Mmm, what a weekend. Iva surely knows how to make a bloke happy, though do wish I coulda touched her more often. Ah well, next time, we’ll pamper each other, so we get equal give and take.

In any case, I drag my pile-o-mush self into the Wheezes, to the catcalls o’ Trudes (I’ll get my chance, just you wait, now she’s got a girl), and head to the backroom to check on stocks for ingredients.
( Read More )

She always comes in ‘round three, so I notice. Quiet brown hair, quiet plain face, quiet shy voice, and loud as banshees crush. Thursdays and Fridays, regular as clockwork, she wanders in on ‘er lunchbreak, all alone, cheeks goin’ a tad rosy, and payin’ for a tour of one through the Maison. And Trudes is happy to oblige.

I always see the girl comin’ out of the tour with confetti in ‘er hair. Trudes doesn’t often give the shiny confetti. Usually it’s packin’ peanuts or feathers, if a dunk at all. Yessir, I been observin’ our satirical saleswitch, too, and what sorta pranks she pulls out the play on that quiet little witchling.

( Murphy's Law )

“I like the new place,” Trudes says, shoving a box to the back of the shelf. “Don’t get me wrong, Whicheveryouare, and it’s loads of fun to prank the knickers off all them people, but I don’t like this whole being in charge thing.”

I hand her another box from the crate I got in me arms. “May be so,” I muse, “but you’re the best qualified. I mean, you been with us a year and a half. Pranked the clone and me numerous times. And we’re not gonna bring in some green bean off the street knows nuthin’ ‘bout how we work, tell ‘im to run our Maison d’Mischief.”

Trudes slides the last one back on the shelf and heads for the next display. “I’ll manage your ruddy Maison,” she says lightly, “since you’re payin’ me enough for it, but soon as there’s somebody else as comes along you think could do it better, don’t think there’ll be any hard feelins if you take my position away and just have me on regular prank duty.”

( Days off and people in charge )

After the noon rush, it’s settled down at the Maison. Only the few skivers from work showin’ up and takin’ their tours, but there’s a lot of lulls. Hopefully by the weekend, it’ll pick up some, even if they only come for our fairly disgusting fare.

I stretch up and look around the empty lobby. The swamp replica is blurping lazily where it sits, the portraits of three of the marauders (just little silhouettes of a stag shape, a dog shape, and a wolf shape) have stolen into other portraits we put up nearby and grabbed some pencils to write nasty messages out of boredom. Ah, wizarding portraits, gotta love ‘em.

Fredgie’s gone back to the back room to look over a few order parchments, and I’ve taken solo post at the front door to welcome any and all skiving or primary pranksters.

To my right I got the sense of someone nearby and a glance tells me that I'll enjoy this visit. I grin as I recognize Iva AND Aleksey, Iva laid down with a few shopping bags from the looks of it as Aley sees me at the door.

( Surprise visitors!!! )

Things have sure slowed down since Hogwarts started back up. Now we only get the post-hogwart crowd during the day, and the little primaries in the late afternoons, whining for Mum and Dad to get 'em stuff. We give Miles the later shifts, he's better with them ickles--more patience. We would be gettin ready for orders to come in, only Miles' uncle wound up in Mungos today and 'e wanted to go see 'im. So I'm coverin' his shift while the Clone's in the back countin' stock of our owl-order boxes.

I glance up as the door opens and a tall wizard with dark hair and eyes comes in looking as if he couldn't be more out of his depth if he tried. Though he hides it well with a body language that keeps everyone at a distance. He seems vaguely familiar though I couldn't say where from.

I see Trudes notice him and smirk to 'erself. She starts toward 'im. "Well, Theo. Has certainly been a while, eh?"

( Surprise, surprise )