It's about time

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella loved the park near her home. It was blanketed in grass and swaddled in flowers. Shadows peppered the place, offered by the trees that stretched to the sun. Birds competed for a spot within leafy branches. Olivia found fascination in these creatures, possibly wishing that one day she would reach great heights. It wouldn't be too long before she was scaling the skies. That was if she enjoyed flying, anyway. Her mother was gearing for her to be a Quidditch fan- rather, a Falmouth Falcons freak- from an early age. If Jaken had his way, his daughter would be rooting for the Bulgarians. Estrella had concluded that liking two teams was fine, just as long as Livvy always put her head-bashing hooligans first.

Mother and daughter were waiting to meet someone. The nine-month old was sitting upright in the grass, babbling about the birdies and bugs. Hovering just inches away was the woman, sitting on a bench. Next to her was something she had covered with cloth. Estrella was doing her best to keep Olivia's attention away from the object, from which occasional soft sounds were heard. It was almost too bad that the muggle repelling charm she had placed on the mystery item didn't work on baby witches as well.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi would have arrived sooner but had to return home to pick up an item that she had thought was in her bag. She had bewitched it specifically so that it could fit the two presents she had bought while she'd been in England and she had still forgotten one of them. She blamed her excitement for her forgetfulness because today she was going to meet up with one of her best friends, Estrella, and meet baby Olivia for the first time.

As she stepped into the park, Cyndi glanced around for her friend and thought she caught a glimpse of her at a far off bench. Heading in that direction, her smile grew as she realized that it was in fact Estrella. She'd recognize her anywhere. They'd grown up together after all and had spent enough time together for Cyndi to recognize her friend's mannerisms. Her eyes scanned the immediate area where Estrella was sitting and spotted the baby sitting in the grass. Raising her hand as she drew near, Cyndi began to wave at Estrella. "Hi!" she said excitedly as she pushed the shades off her eyes and up into her hair as she finally reached the bench. "Is that the baby? Of course it is...she is so cute!" Cyndi said in a rush as she bent over to hug her friend.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella rose and hugged Cyndi back as if she hadn't seen her in years. Even though they worked in the same building, they were usually so busy that a chance to chat was a cherished one. "Don't let her deceive you; she's much more of a troublemaker than she'll let you know," Estrella laughed. Olivia's attentions had turned from an ant to the stranger. The toddler smiled, soon telling Cyndi all about her day in strings of gibberish. Being quiet was a concept Olivia had not yet learned and might never learn. Getting her to shut up for just a moment was like trying to tame a unicorn; it just wasn't going to happen.

Placing her hands on the table behind her, Estrella scooted over so Cyndi could sit. "I love that top," she commented, "But of course, you'd be cute in anything." The former Ravenclaw grinned and glanced to the covered object. "You want your present now or should I hang on to it for next year?" she joked.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi giggled as she listened to Estrella warn her about Olivia. As the toddler turned attention to Cyndi, she knelt down so that she was eye-to-eye with the little girl and listened to her attempts to speak with barely concealed laughter. She had the feeling that the girl was probably telling her about everything from her day to asking Cyndi tons of questions about herself, though she couldn't understand a lick of it. "Wow! Really?" she asked as if she had understood what Olivia had said.

Finally, standing up again Cyndi joined Estrella at the table. "Aww...thanks" she said as her friend complimented her top. She had bought it when she'd gone to England and was glad that the weather in New Zealand was much more favorable to wearing something like that. When she heard Estrella mention a present, Cyndi smiled and her eyes widened. She of course had some gifts in her bag, but hadn't expected anything from her friend. "No way! A present for me?" she began. " You know how much I hate to be left in suspense" she moaned, "Now please." She looked at the object and wondered what was hidden beneath that covering.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Smirking for all she was worth, Estrella pinched the seam of the cloth. She yanked it away and let it catch the breeze. Beneath was a cage, painted white. A set of orange eyes peered at Cyndi from between the bars. The crested owl didn't seem to like being in one spot, but on the other hand, it didn't cause too much of a fuss, either.

Estrella grinned. She knew that Cyndi didn't have an owl, and figured that any witch or wizard could use a feathered friend. "You like?" Olivia certainly did. It would likely be awhile before she understood that sticking her fingers in cages wasn't always a good idea.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

As Estrella pulled off the cloth that was covering her present, Cyndi's jaw dropped. Inside was a gorgeous owl with bright orange eyes. She was rendered momentarily speechless by the thoughtfulness of her friend. For all of her years in school and even now, Cyndi relied on the school owls to deliver her messages. Now, it seemed that Estrella was making sure she would no longer have to. "Estrella...you are so awesome! I love it" she replied as she hugged her friend tightly. As she let go, Cyndi asked, "Do you know if it's a male or a female?"

Stepping over for a closer look, Cyndi knelt in front of the cage and rested her hand on the cage. THe owl looked at her with one orange eye and then quickly pecked at her hand. She barely moved it back in time and chuckled nervously at the close call. Catching Estrella's eye, Cyndi grinned. "Uh...I think we'll have to work on that." Standing up as she began to think of a name for her new owl, Cyndi walked over to her bag and pulled out two small wrapped presents. "I got these in England. I hope you like" she said with a smile on her face as she held out one gift to Estrella and the other to Olivia.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella beamed at her friend. "I'm glad you like him," she laughed, "I think he's perfect for you." The former Ravenclaw had been lucky; she'd found Cyndi's owl right away. Eyelop's Emporium might even have a tannery beat in stench. Wondering what Cyndi was going to name the bird, Estrella took the present. "Thank you, Cyndi!" She pulled away the wrapping paper to find a pair of glasses. "Cyndi, these are absolutely adorable!" she exclaimed, donning them. "How do they look?"

Olivia's attentions wandered away from the feathered creature. Her eyes feasted on colored paper. She was soon pawing at the present, tearing it open when she had a good hold. The child yanked the plush dragon out of its box. After inspecting it for a few seconds, she soon gave a squeal of delight. She hugged it, talking to it as she would any of her other stuffed animals. This display appeared to double as both her gratitude and approval.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

As she watched Estrella pose with the glasses on, Cyndi smiled. "They look fab on you. Just like I thought they would" she exclaimed, glad that her friend liked them so much. Olivia seemed to like her gift too, judging by her squeal and the conversation she quickly engaged in with the dragon. "It looks like Olivia likes her gift too" she mused as she watched the little girl. Cyndi couldn't wait to have her own children one day, especially if she had an adorable girl like the one before her. She knew though that she wasn't quite ready yet, and so was content to simply enjoy being around other people's children.

"We have tons to catch up on" Cyndi said as she glanced back at Estrella. "Do you want to grab some food or something? I can just drop off Mr. Gebo and meet you two there" she suggested, with a smile on her face. She was rather proud of the name she'd come up with for her owl, choosing to use the rune that symbolized a 'gift' as the name of her newest pet. She hoped that Estrella and Olivia were hungry. She definitely was, and she could think of no better way to catch up then over food.