RP: Pineapple Pizza Who: Elijah and Luna When: Tuesday, October 10, 2009 Where: Luna's school What: Eli meets up with Luna to go over his presentation for the kids over pizza. Warnings: None
Elijah had spent his spare time over the last week and a half researching kid-friendly survivalist lessons and shaping them into two age-specific hour-long presentations. The one for the younger children included shorter explanations and more interactive things, though the other had elements of both as well. He was really hoping that Luna approved of what he'd come up with, as he didn't want to disappoint her. Why he didn't want to disappoint her was something he wasn't looking closely at, but he had to assume it had something to do with the fact that he hated disappointing anyone.
He'd spent the day fine-tuning things and rehearsing how he'd present the information to Luna, and by the time he'd left his apartment to go pick up the pizza he'd ordered, he was sure he'd had it all well memorized. When he left the pizza shop, he had two boxes, one was the works--a combination of meat and vegetables--and the other was a Hawaiian, and he hoped that Luna would like his choices. There was a possibility she'd mentioned the pineapple on pizza debate because she wasn't interested in trying it, but she'd also said that she would try anything once, so he was counting on that. And if she didn't care for it, well, he liked Hawaiian pizza well enough.
By the time he made it to Luna's school, he was a bit more nervous than he wanted to admit, but he rapped his knuckles against the door calmly and hoped that it would all go smoothly. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder filled with supplies in case she wanted to see him demonstrate any of the things he intended to demonstrate for the kids, and the pizzas were still held in one hand. He rocked on his feet slightly as he waited.
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Knowing that Eli was coming by today had Luna trying on a few different outfits the night before. The outfit she had settled on that night was not at all what she had worn that morning. She felt so much more confident in this outfit, she thought as she left her house to start her day.
The day had slipped away from her, though she wasn't at all upset when she glanced at the clock to see it was almost time for Eli to be there. She had slipped into the bathroom to check her hair, before she started to head down from her office to the front door. She knew he would be there any moment and she wanted to be there to open he door when he arrived. It seemed luck was on her side, just as she hit the bottom step she heard the knock at the door, there was only one person it could be. She hurried to open the door, grinning as she stepped aside to let him inside. "Do come inside, we can go up to my office on the second floor?"
Her school had been set up with all of the class rooms on the main floor, and her office, the teacher's lounge, and the small office they used as the healer's office on the second floor. There were extendable rooms all throughout, through different cabinets and things that Dora helped her set up for the school. As they needed more space, another room would be added on.
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She looked... stunning. There was no other word for it, and the way she was dressed made this whole thing feel a whole lot more date-like than he'd been thinking of it. Did she think this was a date? Would she think him under-dressed in his simple jeans and long-sleeved shirt? Did he even want it to be a date? He didn't think so, so why was he worrying about it all?
Eli forcefully pushed those thoughts away and gave her a small, friendly smile. "Hi, uh, sure," he said as he stepped inside, careful not to brush against her. He didn't want her to think him a cad or anything. "Lead the way," he said after she'd closed the door, motioning her ahead of him.
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Luna's smile only grew when he gave her that friendly one, she was excited that he was there to show her what he intended to teach the children and share a pizza. She was hoping that maybe after spending some time together, he might take her up on that tour after all. She definitely wouldn't mind getting to know him more, she just wasn't sure how to go about letting him know that. She hoped it would somehow come up naturally on it's own.
After he had stepped inside, she shut the door behind him, before she started to lead the way upstairs to her office. It was one of the only real rooms that was upstairs, not inside one of the many closets. Her shelves were a bit bare currently, she had yet to finish filling them with odds and ends. There were however a few pictures all over he walls. Pictures of Luna with Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, there were pictures of her from her expeditions mixed in, coupled with a few more recent pictures of Luna with Ginny after a Harpies game, with Dora at her baby shower, and a few from outings with Hannah. She had tried to decorate her office with an open sort of feeling to the entire office, making it feel more homey by adding the pictures of her friends to the walls.
She ignored her desk though, moving around to sit down on the sofa. It seemed the best place to sit for his sort of demonstration. "Feel free to set up where you feel comfortable, either my desk maybe or this table?" She leaned forward just enough to lightly tap the table in front of he couch. "I can also clear my desk." Which would just take a quick wand flick, she had places she could tuck away all of her papers and things. She had only thought to clean that table, assuming he would use that. It was only now she realized he might need more surface space.
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Elijah followed Luna up to her office, his shrewd eyes taking in everything along the way and many of the little details once they were there. Her office was filled with personal touches, bits and pieces of the things that made her her, and though a part of him longed to explore it all slowly, to take it all in and possibly even learn more about her in the process, he refrained, setting the pizzas on the coffee table instead.
"Oh, uhh, I don't think you need to do that," he said, referring to clearing off her desk. "Did you want me to just give you a rundown of what I was planning to do or would you rather I give you the whole presentation I'll be doing for the kids? I brought everything just in case you wanted me to do the demonstrations," he explained. They hadn't really said what they'd be doing tonight other than going over it, so he hadn't been sure.
"And also, y'know, the pizza," he added, a bit of a crooked grin gracing his face as he waved a hand toward it. "Got a couple different types."
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Luna hadn't thought much about if he would actually go through the demonstration or if he was just going to tell her about what he was intending to do, she had assumed he'd show her. She rather thought that he could tell her too, that would work just as well. It also meant that he might sit next to her on the couch, where they could eat the pizza. "I wouldn't mind being told about them, maybe you could show me a couple? One for each age group?" She assumed that he had put thought into this and that there might be a few things he was excited to share with the kids.
At the mention of the pizza, she couldn't help but lean forward so that she could open the box on top. "What kind did you get?" She was still curious about this whole New York and Chicago pizza thing, as well as the pineapple pizza. It sounded like something she might really enjoy however, she was looking forward to potentially getting one with Eli later. This was something she didn't want to ask Ginny to figure out with her, she wanted to discover it with the handsome man in front of her.
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That seemed like a pretty efficient course for them to take, as it would give her some insight into what he had in mind and the sorts of demonstrations he was planning to do. "Alright, I'll give you the run down over pizza, and then I'll show you a couple of the demos," he agreed as he moved around the table to sit on the couch with her, keeping a respectable distance between them.
The supreme pizza was on top, and he chuckled softly as she asked what kind even as she opened the box. Of course, she might not be able to tell the difference by sight if she didn't have much experience with pizza, at least the American version of it. "That one is a supreme," he answered as his hands went to the boxes, one lifting the top one up enough to slide the bottom one out from under it. He lifted the lid of the second box and held it open for her to see. "And here we've got a Hawaiian." Pineapple and Canadian bacon was a great combination, even if it wasn't his favorite pizza.
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Luna felt her heart race as he sat down next to her, he wasn't close enough that their legs were bumping, but he was close enough that she was aware he was there. She was trying very hard to remember what Ginny and Dora had told her the day before, she needed to relax and be herself. This was jut a demonstration, it wasn't some sort of date. She knew that if there were signs that it might potentially turn into a date, she would need to warn him that she was just out of a relationship. She needed to stop thinking about all of that just now though, there was pizza, and a demonstration.
"Supreme? What makes it supreme?" she asked curiously as she looked over just what came on that pizza. Then he was lifting the lid of the second box he had, she couldn't help the little noise of delight that left her when she saw pineapple on the pizza. "Oh! You did get a pineapple one! Thank you so much." She had heard that not many like the pineapple, but she had been curious about it all. She wanted had wanted to try it, so much so that she had intended to ask him to grab a slice of pineapple pizza sometime. At least she had been intending to if this went well. "I think I'm going to try a slice of that one first." She reached into the box to snag a piece, realizing only then she didn't have plates in her office. "Oh!" One hand holding her slice of pizza, the other pulled her wand from behind her ear, and with a silent spell the plates were floating into her office from the break room. "Sorry, I have better manners than that."
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"It's supreme cause it has almost everything on it," he answered. "It's a mix of meats and veggies." And it was what he preferred when he had pizza, but he couldn't resist bringing a Hawaiian one for her to try as well. And that little noise she made when he opened the second box made it completely worth it. It was refreshing, being around someone who could delight in such a small thing. "You're very welcome."
Eli chuckled under his breath at her apology and the way she summoned plates to them. "You're fine," he promised her as he caught the plates that sailed into the room. He held one out to her so she could put her slice of pizza on it, and then filled his own plate with a few slices. Sitting back against the cushion, he started telling her his plans for the presentations between slightly smaller bites than he normally might have thanks to his deeply ingrained manners. About halfway through the food on his plate, he'd set it aside, getting more into his descriptions, using his hands as he spoke to emphasize or demonstrate things.
After going through his plan verbally, he got up and opened his backpack, pulling out the supplies he needed for the first demonstration. It didn't take him long to get through the two demonstrations he'd brought to share with her, and then he sat back down on the couch, picking up his plate of half-finished pizza, lifting the now-cold slice to his mouth without a thought.
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"That makes a lot of sense, I wonder if I'll like it. It sounds delicious." Luna couldn't wait to try them both, they smelled delicious. Her smile lit up her features as she took the plate from Eli, putting a slice of each on her plate. She was excited to try the pineapple, it was the first slice she tried, as she listened to his plans for what he was going to show the children. She took a bite from the pineapple slice, falling in love almost immediately. As he continued with his demonstration, she wasn't shy about picking up a second slice of the pineapple once she had finished her supreme slice. While the supreme had been good, there was just something about the pineapple that she really enjoyed. It was the savory and sweet mixture, it was delicious.
While he went through actually demonstrating things, she had finished off her third piece, and set the plate down in front of her. She had watched with rapt attention, she was even learning a few new things. As he sat back down, blue eyes grew wide, and she reached out to touch his arm. "Don't eat that! It's cold, it isn't good anymore!" She didn't realize you could eat cold pizza, it had come hot, and so she assumed that you had to eat it warm. "I can cast a quick warming charm?" She was sure they could warm the pizza back up so that it would be safe for him to finish eating, she really hadn't meant to distract him from his food.
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She was a good audience, he thought with a mental grin. There was a unique sort of air about her, a sense that she genuinely cared about what he had to show, and Eli really liked that. It showed how much she cared about her school and her students, and it was a comfort to know they were in such good, caring hands. As he sat down to get back to his pizza though, her response puzzled him at first, but then she explained, and he chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, no, no warming charm necessary. One of the beauties of pizza is that once it's cooked, it's delicious hot, at room temperature, or even refrigerated." Cold pizza had been a staple of sorts in the barracks, he remembered with a sort of faraway look in his eyes.
Shaking his head, he brought his attention back from the past and onto her, taking a large bite of the pizza. "So what made you decide to open a school?" he asked curiously after he'd finished that bite. He wanted to learn more about this woman, though it was as yet just a friendly sort of interest. Despite having gone on that date with Mandy, he wasn't really looking at dating anyone just yet.
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Blue eyes watched him eat the piece skeptically after he reassured her that it was just as good cold, she wasn't so sure she bought that. She wanted to try some herself, though she was full. She wondered if he might let her keep a piece later, that way she could try this cold pizza once she was hungry again. Was it rude to ask to take home a slice? She wasn't going to worry about that much longer however as her attention had focused once again on Eli, in just enough to time to hear his question.
"I had just come back from my most recent expeditions. After Hogwarts I went out with a few groups, discovering new species of magical creatures, and saving some as well." She gave him a rather proud smile, she knew she had done good work those years after school, it had been almost eight before she had come back to London to figure out what she wanted to do. "Anyway, I had been talking with a friend about just what I wanted to do.. I wanted to finish my magizoology degree, get all of the proper certificates. I thought it would be a good thing as well though to start a school for small witches and wizards. I don't know if I'll do this forever, but at least for the foreseeable future. I do fully believe they need someone more qualified as Head Mistress but I'm enjoying getting the school off the ground. Shaping it.." She could have talked for ages about all of it, about finishing schooling with Rolf, or how she was having fun figuring everything out for the children, there was so much about the job that she absolutely adored.
"I will admit though," Luna leaned in closer to Eli then and was speaking in an excited whisper as if someone could over hear them. "I miss being out in the field sometimes. Sleeping in my tent, listening to the rainforest around me, and feeling the sun kiss my skin..." She really found London weather awful, she much prefered finding sandy beaches to make camp near.
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As Luna told him about how she'd decided to open the school, Eli listened with interest. He wasn't sure what sort of expeditions she was talking about at first, but then she explained, and he nodded slightly in understanding. What an adventure that must have been! He couldn't imagine exploring and discovering new creatures, as it wasn't exactly where his interests lie, but he did understand that pride that came with doing something you deeply enjoyed. "So have you finished your magizoology degree, then?" Or was it something she was working on in tandem with getting this school off the ground? He wasn't going to touch on the whole believing they needed someone more qualified bit, as he didn't know her well enough to gauge if that were true, though he rather thought her passion counted for a lot.
When she leaned closer, he unconsciously mimicked the movement, finding her enthusiasm to be catching. And at the mention of sun-kissed skin, he couldn't stop his eyes from glancing down briefly and taking in the modest expanses of skin revealed on her arms and chest in that lovely dress of hers. He was not a cad, and so he didn't allow his mind from entertaining the thoughts of other sorts of kissed skin. That wasn't what this was, even if it had been an awfully long time. "Sounds enchanting," he murmured, his mind catching up with him a moment later. He coughed softly under his breath and sat back again, fishing around in his mind for something else to talk about that wouldn't make things awkward.
"Do you put your magizoology knowledge to use in the school? Teach the children all about the various magical creatures that are out there?" he asked, and he was interested enough in what the answer might be that it didn't feel like a desperate change of subject.
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"I did! While I was getting everything together to open the school, that first year I worked with Rolf over at the Beastiery, he helped me finish my degree. It was something that I wanted to accomplish before I opened the school. I actually got my degree just a month before the school opened." She was proud of that, it showed in the bright smile, and the way she sat just a little straighter after that. She was proud she had finished her schooling, she wanted to do something with it still. She was thinking of opening a larger rescue, for those creatures that were very large and not easy to fit at the Beastiery. It was still a passing thought however, she still needed to figure out if she wanted to get the barn, and do everything she would need to in order to open something like that.
While Luna was generally in own world, she still seemed to pick on things. She caught his eyes as they looked down at her arms, she wondered if that meant something. She might have to ask Ginny later, though it was her arms. She was being ridiculous, wasn't she? Thinking there was something in a glance at her arms, she was being ridiculous. "It's wonderful. Have you ever been camping? A group of friends and I try to go yearly, though we weren't able to make time this year," she admitted with just the slightest of frowns, she hadn't realized that until just now.
Eli seemed to know how to get her talking, she eagerly nodded her head. "I do, actually. I've not got many magical creatures here just yet, but I have a few. My classroom pet is my sugar glider Sunny, she really adores the children when she's had enough rest. I've got another creature at home that I'm waiting to hatch, though I don't think they will be coming to the classroom until I'm teaching older children, or the creature is bigger." Once she knew that her occamy was safe. "I also have Rolf bring creatures over often from the Beastiery. They really enjoy getting to see all of these creatures, and he is always sure they are age appropriate." Rolf was someone that Luna could always count on. They had bonded over their shared love of the creatures, and been good friends ever since. She looked up to him as a mentor, and enjoyed working with him.
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His smile warmed as she talked about her degree, her enthusiasm catching. That was something he'd realized about her in the short time he'd known her now--she was quite the enthusiastic person, and that always seemed to lighten the mood. "That's great, Luna." It sounded like she'd worked hard for it, and he rather thought she'd more than earned it.
Eli couldn't help laughing at her question, though it was a subdued sound, not quite as melancholy as his looks could get at the memories of his time in the military, but there was some of it in the sound. "I have in fact been camping, though it's been many years since I went for pleasure." He thought about elaborating on that, but he didn't want to bring the mood down with all of that. Perhaps if she asked him he'd explain, but for now he was content leaving it there.
Oh yeah, asking about the creatures had clearly been the right course of action. He listened attentively as she explained, nodding at the mention of Rolf. It wasn't the first time she'd mentioned him, and he wondered how close the two were, if they were dating or not. Not that it mattered either way, and there was nothing wrong with them just having a close friendship. Pushing those thoughts away, he grinned at Luna. "How much of your job is just trying to figure out what's age appropriate?" he asked jokingly.
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She rather enjoyed his laugh, it made her wonder what one of his deep belly laughs would sound like. She rather thought it might be a warm sound, one of those sounds that warmed you to your very core. The thought alone had her smiling, and she was struggling to stay in the moment there on the couch. "You really ought to soon." His words weren't helping to keep her from slipping into that day dream. She kept picturing him stretched out on a hammock, strung between two trees that were just a few feet from the door of her open tent. Why was she picturing him outside her tent, and why did she keep imagining him in just a pair of boardshorts? She kept reminding herself it was because it was hot in the amazon, though that didn't explain everything...
Another laugh slipped from her. "I think my entire job is figuring out what is age appropriate. Thankfully I don't have to worry so much about certain people that come to the school. I've been hoping to bring Rose in to see the children the next time that Rolf brings the animals. I think the kids would love to hear some of her tales from working as a cursebreaker." Though she hadn't figured out how to go about approaching that question. It hit her then, she didn't really know just what Eli did. She had been going on and on about herself, her degree, her kids, she really was being rude. "What do you do? Did we talk about that already?" Maybe talking about what he did would get that image of him walking towards the tent shirtless out of her head.
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"Oh, should I?" Eli retorted, sounding amused. He honestly wasn't sure how he'd take to camping now. After all the time he'd spent in the military--while he knew he couldn't really call that camping, there'd been some semblance of it--the thought wasn't particularly appealing. But he was sure her idea of camping was wildly different from that and far more enjoyable. And besides, if it wasn't camping in a desert, it might not even remind him of his time in the middle east. It was something to consider.
He didn't envy her that job. He liked kids well enough, but he didn't think he could handle teaching them. "I'd imagine some of those cursebreaking tales wouldn't be age appropriate," he suggested with a bit of a crooked grin. He'd only met one or two before, but he'd heard some hair-raising tales before that he definitely didn't think were appropriate for kids. He chuckled at her questions, surprised that she didn't remember, and nodded his head. "Yeah, we we talked on the phone," he answered. It had been a few weeks ago and he knew she'd been busy with the school, so he wasn't surprised she hadn't remembered. "I'm a Mediwizard at St. Mungo's, working on finishing my Healer training as well." He didn't mind explaining again.
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Luna flushed just a little at his reply, nodding her head quickly because she couldn't get the image of him shirtless out of her head. She worried for half a second that he had the knowing but she thought that if he did, he was likely polite enough to not peek in on others. "You really ought to," she said in a soft voice, smiling sheepishly at her kneecaps for a moment. She had to push the thought from her mind, stop thinking about a camping trip with him before she tried to ask him to go camping sometime. That was ridiculous! She had just met him.
"Most definitely, but I'm sure there have to be a few that she could sort out." Luna was hopeful, there had to be at least one that didn't get too scary. She wondered though if some of the older children wouldn't mind listening to a scary story, though maybe not too scary.
Blue eyes grew wide, a bubbly little laugh leaving her when he told her what he did. "That's right! Are you enjoying St. Mungo's? My friend Hannah used to do her Healer training there, but I believe she switched over to the clinic just up the road. It really was closer to where she worked and lived at the Leaky, but I think since she moved in with Ernie, it isn't nearly as close anymore." Though she didn't know for sure, she had no idea where Ernie actually lived with Hannah. There was a flat somewhere, that was all Luna knew. She had never been to their home. "How much longer before you've completed your training?"
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Even though he didn't have a vested interest in it, Eli found himself hoping that Rose might have some age-appropriate stories to tell the children about cursebreaking. There was nothing wrong with exposing them to different sorts of jobs early so that they could explore a variety of interests young and give them more direction for what they want to do when they grow up. "Hopefully she will," he replied simply, smiling at the enthusiastic blonde.
And she really was the enthusiastic sort, he was reminded again as she rambled a bit about the topic despite the fact he had no idea who she was talking about. Although he thought he remembered a woman named Hannah working on her training as well. He was still figuring everyone out though and working on remembering names. "I am enjoying it, yeah," he answered when she paused. It was far from glamorous at times, but it was a rewarding path and he didn't have any regrets about going down it. "Hmm, probably about six more months, give or take." With him working full-time, it might take even longer to finish his training, but he was hopeful. It just meant he wasn't going to have as much time for social or extra things like this.
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While Luna could be a bit socially awkward, she could at least pick up the social cues when the conversation was starting to wind down. She didn't want Eli to go though, she wanted to get to know him more. She started to twist one of her rings around her fingers nervously as she tried to find the courage to ask Eli to go for a drink, there were two places they could pop into that weren't far from her school.
She was listening though, and her head bobbed in a nod when he said it would only be about six more months. "That's not bad at all! You've got to celebrate properly when you finally complete it all. I took an impromptu trip to the amazon with my best friend." It had happened twice now, where when one of the women just needed to get away, the pair took off. She wanted to suggest he go camping, and she had really meant to tell him that, when instead out came, "Would you want to grab a drink?" Her cheeks flushed as she realized she hadn't said the right thing. Not wanting to make the situation more awkward, she motioned behind her with her thumb. "The Leaky is just up the road, we could grab a pint." She wasn't even worried about bringing outside food in, she was there enough to visit with Hannah, so she was sure no one would mind too much.
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"I'm sure I will, though I don't think it'll be anything as grand as a trip to the Amazon," he replied with a soft chuckle. He was having trouble imagining the pretty blonde exploring the Amazon, though it probably had something to do with how she was dressed. She certainly didn't look like the wilderness explorer sort, though he wasn't doubting her. "Have you got pictures from your trip?" he asked curiously. He couldn't help but wonder what she looked like in her element while exploring that way.
Her question surprised him, and it showed for a moment before he gave her an almost bashful smile in return. "Uhh, I'm not much of a drinker, but sure. Yeah, let's go grab a drink." They could go, have a drink, get to know one another a bit more, no big deal. He enjoyed her company well enough, but he wasn't really thinking about anything beyond that just yet. Dating just wasn't something he was ready to seriously consider yet, even with having gone on a date with the lovely and mysterious Mandy a few weeks ago. Maybe once he was done with his Healer training and had more time to spend with people outside of work...
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Luna wouldn't press about the fact that Eli definitely should head to the Amazon, if only for a weekend. He could still experience so much! It was so beautiful! She instead would try to sway him with those pictures that he had mentioned. "I do, I'll have to bring them when you come to talk to the children. I've made scrapbooks." Though she hadn't started that second scrapbook yet, the one that would hold the pictures from her trip with Ginny. She hadn't gotten around to it just yet, not with everything going on.
She really hoped she would get to see that smile more often, it was endearing. She nodded her head, moving to get up from the couch then. "Perfect, let me just grab my things." She didn't move far, she just slipped her wand from her hair and went about calling her things to her. She was ready to go within moments, a black messenger bag that seemed to have the night sky printed on it slung across her, with a brilliant blue cape that tied around the neck wrapped around her shoulders. It made her impossibly blue eyes pop.
"Shall we be off?" she asked once she was ready, glancing down only once to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She would have been mortified if she had forgotten her shoes or something ridiculous like that, it was often that she would slip off her shoes in the office and forget about them later.
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As she started summoning her things, Eli got up to pack up his supplies, preferring to do it by hand even though it took a little bit longer. After so many years in the no-maj world and military there, he'd gotten used to doing things without magic and it was a habit he still and yet to break. In time, though, he was sure he'd get used to using magic for more things again.
"Yeah, we shall," he replied with a soft chuckle as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and then motioned for her to lead the way. As with Mandy, if nothing else happened, he knew he'd like to have Luna as a friend, and this felt like a pretty good start to that.