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Percival Ignatius Weasley has discovered sarcasm. (analretentive) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-08-12 19:39:00

Who: Audrey and Percy Weasley
When: After This Interaction
Where: Baxter Bakery
What: Tea and a cookie
Rating/Warning: Low/None
Status: Complete



To her employees, Audrey just had a different face. To her customers, Audrey was just a new employee, learning the ropes. A lot of her customers recognized her as Merlin, the “lovely young man” who proposed to Audrey at the Gala. A few made jokes about how she’d roped him into working the register so they could sneak off into the back room for smooches. And a couple of her customers actually asked where she was. Rather than try and explain, she made up excuses. “Oh, she’s off to buy more cups” or “we ran out of cinnamon, so she had to get some.”

She was behind the counter when Percy came in, stocking the pastry case. It must have been odd to see Merlin there behind the counter, doing the work that was normally reserved for Audrey.

It was very strange, and even though Percy knew that was what he should have expected, it still gave him some pause. The lanky redhead stood in the doorway for a moment, adjusted his glasses, and then gave an awkward expression that was an attempted smile. “Oh, dear,” he said, once he’d actually made it to the counter. “This must be very bizarre for you.”

Audrey, in Merlin’s body, stood up straight and smiled at Percy over the case. She really, really wanted to pop around and give him a hug, since that’s what Audrey did with her friends. But she couldn’t. She just couldn’t in Merlin’s body. So weird. “You have no idea,” she said, giving a soft laugh mixed in with a sigh. “But it’s okay. This too shall pass.”

“Whatever proverb makes you feel more comfortable,” Percy acknowledged, feeling a little weird about things, and letting his sass come out for a ride to cover it up at least a bit. He wasn’t sure how well that worked, actually.

“Er. I mean. Sorry.” A pause. “At least you’ve swapped with someone you trust.”

“Oh, yeah, totally. And I get to feel what it’s like to have a penis.” Audrey responded, nodding.

Unfortunately, another customer was at the register and overheard that comment, and gave Audrey a very funny look. She didn’t seem to notice, though, as she was pulling a cookie out of the pastry case and offering it over to Percy.

“I believe I promised you a cookie.”

“You did,” Percy agreed, and was all kinds of red in blush over her nonchalant statement. “Thank you.” He took the cookie, and just held it as he tried to force his skin back into some semblance of his normal pale and freckles.

Audrey noticed the blush (how could she not?) but had no idea what she’d done to illicit such a response. She gave him a funny look, then grabbed his tea from the back counter. “Are you feeling all right, Perce? You’ve gone a bit red.”

“What? Oh, yes,” said Percy, stepping a bit closer to the counter and shaking his head as if to clear the thought from his mind. “It’s -- just. Strange, you know? But really. How are you doing?”

“Oh, yes. I know. It’s strange.” Audrey said. Boy, did she know how strange it was. “I’m surviving. Really. I mean, it could be worse. I could be in some stranger’s body, or I could be in a girl friend’s body. But I think I’ve learned a lot about Merlin, and him about me. We’re closer now than ever.”

Well, a learning experience appealed to Percy’s sense of logic, anyway. He couldn’t imagine, even looking now, how he might deal wearing someone else's skin. Not even James’, actually. He so rarely felt comfortable even in his own, he was sure he wouldn’t know how to deal with it.

“That’s something, anyway,” he murmured before nibbling at his cookie.

“It’s better than nothing.” Audrey said, giving a little sigh. She leaned against the Pastry Case and looked around the bakery, as if keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. “...hopefully it won’t be for long. That woman on Valarnet said she’s going to straighten it all out.”

“I’d read that,” Percy wasn’t sure why he bothered pointing that out - he read everything. He shrugged then, and gave her a sympathetic look before it turned completely apologetic. “Could I have some tea, since I’m here?”

“Oh, right, of course.” Audrey had been holding his tea since she made her inappropriate comment about having a penis. She slid it across the counter to him, feeling sheepish herself. “I had it ready for you, I just lost track.”

“I can hardly blame you,” Percy said, sounding sympathetic again. “But thank you. Perhaps you should have some yourself. I hear it’s calming.”

“Good advice.” Audrey said, giving a nod. “You know, I think I’ll do just that. I know how Merlin takes his tea, maybe I’ll just have to make him a cup.” She had a feeling that the expat’s head might implode if she tried to feed him iced tea, the way she liked it.