noon


Much in the way she so often did into other people’s acquaintances, Aisling came into the coffee shop in a flurry of frazzled energy, breathless movement and sharply tinged relief.  After a morning spent at work, this time of day was always a trying one, and by the time it came around, the witch was in absolute dire need of refueling.

“A large Obscuro Mochacchino, extra shot, extra whip,” she rattled off, looking flushed and earnest, “a smoked turkey with sriracha mayonnaise and kale, an apple tart, and a plain croissant, please.  Thanks so much, Em.”

And then, pushing away from the counter in search of a better seat, spotted a familiar set of eyes and shoulders.  As she lived and breathed.  If it wasn’t Arrow Thatcher!

They had dated, once, back in school.  They hadn’t lasted long, given his flirty tendencies and her own brand of impatience, but it had been fun before it went sour.  Aisling supposed even she had fancied being the one to change his ways—not a lot, and certainly not so drastically as some had, but a little.  Enough to imagine him taller, all that brazen charm and swagger tempered by maturity.  It had been enough to make a lass wonder.

That was over and done with now, though, and for good reason.  But in the light of new exes and bad dates, he hadn’t been that bad.  Not really.

She went over to him, uncaring of whether she had the surprise or not, and came to a stop beside his table, arms folded and eyes bright with genuine delight.  “Hey, you,” she drawled, a teasing but friendly grin slowly coming together.  “Taking a break from… whatever hard work it is you’ve been doing?”  A pointed glance at his distinct lack thereof saw it turn into a smirk.  He hadn’t been the hardest worker, from what she recalled (though he hadn’t been what most people would call lazy, either).  But she did remember – if somewhat vaguely – him coming into money.

It wasn't often that he found himself completely and totally bored... not often at all, yet here he was, nursing the same latte he had bought almost half an hour ago. He briefly thought to himself, "I really should get a job," before rudely shoving that thought into the deepest recesses of his mind and locking it behind a steel vault so it could not resurface so quickly next time.

Arrow was never one to admit he was bored though, and so, to the coffee shop he went, ordering his favorite drink with a flirty smirk (it being second nature and all). He was lost in meaningless thoughts when he heard it. "Hey you,". Shaking his head out of the bored trance it was in, he looked up to see none other than Aisling. The pretty little thing he had briefly dated back in school.

It had been fun while it lasted, but back in school he was not exactly known for his faithful tendencies. And he flirted with almost everything  that flashed a smile his way. He still did, but he now knew he just did it to see how flustered women would get if they didn't know him. The ones that knew him, he rarely got a reaction from anymore, and frankly, that was most likely the cause of his most recent boredom.

"Hello love," he said before his lips formed into his flirtatious smirk, it was like breathing to him, so he really didn't know that he did it most of the time. "A break..... Oh yes, I have been horribly busy..." In his mind he cringed, that was the last thing he could of said to an old flame and yet his eyes may still have held a spark of interest, after all, she did grow up to be quite a looker. He could have some fun with this little reunion if he chose to. But for now he took a sip of his drink and decided to let this be play out.

"Care to join me?" He asked her, flirty smirk in place and one hand on the back of the seat next to him, just waiting for her response.

…Annnnnnnd there it was: the reason why they had broken up.  The guy hit on just about everything that moved.  And then some.  Aisling liked to think she wasn’t really the jealous sort, but some things were just too much to ask of anyone.  She certainly wasn’t an exception.

Still, it was oddly reassuring to see that some people never changed—and easier still when they were no longer your problem.

The smirk pulled back into a proper grin.  “Well, if you’re offering…”  Aisling pulled back the chair with an unholy screeeeeeech and plopped herself in it, every inch the picture of grace.

One leg swung over the other, leaving her foot to bob cheerfully in the air.  The rest of her leaned in, elbows on the table, hands clasped together.  “What’ve you been up to?”  Grey eyes dipped in a quick onceover, unabashed.  Arrow looked good, she saw; shoulders loose, arms toned, face free of scars or worry, the lifestyle of the idle rich seemed to suit him.  If he did have any, they weren’t where she could see them.

Instead, she saw piercings and tattoos—a dragon on his left forearm, a hint of silver jewelry, a word inked across his knuckles.  Red-gold brows rose.  Now there was a word that didn’t fit easily in four knuckles…  “Very dangerous,” she teased, tapping his hand lightly.  “Went into advertising, did you?”

A brow rose as she tapped his hand and asked if he'd went into advertising, his mind lost for a moment as he tried to guess what she meant by that. Then he realized she probably meant the tattoos and shrugged, "I like 'em. Gives me character." He leaned forward so that his arms rested on the table, slightly crossed, "I think it makes me look roguish. " He leaned towards her and asked quietly,"What do you think?"[1]

1.	Sorry it is short, I am exhausted from work. I hope it works.

Aisling’s grin – already pursed with something almost like fondness – burst into a laugh.  It was a pleasant sound, husky and rich.  Character?  Oh dear.  “I don’t think it counts if you’ve done it to yourself,” she said, but her eyes twinkled with mirth.

Mirth that, hopefully, took the sting out of  “I think it looks tacky as fuck.”  She ducked her head in an attempt at contrition, but she suspected the less than repentant smile tugging at her features ruined the effect—as did the accompanying helpless shrug.  “Sorry, you asked!”

Which, if he remembered her half as well as he thought did, was a fair point.  Aisling was honest, had been ever since she could speak, and had always found it easy to share her thoughts.  Myrna and David, while horrified by her more careless bouts of candor (-well, David, really; Myrna had always seemed more amused), had only encouraged her further.  Her Spectre relatives, for the most part, found it charming.

Still, she could have probably exercised some tact.  Probably.

Somewhere, wherever she was now, Nona despaired and didn’t know why, she was sure of it.

“But it suits you,” Aisling assured him, patting that tattooed hand.  And then she paused before adding, unable to help herself,  “If you ever feel like getting rid of it, though, you can always go to Dietrich.”  He did know Dietrich, didn’t he?  Everyone she knew seemed to know him.  The likelihood tripled if they had some ink on them.  Furthermore, The Inkwell was in Knockturn Alley; if Arrow still went looking for trouble like he had in their school days, then Knockturn was right up his alley.

Despite the lack of trendy cafés, she added.  But silently.  And she definitely did not glance down at the cappuccino in front of him.

Instead she kicked his shin lightly.  “You didn’t answer my question,” she reminded him.  “What have you been up to?”

"Ouch," he exclaimed, placing (ironically) the hand with the tattoo over his heart, "You wound me love."  He didn't let it bother him though as he had always found her ability to say exactly what was on her mind pretty awesome in his book. But then again when it came to women, his ideas of what was attractive was far from normal.

He nudged her knee under the table with his as she reminded him that he had not answered her question. He was trying to decide whether to be truthful or sarcastic. Something won inside him though, and the truth came out. "Nothing much actually, I have been lounging about my apartment, making questionable friends, and spending money, what about you?" He asked her, actually interested in what a female had to say for once in his life.

He would never admit it out loud, maybe under the pain of torture, but Aisling was probably as close to what he would look for when he finally decided to settle down..... if he ever did.[1] Not that it was going to be anytime soon, he was enjoying his carefree lifestyle too much. "Anything interesting?"

1.	I apologize for springing that on you. I had a random thought when I typed this.

Addie was hardly in the mood to deal with anyone, anything at this hour. Her face was contorted into a perpetual grumpy one, mumbling something unintelligible as she approached the counter, eyeing Em. "One of th'Irish macch'atos, extra 'presso shot...and uhm, a lox bagel, add avocado, extra lox and cream cheese. Pain au chocolat too." Grabbing the money, Addie handed it over to Em, smiling weakly as she tugged the hoodie back over her head for a moment, humming randomly.

Her eyes looked over to the customers sitting about, falling upon the sights of Arrow Thatcher and Aisling Cooper.
Huh.

Couldn't hurt too much to socialise, could it? Nah. Approaching the pair, Addie grinned just as tiredly as she honestly looked. Hopefully that macchiato would do the trick. The bagel too. "Hey there, y'pair of ol'hags. How are y'this morning?" she remarked, yawning again. Ugh. The sleepies.

Nothing much actually.  Aisling nodded along, lip jutting out as Arrow listed his business.  So… the same old, same old, then.  Alright, then.

And what had she been up to?  Still working at Wyrmwood.  Got in touch with my biological dad.  I’m going to be a godmother.  The past year had been eventful to say the least, and the new one had barely started.  But before she could voice either of those things, another face appeared—this time one familiar.

Twisting around at the new voice, Aisling brightened, breaking out into a reflexive grin.  Then, when Addie’s own tired one registered, it faded; she knew that look.  She knew it all too well, in fact, and clucked her tongue sympathetically.  “Oooh,” she murmured.  “Long day?”

The other witch was a manager for a club or somesuch; that much Aisling had been able to ascertain.  Either way, management wasn’t an easy occupation, and a club could only mean odd hours and all kinds of problems.  She herself had enough on her hands when there was just a mix-up with fertilizer.  She couldn’t imagine having to organize entertainment or menus, too…

“Oh!”  Aisling snapped around again, meeting Arrow’s eyes sheepishly.  “Where’re my manners?  Arrow, this is Addie—Adelia Delacroix.  Addie, this is Arrow.”  The sheepish look turned mischievous, impish.  “Professional scoundrel and lazybones.”  She waggled her brows.

Arrow was going to introduce himself like a true gentleman until Aisling's  comment, so he  bowed in a large flourish and said, "Arrow Thatcher, pleasure to make your acquaintance my darling lady," He took her hand and kissed the back of her hand. "Don't believe everything this one says about me, she's just bitter because I broke up with her in school." He looked at Aisling with a smirk and a wink.  He sat down back in his chair, "Join us if you want." He took a big sip of his drink and leaned his chair back on it's back legs.

"Super long days, aye, but I'm sure they're going to get better. After all, St. Pat's coming up, my job's going to have a busy night, but Rufus[1] and Margo are going to get an equal handful, no doubt," Addie replied, grinning soon enough, grateful for Aisling's encouragement. The introductions came soon enough -- Addie couldn't help but chuckle at Arrow's flourish. It reminded her of Joh's initial encounters with her as a Hufflepuff. Admittedly, the kiss to her hand did make her cheeks blush all for a brief moment before nodding her head to join the duo at the table.

Plopping into the seat closer to Aisling, Addie jokingly laid her head on her shoulder for a moment, mock snoring before giggling.

"Eh, love happens and heartbreak too, but I'll be sure t'make my own assessments about you, Mr. Thatcher, in good time."

That sounded a bit foreboding, eh?

"What's on the topics of discussion for the day though? Good news, I'm hoping."

1.	Addie's cousin, durh

     She’s just bitter because I broke up with her in school.


Aisling couldn’t help it; she laughed.

“How can I be bitter about what I don’t miss?” she shot back, leveling Arrow a smirk.  She definitely broke up with him first.  But since she did punch him (as she so often did with all her soon-to-be-exes), it was all water under the bridge, and as such, she grinned at Addie’s reaction—her blush.  Scoundrel or not, it didn’t change that fact that Arrow was good looking and charming.

Then she paused, giving that blush another thought, and oh.  Aisling quickly suppressed another, more secretive smile.  ‘In good time’ indeed.

“We were just catching up.”  She looked back at Arrow over laced fingers, eyes twinkling.  “Arrow was just telling me all about the very interesting life he’s been leading.  Such a naughty lad.”


     “Aisling!  Your order’s ready.”


The redhead perked up, brightening.  Finally!  “I better get that,” she said, and with the same grace from before, pushed back her chair and got up—clapping a hand on Addie’s shoulder as she went.

"Yes, I have been ever so busy, lazing about and spending my inheritance." He watched Aisling get up to fetch her order and then turned to Addie, "So, should I address you by Adelia, or would you rather I call you Addie like that one does." He made sure to say her name with his full Irish accent, usually he dimmed it down. As much as he liked flirti v with the ladies, he did not like getting fawned over because of his accent.

He did, however, use it on those who did not necessarily know him. It was all part of his charm.

"So, how do you know Cooper?" He asked, trying and failing to disguise the fact that his chair almost tipped over, glad that Aisling wasn't near the table to see it, or he hoped she did not see it.

Ooft.

That clap on the shoulder and that curse-your-inevitable-betrayal feelings were there when Ais left Addie her briefly with Arrow. What opportunity, eh? "I prefer Addie, if it's all the same to you, love," Addie drawled back, letting her own form of an Irish lilt be heard. Two could play at that game, after all. She was willing to play nice with those around her, especially exes. Even if said exes were cheeky as Ais was leading her to believe. Hm. Addie gave a playful squint.

Game on.

"Ais? I remember her from school days for the most part; I was in Hufflepuff and she in Gryffindor. But I'd say within the past few months or so, I've visited her workplace, checked it out. It's really somethin' seeing someone nurture and attend to a grove like that. I've not got the best green thumb, but Ais has given a few pointers here and there to show me how to do better." She smiled. "And you? Are you as ever bit cheeky and troublesome like Ais says you are? Ever the bad boy?"

Arrow heard Addie's own Irish lilt and smirked. Here was one who could actually play the game.  He leaned back and propped his feet up in Aisling's empty chair and looked at Addie.  "Addie it is."  He thought for a moment whether or not he should fess up and completely let her believe that what Aisling said about him was true, or just let her believe that Ais was just an ex who never really got over the break-up.

He put his feet down and leaned across the table towards her with his arms crossed in front of him and a playful smirk on his face, "Oh, I'm a bad boy alright." His eyes sparkled for a moment as he was enjoying himself immensely.  Truthfully, it felt nice to be socializing with the fairer sort.  The last person he'd actually sat down and talked to was a shady character, who he actually wondered what was going on with him.

"I enjoy living on the edge of danger, but never really in it."

Darn right the girl could play the game - - after all, time, heartbreak and Eloi Desrosiers had taught her all too well the art of snark.

"You sound like a biker boy. 'Oh, I too like to live dangerously -- give me the open road, a pint, a faithful mutt, and a girl.' That eye sparkle, glint says it's partial truth," Addie confessed, eyeing Arrow even closer as he presented his body closer to Addie's. "But I think you're not all that tarnished. There's some good, somewhere below, still in you. Am I right?" Her lips matched up to his smirk, fully prepared to continue this banter even as she was certain her name was bound to be called at any moment.

"Delacroix, order up!"

One of her hands patted Arrow's, nodding.

"Be back in a moment, love. Don't miss me too much."

Standing up, Addie headed towards the counter, grinning as she left him sitting alone for a few minutes. Grabbing the meal, she took her sweet time returning, but flopped across from Arrow once again. Taking the hot beverage, she raised it to her lips, blowing on it gently before consuming a small gulp of the brew. A happy groan. Marvelous. "Now, what else is there to you that I need to know about, hm?"