Touching Base

It had been a long weekend. Fortunately, for all reasons that turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. She had been working hard to prepare herself for her certification exam when Aunt Hermione had intervened on a matter Dom had almost forgotten. Things had... snowballed to say the least. Declan's nightmares, Ant, the big reveal and final revelation. She had allowed herself some time off to spend the weekend with Declan, spending time shadowing his chef when work pulled him away from her. She felt like it was a priority to demonstrate to Declan that she had meant what she said when she told him she loved him, but she couldn't help the bits of practice when the opportunities presented themselves.

And now she was limping back home. The time with Declan had been wonderful, and to leave his warm apartment, so full of his scent and his rumbling voice, was a little more than disappointing. But she knew she needed to get home. She had to meet with other students the next afternoon to practice their creme brulees and she wanted to get some practice in.

She arrived home to see Rose still wasn't in. Rose had been busy as of late as well, and Dom felt a pang that she had not worked harder to see what her cousin was up to. It was this that led her to diving right back into the overworked kitchen, deciding some seared scallops and risotto might be a great way to help her friend unwind as well. On a whim, she slapped together some cookies and tossed them in the oven.

The scallops and risotto would keep under a handy spell she had found and she slipped into her room to change into a more comfortable pair of pajama shorts, tank, and cardigan. She was putting up her hair when she heard the door open and the clatter of keys. She slipped out of her room and moved into the living room to come into the eyeline of her flatmate.

"Hey," she said, smiling. "Hungry? I made dinner."

@Rose Granger-Weasley

Finding Dom home at the same time as her was unexpected, to say the least. The two of them seemed to have opposing schedules so they were almost never at home at the same time. But Rose wasn't at all upset with finding her cousin there as she set the her keys on the small table next to her. The smile that lit up her face was the proof of that.

It was strange to be so happy to see someone who, under normal circumstances, she should've been sick of seeing considering she lived with her (that's not meant as an insult at all). But obviously, their circumstances were anything but normal and seeing each other would probably always end up being pleasant since they hardly ever did just that.

She's been so busy with her, it wasn't even funny. Being an assistant director was definitely tiresome and she still had trouble believing she even landed the job. Boy, was she grateful since there were so many other people who she constantly thought were more suited. Clearly, though, she had done something right if she was in the position and not them.

With a nod, she responded, "Yeah, what'd you make? It smells delicious."

Rose looked exhausted, and yet she still managed to look pleased at their convergence upon their shared flat, tempting a smile onto the blonde's lips. They had certainly been closer in their youth, falling out as their careers and relationships tugged and pulled at their personalities, growing and evolving. No one could escape change. Even with the Weasley stubbornness, they could not defy the hands of time.

Dom grinned. "Scallops and risotto. It's ready, actually, but no rush, it's still warm. Get comfy. There's cookies in the oven too. And I'm sure we can scrounge up a bottle of red wine."

She set about doing that, making their plates and scrounging up some glasses, pouring herself a hearty amount of the red wine. "How was work?" she called out as she went back into the kitchen to set the timer for the cookies.

"Oh you know, work was work. Busy as always, I really don't understand how some people get into the positions they do sometimes." She sighed, shaking her head. Rose had leaned against the wall near her, watching Don as she went about her business to get dinner ready and out for both of them.

She glanced down at her clothes, tugging at the shirt she wore. "I should probably change.l she stated, pushing herself off the wall and walking over to her room to change out of her work clothes. It seemed that more often than not now, Rose was always in her work clothes. She'd started working overnight shifts whenever the others couldn't or frankly, didn't want to. Though she enjoyed what she did, Rose sometimes did tire of having the same routine every day.

She came back out of her room in gray joggers and a plain white tank top. She crossed her arms over her chest as she walked toward the kitchen, leaning on the side of the doorway. "What have you been up to?"

((Also, I realized I basically set this is early December by mentioning the other thread with Declan whoooops. Hope that's okay.))

Dom frowned sympathetically at Rose, fully understanding the plight of a busy work schedule. Though, Dom wasn't working as much as she was learning these days. But when she wasn't cramming her head full of everything she was meant to be learning in culinary school, she was picking up shifts as a line cook and prep cook at local restaurants, having passed out her number and assured them she could fill in whenever she needed. Sometimes, the work was mindless. Other times, she was completely out of her depth. A few of the kitchen staffs hated her, and there were two she was desperate to get a job at once there was an opening. However, it all culminated in a sever lack of time for herself.

That's why the weekend had been so good for her. She had let her mobile ring, had ignored the owls. She might had messed up her chances a bit to get called in for the coming week, but it was worth it.

Hmm. She hadn't thought to ask Rose about Declan's problems, which seemed fair, considering the two hardly got a chance to talk these days. She'd have to weigh her options, figure out whether or not it'd be worth probing.

Dom had just poured their drinks and taken her seat when Rose rejoined her. She gestured towards the chair as she doled out their portions, saying, "Just trying to finish up the last bit of school. Once I'm done with that, I can get a job as a sous chef somewhere and then... I dunno. The plan was to become a travel writer, or something, but I'm really enjoying this too. I don't know. I never know though." She laughed.