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Post by Yvonne Marquette on Dec 2, 2010 1:02:03 GMT -5
Yvonne took a sip from her drink, watching him as he talked. Already she was in a much better mood, and thoughts of Eddie were fading from her mind. What was the point of stressing about a guy who was never going to see her as more than a friend, when she had a cute, interesting, charming, fun guy right here?
But she didn't want to get ahead of herself. She had the tendency to hope for too much, too soon, and it often caused her to get hurt. That was what had happened with Eddie, and she was determined not to let that happen again.
"I suppose that makes some sense," she replied. "If you're in the same place all the time, I imagine it starts to get boring, even if it's a beach in Australia. Still... the weather must have been a real adjustment for you, right? I mean, from sunny Australia to cold, rainy, foggy London. And the seasons being opposite must have been confusing... I can't imagine what it would be like to be cold in July."
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Post by Issac Fleming on Dec 2, 2010 12:37:05 GMT -5
"Yeah, the weather did take a little adjusting. I've always liked the water, so rain hasn't bothered me too much. I wish that the sun would shine more often but that's okay." Issac smiled. "As for the seasons, it messed me up the first time we moved here. I thought that it was going to be slightly chilly in July when my parents first moved to England, but of course, surprisingly it was fairly warm. I got the hang of the seasons here pretty quickly. I still remember every December there used to be Santas running up and down the beach in swimsuits." Issac let out a laugh. "Of course that would not happen here, it's far too cold for that."
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Post by Yvonne Marquette on Dec 2, 2010 23:24:51 GMT -5
Yvonne had to laugh at that. Growing up as a muggle, Yvonne knew all about the muggle Christmas traditions like Santa Claus, and she couldn't imagine him running down the beach in a bathing suit. To her, Christmas meant cold weather, snow, sipping hot chocolate by the fire. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to have it be warm on Christmas.
"No... no, that definitely doesn't happen here. But I guess you already know that, huh? Do you like it better when it's warm at Christmas or cold? Do you visit your parents in Australia for Christmas?"
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Post by Carley Spangler on Dec 3, 2010 13:20:01 GMT -5
Xander shrugged, casting another look over at Ike and Yvonne. Although Issac could sometimes be a bit unsure of himself with girls, he seemed to be doing very well with Yvonne. Xander was glad for that, because he really liked Carley. He wouldn't feel like he was abandoning his best friend if he also found a girl to talk with. "Oh, you know. We've been friends ever since Hogwarts. I used to drag him into all kinds of adventures, and he used to make me do my homework. How about you and Yvonne? How long have you know each other?" "Sounds like a perfect friendship," she said with a laugh. "Yvonne and I have been friends for a while now. I mean, I didn't know her during school but we became friends right after. Seems like I've known her for longer than just a few years." Carley gave a shrug. "But I suppose that is what makes a great friendship." She really didn't remember exactly how long she and Yvonne had been friends. "We sort of ran into each other in London I think, and we've been friends since." |
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Post by Issac Fleming on Dec 3, 2010 13:25:17 GMT -5
"I think I actually like the idea of Christmas being cold," he said. "It fits better with the fact that there are Christmas trees and lights and everything like that. June and July should be hot, not cold." Issac shrugged.
"I do go back and visit my parents on Christmas. We always try to keep that family tradition going. I usually go back to Australia on Christmas Eve. I haven't missed a Christmas in Australia yet, but I wonder what it would be like to actually have a Christmas here." Issac wondered if he decorated his apartment if his parents would come one year to spend the holidays in England. However, with things going on now like they were, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to bring them into that.
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Post by Yvonne Marquette on Dec 4, 2010 2:02:10 GMT -5
Yvonne smiled. "I agree. It just seems to fit better, you know? But it's good that you go home to be with your parents for Christmas. Everyone should always be with their families at Christmas... I miss my family so much, but especially at Christmas. My dad was a chef, you know, and he always made the most wonderful feasts for Christmas and he'd invite the whole neighborhood over for dinner. And my mom... she loved playing hostess. She'd have games and sing-a-longs... it was kinda cheesy, but I loved every minute of it. Now I usually spend Christmas with my friends... It's nice, but it's not the same."
Her eyes grew sad as she talked about her parents. Losing them had been one of the worst things that had ever happened to her, and sometimes she thought she'd never get over it.
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Post by Xander Mosely on Dec 4, 2010 10:28:16 GMT -5
Xander shrugged. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how it starts. It can be a little thing, or it can be something big. I remember how Ikey and I met... We were both first years, and I was playing a prank on old Sluggy again... only Professor McGonagall caught me in the act. I was running away from her and nearly crashed into Ike. I told him to cover for me while I hid behind a tapestry, and he did. We've been best friends ever since. Even though I still ended up getting detention for trying to pull pranks in Slughorn..." He rolled his eyes.
Taking another sip from his drink, he looked over at Issac and Yvonne. Usually, he tended to be a little tongue-tied around girls without Xander's influence, but he seemed to be doing very well for himself. They actually seemed to be having a good time, and the girl seemed to be very into him. Xander grinned at this. Maybe if Ike played his cards right, he could get lucky tonight.
"Anyway, tell me about yourself," he said, turning back to Carley. "What kinds of things do you like to do for fun? You know, besides talking and having drinks with devastatingly handsome, charming, funny guys like me?" He added with a wink.
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Post by Issac Fleming on Dec 5, 2010 0:21:16 GMT -5
Issac wasn't completely blind. He knew the moment that Yvonne started talking about her parents, something had happened. She looked sad and he knew that he wouldn't feel right if he just asked her what happened to them.
"Friends are still just as important as family," he said. "And remembering Christmas' with those close is just as important. After all, it usually is the memories and traditions that help keep us all going." Issac didn't know what it was like to lose a parent. His grandfather died when Issac was around thirteen, but other than that, he hadn't really had anyone close to him pass away.
"Plus too, that's the whole thing of having friends is to make new memories and traditions."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Dec 5, 2010 0:39:43 GMT -5
Carley laughed and rolled her eyes. "Well, you already know that I grew up in an orphanage and that I wasn't the most innocent quiet girl a lot of people thought Hufflepuffs to be. To be quite honest, I don't ever worry about myself, everyone else comes first. I don't have a problem telling you what I think, and I think that is why Yvonne and I are best friends." She let out another laugh.
"I haven't decided what I really want to do yet. Ms. Elvington, the lady that still runs the orphanage is getting a little too old to take care of the orphanage herself. I like to go over there sometimes and teach a few basic classes."
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Post by Xander Mosely on Dec 11, 2010 0:22:03 GMT -5
Xander shrugged. "Oh, trust me, I don't know what I want to do, either. I may work at the Ministry, but I don't know if I want to stay there forever. It's kind of depressing sometimes... I see people when something traumatic or scary happened. Most of the time, they're just innocent muggles who didn't deserve what happened to them."
It was rare that Xander got serious, especially when trying to impress a girl, but the truth was, he did take his job seriously. He wasn't sure he could continue to do it for his whole life, but he did recognize that it was no joking matter. He helped people to forget about terrible things, and he was good at it.
"But you know, it sounds to me like you already know what you want to do, but you're not ready to do it yet. Teaching, working with kids, especially at the orphanage where you grew up. Maybe even run it one day. I can see that... I bet you're good with kids. I'm pretty good with kids, too, but that's mostly because I already act like one."
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Post by Yvonne Marquette on Dec 11, 2010 0:45:26 GMT -5
Yvonne brightened. "That's true," she agreed. "I have a lot of friends, and I do usually hang out with them on Christmas. Carley and I and my roommate, Penny, usually have Christmas dinner together. Eddie usually cooks for us, if he's not seeing anyone.... although I can cook, too. My parents ran a restaurant, so I grew up around food."
She was able to say Eddie's name without feeling that familiar pang, and there was barely a reaction on her face. She was getting better at this. It still hurt sometimes, but she was slowly accepting that it wasn't meant to be.
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Post by Carley Spangler on Dec 11, 2010 13:20:46 GMT -5
It was apparent that Xander was serious about his job. His job seemed to be one of the balances in his life and it showed that while he could be joking and playful, it also showed that he could be the opposite when he needed to be.
"I thought about maybe taking it over from her once Ms. Elvington gets a little older. She is a stubborn lady and won't stop no matter what her age, even if I try to talk her into trying to rest. So, I do the next best thing and help as much as I can." Carley knew that she was going to take over the orphanage when it came time for her to actually step up and do it.
She let out a laugh. "I'm pretty decent with kids. They make my day actually because they are so energetic. And there's nothing wrong with acting like a kid sometimes."
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Post by Issac Fleming on Dec 11, 2010 13:44:51 GMT -5
"See? Optimism about Christmas." Issac smiled. In conversations like this, Issac didn't trip over his words. "You have friends to celebrate the holidays with and that's what really matters." He didn't know what he would do if something happened to his parents and he couldn't have Christmas with them. It just seemed an odd thing to even try to imagine.
"Plus having friends in general helps a lot with things, even if they sometimes attempt to embarrass you out in public." Issac chuckled at that.
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Post by Yvonne Marquette on Dec 12, 2010 0:40:37 GMT -5
Yvonne let out a loud laugh at his last comment, then cast a glance over at Carley and Xander. They seemed to be having a pretty good time over at the bar, and she was satisfied that her friend was doing well enough without her.
"Yeah, he seems the type who would embarrass you in public. But I bet that you give as good as you get, don't you?"
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Post by Xander Mosely on Dec 12, 2010 0:47:43 GMT -5
At the sound of laughter coming from the table with Yvonne and Issac, Xander looked over at them and grinned. It seemed Ikey was doing just fine with the girl, and Xander was proud of him. He liked to think that he had taught his best friend everything he knew, but in reality, they both taught each other different things.
"Well, if you asked Ikey over there, he'd probably tell you that I act like a kid most of the time. I don't think I've really changed all that much since we first became friends. I even sometimes play pranks on our coworkers. Just last week, I charmed someone's case files so that everything would be in Chinese. It took him hours to figure it out."
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Post by Issac Fleming on Dec 15, 2010 19:23:18 GMT -5
"I try," Issac said laughing. "Xander, well, he's good at what he does, but it has gotten a little harder to embarrass me because I'm used to most his tricks." Issac would be completely lost if Xander wasn't around. He would be the quiet guy who never went out or did anything.
"Besides, we always have a lot of fun wherever we go. There's never really a dull moment. There's been plenty of times when he's gotten plenty drunk and embarrassed himself in front of a girl." Issac let out another laugh. "But I try to dish back whatever he tries to dish out. It gets pretty heated sometimes, but in a fun way."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Dec 15, 2010 19:34:40 GMT -5
Carley could imagine the look on Xander's coworker's face as they attempted to figure out the Chinese. She let out a laugh. "Poor guy," she said with a shake of her head. There wasn't anything too wrong with playing pranks every once in awhile, as long as the other people knew that it was all in good fun.
"You do know when to be serious, that much is apparent, so there's nothing wrong with acting like a kid."
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Post by Xander Mosely on Dec 17, 2010 1:29:21 GMT -5
"I try not to be mean in my pranks," Xander replied. "At least, not any more. I guess when I was a kid, I didn't always think about that, and I would pick on people... but I've definitely grown up a little. I can play a joke on someone without making fun of them. I don't really want to hurt anyone's feelings, I just want to make everyone laugh. And there's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
The way Xander saw it, there just wasn't any point in taking life too seriously. Life could be sad and depressing, and sometimes it was too short. He had a pretty good life, and he was thankful for that. So he was not about to let the seriousness of life get him down... instead he tried to find ways to make it fun and memorable.
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Post by Yvonne Marquette on Dec 17, 2010 1:38:28 GMT -5
Yvonne took a sip of her drink, then leaned forward against the table. She was seriously thinking about asking him if he wanted to get out of here, but she didn't want to abandon Carley, so she didn't say anything just yet. But she was definitely interested in Issac, and she didn't even care at the moment whether it would be something that would last, or just would be a one-time thing.
"So, of the two of you, then, that means that you're the more serious one?" she said. "He's the joker and the flirt, and you're more serious and shy. Is that right? Although, I have to say, you're doing pretty well with me. I find you fascinating."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Dec 20, 2010 14:27:26 GMT -5
"Everyone does need a little laughter in their lives," she agreed. Carley cast one more glance in Yvonne's direction. Her friend needed the laughter and it was clear that she was getting what she needed after everything that was happening with Eddie. Carley had decided that she wasn't going to worry about men. There was no use in worrying about them if they were only going to break your heart. Of course, she only really thought that for herself. Maybe it was hypocritical, but that was just her opinion for herself. She was a sucker for a good love story, however. Maybe that was why she was determined to help Yvonne in any way she could to push her friend in the right direction and see how things played out.
"Life is too short in general to take life seriously all the time. A few pranks, or a few jokes here and there are what make that time more memorable. Why worry all the time when you only have a short time to live?"
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