robes of her team and stepped out and the men came out behind her. She stared blankly in front of her and walked towards the Quidditch pitch with Flint on her left hand side and their team flanking behind them.
"They have a cave troll," a rolling deep voice said with an edge.
Flint made one quick move and was on top of Wood throwing punches at him.
The victim dodged each swing with agility despite the pinned to the ground situation. Flint swung at his face desperately but never made contact. Wood's team rushed to his aid but none could get Flint off of him. He wouldn't stop his attempt at assault of the enemy team's Captain. One swing Wood grabbed his hand and stopped it mid punch and tried to shove the Slytherin off.
Suddenly a hand grabbed the back of the collar of Flint and yanked him off of Wood with such force that he ended up on his back opposite Wood, who was now being helped up by his team. Puddlemere United stood in awe at the 5'6" black haired hazel eyed woman standing there looking down at the Captain of her team the Wigtown Wanderers with fire in her eyes.
Flint pulled himself up, took one look in Jae's eyes and turned on his heel and stalked off to where their brooms were before they headed into the game.
She stared after them as they left, her eyes burning with a fury at her Captain. She felt a hand on her left shoulder. Jae's gaze softened as she turned to see Oliver Wood in his Puddlemere United blue and gold robes.
"Thank you," he said quietly as he slightly noticed his team heading off to their brooms.
"Anytime," Jae said. "You scared?"
He laughed taking his hand off her shoulder. "Of what?"
"What I can do."
He shook his head. "Not anymore than you should be of me," he said raising an eyebrow.
Jae smirked and looked away from him. "I fear nothing." For a second she closed her eyes and frowned, but didn't let herself dwell on that and resumed her smirk before Oliver could notice.
"Really?"
She turned ad looked at Oliver with a glint in her eye. Closing her eyes again for a second she said to him, "Your first ever Quidditch game you remember quite well, for it is foremost on your mind." She looked back up at him and noticed the surprise in his rich brown eyes. "Took a Bludger to the head two minutes in, woke up in the hospital a week later. That correct?"
He only nodded in response.
She was amused by the bewildered look on his face when she spoke these words to him for she knew full well that Oliver was not accustomed to someone speaking his thoughts to him. She just smiled and said, "Me too."
With that she flipped her hair as she departed from him to prepare for the match.
There was a splitting pain increasing between her eyes, but she did not react to it. She thought she sensed something dangerous, but there was no way she would let that be known. She loved Quidditch and did not wish to cancel a game at all, no matter what. There was no reason so severe that the game had to be cancelled. One would call her way of things suicide, but she had felt that she didn't have much else to live for other than Quidditch, not since the people behind the Wigtown Wanderers fired the scout who had found her, Tier Splinta, who had been a former Gryffindor Beater and was two years older than her. They had gone against his better judgment and recruited Marcus Flint to the team as the team Captain over her. She didn't mind not being Captain, but a man of his stature ruling over her she knew that nothing good would've come out of it. They were not the best team out there, but Flint was blind to that and thought they were. He would do anything to beat another team, whether it be legal or not. Jae was weary of such tactics. She didn't care about winning. All she cared about was playing her game.
She noticed a badger waddle in front of her. He was headed away from the Quidditch pitch. His waddling was more pronounced than a normal badger's was, although Jae didn't remember seeing many badgers before. She rose her eyebrow in question as she tried to get a better look at the creature. The white stripes on his head looked like he had been strategically struck by lightning. She thought she had smelt alcohol in his fur as he walked by. She wrinkled up her nose in reaction to the foul stench as she watched the drunken badger waddle as quickly as he could away from where the game would be played.
An owl white as snow with a couple red stripes in her feathers flew down and took a perch on Jae's shoulder. "What is it Tyger?" the Chaser asked.
The owl just hooted like she was frantic.
"I will be playing my game today you know that."
Tyger looked sad at this and tried to lead Jae away from the broom shed. The woman would not be moved.
"You know what to do. If you sense danger before it happens, go for help. Nothing will stop me from playing my game."
The owl hooted in submission and flew off.
~~~~~~~
Flint made no sound of warning as soon as Jae came to the broom shed. Within seconds she was suspended in the air, pinned to the wall and held by her throat. He squeezed her with his hand and glared right through her.
"Don't you ever humiliate me like that again," he yelled.
Jae stared at him defiantly and choked out, "Don't give me reason."
He squeezed harder. "One more move like that you'll be off the team and no team will take you. I will make sure of that."
She tried to speak but Flint was crushing her windpipe.
"I can taint your name so high that no one respectable will want to be seen with you."
She squirmed against his grip but he only increased it.
"One more move like that and you'll never play Quidditch again." With these words he dropped her to the ground and she landed with a thud on her knees. He then snatched up his broom and stalked out leaving Jae behind. She was left alone to come to the game alone. She looked up at the space where he had occupied only to see him just leave the building. Her hand went to her throat as she gasped for air, fighting the tears that were edging in her eyes.