Pick to Peck

[Avery Sanders]

Avery wasn't nervous being in a foreign country, he'd traveled enough to feel safe if it were by floo or side along apparation. This time was floo though as he was meeting his younger cousin and aunt for brunch. The meal had gone well, and the three of them really enjoyed everything. Millicent was a sweet girl, though fairly immature. She was only a first year in school though. He was fifteen now so he felt fairly grown up - after all he was going to be a fifth year this upcoming school year. The ginger hair man even felt brave enough to walk around what the New Zealanders called Obsidian Harbour.

The shops lined cobblestone roads, and his tennis shoes made a slight squishing sound the ground slightly damp from some sort of rainfall. Avery wasn't sure if it'd been earlier that day or the day before - she sun peaking through light clouds didn't give him any hints. While walking the man stopped to look at the apothecary shop he had found. Though potions wasn't his top ranking subject, Avery found plants to be fascinating. The way they looked, the color transformations depending on region. He couldn't help himself. Learning was such an objective in Avery's life - that without schooling he wondered what he'd do with his life.

 

[Eleanor Hope]

Eleanor hated going to school and having to abide by the rules and regulations, but the downside of the holidays was that she wasn't able to see any of her friends. The girl was going to be a fourth year soon and also the new leader of the Wild Patch Club which meant that she was getting older and had many different responsibilities. Seeing her friends was going to get harder and harder as time went by and she wasn't really sure what to do about it. Ellie had just finished eating a big meal for lunch and left the house to go and get some fresh air on a full stomach. Living near Obsidian Harbour meant that she was able to visit it whenever she felt like it. It was such a lovely place that wasn't always so crowded and the ice cream shop was the best ice cream shop she'd ever been to.

As Eleanor walked, she kicked along a rock on the ground, wondering where the rock had come from. Had it always been at Obsidian Harbour or did it used to be someone's pet? Eleanor didn't fully understand why anyone would want a rock as a pet. They did nothing and served no real purpose in the world, especially when they were as small as the one Ellie was kicking around. Eventually, Ellie kicked it with force, watching as it went up in the air and then rebounded off the glass wall of the apothecary. Luckily, the glass was pretty strong and did not break. She walked inside and noticed a boy that looked slightly older than her that was looking at the plants. "Hey, do you like plants!?" she exclaimed, bouncing with glee. "I like plants! My sister taught me that humans use like... 2000 different types of plants to make food. Isn't that cool?"

 

[Avery Sanders]

It wasn't long into Avery's idle admiration of the plants that he was approached by a girl. The ginger haired boy turned, his dark orbs focusing on a brunette whom looked a fair bit younger than him - a few years if he could guess. Frankly, though, Avery was not good with guessing age. A small smile split his chapped lips and lit up his eyes. The way the light struck his face his freckles danced into movement, and had Avery seen the way they moved he'd have covered his face - he hated his freckles. The teen nodded. "Your sister must know a bit about them. Its really quite something isn't it. They just grow no matter what sometimes. Like the way a plant grows through the cracks of cement. It's really something to see that resilience." The man was aimlessly poetic sometimes, but when not around his best friend he didn't need to pretend to be thickheaded. Though if this girl preferred that eventually he would meld to that - not as a people pleaser but as someone with an undiscovered personality.

Finally Avery realized that he'd not said anything past that. "But yes, I like plants. I'm studying to be a herbologist. What about you?" He inquired, more referencing if she was going to study plants for a living. "Oh... I'm Avery." He extended a hand, realizing how rude it was to talk without introductions.

 

[Eleanor Hope]

Eleanor liked to think she knew a lot about plants. After all, Herbology was her best subject and was one of the few that she could get straight Os in. Sure, Lily knew quite a lot about plants too but, for once, Ellie wanted to be better than her at something. The Hufflepuff smiled at the older boy. The way he spoke gave Eleanor butterflies, and she chuckled, figuring he must be a smart person to be so poetic without even meaning to. She liked the way words easily came out of his mouth and he didn't seem bothered at all that a fourteen year old had approached him, disturbing whatever he was doing in the shop. Better yet, he carried on the conversation, mentioning that he is studying to be a Herbologist and even asked Ellie what she wanted to be. She hadn't thought of it before and so hesitated before answering. "I don't know... but a Herbologist would be an awesome job! We could study Herbology together!" she suggested excitedly, beaming up at him. "What school do you go to? Do you go to Hogwarts? What year are you in?" Eleanor was eager to get to know him and she hoped he felt the same way.

As the boy extended his hand out to Eleanor, she shook it, feeling as if it was a very formal way to introduce yourself but liking it all the same. "My name is Eleanor, but you can call me Ellie." she told the boy whose name was Avery. "Avery reminds me of that place where you keep birds. I'm doing Care of Magical Creatures and we learnt about a bird called the Fwooper. It's so colourful and attractive but people place silencing charms on them because they sing all of the time. Don't you think that's mean?" Eleanor shrugged before realising that she had changed the subject. "So, what kind of things do Herbologists do?"