chaos and art go hand in hand

            HE TOOK a sip of his coffee as he looked down at the guidebook or whatever it was called about italy. the male had been wondering as of late exactly where else in italy he ought to go, since he spent most of his time in florence or tuscany. using his quill, he would circle the places in various cities that piqued his interest and he would pause every now and then to read more about the place. after doing that for nearly a half hour, he set his quill down and leaned back against his seat. “i wonder where else i ought to go to that has a lot of art and culture?” he wondered aloud and turned to the first person he saw. “any suggestions?”

she knew her best friend wasn’t the most affectionate person,    did it stop her from hugging him    ?    absolutely not.    but they did have to build up to that level to say the least.    “    i wouldn’t say it’s    sad.    everyone needs their alone time.    not to mention,    some people don’t mind being alone.    socializing does take up a lot of energy.    ”    alison let her best friend lead her to the couch and plopped down.    “    you’re not wrong.    some rest and relaxation is much needed.    but yes,    unfortunately it was two weeks.    but i love what i do,    so it’s not a hassle or anything.    ”

              “YEAH BUT according to certain people, too much alone time isn’t good. apparently, people need to ‘socialize’ too?” austin scoffed, before he sighed. “no, it’s sad. i feel like a hermit and i’m barely twenty two!” it was sad that he rarely left his house these days and whenever he did, it was only to run errands. and only on those errands did austin ever actually talk to other human beings. “lucky you,” he breathed out, pouting slightly. not that he hated what he did — not completely that was. it was rather tiring just being under the scrutinizing eyes of the wizarding society and being expected to act a certain way at all times. “well at least you’re relaxing now. tonight and tomorrow, there would be no work at all. just play, talk, play.”

「 @artiiumisms liked for a starter 」

“well if it isn’t little arnold greengrass.” britin’s voice boomed through the crowd as he nudged people out of the way, wrapping an arm around austin’s shoulders when he reached him. turning to the group of friends he was hardly ever without, he continued. “he’s grace’s friend. the artsy one.” given that isaac and grace were both people britin was on friendly terms with, it only made sense that he’d known who he was. even if he might have been slightly off the mark.  “what are you doing in a place like this ? “

             THE BLOND wizard resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he heard a very familiar voice. dear merlin: someone please avada kedavra him right now. he merely sighed as he rested his elbows on the table. why was britin st. james in a place like the hog’s head? though to be fair, austin himself was a little out of place in this bar as well. but it wasn’t like he chose to come here. ugh, why did his cousin have to have such an awful taste in bars? he was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the other wrap an arm around his shoulders, causing him to cringe. “first off, it’s austin. not arnold.” gross. arnold greengrass? he was blessed to not have such an ugly name, thank you very much! “not that it’s any of your business, brody —” oh he knew the other’s name but this was payback for getting his name wrong. “but i’m meeting with a cousin,” he finished. “i suppose i can ask you the same question since this place doesn’t scream... well, you.”

“i love the sun and warm weather, and nice days– but i also don’t like when it’s super hot either. quidditch is pretty rough when it’s like that.” fatima says with a shrug of her shoulders, she was more of an winter girl because of the snow and ice, plus there was christmas. which seemed like her. “even if summer does tend to be one of the best times to catch up with people. i honestly don’t think there’s been a time for me when it’s been boring or that i’ve been uninterested. i’m always learning something new and learning new techniques. i’m pretty sure i’ve had the same interest since i was super young. even when it comes to having the same dream career of playing professional.” it also helped she liked her teammates she felt when it came to sports that was an important factor. “that’s super awful– i’m sorry to hear that. i’m sure you’ll find someone to go with, and that someone will get some time off. i think that’s probably pretty true, a lot of people i know haven’t had much off time either.” there’s an apologetic smile at that, she felt despite it not being her fault but she didn’t like hearing when things didn’t go well for people. “not such a bad idea. i can’t really give suggestions there. i don’t know a whole lot about italy. but i’m sure there’s lots of different things to see in each city and things to do. i hope you’re able to figure that out as well, can always go with somewhere you’ve wanted to go and haven’t been able to.”

             “OH I agree wholeheartedly. ‘m never the biggest fan of this season, but there are some days that i enjoy the weather. it’s when it gets scorching hot that i tend to dislike it immensely.” for austin, the ideal season would be either the fall or spring. fall was when it was getting cooler and the leaves turn into such beautiful shades of reds, yellows and oranges. spring was the perfect balance between winter and summer — the temperature was just right, and he absolutely loved the rain and the thunderstorms that came with. “well, i never thought that the saying ‘you always learn something new everyday’ could be applied to real life and jobs,” he admitted. “i thought that it only applied to school.” unlike many, austin didn’t really have a ‘proper’ job per se: he just had to make appearances at social functions, smile for the cameras and all that. when such functions weren’t happening, he was just doing his own thing, which was mainly his art and learning more about muggle art. “well, it is understandable. these are the only two months some of them have off, and they’ve already made plans. the rest are working or are in the process of getting a job,” he shrugged. “i really hope so.” austin had all the time and a lot of money  — really, he ought to be doing more than just staying in his home and locking himself away. he’d just been lounging a lot lately anyway. “i might get one of those... er, what are those muggle things? the guidebooks? y’know, books with pictures and information about the cities. those might be useful, right?”

“You,” A serious expression on his face as he pointed at a random person. His serious expression quickly faded when he smiled at the person in front of him, “Drinks are on me.” The male tended to be very generous when he was tipsy, but he also wanted to meet new people. He hung out with the same crowd over & over again, and honestly, it got a little annoying. 

 AUSTIN BARELY looked up from the magazine he was reading when the other addressed him. “well...” he was about to say that he could pay for his own drink, when he stopped. a free drink sounds better than an expensive drink, really. “you know what? i’ll take that free drink,” he decided, giving the other a small smile. 

“i appreciate that! thank you, i hope so too. i was hoping i’d have some with summer and all, because it’s the perfect time to catch up with everyone but it’s alright i’ve been doing my best. all one can do but i still feel awful about it.” fatima did do what she could, to make sure she didn’t go a long time without catching up with her family and friends. “i definitely don’t, i’ve been playing quidditch for as long as i can remember and it just never seems to get old. probably because i’m always learning something new and keeping it fun.” it were a true she’d kept the same amount of interest and love for it since when she was a child. “nothing? i’m sorry to hear that it sounds like you should change that sometime because that’s super unfortunate, a good thing to go by is to if you’re not having fun you’re not doing something right. i think when it comes to that while you’ve probably seen most if not all the first time you were there, try to see if there’s things you haven’t done before. there’s always things that can be missed first time around, sometimes second time too. just depends on the place i’d imagine.” it was just something she did, trying to always help and giving small bits of advice things she thought could help. “i do get what you mean, sometimes once you’ve seen something once it’s not as fun but it can be if you make it that way.”

truth be told,    the past two weeks have been    AWFULLY    busy for alison.    she’d taken a short business trip to prague and returning back to work the next day to meet with a client.    not to mention,    she had to attend a meeting with the board of st. mungo’s as she was planning to supply some of the potions for the hospital.    and to top it all off,    she ended up having lunch with isaac van doren of all people.    it was the least expected event.    it was safe to say that her life was back to some normalcy after receiving an owl from austin inviting her over to his apartment.    picking up her purse and wand,    she flooed over to her best friend’s apartment.    “    austin    !    ”    she greeted in response.    “    i’ve been terribly busy these past couple of weeks.    how have you been    ?    ”    she walked over to give him a hug.

                AUSTIN WASN’T the most affectionate person in the world, but when it came to his loved ones and his best friends, he could offer some affection now and then. so when alison gave him a hug, he didn’t shy away like he normally did. his arms automatically wrapped around her frame, smiling to himself. “i’ve been... well, rather alone most of the time, so i guess that’s... good and somewhat... sad?” the male shrugged. “you, my darling, need to relax.” he pulled away briefly to look at her. “two weeks of hard work and no play? dear merlin, how do you do it?” austin asked as he led her to the couch and then called for his house elf to bring them some firewhiskey and some biscuits. 

“it’s hard to keep up with everyone as much as i’d like to, which is the worst because i know i love talking to everyone and seeing what’s new.” fatima says honestly, she thought it was unfortunate because it did happen to be something she loved, especially for someone who loved being a social butterfly as much as her. “i’d say it’s going good, i love being apart of the arrows and my team’s great.” the former blonde’s cheerily answer to the question, she genuinely did feel that way and considered herself lucky. “yeah, i get that and i’m glad you’re doing well. that’s not always fun though, so i’m sorry to hear it. i take it you haven’t been up to anything fun in that case? or anything interesting to share?”

              HE’D LIKE to say that he could relate, but austin was less social than fatima was. if he was being honest, he could go for months without talking to anyone and be alright with it. but he supposed that it was understandable that fatima would miss talking to people and catching up with her loved ones. “that’s unfortunate. hopefully you’ll have some more free time in the future so you won’t have to go through long periods of time not talking to them,” he said, managing a small smile, which widened just a bit more when she told him how much she loved her job. austin couldn’t help it: her cheerfulness was really infectious. “i’m glad to hear it! wouldn’t be great if you hated your job,” he replied with a nod. “honestly the most fun i’ve done was... nothing really. it’s just usually wandering around the golden pine or travelling to italy once more to admire the art. i mean, italy was fun, but it wasn’t as fun as it used to be when i first went there, you know what i mean?”

     “20 galleons a week?” the job was only part-time – twenty hours, monday through wednesday – but it seemed like the best option. though her parents kept saying it was alright if she didn’t have a job, she knew her mother really wanted her to get out of the house. it would also help pay for groceries and gas in her car ;  after a summer spent travelling, her pocket money was seriously depleted. “that seems like a reasonable wage.”  phoenix honestly wasn’t sure what the minimum wage was. by her estimation, a galleon was roughly the equivalent of 4 british pounds. that felt like a lot of money.  “doesn’t it?” 

the cobwebs in her gringotts account suggested that any money was certainly more money than the sad stack of sickles and knuts she had left.  her last galleon had been spent on a new set of coloring pencils and while she didn’t regret it … she knew it was irresponsible not to take things seriously when it came to her future employment.  she certainly didn’t want to live with her parents forever or be a burden on them !  

            TO SOMEONE like austin, twenty galleons didn’t seem like much. of course, that’s because twenty galleons to him was what a galleon or two was to another. the blond merely pursed his lips, looking over at the witch before he shrugged. “i suppose it is. if you feel as though that’s decent wage enough for you, then you should definitely take it.” the concept of having a job or searching for one was foreign to the wizard: he didn’t need to look for one because he had enough money to last him and his great-grandchild. obviously, he knew not everyone had the same mindset that he did nor did they have the greengrass family fortune at their fingertips, so he was trying his best not to come off as a spoiled brat. “i’ve been told that apart from checking the wage, you ought to find a job that you know you’d love to do,” he added. “would you like to er... uh, what was it that the job entails, actually?”

            HE’D BEEN rather bored and feeling... well, lonely as of late. he hadn’t really hung out with anyone in over two weeks and as much as he claimed he liked to be by himself, there were moments where he didn’t. so the blond wizard had sent an owl to alison, having not spoken to his best friend in what seemed like ages, and invited her over to his apartment for some good old quality best friend bonding time. the male was sitting by the window, brows furrowed in concentration as he worked on a sketch, when he heard his house elf announcing the arrival of his best friend. his concentration was broken but nonetheless, he turned around with a wide grin. “alison! how have you been, love?”

「 summer, 1989 」

      the summer sun was hot on nix’s back as she stirred her spoon ;  the sundae in front of her was melting despite the cooling spell cast on the bowl … even magic couldn’t combat the record breaking heat wave that had washed over london.  the witch was perusing an issue of the daily prophet, circling job adverts with a red sharpie whenever something caught her eye.  “what do you think?”  she glanced up at her companion, turning the page around so that they could look it over as she read aloud.  she cleared her throat :

    “searching for a witch or wizard who possesses the skills required to enhance   the atmosphere of st. mungo’s hospital.  n.e.w.t.s. in potions and charms considered an     asset.  must be a people person.  welcome witch / wizard position available starting           august 11, 1989.  all applicants must present a copy of their o.w.l. and n.e.w.t. results. “

 though she hadn’t done as well in potions as she’d hoped, an o in charms and an e in potions would make her more than qualified for the position.  with no response from the daily prophet photographer job she’d applied for and her parents’ insistence she try and get a job, it looked like the best option.  at least for now.  “the pay seems decent …. d’you think i’d be a good fit ? “          

              AUSTIN GREENGRASS was fond of summer, just like any other person. he liked the warm weather, the cool breeze, the shining sun. what he did not like was the sweltering heat. by merlin, he was going to die due to this heat wave! so, he rarely ventured outside unless absolutely necessary. that day, he was headed outside only to meet up with grace, who managed to persuade him to go to diagon alley for a drink. now, he wasn’t the biggest fan of the place since the golden pine opened, but he had at least tolerated it. that was, until he found out about the cauldron heists. he didn’t care for it, but that didn’t mean he was not wary every time he was even in the area.

as he searched for his friend, he overheard someone reading what sounded like an advertisement for a job. unable to help himself, the male looked over at the blonde witch and her companion. “if you’re friendly enough and have no qualms being around sick people, i’m sure you’ll be fine,” he commented. “how much is the pay?”

fatima did a glance over one of her shoulders upon hearing her name, having been in a conversation with someone whilst she was waiting for brother to show up who’d agreed to meeting up with her and them catching up; being the social butterfly she is it didn’t take long for her to find someone to chat with. “i’ll catch you later, have a good rest of the day!” she says in response to whom she’d been chatting with and with that she headed over towards austin, her signature smile written across her features. “hello, austin!” the former blonde greeted cheerily. “sorry about that, i’ve been busy with practice and matches mostly– i’ve been good actually thank you! and how about you? good, i hope.”

                 HE HADN’T spoken to fatima nor christian in a while. it was only now that he realized that it had been months since he last spoke nor seen either of them. it was rather nice to see her though. and she looked great, especially with her new hair color. it suited her rather well. having spent some time with fatima since she and christian got together, he found that it was rather hard not to smile around the half-veela. “it’s alright,” he assured her. “oh yes, how’s the job going?” he asked curiously. “i’m glad to hear it! and yes, i’m doing well for the most part. just going through the motions, you know?”

       “        —        better than you by the look of things.        people bang out of order or what        ?        ”        christian teased,        clapping a hand on his best mate’s shoulder in jest.        he nearly hadn’t approached him.        he was taking lunch after performing a tedious spell removal of a boggart from a wizard.        it was as        WEIRD        and as        horrifying        as an experience as it sounded.        his shepherd’s pie had been earned,        and was in the oven cooking of the establishment he’d ordered it in;         same one he’d spotted austin through the window of.

   thing was,        he hadn’t seen the other wizard since the robberies at madam potage’s had taken place.        them being in the general vicinity of where it’d gone down made him want to check in and ask where his opinion lied.        it was also just always nice to see him,        even if he looked like he’d just gotten a good whiff of some flobberworms.        “        just me,        ”        he confirmed,        rubbing the back of his neck.        “        i’ve been alright.        you know how it is        …        actually,        i’ve been keen on checking in with you.        especially with all of this chatter about criminal activity in these parts.        ”        christian frowned,        leaning against the outside of the pub.        “        reckon she meant it sarcastically,        but i can’t help but agree with rita skeeter.        poor madam potage.        ”        

                 HE FAKE-SCOWLED over at his best friend for a moment, before a few chuckles slipped past his lips. “just people in general,” austin sighed, shaking his head. the blond male was glad that at least he saw a familiar face... that he actually liked around this area. if it had been anyone, austin would have simply brushed past them and would have ignored them. but christian was his best mate and one of the only people he actually liked talking to, and he would always make time to chat with his friend and catch up.

the male’s head tilted to the side when he saw his friend frown. oh right. the robberies. if austin was being honest, when he found out, he was rather... disinterested. sure he felt a twinge of sympathy for madam potage but diagon alley was not one of his hang outs. austin straightened up and shook his head. “i appreciate the concern mate, but i’ll be fine,” he assured his friend with a half smile. “i don’t go here unless there’s an errand that has to be done in this area and that’s usually a rarity.” at the mention of skeeter, austin wrinkled his nose for a moment before he nodded. “it’s... horrible what happened. and i can’t imagine why people would want to steal her cauldrons....”

         tiffany stifled a snort.         she leaned to the side and raised her brows.         “         wellll.         ”         what could she say         ?         she’d seen the world,         and she’d seen some weird shite.         “         i know i was in first year at the tail end of the war,         but i can’t remember anything as mental happening even then during my education         …         involving a professor,         anyway.         you should’ve seen it,         austin.         i’ll never forget the sight of the kid’s limbs flailing around as he went overboard.         plus,         mcgonagall on a broom         ?         LEGENDARY.         ”

              HIS LIPS curved into a genuine smile now, unable to stop himself from feeling amused at the image being painted in his mind. “damn it! i should have gone!” he sighed, smile turning into a pout as he looked at his friend. “that would have been quite a sight. what happened to that professor who threw the lad overboard?’

               HE RARELY visited hogwarts since graduating there two years prior, but he was wanting to check up on his cousin and have a chat with her and see how she’s doing. merlin knows kat had a tad bit of an anxiety issue with water and after that cruise? well, he’d be a horrible cousin if he didn’t check to see how she was doing. on his way to search for the redhead, he happened to run into yet another familiar witch. “lestrange,” he greeted coolly with a nod. “you’re graduating this year, correct?”