InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Then you mean it."

It was a little known fact that Octavius Pepper enjoyed muggle coffee shops. In the years preceding the war, he never really paid much attention to them, but since taking a break from the magical world, he had really come to appreciate them. There was something about the smell in the air combined with the choice of music that made him feel at home, perhaps even relaxed. It was definitely the perfect spot to have an informal meeting, especially with a manager of a Quidditch team that just so happened to have a chaser spot available.

By the time Cav arrived, he was already perched at a corner table with a random muggle magazine he was reading to help pass the time. It was quickly forgotten though and as the Portree manager sat down at the table, it was tossed onto a nearby coffee table. “There’s just something about muggle gossip magazines I can’t ignore,” Octavius said before taking a sip of his coffee. “Think it falls into one of those So Bad It’s Good categories.”

Cav didn't feel quite at home in Muggle establishments, but he also didn't stick out the way he knew many wizardfolk did. After all, he had a Muggle father who he did his level best to ignore, which meant he'd spent some time in his formative years getting used to this. So he didn't wear his robes or anything but he also didn't exactly dress the part. He sat opposite Pepper and smiled in greeting, offering his hand, which Octavius took with his free hand. "Anything that highlights gossip is hard to look away from," he agreed. "The more salacious, the better, yeah?"

He looked at Octavius, almost sizing him up. "How are you doing?" he asked after a moment.

Putting his cup down on the table, Octavius gave a small shrug. “Actually, I’m doing pretty good,” he answered honestly. Taking a leave of absence from the magical world might not have been a popular decision, but it had done wonders for him. “How are you doing? Portree aside and all.”

"I've been better but it's the middle of the season, so what else can I expect really. It's always something." He glanced over at the young Muggle woman who came by to take an order. He asked for tea and cream and then turned back to Octavius. "I'm sure you know why I owled you about this meeting so I won't beat around the bush. Are you interested in coming back to the pitch?"

Octavius definitely knew why the manager for the Pride of Portree had owled him. News of the team’s difficulty with players, especially chasers, was not lost on him even in Muggle Glasgow. Truthfully, he had been a bit surprised that he had been the one Cav had reached out to, but it wasn’t unwelcome in the least.

“Definitely know why you owled me.” Nodding, he paused a moment to take another sip of his coffee. “And yeah. I’m definitely interested.”

"Have you been keeping up with your personal training at all? Keeping fit and all that?" Not a judgemental question at all but just getting a sense of how much work it might be to bring him onto the team. "Just trying to get a sense of where you're coming from. What your expectations are. I'm not going to lie and say if we bring you on, you'll have weeks to train and get ready. This would be more like being thrown to the wolves right at the off." It was probably better for everyone if Cav didn't mince words here.

He let out a small laugh. “I’ve been getting back to flying over the past couple months, yeah. And I joined a Muggle gym.” It even had televisions one could watch while running on the treadmill. “And I’m fine with being thrown to the wolves. Wouldn’t make sense to baby me just so I can play a game or two.”

Cav nodded about that. As long as he was keeping up, that was good. "What are you looking for with this?" he asked. "Another season under your belt? A career with Portree? A trial run to see if Quidditch is where you want to be?"

“I can guarantee you until the end of the season and anything post season,” Octavius answered. “And if you’re happy with my performance, we can talk more after that.”

That wasn't anything less than Cav expected, really. He wouldn't have believed someone who came in and said yes, let's make a career out of it. Something like that would be disingenuous at this point. "Good. I can work with that. As much as I'd like to look into the future with this sort of thing, this season has made it so that the focus needs to be on the present. Have you been following the season at all?"

Octavius nodded. “I have. And I’m ready for whatever Portree has to throw at me.”

At that, Cav smiled. As long as he was prepared. "All right. Let me draw up some paperwork and check out out a few things on my end, but I think it's safe to say that we'll be welcoming you to the roster soon."

“Sounds like a plan, Cavallero,” Octavius said with a smile of his own.