Aisling tugged her cloak[1] a bit tighter around herself as she entered the shop. It was, well, it was the sort of shop her father might appreciate, if she'd brought him to Diagon Alley these days. Rustic, a bit cluttered, and homey. Not quite to her usual tastes, or at least to what she presented as her usual tastes.

But then the point of gift shopping wasn't to please whoever was buying the gifts. And in this particular case, she was shopping for her father. Just a quick look around after work, before every shop closed its doors or lost its most interesting stock to the pre-Christmas rush.

"Hello?" She glanced about in an attempt to determine which of the various displays might hold a likely gift. Given the layout of the shop, such an evaluation seemed likely to take some time.

1.

Outfit

Morgana had been busy pricing stock in the backroom when she heard the "Hello?" through the slightly open backroom door. For once, she had been working on an inventory that hadn't been dug up from the distant forests of Germany or pulled up from the depths of the Seine. She had paid actual money for this lot.

She put her clipboard down and peered into the mirror nearby, dusting down her high-collared sweater dress and stockinged legs and making sure her hair was still in its bun. The length of hair was fake, but she'd always wanted to have her hair in a bun and if she felt like it that way she wanted it to be that way.

She emerged from the backroom carefully and focused on her potential customer. "Good day, can I help you?" she asked pleasantly. Her eyes took in her customer's appearance, and somewhere in the back of her head something rang a distant bell. This customer looked familiar - very familiar.

Morgana sometimes had repeat customers. A few were regular enough that she knew their names and occupations off the top of her head. Most of them just liked to come in. And so to avoid further confusion about whether this customer was one of the latter, she added, "Have we met before?"

The other woman did seem somewhat familiar to Aisling's eyes, and she found herself remembering something all too vague. A clouded sense of enjoyment tied to an incident lost amid the intermixing of older memories. "I find myself thinking that we have, in some pleasant fashion. But the details escape me." She sent an admiring gaze over the shop as she spoke. The location was seeming more fitting for this endeavor with every passing moment.

"Aisling Knight. A pleasure to meet you once again." The glint of something from one of the displays caught her eye, and she turned her head slightly towards it. "I'm hoping to find something for my father, and was told that you sell some Muggle items." The thought of her family  brought a shadow of a smile, and she allowed her gaze to wander further across the shop. "As much as he may insist there's nothing he needs, I would still like to find him something."

Her father, despite his protests, seemed to use or display everything she had ever given him. Once, while looking for a tin of something in the pantry, Aisling had found a box he'd kept of childish paintings ranging from her own works to those of her siblings' grandchildren.

Aisling Knight. The name flitted across Morgana's mind and then very casually began to dig through the old memories. It was a familiar name, but for now she let it be. Familiar or not, the woman was still a potential customer and a name was not going to stop her from serving.

"Same to you. I'm the owner of the store, Morgana." She always never mentioned her family name; as much as she wanted to be part of it again, she wasn't sure if she had any right to associate with them. "If you're looking for something Muggle, you've come to the right place. You're welcome to take a look around." She flourished a hand at the shelves, nodding at the merchandise. "If you need any help, just ask."

She never liked staring at customers while they perused, but she was never one to leave her counter unattended. Morgana sat down and wrote a note to herself to get a bell for the door. She could just steal one as well, but she was really trying to stop thieving and just live an ordinary life as a shopkeeper.

Aisling gave a soft nod, then turned to back to looking over the displays. She paid the most attention to a display of older, more mundane Muggle items. Occasionally an item would bring a small smile or the amused quirk of an eyebrow. It was several minutes before she pulled away from them and headed towards the counter. There, she stood just far enough back to give the impression of being in no hurry for attention, and let out a soft cough.

That nagging sense of memory had finally resolved itself slightly. "It was quite some time ago when last we met, I fear. It was Aisling Bryne, then." That had been, from what she could remember, a quite enjoyable fling. If a short one, as such often were.

"And I'm hoping to find something for my father. He's...a Muggle with simpler tastes. Fondness for gardening." It wasn't as if her background was much of a secret, given Tarron's position. Still didn't make it something she wished to bring up.

"Aisling Bryne," Morgana repeated, before her lips curled in a smile. "Ah yes. Those were good times." She had done much to regret in her life, but their brief relationship was  not one of them. Perhaps it was one of those things she wished had lasted longer.

Aisling's next statement arose her from her reminiscing. She moved over to where Aisling was, musing thoughtfully. Muggles were big on gardening, but it was not often she took items from someone's backyard...that felt like cheating. Getting items from within four walls was much more of a thrill.

No, wait, what was she thinking? This was not the thoughts of a normal shopkeeper.

"Well, you might be in luck as it were," she replied softly. She gestured over to a smaller section. "Though by far I specialise in the sort of 'garden fairyland' range as of the moment, since not many people come here to buy gardening novelties from me. Perhaps in time I may expand my stock, but for now this is all I have."

She stepped back and away from Aisling, close enough to let her know that she was available for questions but not invading Aisling's personal space. Hands clasped in front of her, she waited patiently. The shop did not exactly have many customers; Aisling had her undivided attention.

It was strange, how easily one could lose such old memories, or find them again. Even the pleasant ones, from times in Aisling's youth where she had been less thoughtful, less capable of maintaining such things. But such were distant thoughts, separated from her current reality by so many years.

The mention of gardening supplies brought an appreciative and rather amused nod. She had seen that sort of garden style far too often, but with a bit of luck something more interesting would be scattered among them.

A bit of curiosity flitted through her thoughts at such a selection, but it was so idle as to simply be set aside for the moment.

While most of the selection, as described, seemed to fit the garden fairyland style, there were a few more antiquated and appropriate pieces.  Aisling wavered between a few of them, eyes darting back and forth as she thought, before turning back to Morgana. "It seems I cannot decide between them. Some advice, perhaps?"

Ooh, advice on choosing. Morgana took a step forward to view the items she'd specified and looked thoughtfully between the few. To be honest, she didn't have much gardening experience - what she could call her garden was simply the window box above the shop full of typical geraniums; the lone cactus in her kitchen didn't count - but she would try, nonetheless.

"Well, that lovely trellis there would be a good starting point for anyone looking for creeping plant support," she mused aloud. "Or already with creeping plants, but looking for a touch of elegance? There are also these, I have to say, delightful chess-themed path lamps in Victorian cast iron..." She tried to recall where she got them from. Oh yes, one of the big muggle houses somewhere in the north. It had been abandoned, and she had felt the lamps were rather going to waste in the overgrown garden.

"Sadly, I don't have all sixteen chess pieces, but I believe having people seek them out with the expectation that it's a full set is a rather engaging game," she said brightly. "And these bronze statues of stylised woodland deer would add an artistic touch to any garden, I feel, be they set out in the open for admirers or partially hidden for those who seek surprises."

She smiled, partially to herself. "Anything in this shop can be a garden ornament, really, apart from those that cannot withstand rough weather. But I think these are the most suitable so far, if that's what you have in mind." Aisling hadn't told her what she had in mind, really, but Morgana would try her best anyway.

The chess pieces were tempting to Aisling, though her father wouldn't have much use for them. If only her house had a larger garden. They'd fit in quite nicely with that estate. "The trellis seems best, then. Would keep him from grumbling about plants climbing the house for once." They did tend to do such when he planted them right next to it, but that point had never kept her father from a good grumble if he wanted it.

"The deer would just prompt him to complain about animals in his gardens." The amused warmth towards her family had crept into her tone again, and she shook her head slightly as she inspected the trellis more closely. "Yes, certainly the trellis. Else I fear I might disappear amid a cloud of possibilities and never return." The trellis was stable, as well as a bit ornate. Perfect.

"Though I suppose there are worse fates than such." A look around showed plenty of options to lose oneself in. A set of pillows seemed particularly appealing. "And it is good to see you again. Perhaps we can meet up for tea or such some time. Catch up a bit."

Tea? That was good news! Morgana had been feeling a little shut away lately; her thieving life had sure been risky but at least she travelled and met new people. She simply smiled, though, and went over to the counter to find the list of prices for the section.

"The trellis usually goes for thirty-five galleons," she said without looking up from her lists. "But since it's close to Christmas, most of the stock's been marked down to thirty percent less. Which means it's about twenty-five galleons now." She looked up at Aisling and smiled light-heartedly. "I'd offer to wrap it, but a trellis would be too easy to guess through the paper. A ribbon, perhaps?"

Morgana retrieved her wand from her belt and gently levitated the trellis a couple of inches off the floor to fold it up, away from Aisling so as to not be in her way. She set it back down on the floor, balancing it carefully as she extricated her receipt book from a pile of notes on her desk. "As for tea, I think that will be absolutely wonderful to have a cup with you." She smiled, partially to herself, mostly out of happiness in catching up with an old friend.

"A bow seems perfect. Would you have one in crimson, perhaps? It does seem the proper choice for the season." The trellis, though a bit large, wouldn't be too difficult to transport.  At least not with a few charms.

She pulled out the appropriate quantity of galleons and offered them to Morgana once the trellis had been moved. "And thank you so much for the advice. It's quite the relief to have this taken care of."

And the mention of tea, of sitting down and chatting about old times, well it sounded quite appealing given how tired she was at the moment. "You'll have to send me an owl when you've figured out a fitting time for such, then. I'd offer tonight, but I'd wished to be home before your lovely establishment closes, as Tarron might be home by then. And the holiday preparations still requiring completion never seem to shrink, no matter how many I finish." The Yule Ball compounded all such issues, of course, but that wouldn't be polite to mention.

"Red? I might have just the thing..."

After a slight amount of rummaging around, Morgana finally located a spool of scarlet ribbon in the bottom drawer of her desk. She waved her wand over it; the ribbon unrolled by itself while a pair of scissors hovered nearby. At the required length, the scissors snipped the ribbon, which wrapped itself around the trellis and tied itself into a very large and emphatic bow.

While she was doing this, she asked, "I assume you'll be busy right up to January, wouldn't you? New Year included, after all. How does January sound to you? Perhaps early January, around the sixth? My schedule as a shopkeeper is...at best dull, but I tend to prefer it that way after all that I've seen and done during my younger days. Still, I think that would be the more suitable date in order for me to accommodate to any emergencies during this season."

Morgana placed her wand down on the desk when she was done. The date was all she could think of at the moment. She was not occupied with Christmas and the New Year as much as other people were, but she had to make arrangements for possible invitations to parties, that sort of thing. Her social life was lacking.

"Wonderful." Aisling gave the bow a pleased look. It was a bit garish for her tastes, but then this was rather the season for such gestures. And her father would appreciate it, at least.

"After the New Year would be best, yes. I may have a bit of time before the Christmas break begins, but between that and various functions I'll be quite occupied over it." A slight sigh. "A bit more shopping to do, some projects to finish up at the Ministry...." The mere thought of it made a quiet conversation over tea so much more appealing.

"Ah, but I digress. It seems the busyness of the season has impacted me already." She offered a tired smile and gestured with her wand at the trellis, sending it to float, once again, just off the ground. "Thank you again. I look forward to that tea."

Morgana smiled at her customer's satisfaction. It was a pleasing feeling and she enjoyed it, much like the thrill of managing to steal an item except without the risk of being caught for the crime. "You're welcome, and I'm glad you've found something for the season."

She put her wand away. "Well, go and see to the season. We'll see each other after the New Year, or at least plan a place. I haven't got any suggestions, but perhaps time will tell for us.

"But 'til then, we have things that need seeing to." She nodded her head towards Aisling. "Merry Christmas to you, Aisling, and I hope you have a good New Year's."

"I'm certain we can find somewhere. " Aisling nodded as she directed the  floating trellis towards the door. While it seemed sometimes seemed that there were more edgy locations appearing than appropriate ones, finding a pleasant place for a bit of tea was never particularly complex.

"And a merry Christmas to you as well." The door creaked slightly as it opened, and Aisling adjusted the angle of the trellis to fit it through as she made her way out back into the cold. With luck, Tarron might even be home for supper. After she'd safely moved the trellis out of the way, of course.

END