Closed Book Smarts

[Cooper Gates]

Cooper sighed as he sat down for lunch, his books nearly spilling from his arms. He'd been to the library again, studying up on Quidditch. Not that it was much help. He had never been very sporty. But he was trying now that Damien was marrying Danielle. As a famous quidditch player, Cooper wanted to know more about his sister to be. He took the little figurine of Dani in her quidditch uniform out of his bag and set it on the table in front of him. He needed the inspiration to try and power through these books. With a resigned sigh, he flipped open a book on the history of proffesional quidditch. He took a croissant in hand and nibbled on it as he read.

 

[Nadine De Rosier]

Having all her best friends on the Quidditch team with her was great for Nadine, though it also meant she couldn't tell them interesting stories about what happened in practice anymore because they were there now to see it for themselves. She also was a bit annoyed to find they weren't really all that worse than she was. She had hoped that being on the team for a few more years would at least mean she had a distinct advantage over them, but both Simone and Orélie were picking things up quickly. The annoyance was mixed with pride, as she was glad to see her friends do well. She was heading to get something to eat before having to do some homework, but stopped short as she noticed a Quidditch figurine on a nearby table. As someone interested in the sport, she wanted to identify it, but she couldn't immediately place the player. That had to mean she didn't play for a French team, as Nadine knew all of them. "Excuse me, which player is that?" She asked the boy as she paused where he was sitting. She noticed he had a book open about Quidditch too, though she knew he wasn't on the team. Just a fan, maybe?

 

[Cooper Gates]

Cooper was distracted from his reading by the question of a girl he recognized. Not stopping to think or even really look to see who it was, he took a bite from his croissant and flipped the page. "My stupid brother's fiancee," He grumbled crankily. "Dani. Uh, Danielle Correlli. Harpies or something." He muttered, pausing to look for some butter. He noticed then it was Nadine. "I thought you would have known that," He teased lightly, buttering his croissant before taking another bite.

 

[Nadine De Rosier]

Nadine's eyebrow raised at Cooper's answer. "If you think she's stupid, why do you have her figurine?" She asked, curious how that happened. Not spotting any of her friends yet, Nadine took a seat with the boy so she could look at the figurine a little bit better. She recognized the colors now. "Ah, Holyhead Harpies? Now I see." She said with a small smile. It was a team she liked, though not as much as the French team. She huffed out a breath as he said she should have known that. "It's not my favorite team. I don't know every single Quidditch player in existence." She paused. "But... could you get me her autograph?" She asked, wondering if she should just try.

 

[Cooper Gates]

Cooper sighed. "Because she isn't. I'm just frustrated with her stupid job," He snapped the book shut, leaning back and rubbing his temple. "I've never understood this game." He muttered to himself. He smiled humorlessly as she asked for Dani's autograph. "I dunno, we'll see." He ran his hand through his hair, turning to look at the girl. "How are you today, Nadine?"

 

[Nadine De Rosier]

Nadine frowned. "Being a Quidditch player isn't stupid." She snapped at Cooper. She took the figurine and held it gently, almost protectively. "Quidditch is amazing, what's not to get?" She had defended the sport to her friends plenty of times, so this was familiar territory for her. "The Holyhead Harpies aren't my favorite team, like I said, but it's the only team that consists only of witches. That makes it pretty cool anyway." She informed him. "My day was fine, until someone decided to insult the best game in the world for no reason." She said, then grinned at him. "Have you ever even played?"

 

[Cooper Gates]

Cooper raised a brow, amused at Nadine's defense of the sport. "You only say that because it's your sport." He teased lightly. "If you decided to try and learn the ins and outs of the world of cuisine because your family was marrying a wonderful girl and it was her passion, you'd be just as frustrated as I am," He wrinkled his nose at her. "I tried, once. Or did you forget I fell off my broom at try-outs?" He teased her, referencing the one short, rather painful attempt to play the game. "I get vertigo as soon as my feet leave the ground. It makes it hard to watch," He told her.

 

[Nadine De Rosier]

Nadine laughed softly. "Nah, if someone in my family married someone with a passion for cuisine I'd be too delighted with all the tasty food to be upset." She told him with a grin. "And I can't imagine Quidditch being that frustrating." She pondered his story of falling off his broom at tryouts. "I don't remember, so I bet others have forgotten too." She said encouragingly. "I was probably too nervous about my own tryouts at the time." She admitted sheepishly. "I'm sorry it's hard to watch, that must suck." She couldn't imagine not being able to even watch a Quidditch game. She loved going to see professional games during the breaks, and was sad for Cooper that because he couldn't do that.

 

[Cooper Gates]

Cooper stuck his tongue out at her. "Sure, you'd get to eat lots of good food, but would you learn as much as you could about the culinary arts to understand them?" He countered, tapping his pencil against the table. "Dani and Damien are both all quidditch and fashion. I've learned what I can of Haute couture for my brother, but this? This is new to me." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I've never been much for sports of any kind. But this is what she cares about, so I need to know."