6.45 pm, Leaky Cauldron

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Arcturus nursed his usual pint of mead as he slouched over the table in the Leaky Cauldron, gazing at the wood grain. It was not a particularly busy night since it was a week night, but he didn't want to attract attention anyway. His hair did that job for him far too well.

Why was he here again? Oh yes, Chaz. In all fairness, Arcturus did feel like making it up to him. He hadn't been particularly welcoming to Chaz; for whatever reason he didn't know. It was most likely a result of meeting such a well-dressed and socially adjusted (haha) person when most of the time his friends...had a particular quirk to their behaviour.

That just sounded like a polite way of saying that he was more used to weird people than normal people. Arcturus winced at the realisation and smacked his palm to his forehead for his own stupidity.

So he had sent an owl to Chaz on meeting him. He was slightly taken aback when the reply informed him that weekends were not available, but considering how long it had been since he had seen the man things would have unsurprisingly changed by then. He then suggested a meetup on the 14th at seven, hoping it was not too close to Christmas to have Chaz busy with other things.

It was not often that Arcturus went to try and patch things up with people, because in general they either learned that he was just a bit crusty on the outside or just left him alone. But he felt bad about this one. Chaz seemed like a genuinely nice person and Arcturus felt guilty about not dropping in to say hi. To be fair, he didn't know where the man lived, but he could have at least made the minimum effort to send a letter saying "hi" by owl.

Well, whatever. He'd done the invitation. The ball was rolling, it was up to Chaz to either keep it rolling or stop it completely. Arcturus drank from his glass. Whatever the case, at least the alcohol would bloody loosen him up so that he would stop talking like a stuffy old man for the rest of the night, Chaz or no.

At 7:10 pm Chaz burst into the Leaky Cauldron.  It was incredibly cold outside, the wind blowing bitingly through London's streets.  There were flecks of frost gathered on his scarf and jacket from the condensation of the moisture in his breath.  He unbuttoned his jacket as he walked between the tables towards the black and white head ducked down across the room.

"I am so sorry," Chaz apologized with an embarrassed and conciliatory grin.  He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the back of the chair he practically collapsed into.  Unwinding his scarf, Chaz continued.  "I literally walked right out my front door and slipped on the ice.  Fell right on my arse.  Aphrodite, seeing her opportunity, escaped my flat and I spent fifteen minutes coaxing her out from under the bushes.  I could have told her she wouldn't like the weather but I'm just a stupid wizard, so what do I know, right?"  Chaz shook his head and hung his scarf on the back of his chair with his jacket.

With a twitch of his fingers, he signaled the barkeep and ordered a Honey Halo out loud from his seat.  The pub had very few people in it so it wasn't a hugely obnoxious gesture he thought.  Turning to his companion, Chaz leaned back and smiled.  "So what's up?"

Arcturus jumped a little when Chaz sat down. He had been so engrossed in the wood that he hadn't seen him come in at all. Straightening up in his seat, he listened to Chaz as his spine complained with the sudden shift in posture; he was glad Chaz couldn't hear that over the sound of his voice. Otherwise there would be some discussion on how old he actually was.

Or could he hear it?

He smiled in amusement at Chaz's story on Aphrodite. "It's been a busy past few weeks, I've had my fair share of annoyances, frustrations and stress." The glass tinked as he tapped it with a finger. "I'm actually welcoming this drink for once, and you know I don't drink that much. This beats having to drink tea spiked with Awakening Potion or Wit-Sharpening Potion on a daily basis.

"I'm actually surprised you've come, not because it's late." He wasn't even that late, Arcturus would've waited til eight anyway. "Just because it's me who's doing the inviting. But enough about me, Chaz, how's been your time? I haven't actually seen you since the last time we were actually chilling out."

Chaz leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to the side with a gentle frown on his features.  Arcturus was incredibly, incredibly sensitive about the way people treated him.  It was clear, in his opinion, that the man had been hurt or insulted too badly at some point.  Chaz hadn't given any indication that the invitation was an imposition when he wrote back.  Mostly he was just surprised that he'd received an invitation at all.  He'd thought that something might have gone wrong but already that notion had been put to rest by the small talk. 

"Why wouldn't I come?" Chaz asked with a grin.  "We're friends, right?  I don't actually get out all that much since moving to London last year.  I wasn't in any particular place to be making new friends.  But that's passed, obviously."  He nodded between the two of them to indicate their general attitude of congeniality and their current situation of 'chilling out'.  It was funny hear the proper Arcturus using a phrase 'chilling out'.  It seemed out of character for him.

Chaz folded his arms over his chest and smiled as he reminisced about the past few weeks.  In the past few weeks he'd met Gale, almost lost Gale, and had him again.  Chaz was most definitely infatuated and that happy contentment was absolutely plain on his face.  "I've been doing well, actually.  Very well.  You're not the only friend I've made in the past couple of months.  I'm actually dating again.  I'd forgotten how nice it is."

At the mention of dating, Arcturus understood why his weekends weren't available. While he hadn't had the chance to experience the ups and downs of having a relationship with anybody, he'd seen enough of his peers' lives to know how much it meant to them to be committed to the person that could be their soulmate for the rest of their lives.

Chaz's smile was warming, friendly. The alcohol in his system was already relaxing him a fair amount; he didn't feel so awkward and aloof. Well, that was a good sign in his standards. He took another sip from his mead and smiled in return. "Sounds like you're doing well in this big city. That's a good thing, London's no place to be without friends."

He leaned his chin on his hand as he relaxed. "Honestly, I didn't know you'd just come into the city - or maybe I've forgotten bits and pieces of the conversation we had that time. Work makes me forgetful of a lot of things that aren't relevant to my career." Arcturus shrugged halfheartedly, in a resigned way as if to add "Used to it, too" to his statement, before speaking again. "But it sounds like you've gotten settled and you're making your way around. I gather you've been enjoying yourself lately from that big smile on your face."

Arcturus looked down at his glass, now half full of honey mead, and ran his finger along the rim of the glass absentmindedly. "The only time I've ever felt this much contentment from someone is from a patient who has had their problem resolved and about to go home after a long period of time. Enjoying yourself, I assume?"

"Oh."  Chaz blinked a little bit.  "I thought I'd told you, but maybe not.  Sometimes I find it difficult to remember who I've told and who I haven't.  Originally I'm from Germany and I went to school at Beauxbatons.  I'd never even been to England until my then-boyfriend decided to move."

A glass with golden liquid that seemed to glow in the light of the bar.  Chaz grinned uncontrollably as he peered into it.  Aside from the color, which was a warm and healthy yellow, it reminded him completely of Gale.  With a soft, savoring sip, Chaz practically turned into a warm puddle of fond thoughts.  He looked up through his eyelashes at his companion and his smile morphed into a rueful one.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.  "Things are going wonderful.  I'm.... very happy.  He definitely makes me smile and, as you've probably guessed, I enjoy smiling." Chaz rubbed the back of his neck.  "Honestly, part of me is just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  This sweet newness of the relationship can't last forever but I'd like to enjoy it for as long as we have it."

Arcturus had remembered he had studied in Beauxbatons, but he didn't remember anything else. Good job, he told himself, but in a lighthearted manner. He didn't always remember things that weren't related to his career for good reason, but he was willing to be reminded every so often. "Aah, I see. Sounds like a long and difficult trip, but then again I've never been out of England apart from going to Greece on occasion. Either way, glad to know you've gotten used to this country." He smiled.

He chuckled in amusement at Chaz's behaviour. "Mate, you're so much in love it's practically radiating from you in spades. I may not have any experience in the dating business, but I've certainly had friends who were in love and you are more obvious than they were."

Usually he would comment on the relationship itself, but Arcturus was not one to show his inexperience. So he refrained on saying anything that might ruin the atmosphere, taking refuge in sipping his mead instead while he listened to Chaz.

Chaz quietly swirled his honeyed alcohol in it's glass with a contemplative frown. He'd not thought that word, even in the safety of his mind at night in bed because once that word entered the picture.... things got complicated.   He put the glass down and leaned back.  The corner of his mouth twitched at an attempted grin but his heart wasn't in it.  "I suppose you might be right.  I've never been one to hide my emotions so I might very well be in love.  It's a little too soon to go around saying it though."

If Chaz had it his way, he'd shout it from the rooftops with a sonorous charm so that all of London knew what Gale meant to him.  Unfortunately, Gale worried for his reputation and Chaz respected that.  Teaching clearly meant a lot to him and Chaz wouldn't jeopardize that.  He was grateful that Arcturus hadn't asked who he was dating because Chaz wouldn't have been able to tell him.

Leaning forward and propping his elbow on the table, Chaz took a sip of his drink and changed the subject.  "What's Greece like?  I've never been before but it's one of those places that we're encouraged to go as architecture students.  Lot's of physical and magical innovations from Ancient Greece."

Arcturus half-raised his eyebrows as he listened, but made no comment. Again, he was not interested in making any other remarks when he didn't know much about how the show ran. If Chaz felt that it wasn't time to call it actual love, then for him it wasn't. Uncomplicated, and Arcturus wasn't poking his nose into it because he knew all too well of how people were protective over keeping it to themselves until they were ready. He would do it too, if he were in a relationship.

In response to Chaz's question, he pondered for a minute before going, "Hot. And dry. It rarely ever rains there, unlike England. But there are ruins literally scattered everywhere in Athens alone, it makes for some great studying into history and the powerful wizards and witches who once existed in the past, like Circe."

He took a sip before continuing, "The architecture is majestic even today, the amount of skill the builders and sculptors put into transforming the marble. Greece is a lovely place to visit, and everyone there is friendly. Maybe when I'm retired I might go spend the rest of my life there." He chuckled lightly in jest.