HIGH NOON

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The night[1]  before had been exciting, not to mention wonderful to spend with family. It was always nice to spend time with them, with Francis, but it was also nice to take time and spend it with the friends Gabrielle did have. Luckily for her, Gabrielle had come home by three in good spirits, sleeping well until the repeated prodding finger of Imp woke her up at ten thirty, urging his mistress to wake up. She had initially grumbled about needing five more minutes, but when realising what the creature was actually telling her, Gabrielle fell out of her bed with a thud. She'd be feeling it later, no doubt, however, Lydia didn't need someone waiting too long on a matter of sleep deprivation. How poor that would seem to be such a poor host.

The shower had come and gone followed up with dressing in semi-casual clothing, then a murmur of gratitude before apparating off to Diagon Alley. The Sunday crowds were faring well enough, even as it was clear it would be coming to life once Rover's opened its doors and the few others who chose to do their food businesses on Sundays. Her feet carried the body to Alohomocha, arriving as the toll of noon coming from Big Ben nearby could be heard in the distance. Glancing around the room, no sight just yet of the witch ― a breath of relief. Chuckling at the unnecessary worry placed upon her shoulders, Gabrielle approached the counter.

"I'll take a large spicy chai for now. Waiting on company and when they arrive, we'll likely order more."

Handing over the money for the drink, Gabrielle gave thanks before moving over to one of the few wall seats, nestling there until Lydia arrived.

1.	The Peace Lilies Can Wait - oct 9th

When her husband had told her that the Head of the IMC wanted to at least gain some sort acquaintance with her (his words; he always made everything sound so business-like), she had been more than a little surprised. She had only met Gabrielle a few times when her husband had taken her to Ministry gatherings, since Gabrielle had joined the Ministry shortly after Lydia had left.

Nevertheless, she supposed Gabrielle must have had a reason for getting to know the wife of a colleague she didn't always see on a regular basis. Ministry people always did that sort of thing. It had been years since she had been part of the Ministry herself, but she was sure she could find some way to bring some of that Ministry air back. Besides, it was one way to get out of the house instead of spending time alone taking cuttings of the various plants in her garden.

She arrived at Alohomocha dressed in a light blue polo-necked sweater with one of her dark grey coats a little later than she expected. She was used to the sight of cafés such as Alohomocha, as a Muggleborn who sometimes liked to visit Muggle areas of London during her free time, but ever the traditionalist she only ordered peppermint tea. She'd been getting a little sniffly of late. Only time would tell if it was a cold or just a one-day thing.

She glanced around the room, tea in hand, and spotted Gabrielle cosied up against a wall. The curly-headed woman gave her a cheerful wave, and then joined Gabrielle at her table.

"Your timing is impeccable, I only got back from Malaysia three days ago," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this, Gabrielle? It's so odd for me to have a talk outside the Ministry, even back then."

"Impeccable timing and quite the busy bee," Gabrielle proffered with a gentle nod, moving from her huddled position to straighten herself out, standing up after a wobbly moment. Her smile was soft, encouraging to see the older witch, finding Lydia's presence something bonhomie more or less. Once Lydia was clearly nestled with her seating and beverage, Gabrielle followed suit once more, holding the mug and enjoying its warmth.

"It's really good to see you again, even if the weather's growing cooler, much more so than the warmth of Malaysia. Never been there, but then again, I don't believe I've had a letter come my way expressing needing assistance, wanting it or not, to the department. That said, I imagine it'd be a wonderful location to holiday sometime."

In her mind's eye, Gabrielle could see the possibility of Francis and herself escaping to beaches, consuming food. Mm.

Snapping out of the daydream, Gabrielle's lips took another draw from the liquid, nodding as she swallowed the contents downward.

"How was it, Malaysia? Surely there's a good story or two in the waiting there."

"Holiday?" Lydia chuckled. "Well, if you think you can handle thick humidity, an average annual temperature of 31 degrees and a never-ending stream of mosquitoes, sure. The climate does make for a rich and healthy environment for several hundred diverse tropical plant species to flourish, both non-magical and magical." A little glint in her eyes showed up. "Unless you head into Cameron Highlands, where it's a little more bearable, but the humidity commands sweat to pour like a waterfall if you're not used to it."

She wrapped her hands around her mug and blew across the surface. "I suppose I'm making it all sound very terrifying, but in reality once you get used to the climate it is a wonderful place. The people are friendly, there is so much to see and do, and there's an entire culture which, unfortunately, I may have misunderstood a few times and committed several faux pas in the process of learning. They are very understanding about it, at least."

Lydia looked up at Gabrielle and smiled. "Planning to go there some day, perhaps? I wouldn't blame you, Langkawi island has some of the most beautiful beaches and waters[1], and the sunrise over the Cameron Highlands[2] is an absolute treat." She tilted her head slightly. "I heard that Hogwarts students had a trip there. It went awry, am I right? I wouldn't have seen the ship that took them there, we hadn't gone to the coast just yet. Spent most of our time inland."

1.	As such.
2.	Just so.