#lifefuls

" oh, yeah. i went on many a date at madam puddifoot's. i get you. " watching the young couples sit at the pretty pastel tables through the large window at the front brought back a mix of fond and cringey memories from her days at hogwarts - the amount of spilled tea and chatterbox charlies she met had left a foul mark on the innocent tea shop. " i do miss the pastries, however. dateline or not, i would kill for a pumpkin and cinnamon swirl bun . . . "

the patient gwen is treating snickers at astoria's declaration, earning a stern glare from the mediwitch before a silencing pat on the arm - she would speak to the young repeat patient later. " rest, i will be back to check on you in an hour before discharge, okay pete ? " a firm nod leaves gwen satisfied before she turns and offers a kind smile to the young woman, a hand gently hovering at astoria's elbow to guide her away from the bed. " and that is nothing to be ashamed of, miss greengrass. " perhaps gwen sees her own daughter in the young woman - lily would be coming up to twenty six this year if she were still breathing - and perhaps that is why her voice softens, her cheeks ache, as does her heart. " can i tell you a secret ? i have a emetophobia, in fact . . . many of the medics you see have something that effects them, even the big scary doctors. "

ft. astoria ( @lifefuls )

"oh wow, look at that!" her voice is lilted as she stops in her path to inspect the gourd decorations, a genuine smile gracing rosy lips as slender fingers reach out to trace the intricate carving into orange flesh. gwendolyn is not one to shout out from the heavens, but halloween has always been her favourite holiday celebration of all of them - particularly the pumpkin carving, something which her small family had a competition each year, the winner obviously got to choose the scary movie for halloween night. "you have some careful hands, and this one? it looks professional," her smile grows brighter as she straightens up and places her clipboard down, admiring the pumpkins for a moment more before speaking. "you should be proud, astoria. this is good work, if you were my daughter then you would definitely be winning the family competition."

"hold on!" shoving their own parcels onto the nearest empty surface, hands shoot out with flat palms, an offer of assistance to the worker. their mother was recovering from a nasty bug at home, so minette had thought to send a few remedies that were given to them as a child whenever they were ill in bed, that's what brought the keeper to their current position. "what can i do to help?"

it  takes  him  a  hot  minute    (  or  five  )    to  get  back  to  seat.  crowd  around  them  is  going  wild  as  game  continues  and  every  time  a  bouncing  body  jostles  against  him,  the  tray  of  drinks  justin  is  attempting  to  hold  just  above  his  head  wobbles,  liquid  spilling  over  onto  him.  there’s  even  a  moment  when  he  suddenly  thinks  game  over;    shoulder  jutting  into  his.  he  loses  balance,  half  -  falling    /    half  -  hopping  to  the  side,  but  by  sheer  dumb  luck,  footing  settles.  shaky  breath  is  released  and  journey  continues.  finally,  somehow,  former  hufflepuff  makes  it  back.      ＂    hey.    ＂      the  smile  he  offers  astoria  is  still  bright,  even  if  slightly  frazzled.  drinks  lower,  cups  still  impressively  full  given  the  chaotic  circumstances,  and  offers  first  dibs  of  the  various  choices  to  her.      ＂    i  have  a  small  confession.  the  queue  was  so  long  that  by  the  time  i  got  there?      —      i  forgot  what  you  asked  for    &    i  didn’t  wanna  bring  the  wrong  one,  so.  i  got  one  of  each.  just  in  case.    ＂

the  silence  that  follows  her  declaration  is  one  of  both  bemusement    &    surprise.  rendering  oskar  catchlove  temporarily  silent  is  no  easy  feat.  from  a  young  age,  charming  tongue  always    (  even  when  he  shouldn’t  )    appeared  to  have  a  smart  answer  for  everything,  but  somehow?      —      astoria  has  succeeded  where  many  others  previously  failed.  the  stunned  silence  thankfully  doesn’t  linger  long,  however,  features  soon  easing  into  a  laugh  that  manages  to  sound  only  slightly  uneasy.      ＂    well,  y’know    …    my  mom  used  to  tell  me  i’d  go  blind  if  i  didn’t  eat  my  carrots    &    here  i  am.  twenty  -  twenty  vision  still.    ＂      it  isn’t  the  same  by  any  standards,  but  metaphorical  ice  at  least  shatters,  his  shoulders  relaxing  as  initial  stumble  passes.  just  because  comment  caught  him  off  guard,  it  still  didn’t  come  close  to  being  the  strangest  confession  anyone  has  ever  told  him.      ＂    if  we  listened  to  everything  our  parents  told  us,  we’d  never  leave  the  house,  right?    ＂