no need to worry, that's wasting time [ophelia]

[Deleted]

Hogwarts was starting soon, and Imogen still hadn't purchased herself an owl. She knew that she needed to, but buying an owl was like accepting that she was going to leave, and that hurt her in a way she hadn't expected. Going to bed at night was hard, because she thought of it one day less at her home, one day less with her friends, one day less to everything she wanted to do - and needed to do - before school started. She had put the visit off until the last minute, but finally, Imogen had asked Ophelia to meet her at Eeylops, so that the two of them could look for owls. The day was sweet and balmy, almost as if it was making fun of Imogen's emotional turmoil. She tried to look as casual as possible as she leaned against the brick outside of the owlery, but she found that, when she looked into the glass, there was still a hint of pain in her eyes. Hopefully Ophelia wouldn't notice.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia was excited; her very first owl! She'd always had cats; she and her mother had shared a love of the feline animals, and since her brother and father both owned owls, she had decided to bring her cat Morpheus to school.  He had been a sleepy furball of love, and when he died after Ophelia had graduated, she had been devastated.  Now she had Pam, who was quite different from Morpheus and was a rescue off the streets.  Some horrible human had had the nerve to leave her in a paper bag in the tube!  But she was in the loving care of Ophelia now and much happier, albeit a bit chubby now too.  An owl though was what she'd always wanted, and would help since her friends, now including Imogen, were all away from London.  

She bounded up to Imogen and immediately noticed she looked rather put off.  They had the day to talk about it though, first thing was first.  "It's owl time!" she exclaimed happily, dragging her friend into the store with her.  "I'm glad we decided to come to Eyelops over the Menagerie, I would have bought another cat and Pam would have murdered it," she said with a giggle.  She wandered the store, looking at all the owls.  "Do you know what type you're getting?" she asked Imogen.


@imogen

[Deleted]

Ophelia appeared in a blaze of exclamations and happy smiles, and Imogen couldn’t help but smile at her best friend’s enthusiasm for something as simple as getting an owl. She allowed herself to be dragged into the store, and was instantly struck by two things: the sheer amount of birds, and the sheer stink. Without thinking, Imogen closed off her nostrils. That was one of the best things about being a Metamorphmagus: no need to pinch your nose. “I’m sure Pam would be fine.” Imogen said. Her voice sounded a bit absurd without any nostrils, since it resonated differently, but Imogen didn’t care; it was worth avoiding the stench. When Ophelia asked her about the kind of owl, Imogen shrugged and made a vague gesture with her hand. “I was kind of hoping that one would stick out to me.” She said, shrugging again. “So far, the only thing that’s sticking out to me is that there are a lot more owls in here than I would have thought looking at the storefront.” It was like the place was bigger on the inside or something. “I think I’d like a big owl, though.” The small ones didn’t look like they were capable of carrying much, and since Imogen intended to send a lot of packages, she figured a big owl would be better.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia burst out laughing as Imogen plugged her nose. “Oh come on Im, it’s not that bad!” she exclaimed, taking a deep breath and coughing a little. Okay, the smell was kind of bad. But it was a smell that just came with loads of animals in one place! Ophelia wished she could just adopt them all; but then there would be a lot of animals in her small apartment, which would be no better.

“Right a big owl, let’s get looking,” she said , marching towards the owls section. As she searched the different birds, Ophelia got distracted by something happening at the end of the hall. She hurried down there to see a mama bird and her little hatchlings. “Ohhhhhh,” she breathed, crouching down to peer at the owls. “Oh my gosh,” she squealed softly, trying not to disturb them. They are for sale dear, but they can’t come home for another 2-3 weeks, the salesman told her, giving her a warm smile. Ophelia beamed at him; he must have read her mind. “They’re just so precious,” she cooed. “May I pet them?” she asked the man and at his go ahead she reached down and stroked each of the baby owls heads gently. One of them started hopping up and down and Ophelia giggled. “Oh this little fellow is excited,” she said giggling as she continued to stroke the baby owls feathers. Ophelia knew then that this would be the owl for her; there was a connection there, and her heart seemed to open up and make room for the weeny little owl.

@imogen

[Deleted]

Ophelia said that the smell wasn’t that bad, and Imogen shook her head stubbornly. It really was that bad. She hoped that one owl wouldn’t be nearly as smelly as multiple owls, because she really couldn’t deal with this sort of smell all the time. Well, the smell that she remembered, since it was no longer hitting her nose anymore.

Imogen nodded resolutely when Ophelia said they ought to get looking. Imogen had sort of expected Ophelia to get distracted by something or other, but not this soon. The other woman was peering at a nest full of baby owls, and Imogen balked. Babies made her uncomfortable, for reasons that she couldn’t explain. Ophelia was busy petting the baby owls, so Imogen peered around at the other shelves of owls. None of them looked to be particularly big, except for one. It was perched atop the highest shelf in the store, and its head was nearly touching the ceiling. Imogen nudged Ophelia with her foot. “What do you think of that one?” She asked her friend, pointing at the owl in question. A tag on its perch said that it was an eagle owl, and while Imogen didn’t feel any particular connection to the animal, it would suit her purposes just fine.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia sighed a little as Im stubbornly shook her head. She continued stroking the owls little head; she was feeling a bond with the little guy. She very unwillingly pulled herself away as Imogen called her over to look at the other owl that she had chosen. “I’ll be back,” she cooed softly to the owl as she crossed over to the owl her friend was looking at. “Ooh he’s gorgeous,” Ophelia agreed as she peered up at the owl. “Big and strong, like they could fly across the world and not get tired,” she declared with a grin. The owl hooted, almost as if in agreement and she laughed. “You should get him Im he’d do well….seeing as that baby owl and I are bonded and I’m getting him,” she said quickly. She scooted back over to the baby owls and the little one hopped and hooted happily. “Oh please I would like him,” she said, resuming her petting of the baby owl. The manager told her he’d be ready for her to take home in about three weeks. “But can I come and visit?” she asked eagerly. The manager chuckled and agreed. Ophelia beamed and looked back at Imogen. “We might have to just rely on your owl for now Im!” she exclaimed with a tinkle of a laugh.

@imogen

[Deleted]

Ophelia was absolutely enamored with the little owl, and Imogen felt a pang. Her best friend was more interested in the owl than the fact that Imogen would be leaving soon, and that hurt a little. Still, she had to put on a brave face, and Im even smiled when Ophelia said that the owl she was considering was gorgeous and big and strong. It wasn’t like Imogen had done anything to cause the owl to be any of those things, but she figured that it must be good that Ophelia approved of her choice. Ophelia continued to go on about her baby owl and how she would be getting him, and Imogen just nodded. When Ophelia was done asking about the baby and when she could see it, she had the manager put the owl she had chosen into a cage, paying for him quickly. “Yes, yes, we can rely on him.” Imogen said, an edge to her voice. “Do you want to stay and play with your owl or go outside so we can talk without my voice sounding ridiculous?” Im was hoping that Ophelia would decide the latter, but knowing her best friend, the baby owl would probably be her priority.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia could hear the bite in Imogens voice and sighed a little to herself. She knew Im was anxious about leaving for Hogwarts, but really baby owls were a rightfully adorable distraction! The manager gently tied a red ribbon around Ophelia’s owls’ leg and promised he would be here and ready to take home in three weeks time. “Okay okay, we can go now,” she told her, leading the way out of the Menagerie after one last look at her baby owl. It looked incredulous at her, which broke her heart.

Back out in the sunshine, Ophelia got a good look at Imogen and giggled. “I think you’re good now,” she said, nodding at her closed nostrils. “Let’s get ice cream!” she declared, skipping over to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor. “I’ll have…...chocolate and coffee ice cream with….hot fudge and some chocolate sprinkles,” she said, then looked back at Imogen. “Your turn; my treat,” she offered.

@imogen

[Deleted]

Imogen smiled a little Ophelia when she agreed to leave the owlery in favor of doing something else. She had forgotten about her closed nostrils until Ophie pointed them out, at which point Imogen opened them again. She also changed the color of her eyes to bright amber, blowing up her pupils so she had an uncanny resemblance to the owlet that Ophelia was so sorry to leave behind. Im blinked a few times at Ophelia so she would see the joke before reverting her eyes back to normal so as not to scare the ice cream parlor cashier. She followed Ophie in, and while her best ordered something that sounded extremely sugary and caffeinated, Imogen chose something a little more understated. “Can I have a chocolate milkshake, please?” Imogen asked. Ophelia offered to pay for her, and Imogen nodded. There was no use fighting Ophie when she got her mind stuck on something. When both their orders were ready, Imogen accepted her milkshake with a nod of thanks, and then gestured with her hand towards an empty table for two where she and Ophelia could sit and talk.

Ophelia Mae Teller