Closed Friends Day

[Danielle Gates]

It was almost close to lunch and Dani just got home from Europe. Thanks to his brother, she was able to pop into New Zealand easily because of the floo network he got for her home. She had Damien informed of her arrival and would be meeting her fiance for dinner later that night. As of the moment. she was on her own and was brainstorming how to spend her day. The former Puff wanted to surprise Dominic at work but she knew the man was busy, both with work and his date. Chuckling, she sighted one of the cafes she frequented and decided to have her lunch there. ​

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Pushing the door open, she waved to the server before wandering to the table by the window. Green eyes gazed outside enjoying the view while waiting for her usual. The door opened for more customers although the woman did not really pay attention to who was coming in.​

 

[Amy Applewhite]

"Sh, Cris not now." Amy struggled with both of her boys as they walked down the streets of New Zealand. It had been a couple of weeks now since she'd been able to spend any quality time with the boys, since she was always so busy with work. It wasn't exactly the dignifying kind, but it was what she had and she would do it for as long as she could to keep a roof over their heads. Her parents hadn't spoken to her in nearly six years, so she couldn't exactly go to them for help, not would she even want to, after everything they'd put her though. She wanted to reconnect, honestly, but after so long apart, she wasn't honestly sure she could stand to be in the same room as them. "Cris, yes, we're going in to see Janette, I know, come on Luci," she called, holding tight to both of them as they tried to escape. As she got to the cafe, she stepped inside and was about to grab a set near the back when she stopped in her tracks at the sudden realisation that she knew one of the people in the cafe. Danielle Corelli. Amy had gone to school with her, but had been too ashamed to really keep in contact now. "Mummy?" Amy looked down to see both Lucian and Crispin staring and pointing at her and she tried to usher them away before Danielle realised who was standing there.​

 

[Danielle Gates]

Dani was not exactly the type of person to pay attention to who was around her. However, with her upcoming wedding and all those talks of starting a family with Damien, her ears became attuned to children's voices. So the moment she heard someone mummy, the woman turned her attention from the window to the front of the shop. Two children were there with their mother. Instinctively, she smiled at the kids who seemed to be pointing and staring at her. Clearly, these kids knew Quidditch to recognize her. Dani looked up to meet their mother's eyes and stopped short. Years may have passed and they may have lost touch but Dani would know that face anywhere. The face belonged to the person who had been her friend during her last year in Hogwarts. She had been sending her letters and tickets to her games but never got any reply. Still, Dani never failed to send her letters, cards, tickets, and small presents. The last time they saw each other, her friend was with an infant. Dani stood up. "Amy. Amy Applewhite." She went over to the woman and hugged her within seconds.​

 

[Amy Applewhite]

"Dani," Amy didn't know what to say. She hadn't intended to ever see any of her friends from school again. Especially not one as successful in her life as Danielle Corelli now seemed to be. A Keeper for the Harpies, Amy had been following her career closely, she'd ever managed to make it to the local pitch once for a game, but had chickened out at the last minute and left just as quickly as she'd shown up. Her old friend had tried to keep in contact, sending letters and gifts, tickets and the like, but Amy had always felt too ashamed of the way her life had turned out to ever return the letters. Though she had kept all of them, so at least Danielle had known she was still alive when the Owl had not returned with any unopened letters. It was strange to see her here now, so far from home. She didn't think there was a game nearby at all, so she would never have expected to see her friend. Or to be standing in complete stunned silence as said friend hugged her. Amy could not return the hug though, even if she had intended to, because she had both hands firmly wrapped around the boys wrists, as they were taken to wander. "There is a game?" She asked, a bit dumbfounded. Why had she not known that? She didn't know what she was supposed to do in this situation. Perhaps Dani would simply look at her and then leave, she wouldn't want to be associated with someone who spent her life in the mud.​

 

[Danielle Gates]

Dani was beyond happiness upon seeing her old roommate. Judging from the little ones with her, Amy was blessed with another son. She pulled away to look at her properly. The woman now understood why her friend was not able to reply. Clearly, these kids were a handful. At Amy's question, she laughed. "No, silly. I also live here, remember?" Dani looked down to the kids who were peering up at her. "Look at you, all so cute and adorable." She pulled Amy to her table. "I'm here to work on some other stuff." She remembered something. "It's going to be more perfect now that I see you again.", she added excitedly.​

 

[Amy Applewhite]

Amy was extremely confused by this whole situation. She’d tried to go out of her way to avoid her old school friends, for a number of reasons but mostly because of the life she now lead, which Danielle was clearly, and thankfully, oblivious to. This had not been how she had imagined her life at the tender age of eleven, but here she was, two kids in tow, no qualifications to speak of aside from her abysmal graduation which didn’t paint her as a great student in the slightest and honestly she had no idea where her life was going from this point, but, this was Danielle, her only friend in her last year after all the others had abandoned her. Perhaps Dani would understand. “Oh, right, of course you do.” She said, shaking her head, her hold on her boys still as firm as ever. As Dani told her kids they were adorable, Any laughed. “You’ve not seen them at five in the morning when they’re all ready to go out and I still need my five more minutes,” she said, happy to turn the conversation to her boys, who despite everything else in her life, were her rocks and the loves of her life and she would do everything all over again for them. Amy squeaked a little when she was pulled to Danielle’s table and quickly held Lucian and Crispin close so they didn’t get any ideas. “Oh, really?” She asked, surprised. “How... how can I help you?” She asked with a smile. Danielle has no idea what she had to do in her life to survive, which was probably for the best, she probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her if she did know. She tried to keep the boys out of it as much as possible, but they’d had to meet some of the other dancers at different times when she’s had to go in earlier or later and Janette hadn’t been available for babysitting. Honestly she would have been lost without Janette.​

 

[Danielle Gates]

Dani even laughed, could not contain her excitement at seeing Amy. Shaking her head, she playfully ruffled the kids' hair. "They're still adorable at the end of the day.", saying as she nudged her friend playfully. She pulled up a seat for the woman. "What are you waiting for? Have a seat. Join me for lunch.", she waved at the waiter, signaling for three more servings and some cake for the kids. Being the youngest of five and with cousins growing almost as the same time as her, Dani did not really have small kids to dote on and with that thought, she could not wait to have some of her own with Damien. "I'm getting married!" she announced, her cheeks rosy in excitement. She had to put her hands on her cheeks, her ring visible from her ring finger. "I want you to be the maid of honor of course. My cousins will be bridesmaids.", she smiled as she glanced at the two little boys. "Say, how about we have these little ones be our bearers.", she added.​