Closed Less Coffee. More Date

[Selene Le Fey]

It had been around a year since Selene and Poppy had started going on coffee dates. despite the word date the fact that it was a coffee date meant that they were just friends. Nothing more. though as time went on, it was becoming more and more clear to Selene that she wanted it to be less coffee and more date (not that she actually drank coffee on coffee dates; she much preferred tea, or chocolate or, if it was warm, juice). Poppy had become a close friend. they had celebrated Poppy's graduation, and Poppy had been the first person she had told about applying for her dream job, and the first person she had told when he hadn't got it. it was only recently that she had plucked up the courage to ask Poppy out on a proper date. and it had been so long since she had been on a proper date that it took her a while to think of what to do, they had been to most of the cafes in magical new Zealand, and the park was a regular walh for them. Eventually she had decided on the botanic gardens in christchurch. She had always liked it there, and she thought that it would be something Poppy would like as they were beautiful, they could have a walk looking at the plants and stop spmewgere for a picnic, and maybe even get a gondela ride along the river if they wanted to.
She had arrived early and collected a selection of foods from the market across the road, adding them to the basket of things from home once she was done she made her way to the fountain at the entry to the gardens and waited for her date.

 

[Poppy Perkins]

Poppy didn't think Selene's friendship could have come at a better time. Going to university had been something she really wanted to do, and while she never would take back the experience, she did have to admit that being away from magic and having to actively hide it had been hard on her. It happened slowly but suddenly she found herself with her degree but unsure where she fit in the world. That's where Selene came in. The other girl had grounded her and reminded her of all the things she liked about herself, magic, and just about everything else. Their coffee dates became something she looked forward to above all else as she found her footing in her post-grad life. So when Selene asked her out for real she wasn't scared. She realized her feelings had shifted long before the plans for today had been made. They had eased themselves into something, and the rest was a formality of sorts. Selene had planned everything but Poppy still packed away a few chocolate frogs in her bag, not wanting to show up completely empty handed. She smiled and waved when she saw the other girl standing by the fountain and hurried to close the distance. But she did hesitate, unsure of how to greet a date she had arguably been on a date with several times. In the end she reached out and gave Selene a quick hug. "Hope I haven't kept you waiting long." she said a little breathless. "I see you've got plenty of rations for today." she added with a laugh.

 

[Selene Le Fey]

Selene hadnt been waiting long before she saw the familiar mess of red hair which signaled the arival of poppy and brought a smile to her lips. she waved back and started taking some steps towards her, and then poppy was there in front of her. "Hello Poppy. how are you today?" she said, returning the other ladies' hug. "not at all. I only got here a couple of minutes ago," she said. Unable to help the smile that crossed her face whenever she spent time with Poppy. she chuckled at Poppy's comment. "What is a picnic without a good selection of food?" She said sure; the picnic basket she had was relatively small. but thanks to a couple of charms, one to expand the contents and one to make it lighter, she had more than enough to see them through. would you like to go for a bit of a walk?" she said gesturing to a tree-lined avenue not sure if she should hold Poppys hand or not.


[[if you are like me and like the visual inspiration of real places. here are some stock photos of the gardens. many are from specific events. but there are some of just the gardens]]