Year/Job
Appleby Arrow's Beater
there's an art to life's distractions |
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Post by Daniel Gubler on Nov 2, 2023 3:28:37 GMT
Daniel - yes, it was Dan now, not Gooby - was sort of having a rough time lately. Not only was he kicked out into the real world and had to leave what had been his home for the last seven years, he was also separated from his best mates too. Well, some of them, but it felt like all of them when they were separated! Anyway, there was that and the sudden fame that came with signing on to a well known team. Though the Arrows had not been the biggest team in the last few years, they were having a resurgence with the new talent they had acquired. It was reminiscent of the way Puddlemere had shot its players to superstardom back in the early 2000's when Anya Quinn had flown into the scene. Daniel went from being relatively unknown to having to dodge random people on the streets, all in the span of a couple weeks.
It was one of those nights where he had to decide if he wanted to go straight home or risk going out in public to eat. Practice had gone on far too long and the shower had felt so good that he took longer than expected. Gus was long gone by the time Dan shut his locker and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Daniel didn't blame him one bit, he'd done an amazing job leading the team at Hogwarts and he continued to work just as hard here. Instead of feeling down at the thought of grabbing a bite to eat by himself yet again, Daniel felt immense pride in his friend.
His mind was still on Gus and he was obviously so lost in it that he didn't see the petite figure at first. His eyes were glued to the ground and then he quite literally bumped into her. He let out a quiet "whoa" and instinctively grabbed onto her arm to keep her from falling forward. Dan was quite a force these days too and he was a bit scared that his body weight was enough to tip her over. He carefully pulled her back toward his body and looked down at whoever he had to apologize to. But words kind of escaped him at first when he caught site of Ari's long, shiny, brown hair. He knew the back of that head anywhere. It's what happens when you spend so much around a person, right? Right.
"I'm so sorry," he managed to exhale the smallest of apologies
Ariadne Spiteri
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Year/Job
Appleby Arrows Chaser
it is often my nature to be abstract // hidden in plain sight or nowhere at all. |
Half-Veela
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Post by Ariadne Spiteri on Nov 2, 2023 13:03:00 GMT
So many things that we're not saying... It was like a dream. Ari got to play the game she loved for a career, not only that but Genna, Gus, and Daniel were on the same team. It was refreshing to play alongside Genna instead of against her. It would have been cool to keep the whole Gryffindor team together, the graduates at least, but she respected that some people just played for fun.
The Arrows had just concluded their practice and Ari was on her way to the lockers, there was a light spray of mud on her and of course a thin layer of sweat. She walked down a small hallway that led to the street, boys lockers on the left and girls on the right. The showers were calling her name and spent a while just standing as the hot water cascaded down the Veela.
A rumble in her stomach was the only reason she finished up early. Early as she was, everyone was still gone. Ari packed up her bag and headed for the door, she was thinking of where she would go to get food when...
Whoa
Ariadne had walked into a brick wall. It must have been, right? But then the wall grew arms and tucked her close to his chest. She looked over her shoulder to see who she had bumped into only to see it was Daniel, a smile spread across her face. "Daniel, Hi. I'm sorry I thought I was the last one here," she said, still in his arms.
His apology came out in a soft and exhausted way that made the tiny brunette's smile falter a bit. "Are you okay? You don't seem like yourself." She would only know because they were teammates for six years...nothing more. Tagged;; Daniel Gubler
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Year/Job
Appleby Arrow's Beater
there's an art to life's distractions |
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Post by Daniel Gubler on Nov 3, 2023 19:37:57 GMT
Apart from the pressures of playing professionally, Daniel’s personal life was also taking a toll on him. He missed his parents, he’d only ever lived with them and now he had an empty apartment every night. Dan loved being around people so the loneliness was sometimes unbearable. Besides that, his relationship with his girlfriend had come to an end. He wasn’t sure when it began to change but he had noticed they had drifted apart their last year at school. When graduation came around, they decided it was time to part. He wished her nothing but the best and he knew she’d do amazing things, whatever she decided to do. Sometimes he did miss her but it was selfish of him to even think about. It was more like he missed the friendship they had before.
“Yes, absolutely,” he quickly replied when Ariadne asked if he was okay. And he was, truly, because every time Ari flashed him a smile he felt at ease. Long gone where the days when he felt light headed around her. He learned to focus on her eyes or the dimples that appeared when she had even the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips. Clearing his throat - Merlin, why was it so dry all of sudden?- he released her arm and took a step back to give her some space. “I thought everyone was gone already, I should have been more aware of my surroundings.”
The hallway was mostly empty by now, except for a couple of staff members carrying equipment out of a room down the hall. It was definitely time to go.
“Are you going home?”
Ariadne Spiteri
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Year/Job
Appleby Arrows Chaser
it is often my nature to be abstract // hidden in plain sight or nowhere at all. |
Half-Veela
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Post by Ariadne Spiteri on Nov 5, 2023 0:43:30 GMT
So many things that we're not saying... It was hard leaving Hogwarts and her parents, they were the only homes Ari had ever known. Yet, there was something so exciting about leaving and seeing who she as a professional quidditch player and as a adult. Ari was making her own decisions, who knew it was so hard just to pick what to make for dinner? Thankfully after graduation, her and Genna had decided to get an apartment together and so it was hardly quiet but those nights when Gen left to go hang out Gavin...they were lonely.
Yes, absolutely
Ariadne smiled, she only wanted the best for her friends. She thought maybe he was having a rough time with his breakup. There had been rumours circulating at the end of last year and she did her best not to listen but her curiosity got the better of her. Dan related her from his arms and she turned to face him. "It's okay, I was distracted too. I was thinking about what to get to eat," she admitted with a. shrug.
"No, I was debating in my head what food sounded the best but so far no luck. Its was between 3 brooms or Leaky Cauldron." Ari wasn't really a Hogs Head girlie but at this point her stomach was rumbling so much, she might consider it. "Were you heading home or ... did you want to... are you hungry?" Even after all these years, she still got tongue tied around Daniel. Tagged;; Daniel Gubler
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Year/Job
Appleby Arrow's Beater
there's an art to life's distractions |
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Post by Daniel Gubler on Nov 8, 2023 5:16:17 GMT
Are you going home? What kind of question was that? What he should have done and what he really wanted to ask was if she would like to grab a bit to eat with him. He was starting to feel the sensation again as she spoke, the one where everything else drowned out and he couldn't think. Ari was always much better at talking. There were times at school when he would eavesdrop on her conversations just to hear her infectious laugh too. He didn't pay attention to what she was saying because it was none of his business. Not his proudest moments because he liked to give people their privacy but he couldn't help himself.
And just like magic, Ari brought the conversation to where he wanted it to go in the first place.
"Yeah," he answered a bit too quickly. He didn't care if she knew how much he'd like that. Daniel's charm came from his vulnerability. "I was heading to the Leaky Cauldron, actually. I haven't had time to restock my fridge this week."
He held his hand out, expecting her to know that he was asking for her bag. "I'll buy you a meal if you'd like to keep me company." It was the first time he'd given the indication that maybe he wasn't doing so great lately. Sometimes he did try to hide his feelings from his friends, he'd hate to burden them, but Ari was so easy to talk to. She never made him feel like he was bothering her.
Ariadne Spiteri
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Year/Job
Appleby Arrows Chaser
it is often my nature to be abstract // hidden in plain sight or nowhere at all. |
Half-Veela
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Post by Ariadne Spiteri on Nov 14, 2023 15:41:54 GMT
So many things that we're not saying... It was helpful that the more time she spent with a person, the more use to her "charm" they got and it was less troublesome for her. However, once in a while things would slip. She saw the familiar glossed over eyes start to take place in Daniel's and hesitantly stepped back. Ari had no idea how to turn it off but assumed that maybe putting some space between was helpful? It was short-lived as he snapped back and she smiled again as he agreed to getting food.
"The Leaky Cauldron, perfect." There was never enough hours in the day for Ari. Her and Gen had the same box of dragon puffs cereal in their cupboards for a few weeks now and that was about it...maybe a sauce in the fridge. "I'm horrible at keeping the fridge stocked too. There's just no time," she added with a shrug.
Daniel outstretched his hand to her. Ari starred at it for a good 5 seconds before placing her hand in his. She looked back up at him with a smile. "It's a deal," she said, shaking his hand with a giggle. The pair started to make their way towards the stadium exit, "I feel like we haven't hangout in forever, we've been so busy with training. I'm glad we're doing this." Adult life was so different, not being able to see your friends every day. Thankfully she now worked with Gus, Daniel and Gen but she felt bad for those who didn't work with some of their best friends and had to schedule time to see them once a month or something. Tagged;; Daniel Gubler
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Year/Job
Appleby Arrow's Beater
there's an art to life's distractions |
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Post by Daniel Gubler on Dec 9, 2023 16:53:36 GMT
Daniel was still a dumb boy and he couldn’t put two and two together even if someone was shoving the evidence in his face. He didn’t know about her Veela charm, he thought Ari was just that amazing that she dazzled everyone around her. As for why his mind went fuzzy, though less now that he could focus solely on her, when she was around? His answer would be that he liked her. He’d always liked her. So much so that he felt guilty about the way he couldn’t completely give himself to Evelyn when they were together. There was always something pulling him a different direction.
“Perfect, it’ll be just like going home for dinner,” he joked with her. He watched as she stared at his outstretched hand and she shook it. He laughed at how adorable she was and he couldn’t stop the big smile plastered across his face as the began to walk together. “I’ve been living off protein bars for the last week, but if my mum asks, you didn’t hear that. She’ll panic and want to visit every day to feed me.”
Dan lead the way to the exit, waving to a security guard by the giant doors leading to the outside of the stadium. “It’s like I see you guys every day, but once we hit the lockers after practice, everyone is so exhausted they don’t even want to talk. It’s fun, though, isn’t it? Playing with people you like.”
Sure, Gena still scared him a bit. Maybe scared wasn’t the right word. Intimidated. She was a force to play against and he felt extremely lucky to have her on their team now. Out of the three former Slytherin chasers (Liv, Emilia and Gena), he always had the feeling she was their driving force. They seemed a little lost when she had stepped down from the team. On the other hand, Gryffindor had thrived with Ari and Gus. The combination of all of them together was going to get them far.
“I feel a bit spoiled, getting one on one time with you,” he was starting to say when they exited the building. His next words were cut off by someone calling his name, then Ari’s name. He was a bit confused by one bright flash, followed by another and another. Daniel instinctively reached out for Ari’s hand and gently pulled her toward him. His eyes couldn’t adjust to the bright lights but he knew there were more than a couple of reporters. Usually they’d be gone by this time in the night, he hadn’t expected them to be there at all. He squeezed her hand in attempt to warn her that he was going to disapparate them out of there.
Ariadne Spiteri
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Year/Job
Appleby Arrows Chaser
it is often my nature to be abstract // hidden in plain sight or nowhere at all. |
Half-Veela
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Post by Ariadne Spiteri on Dec 15, 2023 2:31:35 GMT
So many things that we're not saying... There was always something so friendly about the pair, borderline romantic. But when Daniel began to date Evelyn in their sixth year, Ari had felt so guilty for still harbouring feelings for her friend. It was a secret that she had never told anyone, not even Gen or Phoebe. She had thought she would be taking this secret to the grave, until she had heard that the pair had broken up...so maybe there was still a spark?
"Home? Daniel, is the Leaky Cauldron your home?" The words were banished away when he started to giggle, which triggered her giggles. They walked together with big smiles on their faces. "Daniel! I might send you home myself. Why haven't you been eating?" She smiled as Daniel waved at the security guard as they passed, she waved too. It was so sweet how friendly Daniel was, it was something she always liked about him.
"Oh I know, it's like a dream! Who would have thought we would all get drafted to the same team...almost like fate!" Ari was so lucky, she already had a dynamic with Gus and Daniel, and it was nice to play with Gen for once, instead of against her.
"Me too, it's almost like there's always people arou..." she was cut off abruptly by people calling their names and bright lights. Ari held her further hand up to her eyes to shield them from the flashes. Her free hand was taken gently, feeling herself being pulled towards Daniel, she stumbled slightly into his chest. There was a squeeze of her hand before they twisted into thin air. Tagged;; Daniel Gubler
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