Charlie knew he talked about dragons a lot and felt a bit bad that Marcus was on the receiving end of what Charlie assumed to be a boring conversation—especially since Marcus said, multiple times, that he had no interest in dragons or animals.
"Things will improve," he said, hope in his voice, "and you're doing something witches and wizards of all ages can enjoy without worrying about what's going on. You are smart, you know the game better than a lot of people, which is why you're on the best team. I hear you're name a lot, Flint, but mostly from my female students," he laughed, clapping Marcus on the shoulder. "And perhaps we will see each other around. I may write to you so I can beg for a couple tickets to a Falcons match."
Nodding, Charlie slipped his hands into the pockets of his well-worn, dark jeans, thanked the shopkeeper, and headed out. He still had some patrolling to do.