Mssr Padfoot (brightstarblack) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-07-10 20:16:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, audrey, sirius black |
Who: Audrey Baxter and Sirius Black
When: Early May
Where: Baxter Bakery
What: Random Encounter
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete
Baxter Bakery was one of the places where Audrey felt most at home. Her son Ben was with Merlin today, probably in the Day Care center at Stark Tower. Audrey considered herself exceptionally lucky that her husband’s work came with such excellent child care. And when Ben was with her, she had many ways of keeping him occupied. And now baby number two was well on the way.
Audrey felt more and more pregnant as the days went by. She was definitely showing, though the apron she wore at work every day was covering her tummy for the most part. The second pregnancy seemed easier than the first. She had a better idea what she was doing and what steps she had to take along the way.
Today the baker was behind the pastry case, filling it with some of the pastries that had been prepared for the day’s sales. She glanced up when she heard the bell on the door and broke into an automatic smile. “Welcome to Baxter Bakery!”
Early mornings weren't Sirius's favorite time of day, however, breakfast was important. Even if breakfast was some sort of sugary treats from the local bakery. He'd figured he'd go surprise Lily with something to eat before she had class, or whatever she might have planned for the day. It was early, and Sirius could barely remember what day of the week it was as he walked through the front doors of Baxter's.
He offered the woman behind the counter a sleepy smile, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Hello there." He gave a nod of his head in her direction, as he made his way up to the counter. "I'd like…" he trailed off, eyes scanning over the various pastries, "I'm not sure." He laughed softly, "What do you recommend?"
Holy shit. Audrey’s smile faltered just slightly when her eyes laid on the sleepy man in front of her. That was Sirius Black. Sirius Black. In her Dreams he was accused of being a mass murderer, spent thirteen years in Azkaban before he escaped, then stalked the school. She remembered reading all the articles in the Daily Prophet about him. Well, the ones that went around the school, anyway. And she talked with Percy, Ginny and Hermione later about how he was actually a wonderful man. But she’d never met him.
“Oh. Um. Yes. Well,” Audrey said, shaking her head a little and trying to bring her thoughts back to this world. “...I like the almond croissants the best? And there’s always the sparkling lattes.”
"Sparkling lattes?" Sirius looked confused at that. It was something that he'd never heard of, although that was nothing new to be honest. Sirius didn't keep up with a lot of trends in regards to food, and when he wanted coffee? He just got a normal coffee. "What are those exactly?" He asked, brows raised in question.
"I still believe, however, that I'll take one of those almond croissants and something with chocolate on it." Sirius wasn't too big on chocolate to be honest, but his body was apparently craving it today since he just wanted it.
“So, it’s milk, but it shimmers.” Audrey explained. She’d explained what the Sparkling Lattes were to about a thousand customers, but every time she tried she came up at a loss as to how exactly to best put it into words. “It’s opalescent. Like the inside of an abalone shell. It’s not carbonated.” That just sounded disgusting.
And then Audrey moved to the pastry case and pulled out the almond croissant, and a chocolate one, too, and put them on a plate. The croissants were particularly yummy at Baxter Bakery, as they were Audrey’s favorite. She’d worked hard on the recipe. “Here you go. And a latte?”
A very confused look crossed Sirius's features and he shook his head, "That sounds complicated." He replied, although he laughed soon after he'd finished speaking. "Although good, in a roundabout way." Sirius wasn't sure if he was going to try one or not, but hell, he was the adventurous sort so he might as well.
The croissants that she pulled from the case looked delicious, and Sirius's stomach let out a low and loud growl at the sight of them. "Sorry, didn't realize I was as hungry as I apparently am." He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Sure, I'll try one."
“Definitely not carbonated!” Audrey said, trying to reassure him. “It’s just… different! Really different. I’m sure you’re gonna like it.” And then she laughed. It wasn’t the first time she’d had people in the shop who had audible reactions to the sight of the pastries in the case.
“They’re really delicious. Here, take this.” She pulled one of the pastries out with a pair of tongs, slipped it into a paper slip, and then passed it over to him. “And I’ll have your Latte finished in two shakes.” With a grin, Audrey moved to the espresso machine.
"Alright, I'm going to take your word for it, and give it a go." He flashed her a bright smile, and then took the pastry from her as she passed it over. "Thank you." It wasn't as if he had to really watch his figure. He worked out almost daily despite what others might think, Sirius Black was not lazy. He wanted to keep his body in peak physical condition since, well, his own business depended on it.
Taking a bite of the croissant, Sirius let out a soft groan around the flakey pastry. "Delicious." He managed around a mouthful before he finally chewed and then swallowed. "No hurries. I've got nothing to really do today." He just had to go down to the beach, check in on a few things and start getting things ready. It wouldn't be long before everyone started coming in to take lessons.
Audrey appreciated manners, and she found that Sirius Black--Sirius Black--was a very polite guy. It was surprising--but then again, probably shouldn’t have been? Some old habits died hard. After all, Audrey had heard from Harry and Ginny and Ron about how amazing Sirius was, but she’d never had a chance to meet the man. She’d just heard all the bad things that the Ministry spread about him.
This was so weird.
She gave him a bright smile that only faltered for a millisecond. “You’re welcome.” Then she was mixing his drink. “No? No work or school or anything?” This was Audrey, making idle chit chat.
"A little bit of work, but it's not like I'm in any hurry." The surf shop was technically his second home, although it wasn't his and had belonged to his late uncle. He showed up to do his own thing, and the others left him alone since he was the late owner's nephew. One day he should probably see about taking full control over the business, but for right now he was fine with his lot in life. Doing as he pleased, and not really answering to anyone. "I teach surf lessons, I've just got to go see if the shop has scheduled anyone soon, and get a few of the boards prepped for season." Sirius didn't mind talking about work even if he felt that sometimes his friends didn't think what he did really was work.
"How long have you been here?" Sirius asked, not knowing that he was speaking to the owner.
“Surfing lessons? That sounds great.” Audrey said, smiling softly. She remembered the days of being footloose and fancy free. But they changed after her father died, and she started up the bakery. “Oh, gosh, it’s been… years now. Not quite a decade?” She said, as if he had the answer. “This is actually the bakery’s second location. There was a fire--it was some sort of malfunction in the wiring of the place I was renting--and with the insurance money we were able to get this place.” She motioned with a hand around the lobby. “Kinda neat, huh? I think we’ve been here about six years. Maybe. I’m not sure, pregnancy brain kills my memory.”
"It's a lot of fun. At least, I enjoy it." Sirius smiled brightly over at the woman, and then canted his head to the side as he listened to her talk about the bakery. "That's impressive." He stated in regards to how long they'd been around, although his brows furrowed slightly as she mentioned a fire. "Well, sorry about the fire, but it is great that you all were able to purchase this place." He chuckled softly and shook his head, "I've heard that happens, never been around many pregnant women though." He thought back to the scare that he and Lily had had with the dreams, but thankfully it hadn't been anything. One day he'd love to be a father, but for now, he was content not being one. "How far along are you?"
“Thanks,” Audrey returned his smile. Funny how she could sort of forget that he was… who he was. Though, all the stories jumbled up a bit in her brain, she knew that he wasn’t the enemy. Though, she knew who he was. She knew very well who he was. It was so strange that he was here in her shop, talking to her, asking her questions about stuff that wasn’t… that had nothing to do with…
“Ah, yes, well, my husband is pretty used to it. My firstborn is about eighteen months old now. And number two on the way… he’s old hat by now.” She gave him a warm smile. Talking about Merlin and Ben made her glow. “...um? I’m due in September? I think I’m about half-way?”
"Oh wow." Sirius replied, an impressed look. "I'm sure he's a handful at this age." Sirius couldn't even imagine having a small child and expecting another. Of course, Sirius couldn't imagine being a father at this point and time. "Yeah, you're getting close. Won't be much longer and you'll have that little one in your arms."
Her smile was contagious, and Sirius found himself smiling as well. "Congratulations. I wish you and your family all the best." Sirius truly did mean that. "So, how much do I owe you?"
“He really is,” Audrey said, smiling. “But I’ve got some magic that helps when he makes terrible messes all over.” She was curious if this guy… the guy from her dreams? Only younger? Was having the same Dreams she was. Or the same Dream world. Hence the little slip.
She gave him the total, and processed the transaction. “Thank you for everything. I hope we’ll see you again soon? Really soon.”
Sirius's smile faltered for a moment at the mention of magic, brows drawing slightly low over his eyes. "Magic can be quite useful…" He replied, giving a small nod of his head. He wondered, if not for the first time since meeting her, if she was a member of Valarnet, and if so, what she dreamed about.
"Of course, I'll be back by and who knows, maybe we can talk about some of those cleaning spells of yours." He offered as he pulled out his wallet, and handed over the money. "See you around, and thank you again." He picked up his coffee, taking a ginger sip as he turned around and headed out the door, all the while still curious as to what this magical baker dreamed about.