Norbert and Jack slowly stretched together, finally finishing with the day's classes. The two of them, in unison, began packing their things into their bags. Finally happy that they would be to leave and head home.
Stuck at the door, with everyone else simultaneously streaming out of the room, Norbert looked to Jack. "So, what are we gonna have for dinner?"
Jack stopped and turned his head to Jack, not believing the words uttered from his mouth, "We have leftovers from last night."
"Ah yes, the leftovers; how could I have forgotten," Norbert replied, smiling hiding his embarrassment. Having forgotten his meal the night before, other things had taken over his mind in the past few weeks; he wasn't here.
Finally, out of the classroom and waking outside, the sun dipping below the horizon. On the pavement, feet drumming together as the two friends didn't utter a single word, just preparing for their next conversation.
Looking up at the sky, Norbert could see the moon visible, shining with its crater. The same thing he had seen in the sky before was a comfort as even in the sun just going over the horizon, he could see stars in the sky.
Wiping his eyes to confirm he didn't see things, Norbert looked up once more and confirmed, somehow, he could make them out, even with the amount of light pollution in the air. Coming up to the apartment building, the pair turned off and went through the doors.
Turning at the corridor and making their way to the door numbered seventeen, Jake placed the key in the door, the click reverberating around the corridor, the door opening silently as Norbert looked into the empty apartment.
Norbert followed Jake closing the door behind him as Jake walked to the couch, dropping his bag on the floor as he landed on it, slowly sinking. Reaching for the remote and flicking to a random channel, Norbert sat at the kitchen table, looking past Jack on the couch and through the glass doors to the outside.
Norbert thought about how to start it, hoping that having the first foot forward would allow fewer questions to be asked. Swallowing his nerves, Norbert opened his mouth to speak. "Well, you were right about it being a girl" Jack, not moving at all, continued to stare at the TV, not wanting to interrupt Norbert.
"But not as a girlfriend or anything like that. More so someone that showed me a different perspective on life. Trying to live in a different lane." Norbert finished. Jack tore his eyes away from the screen, staring at Norbert, waiting for him to continue.
With no more words, Jack broke the silence by asking, "And what's her name?"
Norbert swallowing again, hoping the fish would bite, just whispered, "Luck."
Jack flicked the TV off, now proper silence going between the room. "So you're telling me this, making sure I have the facts straight? This girl you know as Luck has shown you something, and now you've fallen head first into whatever she says?"
Norbert thought, staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened since falling in the sky. Being transported and shown a different world with fantastic beasts and monsters, stretched throughout, of mystical and wacky sights to be seen around every corner. He was nodding his head in response in confirmation.
Jack nodded, asking, "Have you met her?" As Jack asked the pinnacle question, Norbert nodded again, "So, is she hot?"
Norbert thought about the woman named Luck and what she had known about, grinning and nodding.
"You know what they say about crazy", Jack quoted; Norbert just nodded in response, replying "Well, we haven't gotten that far yet, and anyway, what about you?"
Jack froze, knowing that his time on the chopping block had come. Swallowing in the term, Jack responded, "Well, her name is Sarah; just been online for the moment, have a meet-up agreed soonish, not confirmed the date yet."
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Norbert just nodded in response, looking out towards the ceiling, leaning back and slowly starting to rock on it, thinking of the following question about her. "So, you stayed up late texting a girl you found online … and you nearly choked over that?"
Jack looked sheepishly at Norbert. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess that was stupid of me. Not as crazy as you thought."
Norbert nodded, confirming that he was doing quite stupid stuff, jumping around, facing fire-breathing insects and using swords and different languages. "So, why didn't you tell me then, or look like you just got caught stealing the crown jewels?"
Jack tossed his head from side to side. "Well, I think I have a shot with her. Ok, didn't want to tell the world and have the expectation that it would all work out."
Norbert nodded, understanding where he was going with the train of thought. "So if you fail, only you will know about it, lessening the impact."
Jack nodded in response, flicking the TV back on, the news starting again. Norbert stayed still, hearing about some significant event or something blaring out. Shrugging and feeling a bit peckish, Norbert took his phone out and examined the time; seeing that it was a bit early for dinner but not too early, leaning forward, the chair banging on the floor, Norbert stood up, saying, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry, want me to warm yours up as well?"
Jack whipped his head around. "Yes, please", before looking back at the TV, surfing the channels to find something to watch. Norbert walked over, opened the fridge and took out the steaks, separating them on their plates before pulling out the rest of the food.
With each plate done, and taking out the glad wrap, wrapped them both up and placed one in the microwave, set it for three minutes and closed the door, hearing the whirl of the machine, the light coming off it.
Walking to the light switch, Norbert flicked it on, allowing some proper light to come in and not just be from the TV. Outside the kitchen, Norbert brought out the cutlery and cups, filling them with water and placing them on the table. As the first beeped, checking the temperature and nodding in satisfaction, Norbert placed it on the table, getting the next one in there and setting the timer again.
As that one also finished, Norbert checked the heat, knowing it would be fine, and placed it on the table in front of his seat. Norbert whipped off the plastic wrap on both, allowing steam to billow into the air. "Dinners ready!" Norbert called out across the room.
As Jack moved, the couch squeaked in response. The two friends ate in silence, Norbert just happy to be filling his stomach with food he was used to, knowing and expecting what it would taste like.
The chews filled the room as the two of them ate in silence. Once finished, Jack picked up the dishes, washing them off in the sink. Looking towards the TV, Norbert saw that it was playing the news again, someone having gone missing in the area, and strange sights having been seen, shrugging his shoulders that it wasn't going to concern him, Norbert walked over to the couch, looking at the TV guide for something to watch.
"Any movie recommendations for tonight?" Norbert asked Jack, still flicking through the channels and seeing nothing that caught his eye.
"Think channel ninety-one has something good on for the next show", Jack responded, the water splashing into the sink as he scrubbed the dishes.
"Oh yeah, guess you're in a mood for Harry Potter then" Norbert saw that the goblet of fire was playing; having not seen the movie in a while, Norbert stayed on the channel, waiting for Jack to finish and the movie to start.
The movie starts just after the credits of the previous roll and the commercial break. Jack runs around the room, jumps into the air and lands on the couch, the air coming out of it in response just as the Warner Bros logo appears on the screen.
The two sat and watched the movie, idly talking to each other about what was happening in the movie, both having seen it before countless times, the last time also on this very couch.
Halfway through the movie, Jack's phone begins to buzz in his pocket during a commercial break. Norbert just stared at the screen, seeing the words Sarah appears before Jack turned it to himself, standing up to walk away.
Norbert looked away from the commercial. "That her?"
Jack just nodded and hurried away, closing the door to his room.
"You get her tiger!" Norbert shouted through the door, Jack closing the door in response, his muffled words escaping through the cracks around the door. Looking at the empty seat, Norbert relaxed, stretching his arms over the seat rest, happy to relax and have some normalcy.
With the movie finished and Jack still not returning from his room, Norbert picked up his bag and headed for his own, checking his bank account and seeing it was lower than he would like. Closing the door, Norbert turned on his computer, looking for a place to learn swordsmanship. As he looked through the first few locations, Norbert stopped his search.
Thinking of the sword he was given and remembering something he was told before, the weapons of a world with monsters would be different from comparing them to how to take down men. Thinking back on the weapons used, looking mostly normal in shape but believing they could be enhanced somehow, his sword wasn't the only weapon he knew wasn't.
Knowing it would not benefit him as he could not use magic. Changing his research topic to swords, Norbert started his research. After some time, he found the closest match to the one he had been given, a claymore size but a much thicker blade. Happy with his research so far, Norbert started looking at tutorials about claymores, wanting to know everything about the large swords.