Hiro McVeil
Wizard
Recent Graduate
They can smash your cookie but you'll always have your fortune[on:Sweet!][of:off working]
Posts: 1,201
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Post by Hiro McVeil on Oct 9, 2008 0:17:53 GMT -5
Like many summers before Hiro was spending his working at Honeydukes. It was a comfort to know all the familiar tasks and errands that were a part of his normal duties. All the normal things that took place like so many summers. The sweet aromas in the air, the familiar feel of the apron, even the taste tests that he and the owner, Finn, were allowed to have before the finished products were place out for the day. Yes not much had changed since the last time he had the uniform on.
Except many things had changed, unlike the other times Hiro wouldn't be returning to school at the end of summer. He had sent out applications to many places but so far there was no favorable response. Here he was a graduate working in a candy shop. It wasn't to say that he didn't like his job, cooking was something that came naturally to him and it was something he enjoyed doing no matter what he was making. But questions did come up, he had already been turned away from a few places and still was waiting for some good news.
Thoughts and questions were swimming through his head as the blind student citizen leaned on the push broom he had in hand, wondering minds were one of the problems with a slow day.
(open)
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Oct 9, 2008 1:23:07 GMT -5
Drew had pretty much given up on finding a summer job. It wasn't like he exactly needed one, but he still kind of wanted one, hoping to keep his days busy while Felicity was working at the diner. And to be honest, the extra cash was always nice to have, especially since his trust didn't kick in for another four years.
It didn't mean that he still wasn't trying. With only a month left of summer, a month left before his Oreintation into the Academy, he was still hitting the shops in Diagon and Hogsmeade, looking for something... anything to pass his time until September.
He knew darn well that Hiro was working at the candy shoppe, and perhaps that was what prompted him to stop in that afternoon, when he knew already that they weren't hiring anyone who could only stay a month. It was always a good thing to catch up with a good friend.
"DUDE!" he called out as the bell over the door rang, signalling his entrance. It always kind of amazed him how adept Hiro was while being blind. The guy was sweeping dust he couldn't even see. Remarkable.
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Hiro McVeil
Wizard
Recent Graduate
They can smash your cookie but you'll always have your fortune[on:Sweet!][of:off working]
Posts: 1,201
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Post by Hiro McVeil on Oct 9, 2008 23:05:42 GMT -5
"Welcome to Hon..." Hiro's instincts kicked in before he realized who it was. He was pushing the wide broom again down the aisle before he realized his friend had walked in. Drew had been in and out of Hogsmeade all summer, he had even applied but Finn was predicting a slow summer and Hiro already had the experience and was already offered a spot during the summer. It was a mix having Drew there, it meant that he could catch up with his good friend but also that Drew still hadn't found a job and with his training starting soon it was getting less likely that he would.
"Hey so you're back in town." Hiro again leaned on his broom now that he didn't have to look busy. "What brings you here, couldn't stand to be away from little old me?" Hiro said with a joking smile.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Oct 11, 2008 0:38:40 GMT -5
"Pshht... Someone's got to keep checking up on you," Drew teased back, knowing Hiro was probably the best defensive dueler he had ever seen, and had actually been the one to get him out of more than a few scrapes. Of course, Hiro had caused a few scrapes of his own, but that was a different story.
It looked like it was time for the working man to take a break and Drew took the cue and leaned against a nearby counter. "I'm still trying to find something, but it's getting to the point where the job search is just becoming an excuse to come here and bug you or Franco. So what's going on with you? Gonna stay here?" Hiro had always been an awesome chef and Drew knew he'd be great if that's what he wanted to do, but wouldn't be surprised if Hiro went for something else instead.
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Hiro McVeil
Wizard
Recent Graduate
They can smash your cookie but you'll always have your fortune[on:Sweet!][of:off working]
Posts: 1,201
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Post by Hiro McVeil on Oct 12, 2008 23:34:59 GMT -5
Hiro couldn't help but laugh at his joke. Just like before they were keeping each other out of trouble...or getting into it. It had been a real quiet summer and Hiro always enjoyed when Drew was in town, it gave him something to do at the very least.
"You need an excuse to bug us now?" Hiro joked back, it was like making a reservation for a prank. "Talk of the town is that the job market is thinning out, people are finding themselves lucky just to be working in some cases. I fear something big has to be done or everyone's going to be in a lot of trouble."
"I got another response by owl since the last time you were here." Hiro moved on to the more serious subject. "They turned me down too, so seems like I'll be staying here even longer now. It's not that I don't like this job it's just...I don't know. I guess I was too ambitious and my inexperience is an issue. You can't make it to the top without starting at the bottom. I guess it's the waiting that bugs me the most, if I knew for sure if I was going to be moving on from here or if I was going to be here for a while longer it wouldn't bug me so much you know?"
"Anyway when do you start training? Is there any chance you'll be stationed at the headquarters here?" Hiro was sure he asked these questions before but he was making small talk with Drew.
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Charlie Jones
Witch
Professional Quidditch Player
Plays for keeps. [on:Ready to Rock!][of:Not Rockin]
Posts: 2,695
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Post by Charlie Jones on Oct 13, 2008 0:27:38 GMT -5
It was getting to feel more and more official as paycheck number one burned a hole in Charlie's pocket. Of course, it was barely a big enough amount to pay off her first part of paying half the rent with her brother Chris, but there was enough left over to make her feel like she was going somewhere with her minor league qudditch team, named the Leelock Vanguards. She had been so close that she could practically smell the grass of any major league field, but somehow she wasn't the utmost example of a number one draft. She couldn't even make it as a reserve for Puddlemere, although they were very close to considering her. The Harpies had their eye on her, too, yet they found a better suited witch for the spot. Charlie had the talent and the skill... yet how could it be that she was faltering in ambition and drive?
She couldn't explain it, and she didn't want to right now.
Instead, what seemed like a better plan was to forget about her training with the Vanguards, and slip into Hogsmeade for a nostalgic walk. It felt oddly liberating to go down any street without any parent or scholastic authority barring her from doing so, but for all those years of restriction, she felt better off visiting the village not more than two times the entire summer.
Not only was it a reluctant nostalgia, but also because she knew who was still there. It wasn't that she didn't like Hiro, because he made for a great friend and at one time a great boyfriend, but he had that sticky label of "ex" in her mind. It was still a little fresh and a little awkward, and she felt better staying in her designated territory around where her training pitch and where she now lived. She hated to be a petty person like that, because she often hated the much played-over role of the avoiding ex, yet it was something easier to understand once you were in that path.
Her feet dragged as she went past familiar storefronts, counting each one to be there in the same order that she could only remember. It was amazing how much she had actually registered about the town nearby her home of four years. Charlie would have rather looked through each of them, but she felt that another activity urged her more strongly. In a corner less touched by light, she escaped in a nook as she dug out a pack of cigarettes from her pockets, and lit the end with a spell from her wand.
She knew it all well. All the effects, all the consequences of smoking, of inhaling, or even thinking about the half empty carton that had been shoved down her pocket once one cigarette held residence between her lips. Nobody had to tell her what was so bad about them, however she did want to hear it right then and there. She never felt right when she smoked, but she barely did it enough to have anyone catch her and scold her. Ever since the incident with Charlotte/Amberli, she had nicotine dreams and tobacco wishes, none of them which she ever addressed out loud, so she was surprised when she launched into them once she graduated from Hogwarts. It became a heavily gradual process of addiction, starting with once-in-a-blue-moon smokes to very recently a pack a week, averaging mostly twice a week. With all her strength, though, she didn't want to increase that number, knowing that it could affect her abilities on the qudditch pitch.
Through half a smoky cigarette, Charlie ventured onward until she was right in front of Honeydukes, horrified not only to see Hiro through the window but also Drew! She wasn't expecting such a whammy, but she was also secretly excited to see them both, associating the two to the yesteryears of days and nights together, talking and chumming around. She missed it, and it seemed like they were going to launch into it.
She took an ill-made inhalation and coughed as she escaped back to a dark corner, but by Honeydukes. It was time to go past the vague owls with her old Ravenclaw friends, and finally hear and see them. However, just after this cigarette.....
Charlie held her head up high as she walked into Honeydukes, still imagining the dead cigarette on the ground begging for one more chance with its single ember. Second chances-- it's what the vice and victim both wanted.
"What? No pool party here this time?" She said as she came in, unaware of what had been exchanged between the two guys. Her smirk was there as usual, but rather minty this time around. She figured the gum in her mouth would repent her bad deed, but it wouldn't cover the evidence that still smelled so fresh on her clothes.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Oct 13, 2008 1:16:06 GMT -5
"Seems like everything's a little slow on the job front," Drew answered his partner in crime with a sigh. "Things can't stay like this forever though, right?" At least he hoped not...
"Me? I gotta get accepted first," he answered, getting anxious for the word and hoping to get something within the next few days. "But if everything goes as planned, I should be starting training beginning of September. I'd like to be stationed here, but I don't think I'll get to pick as the new guy. But I do have plans to hang out here on my weekends off, so maybe I can bug you to sleep on your couch."
It was right about then that the door opened again and another familiar face came in, smelling anything but familiar as the breeze came in after her. Drew had just been about to ask Hiro about Charlie but apparently, here was the answer.
"Dude! Who let you in here?" he asked, thinking he'd let the smell go for now. Hiro would probably say something anyway. "My pool party days are over for a while. Maybe I'll do something next summer though."
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Hiro McVeil
Wizard
Recent Graduate
They can smash your cookie but you'll always have your fortune[on:Sweet!][of:off working]
Posts: 1,201
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Post by Hiro McVeil on Oct 19, 2008 23:07:38 GMT -5
"Well you know you're always welcome at my door step." Hiro replied. Sure his door step was a room in the Three Broomsticks that he had checked out for a long term rent but Drew was more than welcome there...at least till he got a better idea on where he was going to be.
The moment he heard someone on the door step of the store he was sweeping again. He was always the first sign of someone entering even before the bell rang. He greeted as he always did when someone entered but again his words were cut off by the surprise.
This time however he fumbled a little upon realizing who had entered. What on earth was she doing here? They had kept in touch through owls since they had parted ways but he hadn't been expecting to be in her presence for a long time.
It wasn't that they had parted because the feelings had slipped away, at least not on his side anyway, but because of the distance it was easier to break up than try and stay together. He had been hoping that by the next time they were together his feelings for her would have been changed to 'as a friend' status but this was too soon.
After recovering from his fumbling his shocked face gave away his feelings like an open book, if either of them were paying attention they would have known that he still had feelings for her. Luckily for Hiro Drew was there to keep the conversation going, even when he didn't know it Drew had Hiro's back.
"What are you doing around here?" Hiro tried to keep as steady as possible and although his tone wasn't harsh his choice of words could have been better.
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Charlie Jones
Witch
Professional Quidditch Player
Plays for keeps. [on:Ready to Rock!][of:Not Rockin]
Posts: 2,695
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Post by Charlie Jones on Oct 26, 2008 21:47:16 GMT -5
Somehow she overestimated how she'd feel being there with them. Charlie thought she'd ease into their conversation easily, slyly, yet goofily like she knew how with them. Yet there were notable differences between them all. To her chagrin, she thought... if she was going to feel this oddly far removed from them now just a few months after they parted after graduation, how would she feel when there would be more years?
Suddenly time was feeling more valuable. She had to count down the time until she figured she needed to get back into London to get to her team for some evening conditioning.
Her coolness stumbled a little when she said nothing for two seconds longer than acceptable. "Hello to you, too," she said sarcastically, and avoided going more into Hiro's response than Drew's. "I'll be waiting for the pool party, Thornton! I never thought I'd say that I want to see something else besides a qudditch pitch..."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Oct 27, 2008 18:40:45 GMT -5
Drew hadn't heard that anything was different between his two best friends turned couple, so the tension in the air surprised him. Almost as soon as he felt it, it was gone and he had to wonder if he had just imagined the change of mood. He took a moment to shake it off and then mouthed back to Jones.
"I know what you want to see. You just like to eyeball me in my swim trunks," Drew claimed, flexing a set of muscles that had grown more pronounced over the previous seven years, but were still far from being massive. "You'll get your chance Jones if you really want it that bad. I promise..."
...and he braced himself for the slugging he was going to get from Charlie.
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Hiro McVeil
Wizard
Recent Graduate
They can smash your cookie but you'll always have your fortune[on:Sweet!][of:off working]
Posts: 1,201
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Post by Hiro McVeil on Nov 3, 2008 11:27:47 GMT -5
Hiro thanked his lucky stars when Charlie had decided to comment on Drew's response over his, it gave him time to not look so foolish by her arrival. The silent conversation was missed by him and he found himself drifting into thought for a few moments.
Things had most certainly changed, not long ago Charlie would've been in his arms when they were this close. Now Hiro couldn't find the strength to move a step closer, not that he didn't want to but he had no experience with an ex-girlfriend and was having trouble just sending her owls. It was really hard for him to be a friend only to her. Another thing his mind took him to was the fact that both the people that were in front of him had already known what they wanted to do after Hogwarts and had made significant steps toward those goals while Hiro was still working the same job he had for many summers now. During his school years having a job felt very mature, but now the same job seemed like he was falling behind. Nothing was the same as it was back in school.
"I hope you know a good place for the party, we've been booted out of our old one." Hiro awkwardly joked interrupting the unknown conversation.
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Charlie Jones
Witch
Professional Quidditch Player
Plays for keeps. [on:Ready to Rock!][of:Not Rockin]
Posts: 2,695
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Post by Charlie Jones on Nov 11, 2008 17:16:01 GMT -5
Ooooh yeah. Drew wasn't going to get away with those comments, Charlie decided, and did what she knew best to do as a solution to his mocking. One hand uncovered itself from her deep pockets and landed a square punch on his shoulder. "I've had my fill, thanks," she said with a roll of the eyes. Still, this was a sign of classic Drew-Charlie interaction. She could almost immediately feel like she was back in school.
She turned back to Hiro and couldn't do anything else but agree. Right now they were talking really indirectly, and it made her slightly uncomfortable. Still, it seemed safer for some reason. "Yeah, just you wait, you guys-- in a few years I'll get myself a mansion, with a pool AND a jacuzzi. We can have parties there all we want."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Nov 12, 2008 0:54:21 GMT -5
Drew snickered at Charlie's response. He had missed the back and forth teasing he enjoyed with the Slytherin. Of course, he'd probably have a huge bruise on his upper arm in the morning, but in his mind, it was worth it.
"So you're in charge of the parties from now on?" he asked her with a smirk. Of course, he had a decent house at his disposal, but his aunt didn't have a pool. Drew started wondering how his aunt would feel about putting one in.
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Charlie Jones
Witch
Professional Quidditch Player
Plays for keeps. [on:Ready to Rock!][of:Not Rockin]
Posts: 2,695
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Post by Charlie Jones on Dec 24, 2008 10:15:40 GMT -5
"You wish, Thornton," Charlie said with a smirk. "But I know how much you love to organize these get-togethers. Don't wanna ruin your fun. Who else would have so much fun getting matching dinner sets or whatever?" She was beginning to get a little more comfortable in the setting, feeling up to it to pick up a long piece of a licorice and ask Hiro a question. "How much for a piece of licorice, McVeil?" she had asked, making it a point to call him by his last name and all.
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Hiro McVeil
Wizard
Recent Graduate
They can smash your cookie but you'll always have your fortune[on:Sweet!][of:off working]
Posts: 1,201
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Post by Hiro McVeil on Jan 7, 2009 10:34:51 GMT -5
"Or more accurately sending others to do the work and getting the credit." Hiro added being pulled away from his own thoughts again. At least this time he was still tied to the conversation.
It was really nice reminiscing about the past school years and, even if in jest, making plans for another party. It was comforting knowing that even with school being over they were still able to find something in common and be able to talk and joke.
"For someone as rich and famous as you you should be able to afford it." Hiro joked in reply as Charlie reminded him that he was still on the clock.
(I still don't get the whole economy in the wizard world so I don't know what would be a reasonable price.)
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