[MCG] a new day has begun [louise]

“You mother, eh?” Louise nodded and grinned. “Yeah, I guess explaining your mother why a sex toy is on your wish list for Christmas might not be the most fun thing to do.” She chuckled softly. Sam apparently really had trouble to discuss this in public. “I sure hope you'll tell me later,” she added in a conspirational whisper.

“Yeah, I've heard about that. Do you think it was really cursed or just a coincidence, though?” she asked. “Who does professor McGonagall consider the worst teacher then?” she was curious to hear about that and wondered if it was someone she had been taught by. Then again she didn't recall any professor being so bad that they deserved the title of the worst professor.

“I guess it's hard to find suitable staff,” she mused. “I mean, you basically need to find someone who knows a lot about a subject, is able to teach and is ready to basically mostly abandon their normal life as they're stuck at school instead of having a proper private life...” Her voice trailed off as she realised that Sam might take this the wrong way. “No offence at all. I mean, I think you're a brilliant professor and your students should be happy to have you. Besides, I guess you manage to balance private life and school as well as possible.”

Now that they had their coffee, Louise was happy doing no matter what. “Yes, sure,” she said, “let's go to the arena. Should be fun and we can catch up some more. It's great to have some time to talk again.”

While he was enjoying the topic of conversation, Sam would have felt a lot more comfortable if they hadn't been surrounded by people. Now that the displays had begun again the stalls were becoming more crowded and while there was even less chance of them being overheard, still he felt that it was too public a place to talk about such things. Perhaps some of that feeling stemmed from being a Seer. Knowing that he could accidentally eavesdrop into others' lives - albeit accidentally and often not even knowing who they were - meant that Sam preferred to keep his own life very private indeed.

"The Dark Arts position? I actually don't know" he said thoughtfully "I think perhaps it was a little of both. Certainly there was a curse, then some people were employed only for a single year, and others, believing there was a curse made certain to leave before the end of the year to be sure they stayed safe... but the thing is, I can't believe that a great wizard like Dumbledore wouldn't have found a way to lift a curse of that kind, even if it was laid by..." even now Sam couldn't say the name, couldn't even think it without shuddering a little. He forced a smile "and the worst ever professor was one of those who didn't last the full year. Dolores Umbridge?" he said the name questioningly, expecting Louise to recognise it "apparently she took incompetence to whole new levels" Sam was grateful he hadn't taught at the school until after the woman, who by all accounts had been one of the worst choices imaginable to allow in charge of children, had lunceremoniously left.

Sam knew that Louise wasn't talking about him personally, but he felt that twinge of guilt again regardless, wrapping his hands around the coffee cup as they walked. "I know. If I were to be given an end-of-year report I guess mine would read 'could do better'" he sighed "Maybe I shouldn't have gone back but...I love to teach. I enjoy seeing the students go from knowing nothing about a subject to actually expecting to get a decent grade. Maybe it sounds strange but...I honestly can't see myself doing anything else. I love art, I love making things but...I don't think it'll ever work for me as anything more than a hobby I also earn a little extra money from. Even if the divination position hadn't been vacant last year, I sometimes think I would have just tried my hand at another subject..." As he spoke, Sam was smiling as he thought of the forthcoming school year and he grew more animated as he described the kids' successes.

They'd almost reached the end of the artists' quarter and now were passing through several of the small temporary restaurant areas. "Oh - the whisky cafe is just over there" he added, pointing out where they had discussed going later on.

"I agree. Hard to believe that if there was a curse on the class that there'd be no way to lift it or get around it by changing the class a little." Louise thought that a powerful wizard such as Dumbledore should have been able to do something about this but then again there were maybe curses that weren't easy to get around or could not be reversed at all.

"Umbridge? The High Inquisitor? Yes, of course, I've heard about her. She was all over the Prophet back then. She did go back to work at the Ministry afterwards, didn't she? Do you know what happened to her after the war?" Louise vaguely remembered that Umbridge had been imprisoned but she wasn't entirely sure. From what she knew about the woman, she certainly deserved being locked away anyway.

"You've had a lot going on," Louise said, trying to comfort Sam. "You cannot be reduced to simply being a professor. The students surely appreciate your enthusiasm for your job. I know I would have been impressed by you as a professor." She paused, thinking about what he had said about that he would have tried for another subject had Divination not been available. "That's interesting! Which other subject? Is there anything aside from Divination you'd be keen to teach?" She had never even given this possibility a thought. To her Sam was connected to Divination with no way around that. That he had considered applying for a different teaching position truly surprised her.

Louise smiled as Sam pointed out the whisky cafe. She was happy with her coffee for now but was looking forward to a nice dinner later all the same. She took a sip from her cappuccino. It was still really hot but also really tasty. She nodded into the direction of the arena that was quickly filling up. "Let's go in and take a seat," she suggested. It wasn't that she was overly interested in seeing the golden eagles but she thought that everything was okay as long as they could spend time together and continue their conversation. The performance could hardly need Sam's full attention.

"Then again, if they could avoid a curse simply by changing the name of a class..." Sam mused, though as he hadn't studied curses beyond a fairly basic level he knew there was a lot more to the subject that they were considering. He decided that his coffee would be cool enough to drink now. He was wrong, but at least he didn't burn his lips on the small sip he'd taken, and it tasted great. Somehow a hot drink in the open air always felt more decadent. But then the topic turned to the woman dubbed 'worst teacher ever'. "I actually don't know. I read in the paper that she wasn't employed by the Ministry any longer, but I don't know if she was sent to Azkaban...there were so many trials and convictions being reported I stopped reading them after the first few weeks." Sam had heard the rumours about what had happened to the woman the night she'd left Hogwarts as well, but he wasn't going to mention that.

Now they were talking more about school in general and he felt more comfortable about that. Oh, he didn't think he was good enough, despite what Louise was saying, though he appreciated her words more than he could express. "Thanks" he said, smiling "I seem to remember you were a pretty good student, too..." One could say that Louise had been his first student, in fact; they'd certainly studied together enough while they were at school. "Actually, I was asked that question at my first Hogwarts interview" he said "I thought it was strange at the time, but apparently they like to know if one feels confident in any other subjects, in case another professor is taken ill or has to deal with a family emergency" It was rare that anyone was called upon to teach another subject, in Sam's experience, but it was a sensible system.

"Astronomy. You know, the other subject on the curriculum that's considered only slightly less pointless than divination" he joked. It wasn't that either subject lacked merits, but they were the least-mentioned as 'required subjects' in job descriptions. Almost every post asked for at least a decent OWL grade in charms. Only specialist positions wanted NEWT-grade divination or astronomy. Sam didn't mind; he'd learned a good couple of decades earlier that his subject wasn't taken seriously by many, and that was fine with him. It meant that he had a far lower percentage of students in his class who were there because they'd been told to take the subject by a parent.

"How about you? If you were to become a professor, what subject would you choose?" he asked turning to her with a smile. It was a strange question, but now the subject had been raised Sam was genuinely curious to hear what she would choose. He followed Louise into the stands and to a section that was mostly deserted, climbing up a few steps so they would have both a good view and be able to continue talking. The eagle handler was now talking about the birds' habits and preferred foods as they circled above him, but she hadn't bothered to perform a strong amplification charm. After they had sat down, he repeated his earlier question. "So what would it be, Professor Ellington?"

Louise nodded thoughtfully as Sam voiced his thoughts on the matter of the curse. “Well, maybe not just rename it but also sort of make a new focal point for the class. I remember from a Russian friend that they had a class called Defence and Duelling. It would have a bit of a different emphasis but in the end it would teach the students what they need to know.” She shrugged. “It might not work. I mean, Dumbledore was a genius. I guess had it been simple as that he would have tried it.”

She thought about what she had read about Umbridge and what Sam said and sighed. “I wonder what made her such a person. I mean, she obviously had issues.” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head, not wanting to think about why people turned to the dark side. Sam probably already realised where she was coming from and she hoped that he would understand that she did not really want to discuss this now and put a damper on their mood.

It was good to see Sam smile at the compliment regarding his teaching skills. “I guess so,” she nodded. “Not a bad one, anyway.” She was surprised to hear that Sam had been asked about other classes during his Hogwarts job interview but it definitely made sense now that she thought about it.  “Yeah, totally reasonable. Though from my experience there was usually a substitute teacher coming in when one wasn't able to teach. Did you ever get to substitute for another professor?”

Astronomy. Yeah, she could see what that was interesting for the Divination professor. “Makes sense,” she simply stated. “Does it ever get boring to teach the same things again and again?” She wondered why they were talking about this now but it felt like an easy topic and one that prevented them from addressing the current state of their relationship, which, in one word, could be labelled 'complicated'.

“Me?” Louise almost choked on her coffee. “I don't know. I have never seriously considered it. I mean, I thought about how it would be to be a professor sometimes but I never really went as far as considering a subject.” She thought about it briefly, looking up at the eagles and then nodded. “I have always been interested in history, magical as well as muggle history and art history. So maybe that… Or Muggle Studies,” she smiled. “You know that I have muggle things in my gallery and I am absolutely convinced that we need to understand muggles so we can co-exist peacefully.”

Sam thought that a lot of people had issues, but that didn't mean they spent their time trying to make others' lives as unpleasant as possible. A lot of students had lost family members during the war, but they hadn't decided to lash out at the world because of their grief. Well, not for more than a few months, anyway. Though perhaps that was because the professors and other students had been there to watch out for them and make sure they knew they weren't alone or abandoned. Like Louise said, it wasn't simple... and he was glad they weren't going to dwell on the subject.

"Yeah, that's right. There's a list of substitute professors who can be called upon when they're needed. But sometimes, if someone's taken ill at short notice, there isn't time to contact another professor. I never got called upon, I'm glad, really. Do you remember how we used to behave in class when there was a substitute?" It was a rare student indeed who didn't consider the phrase 'substitute teacher' to mean 'time to pass notes in the lesson and not bother to pay attention'. Although Sam and Louise had been in different years he doubted whether their behaviour at school had been too different. Of course, now they'd talked about it, he'd probably find himself called upon to cover a transfiguration class on the first week back...

He smiled. "No, it never gets boring. I'm not really teaching the same thing, you see. I mean, the subject matter is the same, but each year there's a new class of students, and they learn in different ways. One class might master reading playing cards in a matter of weeks but struggle with crystal balls, while another only ever really excels at practical work and their essays are terrible. So I need to adapt my classes to match how they learn. I could be teaching the same subject thirty years from now and there would still be new things to discover..." he glanced at Louise, checking she wasn't bored with what he was saying, or worse, that the idea of him still being a professor when he was nearly seventy disturbed her. Sam didn't often talk at length about his work, thinking they had more important things to discuss when they were together. But it made him happy that she was taking an interest. He followed her gaze upwards and watched the eagles, soaring above the arena in a synchronised pattern. It looked peaceful and relaxing, though he knew how much strength it would take the birds to fly against the wind currents. There was probably a metaphor for life in there somewhere.

Louise's answer surprised him. He had been expecting her to say history, or perhaps some sort of duelling class even though that wasn't a specific class. But muggle studies? It was a strange answer at first thought, but her reasoning... "You're right. it's human nature to fear what we don't understand. The more we understand others, the better we can co-exist with them, as you say." he drank a little more coffee as he considered what she'd said "You'd make a pretty good teacher, I think" he added, and was surprised at the rush of feeling the idea triggered. It was crazy of course; Louise was happy running her gallery and arranging exhibitions. All the same, it was nice to dream sometimes.

It made sense, of course. When a professor couldn't teach on short notice a person already at the school would step in. When it was clear that a professor couldn't teach for more than a few lessons, a substitute would be brought in from elsewhere. She nodded, smiling slightly. “Yeah, I guess that's true. Substitutes never really got the full attention unless they were really good.”

A smile spread across her face. It was nice to hear that Sam still enjoyed teaching and found it interesting as no group of students was the same. “I see where you're coming from. That sounds really quite intriguing.” Again she thought for a bit about what he said, watching the eagles as she did so. “Did you ever have a really promising student? Someone who stood out?”

It was odd to be talking about that and even more odd how the topic fascinated her today. Maybe it was a subconscious wish to know more about Sam's life to play a bigger role in it but being a teacher herself? She wasn't sure she could do it.

“Yeah, exactly. I mean, I think to understand the world in which we live properly we need to know of our history and of the people surrounding it. I believe that's something students need to be aware of. You can learn a lot from personal experience but you need to look further to really understand the complexity of life.” Louise shrugged.

“Do you really think I could teach?” she was not fishing for compliments now, she was seriously curious what Sam thought.

The coffee had now reached that narrow window of perfection, the minute and a half or so where it was at the exact temperature that was no longer hot enough to burn the mouth, but had not yet begun to cool. Sam took this opportunity to drink a good half of the cup, thinking that he might just try a charm to reheat the rest of it cooled too much. The person who managed to invent a disposable cup that would also keep the drink hot would make a fortune at events such as these, he thought. Or maybe they could start a trend of bringing one's own charmed, unbreakable coffee mug and having it refilled.

"A lot of kids have stood out over the years" he said "though not always because they were good students! In my first year of teaching, there were two young girls who decided Blue was a stupid name for a green iguana, so they tried to dye him blue..." they hadn't succeeded in the end; partly because they weren't old enough to create a successful potion and partly because news always spread fast in a school and Sam had found out before anything happened. "Oh, and it wasn't a student, but also during my first year, Peeves found his way into my classroom. He didn't actually touch anything - thankfully I retained that much control - but its safe to say   that was one lesson that was memorable for all the wrong reasons!"

Sam had barely thought of these things for years, and now found himself laughing at the mmories. "I've had a few students achieve O grades in their NEWTs. It's always a great feeling to know someone's succeeded in their ambitions." The ones Sam really remembered though weren't necessarily the high flyers. They were the ones who'd overcome difficulties, or who had tried really hard or had been determined to succeed despite not having a natural aptitude for a subject. And the naughty ones. You always remembered the naughty ones!

He turned in his face to face Louise. The question surprised him, even though they were just talking hypothetically. "I do" he said simply "You're passionate about what you believe in, you're good at talking to people, and you can adapt quickly to unexpected situations. Really, that's about the most important thing you need to be a teacher." It was all very well knowing all about the subject, but if one became flustered the first time a student asked an embarrassing question, you weren't going to last very long. Something in the way she'd spoken made him reconsider, though. He'd assumed it was a hypothetical question, but...what if it wasn't? What if they actually ended up working together...eating meals together, being able to visit each others' offices (he refused to allow himself to think where they would sleep). It would certainly make the question he had in mind a good deal easier to ask.

"Would you want to?" he asked in return.

Louise chuckled softly. “Yeah, I guess the students that stand out are not necessarily the ones that you remember and the ones with the best grades do not have to be the most talented students either.” Louise had always felt that some professors really solely focused on grades but she was certain that Sam was different. He saw the talent behind the handed in homework and written tests.

“I bet it's great if you see kids develop their passion for your subject and work hard to achieve the grades they want. Well, I suppose I'd prefer the passion over the flawless exams but either way, it must feel great to guide them on their way there.” She smiled, thinking that the students were a little like own children that you saw grow up. A professor was surely fond of their students and enjoyed to see their respective development (unless, of course, the student was on a bad way).

“Hey, you're making me blush,” Louise exclaimed, not actually blushing at all. “This is your honest opinion,” she remarked with some surprise reflected in her voice.

“I'm not quite sure I could do it,” she mused. “It does sound like a fulfilling job though. Much better than my gallery is as of late.” She hadn't really intended to mention that. Her gallery was going well enough so she could pay the bills but it was by no means very successful. Most of the time the muggle art got more attention than the wizarding art and her adult toys. Sometimes she was actually bored during the opening hours and being bored wasn't really a thing Louise enjoyed.

“Would I want to teach?” Louise asked to make sure she wasn't getting his question wrong. “Well, I don't know. I don't know if it would even be possible. I don't know if I could do it. What would it mean for the gallery?” She had an assistant who had enough time to actually go from part time to full time but either way. Applying for a teaching position would mess up her entire life. They question was, was it worth it? She'd be near Sam anyway.

Sam drained his coffee cup and put it on the floor by his feet. "Yeah. However they turn out, all the kids are memorable one way or another" he said, though of course not every professor would remember the same students. Only the really naughty or really talented ones were universally noticed, even in the less popular subjects.

"You, blush?" he asked, looking entirely unconvinced "I didn't think it was possible to make you blush..." as he spoke, Sam leaned forward until their lips met and he kissed her thoroughly. When they moved apart, he left one arm around her shoulders so if she just shifted position slightly she could lean against his shoulder. Sam had decided he didn't care if anybody saw them. It wasn't as if they were doing anything wrong or surprising, anyway. He felt a rush of concern when she mentioned the gallery, though. He'd been so busy with his own concerns that he hadn't visited there as often as he would have liked to and had just assumed that everything was going well there. Louise was a talented photographer and she had a good eye for other peoples' artworks.

"It's okay, though? The gallery, I mean" he asked, concerned "I'm sorry, I haven't asked how your work's been going for weeks..." The guilt was back, and Sam couldn't think why he hadn't asked earlier. He was suddenly concerned that Louise might be struggling and hadn't told him because he hadn't been there for her. Maybe her sudden interest in his own work was because she needed another option?

Or perhaps not. Despite the theoretical discussion, her first thought was of the gallery, of course. Sam felt relieved and at the same time far more disappointed than he should have done. For a few precious moments he had imagined how they would be able to make it work if they were living and working under the same roof. How much fun it would be to keep their relationship quiet from hundreds of curious students. "I didn't know if I could do it, either. If I hadn't been encouraged to apply I don't know if I'd have had the courage to try myself" he admitted "but you're right. You've got your career already. I wasn't really doing anything before Hogwarts..." That wasn't entirely true. Sam had had a job that used his unusual gift, but telling the future was hardly a rewarding job.

The eagles were making what appeared to be a final circuit of the arena and two wizards were carrying out a massive log, observed by a third who was clearly helping levitate it so it was easier to carry. Sam nodded in their direction "Didn't you say you wanted to watch the caber tossing?" he asked, the affectionate, amused tone back in his voice.

“I wonder if all members of staff think so,” Louise said, smiling. It was a nice thing to say anyway. Every person was memorable in some way and that was a soothing thought.

Louise laughed as Sam seemed to doubt that she was blushing. “Well, everything is possible.” Then he kissed her and Louise briefly closed her eyes, enjoying this short moment. She liked how he left his arm around her shoulder and the fact that they were sitting so close now. She had missed these moments more than anything else. It was great have animated discussions, she missed further intimacy but, truth be told, these moments when they just sat together, feeling each other close were the best.

“Mostly okay, yes. It's just not really busy. Gives me more time to do other things and, well, consider what to do with the gallery. I've been thinking about promoting my assistant so she runs the gallery and...” she shrugged. “I only join to help with special exhibitions and contribute art work. I don't want to give it up entirely. It's still profitable even though not very much so. I just feel that I need some kind of change in my life. Maybe I should focus more on my art but, honestly, I've been a little uninspired lately.” She sighed. “It's no reason to worry. Inspiration always comes in waves for me anyway.”

Louise listened to what Sam said about his start at Hogwarts and smiled. “Well, you had been doing something before you became a professor. You also had a different career before you quit teaching and again before you restarted.” She wasn't sure why she felt the need to point that out. Maybe she was just justifying that she just having the gallery didn't feel quite right anymore.

“Oh yes!” she said regarding the caber toss competition. “I think it's fun and rather silly. What about you though? Would you want to try it out? You'd have a good chance to impress and amuse me,” she teased.

For now, everything felt right. At times like this it was easy to forget the rest of the world and the complexities of every day life and just imagine they could have a life together. Forget the fact that they lived at opposite ends of the country... in fact in different countries...and everything else that complicated their relationship. For the moment they could just...be. If Sam had been offered a spell to extend this moment, he would have taken it.

He was surprised to hear the gallery wasn't as busy as it had been. Whenever he'd visited over the past months it had always seemed to have visitors...though he supposed it didn't matter how many visitors there were if they weren't spending money. Plus, he realised, he was visiting at the busiest times - Saturday afternoons or early evening because those were the only times he was able to get away. To hear that Louise was feeling uninspired was unsettling, and he immediately feared that she was feeling that way about other areas of her life too, though the feeling hadn't yet consolidated itself into an actual thought. "Inspiration always comes when you least expect it...and usually at very inconvenient times, I find" he added, thinking of the times when the idea for a painting had appeared in a dream and he'd got out of bed in the middle of the night to sketch something before it was forgotten.

"I had...but I felt like I was drifting. I don't think I really felt like I was doing anything useful before I was a professor" he said, trying to clarify how he felt about his life before the school. Maybe that was how Louise felt now? He wanted to talk with her about it, but wasn't sure what to say. But maybe that didn't matter. "If you want to talk about your ideas for the gallery, I'm happy to listen anytime..." He didn't want Louise to worry either, nor to feel as if she couldn't speak with him about anything.

He pulled her a little closer as the competitors for the caber tossing walked into the arena. Around a dozen, roughly an equal mix of witch and wizard from what Sam could see, mostly muscular and well-built but for one who surely couldn't have been more than five feet tall. Either they would be eliminated quickly or would surprise everyone and win the competition. "Me? Oh sure...I'm the perfect candidate for such a contest, don't you think?" he pretended to flex the muscle of his free arm and laughed "You'd certainly be impressed...though I did come to one of these games quite some years ago, when it was held at LochCarron. Did you ever attend that one? I entered the kelpie riding contest there...not one of my prouder moments..."

“That is absolutely true,” Louise said. “I have also found that while I can be creative even when I'm not really inspired my work is best when I really feel like it, when I have a plan.” She paused, wondering if Sam was aware how obsessed she was with plans. She felt best when she had some kind of schedule to stick to and after many years in the gallery she felt like she was drifting. She had opening hours, of course, she tried to plan her day ahead but it just didn't feel quite right anyway.

“I totally understand,” Louise said thoughtfully. “I do feel a little like that now. I love the gallery, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't want to sell it and still want to have a hand in things. I just feel that, maybe, I need a different main occupation. Something that's a little more organised. I think having a proper structure again might also help with my inspiration. I'm not kind of blocked because I keep wondering how things will develop and if the gallery alone will earn my enough money also in the future. I mean, I don't have financial worries now but… it all feels a little insecure.”

She felt strange voicing these thoughts but they had been constantly on her mind and the worst bit about them was that she had come to nothing like a solution yet. She didn't want a boring office job like the one she had once had at the Ministry. She wanted to make a change somehow but had no idea how, really. Maybe the idea of becoming a professor wasn't too bad, after all. She still wasn't sure she could actually do it but she'd kill two birds with one stone – she'd have a regular schedule, a structure that would certainly soothe her and she'd be closer to Sam.

She liked that they were sitting so close now, leaning onto each other, that she could take in the smell of his aftershave. It was comforting to have him around and just to herself. She knew this wouldn't last but this moment made up for so many lonely hours of the past weeks.

Louise laughed softly. “Oh yes, you certainly are,” she said, her mind still lingering on the previous topic although just teasing each other felt so much easier and funnier now. “Yeah, I think I've been to LochCarron once or twice,” she said distractedly. Her gaze resting on the group of people setting up everything for the caber toss without really taking in what they were doing.

Sam was very aware that his current thoughts were entirely selfish. If Louise wasn't satisfied with running the gallery and was also in a position to leave much of the day-to-day work to her assistant, and she wanted a change of direction, what could be more different than to join him at Hogwarts? It would be absolutely perfect...for him, of course. If they worked together, he wouldn't need to make such an effort to see her and that in itself felt as if he was being selfish. It wasn't up to him to make decision like that, even as he was imagining how perfect it would be.

"Yeah, you know how terrible I am with making plans" he admitted "I'm always glad I'm not responsible for planning the teaching schedules, can you imagine the work involved in organising twelve subjects for seven school years? And not even the best arithmancers have yet created a method for working it out quickly..." Actually, Sam liked having his days largely mapped out. It meant he had more time to think about the important things - the subject of each class, what he would do in his free time - rather than having to make a plan for e ach day. Maybe Louise would enjoy that aspect of the job...

No, he had to stop thinking about that! "had you thought about anything else you might want to do?" he asked "Perhaps adding a cafe onto the gallery to entice more people in?" He couldn't imagine how that would appeal to him personally, and especially after Louise had said she wanted something more organised he doubted she would like the idea of a totally new business addition. He felt better that he'd at least suggested something that wouldn't benefit him personally, though.

"How about you? Would you want to take part?" he teased as the first of the competitors, dressed in improbably bright tartan stepped forward. He took hold of the caber, flung it into the air with a grunt that was close to a roar and then staggered slightly before falling on his behind with the momentum of his exertions.

Whether she made the plans herself or followed a plan someone else had set up for her made only a little difference – Louise clearly preferred making her plans herself – but, truth be told, every plan was a good plan. She knew that Sam was not quite like that and maybe that was what made them work so well together. If they were both planners that would probably be even harder to schedule a meeting.

Making the teaching schedules sounded actually quite exciting to Louise but she didn't want to say so in front of Sam. It might make him feel a little awkward, having just said how horrible that task was. To Louise though it sounded like a nice challenge that would end in plans for everyone – that in itself was actually quite great.

Louise shrugged. “Well, no.” She sighed. “It's not that easy. I mean, I love having a schedule to stick to but monotonous work drives me insane. I wouldn't want to go back to an office job even if I feel that a part of that would actually feel good.” She fell silent as she contemplated Sam's suggestion about the cafe.

“Honestly? I would want to get out of the gallery so it can again become the fun thing it used to be for me. Does that make sense? When I opened the gallery I was happy to have it, had fun coming up with new ideas and improve it further. Now it's routine and yet it isn't because it does not have a regular schedule aside from the set opening hours.” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head slightly. “I love the place and yet it feels more like a hobby than like a proper job.”

Sam's teasing went right over her head as Louise was still thinking about the more serious things they had discussed and their talk about the caber toss was only secondary to her. “Take part in… what? Teaching?” The question seemed to imply something else but Louise did not even notice that the first guy had tossed a caber and had fallen on his behind doing so. “I maybe could.”