Trafalgar Square

[sweetpinkpixie]

Exiting the subway station for Charing Cross instantly takes you to Trafalgar Square, which is at the south of Charing Cross Road and extends to a number of other streets. The square has been a significant landmark since the 13th century. The bulk of the square is taken up by Nelson's Column, surrounded by four bronze lion statues, and two large fountains featuring dolphins, mermaids, and tritons. In the corners of the square are four plinths, one of which is swapped out for another from time to time, and up a flight of stairs is the National Gallery.

A number of Muggle ceremonies are hosted here during major holidays, such as a seasonal tree ceremony prior to Christmas and a New Years celebration. The space is also occasionally used for political demonstrations, premieres, parade destinations, and more. This area is still primarily used today as a public gathering spot. With that being said, wizards and witches that find themselves here will know better than to whip their wands out.

Heading directly south of the square on Whitehall Road, the can be accessed.

[FearlessLeader19]

With Hartley attempting to settle back into the UK for the time being, he was certainly looking to get reacquainted with his birth place. Fortunately, this adventure was going quite well as he had already visited the parents, the grandparents, the sibling and the niece; and he figured some sightseeing would hit the spot now. He deserved some rest now that he was fully moved into his new apartment. Moving, after all, was hard work.

Hartley came to a rest at the grand fountain in the square, sipping on his pink lemonade. It wasn’t an extremely hot day but one had to keep hydrated somehow. Though, he supposed, his eyes shifting to the fountain, diving to the fountain’s watery depths certainly would aid in him staying hydrated. If only it were not frowned upon to do such a thing…

[Zoe]

Ryan Pucey felt like an absolute clown in this suit. It itched, felt stiff, and it truthfully smelled like an old person. It was the complete opposite of his typical leisure wear: sweatpants, a tank top, a gold necklace, and pair of ridiculous shades. Nevertheless, when one's client was of the uppity sort and made the basement of the Hippodrome Casino the meeting place for a deal such as this, one had to look the part. An hour of irritableness surely was going to be worth all of the galleons he'd be leaving with if things went as planned.

A black briefcase was held firmly in his hand as he strolled along the square, casting the occasional glance over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. Despite being more than comfortable with such business, he couldn't help but feel paranoid. Maybe it had something to do with being in such close proximity to the Ministry.

Despite the feeling, the Irishman carried on and decided to cut between the fountains and a crowd of people with the hope that it would shave off some time walking. The sooner these eggs were no longer in his possession, the better.

[Chelliephone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoe

Ryan Pucey felt like an absolute clown in this suit. It itched, felt stiff, and it truthfully smelled like an old person. It was the complete opposite of his typical leisure wear: sweatpants, a tank top, a gold necklace, and pair of ridiculous shades. Nevertheless, when one's client was of the uppity sort and made the basement of the Hippodrome Casino the meeting place for a deal such as this, one had to look the part. An hour of irritableness surely was going to be worth all of the galleons he'd be leaving with if things went as planned.

A black briefcase was held firmly in his hand as he strolled along the square, casting the occasional glance over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. Despite being more than comfortable with such business, he couldn't help but feel paranoid. Maybe it had something to do with being in such close proximity to the Ministry.

Despite the feeling, the Irishman carried on and decided to cut between the fountains and a crowd of people with the hope that it would shave off some time walking. The sooner these eggs were no longer in his possession, the better.

Whenever she was bored, Min-Su found the perfect cure to that was one of two things. 1) People watching. It was fun going to somewhere crowded and just making up stories of the different individuals milling about. Granted, this was more fun when she had her partner in crime Vax by her side but he was busy with his own band rehearsals while The Siren Sisters had a day off. 2) Creating chaos. She was absolutely not above dropping a stinkbomb or spreading birdseeds coated in laxatives in a busy place. It gave her something to laugh about, though thankfully for everyone in Trafalgar Square she had no plans (or birdseed) today. Today was merely for people watching.

Though... perhaps it was due to her own proclivities for chaos that she could easily spot someone who appeared to have less than pristine intentions. And the gent who looked uncomfortable in his clothes, briefcase in his hand and was glancing over his shoulder waaay too much had certainly caught her interest. Curious as to what he could be up to, Min-Su popped the lollipop she'd be nursing into her mouth as she jumped up to follow along after him.

While she knew nothing for certain of this man or what he was up to, logic could lead her to guess there might have been something in his briefcase. She didn't know what but she would definitely like too. And the only way she could think of for that, was to make her way towards the man, speeding up her pace so that as she went to pass, she tried to get her shoulder to collide into his with the hope the force would make him drop the case in his hands. "Oh! I'm so sorry!"

[Zoe]

As he weaved this way and that, he regretted not simply using Apparition to get himself inside the casino or at least close enough to it. He considered pivoting to the National Gallery and finding a safe place there to transport himself but decided against the idea. The risks involved in that were more than he wanted to deal with, especially now that he was among Muggles. Plus he was carrying cargo that was a bit too fragile and valuable for such travel in the event Splinching would happen.

So he continued walking, at least until some woman attempted to pass by and ultimately collided with him. Caught off guard, Ryan lost his footing and he felt himself being pulled down by gravity. He quickly tightened his hold of the briefcase and cradled it close to his chest. With a thud, the man's shoulder slammed onto the ground. The sound of the eggs rolling around in the case did not go unheard by him. He was praying to Merlin that none of them had cracked during the fall.

"Oi! Don'chu have eyes?" he shouted at the woman, ignoring her apology completely, as he started moving to get himself back up on his feet. "Watch where you're goin'!"

[Chelliephone]

She was quite disappointed when the man fell instead of just dropping the suitcase like she’d been hoping. She was really quite hopeful it would have popped open so she could see what it was he had on him. And even more so after his actions of the fall, in which he protected the case entirely and didn’t seem to have any regard for stopping himself from any potential injury. Not that she’d hit him THAT hard but… still it was notable.

She looked down at the man for a moment, entirely unphased by his anger. She would have offered a hand down - probably to offer to take the case so he could still get up and then try dropping it again - but he was already clamoring to his feet. “Oh, I’m so sorry! It’s hard to make it through a busy street, you know, without bumping into someone. Are you okay? Your belongings?” She pointedly looked at the briefcase again, before her eyes flicked back up to his and Min tried to offer a smile in hopes it appeared genuine. “Can I get you a coffee or something to make up for the incident?”

[Zoe]

If the woman knew what he was carrying on him, perhaps she would have understood why he was willing to let his entire body tumble onto the pavement rather than let the briefcase take the fall. Not that she would ever know. Ryan had full intentions of keeping its contents unknown to others until he was in front of the right people. That said, he was going to do everything in his power to protect the delicate eggs within.

A few grunts escaped his mouth as he pushed himself up. While he was in his 40s, he wasn't as young as he used to be nor able to quickly bounce back from such things. Rather than listen to the woman's excuse for bumping into him, he was focused on how sore his body would likely be later. He quickly reminded himself of the galleons he'd be counting later if all went well. A few sore muscles would be worth it in the end.

Blue eyes locked in on the woman just in time to see her eyeing up his case. His grip on the briefcase tightened when she looked at him and asked if he was alright and made a peace offering. "I'm fine. And no. I don't need ya pity coffee. I am on a time crunch and got somewhere to be," he mumbled before he started walking away, fully intent on heading toward the gallery and sneaking through the less busy streets and alleys rather than taking Charing Cross.

[Chelliephone]

Grumpy people who just wanted her to disappear just made things all the more fun to Min-Su. And her curiousity was certainly not going to let her give up now, not until she knew what was in that briefcase. So the only choice she was left with at the quick decline of her 'pity coffee' was if she'd follow him in secret or be quite obvious about it. She wasn't really a stealth type of person, so the latter it would have to be.

Feigning offense at his decline, a hand going to her chest, she shook her head. "You misunderstand me. It's not pity coffee. It's apology coffee. Why would I pity you?" As for the time crunch, she simply moved after him. "Let me escort you then to your destination and we could go after? If I could bump into you once, surely someone else could as well. I'm pretty aware of my surroundings so it truly is just so busy and cluttered on the streets today." She yapped away at him, taking a few glances this way and that to see if anyone appeared to be waiting for him. It was not as inconspicuous as she'd normally try, but she DID just say she'd protect him so... maybe he'd think she was just a nutter looking out for anyone else on a collision course.

[Zoe]

Pity coffee. Apology coffee. Whatever kind of coffee it was, Ryan was not interested in it. The only thing he wanted right now was to get inside the casino and collect a decent amount of galleons. And he certainly did not need some woman who was a total stranger to him getting all up in his business. Didn't someone her age have better things to be doing? If not, surely there were other people around that she could annoy.

The expression of offense, all the yapping, and the fact that she was not leaving him alone was not improving the man's mood at all. He kept on walking however, not bothering to take a glance at the fourth plinth that was displaying some silly Muggle art piece. "Why do ya think I'm taking this route instead of Charing Cross or cutting through the gallery, huh? Don't need the likes of ya getting in me way," he grumbled. "And I don't need an escort. Now do me a favour and bugger off."

As he inched closer and closer to Whitcomb Street, his pace quickened, which only resulted in him starting to sweat because of all the layers he was wearing. But one thing he was certain of: his short fuse was about to be up, which was not going to be a good thing if this woman continued following him down these quieter side streets.

[Chelliephone]

As a newly minted guardian of an 11 year old, she had PLENTY of other things that she should be doing currently - apartment hunting, decorating a room, visiting Vax - but who could resist the urge to anger a perfect stranger? Especially one who, unless she was mistaken, was perhaps a bit seedy?

"I'd say your selected route was not THAT helpful in not getting in anyone's way, or vice versa." Actually, he would have been fine if she had not purposefully inserted her. Though she doubted he would consider she had done so, because what type of normal person would? Although she supposed he could have considered this was some attempt at a pick up - which while she was not above, that was not her intention. "No, I insist. I'll just quietly follow along and make sure no one bumps into you again. You'll hardly know I'm here."

Even she didn't believe herself on that one.

As his pace quickened, so did hers, though she did at least have the sense to make sure her wand was easily accessible in the event of it's necessity. Though with her 'nothing can touch me' attitude, she certainly wasn't expecting anything to go particularly awry.

[Zoe]

Still moving forward, a grunt sounded and eyes rolled when the voice and the lass herself continued to trail over him despite saying that he didn't need her assistance with getting to where he needed to be. Ryan, a man in his forties, was perfectly capable of getting to the casino on his own, thank you very much. But leave it to a woman to make his life more difficult than it needed to be.

Contrary to her words, he did know that she was there. He could hear her footsteps following after him as he made his way down an alleyway. His patience with this one was quickly coming to an end, and now a wave of paranoia was starting to overcome him, which was not a good combination. She either was incredibly stupid or had to have been working for someone -- the Ministry, some thug that wanted to profit off of, he didn't know. Why else would she not take the hint?

"Wot the bloody 'ell do ya want, lady?" he shouted over his shoulder, one hand tightly clasped onto the handle of the briefcase. The other hand was now reaching into the inner pocket of his suit jacket for his wand. No sane person or someone without an agenda would keep up with this act.

[Chelliephone]

It was nice of him to notice her special talent. She was really good at unnecessarily making things harder than they needed to be - and she thrived on the chaos and annoyance she could bring other people. That coupled with her insane curiosity on whatever shady dealings this guy was up to, meant she certainly would not be stopping in her persistence any time soon.

Even if it was potentially starting to get dangerous. She didn’t know this person or what they were capable of. And yet, the same could be said vice versa couldn’t it?

The alleyway was certainly the dumbest place she could follow him too, and she could almost hear Vax in her head chiding her and begging her to be more careful. And yet… another time, bestie. She continued to follow after the guy and when he yelled wanting to know what SHE wanted, she figured she might as well just ask. “What’s in the briefcase? You’re being awfully sketch about it, so I want to know what you’re selling.” And if she should be interested in purchasing.

[Zoe]

Ryan was too peeved to be considering what all the woman was capable of. For all he knew, she could have been some silly Muggle and therefore absolutely harmless. If she were of the magical sort, then she must've been enjoying the game she was playing because she very easily could have done something to him or the briefcase or called the Hit Wizards or Aurors. But there was one thing he was certain about now: she wanted to know what was inside the case.

This only made him more paranoid. She must've known something of value was stowed away in there, which very much was the case. Of course, he wasn't going to enlighten her curiosity. The eggs within were meant for a specific person, one who was willing to pay top galleons. "What's inside me case is none of yer damn business," he shouted back at her. "Now, fer the last time, let me be."

With that said, he darted around the corner into another connecting alley. This time he stopped in his tracks, wand drawn and raised. To be fair, he had been plenty patient with her.

[Chelliephone]

Alerting authorities wasn’t something that even came as an idea to her. If she alerted a hit wizard or an Auror, then odds were they’d just confiscate whatever treasures he was carrying and then her curiosity would never be satisfied. Plus, while if she looked around the crowd long enough she’d probably be able to detect one.. The fact was she hadn’t already spotted one. So no dice on that anyways. (The spells to contact were not something she’d ever memorized. The brain could only hold so much info, and those weren’t top of the list).

Truly, she should be far more careful and probably NOT continue to pursue. He was being plenty clear. And yet… she had a penchant for getting into trouble and the allure of something valuable as well as even the hint of maybe getting into some mischief with a duel or something (how exciting would that be!) So she really wanted to continue on.

And then she remembered she had new responsibilities. And people that actually cared. And getting herself into enough trouble where she got sent to Mungo’s was probably not a fair thing to do her recently found and very traumatized little sister. So with a sigh, she halted in her pursuit. And instead just leaned against the wall of the building next to the alley, going back to her people watching. Maybe she’d get lucky and see the guy on his way out.

Or MAYBE she’d see the person the briefcase was intended for and have far better luck there.

A girl could hope.

[Zoe]

He waited where he had stopped, a list of spells floating about in his mind. Her appearance around the corner was the moment he was going to bring an abrupt end to whatever she was set on doing. Ideally, he'd only petrify her with a flash of white or confound her with a pop of pink, but there was no telling what incantation would slip out of his mouth first. And, quite honestly, he didn't care. It would ultimately be her fault for continuing to be stupid about following him when he had been quite direct with her.

After remaining in place for a minute or so, he was both surprised and relieved when the woman hadn't shown her face. "Good riddance," Ryan muttered under his breath. Then, not wanting to test his luck or waste the remaining precious minutes he had left to get to his buyer, he turned on his heel and briskly carried on down the street.

The man didn't bother to look over his shoulder to see if the woman decided to follow him in the end. However, if she did feel curious enough to peek around the corner and squint her eyes, she would have seen him and the briefcase making their way toward a nearby park. There were still a few more streets he had to trudge through before arriving at the casino, so her hopes of seeing him again were very slim if she stayed put.

[Chelliephone]

The temptation to continue further around the corner was still pretty great, but the idea of landing herself in Mungo’s because she annoyed the wrong person was also nagging at her. Not for her own sake, but she could picture Vax and her sister being worried and freaking out. Jin Ae would cry and Bae would probably throw a temper tantrum with Aurors on ‘why they weren’t doing their jobs’ and it would just be a whole thing. And while she was reckless and curious and reaaaaally wanted to continue, it probably wasn’t worth the headache for the people she cared about.

Though… that still didn’t stop her to peek around the corner after a few minutes to see if he was still lying in wait. She could see him disappearing towards a park and she took a few steps forward to pursue, from a distance this time, but then paused again. After all the annoyance she’d already provided, it was probable he’d be even more so paranoid.

So with great reluctance, she let this one go. Maybe with any luck he’d get caught and she’d hear about the contents through the Daily Prophet. Maybe she could even find a journalist and send them that direction.

[Charely Potter]

Curtis was here. It was a lovely day ahead of him as he walked into the Square. There sure were a lot of folks around. Not that he minded. Anxiety was a rare occurrence for this twenty-eight-year-old wizard. But something told him what he did here could bring a major change... ahem.

Curtis stopped by the fountain with the mermaids and dolphins. His blue eyes glanced at his own shirt. Maybe, I should've worn something brighter.. or with buttons unbuttoned... or an apron. Smirking as he replayed the memory of the bet he lost. He had to behave and pamper her the entire month of her final exams. That apron would put on quite a show and impress her here. But it was too late to change, and he sure couldn't use magic here in the presence of muggles over this. His hands rested in his jean pockets as he casually leaned and waited.

Now... Oh where, oh where could his sweet girlfriend could be? Maybe she could show him where her love lies.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Sadie was on her way.

Hot and bothered that the registrar had fumbled at the finish line and therefore she had to return to campus to receive some transcripts and other necessary paperwork for her CV since these things simply could not be owled to her for whatever reason she had not entirely listened to due to her aggravation. Even more irritating that the department chair had told her most of this was unnecessary due to the program being a funnel into St. Mungo's and their presumption irked her. Just because she was 99.1% certain she would be working at the renowned wizarding hospital did not mean she wanted to entirely close the door on other opportunities and private practices out there. Mostly it boiled down to her loathing being told what to do and being critiqued for how and where she spent her energy and effort. So thanks, but no thanks. Sadie Fayette Kareless knew precisely what she was doing.

Among the other errands on the day was handing in her two week (although more like a month and a half) notice to the Leaky Cauldron. Besides finishing her degree with honours was obviously her greatest accomplishment to date, but no longer requiring a waitress' salary was feeling right up there, that is if the pep to her step was any indication. Further pep to her black trainers step could be given credit to a certain individual she was on her way to meet, with or without the apron.

Her hands slipped into the back pockets of her loose-fitting jeans and a smile easily settled into place when she spotted him and his casual flair. "What a coincidence running into you here of all places," she hummed as she pushed up on to her toes slightly to give him a quick kiss and nip on the cheek. "See someone didn't skieve on arm day either."

She could not wait to hit the gym after all these errands of the day were done. It was going to be the best workout she had had in months.

[Charely Potter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Sadie was on her way.

Hot and bothered that the registrar had fumbled at the finish line and therefore she had to return to campus to receive some transcripts and other necessary paperwork for her CV since these things simply could not be owled to her for whatever reason she had not entirely listened to due to her aggravation. Even more irritating that the department chair had told her most of this was unnecessary due to the program being a funnel into St. Mungo's and their presumption irked her. Just because she was 99.1% certain she would be working at the renowned wizarding hospital did not mean she wanted to entirely close the door on other opportunities and private practices out there. Mostly it boiled down to her loathing being told what to do and being critiqued for how and where she spent her energy and effort. So thanks, but no thanks. Sadie Fayette Kareless knew precisely what she was doing.

Among the other errands on the day was handing in her two week (although more like a month and a half) notice to the Leaky Cauldron. Besides finishing her degree with honours was obviously her greatest accomplishment to date, but no longer requiring a waitress' salary was feeling right up there, that is if the pep to her step was any indication. Further pep to her black trainers step could be given credit to a certain individual she was on her way to meet, with or without the apron.

Her hands slipped into the back pockets of her loose-fitting jeans and a smile easily settled into place when she spotted him and his casual flair. "What a coincidence running into you here of all places," she hummed as she pushed up on to her toes slightly to give him a quick kiss and nip on the cheek. "See someone didn't skieve on arm day either."

She could not wait to hit the gym after all these errands of the day were done. It was going to be the best workout she had had in months.

How long was Curtis waiting? Don't ask him, he wasn't counting the minutes. Just the coins in the fountain below the mermaid. Muggles coins, of course. He had no need to fish for them though, especially when a fuzzy reflection on the water approached his own reflection. He smirked. A special smirky-smirk before he turned to return her the same kiss and a little squeeze too, cause why not. "All those weeks cleaning up after you paid off, you like?" Cause why not flex, just as his big brother Toby told him. Badger Boooom. It was a fine bet for him to lose.

"So, how was your day?" Curtis asked. He was totally stalling, but also curious on how her day was going. Sadie had mentioned something about errands earlier when he was half-snoozing on the couch with Pew Pew. That or he was dreaming. But dreams came true more often than not in his world.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter

How long was Curtis waiting? Don't ask him, he wasn't counting the minutes. Just the coins in the fountain below the mermaid. Muggles coins, of course. He had no need to fish for them though, especially when a fuzzy reflection on the water approached his own reflection. He smirked. A special smirky-smirk before he turned to return her the same kiss and a little squeeze too, cause why not. "All those weeks cleaning up after you paid off, you like?" Cause why not flex, just as his big brother Toby told him. Badger Boooom. It was a fine bet for him to lose.

"So, how was your day?" Curtis asked. He was totally stalling, but also curious on how her day was going. Sadie had mentioned something about errands earlier when he was half-snoozing on the couch with Pew Pew. That or he was dreaming. But dreams came true more often than not in his world.

She was already committed to the kiss or else she would have rolled her eyes and had some sort of little quip at him about that smirk of his. She wasn't convinced that he wasn't doing it on purpose because he knew that it could rile her up. Today she was feeling too light on her toes, floating like a butterfly, to fall for all the usual plays. At least not until the next heavy burden that would be her first year workload at St. Mungo's and then she would be searching for any excuse for some instant stress relief. "Mmmm, I know that that is not how it works but I will gladly take the credit anyway," she hummed while slipping her hand into his.

"Productive thus far. Got everything finally sorted with the registrar so I can cross all my T's and put all the right bows on my CV," she explained to him while congratulating herself as she pulled out a little envelope from her shoulder bag. "Mind if we swing by the Leaky on our way so I can drop this off?" She was asking, but it wasn't really an option not to.

[Charely Potter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

She was already committed to the kiss or else she would have rolled her eyes and had some sort of little quip at him about that smirk of his. She wasn't convinced that he wasn't doing it on purpose because he knew that it could rile her up. Today she was feeling too light on her toes, floating like a butterfly, to fall for all the usual plays. At least not until the next heavy burden that would be her first year workload at St. Mungo's and then she would be searching for any excuse for some instant stress relief. "Mmmm, I know that that is not how it works but I will gladly take the credit anyway," she hummed while slipping her hand into his.

"Productive thus far. Got everything finally sorted with the registrar so I can cross all my T's and put all the right bows on my CV," she explained to him while congratulating herself as she pulled out a little envelope from her shoulder bag. "Mind if we swing by the Leaky on our way so I can drop this off?" She was asking, but it wasn't really an option not to.

Curtis could feel that Sadie was more relaxed than usual as their hands entangled. She often hid her stress easily in public though he could usually tell. Not that he had any reason to suspect, her finishing exams was the one curb that prevented certain steps from moving forward. Speaking of,

A quick stop? Ah right, she won't be within walking distance during his lunch breaks now. "After all these years, no more serving and waiting tables." He thought she was amazing for handling all of it. Not like she needed to ask, but the gesture was appreciated, "Oh course, but before we head there... Do you mind if we sit for a moment?" It seemed like such a beautiful day and they had some time to spare before heading there. He was facing the fountain sculptures. "You know.. it's rare we get to stop and smell the roses... outside our apartment." Naturally, and a furry little friend kept them on their toes.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter

Curtis could feel that Sadie was more relaxed than usual as their hands entangled. She often hid her stress easily in public though he could usually tell. Not that he had any reason to suspect, her finishing exams was the one curb that prevented certain steps from moving forward. Speaking of,

A quick stop? Ah right, she won't be within walking distance during his lunch breaks now. "After all these years, no more serving and waiting tables." He thought she was amazing for handling all of it. Not like she needed to ask, but the gesture was appreciated, "Oh course, but before we head there... Do you mind if we sit for a moment?" It seemed like such a beautiful day and they had some time to spare before heading there. He was facing the fountain sculptures. "You know.. it's rare we get to stop and smell the roses... outside our apartment." Naturally, and a furry little friend kept them on their toes.

Thankfully her plethora of physical outlets usually kept her stress levels at bay, but final exams in pre-healer studies were a whole new level of savage. They made OWLs and NEWTs look like playing hopscotch against a slug in the middle of a scorching summer's day. Sadie was quite comfortable and content in the valley between university stress and actual working woman stress and planned on taking complete advantage of everything this interlude had to offer.

Which apparently was beginning with something as simple as sitting to smell the roses.

"Sit...and smell the roses," she repeated with a breathy laugh, brow quirked and hands settling on her hips. "You know, I almost can't tell if you are being idiomatic or literal but..." she mused as she pivoted and took a seat along the edge of the fountain and patted the spot beside her. "I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt assume literal."

[Charely Potter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Thankfully her plethora of physical outlets usually kept her stress levels at bay, but final exams in pre-healer studies were a whole new level of savage. They made OWLs and NEWTs look like playing hopscotch against a slug in the middle of a scorching summer's day. Sadie was quite comfortable and content in the valley between university stress and actual working woman stress and planned on taking complete advantage of everything this interlude had to offer.

Which apparently was beginning with something as simple as sitting to smell the roses.

"Sit...and smell the roses," she repeated with a breathy laugh, brow quirked and hands settling on her hips. "You know, I almost can't tell if you are being idiomatic or literal but..." she mused as she pivoted and took a seat along the edge of the fountain and patted the spot beside her. "I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt assume literal."

Of all the time for nerves to happen, this was the time as Curtis moved to sit next to Sadie. Walking over as her hand oh so delicately patting the spot for him to sit at. There were a lot of people walking around, but he didn't have much thought for them.

"How long we've been going out? 4 years?" Technically, there was a longer span from her side of knowing him, thanks to his reputation at their former alumnus. "I know I mess with you a lot for fun and I love how you bring more than a good time in my life." Charisma was clearly of this twenty-eight-year-old wizard's strengths. As he reached into his pocket to find the solid object. "I know you could kareless about some of my fuller qualities... and I wanted to make sure you had finished such a grand milestone..." His trademark smirks came but there wasn't a trace of gloat for once, "I love you, Sadie..." As he slid over to kneel before her and pulled out the box, "Will you-" annnd the next words out of his mouth were explicit as he was oh-so-rudely bumped by a random individual. The box flew out of his hands and into the fountain with a soft plop.

Pause. He blinked before standing to reach over and retrieve the box. But Merlin had other plans as the box was carried just out of his reach and in he went-

SPLASH

[sweetpinkpixie]

Sadie was accustomed to numerous sides of Curtis, the majority of which she knew rather intimately except for the side in which he seemed as nervous as a kneazle in a room full of rocking chairs. Perhaps that was being a little unfair to kneazles since he didn't exactly seem on edge but there was a certain quality to the curve of his lips and the way his eyes seemed to have a hard time looking at her. Or perhaps she was imagining all this, projecting even, since it was a bit out of the ordinary for him to request that they sit down somewhere just to talk.

"Four years to the date," she nodded with a soft smile as she leaned back on her hands, the tips of her fingers just barely grazing the surface of the water when it rippled every now and then, and studied his features a bit more methodically to see if she could figure out where this was going before he got there. His horrendous but endearing puns with their names threw her off the trail for a moment while she rolled her eyes which temporarily broke off her visual investigation. Her eyes easily resettled with those three words, however, and she felt herself inhale deeply but not actually exhale. "...I love you too..." she mostly mouthed as the once soft drumming of her heart suddenly echoed in her ears. Her eyes widened along with her mouth forming a sort of puckered 'o' shape as he dropped down on one knee. The only reason someone would take such a pose was to --

Chaos. Complete chaos. First came someone, back to Hogwarts shopping most likely, with entirely too many boxes and bags in hand whack her boyfriend as they stumbled on by and then he was in the fountain and the splash coating her left side in water. She didn't mind the water, especially since she was now preoccupied with fishing Curtis out of the fountain. "Curtis, water you do--- I mean, what are you doing?" The expected thing would be for her to check on his well being, but she knew he was okay. This was a mundane fountain and not the one in Diagon Alley so nothing was going to be dragging him into the mysterious fathoms below. "Here," she nervously laughed as she reached forward to offer him her hand to assist in getting out...or at least to sit up.

[Charely Potter]

If there was one good thing about this incident, is that Curtis didn't decide to borrow one of his Papa's fancy outfits. They would've lost a button anyway, but the element of surprise would've been ruined. But now? How was his dignity?

The water wasn't deep. But the coins sure made their way along with the box inside his shirt when he sat up to see a blinding light eclipsing and giving Sadie a nice silhouette figure. The water dribbling out of his mouth could pass as him comically drooling on sight, but considering where he just fell it was a natural reaction. "I just needed... some change." But now he needed to change or find a stall to perform a hot air spell on his clothes.

With Sadie's hand outreached and he smirked at her question. This was the perfect excuse to pull her in on an average day. But now? He took her hand and with the other slipped in something fancy over her ring finger. "So uh... will you marry me?" He asked. If there was an audience watching, he didn't know as he was all eyes on her.