Hi, Unique One

[ outfit. ]

Hogsmeade was possibly Trent's favorite place when he was back in Scotland. Or, more accurately, Hogsmeade's bars were his favorite places to be. It wasn't that he didn't like teaching... No, he hated teaching, but he enjoyed the process and the kids and watching the days go by. As well as the money. The legally acquired money. Being able to live in an actual place. Those were all very nice things. But Trent became well acquainted with the Hogsmeade bars by the time he turned seventeen, and he frequented them on his time off now as an adult. His boyish face was easily recognizable, though that was a bad thing in certain cases.

Like the bar where he got into a fist fight with the holier-than-thou pureblood git and Trent hexed the snot out of his stupid, bleeding nose. It was very gross. It was pretty hilarious for Trent, but not for the employees, and he had yet to step foot in there again. Especially not since they seemed to recognize him even through the windows.

For now, he sat in The Three Broomsticks, nursing a pint at the bar with an empty notebook page before him. Despite losing interest in most of his hobbies over time, he kept up writing and poetry just the same. It helped that a lot of it was just personal anecdotes. Trent wasn't as interesting as he used to be, though.

"Hi Trent,"

His gaze tore from the paper, to the figure beside him, catching a single glimpse of Olivia's expression before dropping back to his beer. Jesus Christ, Trent still wasn't quite used to that, whatever that was. An attractive woman looking at him like he wasn't scum on her boots. It was jarring. He still remembered the exact moment where his eyes fell on Olivia and he realized she was, like, hot. In that weird way that she was totally hot. Why she was okay with him, he didn't quite know, but she was there for when Katherine was still in his life. She was there prior to the... accident. It was a strange feeling, knowing someone from that part of his past.

He swallowed a rather large gulp of his beer before answering, just to keep himself from saying something stupid.

"Olivia." He greeted her, turning back to her now, "You're looking smashing. Don't tell me, you saw something in my stars or whatever? Am I going to shag a Pisces and she's going to break a broom handle over my head?" He was joking, but not in a mocking way. In a, he believed in the stuff but wanted to poke fun at her kind of way. As Trent was wont to do.

Olivia slightly laughed.

Olivia
"She has to be a Pisces to break the handle over your head?"

It was so specific and yet she felt Trent did not really care what the person's astrological sign was. She shook her head.

Olivia
"Nothing like that I'm afraid, I just like speaking to you."

Better now than she once had. Of course they were grown now and she was much less awkward and slightly more confident than when they attended the school. He did not know it but Trent had turned her into one amazing woman by making her life feel like pure hell every once in a while. Back when she was an ugly duckling and he looked like he licked the bottom of trash cans for the pure taste and excitement that only he would get out of it.

Olivia
"Does it make you nervous? Those are not my intentions at all."

Yes, she had eyed how he had gulped a good portion of his beer. Maybe it was just that delicious.

Olivia
"Putting your thoughts on paper tonight? I think that's great."

There was a "tschk" from the tip of his tongue when she answered him. "Mmmm, no. Pisces and I just tend not to get along," He joked, and it wasn't completely inaccurate. Though he found himself at odds with Libras more so, it was just easier to avoid that length of time in his mind. Then again, he could probably name a person from each sign, and they'd all hate him equally. He was an opportunist kind of guy, that's why.

"Nothing like that I'm afraid, I just like speaking to you."

"That's..." Ridiculously nice of her to say? "Likewise." He wasn't good at compliments or admitting his feelings, especially not in public. But he muttered this to her, staring down his glass, tapping the butt of his pen against the page. When she questioned him, if he was uncomfortable, he shook his head. "Girl, you don't make me nervous. Just had to double take, you know how it is," He turned to look at her now, boyish grin in place. He would have never have guessed the tables between the two of them would be so even now, but there they were.

She mentioned his notebook, and he placed he pen down to show he was actually in the wake of defeat. "You say that now, but if you ever read a damn thing by me, you'd say otherwise," He laughed at himself, but mostly tried to avoid any more speak of it. He was well read from age, but definitely not a literary genius. Something about Bukowski'ing his way through life didn't seem all that appealing; meaning, this was the one place he would prefer to remain humble.

"Let me buy you drink, though, yeah? You came here to visit me, I can at least maintain some form of shitty hospitality," He offered this to her, sipping his own beer then and waggling his eyebrows. The eyebrow waggle was what got 'em, of course, at least in his youth.

She scanned the room as she listened to him speak. She took his words for face value, nothing more, nothing less. That was not good or bad, just neutral the best way that she could describe it. He had her attention a little more when he spoke of his writing. She felt her lip fall slightly when he suggested that she might not like it.

Olivia
"Well you never know but yes I will take that drink."

She was just going to hold it. She might eventually drink it but at the moment that was not a plan on her end. Eyebrow waggling was not either which was why she looked at him for a second. No wonder women and perhaps men alike hit him over the head.

Olivia
"Want me to read your palm after the drink? I mean I would need to see you wash your hands first just because I have that strange thing where I do not want dirty hands touching mine. It might be interesting to see what lies in your future Trent, well somewhat anyway since everything can change with a whip of the wind."

While he appreciated her interest, he wanted to ignore her offer that he'd "never know". He'd rather not know. Not in a self deprecating way, but mostly in an embarrassed way. She'd probably read his indulgent angst poetry and laugh and that'd be the end of it. Maybe, by the end of the night, if he was tipsy enough, he'd pass the notebook over. Trent knocked his knuckle on the counter top, a wordless signal he shared with the barkeep, and they slid over a duo of pale ale. Normally, he'd ask her to choose her poison, but perhaps he found it more amusing to give her a taste of his day to day life.

He passed one over to her, fingers wrapped around the base. It was then that she brought up reading his palm, and if he hadn't been paying for her drink, he would've dipped his dirty hands into the foam. "I'm not sure if there's a soap out there that can scrape the filth from these hands, sweetie. You'll just have to deal," He smirked, but he would bear that in mind nonetheless. That was the bond between them after all. She followed a strange path (Astrology? Why were all his friends mystics now), and he was the embodiment of a gutter. While he would never admit it, he was glad that she didn't dance around that fact. He preferred it when people outwardly told him he was disgusting. Because he was. He grew to like that about himself.

More importantly, this was the second time he was offered a chance to see his future. The first one resulted in him being told that a relationship was in bloom for him. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered if it meant that he would have a friendship that actually lasted. After all, he wasn't failing miserably at keeping up good terms with people. Olivia was an example of that, mostly, even with their past (maybe that's why she didn't mind him anymore?)

"Yeah... You can read my palm, Olivia, I'll even shower if it makes you happy," He joked, "Maybe I'll share my own 'talent' with you as a trade." He tapped on his notebook then, though it sounded like a shit deal to him. But he had nothing to give where he'd learn more about her. A better offer would be to show her one of his shitty muggle films, but he didn't want her thinking he was trying to get fresh. Sometimes the eyebrow waggling made the ladies swoon, after all. A joke that he told himself often.

But, for now, "What brings you to these parts, anyway? You aren't really here for just lil' ol' me, are you?" He rested his cheek against his knuckles, wedging his elbow against the counter as he spoke. It would take a few more beers for him to let his guard down a bit more, but she was a presence that he could bear to look foolish around.

Olivia
"Thought I seen.."

The things that she had been through during the time that she had not seen Trent. God they were, well difficult was not a word that was descriptive enough to describe it. She turned to him as she took a small sip.

Olivia
"I thought I seen someone but he's never coming here."

Nah this was not going to be a sob story. She had accepted that. Once lives got busy that never changed and you had to respect this thing called life for what it was and she did but that in no way meant that she had to be happy or acceptable deep down inside about it.

Olivia
"After I realized that wasn't him, I seen you and I thought why the hell not."

Deep down she knew she was getting to that point where she was about to call it a day and shave the sides of her head again. Not because she was sad or depressed, hell she just loved that look. 'Talent', she laughed. She slightly titled her head to the side and looked at him.

Olivia
"You showering before hand would make me ecstatic."

She lifted her mug up slowly now since she somehow wanted to be a mix between some giddy teenager and the sometimes straight laced adult she was now at that very moment. She had a bit of an idea as she handed her mug out to him. She eyed his drink and she had that tucked bottom lip thing going on again. She had finally figured out why she looked at him like that!

It was intrigue. Yeah she supposed Trent had always slightly fascinated her underneath all the ick if you will.

Olivia
"Your mouth has been on that and my mouth has been on this, so let's trade."

Trent listened to her dwindling tale, and he decided that it was for the best if he just kinda shut up. He could tell when someone didn't want to talk about something. He picked up on social cues really well, actually. But it was normally those moments where Trent would tease the person, make them feel like shit, pry into their life until they caved into themselves. Trent asked questions. That's what he did. He was nosy and unnecessary, but there were often times he did it just to make sure the other person was okay. But with Olivia, she wasn't really the type to sob into his shoulder. She was stronger than that, or at least she wanted to be. He drank from his pint and nodded understandingly.

"Color me lucky then," Trent grinned, his eyes falling back to his drink, "I'll have to thank this mystery man for bringing me welcome company." And he wouldn't say much more on the matter, as tempting as it was.

"You showering before hand would make me ecstatic."

He chuckled and his eyebrows pinched together. "If you like that, get this: I'll even wash behind my ears," Trent was in the habit of teasing himself more than other people. It made things a bit easier that way. Insults had always slid off the man's dauntless smirk, smug and unflinching. If he could laugh at himself, nothing anyone ever said would hurt. He knew himself well. His temper was distanced from other people's words, and he liked that. Made him feel powerful. He was a greaseball and he knew it, and he kinda loved it, so whatever.

With her glass in hand, she offered her cup to Trent, and he eyed her dubiously. He couldn't help but feel like she thought he did something to her drink. It wouldn't be the first time a girl played that card with him. But, more realistically, she was weird as fuck, so he wouldn't question it. Sliding his glass over, he took a curt gulp from her's, and went back to his usual behavior, as if they didn't totally swap spit. "Just so you know, I'm going to tell everyone we snogged now," He told her, smug smirk in tow, "Didn't think you'd ever want to drink down my remnants, but hey, I'm not gonna question it."