RP: Opening Day

[shh_eloise]

Date: March 19, 2005
Characters: Eloise Midgen, Viktor Krum, Marietta Edgecombe, Horace Slughorn, Roger Davies, Marcus Flint, Luna Lovegood, Draco Malfoy, Katie Bell, Cedric Diggory, Su Li, Caradoc Dearborn, Ron Weasley, Eleanor Branstone, Anyone else
Location: Just Desserts
Status: Public
Summary: The grand opening of Just Desserts
Completion:

Comments

[shh_marcus]

Marcus had been in the back washing trays and cleaning the kitchen since 8:15 this morning. Eloise hadn't been kidding when she said that she would work him to death.

He thought that fudge while delicious made a bloody mess and he'd spent alot of time scrubbing it off counters and floors and backsplashes and pans and himself. Marcus had peeked his head out of the back a few times and had seen Eloise speaking to customers including Viktor Krum who he watched her gush over. He had laughed at that and shook his head. She was a flirty little thing.

He was glad he found an apron that almost fit but he still had a few stains on his jumper when he finished.

"Bloody hell." He saw his face in the back of a pan and smear of dark chocolate there. Taking a rag, he scrubbed it off his face before he turned around and inspected the kitchen again.

"Sparkling." He let a smug smile of approval cross his features as he tossed the rag into the sink and hung the apron on a hook.

Marcus decided to head out front and see if Eloise needed help out there. He opened the door and nearly bumped into an older man. He almost told the bastard to get the fuck out of his way but this wasn't the time or the place to go back to his old ways.

Instead, Marcus took a second to compose himself before he asked, "How're you doing, sir?"

[shh_slughorn]

"Quite well," Horace said absently. "Hmmm... do you happen to know if house elves like sweets?" He looked up and saw Marcus properly and added "Marcus Flint, isn't it?"

[shh_marcus]

When the old man started asking him about house elves and sweets, Marcus peered over him, looking for a way to get away from bloke.

He wasn't cut out for sales and he wished Eloise were around but she was having a conversation with Roger Davies. Marcus thought about bolting back into the kitchen but the old bloke seemed to be sincere with his question and at a second glance, not too insane.

Exhaling, Marcus decided to help him out and tried to remember his parent's house elves and their eating habits. He'd snuck into the kitchen often and remembered a house elf named June Bug devouring a piece of chocolate cake once.

Marcus was proud of his memory and smiled tightly at the old man before he announced, "I believe that house elves are fond of sweets and chocolate in particular."

When the old man said his name, Marcus was taken aback and wondered who the hell he was. He thought for a moment that maybe coming here hadn't been such a good idea but he had no escape, so he tried to act casual when he answered, "That's my name. Now, who are you, sir?"

[shh_slughorn]

"Excellent!" said Horace, "Then I'd better choose a selection. Or perhaps you can recommend a few types? I want four gift boxes, just little thank-you presents. Oh, and a quarter-pound of coffee fudge for me, I think."

"I thought I recognised you," Horace said with an air of satisfaction, "Your mother showed me your photograph when I ran into her a few years ago in Diagon Alley, I was her house-master at Hogwarts. Professor Slughorn."

[shh_marcus]

"Umm." Marcus thought again about how horrlbe he was at this sort of thing. He mused for a moment, remembering back to his lunch here before he said nervously, "I would try the dark orange fudge, the white mint chocolate fudge and the dark chocolate with peanut butter fudge."

Marcus didn't wait for an answer from the old man. He looked over at Eloise and she was still in a conversation with Davies, so he scrambled behind the counter and finally found some red and white stripped boxes. He'd seen a few filled gift boxes in the back and judged how much of each fudge to put into each one.

Marcus was extremely flustered when his sausage fingers couldn't tie a bow before he finally figured it out. When all four boxes were done and he
had measured out the quarter pound of coffee fudge, he placed them all in a bag.

Marcus looked at a list and wrote the prices down on a piece of paper. He gave the man the slip befoe handing the bag to him.

"My mother? Oh, that's wonderful. I can't believe she carried a picture of me." Marcus lifted his eyebrow at the old man. He didn't think his mother would ever carry a picture of her pride and joy but stranger things had happened.

"Good to meet you, Professor," Marcus shook the man's hand before he tried to move him along.

"I think if you want to pay, you need to see that lady over there," he smiled at Slughorn, pointing over to Eloise now speaking to of all people, Draco Malfoy.

Marcus shrugged as he thought of meeting Slughorn and seeing Malfoy before he went to see what else he could do.

[shh_slughorn]

Horace looked at the scribbled prices - a bit expensive but not too bad - and said "The photograph was for the Old Slytherins newsletter, Slytherin beat Gryffindor.. or was it Ravenclaw? in a quidditch game and she thought it would be nice to mention it. I'm afraid we used a team photograph in the end, not individual portraits."

"Anyway, I mustn't keep you from getting on with your work," said Horace, trying to get some feeling back into his fingers, and went over to pay.