Closed Birds of a feather

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia was adjusting to having the cottage all to herself. Well, except for Arty and the plants, that was. She liked seeing Lydia over the school holidays, but honestly, she enjoyed the calm when her sister returned to the castle. The small home was starting to feel like it was really hers. And her little homegrown business was doing so well, she could barely keep up.

When Ernie had invited her out to a local bar, Olivia was of course agreeable. Towards the evening, she switched out her work robes for a flowy green top and a pair of jeans. She apparated to the place he’d suggested and approved immediately. It was low-key, casual, the type of place she liked to hang out. Olivia stood off to the side of the front entry, waiting for Ernie.

@Ernie Wilder

 

[Ernie Wilder]

For the first time in a long time, and potentially his entire live, Ernie felt like his life was in a good place after years of being lost and aimless. When Olivia had come to the shop, he had wanted to talk to her all day despite them both having jobs and important things they needed to get back to. When he finally got up the nerve to ask her out, part of him had been surprised when she agreed. It was the first date he had been on in a while and for the occasion he had put on a button down shirt and a tie he had completely forgotten he owned. He had tried to keep it casual while still wanting to look like he was trying. Unfortunately he only realized the tie didn’t match until he had arrived at the bar and caught a glimpse of himself in one of the windows. But at least his hair looked nice, or at least better than usual since Zelda insisted on fixing it for the occasion. Ernie spotted Olivia, looking lovely, standing out front and he waved as he approached. “Hey! Good to see you.” he said warmly, and paused for a moment unsure of how to greet her and settled on reaching out and touching her arm briefly. “How’s Arty doing?” he asked curiously, as he opened the door and gestured for her to lead the way inside.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia turned to see her date, and she grinned broadly. “Hi, Ernie,” she said, leaning into him when he touched her arm. “You look nice.” She wondered if the mismatched tie and shirt was intentional, but either way, it worked. Olivia stepped inside the pub when Ernie held the door open for her. It was the perfect type of place- clean, not too fancy or fussy.

“Arty is lovely,” Olivia said, “and absolutely clingy. He throws a tantrum if I don’t take him to work with me.” She hoped Arty didn’t amuse himself by shredding houseplants while she was away this evening.

 

[Ernie Wilder]

It had been a while since Ernie had been on a date and he was a little rusty. “Oh thanks.” he said a sheepishly when Olivia said he looked nice, and blinked a few times before he remembered to return the compliment. “You also look great. Do you want a drink?” he asked quickly, and gestured to the bar. He was relived it wasn't too crowded and there were spots open at the bar as well as a few tables, but still lively enough not too feel awkward. Ernie felt himself relax a bit once the conversation switched to owls. “I know the feeling. There is a reason Kriby comes into the shop with me.” he said with a laugh. You would think a one eyed owl couldn't get up to much on it's own, but you would be surprised.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia grinned back at Ernie. “I’d love a beer, not too hoppy.” She followed Ernie to the bar. It was nice that the place wasn’t too packed yet. Not that Olivia couldn’t handle crowded spaces, but it was physically more comfortable. On top of that, she could actually hear her date. “Out of all the places Kirby could tag along, Eyelops is probably the best,” she laughed, “unless he’s an introvert?”

 

[Ernie Wilder]

Ernie smiled. “Sure thing.” he said before calling out to the bartender to order suitable beer for Oliva and cider for himself. Once settled at one of the tables, he took a sip of his drink and had to laugh. “I have a feeling he likes the people more then the owls, just barely. People at least give him treats.” he explained. Kirby had come a long way from when he first started working with him. He wasn't exactly a cuddly owl but Ernie still loved him. Once the owl talk ended, Ernie started to panic as he tried to think if a new topic before an awkward silence could suffocate him. “So what brought you to New Zealand?” he asked, curiously before taking another drink. He was still reeling from how small the world seemed to be to run into old classmates so far from 'home'.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia pulled the pint in close to her chest. She took a sip, enjoying the wheaty flavor. And not too hoppy, as desired. She grinned when Ernie described Kirby’s affinity for treats. “He knows his priorities. Smart bird.”

Olivia took another drink as she weighed what to tell Ernie. She didn’t want to jump right in with my Mom died or the hot mess that was her family backstory, especially with the Styx side. She decided to keep it simple. “I was born here, moved young,” she explained, “Mom never sold our old house in Obsidian Harbour, so I decided to come back out here for a fresh start. You?” Maybe, it really wasn’t a fresh start, since she was returning to the old, but she spared Ernie her musings.

 

[Ernie Wilder]

Ernie listened attentively as Olivia explained her history with New Zealand and it made a lot of sense why she would have ended up here. If you have a house might as well live in it, especially if you wanted to get away. He wondered why she had decided to make such a big jump but he didn't want to push too hard and risk offending her. When she returned the question Ernie shouldn't have been surprised but for he hesitated, unsure about how he wanted to answer it. "Well..." he began but quickly froze. There was a lot he could say, and a lot of it didn't paint him in the best light. He wanted her to see him as he was now. Stable and taking care of himself. "Uh, a friend of mine suggested I move out here a few years ago. I didn't know anyone, but I found some good folks who took me in. Helped me get on my feet. That's when I started working with owls." he explained, and was fairly happy with how that sounded. Maybe he'd tell her the longer version some day. He wanted to be honest with Olivia and this was a start.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia leaned back into the booth as she listened to Ernie. It sounded like he’d come to New Zealand at the right time. Olivia was tempted to ask more about the people who had taken him in, or what he had cleaned himself up from, but she didn’t want to come off as rude or nosey. She raised her glass to him. “To new beginnings- and feathered friends.”