Closed Starting Over

[Twila Whitlock]

Twila was freshly graduated from Hogwarts Scotland. She had nothing left to keep her in Ireland, so after selling her grandparents estate, she used to the money to leave her homeland and her extended family behind. She's settled into New Zealand a month ago, just outside of Obsidian Harbor. She had taken a week to move in, a small house at the end of the street on the edge of town. She hadn't had much, but she had wanted to make sure everything was placed perfectly. She wanted a nest, a hidey hole, somewhere she could always run to at a moments notice. She was the type to often run off on adventures, but having somewhere she could reliably return to was essential. She wanted a safe space, perhaps for the first time in her life.

She was on her way back from the store, with a few brown paper grocery bags in her arms. She was struggling a little bit, but she wasn't going to admit it. She had taken to walking around town the past few weeks. She'd picked a regular route that she liked to take, and had started to build up a familiarity with the area. She liked to visit the store once a week. It was necessary to have a routine she could fall back on. Of course, her trying to be completely independent did have its drawbacks. She was reminded of that as one of the bags slipped from her arms and spewed groceries all over the sidewalk. She sighed, and attempted to sink down to start gathering things. In doing so, she dropped the rest of her groceries. She groaned, and settled down on her knees before starting to gather her things.

 

[Patrick Vernier]

Patrick had been working quite a lot lately, wanting to get his training done soon. He still had 18 months left to go, however it was making him a little impatient seeing people that he graduated with, such as Simon, finish the training before him. Despite the familiar faces coming in, Patrick just wanted it to be over with so he could finally be out in the real world rather than sitting at his desk reading articles about rampart wizards in other countries. Lucky for him however, he was doing rather well in Advanced Transfiguration, and just hoped that he could also be top of the class in the other subjects soon enough too.

However, matters at home were rather different and he was scared that they would be distracting him. A new girl had moved in next door and Patrick had no idea who she was. His bedroom window looked out to her front porch, but he wouldn't ever admit that he was a creep, despite the amount of times he'd look up from his desk to see her red hair pass by. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about it, and perhaps that was the reason why he could never get his eyes off her. It was the middle of the day, Patrick was studying, and the girl had been gone for a little while now. With Patrick's mind needing to focus on other things however, he eventually decided he would take his work outside. Who cares when she managed to come home? It was all none of his business and he needed to stop thinking about it.

Patrick swung his backpack over his shoulder, heading downstairs then out the front door when he saw the girl bringing some groceries home. His heart skipped a beat, but he just kept walking, trying to just focus on making it to the park. As he heard some commotion however, he looked over to find her spilling all of her groceries on the floor. Patrick panicked. He wasn't usually the one to start conversations, and despite how much he didn't want to talk to her, he soon found himself rushing over to help. He reached down for the groceries, picking them back up and putting them into the bags. "Um, be careful next time." he told her with a nervous smile. He still had a bit of his French accent. "Do you, um, want me to help you take them, uh, to your... your door?" He gestured over to her house, suddenly worried that she might think he was a stalker for knowing where she lived.

 

[Twila Whitlock]

Twila had just started picking up her groceries when suddenly a boy was there. She looked up, surprised, and raised a brow at his words. "Yeah, sure, I'll do that," she replied sarcastically, her own Irish accent still strong. She helped him gather up the groceries. She stood with a few of the bags, shrugging as he had the others and asked if he could help her take them next door. "Ah, you're the neighbor bloke that keeps peeking out at me," she teased, turning and starting towards the door. "I wondered if you'd ever come out and say hello or if you were just some ghost locked away up in that window," she teased him, walking up the steps. She unlocked the door and knocked it open with her hip, going inside. "Come on then, French boy, kitchen is this way," She called back to him, walking to the kitchen and setting her groceries down. She'd done enough bringing them back, so she flicked her wrist and let her groceries put themselves away. She opened the fridge and pulling out some soda pop. "I got strawberry lemonade, want one?" She called back to him, peeking over the fridge and shaking the can lightly at him.

 

[Patrick Vernier]

As the girl spoke, Patrick noticed her Irish accent right away. He hadn't met anyone from Ireland before, and perhaps that was where she lived before coming to New Zealand. As she pointed out the fact that he had been spying on her through his window, he couldn't help but blush excessively. He looked down at the ground and chuckled a little. "Yeah, it's not a good place to have a window I guess." he said a little awkwardly, wondering if he should leave the groceries and walk away. Instead, the girl invited him inside, calling him 'French boy' as she did so. Patrick always wondered how much of his French accent that he still had after ten whole years, and was glad that she noticed it. He hesitated before following her up the stairs and through her front door with one of the grocery bags. He placed it on the bench and went to leave before the girl then offered him some strawberry lemonade. "Oh, um, sure." he said, feeling it would be rude to say no. He took it from her. "So uhh... what brings you here? To New Zealand?"

 

[Twila Whitlock]

Twila smiled as he took the drink, taking one of her own from the fridge. She moved over to the counter and leaned against it, opening her can and taking a sip. She gave him a smile. "I came to take over," she winked playfully. "You going to tell me your name, or am I just going to call you the ghosty french boy forever?" She teased him with a laugh. "Of course, haunted houses are super fun, its part of why I bought this place. Nothings happened though, bor-ing," She laughed, shaking her head.

 

[Patrick Vernier]

The girl was definitely a little more immature than what Patrick was used to, but somehow Patrick liked it. It wasn't immature like his youngest sister, but it was playful and sarcastic, and a personality that Patrick had never come across before. It drew him in and he wasn't sure whether he ever wanted to leave. "My name is Patrick." he told her, opening up his drink and taking a sip. "Unfortunately there has been no ghost activity in my house either, so I'm sorry but I can't help you." He chuckled a little, hoping that was enough of the ghost jokes. Truthfully, Patrick was glad there was no ghost activity happening near his house, but he didn't want to seem weak and vulnerable to such a pretty girl. "In France we have this soft drink called Orangina. Have you ever been to France?" Patrick asked, hoping perhaps she knew more than she showed.

 

[Twila Whitlock]

Twila shut the fridge, pulling herself up to sit on the counter. "I went to Paris once, on a school trip," she commented. "It was interesting, got to see the city a bit." She smiled at him. "Ever been to Ireland, Ricky?" She tested the nickname. She was still tossing up Patty or Ricky. Ricky seemed to fit him a little more so far. She blinked, realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet. "Oh yeah, right. I'm Twila," she winked playfully. "Am I gunna see you around more often now or do I have to go up to the window to drag you out?" She asked, curious.

 

[Patrick Vernier]

Patrick nodded when the girl said she went to Paris on a school trip. Patrick had been to many cool places whilst at Hogwarts too, such as China and England, and he was thankful for those opportunities. As the girl began speaking to someone named Ricky, he turned around to try and find them, completely confused, until he realised that Twila was speaking to him. He had never heard anyone call him that before. Usually it was just Pat. "Oh, me... um..." He tried to compose himself and shake off the fact that he was looking for someone who didn't exist. She probably thought he was a loon now. "No, I've never been there. I really want to go though, it sounds interesting." he told her truthfully. She introduced herself as Twila, and Patrick smiled, happy that there was finally a name to the face of the pretty girl he had been keeping an eye on. He chuckled a little awkwardly at her next question. "No, I mean, if you want to see me, then that's okay... no... that's good! It would be good if we saw each other! ...Not in that way, I mean like, see each other around more often... yeah." Patrick blushed a little, completely embarrassed at how much he was failing at talking to her. He had come this far at least.

 

[Twila Whitlock]

Twila watched Patrick look around, giggling a bit at his reaction. When he finished talking, she couldn't help but laugh again. "You're so weird, Ricky," she scrunched her nose up at him and winked. "You're fun." She decided. She took a sip of her drink, leaning back a bit and resting her weight on one hand. "What are you doing up there in that window, anyway? You look too old to still be at school," she studied him, sipping her drink again. "College?" She asked, though she couldn't place what course he might be studying.

 

[Patrick Vernier]

Patrick wasn't sure how he felt about the name Ricky, but he took it nonetheless, much too embarrassed to say anything. She called him weird, and Patrick almost thought she was going to kick him out soon before she then added that he was fun. He wondered what was so fun about him. "Thanks." he said a little awkwardly before then taking another sip of the lemonade. He was quick to answer her question. "No, I'm in Auror school at the moment training to be an Auror. I only have a year or so left." he told her. "What about you? What do you do with yourself?" He wondered how she had paid for the house and hoped that she didn't think he was being too intrusive with the question.

 

[Twila Whitlock]

Twila raised her eyebrows, surprised but slightly impressed by his answer. "Wow, that's one helluva job there, boyo," she told him. She smiled as he returned the question. "I'm a video game designer," She winked. "I work out in town, it's a fun job." She sipped on her drink. "How's that training going? You're not gettin yourself in trouble, are you?" She smiled playfully at him.

 

[Patrick Vernier]

Patrick nodded as Twila told him that being an Auror was one hell of a job. "Yes. I started pretty late actually, or at least later than the people I went to school with did. I wanted to perfect my application, and also I had my doubts. But I was accepted, and now I just have to keep proving myself." he explained. He scratched his head and looked down a little nervously. He didn't mean to boast about it, and hoped that Twila didn't think he was. He raised his eyebrows as she said she was a video game designer. "Oh like a muggle video game? That's cool." he said truthfully, finding that rather interesting. He wasn't sure how much that would have paid, but supposed it would have been a lot. He couldn't help but be a little curious about her job however. "How do you, um, not use magic and stuff? I'm sorry, I just think it's something I couldn't help doing since I've lived with it all of my life." He shrugged, hoping she wasn't taking offence to anything that he said. "Training is going well. I'm meeting new people and talking to others that I haven't really spoken to before. I really enjoy it."

 

[Twila Whitlock]

-godmods approved-

Twila sipped her drink. "Hey, that's a dangerous job. Better to be prepared before jumpin' in then goin in blind," She shrugged. She was impulsive, sure, but there were some things you shouldn't be rushing. When he asked how she could live without magic, an impulse hit her. Instead of answering, she chugged the rest of her drink, tossing the empty can in the kitchen sink.

She hopped off the counter and walked over. She tossed his can into the sink as well, taking his hand and pulling him from the counter. "Come on, Ricky, let's go! Hang on now," She smirked playfully, pulling him close and apparating them away to an alley. She kept hold of his hand, pulling him along with her out of the alley and up the street. She threw open the door of the arcade, walking to the change machine and getting plenty of quarters for them both. She pulled him over to one of her favorite machines, a two player game, and loaded it with quarters. "Come on, I'll support you." She winked playfully, taking the controls. She was awesome at this game, she could keep him alive until they beat it.

 

[Patrick Vernier]

Patrick nodded when Twila said that being an Auror was a dangerous job. He knew that from the get go, and that was another reason why he spent so long before finally applying for the job. He always knew it was what he wanted to do, but it just took a little bit more courage to apply than what he originally thought. As Twila took his hand and led him out of her house, Patrick really had no choice but to follow her. He was wondering where they were going and hoped they wouldn't be gone for too long. After all, he hadn't told his father and step-mother where he was going or how long he would be and hoped that they wouldn't be worrying about him.

They apparated to an unfamiliar street and soon enough Patrick found himself inside an arcade. Lights flashed everywhere and music and sound effects came from every machine around him. The man watched as Twila loaded one of the machines with quarters. He observed her playing for a bit first, before starting to play himself. It was a hard game, but Twila somehow seemed to be quite good at it. Patrick had never seen anything like it before. He couldn't help but feel an adrenaline rush, especially after they beat that game and headed over to another one. Was this a taste of what it was like to be a muggle? Playing arcade games and never wanting to stop? He felt happy and free, and completely forgot about the work he should be doing instead.

Soon enough, the pair of them had finished in the arcade and Patrick hoped Twila hadn't used too many quarters. He wanted to pay her back for it. "Hey, how about we go for some pizza?" he asked, not sure how soon she had to be home. It was getting late, but Patrick didn't want to leave her just yet.

 

[Twila Whitlock]

Twila was in a brilliant mood. It wasn't the first time she'd beaten the arcade games here, but she always felt that same rush when she went all out like this. She was practically vibrating with excitement as they started out of the arcade. Her smile only widened when he suggested pizza. "Oh, that's a great idea, Ricky!" She started dancing a bit, swaying her hips. "I know a great place near here, with pizza and milkshakes, come on!" She reached for his hand, meaning to pull him along to the shop.