[Hogsmeade] The Three Broomsticks

[cruor]

Siblings always had a few humorous and interesting stories up their sleeve for moments like these, and the Molton family was no exception. Deckard was sure that Ginger had her own stories to share about embarrassing moments of his, be it from her own experience or that of the others. But, Ginger was not here to divulge, leaving Dec to enjoy himself with a few of his sister’s harmless secrets.

Jomari agreed with him when it came to Ginger being bold, although he did seem surprised that she had been much more of a tomboy years ago. Despite how hard she had worked to be like her brothers, Ginger had ended up growing out of the phase over time. Even then, Dec couldn’t help but pity his mother for what she had dealt with. Granted, she had brought it upon herself by having so many children, but that didn’t mean that the ‘Molton Minions’ had had to be so crazy at times. There she had been, hoping that Ginger and Candace would be her precious angel girls… only to cause even more trouble than the boys.

Dec chuckled when Jomari commented how Ginger would not be happy to see the pictures he had mentioned from the event. “She might not remember right away, but if you’re ever at my parents’ place, I’m sure someone will pull them out,” he replied, his eyes twinkling. “If I’m ever there, I would definitely be the one to show you.” Ginger would certainly not be thrilled by the conversation currently taking place, but how could she really argue it? Dec was doing as he was told, which had been to get along with her man.

”So when did all that change?”

“Not much longer after that, really,” Dec answered. “Because she scared Candace so much with her ‘new ‘do,’ Ging did feel bad and worked hard to get back into her good graces again. They ended up spending so much girl time together instead of being with Nathan and me that she kind of melded into being girly eventually. So it wasn’t that long of a phase, but it was enough for Mum to be a little scarred by the ordeal.

“Now what about you?” Dec relaxed back into his seat, looking at Jomari curiously. “Do you have any siblings of your own?”

[conundrum]

Oh good, Jomari was going to get to see the pictures of little Ginger and her short hair. He snickered conspiratorially with Deckard as the healer offered to show him the pictures. "She'd hate us for that, wouldn't she?" he remarked, shaking his head slightly. But if it helped the pair of men bond, wasn't that a good thing? Besides, he'd probably forget about the pictures as soon as they were gone.

Probably.

The cursebreaker took another sip of his butterbeer as he listened to Deckard recount tales of his sister's childhood. Ginger had scared their youngest sister Candace with her short hair, so she had grown it back out to patch things up. That meant she spent more time with Candace than her older brothers, and both girls had fallen into their girly ways. And just like that, Ginger escaped her tomboy phase... and stopped traumatizing her mother. "I'm not sure anyone escapes childhood - or parenthood for that matter - without a few scars, but we all came out on the other side mostly okay," he commented with a light smile. Honestly, it sounded like the Moltons' mom did the best that she could, so he couldn't judge her too much for that.

Then Deckard asked about his siblings, and Jomari nodded. "I have an older brother, Cris. Crisanto," he explained, providing his brother's full name out of habit, since Crisanto hated it when people assumed his full name was Christopher. "But we were never super close. He was five years older than me, so he headed to Ilvermorny when I was about six. Then we spent two years at school together, though he never really wanted to be seen with me 'cause he thought hanging out with a twelve-year-old would make his friends think he was lame. After he graduated, he moved back to Jacksonville and I went to New York." Jomari shrugged nonchalantly. "Our relationship's never really bothered me. We're cordial when we're together for holidays and stuff, but it's not like we go out of our way to hang out or anything." Moving across the ocean had definitely made any spontaneous visits impossible, but neither Acosta seemed to care. They weren't close in the first place, so a transatlantic move hadn't changed their relationship.

That answer had been a bit of a non-starter, since he clearly didn't have the relationship with Crisanto that Deckard did with his siblings, so Jomari racked his brain to find a new topic of conversation. "So are you dating anyone?" he asked curiously. Seemed like a safe enough topic...

Probably.

[cruor]

It was always intriguing to Dec to hear about others and their relationships with their family. Dec had never thought to consider his family unique, but while comparing his to Jomari’s relationship with his brother he could tell that they were a bit different. Dec could understand the age difference issue that Jomari described, but not to the full extent. While Ginger was five years younger than he, they had never had not been close. Dec had only really spent a majority of his time at Hogwarts with the oldest Molton, Nathan, as they were only a year apart.

Dec had only spent a few years with his younger sisters while at Hogwarts, just as Jomari and Crisanto had. Perhaps it was because they were girls, but he did find it slightly interesting how he would have never thought to at least see Ginger and Candace once in a while. It had always been part of his nature to look after his siblings, even if the girls did not like that that included giving any potential suitors the death stare. Funny enough, Ginger was the one Dec saw the most of because they had both been sorted into Gryffindor but Candace was the one he felt the need to look after a lot more. Maybe it was because she was all the way in Ravenclaw and difficult to catch up with. But Candace had fared well in the end, and had even confessed to enjoying her time away from the family when she was at school. Helped her study or something.

Dec and his siblings had therefore always been close. They might have not always agreed with one another and had their own spats here and there. But overall, things were usually good among the Molton clan. Indeed, after hearing Jomari describe his relationship with his brother, Dec wondered if perhaps his need to work so much was causing him to drift away like they seemed to. But he did try to keep in touch when he could (hence his meeting with Ginger’s potential beu). And seeing how Jomari was so… almostly oddly casual about his distance from Cris made Dec think that perhaps he needed to make just a bit more effort.

”So are you dating anyone?”

Jomari’s sort of “meh” response about sibling ties did indicate the possible need for a conversation change, but where he chose to go was one that Dec had not quite expected. “Did Ginger tell you to ask that?” he replied almost instinctively. He tried to smile at the same time, but there was still a bit of defensiveness to his tone. If there was one topic of discussion that Dec was not the most fond of, it was his love life. Sometimes he wondered if that was why he chose to work over seeing family, as Dec knew the question would always arise. Deep down, he knew his family wanted him to just be happy. But they also needed to consider that being happy did not always involve finding love and settling down.

Dec let out a small sigh. He knew that Jomari had meant no harm in the inquiry, even if Ginge had been the one to encourage it. “Not at the moment,” he answered after a brief pause. “I did meet someone a while back but it… fizzled out. Not that I’m really trying either. I work too much to be out socially enough, as I’m sure Ginger has probably mentioned.”

Another kind of dead end conversation. Now it was Dec’s turn to change the subject. “So what is your plan for the next few years?” he asked. “I mean, not with Ginger per say, but like your career and all that.”

[conundrum]

Okay, so maybe Jomari had asked the wrong question.

Deckard's response was a little sharper than the cursebreaker had expected, but he forced himself to laugh to ease the tension. "Nah, man, but if you are seeing someone and don't want her to know, I can keep that to myself," he offered cordially. He didn't mind keeping the healer's secret if that would win him some points... Then again, he could see how Deckard might interpret keeping a secret from his sister as a bad move.

Welp. Too late now.

Luckily, the point was moot, because Deckard wasn't seeing anyone. Apparently he had something a couple years ago, but it had since faded. He blamed his dedication to his work, and Jomari chuckled knowingly. "She hadn't said anything, but I know that feeling," he replied with a smile. "Not everyone is cool with how much I travel for work, so some folks I find myself interested in walk away because they don't want to try to make it work." It had been a bummer the first couple times it happened, but Jo had gotten used to it in his decade-long career. Maybe one day he would take a more administrative position, but he was still enjoying himself now. "Luckily Ginger seems okay with it." At least for now anyway. Who knew what she would think in the future.

Deckard seemed like a good guy, but the pair of men kept stumbling on lulls in the conversation. Maybe that was just part of the process of being pushed to get to know each other instead of letting it happen naturally. Jomari sipped his butterbeer, and his eyes flicked up to Dec when he asked a question mid-drink. The inquiry made him feel like he was at a job interview, but he supposed it was still valid. "Probably just keep doing what I'm doing," he answered honestly as he set down his glass. "I don't foresee moving back to America anytime soon. I've made a life here in England, and working for Nik and Asha has been a good gig. They give me assignments, but mostly I get to just do my own thing, and I like that." His supervisors at the Dragon's Vault had hovered so much more, and he hadn't been fond of that environment for that reason. So when Nik offered to get him out of there, Jomari jumped at the opportunity, and he hadn't looked back.

"What about you?" he turned the question around on Deckard. "Plan on staying at St. Mungo's forever, or do you have your sights set on something else?"

[cruor]

Dec knew the minute he had responded to Jomari, his feelings about the subject matter had been heard loud and clear. He silently cursed himself for making the situation uncomfortable now for both of them. Jomari didn’t know that his relationship status was a touchy subject, and frankly, Dec hadn’t either until now. His reaction had proven that much. The other was able to play it off, quickly seeing the error in his ways, but Dec felt bad that he had to do so.

Dec was slightly relieved that Ginger had not encouraged her boyfriend to poke and prod. He was sure that his family had questions about what he did all the time, other than work. But, as Dec had expressed to Jomari, there was nothing else to tell. He didn’t even have a new pet to discuss. It was usually him and his empty apartment at the end of long shifts, sometimes a Butterbeer or Firewhiskey if he was feeling any particular way.

Dec was beginning to wonder, especially as Jomari mentioned how Ginger had no qualms with his traveling habits, that he might be a little jealous of his sister’s new man. A bit of him was certainly protective of her, but Jomari also seemed to be the ideal image of someone who had his life in order. Dec doubted that his parents and brother ever wondered if he would ever settle down, nor were they worried that he wouldn’t find someone to be happy with. Now that he wasn’t single, he probably had a nice break from those types of questions. He probably also didn’t question himself nearly as much, no longer wondering if he was truly worth the love, affection, and time of another…

Dec’s free hand in his lap tensed on his thigh. The move brought him back to his and Jomari’s conversation. Now was not the time to be wallowing in his own self-pity. The man seated across from him was currently making his sister pretty happy, and that was what mattered at this moment. He would deal with his insecurities later. The last thing he needed to do was to take them out on Jomari when all he was doing was being friendly.

Dec listened as Jomari talked about what he expected his future to look like. He nodded thoughtfully as he mentioned remaining in England to work. “Seems like a solid plan,” he replied. “If things were going well, why make a change right away?” That would probably make Ginger happy. Dec had a feeling she would not want to be leaving the area anytime soon, although maybe she would compromise one day if things continued to work out between her and Jomari.

Dec had to chuckle lightly when the inquiry was shifted back in his direction. “If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought my family sent you to drill me,” he said. “I know they haven’t,” Dec added quickly, hoping to not make Jomari any more nervous. “Unfortunately, again, I don’t have much of an answer for that one. I love what I do at St. Mungo’s - obviously -” He pulled back his sleeve to expose the facility’s logo on his inner forearm. “- so I can’t picture myself going anywhere else. But I will say…” Dec paused for a moment, carefully speaking his thoughts aloud. “Spirito Santo would be a cool experience one day. Maybe I’ll find someone I’d move to America for or just apply there for the hell of it.”

He shrugged, although a part of him was genuinely intrigued by the idea. “I haven’t really given it much thought. I live pretty much shift to shift these days. I definitely need to get out more.” Dec laughed, shaking his head. “What do you do for fun when you’re not working? Might give me some ideas.”

[conundrum]

Thankfully, it didn't seem like Deckard was too upset that Jomari asked about his relationship... or lack thereof. The cursebreaker hadn't meant to step on the healer's toes, but it appeared like he accidentally poked a sore spot. Ginger would kill him if he somehow screwed up his relationship with her brother the first time they met, so frankly, Jo was thanking Circe that Deckard seemed to let it go.

Talking about work seemed like a better topic, so he was happy to let the conversation flow in that direction. It had taken a little while for him to settle in at Kapoor and Associates, but he'd made a little niche for himself, and he didn't have any plans to leave for the foreseeable future. Deckard seemed to approve of that decision, and Jomari nodded at the healer's comment. "That's what I figured," he agreed easily. "And while Ginger is bummed when I have to travel, it doesn't seem to bother her too terribly." Circe knew he appreciated that. He'd had too many relationships where his partner hadn't been happy with how much he traveled for work. But he had told Ginger that work and travel were his first loves, and she seemed okay with that. It was never easy leaving a partner behind, but Jo told her he'd always come home.

Assuming, you know, he didn't die or anything. That was always a constant, if minimal, risk in his line of work.

Deckard asked a question, so it was only fair that he answered it too. The problem was that Jomari stepped on his bloody toes again. At least the healer seemed to take it in stride this time, so the cursebreaker chuckled with him. But Dec loved his work at St. Mungo's, just like Jo loved Kapoor and Associates, so that sort of big change wasn't needed. "Ooh, I don't think Ginge mentioned that artwork," he commented on Deckard's tattoo. He wasn't entirely sure he would've gotten a tattoo of an employer, but the blond man still clearly loved his hospital. Who was Jo to judge?

Though it sounded like the Brit might like to take a hop across the pond that separated England and the US. He spoke of an interest in Spirito Santo, though it didn't appear like he had the motivation to make the move yet. If he found a girl that would bring him to New York, he'd consider it, or maybe he'd just submit an application. "I wonder if there's a... guest healer program or something?" Jomari asked uncertainly. "Maybe that's not the right phrase for it, but like a way you could go work there for a year and then return to St. Mungo's." It was also possible that a program like that just didn't exist between St. Mungo's and Spirito Santo. The cursebreaker had certainly visited both hospitals on a number of occasions, but it wasn't like he was an expert on all the inner workings.

Deckard certainly knew more, though he admitted his life had been mostly composed of shift after shift lately. It sounded like he had an interest in changing that though. "I'm like you, mostly working, but usually after I get back from a trip, I need a couple days to recover," Jomari confessed before taking a drink of his nearly-empty butterbeer. "I mostly just sleep and relax. But once I have my feet back under me, once I'm back in the office of a little while, I, uh, really like to skateboard." He was a little hesitant to share that with Deckard, because it felt childish, but it was also the truth. "That was something I learned to do as a kid, and it was always just a nice way for me to clear my head. I tried to pack my skateboard when I went to Ilvermorny my first year, but they wouldn't let me bring it." He let out a self-aware laugh. He had been a doofus as a kid. "But I still skateboard now. Doesn't seem like something a ton of folks do here in London, but it's still got the same effect on me. I'll just skate down the side streets of my neighborhood, feel the wind in my hair and clear my mind, and, yanno, try not to get hit by passing cars." He smirked. Drivers in England were not nearly as aware of the possibility of skateboarders as Jacksonville drivers were, so he'd had a few close calls in the nearly ten years since he moved to the UK.

"So if I may make an assumption," Jomari veered slightly off course with the conversation. "I would say that most of your free time outside of St. Mungo's is spent in a gym?" It seemed like a fair guess, because Deckard was clearly built. It wasn't like he could see the healer's six pack, but Jo was pretty sure he had one.

[cruor]

While Jo may think Ginger would be ticked off by him prodding into her brother’s dating life, Dec would have thought the opposite to be true. Ginger would instead take this discussion as information about her brother that she was missing out on. His little sister was probably the most interested in knowing what Dec did in his day-to-day life when he wasn’t working. But, just as Dec had told Jomari, she would come up with nothing else. It was all work and no play for him.

So it made sense that Dec and Jomari found their conversation moved better when they discussed work. It was kind of sad if Dec took a moment to consider it. He was pleased to hear that Jomari’s travel did not bother Ginger. They appeared to have communicated this early on, which was why their relationship seemed to be going rather smoothly. Of course, Dec did not know all of the details regarding whatever happened behind closed doors. For all either of them know, Ginger could absolutely not stand the fact that her boyfriend left her behind. After all, it seemed to bug her that her own brother wasn’t always available; or maybe that helped her adjust to their schedule. Perhaps Dec would never know, it really wasn’t any of his business anyway.

Dec allowed Jomari to admire his forearm tattoo for a moment or two before rolling his sleeve back down. “I’m not sure if I told her,” Dec admitted with a small chuckle. It was odd to hear Jo refer to his sister by her nickname, despite how he knew it wasn’t just a title for family. It might be because he was more than a friend to Ginger, which would imply… components to their relationship that Dec didn’t want to imagine.

America. Dec had never been there. It seemed crazy to say, but it was true. And after considering it out loud, he was wondering if it really would be possible to transfer out of the country. It would be a new life, a different side of his career, new opportunities. There would be struggles, sure, but maybe Dec needed a new challenge. That would also make him even further away from his family, which they would not like at all. He did consider Jomari’s thought of going for only a bit of time and then returning to England. “Could be something to look into,” Dec replied with a small shrug. “That would at least keep Ginger from murdering me for moving across the ocean.”

Dec listened as Jomari discussed how his time recovering from his work and trips involved something unique. “Skateboarding, huh?” he inquired, intrigued. He nodded as the other explained how it helped him clear his head, weaving around cars and through the streets. “That makes sense. I feel the same way when I have my time at -”

”I would say that most of your free time outside of St. Mungo’s is spent in a gym?”

“- the gym.” Dec couldn’t help but smirk slightly as Jomari practically read his mind. This was not the first time he had been asked, so he was not offended. He gave a small flex of his biceps pointedly. “You would be correct,” Dec answered. “Helps clear my head, keeps me in shape, and, most importantly, helps me sleep. I’m kind of an insomniac, which is part of the reason I work so much.” And did it keep him from wallowing in his loneliness as well? Perhaps Dec knew that deep down, but for the moment trying to sleep was his main reason.