so i put my faith in something unknown

[James Laurent]

It was nice that the wizarding world seemed to have ignored muggle legislation on the banning of smoking in pretty much all public places- nice for smokers such as James, that is. Taking advantage of this fact, he was huddled away from the driving wind and rain in the corner of the Three Broomsticks with a warm butterbeer in front of him. A cigarette silently smouldering in his right hand, he paused to turn a page in his book and then tap the excess ash from the cigarette, largely ignoring everyone around him.

That morning he had been up to Hogwarts castle to puruse their previous students' records to help with a bit of research for the Ministry. Thankfully, Headmaster Gayfor had been most helpful to his research and as it was a Saturday, very few students were actually in the castle, giving James a chance to linger around the halls for a bout of nostalgia. However said absent students had converged on Hogsmeade itself, particularly the Three Broomsticks, but he stubbornly affected an air of 'don't you dare sit near me' whilst concentrating on the book in front of him.

((ooc: Not that it matters but he's dressed like this. Anyone welcome to join him! Please?))

[Edith Myers]

(ooc. Hope Edie is ok?)

Christmas had been particularly hard this year, it was her first one after seperating from Luke and just yesterday she'd received a magazine cutting from some anonymous person (though she strongly suspected it was her own mother) of Luke & his new girlfriend that he was showing off, willy nilly. Edie wasnt one for drinking but had decided that she'd earned a drink and this was how she'd found herself in The Three Broomsticks on her own.

Ordering the strongest drink she could find on the menu, she looked around her for a place to sit before setting her eyes on a smoking guy, that is, a guy who was smoking & decided she just had to indulge that vice for once.

"Sorry, but can I have a cigarette? Please?" she asked shyly, biting her lip as she looked at the man she'd just interrupted.

[James Laurent]

((ooc: She’s great, I love seeing Edie around again so thanks for replying with her!))

Interrupted mid-sentence as a female voice asked if she could have a cigarette his green eyes quickly flicked over the page as he read to the end of the sentence and then put his book down. James finally looked up at the girl stood in front of his table, immediately clocked the colour of the strong liquid which filled her glass, and nodded slowly, “Help yourself, I sense you need it,” he murmured, but not unkindly, as he slid the cigarette packet and his lighter over to her.

Taking a drag on his own cigarette as she helped herself to one his brow furrowed slightly whilst he watched her, “You’re not a smoker usually, are you? Or a habitual drinker of such potent alcohol? It’s too lethal for a lunchtime drink otherwise,” he commented, nudging his head to the drink she held with a reserved but pleasant enough smile.

[Edith Myers]

Edie bit her lip as the man she'd just rudely asked for a cigarette from seemed to finish what he was reading before he looked up, she felt self conscious and silly as he slid the packet towards her. She picked the packet up & with fumbling hands she extracted a cigarette and put it in her mouth, her cheeks pinkening as he picked up on the fact she was neither a smoker nor a drinker.

"That obvious? I didnt ask for one just to talk to you, Im not desperate" she blurted out before blushing again, realising that could be taken as an insult before sitting down uninvited, putting her drink on the table and lighting the cigarette. "Im having a bad day, bad week, bad year....bad life" she gave a soft laugh before taking a drag of the cigarette, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"My husband has a new girlfriend...yay" she tried to joke, her mouth going dry as her eyes watered, she willed herself not to cry and instead took a long drink to stop herself from bursting into tears on this stranger she'd rudely interrupted.

[James Laurent]

James noticed the girl’s fumbling hands as she extracted a cigarette from the pack he pushed over to her and attempted a tight smile her way to make her feel less uncomfortable. It wasn’t exactly James’ forte, chatting to complete strangers, and he wasn’t trying to be rude or standoffish in the slightest, he just had the unfortunate tendency to come across as such on first meeting. “Hmm not blindingly obvious, I just… surmised it from what you’re drinking and the fact you look a bit… well… upset,” he tried tentatively, aware that being told you looked like you were having a terrible day probably wasn’t the most complimentary thing to say to someone, even if it was true. “Talking to me equates to being desperate? How nice. People usually get to know me a bit before they say things like that,” James replied dryly and then couldn’t help but smile and shake his head to brush away any insult he could have possibly taken from that throwaway comment.

“So I was right about that at least,” James admitted solemnly, brow furrowing as she explained and took a disgusted drag on the cigarette, “You could always try just not smoking it, you know?” he offered, in an attempt at light humour after he had delicately blew out a steady stream of smoke to one side from his own mouth, savouring the feeling a lot more than she appeared to be doing. “Oh.” That was all he could say in that moment as this girl revealed why her life was so terrible – well… that was definitely a reason to turn to hard liquor and cigarettes. “Oh,” he repeated, opening his mouth many times to try to same something helpful, anything would do at this point, but he sadly lacked insight, “I’m sorry, that really is awful, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And I’m going to be terribly unhelpful here, I’m sorry you ran into me and not… I don’t know… someone with some kind of perspective or insight that could help you,” he apologised quietly.

“Umm-” he hesitated, looking obviously uneasy as he noticed how her eyes were watering with the effort of trying to keep in tears, “Here. I think you need to let it out,” James commented as he handed her a tissue in his best attempt to be gentle and considerate.

[Edith Myers]

Edie sniffed and managed a smile, "I look terrible, I know. This wont help but I need to do something, sitting around at home crying to my cat isnt very produtive" she joked, though really it wasnt a joke, she'd spent the entire holiday season in tears, with just her cat & a box of chocolate frogs.

"Im fine, I like it" she lied as she blew the smoke out, taking another long drag as if to say "See!" but then coughed and shook her head, stubbing the cigarette out in the ashtray but not getting up and leaving the poor boy alone. She wanted company, just not the company of anyone she knew. "Thank you for the cigarette, Im sorry I wasted it. Can I give you money for another packet?" she offered, fumbling in her pocket for her purse, extracting a few sickles from it & setting them on the table in front of him.

"I cant talk to my parents, they'll say 'I told you so, you shouldnt have married so young!', my best friend is so in love and happy that she cant really see outside her own little bubble, my other best friend has a kid so she doesnt have time to listen to me whining and they're all friends with my husband...ex husband I suppose" she swallowed loudly, taking the tissue from him and dabbing her eyes softly before coughing to compose herself, "Im sorry, I wont cry, Im all cried out. Im Edie, Im usually normal" she gave a small laugh, holding her hand out towards him, "You are?".

[James Laurent]

“I wasn’t trying to suggest that,” he claimed in apology before James nodded encouragingly, “Yes, a change of scenery is always good and, you know, being in public should halt some of the worst of the tears. Not that crying to a cat isn’t helpful, I have a cat, Hemingway. I mean I don’t cry to him but I do moan and whinge to him and it helps, he sort of has to sit and listen, there isn’t far for him to escape in my flat,” he continued, aiming for a light-hearted comment but falling short as he wasn’t entirely sure whether she was joking about crying to her cat or not.

Nodding with an utterly unconvinced expression he mmm-ed and then, “Yes, I can see that,” he retorted with dry sarcasm, then smiling as she gave in and stubbed the cigarette out. “No problem, I’m sorry it didn’t seem to help in any way. Don’t be silly, no, no, please keep your sickles,” he pushed the coins back towards her, “Get another drink with them? Or… chocolate? I don’t know, something that might help for a little while.”

“Aah I see, sometimes it’s better to unload on a complete stranger, I’ve heard that,” the man nodded and listened as she explained about her friends, “Forgive me but your friends are still your friends too, not just your ex husband’s. And if they really are your friends then they’d listen if you told them what was happening and how terrible you felt and they ought to be able to help you a damn sight more than I ever could. Right?” Falling silent as she took the offered tissue and composed herself, saying she wouldn’t cry, he smiled tightly, “That’s your prerogative entirely. Though I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances, it's nice to meet you, Usually Normal Edie. I’m James, James Laurent… or Jamie… or sometimes I even answer to ‘hey you’,” he shook her hand politely.

[Edith Myers]

Edie smiled at the boy and shook her head, "I didnt think you were suggesting I look terrible, you seem far too polite to tell a girl that. Im not naive enough to believe I can spend close to a month crying & not look terrible" she shrugged her shoulders, nodding her head as he said he spoke to his cat, she gave a soft chuckle, "My cat is called Eebl, as soon as I start talking he walks away now, he's bored of my woe" she smiled, picking up the sickles and turning them around and around in her fingers.

"Yeah you're probably right, Im sorry for bothering you with this. I shouldnt have, Im..I just interrupted your book and that's really rude of me...Im so sorry" Edie's lip trembled as she hastily apologised, her hands trembled as she rushed to stand up, spilling her drink everywhere.
"Shit! Fuck! Im so fucking....oh god...why does everything go wrong for me?!" she wailed, sinking back into the seat, covering her face with her hands, she cried.

(ooc. Sorry to James, she's feeling ~emotional~)

[James Laurent]

"I've learnt from experience to censor any mention of the word 'terrible' or 'ill' when someone asks how they look," James replied, mostly joking, and then a smile twitched at his lips as they talked of their respective cats. "The trick to it is ply them with treats, lull them into a false sense of security, and then unload all your woes on them," the boy advised.

"I don't know that I am but there you go, you have another perspective at least," he shrugged casually, shaking his head as she apologised, "Nonsense, don't be silly. Look, believe me, I'd continue reading if I wanted to, regardless of whether someone was talking to me," James noted, rightfully so if it sounded rude. Then he quickly and smoothly pulled his wand out from his jacket and siphoned up the spilled drink, saying simply, "Edie? Please sit down, stay, try to not cry. I'll be right back," he requested, making a point of waiting until she made eye contact with him and then he smiled in a comforting way.

Then James headed over to the bar and ordered a chocolate dessert and two Butterbeers, returning to the table some minutes later with it all on a tray. "I suggest you stay off the hard liquor," he commented, pushing a Butterbeer over to her and then explaining the dessert, "I think you could do with something to eat and this was as close to a chocolate comfort food as I could get in here. Now, eat please, you'll feel better."

((ooc: that's perfectly understandable in the circumstances!))

[Edith Myers]

Edie looked at James, tears running down her cheeks & nodded her head at his request, taking large breaths to try and calm herself down but all she felt was foolish and embarrassed at what she had just down, had a melt down in public in front of the first cute guy she'd seen & managed to speak to.

Looking at the butterbeer & then at the chocolate pudding, Edie smiled slightly before looking at him again, "That's the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time. Im...just...I...thank you" she finally managed, taking a sip of the butterbeer, letting it's warm frothiness heat her inside out.

"Im sorry, meltdowns are terrible but public meltdowns....ugh....the worst" she tried to joke, taking small mouthfuls of the chocolate & enjoying the sweetness.

[James Laurent]

James' brow furrowed at her words, "If that's true then you haven't been around particularly pleasant people in a while, hmm?" he suggested quietly as he sat back down opposite her. "That being said, you're welcome, it's really no problem and I would hope that if another person was sat in this seat right now, they would have done the same," he commented simply, with a soft smile, indicating his head at the drink, "Now, please-" James urged gently as he picked up his abandoned cigarette from its resting place on the ashtray and took another drag on it while he watched her carefully.

"Don't apologise needlessly," the man shook his head, "Though it's surely better, if you must have a meltdown, to get it over with in reaching distance of Butterbeer and chocolate." Raising his own bottled drink and taking a sip from it he asked, "So, let's take your mind off it shall we? Inane chatter, inane chatter... let me think..." he tapped his chin in a jokingly thoughtful manner, "Ummm terrible weather we're having, isn't it? Don't you just hate when people don't queue properly? Public transport has really gone to the dogs, hasn't it?" he listed off the most common 'inane chatter', as he called it, he could think of and then smiled in amusement as if to apologise for being so terrible with typical meaningless chatter.