Strawberry Pastry, please. (closed for Roman)

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Though she could feel that Spring was just around the corner, March still held quite a chill in the air and Briege was not one for cold. Her deep-green cloak was tucked tightly around her slender frame as she made her way towards the Three Broomsticks, one of her favorite places to frequent on a Saturday night. A messenger bag hung at her hip, concealed for the the time being until she made her way into the warm, toasty building and perched on one of the chairs at an empty table. Briege unfastened her cloak and tossed it onto the chair next to her and then slipped her messenger bag off of her shoulder to do the same. Opening it revealed an organized mess of papers and books and Briege dug her hands in to retrieve a file folder. She placed it onto the table before her and opened it with a small sigh. A soft weight settled into her lap and Briege glimpsed down to the white and grey tabby who sat upon her dainty thighs.

"Hello, Charles," Briege murmured softly. The cat gave her arm a slight and gentle nip before he curled up. When a waitress approached the table, Briege only glanced up for a moment before her gaze went back to the papers she was grading. She crossed something out, shaking her head.

"No, no, rosequartz is for love, not spiritual emphasis," she muttered under her breath. Sometimes she wondered what on in her students' heads. The waitress made a soft noise in her throat and Briege glanced up once more, a smile playing upon her lips.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Ah, I'll take a butterbeer, please. And a sandwich - vegetarian, extra cucumber. And a tomato soup, with lentils. Vegetarian broth, please." The waitress took down her order and Briege's lashes fluttered for just a second: she could practically smell the strawberry pastry as it interrupted her vision of the eatery.. Her hand snapped out and waved before the waitress got too far. "Ah, wait! Sorry, sorry! I'll take two of your strawberry pastries, too, please!" She knew she was going to love it. She wondered, though, where they got the fresh strawberries from. Somewhere warmer, obviously.

Briege bent her head over her papers once again, her purple quill dancing over the parchments, tresses of wavy blond hair falling over her shoulder or into her face, a hand lifting to tuck them behind an ear. Something pricked into her legs and Briege batted at Charles' head lightly.

"You know I don't like that, so please stop, Charles. Honestly," she said with a roll of her blue eyes, shaking her head.

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It was a Saturday night and Rory was leaving Hogwarts. He'd gone to their hospital wing earlier in the day, going on a regular check to make sure they had all the supplies they needed and that everything was going well. It was, naturally, just a routine check. Now he was on his way out, but he figured that he might as well take a stop off in the Three Broomsticks. 

He walked in and looked around curiously. The place was pretty empty, but Rory saw a familiar figure at an empty table. Briege. They knew one another from school and if he wasn't mistaken, she was teaching there now. No one was sitting at her table, but she was surrounded by papers. Hopefully she wouldn't mind a small interruption. He went to the counter and spoke to the manager, explaining that she was an old friend and he'd like to deliver her order.

It took a bit of convincing, but after a minute he was taking Briege's order to her. "Is this what you ordered, Miss?" he asked once he was standing right beside her with all of her food, a wide grin on his face.

@gemma

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Sometimes people could surprise Briege, but it wasn't often - not with her gift. The voice was ever familiar, though, and as she glanced up and took in the form of her friend, a grin spread wide across her face, lighting up each and every feature. Briege lifted Charles from her lap and sat him on her bag instead, pushed her chair back and in one graceful movement, swiped her sandwich from the tray Roman was carrying and wrapped her other arm around him, giving him a hug.

"What're you doing?" she said with a laugh, sitting back down. Roman's grin was contagious as ever and Briege gestured to an empty chair, waving her sandwich at him while popping a cucumber in her mouth. "Sit, sit! You actually had a moment off work, then?" Briege couldn't help it: she was starving from a full day of students; she took a big bite from her sandwich and then stopped midchew, her gaze going blank for just a matter of seconds.

"Not that chair, though, this one," she said, swallowing her food, pointing to the second chair across from her. She usually took up one of the bigger tables that seated four because they always held all of her paperwork and allowed her to spread out. "That chair's about to get a load of butterbeer spilled upon it."

@rory

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Her response was exactly what he wanted! Rory easily returned her hug when she stood up to give it to him. It really had been way too long since they had seen one another and he was excited. It wasn't ever day when he was able to run into an old friend. 

He shrugged when she asked what he was doing, "Oh, just leaving the school and thought I'd stop here for a drink or something," he commented, still standing. Then she told him to sit and he started to pull a chair back before he noticed she was in a daze. He knew she was a Seer, so he paused a moment, waiting for her to come back. When she did, she told him not to sit in the chair he'd already pulled out. 

Rory nodded and took the chair she gestured to, relieved when she said the other one was about to get spilled on. Before he had time to say anything in response, a waiter tripped and butterbeer was all over the chair he meant to sit in. He smiled over at his friend. "Thank you Briege," he told her sincerely. It wouldn't have been a nice visit if he was covered in butterbeer. "Anyway, things are going well. I'm still working at St. Mungo's, which is about the same as always. How do you like working at Hogwarts?"

@gemma

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Briege couldn't help but giggle lightly, giving the waitress an apologetic look as she whipped out her wand to clean the chair up. Briege took another bite of her sandwich as Rory spoke, nodding, as she listened.

"Oh, I love it," she replied. "I mean, some of the students think I'm a kook, but you know how it goes." Briege shrugged her small shoulders. Briege - typical - scoffed at Rory's previous words and faked a pout, pushing out her lower lip. "You go up to the school and you don't even bother to climb all those stairs to come see me? You should really see what I've done to the Divination Tower. Now, it's not so out of date, you know? I also ordered a supply of, ah...better quality crystal balls." Briege wrinkled her nose, remembering how much of a fuss it had been: not everyone knew the qualities of crystals and how it could affect the practice. The old crystal balls had been too clear and the amethyst ones had been left out in sunlight for way too long: they had been incredibly faded and one had even begun to turn brown. Briege kept them all in a blacked-out case to protect them, only used during class.

"I had the old ones donated but one, unfortunately couldn't be saved."
"Mrrrow." Briege glimpsed down and then rolled her eyes. She placed her sandwich down as Charles hopped up onto the table and promptly sat upon some of her papers. "Oh, how rude of me," Briege said, sarcasm filling her voice. "Roman, this is Charles. Charles, this is Roman. Now go away." Briege lifted the tabby and plopped him on the floor. What was rude was felines on the tables.

@rory

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Rory smiled at Briege's comment about the way some of the students thought of her. If he remembered right, that fit it quite well with what most students thought of Divination when he was in school. Apparently a change of professors didn't have much of an effect on the outlook students took to the subject. That was alright though, as long as it didn't bother his friend, which it didn't seem like it did, so he was fine with it. Then she started pouting at him and Rory lifted his hands in front of him, a gesture of surrender. "I forgot! I don't normally come to Hogwarts and didn't even think of looking for you. I promise I'll do better next time," he added, hoping that would help. He knew she wasn't entirely serious, but Rory was a peacemaker at heart and didn't like it when people were upset, even in jest. 

Rory cocked his head to the side as he mused, "Well you'll have to show me sometime. I've never actually seen a crystal ball." Sure, before he knew he was a wizard he went to carnivals and saw gypsies with "crystal balls" but he didn't really think that was the real thing. In school he hadn't taken divination either, so he'd never had the chance there either.

He smiled when he heard a cat mewing and Briege picked it up, introducing it to Rory before telling it to go away. "I'm assuming Charles is yours?" he asked after a moment. Why not talk about the cat. He didn't remember her having one when she went to school ...

@gemma

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@rory

Briege beamed when Rory said that he promised to come visit her next time and she leaned in towards him, her elbows upon the table, a playful look etched upon her face.
"You can come in through the floo, you know. Rather than climb all those stairs. Its quite a bit more convenient," she said. Briege suddenly remembered that Rory had, indeed, never taken Divination back when they were in school and just like back then, she was almost appalled. She shook her head disdainfully, clucking her tongue much like her aged grandmother did a lot.

"Never seen a crystal ball, hah!" she said, picking up her sandwich again. She took another bite for continuing on. "I just need to introduce you to the whole world of divination." Briege plucked a wand from the wide sleeve of her peasant top and waved it graciously at all of her paperwork, putting it back into two piles instead of spread all over the table. She then reached into her bag and retrieved a crochet-covered square.

"I could give you a reading, if you like?" she asked Rory, taking a sip of her butterbeer and finally finishing off her sandwich. Her eyes went to the tray Rory had brought her and something like a squeak left her lips as her gaze fell upon the strawberry pastries. "Ooh, but not before we've had one of these! I Saw that they were delicious." Briege took one and passed the other to Rory. They were both still warm, as if they had just come out of the oven. God, she needed to learn how to bake better. While she nibbled upon the pastry, she decided she could explain Charles.

"Well, you see. He came to me. I don't exactly own him, just like you can't own a person. He's not really a cat." Briege was incredibly serious about this. "I had a vision in a dream, that this cat would come to me. And then when he did - and god, I waited several months for him - I got another vision in another dream. He's not a cat at all, but a man, approximately 62 and was sentenced to live his next life as a cat. I personally don't think its a bad thing, but he does. He's quite the charmer when he wants to be and he's got his own bed and everything. But most of the time he's a snarky little tease." Briege popped the last bit of her pastry into her mouth when she was finished with her explanation. Her vision had been right: that was the best pastry she had ever had. 

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She mentioned that he could come through the fireplace instead of having to climb all the stairs and Rory grinned back at her. "I like that idea. I will admit, the idea of climbing all those stairs is quite daunting ... though I would have done it for you." No use pretending like he wouldn't have. 

He laughed at her obvious disdain for him never having seen a crystal ball. She said she should introduce him to her world and Rory shrugged. "That's fine with me. I probably won't be any good at it, but I'm interested to learn more." Mostly, he was interested to spend time with a friend, but Rory was also ready to learn whatever she wanted to teach him about it. 

She offered to do a reading for him and Rory almost shrugged again, but nodded instead. "Sure, that sounds-" he paused when she started gushing about the strawberry pastries. Apparently they were delicious. He took the one she offered and took a bite, his eyes widening in surprise at how good it was. "These are wonderful," he answered, his voice awed. He took another bite, listening to her explain about the cat as he continued eating.

He smiled as she explained about the cat, which was actually a man. He looked at the cat again, curiously. That seemed ... a bit odd, but not really a problem. As long as Briege didn't mind, Rory didn't have any reason to either. "That's an interesting story. Do you know how long he'll be staying with you?" Or around her? Rory wasn't sure how the arrangement worked, but he was curious all the same

@gemma

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A smile flitted to Briege's lips: Rory was always so sweet. Her smile widened when he mentioned that he would be interested in learning more about divination. It made her grin, actually, lighting up her entire face. A small giggle left her lips as Rory took a bite of the pastry, just as amazed by its wonderful taste like her. While she finished off her own, Briege picked up her deck of tarot cards again, unbottoning the crocheted case they were in. She pulled the deck out and began to shuffle the cards with nimble and practiced fingers, the cards sliding back and forth in an easy pattern against her palms. Briege shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure really. I haven't bothered to See or ask any of my tools. I enjoy his company for the most part. Don't tell him that, though, he'll hold it over my head for weeks." Briege rolled her eyes and shook her head. When she was finished shuffling the cards, she placed a simple spread: just three cards, all in a row. The back of the cards were facing up, hiding what was beneath. They were faded from use, but the artwork was beautiful and soft. Briege flipped the first card over.

"This is just a simple spread for past, present and future. So the card I just flipped over represents something in your past that will effect your present and your future. These should all tie in together and be related somehow." The card she turned over was The Star. Briege tilted her head in an easy manner and tapped the card with a finger. "So, the Star typically reads as hope and calmness. So it looks like in your recent past, you've had a good omen. So maybe there was a hint of a promotion at work, or just something edging you towards something even better." 

 Briege's fingers brushed the second card and she flipped it over. It was the three of cups: three women each dancing around with a cup clasped in their hand. "The three of cups. You've accomplished something and should be celebrating. The suit of cups means to listen to your intuition. So whatever happens, listen to your gut because it won't be wrong." Briege flipped the last card. It was the Seven of Swords: a man carrying several beneath his arms with two left behind. Briege tapped it, frowning slightly.

"Betrayal. If you've been sneaking anything around, Rory, I would be careful of who you put your trust into. If you're not, I'd just be prepared to not be surprised when someone bites you in the behind," she said. "This card, in all my readings, has never been wrong, sadly. At least you are warned, though." She gave Rory a soft smile.

@rory

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Rory smiled when Briege explained that she didn't exactly know what would happen with Charles. He nodded, "Don't worry, I won't say a thing," he promised with a grin. Then she started doing things with her cards and Rory watched with interest. He didn't know at all how this was supposed to work or what would happen, but he was willing to listen and see what happened. 

She flipped over the first card, mentioning that it meant a good omen, something happening in his life. Rory's mind instantly flipped to Emmy and how she came back into his life, but he wasn't sure if that was the kind of omen she was talking about. He nodded to signal that she should continue, which she did.

He looked at the picture of women dancing around a cup curiously. He should be celebrating? Huh. Maybe the good omen hadn't happened yet and when it did he would celebrate? "Listen to my gut. Got it," he muttered, still not exactly sure how this was supposed to work, but he trusted Briege and he knew that she knew what she was doing.

The second she turned over the last card, he knew that it wasn't a good one. Not only was Briege frowning, but the picture just seemed kind of ... suspicious. Betrayal. That wasn't good. He swallowed a little nervously and nodded when she told him to be careful with the people he trusted. "Have the other ones been wrong?" he asked curiously, deciding not to dwell on the betrayal aspect. He'd have to think about that later, but right now he had no idea what it could mean. "So is there more or is that all?" Obviously, he didn't know how this worked, so he might as well just ask.

@gemma

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A playful smirk flitted to Briege's lips, quirking the corners upwards.

"My cards are rarely ever wrong. They can be misleading, but not wrong," she explained. "The Past card is referring to something that has already happened to you. They can be quite vague at times, but you hit that moment where...everything just clicks." Briege sat back in her chair and picked the cards up, shuffling them back in the deck. She then placed the deck back into his crocheted bag. "I love my cards. But if I ever seriously want to See into the future...I just do it. Sometimes if I feel like I've hit a block, my crystal ball will help. But it doesn't take me much to catch enough of a glimpse to know what will happen." Brige glimpsed to Rory, fixing him with a look that clearly stated she would do just that if he wanted her to. 

"And yes, that is all," she added with a small, tinkling laugh. Her fingers brushed the edge of the glass that held her Butterbeer and she lifted it to her lips, taking a sip.

@rory

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Rory listened intently as Briege explained more about the cards. Huh. Apparently they weren't wrong, so he wondered about her comment on the last one. Maybe since it was more obvious it was just recognized more as being right, whereas the other two could be referring to vague moments that not everyone recognized. Either way, he trusted her assessment. He nodded, "Well it definitely sounds interesting. I'm ... curious to reach that moment where things click and I realize what it was all about." Which meant he would have to pay attention. If he was constantly distracted he would never notice it. 

He looked at his friend curiously. "So you can See on demand?" He asked. From what he heard, he thought visions normally happened when one was sleeping or at random moments. He didn't know they could be controlled to that degree. This was fascinating. He nodded at her implication. "I will definitely let you know if I feel like I need that," he responded. It wasn't that he didn't trust her ... he just wanted to see if he could figure out the connections to the cards on his own. 

"So how do you like trying to teach this to young witches and wizards?" Rory asked. He knew teaching in general was hard from when he mentored people starting at the hospital, but he was curious about how she liked it. Obviously she liked it enough to stay, but that wasn't what he was asking.

@gemma