He hadn't really meant to come in here. There were other things Zephir had needed from Diagon Alley today; he was heading to the apothecary. At some point, though, he'd found himself opposite the ice-cream shop and he'd seen her in there. He hadn't been able to help himself. That's not true, he corrected internally. If he'd really decided he didn't want to see her then he wouldn't have gone inside. The Slytherin alumni had always been excellent when it came to self-control. He'd decided to go in because he'd wanted to.
September in London wasn't like September in any of the places Zephir had been in recently. He'd spend months travelling through equatorial countries, where it was sunny all of the time and he was sure the definition of the word 'humid' had originated. He'd been researching, collaborating, working with other medical researchers and teams to compile all sorts of works. Now he was back, if not forever then at least for a few of months. He was glad to be back near his family, where he could keep an eye on them. He was glad to be back in the cold climate.
There was something comforting about the cold, he thought. Zephir King was the kind of man who wore long black jackets and layers. He matched his scarves with his socks. He wasn't the sort of person who wore shorts and t-shirts, it just didn't suit him. Even though it was summer - the end of summer, but still summer - here, Zephir was glad to be able to wear knitted things. He'd missed it. He hadn't really missed ice-cream, savoury food had always had more sway over him, but this place had a weird sort of nostalgic energy to it that he couldn't quite describe.
Zephir stepped inside the shop with a little apprehension. He hadn't seen Alice Acelyn since she'd shadowed him a long time ago at St. Mungos. That had been what, a year and a half ago now? He couldn't quite remember, but it had been awkward to say the least. "I don't know," he said in a deep voice, "what would you recommend"
