A Waffle with a Quaffle [Open, come play! Come spectate and chat!]

[theboywhodied]

It's a beautiful day for soaring in the sky. At least....it's a beautiful simulated day, Cedric corrects himself. He stands in the center of a grassy field, hoops standing tall on either side. Racing brooms that will soon take to the sky with their riders are laid out in neat rows on either side of him, and a case containing the many balls of Quidditch rests at his feet.

He's exchanged the loose-fitted clothing he'd taken up after his injuries for loose-fitting yellow and black robes, and even that small change brightens his mood. Cedric Diggory is in his element. His cheerful, dangerous whirlwind of an element, the finest sport the wizarding world has to offer.

This should be a fun one to watch!

((And go! Use the subthreads, or start your own threads to chat and trash-talk and have a good time! Threadjacking is totally encouraged.))

Comments

[curiousredsoul]

The mention of sport that involved flight had drawn Celena's interest near immediately. Thus the moment she had a chance she had taken a break from her work and made her way to the designated sensoriums.

Her gaze swept across the illusionary expanse, taking in the field that had been set up before letting her gaze settle on the one she assumed was Cedric. Walking across the field she dipped her head to him as she approached, "Greetings,"

[theboywhodied]

"Hello!" Cedric still remembered his painful encounter with a dragon from home, but he knew the crew members weren't so bad. He did give her plenty of space, though.

"Were you here to fly?"

[curiousredsoul]

Celena gave him a warm smile, "Your message about a flying sport, this 'Quidditch' caught my attention, so I thought I would drop by and give it a look," She replied as she looked about the field, "I always do enjoy flight, in its myriad forms, few things could keep me from it," she commented with a soft chuckle as she half extended a wing before folding it back in.

[theboywhodied]

Flying, huh? Cedric folded his arms in thought. She seemed friendly enough, and there was plenty of space for flying here. It might not go wrong! He leaned up to greet her, unsure of exactly how to proceed with a friendly talking dragon.

"We do have space here. You could probably play some type of sport, the rules would just have to be modified. Er...what's your name? I'm Cedric."

[curiousredsoul]

Celena seemed quite cheerful and friendly compared to what one would expect of a dragon. Seeming quite interested indeed in the field around them. "If your sport would be able to accommodate one of my form and abilities, I would not wish to have things modified too greatly though," She pondered and tilted her head slightly before going on "I do have a humanoid form that could prove simpler however, should it be preferred?"

"Celena Vantari, a pleasure to meet you Cedric"

[theboywhodied]

"Pleased to meet you too," Cedric agreed, and he really did mean it, despite his fears. "Well...if you can catch and throw a ball somehow, you can be a Chaser. If not, how powerful is your tail?"

It might work as a Beater's club if she's strong enough.

[curiousredsoul]

Celena pondered on his question with curiosity, lifting a paw, "I have a number of ways of catching a ball, be it by claw, or by telekinesis," She demonstrated by lifting a clawed paw and drawing out her omnicomm as a demonstration, tossing it up and down lightly before she had it hover mid air with a soft glow of her markings.

"My tail has considerable strength, if you mean for it to knock something off course?" she asked curiously, "Are there rules on the utilization of other abilities during a game? Though I am curious, how does the game itself work? What are the objectives?"

[theboywhodied]

Cedric considered all of that. It could work, it really could with enough care.

"You'll have to do it by claw, I'm afraid. Telekinesis would probably be considered cheating by the rulebook. And your tail would knock balls off course, yes."

He waved a hand to create a miniature stadium in front of them, calling up a simulation of the game.

"There are two teams of seven players each, and they each take one of four roles while playing with one of three types of balls. First, you have the first method of scoring: throwing the Quaffle through one of the hoops on the other team's end of the field. Each team has three Chasers that compete for it, and one Keeper that protects their hoops.

Then you have two Bludgers, those black balls that keep flying at the players. They're enchanted to attack people and disrupt play, but each team has two Beaters that hit the Bludgers away from their players....and often toward the other team's.

Finally, you have the Golden Snitch, which is sort of like the opposite of a Bludger. It's small, hard to see, and is enchanted to fly away from anyone that approaches it. Each team has two Seekers that attempt to catch it, and the first Seeker to catch it wins 150 points for their team and ends the game. They nearly always win, unless the other team scored a lot of goals with the Quaffle."

Phew! He was nearly out of breath from describing all of that so quickly. "Do you understand?"

[curiousredsoul]

Celena dipped her head at the reply, "Of course, the use of it in that case would be something of an unfair advantage,"

Once he'd called up that miniature stadium she paid it particular attention as he went through the terms and aspects of the game and methods of scoring. Her sharp gaze picking out each element within the simulation and the simulated players on what appeared to be brooms.

"I understand, it is quite the interesting sport," she dipped her head without pause or sign of confusion, "I think I would be best suited either in the position of one of the chasers, or as a Seeker. I am quite agile on wing, I would welcome such a challenge, though my keen sight may provide something of an advantage in that regard, I shall leave that to you,"

"I prefer more..fluid roles to a static defense, the chaser or Seeker positions would be quite interesting, though a mobile defense in the form of a beater could be workable, however I prefer to avoid an all too direct aggressive approach,"

"I would be happy to give a demonstration should you wish?" Celena paused a brief moment at that after her own rapid fire reply.

[theboywhodied]

"I'm sure you'd be great at both. We'll work something out, I'm sure of it."

He did have to consider her dragon advantages, though. Sight was one thing, and she was likely very agile. He'd have to consider how big her advantage was.

"Er...can you show me your flight? Just to see how you move about."

[curiousredsoul]

Celena knew well her experience in flight and draconic form likely gave her something of an advantage. Though just how much she couldn't be sure without seeing just what the 'brooms' could do.

Celena couldn't help but practically grin as she dipped her head when he asked to see her flight. "But of course," She replied easily as she took a few steps off to the side, unfurling her wings as she did so.

Lifting her large wings high as she crouched back before leaping skyward with a powerful downbeat of her wings, rapidly ascending to level out at the twice the height of the towers ringing the field. She didn't stay at that level for long before she twisted in the air and dove rapidly down toward the towers below, her wings snapping out at the last moment, showing off a bit of her airborne agility as she wove back and forth between the towers with graceful ease even at the speed she was going.

[theboywhodied]

Cedric instinctively shielded his eyes, watching the spectacle with a wide stare. Wow, just what were they getting into?

He waved her down after a little while. "You've clearly got it. But tell me about this elven form. Can you use it as well?"

They might need to try that.

[curiousredsoul]

Celena couldn't help but grin even in flight at the wide stare that he watched her with, more than content to show off, especially when it was her flight that she was showing off.

When he waved her down she nodded in flight, circling down to land gracefully a few meters from Cedric, "Thank you, and indeed, it is a form that I am able to take on via the use of a ring Aibghalien created for me," she replied with obvious fondness at the mention of the current head of the Magic department.

With a short command phrase she activated the ring's magic, her form rapidly shifting and reshaping to take the form of a lithe humanoid, "I have had a good deal of experience in this form, it has proven itself quite useful on occasion,"

[theboywhodied]

Wow. Cedric looked taken aback, but he recovered with a quick smile. This would be an interesting game.

"So you'll need to use a broom. Were you watching the others earlier? It doesn't take long to learn."

[curiousredsoul]

Celena smiled easily, with the slightest hint of amusement. An interesting game it would be indeed.

"Only the small simulation of the game you showed previously, though it should not be too difficult to learn I'm sure," she dipped her head, the prospect of learning something new, especially when it came to flight was always one she enjoyed.

[theboywhodied]

"That'll be fine. First, we'll get you in the air. You bring your broom under your control: lay it down, hold your hand out, and call it up!"

He performs this first step, the broom handle soaring to his hand with ease. There's a broom positioned under her hand for the same step.

[curiousredsoul]

Watching the demonstration in detail she dipped her head before holding her hand above her own broom. Taking the briefest of moments to shift her sight, looking over the broom in terms of magic and energy.

Returning her vision to normal she commanded the broom similarly. "Up!" Catching the broom easily as it jumped up into her hand.

[theboywhodied]

"Great!" Cedric was excited. He loved watching the reactions to this next part. He swung his leg over his own broom and seemed to hop off with a hard push, moving the handle with his hand into a hovering position.

"Now kick off. Stay balanced, and use both feet. If you shift forward and pull a little, you can start moving as well."

[curiousredsoul]

Celena watched with great interest as Cedric swung over the broom and pushed off, watching with something of a grin as he hovered above. She would have to delve into the workings of one of the brooms when she had the chance.

Giving a firm nod, "Doesn't sound to difficult at all," she replied cheerfully as she swung a leg over the broom before pushing off hard and up. Her grin growing all the more as the broom rose up, drawing it around to hover, getting used to controlling the broom.

[theboywhodied]

Cedric nods, flashing her a grin of approval. "That's it! Then you can steer by touching the broom and leaning your weight. Come on, follow me,"

He starts them on a path over the field, though he watches her lead for how high she'd like to go.

[curiousredsoul]

Celena grinned on back to him as she followed his instruction, leaning her weight to direct the broom to follow him. Getting a good feel for the broom as she did so.

"Do these brooms have any forms of restrictions on height or travel distance?" she asked with curiosity as she drew her broom a little higher.

[theboywhodied]

"These can only reach a speed of about a hundred and forty miles per hour. The only other limits are the broom's and yours. As long as what you try to do doesn't break either you or the broom, you'll be fine."

He followed her higher up, wondering just how she'd go.

[curiousredsoul]

"A limit on speed but otherwise few limits, interesting," she nods at that as she weaves a slow circle around the outer edge of the field.

"Any tips in particular? Otherwise lets see what this thing can do in comparison," she asks and comments with a grin as she rises up above the tops of the towers ringing the field.

[theboywhodied]

Cedric laughed. She's a daring one, that was certain. "Pay attention to the wind and adjust for that, but I expect you'd know that already from your other flying. That's about it, I think you'll grasp the rest!"

He watched her with a smile, eager to see what she would do.

[curiousredsoul]

If he'd seen her in her daily flights through the city before he'd have had little doubt of her daring. She looks to him with a nod and an amused chuckle, "Indeed, just a matter of adapting to a different profile against the wind,"

With that she gave a grin before suddenly leaning her body back and pulling the broom up, pointing it near straight up to shoot upwards for a few moments before letting gravity catch up. Keeping careful attention to the handling of the broom as she accelerated toward pitch below as she began to dive.

The ground getting closer and closer before nearly at the last moment she pulled up hard, testing the limits of the brooms turning capabilities as she near literally skimmed the surface of the field, perhaps a little too close but she'd take that into account next time as she rose and wove around one of the towers.