I'm In Bruises But You Hold Me Like A Peach...

Athena Wood || 26 Ravenclaw Alum

[aoife-oleary-deactivated2021082]

WHEN: 21 June 1983 WHERE: Summer Solstice Festival, Nature Pavilion  WHO: OPEN

Aoife’s pace was slow as she meandered around the festival with a quickly melting sno-cone in hand, dyed purple from the sugary syrup it was drenched in. She ate at it quickly, already regretting the purchase. It kept her from reaching out and getting as close to the creatures as she’d have liked. “I’m sorry,” she apologized by means of grabbing the nearby stranger’s attention. “Have you seen a rubbish bin anywhere nearby?” Her own attempt at spotting one had left her wanting, and she wouldn’t have asked if she hadn’t already spent considerable time looking first herself.

[athxna-wood]

.

Athena knew that Oliver was a kid who was particularly interested in nature, so it only seemed obvious that they would spend most of their time during the festival at the Nature Pavilion. He was having a blast looking at all of the different creatures, running back to her every now and then and retelling the information he’d heard to her as if she couldn’t possibly hear it herself. It made her laugh, encouraging him to keep going. Just as she’d sent him back, Athena’s attention was caught by someone else nearby. “Hm? Oh— I uh, think I might have saw one back that ways a bit,” she gestured behind her in the opposite direction. It was then that she noticed the other holding a frozen treat that was quickly losing it’s right to be considered a solid. “Not what you were expecting?” She tried to make a joke about it, seeing as though it didn’t appear the other wanted to finish it.

[athxna-wood]

ailajohnson​:

…

She spun around again, craning her neck to try to get a better view of her butt.  This random woman had a perfectly averaged sized rear, so she wasn’t sure if she could trust her to be honest.  “You know… sometimes a whole lot of arse is a nice thing, other times it’s a bit too wide looking – am I going to catch eyes in a good way or a bad way in these shorts,” she clarified.  “Purely hypothetically, of course.  If I’m not the sort that would catch your eye just keep that to yourself and let me live with the minor boost in confidence.”

“Alright,” she wrinkled her nose, stepping back into the dressing room and kicking them off immediately.  “I’ll take that as a hell no.  Don’t go anywhere, I need your obvious eye for fashion to help me pick out the right pair of shorts.”

.

Athena didn’t normally like to objectify people by staring at their clothing, but if they were asking... Who was she to deny them that information? Plus, an excuse to stare at an attractive woman was a bonus. “Right, no that does make sense. Well, I don’t think they’re terrible, but you could do better.” There was nothing wrong with the shorts. They were cute enough, she thought, but maybe not the best fit for the woman’s physique. 

There wasn’t much else Athena had to be doing anyway, so she might as well help another out. It felt like a private little fashion show, which was sort of exciting. Athena didn’t have many friends that she went shopping with, especially since shopping wasn’t a normal thing for her. More of a chore, if anything. But, she had to admit, with another person it was quite fun. “Take your time. I’ve got a while, anyway. Scale of 1-10, how much honesty are we looking for, here? I’m not going to hurt your feelings, right?”

[mxrymacs]

@athxna-wood​

She didn’t much like shopping, at least not for pleasure.  It was nice to fly through the shop like a bit of a hurricane, grapping crisps and beer and anything else she could manage, and leaving before she was forced into some sort of painful small talk.  But as she shuffled through her closet she was beginning to realize that she was in desperate need of some summer clothes as the days were getting warmer.

As far as ​clothing shops went, this one wasn’t so bad.  It was Muggle, so there weren’t any odd patterns or prints – a failed attempt at blending by an out of touch, elderly wizard who didn’t know what Muggles were actually wearing.  And it was small enough that she doubted she’d run into anyone she knew.

She stood in front of the full length mirror, spinning round a few times, trying to catch sight of her arse in a pair of jean shorts she was considering.  “Excuse me,” she got the attention of a woman at the next mirror.  “Do these make my bum look big – like in a bad way?  Feel free to be brutally honest.”

[athxna-wood]

.

While the motto of treating yourself was one that Athena could often get behind, it was usually on things like sweets or highly exciting items. Clothing had always been put on the back burner, as far as she was concerned. She had plenty of clothes, and didn’t see the need to have an entire wardrobe overflowing with them. Laundry could always be done, and if she were being honest, a lot of the time she wore the same pajamas two nights in a row. Still, some of her clothes hadn’t been replaced since she graduated from Hogwarts, and that was saying something. Figuring that since the weather was getting a bit warmer, it would be the perfect time to start building a summer wardrobe. 

She had gotten clothes for Oliver at a few shops down, but now it was her turn. Of course, she didn’t need as many clothes as he did, since it seemed nowadays he was growing out of them faster than a seeker chasing a snitch. Still, she could use a few new outfits, which was why she’d stopped in a few more stores. 

It had been a while since Athena had bought anything new for herself. So long, in fact, that she hardly knew what size she was anymore. After picking out a few things she had liked, she asked an employee for a dressing room to try a few things on. As she stood in front of the mirror and eyed the outfit, Athena noticed someone calling out to her. “Hm? Well, I’d reckon people would have different definitions of in a bad way,” she laughed, shrugging. “I think they look a’right.”

[athxna-wood]

🤞 (Percy)

“I know a lot of people would expect me to hold a grudge based on our past, but Percy is a good guy. In fact, I don’t know if I would be the same person I am now if I did resent him. I guess you could say he made me realize where I was going wrong. He is very nerdy though, far more than he lets on. Said with love, of course.”

[athxna-wood]

pembrokesseeker​:

..

Percy was a bit nervous about how this was going to go. He knew that no matter how much he tried, Athena was bound to get her hopes up. He couldn’t control what he found and it made him worried about all the potential outcomes. At the very least, he would be there and he would do what he could to help. He wondered if maybe he was in too deep already and they barely started. 

He tried to focus on the familiar. He knew Athena. They’d spent time together alone. He knew how to research. The set up reminded him of the common room before a big exam in school. He looked at the pile she grabbed. He had no idea where to begin. “Let’s start there. Where it starts to get murky. We can always get to the older stuff later if we think we need it.”

...

Athena was trying to be very practical about all of this, though she couldn’t deny that the idea of getting answers excited her perhaps a little too much. What if her expectations weren’t met? Though she didn’t really know what to expect, there was this sickening feeling that she was going to end up disappointed. Setting yourself up for failure wasn’t something that was often encouraged, but maybe if she kept telling herself not to expect anything at all, anything they did find would be a pleasant surprise. 

“Okay, well...” Athena took a deep breath and refocused her thoughts, grabbing one of the more questionable letters and another to compare both. Eli had always written so casually, and yet so full of emotion. His earlier letters were so full of his personality it was like having a face to face conversation with him. He always seemed to know what Athena would say or think about certain things, answering them before even sending the letter. The example of a more recent one however left her with nothing but disappointment, as there was little to no resemblance. It was straightforward, to the point. No tricks or ways to make reading the letter more exciting. “It just seems too vague. Like something anyone could have written, and put his name on.”

[athxna-wood]

pembrokesseeker​:

..

Percy was grateful for the easy banter they had. He wanted it to stay that way. He didn’t have a ton of close friends and he couldn’t afford to lose any. “Oh, watch your words,” he said as he put the papers on a clear surface. He took off his shoes and coat before settling next to Athena. He pulled out a notebook as he glanced around the room. “This might be a step more nerdy than you’re used to. I’m warning you now.”

He looked at one of the piles closest to him, but made no move to touch any of them yet. It seemed personal and touching one felt like he was overstepping a boundary. He tried to think he had kept any letters and he came up empty. Definitely nothing like this. It made his chest ache slightly, like he was missing out on something. “Do you want to start with the letters than? Have you gotten through any of them?” He glanced at one of them. “Don’t worry, I’ve seen worse. Sometimes I have to spell my handwriting to make it legible if I’m going too quick.”

...

Athena hoped that he knew she was only joking. Her intellect growing up had sometimes impeded her ability to loosen up and make jokes without them sounding forced or almost condescending. Her tone came off as sarcastic more times than she intended now and then, but all in all, her humor was mainly a self defense. When she was sad, or angry, or things weren’t going correctly, she often made jokes about it to cope, and not everyone understood that. So, having someone like Percy in her life made that a little easier. One less thing she had to worry about, she thought. “I think I can handle it just fine.”

“Uh, sure,” she nodded, grabbing the pile. “I don’t know if it would be worth looking at the older ones first or the more recent, but... They sort of stopped about a month or so before he disappeared. I mean, I have ones I wrote to him, but... nothing back,” Athena explained, grabbing those ones off the top of the pile and setting them aside. Those were the more personal ones, and if they could figure out what they were looking for without engaging with those ones, she would prefer to keep it that way. Starting to lay them out in a timeline, Athena laughed at Percy’s comment. “Maybe I should have thought about that a long time ago. It probably would have saved me time and effort during exams.” Once all of the letters were arranged in order of when they were exchanged, she sighed. “Alright, well... these ones in the beginning just talk mainly about Quidditch. Around here,” she pointed to a general section. “This is where things start to get... murky, I suppose. They start to sound less like Eli.”

[epimetheusb]

The hospital had promised it was only a temporary measure but that didn’t mean Epimetheus wasn’t very frustrated by the need to be in a wheelchair to do something as mundane as his weekly groceries. Or anything, really. The damn chair was part of the Ministry’s reasoning in not letting him go back to work, as well, even though he didn’t see why he couldn’t at least sit in the office and review case files. He had chosen the Hit Office almost exclusively because there was less of that type of work than in the Auror Office (and he wasn’t required to have a NEWT in Potions) but anything would be better than laying around at home with nothing to do. His Healer was adamant, however, that he was not to go back to work in any capacity until their say-so.

His magic was the other part of their reasoning. It had always been a temperamental thing, thanks to a rocky childhood, but the curse that had been coursing through his body ever since the raid that had hospitalised him for all of Christmas and January had exasperated issues he hadn’t struggled with since he was eleven. Epimetheus still feared the spiral from control that he had once learned to expect from his magic so when a summoning charm didn’t work on the box of cereal on the top shelf, he knew better than to try and force his magic to work the way he wanted it to. Instead, he braced himself on the arms of his chair and pushed himself to standing. “I’m fine,” he insisted to someone who had moved closer, presumably to help, and he grabbed the box of cereal, ignoring shooting pains down his spine.

[athxna-wood]

...

It didn’t take a genius to know that someone in a wheelchair was obviously either in pain, or dealing with something that made standing up a difficult to impossible task. She hadn’t been staring at the other, of course, but when her eyes did wander to them, they hovered, just in case. Just as she’d suspected, it looked like they could use some help. Before Athena could get there, though, the other tried standing up on their own, which looked both uncomfortable and difficult. “Right, and I’m really three gnomes in a trench coat,” she responded lightly, taking a few steps closer.

“Take it from someone who’s used to injuring themselves professionally, asking for help doesn’t make you any less of a person, or less capable.” It wasn’t her goal to lecture them, but in case they had assumed she was looking down on them for not being able to do something, she wanted to reassure them that that wasn’t the case. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

[athxna-wood]

pembrokesseeker​​

Percy loved research. He believed it was one of the reasons he had been sorted into Ravenclaw and it was certainly one of the reason he decided to pursue journalism full time. Even if he had permission to take old papers from the archive, it still felt wrong somehow to be holding a thick bundle of old Prophets as he waited for Athena to let him in.

Sometimes Percy felt it was such unfortunate circumstances that he and Athena were in each other’s lives. He wasn’t sure if they had ever gotten close if things hadn’t gotten bad for her and sometimes the guilt weighed on him. Maybe this was a way to ease that. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I brought papers from that year, but I can always go back and get more if we need.” He looked at the state of her flat. “Seems like you’ve been getting busy too.” It was a bit exciting to him, following a trail of information to see where it would go. “I’ll warn you now, you’re going to see me at my most nerdy and I’m going to need you to keep your judgment low, okay Wood?”

...

Athena couldn’t help but laugh at the prospect of seeing Percy at his nerdiest. It reminded her of being back at school with the other Ravenclaws. Now that she was older, she was grateful to have been sorted the way she was. Of course, a younger version of herself had been eager to get sorted with her brother, but as similar as they were, they valued slightly different things, and that was okay. She knew that now, of course. “Your most nerdy? Up until now, what have I been seeing then?” she teased lightly, heading further into the flat. 

“Busy is word for it, though. I thought we might be able to use these... letters, from Eli. He and I wrote to each other every week after Hogwarts.” She wondered briefly if people would think it was weird that she kept the letters, but Athena hardly cared. She was grateful to have them, all things considered, and though she couldn’t have possibly predicated what would have happened, she mostly kept them because even at her lowest, Eli had always been able to bring her back. Even reading his thoughts was enough to calm her emotions and thoughts. “I promise not to judge, if you promise not to make fun of my terrible handwriting.”

[athxna-wood]

elvanity​:

“Thanks,” she said, following Athena to her kitchen. She supposed she could always take the knight bus, or hope the floo network understood her, and go for something harder. But… No. The former was miserable and the latter was a gamble. Emma leaned against the counter as Athena laid out their options. Though she raised her brows as Athena explained herself, it wasn’t out of doubt. “Don’t worry. I remember how it went.” The gifts, the bribes, the sponsorships. You were the apple of everyone’s eyes until you weren’t.

Emma leaned forward to take a closer look at their options before gesturing towards one of the meads. “Have to be honest – I am tired of beer.” Merlin Rouge tried to hold onto some semblance of class, but it was still a strip club. The alcohol flowed freely but the patrons weren’t there to spend their money on top shelf liquors. The coins went elsewhere and the aroma of beer was overwhelming. “So, that one looks good. Have you tried it yet?”

...

While making friends wasn’t a foreign subject to her, Athena wasn’t always the best at it. She didn’t know quite how to initiate friendships, but she did know how to listen when people spoke, and sometimes that was enough. One could hope that it would be for the night, at least until she felt a bit more comfortable opening up. Athena was grateful that the other seemed to understand easily and move on, as she could feel herself making things slightly more awkward than they needed to be. Being vulnerable around people she wasn’t overly comfortable with was hard enough without making herself look foolish. 

“I appreciate honesty, it’s a fair point.” Beer felt like a party drink, one that most people drank too often that it lost meaning, almost. It was casual, and yet celebratory all at once, and maybe that was why she disliked it now, too. Or at the very least, didn’t favor it. Mead it was. “Actually I have. It’s sweet, but not overwhelming. I think you’ll like it.” Gathering two glasses, Athena poured them each a fair amount, figuring it was easier to get more than give back. Normally she didn’t go for sweet drinks, but it felt appropriate for the occasion. Sliding Emma her glass, Athena raised her own. “Cheers.”

[athxna-wood]

Athena’s chat with Percy had given her hope that for the first time since her brother’s death, they might actually have answers as to what happened. While she wasn’t getting her hopes up too high, she did believe the man when he said he would try and help her, ask around and what not. It had been a while since their meeting, thus Athena had asked him over to talk. During the period of time between their conversations, she had gone through her old belongings and collected all of the letters her and Eli had written to one another over the years after graduating Hogwarts, specifically the ones surrounding his disappearance. 

It had never made sense to her. They were so close, told one another everything. Why would he all of a sudden stop writing to her, go off the grid completely, and then turn up dead? Surely he wasn’t getting himself into trouble unwarranted... Out of the pair, Athena had always been more of the rowdy one. As she waited for Percy to arrive, she stood in her lounge, holding the last letter that Eli had ever written her in her hands, staring at the text. Her focus was so fixated that she didn’t even hear the knock at first. Startled, she turned to the door, heading over. “Sorry,” Athena pulled the door open, greeting the other. “Guess I was a little distracted. Come on in.”

@pembrokesseeker​

[athxna-wood]

pembrokesseeker​:

..

Percy shook his head. He was grateful that this conversation had went the way it had. He wanted to be useful to the people he cared about. “Don’t worry about it. Happy to help.” He smiled. “Also more than willing to have a night to just unwind anytime you say the word. You seem like you have a lot on your mind and I’m glad to be a friend when you need one.”

He dropped his jaw playfully at her comment, but he couldn’t exactly blame her. He was grateful she was in his life and that he didn’t hold the article against him, but he wouldn’t have blamed her if she did. “Don’t blame you,” he said, more seriously now. He looked down at all the papers in front of him. “This has nothing to do with you, but I really should get going so I can actually work on this article. Maybe I’ll take it back to the The Prophet and I can get some research done on what we talked about too, yeah?” He started shuffling his papers together and putting them away.

...

Athena knew the man was busy. She hadn’t wanted to keep him for more time than he had, but it was nice to have some of it while she could get it. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing, reaching out to people, fostering a support system. If Athena had been asked to do that a few months ago, she might have reacted negatively, as she didn’t think she needed anyone. These days, however, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. “I understand,” she nodded with a smile. “Business calls, you answer. I get it.”

It wasn’t something she needed to take personally, she knew that. Percy had other obligations and so did she. “Thank you, Percy. I really do appreciate it.” There was a slight pause as she watched him pack up his things, tapping her fingers on the sides of her cup. “And hey,” she called out, before he left completely. “Next time drinks are on me.” With a polite nod and a more genuine smile, Athena silently thanked him one last time, thankful to have him as a part of her life. 

END

[athxna-wood]

elvanity​:

The reassurance was nice, even if it could have been anticipated. They were young and this was just a casual dinner. The rules of etiquette that adults (older adults, adults her parents’ age) seemed to have about what to wear and what to bring to different types of events didn’t apply. But that doubting voice in the back of her head had worried, just a little.

“Sure,” Emma said in response to Athena’s offer. “Nothing too strong though. Wouldn’t want to splinch myself getting home.” She’d seen graphic images in her apparition classes back when she was seventeen; she’d also seen an unfortunate incident at Merlin Rouge, where a drunk patron had splinched himself so bad he reappeared two meters from where he’d apparated. Emma shook her head, both to clear those awful images away and to assure Athena. “It’s alright. I’d feel pretty out of place if you were the best host in the world.

...

Athena hadn’t meant for this to be some formal occasion. It was two... people, hanging out and having dinner and drinks. She wasn’t sure what sort of label that she would put on herself and Emma, but for whatever reason, none felt quite right. Maybe she would know better by the end of the night, though for now she avoided them all together. “Fair point. That would definitely not be the ideal way to end the night,” she chuckled, grabbing a few of the lighter options that she had.

“Good, that means we’re on the same playing field,” Athena smiled warmly, motioning for Emma to come over to the kitchen. She laid out a few different options, from various beer, to wine, to mead, and a few other things. “I know this may make me look like an alcoholic, but I promise, I don’t drink this much normally,” Athena explained with a laugh. “People used to give them to me as gifts, after matches. Or for special occasions. I don’t really drink that often any more, but once in a while is alright.”

[athxna-wood]

pembrokesseeker​:

..

Maybe Percy should have been more worried about what he was getting himself into, but he didn’t see the harm in trying. It wasn’t like he was breaking into places he wasn’t supposed to be either. He worked for the paper and no one had ever made specific rules about what they were and weren’t allowed to research. “I’m always willing to question. Quite literally my job.”

“Oh boo hoo, Percy was right for once,” he teased. He knew he had been right more than once when it came to Athena, but he wasn’t about to bring that up. He couldn’t give advice based on complete experience, but he could at least offer an outside perspective. He put a hand on his chest at her next comment. He was glad the conversation had shifted a little lighter. “Wow, you’re really wounding me today. What did I ever do to you?”

...

Athena couldn’t have imagined anyone actually willing to take her side and help her with this, but after talking to Percy, she was grateful. It was quite fortunate that she hadn’t held that article he wrote about her a while ago against him. While she had never been one to love holding a grudge, many people might have after something like that. “Thank you. I don’t know if I could express how much that means to me,” she smiled softly, giving a nod. 

Him teasing her was familiar and welcomed now, especially since it took away from the darker under tone of their conversation. She was only comfortable messing with people this way if they were close enough, and while the two of them weren’t best life long friends, Athena found a comfort in his friendship that was different than others. “Oh, I don’t know... write an article about my career?” she rose a brow with a smirk. “I’ve forgiven, but that doesn’t mean I forget.”

[athxna-wood]

lil-samson​:​

.

Lil was a nervous, which was never a great sign. It wasn’t as if she had to impress Athena it seemed like she liked Lil well enough. However, there was a nervous energy still there. Had she been to forward? Would Athena’s nephew not like her or what if his parents found out she was a werewolf and that caused tension. 

Lil normally would have run away with this many questions, but well it wasn’t a good option. After all, she did want to spend time with Athena and meet Oliver. So instead she had spent the morning carefully selecting her clothes making sure her sweater didn’t have any stains on it. She’d carefully smoothed out curls that were too wild and left her hair down. She’d even put a little bit of makeup on.

When she found Athena and the little boy she was fairly sure was Oliver though she started to relax when she found both of them smiling. 

“Hey, glad you could find me in this crowd” She said to Athena with a smile. Looking  to Oliver she smiled at him as well at his introduction and said, “Hello Oliver. It’s very nice to meet you. ”  She lowered herself a little so she wouldn’t be too tall to the boy  held her hand out to Oliver, as if he was a proper grown up, knowing that the kids she knew back home usually got a kick out of it. 

Her tone didn’t change exactly, but it was warmer than she usually was to other people. Athena may have missed it, given that Lil was comfortable with the other, but someone who knew Lil professionally would have caught it. 

Glancing at Athena she gave her a small smile and laughed. “Sorry Athena I didn’t shake your hand.” 

...

It didn’t seem like she had anything to really worry about, as Athena watched Lil interact with Oliver. The boy was a sweet kid, it took a lot for him not to like someone, but even kids could tell if an adult was weary around them. It was amusing, though, to see the other crouch down and approach him at his level. It appeared that Oliver thought so too, as he very excitedly jumped and held his hand out to her as well. 

Athena couldn’t help but laugh, tucking her hands into her pockets as she watched her nephew shake Lil’s hand ambitiously. “Auntie was right, you’re really pretty.” At that, Athena’s eyes widened a bit, and a hand went to the back of her head, trying to cover that comment up. “Okay, I think we’re all acquainted now,” she chuckled awkwardly. “That’s alright, I don’t think a handshake is necessary.”

“You look nice.” Clearly thanks to her nephew’s testimony, Athena was probably repeating herself, but she still felt as though she should be the one to compliment the woman. “Have you been here long? What should we see first?”

[athxna-wood]

Athena wasn’t exactly sure what to call her relationship with Lil at this point, but the fact that she had extended the invitation to her and Oliver even though she had only been going because her boss would be in attendance made Athena smile. Of course she had been honest about having a nephew with the other, but she didn’t exactly describe the entire situation. It felt like a lot to dump onto someone she was hoping to pursue. Even if it wasn’t a date, Athena figured she should still look presentable. After showering and fixing her hair, Athena put on a nice outfit that was casual but suitable to make a good impression. Oliver insisted on wearing his favorite yellow sweater and a nice pair of slacks, which she couldn’t argue with. He did look positively adorable in them, after all. 

It was easier to meet her there, especially since Athena was bringing Oliver. Of course, she was nervous about introducing the pair, knowing the truth wasn’t all out on the table just yet. Oliver loved meeting new people, typically, but it was different when you were three and loved everyone and everything. Did Lil even like kids? Well, she must not mind them, if she was inviting the both of them. Regardless, she was trying to hide her nerves as they headed to the carnival. It was pretty early on in the festivities, since all of the family events were taking place in the beginning while there was still light out. “Look at the rides!” Oliver excitedly giggled, pointing to some of them in the distance. “We’ll go on some, I promise,” Athena chuckled, adjusting Oliver on her hip. It was inevitable that he’d get tired if she made him walk too much, so until she found Lil she’d carry him the way. It didn’t take too long to recognize the other, picking her out in a crowd. 

“Long time no see, stranger,” she laughed softly, setting Oliver down beside her, who was excited to introduce himself. “My name is Oliver. I’m three!” In typical kid fashion, he held up three fingers as if Lil needed a visual. “Oliver, this is auntie’s friend, Lil. This is my nephew,” she gestured to the young boy, looking back at Lil, trying to mask her nervousness.

@lil-samson​

[athxna-wood]

lil-samson​:

“Did a little more than that. The ump called it about three swings before the last attempt. Probably threw the bat into the crowd” Lil said her face wavering from her fake seriousness to a laugh. 

Lil raised her eyebrow and shook her head laughing, “Oh no I know what a conspiracy to commit a crime is. If you want to implicate me you’ll have to try another way to do that. Besides we’ve just met. I’d hardly want that to be your first impression.” 

“Nice to meet you Athena,” Lil said nodding slightly at the others name. She wondered idly if maybe she knew Artemis but she figured even though it was a bit amusing she kept meeting greek goddesses that it was probably just a coincidence.  “I’d appreciate if you would make an exception. I don’t have a preference in bars.” 

...

Athena couldn’t help but smile as the other woman continued her play on words, finding it rather amusing. Plus, it was a bonus to see her drop her guard a bit and let herself laugh. “You think I would try and incriminate you like that? I was only asking for a good story,” Athena rose her hands up innocently, but the smirk on her face couldn’t be held back. “If I were to ask hypothetically, would you tell me?”

Giving a shrug, Athena didn’t care all that much about first impressions. Sure, they were important in some cases, such as a job interview, but when getting to know a stranger at a bar, there was a little more freedom. “Nonsense. Besides, I think I’ve got a decent enough first impression to save you from that embarrassment.” She was only teasing, giving the other a smile to assure so. “Likewise.”

“Great. In that case...” Athena placed her hand on Lil’s shoulder, the familiar crack echoing as they apparated to a bar that Athena was quite fond of. It was smaller, and much quieter than most, which meant the chances of them running into another assertive individual were very slim. They landed right outside the joint, a small pub in a less known magic area closer to where she was currently residing. It was far enough that any muggles wouldn’t know about it, but not as popular with wix as some of the bigger more known pubs. “After you,” she gestured, holding the door open for the other.

[fassylovergallery]

Kristen Stewart 200x320