Date: April 20, 2005
Characters: Angelina Johnson, Orla Quirke, Cedric Diggory
Location: Custom Broom & Quidditch Supply
Status: Public
Summary: Orla comes by to confront her fears and maybe buy a broom... and an unexpected, but very welcome, visitor drops by for a new broom after a mishap.
Completion: Incomplete
(
Fright or Flight? )
Comments 41
She entered the shop, hearing a female voice call from the back, then seeing a beautiuful dark-skinned female come out to greet her. "Hi. I'm Orla. Orla Quirke. I'm here to buy a broom."
She winced, realizing how asinine that sounds. "Obviously I'm here to buy a broom, that was rather silly of me. What do you recommend?"
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Angelina retracted her hand after they shook and took Orla to look at the sample broom she had hanging next to her desk. "Well, this is a sample broom that I made for myself, but most are fairly similar."
The young woman looked a little lost, as if she'd maybe gotten lost or something, but she was obviously looking for a broom. She'd even said so.
"Well, before I recommend anything, let me know what you'll be using it for and then we can start from square one. I'll draw out a sketch on the table here and then we'll put the parts together," Angelina wanted to start off slow so she wasn't confusing the witch. She found that custom brooms were still a novelty in Britain and even the most experienced flyers were sometimes not so comfortable with change.
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She followed Angelina to the drawing table, and said somewhat hesitantly, "I guess mostly leisure flying. No big tricks or serious Quidditch matches. Something more functional, rather than showy." She hoped that made sense. It was close to the same thing her parents said when buying a car.
"Whatever you think best for someone who's a bit...rusty." She figured the truth would stretch that far. She'd learned to fly, somewhat. She just hated it.
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"Would you be using it for long distances or just here in town?" she asked, matter-of-factly.
"A bit rusty? Hmm..." she replied. "That's no problem. How long has it been?"
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Angelina took measurements and wrote them down next to the drawing.
"Well, Ms. Quirke, I think that's about it for measurements. Do you have any other questions about the broom itself or about flying?" she asked.
She nodded at her own sample broom. "Would you like to try this one out before you decide about your purchase?" The young witch seemed a little skeptical and Angelina wanted to make sure her customer left the shoppe with a good feeling about buying a broom.
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With a brief sigh, she said, "No, I think that should take care of everything. How long til I should stop by for the final product?"
"No, no thank you. Not that I don't appreciate the thought, but I seem to have very little luck on someone else's broom. I'm looking forward to this one, though. Should be just what I need." She smiled, lying through her teeth about enjoying the whole process.
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"I know the whole process is a bit overwhelming, even for wizards who have been flying right up until now, so it's a lot to take in," she looked at the witch, who was a bit stiff. "Let me know if you think of any other questions along the way..."
"Now there's just the question of payment. How would you like to pay?" she asked. "And you won't have to pay for it until you come pick it up," she added.
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"As far as payment goes, I can pay more readily in muggle money than in wizarding. Will that be alright? If not, I can get the funds changed over for you." She had used muggle money to this point in time, having heard that wizarding currency wasn't quite worth anything at the moment.
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He'd brought the broom -- broken or not -- with him when he came to Angelina's shoppe on Friday. It would give her some idea what he'd been flying. Entering the place, lit by window sunlight and a few candles, the bell tinkled. The shop was in a house, but the main area seemed fairly open with a drafting table, and some displays, some racks with Quidditch supplies like gloves and broom treatment kits and even a boxed set of Quidditch balls behind glass. Cedric was struck most, however, by the wonderful smell of wood. Oil too, but the wood overwhelmed and he breathed deeply.
"Hullo?"
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She stood up and brushed herself off and pulled her hair back and tied it in a ponytail.
Coming out from behind the broom she was working on, Angelina saw a face she quite recognized. "Hey, Cedric, what can I do for you?"
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She was giddy almost to the point of jumping up and down at the idea of creating a fast broom for once. She knew Cedric could handle it like a pro and this would be a challenge of a different sort.
"You want something for Quidditch, racing, or long distances? Or all three?"
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Angelina laughed outright at the thought of her fighting Katie for Cedric. She liked Cedric, but she wasn't sure she'd ever thought of him as anything more than a friend. Besides, Angelina had more than enough man on her mind with Lee, and of course Zaan in the back of her head.
She stood back up. "Well, Ced, I think that's it for the broom."
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"How long will it take to be finished?" he asked. He knew things like this couldn't be rushed, and Angelina would have other customers, but he wondered if she'd have it done in time for the Greece trip. "I'm going to be out of the country the second weekend in May -- have museum business in Greece."
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"Greece sounds lovely. I'm jealous. Italy was beautiful when I visited there, but I never did make it to Greece."
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"I've never actually been to Greece, or not that I remember. So I'm looking forward to it. Or maybe I'm just looking forward to seeing Katie in a swimming suit."
He leaned into the counter, and now came the more business end of it. "Do you want me to pay for this now, or pay a deposit, or pay for the whole thing when I pick it up? I don't know if you need a down payment for supplies."
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