Paper Baskets

Haruhi was seated in the pub. Her mother was too busy with some sort of business meeting to have taken her shopping, which wasn't much of a surprise to the eleven year old, so she was with her grandma. Obaasan was as new to all of this magic stuff as Haruhi was, though Obaasan wouldn't have to be studying magic like Haruhi was about too, once term started. She was nervous of making a mistake and sitting in the strange pub with countless other magic persons, Haruhi felt intimidated. Obaasan left her at the table to purchase something for them to eat before they attempted to find all her school supplies in Amethyst Alley. Haruhi attempted to calm her nerves by crumpling up napkins and tossing them into the trash can. She made three baskets before she realized she had company and that that company was not her grandmother.

"Oh sorry. Can I help you?" Haruhi asked, blushing slightly. She hoped she wasn't annoying anyone. "I'm just trying to pass some time," She explained. Her next toss didn't make it into the basket, but rather landed on the floor. She rose to pick it up and drop it in herself. "Do you want to try?" She offered.

Summer sucked majorly. Everything was hot and sweaty and you had to wear thin clothes to make sure you weren't hotter and sweatier, and Harley owned, like, two percent thin clothes. She'd been a huge advocator of jeans and sweatpants since she found out how comfortable they were. Basically, she hated summer, and she was damn sure summer hated her back. Fortunately, a walk to La Petit Dragon and an iced pumpkin juice was an amazing reprieve from the ickiness of summer.

Once she got there, she realized that in the midst of her animosity towards summer, she had forgotten that first years were starting to come in, and the place was jam packed. Harley squeezed her way to the counter to order her drink before pushing past people to find a seat. Of course there weren't any, so she would have to sit at a random person's table, something she'd become accustomed to. Sighing, she found an empty chair and plopped herself into it. Next thing she knew, the small Asain girl next to her was offering a paper ball to toss into the bin. "Um, sure. Thanks," Harley responded. She took the paper ball and swished it into the trash bin. "I made it!" She silently cheered.

Haruhi didn't mind sharing the table. She could see the pub was pretty packed with families and she only needed two chairs out of the whole table; one for herself and one for her grandmother. She ignored the fact that the older girl had appeared suddenly and without permission at her table, assuming the best that she didn't want to disturb Haruhi's concentration.

Luckily, the older girl was willing to give her little game a try. She smiled as the blonde accepted the paper ball and launched it into the waste basket. "You made it!" Haruhi announced in moderate awe. She crumpled up another ball and missed again when she tossed it towards the basket. "Rats," She muttered and turned back towards the older girl. "Do you play any sports?" She asked, curious whether or not her shot was just a fluke.

Harley laughed softly at the girl's awe-struck face. She had played many sports over the course of of many years, and basketball was one of the said sports. Her aim had always been more hit and miss; she either made a clean, beautiful shot, or missed by a mile. The younger girl tried again, and missed like before. "Keep your eye on the back rim of the bin, it helps," she offered.

"Yeah, I play a lot. I'm in quidditch here, and over the summer I play a bunch of team sports. What about you?" She asked. Usually, she would play soccer, softball, or swim when she wasn't practicing Quidditch or hanging out with Elijah. "By the way, I'm Harley," she said, remembering that neither of them knew each other's names.

Haruhi watched intently and nodded as she listened to what the older girl had to suggest. "That makes sense," She answered, genuinely, and then rolled up another napkin and tried again. She squinted at the basket, focusing on back part of the basket, before chucking the paper ball. It rebounded off of the back and went right it. "Hey! It worked!" She announced, more out of excitement than with the purpose of informing the girl.

"Quidditch?" Haruhi repeated the foreign word. She assumed it was some sort of sport, given the conversation topic they were on. However, she couldn't imagine what type of sport that would be. "I enjoy playing football, myself. I also do Judo," Haruhi answered. She really liked both sports and was good at both of them, though her mother didn't always approve of it. She said she was killing brain cells with all the violent activities she partook in. Haruhi didn't see them as violent. She was the last person to raise a fist in a fight, despite spending majority of her time with martial arts. "Haruhi," She introduced, flashing a smile and offering her hand for Harley to shake. "It is nice to meet you," and she meant it genuinely.