[critter cafe] paws and claws - {Brita}

Due to his extensive research overseas in Greece as well as the amount of time that had elapsed, St. Mungo's had given Hayden time off to recuperate and prepare to go back to work. At most, they promised, he could have a month off. And that was reasonable enough considering he'd have to adjust to the time difference, get Rosalie's affairs in order as her legal guardian, catch up with friends and family, all things normal people did.

So Hayden, naturally, sent an owl back declining the need for a break. His patients were more important than where he decided to spend his time. He was already months ahead with anything Rosalie needed and anything she didn't, the Emersons seemed to take care of (though he'd need to talk to them about that. To say they'd spoiled her rotten was an understatement) and he could always catch up on the weekends or breaks between working.

He hadn't expected St. Mungo's HR department to strike back with the simple fact that St. Mungo's had an entire floor dedicated to Magical Accidents and they were not going to be liable for Hayden being a victim at his own job because he didn't get enough sleep. It was the professional equivalent of you're a Healer, Mr. Lawrence. Do better.

In the end, they settled on a truce; one week in which Hayden would be forced to relax and not a day sooner. In fact, they'd all but barred him from the premises until then.

Hayden decided to ignore that last part and focus on the positive. With him being...pardoned from work, he had ample opportunity to see what new things had been created since he'd been gone, one of which was Critter Cafe in Hogsmeade. That oh-too-familiar warmth bubbled inside of him at the thought but he immediately pushed it away. He wasn't here to see that person. He was here to catch up with Brita and have her show him around. So what if it happened to be at that person's cafe. So what if he wanted to see what that person had created in the years he'd been gone. It wasn't pride he was feeling. The whole thing was a coincidence, surely. He even had the coincidental request from Honey Bea that just so happened to mean he had to go into the Cafe anyway.

Speaking of which, where was it supposed to be? Hayden turned around in a full circle, a frown marring his features. Surely Hogsmeade hadn't changed that much in two years. He was just walking the wrong way. He crossed his arms, wondering what to do. Hopefully Brita would find him before it got too late.

(( @Brita Trickett ))

Brita cradled Cinnamon, getting bigger every day much to her dismay--why couldn't she grow as slowly as Sunny had?--in her arms as she walked down Hogsmeade's High Street. She was delighted that Hayden was finally back home--this time, she hoped, permanently. Between the war and his studies in Greece, Hayden had only been home for one year of the last four. Considering they'd only really become friends the year before the war, he'd officially been out of the country for more of their friendship than he'd been in it. Of course, he'd had good reasons every time, between protecting himself and his sister to his condition, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't be better for him to be here. Besides, he was friends with Ben, and he'd be happy to see him, too. And when he was happy--

She stopped, peering up the lane to Sugar and Spice. It looked rather empty. Turning back around abruptly, blonde waves spinning, Brita started scanning the crowd. The Healer had probably gone and gotten-- "Lost, are we? You know, it's the other direction," she teased, tapping the brown-haired man on his shoulder. "I'd give you a hug, but my arms are full of kitten. This is Cinnamon, by the way. She's not the only thing that's different around here since you were last around," Brita grinned, although part of her tone was reproachful. He really had been gone a long time. "Welcome home!"

Steering him back the other direction and around the proper turn, she acknowledged, "To be fair, it used to be a private road, so I don't blame you for not knowing it..." Brita had heard the story from Leo once, and it was a sad one. She was sure Hayden knew all about it from Jonathan, so the 24-year-old skipped over the subject, not wanting the tragedy in the backdrop of such a healing place to weigh on their visit. "But all the better to get you acquainted with Britain again!" The cottage was visible now, warm light spilling from the windows, and Brita waved in its direction like a show hostess. "Welcome to Sugar and Spice...I'm sure you've heard about it from Jonathan, though." A mischievous tilt to the corners of her smile threatened its appearance. Hayden had never exactly expressed his interest in his friend out loud to her, but ever since he'd first complained about the incident Brita had gotten a certain feeling. "Speaking of, Hayden, are you sure this is just a business visit? You seemed awfully set on the location." Fully aware of the pointedness of her questions, Brita's dark blue eyes were merry as they reached the door.

Cinnamon jumped out of her arms almost as soon as they were in the door, and Brita let her go find her friends. She came here often enough that Cinnamon was very comfortable, even if she didn't always like the walk. Picking up her token and ordering a cup of tea, she bounced on a cushion next to one of the small tables that happened to be empty, turning her full attention on her friend. "So how do you feel? They wouldn't let you go back to work, huh? I'll take you back if you want to help with the 4-7 year olds this weekend," she said brightly.

Hayden spun around wildly at the sound of the familiar voice. "Brita!" He nearly did hug her, and he was not generally a huggy person. People like that one guy and Rosalie had managed to dole out enough for him. But it left for an awkward, yet funny moment of him with his arms semi-cradling outside her frame rather than around her. He laughed sheepishly, but let the moment pass, dropping his arms. There was a cat to familiarize himself with after all.

"And hello there, Cinnamon." He scratched under the kitten's chin, an old habit from taking care of his own owls, who seemed to behave much the same. Friendly, warm, yet standoffish if worried or threatened. Somewhere above, he knew Marie was circling around, ever protective of her dear handler when she wasn't delivering post. Claude, on the other hand, was another story. Where Claude went on his 'days off' were up in the air, but Hayden didn't worry. He'd return when he was needed or hungry. This kitten was a delight, though.

Which is why Hayden's mood soured somewhat at Brita's chiding tone, gentle as it was, shame seeping into his stomach. Really, he should have been better, he knew, about keeping up with his friends of the past two years especially. It had been on him to do so more than them and friends like Brita bore the brunt of his workaholic nature. "Thank you. It really has been a long time, hasn't it?" He gave her an apologetic glance. He would find a way to earn her forgiveness as best he could.

But Brita, with a light that outweighed the sun, seemed to be in good spirits and that lifted Hayden's as well. Every remotely sad turn the conversation could take, she immediately followed it up with a positive spin. Hayden was grateful for her company, surely. However, Hogsmeade had proven to overwhelm him. "I do hope to get acquainted fast." He gestured to the bustling area with a suffering sigh until they turned to the small lane apart from the main road. "Merlin's Beard, this whole place is so confusi-" His breath caught at the appearance of the place with Brita to showcase it for all it's worth. Yes, of course. A cottage instead of a large, wood and glass paneled building. A spike of fondness traveled through his chest. He may have crossed his arms, but nothing could stop the smile that broke across his face. "Leave it to Jonathan to make his own business another home."

It was Brita's next words that nearly tripped him as he walked through the door. "Wait, what?" What had she said? Did she say what he thought she said? "I mean-" He backtracked immediately. "Jonathan may have mentioned it once or twice. We weren't talking a lot. I mean-" Did that sound bad? That sounded bad. His eyes flickered toward her guiltily. It was little wonder that by her second question, his ears were burning. "Yes, it's a business visit. I have the sweets from Honey Bea to prove it. But I wanted to see the animals as well. And the cottage. It's... cosy." Another easy smile snuck it’s way on the corners of his mouth but he shook his head, clearing his thoughts and the smile too. 

He sighed in relief when she changed the topic. Sitting on his own cushion with aplomb, he took his own tea into his hands and nodded. "St. Mungo's seems to think I need time off after my trip, which is ridiculous." Yes, curse his silly job for wanting to keep him mentally sane. Needless to say, he brightened at the offer. "I would love to, Brita. Please, take me on. I'm going stir crazy in my own home. And I'd love to see the kids. How've they been? How's work?” He let a kitten crawl into his lap and scratched behind its little gray ears, not minding at all as it climbed up his shirt. “And I haven’t been able to catch up with Ben, yet. How’s he doing?”

Brita grinned despite Hayden's awkwardness, completely at ease. For better or for worse, Brita seemed to have been born missing a bit of the shame and a certain awareness that served to regulate social interactions. Perhaps it was as simple as a tendency to take people at face value and assume the best, even when it might not be the safest option. Hayden was no stranger, in any case, even if he had acted rather like one for a while there. The bundle of kitten in her arms sniffed the new person quizzically. "She'll like you more if you feed her--I'll buy a few treats when we get there so you can bond," she smiled, looking down fondly. They'd had some pets come and go growing up, but it was different having one of her own. A little like a warmup to a family, she imagined, although Brita didn't think her generation was going to be quite as prolific as her father's. Grandmum Lindall was a real hero.

She nodded matter-of-factly, her hint of reproach more than satisfied by the remorseful look she was given and vanishing completely into the past. Brita didn't hold grudges unless the other person insisted on acting strangely, and certainly not with a friend. "Yeah, yeah, you missed a few things. Some good, some bad, probably balances out, really. You better stay this time though," she mock-warned. "You're a hard man to track down sometimes," she continued before starting to laugh, unable to keep a straight face any longer.

"Oh--" Did he not know exactly what had happened? It probably wasn't her place to tell him, considering that he was rather closer to people who could have a more meaningful conversation. Brita settled for a "I think in this case it's kind of the other way around. Or, well, it's kind of both ways at the same time." After all, it had become a home to the animals, and a second home to the patrons, and maybe even released some of the ghosts of memories here. Creasing her forehead, she realized that what she had said really made no sense without the context, or even with, but Brita had never really enjoyed teasing out this kind of tangled reasoning, so she promptly let it go. The sense of what she was trying to say meant more than the exact things she said, she rather thought.

Brita's eyes sparkled at Hayden's obviously flustered reaction. Mischievousness could really be fun sometimes. "What exactly d'you mean, hmm? I think I let you get sidetracked by asking more questions, I really should be more careful," she grinned. Relenting, she moved on, not willing to tease him more than he could bear. "It is cosy, though." She reached down to pet a black lab puppy, ruffling the fur on its head a little as it licked her excitedly. "Although sometimes I think I must ingest more drool than tea," she added, holding her hand up to illustrate.

The witch arched her eyebrows. "Healer Lawrence, don't tell me you're not caught up on the latest research on rest and general health," she said, adopting an overly formal voice even as her eyes still smiled. "You know, sir, I am a recreation instructor and I take health very seriously." Breaking into a grin and sipping her still-hot tea, she finished with, "And that's why I'm inviting you to, erm, exercise. Definitely not to do any work." That was the best thing about her job--it rarely felt like real work. "Actually, though, do come by. I don't know if any of them remember you--maybe Grace and Evan would? They're the oldest ones in the class. But the littlest ones are easy to befriend, so it won't take long. Work is great, as usual," she smiled. "It's been a few years since, you know, we were closed--" Brita never talked about the war now, unless someone else brought it up-- "so business is back to being better than ever."

How's he doing? Oh, Merlin, this was payback for her teasing earlier, wasn't it. "Oh! Um, he's doing well, I think," she said, hoping the faintest of blushes would go unnoticed. "He had a pretty bad few weeks recently, but I think he's keeping up okay, I still see him at the park when he can make it. We did the Summer Search a while back, did you hear about that in Greece?"

"I solemnly promise to stay as long as you will have me, Brita." He assured her. "Unless you want me to go. In which case." He feigned leaving only to smile over his shoulder and rejoin her. No, his training overseas was over and done with for the foreseeable future. Who knew if St. Mungo's would change their mind, however, and send him somewhere. But that was for future Hayden. This Hayden was not supposed to think about work.

Which, of course, naturally lead to another topic that caused him undue amounts of stress and pleasure at the same time: Jonathan Emerson. He scoffed and waved his hand as if pretending to pass on what she was insinuating, but there was no malice or irritation behind it. In fact, in a certain way, it sounded fond - of both the topic and the person who was cleverly asking for an answer. "Please feel free to be sidetracked any time you wish, if he's the topic." He turned his head and scratched the back of his neck, hoping his hair still covered his biggest tell. He'd been keeping his hair long since he turned 22 and learned about his habit. "But, I suppose if it's just for clarification..." He cleared his throat. "We really haven't talked much, save for when he visited me. Which was the day I came back. We spent most of the night catching up." He took a long sip of tea and pointedly looked away before anything else spilled. 

The kitten managed to climb up his shirt and, in triumph, meowed into his face. Snickering softly, he plucked the tiny thing off and placed it back into his lap. Determination made the gray ball of fluff begin its ascent again and suddenly, Hayden was reminded of the topic of their conversation. "Be good." He mumbled, scratching it behind the ears.

Impervius was always a better point of discussion, however. "Oh, most definitely not work. Of course." He smiled, keeping up the charade. "I think I remember those two, though. And I would love to see the kids. Maybe we can set something up with St. Mungo's as well. The long-term kids would enjoy the chance to play a while and swimming instruction would be fantastic for building muscle and improving mobility. I mean-" He gave her a knowing look and wagged a finger in her direction. "For play, not work. Of course not work. Because I'm not working." His eyes also dimmed slightly at the mention of the war and while he said nothing about it, it seemed a silent, mutual agreement not to talk about darker times was made and Hayden was grateful for it.

He pressed his lips against the edge of his teacup, hiding his smile. While he wasn't as sweetly crafty as his sister could be, even Hayden knew that turnabout was fair play. Pressing Brita about Ben, he hoped, would prove to be as fruitful as her pressing him about Jonathan. He hadn't expected bad news though. What happened to his friend in the past few weeks? "Did something happen to him?" His brows furrowed. "And I did hear about Summer Search. Rosalie keeps mentioning wanting to participate, but she went to Summer School that year. Any way, don't let that stop you. By all means, Brita. Tell me all about it." In her own words, of course. What adventures could they possibly have had traversing the world together, he could only wonder.

At the same time, a large owl raced passed the window, hovering only for a moment, before flying upward. "And that's Marie. Don't mind her. She's just a little..." Wary, was one word. Nosy, was another. Judgmental was a third. "Protective. Very protective." He put the kitten down next to him and stood up. "I should get some strawberries in case she joins us. Did you want anything?"

"You get back here right now!" Brita exclaimed in mock indignation, arm shooting out to catch his shoulder before he turned back himself. "No one is letting you off that easy, hear?" A tiny meaningful silence into which her glance infused a not me and not him either slipped by before she shook her head at him, a knowing smile on her lips. "Tsk tsk, I don't think so. Just because I'm easily distracted doesn't mean you get to take advantage of that." Actually, that wasn't strictly true, and Brita was rather sure most of her friends knew how to lead her off track, but she didn't particularly mind. She wanted people to be happy, and she wasn't about to push them unnecessarily. Prodding a little was her specialty, though. Craning her neck around until she was back in his field of view, her eyebrows arched over her dark blue eyes. "And howwwww did that go? How come you haven't talked since?"

Brita grinned at the kitten climbing Mount Everest and lifted the puppy into her own lap, where it began to squirm before settling down as she started to scratch behind his ears. "Well, they should be coming 2pm this Saturday, you know you're always welcome. Gary and Meredith would be glad to see you." Eyes lighting up at his suggestion of a hospital partnership, she added, "Do you think that would be possible? I'd really love that!" It would be good for Impervius, too, both for the employees, who were an altruistic bunch in general, and for the gym's reputation. "We'd have to be very careful about safety, but you know we already have a lot of charmed safety equipment, so it might be doable." Her mind jumping from thought to thought, she added, "You've given me an idea, though--even if it doesn't work out, maybe we should invest in some more facilities for rehabilitation. It could help set us apart." Impervius was already notable for the preponderance of Muggle sports and equipment, due to its large fraction of Muggleborn employees, but clearly there was more good that they could do. "And you know my job is just play, so I don't know what you're talking about." A smirk flitted across her face before she took another sip of tea, eliciting a whine from the puppy at the momentary pause in scratching.

The 24-year-old caught her friend's worried glance and realized the misunderstanding. "Oh, no, he's fine, I promise," she clarified hastily. "I just meant he's been quite busy. You know how the load in his department is so variable. I still see him and Hank at the park, though, enough that I'm not too worried." Brita was smiling a little, though she wouldn't volunteer why--Hayden's line of questioning had been much more conversational than her pointed inquiries earlier, which meant that she was able to cruise past the embarrassing parts. "There's not too much to tell, it was just a fun day of hiking. Well, we started off in Diagon Alley, trying to gather things to stash in the cache," Brita grinned, inordinately amused at her own success in rhyming, "and then we set out to follow the rune, sometimes derailed by Hank." She felt a warm glow somewhere in her core. It had been nice to spend the whole day with those two.

Squinting out the window although the owl was long-gone, Brita gave a knowing nod. "I remember her being like that. It's good, you know she's always looking out for you. Where's Claude?" Suddenly remembering her promise earlier, she stood up too. "I'll come with you, no one will steal our seats. I just remembered I promised to pick up a few treats so you can make friends with Cinnamon. We might have to disentangle her from someone else, though, she likes to pretend she lives here like the rest of them," she rolled her eyes, scanning the cafe until she spotted her and pointing in the kitten's direction with her chin.