When you can't find your way
Category: Pink Sheep RPG
Whistling to himself, Anthony strolled down Diagon, embracing the May sun. He didn't have clinic hours this morning, so he was taking advantage of the warm weather and the free time to do a bit of shopping for his all too soon arriving niece, Lizzie. While he knew Katie would be getting all her all sorts of Puddlemere related accouterments, the little girl would need much, much more.
The heels of Padma's Louboutins clacked lightly on the cobblestones as she hurried down Diagon Alley, a pair of Yves St.Laurent sunglasses firmly in place and her Hermés handbag slung over her shoulder. Since Parvati's return, she hadn't really had an opportunity to sit back and truly digest the news that her twin had had a child and told no one.
And now, since Parvati and Kiran had moved out, her flat felt ominously empty. She'd spent the last evening by herself, curled up on the sofa with a bottle of wine and a sappy romance novel, crying. She rarely let her facade of cool, collected professional drop, but when she did, it was for a massive breakdown.
Anthony was contemplating his options when he noticed a very familiar brunette heading directly his way. Grinning, he raised a hand. "Padma," he called, making sure to attract her attention before he stepped towards her.
Her head turned at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name, a faint, yet genuine, smile lighting her lips when she saw her old friend. "Hello, Anthony," she said as he approached her.
"How are you?" He asked, bending down to give her a brief hug. "Enjoying the sunshine?"
"I'm well," she said, returning his hug. "Just getting a late start to the work day. And you?"
"Avoiding work. For once." He flashed her a grin. "Amy's pregnant so I'm shopping for my impending niece." A thought came over him. "Hey, you're into fashion, wanna help a poor sod out? Don't leave me to the tender mercies of shop attendents. Merlin forbid if I buy the wrong for Lizzie. Amy'll have my head."
"I'm not sure how much help I'd be," she said, "I've never shopped for babies." But it would be a good opportunity to buy stuff for Kiran; she had two years worth of presents
"I'm buying clothes and in case you haven't noticed, I'm severely deficient when it comes to fashion sense." He always had been. Thank Merlin for uniforms when it came to Hogwarts. He doubted he could have gotten dressed decently every morning without them. Even now, he lived in denims and tees, occasionally jumpers if the weather suited. "I wouldn't want to buy anything ugly."
"Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, though," she mused. "But I'll try to lend some assistence. I don't have any meetings until this afternoon."
"Fantastic," he offered her his arm. "I'll even buy you ice cream or coffee or whatever you want in thanks."
"You really don't have to," she said, taking his arm and letting her hand rest lightly on his bicep. "Have you been in there yet?" she asked, nodding towards Bumblebees and Butterflies, a popular childrens clothing boutique up the alley.
"Nope." He began in that direction. "And I know I don't have to, which makes it that much better when I do. You know me." He sucked in his breath as they entered the shop. There were lots of little things here. Lots of little pink cutesy things. He didn't see how anyone could want something with that many ruffles on it. What was the point? Usually when he saw infants they were usually wearing something covered in spit up or drool or unidentified stains.
Padma's nose crinkled at the multitude of pastel clothing items that littered the shop. While she did like pink, she only wore bright, bold shades. Pastels didn't go well with her skin tone.
"Well, first things first, I suppose. What are you looking for?"
"Something cute. Clever. Both her parents are Ravenclaws. She's going to be the smartest, most gorgeous little girl in England." He wandered over to a display. "Maybe this. Or something like it."
"And you're not the slightest bit biased," Padma sniggered. "So, you want onesies, definitely. Maybe some rompers and dresses as well?"
"I want what?" Anthony blinked at her. "I want baby clothes. That you know, aren't ridiculous." He lifted one in particular that was covered in little ruffles and was made out of what felt like silk. Even the best charms master would be hard pressed to get stains out of the material.
"Baby clothes that aren't ridiculous," she repeated, picking up a soft, no-nonsense pink romper with little ladybugs on it. "I think we can handle that." Her gaze wandered to the display of children's clothing, making note of several cute sets of little boys clothing.
"Thank Merlin." Anthony shook his head. "And here I'd thought this be easy. I've seen lots of infants. Know, medically speaking, what's good for them. But on them? I'm clueless. Perhaps I should stick with toys. I can get her the most up to date and educational ones out there. The ones that will stimulate all the appropriate brainwaves and help, developmentally speaking."
"At least you have an idea of what to get her," Padma supplied. "I haven't spent any time around children until just recently, so I'm still learning what sort of things are good for them and whatnot."
"Until recently?" He glanced at her as he picked up a dress covered with little strawberries. Deciding that it met his not so high standards, he kept it. "There's a story behind that. Care to share?" Anthony wouldn't press. It wasn't his business, but part of his job as healer was fixing people. Sometimes it wasn't a charm or a potion that was needed, but an open ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Padma shrugged. "I have a two-year old nephew whom I met for the first time when he showed up on my doorstep last month with my sister after three years of silence from her." She picked up another dress, this one green with white trim, and held it out for Anthony's approval, hoping her face didn't betray her conflicted emotions on the subject.
He blinked, trying to process the information. "Well, that's a new one," he said after a moment before turning his attention to the little dress she held out for his approval. "I like it."
"Me too," she said softly, handing it to him.
"So a two year old, huh?" Anthony began to wander around, trying to find anything that caught his eye. "That's a fun stage. Especially if you can hand them back after. They get mouthy. What do you think about this hat?" He showed it to her.
She shook her head. "I'm not liking the lace trim. Something more like this," she said, picking up a similar hat yet without the frilly ruffles, "would be much more functional."
He nodded and dropped the article of clothing back down. "Babies grow fast. We should probably buy stuff that she'll be able to grow into. Or," he eyed her, "we could blow this popsicle stand and go for the fun stuff, like toys."
"Whatever you think she'd like best," Padma agreed, letting her eyes aimlessly wander over the different displays. Kiran's sudden appearance in her life had made her question what she wanted with her life. She'd never, ever thought she'd have a child, nor had she thought she wanted one. But now, she recognized that she would like to be a mum- not right now, of course, but eventually.
"Toys," Anthony said firmly. "I know something about toys at least. Perhaps we can find something for your nephew as well?" he suggested gently.
"He'd like some toys," she said, nodding in agreement. She didn't know how many toys that Kiran had, so maybe he'd like some new things.
"Toys it is then." He flashed her a boyish grin. "Then ice cream after. You can't go to a toy store and not go out for ice cream. Or at least I can't. And I'm kidnapping you, so you'll just have to deal."
"As long as you have me back to the office by two," she said, giving him a look. "I have a Floo call with our New York office which I'm sick of rescheduling."
"Oh, I know that look," he poked her in the side lightly, "you used to give it to me when I would tell you 'just one more minute' before we did rounds. I promise: I, Anthony Isaac Goldstein will have one Padma Kali Patil back at her office by two o'clock, filled with delicious ice cream."
She smacked lightly at his hand, flinching from his poking finger. "I'm holding you to that, Anthony Goldstein."
"So that means you'll come and get ice cream with me?"
"That means I'll get ice cream with you."
"Fantastic." Taking their intended purchases to the register, he tried not to make a face as they were rung up. Who knew such little things could cost so much? "Toys now," he told her, shrinking the bag full of clothes and dropping it into a pocket. "I'm afraid we're going to have to go muggle for the toy store," he told her. "Hamleys' the best there is in London."
"That's fine with me," she said, "but you'll have to lead the way. I'm not entirely sure where it is."
"Can do," he told her, offering his arm again. "Side along alright? That's the quickest, most efficient way. Especially for someone whose running on a schedule," he offered with a grin.
"Side-along is fine," she said, taking his arm once more and preparing for the squeeze of Apparition.
A hop, skip, and a jump away and they were standing in an alley just past the famed toy store. "This ought to be fun," he told her as he took her hand and dragged her into the store, quickly and easily finding his way around. While he might have been nervous when it came to clothes for little girls, toys were a different matter. He was an expert on toys.
"Anthony, I can't run in four-inch heels, so just keep that in mind," Padma remarked with a smile as he tugged her from display to display.
"Well don't wear four-inch-heels. They're bad for your feet and ankles. What do you think about this?" He held up a soft teddy bear, covered in caramel colored fur. "Every child needs a teddy."
"But they're pretty," she replied, reaching out to take the bear from him and rubbing her hands over the soft fur. "And I think she would love it."
"You know what's not pretty? The number of bones I have to fix once you break your ankle when you trip." Tucking the bear under his arm he began to investigate several more toys. Light up, noise makers, balls, chew toys, and a myriad of other items. There was so much to chose from. What he really should do is kidnap Katie for an afternoon and they could go crazy, shopping to spoil little Lizzie. Jonathan and Amy wouldn't know what hit them.
"Do I look like Lisa?" Padma queried as she followed him at a more sedate pace, stopping to pick up a various few toys she thought would take Kiran's fancy.
"Well, Lisa's a force unto herself. Nobody could be like Lisa." There, that was nice and diplomatic and he wouldn't force her to break out some official girl-code that would require her to hex him for insulting one of her best friends. "How is she by the way? I think the only people I've seen the past few months are my patients and Katie when she comes to feed me."
"Deliriously in love," she said, quirking her head to examine a... video game? She set it down quickly; it was probably a bit early for something like that. It looked too complicated for a two-year old. "She's practically floating, she's so happy." She hoped the tinge of jealousy she felt for her best friend didn't creep into her voice.
"Good on her. Anyone we might know? Think fast." He tossed her a puzzle. Kids loved those things. And they were good at developing key skills. Perfectly appropriate for her nephew.
"Remember Ernie Macmillan? Him," she said as she looked over the puzzle.
"Prefect for Hufflepuff? Sure." He picked up another puzzle and looked at it. "So what do you think? Dinosaurs," he indicated the box in her hands before raising the one in his, "or alphabet?"
"For your niece?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'd say the alphabet."
"No, for your nephew. What's his name?"
"Kiran," Padma said, a soft smile gracing her face. "It's Hindi for sunbeam."
"Nice. And is he? Or has he reached the terrible two stage yet?" Though telling by your face, probably not."
"I honestly don't know; he'll be three soon," she replied, voice trailing off in thought. "At least, I think he will."
"Well, buy both then. You have birthdays to make up for. Though give your sister a knock on the head for me, will you?" Anthony shook his head. He couldn't imagine not speaking to any of his family for three years. He and Amy were close enough, but nothing like Padma had been with her sister when they were in school. Even thought they were in separate houses, they could often be found together, heads bent in sisterly conversation.
"Birthdays, Christmases, Valentine's Days, just because days," she murmured, though it was more to herself than to Anthony. She took both puzzles from him and tucked them under her arm, lost in thought.
Her murmurings pulled a frown from his lips. Her sister had obviously hurt her and Anthony didn't like to see his friends hurt. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she hummed, glancing up at him. "I'm fine," she said, giving him a small smile.
He nodded. "You seem a bit off," he said honestly. "But I suppose finding out about nephews can be a bit daunting. I'm sorry you missed two years of his life, but is he happy? Healthy?"
"I am a bit off, I suppose," she mused, "but he seems happy and healthy. I hope they stay; they've been living a sort of gypsy lifestyle, moving every few months or so."
"Look forward to the time you will have," he advised. "And you'll always be part of Parvati's life, Padma." Anthony reached out, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, unsure if she'd accept a hug from him or not. "She might have misplaced it for a bit, but she's back now. And if you ever suspect that he's not..." he trailed off, hating to insuinate such a claim, but young children needed stability in their lives if they wanted to grow up to be normal and productive adults. "You know where to come, right?"
She tensed for a half-second before relaxing; Anthony would never hurt her. "I do," she said, smiling at him. "I'm sorry I'm a mess."
"It's not your fault. You're allowed to be a messy at times. It's called being human." He moved away. "I bet I can buy more toys than you."
"You're on, Mr.Goldstein," she quipped, smile growing.
"On three. One... Two..." He dashed off before he could reach three, cackling madly as he went.
Summary: Anthony and Padma run into one another, then spend the afternoon shopping.
Whistling to himself, Anthony strolled down Diagon, embracing the May sun. He didn't have clinic hours this morning, so he was taking advantage of the warm weather and the free time to do a bit of shopping for his all too soon arriving niece, Lizzie. While he knew Katie would be getting all her all sorts of Puddlemere related accouterments, the little girl would need much, much more.
The heels of Padma's Louboutins clacked lightly on the cobblestones as she hurried down Diagon Alley, a pair of Yves St.Laurent sunglasses firmly in place and her Hermés handbag slung over her shoulder. Since Parvati's return, she hadn't really had an opportunity to sit back and truly digest the news that her twin had had a child and told no one.
And now, since Parvati and Kiran had moved out, her flat felt ominously empty. She'd spent the last evening by herself, curled up on the sofa with a bottle of wine and a sappy romance novel, crying. She rarely let her facade of cool, collected professional drop, but when she did, it was for a massive breakdown.
Anthony was contemplating his options when he noticed a very familiar brunette heading directly his way. Grinning, he raised a hand. "Padma," he called, making sure to attract her attention before he stepped towards her.
Her head turned at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name, a faint, yet genuine, smile lighting her lips when she saw her old friend. "Hello, Anthony," she said as he approached her.
"How are you?" He asked, bending down to give her a brief hug. "Enjoying the sunshine?"
"I'm well," she said, returning his hug. "Just getting a late start to the work day. And you?"
"Avoiding work. For once." He flashed her a grin. "Amy's pregnant so I'm shopping for my impending niece." A thought came over him. "Hey, you're into fashion, wanna help a poor sod out? Don't leave me to the tender mercies of shop attendents. Merlin forbid if I buy the wrong for Lizzie. Amy'll have my head."
"I'm not sure how much help I'd be," she said, "I've never shopped for babies." But it would be a good opportunity to buy stuff for Kiran; she had two years worth of presents
"I'm buying clothes and in case you haven't noticed, I'm severely deficient when it comes to fashion sense." He always had been. Thank Merlin for uniforms when it came to Hogwarts. He doubted he could have gotten dressed decently every morning without them. Even now, he lived in denims and tees, occasionally jumpers if the weather suited. "I wouldn't want to buy anything ugly."
"Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, though," she mused. "But I'll try to lend some assistence. I don't have any meetings until this afternoon."
"Fantastic," he offered her his arm. "I'll even buy you ice cream or coffee or whatever you want in thanks."
"You really don't have to," she said, taking his arm and letting her hand rest lightly on his bicep. "Have you been in there yet?" she asked, nodding towards Bumblebees and Butterflies, a popular childrens clothing boutique up the alley.
"Nope." He began in that direction. "And I know I don't have to, which makes it that much better when I do. You know me." He sucked in his breath as they entered the shop. There were lots of little things here. Lots of little pink cutesy things. He didn't see how anyone could want something with that many ruffles on it. What was the point? Usually when he saw infants they were usually wearing something covered in spit up or drool or unidentified stains.
Padma's nose crinkled at the multitude of pastel clothing items that littered the shop. While she did like pink, she only wore bright, bold shades. Pastels didn't go well with her skin tone.
"Well, first things first, I suppose. What are you looking for?"
"Something cute. Clever. Both her parents are Ravenclaws. She's going to be the smartest, most gorgeous little girl in England." He wandered over to a display. "Maybe this. Or something like it."
"And you're not the slightest bit biased," Padma sniggered. "So, you want onesies, definitely. Maybe some rompers and dresses as well?"
"I want what?" Anthony blinked at her. "I want baby clothes. That you know, aren't ridiculous." He lifted one in particular that was covered in little ruffles and was made out of what felt like silk. Even the best charms master would be hard pressed to get stains out of the material.
"Baby clothes that aren't ridiculous," she repeated, picking up a soft, no-nonsense pink romper with little ladybugs on it. "I think we can handle that." Her gaze wandered to the display of children's clothing, making note of several cute sets of little boys clothing.
"Thank Merlin." Anthony shook his head. "And here I'd thought this be easy. I've seen lots of infants. Know, medically speaking, what's good for them. But on them? I'm clueless. Perhaps I should stick with toys. I can get her the most up to date and educational ones out there. The ones that will stimulate all the appropriate brainwaves and help, developmentally speaking."
"At least you have an idea of what to get her," Padma supplied. "I haven't spent any time around children until just recently, so I'm still learning what sort of things are good for them and whatnot."
"Until recently?" He glanced at her as he picked up a dress covered with little strawberries. Deciding that it met his not so high standards, he kept it. "There's a story behind that. Care to share?" Anthony wouldn't press. It wasn't his business, but part of his job as healer was fixing people. Sometimes it wasn't a charm or a potion that was needed, but an open ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Padma shrugged. "I have a two-year old nephew whom I met for the first time when he showed up on my doorstep last month with my sister after three years of silence from her." She picked up another dress, this one green with white trim, and held it out for Anthony's approval, hoping her face didn't betray her conflicted emotions on the subject.
He blinked, trying to process the information. "Well, that's a new one," he said after a moment before turning his attention to the little dress she held out for his approval. "I like it."
"Me too," she said softly, handing it to him.
"So a two year old, huh?" Anthony began to wander around, trying to find anything that caught his eye. "That's a fun stage. Especially if you can hand them back after. They get mouthy. What do you think about this hat?" He showed it to her.
She shook her head. "I'm not liking the lace trim. Something more like this," she said, picking up a similar hat yet without the frilly ruffles, "would be much more functional."
He nodded and dropped the article of clothing back down. "Babies grow fast. We should probably buy stuff that she'll be able to grow into. Or," he eyed her, "we could blow this popsicle stand and go for the fun stuff, like toys."
"Whatever you think she'd like best," Padma agreed, letting her eyes aimlessly wander over the different displays. Kiran's sudden appearance in her life had made her question what she wanted with her life. She'd never, ever thought she'd have a child, nor had she thought she wanted one. But now, she recognized that she would like to be a mum- not right now, of course, but eventually.
"Toys," Anthony said firmly. "I know something about toys at least. Perhaps we can find something for your nephew as well?" he suggested gently.
"He'd like some toys," she said, nodding in agreement. She didn't know how many toys that Kiran had, so maybe he'd like some new things.
"Toys it is then." He flashed her a boyish grin. "Then ice cream after. You can't go to a toy store and not go out for ice cream. Or at least I can't. And I'm kidnapping you, so you'll just have to deal."
"As long as you have me back to the office by two," she said, giving him a look. "I have a Floo call with our New York office which I'm sick of rescheduling."
"Oh, I know that look," he poked her in the side lightly, "you used to give it to me when I would tell you 'just one more minute' before we did rounds. I promise: I, Anthony Isaac Goldstein will have one Padma Kali Patil back at her office by two o'clock, filled with delicious ice cream."
She smacked lightly at his hand, flinching from his poking finger. "I'm holding you to that, Anthony Goldstein."
"So that means you'll come and get ice cream with me?"
"That means I'll get ice cream with you."
"Fantastic." Taking their intended purchases to the register, he tried not to make a face as they were rung up. Who knew such little things could cost so much? "Toys now," he told her, shrinking the bag full of clothes and dropping it into a pocket. "I'm afraid we're going to have to go muggle for the toy store," he told her. "Hamleys' the best there is in London."
"That's fine with me," she said, "but you'll have to lead the way. I'm not entirely sure where it is."
"Can do," he told her, offering his arm again. "Side along alright? That's the quickest, most efficient way. Especially for someone whose running on a schedule," he offered with a grin.
"Side-along is fine," she said, taking his arm once more and preparing for the squeeze of Apparition.
A hop, skip, and a jump away and they were standing in an alley just past the famed toy store. "This ought to be fun," he told her as he took her hand and dragged her into the store, quickly and easily finding his way around. While he might have been nervous when it came to clothes for little girls, toys were a different matter. He was an expert on toys.
"Anthony, I can't run in four-inch heels, so just keep that in mind," Padma remarked with a smile as he tugged her from display to display.
"Well don't wear four-inch-heels. They're bad for your feet and ankles. What do you think about this?" He held up a soft teddy bear, covered in caramel colored fur. "Every child needs a teddy."
"But they're pretty," she replied, reaching out to take the bear from him and rubbing her hands over the soft fur. "And I think she would love it."
"You know what's not pretty? The number of bones I have to fix once you break your ankle when you trip." Tucking the bear under his arm he began to investigate several more toys. Light up, noise makers, balls, chew toys, and a myriad of other items. There was so much to chose from. What he really should do is kidnap Katie for an afternoon and they could go crazy, shopping to spoil little Lizzie. Jonathan and Amy wouldn't know what hit them.
"Do I look like Lisa?" Padma queried as she followed him at a more sedate pace, stopping to pick up a various few toys she thought would take Kiran's fancy.
"Well, Lisa's a force unto herself. Nobody could be like Lisa." There, that was nice and diplomatic and he wouldn't force her to break out some official girl-code that would require her to hex him for insulting one of her best friends. "How is she by the way? I think the only people I've seen the past few months are my patients and Katie when she comes to feed me."
"Deliriously in love," she said, quirking her head to examine a... video game? She set it down quickly; it was probably a bit early for something like that. It looked too complicated for a two-year old. "She's practically floating, she's so happy." She hoped the tinge of jealousy she felt for her best friend didn't creep into her voice.
"Good on her. Anyone we might know? Think fast." He tossed her a puzzle. Kids loved those things. And they were good at developing key skills. Perfectly appropriate for her nephew.
"Remember Ernie Macmillan? Him," she said as she looked over the puzzle.
"Prefect for Hufflepuff? Sure." He picked up another puzzle and looked at it. "So what do you think? Dinosaurs," he indicated the box in her hands before raising the one in his, "or alphabet?"
"For your niece?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'd say the alphabet."
"No, for your nephew. What's his name?"
"Kiran," Padma said, a soft smile gracing her face. "It's Hindi for sunbeam."
"Nice. And is he? Or has he reached the terrible two stage yet?" Though telling by your face, probably not."
"I honestly don't know; he'll be three soon," she replied, voice trailing off in thought. "At least, I think he will."
"Well, buy both then. You have birthdays to make up for. Though give your sister a knock on the head for me, will you?" Anthony shook his head. He couldn't imagine not speaking to any of his family for three years. He and Amy were close enough, but nothing like Padma had been with her sister when they were in school. Even thought they were in separate houses, they could often be found together, heads bent in sisterly conversation.
"Birthdays, Christmases, Valentine's Days, just because days," she murmured, though it was more to herself than to Anthony. She took both puzzles from him and tucked them under her arm, lost in thought.
Her murmurings pulled a frown from his lips. Her sister had obviously hurt her and Anthony didn't like to see his friends hurt. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Hmm?" she hummed, glancing up at him. "I'm fine," she said, giving him a small smile.
He nodded. "You seem a bit off," he said honestly. "But I suppose finding out about nephews can be a bit daunting. I'm sorry you missed two years of his life, but is he happy? Healthy?"
"I am a bit off, I suppose," she mused, "but he seems happy and healthy. I hope they stay; they've been living a sort of gypsy lifestyle, moving every few months or so."
"Look forward to the time you will have," he advised. "And you'll always be part of Parvati's life, Padma." Anthony reached out, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, unsure if she'd accept a hug from him or not. "She might have misplaced it for a bit, but she's back now. And if you ever suspect that he's not..." he trailed off, hating to insuinate such a claim, but young children needed stability in their lives if they wanted to grow up to be normal and productive adults. "You know where to come, right?"
She tensed for a half-second before relaxing; Anthony would never hurt her. "I do," she said, smiling at him. "I'm sorry I'm a mess."
"It's not your fault. You're allowed to be a messy at times. It's called being human." He moved away. "I bet I can buy more toys than you."
"You're on, Mr.Goldstein," she quipped, smile growing.
"On three. One... Two..." He dashed off before he could reach three, cackling madly as he went.
Summary: Anthony and Padma run into one another, then spend the afternoon shopping.