Three Little Birds (Kris)

[honey satheesh varma]

March 2029

Owning and operating a café had its perks, but it was the "cat" element of the cat café that brought Honey the greatest joy. She had developed a good team of employees working under her, including those whose job it was to care for the cats themselves, and the business ran smoothly most days. It was less stressful than the tearoom at St. Mungo's had been, looking back on it, though Honey did often miss the people at the hospital. It had been a second home for her in her childhood, and it had stayed that way in a different capacity well into her adulthood.

So far that morning, everything was going as expected. It was past the morning rush of people looking to get their coffee or tea early, bypassing the cats' section to the side in favor of caffeination. There was still a trickle of customers in the café, but it wasn't so busy that Honey couldn't take a moment to pause and take in everything.

kristine finch

[kristine finch]

In an attempt to uplift her spirits, Kris set off to her good friend Honey’s cat cafe on her free afternoon. If a warm n flakey croissant paired with a piping hot coffee couldn’t uplift her spirits, maybe one of Honey’s furry friends at the cafe would do the trick. Honey always had a way of brightening her day too, being one of her longest and most meaningful friends in the wizarding world, she loved to pop by for a chat.

Kris stepped into the cozy cafe as a bell chimed above her head. Her eyes scanned the small room where a decent amount of people enjoying their pastries in one room while the designated playroom had kitties littered on the floor rolling around happily. That alone made her nearly squeal with cuteness.

Honey stood near the counter, when she finished helping her current customer Kris waved excitedly, ”Honey, Darlin'!” Kris greeted happily with a bright smile, dancing in one spot before scurrying over to squeeze her friend into a loving hug. ”I was hoping I’d get to steal some time with you and a croissant.” she stated excitedly, pronouncing 'croissant' with a fancy accent. ”-Please tell me you still have croissants." she stated seriously in an even tone. "I don't know what sorcery you put in those but I've been fixin' for one all mornin'.” 

honey satheesh varma

[honey satheesh varma]

March 2029

The morning passed uneventfully and rolled into lunchtime, at which point business stayed steady without being overwhelming. Honey was finishing up an order for another customer when the bell above the door into the café chimed to signal another entrant. She saw that it wasn't just someone else who had stopped in for a cup of tea, and it wasn't just one of her regulars, either. Kris Finch was a Healer at St. Mungo's with whom Honey had been friends for years, so it was always nice to see her when she stopped in.

Kris greeted her by calling her "darlin'", then pulled her into a hug. Honey hugged her tightly, returning the gesture, and Kris commented that she hoped to some time with her and a croissant. "Please tell me you still have croissants. I don't know what sorcery you put in those," she added, "but I've been fixin' for one all mornin'."

"Perfect timing," Honey confirmed with a grin. "Just put out a fresh batch." Croissants got too hard and dry from sitting out for too long, which necessitated making them in smaller and more frequent batches to keep them properly flaky and buttery. Otherwise, they wouldn't sell, and it would be a waste.

kristine finch

[kristine finch]

It seemed that Kris had impeccable timing for baked goods. The warm, buttery, aroma wafted to her nostrils, making her stomach growl in approval. "Yesss!" she sang, smiling brightly at her friend. "You're an angel. A legend. An absolute goddess." she bowed in appreciation. Her eyes roved the tray hungrily, mouth watering at her friends baked confections. "I'll take the entire tray please." Kris stated before realizing that could have sounded like a joke. Her expression shifted, slightly bashful but serious, "I'm not going to eat them all they're for my colleagues.." she shared quickly with a guilty laugh, knowing she'll eat more than her fair share. "Oh, and may I please have an iced coffee with cream."

Kris rustled through her bag for her card, sliding her card across the counter as Honey prepared her order behind the counter. "How's business? Better yet, how are you? Anything new and exciting going on in the world of Honey?" the young woman asked her friend, genuinely curious how she was doing. Kris loved to catch up with Honey whenever she was in the neighborhood.


honey satheesh varma

[honey satheesh varma]

March 2029

Kris was obviously thrilled by the good news about the croissants, complimenting her and even referring to her as "a goddess", and she bowed to illustrate her point. In fact, Kris promptly requested the entire tray of croissants, clarified that she wasn't exaggerating, and stated that she wasn't going to eat them all herself; they were for her colleagues. On top of that, she also requested an iced coffee with cream.

"Likely story," Honey teased Kris about the croissants, though she was happy to have her buy a whole tray of them. The reality was that they were croissants. It wasn't her business what Kris did with them after she sold them to her. Besides, she knew at least a handful of the people who would likely end up eating said croissants once they were brought back to St. Mungo's. "One tray of croissants," she repeated with a laugh once she went back behind the counter to ring up Kris's order, "and one iced coffee with cream."

Since transporting an entire tray of croissants, even via Apparition, would be a bit of a challenge, Honey washed her hands after accepting Kris's payment. She then began to transfer the baked goods into a large cake box for Kris to take with her, tasking one of her employees with preparing her coffee.

"How's business? Better yet, how are you? Anything new and exciting going on in the world of Honey?" Kris asked in the meantime.

"Business is great. Nothing too new or exciting in my life," Honey admitted as she sealed the box of croissants for Kris. She didn't find her life boring. There was always something going on in Horizont Alley, but it was very quotidian. "Oh, but we've got some new kittens in, though," she gushed. They were finally old enough to be adopted out—and to spend their time in the cats' area of the café along with the other felines. "They're the sweetest little tabbies."

kristine finch

[kristine finch]

It was all about the little things in life. Sometimes all it took was a warm, buttery, flakey croissant, a coffee, and ciggie to brighten her day.  Honey teased her lightly about the croissants, stating 'a likely story' and she nodded along. "You know I will have my fair share." she giggled greedily watching as her friend dutifully filled the paper box with the warm croissants. This would be such a lovely surprise for her coworkers. 

Kris' eyes widened when Honey announced there was a new batch of kittens ready for adoption. "Oh! Sweet Gherkins! Kittens and croissants..!" Kris stated excitedly, "Please show me the kittens!" she begged, eyes widened to large saucers, suddenly feeling very excited about these adorable creatures. There was no way in hell she had enough time for a kitten these days, she needed more of a lazy senior cat, but who couldn't resist the opportunity to play with kittens?

honey satheesh varma

[honey satheesh varma]

March 2029

"Oh! Sweet gherkins! Kittens and croissants!" Kris was visibly excited by the news that there were kittens there, though Honey didn't know why anyone wouldn't be. She spent the majority of her time around felines, and even she found it hard to resist how cute the kittens were. Honey also knew that the kittens weren't the only cats at the café, and all of them were waiting for the right homes for them and their specific personalities and needs.

"I can put the croissant box back here for safekeeping whilst we're in there," Honey offered, since going into the cats' area with a whole box of croissants wouldn't be ideal. "You can go ahead in, if you'd like," she added, gesturing towards where the cats were kept in an area partitioned off from the rest of the café, visible to all the patrons but not underfoot. "I won't charge you." She wasn't going to charge Kris the usual fee, especially not when she had suggested it. It wasn't an upsell.

kristine finch

[kristine finch]

"Say no more.." she smiled warmly, eyes brightened with excitement. It didn't take any further encouraging from Honey before Kris bolted toward the door. She was greeted by a couple of prancing kittens purring loudly from the opportunity for affection and attention. "Oh hello babies" she greeted in a soft tone. Her heart grew about three sizes as she dropped to her knees on the floor, offering her hand for the small creatures to smell. Without any hesitation a kitten started to crawl up her side, a second kitten started to kneed its paws on her black jeans. "Oh...whatta shame...I'll never be able to leave here now.." she announced as a third kitten sprinted toward her. Suddenly she wasn't she if she was under attack. Kris never had a cat or any pet before, other than an owl. 

Time passed quickly in the kitty room. Kris reached for one of the feather toys as one of the sleepy kittens fell asleep in her shirts oversized pocket. After about thirty minutes of contemplating whether or not bringing a kitten home was a rash decision. Oh, it would be.  She didn't have enough time for a kitten. Eventually Kris scooped up the kitten as it started to wake up from a quick snooze and she placed it gently on a fuzzy pillow before retreating for the door, careful not to allow any of them to escape.

Kris returned to the counter where Honey promised to keep her croissants safe. "Thanks for allowing me to see the Kittys. I lost track of time." she laughed before sighing deeply. "Ugh. I want to take them all.." she whined, taking in a puff of air before exhaling, "I probably work too much... Do you think cats get lonely?" Kris asked before shaking her head with a chuckle after realizing how silly that question must have sounded.


honey satheesh varma

[honey satheesh varma]

March 2029

After visiting with the cats for a little while, Kris thanked her for letting her spend time with them and immediately began to talk herself out of the thought of adopting one. "I probably work too much… Do you think cats get lonely?" she wondered.

While Honey understood that Kris was asking out of concern for a cat's welfare and didn't want to be neglectful, she had just seen how quickly the cats there had taken to her. "Cats are relatively independent," Honey noted, "and part-Kneazles are even more so." She had never had a dog herself, but one big difference was that cats could be left alone for longer, generally speaking. "I wouldn't get a kitten or a senior cat, though," she advised. Very young and very old cats wouldn't be able to adjust to being left home alone as easily, and Kris's schedule as a Healer wasn't always predictable.

Having a registered Animagus who was trained to mimic real animal behavior so that others could try out pet ownership for themselves would have been excellent, but that wasn't really an option, either. "Obviously, I won't pressure you to do something you don't want to do," Honey began, "and I'm a bit biased, but you were a natural in there."

kristine finch

[kristine finch]

Kris listened carefully as Honey explained the differences between cats and kneazles, as well as her personal preferences. She mentally noted to never get a kitten or senior cat. Kris knew that adopting a furry friend right now wouldn't be the best for anyone. Before she decided to do something too impulsive, she stopped herself. Raising her hands in the air in defeat, "Woo, I need to crank the brakes on myself because I'm getting too excited.." she screeched animatedly. Kris took a breath in to buy herself a moment, "You and I both know it would be an unwise decision for myself to bring a kitty home today, but if you ever need an extra hand around here to help play and socialize the kitties, call me.." she offered eagerly, looking back at the room full of cats. Kris lived a busy life but she was never too busy for her friends and community.

 Kris peeped at her watch, absentmindedly brushing off a bit of cat hair from her pants as she realized she got lost in the kitty time wormhole. A sigh slipped past her lips, "Oh, gherkins-Time to make my way back with the croissants.." she stated, reaching for the box Honey set aside for her for safe keeping. An easy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth,  "Thanks for uplifting my day and for always offering freshest pastries, Honey." she blew her friend a kiss before dipping out of the door with full hands, bell chiming above her head as she quickly exited.

[end Kris]

honey satheesh varma