- - a little slice of Brandon

[Brandon Corbett]

Another day in the office stuck behind a desk and no windows to stare out of. Brandon finished up some paperwork that he left from yesterday and got up to place them on Horace's desk. On his way back to his cubicle, Brandon looked around at the other Unspeakables. Some were immersed in books and photos, while a few went to the other chambers for experimentation. He was assigned to observe the time chamber and do inventory on the time-turners. There was very little in stock, and not many wizards and witches were in possession of one without the Ministry's knowledge. It was a boring task that didn't consume a lot of his time, so he took his coat to leave for the rest of the day.

Brandon followed behind some wizards through the doors to the outside and turned down the sidewalk on his left. He bid a few 'Farewells' and 'See you tomorrow'. It was still daylight and he had plenty of time to shop for a few things. There was a little chill in this October air, but it was nice compared to the sweltering summer they had to endure. He glanced around and spotted the first place he needed to go into, Wand*Mart. That place is always busy every hour of the day and he tries to make it in and out as quickly as he can. So, once he was inside, he took a basket and headed off to the grocery side.

It took him a good half hour to finally get out of that place, much to his annoyance. However, he grabbed the essentials to making roast chicken, sauteed green beans, and roasted garlic potatoes for dinner tonight. Also he grabbed a couple bottles of red wine to pair with dinner. He continued on to the next place, which happened to be his favorite little bakery. They have the best baked goods he's ever had since leaving Hogwarts. He was inside for a few minutes and left with a small pink box of assorted treats. The women in there knew what he liked because he always came in for the same things, but every once in awhile they would convince him to try something new. Today was one of those days.

He took a seat at a nearby bench, setting his bags down beside his legs. He then placed the small pink box on his lap and opened it to reveal a couple pumpkin pasties, a piece of chocolate gateau, and a couple butterbeer cupcakes. The women insisted he purchase the cupcakes, and he obviously wasn't going to turn them down. Also, they combined two of his loves, butterbeer and cupcakes. So, it had to be delicious. He grabbed one out of the box and took a large bite which left traces of icing on the sides of his mouth. It was obvious that he enjoyed the cupcake because you could hear the loud groan rumble from his chest. "Yep. Best cupcake ever. Those ladies never disappoint." He smiled as he took another bite.

[Jackie Lupin]

The dusk sky was a swirling portrait of pinks, oranges, purples and blues, which held this former Mihael in a trance as she stood, paused at the edge of the curb, ignoring the daily evening bustle passing her as she brushed shoulders with this person and that. It was all a background blur compared to the very sight before her. She always had been a bit of a dreamer amongst her group of friends and the test of time proved no different.

Today had been like every other this week. She awoke with the owl post that dropped by her shabby, one bedroom respite that was settled in the nest of town. It was a small, crooked foundation of an inn that witches and wizards were only booking for a night or so as means of pause on their journey, whereas Jackie had occupied her own rented room for nearing a month now, unsure of what she wanted to do with her time, occupation wise, or where to invest for a more permanent residence. She sat before the wobbly, round table tucked away in the corner of her room, blowing hastily at too-hot earl gray, wincing when the heat blistered the roof of her mouth on its way down, peering over the newly delivered Daily Prophet from her newest owl, Barnaby.

"Oh, don’t look at me like that. Would you prefer us camped out beside the Forbidden Forest?" She asked her brown feathered friend, rhetorically. This was the best she could come up with right now and he knew that. He also likely knew that he seemed to be her only friend these days. After leaving London so many years ago, she, guiltily, never kept in touch with her old friends: Sirius, Harmony, Violet, Lillian, Nessa … and there had been others. Shadow, Joseph, Sarah, Straw, Brandon …

Jackie had chosen solitude and isolation as she fought moon cycles, maturity, and life. She was older now. In her mid thirties with tired circles under her eyes (likely from her sleeping conditions and strain from travel), there were highlights of silver in her once perfectly chestnut brown hair. Nothing too intricate. Not yet, anyway, but she hadn’t kept up with her appearance and so even her hair looked a bit frizzy and worn. She was always pale, but especially so now. Her veins were visible and her eyes looked haunted, like she had seen the ghost of herself for too long. Long, dark and full lashes were the only sign of her former beauty. A little foundation and a shower could always fix most of the formerly mentioned attributes but all in all, she looked forlorn. Not the least bit like her old, jovial self, full of radiating smiles and sparkling eyes aglow.

Loss did that to people.

She had hunched over the Prophet further, ignoring a hoot from Barnaby whilst crossing and uncrossing her legs, eyes scanning over the wanted ads for potential job opportunities. Nothing seemed to catch her fancy. Everything felt too structured, too permanent for her. She was rogue for too long that she didn’t fit the lifestyle she had once wished for. She needed a challenge. Something that kept her mind busy. Something that would hopefully keep her interest here longer than before.

London, despite the time that had passed, had been ever so much the same. The most fashion forwarded of the magical world with life constantly happening as if nothing could break the mold. Jackie chewed at her lower lip, contemplating the thought of a curse breaker role when Barnaby’s claws clicked along the wooden table, and she sighed, relenting, in reply, offering him a small treat from her robe pocket.

She couldn’t sit cooped up in the room of the inn all day. So she ventured out into town, perusing shops, the market, the bookstore and the fountain in the center of town until her legs ached from use. She missed the feel of her face in the wind whilst on her broom, escaping the earth below. Perhaps that would be her next investment.

Which brings us to present. The day had escaped her and now the city was awash in a pretty glow of dusk; colors swirling overhead as the sun was setting behind the London sky rises and businesses, causing a shiver to run through her from the enchanting feel of it all. It was never the spells or lessons that delighted the former Mihael, though she yearned for those adolescent moments too. Rather, it was the sheer simplicity of nature and life that impressed her most. She hummed quietly under her breath, chest swelling and eyes the widest they had been in some time as she soaked in the view. Bliss. That’s what this was. Absolute and total bliss.


( hello old friend. ♡ )