What A Day in London! (Victoire)

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

5 February 2025

It had been a long day. The sort of day that became tangible enough that Si could feel it press down on her from above, weigh down each limb, and reach into her stomach to scoop out everything in her. Alas, so it was in dreary London – she’d yet to fully acclimatize to the weather and the different pace of life. Diagon Alley was fast-paced, but the apothecary was a waiting game. For the ingredients to arrive from the far-flung corners of the magical world, for each potion to simmer over an open flame, and for the occasional custom request that made Si perk up and her eyes brighten.

As she braved the crowds outside the shop, Si slung her bag over her shoulder and took a moment to consider her surroundings before setting off. Perhaps contrary to expectations, she did NOT scurry off to the Leaky Cauldron to drown her sorrows in firewhiskey. No, a day such as today required a much stronger solution.

It felt like only moments later that Sienna found herself in Sugarplum’s Sweets Shop, staring intently at the rows of chocolates on a shelf. She usually opted for a small box of four truffles – it was dignified, sophisticated, the kind of purchase a responsible adult might make. And yet…she couldn’t help but wonder if a day such as the one she’d had wouldn’t justify one of the deluxe boxes from the lower shelves. It was the worst type of dilemma: a choice that could gravely impact the next week, but that she couldn’t share with other people lest she receive an odd look. Her stance shifted from tense to thoughtful, her eyes roving the shelves while she grappled between the child and adult in her.

@victoire

[Deleted]

Vic liked to pretend she didn't have a sweet tooth. It made her feel more grown up or something. But, really, it was pretty silly to ignore something like that just because she wanted people to think highly of her. She always had that issue, worrying that people wouldn't take her seriously and sacrificing things she liked because of it.

Well, she had a hell of a year so far and wasn't going to hold back her desire for chocolate right now. She stepped into Sugarplums Sweetshop with a purpose, walking right up to the register and asking for a chocolate, peppermint bark, and then opened it right there to start at it. She was still a lady, though, and browsed the shop while carefully breaking off one piece of the bar at a time to suck on.

She turned a corner and saw Sienna Linslee up ahead. She grinned, folding the wrapping closed on her chocolate. "Sienna! Bonjour!" she greeted, approaching the brunette. "It's such a pleasure to see you here."

Sienna Aurélie Linslee
[purple is her speaking french ]

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Indecision gripped Sienna as she stared at the different-sized packages of chocolate, but really…the fact that she had come in the first place suggested she needed the best the sweets shop had to offer. She bent down to grab one of the boxes she usually lacked the confidence to get – 16 truffles, triple chocolate and loaded with salted caramel filling. Absolute perfection, the type of order an adult on a diet could only dream of.

Sienna’s intense deliberations on the crucial question of the right purchase were broken up by the sound of the lovely French language mixed in amongst all the English conversations currently taking place. She turned to find Victoire approaching, chocolate bar already in hand and a large grin on her face. “Victoire!” Si responded, her mood already brightening. She shifted the truffle box to her other arm as she approached the blonde for a kiss on the cheek followed by a quick hug.

She gave a small shrug at Victoire’s statement. “Maybe not the greatest pleasure, since chocolate is the best of comfort foods.” Si grinned and shook her own box slightly. “So, celebration or consolation prize?”

@victoire

[Italics = French]

[Deleted]

Sienna greeted her with a quick kiss on the cheek which victoire returned, and of course a hug. She was so relieved to see her old friend, that she felt like a weight was lifted from her chest in that moment. After everything that she had been through, Sienna was like a breath of fresh air. She asked victoire if the chocolate was for good or bad, suggesting that this may not be under the best circumstances to be seeing each other. That made Vic think that perhaps Sienna was the one picking up chocolate for consolation prize reasons, as she put it.

She shrugged, holding her chocolate bar closer to herself. "Well, I think it's a little bit of both?" She wasn't entirely sure. On the one hand everything that happened at Azkaban at the hands of her followers destroying an important relic, and helping Azkaban prisoners escape by accident... For that she need a giant tub of chocolate chip ice cream. On the other hand she had accidentally gotten married and had stayed married which was both a consolation and a celebration? She shook her head a little, trying to get her thoughts straight. "What about you? Indulging a sweet tooth or otherwise?" she switched to English without really thinking.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee
(Italics too cuz I'm on my phone now )

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Sienna’s friendship with Victoire stretched back further than most of her others, back to her in France. It meant that she could be more open with her friend, more trusting that this dynamic wouldn’t be followed by a knife in the back – it really meant that Sienna could be more of herself than she was with most people. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder about everything she didn’t know about the half-French girl. As a local, and as a still-important figure in the British government, Victoire’s problems likely far-outpaced her own. So her rather vague answer to Si’s question felt heavy with everything that Victoire left unspoken.

Victoire’s question reminded Sienna of her own rather hefty box of chocolates and Si glanced at it before shrugging and shooting off a small, crooked smile. “It’s nothing, really,” Si responded, falling back into English as well. “The highlight of my day was cleaning up spilled potion. The highlight of my week was visiting a farm to harvest eye of newt. It’s a glamorous life I lead.” Her side project, the partnership with her coworker to address the many issues with the Wolfsbane Potion, hadn’t taken off enough to yield any interesting results. Her whole life felt like a waiting game, at times.

“You know, I’ve been told I’m a good listener. If you want to get any deeper into whatever ‘both’ means,” Si offered, her voice half-teasing.

@victoire

[Deleted]

Vic was sure that her answer was suspicious, and no surprise Vienna figured that something was off. Si said that it was nothing really, but added that her day was pretty regular for a potion maker and Vic grinned. She kind of wished her life could be that simple, too. She was afraid that would never be a reality for as long as she lived. But, in all fairness, she had gotten herself into every single situation she was in. Maybe she just liked the drama and didn't want to admit it. ”Well, those in need of eye of newt from the store will be eternally grateful,” Vic encouraged. She didn't think Vienna was complaining, but validation was always good.

Si mentioned that she was a good listener, if Vic wanted to get any more into what 'both' meant about her buying chocolate. The teasing tone and smile made Vic shake her head affectionately, her own little laugh bubbling up. ”Huh – yeah. Yeah, that'd be nice. Maybe a walk?” she suggested, nodding toward the door. They still had to pay, of course.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Victoire’s stab of optimism in her answer brightened Si enough to let another smile escape. It was a good reminder that even with all the fuss sometimes required, Si really did love her job. There was enough gloom and doom in the world right now – a feeling that Sienna often let herself submit to – that little comments like these were helpful. Yeah, life was a little scary right now. Yeah, there were a lot of things that could be better. But her job at Slug and Jigger’s allowed her to help people, even in a small way like providing burn cream or acne removers, and she could sense that good things were sure to come from her choice in career.

She verbalized some of these inner thoughts into a more lighthearted answer. “Of course! I get my hands dirty so they don’t have to. There are very few people out there, I think, that enjoy finding filth in the most ungodly places.” Si wriggled her fingers for emphasis. “I’m sure you understand, of course. You probably see rats more often than I do.”

Sienna winked at Victoire before sidestepping her to stop by the register. She was glad for the lighthearted tone of the conversation – forcing oneself to smile often produced the real result soon enough – but it was clear that they both had their troubles weighing on them. Si didn’t see Victoire often, but they were close enough that it hurt her to see the people around her even marginally unhappy. “A walk sounds fantastic. Let me dig around for some sickles. Ministers don’t pay!”

@victoire

[Deleted]

Si agreed that she 'needed to get her hands dirty so that her clients wouldn't have to'. Victoire nodded. It was true that people who worked like Si had jobs that weren't the most glamorous but someone had to do them, and since it didn't really bother it was fitting. As Si said she enjoyed 'finding filth' Victoire couldn't help but laugh. That was a good way of putting it. Of course, the comment about Vic seeing more rats than she did was just the icing on the fake. Vic nodded, her face a mock picture of solemnity. "Don't I ever," she agreed. Working in politics as she had before now was enough and working as an underground vigilante... well, there were plenty. Literally and figuratively.

Sienna agreed to a walk, but then was suggesting that Victoire shouldn't pay. "Oh no, no you don't have to," Victoire suggested, but she really did appreciate the gesture. Plus, she of all people knew that it was sad when someone didn't accept something kind you wanted to do for them. So she accepted the moment and smiled, 'thank you, Si."

Once they were free from the temptations of the shop, Vic started to suck on another piece of candy between words. "Things are... mostly good, I think. I have a complicated issue at hand that I'm unsure how to proceed. It's not a bad thing, necessarily... oh my, I'm being very vague," she chastised herself. How could she get it out?

Sienna Aurélie Linslee