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Tweak says, "I'm going to freak right out"

Viktor Krum (snitch_snatcher) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2015-01-14 08:13:00

Entry tags:

character: melinda bobbin, character: viktor krum

Who: Vikor, Misha, open

What: shopping with a fussy little isn’t very easy

Where: Diagon Alley

When: Wednesday afternoon

Rating: SFW

Viktor jiggled Misha gently as he walked down the alley, some bags on one arm since the other was completely taken up with toddler and he hadn’t been able to pull his wand without the whining sound that preceded a long, loud cry. His son had been very clingy lately, which wasn’t very like him, for Misha was a very friendly and effusive child as a general rule. Even before his mother had gone to Bulgaria for a few days, Misha had been being fussy.

Right now, his son was clinging to his robes, a faint pout on his lips and his head tucked into his shoulder. Viktor worried that he was getting sick, but there was no fever or sniffles or anything of the sort, so he couldn’t justify a healer’s visit yet.

He wove around a couple of people, making quiet apologies when he jostled someone.

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_melinda_
2015-01-14 10:39 pm UTC (link)

Things were beginning to feel right again. After a couple of well-deserved days completely off around New Year’s, Melinda had found that the work with getting Sweet Nothings ready for re-opening was just what she needed. The difference between now and before was that she wasn’t hiding in her work, she was using it to catapult her back into that place where she felt her absolute best: doing what she loved and strived to excel at.

The handymen were working their wonders at the shop; it was going to be kept quite simple, mostly white and with only the trims and decorations providing the colours. Said decorations, however, Melinda had made certain were easily Charmed or Transfigured, making it easier to transform the shop with just a few waves of her wand to match upcoming holidays and traditions or whichever themed events Sweet Nothings might partake in.

Currently, her main focus was on getting her products just right. She had a long list of possible cakes, all of which she knew would sell well, she just needed to get the standard versions of them defined and then settle on the ones that would make up the regular menu.

Now, after a day or swirling and piping, squeezing and sculpting, she had set the 24 variations of banana, chocolate chip, and toffee cupcakes – ranging from very simple and minimalistic to elaborate and baroque in decoration – aside for later, while she went out to stock up on not-cake-related things for her cooler. She was just enjoying the bitter citrus smell of a grape-fruit at the green grocer – considering maybe adding a bitter-sweet variety to the Valentine’s Day selection she was bound to be making come February – when someone bumped into her. Despite the small gasp, it didn’t hurt; Melinda had simply been surprised, drawn from her reverie like this that she quickly turned around as if she had just been caught doing something wrong. “Oh! Hello! I’m sorry.”

She hadn’t, and neither had the wizard who had bumped into her. Melinda recognised him as Viktor Krum – she remembered the name from school, but recognised him as one of Sweet Nothings’ newer customers – and by the looks of it, his little boy wasn’t entirely happy about any of it.

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snitch_snatcher
2015-01-15 01:12 pm UTC (link)

Viktor tried to steady her with his parceled hand, his smile apologetic. "Pardon me," he said automatically before he recognized whom he had bumped into. "Miss Bobbin. I am very sorry. It seems that today is a clumsy day for me."

There were still times he felt like his teenaged self, who had possessed rounder shoulders and a worse walk, though he would never completely lose the duck-footed quality on the ground. It was a self consciousness he'd never quite lose, either, though he hid it well most times.

Misha made a small sound, and Viktor jiggled him gently. The pout lessened somewhat. "Sorry, someone is grumpy today," he apologised again. Normally the boy would already be making large eyes at a woman -- Viktor suspected it had something to do with not having a mother around -- but though he peered at her with wide dark eyes, he wasn't quite turning on his usual baby charm. Viktor really did worry if something was the matter.

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_melinda_
2015-01-16 10:17 pm UTC (link)

While Melinda appreciated the steadying gesture, she also worried that the man was trying to do too much all at once. “No, no,” she said with a smile, and gave his arm a gentle pat to at least acknowledge his gesture. “Please don’t worry about it. From the looks of it, you’ve your hands full, and I think you spooked me more than you actually jostled me, Mister Krum.” And the only reason he had spooked her, had more to do with her being lost in her own thoughts than him actually bumping into her.

The small sound drew her attention to the little boy peering up at him. Even with the pout and the way he seemed to be almost hiding, there was no denying that he was a beautiful little boy, and a beautiful little boy who didn’t feel well at all. “Aww, poor little boy,” she cooed and brushed her finger over the back of the boy’s hand in an attempt to soothe him. Granted, Melinda didn’t know anything about children, but she knew what it felt like not to feel well and having to be out in the world in that condition. She glanced down to the parcel in the wizard’s hand before he looked back up to him. “Do you need a hand? Because I’ve got plenty of time, and this little dear looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here, doesn’t he?”

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snitch_snatcher
2015-01-17 07:22 am UTC (link)

Misha peered almost shyly at her. Viktor's lips pressed tot he crown of the dark head. He did smile briefly at the touch, giving a soft coo back at her at the touch. It wasn't his usual enthusiasm, but it was better than nothing.

His face showed his gratitude at the offer quite openly. "I don't want to put you out," he said, meaning it. "He's just been so fussy the past few days, and I can't seem to put him down for a second without tears and everyvone glaring at me." Like he was a bad parent and a rude person, but when his son wasn't feeling well, he really didn't want to leave him with only the elf, and there were a few things he simply couldn't get by owl.

He did hand over the parcels. "Thank you so much. I just need to shrink them, but he has been on my vand side since I vent to the store."

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_melinda_
2015-01-18 12:52 am UTC (link)

There was something so tender about the way he held his son. Melinda didn’t know him, true, but she got the impression that this wasn’t a side he showed in public all that often. “You’re not putting me out,” she assured him with a smile, thinking of how she mostly had gone out today for the sole purpose of doing something – anything – away from the flat and the shop.

She could only imagine what it was like to be dealing with a fussy child like that, but she knew how she appreciated help or small gestures in situations where it was needed. “Oh, well, shrinking them is no problem at all,” she chuckled, taking the parcels as he handed them to her, and with a wave of her wand shrunk them to easily fit into one bag with room enough for more. “Do you have anywhere else you need to go?” she asked him, not returning the parcels to him just yet. “I’d be happy to help you out.”

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snitch_snatcher
2015-01-18 06:13 am UTC (link)

"Gestena," he said, the word Romani but the thank you apparent in his tone. He was very grateful. "I wasn't sure if he'd ever let me use my wand again today." His tone was somewhat amused, though it was truthful.

It was days like this he felt lost and overwhelmed when it came to being a parent -- especially a single parent. So even a small bit of assistance was something that meant a lot to him, even from someone he only knew in passing. "I haff a couple of more stores, da," he replied. "If you're certain I am not keeping you from something."

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_melinda_
2015-01-18 09:58 pm UTC (link)

Gestena. The word was foreign to Melinda, didn’t even sound similar to any words even remotely related to a situation like this, but his tone of voice, the look on his face made her think he was expressing his gratitude. She didn’t know the proper respond, so instead she smiled at him with a small nod, and turned her attention to the little boy for a moment. She didn’t know him either, didn’t know much about children, but even so there was a small sliver of concern for his wellbeing beginning to build in her.

“I’m absolutely certain,” Melinda assured him again, looking up from the little boy to meet the wizard’s eyes for a moment. “I’m done with my work for today and came out here for a change of scenery, so I’d be happy to help out any way I can.” She glanced to the little boy, then back up to the wizard. “So, what’s on your list today, Mister Krum?”

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snitch_snatcher
2015-01-21 01:16 pm UTC (link)

Viktor smiled at her, eyes crinkling slightly in the corners, both somewhat progressing age and his profession having given them to him. "Ah, you are a godsend, Miss Bobbin. Many many thanks." He'd have to get her something to thank her while they were out and about.

"The tea shop, as my daughter is demanding a tea party and I need to find something she'll like. She is not an Earl Grey girl, I haff discovered." Which was what was always recommended to him. "But tea parties are a Thing right now. so I must try." Sometimes his daughter confused him -- jock girl who wanted to be a Quidditch player when she grew up, and then a princess who wanted long dresses and tea parties. And he never knew when he might accidentally step in and offend the young pride in some fashion.

"And then I vas hoping to go to the bookstore and pick up an order." And browse, though that wasn't likely to happen today so he didn't even mention it. He doubted Misha would be that patient today, unless he found a particularly fascinating person or book to glom on to.

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_melinda_
2015-01-24 06:18 pm UTC (link)

Melinda looked up at him, noting the warmth in his smiling and finding it a shame that said smile wasn’t exposed nearly as often as it ought to be. “It’s the least I could do,” she said. “And please, call me Melinda, yes?”

She couldn’t help it, but her smile brightened a bit when he mentioned his daughter’s tea party, because while she might not know a whole lot about children – other than cookies were usually welcome – she did know tea parties, and had often enough had orders for young girls’ tea parties as a surprise from their parents. This she knew without a doubt, that she could help with. “She may pick up Earl Grey later, but the tea shop has some quite mild, caffeine-free and yet really tasty teas that I’ve often used when catering tea parties,” she said with a small smirk that was threatening to go shy from pouring out all this information at him. “Their gingerbread and vanilla teas have been the really popular ones, though their cup sized hand-tied flowering teas are just beautiful.”

Gesturing in the direction of the tea shop, she still kept his parcels, hoping to help out in any way she could. “What the Book is right on the way, so picking up an order there shouldn’t be a problem either.”

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snitch_snatcher
2015-01-25 06:10 am UTC (link)

"Only if you call me Viktor, da?" he said. He still, despite everything, wanted to look for his father when he heard Mister Krum, even though he'd not seen the man in several years.

"Ah, I have come upon an angel, someone who knows her teas! I am useless -- I haff alvays been more around coffees, except when my mother reads the leaves. And I do not have her do that for me much." And he had the same skill at it, but he never drank the tea -- just let others drink it, the few times someone would ask him. "Perhaps you can advise me on a good selection then. And caffeine free would be rather a relief. She is handful enough vithout, thank you very much," he said with an indulgent smile and a chuckle under his breath as they walked down the street. "This is a new phase, so I am haffing to learn as I go."

Since the shop was right on the way -- he'd forgotten until she'd reminded hi -- he figured they could step in there first. "Since it is there, ve can be going in there quickly first."

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_melinda_
2015-01-28 08:31 pm UTC (link)

“Viktor,” Melinda agreed with a smile and a small nod that settled the progress away from keeping to the strict(er) formal titles.

“An angel?” she burst out in a light, amused laughter. “Hardly, but thank you. No, I’m just British and a trained pastry chef, so I grew up with tea and was trained in matching the treats I make with both tea, coffee, and wine.” Pausing for a moment, she gently tucked the little boy’s collar in when a line of his neck was exposed to the chill wind. “That, and preparing High Tea was a weekly thing we did as part of the training for the Superior Diploma. Have you ever had High Tea?”

They walked for a bit before Melinda cleared her throat. “May I ask how old your daughter is?” She looked up at Viktor. “I’m asking because I’ve been trying to find the best suiting decorations for my new products, so I have quite a few extras of, well, just about everything, that you could bring home with the tea.”

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snitch_snatcher
2015-02-01 03:37 am UTC (link)

"Well, you haff the lovely face and voice of one, so you must forgive my mistake," Viktor said, somewhat charming yet somehow still genuine. He grinned at her. "Ahh, da, that vould do it, vith that training. His grin widened when Misha gave her wide eyes and a little grin when she touched him. "I haff never had high tea, no. I haff often come here in my travels, but never been to something like that." Most likely because most people would think twice about inviting the somewhat awkward looking man to something so important.

"Tsveta -- Tsvetanka -- she is seven and a half, as she informs me quite seriously some days." The glint in his eye was amusement. "Oh, you are too generous, though she vould adore you forever, I am sure." His children were, despite what they had gone through, especially Tsveta, very adoring of people when they received gifts or were given attention. They both enjoyed being around people, probably more than he did on the whole. He knew himself to be more introverted than they.

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_melinda_
2015-02-02 02:06 pm UTC (link)

Almost instantly, Melinda could feel her cheeks heat up. Viktor was charming, but what really affected her was the sincerity behind that charm. Though it felt like a minor lifetime, it wasn’t even five months ago that a charming Quidditch player had swept her off her feet with compliments and flirts the like she had never heard before, and barely two months since she had given up trying to fix what had been broken… and two weeks since she had acknowledged the broken heart it had left her with. Granted, that acknowledgement had made it possible for her to start mending again. She didn’t know Viktor, but from what little she had read about him, from what she had seen of him in the shop and experienced today, the only things he really had in common with Oliver was that he was male and a professional Quidditch player. “Well, obviously you’ve never heard me sing, but I forgive you,” she said, her smile grateful and appreciative of his compliment; it wasn’t his fault that she’d been a fool before, right?

She frowned slightly at his admission of never having experienced high tea. “Sounds like your hosts have neglected some of the mandatory experiences when visiting England,” she said with a small smirk. “True, I may be biased, but I think it’s something everyone should try at least once.” And if you went to the right places, you could get quite the artistic experience at a very low cost.

Her smile brightened at the mention of Tsvetanka – the way he spoke the name made her think that she would truly mangle it unless she practiced. “It’d be my pleasure,” she assured him, “and I’ll feel better knowing the cakes are appreciated rather than just tossed out because I couldn’t possibly eat that many myself. “If the shop’d been open, I would have put them out as samples, but I like this better.”

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snitch_snatcher
2015-02-02 11:41 pm UTC (link)

He chuckled too. She was lovely when she blushed, but there was something hesitant about her. Viktor hoped he hadn't overstepped his bounds; he felt rusty and out of practice, talking to a pretty woman he didn't know. He didn't aim on flirting precisely, as he wasn't even sure he should anymore, with two kids in his care. "Ah, I am doubting it is as bad as all that, but I will have to believe you, as I cannot call you a liar." No, one never called a lady a liar, his mother would kill him to think otherwise.

"Ah well, Karkaroff vas not the sort for high tea, and neither much are my Quidditch friends." Hermione, perhaps, but she was so busy, and there was, of course, Ron, as always, making inviting her out often unwise for all involved. He was sure his ex would probably have loved the attention a high tea would bring, but Viktor would be in it for an experience. "I vill add it to my list of things to do, then, especially if Tsveta keeps up with her current fancy." He would do anything for his girl.

"Vell, I can tell you she vill be over the moon, and I cannot thank you enough in advance for that. She is not always easy to please." Though easier than some, he supposed. Children would be children.

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_melinda_
2015-02-06 11:30 am UTC (link)

“Well, then let’s settle for there being a reason for me not having pursued I career in singing,” Melinda smiled at him, amused and delighted by Viktor’s charming politeness. She would have to be careful, though; something had changed in her and she now knew that she, like every other witch, wasn’t immune to charms and that she, just like every other witch, was capable of falling fast.

Her lips twitch slightly as she thought back to the Durmstrang headmaster; yeah, Viktor was probably right in his estimate that the surly headmaster wasn’t the high tea kind of man. “Maybe try taking her to one?” she suggested. “I know there are some Muggle places in the city who do high teas specifically aimed at children to introduce them to the tradition, unfortunately I’ve only seen private parties do them in the Wizarding World…” her voice trailed off, because wasn’t she in a position where she could do such a thing? It wouldn’t have to be weekly, but maybe once a month? That would open up the chance for the children whose parents didn’t have the resources to throw a full tea ceremony for them to try it as well, not to mention it had the potential to be loads of fun. And if Cho got involved, it was certain to be a success…

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snitch_snatcher
2015-02-07 05:06 pm UTC (link)

"I am not so much at singing either," Viktor admitted. "Though I think I do a passable lullaby from time to time." He bounced the toddler up and down gently on his hip, his head tipping down for a moment to smile gently at the little boy. "At least, they usually do not howl in protest. It is usually other things making them yell, or at least, I am hoping as much."

He nodded. "I vill try to find her one. She is comfortable enough in the Muggle world, though she is an age I sometimes still worry about accidental magic." Though she'd been pretty even tempered the last six months or so, happier now that they were well away from his ex-wife.

He hmmed softly. He could afford to do a high tea, but he'd rather know what was going on first. "I could try that, but I do not really know all that is involved in such a thing. I vil have to do research, I think."

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