(Q.Pitch) Practice Makes Perfect

[Bradyn Reed]

Bray smiled, he'd never played a beaters position but he had been hit with a bludger quite a few times. Training with his sisters wasn't complete without the bludgers, as Mayella would commonly say. It was more of an excuse to hurt him, he suspected.

Bray gripped the bat, suprised at how heavy it actually was but it seemed like nothing could stand up against the bludger, even bone broke. Somehow he managed to have little confidence in the bat even though he knew it would work. "OK. I'm ready." He said, steadying his arm so he could easily swing. Good thing he was already good at steering with just his legs.

[Maria Turolia]

Maria smiled as Bradyn, prepared to fend off the bludger. Releasing it, she readied her bat and positioned herself perfectly. The bludger flew up and then came straight for her as she knew it would. Bringing her arm back she waited for the bludger to reach a certain point.

When the bludger got right where she wanted it, Maria released her arm and the bat flew through the air making contact with the bludger. She wanted to be sure she didn't hit it at Bradyn too hard, so she weakened her hit by quite a bit. Nonetheless, the bludger's direction immediately changed, and it still flew rather quickly as it headed straight for Bradyn.

With a small amount of concern, Maria watched hoping that the boy would be able to handle himself. She didn't know if he had any prior experience as a beater, but judging by the way he handled the bat probably not. Oh well, she hadn't hit it that hard, so it wouldn't hurt him that much if it were to hit him.

[Bradyn Reed]

[Random: ahaha, I pictured bray like with his bat upside-down or something all like "k, I got this!" and I couldn't stop laughing.]

Bray saw the bludger coming and realized that this would be a lot different that stopping a mere quaffle. Maybe he'd gotten himself into something too big. Even still, he quickly remembered the times when he played American baseball as a child and decided that he would bunt the bludger, since it didn't seem to take much effort to make it change its mind on its course.

Preparing himself for this, his arm realized before his brain did that this plan was not quite right. Quickly switching the bat over to his other arm, he smashed the bludger away before tending to his now sore arm."That one's more brutal than I thought." He said, more to himself than to Maria. Bray would not be discouraged, though, and deciding he'd go again. After all, if a Keeper could keep bludgers back wouldn't that mean that he could keep quaffles back too?
[sucky confusing post,sorry]

[Maria Turolia]

[haha...yay! Your post's fine. I've made much more confusing ones before.]

Bray managed to hit the bludger back, not amazingly but sufficiently. Not too bad for a first time with a beater's bat. As the bludger came soaring back to her, Maria readied her bat. This time instead of knocking it toward Bradyn, she launched it with as much force as she could toward the other side of the pitch. It soared much more quickly and powerfully than it had when she had hit it at Bradyn.

Maria watched for the bludger's return with her peripheal vision, as she looked at Bradyn to be sure he was okay. "Not bad, for a first time anyway," she said with a bit of a giggle. "Are you okay?" She had to check before they continued. Hurting the poor boy wasn't on her to do list. It could have been worse, she knew. This boy had to have been at least somewhat used to bludgers. Every quidditch player was.

[Bradyn Reed]

Bray had finished his minor first aid, because it was one thing he knew best. His mother had taught him minor spells at a young age since she was tired of him complaining of being whomped on by his sisters, the scary little creatures. Looking back up, he saw Maria knock the bludger to the other side of the pitch. This of course confused him, but he decided not to question her.

"Thanks, and yeah I'm fine. Lucky that I have my wrist guards on." After many wrist injuries, Bray couldn't really play with out them on, even the quaffle could make them sore for a couple days if it hit just right. "and maybe lucky that keepers get hit a lot, even if it's mostly accidental." Bray didn't understand why targeting the keeper would help, it was more of a burden for either to get hurt.

[Maria Turolia]

Maria nodded as Bradyn verifed that he was okay. Maria could see the bludger coming back out of the corner of her eye. "Okay," she said smiling. "Then we shall try this again." As the bludger got closer, Maria prepared herself to regain control of it.

"Ready?" she asked, as she went toward the bludger. His answer wasn't important. Reaching the bludger, she hit it as lightly as she could for it to go to Bradyn.

Her eyes stayed on the bludger as it flew to Bradyn, slightly slower this time than it was last time. Nodding slightly, she thought that he shouldn't have too much trouble with this.

[Bradyn Reed]

Bray decided this time he wouldn't fail. He centered his balance on his broom more, putting up his other arm in the process before he found the right stance so he could swing more freely without his broom barrel rolling from the effort. "Yeah, go ahead." He said, knowing that she'd hit it whether or not he was ready since otherwise it would just hit her. This time the bludger went far left and he had to dive quickly before he could take a long swing at it.

Bam! Bray felt the bludger and the bat connect, but just barely. He managed to hit the bludger with the tip of the bat, so it went but with little control. It seemed to be heading in the general direction of Maria, and since it was a bludger its nature would take it to her eventually. "I'm getting better, slowly but surely." Bray said confidently to anyone who was listening.

[crappy post, but it's finals week so.. meh, be glad I'm posting at all. LOL.]