Closed To Good Friends and Happy News

[Harlow West]

Harlow never thought she would dab in Quidditch but here she was, the new coach to the Keas. It was pretty fortunate when she got one of the NZ teams to coach which meant she would still be close to home. With the excitement still in her bones, she quickly sent an owl to a good friend to meet up for lunch, her treat. This person somehow influenced her to give it a try. She had always been a quidditch fan, cheering mostly for Macaws, but this did not mean she could not support other teams. She had told @Zachery Evans to meet up at a cozy cafe named Milk Crate which was just in Central Wellington. She just hoped the man loved sandwiches, if not, well, they could move places. She had arrived at the place and quickly looked around to see if he was already there.

 

[Zachery Evans]

With the Macaws and the Falmouth Falcons both having new coaches who seemed to be knowing what they were doing, Zachery knew that it was only a matter of time before he would have to find work somewhere else. Finding it, however, proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated. A lot of teams around the area didn't need someone to consult them on how to play or how to better position themselves on the field. The only upside to being jobless at the moment was that he didn't have to travel around as much which meant that he could spend time more time in New Zealand. It also meant that he would have more time for his friends, friends such as Harlow who he hadn't seen for a bit because of his time in Falmouth. Sitting alone at one of the tables in the Milk Crate, which he reckoned was new because he had never heard of it, he waited patiently for his friend to arrive by looking out of the window at the passersby. Zachery perked up when he spotted her walking into the cafe and stood up in order for Harlow to spot him as well. ''I'm over here,'' he said with a wave.

 

[Harlow West]

The mixed aroma of coffee and sandwiches filled Harlow's nose. She thought about going to the counter first when a man stood up by the window booth. Zachery. Her face brightened as she waved back and quickly made her way to him. "Hey! It's been a while, stranger.", she teased, giving him a brief hug. She was not really a hugger apart from people she had grown comfortable with. She was just glad she already got her fangirling mode toned down. Zachery was her Quidditch favorite and meeting him was just any fan's dream. Now, they were good friends, keeping in touch all the time.

 

[Zachery Evans]

Zachery smiled as Harlow made her way over towards him and found himself to be genuinely happy again to see her. He was happy to see all of his friends again, of course, but he was especially happy to see one of his closest friends again. They had kept in contact through owl post whenever the Falmouth Falcons needed him there but it was much nicer to meet up in person again. He hugged her back and grinned at the teasing. ''Yeah, well, you keep inviting me to these oddly named places, so I'm never quite sure if I should go or not,'' he replied jokingly, gesturing to the empty seat in front of him. ''How have you been?'' he asked

 

[Harlow West]

Harlow smiled her thanks as she took her seat. "Oddly named, sure but it has its charm, don't you think?", she replied playfully, sweeping her arm across the interior to emphasize her point. "I'm doing great. Just here and there.", she replied subtly looking for an opening to tell Zachery the good news. "How are you? Finally great to see you back here.", she said. The woman knew how busy he was with the Falcons, that was where he had been before coming back home. She hoped he would help her with the Keas as she was fairly new with her job.

 

[Zachery Evans]

Zachery wasn't quite sure if he agreed with Harlow on the cafe's charm but decided not to say anything against it. It looked like any other cafe in a 10-mile radius from them but because his friend had chosen the place, he figured that he should give it a chance. It might just be their next spot to hang out at. He smiled when she said that she was doing great and found himself to be happy because of that. They had both been struggling with finding jobs after all. ''It's great to be back,'' Zachery replied, ''Though I wish I wasn't jobless while here.'' Thankfully, he had enough spared enough money to last a while, though even that would run out soon enough. ''Aaaaaaaaanyway,'' he exclaimed, quickly changing the subject because he didn't want to talk about him being unemployed much. ''You can't have invited me to the Milk Crate for nothing, so what did you want to talk about?''

 

[Harlow West]

Harlow was guessing Zachery was not entirely convinced with the cafe's charms but she knew she could just easily convince him to hang out whenever they had the time. She nodded at what he said, her ears perked at what he said next. Bingo! She found her chance. It unfolded, even more, when he asked her about the main purpose of the meeting. "Soooo...", she started with a chuckle. "I just remembered when we were both struggling to find jobs and all. Until now.", she added the last two words coyly. She met his eyes before breaking into a grin. "Zacky...", calling him by the moniker she gave him months ago. "How would you like to be the consultant to the Kaikōura Kea? Because they just got a new coach and she wants some help on leading the team." She wondered how long it would take for him to figure it out.

 

[Zachery Evans]

Struggling to find another job was never fun or easy but the fact that he hadn't been the only one of his friends made it a lot easier. They had often joked about their unemployment, imagining what else they could do instead. He himself had thought of joining the Department of Magical Games and Sports if nothing else was available to him, though didn't know if a job at the Ministry was best suited for him. Zachery squinted his eyes at his friend when she used her nickname for him and wondered what she was up to next. He had heard that the Keas had hired someone else as head coach but why was she asking if he wanted to consult the Kaikōura Kea Quidditch team? Did she know their new coach? Could she praise his skills to them? That would more than welcome, he thought. More than welcome. It took him a moment to connect the dots, but when he did, he grinned at her widely. ''Only if she means to pay well,'' the man said, trying his best to sound as serious as was possible. ''I'm rather good at what I do, so I won't do it for free.''

 

[Harlow West]

Harlow smirked as she watched Zachery trying to figure what she was up to with her announcement. She knew the man was keeping tabs on the professional teams, their lineups, and gameplays. It helped Zachery come up with a proposal once the coach would hire him for a consultation. The moment he grinned, she gave him a wink. He finally got it. "Deal.", she responded quickly, still smiling. She stopped short. "Wait, you're joking, right?", she asked, also keeping a straight face on.