Always (Open)

Subject: Always (Open) Sat Sep 25, 2021 1:17 pm

"Have a nice day!"

Josie waved over her shoulder at the young lady that called out as she strolled out of the shop, her pocket two shrunken bags heavier. It was her off-day from training and Josie needed some new outfits for the upcoming summer, what with her plans to head to the coast for a weekend or so away. She was supposed to be heading to the US to see her family for a week but with her decision to stay in the UK, she wouldn't be welcome past the borders or would, more than likely, be forced to stay in the US.

It ached her that she couldn't see her beloved parents and younger brother but it had been with their kind smiles and loving reassurances that she had made the decision to stay in the UK. Did she regret it? No. Did she miss her family? Yes. However, Josie wouldn't change her decision. She had her own life in the UK, she was a full-time member of the Hollyhead Harpies and she also planned to do some self-studying to have something to fall back on once she retired from Quidditch though that wouldn't be for many years.

As she strolled down the streets of Diagon, Josie dropped a galleon on the counter of a newsstand while grabbing the newest Witch Weekley Magazine, her brows rising in shock at the blaring front page which announced that Joshua Murray was back on the market, she waved away the change the man wanted to give her and walked over the scant few benches scattered around a small fountain where she sat down to pursue the magazine.

She had heard that the wedding had been called off but she had not actively gone looking for information about it and truthfully, it's not like she cared really, it was just something interesting to read to pass the time and unlike the blaring headline that screamed out at many unwedded ladies to scramble for a chance with Joshua Murray, Josie cared not an iota, it's not like she'd ever meet him, no matter how small the UK was.

"...useless." She muttered, even as she persued the article.

Josie Outfit:

Subject: Re: Always (Open) Sun Oct 03, 2021 12:30 pm

August was in full bloom now, a heatwave was taking over the UK pushing more people out of their homes during the summer. As usual, August had picked up the footfall in Diagon Alley making Nikolai's job a little less boring than normal. Of course, most of the kids who came in to Quality Quidditch Supplies just wanted to oggle the latest broom that had been released from Nimbus that summer, a broom that wasn't going to compete with Mimosa's, but one that was still quite good if you had the money to spend.

Nikolai had spent the earlier parts of the summer doing exactly the same thing, in truth, but now had the luxury of judging the younger kids who came in and did the same. Nero Whitehorn had outdone himself with this broom, but the price of the broom had made it one that could only be ridden by the rich.

Probably why they had sold exactly zero of the new model.

Lunch time had come though, so Nikolai had excused himself from the shop to go and get himself a sandwich from the café up the street. The owner had cast him a look that said 'really?' that Nikolai had ignored as he pushed through the small gathering around the broom case. Out in the fresh air of the street, the boy had pulled out his phone to check for a message from Mimosa. Any message. As usual, his girlfriend was not replying to him in a timely manner, too busy with her Jacques to worry about him.

The boy stuffed his phone back in to his pocket without looking at the messages from Charles. As always, the boy only liked to brag of his conquests over the summer, and Nikolai had enough frustration in his life without Charles adding to that.

Ducking in to the sandwich shop, the boy order his usual chicken and bacon mayonnaise sandwich before stepping aside to wait for it to be made. After passing over the relevant galleons to the staff behind the counter, the Slytherin stepped back in to the street, biting in to the sandwich as he looked around for somewhere to sit down out in the sunshine. There weren't a lot of options with various students milling around, but finally the boy's eyes found a bench nearby.

He'd been about to head in that direction when his eyes landed upon the person occupying the space and he froze in place.

Double taking, the boy couldn't help but stop halfway towards his next bite of his sandwich.

No way! The boy thought to himself, lowering his sandwich from his lips and looking over to the witch in question. Josie LeBlanc was sat in the middle of the Diagon Alley? The chances of that happening...

Pulling out his phone, Nikolai sneakily took a picture of the witch, ensuring she did not notice him doing so. With the picture snapped, the boy sent it through to the Slytherin Boy's WhatsApp without a second thought.

Getting her autograph!

Before Nikolai could even close the messages, Charles' reply came.

Is that all you're going to try to get?

Looking at the message, and then back at the witch, Nikolai quickly typed again.

Challenge accepted!

Pocketing his phone once more, Nikolai let his sandwich drop back in to its bag before he hurried over to the bench.

"Do you mind?" The boy asked, using his full height in that moment rather than the slightly slouched stance he usually took up. Should the woman say that she didn't, Nikolai would take up the other side of the bench and pull out his sandwich again. One more bite from the sandwich that didn't really interest him any more, he would speak again once he'd finished his mouthful -- somewhere in the back of his mind his mum's reminder to finish his mouthful before speaking had worked.

"Hey... aren't you Josie LeBlanc? Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies?" It came out as a question, but Nikolai already knew. Always being amongst Quidditch gear and magazines, the witch was all to familiar. She'd definitely been an aid in numerous bathroom breaks last summer when she'd been a big signing to the club. She didn't need to know that, though.

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Subject: Re: Always (Open) Sun Oct 03, 2021 1:12 pm

Josie really should've thought her decision to shop in Diagon during such a busy time more thoroughly - thankfully only a few people actually recognized her, most probably just seemingly writing her off as looking like herself however those that did recognize certainly were brave enough to come up to her to get an autograph and a possible picture. Usually, she'd decline the picture but most of those were children who just looked at her with eager faces and she couldn't say no to that, no matter the fact that she had declined the adults, most of them tended to want more than just a picture and an autograph and she wasn't that stupid to give a stranger her phone number without knowing what they were going to do or who they are.

Thankfully, neither the Prophet nor any other publishing company had caught wind of her being there so she was safe from the gossip even if for a bit until she went back to her team. Finishing off the magazine, Josie crossed one leg over the other, idly swinging it as she read through an article about Jacques and Kiranjeet, just a small one but one that gave her some insight into her friend and her partner though she doubted that half of what was written had been true anyway.

She had only just managed to finish off the magazine and pull her phone out to scroll through her Instagram when a male voice spoke, making the woman flick her eyes from the screen only to stay locked onto the dark-haired male standing not even a few feet away from her. In the back of her mind, she had to wonder just how many people would approach her that day.

"Feel free to sit," She answered him, waving her phone at the free space next to her. It's not like the bench had her name on the seat but then again, most would just probably avoid having strangers in their vicinity. Josie didn't much care for it as long as they didn't annoy her.

"Hey... aren't you Josie LeBlanc? Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies?"

At that she bit back a groan, closing her eyes for a handful of seconds before she planted a smile on her lips; she really should've chosen a different day to come to the Alley. "That's me." She agreed, arching a brow at the male. "And you have me at a disadvantage here, you know who I am but I don't know who you are." Was she being slightly standoffish? Sure she was. But if the man wanted an autograph or to just chat to her, he'd have to deal with it. She had been burned one too many times by a male who clearly didn't like her attitude towards him. She had no obligation to interact with her fans or people who just wanted to be known as having met her, she did it off her own back.

She had to admit, even if only to herself, the man was certainly a looker and Josie wouldn't mind getting to know him. Who knows, maybe she'd give him her number by the end of their chat. She would see how this panned out before that though.

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Chaser for Holyhead Harpies || 23 || Single || Profile
Always (Open) S1BczGA

The beautiful avatar and signature had been made by Lola @TDA.

Subject: Re: Always (Open) Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:56 pm

"Feel free to sit,"

It took a lot not to get giddy at that much, but the sixteen year old managed it. If Charles could see him now! Again, the boy sobered himself, taking a moment to enjoy the sandwich.

"That's me."

Nikolai had to feign surprise in that moment. Not wanting to look so smug with the fact he'd known the witch to be exactly as he'd said. It took self-control the boy hadn't known he'd possessed, but he'd passed it off as casually as he could muster in that moment. And the sharp raise of her brow before she spoke suggested he had her attention.

Try not to flake! The boy told himself in that moment.

"And you have me at a disadvantage here, you know who I am but I don't know who you are."

"Of course, sorry, I'm Nikolai Kessler!" The boy introduced, quickly wiping his hand on his trousers to dispel any crumbs that may have been there before he offered it to the witch beside him. If she took it, he would shake it with an appropriate firmness of greeting a woman -- which, truthfully, Nikolai didn't have a clue what was the appropriate way to do that. He hoped it came off, though. "I'm currently working at Quality Quidditch Supplies, but it's hopefully only temporary. I'm looking to go in to the Magizoologist field once I finish University."

The boy had almost said school, but his brain had been quick enough to point out if he wanted any chance at all with the witch beside him, he had to pretend to be older than he was. A feat that was going to be quite something if it came off.

"How has your summer break been? I know you've had the big signing of Kiranjeet Kaur over the summer, so that's quite exciting! Having a World Cup winner will be great for the Harpies!" Nikolai pointed out. The signing of the Malaysian witch over the summer had been a big one for the Harpies, but that didn't diminish the rest of the team.

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Subject: Re: Always (Open) Sun Oct 03, 2021 4:24 pm

The woman was thoroughly impressed with how the other held himself despite her confirming that yes, she was who he thought she was. At least that was a point in his favour, he wasn't blustering or stuttering through an introduction; it always irked her when people just become tongue-tied around her. She knew that she was famous, at least in part due to her being a Quidditch player but that didn't mean she enjoyed the flustered state of people when they meet her.

"Nice to meet you, Nikolai." She took his hand and shook it, pointedly looking down at it when he gave her a firm handshake. Well now, that's another point in the other's favour. It seemed as if he was trying not to fumble this meeting and she had to applaud him for his skills. "Oh? Magizooligy you say?" She sounded interested, leaning towards the other a bit, clearly impressed. Not many decided to go into it due to how demanding the job was and how, sometimes, it was a thankless one as well. "How is that going for you?"

"My summer has certainly been eventful that's for sure." Meeting new friends and getting to know Kiranjeet had been quite amazing, what with the other being a World Cup winner but still acting humble despite it all. It was lovely having such talent on the team and hopefully none of the other girls would look upon the other with jealousy which she doubted would happen but one never knew. "Hopefully we'll get to advance further than we usually do." Hopefully, with Kiranjeet they would be able to win more matches and hopefully get more recognition and even if it was only because of Kiranjeet, she wouldn't complain.

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Chaser for Holyhead Harpies || 23 || Single || Profile
Always (Open) S1BczGA

The beautiful avatar and signature had been made by Lola @TDA.

Subject: Re: Always (Open) Wed Oct 20, 2021 11:35 am

"Oh? Magizooligy you say?"

It caught the boy off guard, having a girl show interest in his interest. Honestly, Nikolai was more than used to people just shutting off when he spoke of the subject of Magizoology. The most he normally got was that mermaids weren't real, or that the Giant Squid in the lake wasn't fascinating in the slightest, or something along the lines. Or Charles, berating him that he was 'so sad to join an animal club'. The Junior Magizoologists were quite reputable, but unfortunately his peers didn't understand.

To have a question directed back at him, though, brought a smile to the boy's lips. Nobody ever cared enough to ask questions.

"Well.... uhm..." The boy managed, clearly caught in the moment as he tried to work out the appropriate level of enthusiasm to show that wouldn't bore the Quidditch star beside him. "I'm currently researching the aquatic life in the Northern Hemisphere. I have a fondness for the animals we can find in the lakes and bodies of water in this country, but also in Europe. Whilst I... was at Hogwarts, I managed some research in to the Giant Squid that lives in the Black Lake. But I didn't get to finish it before I left." The boy explained -- it wasn't a complete lie, he hadn't finished before summer break, but he'd let it sound like that research had been closed off from him permanently to keep the idea of him being older.

"Classes are normally more focused on land animals, truthfully, hence why I use my extra time to research the aquatic ones." He finished without too much more added, he didn't want to look like a nerd in front of Josie.

"What about you, do you like animals?" He asked, before bringing his sandwich back up to his lips and taking a bite. Hunger was making itself known, and Merlin knew he didn't want his stomach growling in front of the witch.

The conversation on the team seemed stunted by the witch, so Nikolai took note not to pursue that one more than he needed to.

"What have you been up to during the summer?" Nikolai asked, focusing on that because the witch had said she'd had a busy summer. "Do you have much planned for today?" He added, trying to find out more of what she might be doing. So far, she hadn't worked him out, so there was... a chance?

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Subject: Re: Always (Open) Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:41 pm

Josie waited patiently for the wizard to reply to her question, he seemed taken aback by her interest in the topic which meant that many people actually talked with him about it. This was strange to her because Magizooligy in general was fascinating but for someone to take the time and put in the dedication to pursue it as a career deserved all the attention that they could ever need. The job itself wasn't hard but it was a dauntless and generally rewardless task.

Oh, handsome, She thought with an amused smile on her lips as Nikolai's lips tilted into his own smile. Really, why did people not support others in their endeavours? She would never really understand what with her parents having supported her in her own career and then subsequent move across the Pond.

"Aquatic life? Like Sirens and Kelpies?" She questioned eagerly, her brown eyes focused on the other male. While she had not been interested in the most common creatures and animals that most knew about, Josie always wondered about the less known ones like Sirens, not to be confused with Merpeople though still in the same aquatic family.

"What about you, do you like animals?"

"Is there anyone on this Earth that doesn't like animals?" She questioned with a soft laugh, tucking a lock of her hair behind an ear that the slight breeze had just ruffled, fingers gently trailing over it before she rested them on her lap once more. "I love them. I'm currently a loving mother to a Golden Labrador, a Ragdoll Cat and a Persian Cat. Named Loki, Flo and May respectively." She happily told Nikolai. She loved her little children, animals though they may be, and she would do anything for them.

"What have you been up to during the summer?"

"Apart from training and dealing with the press?" She huffed in dismay, rolling her eyes at just the thought of the merlin-damned reporters. "I've been looking into part-time courses at the university that I can do during my off-season. I'm thinking either Quidditch Coach, Professional Trainer or something completely different, maybe something to do with Runes, like Wards of Cursebreaking." It was something completely out there but also so her really, her parents would definitely have a good old laugh about it should she take that route. It would aways be nice to have something to do in her downtime. She could also, if she thought about it, become a part-time Quidditch Professor at a school somewhere, should they need one.

"Nope." She popped the 'p', shaking her head at the question. "I'm not really doing anything much for the rest of the day, I got what I needed so I'm just taking my time now before I head home."

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Chaser for Holyhead Harpies || 23 || Single || Profile
Always (Open) S1BczGA

The beautiful avatar and signature had been made by Lola @TDA.

Subject: Re: Always (Open) Fri Nov 05, 2021 1:29 pm

"Aquatic life? Like Sirens and Kelpies?"

It was incredibly hard.

So. So. Hard.

Not to want to jump the witch beside him as she prompted further conversation on his topic. For a second, the boy would just nod, trying to get his brain to focus, before he managed to speak again. "Uh... yeah, they're up there in the list. There's Merpeople, of course, and there was a known case of a Hippocampus in Scotland. That was quite a while ago, though. Truthfully, though, I could talk about any of the creatures for hours, there's too many to list!" The latter was more for himself, the gentle reminder that talking about too many of the creatures he was fond of may not have the desired effect he was looking for in that moment.

"Is there anyone on this Earth that doesn't like animals?"

Nikolai let out a soft laugh at that reply, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand to dispel any crumbs that might have been there. "Only crazy people." He commented, watching as her hand moved up to push the hair back from her face that had travelled with the aid of the light breeze. The boy's breath caught in that moment, and he tried his best to avert his eyes, which lasted only for a second. The information on Josie's pets showed she favoured the non-magical kind of pets, but that didn't deter Nikolai. "I love dogs, especially the bigger ones. My parents never let us have pets at home, so it's going to be one of the first things I do once I'm done with- uni."

He'd almost said school, but somehow saved himself once more.

Amusement touched the boy's features when Josie mentioned the press. Oh, he knew about that! And how very, very thankful he'd been for some of the shots that had come in to the Daily Prophet's sport section of the witch. Never overly bad, but always keeping tabs on the Quidditch players in the down season and anything they got up to. The mention of taking a course at the university made Nikolai raise an eyebrow in interest. Quidditch and personal training were all well and good, but they wouldn't be the boy's choices. The curve ball of Runes, though, made him look surprised in that moment.

"You like Runes?" He asked, trying to hide the surprise in his voice. "I mean, it's supposed to be quite a cool job, if you go off to do Curse-Breaking, or something, using it. My dad decided to teach it, so he's just lame, after spending all that time studying." The distaste for his dad's choices was quite clear in Nikolai's tone, but he bounced back quickly. "Is that something you would like to do?" He asked, his mind already providing a picture of the witch beside him dressed up in a tomb-raider kind of outfit...

And then came the most exciting news.

Josie LeBlanc had no plans for that evening.

Which meant she wasn't trying to pie him off. She could have told him she had plans, even if she didn't. The fact she'd said she didn't...

"Would you... uh... well, would you like to get, what is it, drinks or dinner... with me tonight?" Nikolai fumbled over asking. He didn't have a clue if you were supposed to ask someone for a drink, or for dinner, but with a shy smile, he'd somehow got a proposition across to the witch, and his eyes... well, as long as they weren't showing just how hopeful he really was at the prospect of going on a date with her... it couldn't hurt, right?

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Subject: Re: Always (Open) Sun Dec 19, 2021 7:32 pm

Josie watched, eyes focused on the male next to her. For some reason, she couldn't fathom she was actually enjoying this conversation with a complete stranger that she only really knew the name of and nothing else. "Oh?" She listened as he talked about the creatures, noting how he seemed to be having trouble keeping to just a minimum on the topic.

"Only crazy people."

"Well, can't argue there." She laughed softly, looking around the slowly dispersing crowds in the alley, noting that it was slowly getting darker which meant that soon it would be time for her to fetch dinner. "Nice, are you going to get a specific breed or not really? Personally, I love Labradores but I'm also quite fond of Huskies. If my apartment was bigger, I'd probably adopt another pup but as it is with three pets, I'm at full capacity." She was thinking of finding a small house somewhere that she could give her animals the chance to run around in a garden instead of waiting on her to take them on walks.

"Cursebreaking or even Rune Warding is something that I'm looking at." She murmured softly, making a mental note to look into the courses at the University again to see if she could do anything part-time. "Teaching.. is not something that I would actually enjoy. Especially teaching Runes. Yeah, they're interesting but teaching them is different." Runes had mainly been a side-project for her at Ilvermorny anyway though she had kept up with the official Rune students that she had been able to take the exams at the same time as them and passed with higher marks than most of the class.

"Would you... uh... well, would you like to get, what is it, drinks or dinner... with me tonight?"

At that, the witch arched her brow, eyeing the male - she had to admit, she was not expecting that. But she could give him a dinner. If only for how daring he was in asking her out even though he knew of who she was.

"Okay." She replied simply, her lips pulling into a grin as she eyed his shy smile. Whether he expected her favourable answer was up for debate but considering he had the courage to ask her, she would not turn him down. Maybe she'd have fun.

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Chaser for Holyhead Harpies || 23 || Single || Profile
Always (Open) S1BczGA

The beautiful avatar and signature had been made by Lola @TDA.

Subject: Re: Always (Open) Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:42 pm

"Nothing specific, with the breeds." Nikolai replied. "Just the bigger the better, in truth. I find they're just much more fun. The smaller ones seem to be a little bit... anxious most of the time. Makes them a little bit yappy for no reason. I mean, not all, of course, but I just don't find them as interesting as the bigger dogs."

"It's good you're responsible with your pets, though. There's so many people who would keep buying animals just because they can without actually thinking about the animals . I don't think many people understand how much work animals can be. That's also something that would interest me. Looking after animals who haven't had the best lives before hand. Animal welfare, I guess. Though, I'm not sure I'd be able to stop myself from Crucio-ing anyone who abuses animals..." The boy paused, realising he was getting a little bit heavy with his explanation. "Sorry, I'm just a little bit passionate about animals." He finalised, ensuring he didn't keep going with that line of thought.

The comments about Runes made sense to the boy, and he nodded at that much. "My dad said that much. He preferred doing the onsite work more." But that's what made him sick, because he's too stupid. The last he didn't say out loud, Josie didn't need to know just how stupid his dad was.

"Okay."

Nikolai's features broke out in to a grin at the acceptance from Josie for dinner.

She. Had. Agreed!

"G-great!" The boy managed, getting giddy with the realisation that the Josie LeBlanc had just accepted going to dinner with him that evening. His sandwich had been forgotten in that moment, and the boy just took a moment to take this news in. "Uhm... where would you like to go for dinner? I have to finish a couple of hours at the store, but after, we can go wherever you want to go!"

Hopefully it wouldn't cripple his bank account, wherever Josie chose to go. Though, truthfully, he had enough saved up from over the summer to dine most places that would be considered a normal dating place. Pulling out his phone, Nikolai offered it to the witch. "Do you want to put your number in my phone, and I can call you when I'm done at five?" He asked, trying to get the most from this opportunity as he could. Imagine if he had her number as well!

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