This is How You Remind Me | Victoire

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Bella wasn't sure what made her do it; she hadn't spoken to Victoire in quite a few years. Since the younger woman graduated, really. But she had kept up with the birthdays of all of her childhood friends, and she had heard rumor of Vic's illness through the grapevine at the casino. She was concerned for her friend, even if it had been awhile since they had spoken to one another. So Bella had sent an owl to her old friend, requesting that they meet in Diagon Alley. The reply had been satisfactory, and the date was set.

Bella sat outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor at one of the little tables with the overhead umbrella. Her jeaned legs were sprawled out under the table, and she was clad in an over-sized maroon sweater even though it was early May. In front of her was a small cup of plain vanilla ice cream, partially melted from her eating it slowly and meticulously. It was one of the Ravenclaw curses, she supposed. Every little thing had to be thought out. She would likely order another one by the time Victoire arrived.

@victoire

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Word about her being sick had spread a little, but thankfully no one knew how serious it actually was. She hoped people would just think it was a nasty cold or something of the like keeping her down for a bit. When she got the letter from Bellamy, a strong rush of emotions overwhelmed her (as they often did lately). She felt terrible about how little she had talked to her friend since school, and felt even worse that she didn't even reach out to her when she was Minister and getting slowly better at reconnecting with people. She had just been so busy with all of that that her friendship with Bellamy fell to the wayside...

She pushed her guilt aside and accepted the offer to meet up for ice cream. It was almost her birthday, which made her both sad and glad, and she was excited that Bellamy remembered. That was a kind thing of her to do. Better than anything Vic had done.

She arrived at the parlor and saw Bella sitting outside. She smiled, crossing over to her but not taking a seat just yet, "Bella," she greeted, her smile growing even larger, "wow, you look beautiful," she complimented.

@bellamy

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The witch looked up from her pitiful ice cream when she heard her name. A smile had already spread across her face, as she would recognize that voice anywhere, even after so much time had passed. Bella rose to her feet and quickly embraced Victoire, trying to send as many good vibes to the younger woman as possible through that one simple huge. She could feel the turmoil swirling within the younger woman, and she wanted it to go away, at least for a little while.

Standing back, the smile still on her face, she replied, "Not as beautiful as you." She returned to her seat and gestured lazily to the chair across from her. "Please, sit. Order whatever you want. It's on me." Of course it was on her. She could afford to buy everything in Diagon Alley twice if she wanted to. But she tried not to make that painfully obvious. Leaning across the table, her head propped up on her hands, she examined Victoire as was her usual way. She wasn't sure what to say. All she could feel was overwhelming joy to see her childhood friend looking healthy and mostly happy. Might as well start with the obvious. "It's so good to see you, love. How have you been?" She vaguely knew the answer already, as word traveled fast in the wizarding world and even faster in the casino. But she wanted to hear it from Vic herself. She had to know the younger witch was really okay.

@victoire

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Bella embraced her and Victoire returned it, happy to do so. Bella was warm and familiar, something that made the hug medicinal for Vic. When she pulled back, Victoire returned the smile, shaking her head a little at Bellaas compliment. She nodded, sitting down where Bella gestured. "Thank you." She was fine with letting Bella pay. She never turned down a gift if she could help it, she thought that was rude. A waiter was there within seconds as Bella surveyed her, and Victoire ordered an ice cream sundae. Sweet, simple and delicious.

Bella said it was good to see her, once the waiter had left, asking how she had been. "I've been not so great, but I'm doing really well," she said with a nod. "Stepping down from Minister... that was my whole life goal. I peaked at twenty two," she chuckled, even though she really didn't find this humorous at all.

@bellamy

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Bella nodded in understanding. It wasn't easy, she could imagine, going from being the most respected witch in London, to being a regular peon like the rest of them. She reached out and gently patted Victoire's hand, smiling. "It'll pass, love. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it'll pass." She was tempted to launch into the usual cliche of how everyone had rough patches in life that made them stronger people and blah, blah, blah, but she figured Vic had heard enough of that already. Bella knew she had, particularly during the startup of her casino, when tough moments made her want to give in.

"Oh!" Bella exclaimed, snapping out of her philosophical reverie and clapping her hands together. "I just remembered. Happy Birthday, Vic," she said with a smile, producing a small box from the pocket of her sweater. The box was simple and unassuming, made of cardboard and crudely taped together. That had been intentional, of course, as what was inside was much more beautiful. A simple necklace, sterling silver with a small birthstone charm, was hiding inside, waiting to be revealed. Bella handed the box to Victoire, hoping that she liked it.

@victoire

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Bella patted her hand and Vic smiled at her, her brow furrowed. "I hope so," she said. She liked the analogy that Bella used. It clearly was going to be and had been a hard time in her life, but it would end. That was a good thing to keep in mind. To keep her head on straight. Suddenly Bella gasped and Vic raised an eyebrow. She said happy birthday, revealing what the 'oh' was for. Vic felt her cheeks heat a little, "thank you Bel- oh," she looked down at the small box as Bella pulled it out and reached forward to take it.

She unwrapped it, slowly grinning at the way it was wrapped. Classic Bella. Once the necklace was freed she pulled it out, lifting it high so she could survey the birthstone hanging from it. "Awe, Bell. I love this," she said, looking past it to smile at her friend, "you didn't have to get me anything, but I really appreciate it," she moved to put the necklace on, clasping it behind her neck.

@bellamy