Not long until lunchtime, Elixa noted, not that she'd been watching the clock all morning, it was just she was having a day where nothing seemed to fill a gaping hole in her stomach. Even the cauldron bubbling and popping hadn't covered one of its triumphant growls a little while ago.

"Mordent, can you grab this for me, please?" one of her colleagues called from the counter at the front after the familiar ting of the bell. There was probably a queue, there had been a steady flow all morning, but she was the faster of the two to brew these potions, experienced in brewing it back in Sweden, with some rather ingenious derivations for the St Mungo's healers which was rather pleasing to attend to.

"Coming," Elixa called, draining the last of the cauldron's contents into a tall jar, pre labelled with name, potency and date, which joined the others in a line, each a little different to the last. It had taken the best part of a couple of hours.

Nipping to the front desk, she dusted her hands on her apron and snatched up the healer's note detailing the required remedies without looking up at the customers any more than clocking there was a slight queue.

Knight, ok... her eyes skimmed down the list, walnut, red chestnut someone had some good news then, did they? Definitely a woman. Few other items too, difficult to sleep perhaps, perhaps not a happy bit of news then. She took a minute or two to collect the items, and brought them to the counter, focused on her work so she could weigh and measure out the amounts.

"Right, there we are, Mrs Knight," Finally she looked up properly at the witch the other side of the counter and her eyes widened, "Oh, hello, I didn't - oh."

She'd met Aisling Knight when she'd visited in 2008 before she'd made up her mind to apply to move over to St Mungo's, to try British life instead of Sweden. She was a dear friend of Edwin's and they'd been introduced back then. Coming face to face with the woman (who didn't seem to age at all, grief) across the counter while dispensing remedies for a rather particular time of life was all a little flustering.

Not for the first time since she arrived, Elixa wished she knew how to adopt that deadpan poker face that Hollingbury could put on without flinching.

"Fancy meeting like this, sorry." Elixa uttered quietly over the counter, glancing towards her colleague who was busy dispensing a whole family's worth of flu remedies, her attention momentarily landed on Mordent and Knight. Realising it might not be the best moment to reacquaint herself with Edwin's friend, Elixa got back to business.

"Here, I've written out the doses and the routine on each of the bottles, but you may need to increase the amount ever so slightly as I've detailed if you find its not enough. If the symptoms prevail then do come back in a few days to speak with us so we can check you're taking everything correctly, and if not, we'll refer you back to the healers. We'll adjust the combination in about four to six weeks, that's enough for about four weeks in there."

Across the counter scooted a set of bottles in a stiff paper bag with a neatly written label and identification, over the top of which was an additional piece of parchment with the words

Got time for lunch?

After everything that had happened that day, Aisling wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. Which, of course, was not an option. Or at least not a practical one, and so she reassured herself with the thought that the potions would, at least, take away a little of the exhaustion.

The wait wasn't long, though it was rather more than her current mood felt amenable too.

Those thoughts slipped away at the sight of the Apothecary, making way for a somewhat embarrassed smile. "It's good to see you," was all that Aisling got in before the explanation started. She gave a nod or two to the instructions which, as she had expected, were also written down so that she could read them when her thoughts were less occupied. "Thank you."

She looked down to take the bag, and paused at the note. It was rather that time, wasn't it. And she needed to be attentive to food, now. "And yes."

Elixa gave a nod from the other side of the counter, and raised two fingers to indicate she needed a couple of moments to just finish this queue.

Raising her gaze from Aisling to the next in the queue she took only a couple of minutes to serve the tall wizard prescribed a constipation remedy before she and her colleague had dispersed the rush.

"Should have you back to normal in a matter of hours, be sure to take it when you're home Sir." She reminded the wizard, handing over the paper bag.

"Right, I'm off to lunch as we agreed." Her colleague agreed, and disappeared into the forest of bottles on shelves to return the collection that had accumulated on the counter in the rush.

Elixa shot Aisling a grin before undoing her apron and folding it over.
"Sorry, but of a rush on there, usual thing as morning appointments finish. Its good to see you again, Ed was saying he'd have you over for dinner, but I don't think he remembers to ask you for one reason or another. Hang on a tic, I'll be right round."

She too vanished and then reappeared from the door at the side.

"Let me shout you lunch," She offered her arm instinctively, but didn't necessarily expect it to be taken. "Think we've got some catching up to do."

Not a long wait at all, fortunately, as Aisling's enthusiasm for standing was far less than she would admit to. The way she took Elixa's arm rather betrayed it, though, at least as much as any of her medicines had. "There's no need to apologize. Thank you."

A brief smile, and she shook her head. "I will have to speak to Edwin, then. He'd mentioned nothing whatsoever about you being back in the area. And I'd rather intended to speak to him for other reasons as well, now. But that is something that can wait a day or two until the exhaustion has had some chance to dissipate. I cannot remember being this tired, before." Too tired to even pretend otherwise, it seemed.

"How long  have you been back, then? And will you be staying about long? We will have to go out sometime, if so." It had been a bit since they'd last spoken, and one lunch was hardly sufficient to catch up on every matter. "Fear that I would rather upset the healers if I didn't allow myself some relaxation, now. Hardly wish to deserve a lecture about it."

Sleep and relaxation could not be called her strong points, it seemed.

Aisling's arm and hands wrapped around her own and Elixa curled her free hand over Aisling's hand, feeling the temperature, drawing her close with a politely sensitive expression.

"Bah, he's useless, isn't he? I've been here since a little after new year, and I'll be sticking around this time - left selling remedies and come here for the extra excitement of the hospital."

Elixa shook her head in response to Aisling confirming he'd not mentioned her arrival.

"Well, we're reunited now. Tired? Hmm, I hope this passes, but if not, there's plenty we can try." She waved a hand dismissively, "Sorry, I'm not your healer, I shouldn't be saying that, forgive me."

Together they found their way up to the tea room by means other than the stairs.
"Sleep and relaxation are perhaps the best prescription one can provide, but the hardest to administer in so many active people. I imagine you're not one to allow yourself to get bored?" Elixa asked, pushing open the door of the tea room to let Aisling pass through first.

"Useless for telling me you were about, at least." Aisling grinned then yawned slightly, seeming too tired to hold it back. "And it's quite alright, it appears that I need all the reminders that I can regarding rest."  She slipped into the tea room and collapsed into one of the nearby chairs.

Hopefully, lunch would be quiet. "I do tend to stay busy, but Tarron's been quite insistent that I not overwork myself, ever since I had to make a trip here in November." She leaned back in her chair, eyes not quite closing. "But I'll see how these work before I go off worrying too much. Or attempt not to worry, at the least."

She forced herself to sit up properly, and shook her head. "Which means I should not think on it too long. I'm glad to know you'll be staying about this time, though. How has it been so far?"

Food was sounding wonderful at the moment, and she glanced about the room in an attempt to spot some, but staying seated was tempting as well. The perils of being tired.

"Which means I should not think on it too long. I'm glad to know you'll be staying about this time, though. How has it been so far?"

"Good, its been good." Elixa smiled genuinely, her tone backing up her enthusiasm for her new role. "Its a lot different to running a commercial apothecary, and all the better for it." Her shoulders sank in relief at the thought, and she paused,
"What can I get you?" gesturing towards the counter with one hand and pointing firmly at Aisling with the other,
"No, you stop there, let me be your slave for a meal."

With the instruction, Elixa headed off to collect some lunch for them both and returned with a tray which she nimbly emptied into their places at the table.

"Congratulations, and sorry to add myself to the whole rest up camp. I'll leave that to Tarron - send him my regards too." She gave a little shrug as if to say 'I can't help it' and her dark eyes flicked up to Aisling's face properly focusing.
"Did you say you've told Edwin or does he not know? I won't say - I just... if he brings it up, I just don't want to put my foot in it for you."

"Whatever is good. I'm hungry, not particular." Aisling smiled and leaned back even further in her chair, trying (and failing) to not look too exhausted. After that morning she rather wanted to just sleep forever. Or for a few hours, at the least. Just a brief respite of some sort. The lunch would have to suffice. Elixa was pleasant company.

"Rest is hardly something I could argue with, given that I'm far too tired to protest at the moment," she teased. "And I just found out on Saturday. Thought that it might be best to wait on telling Edwin until I'd heard what the Healers had to say on the matter." She took a few bites of food from her tray. Merlin, but it seemed she was once again far more hungry than she'd expected.

"I intend to tell him tomorrow. He'll worry otherwise, given my accident back in November. And this will be impacting my work soon enough." She sighed softly. That wasn't a prospect she liked to think about. Much easier to pretend that she could continue doing everything for a while. "So if he asks tonight, just reassure him that my head is fine." It hadn't been bumped recently, after all.

"... He'll worry otherwise, given my accident back in November..."

Ah yes, Ed wasn't a huge worrier from what Elixa had ever observed, apart from when it came to close friends like Aisling. Well, particularly Aisling. It wasn't at all well hidden he was very fond of her. She was a good looking woman, clever, thoughtful, and her smile even had Elixa momentarily staring at her with lips apart in surprise at how she glowed. Damn, she'd kill for Aisling Knight's beauty spellbook. For real.

"So if he asks tonight, just reassure him that my head is fine."

"Your head?" Elixa asked, and shook her own, "No, I won't even mention we've seen each other. I can't, you're effectively a patient, and I'm not allowed to mention. If he brings you up, I'll just say its been an age since I saw you. Don't worry, I had a couple come to me at my old apothecary, separately. They were suffering from a rather... itchy ailment, shall we say, and didn't want the other one to know. They'd ask if the other had been in, and of course I had to say I'd not seen them." She chuckled, and arranged her lunch before her, pouring tea.

"I'm glad your reasons for visiting were more happy." She tilted her head, "They are... aren't they?" Elixa added more softly, pausing a moment with the teaspoon dangling above her cup.

Aisling blinked, then nodded, the gesture slowed a bit by exhaustion. "Well, thank you. The discretion is appreciated. And  my head...well, I took a bit of a hit to it in November. It is fine now, but Tarron had to drag me off here to have it checked out once I got home."

"They are... aren't they?"

She took a sip of tea, and stared down into to her cup for a while before answering. Her hands were still, though clenched a bit tighter than before. "It's wonderful news, and I'm glad of it. But I don't think it will be easy, at my age." She shook her head slowly in consideration. "And to think, I felt so old when I found out about the girls. They're twelve now." Old enough to be  away, to be occupied with school and kittens and propriety.

The thought of them make her pause, words frozen in her throat at first. How could she be sure they were safe, when they were so far away from her? It was so hard not to worry, here and now. "Time is a strange thing, it seems. Some days it feels as if they were that young so long ago, and others as if it were yesterday. Perhaps such thoughts mean that I truly am growing old." Her smile couldn't quite disarm the words.

"You? Old!" Elixa scoffed with a kind grin. "You're not a patch over twenty one, Aisling, at least you keep up the illusion effortlessly. You look younger possibly than last time I saw you, I'm jealous."

The apothecary shrugged from the other side of the table, studying Aisling's closed in body language. This was a woman coming to terms with her position, still making up her mind on whether she was truly happy about another child, or perhaps multiples, she had two already.

She understood Aisling's worries about age, Elixa knew enough about dealing with women childbearing who had come to her apothecary that each pregnancy was different, and older witches might be more experienced, but they had their own complications. Magic extended their lifespans and lengthened their fertility, but it wasn't a sure cure to humanity's risky business of reproducing.

"You'll be alright, Aisling. I promise I'll do everything I can to help if you ask me for it. You've got my oath of secrecy from working here, and I'm not going anywhere, that's for sure." She extended her arms out to either side to indicate she was there for the duration.

"Try to enjoy it, some witches would give their eye teeth to be you. I might not be a mother, but I understand a little of what joy those small people can bring to a family. You and Tarron are very lucky."

"I keep up the illusion that looking like this is effortless, you mean?" Aisling laughed, and motioned towards her face with one hand. "With Tarron's position I rather have to, but there's a great many things I would prefer to spend time on instead."

Elixa's reassurances received a soft nod, while Aisling cut her food into such small bites and chewed each with care. Little enough of it was gone when she spoke again, despite how many moments had passed. "Thank you. It is too easy to forgot the good, it seems." Elixa, at least, was outside of so many conflicts, outside family and the Ministry and politics. At least a little. "It has to be better than when I was pregnant with the girls, at least. The Ministry was taken over shortly after I started my leave. Things changed so swiftly."

That it might happen again was a fear she couldn't quite shake. Her left hand pressed against the side of her neck, fingers stretching back. "Never slept quite as well since the war, no matter what I try."

Elixa composed her face into the most sympathetic expression she could, and reached across the table to clasp Aisling's hand and give it a squeeze.

"You won't sleep well when little one comes either, but you might get tired enough that you can't help it."

She let go of Aisling's fingertips and tried to find some words of comfort. This was probably why she had remained an apothecary.

"I won't try to imagine what you went through - I've only read the history books, and what Edwin's told me on an evening of how it was." She explained, "He told me the other night - we'd drunk far too much wine, and you know how conversation goes into dark corners when that happens… he expressed a horrible feeling of guilt at his actions in those years and started crying."

Elixa felt decidedly uncomfortable telling Aisling this, but she didn't quite know how to handle the wizard doing something like that, whereas he and Aisling were possibly the closest friends.

"But what I can do, and will do, Ais, is be here, and find a solution in herbs to ease things as much as I can. And listen." She forced a smile, wishing she hadn't mentioned what she'd just disclosed, and raised her teacup.

"To new bundles of joy."

"That's a better reason to lack sleep, at the least." Aisling smiled faintly at Elixa's gesture, seeming at least a little reassured.

She nodded softly to the revelations of drunken conversation, the comments of Edwin's feelings of guilt simply put aside to perhaps be considered later. They all had their own regrets from that time, after all. "He told you about Azkaban." It was a statement, what else was there to say about her and the war?

Merlin, Edwin crying. She frowned in worry, then looked up at Elixa. "He spends too much time alone. I'm glad that he has you there, at least for a little bit." Seemed like she might have to stop over and check in on him occasionally, have a little bit of tea together.

For now, she had herself to worry about. She lifted her teacup, mirroring Elixa's movement, and nodded. "And to friends. Where would any of us be without them?"

"To friends!" Elixa replied more exuberantly and smiled.

"So what else have I missed in the year, year and a half since we were introduced during my visit?" She leaned forward a little, "Don't tell me the apothecary market has taken a u-turn and I've changed jobs at the wrong time and missed the opportunity for my old employer buying up and crushing the independent competition in Britain?" Elixa asked, referring to the reason for her visit in 2008.

"Your daughters must be off at the school now, aren't they? Oberteils I expect - what with you and your husband having such grand status in the Ministry." Elixa smiled, glad for them, if not a little jealous, forgetting that Hogwarts was not quite the same as Durmstrang. Social status of your parents only counted if the other students understood and reacted on it.