sitting, waiting, wishing

Silvyr walked into the Brooms briskly as he shed off the cool breeze that had followed him in. He was enjoying the weather and the sunrise over the forest was all he wished he needed to recharge his lack of energy due to the plague. Everyday it seemed he was counting down the days for the leaves to change. Autumn was by far his favorite time of year to run through the forest for hours on end with Leah.

Silvyr removed his jacket and tossed it into his normal booth before looking up. His eyes caught a glimpse of long blonde hair and he quickly realized it had landed next to someone. He snatched it back up quickly shocked at himself. Not only had he not thought to look up but he had been walking with his eyes closed thinking about the weather. His words came out faster than he could think them, "I'm am terribly sorry. I promise you I didn't see you there."

Not many people frequented the establishment this early and that suited Shiera just fine. It was always best to come in when the place wasn't too crowded to get a sense of what it was really about. And then there were places like the Hog's Head whose nature was evident no matter what time of day you walked in.

The witch had smiled at the pleasant looking barkeep and ordered a coffee, deeming it too early to indulge in anything stronger. Hogsmeade was proving to be interesting so far but there would be time for fully exploring it later. Shiera had no wish to take a tour to identify what had changed and what had not since the last time she had visited.

A few minutes later, a cup of coffee steaming on her table and a copy of the day's Prophet in her hands, Shiera's peace was interrupted by a coat landing beside her.

"I'm am terribly sorry. I promise you I didn't see you there."

Taken aback for a moment, the witch frowned. Then, rearranging her features into a smile, nodded. "And here I thought I was not easy to miss." Her attempt at humor. She was sitting in a corner booth, towards the in side. The blonde was positive the booth would look empty to anyone walking in from the doorway.

Where had his mind gone these past few weeks? Silvyr had never been one to not take in his surroundings as soon as he entered a new surrounding... "This time of peace is going to be the death of me." he thought to himself as he took in the woman's stunning features.

A smile grew across the woman's face as she made a quick joke. Silvyr couldn't help but follow suit. "I must admit you're certainly hard to miss." he said pleasantly stating the obvious. "Can I make it up to you by buying your coffee?" he asked trying to make things better. Besides it was the least he could do after semi assaulting the woman's peaceful breakfast with his jacket.

"Coffee is easy to come by," the blonde stated in response to his offer, gesturing for him to take the seat across from her. "Now if you were to give me some insight, I'd be more impressed." She had only meant to say that there was no need for him to buy her a drink but upon reflection, she could see how her words might be misinterpreted.

"Excuse me, someone appears to have spiked my drink with a babbling potion." Humor had worked before so why not? Shiera put the newspaper aside, never one to be rude company.

Silvyr looked down at Leah and pointed at the seat, gesturing for her to go first. She jumped up and moved as close to the wall as she could before curling up into a ball. He slid in next to her and waited for her head to land on his leg heavily. As if she had read his mind Silvyr felt her weight on his thigh.

He smiled again and laughed slightly with her at the joke, "If I had anything worth sharing I promise you I would but sadly we're both living in the same peaceful world now a days." he said happily. He motioned to the bartender for a coffee and looked back to the woman sitting across from him. "I'm Silvyr by the way, and this is Leah." he said as he reached his hand out across the table. "What brings you to Hogsmeade?"

As much as Shiera tried to hide it, she couldn't help the surprise her features registered when what she had previously assumed to be a dog or crup turned out to be a wolf. Yes, the difference was quite clear to see as the animal jumped on the seat, as domesticated as a housebroken puppy under the young man's instructions.

And the way it rested on its master showed quite clearly the affection the two shared. Shiera considered for a moment, the wisdom of asking if she could pet the wolf but decided against it. At least not until she knew the man and the animal much better. Regrowing and replacing fingers bitten off was quite bothersome these days. The lines at St. Mungo's alone would kill her.

Instead she focussed on his question.

"What brings you to Hogsmeade?"

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure," she replied truthfully. "I've been wondering around a lot lately, trying to find my niche in society..."Sipping her coffee - black, always black - she pondered his earlier statement. "You don't sound very pleased at the peace that seems to be reigning these days. Though my father always did say there was no such thing as piece - only the calm between two storms."

Realizing she hadn't introduced herself to the man yet, she rectified the mistake. "I'm sorry, how rude of me not to give a name. I'm Shiera, and no, not the Irish radio celebrity. Just plain old Shiera."

"Nice to meet you Shiera, I'm Silvyr." Silvyr said as he lifted the cup of coffee that had floated from the bar over to their table just a few moments ago. He took a big whiff in through his nostrils smelling the dark roast and enjoying the rich smell. It smelled perfect. He took a few sips before continuing on with the conversation. "Your father was a smart man. It's only a matter of time before some idiotic radicalized group of wizards begin another war. The entire nature of our being seems to be nothing more than petty repetition. That's why I spend most of my time with this one out in the wilderness. Where no one can find us or bother us." Silvyr said while petting Leah on the head.

Glancing down at her hand Silvyr noticed that she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. It surprised him a little more than he would have anticipated. He spoke again keeping the conversation going, "Well what is it that you're good at Shiera? If you find something you love or are passionate about then I believe that you will have found your niche. You're dressed beautifully and it's only seven o'clock so I can guess that you either enjoy shopping or looking nice. And I know for a fact that any man would be happy to be sitting where I am right now this morning. So I'm guessing it's not the foot in the door that you're looking for but more you're trying to figure out which door will lead you to where you really want to be." He said finishing with a soft smile.

He was both observant and perceptive, she noted, bringing the coffee cup to her lips once more under the pretense of buying herself more time. Of course, being both of those were not a bad thing. The witch just wondered if one should show it as plainly. Well, a thank you was as good a place to start as any. Replacing the cup back on the table between them, she smiled.

"You're too kind," she began, giving his little monologue serious thought. "And frank." Almost as an afterthought, she added. "Dressing well is an ingrained habit I'm afraid. I'm not too crazy about shopping though, I prefer to be on the receiving end when it comes to gold." Once again realizing how her words could be misinterpreted, she explained further. "I used to be a banker."

Looking around the room, she changed the topic, this man didn't need to hear her life's story. Not that she was ready to tell it to a stranger at a bar. Oh the cliche! "And as for your "idiotic radicalized group", even war has its benefits. After all, peace wouldn't be nearly as appreciated as it is now if we didn't have war to balance things out."

"I suppose there is some truth there but I wouldn't know. I do what I can to keep my nose out of the wizarding wars." he said with a shrug and sipped at his coffee once again.

Silvyr knew it was his turn to keep the conversation going once he placed his mug back on the table, "So Hogsmeade isn't usually a random place that you happen to stop by at for an early breakfast. What brought you to town?"

"I was actually considering looking for work here," she admitted, figuring what harm could it do. "But more than that, I wanted to see if it has changed any since my own Hogwarts days." Not exactly a lie but not the whole truth either. But it would serve for now.

"If I may, you have a most unusual pet. I was wondering how you came across her."