First Steps Into a New Old World

Galen was sitting at the bar with his mother and father on each side of him. They knew how shy he was, and having them beside him gave him so much comfort. He was sipping at a butterbeer when a finger prodded his back. His eyes widened. Oh dear frigging Merlin, no. Galen screamed inside, but turned around to see an equally awkward looking brunette. He kept himself guarded, but his expression softened just a little. "H-Hi." He said softly. "How can I help you?" Galen twiddled his thumbs nervously. He didn't want to talk to someone, but he also didn't want to not be helpful. This world is a hard world. He bit his lip.

Alex was so uberly screwed. She'd lost her sister and her sister's Philip. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Her insides churned like butter and her face was full of fear. No one in the whole restaurant looked her age. Who was she supposed to ask about this. Oh god. Oh god. Her eyes darted around the room worriedly, and eventually she spotted a boy. She couldn't tell how old he was; his back was to her, but he didn't look big enough to be much older so somehow she found herself poking his spine. The boy eventually turned around and to Alex's surprise he looked just as horrified as she was. "I-I-I-I was wondering if by any chance you saw a boy and a girl. The girl is blonde, the boy is brunette. She might have had her hands under his shirt."

"I haven't seen them." Galen shook his head. "But you can sit with me at a table until they come back for you, alright?" Galen couldn't imagine how scared the girl must have been, or how scared he would've been in that situation. Galen hopped off the bar stool and led her to an empty table making sure she was comfortable with his presence and himself with hers before he sat down. "So..." He started. Merlin, this was going to be so awkward. Galen sighed softly and pulled out his sketch bad from the shoulder bag he had on. He sketched quietly while a waitress came over with butterbeers. Galen pretty much ignored his, far too caught up in his writing to pay attention to a drink.

Alexandra sat quietly and pulled out a book, just as quiet as Galen as the butterbeers were delivered. She took a sip as an opportunity to peak. He was pretty okay. She twiddled her thumbs and sighed. Where was Charlie? She needed some Charlie to entertain her. Her sister was her foil, and it was pretty great. Especially when Philip was trying to impress her. Charlie loved Philip's attention. Alex noticed, but of course she would. Charlie was dating the boy. Alex watched the boy's face as he drew. It was pretty entertaining to watch him figure out the individual details by watching his expressions.

Galen could feel the girl staring at him. He more or less ignored it. He was pretty used to his parents and their friends watching him, and he'd spent hours watching his father as a child. Art was something that took an entire body to do, and not many people realized that. When you were an artist you weren't yourself, you were the piece you were working on at the moment, and at this moment he was a wizard's hat with a slight crick in its point. Galen finished the sketching and rummaged through his bag for a strip of charcoal for shading. Some people liked charcoal pencils, but Galen thought it was annoying to lay a pencil on its side to shade. Methodically, he worked his way through the piece. However, a good amount of charcoal was on the tip of his nose and cheeks.

Alex's nose scrunched when he got charcoal on his face. She was a total clean freak and it just looked so awful. Ugh. Finally she'd had enough. She hit the table. "Wipe your bloody face! It's a mess!" She huffed and took a long sip of butterbeer, waving over for a cranberry juice. The waitress went to poor a single cup, but Alex took the whole pitcher, so she wouldn't have to keep asking for seconds. She chugged the drink like water. She was in love with cranberries. They were bitter and sweet. Kind of like life. "So what is it that you're drawing anyways?" She asked. Alex didn't get the art thing really. It wasn't interesting to her. Now a good book on the other hand... Alex poured another glass of the juice and knocked it back.

Galen jumped a mile when the girl across from him hit the table. He thought she was about to stab him to death. Of course, there was charcoal smeared all over his face. It was a pretty normal thing for him. Charcoal tended to be messy, and shading was a messy process in general. Galen took a moist towelette from a little thing of them and wiped his face. "Better, yes?" He asked before he went back to his shading-slightly more careful than before, so he wouldn't be yelled at again. He looked up when he saw her chugging cranberry juice. He wouldn't have minded a glass, but he was worried this girl could break limbs. "I'm drawing a wizard's hat. Like the ones in the movies. Y'know, pointy and such?"

"Yeah...it's better." She sighed softly. Honestly, how did people not know they were dirty. Alex just sighed and shook her head. If only people were as clean as cranberry juice. Oh, cranberry juice. Alex's only friend. Look at you, all red and stuff. Wow, cranberry juice. So delicious. So bold. So flavorful. Cranberry juice. Alex just gave in and put her straw in the quarter empty pitcher, slurping happily at her drink. "Ah." She nodded. "Why would you want to draw that? Why not come up with something that's not a thing? Like a dice that looks like a Ken Doll, or a telletubby with a wand in its shoulder?"

"Okay, good." Galen said, now rummaging for brown and black colored pencils. He began filling in the shape while the girl sitting across from him dreamed of fruit juice. The thing was actually coming out kind of epic. He'd probably give it to the girl, even though she clearly wasn't an art enthusiast. Just because he was in the mood to. Galen twiddled his thumbs as he thought about how he particularly wanted to color some areas of the hat when her questions caught him off guard. He shrugged. "Because I had the inspiration to do it. And because that would be pretty stupid."

Alex shrugged. Art was stupidish anyways. She blinked when he pulled out colored pencils. What artist used those? She tried not to laugh slightly. She supposed even if he was talented he was still just a kid when it came to means of actually doing his talent. Alex sipped at her juice, and looked around the pub. Nothing there really grasped her attention. It was all the same basically. Like the few other all wizarding restaurants she'd seen. A lot of people wore robes which she deemed to be very uncomfortable especially since it was the end of summer. They must have all been one hundred degrees.