Closed The Greatest

[Asaiah Murphy]

Continued from here

They appeared again in the living room of his shared apartment, the noise of them apparating enough to make the owl in the corner of the room hoot excitedly. Although Asaiah had disapparated and apparated a thousand times by now, it still made him feel a little uneasy every time he did it, though nowhere as uneasy as travelling by portkey. While the owl was a pretty good indication that he had brought them to the right place, he still turned to look around once he opened his eyes, smiling when they indeed standing in the apartment. ''Freya? I'm home, and I brought a friend with me!'' He called out when he didn't see his girlfriend in the living room. The lights were still on so she was probably in one of the other rooms. ''Alright, make yourself comfortable. Do you wanna beer or juice or anything?'' Asaiah asked Marisol whilst walking up to his owl to get it to be quiet again by dropping a treat into the cage.

 

[Freya Odegard]

Even though Freya tried to go to as many of Asaiah's quidditch games as she could there inevitably were times at which she couldn't make it, had to sit it out. She was keen on supporting him but she had her own job as well and some days that was a whole lot more demanding than others. It sometimes made her wonder if she couldn't try to find something else to do. Something closer to home, something that didn't involve her drowning in paperwork for such a large amount of the time. Freya was just getting herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen when she heard a familiar noise, followed by the sound of her boyfriend announcing he was back. "Hey!" She called back from the kitchen, wondering who this friend he mentioned would be as she waited for the last drops of coffee to fill her cup. Her best guess was it'd be one of his teammates but she had found Asaiah could be a little unpredictable at times. "How was the ga-" She started as she walked into the living room yet fell silent when she noticed the woman that was with him. It took her a moment to realize who it was, especially since as far as she knew he hadn't heard from her in quite a while. For a moment Freya was hit with a feeling of insecurity. Back at school she had always been a little intimidated by Marisol and seeing her in their living room almost made her feel like she was her fourteen year old self again. But she wasn't. She was an adult. They all were and she had nothing to be worried about. No need to feel even remotely intimidated. "Hi." She greeted Marisol with a smile, although the surprise in her voice was undoubtedly still noticeable.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Although Marisol was used to apparating, it was still a little disorienting to do it alongside someone else who was in control so it took her a moment to gain her bearings as she took in her new surroundings. She felt a nervous thrill run through her as Asaiah called out to Freya, still unsure of the nature of their relationship but if Asaiah wasn't nervous then she shouldn't be, right? Marisol smiled when she saw Asaiah's owl and walked over to it as well. "Hey I remember you," she said to the owl playfully. She was about to ask Asaiah for a treat so she could give the owl one herself, feeling guilty for all the trips the poor bird had made to the island without anything to send back, but she straightened up as she heard Freya enter.

She couldn't tell if it was just the presence of an unexpected guest, or if it was Marisol herself, that had caught Freya off guard. "Hi," Marisol greeted her, smiling to try and reassure her that she meant no harm. She didn't think she was quite convincing though, as her smile probably conveyed nervousness more than anything. "Sorry to just barge in your h-home," she said hastily, caught up on the last word. She knew it was technically Asaiah's place as well and he had invited her here, but this felt like an intrusion somehow. Marisol turned to her friend and said, "I'll take that beer, Asher." She was going to need alcohol to get through whatever this was. "I was in the neighborhood so I decided to go to the Macaws game," Marisol said to Freya, explaining why she was suddenly here. "Not his finest performance," she added with a laugh.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah put his index finger through the bars of the cage to scratch the owl as it scooted over towards him, whispering to it that he was sorry for the noise and that all would be fine now. He often worried about the state of his owl and the long journeys he had had Axel make in the past. He didn't know how old owls in the wizarding world could be, but since Axel had been a part of the Murphy family since his eleventh birthday, Asaiah couldn't help but worry about his little feathered friend. A wide smile appeared across his face when he turned around to look at Freya. Had he been nervous about the two of them meeting each other again, absolutely. Was he nervous now that the two of them were in the same room, absolutely, one hundred percent. But when both of his best friends greeted each other, Asaiah couldn't stop himself from letting out a soft squeal, which almost resembled that of a very excited puppy. ''I think that's an understatement, Mari. The Prophet will have a good laugh about it surely,'' he told Freya in passing to the kitchen to get all of them some drinks. ''Oh, eh, before I forget. Mari, this is Freya. Freya, this is Marisol.'' And then he left them alone to get them those drinks, though not before shooting Marisol a quick look that said 'be nice'.

 

[Freya Odegard]

To say Freya was unsure of what to feel about Marisol suddenly standing in front of her would be an understatement. She just kept telling herself she had no reason to be intimated by the now woman standing in their living room though. Rather she tried to focus on the fact that she was one of Asaiah's best friends. That if he had brought her here, even after not hearing anything from her for a long time, that meant they were still friends. That he was probably quite happy to see her again. And if he was then the only thing she had to do was be happy for him. "Oh no, don't worry about it." She smiled at Marisol, giving a little dismissive wave when she apologized. Freya walked over to the couch as she listened to her explain she was in the neighbourhood, giving a small nod as she sat down. "That bad, huh?" She chuckled at both Marisol and Asaiah's mention of the game, shaking her head a little. Still, she couldn't help but to turn her head and quietly observe her boyfriend as he walked past her, trying to see if there was anything about him that gave notice of him having been hurt during the game. When he disappeared into the kitchen she turned back to look at Marisol from her spot on the sofa. "I don't think introductions are needed right?" Freya asked her after Asaiah had left them alone. "Although I wasn't very memorable in school so I won't blame you if you forgot I existed." She added jokingly, before waving a hand at the sofa and the armchairs next to it. "You're more than welcome to sit, make yourself comfortable." She smiled, trying her best not to let any sort of awkwardness take over the situation. Even if she was sure they were all feeling that at least a little bit.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol chuckled a little as Asaiah let out an excited squeal; clearly it meant a lot to him that they know each other. Marisol scowled at being given a warning look by Asaiah over Freya's shoulder, because she wasn't a hot-headed teenager anymore! She was an adult who could control her temper better and knew how to play nice. But she turned her focus back on Freya as Asaiah exited the room. "I'll spare you the details to save him from the embarrassment," she joked. She shook her head when Freya said introductions weren't needed and laughed nervously at her next comment. She definitely remembered Freya from school but that's as far as their relation went despite their mutual friend. "I was just too wrapped up in my own stuff back then," she gestured vaguely, feeling guilty for not being nicer back then. Asaiah had always been the nicer, more social one of their trio, so he was able to make friends outside of their group, but Marisol had always kept her circle of friends very tight because she didn't like many people knowing about her lycanthropy.

She supposed she felt bad for monopolizing all of Asaiah's time back then, but the last seven years without her was enough to let him befriend whoever he wanted without her interference. Now that she was back in his life she would just have to learn how to share. It had taken time, but Marisol had eventually learned to survive on her own and not be so dependent on her friendships. She took a seat at an armchair as Freya offered it and said, "Thanks." She took a deep breath to rid herself of the last nerves she was holding in and then asked, "So, what have you been up to since we graduated?"

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah could only hope that things would go well whilst he was getting drinks for them. If things would go well tonight and the two of them went on well together, then perhaps they could hang out more in the future. He didn't know if Marisol was planning on staying in New Zealand for a while or if she was only visiting for a couple of days but Asaiah hoped that friend was staying for at least a couple of days, they had seven years of catching up to do after all. He walked back into the living room with three beers in his hands and handed the bottles to the women before taking place next to Freya on the sofa. ''Here you go, then. Cheers,'' he said as he raised his bottle a little, definitely feeling at least a little nervous about the two of them in the same room together. Even though Asaiah didn't want things to get awkward, he wasn't sure if he was capable to not make things awkward. ''How are things going here? You working alright? Must be without my noisy butt around to annoy you, right?'' he asked Freya, rambled a little and taking a sip of his drink afterwards.

this be bad

 

[Freya Odegard]

Freya grinned when Marisol mentioned not going into any detail about Asaiah's game, although she made a mental note to still ask him about it later. She had seen him do great and she had seen him mess up both various times already, so it probably wasn't something she hadn't heard before anyways. "Fair enough." She nodded, not exactly keen to go into any more details about their lives at school. Even more so because she knew they had been incredibly different. The only common factor had been Asaiah anyways and he had always been so preoccupied with his other friends that she had always been fine with just being his friend a little bit more in the background. Freya smiled when Marisol sat down, hoping she would at least feel welcome in their home. "Oh, I uh, travelled around the country. Moved around, saw a bunch of stuff, met a bunch of people. The usual." She started answering her question with a small shrug, quite fond of the memories. "Ran into this guy after literal years," She continued, nodding her head towards the kitchen were Asaiah was still holding up. "Right before I got myself a job. Got a place of my own as well but that wasn't long-lived so when I got kicked out Asaiah offered me to come live here. And here we are." She finished with a small chuckle, trying her best to summarize what she'd been up to during those years since school a little bit. She could spend hours talking about her travels through new zealand, but still this didn't feel like the right time to share her complete life's story.

Freya was about to ask Marisol the exact same question when Asaiah walked back in, smiling when he sat down next to her as she took the bottle from him. Her coffee still sat untouched on the salon table but she was sure that by now it had gotten cold so drinking it wasn't an option anymore anyways. "Believe it or not but we're actually able to function just fine without you around." She laughed when he rambled on, shaking her head a little. "How, uh, how have you been?" She asked Marisol as she took a sip of her drink. She definitely hadn't been around the other woman enough back at school to know the slightest thing about her and she wasn't sure whether she'd start sharing now, but it seemed like the decent thing to ask at the very least.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol smiled as Freya told her what she had been up to since they had left school. It sounded a lot like what she had been doing, just without the monthly werewolf transitions. It sounded exactly like Asaiah to offer his friends a place to stay when they were in need so she wasn't surprised about that at all. There was still an unanswered question lingering in her mind but she didn't ask it. As Asaiah returned from the kitchen, Marisol took the drink he offered and said thanks before taking a swig. She felt bad that Freya had to go from drinking coffee to drinking beer with them but the woman seemed to take it all in stride so Marisol was grateful for that.

As the question was returned to her, Marisol ran her fingers through her short hair and shrugged slightly. "I'm good. I've been doing much of the same, traveling, meeting people," she answered similarly to Freya's response earlier. Marisol suddenly became anxious as a thought crossed her mind. If Freya and Asaiah were close, what if he had told her about Marisol's condition? But she dismissed the thought as soon as it entered her mind. Asaiah wouldn't just divulge that information knowing how much Mari wanted to keep it private, so she decided to let Freya know about other aspects of her life. "Except my family are Muggles so I did a lot more Muggle living than anything," she added with a small chuckle, thinking of how slow Muggle travel was compared to wizard traveling. Whenever possible Marisol had used as little magic as possible to avoid being traced, and only used magic freely in wizarding towns. "It's nice to be back here though," she added with a small smile at Asaiah.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

In all his nervousness, Asaiah seemed to have completely overlooked that his girlfriend had made herself a cup of coffee just before he arrived with Marisol. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind it much when he handed her one of the beers. It was probably for the best that she was usually the more level-headed one, things would've been a mess otherwise. He could be so chaotic and impulsive at times that he was sure he'd drive her nuts at least once or twice a day. Asaiah listened quietly when Marisol answered Freya's question, sipping his drink away slowly. Even though his friend had already told him how she was doing, it was nice to hear it again after not having heard anything at all for seven years. They had been so inseparable at Hogwarts that Asaiah had a difficult time adjusting to being away from her, or his other friends, when he dropped out of Hogwarts - seven years pretty much almost felt like torture. ''And you'll be staying for a while too, right?'' he asked Marisol hopefully.

 

[Freya Odegard]

Freya listened as Marisol answered her question, quite intrigued that she had been travelling as well. It surprised her a little since she had always found her to come off as someone with a set plan for the future. Although perhaps that was just because of how intimidated she had been by her, how confident Marisol had always looked to her. She had remind herself that she knew practically nothing about the other woman though. "I reckon that might've been a bit different than how my own travels went, yeah." She chuckled in return. Even if she had lived in quite a few muggle places during her travels and had plenty of things over there most of the places she went, thing she did and people she met were all somehow connected to the magical world. Definitely not all of them, but a lot. Freya nodded when Marisol mentioned it was nice to be back. She could well remember how happy she had been to see him after years of absolutely no contact and in her mind she knew they had always been the better friends, so it wasn't hard to imagine how both of them might feel now they were reconnected. It was hard not to let that knowledge influence her though, crack her confidence a bit even if she tried her best not to let it. She looked at Asaiah when he asked Marisol if she would be staying for a while before turning back to look at her herself. "If you do you're welcome here anytime." She smiled, trying her best to be polite and come across as confident. In reality she wasn't exactly sure how she'd feel if Marisol did stay in the area and come around a lot, but it might just be her chance to get to know her a bit better. And otherwise she figured she might just have to get used to it. She wasn't going to keep Asaiah from reconnecting with one of his best friends after all.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol chuckled and nodded in agreement as Freya said her travels might've been different than her own. That was definitely an understatement. It wasn't just the muggle living that was different. She imagined Freya's traveling had been for fun whereas Marisol traveled out of necessity. She thought of the time she spent looking for wolfsbane potion ingredients or the full moon nights spent in her grandparent's basement. Her paranoia had gotten the best of her and it was exhausting to always be looking over her shoulder, so to be sitting here, even if nervous around Freya, was definitely a welcome change.

Her smile faltered slightly as Asaiah asked if she would be staying for a while and she took a drink of her beer to stall for time. She smiled thankfully at the pair and said, "Thank you, but I'm not sure if I can stay too much longer," she shook her head. She had only come to talk to Alistair about the werewolf attack and gotten sidetracked with her desire to see Asaiah again. But as she stared at his hopeful face now she knew she shouldn't have reached out after all to avoid this. "I was just visiting, I can't afford to stay longer than another week or so," she explained, hoping Asaiah would understand. Even if she decided to stay in New Zealand she couldn't afford a place on her own due to her mostly working odd jobs through her travels. And there was no way she was just going to get a roommate she didn't know, so the chances of her staying were very slim. "I'll be sure to keep in touch this time," she added with a smile, hoping that would appease Asaiah. It made her feel a little less guilty leaving Asaiah again now that she knew he had Freya here with him.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah stared at Marisol in disbelief when she told him that she couldn't stay very long. He opened his mouth and was about to say something regarding her condition and that she would be just as safe from werewolf hunters in New Zealand as in South America when he remembered that the other person in the room did not know about Marisol's secret. Instead, he closes his mouth again and continued to stare at his friend for a moment, wondering what was going through her head. It couldn't be anything sensible, as she was just as safe here with him and all the other people she knew here in New Zealand. He wanted to throw one of the cushions behind him at her but then he'd have to explain why he did it, and Asaiah didn't feel like doing that. ''Surely there must be a way for you to stay longer than a week?'' he asked incredulously He hadn't spent eleven months in Europe for her just so that she could ghost him again after one reunion. How could she not see that he was more than capable to help her out? ''Oh! I know a place you could stay at if you don't want to stay here,'' Asaiah told her excitedly when the thought came to him, hoping that she would understand what he meant by that. ''You'd have to talk to Thomas about it, too, but he would probably be cool with it.''

 

[Freya Odegard]

When Marisol mentioned she probably wouldn't be staying much longer Freya just knew Asaiah was going to be disappointed to say the least. She looked at him from the corner of her eye to see his facial expression. It wasn't hard to imagine how happy he had been to see her again, that she sought him out at his game only to now mention that she wasn't exactly intending on staying in the area. For some reason she felt a little irritated with Marisol for it, but she was also painfully aware that this was a conversation that didn't need her to be involved. It wasn't about her, didn't even have anything to do with her. Instead, she took another sip of her drink and just kept quiet as she listened to the both of them speak. If only she could disappear into the sofa then this would've been the ultimate moment. She couldn't just get up and walk away after all. Or, well, she probably could do just that. Leave them alone to discuss whatever this was. But in reality she didn't really want to. Instead, she just sat there keeping her mouth shut and glancing from Asaiah to Marisol whenever one of them spoke.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol felt terrible for breaking the bad news to Asaiah so early after their reunion. She had been hoping they could spend the week hanging out which would soften the blow, but that wasn't an option anymore. "I'm sorry!" she said again, a whine in her voice evident that it wasn't entirely by choice. She had to admit the thought of being around her best friend again was tempting enough to stay despite the warning bells in her head, but she couldn't afford to financially. And as nice as Freya was, it would've been awkward if she were to stay at their place for an extended period of time so she wasn't going to consider that an option at all. But just then Asaiah mentioned a place she could stay and she tilted her head with interest. "Thomas, your brother?" she asked, though she knew that's exactly who he was referring to. "Why do I need to-" she began before something came to mind. She thought back through all the breaks they spent visiting each other's homes and the Murphy's summer home, but she couldn't tell for sure if Asaiah was offering what she thought he might.

As she considered the possibility of staying, she looked at Freya who had been quiet throughout the exchange so far. It wasn't like they were friends so Freya couldn't offer any input to the conversation but something told Marisol that her staying in New Zealand would affect Freya regardless. Marisol took a deep breath, reminding herself not to monopolize Asaiah's time the way she had throughout school, and leaned back in the armchair as if that minuscule distance made any difference. She looked at the pair sitting on the couch and asked, as casually as she could, "So are you two dating or what?" The Gryffindor had never been known for subtlety, and eventually her patience wore out as neither of them made any indication of whether they were or not.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah nodded vigorously when Marisol seemed to have figured out what he was trying to tell her. He wasn't sure if Thomas was keen on having Marisol stay there but he didn't want to see his friend leave again after not having seen each other for seven whole years. And while he had told his parents about his friend's condition on the off chance that she might be visiting the Murphys before or just after a full moon, he never told his siblings about her lycanthropy. Telling his parents was just so that they could take the necessary precautions but he didn't think his siblings needed to know anything. They'd need an excuse, though knowing them, they'd probably come up with something. Besides, Asaiah could vouch for his friend to his brother if he was being sceptical about lending their summer house to her. He only thought to ask Thomas about it because it'd be nice anyway.

A bright smile spread across Asaiah's face when Marisol asked if the two of them were dating and looked from Freya back to the woman on the armchair. ''We are, yes,'' he answered happily. He couldn't tell how Marisol was going to take the news, she had always been a bit territorial, though in the best sense possible. Still, he wanted her to like his girlfriend just as much as he wanted Freya to like his best friend, even if the two were polar opposites of each other. ''We started dating quite a bit after she moved in with me,'' he added before taking another sip of his drink.

 

[Freya Odegard]

Freya tried not to feel too sceptical but the way Marisol and Asaiah were talking made her feel like they were discussing something more than just a place to stay. Something that she didn't know and apparently wasn't supposed to know. That feeling grew even more when Marisol stopped mid sentence yet Asaiah still nodded to confirm that whatever was going on in her mind was probably right. She tried to shake the feeling by telling herself that it wasn't any of her business, that she didn't need to know everything. Even if she still struggled not to let things get awkward she'd be happy for Asaiah if Marisol did decide to stay in the area for a bit longer though, even more so if it was somewhere that wasn't their home because she wasn't sure if she'd have been able to handle that.

When Marisol asked if they were dating Freya could feel the familiar feeling of intimidation slowly start creeping over her but it was gone as quickly as it had come when she noticed Asaiah's smile. Unable to keep from smiling herself she gave a little nod when her boyfriend confirmed that they were dating. The question hadn't exactly been a subtle one though and it made her wonder whether Marisol had been trying to figure that out from the second she had apparated into their home. "Which was kind of weird at first." Freya chuckled in addition. "Almost felt like we skipped a step or something since we were already living together."

 

[Marisol Woods]

As Asaiah nodded his head Marisol considered what he was saying, telepathically at least. She didn't know whether Thomas knew of her condition and she wasn't sure if the older Murphy was staying at that home too which would mean she'd have to disclose that information to him, but if Asaiah was offering surely it meant his brother would be okay with it. For now she said, "I'll think about it," so she could weigh out her options and have a private conversation about it with Asaiah later.

As the two confirmed they were dating, like she'd suspected, she was glad she asked. Even if the way she'd asked hadn't been graceful, now she knew where to draw the lines. Marisol was a naturally affectionate person so she had a habit of being touchy with her friends. Ruffling hair, leaning onto shoulders, back hugs, grabbing hands - all were perfectly normal to her - but Wyatt had once told her Normal friends don't touch like this when they're in relationships with others. So now she knew to be mindful of her actions so as not to make either of them uncomfortable, especially Freya who was unfamiliar with Marisol's habits. Boundaries! she told herself firmly.

She chuckled a little as Freya said it was a little weird for them when they started dating after living together first. She could relate to that feeling, when she and Asaiah had gone from friends to dating it had felt weird at first too. She looked at the two of them and mirrored Asaiah's bright smile as she said, "That's nice," unsure what else to say to show her approval. Now she could see why them getting to know each other was so important to him. Seeing how happy Asaiah looked with Freya almost made her want to tell the woman about her condition so she wouldn't be left out of the loop. Almost. Marisol had spent her entire life being so secretive about it, it wasn't easy for her to just tell people. "How long have you two been together?" she asked, trying to gauge how serious they were. She trusted Asaiah's judgement, but it would help her to warm up to Freya before she divulged any information about herself. Freya did say she did a lot of traveling, for all she knew it could've been werewolf hunting. Since they were dating, Asaiah had probably told her he had been searching for a cure to lycanthropy and Freya could be trying to figure out who he knew was a werewolf. The thought alone made her regret starting this conversation altogether and she said, "Sorry I don't mean to interrogate you," and took swig of her drink. One of her close friends from school outside of their inner circle had ended up being the daughter of werewolf hunters, so Marisol felt justified in her wariness to open up to others just because they were friendly towards her.

sorry for the novel! marisol just has a million thoughts a minute

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah agreed that it felt like they had skipped a step since they already lived together, though was also kind of happy about it. There wasn't any real awkwardness between them since they were already living together, which was the one thing he was worried about at first. ''I hardly think that asking us two questions can count as interrogating us, Mari,'' Asaiah said with a soft chuckle. He couldn't blame his friend for asking questions though, knowing how worried she was that anyone might find out about her lycanthropy and all. Thankfully, she didn't need to worry around them, or at least he was convinced that she didn't have to, because as far as he knew, Freya didn't know anything about her condition or about what his travels through Europe had been about. And since he knew that she was working for the Ministry of Magic in Norway, he was a hundred percent sure that she wasn't a werewolf hunter either. He found it difficult to relay this vital piece of information to Marisol so thought about what he wanted to say next very carefully. ''We've been together for a few months now. I'd have liked for us to be dating a lot sooner but with her working in Norway and me being busy with Quidditch pretty much all day, it took us quite a bit to actually sit down and have a talk about it,'' Asaiah answered.

 

[Freya Odegard]

Freya wasn't exactly sure what sort of reaction she could expect from Marisol, blaming it mostly on that she didn't know the other woman all too well, but still it somehow felt like a relief when she seemed cool with it all. "No, you're good." She nodded in agreement with what Asaiah said over her interrogating them. It was only logical for her to be curious about it, to ask. She was sure that if things had been the other way around she would've asked as well. Although perhaps if that were the case she wouldn't exactly have to ask since they used to date and all. Still, she could appreciate her just asking rather than waiting and trying to figure it out for herself. Freya had been trying to do the math in her head to figure out how many months it had been when Asaiah already opted for the simpler answer. She smiled when he mentioned he would've liked for them to have done so earlier, letting out a soft chuckle at how they had both been feeling the same back then but just hadn't found the time to actually act on those feelings. Or the guts, in her case.

"For two people living together we saw each other far less than you would think." She added. If there was one thing she had come to appreciate over time it was wizarding travel. That and the fact that she was able to cut down on her office days and work from home a lot more and even at the ministry in new zealand. Although that was mostly for meetings with her kiwi counterparts. Still, it was nice to be able to spend a little more time at home than she used to at first. "I mean I'm still drowning in ministry paperwork, but at least my time's now better shared between drowning over there and drowning right here at home." She grinned, giving a little shrug. No matter how hard she tried to really like her job, she was starting to think she would never quite get to that point. She didn't dislike it, it was fine, but it definitely wasn't what she was planning to do for the rest of her life either.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol smiled thankfully as they reassured her that she wasn't asking them too many questions. Perhaps she felt like she was interrogating them because the questions were only going one way, which she preferred anyway so she was happy to continue that pattern. She was a bit surprised to hear that Freya worked for the Ministry in Norway but still lived here with Asaiah. Of course those were the advantages to living with magic, but she understood how it could still be a hassle for them to see each other. Unfortunately it didn't ease her worries to tell Freya about her condition just yet because if Asaiah didn't know what Freya was up to throughout the day, how could Marisol trust that? She would just have to get to know her the long way.

"Wow a Ministry job, sounds so official," she said with a small chuckle. A Ministry official and a professional Quidditch player; she suddenly felt inadequate with nothing fancy to claim herself. "What do you do?" she asked the woman curiously, wondering what types of jobs the Ministry offered, she'd never even bothered to look into that because she never imagined herself behind a desk or doing paperwork. Now she felt childish for pinning all her dreams on playing Quidditch professionally since she had missed the opportunity.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah chuckled at the comment made by Freya. It really was fortunate that the two of them were magical, had they not been able to travel by apparition things would've been a lot more difficult than it already was at times. He turned his head back to Marisol when she spoke and wondered if he had eased her mind a little by telling her that his girlfriend worked for the Ministry of Magic all the way in Norway. He knew that Freya was always busy with paperwork as she often took some of it with her home but that was about it really. Did he feel bad about not knowing what she did for the Ministry exactly? Yeah, kind of, but at least he knew the department she worked for so there was that. He actually felt kind of bad now that he realised that he had never asked Freya what she did for her department exactly. One thing he knew for sure though, she wasn't looking into werewolves or was secretively a werewolf hunter herself. No one in their right mind would ever voluntarily offer to do that much paperwork as a cover-up. He remained quiet, sipping his beer away whilst he listened to the conversation between the two of them.

 

[Freya Odegard]

Freya laughed when Marisol mentioned a ministry job sounding official. It was exactly what she had thought when the job opportunity had presented itself to her. Perhaps a bit too official for her liking, especially after all the freedom she had become used to during her travels. Nevertheless, it had was a job and she needed the money. It had been as simple as that back then and it still sort of was. "Nothing too interesting." She answered with a small shrug. Sure, working a ministry job sounded like it could be cool but as far as she was aware most of them weren't. There was just a lot of paperwork. "I work for the international magical trading standards body, but I don't do any of the super official stuff. Just a lot of administratory things, making sure the right documents get to the right places. Plus some research now and then and a bit of translation work." She elaborated, sure that none of it sounded particularly exciting. Which would be fair, because it wasn't.

"I mean I could tell you more but I don't want you guys to doze off." Freya added with a soft laugh. She knew her work stories weren't interesting, especially not in contrast to whatever Asaiah got up to during quidditch, which is why she never talked about it too much. "I reckon Asaiah's work stories are far better anyways." She nudged him softly before looking back at Marisol. "Although I guess you already got a taste of that today." Freya added with a chuckle, still wondering how bad exactly it had been.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol could practically feel Asaiah silently trying to communicate with her but she was focused on the conversation with Freya instead, listening to her talk about her job at the Ministry. "That sounds exactly like what I expected a Ministry job to be," she said with a small chuckle. She hoped Freya wouldn't be offended by her bluntness considering she called it boring as well. It did ease her nerves a little to know that paperwork probably had nothing to do with werewolf hunting so Freya was unlikely to be a threat to her. As she brought up Asaiah's job instead, Marisol smiled, feeling relieved that she didn't have to answer any questions herself and the subject was back on something she was familiar with. She had always liked Quidditch since she played it herself, but anyone would admit the sport was more interesting to talk about than Ministry business. Marisol snickered as she recalled the game she had watched earlier. "Oh it was bad," she teased. "Like, 'how did he even get recruited?' bad," she joked, hiding her grin behind her drink as she took another sip.

 

[Asaiah Murphy]

Asaiah - who normally couldn't shut up about his matches - didn't really feel like talking about it after tonight's disaster on the pitch. How he had managed to hit himself twice in a row was beyond him still, and since the Daily Prophet was probably going to have a laugh at it about it in the morning paper, he also didn't really want to think about it either. He could already feel the spots where he hit himself beginning to bruise nicely, which was going to be a problem in the morning. In reaction to what Marisol said, he very subtly showed her the middle finger whilst rubbing one of his eyes. He knew she was only joking but it was obviously still a bit of a touchy subject for now. He also knew that she wasn't going to have him forget it anytime soon, although a part of him didn't mind the teasing so much as it would mean that she, hopefully, wasn't going to ghost him again. ''Just don't read the paper tomorrow,'' Asaiah said as he turned to Freya. ''I'd like to have some of my dignity intact still,'' he remarked. He could handle one of his friends teasing him about it but two? He would never be more embarrassed. ''I heard a funny rumour, though. Apparently, us playing like scrap is also affecting the coach's position on the team. I heard they were going to be sacked.'' He told the two of them with some concern in his voice.