Seeking

It wasn't Ryan's day to work. Isobel knew that full well. But that didn't mean she couldn't dream. And even if by some miracle he was here, he'd give her enough attention to keep her going for a little while. Negative attention was still attention. And she'd gladly deal with the lecture from her parents for spending more time in Whisper Alley than she'd promised if it meant seeing Ryan.

\Her small, feeble, and completely illogical dreams were broken because he wasn't working. She'd even asked some of his coworkers. She could tell that they wondered what business Ryan would have with a little barely-a-teenage girl, but nobody asked her any questions, for which she was grateful. She slipped into a booth with a clear view of the door, just in case. Stranger things had happened.

Isobel sat for fifteen minutes, just people watching. She wondered why Ryan and her parents hadn't wanted her down here. Everybody wore nondescript clothes and nobody looked particularly sketchy. But she was sure they had their reasons

She watched for a little while longer and saw a familiar face. A face she hadn't seen since the previous year. "Harley!" she called, not really sounding excited to see her, which was probably seemed a little rude. Isobel waved at her, hoping she caught her attention. "Come sit with me," she said more quietly than she had been speaking.

Isobel wondered why she had called Harley anyway. It wasn't like she had anything to talk to her about. She wasn't about to talk about just herself to someone she barely knew. And after all the events that had happened in the first few months of school, she wondered if she was even a worthy topic anymore.

Hopefully the rumors from the fall would be forgotten by the return to school. Or if not forgotten, at least buried in people's minds.

"Hi," she said, deciding that a greeting was the safest option. "How are you? Are you looking for the same person I am?"

Harley's job at the Ministry had been steadily progressing, and she was to be promoted to a job in the Department within the month, at least that was the chatter at the workplace. The trip she was being sent on would last at least two months and be the determining factor in whether she would get the job, or whether she would be stuck filing and being sent on small tasks for the rest of the year. Needless to say, she was determined to do everything in her power to get that job and become the youngest witch to join the Ministry.

In order to excel at her upcoming trip to God knows where, she was making sure to review all her jinxes, hexes, potions, charms, non-verbal spells, incantations, and even a few Dark Art curses. Any new spells she wanted to know about or discovered, she immediately stored away in the chance she would need it. On the flip side, she did require sleep, but she also never knew when the mission would be sprung on her, or when she'd have to leave, whether it be immediately or within the following week, so she continued cramming. This required frequent trips to the bookstore and a stop at a coffee shop along the way to pick up a week's worth of coffee. The only place that would gladly serve her the large amounts of coffee she required at a cheaper price than La Petite was the Weird Sisters's Brew, partly because Ryan worked there and was usually glad to brew up a fresh pot for her. On that day when she stopped by though, there was no Ryan, but rather his smaller sister with a ego four sizes too big. What was ever more surprising was that she asked Harley to sit with her.

Quickly, Harley order her ridiculously large amount of coffee from a familiar waitress and sat with Isobel. It would take a while for it a brew, but she wasn't going to ignore the girl because she didn't like her. Harley was an adult now and needed to act like one. Hopefully the coffee would just brew fast.

"Good morning, Isobel," she said tiredly. She wasn't looking forward to putting up with the girl's attitude. "I'm tired, and if the person you're looking for is Ryan, he's probably with Malachi. Don't you, like, hate me or something?"

"Oh. Did you not sleep well?" Isobel asked. She was starting to feel sympathy for people who didn't get enough sleep. She had turned into one of them.

Isobel sighed. Harley didn't give her the answer she was desperate to hear. But then again, she didn't quite know what she wanted to hear. If Ryan had been talking to Harley, she'd be just as upset if Harley hadn't heard from him either. "Have you seen him lately?" she asked, ignoring Harley's question. "Or from Kai?" she added, remembering that she hadn't heard from him either.

"Did you go to school with Mabel Miller at all?" Isobel asked. It was probably a long shot, but maybe Mabel had been Harley's captain. Or maybe she just knew her in general. Mabel played in the reunion match, didn't she?