It was hard to say that the raffle was a bad idea when it raised so much money for W.Q.W., and while there wasn't an official number yet, even Henry seem pleased with the result. But standing outside the Montrose Pitch, Seth was having a hard time remembering why he thought a raffle would be more fun than a traditional auction, where you couldn't bid on someone's behalf without their knowledge, or at least being able to find out who did it.

Seth was all for just not going since he was pretty sure that neither of them would be heartbroken if the 'date' actually didn't happen but with the amount of press that was at the event, just skipping out on it altogether wasn't an option. Especially since Seth was on of the co-founders of the charity the whole event was held to support. After a thirty minute lecture from Henry, which was mostly a list of things he was under no circumstances allowed to do, even if she provoked it, he was allowed to leave. So here he was waiting on Odette MacFarlan to show.

He shoved his hands in his pockets trying not to think of all the other time Odette and he did stuff for the sake of publicity that ended in complete and utter disaster. He had changed since he was Captain of the Magpies, and he could certainly handle one perfectly cordial lunch with her.



OOC: Heyyy everyone, feel free to use this post to put up threads for your quidditch raffle dates! Bound to lots of potential drama lurking about with this so, have fun! :D

It felt good to be the host of the party, and not the one creating a scene and making an entrance. Though Charlie would never admit it, the therapy sessions with Healer Bonaccord had...well, he still wasn't happy with everything going on in his life, but it had given him an outlet other than the bar, and that was allowing him let out the pent up stress he'd been bottling in. It was hard to figure things out by yourself, and for someone whose ego was as fragile as his, Charlie was slowly realizing that he needed a complete stranger to release his anxieties.

Of course, he wouldn't feel like he'd completely found peace until he managed to get her in the sack, but that was just a personal goal of his.

At any rate, Charlie was finding that being the host was interesting. Everyone knew you were going to be there, so there wasn't a great surprise when they saw you, but after those greetings were done they were off to see who else had shown up. It looked like a good outcome, but Charlie felt a bit slighted as it was pretty deep into the night and a certain invitee had not appeared in the crowd. With a breath he pushed the door open to the balcony and stepped out into the cool December night.

He stuck his hands into his pockets, spotting some displays of fireworks over the tops of the surrounding buildings. Charlie grinned at the early celebrations and let his shoulder sag.


ooc: guests = quidditch related people + their guest?

Odette had actually been enjoying her relatively eventless holiday season. With Noah home, and Terry and Anna getting older, she had been doing wife/motherly things that there hadn't been the time for, or she simply had no interest in doing before. Who knew that making endless batches of Christmas cookies could be so rewarding? Or cooking lavish familial breakfasts? And don't get her started on gift shopping; she was definitely sure she had gone overboard this year, and therefore their children were well on their way to becoming spoiled.

But, nonetheless, she should have realized that things had been too quiet, and when this Seth drama started to boil, Odette knew it would be a matter of time before it completely blew up. The Magpies did not like having their teammates traded, regardless of who they were, and it notoriously never went over well when it was made obvious that the trading was of the player's own doing. Practice would be fun--- and by fun, she meant not at all, because if it did by some miracle start on time, then passive aggressive anger was bound come out later through the form of a push or a remark, or something, and then it would all be downhill from there.

Of course, she knew deep down it would be hard to make any promises herself. This growing burn in her stomach was not seeming to go away anytime soon, and--- Odette sighed, stopping herself before she entered the locker room. No, that was wrong. As a leader, she should stay unbiased and logical, only using her passive aggressive anger in appropriate manners. Like letting Seth run for a bit longer while the rest of them took a water break. For good measure, she rolled her head to crack her neck before knocking the door open and walk in.

Seth wasn't here yet. Sending a look to her teammates already present, Odette dropped her bag to the ground. "Well."

He gritted his teeth, pushing the final lift of the barbells out of him. Charlie let out a loud sound of aggression as he managed to set the bars back onto their holders and he dropped his arms down, letting them hang lifeless off the side of the bench. Staring up at the ceiling, he wondered how the fuck it was that Drake Parkin did this sort of work out every day. He had asked his trainer to put him on a similar schedule as the Magpie Keeper, and Charlie had been leaving the workouts feeling dizzy and unable to lift his arms over his head. But, if you wanted to beat the best, you had to work like the best, right?

After a few moments of lying still to catch his breath, Charlie shimmied off the bench and sat up right, snatching his towel off the floor. Merlin's beard, this was going to take some getting used to. At least, though, he'd managed to get in a decent enough workout to satisfy Axe's regiments, and as he left the training room he wondered where all his teammates were, anyway. The Kestrels liked to scatter, and with a stadium like the one in Kenmare, it was easy to be off doing completely different and random things while the other players were off on their own.

Charlie started down the empty hallway, wiping his face with his towel and wondering if he'd ever be able to feel his shoulders again.


ooc: Kestrels!! I figure it doesn't have to be like, they all meet up in one spot, threads could tangent off of this one, etc. etc. ;)

Everything had gone off without a hitch.

Danielle wanted to cry for more than their vows, she was just so elated that the ceremony hadn't been interrupted by someone angry at the both of them, anyone who found it wrong for them to be together. It felt like all these months of turmoil and tears had been pointing towards this day, and Danielle was going to love every second of this day.

Her hands rested behind her back as she listened to her father's story about his wedding day. Danielle rocked on her heels with a smile on her face, so happy that she was going to have stories to share with her family, their future children, and anyone else who was willing to listen. The party was small, just their closest friends and family (Rian had come! He'd come!), and it was just what Danielle had always wanted. The wedding was supposed to be about her and Donovan, it had always been Donovan, and to have her fantasy come true was astounding.

And it wasn't even the felix felicis they had given all of their guests as favors, talking.

She was about to comment on how her father seemed to be getting misty eyed when a hand rested on her waist. Danielle turned and smiled brightly at her husband, and excused herself from her family to pay some attention to him.

"Have I told you how handsome you look today?"

Carys was glad to finally put those dance lessons her mother had forced her to take to some good use. Her dress twirled quite nicely with the waltz she and Drake opened up the dance floor with, and Carys found herself quite impressed with her husband. Her husband. Ha! That was something Carys never thought she'd think, or say, or have. She'd been very content in just living life day to day, but the idea of having someone to be there along the hopefully long way was awfully nice. And Drake was awfully nice to look at too, so that helped a lot.

Of course she hadn't agreed to marry him (because he'd asked her! She'd never let him live that down) just because he was handsome, even if she was sure to rub that into her sisters' faces at every chance. There were other factors that led her to accept, but those thoughts and words were for quiet times when she was feeling overly emotional and not for the dance floor.

The song gracefully slid into a slower tune and this time more couples joined the newlyweds (holy hell!) on the dance floor. Carys smiled at their guests, glad that they'd been able to make it and even happier that they all looked to be having a good time. Her head tilted up to smirk at Drake, ready to make some hilarious comment about Martin and the fire dancers, but Carys found herself at a loss for words as the secret she'd been keeping since right before she put on her dress came back to the forefront of her mind.

Instead she just smiled and dropped her head to his chest, not wanting to ruin the night.

Axe had called a meeting, though was he really allowed to call a meeting if he was suspended until after the next match? Charlie of course did not question this, because when you questioned Axebanger, you usually got hit rather hard with the blunt end of a broom. Believe Charlie, it had happened on more than one occasion. It had taken him a few times to learn his lesson, but he had, and was now currently standing against his locker, waiting for Axe to arrive.

He eyed his teammates carefully. They'd lost the match, yeah, but the fight had sparked something on the straws of their brooms, so to speak. Axe had a reputation, yeah, but if you wanted to succeed in this game, you had to support your leader. No one was going to randomly attack Axe and not hear about it from the other Kestrels, Charlie was sure.

"Ten galleons says Zoey captains next match," Charlie said only somewhat jokingly. He could definitely see Axe naming the youngest as captain to teach them all a lesson. She'd probably do a good job at it, though, Charlie reckoned.

The locker room doors slammed open, and he winced; Le Capitaine had arrived.

Billie knew, before she even stepped foot into McCarthy’s Pub that she was going to receive a warm welcome from the patrons there. The interior of the place was decked out in Black and White, jersey’s and lights that formed the words ‘Montrose Magpies’ blinked and flashed on the walls, making the smirk she wore cut deeper into one cheek as she looked around, not even able to take a seat at the bar without people whispering about who she was. It didn’t take long before a couple of guys approached her, asking if she was who they thought she was. Normally she’d tell them to fuck off, because she was someone who liked her animosity, but she was in a celebratory mood – not only had they won the game, but the teammate she had gotten closer to over the last couple of weeks had given that slimy Kestrel the beat down he deserved. Overall, it was a productive day for all the Magpies.

Because she had some time to kill, she joined the group of rowdy fans, her hand wrapped around the handle of a pint glass, a brow arching up at the somewhat attractive man who kept grinning at her. She knew the look all too well - that ‘I’m going to get in your pants tonight’ look – but she just kept rolling her eyes, looking towards the door frequently to make sure Thomas hadn’t entered yet.

She had a good buzz going by the time she looked to the doorway one more time, and finally saw the teammate she most considered a friend to be standing there. Billie grinned deviously and stood up on her chair whistling loudly to get everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and Gentleman…Thomas McCormack!”

She made a broad sweeping gesture with her arm towards the door, her grin growing in size as she got the reaction she knew she was going to get – the entire bar started cheering and clapping, Billie included, and some of them even went over to the other Quidditch star to shake his hand, and tell him what a great job he did on the pitch. Hopping down from her chair, she finally approached him with there was room, two full pints in her hand, one which she would extend out to Thomas.

“How’s the arm?”

She asked, once again smiling. She figured he needed a mood booster, and being surrounded by people who praised him for his actions in the game instead of scolding him seemed as good a plan as any. She had even invited some of the other members from their team to join in on their fun, but she really couldn’t be too sure of how many were going to take her up on the offer.

They should have a wedding reception every year!

Sarah couldn't believe how much people were acting as if she had really just gotten married. They'd even said no presents, but some friends had brought things and she felt so guilty but at the same time---shh! It was all in good fun, and having a reason to dress up and dance and party was a fair trade, she liked to think! Yes, yes, she was definitely going to insist on doing something every year for their 'summer anniversary' as Sarah liked to call it. Even if it was just a trip out to the beach with Rory, there would have to be something, SOMETHING done on this day for the rest of their lives.

And on their real anniversary, of course! Wahhooo, they got two!

Her heels clipped against the dance floor as she crossed to take hold of her husband's arm, tugging him away from a group of friends because he was hers, and definitely more hers today than any other day! "I've got a surprise for you!"

She kissed his cheek before nearly pulling his arm out of its socket. Sarah led Brier to a table that was to the side of their big, yellow cake, and on top of it were four small white ones with little decorations, "Hooray Hogwarts Cakes!"

Running her fingers through the folds of her dress, Glenda let no pleat or invisible lint go unattended to as she sat. Her dress was far too beautiful for those kinds of blemishes, and the task had proven to be a manageable distraction that was getting her through the rest of the night until it was professionally and socially acceptable to leave.

Oh, that sounded horrible. She really shouldn't be so unwilling to attend her own party. The WWN had really outdone itself, inviting practically the whole of the Wizarding World to help 'welcome her back' to Britain's airwaves. The network had been more than happy to accept her back when she (Sturgis) had contacted them, but had made no mention of something like this until last week after everything had been finalized. All she had asked for was her job back, but apparently her celebrity status had grown substantially with her absence and things like this had become necessary.

She had spent the first good part of the party clutching tightly onto Sturgis' arm, feeling not only uneasy but lost as witch after wizard continued to appear in front of her, asking questions, telling jokes and attempting to have ernest conversations with the woman of the hour. It felt strange having so many familiar faces and names rushed back upon her, and many times already she had wished she was her formal self. If this had been three years ago, Glenda knew she would have chatted up the entire room already instead of giving half-empty smiles, dutiful nods and soft answers.

Now, though, Sturgis had long ago left her side. A tactic she knew no doubt had been purposefully planned down to the minute. It had generated the same feeling within Glenda when he had shown up an hour early before this whole thing started, asking if she minded escorting him, and then offering to drop Tristan off at her Aunt and Uncle's to ensure that she would have enough time to get ready because she hadn't even gotten dressed yet. She knew he was only trying to help with her readjustment process, which made her love, and hate, him more because of it.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Glenda looked up to catch glimpses of the party from outside. Her aimless wandering had lead her to party's outside grounds, a rather nice garden area with sparkling lights and nearby fountain. A few people were nearby, but she didn't mind much. The atmosphere reminded her of Italy.


OOC: soo it's safe to assume Gleny basically knows everyone, WWN would've made sure all friends were here LOL and if she didn't, all famous people were invited anyway so YAY

She'd gone from hyperventilating in a brown paper bag as her sister rubbed her back to feeling like she could fly. Without a broomstick, of course. Brianna clung to Zach's arm as she watched their friends begin to jump onto the dance floor of their seemingly spur of the moment wedding. She had felt awful about not being able to share all the excitement, but knowing that there weren't going to be any photographers jumping out of bushes, and that their wedding photos were going to be their wedding photos was absolutely worth all the stress she'd endured.

"I'm glad you showed," Brianna said teasingly, leaning into Zach's side. What a fit that would have been had if he hadn't figured out that the wedding was in June and not July. Brianna's logical side was sure that she would have said something before the day, but her frantic, sometimes uncontrollable side still wanted to knock his head off for putting that fear into her head. What a boyfriend, she had.

What a husband, she had!

The thought made her smile though and she kissed Zach on the cheek, taking in a deep and happy breath of excitement.

Of course the party had a slight theme of blue and yellow. It wasn't blatantly obvious, but as Bess shifted the United blue napkins to the perfect angle, she couldn't help but beam at how proud she was of the entire gathering. People were happy to see each other, mingling and looking relaxed; the party was exclusive to the players and their guests, so there were no cameramen or journalist---the only pictures being taken were by the players themselves, who seemed to be having a good time goofing off before work began again. Bess had really never thought about being one of those wives, that hosted parties and entertained guests, but---she had to admit that it was quite fun.

The garden looked beautiful. Bess wasn't quite sure how Drystan had so easily managed to get the space, but she wasn't going to complain. Her husband had tricks up his sleeve that she'd probably never fully figure out. Plus, she'd gotten her sister-in-law out of her flat and now Penelope was somewhere around here...hopefully talking to a handsome bloke (but just talking! Only talking!).

Bess couldn't be more pleased with herself. She let out a breath and shook her head at a few players who were on their fourth glass of champagne.

Who: Open to everyone snooty enough to be invited.
What: Ariel's wake.
Where: Christopher's family estate.
When: Sometime this week, before Friday? Sure.
Rating: PG-13, I'm guessing.
Status: Incomplete.

( Somber tones overtook the large gathering at the Loftus estate... )

Katerina let out a long, bored breath. It seemed like the Ministry had been holding an extravagant event every other weekend, as if they had nothing better to do. Of course there was so much to be done every day of every week, but with You-Know-Who gone and most of the death eaters either dead or behind bars, it seemed like the events committee had way too much time on their hands.

At least she got to go dress shopping. As Katerina declined a dance from a fellow in her department, she wondered if she actually had to wait for the Minister to blow out the candles of her cake before she could leave. It was supposed to be such an honor to be invited to these events, but when everyone was invited it took away the glamor, and then you were expected to sit around for a good two hours so that your department head could make sure you were making him look good.

She really needed a drink, or a hot bloke to start talking to her. On days like this Katerina envied her older sister, whose sole purpose in life was to marry rich, pureblooded men. It only took her a few moments to recall that her sister had seven dead husbands to deal with, and now a son for the rest of her life. Yes---Katerina would much rather be forced to mingle at these events than carry those sort of stories on her shoulders.

But, at the moment, she was bored, and let out a sigh in hopes that some handsome bloke would become concerned.