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last online Oct 27, 2023 12:42:38 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Apr 8, 2020 20:26:55 GMT -7
Post by vasilia abigail fortescue on Apr 8, 2020 20:26:55 GMT -7
It was late... a little after one in the morning. The parlour had long since closed for the night, as had almost all the shops on Diagon Alley. The lights were out, except for the ones in the kitchen. Staying up late at the parlour wasn't new for Vasilia. It was actually a very common occurrence. With the Fortescue's father being ill, Vas had spent many a night balance finances, handling stock, payroll, and more. Much of the business management fell on her.
But that wasn't what kept her up tonight.
Vasilia sat at the counter, elbows resting on the stainless steel stop and staring absentmindedly ahead. It was silent except for the drinking of a leaking sink. In her hand was her phone, the screen still lit after she read the text.
The back door opened, and Vas stirred. She blinked several times, breaking the trance she'd been in and glanced towards the door.
"Oh, Felix. What are you doing out so late?"
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felix valentin fortescue
HOGWARTS ALUM FLOREAN FORTESCUE'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR ICE CREAM ARTISAN
116 posts
Pansexual and Polyamorous
played by Audrey
But you’ll fight, and you’ll make it through.
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last online Mar 10, 2024 12:31:21 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Apr 8, 2020 21:30:17 GMT -7
Post by felix valentin fortescue on Apr 8, 2020 21:30:17 GMT -7
July 1, 2025 It was occasionally strange for Felix to remember that he was really finished with school. He had spent so many years at Hogwarts that it almost felt as though he would be there forever, and he had this feeling that he needed to be doing… something. He could have stayed home to count sheep, but there was work that he could have been doing at the ice cream parlor, too.
Felix loved his family's ice cream parlor. It was his life, really. There was a lot of work involved, but it was enjoyable most of the time. And it was even better now that he was out of school, since it meant that he could help his sister Vasilia with more of what had been left to her because of their father's illness.
He Apparated back to the ice cream parlor, fully aware of how late it was, and slipped through the back door to see that it was still lit. Vas was still there, too, and seated at the counter—though he would have assumed that she had gone to sleep already.
"Oh, Felix. What are you doing out so late?"
"Couldn't sleep," Felix answered her with a shrug. Being at least slightly productive was better than nothing at all. "You alright, Vas? If it's financial stuff again, I don't mind helping…"
vasilia abigail fortescue
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last online Oct 27, 2023 12:42:38 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Apr 10, 2020 19:07:32 GMT -7
Post by vasilia abigail fortescue on Apr 10, 2020 19:07:32 GMT -7
It really was an odd time to be coming to an ice cream shop, but Vas didn't judge. Since she, at times, pretty much lived here. Hopefully Felix wasn't following in her footsteps. She'd been told that her habits were obsessive and unhealthy. When he answered that he couldn't sleep she nodded, understanding. Though why he came here when feeling insomnia... Ah well, she wouldn't dwell on it. Because, again. She was here. She couldn't talk about healthy habits. Felix spoke again though, realizing that something must be off.
Vasilia smiled softly. "It's not finances, but I appreciate the offer." She'd already finished balancing the books an hour ago. She almost left it at that, but she knew she had a terrible poker face. He'd realize something else was up from the answer. "One of my old mentors, cooking mentors, reached out to me." She had to clarify what she meant by mentor. Felix would know that, while Vasilia loved ice cream, she was a food nut in general. She'd been studying cuisine after all. "He's retiring." She left it at that, not quite ready to finish the thought quite yet without seeing how Felix would react to what had been said thus far.
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felix valentin fortescue
HOGWARTS ALUM FLOREAN FORTESCUE'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR ICE CREAM ARTISAN
116 posts
Pansexual and Polyamorous
played by Audrey
But you’ll fight, and you’ll make it through.
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last online Mar 10, 2024 12:31:21 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Apr 14, 2020 2:58:17 GMT -7
Post by felix valentin fortescue on Apr 14, 2020 2:58:17 GMT -7
July 1, 2025 It wasn't to do with the parlor's finances, Vas assured him, though she said that she appreciated his offer of help. It wasn't finances, sure, but there was something else about the way in which Vas responded to him then that made Felix wonder what was going on. He knew that it wasn't anything to do with their father's health—and thank Merlin for that—because he had only just come from home, but there was something going on.
"One of my old mentors, cooking mentors, reached out to me," Vas explained. Felix wasn't sure where the news was going, so he continued to listen. Beyond ice cream, Vas had made it her mission to learn everything about the culinary arts—combining the best of magical and Muggle techniques because she couldn't do magic for herself.
"He's retiring."
Felix's face fell a little in sympathy. Retirement was unfortunate, of course, but that didn't mean that Vas couldn't remain in contact with him still. Just because her mentor was retiring didn't make it the end of the world, did it? "Aw, I'm sorry, Vas…" Felix spoke softly, stepping nearer to his sister and resting a hand on her shoulder. There really wasn't much that he could do besides provide her with emotional support, but he was there for her nevertheless.
vasilia abigail fortescue
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last online Oct 27, 2023 12:42:38 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Apr 29, 2020 11:44:31 GMT -7
Post by vasilia abigail fortescue on Apr 29, 2020 11:44:31 GMT -7
Retiring wasn't really something to mourn. Sure, it was sad to see someone get out of the business, but at the same time it was an inevitable fate for everyone. It was normal. Totally normal. So Vas' reaction probably didn't make sense. You celebrated retirement, not sulked in a dark ice cream shop's kitchen in the middle of the night. Felix tried to be sympathetic though, saying he was sorry and putting a hand on her shoulder. She smiled, appreciating his support. Though she wasn't sure what he might think of the next part. She glanced back down at her phone, the screen black, though the message she'd read early still burned into her mind.
"Nah, it's alright. He should have retired years ago. He was a stubborn man. He's only retiring now because he's too old to run things. He owned a pub. The one in Horizon Alley. Violet Hound." She wasn't sure if Felix would know the place or not. The place wasn't exactly known for being high class. It was a classic English pub, casual. Lots of wood, alcohol, and in need of some updating and repairs. Though, now that she'd mentioned he'd owned a pub, the question in the air now was if he was retiring, what would happen to the pub? "He wants me to have the pub," she finally said. It was the first time she was saying it aloud. He wanted her, Vasilia Fortescue, to be the next owner.
This was Vas's dream. She'd been studying, going to school, cooking, honing her craft for so long with the aspiration of one day owning her own restaurant or other food establishment. While pubs were known for drinking, they were also known for comfort food. Shepards pies that reminded you of your grandmother's recipes, apple pies that practically melted in your mouth and made you desperate for another slice. IT wasn't a restaurant, but she could run her own kitchen. The only issue? Vas couldn't exactly run a pub and work full time at the ice cream parlour.
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felix valentin fortescue
HOGWARTS ALUM FLOREAN FORTESCUE'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR ICE CREAM ARTISAN
116 posts
Pansexual and Polyamorous
played by Audrey
But you’ll fight, and you’ll make it through.
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last online Mar 10, 2024 12:31:21 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jun 3, 2020 15:56:26 GMT -7
Post by felix valentin fortescue on Jun 3, 2020 15:56:26 GMT -7
July 1, 2025 "Nah, it's alright," Vas said, signalling that she wasn't going to be so upset over the retirement of her mentor. He was retiring; he wasn't dead. The way that she was still looking down at her phone—even without its screen illuminated—made Felix wonder if there wasn't something else on his sister's mind. She went on to explain that he was a stubborn man and that he probably should have retired years before. Felix kept listening as Vas said that her mentor had owned the Violet Hound in Horizont Alley. He knew of it; it wasn't far. All of those businesses were just off of Diagon Alley, and he would have been able to walk there if not for the fact that it was so late.
"He wants me to have the pub."
Felix, who had stayed silent anyway in order to let Vas speak, remained so. He knew that Vas wasn't the type of person to crush anyone's dreams, nor was he one to crush hers. She had talked about opening a restaurant or something, but that was always a "someday" thing. It wasn't the sort of thing that she could do very easily—at least not at that moment in time. Their father's health wasn't great, and she practically ran the ice cream parlor in place of their parents. It might have been "just" ice cream, but it was more than that. The ice cream parlor was their family's business; surely her mentor understood that Vas couldn't just walk away from it.
Slowly, Felix looked over Vas's shoulder at her phone. Even though it was after one o'clock in the morning, he almost expected that it would light up again with a call. He took in a short breath, wavering on how to approach the question. "But you won't take it, will you?"
vasilia abigail fortescue
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last online Oct 27, 2023 12:42:38 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Jul 12, 2020 11:24:34 GMT -7
Post by vasilia abigail fortescue on Jul 12, 2020 11:24:34 GMT -7
Felix hit the nail on the head. Posing the question that was the root of all her confusion. Vasilia let out a heavy sigh and leaned forward, her forehead resting on the cold steel of the counter in front of her. Vasilia didn't respond at first, the silence almost deafening. The only sound was the clock on the wall, ticking each second that past. What even should she say?
On one hand, someone was offering her her dream. No strings attached. She'd been saving as much money as she could since she was 16, putting it away for her restaurant fund. So that maybe, someday, she'd have enough to buy a place of her own. Even now though she was no where near that goal financially. This offer would give her her dream.... Years before she ever though possible. On the other hand her father's current health meant that she'd had to step up and take a lot of the shop responsibilities. Her parents weren't managing the shop like they used to. A lot of responsibilities had fallen on her shoulder. If she took the pub, then who would take over the extra responsibilities she'd taken on to help her parents?
Vasilia sat up finally and stared at the wall. "How do you say no to something like that, Felix?" She bit her bottom lip, still thinking. She had the weight of two shops on her shoulders now. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, and the Violet Hound Pub.
felix valentin fortescue
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felix valentin fortescue
HOGWARTS ALUM FLOREAN FORTESCUE'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR ICE CREAM ARTISAN
116 posts
Pansexual and Polyamorous
played by Audrey
But you’ll fight, and you’ll make it through.
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last online Mar 10, 2024 12:31:21 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jul 18, 2020 22:46:57 GMT -7
Post by felix valentin fortescue on Jul 18, 2020 22:46:57 GMT -7
July 1, 2025 Vasilia sighed and set her head down upon the counter. It couldn't have been comfortable, leaning against metal like that, but that was beside the point. Felix, in wait of a response, kept quiet, even as all that he could hear was the faint ticking of the clock. If Vas were sure, she would have said something, which made waiting worse. The longer the delay in her answer grew, the more concerned about it Felix became. The quieter Vas stayed, the more he was sure of what was coming.
When his sister sat up and stared at the wall instead of looking at him, she might as well have said nothing at all. She did speak, though she chewed at her lip, and asked, "How do you say no to something like that, Felix?"
Felix swallowed the lump in his throat. Taking turns in exchanging silence wasn't usually how he and Vas operated, but he didn't know what else to do. The timing couldn't have been worse. Their parents were relying on her to keep the ice cream parlor running. They couldn't do it alone, not with their father's being as ill as he was. It wasn't fair that Vas had been given the opportunity to run her own pub at such an inopportune time. They were already walking a tightrope under the best circumstances. The ice cream parlor was their family's business. It might have been Vas's dream, but that wasn't all that she had to consider.
As he started to speak up to say something, Felix felt his voice crack. "What about Mum and Dad?" Felix questioned Vasilia pleadingly. He very nearly stared through the back of his sister's head at the wall, himself. It wasn't their father's fault that he was ill, nor was it their mother's fault that she was now his carer. "…This place?" In case she had forgotten, Florean Fortescue's was only still afloat because of her hard work. Summer was their busy season. If they couldn't even survive the summer, there was no way that they would make it through the rest of the year—or even the first cold snap. "…Me?" Selfishly or not, Felix wondered what that would mean for him. Vas's role—and the many hats she wore—was likely to fall to him. Felix didn't mind completely; he would have done it in a heartbeat. The difference was that he was no Vas, plain and simple. He didn't have her creativity or the technical skills that she had to pull off just about anything she wanted.
Except for being two places at once. Felix could feel his eyes beginning to burn from fixating them on the nothingness that was vaguely synonymous with the back of his sister's head. There were tears forming, he knew, but it was too late to stop them.
vasilia abigail fortescue
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last online Oct 27, 2023 12:42:38 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Jul 20, 2020 23:40:13 GMT -7
Post by vasilia abigail fortescue on Jul 20, 2020 23:40:13 GMT -7
The silence was absolutely excruciating. Between her own responses, and Felix's. Felix was the first in the family she was telling. Not because she'd necessarily planned on it, but because he happened to be there when she was trying to think. Felix also happened to be the one that would have the hardest time understanding her dilemma. If this was her parents, they'd tell her to go after her dream. That they'd figure it out, and not to worry about them. But Felix....
Felix hit the nail right on the head. Asking "what about mum and dad". She didn't respond yet, staring hard down at the stainless steel. He didn't stop there though, expanding the question to include the parlor, and then himself. Several low blows. Vasilia let out a deep sigh. She ran a hand through her hair, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought.... and thought.. and thought...
"I don't know, Felix. I really don't. I tell him no, and what happens to his pub? I tell him yes, and what happens to the parlour? I tell him no, and what if I never get an opportunity like this ever again? I tell him yes, and what if dad get's worse?" She shook her head, wanting to slam it against the wall but somehow managing to restrain herself. "I don't know." Torn between family and dreams... What was someone supposed to choose?
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felix valentin fortescue
HOGWARTS ALUM FLOREAN FORTESCUE'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR ICE CREAM ARTISAN
116 posts
Pansexual and Polyamorous
played by Audrey
But you’ll fight, and you’ll make it through.
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last online Mar 10, 2024 12:31:21 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jul 21, 2020 0:09:58 GMT -7
Post by felix valentin fortescue on Jul 21, 2020 0:09:58 GMT -7
July 1, 2025 Felix's questions for his sister weren't intended as jabs. It just really hurt that Vas seemed to be forgetting about so much else that was going on in her life. She sighed again, the kind of sigh that made Felix wonder if she was going to get angry with him. But she didn't. "I don't know, Felix. I really don't." She was still torn. If she told her mentor no, what became of his pub? He'd just find a buyer or something, hopefully. If she told him yes, then what would happen to the ice cream parlor? Felix didn't know the answer to that one, but it couldn't be good. What if she said no and never got an opportunity like that again? She had time and a perfectly good ice cream parlor. It might not have been a pub, but there was some room for expansion—of the business concept, if not of the physical space it occupied. If she told her mentor yes, what if their dad's health got worse? It felt like a matter of "when" rather than "if" their father's health was going to continue to decline. Felix hated it—and he knew that Vas did, too—but didn't know what there was to do or say about it anymore that hadn't been said already. He had been preparing for the worst for a long time. No matter how much their parents tried to convince him that their father was going to get better eventually, Felix knew better than to cling to some shred of hope that that day would ever come. "Y-You can't do it, Vas," Felix begged of her. He felt his voice break a little, and he hated how small and feminine it sounded. "N-Not right now." If it was meant to happen, it would happen for her someday, and he had faith in that. For that moment, however, the timing was just all wrong, and Felix could feel his shoulders quiver. She would be throwing more away than the chance at owning a pub. "Please, Vasilia, not right now."vasilia abigail fortescue
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last online Oct 27, 2023 12:42:38 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Jul 25, 2020 0:25:47 GMT -7
Post by vasilia abigail fortescue on Jul 25, 2020 0:25:47 GMT -7
Vasilia pursed her lips, eyes closed. She should have know Felix would react this way. She couldn't blame him though. She'd have reacted the same way if their roles were reversed. But god dammit, why couldn't Felix at least try and understand her dilemma? To realize why this was so hard for her. Vasilia loved the shop. She'd grown up here. She'd spent more time here than both her siblings. While they'd been off at Hogwarts she'd been here. But it had never been her dream to take it over. She wanted to be a chef. Not an Ice cream Artisan. She loved her family dearly, but she didn't want to have the weight of the whole Fortescue family on her shoulders. She'd been carrying it for so long. She was so... so tired.
"I don't know Felix. I just... don't know," she whispered, her eyes finally opening. She smiled, but it felt small and forced."It's late. You should probably head to bed. I still have some paperwork to do." Vas pulled some pretty late nights. Between her school schedule, hours in the shop, helping their parents, the only time she had time to balance the books was late at night.
(I'd say you end on your next post, or we can move onto different topics. Depends on if you wanna change direction with the thread or end it. Either or!)
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felix valentin fortescue
HOGWARTS ALUM FLOREAN FORTESCUE'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR ICE CREAM ARTISAN
116 posts
Pansexual and Polyamorous
played by Audrey
But you’ll fight, and you’ll make it through.
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last online Mar 10, 2024 12:31:21 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Jul 26, 2020 14:59:56 GMT -7
Post by felix valentin fortescue on Jul 26, 2020 14:59:56 GMT -7
July 1, 2025 Vas's voice came out as a whisper. She told him that she didn't know; she just didn't know what it was that she was going to do about the dilemma that she was facing. She even smiled a little bit, but it wasn't her usual smile. Felix knew that. "It's late," she told him. "You should probably head to bed. I still have some paperwork to do." "I-I'm not a little kid, Vas…" Felix reminded her, sighing as tears continue to fall down his face. If he was going to be honest with his sister, he didn't know what to do, either. He didn't know how to convince her that choosing the pub over the ice cream parlor was the wrong decision. He didn't know what else to say that he hadn't already said to her, and he didn't want to lose Vas as his sister as well as his co-worker. "I-I'll help you. It's fine. I-I don't care… about sleep."vasilia abigail fortescue
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last online Oct 27, 2023 12:42:38 GMT -7
INACTIVE
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Dec 1, 2020 11:38:05 GMT -7
Post by vasilia abigail fortescue on Dec 1, 2020 11:38:05 GMT -7
Vasilia knew that Felix wasn't a kid anymore. At least in theory. He was 18, 19 in a few months. And yes.... For some reason that didn't seem to connect in her head. She still saw him as her little brother. Who needed to be protected. While he'd been off at Hogwarts, learning magic, she'd been here. Taking care of their parents and the shop. She'd grown up a lot faster then Felix, having to take on more responsibilities at a far younger age. But he was an adult now. She should start letting him carry some of the burdens that she did... And yet? Those tears almost seemed to reinforce in her mind that she still had to protect Felix. Her smile turned sad, and she got up from the counter, crossing to her little brother and pulling him into a hug. "Don't cry... It'll be alright." Whatever her decision was... It'd be okay. She'd still protect him, and the family. Because if leaving meant Felix would cry like this? Was her dream of her own restaurant worth it?
Though, the offer of help was appreciate, Vas was, again, still convinced Felix needed to be protected. She shook her head as he offered to help. "How about trying a new flavor then? I have a few samples in the freezer I've been working on?" Vas was always experimenting with food and ice cream, and always looking for test subjects on her concoctions.
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felix valentin fortescue
HOGWARTS ALUM FLOREAN FORTESCUE'S ICE CREAM PARLOUR ICE CREAM ARTISAN
116 posts
Pansexual and Polyamorous
played by Audrey
But you’ll fight, and you’ll make it through.
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last online Mar 10, 2024 12:31:21 GMT -7
WIZARDING ADULT
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Dec 22, 2020 15:36:31 GMT -7
Post by felix valentin fortescue on Dec 22, 2020 15:36:31 GMT -7
July 1, 2025 Felix hadn't meant to cry. If he had had any choice in the matter, he wouldn't have started crying. He was an adult, even if he was still the youngest of the three of them—not that Ilija was ever around. Vas got up and pulled him into a hug, though Felix felt that it only reinforced that he wasn't capable of handling things himself. He was; he knew that he was, yet he still found himself hugging his sister tightly as she consoled him. "Don't cry…" she urged him. "It'll be alright."
At his offer to help her, she suggested that he could taste a new flavor and that she had a few samples in the freezer that she had been working on. That wasn't what Felix had had in mind; he had meant that he could assist her with finances and the business side. Ensuring that the ice cream parlor stayed afloat in her absence was the first thing on his mind.
Nevertheless, Felix nodded his head, pulling away a little bit from Vas's hug. "Y-Yeah," he agreed. He could do that. "Let's go."
vasilia abigail fortescue OOC: I think we can go ahead and call this one done?
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