spill the tea | rusti + toby

[tobias charles watkins]

June 2027

Toby couldn’t believe he was actually going on another Blishwick date. After over a year being single, and finally figuring out the whole werewolf thing, he decided he’d give the dating world a shot since he was tired of feeling painfully lonely. And he didn’t want to join those dating apps where he was afraid of infinitely swiping himself into oblivion.

That Blishwick fellow was the one to thank for his two year run with Princess Lusie Windsor. On their blind date, he sent them on a true “blind” date where dinner was served in a pitch black room. He wasn’t supposed to know the identity of who he was sitting across from but figured it out nearly instantly, blaming it on them being friends and class mates. Toby hoped he wouldn’t be sent to a bizarre location with an activity to embarrass himself. Hopefully no karaoke, or heaven forbid, roller skating..

When he received the owl to meet at Madam Pudifoots, there was a slight wave of relief in his stomach. That was a familiar location. Thank, Merlin…and Blishwick. Toby had gone to the tea shop plenty of times with his ex, Lusie. Fuck, he didn’t want to think about the princess anymore. The idea of returning to a place that he used to frequent so intimately in the past with a girl made him extremely nervous. Some would say that was bad juju.

The lanky teen made his way down the down the cobblestone walkway leading up to the obnoxious pink door of Madam Pudifoots, armed with a fresh bouquet of flowers. He figured these days he had to actually try again. And he never met a young lady who didn't like flowers... Toby wiped his sweaty palms on his pants before reaching to open the door. The bell chimed above his head as he ducked inside the tea shop and he instantly noticed familiar faces working, so he offered them a polite - and probably slightly awkward - smile. His hazel eyes scanned the room and found a table with a pink, floral card, where his name written in dainty cursive script accompanied with the name 'Rusti'. Now, that was an interesting name.

How could a name possibly make him feel more nervous? Fuck, what if Blishwick was clowning him and paired him with a bloke! Toby sat and twiddled his thumbs as he went through every possible scenario in his head before his dates arrival.

aurelia edith flint

[aurelia edith flint]

▲

Talking to Jimbo Blishwick was one of the worst things she had ever done. Rusti thought she was being neighborly by conversing with the man, as inhabitants of Horizont were prone to do. He had a keen interest in her because of her name alone, offering to show her the Flint family tree if she was ever interested. Apparently one of her ancestors had been set up by one of his ancestors. She hadn’t been able to get a word in about how she wasn’t technically blood related to the Flint family, no thanks to her floozy of a deceased mother, before Blishwick was telling her that he’d help her out if she wanted. Somewhere along the line her stunned silence had turned into an agreement just to get the matchmaker off her back. She had heard of the blind dates he’d set others up with over the years, and while that didn’t normally interest her, there was a point where she’d have to figure out something for herself. That was all a part of getting back to normal and making up for the years ruined by her parents and the month where she was living in someone else’s body.

However, she had completely forgotten about the agreement with Blishwick. When a violently pink envelope floated across the street and into her shop, she nearly choked on her morning coffee. The fact that customers had to see it made it even worse, and there was absolutely no subtlety to it at all. And then it fucking sang to her. Blishwick had made a reverse Howler of some sort. Frozen in place, she let the letter do its thing, giving her the details of where and when the date was supposed to happen: Madame Puddifoot’s in a few days. This had to have been revenge for something. Like for when she couldn’t provide the Valentine’s bouquets in 2026, when she was ‘missing’. But that wasn’t her fault. The man clearly lacked shame.

She knew better than to run over to his office and start screaming at him though. That wouldn’t make her any better than Pansy had been. And she needed something different. Forcing herself to go into Madame Puddifoot’s for the first time ever would certainly be interesting though. As she headed out on the day of the date, she kept wondering to herself why it couldn’t have been at Honey’s Cat Café, or at a pub in Diagon. At least there she could make an easy escape home if need be.

The deep breath she took prior to opening the door to the tea shop was the last bit of fresh air she was going to be getting for the foreseeable future. The powdery perfume assault on her nose as she entered was practically vomit inducing. Everything about it was as gaudy as she had imagined it to be, and her lungs immediately begged her to turn around and leave. Why in Merlin’s scraggly chin hair was this place the antithesis of her shop? And she’d barely crossed the threshold too! The horrified look she had on her face clearly wasn’t hidden well as one of the employees approached her to see if she needed help. “I’ll be fine,” she responded through gritted teeth, muttering Blishwick’s name as well. The worker pointed at the table that was apparently reserved for the date, and her stomach instantly sank. Her date was already here, and now was being pointed at. Now she absolutely couldn’t turn tail and run.

Covering her mouth as she took another breath to recover from her shock (and the gag that followed it), Rusti headed towards the table. The further she went into the shop, the more her head felt like it was becoming hazy and full. An effect of the fragrance they were using, perhaps? Approaching, she spotted a name card that had both hers and the name of her date: Toby. Her eyes jumped from that to the bouquet of flowers he had, and then up to his face. At least he looked nervous too. “Errm hello…Toby?” she asked as she leaned to look at the placard again.

tobias charles watkins ● 693 ● song by artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[tobias charles watkins]

June 2027
The nervousness was becoming unbearable. Toby couldn’t believe he was putting himself through this sort of torture when he’d much rather be at home playing video games. His mouth went dry, mind going a hundred miles a minute as a young lady started to approach the table with purpose. Her eyes fell on the floral card with their names scrawled on it and dread instantly hit him like a tidal wave. Surprise couldn’t be hidden from his face as her prettiness practically stunned him, his name spilled from her pretty lips.

Swallowing, his eyes met hers, ”Rusti?” he echoed like a loser, stomach sinking knowing he was probably staring like a weirdo. Blishwick set him up wish a damn beaut. Fuck. He hoped she wasn’t disappointed by who she was paired with upon first sight.

The lanky teen quickly shot up from his chair, knowing he wasn’t supposed to greet a lady while sitting. Those etiquette classes his mum made him take when he was thirteen were imprinted in his memory. ”Er-Hi, I’m Toby” he greeted, feeling like a bloody robot. ”Its nice to meet you, Rusti. he smiled awkwardly as his eyes fell to her gaze. Suddenly he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to go for a handshake or hug…so he went for the flowers.

”Here. These are for you” Toby extended the bouquet of fresh flowers towards the blonde with an awkward laugh and a smile to show he was trying.

Well, at least she looked nervous too, that made him feel a little better.

aurelia edith flint

[aurelia edith flint]

▲

Oh Merlin, this was going to be tough. For as much as she liked to put on an act when it came to customers, they were exhausting by the end of the day. That was the life she had chosen though, and similarly she had decided to go on this blind date. Of course something was going to be awkward. Even if she had known who Toby was beforehand, being set-up by Blishwick was a weird sort of thing to rely on. Obviously it could be worse. Her mum could have still been alive and used Blishwick’s services as they were actually intended, for an arranged marriage. Now that would have been disgusting. At least she had a choice in this.

Watching Toby hop to his feet and swipe the bouquet of flowers into his hands, Rusti gave them a discerning look before taking them. Thankfully they hadn’t been from her shop. How weird would that have been? That got her thinking: what would she have done if he had bought them earlier in the day, just to hand them back to her now? Could she just put them back up for sale tomorrow or something? While a nice gesture, she was sort of the last person to be impressed by flowers unfortunately. But it wasn’t like he knew what she did for a living. If he had produced a Devil’s Snare sapling instead…well today would definitely be starting off better than awkwardly staring at each other in the center of Madame Puddifoot’s.

“Oh…thank you,” she responded as she flicked through the different flowers in the arrangement. It was certainly interesting for summer, unless the florist was trying to go for something else. Were flowers on a first date a real thing? She was going to have to ask her sister later, because she honestly had no idea what was considered normal anymore. “I hope whatever they’re spraying in here doesn’t kill them…” Rusti added rather cynically as she took her seat at the table, setting the bouquet off to the side. “But really, thank you. It makes up for Blishwick’s choice of venue.”

She half expected one of the employees to scurry immediately over to their table to take their orders, but it didn’t happen. Maybe that was to allow the intoxicating perfume to set in first; take the edge off and lull her into a calmer mood. Tea would absolutely help right now and would give a welcome distraction if needed. “Have you been before? I don’t think I could ever convince myself to come in alone whilst at school…” And she definitely never gave the time of day to anyone that wanted to take her here on a date. So maybe that was on her. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, and she was only just now realizing that there had been a few attempts over the years and she’d completely blown off the poor guys. Not like any of that would have ever lasted with Pansy still breathing. It always came back to her after all…

tobias charles watkins ● 507 ● Tor i Helheim by Myrkur

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[tobias charles watkins]

June 2027

Toby's mind reeled as he realized the Blishwick fellow paired him up with someone far out of his league. He could hardly keep his composure as his heart raced out of his chest. Hell, he hoped his voice didn't sound shaky.

Luckily, it seemed that Rusti was nervous too. Toby found comfort in that. At least he knew he wasn’t overthinking everything for once in his life. Blind dates were as unusual as they felt. Essentially meeting with a stranger on a quest to figure out if they were a compatible match romantically. Toby had more of a crippling fear with rejection, especially when it came to gorgeous females such as Rusti.

Toby smiled, noticing the look in Rusti's eyes as she reached for the flowers. Maybe she wasn’t a flowers kind of girl, but she seemed to be appreciative of the gesture. "You're welcome." he smiled softly. Ruffling a nervous hand through his hair, he tittered on one foot before pulling out her chair before sitting down across from her. He was definitely overthinking the level of chivalry and politeness he should exude. Claudia had to put it in his head that not all girls liked that sort of thing so he didn’t want to be overbearing. 

A red hue crept to his cheeks, hyper aware of the warmth spreading to his face and ears. Hell, he hoped he didn't look like a fucking tomato. The young man feigned nonchalance as his head bobbed into a nod as she explained the flowers made up for the location Blishwick sent them to. His eyes flickered with amusement, agreeing with her. He gave the air a sniff. ”Not much of a tea person, huh? -Or is it the rather pungent 'old nana on a bus' essence they pump through the aire…” he chuckled as his face went redder, hoping no one working heard his comment. Rusti asked him if he had been to Madam Pudifoots before and he nodded, "I have, actually..." he chuckled with a shy smile before continuing, ”I-I’ve accompanied my Mum and sister quite a bit” he shared, not mentioning it being a frequent date spot with his ex girlfriend, considering that would be impolite on a date. He knew his voice was shaky. He cleared his throat, ”Sorry, I’m nervous.” he laughed awkwardly while trying to keep things moving, ”So, uh, yeah..it’s great to meet you, Rusti" inwardly he cringed for repeating the greeting, hoping he didn’t sound like a complete robot. "Tell me about yourself.”  he said with a smile because he knew he was awkward, overthinking every aspect of this date already. Blishwick needed a dating bootcamp so he could learn the tips and tricks of the dating world quicker.

aurelia edith flint

[aurelia edith flint]

▲

Her shop was the antithesis of this one; the earthiness and damp of her greenhouse was so much more natural than whatever this was. The tea shop came closer to the parties her parents had thrown years ago, the ones that always ended in drunken screaming matches and glasses being thrown at the wall. So it was probably the reminder of those times that made her instantly dislike the interior of Madame Puddifoot's. Not to mention that it usually oozed gross, false impressions of what love was supposed to be - as if she was supposed to know what that was like. Being here was a testament in trying to figure it all out though, and she knew her negativity was only going to ruin the date if she let it. Pushing past her previous theories on what the tea shop was or wasn't, and the smell, would be the only way. If not for herself, then for the guy sitting across from her. There was no need to be grouchy and screw it all up when he was willing to be here.

"It's a bit stifling," she admitted, looking away from Toby and off towards the closest waitress. Tea would probably help, unless all they had were floral flavors. Adding that to the fuzzy warmth...eww. Even though she tried to motion for an employee but missed the chance. Toby explained through this that he'd been before, with family, and she nodded her head slowly as he also stated that he was nervous. It was unfortunate that her own anxiousness didn't show in the same manner, instead turning her stiff and cold. Mimicking her sister's normal personality. Another trait she'd been trying to wring out of herself for years.

"Well...I run a florist in Horizont. It's a tiny front so it's sort of easy to miss..." Rusti began, stopping only when she realized that the first question hadn't been about her disappearance and the newspapers that had occurred the year prior. Was it finally starting to wane in people's thoughts? There were a few batty old witches that came into the shop weekly that brought it up, somehow surprised that she was still there to sell them their witch hazel or alihotsy. "But yeah, herbology has always been a passion of mine since school so I figured I'd open a shop while I continued to study it." She stared down at the bouquet that Toby had given her and fiddled with the petals on one of the flowers. Maybe she would put them in a vase near the front counter...

"What about you? For work, I mean." Merlin she was bad with this. Flipping around his own question while barely answering it herself. To be fair, she had plenty of interesting stories to tell about work once the initial ice breakers were out of the way, but still. All of her normal interactions were business related instead of personal, aside from talking to Penelope. And even then she'd had trouble opening up fully to the girl. She hoped this would be a good exercise in figuring a lot of this stuff out.

tobias charles watkins ● 522 ● song by artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[tobias charles watkins]

June 2027
Toby couldn’t tell if Rusti was completely put off by the location, or maybe partly being paired with him. He tried to remind himself that everyone wore nervousness differently and push those self conscious feelings aside. The last thing he needed to do was get in his own head, anxiety was his biggest enemy. Toby’s smile went stiff, noticing how tense she seemed. Maybe they had a secret menu including whiskey. It would have been great for his nerves.

Rusti shared that she owned a floral shop in Horinzont Alley, definitely downplaying the achievement of owning a shop. Toby thought that was very impressive, but it also made him wonder how old she was. She had a young face, but hell, maybe she grew a plant for that. He pushed the thought aside because it didn’t really matter. His expression flickered with curiosity, ”Forget-Me-Knot?” he asked in confirmation with a tilt of the head. That was the only floral shop he remembered in Horizont Alley, ever. ”That's wicked. And a fantastic shop. Fellow Herbology nerd here. I reckon that must be a lovely place to spend time.” Toby nodded thoughtfully. There were times he found himself missing the humidity of the greenhouses. Maybe Blishwick was onto something pairing him with a young lady with a passion for Herbology.

As Rusti flipped the question back to him, he suddenly had an identity crisis. Toby hated talking about himself because he felt like he barely knew himself most days. A part of him hoped he would find out by going on more dates, practically squeezing the information out of him. He smiled with an awkward laugh, swallowing dryly. Looking pretty girls straight in the eye while talking about himself was quite terrifying. ”For work currently I'm a caretaker at the wildlife rehab center in Hogsmeade. Been there for a few years now. But I’m also training to be a healer.” he shared, but he was caught mid thought as the server rolled over a tray with multiple tea pots in front of their table.  

Tobys warm brown eyes flickered to steaming pots, relieved for a distraction, and back to Rusti. The steam wafted towards his face and he chuckled with a nod of confirmation. ”Luckily for us, the tea doesn't smell like perfume..”  he whispered to Rusti more playfully once the worker disappeared. He was trying his best to loosen up and not feel so robot-y. The lanky young man gestured toward the pots in a grand display, "How do you fancy your cuppa?" he asked in true Brit fashion, ending with an easy smile. 

aurelia edith flint

[aurelia edith flint]

▲

"That's the one," she confirmed stiffly and in a brief manner. Of course everyone would know the name of the shop by now. Her sister had shown the Daily Prophet articles of when the research group first went missing, and it seemed like the shop name was mentioned more in the article than her own name. And then there was the second one when she mysteriously reappeared a couple months later. That had helped with an initial boost in sales, which she desperately needed at the time. Everything had evened out since then though, and the past year and a half had gone about as normal as possible. Which was good. She wanted normal. That was why she was doing this date thing, to pretend like everything was boring and mundane and not crazy at all. Like the castle they could see out of the tea shop window hadn't just been attacked and burned down the month prior. Totally normal and fine.

Toby said that he was into Herbology as well, and she felt a little life come back into her brain. Casting out the fog of perfume she'd inhaled was difficult, but she could talk plants under the worst duress. "Yeah it's basically like having my own greenhouse and garden, and people pay me sometimes for the flowers the like..." There was so much more to it than that of course, but she treated every plant in the shop like they were own. Obviously because they needed to be kept alive so they could be sold. She wouldn't do it if she didn't love it though, and the flower arranging and gardening she was allowed to do growing up had served it's purpose tenfold by now. If anything, that was the only good thing that came from her parents, aside from the inheritance money.

"I've been contemplating turning the back patio into a place to sit and have a coffee, or read...give it more purpose than just being a storage..." she hadn't mentioned that to anyone but her sister so far, but figured it would be a good way to extend their conversation a bit. That was the one thing her twin had told her: don't let it get dull and boring. Which meant she'd have to put the extra effort in, because she had a tendency to flatten out a bit at times. Bring some energy to the table. Literally. This was more than exchanging money for a pot of flowers. She didn't want to be known as the weird plant and cat lady. Blishwick would eventually take that feedback and use it against her, unintentionally of course.

Two completely different jobs, and Rusti found herself actually wanting to ask follow-up questions but was rudely interrupted by the tea being dropped off at their table. She bit down on the inside of her cheek as she flashed a weirdly aggressive smile at the server. In just a few sentences, she felt like she was getting into a groove and now they were being forced to acknowledge the tea. Glancing over the multiple pots that had been brought while dashing out her instant fury of their discussion being disturbed, she tried to find one that was herbal. "If there's any lemon and ginger, or anything floral, I prefer that on its own." She disliked the whole milk and sugar thing that her fellow countrymen so desperately loved, the taste profile never working with the sorts of teas she liked. It was funny how turned off by the flowery perfume she was, yet immediately had no issue drinking something that matched it.

"So how do you go from working at the wildlife rehab to being a healer?" Rusti asked as she lifted the top off of one of the pots to see if it was one she'd like. Nope. Definitely a black tea of sorts. "Animals seem better than trying to heal people." She popped open the next pot and was met with a green tea. That would be better than nothing if the rest were more subpar flavors.

tobias charles watkins ● 679 ● song by artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0