[skye] gold rush. [jade]

She couldn't remember what she was drinking.

Maisie was sitting near a large window which overlooked a serene landscape, nursing a glass of whiskey in her left hand. Was this her third or fourth glass? By now, she felt warm and tingly, a stark contrast to the fresh snow and biting wind that was shaking the glistening trees outside. It was peaceful and it was cosy inside and it culminated in her feeling rather drowsy.

It was a winter wonderland as the sun began to set, turning the sky into a watercolour dream of pinks and oranges and Maisie watched with rapt attention, her dark eyes drooping and unfocused.

There was a lot of whiskey on offer but she'd been careful to drink only the casks made by her host's family but she couldn't remember much. She'd had a tour and whilst she had been listening, she couldn't taste the difference between a seven year old and a ten year old whiskey. She hadn't said anything because she didn't want to offend but after a while, it all sort of blended into one. No pun intended.

Maisie sipped at her a drink and it went down smoothly, tasting like oak, vanilla and caramel and she was momentarily mesmerised by the amber hue as it reflected the dying sunlight. When Jade had invited her up to Skye, Maisie and dropped everything and agreed. Her new flat in Edinburgh was gorgeous if not a little empty and she missed the hospitality of the Highlands. Quiet and majestic, it was a million miles away from handsome Quidditch players with intricate tattoos.

A noise caught her attention and she swivelled on her window seat and grinned, motioning Jade to come over. "Your dad is so nice," she was quick to tell the Scotswoman. "He looks like you," she grinned fondly and she pulled one leg up to her chest and rested her knee on her chin, hiking up the sleeves of her jumper. "This place is gorgeous," she told Jade softly. It was nice now that the last of the tourists were trickling out. She'd been to Skye only a handful of times before and had she not started drinking so early on, Maisie would have loved a brisk walk before the weather turned. The whiskey made her feel soft and comfortable and the idea of leaving the distillery made her want to flop onto the floor and refuse to move like a toddler throwing a hissy fit.

Turning on her seat again to look at Jade properly, Maisie had a sparkling idea. "Do you want to get some pizza?" She asked her friend, despite the logistics of getting a pizza to the northern tip of the Highlands being absolutely mindboggling.



@Jade Carroll

Jade had been delighted that her friend had agreed to come and visit. While the young woman was quite busy splitting her time between her various occupations she sometimes missed her old friends from school. Things had still been so different then. She smiled to herself reminiscently as she thought about her Hogwarts years.

She liked where her life had taken her. Jade was overall quite satisfied with herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been bored or exceedingly annoyed with anything. It was good to have contrasting things to do. She liked creating toys for the shop, travelling and writing about her journeys and she liked her quiet life on her little sheep farm on Skye.

Maisie seemed to have enjoyed the tour at the distillery and was now motioning her to come over. With a smile she greeted her friend’s comment about her father. They got along fairly well but their relationship wasn’t very close. “Does he?” she asked, an amused grin spreading across her face. She glanced at her father, trying to spot any similarities that she had missed in the past almost 30 years and chuckled softly.

“I’m glad you like it here,” she then said earnestly. While Jade wasn’t too involved in the running of the distillery it was still a place she liked and where she hung out frequently. She poured herself a glass of whisky and took a sip, enjoying the warm burning sensation as the liquid ran down her throat.

“Pizza?” she asked, feeling quite astonished. “I’ve never ordered pizza from here.” She tilted her head a little and gave a little shrug. “It could maybe be possible if we use the floo network. If we do an owl order we’d have to wait far too long anyway.” She paused briefly as she considered the idea. She liked pizza. Besides, drinking on an empty stomach was not a good idea and she had a feeling that they’d still consume quite some whisky. “My father has probably also stored some snacks somewhere behind the bar,” she offered as an alternative.