free | kinsey & joe

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Life was crazy these days for Joseph Fontaine. Finding inner peace was impossible. He couldn't ever seem to find a time to sit down and slow down. Work at the restaurant had completely consumed his life these days. As an eighteen year old fresh out of school and into Muggle Culinary school, he wasn't expecting to be working so hard, but here he was. It was frustrating for him because he knew that life in New York would be easy. He had his parents and childhood friends to fall back on. Since they couldn't leave the UK to return to the United States for the summer due to quarantine, Joe was living with his siblings in a luxury flat. Each day, he was growing more frustrated living there. Joe was tired of being forced to be the "responsible one" only because Joe was the eldest living with his siblings. Now all he seemed to have were his siblings and a few friends who he barely had any time to meet up with these days due to his days being filled with school and working double shifts. Hard work had become humbling for the snake in a short amount of time. Then, there was his fight with Dominique Weasley that blew out proportion, and Ashley got sick. He couldn't handle any more bad news. 

Joe was currently on a one-hour lunch break for work. He didn't feel like going home today, so he went on a leisurely walk through the city with his headphones in his ears to block out the world for a while. As much as Joe hated to admit it, he thought London was a cool city to live in because there were many things to do and see. Nothing beat his beloved New York though. The young man walked with his apron pulled half down at his waist, positive that he reeked of garlic from the food he was preparing before running off to lunch. Joe didn't care about those things anymore. Slowly, he started to care less what people thought of him after a few months on his own. Paying rent, going to school, taking care of his siblings, and buying groceries. Priorities slowly started to change. 

The Merlin's Mystical Museum of Magic called out to him for some reason today. Joe was never someone who enjoyed museums or art, but today, the museum seemed like a decent getaway. There weren't many people around so he took a chance. He entered the first room with large ceilings and was in awe of what beings were capable of creating. Quietly he sauntered around with his headphones in his ears, not thinking of much. This was actually kind of nice.

Kinsey Page Bainbridge

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Life was crazy. In a good was, mostly, but definitely crazy. Since graduating alone, there was the quarantine, that explosion at the Quidditch World Cup, and she'd gotten married. Obviously, the last one was her favorite. It had been a spur of the moment thing, her and Riley deciding to just get married and get all the waiting over with and she was happy for it. She just wanted to be with him all the time, and now she was. It was fabulous!

Also, Kinsey got her job at Merlin's Mystical Museum of Magic, which was fascinating. Being a guide, Kinsey needed to know all sorts of information about all the artifacts and exhibits in the museum, so she could answer questions and provide assistance when needed. Her favorite thing was leading a group of people through the museum, but there weren't always a ton of people who came so there wasn't always a lot for her to do. 

Today, however, was a slow day and Kinsey found herself wandering the exhibits. She couldn't help but smile when she saw a familiar figure in one of them and quickly made her way over to him. She noticed the headphones, so tapped his shoulder to get his attention. Surely Joe Fontaine wouldn't mind a break from his music so they could talk. She hadn't seen him since graduation. 

@joseph

(Merlin's Mystical Museum of Magic is where Kinsey works, not a muggle museum. Just so you know!)

[Deleted]

Joe was standing and staring for a good couple of minutes. He had completely lost track of time. It was somewhat peaceful being able to stare at something with headphones in and not think about time. This was kind of nice. He was pulled away from his peaceful moment when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he pulled a headphone out of his ear and was met with a pleasant surprise. It was Kinsey! He hadn't seen her since graduation, a few months ago. His head cocked to the side before yanking the second headphone out, "Woah, Kinsey!" he greeted, more excitedly than he meant to convey in a silent museum but he didn't care. Joe chuckled, offering her a friendly hug, subconsciously knowing he probably reeked of garlic. Oops.

As they pulled away, "Surprise seeing you here...well, maybe not, you've always been a nerd." he jested with a knowing smile, "Do you work here?" Joe asked.

Kinsey Page Bainbridge

[Deleted]

Kinsey was definitely surprised to see Joe here, but not in a bad way. She missed talking to her friend, though she was in a much better place now than she'd been during the last school year. Still, he was a big support to her then and she owed him for all his help. Besides owing him, she liked Joe. He was a great friend. 

She laughed as he pulled the headphones quickly out of his ear and greeted her, giving her a hug. "Hey Joe!" she answered, hugging him back. She was a little surprised by how nice it was to see him. She rolled her eyes as he teased her. "Yeah, I do work here. It means I can keep learning, since I need to know basically everything there is to know about everything here." She shrugged nonchalantly. She didn't mind having to study for work. She actually liked it. 

"What have you been doing since graduation?"

@joseph