Deja Brew | Sunday, 14th December 2003 | 12:45pm
Just before stepping into the shop, Astoria lowered her hood and brushed away the dusting of snowflakes clinging to her outerwear – Merlin knew they’d melt the moment she was inside, and damp garments were one of her pet peeves. Sure enough, the moment she crossed the threshold she was greeted by a welcome blast of warm air – along with the delightful aroma of fresh-baked goods. Astoria had never taken tea here before, but Renata had positively raved about their holiday-themed sittings… and who was Astoria to deny her friend that? In any case, the youngest Greengrass was always keen to try something new nowadays.
She thanked the staff member who took her cloak to hang by the fire, pausing a moment to scan the room for her friend. Their reservation wasn’t for another quarter of an hour, but Astoria was chronically early to any kind of appointment. Fortunately their table was ready, and so she sat and reviewed her planner to pass the time.
Not five minutes later, the hostess re-appeared with a note written in Renata’s hand, apologizing for the short-notice but that something had transpired and thus she would not be able to meet as planned this afternoon. Disappointed but understanding, Astoria penned a brief reply of acknowledgement and assurance that Renata need only ask if there was anything that she could do to help, returning it to the hostess with a word of thanks.
For a moment, Astoria considered returning home; it seemed silly to take up a table just herself, and if Renata had told correctly of how busy the place tended to be in December, freeing up this table would likely do the wait-staff a favor. And yet… the almost-twenty-two-year-old wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to return to the doldrums so soon. She loved and appreciated her family – truly, she did – but the witch felt more than ready to begin the next (and, with any luck, much less scripted) chapter of her life. And sometimes one simply needed a bit of space for oneself.
And so she opted to stay, and began perusing the menu for something that piqued her interest.
