strangeness and charm. [tag; liv]

Winter was here!

Though not her favourite season, it was kind of impossible not to get caught up in the swing of things. The air was cold and crisp, the sky a beautiful bright blue by day and a watercolour pink at sunset. Everything smelt and tasted like cinnamon. Occasionally, she got a little twinge of Christmas magic. Halloween was soon and the festive celebrations would start right after.

The sky above was full of thick dark and laden grey clouds, a sure sign that snow was on the horizon. It was a quiet Thursday afternoon as Ruari strode through the wizarding village. It seemed strange to be back, to see the streets without any Hogwarts students but it was oddly peaceful. A cool breeze kicked up and the ends of her long blonde hair floated on, a faint scent of orange blossom catching on the wind.

The dressmaker had a meeting in the Three Broomsticks with a fabric supplier called Oliver Harding. Oliver was an eccentric, flamboyant older gentleman with a penchant for pocket squares and neckerchiefs. He specialised in fruit prints and bold patterns, one of which she was wearing today. She'd fashioned in to a figure-hugging, eye-catching sleeveless dress which looked like a second skin. It was tight and fitted but modest, it fell just below her knee.

With the cold weather, she wore a pair of thick cable knit grey tights and tucked them into hiking boots. As she walked, she carried a red folder underneath her arm which contained invoices and some of Oliver's pattern swatches. Ruari's usually pale cheeks were tinged with pink once out of the warm and cosy atmosphere of the pub. It was a little after two and she didn't have anywhere else to be. Dash was working. Her dog Jeff was with her dad. Clooney was in Paris. She pulled to a stop.

Crust & Crumbs shone like a beacon of baked goodies in the small village. It was bright and vivacious and attractive and impossible to wander past. Looking in the window, Ruari hesitated. She chewed on a scarlet lower lip as she waged a war with herself. She hadn't entered the bakery in months, not since she'd bumped into Hal. She hadn't seen him since. She wasn't sure how she felt about it.

The tall blonde hovered outside, looking at the perfectly baked and iced cakes in the window. If Dash hadn't been living with her, Ruari would have overdosed on cake and it would not have been pretty. Sod it. She was going in. What was the chances of seeing her ex ever again? Slim to none.

Once inside, the scent of vanilla and sugar hit her like a bludger to the face. The warmth came next, causing goose bumps to erupt on her exposed skin. It seemed busy and as it should be. There was a small queue and most of the tables inside were already filled. She could murder a cup of tea.

Joining the queue, she rubbed her hands together and blew on them, stomping her feet to keep warm as she perused the menu. Ruari bent at the waist to properly look through the glass cabinet, totally oblivious to the fact that she had her nose pressed against it. Her eye was caught by a small sign telling her they were chocolate bark candy. She had no idea what it was but she already liked it.

The liquorice spiders made her smile, her large grey eyes sparkling as she thought how much the Regan children would love it. There would be giggles from the boys and shrieks from the girls. She'd buy two dozen. Ruari hadn't been home to Cork in so long so she might as well come bearing gifts. Her nanna would be livid.

With her nose pressed against the glass and smiling like a loon, she didn't realise that Hal's brother Geri was behind the counter with his pretty blonde cousin, Liv. Had she realised, she would have run away. It was entirely possible they didn't realise her, even though she'd met them both on numerous occasions. "That raspberry tart looks amazing," she said out loud in a soft voice, her rain cloud coloured eyes glazing over as she let out a wistful sigh.

Other than sweets, Liv was ninety-five percent positive that wedges were the best invention in the world. They made her smallish 5’4” frame grow to one that was about… hrm, in these ones, she supposed she was about 5’7”. A good height. A respectable height. Not only that, they were stable, sturdy, and easy to walk--no, flit--in. She was currently doing just that behind the counter of Crust and Crumbs in, the place her cousin Geri had kindly employed her at several years previously.

Liv liked having extra money, and her cousin was very generous to her and all of the other employees, including her brother, Tyr. She didn’t know if she ever wanted to leave. Sweets and art were two of the little blonde’s favorite things, and she got to have the best of both worlds as a pastry artist. The name was misleading, she supposed, as she didn’t only decorate pastries. She decorated cookies, cupcakes, cakes, tarts, everything. Sometimes she helped with the baking when they were short on staff, but this was really what she preferred to do.

Liv hummed a little tune while she worked on the carriage cookies for a little girl’s princess-themed birthday party. Liv wasn’t extra-girly, but she did have a girly-girl side, and so it was nice to be able to take on cute little projects like this one that were relatively low-pressure once in awhile. The wedding cakes were the scary ones. Just thinking about the numerous bridezillas she’d had to deal with in her time at Crust and Crumbs made her want to shudder… and in her reverie, Liv’s frosting pen slipped, dotting her white eyelet maxi with a little bit of pink goo.

An exaggerated gasp escaped the blonde’s lips, and she flounced over to the other side of the counter to grab a damp cloth, quickly scrubbing away at the minor error. “Shoot, shoot, shoot.” She murmured, all the while bouncing anxiously. Whew. It was out. She’d just bought this dress. Maxi dresses were perfect for fall, and she wasn’t going to let the damn frosting get the best of this one. After tucking some tendrils that had escaped her twist behind her ears, Liv swerved around Geri to the other end of the counter to continue her cookie decorating and was startled by a quiet, longing voice.

Blue eyes slightly wide from the surprise, Liv immediately smiled at the familiar face and felt her cheeks dimple. “Hi!” She chirped cheerfully, moving to the display with the tart the other blonde spoke of was in. “You want to taste some?” She asked kindly, and before a response was delivered, she was shoveling out a little bit of the tart with one of the sampler spoons and handing it over to the girl. “You’re Ruari, right? Hal’s friend.” Liv recalled, nodding a couple of times to affirm that she remembered her. “What brings you to Crust and Crumbs this afternoon?” Liv remembered it wasn’t her job to ask a bunch of questions, but to let the customer ask theirs, so she backed off after that, waiting patiently for her response and to gauge her reaction to the tart.

The friendly voice jarred her from her little reverie. Ruari visibly jumped, her head snapping backwards and her clear grey eyes widening in surprise. Was she really that obvious? Then again, she supposed that lusting after cake wasn't part of the norm. She still had her hands on the clean glass, right above the tart. She did this quite often. Touching things she wasn't supposed to. It was a childish habit that her poor mother had failed to break.

"Really?" She asked, a wide grin lighting up her pretty face as she found herself nodding along enthusiastically. How lovely was she? She was sure not many places offered customers such nice service and free samples.

Ruari stood on the tiptoes and took the spoon, popping it into her mouth in one go and chewing. "This is so amazing," she replied, her voice muffled by the pastry in her face as she held up a hand to quickly finishing chewing and hastily swallowed. Ruari couldn't bake a cake. She could barely make toast for breakfast but this was delicious. It was sweet and creamy and sugary and soft, all together. She pulled her lower lip in and caught it between her teeth and chewed anxiously. Most of her money went on baked goods.

…shit.

Recognition dawned on the Irish girl's face almost instantly. Liv. Liv Trickett worked her. She didn't know why it had taken so long for her to realise that, she hadn't changed much from Hogwarts. Hal's friend. Ruari's sunny smile faltered a little, threatening to change into a frown but instead, she offered a small smile, barely a tilt of her plump lips. "Something like that," she offered. She and Hal weren't friends any more. That fact was painfully clear to her and she kept on running into his family members.

"Hiya Liv," she said kindly. "You look great," she offered, gesturing to her happy shiny face and her lovely cotton dress. "I didn't know you worked here." How many other Tricketts was this place hiding? It wasn't like they could avoid each other for ever. Their family was as big as her own, possibly even bigger and the wizarding community was tiny in comparison. Still smiling and looking a little lost, she reached up to scratch the back of her head and knocked her hat askew in the motion.

Ruari laughed. "Family dinner," she said. "I was told to bake a dessert but I can't," she admitted with a guilty smile, her slender shoulders slumping in defeat as she heaved a sigh. "So this," she replied, pointing to the raspberry tart, "Will be my saving grace. Could I have three, please?" Regans were biiiiig on family dinners. And lunches. And parties. Family…anything, actually.

"Do you have anything with mint in it?" Ruari asked as she extracted her purse. She was planning on comfort eating and she really liked peppermint and chocolate. When stressed, she ate. When sad, she ate. When tired, she ate. When bored, she ate. When ex-boyfriends were mentioned, she ate.

Liv was the type of girl who was like sunshine. Bright and bubbly. Upon realising who it was, Ruari was overcome with the urge to hug her. Not that she was really allowed to, they were practically strangers now. "How have you been?" She asked conversationally with another smile, wondering if she was dating anyone. She could be married by now or even have kids. The thought was really quite unsettling. She was getting to that age that school friends were getting married and popping out kids and the thought made her feel suddenly very old.

"It's really great to see you," she said genuinely. She seemed…happy. Grounded. Swiftly, Ruari reached over the counter to deposit the money she owed into Liv's hand before stopping. "I don't suppose you have time for a quick coffee?" Urgh. What was she doing?