Darren O'Hare (darring) wrote in blurred_war, @ 2010-02-17 16:57:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! [02] february 1943, ! [incomplete], ! house: hufflepuff, aoife kelly, darren o'hare |
Wednesday 17 February 1943.
Who: Aoife Kelly and Darren O'Hare.
Where: The Quidditch pitch.
When: Wednesday 17 February 1943; early afternoon.
Summary: Darren runs Chaser and Keeper drills with Aoife to help prepare her as a reserve player for Saturday.
Rating: PG.
Status: In-progress.
Aoife wrapped her scarf more firmly around her neck, tying it off rather snugly so that it would not be likely to blow off as she practised. She was bound and determined that she would practise in every spare moment and probably to the detriment of her studies, but Quidditch was quite important wasn't it? She glanced up at the empty pitch as she waited for Darren who had warded to her about the possibility of practising together. And of course she'd been interested in such a practise, because she needed all of the practise she could get before the next match. All of the getting together and planning strategy and so forth was only going to help insomuch as they could play said strategy, and that was the part that Aoife was concerned with this week. She tucked one hand in her pocket and then decided that instead of standing there while she was waiting she would off to take some runs up and down the pitch. So she mounted her broom and was off, the wind in her hair as she urged it that much faster across the length of the pitch and back again. Probably she was mostly likely to play Chaser, as she was truly not very good at Beating at all, but it was good to be prepared for any eventuality, and speed was useful for Chasing, Seeking, and upon occasion Keeping, so that's what she worked on. Keeping herself low to her broom and rapidly making rounds. Darren arrived at the pitch a few minutes after Aoife had started flying, carrying his broomstick in one hand and his practice Quaffle in the other before he mounted and kicked off into the air himself. He certainly felt as if he had a responsibility -- as someone who had played both Chaser and Keeper before, an older member of the team, and a fellow Irish citizen -- to help her be extra prepared for the game should a reserve need to be put into play, and so here he was. 'Catch!' he called out as he waited for Aoife to turn around before tossing the Quaffle at her. 'So, do you want to start off with some basic passes as a warm up before we try anything fancy?' Aoife whirled around at Darren's arrival and her arms up automatically and she shot forward to grab the Quaffle as he threw it at her. She was pleased that, despite having not been expecting his appearance, she still managed to catch it and she pulled up her broom side along his to grin at him in welcome. "That sounds brilliant," she said enthusiastically. "I've been using my waiting time to just practise speed, and I think some passes would be good. So, I'll see you on the other side?" This statement was followed with a very large grin and she sped off to the other side of the pitch, knowing that in all likelihood, he'd be following her and they could actually work on the passing back and forth then. She looked over her shoulder to check, before she sent the Quaffle whirling back in his direction. As Aoife took off, Darren pressed himself down flat on his broomstick as he tightened his grip on the shaft to force it to accelerate suddenly, catching up and flying slightly behind her as he reached out with one hand to grab the Quaffle that was hurtling towards him, taking advantage of the Gripping Charm on the ball that made it easier to hold. 'That's great! I'm going to do a few easier passes with you first before we try some of the more complex drills,' he shouted as he tucked himself closer to his broom again, Quaffle tucked under his left arm so that he could more easily grab it with his right when it was time to throw it back. He tried some of the spins he had seen Glynnis do to pick up speed as a Seeker so that he could get slightly ahead of Aoife before he tossed the Quaffle back at her, going for a straight shot once they were close enough that it would be difficult for another Chaser to intercept it from below like McIntyre and Zonko did during the Ireland-Scotland match. Aoife nodded but didn't actually say anything as she moved forward, keeping her eyes on Darren and the ball, although she did flick her eyes around a bit here and there. It would do no good to have someone sneak up on her without her knowing it, and even if this was a practise with her and Darren and nobody else, she didn't want to be so focused someone could sneak in and grab it. As she caught the Quaffle in one hand, she tucked it under her arm, speeding off ahead of Darren so that she was easily ahead of him before she threw it back - a nice straight pass as well. It was simple tossing, really, the sort of thing she'd practised with her brothers for years, but it was good to get the feel of the ball in her hands, and they would move quickly enough into more complex stuff. Darren had tightened his grip around his broomstick with both legs before he had let go with both hands to catch the Quaffle, rolling it under one arm again as his left hand shot forward to grab onto the shaft once the pass was completed. Several more passes like that going back and forth both ways across the pitch, erratically switching directions while flying on relatively the same plane -- though there was a spin here (though fancy Chaser-specific throws weren't his speciality), and a moment or two where Darren seemed to have disappeared, only to suddenly shoot up or dive down to catch or throw the ball -- and then it was time to make things a little more complex. 'All right, good work! Let's run a few drills with us switching positions above and below each other so you can practice drops and upward tosses too!' He took a sharp dive downwards to set himself up for a Proskoff's Ploy, flying erratically along the ground of the pitch as he did so as he thought a Chaser would to be more unpredictable to both the opposing Chasers and Beaters. "That works for me," Aoife nodded, knowing that in a game a simple sort of pass was not likely to be the only type of pass encountered. In point of fact it was not likely to be even among the largest number of passes encountered. And while she did feel as if she had improved this year, but even some practise with her brothers at home, particularly Donagh, who had ran her through some of the drills they ran through with the Cannon's, had not ensured that she felt one hundred percent confident in her ability to play, and so practise was good. She stayed where she was, flying in a brief circle and then coming around to pull up at the same relative height to the field where she'd been a few moments prior, her eyes on Darren and on the Quaffle he had in his hands. "Whenever you're ready!" She called down to him, urging her broom forward, if not at full speed, at least enough to keep her moving so that she wouldn't be starting from no speed at all. As Darren weaved back and forth before steadying into a straight line, he flew slightly ahead of her so that he could attempt a cross between a Reverse Pass and a backwards Porskoff's Ploy, whipping the Quaffle upwards back at her as he banked and curved sideways -- although as someone who hadn't played Chaser proper for years and had never mastered the Reverse Pass because he had no reason for doing so, his aim was somewhat off; then again, fumbled passes were something Aoife had to be prepared for anyway, right? [In-progress.] |