Date: May 17, 2005
Character(s): Draco Malfoy, Eloise Midgen
Location: Streets of Stoats, Just Desserts
Status: Semi-public (they'll be at the shop)
Summary: Draco needs a suitable place to handle his business.
Completion: Complete
One would think that since he'd been present at half the battles in the bloody town, Draco wouldn't have been surprised that
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He didn't have time to examine the foolishness of that thought before she was looking up and greeting him in a voice that was far too cheerful. His eyes flitted to the customer she'd been helping briefly before he inclined his head. "Begging your pardon," he drawled. "but I'm here for chocolate, unless you've an underground gambling ring below your floorboards."
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"So, chocolate? Did you want more mint fudge or are you feeling adventurous today? There's a milk chocolate with strawberry filling that I've been selling a lot lately."
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He smirked and moved to the counter, browsing a bit. "Yes, I suppose I'll take the risk." He glanced around again before he turned back to Eloise. "How's business?" he asked casually, resting an elbow against the counter.
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At his agreement, she went behind the counter and put two of the sweets on a napkin before she handed them over. "One is strawberry and the other is a mint creme. Since you like the mint fudge, you might enjoy it."
"Business is good," she said. "People seem to like getting chocolate, which is definitely helpful. I'm not exactly sure how all the numbers balance, as I'm great in many areas but utterly horrid with columns of numbers, but we get quite a few people in here during the course of the week, so it's all good."
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When she handed him two sweets on a napkin, he nodded and waited for her to charge him. When she didn't, his brows knit. She'd given him free chocolate each time they'd met. If she did that for other people, she couldn't be making much of a profit. He'd certainly not be handing freebies out left, right and centre when he started his own business.
He nodded when she indicated business was going alright, but his eyebrow winged when she mentioned not having a concept of the numbers with no measurable amount of concern. "Good lord, Midgen," he murmured after eating the first piece of chocolate. It was rather tasty, some sort of truffle with smooth mint filling. "'It's all good?' How the hell would you know that with no clue whether your numbers balance?"
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"As long as there's chocolate for sale and some money made, then the business is doing what it should," she added. "I don't really care how much money is left once supplies are bought and my employee is paid. My own expenses aren't that much, after all, and a chocolate shop isn't like a cafe where people go all the time, so I'm pretty lucky so far, I think."
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Taking a moment to eat the other bit of chocolate, he tried to bite his tongue. What did he give a fuck about her chocolate shop, anyway? He next words made him look up, though.
"I don't believe in luck," he said sharply. "Whether you're a success is entirely up to you. I'm sure it must be nice not to care how much money you make, but most of us don't have that luxury. At any rate, you've good product," he added begrudgingly, "but you'll need all of your 'luck' if you expect to stay afloat thinking that's all you need."
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"You know, I might not be as smart as you or good with numbers, but at least I'm out here trying to do something. I don't want it to fail, of course, but I look at all the numbers and they just don't make a huge amount of sense. I can follow a recipe exactly, but that's where my talent ends. From what I can tell, I'm making a profit, albeit a small one, and that's good for a new business, I think."
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"Look, I'm sure it's very fulfilling to be out doing something for yourself," he said, hoping that he'd have the same feeling sometime soon. He moved away from the counter, frowning slightly as he looked over the shop, mind running over details.
"According to my research so far, you most new businesses can't expect more than a small profit, if any, in the first year, so I'm hardly discounting that," he said, somewhat distracted, turning back after he noticed a door on the opposite wall. "And numbers aren't terribly difficult to learn, when considering the time and money you'll save down the track."
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She watched him closely when she realized he was acting strange. He was always a little odd, which was probably one reason she rather liked him. Sure, he was nice to look at, and she definitely didn't mind the view, but he was an arse when he was using good behavior so she could just imagine what a rude git he'd be in a temper. Yet, she really did enjoy their conversations.
And the one this afternoon wasn't about her inability to manage a budget, she realized. "Your research? Are you opening a business?" she asked, not at all subtle with her nosiness. "They've always been difficult for me. I didn't take Arithmancy for a reason."
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