Another Cake

“More tea, Mademoiselle Finnigan?”

Within London’s expansive walls cultures made up a bizarre melting pot that scaled from the sublime to the ridiculous. In the midst of department stores and dull little boutiques selling hats and umbrellas, a French café was nestled in, warming itself in similar marble to Whitehall between a chocolatier’s ye olde shoppe and a non-descript little house into which most often men traipsed, emerging later with a woman on their arm. But the aforementioned little French café was a small solace for the young blonde who had come to call London her home. A little hideout from the peering eyes and running mouths that demanded her time and energy.

The young woman looked up from the book laid open, its spine utterly broken and its cover chipping away with every handling, in her lap and smiled gently at the waiter who had leaned down, a silver platter with another fresh pot of tea waiting for her. She exchanged it for her empty one, thanking him briefly before waiting, lingering her eyes on the waiter until he disappeared. Then she returned to her book, her finger idly rubbing at the corner of the opposing page she was reading, wearing more love and time into the book, folding the pages a little under her touch.

Eventually, the lunchtime crowd flitted in. It was a mixture of the bohemians of the city who had found themselves in a slightly richer district and they tugged in with them bored, well-dressed housewives, philandering husbands and the like that seemed to enjoy a change of pace. No one deigned to sit with her. She did think that perhaps it might’ve been the socks but upon seeing that many others were dressed far strangely(er) than she was, Millie felt reassured it was not her.

She wasn’t waiting for anything precisely. A few brightly coloured cakes had been set down on her table but other than that she was after some company. It was a well-known fact that just like the suspect little house the other side of the café, everyone left with a coffee and someone to go home with. Millie had been something of an exception and was merely content to sit and read or sketch a while, whiling away her time unfound by those who alleged to employ her and pay her a decent wage.

Yes, monsieur. More tea. And another cake.

Since the wedding, Avery hadn't seen much of the friend she had kept close to since her first year in University. Sometimes she wondered how long it had been since she had seen him, and if he in turn ever wondered what she herself had been getting up to. Their drinking nights cancelled frequently, Miss Bishop sometimes debated heading over to Keiran's just to force herself back into his life. In the end, she always decided against it if only to keep him from being angry with her.

She hated the guilt of someone being against her, and found herself grateful once again for her intelligent choice of career. Heaven knows what she would have done in some office or trapped among the other crazy Ministry folks. In her job she was allotted a vast amount of time for herself, when she could spend her time focusing on work rather than thinking about the time she would waste at home without anyone to go about with or visit. Such was life for the single blonde.

On such a day as the one Avery found herself in, there was little to do but perhaps go out for a meal, and while it wasn't often that she liked trying new places, something in her heart called for change. She couldn't sit about like a dosser and wait for her life to be more interesting or to feel more successful. It would have to be her own doing in the end. Thus, walking into a new spot for a bite seemed a bit less daunting as the sun shone on her back and hair. The sun, too, felt different that day. Maybe it was just her.

Novel in hand, Avery opened the door and stepped into the cafe, glancing about at the fairly decorated walls and furnishings. As her gaze fell over one such furnishing, a vaguely familiar head of blonde hair had just finished speaking to a server. Where had Avery seen the girl before? Ironically, as all of her thoughts that day seemed to be related to – though never actually touching – the topic of her friend, Avery thought she had seen the girl at the wedding.

Indeed, Avery thought as she stepped closer, they had spoken. In the spirit of her new resolution to be different, she moved to stand in front of the younger woman's table where she was seemingly in an attempt at making it through a book. Avery would guess she had read it frequently, whatever it was. Clearing her throat carefully, she offered a smile upon catching the other blonde's attention.

“Hey,” She greeted, feeling rather pathetic in her phrasing, “I don't know if you remember, but I think we met at a wedding. My friend Keiran.. well, this Marriage Law is ruining all of us isn't it? He's lucky to have escaped.”

A lame attempt at a joke, sure, but she did not have her dear friend there to be the solid something that she could stand on if she needed it in the end. It was hard to feign outright confidence without someone there who believed it. She liked to imagine she did. But then, she also could see inside her own head and heart, couldn't she?

In another room, no doubt further down through the building from where Millie was sat somewhere in the middle of the elongated premises, an orchestra started up, whistling a faintly familiar tune into the air which Millie began to idly tap her foot to against one of the rugs that swathed the wood floor.

Soon enough, however, her concentration on the text in her book was ruptured and stolen away by a voice that seemed vaguely familiar to her, though she couldn’t quite place its origin. The young witch looked up and set eyes on, indeed, a highly familiar individual. As her words sunk in, though, Millie couldn’t quite stop herself from arching an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry?” She expressed. “Marriage Law? When did the Conservatives pass that one? I haven’t been to any wedding recently at all.”

She wriggled her nose and waited for a while, allowing the little seed of doubt to plant in the other woman’s mind, before laughing. Millie shook her head and gestured for the seat opposing her own.

“I’m joking. I remember you. I can’t admit to remembering your name, though. I’m sorry.”

Millie closed her book and placed it on the table. She looked around the flower arrangement in the middle of the table and pushed it to the side before reaching to fill up the other woman’s teacup with the particular beverage which, as Millie liked it, was completely no nonsense. It was up to whoever sat with her whether they wanted lemon flavouring or something of the like.

“Ava.” She guessed, sitting back in her chair. “Av… it’s Av-something, isn’t it? Avana? No, that’s not right. Ave…Avery!”

Millie grinned, knowing she’d gotten it right.

“What brings you here, then?” She inquired interestedly. She didn’t know much at all about the person across from her considering they’d talked at the wedding. You would have thought that they’d have found something interesting to gossip over but no, it was lamenting over the new law and Millie searching for something to pick out that wasn’t quite right – that would mess with whatever obsessive-compulsive traits the new husbands had when she told them about it.

There hadn’t really been much ‘getting to know you’ talk. No, none of that really. No time like the present, as they say.

Avery stared at the woman sitting in front of her. She'd been so sure it was the girl from the wedding. The one Keiran knew? Or had she just shown for the heck of it?  Avery couldn't say, but a frown was growing on her face. She was either being messed about or had just managed to freak out a Muggle. Either way, she wasn't sure she was entirely pleased. Shifting her book to her other hand, Avery made to apologize, to say that the woman looked like a friend she was playing a joke on, but the younger blonde spoke again.

Suddenly, tea was being served and Avery realized she was meant to sit down as well. A smile broke out over her features as she sank into the chair to accept the teacup. She nodded upon recognition of her name, watching her companion over the rim of her cup as she drank from it. “Yes, Avery. I was in Keiran's party at the wedding.” She glanced over the face of the blonde in front of her, trying to match it to a name. “I'm afraid I remember faces quite well, but names.... not so much. What is yours again?”

Avery shrugged before answering, “Essentially, life's been dull lately so I decided to try something new today – if not every day. In this case, a new place to eat. I usually eat closer to home, but the place looked nice.” Her eyes floated around the room, once again taking everything in.

What a pathetic excuse, Avery chided herself. But there really was nothing better to offer by way of explanation. A dull life was certainly not a talking point in her book. Maybe it was in the other woman's, but if not, their conversation was going to be either very short or very awkward. She fiddled with the pages of her book before setting it down. She needed something to do with her hands, though, so she toyed with the top edge of the teacup absentmindedly.

Her goal, that morning, was to be more upbeat, to be different. So far she was failing on that account. Her mind skipped back to the mention of the requirement that they marry and Avery found herself infinitely thankful that she had yet to be called for a meeting. Deciding that she really didn't care that the topic change was a bit random, Avery decided to run with it. At least it would be more interesting than whatever small talk they came up with.

“You know, so many people are being forced into marrying. It almost makes me want to up and leave. Head to Switzerland or something. Or just pick someone I can put up with until the law is repealed. At least Keiran and Robin knew well enough to jump ship before their time came.” She shook her head with a sigh. “Have you gotten called in yet?”

(OOC: Awful. I'm sorry)

“Millie.”

With the tea poured and the acquaintance sat, Millie was tempted to go back to her book but her mother’s voice immediately scolded her for what the woman considered the height of rudeness. Instead the book was abruptly closed and placed on the table. Millie swivelled her legs around so that she was square to the surface and took one of the brightly coloured cupcakes off of the rack that was in the middle of the table. She pulled off the casing and bit into it, chewing and swallowing before washing it back with a mouthful of tea. The sugar completely changed the way the hot drink tasted to the young witch and immediately her expression changed. She set the cup down with mild distaste, returning her gaze to Avery.

“They usually play music at this time,” Millie informed Avery with a smile.

As if on cue, the band started up in the adjoining room and the music echoed in loud and clear for all to hear. Millie smiled as if to say ‘told you so’ and sat back, glancing idly over her shoulder to steal a look at the band through the double doors that led out into the following room. She cast her eyes back, returning them back to the blonde before her before arching a curious eyebrow and shrugging semi-comically in response to the question.

“I wouldn’t go in even if they dragged me. At the moment, no. I haven’t been called up but I’m waiting for it, I assure you.”

Millie laughed at the Switzerland comment somewhat belatedly.

“I’d be happy to join you. The skiing is good this year, isn’t it?”