Take a Break, I am on my way PV Zahid Finished

She could not help but watch the kittens. It was certainly distracting her from reading but it was too adorable for her to focus on anything else. Zahid noticed it too. Of course he did. Anyone would see it. They were oozing cuteness. Hjørdis honestly could not understand how it was possible to dislike kittens after watching a scene like the one playing out in front of her eyes.

Hjørdis turned her attention to the older man as he continued to speak, answering the questions that she had curious about. She nodded, understanding his sentiments. Well, she could not quite imagine what it would feel like attempting to start teaching towards the end of the school year. Since she did not teach - nor did she join near the end. However, she could imagine that it would be a little difficult as you were still finding your feet or learning the names of your students in the last lessons of the year whilst figuring out what knowledge they already had and what you could teach them.

"If they did not complain, I would assume you handled it very well," Hjørdis responded honestly. The students were unafraid of being vocal. Yes, they had a few shy members but overall, the student body were capable of standing up for themselves. That was something she was quickly learning. She quite liked it, to be honest. It was tiresome at times but for the most part, it showed that they were capable of standing up for themselves - which was an admirable quality. It also showed disrespect but that was besides the point she was trying to make.

She was simply reassuring him that he likely did a decent job. Besides, he was not the first new teacher. Hogwarts seemed to be cursed to losing teachers much more often than they did before. Regardless of the position, teachers came and went. The students had several different professors or head of houses every year.

Hjørdis quirked an eyebrow slightly, mildly curious as to what his history was after he spoke of not attending any of the big schools. "No, Uagadou," She responded, opening up to actually inform him of where she had graduated from.

The man explained that he had taught history in a muggle capacity. It showed that he was interested in history, regardless of whether it was magical or not. She quite liked that. It showed a few things. One, he was genuinely interested in the subject. Two, he had no prejudice against muggles - which was not something she normally thought but sadly, she had met people who did and she had hated it. Three, he enjoyed teaching. History was never her strongest point but she found the whole thing rather fascinating, particularly the history of magic. It put things into perspective.

"Anywhere interesting?" She asked about the travels, keeping the question purposefully vague. She did not want to pry and force him to tell her things, such as what he was doing or why. Leaving it open allowed him to say generic things and offered him an escape that would prevent him from getting too personal, should he prefer that. He could easily dismiss the question by mentioning a fancy sight he saw somewhere.

He could not help but relax slightly at the other's assurance that the students would have complained if he had messed things up. He had known that he had been doing,well, alright but knowing and knowing were two different glasses of tea. Besides, hearing it from another source was always a reassurance.

Uagadou? Huh. He was not sure why he was as surprised that she had answered his question in the negative. (He was more surprised than he would have expected, considering.) After all, he had not attended Hogwarts either, so he himself was a prime example that one could switch to work at another school. Had he not just now been wondering how many of the Professors had attended the school and how many had not?

She asked if he had travelled anywhere interesting. He certainly thought so but he was not sure she would share that notion. He did not know enough about her to guess what she might find interesting – but then, he supposed, that was rather the point of their conversation. Well, that, and letting their little ones make friends.

The kittens truly were adorable. Dot was now tentatively cuddling up to Jeger. It was simply darling. Zahid got lost in watching the kittens for a bit before he caught himself again and returned to the conversation.

“Ah.” He gave his fellow kitten parent a rueful smile. “Apologies. They are simply too adorable.” he explained, nodding toward the kittens. “I would say it was interesting, yes. Sometimes for the places or the history, sometimes for the people. I have made some friends during those years.”

He may have possibly made more friends travelling than he had in all the years beforehand. He had never much been of a people person after all. He was not sure he could name a simple proper friend from back in Benghazi. He had had classmates then fellow students and then later colleagues, but he did not think a single one truly had made it past being a friendly acquaintance. There were maybe three people he was even still in contact with from Libya, and now he had a handful of friends, the closest being Antonio and Constanza who had almost adopted him as an honorary sibling much to his consternation. He was still not sure what to do with that revelation.

“It was certainly a good choice for filling the time when I did not quite know what to do next. It taught me a lot about looking at things from different perspectives.”

Hjørdis smiled softly as she heard Zahid's words, glancing over to the pair of kittens. It would appear that Dot had started to warm up to Jeger, who was clearly loving having a furry companion. They really were adorable. It was strange to think that a year ago, she thought she would never have had a kitten and now, here she was, madly in love with one. Jeger was her baby. The amount of time she spent just watching him playing was perhaps a bit ridiculous but he melted her icy cold heart every moment they were together. He had the most hypnotic blue eyes, with flecks of green.

"No need to apologise, they really are," A small smile on her face as she watched the adorable duo bonding. The mere sight of them making her happy, "I'm rather glad they seem to be getting along. Jeger needs a feline companion," Hjørdis admitted, knowing that he likely was getting bored of just playing with toys or wandering around the castle or sleeping whilst she was out of her office working. He needed more feline companions, for sure. Hell, he likely needed more companions in general. Hjørdis was not exactly the warmest companion for him to be around, though she did really open up around him and cuddle him constantly when they were alone.

It was interesting to hear the difference in their travels. Hjørdis travelled a lot for work in her previous years, mostly to acquire knowledge from different parts of the world. However, it was perhaps one of the more lonelier periods of her life. It was definitely interesting in terms of learning about new cultures, new cuisines, expanding her knowledge in both a work sense as well as a personal sense. However, most people she met faded away into mere acquaintances or people that she once knew. A little sad but that was just how it happened. Her heart ached a little, thinking about that but it was just life. Sometimes, relationships did not work out. "That's very true. I always enjoy the aspect of learning about a new place," She replied, agreeing that it was a very good opportunity to look at things from a different perspective.

Her eyes fell onto Jeger, who moved back towards her. He moved to her handbag, gently pawing at it. Hjørdis blinked, just wondering what he actually wanted but unzipped it nonetheless for him, after placing her book down on the grass. A copy of Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman, the spine looking pristine. He immediately knocked it over, nuzzling through it with his face. Within a few moments, he pulled out a cat toy that he was after by hitting it with his face and paw. It was a small blue sponge ball. He tried to lift it with his mouth but it fell out after a moment. Using his paw and his nose, he would keep nudging it as he made his way back to Dot. Jeger stopped nudging it as it rolled near Dot, as a sign of him offering it to the younger kitten if Dot wanted it. Hjørdis could not help releasing a soft laugh at the sight, Jeger was clearly trying so hard to make a friend. It was sweet.

“It looks like Herodotus both needs and wants a feline companion as well. Do you suppose we should arrange, well, play dates for them?” He asked with a slight chuckle. He could well imagine spending more time like this. Professor Jensen seemed like someone he could get along with quite well and she seemed to have similar interests to some degree. She certainly did not seem to mind sharing silence and relaxing while they observed their cats.

Zahid watched Jeger's antics amusement. It was adorable how the kitten wanted to make friends with his little one. He observed as Dot sniffed at the ball a little before tapping with his paw. Apparently deeming the ball acceptable enough, Dot bopped the ball between his front paws once or twice before nudging it back toward Jeger and looking at the other kitten with a somewhat eager expression. If Dot had been a dog, his tail would probably be wagging like crazy. He really seemed keen on playing with the other kitten.

Smiling indulgently at their cats, he enjoyed the companionable silence for a little bit longer before he turned back to his colleague. “Have you travelled a lot?” Maybe it would be engaging to compare experiences? It was always refreshing to see what impressions someone else had taken away from places they both visited. Hearing it described from someone else's perspective (almost) always shone a new light on it.

Hjørdis smiled softly with a nod as she watched the pair of kittens playing. She saw Jeger tilt his head as Dot judged the ball back to him. It was clear that the bengal was a little confused, unsure why Dot had returned it. Perhaps he was wondering if Dot did not like it or if he wanted him to have it. She could not tell but she saw him tilt and just look at him before looking at the ball - and flickering between them for a moment or two. Then Jeger tapped it with his paw, causing it to bounce a little into the air before pushing it with his paw towards Dot again. Perhaps he understood the game. Perhaps he was trying for another chance. She could not tell but she giggled softly, "Most certainly, I think that would be a great idea," She agreed with him.

In fairness, she really did not mind his company either. Since he arrived, she had not been able to read - as she felt it might be a little rude to read the book unless he was reading beside her too or doing his own thing. However, Zahid clearly did not find the silence awkward and that was something she could appreciate. It was nice to have a colleague who did not feel the need to fill every silence with words.

Hjørdis glanced up at the sky, leaning back against the tree that stood tall behind her as she observed the clouds for a moment. It was kind of nice to reflect on the past, at times. People often said not to hold onto it, not to constantly dwell on it or live within it. However, reflecting from it and recalling the happy memories or learning from it was always welcomed. "A little, though not really intentionally. Largely for work or knowledge," She replied honestly.

Her travels were not for the purpose of actually travelling. It was more being closer to relatives at different stages of her life or studying, and it ended up meaning she spent time in various countries. "I grew up in South Africa, with my grandparents, attending Uagadou of course," She repeated the end because Uagadou was not located in South Africa, so it sort out of counted as another pin in her travels but she did spend most of the time learning about magic or the school - rather than the country that housed it. "Most of my travels are related to work or studying, to be honest. I worked in Scandinavia for a few years, after I graduated, travelling around Northern Europe as part of that experience. Studied alchemy a little in various parts and worked in different areas throughout the years thereafter," She explained. Hjørdis made conscious decisions that led to her travelling a little but they were all aligned with a purpose. She had not really spent that much time in every location. Some were a few years but there were smaller trips of maybe just a month or two.

In reality, she was aware that she was likely more 'travelled' than some others. However, she not always get the time to actively learn about the culture, experience life in that area, learn their language or traditions, and so on. Sometimes, she would be in a place for a month and leave without learning much about the area - because she spent most of that time cooped up with a specific purpose, such as studying alchemy from an individual rather than the culture. Peoples knowledge of their local area, however, did often influence their alchemy - which she found interesting. It was always intriguing to find out when specific countries or continents had a way of doing something that differed from her understanding or used ingredients that were not very common in other places.

“Mhm.” Zahid hummed as she agreed on the play dates for their kittens. The two seemed quite engrossed in their little game of clumsily passing the ball around. Even though Jeger had looked a bit taken aback as Dot had first returned the little ball to him, he seemed to pass it back eagerly enough and Dot played with it a bit before yet again sending it back to Jeger. He was gladdened that Professor Jensen did not mind the quiet.

“That is how I chose my first travel destinations, too. Well, not quite for work as I began travelling after I lost my position after the Civil War, but I chose to travel to places of historical sites and events, to see more of the things I teach about with my own eyes. There are still so many impressive places in the world, whose history we have barely touched upon…” He smiled wistfully. For all that he was glad to settle again after years at sea (metaphorically speaking) he still did not think one could ever see enough of the world and its history.

Looking on, watching their cat’s game further he considered the book he had in his pocket – he always carried at least one book with him – and turned back to his colleague. “I am loath to interrupt their little game, and you seemed to mind the occasional silence as little as I do. I enjoyed conversing with you but it seems we are running out of conversation a little… – You were reading when I interrupted you, would you mind just reading alongside and letting them play some more?” He gave Hjørdis a questioning smile as he slipped the little pocket book out of his pocket. It was a historical romance that he’d grabbed from a reject-pile for a Euro at a train station. It wasn’t exactly his cup of tea but he figured branching out a little every now and then wouldn’t hurt – even if the ‘history’ part of it made him want to cringe.

"That sounds wonderful, to be quite honest," Hjørdis replied as she heard the older man speak about his experiences and why he chose to travel. She could really respect that reason. A lot of people lacked a passion in what they did. Hell, she never intended to be a head of house here. Whilst she had reasons to join, it was never her passion when she started. But near her sat a man who actually cared about the subject he chose to teach and that was pretty rare and pretty special. To see someone who was not just going to memorise the information to tell students or simply read out of the book, but rather, actually try and understand what they were teaching. Of course, it was not really possible to 'revisit' history per se but there were certainly historical sights that still existed or signs of what happened.

History was one of those things where you never stopped learning. It was rather beautiful to see his passion for it. She nodded at her colleague's words, happy to continue reading, "Most certainly. There is never enough time to just sit and read it seems," She acknowledged verbally as she adjusted her position to raise her knees, picking up the book once more. Within some moments, she was sitting with her knees up and a copy of Noughts & Crosses open in her hand. Silently, she continued to read where she had left off, tucking the bookmark into the back for the moment.

Jeger was enjoying his game it seemed, so the Slytherin did not bother to disturb him. He was rather eagerly starting to get into it, knocking the ball back and then waiting in anticipation for it to be returned to him so he could do it again. She could not help but laugh softly at how adorable the pair of them looked together. And quite honestly, she appreciated being able to just sit in the grass on a nice summer's day, listen to the sounds of nature around them and just simply read. It was pleasant. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there but she could probably sit there till she finished the book if the weather held up and Jeger let her - or she did not have to go back to work.

[THREAD LEFT]

Smiling at his colleagues acquiescent response to his suggestion of simply enjoying some reading while letting their kittens play, Zahid settled in to do just that. He leaned back against the tree more comfortably and opened his book in his lap.

He spared one last look at the playing kittens – they were so adorable he didn’t think there were words for how adorable they were – before sighing contentedly and turning to his book, only to instantly have to supress a wince at the description of the palace the protagonist was visiting. As someone that had actually visited those ruins as well as several others, the description was… Well, historical romance weren’t exactly known for their historical accuracy, were they?

He reminded himself of his resolution to ignore the history part for the story for the sake of his sanity and enjoyment of the book. He had known about the lack of accuracy when he first picked the book up, after all. Only… the story was not much better. It read as a rote repetition of far to many stories he’d already heard or read. There was little to draw him in… Still, he had started the book, he would finish the book.

He would sit there and read silently with his colleague until either work called them away, or it became too cold to stay outside… or until their kittens had had enough of their game.

[THREAD END]