[ttd] live just like we're golden

A matchmaking service. Senna had signed up for a matchmaking service and while she believed things happened organically between two people and trusted in the universe that two souls made for each other would somehow find their way to each other, her friend Isis had only good things to say about this dating service that had matched her up with her current girlfriend. Plus the complete aura analysis they did to make sure they matched you up with someone who would mesh well with you? It was an easy yes in her book. And she had never tried anything like it before. Worst case, it would be a hilarious story to tell Rhey when she got home. Best case, she would be making out with someone by the end of the date.

So there she was in a little cafe in London where plants were potted in boots and leafy greens created a canopy overhead. She was wearing a white tshirt tied up into a crop top and a plaid mini skirt with her chunky black boots and lacy white socks, a favorite look of hers these days especially as it got warmer and she couldn't help but glance around, looking for the person she was supposed to meet carrying a red rose.. or wearing a red something? She couldn't exactly remember, but she figured if their auras were 90% compatible or whatever it was supposed to be, she would be able to recognize it, right? Plus, she had remembered her marker: she was carrying a red hand bag that she had borrowed from Rhey.

She wandered over to order a chai tea, thanked the cute witch behind the counter with an open smile, and then slid into a small booth on one side of the room. There was a song stuck in her head that she hadn't been able to put to paper yet, but looking at the sun coming in through the window, a snippet of the lyrics fell into place and she dug around in her bag so she could write it down.

@Erika Trickett

Erika had been single for almost a year now and while the single life suited her well, she didn't think she wanted to be properly alone for the summer. It should be spent day-drinking and making out, picnics in parks and jumping into rivers.   Dating normally was hard but since she often had to drop everything at a moment's notice and apparate to a far flung destination, finding a partner that understood her job was difficult at best. Ideally, she needed to date a fellow cursebreaker. Or an artist. Or musician. A visionary. Someone free and easy who wouldn't take offence if she couldn't make plans all the time.

The aura quiz confused Erika, though. As she was filling out the paperwork, the question blindsided her. She wasn't against it - traditional methods hadn't worked thus far - so maybe she needed to look towards the heavens for some much needed guidance. Either way, Erika hoped her aura was a fun colour.

The tall blonde ducked into the cafe, glancing at her reflection in the window before she adjusted her top. She fluffed her hair and adjusted her earrings, frowning at the fact that her recent trip to Peru had made her freckles very noticeable due to her tan. She needed to look for someone wearing red. The service had suggested that the cursebreaker should carry a red rose and Erika balked at the idea. She loathed roses. She'd always thought them tacky and thoughtless and so, she'd opted for a hollyhock in a shocking shade of crimson.

Erika's bright eyes surveyed the cafe and she smiled. The vibes were nice and her Paris apartment was swarmed with plants, so she felt right at home. She couldn't see any red, though. Her full lips down turned into a frown as she stood like a lemon, in the middle of the cafe. Assuming she had the wrong date or time, a red bag caught her attention and then her heart dropped.

Erika was so stupid. Suddenly, she realised what she'd ticked the box of what she wasn't interested in, instead of what she was interested in. She'd ticked the box for "men" when she needed to tick the one for "women". Well, interested was the wrong term to use. Of course she liked girls. Everybody liked girls.  She couldn't even follow simple instructions. She blamed the aura compatibility portion of the form - they'd rotted her brain.

But she couldn't leave. It was a simple mistake and the other woman, who was preoccupied by rummaging in her bag, was cute. Erika liked her boots. It would be really unfair on the other blonde to think she'd been stood up.

Erika stepped closer and cleared her throat, smiling broadly as the woman looked up. "Hi," she greeted her with an easy smile. She was very pretty. Erika had kissed women before but sort of dismissed that as something everybody did. Not that she was thinking of kissing the stranger...or anything.  "Sorry to interrupt," she went on, gesturing to her notebook. "But I think there's been some sort of mix up," she announced with a sheepish smile as Erika held up her flowers.

She was lucky that when she had borrowed the bag from Rhey, she hadn't emptied it out, only added a few things (the dark lipstick she was loving lately, a citrine crystal for attracting abundance and luck, a small keychain with keys that she had no clue as to what they opened and only carried around because she liked the jingle of them) because she was happy to find a small notebook with Rhey's familiar handwriting and an auto inking quill in there. Senna jotted down the refrain that floated through her mind, humming the tune a few times, trying to work out the main melody before she glanced up at the sound of a voice, melodic in its own right.

The blonde standing a step away from her table, in a crop top and short set that showed off her tanned skin beautifully, had an aura like sunshine sparkling on the ocean, shimmering white and turquoise blues that felt refreshing and warm all at once. She was a bit distracted by it, the good feeling she got from it that she didn't quite understand at first. A mix up? Senna blinked up at her before she noticed the flowers in her grasp. "Oh!" she murmured, her smile growing bright and knowing. "Were you expecting someone else?" she asked, no judgement in her tone, understanding the turn of events for the other woman might not be quite what she had signed up for. Still, she nodded at the bench across from her.

"We could still have a tea if you wanted? They have really good biscotti here too," she offered with an open smile, taking her in before she bit her lip. "No worries though, if not, although you do have a nice aura. The test at least got one part right," she added, grinning impishly.

Erika wasn't sure how to breach the subject without being rude but every angle that she looked at it, it was offensive. "No," the tall blonde lied quickly and with a shake of her head, mildly panicking. "I just --" she trailed off and frowned. Erika should be honest and open. Besides, it was a funny mistake to have made.

"I was kind of expecting a man," she admitted with a sheepish grin, her bright eyes sparkling. "I'm not disappointed," the treasure hunted exclaimed quickly, reaching out a hand to show that she was far from annoyed at the situation. "And I like your boots," Erika offered politely before her smile widened at the invitation.

"Great," she gushed as she sat down, swinging her long curtain of blonde hair over a tanned shoulder. Her smile widened into a grin and Erika tilted her head to the side, interested. "I do?" She smiled easily, resting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her upturned palm, long legs crossed at the knee. "What colour is it?" She asked, her eyes flicking over the other woman's face as though trying to figure out what colour hers was but got absolutely nothing.

"I'm Erika," the curse breaker went on as she shifted to extend a hand and introduce herself as the tea arrived and she smiled at the server. Erika liked herbal tea. She really liked Moroccan mint tea but that was surprisingly difficult to find in London.

I was kind of expecting a man. "Oh," Senna said with a pause and then laughed as she looked up at the other woman. Her pride was assuaged at her reassurance, but the mix up seemed that much more hilarious now. She couldn't wait to tell Rheya. "Thanks," she replied, bouncing her leg where it was crossed over her knee and glancing down at them. "Thrifted," she added in explanation.

As Erika sat down, Senna got a whiff of her perfume and it was lovely and fresh, nodding as she asked after her aura. It was like a party trick she never tired of, although she knew she needed to get better at telling people who had bad auras. Those sorts of situations always felt sticky. Erika's was nice though. "It's like water off the ocean, whites and turquoise blues, good combo," she said before she sipped at her tea and smiled.

"Senna," she replied in turn, grasping Erika's hand in hers and squeezing it before bringing her hands back to her cup. "So what do you do?" Senna asked, her honey eyes curious and bright.