Oh Simple Thing, Where Have You Gone?

[Claire Aurelious]

Claire hadn't really been out shopping without her father since the divorce, and now that she was let out alone, she decided to dress up. Who knows, maybe she could start to relax, and make a few friends. The young brunette toyed with her romper straps as she walked from store to store. The day was a little bit chillier than it had been; but the breeze was mild enough to keep her from shivering. Claire had a hemp shopping bag on one arm, and it held a few books and other sorts of things. She had just been out for an excuse to get out of the house. Ever since she had moved in with her father (as he had gotten full custody over her) he'd been watching over her constantly. He was worried about her mental health, she reckoned, but he didn't have to worry. Sure, Claire was about as upset as a donkey with a toothache, but she was holding together pretty well. She did have to admit that she'd closed off in a lot of ways though. In fact, the most regrettable way that she had closed off was cutting a very close friend of hers out of her life. Sammy Kaster; he had been really her only friend at the school she had previously attended. They had kept in touch threw letters for some time, but Claire just didn't have the drive to respond whilst her parents were fighting over the house and what not.

However, as if Claire's prayers to meet someone whilst she was out shopping were coming true, she noticed a head of brown hair in front of her. She wasn't sure if she was correct in her thinking, but those curls looked awful familiar. Claire didn't want to just assume, and so she followed his footsteps as quietly as he could. She just wanted to be sure, but after about two minutes of following him, she realized that asking would be a lot less creepy than what she was doing. So Claire, being ever clever, decided to do what she would normally do if it was Sammy. If it wasn't him, he wouldn't be able to guess, and she would just apparate away. Seemed logical to her. Claire got as close to him as possible, before standing on her tiptoes and throwing her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" She asked, her southern drawl unmistakable. If it was him, he would know right away. At least, Claire hoped he would.
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[Samual Kaster]

Samual was wandering around Obsidian Harbour, taking a break from paperwork to absorb some sunlight. He was not a fully-fledged auror, and probably wouldn't be for some time, but he was still very proud of himself. He was totally ready to do his job. It was really great, finally getting out and working. Sure, the hours could be tiring, and there wasn't very much sun to absorb from his desk, but he could live with all that. He could live with anything if it meant he could work where he currently was. The young wizard ruffled his curls as he continued to meander through Obsidian, looking at the shops and admiring the fresh air that was coming to him. He had recently spoken to Carter, and while at some points it was really awkward, it was still nice to reconnect with the other side of his family. He rarely spoke to his magical cousins. And whenever he did, it'd have to be in Germany, and Germany was so far from home. No, Sammy liked New Zealand, and preferred to stay where he was. All of his friends were here - and now his job and future wife! It was still weird to think about, but Samual had the whole wedding planned - except a date, but even that was being narrowed down. Now all he had to do was convince Hazel of his ideas and plans, and then it'd be sweet.

Tucking his hands into the pockets of his blazer, Sammy continued to admire the things in the shops, all the while thinking about what his next assessment would be. Admittedly, he may have been a bit naïve about the whole auror thing. He had not been expecting so much work - but he wasn't complaining. It was like being back in school, and that always brought him comfort. However, what also brought him back to his school days (not that they were that far away at all) was a set of hands covering his eyes and a young, feminine voice filling his ears. It took him a moment, but as soon as he realised who it was, he (carefully) tore her hands from his eyes, spun around with a huge grin on his face, and gave the younger girl a huge hug - partially lifting her from the ground. She'd grown, but so had he. After a short spin, he returned her feet to the earth, and tried to keep himself under control. "Claire!" he cheeped, looking her over, honestly surprised at how much taller she was now. "I haven't seen you in ages. I'm an adult now!" He said it as if it were a new thing - and it was, to him. Now he was expected to do grown up things, like pay bills and vote in the upcoming election, and he was so excited for it. "Oh, I've missed you. How have you been?"
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[Claire Aurelious]

Claire could not have been more pleased when Sammy reacted pleasantly to her surprise. She let out a small squeal of pleasure as he swung her around. She wondered if he knew that she was lighter. Claire had always been small, but the last few months had been stressful, and it had taken a toll on the teen. Her eyes seemed to big for her face, and her cheekbones were well-defined. However, her dark curls still framed her face as she smiled up at the boy, whom had finally set her down on the ground. Her face was nearly split with how wide her smile was; she supposed some things never changed. She recalled Sammy always describing her as having the biggest smile in the room, and even in the face of turmoil this remained. Now that Claire had gained her bearings, she was able to look over Samual, and he was right, he was an adult now. It was hard to believe that he could grow up, though somewhere deep down, she knew that he wasn't actually a grown up. He was always going to be that same, playful Sammy.

Claire looked at his eyes, "Sammy, I'm glad it was you. If it hadn't been, I'dda been more embarrassed than a cowboy who couldn't tie a lasso!" The brunette hadn't let go of her southern euphemisms, and her accent held strong, no matter how many years she had stayed in New Zealand, or in France for that matter. She laughed at his comment about adulthood. "I'm not much of a kid now either." She commented. She was a few inches taller than she was hen they'd last seen each other, and much thinner. She had gained her slight curves, showing that she was indeed growing into a woman. She knew she was going to be thin though, both of her parents were. "How have you been? I am sorry I stopped writin', things got so crazy." Claire didn't think she could ever apologize enough for not writing to such a sweet guy like Sammy. She shrugged at his question and looked at her bag. "I'm in Beauxbatons now. My mom took the house in Georgia, so my Pa's lookin' for a place 'round here." She kicked a pebble as she talked, her voice a tad less chipper. The last letter she'd sent to Sammy had informed him that her parents were officially splitting up and that she was in the midst of a custody battle. She was glad that he had been there for her, but it all became too much for her to handle. "How's Hazel?" She asked, now remembering that Sammy and a girl had been getting pretty serious. Claire thought he was so lucky, the 16 year old still had yet to have her first kiss, but she supposed that good things came to those who waited, right?


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[Samual Kaster]

Sammy was extremely pleased to see Claire. It had been quite some time, and he had missed her. She had been a big ray of sunshine when they met, and he felt that he was the same. Together, they had a lot of fun. She had, however, very visibly changed. She was much older, and taller than he remembered. Then again, he too was taller and older. Not quite ancient yet, but he certainly felt as if he were old. It was a strange feeling, being out of school. Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months much quicker than he expected. People also assumed more of him. They just assumed that he was grown up and serious and especially since he was an auror in training. They assumed he was some serious, workaholic or something. He felt that was nothing like who he was, he just had a dream, and he was living it. Although, the work was difficult, and so many hours! But he enjoyed the majority of it. But he had to admit, some of his workmates were pretty serious.

He laughed as she spoke, and shook his head. "I'm glad it was me too!" He would have hated for her to go accidentally bother someone, or get into some sort of trouble. Claire really didn't deserve any of that negative stuff. He felt protective of her, as she felt like family to him. In fact, she could probably pass as family- although her accent would definitely give her away. He couldn't understand half the euphemisms she used, but he usually got the gist of what she was saying. He shook his head, still grinning. "You're still a kid to me. Until you're seventeen and out of school and working, you're a kid." It was quite a list, and there was a time where Sammy had doubted he would ever do all of those things, but here he was, over seventeen, out of school and working.

Sammy became a little subdued when she mentioned not returning his letters. He had been very concerned about her lack of contact. "That's fine. Sometimes we just get super busy!" He noticed that news of her parents being separated, and decided not to touch on her family, he didn't want to upset her. So he was relieved to see that she decided to change the subject onto Hazel, who was always a good subject for him. "Hazel's great. We're getting married!" he (nearly) exclaimed, his face lighting up. "You're invited, by the way, as soon as we have a date down. I'd love to see you there.you can bring a friend if you want. If you have any trouble getting over here, I'll help out!"
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