Who: Severus Snape and Gold When: 2/12 Where: Gold’s shop What: Meeting / Sev is shopping Rating: Low Status: Complete
These dreams were plaguing him. First it was the terrible childhood, then the strange mark... and now Lily was going to die. It was haunting him, taking his thoughts away from work and from his family. And it had to stop. He was out walking along the street, trying to clear his head when he saw an antique round-bottom flask in the window of a shop. He paused in his step, thinking the damn thing looked like it came straight out of his dreams. And, suddenly, he had to have it.
He poked his head around and came through the front door of the shop, looking at the metal stand holding the flask, and the thing itself. It was old, dusty, and obviously worn. But Severus wanted it terribly.
“Do you want me to pull it out for you?” Gold had, apparently, came from out of nowhere -- standing only a few feet behind Severus. He didn’t move silently, of course, but he managed pretty well for a man who walked with a cane, regardless. He’d watched the other man stare curiously for a moment -- he had seemed pretty distracted. The flasks were in the window because they were rather fetching to look at, so Gold supposed he couldn’t blame the man.
“Please.” Snape said, taking a step back to let the man do his work. Though, there was a giddiness to his stance. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on that damn flask. A part of him wondered how something so seemingly insignificant could wound him up so. “What can you tell me about it?” He added, his thirst for knowledge nearly unquenchable.
Mr. Gold moved forward, resting his stylish cane against a nearby wall and then moving forward to gingerly retrieve the set on their stand. “Well,” he said, working as he spoke, “they’re old.” It amused him to say things like that, what could he say. Sometimes speaking the obvious was just funny. “Early 19th century. Probably used for storing medicines -- or what they considered medicines back then.” Gold genuinely liked talking about antiques. So much more interesting than most politics these days.
“Ah, here we are,” he said, when he’d settled the whole thing down in front of the ...large nosed man.
Severus nodded as the set was placed on the counter in front of him. He looked at it, in awe. It was something that his dream self would have used. He lifted a finger to run along the worn glass, as if expecting to feel warmth from the last time it was filled with fluid. “How much?” He asked, glancing at the shopkeep.
Gold considered the other man for a moment, just taking note of the way he touched the glass as if it was something reverent, something special. It was nice to see that once in a while he got a serious shopped that wasn’t just browsing lazily to waste some time. Retrieving his cane, he tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. “Make me an offer,” he said.
“I know nothing about antique chemistry equipment,” Severus said, softly. It was strange for him to admit a lack of knowledge, but he wanted to preface his offer with such a statement to ensure that the shop keeper wouldn’t assume he was insulting in case his offer was low. “Forty-five dollars?”
Gold, Snape would find, was rarely insulted by anything. There wasn’t much anyone could say to him about anything that would actually really make him mad. It wasn’t impossible, mind. But difficult. The man gave a little lift of his head, as if considering. “Sixty,” he countered, because, well, he liked haggling, honestly.
Severus gave a little nod. He paused, inspecting the antique. Sixty was probably fair, though, if that’s what the shop keeper wanted for it. “Fifty Five?” He asked, breaking into a smirk.
Gold could have gone on -- but arguing over a five dollar mark was a little silly -- even though he had done it before, if not just to annoy annoying customers. Had to get his kicks in somewhere, after all. “Very well, dearie,” he agreed with a slow smile. “Fifty-five.”
Dearie? Severus hadn’t been called anything like that in... well, ever. He straightened his shoulders, rather pleased with his purchase. He didn’t need to look around the rest of the shop, because he had what he wanted. What he came in for. “Can you package it for me?”
"Certainly," replied Gold with a satisfied sort of expression even as he carried the set to the register and began to wrap it in tissue paper. "It's a lovely set," said Gold. "I'm pleased to sell them to someone with genuine interest."
Once boxed properly, he made a little note in his ledger and then glanced up at the other man. "Cash or credit?"
“Cash.” Severus pulled the money from his wallet and handed it over. He took the box carefully into his hands. “You think she’ll still work? I plan to put her into use. If you ever come across others like her, please...” He pulled a business card from his pocket and slid it across the counter.
"I don't see why you couldn't use it," Gold said, amused that this man was labeling it in pronouns. He took the card and glanced at it. "Thank you, Mr Snape. I'll be sure to call if I come across any more."
“Thank you,” Snape said, then turned to slink out of the shop, pleased with his purchase.