Midnight Cocoa Run

The lights were low and comforting, spreading a warm, amber glow through the dark room, chasing the shadows into the corners where they belonged. Spread across her bed, one foot hanging off of the end, left to idly tap against the wooden poster that upheld the canopy, Eleanor Williams had abandoned herself to the novel she’d taken out from the library that evening. After showering once she’d gotten in from work, the young(-ish) woman had gotten into her pyjamas and hadn’t really moved from her bed, too absorbed in the book to go downstairs and sit in the main bar with everyone else – and if she mourned the raucousness of the bar, certainly enough sound travelled upstairs for her to take solace in if any loneliness twanged at her. In the company of the characters, though, she was more than content.

It wasn’t before she reached the last one hundred pages when her eyes began to smart and a stiffness began to grow in her back. She put the book down and threw her arms up over her head to stretch, moaning a little as her joints popped and clicked back into wakefulness. She reached down and pulled off her glasses before looking around, furrowing her brows at the darkness of the windows. She swapped her wand on the bedside table for her glasses and flicked a bit of magic at the curtains, making them slide shut. She sight softly and looked at her watch curiously, surprised to find that it was well after the last call. Any sound that had floated up from the bar had long died out and she hadn’t noticed. She also hadn’t noticed the hunger gnawing away at her and now that it occurred to her, she was starving.

Residency was a short word for ‘free reign,’ although it didn’t often extend to the biscuit tin. Scooping up her book and donning a warmer pair of socks, Ellie left her room, tucking her key into the pocket of her cardigan, and made her way down into the bar. The lights were off so she lit a few candles when she entered with the end of her wand and in the midst of reading she wandered through the bar, behind it and then into the kitchens where the lights flickered into life upon her entrance. Her stray, groping hand managed to source a bowl and a spoon before going in search of the cereal which she poured out, as one does. She then went to the fridge after turning the page and poured out the milk.

Lifting up her cereal, Ellie stepped away, only to feel a splosh underfoot. She looked down, peering over the frames of her glasses, and blanched as she saw milk all over the floor along with goodness only knew how much cereal. She hastily replaced the bowl back on the side and pulled absently at the plait she’d put her hair in. Then, setting down her book, Ellie took her wand out and scoured the surfaces, unwilling to believe she’d so completely missed the bowl. Puffing a stray lock of hair away from her face in vague dismay, Ellie smacked down her wand in a flair of temper, frustrated with herself more than anything, and took a pot of powdered hot chocolate from one of the cupboards, flicking on the kettle in the same breath.

Once the kettle boiled, Ellie made up her hot chocolate and sat herself up on the kitchen island, curling her legs under herself as she set her mug and the packet of cereal in front of her. She then laid her book in her lap, pushed her glasses up onto her head and began to alternate between nibbling on little o’s and sipping her cocoa, as absorbed in her book there, sat on the countertop, as she had been upstairs.

Isobella was pacing the floor for the millionth time as she stared at the same newspaper. Finally getting frustrated enough with it she chucked it onto the bed. Rose was spending the night with her parents and she was going crazy with worry. It was the first night that she spent away from her but she needed tonight and tomorrow to spend finding a suitable home. She groaned and decided to go grab something to eat, donning on her slippers she reached for the door handle. Looking at her clothes making sure she was decent, she wore a pair of fleece pajama pants that had broomsticks on them with a white tank top. She grabbed her light blue fleece robe and headed downstairs.

Bella hit the ground floor where the bar sat and froze, seeing the candles lit on the bar. She shook her head just thinking that someone forgot to put them out she headed for the kitchen. Seeing the light on as she entered then seeing a woman sitting on the counter top in front of her. "Hello," Bella said smiling towards the woman as she made her way to the fridge. She couldn't really see the woman's face so she couldn't be sure who it was but she looked really familiar. She pulled out a carton of eggs with bacon, then she walked over to the counter near the door to the kitchen grabbing out bread from the bread box. She grabbed a bowl from the upper cupboard placing it on the counter to whip up some scrambled eggs with bacon and a side of toast. "Would you like some of this?" She asked as she added a little bit of milk.

Hello.

Ellie’s head shot up as shock flooded through her. At this time of night, the inn was shut up and those who had not fallen asleep at the tables had been sent home on the Knight Bus. That there was someone actually there, much less awake, wasn’t something that the dark-haired witch had been counting on when she’d snuck down for something to eat. Needless to say, she was a little bit star-struck by the entrance of another woman who seemed to know her way around the kitchen well enough, though Ellie supposed it wasn’t so different from any other kitchen in the world.

What confused her was the fact that she was sure she’d never seen this woman before so she didn’t live full-time at the pub. That alone gave her pause – she wasn’t sure strangers were allowed behind the bar? Actually she was completely sure: they weren’t. She rationalised, however, that since she was there, it didn’t matter. At least nothing would be stolen. She immediately felt a bit guilty for that thought but the till was right there. The back room, though locked, was full of the gold Declan had taken over the course of the evening. The pub was vulnerable with people walking in and out.

So perhaps she was setting a bad example.

Swallowing that little bit of anxiety that was in her – and the mouthful of cereal – Ellie raised a smile to her face and put her book down. She pulled her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose and observed the other witch with a smidgen more curiosity than she would have anyone else – not least because she was so calmly frying off bacon and scrambled eggs. The smell was, as ever, grossly intoxicating but at the same time it made Ellie’s stomach turn. It was far too late for such food. God knew, if she had to be digesting that she’d never sleep. Then again, had she slept she wouldn’t have been downstairs in the first place.

“If you can spare some,” she gradually found her voice.

Then, of course, it occurred to her. She wasn’t a stranger at all. There was a reason why this woman knew her way around the kitchen so well and Ellie had seen her before. The undisputed loyalty to the pub and to Declan was clear. She was one of the chefs, after all. Ellie felt herself flush as embarrassment tickled through her and she reached up to rub at her eyes, conceding that maybe she should forego the food and instead take a sleeping potion and go to bed. Given how her mind was barely stringing anything together, it was probably the preferred and better course of action. This was now just getting stupid.

“Didn’t remember who you were for a minute there,” she decided to admit. “Thought you were just random. It’s … Bella?” Ellie’s brows came together thoughtfully as she tried to remember. “Right?” She added hesitantly.