It's your forte after all

@logan
Outfit

Alayla didn't often go out and do nice things for people, it normally drove her mad and she figured she was wasting her time but Markus had done so much for her recently, he'd stepped up when she needed someone most of all, even when she was being difficult and hostile towards him, he'd been patient and understanding with her and for that she was grateful. She figured the duo could have come to Hogsmeade together but from what she'd gathered he had other plans so it made it easier for the witch to surprise him with a gift.

Strolling down the street she nibbled on her chocolate bar contently, deciding to just window shop, for now anyway, it was all well and good her wanting to buy Markus a present but she had no clue what to buy him. She knew he played Quidditch, she'd watched the games and seen he could play well but she wasn't sure what exactly you were supposed to get a Quidditch player. Staring through the window of Spintwitches she cocked her head to the side looking thoughtful. It would have been easier if he was a keeper or a beater but being a chaser made things a little difficult… she could always get him some gloves but the fact it was warm now she saw no point, it would just be a waste of money. Heaving a sigh Alayla moved away from Spintwitches and began strolling past the shops again, looking in each and every window.

Alayla continued to walk the streets for another couple of hours or so before looking defeated at the fact that nothing seemed to be good enough for Markus, there had been a rather nice quill but she wanted to get him something that meant a little bit more to him and could be used for things other than school work. Much to her annoyance, however, she found herself back outside Spintwitches, it had been the only shop she hadn't gone into so she just hoped that they would have something that would catch her interest and come across as being suitable for a chaser. Pursing her lips she pushed the door open and padded inside, scanning the shop, it was surprisingly quiet considering, but she wasn't complaining, not really.

Inside the shop amused her, all the shelves seemed to be lined up with items for a specific player, which made her life a little easier so she approached the sales assistant and quietly asked for a section that would be preferred for Chasers and she was pointed to a corner near the back of the shop and she nodded her thanks before going over to where she was told. Biting her lip Alayla began to scour the shelves thoroughly, running her finger along her bottom lip before picking up some equipment every now and again and turning it over in her hand. She found herself particularly drawn to a toy Quaffle and she began to turn it over in her hands, her lips curling up into a look of amusement as her slight playfulness began to show whilst she threw the ball between her hands and finding herself momentarily distracted, thinking that maybe she should get one of these for herself and just spend her time throwing it at Markus. She'd only be testing his reflexes after all… not relishing in annoying the crap out of him.

Having seen Justin and gotten an update on how he and Carmine were doing at school and in general Logan still had some time to spare before he returned to London. He could have gone back immediately as he had some brooms he was working on that he had to get back to but he thought he could stay in Hogsmeade an hour or two longer. He only ever came up here when it was a Hogsmeade weekend for Hogwarts students. Logan was disappointed to hear how things were at the school. It sad to realise that so many of the professors who had been installed after he graduated had other plans rather than to be teachers. They were obviously more interested in putting their agenda into place rather than to be educators. Logan was never one to be serious about studying but he did well in certain subjects still and it was where he had really harnessed his love of Quidditch. He maybe been considered the bad boy of his year but he was good decent guy now. At least he felt he had come a long way from where he had been.

He didn’t hesitate in coming up to Scotland to see his brother. In Logan’s opinion the time he spent up here was not long enough. He would much rather the time be longer but he figured that’s what the summer break was for. He rarely planned long holidays during that time and so it was a surety he would be at home. At least him coming up here to see Justin meant he could get the inside story on what was going on with the Death Eaters at the school. Having run into Narcissa Malfoy at Christmas Logan knew that not all Death Eaters were bad, not that Lady Malfoy was a direct member of the group but she still did have substantial influence from what he understood. He still didn’t like the group as a whole. He had seen to much in the last few months. So many of his muggleborn friends had been forced to be on the run because of what the Death Eaters were out to do. He hated the situation and felt guilty. Being a halfblood he would never in the group to go on the run or be hunted or be hated as purebloods previously were.

Logan was glad that at least the group weren’t going to ruin Hogsmeade Weekends for the students. Obviously if they did it would be ruining it for they own children too and he knew they wouldn’t miss out on the chance to get an update on how the Death Eaters were progressing at the school. The would desire to know how far the movement was progressing within the castle walls. Logan would hope that their endeavours had hit a stumbling block but he knew that would be unlikely. The group as a whole was very intelligent.

He knew that he could ramble around trying to avoid but he knew he would be silly if he came to Hogsmeade and didn’t step into Spinwtiches. So in he went. Grinning automatically at the sales assistant who was obviously blushing at him he looked around and strolled over to where the shin guards were for the beaters. That was a position he could never play. At any rate a bludger is not what Logan preferred to beat…. Another occupant in the shop caught his attention and further he strolled over to the blonde witch he saw just how striking she really was. ”Now that’s what I would describe as ‘expert hands’..” he offered casually as he stuck his hands in his back pockets and met her eye.

Alayla was so lost in her own little world and the fact she had earned some childlike amusement from playing with the toy quaffle that she wasn't aware that someone had come into the shop let alone come over to her until they spoke and she dropped the quaffle as the voice startled her and she whirled around to face him head on, trying to resist giving him one of her smart arse comments but when her gaze fell on him it escaped her mind and her lips curled up into a smirk and her blue eyes glinted mischievously as she sent her gaze over him, taking in every bit of him. It looked like this newcomer and the looks and he definitely had a personality of someone she could get along with. It made a nice change really, normally she was the one who spent the time making innuendos not receiving them. ”Plenty of practice perfects that. It's all in the wrist work.” She replied, the underlying message obvious but her delivery so innocent.

The blonde turned her back on him and stooped to pick up the Quaffle, tucking it under her arm before turning back to face the wizard, taking another chance to look him over. He was definitely attractive, she could feel herself getting warm and she had no doubt there was a faint blush painting her cheek, which was a first really but not a bad one at all when she thought about it. Alayla moved the quaffle again and begin throwing it up in front of her, her gaze still settled on the wizard. She vaguely recognised him but wasn't quite sure where. He was definitely someone she wouldn't forget if she saw them in person, which made her wonder where else she could have seen him, he looked young. Maybe she'd passed him in the halls at Hogwarts? Alayla's gaze trailed downwards to the quaffle in her heads and she began to think again, she never really paid much attention to Quidditch but she did sometimes when she was bored. She began to study the wizard again, continuing to chew on her lip, the prophet… that might have been it. Maybe he was a Quidditch player… it would make sense after all considering he was in a Quidditch shop. She looked at the Quaffle again and decided to test her theory that maybe he was a player… a chaser considering he was in that section.

Alayla took a few more moments of deliberation… the thought of seeing him in the Prophet kept coming back to her and she tilted her head, before finally telling him, ”Think fast.” and throwing the quaffle towards him in a neat arch, if he caught it she'd be impressed and it would basically confirm her suspicions that he was a professional player, if he dropped it… well, she'd probably get a nice view if he bent over to get it. It was a win, win situation for Alayla really.

Logan knew that every other Quidditch player would probably be out training or at a game today but not him. For Logan, family had always come first. This why he always made time to see Justin during a Hogsmeade weekend. His family had always helped get through the hard times and while he wasn’t necessarily going through something like that right now, it was still nice to see how his younger brother was doing and hear how his youngest brother was doing at Hogwarts. Logan looked forward to seeing Carmine once the school year ended though. The two of them were awfully close and he missed him, if he was honest.

What Logan didn’t mean though was how much attention he got with the girls. Immediately after the break up with Kathryn he had not paid much attention but now months after the witch had left to Africa he was all up for any female attention he got nowadays. There was no shortage though on how much attention he got. And Logan was back to his old self and making cheeky comments was part of it. He nodded as she commented it was all the wrist work. He knew a innuendo when he heard one, The blonde wizard delivered enough of them himself so it was nice to see someone who could easily throw one his way. (No pun intended). ”In my experience that has definitely been the case” he commented easily as he took one of his hands out from his pockets and ran it through his hair as he saw her pick up the quaffle that she had dropped. It wasn’t the first time a witch had dropped something in his presence.

Seeing her look him over, Logan kept silent and let her do so. He was used to this, many people upon meeting him, tried to place where they knew him from. When he was dressed in ordinary clothes like he was at present he was little unrecognizable. Most of the time Logan liked that, it enabled him to be like any other wizard and go out and run errands or get some shopping done. But this was different. There was no mistaking that there definitely was something about the blonde witch who was also in the shop with him. Her blonde hair was beautiful as were her eyes. Lots of girl’s captured his attention but there was something about this one in particular. At least in recent weeks. Logan knew there was every chance that maybe she was Veela going by the colour of her hair but he to had blond hair and there was no Veela in his family including past generations.

Logan easily caught them Quaffle when she threw it over to him and smirked slightly as he looked it over. It was really a toy in comparison to what he handled during a game. Logan strolled over it over to her and stopped in front of her and threw it from his left to right hand and looked to her. ”It’s also in the grip” he held out the Quaffle to the witch as if to hand it back to him.

The simplicity of getting out of the school and into the village of Hogsmeade was surprising in how much enjoyment it provided for Alayla, it meant she was away from the Death Eaters and from rules and the village was so peaceful and she could truly relax, she didn't have to give off a certain aura or impression, she could just be herself. Or the new her, at least. She knew Markus would have probably teased her at seeing how relaxed and giddy she became when she was out and about in the village but she didn't mind, he was one of the only people who she felt she could let her walls down around and not have to worry about him getting annoyed or taking advantage. It was a shame that he wasn't with her today, but he knew his family were important to him and he had a feeling that he'd be seeing his niece today and from their conversations she gathered he was smitten with his niece.

It was an odd sensation for Alayla, as she stood across from this new wizard, she was at the opposite side of the scale, normally she was the one who flirted and made people blush and become embarrassed, stammering messes yet here she was staring shamelessly at the wizard and blushing. Only one other person had ever made her do that and that had been an almost impossible feat. She had to hand it to him, there was something about him, something new and fresh and she would definitely not regret going back to her old ways just for a couple of hours. Her mind wandered and she wondered if he had a flat or something in the village, if need be there was always the Three Broomsticks. Alayla was getting ahead of herself, she didn't even know the Wizards name yet her thoughts were definitely taking a very adult turn. It had been a while since she'd been with someone and she was getting bored, maybe she could use her charms to convince him? He was already talking to her and returning the innuendos, surely it wouldn't do any harm if she just gave him a push in the direction of the attention she wanted...

”You've had plenty of experiences with that?” Alayla asked with a smirk, her amusement at the wizard across from her was evident. She noticed that he was watching her looking him over and she didn't care, Alayla had very a little shame and way too much confidence, if she was willing to check someone out the way she was the blonde across from her, well that was rare, she never took the time to admire someone, she instead just give them a once over and decided whether or not they were decent enough to bed.

Alayla was impressed when he caught the Quaffle with such ease and she didn't try and hide it, she gave him another approving look and nodded a little, ”Not bad.” She complimented, running her finger along her bottom lip and grinning, watching him intently as he closed the gap between them. ”You've got to have a very firm grip too.” Alayla replied, looking up at the wizard again before dropping her gaze to watch him throwing the toy between his hands, ”Alayla Blackburn.” She introduced herself, moving to take the quaffle from him as he held it out to her. ”Care to put a girl out of her misery and tell me your name?” She asked, her lips curling up into a smile as she raised her blue eyes to meet his.

Logan knew very well he could get any girl he wanted. However his brief relationship with Kathryn had really proved that he was capable of just going from girl to girl, he was capable of love and when he thought he had found his ‘one’ special person it had been thrown back in the face. She had been the catalyst in him changing his job from working at the ministry to playing for the Falcons. And when he just started his playing career, she had ended their relationship and left the country. He wasn't sure what had hurt him worse. That she had called their relationship quits or that she had moved all the way to Africa afterwards. If he wasn’t so confident in himself he would be developing a complex. Logan had been hurt but he didn’t let it show in public. Instead he was far to proud to let that happen. He just cried (yes he did cry) in private, in his flat where he now lived alone, again.

He hated being alone and he hated all the assumptions people made about him. It was not fair on him. While he was a Quidditch player and sometimes he did succumb to the stereotype of the role, he wasnt like that all the time. But right now with the pretty blonde witch grabbing his attention he was quickly reverting back. Though, he saw no problem with that. Everyone had their moments of weakness correct. Logan was human after all. He just knew of werewolves and other creatures but he had never met any in person. Looking at the blond witch though, he could tell there was something different about her. She could be part Veela with eyes like that, full Veelas were more flirty but this with was different. He didnt mind in the least. It mean’t that he could converse with her instead of just blatantly flirting with her. Of course there was nothing wrong with that either.

THe witch was extremely pretty. Logan wouldn't call her hot,he knew it was more respectful to call a woman beautiful or gorgeous. He far from using a woman for just his physical wants as some people thought he did. That was his past. His relationship with his ex had shown (others hopefully) that he was capable of more. He turned to her as she continued to speak to him, she was blushing which Logan found adorable. Though many women blushed around him so he was no stranger to the sight. ”With perfecting my wrist work? Of course, it allows me to make people smile” he replied cryptically thought it was masked with a lot of innuendo too, if the witch wanted to read it as such.

Logan had to laugh when she nodded as he caught the quaffle. It was as if he was here on trading or trying out for a new Quidditch team with the couch or a scout watching. The lattter was not something he was a stranger too. ”Well I’m glad I impressed you miss” he smiled softly as he stood next to her. ”I’ve found a firm grip is required when handling balls, haven't you?” he asked with the most deadpan expression he could manage. Of course she would pick up what he was alluding to but he didn’t care. His eyebrows rose considerably when she offered her name and then asked for his. ”Nice to meet you Alayla Blackburn...I am Logan Dexter Seppanen…..but you can call me Lo…everyone else does” he smiled as he offered his hand to the blonde witch.

Alayla let out a giggle at his words and she pressed her tongue against the inside of her mouth and her smirk grew, ”Well that's an achievement, I find a lot of people lack in that area of things. I like to think I've got my wrist work down. I'm good at charms after all.” She said innocently, crossing her arms and jutting her hips towards him, she was liking this wizard more and more. She wouldn't mind seeing first hand his wrist work but she wasn't going to say that out loud to him, not yet at least. Maybe when she had a better idea of what direction their conversation would go she'd challenge him to show her this... wrist work of his.

”You should be glad, it takes a lot to impress me.” She joked, flashing him another grin, her senses heightening at their closeness, she could smell his cologne and it was a very alluring aroma. ”I find that's the best way to control them.” She purred, leaning up towards him and her gaze flickering downwards briefly and then back to him, ”Maybe if you're lucky I'll show you sometime.” She continued, holding the quaffle up between them so that anyone passing would assume that's what she was referring to. Alayla was enjoying this conversation far too much and it was showing in the way she held herself around him. Her posture was still tall and confident, but it was more relaxed now at the same time. ”Do you handle many balls?” She probed, she'd be incredibly disappointed if this wizard turned out to be gay, he didn't have the stereotypical look she she was hopeful although she noted he did look good in relatively skinny jeans after all, in fact it could be argued he looked too good.

Logan Dexter Seppanen, that name alone made her realise why she recognised him and the fact he was here made much more sense. ”Well, nice to meet you Seppanen.” She said with a smile, she'd call him Logan or Lo later, but she tended to use the surname when she liked someone, she often referred to Markus as 'Creed', it was her own little display of affection, she realised he was offering her his hand so she tucked the quaffle under her arm and took his hand with a shake and flashed him another grin. ”So why are you here Seppanen?” She asked, ”Surely someone like you has all the Quidditch equipment they need.” She continued so that the wizard would know she did know who he was but that she wasn't going to turn into one of the airhead fans who probably followed him around like lost puppies. She had more class than doing that. Although she wouldn't deny that she was interested in getting more acquainted with him whether it was in a more intimate manner or just over coffee and she would be frustrated if he hadn't figured that out.

Alayla turned her back on Logan and placed the quaffle back on the rack, starting to scan everything again, she had been distracted by him and honestly, she still was but she did want to get Markus something and she picked up a pair of gloves, looking at them curiously as she kept her back to the wizard whilst she tried to regain control over herself.

Logan had not expected this to happen when he had first thought to visit the shop today but this girl was proving to be very entertaining. He could have turned his name into pick up line but Logan was not that desperate. There was no denying though that the girl he was chatting with was very pretty. He arched his brow as she spoke. It was evident that she had a lot of experience in wrist work, in many areas from what she was saying. ”Well maybe you should show me something, after all I think I am a pretty good judge of people’s wrist work, whether it relates to charms or other things. What’s the best charm you can cast?” Logan asked as he took in how she was standing, though he was used to girls standing much closer to him, sometimes they even took it upon themselves to drape themselves on him. He was a perosn not a clothes rack but he supposed they just wanted to say they ‘got with’ him or something. He didn’t get that impression from the blonde with he was speaking with, at least not yet.

Logan had to grin about her being in control. He honestly didn't mind if the girl took charge in bed every once in awhile, it just made them more alluring and the whole encounter a lot more exciting. He was not stranger to it basically. When she growled, his smile fell, a tiny bit, but it still fell. She was Veela that much he could pick up from her hair colour and the way her eyes looked and he hoped she wasn’t planning on using her traits to try and charm him. He was strong to certain point but he was a male after all and like his counterparts had his weaknesses too. Plus he saw a difference in her, despite her being of Veela heritage. ”I’m a chaser Alayla, so yes I do handle balls from time to time” he smiled as he spoke proudly of his occupation. He wouldn’t call it a job, because from his experience anything that was classed as ‘job’ was tedious. Playing Quidditch for a living was tiring sure, but it was not tedious, there was a difference. ”What do you do? No wait, let me guess, you’re at Hogwarts still aren’t you?“ he went to ask having realised how young she looked but then again she had understood his comments about wrist work and balls, so it was likely she was in her final year.

”Nice to meet you to” he smile at the witch, he would have called her by her surname in return but he considered doing that with a girl he just met a little rude. Plus being called by his surname was something his professors had done at school and something his teammates and coach did now. Not that he minded it, it was a little nostalgic for him. ”Good question, why am I here? Well as well as playing Quidditch, I also make brooms” he grinned as he spoke about his second passion with equal enthusiasm as he did of his main form of living. Of course saying he also made brooms was another comment that came with it’s own set of innuendo, nothing he had not heard before. He did know how to control his broom after all.

He watched as she set the quaffle she had tossed to him back on the shelf before she picked up gloves. ”You buying them for someone?” he questioned, assuming she could have had a boyfriend or a brother, maybe he would ask her for a drink after she bought them (if she was going to) so he could learn who she was considering buying the gloves for. Maybe he could also advise her on what to buy for this mystery person.

Alayla shot Logan a gleeful grin at his words although she was slightly disappointed that he beat her to it. ”Well, if you ask nicely enough maybe I will.” She continued, But it's going to cost you, I like to compare my wrist work to other peoples.” She stated bluntly, ”I don't tell all my secrets, maybe I'll show you what charms I can cast later.” Alayla flicked her hair over the shoulder, she was good at a number of charms but the contraceptive charm was definitely her strongest, after all, she used it enough. Alayla's interest in Logan was steadily growing for a minute and it made a nice change that every other sentence he said to her, wasn't just him trying to push his luck with her, she would of course, be completely okay with him doing it because she wanted his attention and to flirt with him, normally though people flirted and she had little to no interest in them but she just humoured them, especially if it meant she did get some of her needs fulfilled.

The witch noticed Logan's expression fall and she frowned inwardly, he'd figured out what she was, her tone of voice had given her away, she just hoped he realised she hadn't been using her charms on him at all, it was a first but she was genuinely interested in this guy and she didn't want to use what she had been born with to get it, of course part of it was because she had been taught that she needed to do that and she was bored of it, but part of it was because when she genuinely liked someone, she wanted to get them interested in her by herself. Alayla chuckled when Logan expanded on his point about handling balls, she knew that he was a chaser but the fact he'd ignored what she was obviously referring to her provided her with some contentment. She nodded when he asked if she was still in Hogwarts, ”Final year.” She replied, making it clear she wasn't just a younger teen but technically an adult when it came to their laws. She knew she had a bit of a baby face, but that was another of her Veela traits, it was why she often wore makeup, a little bit of that normally made her actually look eighteen rather than fourteen or fifteen, but never too much that it was awful and completely 'fake' she liked having the natural look.

”You make brooms?” Alayla replied, not hiding her surprise or her interest in that little tidbit, she knew there was a chance to take full advantage of his comment but she was actually interested in what he'd said to her, ”Do you enjoy it?” She asked, tilting her head, she knew he probably did enjoy it, but it was still polite to ask, if he didn't, he wouldn't be doing it. Alayla glanced over her shoulder at him when he asked if she was buying them for someone. ”I might… One of my best friends is the chaser for the Gryffindor team and he's been helping me a bit lately so I just wanted to get him something to thank him. But I have no clue what he wants or needs.” Alayla replied, furrowing her brow and biting her lip, ”You're a chaser… what is something you need most of all.” She paused and cocked her head to the side as an idea came to mind. ”You said you make brooms? Do you sell them or just make them for fun?” She asked, maybe she could convince Logan to make a broom for Markus, something with a little personal touch from her? She had enough money after all, of course, Markus did too but there was a difference in getting a broom as a gift from a close friend as opposed to just buying the flashiest one, or that's what she thought anyway.

The wizard mentally arched his brow as he saw the witch grin happily. He supposed that maybe he was having some kind of affect on her. Logan was not against in the least. He knew he had a lot of female admirers or fans but then again so did the rest of his team mates. However the attention he got from them was something he had not paid much attention to when he had first started since had been in a relationship when he had first started. But he and Kathryn and been over for a long time now and he supposed that it was time for him to put it all behind him. However considering just what she had done for him to bring him out of funk he had been in that she had had a great affect on him. But running into this witch at a store made him that this was some kind of weird pattern. Did he just happen to meet all beautiful women inside shops. He didn’t want it to become his ‘thing’.

Logan’s mind quickly cottoned onto what she was hinting at. He laughed, he was not going to say no but the same time he was not going to jump into bed with her just because he happened to be cocky male (at times) but also knew how to respect girls and he was not going to drag Alayla immediately to the Three Broomsticks just because she had talked about wrist work. ”You’ll be please to know that I do indeed have manners, so maybe I will ask or….maybe I wont” he commented with half a shrug. Now because he didn’t want her to get the wrong picture he added the next part. ”Cost me what exactly?” Her mentioning it would cost him had certainly piqued his interest. ”And what is the best charm you can cast?” He wondered if she was referring to the silencing charm or another one. Logan figured if she was so bold in how she spoke, then she would be proficient in one critical charm.

He hadn’t meant to bring up her Veela abilities, however it was far to obvious for him not to call it out. Logan didn’t mind in the least that she could be part Veela but he hadn’t noticed any changes with her eyes or anything else that was related with Veela using their skills on an unsuspecting person. He just knew that he had noticed witnessed it yet and that made him smile. He was not about to explain to Alayla why he was smiling, Logan didn’t want to embarrass himself. He had been rather suave and smooth in his actions and words until now and here he was smiling like a fool in front of pretty witch he had known for less than half an hour. Logan was definitely more composed than this. He smiled as she confirmed was in her final year. ”Not long till you get to join me in the big magical world then” he laughed as he waved his hand about a little before returning it to his side.

Logan was always happy when someone took a genuine interest in his broom making. He was just as proud of it as he was of his skills when it came to Quidditch. It was not far removed from his main career and while he would never make brooms on a mass side at least he had fun doing it. ”I do indeed, tremendously, do you fly?” he knew that some witches completely against getting in the air. Logan was happy to help buy something for her friend. He wondered if this friend was only that or if he was more, he didn’t want to overstep anywhere. ”Well...just for fun, most of my family have a broom of mine, why?” he questioned, wondering where she was going with this.