Just Chillin'

[Padril Crennent]

Padril was relaxing at a table in the Three Broomsticks, thankful it wasn't a Hogsmeade Weekend. The children made far too much noise for him to sit and think properly. He frowned. Did he say 'the children'? God, he was getting old. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, twirling his wand casually in his fingers while he looked at the empty glass on the table. He was thinking about his career and where his life was going. No where, really. A failing writer, no income, no savings...perhaps he could see if he could get back in the business with Tim?

But he refused. He was going to be a writer. He loved the freedom he had and he naturally clicked with journalism. Maybe he could pursue his current job until he was older, with some money saved up? He didn't know, and he was fully aware it didn't matter. If he was to die tomorrow, the universe would not notice no matter what choice he made. For some reason it was comforting.

[Aethie White]

Aethie sat by herself at a table in the corner, absentmindedly swirling the straw in her drink with one hand as the other held open a heavy-looking book in front of her. She'd never been much for fiction, but when she'd heard that Padril Crennent - one of the boys she'd graduated with - had written a book, she'd rushed right out and bought it. She was starting to see why it had done so poorly, though. While excellently written and very well thought out, it was much too confusing for her to follow, and therefore difficult to get into. Still, she was determined to plow through it.

With an exaggerated exhalation, she turned the page, tucking her long brown hair behind her ear and taking a sip of her drink - a fruity Muggle concoction known as a Shirley Temple. Kind of a childish drink, but Aethie had loved it ever since she was a kid.

[Padril Crennent]

Padril suddenly felt tense, that was the sound of a page turning, if he was not mistaken. Always fascinated in books and why people actually read them, he turned to find the source. Aethie drew his eye, making him wonder why he hadn't seen her earlier. The Half-Veela was hard to tear away from, but when he saw what book she was reading, he smiled broadly. People read it? Crazy!

He walked over to her, a bit timidly. He hadn't really seen the girl since graduation, so he felt rather awkward. Hey, I failed at life, how are you?

"Hey Aethie," he said, sitting down. "Nice book. The author must be incredibly handsome and devilishly charming." He looked over her shoulder at her page, then clicked his tounge. The conversation between Adam and Sarah hadn't been his favourite. Too bland, but it updated the reader on what was being said.

[Aethie White]

Aethie jumped slightly and looked up at the sound of her name in an strangely familiar voice. "Padril?" she asked disbelievingly. Then, as she recognized him, she smiled broadly. "Padril! Oh my god, hi!" She started to move towards him, as if to give him a hug, but then pulled back; she wasn't sure if she knew him well enough to justify a hug. Sure, they'd been prefects together, but they'd never really been friends. The end result was that she made an odd sort of jerking movement that looked vaguely as if she were having a seizure. With a short laugh to cover the awkward moment, she shut the book. "Incredibly handsome and devilishly charming, eh? You can't have met the author." Her eyes twinkled teasingly and she grinned.

[Padril Crennent]

Padril pretended to look hurt, "I have it on excellent authority!" He was pleased with the way the conversation had gone, but unsure of Aethie's jerking movement. It looked she had decided to snap his neck, then thought about it, then decided she should wait until he let his guard down. He made himself comfortable in his seat and gave Aethie a smile, which for him was his lips turning upwards slightly. "How ya been Aethie?"

[Aethie White]

"Oh really?" Aethie laughed. "Well, I'd check with your sources if I were you." She sighed contentedly and leaned back a little in her chair. "I've been doing fairly well," she continued. "I've yet to decide what I want to do with my life, though." She tilted her head thoughtfully to the side, seemingly considering Padril as she chewed on her lip. "I thought maybe I wanted to become a Healer, but...I dunno. I just don't think it's really my calling. Clearly you've found yours, though!" She glanced quickly down at the book in her hands with a wide smile. "I think it's so cool that you wrote a book."

She was being completely sincere; although Aethie didn't find the book to be in her taste, she was supremely impressed that Padril had written one. She could never be a writer. She could write cute, pretty things, but never a novel. Music, on the other hand...Aethie had always been musical. She loved to sing.

[Padril Crennent]

"Well, I am a pretty cool guy," Padril grinned. "If you're not a Healer, what are you doing then? You can't tell me you're a rich heiress who doesn't need a job as well, because otherwise I might just kill myself." He made it clear it was a joke. His two best friends, Jaden and Harley, were both ridiculously rich and if he met one more person who was just as rich...

Well, he'd probably write himself into their will and kill them, to tell the truth. Though no one ever gets away with that.

[Aethie White]

Aethie laughed loudly. "Hardly! My parents run a restaurant in Greece. My Dad's a Muggle. He didn't even want me to move to England, wanted me to stay home and run the restaurant, live a "normal" life, you know. I've got a bit of money saved up from working summers when I was in school, but one of these days I'm going to have to get a job. Either that or become a famous singer." She struck a diva pose, a self-deprecating grin on her face. "Think I could give Celestina Warbeck a run for her money?"

I wonder why we were never friends in school, Aethie wondered silently. She'd always thought Padril was a pretty cool guy, one who seemed like he had his act together. And he'd been Head Boy - clearly, he was smart. Yet somehow, they'd never moved beyond the 'casual acquaintance' stage. Which made her wonder why exactly he was talking to her like an old friend now. Was it just because she was reading his book? Or was it something more? Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she considered this option.

[Padril Crennent]

Padril was assumed how she said 'become a famous singer', like it was a career choice, but chose not to make a sarcastic comment. It was probably just a slip of the tounge, mistaking aspiration for profession, but he still found it hilarious. But his face never moved.

"She'd have to run very fast," Padril said approvingly. "Greece? Isn't Professor Goldeye Greek?" Padril just found that an interesting coincidence for no reason, just a link between two facts. Some people said there was no such thing as coincidence, after all.

[Aethie White]

[The famous singer thing was supposed to be a joke ]

"Was he?" Aethie asked, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "Honestly, I have no idea. I never really liked History of Magic, to be frank," she laughed. "I think I've only spoken to him a handful of times outside of class."

The waitress moseyed over just then, cheerfully asking if they'd like another drink. "Yes, another Shirley Temple please," Aethie requested before glancing over at Padril. "Are you rushing off somewhere, or do you have time to sit and have a drink with me?"

[Padril Crennent]

(Padril doesn't know that )

"I always have time," Padril scoffed. "Just a Butterbeer for me, please," he told the waitress, not really wanting Aethie to see his flask of Scotch that he took practically everywhere with him. He had a slight drinking problem, he supposed because of his financial troubles or something.

"Have you been on your world trip yet?" he asked, dying to start telling his stories of traveling the globe. Those had been some damn fun months.

[Aethie White]

Aethie sighed. "Unless you count Greece and a little bit of Italy, no, I haven't...I just can't afford it. Besides, my Mum says the whole idea about witches and wizards going on a 'Grand Tour' after graduation is outdated - so the long and short of it is, my parents wouldn't pay for it and I can't afford to take myself."

The waitress brought back their drinks. Aethie fished the cherry out of her drink and popped it in her mouth, stirring the drink up as she did so to mix the grenadine in with the orange juice. "What about you?" she asked, pulling the cherry stem out from between her lips. "Have you been on yours?"

[Padril Crennent]

"Twice," he said proudly, taking the Butterbeer. "The first time I nearly splinched myself in Istanbul and ended up in Manchuria, but the second time around I really got to experience the world." He felt so well-traveled after that trip, but he still had a strong urge to spend years simply traveling and exploring the land. The experience had drawn him in like a drug.

He watched Aethie eat the cherry with interest, memories of his trip returning. "Should go to Alexandria. That place...It was incredible. I want to live there, it's breath-taking."

[Aethie White]

"I'd love to go to Egypt," Aethie said wistfully. "Hopefully I'll have enough money saved up by next summer." She gazed off into the distance for a few seconds before giving herself a little shake and re-focusing on Padril. "So tell me about your trip then," she said excitedly. "I love hearing other people's travel stories."

[Padril Crennent]

"Oh jeez, where do I start?" Padril scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, when I was in Alexandria, I carried an Arabic Guide book with me, thinking I might as well appreciate their language. I was in this line to a stall, and this American in front of me in yelling at the man who was selling." Padril made big clumsy gestures with his face and fingers, slurring his voice to an American accent. "You stupid arab! The necklace! How much for the necklace? And the Egyptian said..."

The accent changed to unsteady English with clear Middle-Eastern dialect, "I..do not...know, what..you...talk,' the American got really angry and then left. I came up to the stall owner and I tried to speak to him in Arabic but before I finished my first sentence, he said, in perfect English "What would you like?" Padril laughed.

"They get pissed when people don't even try to learn their language. You make an effort and it goes a long way."