license to chill [Beka]

Ah, winter in London. It was Jane's home and had been since birth. Still, she couldn't help but miss the warm sands of Egypt that she'd been enjoying only a couple of weeks prior. She didn't know her shopping companion terribly well, save that he was Wen's friend/roommate/boyfriend and she'd helped him get a place in England in order to sabotage Wen's relationship at the time. It had been for the best, really. She'd never seen Morwen so happy.

Stuffing one of her hands into her coat pocket while the other held a to-go cup of coffee, the blonde girl strolled along the alley beside her Kazakh companion. "Sooo, are you looking forward to New Years?" A smile came to her face and she peered at him for a moment out of the corner of her eye. Her friend had made some questionable decisions regarding her love life in the past: Hefin Howell coming to mind, first off. Jane had a good feeling about this guy, though. He had a good vibe about him. And he had bought her coffee, so he'd scored some extra brownie points there. She took another sip before declaring, "This is delicious." and thanking him again.

Well, that, and she'd told him that if he did hurt Morwen, then she would strangle him with his own intestines. He knew how crazy the women in her family could really be from experience, and so she trusted him not to test her.

"Christmas is coming up, and I've managed to procrastinate on shopping as per tradition. Been planning to get Wen this leopard print suitcase I saw in this little shop across the way from Ollivander's. It had some charms on it to give it more room and make it hard to break into and that sort of thing. Really pretty gold accents. I should be able to find it again." She paused to take another sip from her cup. "I think she'd really love it. And it would be practical. What d'you think, Bek?"

@Serikbek Zhanalin

While Beka had met Jane before, and had been in close contact with her as he planned his surprise move to England for Wen, this was going to be their first significant solo interaction. Usually, Wen was there with them, but today he'd asked Jane out under the pretense of picking out Christmas gifts for Wen so the feisty blonde obviously couldn't accompany them. The seeker and her new boyfriend were normally inseparable on their time off, but Wen was at practice for the national team and so they had some time to sneak off to shop. Besides, Beka needed Jane's advice on several topics that he did not want Wen to know about yet.

It was still strange to be in this country, celebrating Christmas with Wen. His mother, may she rest in peace, was Muslim, as was his grandfather. Beka had never been particularly religious, but even now it felt strange to put up a tree and decorate. But Beka would do anything to make Wen happy, plus she liked how he looked in nothing but a Santa hat. The weather at least felt sufficiently appropriate for winter. Beka was bundled up in his leather coat and a rather lumpy scarf Wen had made him once. He looked dangerous with his undercut, long hair slicked back to keep it out of his hair. He nursed a hot chocolate with caramel and whipped cream. He tried not to indulge in caffeine unless he was at a late night gig or on a long assignment from the Prophet.

He liked Jane. She was tough and didn't take crap. She was fiercely loyal to Wen, which Beka also appreciated. He knew he could trust Wen with Jane, knowing the other woman would look out for his kitten. He trusted Wen, and trusted Jane. He was glad Wen had the other for a best friend. He smiled at her idea for a present. "She'd love that." His voice was low and warm. He spoke very little, but he was an attentive listener. "It sounds like it is perfectly her style,"he chuckled. "I need your help. Wen and I will be spending New Year's Eve together. I am taking her out, someplace nice. My closet does not have anything so fancy. And I wanted to buy her a dress that I can match."

"Right?? That's what I was thinking, too." Jane smiled again and took her turn to listen. It was sort of humorous to her that someone would assume that she would know anything about being fancy. She'd grown up dirt poor, though he wouldn't have known any of that. "New Year's Eve, huh? She'll need something sparkly. Where are you guys planning on going? Somewhere in London?" The blonde, herself, was planning on spending New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, Nevada over in the US. Piers had promised her a penthouse suite and lots of champagne. They'd only recently been exclusive but had been sneaking around to see each other since Darren had dumped her about a year prior. She was afraid that she was falling in love with him, but not afraid enough to stop.

Wracking her brain, Jane recalled a store that she'd been dragged to by one relative or another over the years, and who always had very nice expensive dresses. "What's your price range?" Regardless, she started off down Diagon Alley to an upscale shop that sold both womenswear and menswear. "We could kill two birds with one stone, here, mate. Might even find something that matches easily this way?" Perhaps she was being a little pushy, but Wen did deserve the best after all. And he had said fancy, hadn't he? Maybe she could talk him into getting Wen a nice necklace to match the dress. I'm such a good friend.

Walking into the boutique, she heard a tinkling of bells that indicated her presence to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, a plump woman with graying hair and bright pink lipstick, came bustling around the corner to greet them.

Beka nodded. "I booked a room at a place near the Eye." He had plans that involved him and Wen alone on that Ferris wheel. "We'll have a good view of the fireworks on the river." Wen deserved only the best things in life, and he wanted to give that to her. "Dinner at an upscale restaurant, then I figure Wen will want to join the party on the streets for a while." He was game for whatever Wen wanted. The Quidditch player had him wrapped securely around her fingers, she had even before they ever met in person when she was still a teen. His love for her had only grown as he spent time in her presence, and it had become almost unbearable the longer they lived together. It was only recently that they had finally admitted their feelings and become a couple.

The Kazakh man shrugged. "I'll let you know if it's going to be too much. I've been working overtime at the Prophet and doing multiple gigs a night for a few months now." He was an obsessive saver and planner, so he'd already had a bit squirreled away in case of an emergency, and with all the extra work he had been doing, he could afford to splurge. He was glad Wen was so busy with practice. Normally he would feel bad for missing so much time with her, but since she was neck-deep in preparing for important games and then came home pretty wrecked, they were both usually content to just fall asleep in each other's arms. "I didn't want money to be an issue for this." He had a slightly mysterious smile playing at the corners of his lips.

He glanced at the place she'd led him to, nodding. "Looks good." Beka was a man of few words, normally. Only Wen could really get him talking comfortably. The woman came up to them, smiling brightly. "Welcome, dearies! Can I help you find something in particular or are we just browsing?" Beka nodded politely at the woman, speaking in his low and soft voice.

"I'm looking for a suit, and also a dress for a petite woman about this tall," Beka gestured to the place on his chest where Wen came up to. "It's for a special occasion, and I'd like the dress and suit to coordinate." He turned to Jane with a slight smile. "On the style of the dress, she's going to have a better idea of what we're looking for." Beka loved how Wen looked in anything, so he figured he was a bad choice to pick something out. "So Jane, anything you think Wen would like in particular?"