Closed Busking In Auckland

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene had settled into his holiday. it was nice to have a break from school. He really liked it. The first day after he'd spent mostly sleeping, and then he'd spent time with his cousin and then spent time at work. All pretty good things. he knew his cousin was keeping something from him, but the hufflepuff knew to trust her, that she would come to him eventually with whatever it was. But after things had settled upon coming home Eugene had written to Renata inviting her to Auckland to hang out. He was heading to where he'd said they could meet. He had his guitar with him, since he hadn't gotten many occasions to play in the last weeks of school with the OWLs, but he took every opportunity to play now. Eugene got to the meeting point first and just down, lightly strumming on his guitar and after a few moments just began singing. Most of the time with his guitar and when he got to strumming he very naturally just began singing, just getting too into the rhythm of it. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata knew she was going to have to work hard to get solid OWL grades. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do but she knew she needed to have some options if Quidditch didn't work out. While she thought it would be wonderful to be a professional Quidditch player, and she was even starting to think she could do it, she wasn't so much a dreamer that she couldn't be a little bit practical about it. At least, she was used to putting any ideas of grandeur for herself to the side.

She instead dreamed big for her friends, like hoping that Eugene would become a renowned musician. Renata was sure he could do it, he was dedicated to playing and she could easily hear that he was very good. It was nice to be invited to hear him play over the holidays - aside from her increasingly obvious attraction to him, she did just like to hang out and listen to good music. She'd agonized over what to wear until just deciding on a clean shirt and nice jacket to go with her jeans. Renata half sprinted to where they were meeting up before abruptly stopping, clearing her throat and smoothing down her hair, wanting to make sure she looked presentable as she approached Eugene, quietly listening to the music.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene played easily, losing himself in the music so quickly. He hadn't placed out his usual hat for collections, but people passing were just using the open guitar case for it. He glanced up after a few minutes of playing and spotted Renata approach him. Eugene gave her a warm smile and finished up the song, ending on a melodic major chord. Eugene glanced around at the few scatterings of applause, but his gaze settled on Renata. ”Hey,” he said, unsure of what to say next. She looked nice, and he wasn't he should say that. ”Thanks for coming,” he settled on. ”How's your break been?” he made room for her to sit next to him. Making sure where he was inviting her to sit was in fact dry. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata didn't want to interrupt the song, instead letting him play it out first before clapping when he finished. "Hey," she replied, a wide smile crossing her face as she sat down next to him, getting comfortable on the spot. Glad there wasn't any water or paint or anything on it. She wasn't sure what to say, whether she should compliment his playing or whether it would sound insincere if she did. "It's been okay...mostly working and trying to study a little for next year." She made a face at that - exams were a way off but she needed to put in some work. "How about yours? Hopefully you've had a little time to breathe?"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene nodded, "Well, if you need any advice on what not to do, then I can definitely lend a hand." he joked to her, but he was sure that Renata would be just fine. He didn't know if he was biased but he thought she was very smart. "I think my cousin was a little worried that I'd died when I didn't leave my room for like the whole first day," he joked, but he had rested a lot in that first day. He had been working a little too since then, but it was easier. "Working at the Inner Eye too, but that's not a particularly difficult job really," he appreciated Professor Le Fey's kindness in giving him work to begin with and worked hard, even though it wasn't too difficult a job to do. "But having time off has got me creating again, wanna hear what I'm working on?"​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata shook her head, unable to help the smile that crossed her face. "You did pretty well, right? I wanted to do something to celebrate with you, but, um, you know, time and everything," she admitted. Renata had wanted to maybe bake a cake - it didn't just have to be for Eugene, but for Charlie, and Rene, and the other fifth years. But she'd had her own exams and her results had not been that good so she was going to have to revise. Especially since she had done first and second year elsewhere. "Wow, well you certainly earned the rest," Renata said with a nod. A job was a job, but at least the Inner Eye seemed pretty relaxed and like a nice place to work. "Oh, I'd love to!" Renata said eagerly, shifting a little to rest her chin on her hand and watch and listen. She knew she shouldn't distract him too long from playing, though she'd at least brought an extra bottle of water with her if he needed it.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene ended up blushing a little at the comment, thinking about how he had managed to do by all accounts really well. "Well, there's always time later," he told her, and just because they hadn't done it yet, didn't mean that they couldn't still. He hadn't expected to do as well as he had, but he had been working exceedingly hard. Eugene agreed that he had earned his rest, but he knew Charlie was right about it. "I'm gonna try really hard next semester to have time, to like breath and to relax," he said to her. "I don't want to miss on stuff because I'm doing so much else I can't like have fun," he was thinking of time with her more than anyone, but time with Charlie too.

"Yeah?" he shifted his guitar a little, tuned it up and played the first chords. It was a work in progress, and Eugene stumbled over bits he hadn't quite ironed out, but it was a song about love, about liking someone and not knowing how to say it. He didn't quite know for sure what the inspiration was, but he had written a lot of it thinking about his own feelings. It was mostly melodic and Eugene was grinning at her, in all the sections that didn't require him to sing. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata smiled, she knew she'd be busier in the coming year but she didn't really have as much riding on it as Eugene did. She'd still work hard at Quidditch, she was in a few clubs but she wasn't a leader so she didn't have to organize anything, and she didn't need to ace every subject. Just needed to get decent marks in a few so she could continue on to NEWTs. Having some decent NEWT grades in a few subjects, if she could manage it, would certainly help her out when it came to finding work after school. "That's good!" Though trying hard to relax sounded a little like work, but Renata wasn't going to say that. "You need to look after yourself, right? Work hard but also have some fun!"

Renata listened carefully to Eugene's playing, barely noticing any stumbles as she got caught up in the music. His smile was so infectious that she couldn't help but return it with her own. She didn't quite know how to describe the feeling the music gave her. It made her feel like there wasn't anyone else around them, it was just the two of them there. A few other things she wasn't quite sure about, perhaps a sense of hope more than anything. She was scared to let herself dare to hope, she had come to realize how she felt but feared maybe she thought there was more than there actually was. Why should people like her, anyway? She let him keep playing, quietly listening until the song came to a stop. Though it took her a moment to formulate words, mostly just staring and smiling, very impressed. "That's amazing," she managed after a moment, completely earnestly.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene played the song, almost a little worried that it was a lot, that he thought the song was good but she didn't. There was no going back now and when the song was over, he looked at her shyly. He liked her. He knew it. he knew that he liked her, but he didn't know what to do about that, was sure that she didn't agree, that she didn't feel the same way as him. He felt maybe she did, but he didn't want to lose his friend over it. But she was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Yeah?" he asked. He knew the song itself was needing a little more work. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata's head was buzzing. She wasn't that good at picking out meaning in things on a first parse, although she was okay with nuances between languages. And music was kind of a language, just one she wasn't very good at. Or any good at, really. But the words, and the feeling...it was all hitting her on a slightly delayed reaction, and she bit her lip, nervously wringing her hands a little. Uncertain of what to say. "Was that...did you write that, um, because of anything...or, er, anyone..." she trailed off a bit at the last word, not sure if she should press the topic or not. Maybe she was making a mistake. Maybe things were going to get awkward, really fast. "Uh, you don't have to answer. But I like it. A lot."

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene stilled a little at the question, he glanced at her as the words trailed off. He thought about it. He didn't know where the inspiration had come from, really, but he had been thinking about…well…the yuleball and dancing with her. ”Oh,” he blushed a little, looking down at the ground. ”Well, honestly, the inspiration hit out of nowhere, but while writing it, I was thinking about us, dancing at the yuleball,” he told her. He wasn't sure what that really meant. There was no getting around that he liked her, and liked her a lot. He just, what if she didn't. What if it didn't work out. What if he lost a friend over some feelings.

”I really like you Renata,” he said, looking at her, and giving a little smile. ”Really like you,” he wasn't sure if this was enough to get the implication of his feelings across, and if it did, perhaps it was because she understood and felt the same way. If not, then he had his answer. His feelings for her were not ones she felt for him. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

It was as if suddenly she was sitting on a cloud instead of a bench as Eugene's words echoed in her head. Renata probably looked a little stunned for a moment, blinking a few times as a wider smile slowly crossed her face. She was pretty glad she was actually sitting, though, the rush she felt made her actually a little dizzy. "Really?" she asked, although she knew the answer - the song, although it had taken a little to sink in, had made that clear. "I really like you, too!" She didn't care if people were staring at them, as far as she was concerned right then and there it was just the two of them. Renata wasn't quite sure what to do next, she'd never really liked someone like this before, but it didn't really matter. She just liked being with Eugene, they didn't have to do anything more than what they did. She knew he'd keep busy and that was fine, less busy in the upcoming year but they'd each have their own things to do. It was just nice to spend time together when they could. Possibly even nicer now. She brought a hand to her face, rubbing her cheeks. "Oh my gosh, my face is going to hurt from smiling so much, but I'm so happy right now..."

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene wasn't sure what she might say, but he was looking at her a little nervously. But she was smiling, and she said it back. He smiled easily at her, thinking it's nice to have it be said back. His nervousness over whether this would be wrong or ruin his friendship with her was gone. There lingered still a nervousness about what this could mean, but it wasn't nearly as nerving wracking now that if he knew his feelings were mutual. He couldn't help how he smiled at her at that moment. He reached out an open palm hand to her. "I'd like to take you on a date...," he half asked. He knew dates would be expensive, but he could have some spare money from his work to take her out. He was sure that's how these started. Eugene was already taking her to the dance, but a proper date would be good too,"[/b] ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata was committing everything to memory, almost a little shy as she reached out her hand to take Eugene's. She didn't really know what they were supposed to do next, mostly she'd seen adults at bars when her mother had been singing and she knew that this was very different to that. But it felt even nicer to hold his hand than it did when they'd been at the dance. "I'd really like that," she replied, although she wasn't quite sure what they'd do on a date, or if she'd have the right things to wear or anything like that. Whatever they did, it would just be nice to spend time together outside of school. Which was kind of what they were already doing, but now with more of a label on it. She looked down at their hands, back up to Eugene's face, a little astounded. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" Her free hand twiddled a strand of hair between her fingers, laughing a little as she said it.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene was glad when she took his hand, he let his finger lace between hers, and he'd seen others do when they hold hands. He had never been one to be attracted to others. Had never understood Charlie and his desire to chase boys and girls from a young age. Eugene had always figured that he just wouldn't have the time, wouldn't be able to even think about dating, and for a period he hadn't, but Renata. That had been building, he hadn't known what it was until he'd really considered why he liked her in this way, why seeing her always made his heart race, why making her smile felt more important than anything, when he didn't feel that way about his closest friends. Making them smile was important, but it wasn't the same as her. "If this is a dream, then I think I nailed it," he joked lightly. But he knew this wasn't. He could feel her hand in his, hoping his hand didn't feel too rough against hers, no dream could have that feeling. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata's heart pounded in her chest, her head still feeling as though she was floating as she interlaced her fingers with Eugene's. This was nice, as somewhat shy as she felt about it this just felt comfortable. She'd thought about what it might be like to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend but hadn't really had any idea of what it would be like, and hadn't really gone looking for it. She just liked Eugene and he liked her, and she had been a little worried about what this would mean but right now it just felt like this was what was supposed to happen. In a good way. She gave his hand a very gentle squeeze, looking back up with a smile. "I'm supposed to be letting you play guitar, huh?" she asked, laughing a little as she did. She made no move to let go of his hand for the moment, though she'd have to eventually.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene wasn't sure he would ever stop smiling at her, at this. Because it was better than he could've imagined. Even just admitting to it. Even just saying something to get things started was working out. He laughed lightly, looking at her hand as she squeezed it, which felt wild. Just a little. He moved their hands and then tried to play the guitar while holding her hand. Absolutely making a mess of it. But he began to sing along anyway. Smiling stupidly, and laughing as he wasn't quite able to hit any of the notes right on the guitar. ”I'm gonna create a new form of music,” Eugene laughed lightly. He was perhaps being a bit silly, but he didn't want to let go just yet, and he could be silly.​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata couldn't help herself, she laughed openly and happily at the messy guitar playing - probably as close as she could get to actually playing a guitar. She could keep a rhythm, but tunes were beyond her. Sometimes she felt awkward about it, considering both Eugene and Sky, as well as her mother, were all very musical. But she had her own abilities, and she was starting to find them. "I think you could sell fire to a dragon but you might not be able to sell this," she joked, though her tone was warm and affectionate. "Though your singing is always good." She was struck by a feeling of optimism, stronger than when she'd transferred. A feeling that it was going to be a good year, though she was nervous to give voice to it in case that threw everything off.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene smiled fondly, laughing with her as he played with both their hands. It was easy, this had always been the thing with her. It was easy. She was easy, to talk to, to get along with. Just a really easy person for him. Perhaps it was the ease with which she was in his life that left him always seeking her out, and growing to just really like her. He laughed heartily at her comment, enjoying her joking with him. "Thank you," he said with a warmness. He squeezed her hand lightly and in a moment of courage raised their hands and went to very lightly kissed the back of her hand. His cheeks blushed as he did so. Feeling silly, but wanting to show affection to her. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

A brief pang of guilt struck Renata, wondering if Sky would be okay with this. Sky knew how she felt, and had seemingly encouraged it, but she knew she'd have to be tactful about it. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt a friend. But it was swallowed up by sheer joy, the feeling of holding Eugene's hand in hers, the lightness she felt. She could feel the blood rush to her face as he very lightly kissed the back of her hand, hiding her face with her free hand out of joyful embarrassment. "Oh my gosh," she mumbled, shifting a little bit closer. She wasn't going to push to move things fast, as she was happy for them to take their time, so that had been a surprise. "You know, I'm looking forward to the ball even more now," she admitted once she'd calmed a little, although now the idea of dancing under mistletoe was a bit more real.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene felt like his cheeks had reddened to that of a tomato. He kissed her hand and felt almost silly for doing it, but a glance at her, and she seemed happy, and perhaps it was a bit worth it. It was nice and right to show affection to someone you liked, and he didn't think he was quite at the point of kissing her on the lips. But he could kiss her hand. He smiled softly, nodding in agreement. ”Same,” he had always worked at them and been unable to really enjoy them properly. ”It'll be nice to go and have like no work to do and spend it with you,” he said. He perhaps should've known when she agreed to the dance that she liked him, but he hadn't thought he could be sure about that either. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata took a couple more moments to be less red, letting herself calm down a bit. It was a little silly to be so emotional, but she couldn't help it, she felt genuinely extremely happy. It was as though things were really looking up, not just right now but in general. "That will be nice...oh, but it's okay if you do have to do work stuff," she quickly added, not wanting him to think she wanted to monopolize his time and stop him from doing anything he needed to do. "I don't mind waiting." It would be good to spend the whole time with him, naturally. And he had been training people to take over from him, but she wasn't going to be entirely selfish.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene shook his head lightly, "I think after like five years of working on it, I'm allowed a night without work," he told her, and there was no one he would rather spend the time with than Renata at this dance. Eugene had always enjoyed the time with Charlie at the dances, and spending time with Bella or other friends was good, but it just wasn't the same as with Renata. "I won't make you wait, you'll have my attention the whole time," he said with a smile. "And I know we've always agreed that dancing is not one of my skills, but I'm going to spend the semester working on my dance skills," he joked lightly. Smiling easily at her. ​

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata was worried she might say something silly, her head was buzzing a little with the general excitement and happiness she was feeling. She wouldn't have ever thought that someone like her, bottom of the pecking order, prime target for bullying, could turn around and things would start working. She wasn't sure she wasn't in a dream. "You can sing, I can dance, and together we can make one good performer," Renata joked, though she didn't think Eugene's dancing was that bad. "I do not think we have to be that good at it as long as we have fun together." It wasn't an attitude she could apply to herself easily, but it was easy enough to think when it came to the two of them together.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene laughed lightly at her joking and nodded. ”The dream team,” he agreed. It would be good fun, he knew that they didn’t need to be good. Eugene knew that they would have good fun at the event, and would in general have fun. ”I think we could be rubbish and have fun together,” he agreed, because even if they couldn’t dance for whatever reason, even still going with her, and sitting with her would be more than enough for him to feel like they would have fun. That they would have a good time. ”We’ll have a good time no matter what, I’m sure,” he essentially promised to her. Eugene just smiled at her, feeling so at ease with this and them. ​