A new hope [Mihwa]

Ashley was really excited about this. Thought the movie was a classic, a small theater in London was doing a special showing of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and Ashley was eager to show one of his favorite things to one of his favorite people. Mihwa liked muggle things, which was great for Ashley, who grew up on muggle pop culture. He was actually really excited to get out of the wizarding world for a bit, eat some popcorn and settle in with a classic. He coached her a bit on what to wear, but when he was satisfied that they would both blend in well, he hoisted her onto the back of his bike, and rode it into the city. He parked near the theater and escorted her in. had she ever been to a muggle movie in theaters, he wondered? He decided not to ask, and just make it as special as possible. He bought them both concessions, large overpriced sodas and candy and large buttered popcorn. Then, he made his way into the theater.
 
It was difficult not to talk during the movie, telling her everything about everything. He was excited to see her reaction to the plot as it unfolded. When it was over, he was beaming, just watching her reaction. He took her arm as they exited, and made his way back towards the bike. There was a pub next door, though, and he thought that a pint sounded pretty good. Besides, she wasn’t driving, which meant she could get as tipsy as she wanted.
 
“Wanna stop by the pub for a bit?” He asked. “You can tell me everything you thought about the film. Was that your first time going to a muggle theater?” He asked. “That movie is completely my childhood. I love stuff like that.” He admitted. Ashley was a big geek, loving sci-fi, comic books, fantasy, and all the rest. He had loved Lord of the Rings when he was younger, too. Of course, he loved anything superheroes as well. “There’s more, you know. There’s at least two sequels and going on three prequels. Maybe we can rent them one day and spend the night in a muggle hotel, you know, with a TV.”
 
Of course, he had a feeling that if they were spending the night together, there might not be much movie-watching going on. He had a hard time keeping his hands off her.

@Mihwa Seo

Although Mihwa had never technically been in a muggle theater before nor had she spent that much time in the world of muggles, to begin with, the moment Ashley asked her to accompany him, the words of course could not wait to jump out of her. Just the thought of experiencing something new, no matter how small, was exciting and if what she had heard about theaters or muggle movies was anything to go by, they were the main attraction for a reason. According to Ashley, they were going to see a movie by the name of Star Wars and from the way he talked about it, it sounded like quite exciting stuff.

Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, something casual but very fitting of the childish woman, they drove his bike into the city, the entire scene itself looking like something that might have belonged in a romance film or something like it. The theater left her in awe, her eyes bright with excitement as she looked from one corner to another, analyzing the film posters as they made their way to the concession stands to get some treats. Mihwa did not get to interact with muggles much but from what she could tell from the bits of conversation she could hear from the groups of people they seemed like much fun, very much like the wizarding folk she encountered on a day to day basis at the office.

The movie was absolutely fantastic and at some points so convincing that Mihwa wondered if they had indeed used magic to produce some of the more complex scenes. Thankfully, Ashley did not shy away from talking to her during the movie, explaining what was going on and answering her many questions thoroughly. By the end of the film, she could not help but wonder when would be the last time that they would have the chance to go to another one of these films. “We’ve got to come again,” she said almost immediately as they exited the theater, “That was so great!” she added, a happy smile on her lips as she attempted to contain her excitement.

“Yeah, yeah, that sounds good,” she agreed, a pint would be a nice start to the rest of the night she assumed. And Mihwa had never gone to a muggle pub before, she wondered if the drinks were the same or if they had something completely different on the menu. Did muggles drink firewhiskey? She wondered. “I’ve never been, I’ve heard about them from friends and things like that but never had anyone willing to escort me,” she smiled, holding on to him closer in appreciation. “Oh~there’s more? Oh yes, I’d very much like that, did you watch films a lot when you were a kid? Lucky! My dad is so anti-muggle he never let us do anything fun, but I could go for a movie marathon in a muggle hotel,” she smirked at the thought, “I’d never want to leave the bed but I figure that’s alright with you?” she teased. "Do they have firewhiskey in muggle pubs?" she wondered, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Ashley was so happy that Mihwa seemed to really love the movie, the ambiance, and his company. He had so much fun explaining everything, and was certain they would have plenty to talk about well into the night. He had a hard time not spoiling some of the biggest twists of the series not discussed in the first movie. He couldn’t wait for her to find out who Luke’s father was! Or that he had a sister! He was beaming as he walked out and into the bar across the road. “No firewhiskey, but they have plain whiskey. Tastes about the same, burns less.” He offered. “I’m sure we can find you something you like. You like to take shots, or so you prefer mixed drinks?”

He led her up to a small table near the bar, wanting something a little more private than a front-seat bar setting. He reached across and touched her hand as he waited for the waitress to come over for them. Despite the popcorn at the movies, he was wondering if they had any bar food. Britain was so weird compared to the United States when to came to food, at least Ashley thought so. He loved the company over here, he loved the adventure and the amount of work he got around here, but he missed the states. He really did. He wondered if Mihwa would be willing to take a weekend to join him around his side of the pond. He didn’t know where he would take her if he only had a weekend—probably NYC, since he would likely do it on a weekend he needed to report. He wasn’t sure they were “there” yet. They had only gone on a few “official” dates, but so far they went really well.

“You don’t work tomorrow, do you?” He asked, feeling frisky. “I mean, I’ve got no plans this weekend, if you wanted to… do that thing we talked about. Get a room.” He felt a little awkward asking so point-blank, but despite the fact that he definitely wanted to get her into the bedroom, he did genuinely want to show her more movies. He wished he had a home to take her to. He really traveled from hotel to hotel, never staying in one place long enough to get his own apartment.

The waitress came over, and Ashley ordered himself a whiskey double, then turned to Mihwa for her preference.

“Plain whiskey’s just as good I’m sure,” she smiled with a nod, “Or mixed drinks, is there anything particularly muggle I ought to try?” she considered, inspecting the bar as they headed in that direction, her excitement evident in the way she walked with enthusiasm, who knew muggle things could be so much more interesting than the drudgery of the wizarding world? While Mihwa could not imagine living in a world devoid of magic, she certainly was in awe of the world that Ashley had opened for her and intend to revisit as many times as he liked. “Do you think they’d do something Star Wars themed for me if I asked?” she asked excitedly though she did not really know what sort of drink that entailed but the thought of asking for it sounded fun.

She followed him as he led her to a table, grateful that they could sit across from each other rather than next to each other if sitting at the bar, it made it difficult to carry a conversation that way. And this way, she could make as many silly faces as she wanted without getting odd looks from the other people working at the bar. How did one go about waiting tables or doing dishes without magic? Working in a place like this seemed like a lot of work if no magic was involved, she considered, looking around the bar in much interest as if she had never been to a pub before. Well, not this sort of place, anyway. “Have you been here before?” she asked suddenly, her hand squeezing his just a little as she wondered about it. “It looks very vintage, I really like it already, what do you think is good?” she considered, finding a menu above the bartender’s head in the corner as she squinted, trying to understand what it said but not being able to make much of it.

“Hm?” she turned her attention back to him, processing his question for a moment before shaking her head, “Oh no way, I am done for the week, thank Merlin, it’s so boring all that Ministry stuff,” she replied, wrinkling her nose as she complained about her work. Mihwa was grateful for a job and her direct superior was not as much of a pain as she sometimes pretended he was but at the same time, nothing was better than to leisurely spend her time. And her father said playing couldn’t be educational? She scoffed mentally. Of course, Mihwa couldn’t very well tell him that she’d gone to a muggle film with a boyfriend that even her mother did not know about (yet) but the young witch had learned many interesting things indeed. “Oh yes, I’d love that, you think we can watch the entire series in two days?” she wondered, tilting her head as she considered how many hours she could lose sleep between watching films and other interesting activities before it started to show on her face. “Maybe next time we could get a movie-watching contraption and put it in my house, then you can just crash at my place,” she suggested. Was it called a movie screen or a telly? She wasn’t really sure.

She turned to the waitress when she finally made her way to their table, “Um—” she paused, “A tequila sunrise?” she inquired, one of the names she was finally able to make out on the menu, “Is that any good? Yeah, I’ll try that one,” she said and the waitress nodded before returning to the bar.

Mihwa was absolutely adorable, so excited and enthralled by the world around her. Ashley loved this. He loved showing someone something new, especially something that was dear to him. The muggle world was a big part of his life. Growing up very close to his muggle grandparents, Ashley had to learn to do things without magic sometimes. He learned to respect what muggles could do, not just the extra work they had to do but what masterpieces they had truly made with no help from magic at all. They were far more ingenious than some wizards gave them credit for, and he knew that Mihwa’s lack of understanding about muggle culture did not come from a place of disinterest or hatred, just rather a lack of knowledge. He wanted to help her see the whole other world out there. Just like her, he wasn’t about to abandon the wizarding world entirely, but he was happy to visit whenever he needed something, or just needed a break.

“You know, with how close they are to the place next door, maybe the y have a coordinating special?” He wondered, but it didn’t matter. They both ordered and he grinned at hers. “A Tequila sunrise, huh? You guys have tequila, right?” He asked. Otherwise, she was in for a bit of a shock. He was so used to mixing cultures, he kind of forgot which came with which.  “It’ll be sweet, like you.” He teased. “Orange juice and a pomegranate syrup.” He liked them, too, when he wanted a sweet drink. Tequila kinda messed him up, truly.

He was still smiling about her desire to get a room with him, and was planning the perfect place. If it was only for a few nights, maybe they could get a nice room in muggle London, not in the shacks he usually frequented. Ashley’s preferred lodgings were cheap and easy, preferably with a bar or liquor store within walking distance. They often charged by the week and he would lose his deposit for pinning all sorts of work things to his walls. He had been at it for so long, he forgot what it was like to have a regular home.  Ashley would work and think and drink and go to bed late, wake up early, and get to work again. With Mihwa, he felt passion for something other than just working. He felt something bubbling there that was a nice change. So far, it wasn’t overpowering and didn’t make him ache, but it just felt nice all-around. He didn’t feel the need to call her Nadia, though admittedly they hadn’t started living together yet. In the back of his mind, he was planning all sorts of other dates for them to go on. He wanted to see her shoot a gun. He thought that might scare her, but it would be good. If they’d ever get serious, eventually she would need to work with him, right? She seemed a little soft for his line of work, but he could easily be surprised. She didn’t seem to fond of her Ministry job, though. Did she mind getting her hands dirty?

He doubted she had the stomach for some of his harder work, the stuff with Licet Veredus Populus, but he was sworn to never share that information anyway. While he had been enjoying the mental jumps into the far-future with Mihwa, he suddenly wasn’t anymore. It was sad to think about, his life. He probably could never truly be himself with anyone who wasn’t also a part of the society. Only a girl from there would understand him, truly.  What was the purpose of stringing this poor girl along? She seemed genuinely interested in him. In his likes and dislikes, and they got along so well. Why didn’t anything ever work out for him?

He was thankful for the quick turnaround on the drinks. He took a long sip of his whiskey, no chaser. He grimaced only slightly before putting it down and eyeing her drink. It was time for him to get out of his head. “Quick, quick, take a sip. Tell me how you like it.” He smiled at her.

“…and, about the films. I mean, we could definitely finish the sequels, but I don’t know if we could get through the prequels, too. Besides, they’re not done yet. There’s supposed to be one more. I don’t remember if it’s supposed to come out this year or not, maybe next year. Maybe we’ll make a date out of seeing it.” He smiled.  “But… yeah, we can make it through episodes five and six, easy.” He smiled. “That’s how they do it. The first one is episode 4. Then 5 and 6 are the sequels…. And then the prequels are 1 and 2 and, coming soon, 3.” He laughed. “Very confusing, but pretty cool. Wow, I have so many things I could show you if we had time in front of a TV. I just don’t want to overwhelm you, you know?” he smiled. “Besides, we ought to probably do some things, too. Have you ever been shooting? Like at a range?”

“Do we?” she wondered, “I don’t think I’ve ever had it before if we do, this should be rather fun!” she retorted with much excitement. Whether it was to be found in one of the wizarding pubs she frequented with her friends she wasn’t sure, as all of her closest pals had always been particularly fond of firewhiskey and apart from that, refused to order anything remotely resembling a cocktail. However, this entire experience made the thought of trying something new exciting, hopefully, it would not cause her too much embarrassment should she get drunk too quickly. It wasn’t as if Ashley had not seen her drunk before, she tended to become much more affectionate when intoxicated, her cheeks turning a deep red after one drink and her mannerisms becoming a little less coordinated with time. The impressionable girl giggled at Ashley’s comment, a flash of white teeth visible as she did. “Well if it’s sweet then I’m sure I’ll be ordering plenty of them,” she quipped in return.

“I’d be nice if they opened something like this next to the Ministry, looks like a perfect place to hang out with friends and to be honest, I’m getting tired of pints with the gals on Friday afternoons,” she expressed, puffing out her cheeks just slightly as she pouted, it really wasn’t a big deal but it was nice to have these sorts of light, nonsensical conversations with someone like Ashley. It was difficult to have the same sort of connection with her parents, who often tried to gear the conversation in the direction of her future plans, something that Mihwa simply had no interest in talking about. Mihwa enjoyed living in the moment, taking it day by day, experiencing life as it happened rather than worrying herself about what might happen in the future. She figured that she would eventually get there and talking about it wouldn’t change the outcome of what would happen whether she tried to avoid it or not.

She looked at the tall drink excitedly as it was set before her, the condensation forming on the glass making it obvious that it would be the sort of refreshing, cold drink she could get accustomed to, especially if it was as sweet as Ashley had promised. “Wow, it looks so good!” she said, her voice rising in excitement as she leaned forward, took the straw into her mouth and took a generous sip, “Hmm,” she replied, before bringing her hand up to her head only moments later, her fingers pressing down at her temples, “Ouch—” she laughed through the pain, “Brain freeze,” she muttered, “but yummy, try it,” she insisted. It was a little sour but also extremely sweet, a dull taste of alcohol serving as a slightly bitter aftertaste.

 However, it was certainly something she would enjoy having another of.
Mihwa listened intently to Ashley, the immediate headache softly subsiding as she focused on his voice, unable to prevent the small smile on her face as she watched him. He was incredibly handsome, she had truly outdone herself this time and not only that but the way he spoke about the things he liked were inspiring. “That sounds confusing but if you know the order I’m sure we’ll be just fine, I hope you won’t mind if I ask questions, I’m a bit of a chatterbox at plays, but was so into the large TV in the moving theater that I completely forgot,” she laughed, bringing the drink back to her lips as she took another sip. “How’s your drink?” she managed to ask before she got distracted again, “Oh a shooting range like…with a wand?” she wondered, tilting her head just slightly in confusion. She wasn’t really sure what he was talking about but it sounded exciting already.

Like… with a  wand? Wow, adorable. She was too sweet, and he had a feeling his brother Silas would have approved of her. She wasn’t Ashley’s usual type of girl, but that made it a little better if he was telling the truth. There were only so many gun-slinging, halfblood or less, outdoorsy, could-drink-him-under-the-table badass girls in the world, and Mihwa was adorable if nothing else. Don’t get it twisted, he was just as happy spending his time with her as he was spending it with the other girls. He liked seeing a softer side. It gave him a little break from work, unlike the other girls who often made him think of work even more. “I meant with a gun? A no-maj thing, I mean.. I don’t think we usually have a use for them but—” He was used to being impressed by a girl’s ability to shoot. “What about an archery range, anything like that?” he offered. “Like bow and arrow.” They were bound to use bow and arrows at least, right?

He blushed a little and took a sip of her ice-cold tequila sunrise and smiled. Just a sweet as he imagined it would be. He was careful to not get the brain freeze she did, because that sensation was one of just about the worst things he could imagine, physically. It was very uncomfortable.  He kept his hand on hers between them, rubbing it gently with his thumbs. He felt so lucky that he’d found her, really. That he’d been able to date her, be with her physically, all of it. She was really gorgeous and he was really lucky for getting to be a part of that.

While it was likely true in reverse, too, Ashley didn’t feel like much of a catch. He thought that guys like him were a dime a dozen, really. They weren’t stable, didn’t have well-playing jobs. I mean, most people didn’t have to hustle people at pool or poker to get money to pay for a room for the night, and he’d indulged in a motorcycle, not a car. He supposed if he was hard-up, he could always go home for a little. His parents would he happy to see him, but they wouldn’t let him just stay there indeterminately. They had pushed him out of the house as soon as they could, and it wasn’t necessarily their fault. They just had their own lives, not a great environment for kids.

Of the two brothers, Silas was definitely a better catch. He was smarter, more self-motivated and determined, ambitious. Ashley was the handsome one, in his personal opinion, but that didn’t matter much. Silas had a bigger heart and a bigger head. He was going places. Ashley was just skating by with no plans for the future. He didn’t think he’d ever get married or, honestly, live long enough to settle down with kids. He didn’t want kids in his line of work, anyway. He would not raise them in the field like he was raised.

He swallowed down the last of his drink and ordered another. Four shots of whiskey should warm up almost anyone, but Ashley would still be fine. He had a high tolerance.

“Oh, oh, I get it,” she responded, giggling nervously and feeling a little silly for thinking otherwise. Mihwa was not accustomed to spending time with anyone that had so much information about the ongoings of the muggle world but it certainly was a welcomed change to how ordinary her everyday life was. The witch had not spent nearly enough time getting to know about Ashley’s family background or what he did for a living the way in which her family would have probably expected her to but she found the element of surprise in their conversations the part that drew her to him the most.

Ashley had a way with words, had seen much more than Mihwa had and was eager to introduce her to all of it. What was best of all, he did not look down on her for having no idea what he was talking about at least did not do so outloud, but rather explained everything with just enough detail to peak her interest even more. “No-maj, is that what they call them in America? How adorable,” she sighed happily, leaning forward to rest her face on her upright arm as she leaned forward, her other hand in his, quite enchanted by his accent and how so very different it was from everything she listened to day in and out at the Ministry.

“Oh yes, I’ve done archery before, well my family, dad’s side is quite into it and oftentimes when we visit Korea they take me out to try it. Not very good at it but it’s fun nonetheless,” she explained, nodding in agreement as she continued to talk, finally excited to have something to share from herself that made sense with the context of the conversation. Mihwa wondered when it would be appropriate to ask him more about himself without him feeling like it was an interrogation. It wasn’t as if she was in a rush to get to the next phase of their relationship, everything was comfortable just the way it was, but she was eager to have something to tell her friends when she went out with them again. The drudgery of her own life did not make for an interesting conversation, apart from talking about how much she wanted to leave her work at the Ministry but how she had no plan to do anything else was far from a conversation anyone would want to revisit.

Mihwa was around halfway done with her drink by the time he ordered another but she was not in a rush to keep up with him, she was already feeling a little tipsy, her cheeks getting warm as the drink and it’s mysteriously delicious contents settled in her stomach. He had drank much more before and had been just fine, Mihwa on the other hand—somehow had never been the most tolerant drinker though that never stopped her from enjoying it. “Do they have these shooting ranges where you’re from?” she asked, wondering if he would tell her more about his hometown. “Do you miss home?” she added. It was obvious that he was far away from it and though Mihwa was not entirely sure what he was doing in London, she hoped that asking about his whereabouts as a child did not feel too intrusive.

Ashley listened to her carefully as she explained that her family was quite into archery when she visited them in Korea. How cute. He had always wanted to go to the Asian continent, but so had never had an excuse to go. He had been all around Europe and even more around America, but never anywhere in Asia. He would love to go to Korea with her sometime. He wondered if he ought to tell her that. The conversation moved on, though, so he kept that to himself.

“Yeah, they’re everywhere in America.” He admitted. Gun laws were way different in the UK, and he liked the American laws better. “Maybe one day I can take you home. You can meet my mom and dad. Maybe we’ll go on a holiday so Silas, my brother, and Cheyenne, my sister will be home too.” He laughed.

“I miss it a bit, yeah. I didn’t really grow up where my parents live now, though.” He confessed. “They were famous adventurers, writing a pretty well-known book series in America. We bopped around from hotel room to hotel room while they hunted down dangerous beasts and stuff. Same stuff I do, basically. I just do it on a smaller scale, I guess. More regulations now.” He shrugged. “But yeah, America is really different. I like it here, though. Lots of job opportunities and some really interesting people.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully. His drink showed up and he thanked the waitress before sipping it slowly this time.

“That’s enough about me, though. I think it’s cool that your family’s into archery. I’ve gotten pretty good at it.” He looked around the bar. He spotted a pool table and grinned. “Actually, I’ve got an idea. Take your drink with you. Let’s play a round of pool. I’ll show you how.”

“Silas and Cheyenne, what pretty names,” she noted, leaning in to take another sip of her drink as she listened to him attentively. “I’d like to go to America, and would love to meet your family, are your siblings still in school?” she wondered, suddenly very curious about Ashley’s family background. Mihwa felt that she had spoken about her own family quite too much, especially when she complained about her dad and his insistence that she pay more attention to her future. Talking about long-term plans had always been a sore spot for the young witch, probably why she was much more interested in talking about someone else’s much more interesting life. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gun before but sounds like something I’d like,” she considered. It was a new experience after all.

She listened intently as he spoke, a little jealous that her own life had been as a child. Mihwa had older siblings but they were not close, in fact the relationship between her own parents and that of her father and his previous wife, the mother of her siblings, had always been rather tumultuous. To make matters worse, her father strictly adhered to an all-out no fun without purpose policy which meant that they rarely did anything nearly as entertaining as some of the many stories Ashley seemed to have in store for her. “Is it in the library? I’d love to read it. Must’ve been good practice for you too, especially since you’re doing something in the same field. I don’t think I’d ever want to be anything remotely like my parents, careers and all. Can you imagine me owning a bookshop or even being a mediwitch?” her expression turned sour at the thought, “Yuck, no way.”

“I think they did it in school but I’m not really close to them,” she admitted, looking around as he did. Had he spotted something interesting? Was talking about his family making him uncomfortable? The confusion was quickly cleared up as he asked her over to the pool table. “Oh, pool, I don’t know, feels risky,” she teased, “Especially if you’re good at it, I’ve never played,” she confessed but stood up to follow him anyway. “What we playing for anyway?” she winked mischievously, though was most certainly going to lose. It didn’t matter, she would enjoy learning from him if he was willing to tell her a move or two.

Ashley was thinking of his siblings again. He missed them a lot, especially Silas. He and Silas were closer in age than he was with Cheyenne and because of that Silas was a big part of Ashley’s growing up. He remembered lots of nights watching his little brother in the hotel room, feeding him spaghettios and lucky charms and poptarts. He remembered always giving Silas the toy from his cereal box, because he knew the other would want it more than him. He had memories like that with Chey, he supposed, but it wasn’t to the same extent. His brother was very important to him, and Ashley really hated that he hadn’t gone into the family business. He could have had a partner he could trust, but instead he had no one, really. It wasn’t like Mihwa was gonna give up her job to run around the countyside with him. Even if he enjoyed the daydream, he knew this wasn’t going anywhere serious. He didn’t care for serious in general—but sometimes the thought of having a partner and not being lonely so often sounded really good. He just didn’t know if he could trust anyone the way he’d trusted Nadia. He could have married her. He would have. But he didn’t.

He tried to get out of his head, the buzz of alcohol making him feel a little more down than he was before. He thought more when he was drinking, but it hurt less than thinking sober. “Ah, Chey’s a Thunderbird… God, she’s a 7th year now. Almost done.” He realized. “Silas was a Horned Serpent, he graduated a few years after me.” He explained. “Basically, Thunderbird’s the house of adventurers, like me.” He teased lightly. “Horned Serpents are the braniacs, like Silas.” He smiled lightly, though he was sad Silas had chosen to be away from him. He had been selected for both houses.

“Oh, you mean my parents’ books, right? I mean, they were pretty popular in the States, don’t know that they took off much here, though.” He admitted. “I’ll get you one, but there’s a lot of unfavorable stuff there about me. My mom likes to talk about my embarrassing childhood memories.” He laughed. He was pretty sure there was even a baby picture of him in one of them.  “I dunno, I wasn’t into the writing thing but this was just how I was raised, I guess. I never knew anything else. I feel guilty knowing the stuff I know and not using it, I guess. It takes a certain level of knowledge to handle dangerous beasts. Then, you know, the pest control on the side is just some extra money.” He laughed, walking towards the pool tables.

“You’ve really never played, though? Don’t worry. I’ll teach you.” He assured. “Hmmm….” He was thinking all sorts of dirty things. “Winner gets to dictate where we go next?” He offered. He would suggest a hotel room, and had a suspicion she would say the same thing. Win-win.

“Here.” He picked up a stick and handed it to her after chalking up the tip. “I’ll put the coins in and get the balls out.” He rummaged around for his muggle money, putting quarters in the machine. The balls released. He started putting them in the triangle. “It doesn’t matter where they go, just kinda throw them all in there. Then….” He moved it into position. “You release…” He pulled up on the triangle to leave the balls set up. He grabbed the cue.

“So you put this here.” He offered. “Then you try to use this ball to hit one of the other ones into one of those holes on the side. First one breaks the balls up mostly, so go ahead. Take a shot.” He stood behind her, leaning against her and holding her hand into position. “Feel how it’s supposed to go?” He asked. He stepped backwards a little for her to take the shot.

Mihwa was not entirely familiar with Ilvermorny the same way she knew very little about North America in general but being called a Thunderbird certainly sounded much more interesting than being labelled a Gryffindor. But the witch listened intently, as she enjoyed hearing him talk more about himself than she had ever enjoyed talking about herself. It was simply habit: it was becoming increasingly evident that his life was much more interesting than her own. “So Thunderbirds are like the Gryffindors of America and the Horned Serpents like the Ravenclaws?” she asked, wondering what was the names of the houses that could be associated with Slytherin and Hufflepuff, if those existed.

“But that’s totally okay, I’d love to read it and I won’t make fun of you, promise!” she swore with a smile on her face, even more eager to read about his childhood and what he might have been like then. Mihwa didn’t know if her parents had any embarrassing stories to tell of her but if they did she was almost certain that her father wouldn’t be the one sharing them. He was all about image, and found a way to connect everything, even things that were not related to him in any way, to himself. How might this story affect people’s view of him or his culture of his life’s work? Even making jokes in his presence was difficult at times. Mihwa wondered if Ashley’s parents were as easygoing as he pictured them to be. She was very curious to find out.

But they didn’t stick on that topic for long, moving over to the pool table as she inspected it closely trying to figure out what it did and how it worked. It definitely looked confusing but Mihwa was not the sort to shy away from a challenge, especially if it meant that she got to try it out with someone as good looking as her date. “Sounds good to me, I won’t walk away from a challenge,” she warned him lightly, watching with much interest as he put what looked like coins into the machine, it making a funny noise before some balls were released.

She leaned forward as he explained, not really sure if she understood all the rules but was comfortable enough with the idea that she was supposed to hit one ball with the others. “What if the white ball falls in by accident, though?” she asked as he stood behind her, grinning just a little at the nature of the position but saying nothing about it. She was starting to get a good idea as to why he probably was eager to teach her, not that she minded one bit. Fixing her aim, she closed one eye to get what she believed would be a better shot then propelled the stick forward, watching as the balls scattered. “Are each numbers supposed to represent the points?” she wondered. “Why are they all different colors?” she had so many questions.

From what Ashley knew about the Hogwarts houses, they didn’t completely match up with Ilvermorny houses. “Kinda? I think. I have been told I would have been a Gryffindor if I was at Hogwarts, but I’m not all that familiar with the houses. I guess the Horned Serpents are smart and kind of ambitious and stuff. Then there’s Pukwudgie, who are the healers, and Wampus, which are the warriors. I remember something about Hogwarts having the Gryffindors, the evil ones, the smart ones, and everyone else. Is that how that works?” He wondered, showing his cards a bit. He didn’t know much and hated being so ignorant.

Soon, though, they were talking about something he did know something about: pool. He watched her make her shot, giving her ass a little squeeze playfully after she made the shot. He grinned at her wickedly. “Well, if the white ball goes in, it’s called a scratch.” He began. “You lose the turn, and the opponent, me, can put the ball anywhere I want behind these little diamonds here.” He pointed to them.

“The numbers don’t mean anything, but the colors do. You’ll notice half are striped and half are solid. Whichever one you get in first, that’s the one you are. If you’re, say, solids, you try to get all the solid ones in the holes while avoiding the striped ones.” He explained. “Or, if you’re stripes, vice-versa. One important thing, though. Either way, the black 8 ball is the last one to go in. Once you’ve got the rest of your balls in, you have to hit in the 8. If you hit the 8 in before you’ve gotten the others in, you lose. If you scratch while trying for the 8, you lose.” He explained.

It didn’t look like any of her balls went in, so it was his turn now. “My turn now. I’ll see if I can show you.” He offered, knowing full-well he would get in at least one on this turn. He went for stripes, as there was technically one more stripe than solid. He made a shot, getting the yellow-striped one in the left corner pocket.

“If you get one in, you go again.” He explained. Trying not to make it look obvious, he missed the next shot intentionally. “Your turn now. So, I got stripes so you’re solids.”

Mihwa listened intently, intrigued by the thought that she was hearing about a different wizarding school from a wizard from a completely different continent. She certainly wasn’t going out with Ashley only because he was an American but her thrill for adventure certainly made him a very appealing option just because of that. She hadn’t heard much about Ilvermorny before and now with someone that had attended the school, there was more that could be shared between them. “Yeah that’s about right, I was a Gryffindor,” she announced proudly.

“Obviously the best house, bold and popular and things like that,” she added playfully smiling as she thought how the Hufflepuffs had been labelled the house where everyone else was in. In a way, that was slightly true. But Mihwa’s house pride didn’t get in her way of making friends. She was friendly with everyone, regardless of their house. After all, personality mattered most and she had met some pretty weird Gryffindors, too. It all seemed like a luck of the draw.

“Okay, white ball scratch, not good,” she said as she made mental notes to herself, hoping that she would remember everything or at least do a very good job of faking it until she did something right. There was a reason that Mihwa stayed away from any sort of sport, it was because there were so many rules to follow that by the time she started to understand, it wasn’t that interesting anymore. She nodded as he pointed out the colors of the balls, at least that one would be easy to remember. “But if the whole point is to get the black 8 ball in the hole, aren’t I better off using all my chances trying to get it in? Am I to go in numerical order?” she asked but was starting to confuse herself so she quieted down.

Mihwa stood aside as she watched him closely, trying to figure out if there was a method to shooting so that she had a higher chance of putting in at least one ball. Mihwa already knew she’d be no good at it but wanted to try it out for the sake of fun. If she could get at least one in she’d be very proud of herself. “Okay, okay, I’ll try my best,” she promised, leaning forward as she tried to grip the cue similarly to how he had done it so as to better her aim. Taking one shot and hoping for the best, she propelled her body forward, watching as one of the solid balls got close to the hole. “Come on, come on,” she muttered to herself as if for good luck.

Ashley laughed. “The point is to get the 8 ball in last.” He smiled. “The numbers don’t really mean anything. He smiled as he watched her. The ball hovered near the hole but didn’t go in. “Awh, that was a  good shot, though! Let me show you.” He said. It was technically not her turn anymore, but there was a chance for him to feel her up from behind, and that was worth more than winning. He lined himself behind her, taking her hands underneath his hands and showing her the way to shoot. “It’s mostly about angles and stuff. I’m sure if you’re good at physics you’ll be great at it, but I’m not. I’ve just got some practice.” He teased.

His hips were flush with hers as he guided her hands, shooting the cue towards the ball hovering near the pocket. It went in, and the cue stayed on the board. He smiled. “Look at that. Perfect shot.” He grinned, then turned her face and kissed her on the lips. He tasted like whiskey, but he was happy and affectionate. He wondered for a second if they should finish the game or jut get out of there now. Nah, they should finish at least one game.

“Alright, go again. See if you can get another one.” He smiled, letting her go after putting his hands on her hips one more time, then spanking her playfully.

“I used to get some extra money in between jobs by hustling at pool.” He confessed. “I’m good at darts, too. All sorts of bar games. Even poker sometimes. I like to go down to the Goblin hole and paly there. Goblins are really good, but they love to talk about their hands to their friends. I speak Gobbledegook, so I always make it out with cash.” He laughed.