Caution (Juniper)

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Her notebook snapped shut with a thump. "All set." Merlin she loved that noise. It had such a finality to it that opening it again to look at her notes for whatever she was working on for her excited. This field trip was bound to yield something interesting, and if it didn't and ended up a flop, at least she could get more coffee. The one Monday had delivered had been left on her desk, cooling off again. That wasn't the first, nor the last cup of coffee she'd have to charm warmth into. Getting her coffee black was for that exact reason. Nothing else would interfere or spoil if it sat too long throughout the day. The worst was easily the rings of perspiration that the iced drinks sweat off constantly. Having to clean those up or use a coaster meant that the drink had to stay in one place. She did not like that at all.

"Like I said back in the office, we're going to a coffee shop." Was the Pi Patisserie considered one? That was an excellent question for the workers there. Juniper knew they sold baked goods and that seemed to be their main lure, but she had definitely seen people getting coffee there before. Any bakery worth their salt would have coffee. Whether or not they could make an upside-down magical macchiato with an added shot, soy milk, the vanilla replaced with cinnamon, and no whip, was the real question. "I had a lightbulb moment when you mentioned that ridiculously stupid drink you got for someone," Juniper explained as she started walking towards the bakery. Her strides were long, a quickened pace that was a holdover of her impatience. At least it only showed itself like this nowadays. Having it rear it's ugly head at work was absolutely not cool on her part. "One of the educational shows I'm trying to pitch has guests showing how simple magic can be used to do complicated tasks. So even the average witch or wizard can do whatever the thing is with a little practice."

She slowed down as she got closer to the turn into Horizont Alley. The bakery was situated on the corner between it and Diagon - a prime location for sure. "So your magical macchiato with no whip - which should be a crime by the way - is something that sounds like it would fit into my show idea." Juniper was proud of this one, and having this practically falling into her lap was perfect. Kids loved watching complicated magic happen, even if it really wasn't that difficult. Then again, she made a lot of insanely hard magic look easy. Just changing into her animagus form was effortless nowadays. Her hard work had paid off. Now she felt like it was her turn to present similar yet simpler concepts of magic through her shows.

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[monday meadow weekly]

April 12, 2027

Monday avoided jumping out of her skin as Juniper shut the notebook that she had brought with her from the office. She confirmed that they were set, and Monday nodded. All she needed was some idea of what Juniper wanted or needed her to be doing. She didn't want to say that she wasn't sure if Juniper knew what she was doing, but she thought it.

With Juniper reiterating that they were going to a coffee shop, Monday nodded. The cat café, maybe? Madam Puddifoot's was in Hogsmeade, not Diagon Alley. "I had a lightbulb moment when you mentioned that ridiculously stupid drink you got for someone," she added.

That was… different, but Monday tagged along as Juniper started walking. Struggling to keep up, she felt a bit like a Crup running after its owner, but that was sort of the experience of being an intern anyway.

"One of the educational shows I'm trying to pitch has guests showing how simple magic can be used to do complicated tasks. So even the average witch or wizard can do whatever the thing is with a little practice."

So… coffee? Monday was listening, but she wasn't sure that she was totally following Juniper's train of thought. They stopped right before they got into Horizont Alley, and Monday realized that Juniper was taking her to the Pi Pâtisserie.

"So your magical macchiato with no whip—which should be a crime by the way—is something that sounds like it would fit into my show idea."

Reminding Juniper that it wasn't actually her drink would probably come off as a little too rude to say to someone who was trying to give her work experience, so Monday refrained. Technically, too, she was supposed to be vegan, but she didn't really adhere to that when her parents weren't around. Monday glanced at the pastry shop's door and then back at Juniper. "…So, like, what do you want me to do?"

juniper minerva mcgonagall

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Juniper hadn't really thought about what Monday's use was for this spur of the moment field trip, though she knew she could find something for the girl at some point. The main reason was that she didn't actually remember what the full order for the drink was. Monday seemed to have it down perfectly, considering how she rattled it off earlier. And having someone else along for the trip would hopefully make her forget the Howler incident altogether. It was bound to bug her for the next couple of days, so forgetting about it in the immediacy was the least she could do. That and she wanted another coffee.

Stopping in front of the entrance to The Pi Patisserie, Juniper arched her neck to see who was working today. The older lady was always nicer to her, but she also felt like making such a complicated drink order would be a horrid thing to do. Utilizing the tips of her feet to gain a little more height as she strained to look inside, thankfully she caught a glimpse of the younger baker that worked there. What was her name again? Nora? Nolan? Whatever it was, she was probably more willing to make an advanced Spellbucks drink and show what the charms were. Juniper planned to pay well too, it was technically a company expense at this point. "Well, you remember what the full order for that drink is, right? Basically we're going to explain what we're trying to do and hopefully the barista will walk us through it."

She had sort of forgotten that the privately owned bakery wasn't actually a Spellbucks. They simply had Spellbucks coffee, because that was what their customers wanted. Like if a muggle wanted their version, they could probably get it at a normal coffee shop if they really wanted to. That wasn't going to stop her from barging into the bakery and asking for it though. As long as Monday understood the assignment, then they could go forward as she planned.

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[monday meadow weekly]

April 12, 2027

"Well, you remember what the full order for that drink is, right?" Juniper checked with her after looking in at the shop.

"Yeah." Monday remembered what the drink was. It was an upside-down magical macchiato with an added shot, albeit with soy milk, with the vanilla replaced with cinnamon, and with no whipped cream. It was a lot to keep track of—unless one had been forced to drill it into one's head. By that point, it was easy.

Juniper elaborated that what she needed her for was so that she could repeat the same drink order and the barista could walk them through the steps.

Monday wasn't going to complain aloud, but that was it? If she had known that that was what Juniper wanted from her, so could have written the order down on a piece of paper for her to take to the pâtisserie with her. It did give her something else to do, she guessed, even if that was sort of the same thing that she had been doing. It also got her out of the office, so that was sort of nice. It felt a little bit like skipping class, though, which was definitely weird.

"Okay, cool." What she was being asked to do would be easier than coffee delivery, honestly. She wouldn't need to triple-check everything and make sure that the beverages were all still suitable by the time they made it back to the people who had wanted them.

juniper minerva mcgonagall

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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While the drink concoction absolutely sounded like a brutal item for a barista to brew up, Juniper had no doubt that the girl that worked here could do it. She never could remember her name, but the pastries the bakery put out were absolutely brilliant. Thinking about them made her instantly want to change her current idea into a baking show for kids instead. Her hands immediately flexed as they instinctively went for her pen and notepad, which were shoved in her back pocket next to her wand. Flipping to a fresh page, she scribbled the idea down in her almost illegible chicken scratch. Only she could read it that way, making her thoughts immune to being stolen by the other writers at the office. Such a thing had never happened at work, as far as she was aware, but if any of her ideas were going to be stolen and then called crazy by a producer, she wanted it to be done by herself. “Okay!” she said excitedly as she put her notes back and patted at her pockets. “Let’s see how this goes.”

Entering the Pi Patisserie, Juniper’s nose was immediately blasted by the smell of freshly baked bread and sweets. Such a thing should have been illegal, because she could die here happily, leaving behind a crime scene outline made from flour. “Hi! We’re with Witch TV and are currently working on writing a show about simple spells for everyday use,” Juniper began her spiel, looking between the employee and Monday before continuing, “and we were wondering if you would be interested in walking us through the process for one of the Spellbucks drinks that you make here? What was it called again Monday?” she looked back to her intern for the name of the drink because it had already escaped her. Hopefully this was going to work, because the girl working the shop already didn’t look impressed. She sort of had a scowl, though it was hard to tell if that was a permanent thing or because she was already angry about having to whip up a complicated drink order.

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[monday meadow weekly]

April 12, 2027

From Monday's point of view, Juniper seemed to be unnaturally excited by the coffee order that someone else in the office had wanted earlier that day, but Monday supposed that it wouldn't hurt anything to get in her good graces. Not being seen as just an intern had its perks, and there were worse things that she could have been made to do than that. Getting coffee multiple times in one day was better than having to clean the office toilets or something similarly gross, so it was all about perspective.

Into the Pi Pâtisserie she went. Trying to act as though she totally knew what was going on was harder than Monday anticipated it would be, and she immediately wished that she had some acting training under her belt. Just a little bit of improvisational know-how would have gone a long way as Juniper explained their presence to the young woman who was working behind the counter. Of course, Juniper brought up the Spellbucks drink, which was sort of the important part, and then she asked her to relay to the woman working there what the drink was that they wanted her to make.

"Oh, yeah," Monday chimed in right on cue, hoping that she didn't come across as being as awkward as she felt about the whole interaction. "Just an upside-down magical macchiato with an added shot. Soy milk. Replace the vanilla with cinnamon, and no whip." Nothing too out there.

juniper minerva mcgonagall

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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"Right! That one," Juniper agreed excitedly to Monday's order of the upside-down magical macchiato with an added shot, soy milk, and the replaced vanilla with cinnamon. Oh, and no whipped cream. Which was sort of disappointing because she liked whipped cream. The employee sort of stared at Monday throughout the order, not writing any of it down but seemingly understanding what she was supposed to do. Juniper watched eagerly as a cup was collected, and then with a silent flick of her wand, the employee had everything running on auto-magic. "Wait-" she tried to butt in but had another glare shot at her. This wasn't what she wanted. They were supposed to get a whole walk through of everything, magic included. She couldn't even write down in her notes what was happening, because she honestly had no idea what any step of the process was when it came to making drinks this complicated. Merlin, she didn't even know if what Monday ordered would actually be what they got. Maybe the younger girl would know if it was or not...

"Do you think we came in a little strong?" she turned to whisper to her intern. "I get that I can come across as overbearing when I get excited, but asking for a step-by-step of a drink when the place is dead shouldn't get us this..." The employee had disappeared into the back of the bakery while she talked, but Juniper felt more comfortable keeping the volume low. What on earth had she done to this woman to get this sort of reaction? Was it the order, or the way she barged in and made demands? Maybe both? The way Monday had ordered though, it sounded simple enough, especially if it didn't need to be written down. Oh well. "You don't happen to know her name, do you? I feel like I should apologize now..."

monday meadow weekly ● 314 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[monday meadow weekly]

April 12, 2027

Their request for the upside-down magical macchiato with an added shot, soy milk, vanilla in lieu of cinnamon, and no whipped cream went about as well as anyone who wasn't Monday or Juniper probably would have assumed. The issue ended up not being with the drink itself, complicated though it was, but with Juniper's having requested the barista to walk them through the process of making it. Really, the whole thing with the modified upside-down magical macchiato had gone topsy-turvy when the barista—probably without giving it a second thought out of habit rather than out of any ill will towards Witch TV—had gone for the most efficient way of making the beverage.

That didn't really make for good television, but Juniper wasn't able to jump in before the drink was already being made—or making itself, as the case was. The barista also didn't seem to be too pleased to be told how to do things, even if it was for the sake of demonstration for an audience.

Even Juniper sounded concerned. "Do you think we came in a little strong?" she questioned. "I get that I can come across as overbearing when I get excited, but asking for a step-by-step of a drink when the place is dead shouldn't get us this…"

Monday, being the intern, wasn't sure what to do, either, except to pay for the drink and try to come up with some other idea of a step-by-step process that they could televise. She wasn't much help, either, when Juniper asked if she knew the barista's name. Unfortunately, all she could do was shake her head in defeat, whispering back a quick, "No, sorry. I…" They weren't on a first-name basis, and Monday hadn't looked at her name tag to see what her name was before Juniper had brought it up. By that point, with the barista in the back of the store, that was out of the question.

juniper minerva mcgonagall

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

This whole thing was starting to look like a waste of time. In theory, it would have presented itself as a perfect show segment. Except they failed to get the employee on board. It was also unfortunate that there didn’t seem to be a Spellbucks in the area yet – this bakery seemed to serve their coffee and a few of their specialty drinks (thus why they were here in the first place), but it would be impossible to force her hand and get the employee to do what she wanted here. Juniper supposed it had been worth a shot, and now she was simply on the bad side of the worker.

“That’s fine,” she responded to Monday while craning her neck to see if the girl was coming back any time soon. The drink was still making itself, which was really cool to watch. But it defeated their whole purpose of being here. “If I wasn’t about to drink this, I’d probably get a cookie too…” she said as her eyes wandered over to the display case. Every time she came here, there was always a new selection of goodies to choose from. Even the cookies seemed to be different. Was that all the doing of the girl she’d just pissed off, or the owner? Because there was no way this one was running things.

After a few minutes, the drink seemingly stopped making itself and floated gently over to the counter, right in front of the two of them. Juniper tried looking towards the back of the bakery again, only to step back slightly when the worker suddenly appeared. Even though they were separated by the counter, she was still surprised. Like the girl was waiting just on the other side for Juniper to peek. “How much umm…Nova?” she asked the girl, finally seeing the nametag. “Two sickles,” Nova answered, lips pursed through the whole exchange. “Oh, and a uhh…is that a chocolate chip cookie? One of those too.” “Three sickles then.” If there was a way to look any more disgruntled, Nova of the bakery had just reached that as Juniper beamed back at her and put the three coins down on the counter in exchange for her afternoon sugar rush.

Motioning for Monday to follow her outside, Juniper decided not to say anything else because she knew she’d pushed enough buttons already. Being a whirlwind had its negatives for sure. “Well that was lovely,” she said to her colleague while looking back through the front windows of the bakery to watch Nova continue about her business. “I say that’s a bust for now. We can give it a shot some other day. Maybe she isn’t so angry looking.” Maybe she was always like that.

monday meadow weekly ● 457 ● Song by Artist

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[monday meadow weekly]

April 12, 2027

Juniper's attempt at getting the ideal television segment didn't seem to be panning out as she had hoped it would. The young woman working behind the counter didn't seem too thrilled to have Witch TV filming there, or at least not with having her on camera. The good thing, relatively speaking, was that Juniper could tell that it was time for them to cut their losses.

Though they hadn't gotten the segment filmed, Juniper paid for the drink when the barista returned from the back of the shop. She also bought a chocolate chip cookie, which seemed like it should have improved the barista's attitude but didn't.

After that was taken care of, Juniper had her follow her outside. Whatever the barista's issue was, it clearly wasn't going to improve while they were there. Juniper remarked, sarcastically, about how "lovely" their experience had been, and Monday shook her head. She was sorry that their trip to get another cup of coffee had turned out as it had.

Juniper suggested that maybe they could come back another day to try again, ideally when the barista wasn't so angry-looking. Monday agreed, saying, "Yeah." She didn't think that what they had wanted to begin with was too challenging. "There's always next time, right?"

juniper minerva mcgonagall
OOC: I can't remember if we called this done, but you're getting another post to keep Monday active. 😅