Morning Shift

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Ursula walked into Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron. She could just apparate from her apartment, but sometimes walking through London was fun. She wasn’t the biggest fan of Muggles, but they sure had some interesting ideas. Such as those weird communication devices that they always had in their hands or attached to their faces. Most of them looked like idiots tapping their thumbs on the front of their little boxes and not even looking up to see if they were going to run into anything. One of these days, she would see a muggle run right into a light post. Maybe she would make one.

She walked through Diagon alley, smiling as she thought. She walked up to her little shop. Flourish and Blotts was sitting quietly in the nearly deserted area. Early mornings were nice, because they were quiet. She unlocked the shop door and walked in, waving her wand as the lights sprang to life and the book shop was lit up. Ursula walked to the back and placed her purse and

jacket on a chair. She looked over the stoor, the night shift did well. The shop looked as it should. She looked over the sales from yesterday, it definitely was their slow time. With all the little children off at school, there wasn’t a need for school books, and not many adults wanted to come in and buy a new book everyday. Speaking of new books, Ursula walked into the back, looking at the boxes of new books that had come in and needed to be shelved as their counterparts in the store were picked up. She picked up one of those books, this one about potions, and brought it with her to the front store area, and sat down and began to read, waiting for someone to come in. She didn’t usually work a normal shift, but her morning worker had sent her an owl a few nights ago, explaining that she wouldn’t be able to make it in, so Ursula agreed to take her shift.

Ursula was about half way through the book when she heard the ding of the front door opening.

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It was early. So so early but she knew she'd had to get up and come this early or else she would have had no time to visit Florish & Blotts. Addie had gotten up and dressed much earlier than she usually did, just before work, so she could visit the little bookshop in Diagon Alley to pick up some new reading material. She'd gotten dressed, gone through her intense makeup routine to hide her freckles and any identifying facial features, put on her red lipstick and gone out the door so that she could have enough time to peruse the shelves instead of just finding what she was there for and then heading off to the Ministry. She'd been to the shop often enough that she knew when they opened so she'd be able to get in and out to get to her shift on time. That job. If she had her way she would have quit long ago but she had to keep appearances. They wanted her to stay busy and not give her time to think as well, which, she could agree, was a good idea. She'd taken her nerve-calming potion just before she left the house so thinking about the fact that it had been a few months since Abby's death didn't affect her like it should have. Didn't affect her like it would have if she had been given too much time to think. The job a means.

Walking down the streets of Diagon Alley, she headed toward the corner where the shop was situated and quickly opened the door. Spring was in full effect so it was warm and comfortable outside. That didn't stop her from pulling her blonde hair out of it's ponytail and running her hand through it before putting it back up. The frizz still managed to form even though it wasn't even that humid outside. Looking around, the store was orderly, the books were stacked high upon the shelves, and just over the front counter, she could see the top of someone's head. "Good morning," she mumbled before going over to a shelf to see what books were in stock.

Tag; @ursula

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The best part of owning a bookstore, was the you could read whatever you wanted, and if it was slow, which this morning seemed to be, you could read. The book that she was reading, was quite interesting and pulled her in. She was so wrapped up in the story, that she almost didn’t hear the front door bell ring out.

Ursula would have looked up immediately when she heard the ding, but she had to finish this one sentence before she could tear her eyes off the page. Once she did, she saw a blond woman pulling her hair up and then walking over to a bookshelf. ”Morning, is there anything I can help you find?” She grabbed a book mark from the counter and placed it in her book, marking exactly where she was as she stood up. She did recognize this girl's face, she had come in before.


@addie

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Addie noticed that it took a minute for the person at the front to respond but it was all the same to her really. She didn't really care about the service, even though she'd definitely had better service other times she'd come into the store. It was all marred by the fact that she was going to have to go into her job right after all of this; she wouldn't even be able to enjoy any new books she bought today. She browsed the shelves a little bit, trying to see if anything caught her eye and found them lacking, before she decided to provide an answer to the women's question. "Is there anything noteworthy that just arrived? Or any good romance novels around?" she asked curiously. They worked here so she assumed that they would know if there was anything good around. Or at the very least, the fact that they worked at a book store would mean that they loved books so maybe she could get a recommendation. Romance novels weren't everyone's cup of tea so she didn't really expect any good responses to that portion of her question. She looked over the books that were on the shelf in front of her once again, reaching her hand up and placing it on a couple of the books' spines like that would suddenly make them better choices as she waited on the woman at the counter to respond. It was a good thing that she came in early, she might actually need to use all of that time to find something.

Tag; @ursula

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Ursula noticed that it took the girl a little bit to answer her. It wasn’t uncommon for customers to take time answering her, sometimes they didn’t answer back at all. She figured that the girl was simply browsing the selection, or she knew exactly what she was going for and was in a rush. Then she answered her, asking about new arrivals. ”We just had a Romance Novel come in, it’s called Lord of Potions. I haven’t had a chance to read it or heard much about it, but it was written by Beatrice Everheart, and what I have read from her were phenomenal. If your interested, I can pull it from the back.” Technically, the release for that book was for tomorrow, which is why she hadn’t started to put it out, but if someone wanted it, Ursula would bend the rules a little bit. Her hair turned pink as she thought of the romance novels she has read recently. She then waited for the girl to respond, ready to go back to retrieve the book for the girl, if she wanted to take a look at it.

@addie

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When the woman at the counter answered, Addie was incredibly pleased. No, definitely more than pleased. It was book she had been waiting on for much too long. She had begun reading Beatrice Everheart's Lords and Ladies of Briarwood series when she'd still been going to Hogwarts. Her sixth year to be exact. She was enamored with the series; there were eleven, now twelve, books total in the series and she'd made her way through them with a speed unlike any other. The announcement of the newest book had come right after the eleventh had been published October of last year and she'd told Abby about it, asking if her twin could come to the release day event for the book that they were supposed to be holding in Horizon Alley. They couldn't do that now. She took a deep breath, grateful for the existence for the nerve calming potions that she loved so much. She didn't need a breakdown before work. "Please do if you don't mind." Addie responded calmly. She watched curiously as the girl's hair turned pink and had the startling realization that the clerk was a metamorphmagus. Had she seen the woman before? She was certain she'd had, as long as she'd been coming to Florish & Blotts she was certain she'd seen everyone who'd worked there at least once. "Do you have any others or any recommendations?"

Tag; @ursula

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Ursula nodded when the girl stated that she would like it. ”One moment, I’ll go grab that.” She moved to the back quickly and pulled out one of the new books. Glancing at the beautiful cover and moving back to the counter. She had read most of the Lords and Ladies of Briarwood series. She really should finish reading it. Twelve books of romance. She did work in a book stores. She could read whatever she wanted. Ursula placed the book on the counter for the girl to purchase. ”It’s not as well known, but there is a book called Spell Casting by Jordan Wulfsbrook. It’s one of my favorites.” She stated when asked for other recommendations. She had read the book when she was a third year in school. She must have read it every school year that she was at Hogwarts. By her seventh year, the librarian gave her such a strange look, and all she could do was smile back.

@addie

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One of the drawbacks of taking nerve-calming potions, Addie had found, was that excitement was a hard emotion to muster when she took them. So when she watched the clerk go to the back and come back up with the book in hand, what normally would have been an exhilarating moment for her, watching her new book appear, wasn't the same. She barely felt a spark. Just a calm recognition that it was the book she'd been waiting for. Once the woman placed it on the counter, she picked it up and flipped it to the back cover to read the small summary the author had drawn up. It seemed like it was going to be a good book too. She often read her romance books without taking her nerve-calming potions in order to get the full feel of the book but it was always a gamble. Just one wrong move, Royal entering at the wrong time and having to hear him enter into their mother's room, any small thing could start the fire. She took a deep breath and listened as the clerk gave her another recommendation. She'd never heard of it, the book or the author. "Is it on the shelves? I'd like to have a look at it." Hopefully it would be worth it.

Tag; @ursula

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The girl barely reacted when Ursula brought out the new book. If Ursula had been in her shoes, she would have probably shrieked and jumped around. But different people act differently in the same situation. Who was Ursula to judge. Ursula nodded when the girl asked to see the recommendation that she had given the girl. ”Sure it is. I’ll show it to you.” Ursula moved around the counter and led the girl back to the romance section. After some quick skimming she pulled the book out and handed it to the girl. ”It’s very similar to Everhearts’s writing style. And it doesn't have some good twists and turns, if you're into that.” She smiled at the girl and allowed her to get her own opinions on the book.

@addie

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Addie followed the clerk through the bookstore to the Romance area and she didn't know why she felt a little bit of surprise when they got there. She didn't expect the title to be of the romance genre. And then she recalled what she'd said earlier. The woman had said she'd read other Everheart novels and found them to be phenomenal reads and, considering Everheart was known for her romance novels, she could only be talking about one of her other romance novels. When the woman handed her the book, she turned it over to read the summary that was on the back and she approved of it immediately. Another book to add to her massive collection. "Have you read the Briarwood series," she asked curiously. A good summary was easy to fake. Since the woman had already read the book she was holding, it seemed like a good idea to get her opinion on both to decide if she would actually like the book. Not that she wouldn't read it completely; if she bought a book, she always made sure to read it through even if she didn't like. It may sit for a few months in place of her rereading books she actually liked but she would get around to it for certain.

Tag; @ursula

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Ursula politely waited as the girl read the back cover of the book. She did glance around, noticing a few goods that needed to be rearranged. Some books were put in the wrong spots, while she noticed one saga that was on some higher shelves appeared to be quite popular, she would need to move those down. And she smiled as she saw the girl seemed to approve of the book that she was handed. When the woman asked another series, Ursula thought. ”Yea, I have, it's been quite a while though.” There was a lot that she has read. The store was often slow in the mornings, and especially slow during the school year. There was quite a lot of dead time sitting here, and when Ursula had finished her stocking and rearanging jobs, there was little to do. So she would sometimes procrastinate to make more work later. But in the times that it was slow, or dead, she would read. Needless to say, she has read most books that interest her.

@addie

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When the woman finally spoke, Addie waited a moment to see if she would add more to her answer. It may have been a while since she's read the series but she still had to have an opinion on it and Addie was waiting to see what it was. She loved the Briarwood series. If she was expected to pick up this new series, she needed to know how it would compare. "The entire series? Minus the new one, I mean. What'd you think of it when you read it?" she asked after she figured the woman wouldn't automatically answer it. "I just want to get a good idea if I will like it or not. I really like the Briarwood series so if you like that one then I may like this one." Eventually anyway. She had mentioned that both authors' writing styles were similar but just because they had similar writing styles didn't mean she would like them both. This quick stop was turning into something a bit longer than she'd expected and she didn't want to chance being late to work so her boss would have yet another reason to belittle her. She needed to know though if she was going to buy the book.

Tag; @ursula

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Ursula smiled ”Yea, but it has been a while since I’d read them.” she admitted. She should pick them up again and re-read that series. ”I love the writing style, this author does have quite some interesting plot twists.” She remembered reading them close in proximity, and that was what she remembered. ”I actually read this book and the some of the Briarwood series back to back. I loved them both the same” She wouldn’t blame the girl if she didn’t want to get the book. She would understand. But Ursula definitely had decided to start re reading both books.

@addie

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Addie listened intently as the woman explained her point of view on the matter, nodding accordingly at points to show her comprehension. The woman said that it had been a while since she'd read the series but she liked the plot twists of the Wulfsbrook book. Addie didn't mind plot twists really she just would rather enjoy the book as a whole, writing style, plot, plot twists, and character development. Character development was important and that was where many romance novelists dropped things. She knew she would be taking a risk buying the novel but everything she had heard so far hadn't really pushed her away from the book. And she knew time was running out until she needed to make her way to work. She gave a firm nod when the woman finished speaking. "That settles it then. I'll buy both books. Thank you for your recommendation." she said calmly before walking back up to the counter and waiting for her to arrive to check her out. "You never really know sometimes when it comes to romance novels so I prefer to get recommendations."

Tag; @ursula
((Yay~ You can do one more and i'll do one more and we can wrap it up~))

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Ursula smiled as the woman nodded. She was glad that she was able to help this woman get another book, and hopefully, she would get into the series as well. She walked back to the counter to ring up the girl. ”I hope you like it.” She loved the books, but Ursula knew that people had different preferences, and while she may love something, others may completely hate it. After telling the woman the price of the books she smiled ”And if for whatever reason, you don't like the book, I’ll let you exchange it.” She would hate to lose a customer over a simple book recommendation.

@addie
((ooc: go ahead and finish it off))