[Ilija Cayden Fortescue]

Ilija had managed to find himself a small cottage in Hogsmeade. He didn't quite prefer living here, or at least not the reasons behind it. He'd been quite happy to simply remain in Madagaskar for many years to come, but his parents had insisted he come home and recover much closer to where they were so they could help care for him. They meant well, he knew that, but he'd never been a big fan of the UK. He liked warmer climates and most certainly felt a lot better when it was hot compared to when it was cold. A personal preference, but one that didn't exactly help him feel at home here again.

Perhaps that was why he'd chosen Hogsmeade. It was closer to a place he'd felt at home. Even if the village itself seemed full of painful memories now that Hannah was no longer here, it was closer to a place he'd considered to be home before moving abroad. Despite all credit to his parents, he'd never felt quite at home in the country. Even if he knew he was loved and very much wanted the thirst for adventure was very strong for him.

He'd gone over to the Hogs Head for a morning brew. Mostly because it tended to be a lot more quiet and because it held no memories. Hannah hadn't liked the place. Madam Puddifoot had actually been their go-to in terms of dates when that had finally started. Even when they were younger he'd often opt to go there with her, simply because it was different and they had a bunch of treats he could actually eat with his allergies. He had a rather strong preference for tea.

He sighed briefly as the door of the pub opened and one of the girls that had been a year below him walked in. He knew of her more than he knew her. A wild and free girl, even back in school. If he recalled correctly, she'd been quite a flirt too. Back then, Hannah had shielded him from most of that. It made him wonder though, had she changed? He knew he had. He briefly gestured as a shape of greeting, but expected nothing more of it. She probably wasn't here looking for company anyway.

@alix

[Deleted]

There was one good thing about the Hog's Head Inn - the ill repute of the pub did allow a budding rock-starlet to be amongst people without being crowded nearly as much as her brother was wherever he went. The patrons of the Inn were more than happy to keep their heads low and their business to themselves and whilst the food was a little less than to be desired... there was joy to be had in the simpler things in life like Yorkshire pudd in congealed gravy with very little meat mixed in.

Alix ordered a drink at the bar and glanced around for a seat to be had. That's when she noticed the small gesture... almost as if the person wasn't 100% sure that they wanted to catch her attention, Alix would think. She took a moment to recognise the sweet face of her Hufflepuff classmate but the moment she did, the witch practically skipped the small distance to his side. "Fortescue! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!!!" she said cheerfully, opening her arms widely for a welcome hug. "Merlin, of all the places to see you too... I don't recall you little Puffs ever frequenting this place during school... meanwhile I almost had a permanent reservation upstairs, didn't I?" she asked the barkeep cheerfully enough, though all she got was a gruff grunt in reply.

Ilija Cayden Fortescue

[Ilija Cayden Fortescue]

Ilija perhaps hadn't really wanted to catch her attention. She'd always been very present and well, back then it hadn't been a problem. He'd been a lot more outgoing and open and generally speaking, happy. He'd been a friendly guy and generally speaking very easy to get along with. He'd had a smile for everybody back in school, but right now it felt like his face had forgotten the very motion of smiling.

So as she greeted him cheerfully and opeend her arms for a hug, he wasn't nearly as responsive as he once had been. He gave her a quick hug, far more to be polite than anything else. He didn't smile but managed to keep a relatively neutral expression on his face, shrugging slightly as she mentioned this hadn't exactly been a place he frequented much. "Things changed. This place is more popular for those of my profession. We tend to be a bit rowdy." Well, if he was in relatively good spirits. That wasn't common anymore, except around a rare few. "What have you been up to since you graduated?" He hadn't exactly been in the loop at all. Between spending a lot of time in tombs and spending most of his time at home staring out the window and occassionally reading, he didn't really get out much. It was just work, above all else, that occupied his time. Well, that and his little sister.

@alix

[Deleted]

Playing dumb to Ilija's less than enthusiastic greeting, Alix gave the old acquaintance a friendly squeeze before letting his polite self go. "Ohhhh yes things definitely changed. I do believe you've put on a bit of muscle - something to do with that profession huh?" Alix replied with a playful squeeze of his bicep with a wink before finally stepping back just that bit to allow for comfortable conversation. "You? Rowdy? Merlin, how much do I have to pay to see that Fortescue?"

Alix pulled up a chair at the table that Ilija had been sat at before she trotted over. "Oh I haven't been up to all that much," she said with small grin as a waiter scoffed at this statement while they passed her a drink. Alix gave them a small wink and turned her attention back to Ilija as she lifted the glass to her lips to sip. "Gus finally convinced me to join a band and so I've been working hard to be worthy of his musical genius. What about you? Tell me all about this rowdy profession of yours?"

Ilija Cayden Fortescue

[Ilija Cayden Fortescue]

She was far too liberal in her interactions. Perhaps above all her greeting in which she opted to explore the muscles he had grown with his work. He very briefly glanced down at the muscles that appeared far more toned than they were due to his slightly malnourished condition. "It helps keep me alive." He said in a rather neutral tone, as if that was the most normal response to her compliment. As if death was something on the forefront of the mind of most people. It obviously wasn't, but for him it was about as normal as breathing. Or it was from time to time.

He smiled a half smile as she asked how much she needed to pay to see him rowdy. "Quite a bit. Most of my friends from the field drink a lot and I tend to only misbehave with them around and intoxicated." He avoided imbibing too much himself, mostly out of concern that he'd lose himself in the habit. He already struggled in eating and drinking enough to sustain himself properly and he didn't want to develop even more habits to further complicate his road to recovery. Whatever that actually meant.

He nodded slightly at the mention of her brother and chuckled. "I had no idea he even played an instrument. I mostly remember seeing him flirting with just about everybody his eyes fell on. Then again, that goes for both of you. What do you play? Or are you the singer of the band?" He asked curiously. She was very pretty so he imagined that she'd be a good frontman for a band in terms of looks at least. Naturally he had no idea what her singing voice was like. "I'm a curse breaker. I lived abroad a while but came back. Or well, I live here again between jobs." He shrugged. There was always more to do, and he never felt quite comfortable staying in one place too long. What was he to do here anyway? Hang out with people from school to dig up painful memories? Or pretend he could make new ones that didn't have him thinking of Hannah constantly?

@alix

[Deleted]

Why, on Merlin's good green Earth, was it that the less interested in interacting with her ... the more interested Alix was? She laughed easily at Ilija's joke of his muscles keeping him alive because her own.mental health issues effectively kept her from seeing the more morbid side of his aspect. Light and breezy was Alix' comfort zone and she only stepped out of it on rare occasions... Or for her brother. "And keeps you walking and talking, huh?" she said cheerfully, happy to add to the list of obvious.

There was the beginning of the red-head's legendary Hufflepuffle smile. It brought a sparkle to Alix' eyes as Ilija offered her a challenge unwittingly. "Oh well, bye-bye then family fortune," she said casually, waving her hand playfully at the imaginary money that would be plowed into seeing Ilija rowdy. "Who's got an owl or two to get this man's friends here pronto?" she asked and yet ... not even the barkeep who stood to make a lot of money was listening to her. He'd learned after a half dozen years to tune her out, for the most part.

"Merlin, I think he even plays my bass better than me - pretty sure he doesn't, when I'm around, just so I can keep my dignity," Alix said with a smile, laughter tickling the words she had said with good humour. "But hey now, gimme some credit. I didn't flirt with everyone. I had some rules - not many, but some." One of which was not flirting with people in relationships like Fortescue and his pretty little lady were. The other kept her from fishing from the younger year-ponds. "Oh no I play the bass guitar - Gus is the show pony of the band. His voice is at least ten times better than mine so it makes sense," Alix replied after taking a long sip of her drink.

"A cursebreaker! Now the muscles make sense," Alix replied eagerly, interested in what stories he may have about his travels. "Well, I'm glad to see you back on our bleak and wet little island. Planning on staying long?"

Ilija Cayden Fortescue

[Ilija Cayden Fortescue]

It kept him walking and talking? Up to some point. He wasn't sure just how much walking he'd be doing if depending only on his own muscles due to his prosthetic but since it was covered and he hadn't done any walking... well it luckily was hard to see. His limp wasn't quite as obvious as it had been in the beginning either. The suggestion she'd throw a lot of money into seeing him rowdy on a guys night was most interesting, although primarily since he suspected she'd get distracted by his friends before he got to his usual point of rowdy. It had been pushed back quite a bit compared to when he'd just started. "Should you be that keen I'm sure I could get word out to them." He said, mostly to be polite. Besides, it wouldn't be a bad thing to hang out with his workers again for a change. If she was going to pay them to hang out he had no plans to get in her way.

She mentioned her brother was the show pony and another very faint smile touched his lips. "I can't say that I'm extremely surprised, although maybe just a little. I wasn't even aware you both played instruments." He shook his head a bit. "So I'm guessing the band is going well enough?" He was mostly judging by the fact she was very cheerful and didn't seem to be lacking anything at all. Well, except modesty perhaps but she didn't seem to have need for it.

"I currently don't really have any plans. I'll stay until the next job comes around, and then again when that is done. Perhaps I'll find a new country to move to at some point, but for now this bleak and wet little island will do." It wasn't like he really had anywhere else he truly wanted to be. Just maybe somewhere warmer. One day.

@alix

[Deleted]

"Ohhh.... on second thought, there's plenty of time for all that," Alix said with a bright grin, almost all of her pearly whites showing it was so large and there were crinkles at the sides of her eyes that Alix would have hated to see in a mirror. "I'll enjoy your company all to myself for the time being, because - and many can attest to this - I'm an essentially selfish creature. We can get you started on those drinks though. I wonder, do you think you can beat me for drinks?"

It was heartwarming to see the subdued man almost smile. Honestly, it felt like a little firebug was making her heart glow but maybe that was just from the drink that she was imbibing. "Well enough to keep us busy and out of my daddy's purse-strings," Alix said with a grin. Though she was loud and some might say... obnoxious, Alix was not typically a person for bragging about her fame and fortune. In a deep part of her mind, perhaps, it was because she was certain it wasn't any of her own doing. It was all Gus.

"Do you get to choose what jobs you want to take on? Or do you just get given them first-in-first served kinda deal? Get what you're given? Or can a lady such as myself hire you to find me something interesting and exquisitely ancient? I must confess, Ilija, I never really paid much attention to what curse-breakers got up to when they talked about it at school... I knew it wasn't for me. Wouldn't be interested in anything that could break my nails," she joked, flashing a hand that was definitely not as prettily made up as some may expect. Too much time strumming strings meant that pretty, long nails just weren't practical. Instead, her nails were short and in a french manicure that her mother would approve of. "So.. tell a girl - what's it like a day in the life of a cursebreaker?"

Ilija Cayden Fortescue

[Ilija Cayden Fortescue]

It appeared that she was enjoying their time alone to catch up, as the offer to call in his coworkers was largely ignored. Or at the very least delayed until further notice, which was fine by him. While she was beyond a doubt intimidating she'd always been kind. Or at least, she'd never not been kind to him or Hannah. As she asked if he could beat her for drinks he shook his head instantly. "If you feel confident enough to issue a challenge I'm quite certain I'd lose, as I rarely ever drink, and never copious amounts when I do." No doubt she'd drink him under the table within the hour if they'd put it to a competition and he wasn't really sure what kind of drunk he was. His friends and coworkers had never pushed him to find out after Hannah had left.

He nodded as she joked about it keeping her out of her fathers funds. "I should watch a show at some point. If you are as lively on stage as you are in real life it's bound to be very entertaining." He'd considered different words such as mesmerising but he was worried she might get the wrong idea. In a way he reminded her of some of the tombs he'd visited. Beautiful and aluring but ever so dangerous. One wrong move and there was no knowing where one might end up. While it was part of what he enjoyed in work, he didn't really want to date a famous person and end up getting torn to pieces by fans if they had any sort of conflict. Or by her, for that matter. Besides, he didn't feel ready for that sort of interaction to begin with. He wasn't sure if he ever would be.

"Considering I work for the bank you'd have to somehow convince the Goblins at Gringotts to send me out on a job. I have no idea up to what point that would even work. We get jobs to retrieve mostly goblin made artifacts that wizards took the grave with them. It's a rather large cultural difference in perception between us and them on what buying means and who is entitled to the object once the one that purchased it passes away. In that sense history of magic helped me understand the employers that I'd one the have a little, but work gave a far better perspective on the entire matter in hindsight." He mused for a moment. But as for what we get up to? Mostly just going to tombs to retrieve objects. Most are cursed and have multiple traps so we see some ugly things, especially curses that killed the muggles trying to enter to steal things from the tombs. It can get a bit gruesome, so I'll spare you the details." If she was worried about breaking nails (which seemed to have mostly been a joke) then some of the things he'd seen would likely churn her stomach rather badly. It wasn't really a job for the faint of heart. "The rest of it is just paperwork, which is incredibly boring." And luckily they were spared that as much as possible since the goblins didn't care too much about paper trails if they got their treasures back. It was the ministry that asked for all of that.

@alix

[Deleted]

"And yet you are capable of getting rowdy when amongst friends," Alix immediately quipped, a dubious rise to her eyebrow showing that she felt there was a logic hole there somewhere. "You must be the cheapest drunk this side of The Channel then, Fortescue," Alix decided that she would buy into her old friend's ruse if only because the idea amused her greatly. Her Italian family members were trained from a young age with a glass of homemade wine with dinner and so even the teenaged parties she'd attended weren't the alcohol-driven free-for-alls that she was accustomed to at home and Merlin knew she would never issue such a challenge to the family members still on the Peninsula. She'd learned a thing or two in the past decade.

"Oh? You find me entertaining do you?" Alix said with a sly grin, tempted for a brief moment towards her default of a flirt with the turn of phrase the red head had used. Still, she recovered quick enough because she remembered Hannah - even if she wasn't aware of her passing. "I'd love it if you guys would come as my VIPs some time. I'll even tell the boys to be on their best behaviours if you want to come back stage.... or better yet, you could get rowdy with my colleagues instead," Alix decided with a genuine smile because she wondered who partied harder? Rock stars or curse breakers? Alix leaned in a little closer so she could half-whisper. "Though, of course, you'll have to pretend to be equally as entertained by Gus' performance as mine. I know, it'd be a hard task but -" she paused and playfully pretended to look around to ensure they weren't in danger of being overheard, "you're up to the task I'm sure."

Sitting back, Alix took in the information that Ilija so readily provided about his job with wide eyes and nods at various stages. How utterly interesting. "Do the goblin forged treasures call to them or do they have a map of everywhere wizards died and they're 'liberating goods' from each wizard one by one on some list, I wonder?" the witch pondered with her fingertips tapping against her bottom lip slowly in thought. When he spoke of the tombs and the horrible things they faced in them, she found her lips parting slowly as her jaw opened a little wider in awe.

"Wow, no wonder you enjoy the job so much. It has all the requirements one could ever want really. Oh, but also, you're quite right, it's probably best to keep those details to yourselves. Janine over there looks like she might faint if you tell her that a spider has casually fallen from the rafters onto her table just now. Wouldn't want to scare Janine," Alix finished with a gentle, casual nod in a random lady's direction with a little wink to her confidante. It had nothing to do with the fact that Alix didn't want to test how squeamish she really was.

Ilija Cayden Fortescue