Closed Catching up With a Picnic

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie was fairly busy as a reporter for the Daily Prophet and she wasn't a very social person, so it wasn't uncommon for her to go long stretches of time without seeing many people. She had her boyfriend and occasionally saw her sister, and that was enough for the most part. She did try to keep up with her old friends a little, though, occasionally meeting up with Geo. Today, they had decided to catch up with a little picnic at the park, which wasn't exactly Sophie's style. She didn't like to cook, so she had bought a bunch of pre-made food to take with her. She settled at a picnic table and put her bag down, hoping Geo wouldn't insist on sitting on the ground on a blanket. She grabbed a notebook and started writing a little, getting some work done while waiting for her old friend to arrive.

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo was at a point in her life where she felt as though she needed to be in multiple places at once. Virginia was where her home was, New York was where one of her offices was, and New Zealand was where most of her friends and family were located. The floo network aside, Geo couldn't wait until everything was back in one area so that no more did she have to struggle to juggle everyone and everything, especially now James, Dakrey, and the boys were all at school. Between all her responsibilities, the former Hufflepuff was glad for the opportunity to see her old friends, and to feel a sense of humanity returning to the chaos of her life.

"Hey Soph!" Geo called out, having spotted her school friend looking comfortable on a picnic bench. She had forgone her regular hugs of greeting with Sophie, knowing her well enough now that they just weren't really her thing. As she came up to the side of the table, it was three-year-old Eden who'd been walking at Geo's side, that waved first at her friend with a grin on her face, before quickly tucking herself into the bench opposite. "I hope you don't mind," Geo shot Sophie's way, referring to the additional guest to one of their meetups. "It's just the two of us these days so we travel together more often than not," she tried to explain carefully, not wanting her daughter to overhear and feel like she wasn't wanted. "How's the writing going?" she asked as she put down her bag, knowing Sophie had been working for the Daily Prophet even longer than Geo had been an Auror. ​

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie knew Geo was a mom as well as a stepmom to a small army, but she was still somehow surprised she brought her kid. She waved back at the little girl a little awkwardly. Sophie knew very little about children, which was by choice. This girl looked old enough to be able to talk, right? "Hello." She said. "Of course I don't mind." She said, though in her mind she added that she didn't mind as long as the girl didn't start screaming or throwing things, which did seem like things kids were prone to doing. "I guess the older kids are at Hogwarts?" She asked, remembering the school year had just started again. Sophie closed her notebook and shrugged, putting her pen away. "The writing's going as it always does. Sometimes I suddenly hate everything I have ever written and other times it's... well, fine. They seem to like it." She said with a shrug. She had been a reporter for years now, more than a decade. "How's the... auror-ing?"

 

[Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo was grateful that Sophie didn't mind Eden tagging along. Things were already tight as they were trying to juggle everything and everyone and sometimes it was just easier now to bring her daughter with her when she could. "Yes, the boys just started this September and took the house elf with them," she explained, sitting herself down beside the miniature version of herself, popping a colouring book in front of her that would keep her distracted at least for a few minutes. Geo had never been into writing but she'd always known Sophie to be an excellent writer. Whenever Geo read her own copies of the Daily Prophet, she'd always seek out her friend's articles before reading the others available. "Where do you get your new ideas from?" the blonde asked, wondering how much flexibility Sophie had over the things she was able to write and talk about. "Auror..ing, it's going. I'm currently split between the New Zealand and New York offices," Geo said, thinking about the people she had started to meet now she was working in a new state, "It's better for me to be in the offices at the moment, rather than tracking anyone down outside myself," sometimes she felt guilty for it, but she knew her family had to come first. "I will say, I've never been more thankful for floor powder," she added with a chuckle, knowing it wouldn't be possible at all if the network wasn't in place.​

 

[Sophie Wilson]

Sophie listened as Geo talked about her kids and how they went to Hogwarts, though she was vaguely surprised and disturbed by the idea of sending a house elf along to Hogwarts. She wasn't a big fan of house elves in general, but she suppose the Cades were one of those families that had them. She decided to keep her opinion to herself, something she had learned to do more over the years. "I don't know how you do it," Sophie admitted, glancing at Eden, who seemed content with her coloring book. "The thought of keeping track of so many people sounds exhausting."

She leaned back, running a hand through her hair as she considered Geo's question. "Sometimes I get assignments, other times I get to figure things out myself. The Prophet gives me some freedom to choose my stories, as long as they think it'll sell papers. They aren't too picky as long as I keep it interesting." She was a little surprised to hear Geo was traveling between two places, but her being behind a desk most of the time made some sense. It didn't fit with the Geo she remembered from school, always active and running around. But it did fit with the little girl coloring next to her, and all the kids they had just shipped off to Hogwarts. "Must be a lot, going between two places." Sophie mused.