02. Decorating - Let's be Festive!: Septych - Fiction[NET]
The small village was bustling with business, hundreds of shoppers straining to get their presents bought and wrapped as quickly as possible.
The twins were flat out, hardly able to keep up with supply and demand as almost every single shopper who passed through the village also passed through their shop. They were successful but also so busy they could hardly think, so Makina and Tararyn took it in turns to help out at the twins shop. Their own shop had steady business and they were busy also, but it was nothing compared to the hectic business the twins were getting and it wasn't anything they couldn't handle with only one of them behind the counter.
It was such a relief at the end of every working day that they could close up and restock the shelves, an act which was almost therapeutic and soothing. They ate take away and drank butterbeer to chase away the cold as they restocked both shops together, the twins helping them out in their shop so it would go quicker and in return for their help that day also. Besides, it was more fun that way.
They joked around as if they had been friends for years instead of only a few short months. George and Makina were tight already, working together as one smooth unit - unpacking together then one flattening the box for storage while the other fetched another box.
Fred and Tararyn on the other hand hovered around each other, joking and messing around and while they got a lot of work done they were also easily distracted by one another, their oblivious interest in each other seen by all …except for the two in question.
“So what do you think about England so far?” George asked. “What’s Australia like?”
“It’s freezing cold here.” Tararyn was always wearing a scarf and layers under her thick robes, even inside. “Where I lived in Australia it was so hot most Brits would get heatstroke, but I was used to it…But thanks to that I’m not used to the cold here at all... or any cold, really.”
“Where I lived it was never as hot as it was where Tara lived… but no where near as cold as it is here.” Makina shook her head. “So I’m not really used to either…”
“You’re handling the cold better though.” Tararyn pointed out.
“You love the cold more.” Makina reminded her. “I never thought I’d say it but I miss Melbourne weather…what I would give to see the sun.”
“So let me get this straight. You dress up like that because you’re freezing… but you enjoy it?” Fred asked Tararyn, looking amused. “Can’t say I’ve heard that one before.”
“I’m a strange one.” Tararyn stuck her tongue out at him and then walked upstairs to get more boxes, Fred following her, still teasing her as he went.
“Do you think they’ll ever realise?” George asked Makina, amused as he watched his brother disappear behind a curtain. “Or will we have to be around this painfully awkward atmosphere for the next few years?”
“Hopefully they’ll realise themselves soon enough. Either way I’m not helping them. Every other time I have it’s turned out awful and Tara doesn’t speak to me for weeks after. I think I’m bad luck.” Makina rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure you’re not.” George smiled gently at her and took her hand in his for a moment, but had to let go quickly as Tararyn and Fred appeared on the top of the stairs again, three boxes each balanced in their hands.
“What took you two so long?” George asked teasingly, Makina hitting him gently as Tararyn blushed and Fred shot daggers at his brother.
“Fred was telling me all your secrets.” Tararyn managed to reply smoothly, and winked at Fred.
“Fred better not have unless he wants all his secrets told to a certain someone.” George replied calmly and grinned knowingly at Makina. “Wouldn’t it be a shame, Makki, if a certain someone should know a certain something?”
“A true shame indeed.” Makina grinned, and Fred grumbled something darkly under his breath before mumbling something about having to collect something from the twins’ own shop and escaped out the door.
The shops had been decorated long ago but Makina and Tararyn had been waiting to decorate their own small flat until there were only two weeks until Christmas. Neither of them had ever been great lovers of the holiday and as the holiday had crept up on them again that year they hadn't even started to think about it until it was too late and they were flat out with their store and helping out with the twins.
They didn’t really have any decorations anyway, and the decorations available in the magical world, or technically the charms they used on them were things they’d never even dreamed about. They had no idea where they would start and it was all a bit over their heads.
"You haven't decorated yet?" George asked in surprise as he helped Makina carry out the trash, both still snickering about poor Fred.
Makina shrugged. "We probably will in a few days, just haven't really had the time."
"Probably?" George teased. "Where's your Christmas spirit?" He ducked a snowball from a returning Fred and stood in front of Makina to protect her.
"It ran away with my sanity." Makina replied dryly as she made snowballs and handed them to George smoothly. “We’re just not the type to get really hyped up over Christmas.” She beat the twins back into the store before she became part of the snowball fight.
"Tara, they're giving us hell for not having decorated our flat yet!"
"We decorated the shop, that's more than enough. Besides, it's not like they've decorated yet." Tararyn replied, grinning at Fred as he returned to her side, snow dusting his hair and shoulders, which she batted off then handed him a box to hold at her height so she could unpack it all onto a shelf quicker.
"You hypocrite!" Makina hit George's arm with a grin. "You haven't decorated and you're getting up at me for not having decorated either? That's rough!"
"Only because I wanted to wait for the perfect chance to ask you to help me." George caught Makina's fist and held it against his chest.
"How soppy." Tararyn pulled a face and then laughed at something Fred muttered under his breath at her.
"I'd love to George. As long as you help us decorate." Makina replied, ignoring the other two. "When should we start?"
<--- 01. Snow || 03. Gifts --->
The twins were flat out, hardly able to keep up with supply and demand as almost every single shopper who passed through the village also passed through their shop. They were successful but also so busy they could hardly think, so Makina and Tararyn took it in turns to help out at the twins shop. Their own shop had steady business and they were busy also, but it was nothing compared to the hectic business the twins were getting and it wasn't anything they couldn't handle with only one of them behind the counter.
It was such a relief at the end of every working day that they could close up and restock the shelves, an act which was almost therapeutic and soothing. They ate take away and drank butterbeer to chase away the cold as they restocked both shops together, the twins helping them out in their shop so it would go quicker and in return for their help that day also. Besides, it was more fun that way.
They joked around as if they had been friends for years instead of only a few short months. George and Makina were tight already, working together as one smooth unit - unpacking together then one flattening the box for storage while the other fetched another box.
Fred and Tararyn on the other hand hovered around each other, joking and messing around and while they got a lot of work done they were also easily distracted by one another, their oblivious interest in each other seen by all …except for the two in question.
“So what do you think about England so far?” George asked. “What’s Australia like?”
“It’s freezing cold here.” Tararyn was always wearing a scarf and layers under her thick robes, even inside. “Where I lived in Australia it was so hot most Brits would get heatstroke, but I was used to it…But thanks to that I’m not used to the cold here at all... or any cold, really.”
“Where I lived it was never as hot as it was where Tara lived… but no where near as cold as it is here.” Makina shook her head. “So I’m not really used to either…”
“You’re handling the cold better though.” Tararyn pointed out.
“You love the cold more.” Makina reminded her. “I never thought I’d say it but I miss Melbourne weather…what I would give to see the sun.”
“So let me get this straight. You dress up like that because you’re freezing… but you enjoy it?” Fred asked Tararyn, looking amused. “Can’t say I’ve heard that one before.”
“I’m a strange one.” Tararyn stuck her tongue out at him and then walked upstairs to get more boxes, Fred following her, still teasing her as he went.
“Do you think they’ll ever realise?” George asked Makina, amused as he watched his brother disappear behind a curtain. “Or will we have to be around this painfully awkward atmosphere for the next few years?”
“Hopefully they’ll realise themselves soon enough. Either way I’m not helping them. Every other time I have it’s turned out awful and Tara doesn’t speak to me for weeks after. I think I’m bad luck.” Makina rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure you’re not.” George smiled gently at her and took her hand in his for a moment, but had to let go quickly as Tararyn and Fred appeared on the top of the stairs again, three boxes each balanced in their hands.
“What took you two so long?” George asked teasingly, Makina hitting him gently as Tararyn blushed and Fred shot daggers at his brother.
“Fred was telling me all your secrets.” Tararyn managed to reply smoothly, and winked at Fred.
“Fred better not have unless he wants all his secrets told to a certain someone.” George replied calmly and grinned knowingly at Makina. “Wouldn’t it be a shame, Makki, if a certain someone should know a certain something?”
“A true shame indeed.” Makina grinned, and Fred grumbled something darkly under his breath before mumbling something about having to collect something from the twins’ own shop and escaped out the door.
The shops had been decorated long ago but Makina and Tararyn had been waiting to decorate their own small flat until there were only two weeks until Christmas. Neither of them had ever been great lovers of the holiday and as the holiday had crept up on them again that year they hadn't even started to think about it until it was too late and they were flat out with their store and helping out with the twins.
They didn’t really have any decorations anyway, and the decorations available in the magical world, or technically the charms they used on them were things they’d never even dreamed about. They had no idea where they would start and it was all a bit over their heads.
"You haven't decorated yet?" George asked in surprise as he helped Makina carry out the trash, both still snickering about poor Fred.
Makina shrugged. "We probably will in a few days, just haven't really had the time."
"Probably?" George teased. "Where's your Christmas spirit?" He ducked a snowball from a returning Fred and stood in front of Makina to protect her.
"It ran away with my sanity." Makina replied dryly as she made snowballs and handed them to George smoothly. “We’re just not the type to get really hyped up over Christmas.” She beat the twins back into the store before she became part of the snowball fight.
"Tara, they're giving us hell for not having decorated our flat yet!"
"We decorated the shop, that's more than enough. Besides, it's not like they've decorated yet." Tararyn replied, grinning at Fred as he returned to her side, snow dusting his hair and shoulders, which she batted off then handed him a box to hold at her height so she could unpack it all onto a shelf quicker.
"You hypocrite!" Makina hit George's arm with a grin. "You haven't decorated and you're getting up at me for not having decorated either? That's rough!"
"Only because I wanted to wait for the perfect chance to ask you to help me." George caught Makina's fist and held it against his chest.
"How soppy." Tararyn pulled a face and then laughed at something Fred muttered under his breath at her.
"I'd love to George. As long as you help us decorate." Makina replied, ignoring the other two. "When should we start?"
<--- 01. Snow || 03. Gifts --->