Breakfast at Tiffany's -- Alice

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It was the week after the Triwizard Tournament, and Ella was finally feeling like her life was getting back to normal. She’d gone shopping for new robes, as well as a few Muggle pieces because, why not? She’d spent several (okay most) nights with Cyrus, and today she was trying an adorable new cafe near her apartment. She was an early riser like her father; she could remember countless times they had gotten up before her mother or brother when she was younger and just going for a drive in his old Cadillac, venturing out of London into the countryside for a few hours. She had asked if he wanted to join her at the cafe, but he had had to cancel last minute; Ella’s mother had scheduled him a doctors’ appointment that he couldn’t miss apparently. Eleanor had to bite down the feeling of concern when her dad had told her that. She knew he was getting on in age, but he always seemed fit and healthy! Sure he had slowed down a bit over the last year, but he had been broadcasting football games for several decades, it was only natural once the kids were out of the house to just want to spend more time at home, wasn’t it? Eleanor knew everyone dies eventually, but she just couldn’t bring herself to think about that for her dad.

So, Eleanor ventured out to this new cafe alone, reveling in the warm April breeze and a good new mystery novel in her bag. She took a seat at the last vacant outdoor table and ordered herself a cappuccino and an almond croissant to start. She pulled out her book and sighed contentedly, not noticing anyone else around until someone stood right in front of her. “Can I help you?” she asked, lowering her book and pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head to look them in the eye.

OPEN

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Since her breakup with Carcer, Alice had been trying to get out and about more and more. She had always kind of detested being in large groups of people, and had really stuck to just either staying in her room or helping her mother out with small, odd jobs around the Cauldron that involved little to no human interaction. But Alice found that since... she and Carcer got intimate, she couldn't bring herself to stay at home in her room longer than necessary so the blonde had made it a point to go out and try a new coffee shop every day and she even ventured out to Muggle London to do so.

Today's search brought her to a rather new-looking cafe she had yet to visit. Absentmindedly, the former Hufflepuff walked up to the counter and ordered an iced coffee and then just as absentmindedly walked out to the outdoor seating. Alice looked around for a few short moments for a seat but when she saw none, she started to think if she should take her coffee to go. As she thought to herself, she did not even realize she had been standing directly in front of someone until they spoke. Alice turned around to face a brunette woman, one who didn't look too much older than herself, sitting and reading a book. The woman was rather stunning, Alice thought, as she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. Everything about this stranger screamed "elegance." "Um, I-I'm sorry," Alice shook her head slightly out of embarrassment. "I didn't realize I was standing in front of you. I was looking for a spot, but this place looks rather busy today..." she trailed off as she did another look around the patio, still seeing no other open seats.

@eleanor

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Eleanor surveyed the young woman in front of her with a sharp focus. She seemed distracted, distant and….sad. Ah, Eleanor recognized that look, for she had worn it plenty of times when she had broken up with Cyrus right after Hogwarts. Clearly, this girl had just had her heart broken, Ella would bet a Galleon on it. Her face relaxed into a sympathetic smile. “No no, please do not be sorry,” she said, waving her hand in dismissal of the apology. “Let us start again - would you care to take a seat? The patio seems rather full on this lovely day, and I’d hate for you to have to spend it indoors,” she said, gesturing to the seat next to her.

Ella placed her bookmark in her book and set it down; she had a strict policy of never folding down the corners of her books, as she felt it destroyed the pages. She tucked it gently into her bag and folded her hands in front of her. “My names Eleanor Percival,” she introduced, sticking out her right hand to shake the girls. Upon closer inspecting, the woman did look familiar. A few years younger, but they had definitely crossed paths at Hogwarts; that she was sure of. “What brings you to this cafe?” she asked curiously.

@alice

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Alice had been certain that this girl was going to either ignore her, or tell her to have a nice day. But when she did neither, Alice was suprised. She imagined she wouldn't have done the same thing and that fact made her feel momentarily guilty. She was trying so hard to get better at talking and interacting with people. It had always just been much easier with Carcer around. But Alice had to remember that she was the one who ended it, she chose to be this way. She needed to move on.

When the brunette offered Alice a seat, it took a brief moment for her words to process through the Hufflepuff's head. When they did, the blonde smiled before nodding. "Thank you," she said rather shyly before taking the seat that the woman gestured to. Alice set her coffee down and then sort of awkwardly watched as the woman placed a bookmark into her book. Alice hoped silently she wasn't interrupting her. The woman then introduced herself as Eleanor Percival and Alice swore she recognized the name. She had to have gone to Hogwarts. "I'm Alice. Longbottom," she said with an awkward pause between her first and last name. She looked down at her coffee with a slight uncomfortable chuckle when Eleanor asked what brought her to the cafe. "I, uh... it sounds silly, but I like to try coffee from different places. Sort of made a morning routine out of it," she shrugged somewhat lamely.

@eleanor

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Eleanor merely smiled as Alice thanked her and took the seat across from her. “No worries,” she said with a tiny shrug. She crossed her legs, and a lightbulb went off over her head as the girl introduced herself as Alice Longbottom. Ah, she knew that she had looked familiar! Neville Longbottom had of course been Eleanor’s Herbology professor while at Hogwarts, and she knew he’d become the Headmaster a short while after she left. Minerva McGonagall was back in that position now though; rumor was that Neville was currently at Saint Mungos’ with a nasty case of dragonpox. Eleanor didn’t think it would be quite appropriate to bring this up to his eldest child though. “It’s nice to meet you Alice, but I do believe we attended the same school. Your father was a professor, was he not?” she commented casually, giving the blonde a knowing smile.

Ella raised an eyebrow as Alice admitted she went around to try coffee from different places every morning, as if the idea sounded silly. To her it didn’t; as a Muggleborn, Eleanor completely understood the allure of trying different restaurants, cafes and the like to see where served the best of everything. “What do you think I’m doing here?” she asked, not unkindly. She took another sip of her coffee and sighed a little. “This place just opened up, and already people are raving about it. Seemed silly not to come try it out,” she added with a shrug. Obviously the place was popular if two acquaintances, if you could really call them that, had to share a single table due to lack of space. “What do you do for a living now that you’re out of school Alice?” Ella asked before taking another sip of her coffee.

@alice

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Alice couldn't help but give the brunette a look over as she shrugged at her and crossed her legs. She was very pretty, and looked very classic in Alice's opinion. Like she could be plucked up and placed into the decade of the fifties and she probably wouldn't look too out of place. Eleanor then said she, too, had attended Hogwarts and she even asked about Alice's dad. Her dad. He was still ill in St. Mungo's, so thinking of him still really tugged at her heartstrings but Eleanor was kind so Alice did her best to return a smile. "He was, and until recently he was Headmaster," she said, trying not to sound too solemn. The blonde then took a moment to ask her own question, so as to not further talk about her father. "What house were you in?"

The smile on Alice's face at Eleanor's kind response was not forced now as Alice took a brief second to look around them again. "Well, it is pretty good coffee. I like the outdoor seating, too," she said, still sounding a bit awkward as she wasn't quite confident in her small-talk abilities quite yet. Alice sipped her iced coffee as Eleanor asked what she was doing now that she was out of school. This was something Alice could rave about for hours, and another small smile spread across her lips. "I'm studying to become a magizoologist. Interning here and there right now, while helping my mother run her inn." She spoke now much more animatedly.

@eleanor

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Eleanor nodded with a sad smile. News had gotten out about how Headmaster Longbottom was holed up in Saint Mungos with an undetermined illness. She could empathize a bit with the woman since her own father was currently going for tests at their local hospital. She didn’t care that he told her not to worry - of course she was going to worry! She was a Daddy’s girl through and through; if anything happened to him...well, Ella didn’t know what she’d do. “I was in Ravenclaw,” she said, happy to change the subject from their fathers. Eleanor knew that if something was wrong she’d have to face it, but that moment was not right now at least. “What about you? Did you follow one of your parents, or trek your own path?” she asked curiously. From History of Magic, she remembered Neville Longbottom had been in Gryffindor, and Alice’s mother a Hufflepuff. From the interactions so far, Ella would guess the girl was a badger, but she had no idea if she was correct.

“Magizoologist, that’s interesting,” Ella mused. Care of Magical Creatures hadn’t exactly been her forte at Hogwarts, but she could see the appeal of it at least. “It’s important to choose a career path you’re passionate about,” she added, noting that she had taken this advice from her head of house during career advice. “I work with the Department of Magical Games & Sports - I’m a Quidditch nut, but strictly spectator. Brooms and I don’t get along,” she said with a soft giggle. “What are you hoping to find as a magizoologist?” she asked interestedly before taking another sip of her drink.

@alice

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If Alice had had any doubts as to why she had never met this girl before, they left her mind the moment the brunette said she had been in Ravenclaw. Up until her last few months in school, Alice avoided any and all Ravenclaws like the plague. It boiled down to an insane jealousy about not being sorted into the house, but Alice had loved Hufflepuff more than anything so she supposed she couldn't necessarily complain anymore. "I was in Hufflepuff. Like my mother," she explained with a small smile.

The former Hufflepuff gave a small nod at Eleanor's words. "Animals are definitely where my passion lies," she said with another sip of her drink. Alice was only slightly surprised to find that the former Ravenclaw before her ended up in the Ministry. And as she explained she loved Quidditch, Alice decided a career in her chosen department made a lot of sense. "Spectator here, too," she said with a kind smile. "Brooms don't like me either." Alice let out a little chuckle that surprised even herself. "Um, I'm not sure yet what I want to find... I really want to travel right now and just... see things for myself first. If that makes sense," she shrugged, a little embarrassed.

@eleanor

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Eleanor nodded; the girl had come off as a Hufflepuff to her if she was being honest. It wasn’t a bad thing, not in the least! Hufflepuffs were kind and empathetic, and Alice seemed to exude that sort of care-giving personality. “Animals, interesting,” she added with a small smile. She recognized the look the girl was wearing as she had seen it in her own reflection many times before. Alice felt the same way about animals that Eleanor felt about Quidditch. “I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who enjoyed spectating over playing; sometimes it felt like the only thing anyone wanted to do was gain a spot on their house team,” she told her, giggling a little bit. Truth be told if Ella had been any good on a broomstick she probably would have tried out for the team. But she wasn’t so instead she had gotten to oogle her boyfriend from the stands.

Eleanor wore an understanding smile on her face as Alice said she just wanted to travel and see things for herself. She certainly could understand that. “I love to travel myself; my boyfriend and I got back from Paris a few months ago,” she said, sighing dreamily. “It was amazing, have you ever been?” she asked the other girl curiously. “Where else is on your bucket list?” she added, piggy-backing onto her first question.

@alice

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Alice actually let out a light laugh at Eleanor's words. "I know what you mean," she agreed. Alice had never wanted to get up on a broom, and she figured her brothers did enough of that for all three of them. "All of my closest friends were in Quidditch, so I didn't have much of a choice in spectating." She said, half joking. It wasn't like she hadn't enjoyed it. She could recall many fond memories spectating Quidditch, especially once she and Carcer had become close and started attending the games together in their last year. But she quickly brushed those thoughts out of her mind.

The former Hufflepuff's eyebrows rose in interest when the brunette spoke of Paris. "I've never been," she shooked her head no. "What's it like?" The magizoologist intern was genuinely curious. She had always wanted to visit the city, even if there weren't many magical creatures that could be found there but the city itself had a certain allure. Who wouldn't want to visit? "I'd love to visit Romania, for the dragons," Alice admitted. "Or Brazil."

@eleanor

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Eleanor laughed. “I loved watching Cyrus play, still do as a matter of fact,” she said with a winning smile. “He’s lucky that powder blue and silver look good on me,” she added jokingly. Of course Ella thought she looked good wearing most colors, but she never would admit it out loud. Unless to Callisto, whom she shared a rather love/hate relationship with. Eleanor hadn’t received a thank you note for the robes she bought the Healer last week but she didn’t expect to. She’d see Cal at the charity auction soon enough. “Are you going to be in town for the big Quidditch Charity Auction? They’re going to be auctioning off these fun dates with participating players on professional teams,” she asked curious to know if the Hufflepuff alum had heard about it.

“Romania huh? That’s interesting. Brazil is too...muggy for my liking. Most people I know would LOVE to visit the Amazon but it’d do horrible things to my hair,” she explained, patting her curly brown locks lovingly. Perhaps it was vain of her, but she’d rather look fabulous while galavanting around Paris than trekking through a jungle any day! “Paris was amazing. The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower was breathtaking, but if I’m honest I preferred the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe,” she admitted, pausing to take a sip of her drink. “You don’t have a choice but to walk up these very narrow spiraling stairs, so the journey to the top is well deserved. Plus it includes the Eiffel Tower in your sightline,” she explained. She polished off her croissant and took another sip of her drink. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day Alice?” she asked finally.

@alice

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Alice offered up a kind smile when the brunette commented that she looked good in powder blue and silver. Alice had deduced that Eleanor was a woman of fashion. The blonde, of course, definitely wasn't. She had enjoyed the one spontaneous trip she had taken with the girl she had met in Florean's, Ophelia. It had been quite refreshing shopping for something she never thought she would ever see herself wearing. For a moment, Alice blinked when Eleanor asked if she was going to the Quidditch Charity Auction. She hadn't heard of it, but then again she didn't think any of her friends had gone on to be Quidditch players. If anyone had, she would have thought James did. But she knew he hadn't for sure. "I hadn't planned on it... I actually don't think I know anyone who is a Quidditch player," she trailed off a bit before looking back at Eleanor. "Cyrus... does he play?" She asked in an attempt to make more kind conversation.

The blonde chuckled at Eleanor talking about the mugginess of Brazil. Had Lysander not helped cut her hair a few months ago, she probably would feel the same way but her short hair was much more managable. "My brother just spent a few months there studying abroad," she explained further why the country had piqued her interest. Alice listened intently as Eleanor went into detail about Paris. The Hufflepuff alum had never quite considered the history behind the city and therefore it had never really seemed all that interesting to her. But Alice could certainly get behind historical monuments and their architecture. Any creatures she saw along the way were just a definite plus. "That sounds lovely," she breathed. "I suppose I had never really given the city much thought, to be honest," Alice said a bit sheepishly. As Eleanor asked what her plans were for the rest of the day, Alice took a few more sips of her drink and then gave a little shrug. "I actually didn't have much planned. I try to work on my creature portfolio every now and then but there's only so much you can do when you aren't working with creatures one on one."

@eleanor

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Eleanor smiled widely. “Oh he plays alright, he’s Keeper for the Appleby Arrows,” she explained, her eyes brightening as she talked of her love. “The captain of their team left a few months ago for personal reasons, but they haven’t announced a new captain yet. I think Cy has done a great job with the two newer recruits on the team, both from Eastern Europe, so personally I think he should be named Captain,” she explained, then laughed a tinkling little laugh. “But of course I am biased,” she admitted, tossing her chestnut tresses behind her shoulder. “You should come! It’ll be lots of fun, it’s for a fantastic cause - a relief fund for the poor victims of the Durmstrang ship bombings,” she told her, her smile fading a little. She was glad she had spent the night with Cyrus the morning prior to finding out the news - it was not something one should read about alone. “If anything, it makes it more important - medical bills aren’t cheap, and neither are funerals,” she added softly.

As Alice admitted she did not have much to do for the rest of the day, Eleanor’s smile came back to her lips. “Well then,” she said, sounding confident as she stood up. “We are going to go shopping. We need fabulous dresses for this charity auction, and you’ve happened to stumble on quite the fashionista,” she told her. It was quite obvious that Ella did not plan on taking no for an answer. “Chop chop, daylight is being wasted,” she added, clapping her hands together to speed the magizoologist up.

@alice