Chill January had brightened up to a bearably crisp, sunny day.  Fully determined to make the best of a happy occasion, Maree had ventured to Diagon upon the pretense of window shopping for some tea cups.  Stopping into a couple of boutiques and a charity shop, Maree had found her attire perhaps a bit to ambitious, even for a sunny January day.  She'd spent half of her Great Tea Cup Hunt fantasizing what could go in them.  Finally, legs nearly numb from the brisk air, she toddled her way into Alohamocha.

Shaking her hair--noticing that even that, too, trapped the cold in--she stepped into line, rubbing her hands together as she looked up at the list of drinks overhead.  There were five people ahead.  Too many for her liking.  Until then, she'd have to fantasize about caramel macchiato, or maybe just a latte...

Oh, dear. And they had cupcakes, too.

She glanced back at the line. Now at four people. The one right in front of her was wearing a hat with ear flaps, a puffy green pom-pom on top.

There really was only one person she knew with a hat like that.

"Flynn?" She asked, resting a hand lightly on his shoulder.  Flynn Hughes had been one of her upperclassmen in Ravenclaw.  A full 4 years ahead, he'd been cute to look at, the sort you'd giggle about as he walked by.  To many of her classmates, they were giggling at him...  But he'd always been so kind, even if he had been somewhat oblivious.  He and his cute friend, Cass.  Normally, she'd always gone for the Hufflepuffs, but Flynn and Cassidy were  were as Hufflepuffy as they came.

She felt her cheeks turning pink.  It was probably just the flush from the warm coffee shop, after being out of doors so long...  But nothing made her feel like a schoolgirl again like a cute boy.

He was a man now, she reminded herself.  As he turned, her smile broadened. "Flynn! I haven't seen you in... what, 2 years?" 2 years, 5 months, probably.  It was almost summer when she'd seen him, another chance meeting, like this.  "And you've got, ah... Henrietta? Hey, girl!" she cooed, looking down at his dog, who preened and pranced slightly at the attention, tongue lolling.  Maree crouched down to her knees to get a good scratch behind the ears. 

Even though he wasn't working, Flynn was irrevocably addicted to caffeine. He had worked the night shift, and slept in well until the afternoon. Henry, of course, was full of energy and needed a walk. What else was Flynn to do but make a trip down to Alohomocha to get some coffee, perhaps a pastry, and say hello to his favorite baristas?

The weather was chilly, and Flynn was glad that he had dressed appropriately. He loved the cold and the rain, though he was always ready for summer when it came.

Waiting in line, with Henry at his side, Flynn was trying to decide what he wanted to buy...

"Flynn? A familiar voice called his name, a hand touched his shoulder.

He turned around, eyebrows raised curiously. As soon as he recognized Amaryllis, his smile grew. "Maree!" Flynn exclaimed, holding his arms open for a hug. However, Henry stole the attention and Flynn dropped his arms casually, as if he didn't want a hug anyway. Henry's little stub of a tail was wagging so hard that her butt was shaking. "She knows you remembered her name." He said cheerily. A gap had formed between him and the counter.

Soon, it would be his turn to order.

"What do you want to get?" He asked, "My treat."

Oh--oh no. He'd held his arms out for a hug and she'd, like an idiot...

But, on the other hand, oh yes! He'd held his arms out for a hug. And then the offer! This was going far better than expected. "Oh!" Maree's blush deepened as did that flip-floppy feeling in her stomach.  ""If you're sure." She gave a shy smile.  "I was thinking... salted caramel mocha?" her eyes flicked to his face, trying to read if that was too frivolous a drink.

Don't change yourself for a man, Maree, she told herself primly.

"Yes," she said after a beat, giving a decisive nod of her head.  She rose back to her feet, after giving Henrietta a light rub on her chest and a pat atop the head.  Maree was elbow-to-elbow with him, now, looking expectantly forward. She wondered what he was going to order for himself!  Was this... could she call this a date now?  She was glad she'd worn her floral skirt, at least.  Prim had called it "cute" (followed by ..."short"), but it boosted her confidence to know she looked put together. Especially if this turned into a date.

"Thank you," she added, not wanting to sound at all ungrateful.  "Thank you very much.  And--" people always liked when they were asked questions about themselves. "What have you even been doing the past two years? I need to be brought up to speed! Oh," she cringed as it was now their turn to order, "I'll let you order first!" she said, voice now barely above a whisper.

Her face flushed, and Flynn worried for a moment that she was feverish. No. She looked healthy otherwise, and she didn't seem any less energetic than the average person before their coffee fix. Perhaps it was due to coming in from the cold. Either way, Flynn hoped that she wasn't sick. So many people he knew were such workaholics that they wore themselves to the bone, neglecting their own health. He, too, was guilty of it. Most healers were.

"I'd like an americano, please." He said, before looking at the pastry case as if he didn't already know what he wanted. "A raspberry tart." One day he would order a millefeuille, but he didn't have the faintest idea how to pronounce it, and none of the people he drank coffee with spoke French. Also, he didn't want to compleltely mispronounce it and embarass himself in front of the baristas who had come to know his face.

Flynn waited for Amaryllis to order. "I've been working." Flynn finally responded to Maree, "Growing plants, harassing Cassidy." Cass had also been in Ravenclaw. More than a few people were convinced that the pair were a couple. To be fair, Flynn did have a crush on his friend when they were teenagers. Now, now Cass was like a brother more than anything. The brother Flynn never had. He paused, "My cat had kittens! I'm a grandpa." 

Americano! How cosmopolitan!  Her own order was given so quietly to the cashier that she'd had to give it twice.  A salted caramel mocha, and a chocolate-filled croissant.  That done, she nodded along to his answers. Working, yes. Working was good. He was a healer; she was sure that kept him plenty busy, and the work was very important, but she wasn't sure what to say about that.

Harassing Cassidy.   Yes! Cassidy! Of course.  The two of them had been thick as thieves at school.  Her smile grew broader, but nothing rivaled the absolute beaming glow when Flynn made his wonderful, no, his remarkable news.  He was a grandpa!

She flung her arms out in abandon before flinging herself upon him in a hug.  "A cat-grand-daddy!" she gasped. "Congratulations!"  She pulled away just as quickly.  It wasn't as though she wanted him thinking she was throwing herself at him.  Well, figuratively.  She'd just done that literally, she supposed.

Now a bit of distance from the counter and from her, well, her date? she noticed the absolutely stunned look on the face of the cashier.  Clearing her throat a little, she took two steps further away from the register, looking about for tables for them to go.  "You're in the most enjoyable form of parenting: now can just enjoy the little ones and spoil them rotten."  A thought occurred to her and she gasped. "Oh, but no! Are you going to be selling them?  We always think we will with some of papa's horses, but when the time comes, we never have the heart to.  Still, horses don't come in litters; I can't imagine keeping 10 of them all at once! How many kittens were there?"

A couple was getting up from a table by the window, and Maree swooped in, waving for Flynn to follow.

"Umph! Flynn grunted as Maree hugged him enthusiastically. He didn't expect her to be so excited about his good news! Most people didn't seem to put much importance on the shiny title of  "cat grand-daddy." At least, not as much importance as he, Margo, and Cass did. Even then, he wasn't certain that Margo put importance on the title, though she seemed to take her responsibility seriously-- in that she was helping them find homes.

Flynn threw his arms around Maree and gave her an energetic hug. Her excitement was catching!

The barista raised her dark brows at them and pushed their food and drinks towards them. Flynn gave her a sheepish shrug and a bright smile. She was the tall, judgey one. She practically towered over everyone. She could kick his skinny little butt, and he didn't want to test her. So, he quickly followed Amaryllis to the table-- coffee and pasty in hand.

He leaned towards Maree as if about to impart a secret, "She's so scary." Flynn whispered. A little too loudly.

"Flynn!" Maree chided in a whisper, bumping him in the side slightly, eyes wide, smile amused.  His coffee sloshed just slightly, raining drops down onto poor Henrietta's head.  Oblivious, Maree glanced back towards the barista, who was now occupied with the next customer.  Good. Maybe she hadn't heard.

She waited until they were settled into the newly vacant seat before confiding with a giggle, "I wholeheartedly agree."

Where to from here...  He'd covered in a handful of words what was going on in his life: kittens, Cassidy, plants...  "I am surprised to bump into you, though--I'm here fairly often; either you don't come here often, or we must keep missing each other.  Do you come here a lot?  My friend Moira's a healer at St. Mungo's--maybe you know her? I'm convinced the lot of you are caffeine addicts," she said, looking at him over the top of her mug. 

Oh, God. It was Saturday, and she was expected, probably, to do something with her life today.  Not without fortifications, however, Ahmes had decided as she passed through the brick wall into Diagon.  A quick stop-off at Alohamocha relieved her of any responsibility of feeding or caffeinating herself.  For the low, low price of ... probably too much... she could outsource that pleasure to Alohamocha.  But she'd learned:  this time, she'd not be ballsy enough to add the rum into her coffee in front of the barista. They'd charged her extra last time.

Apparently, she ought to have liquored up beforehand, however.  The place was packed.  And the Basic Witches were out in full force today.  If they weren't chatting amongst themselves about new diet fads as they drank espressos by the window, they were making their moves on Basic Warlocks in cardigans. Case Study #1: some poor sucker stuck in a conversation with a perky looking basic with a swishy blonde ponytail.

Ahmes glanced back as she brushed by.  "Hey, Flynn," she stated in passing before moving to the back of the line.  At least Tall & Fierce was behind the cash wrap today, so it was unlikely she'd have to wait long before heading back out into her Saturday.  She wondered if the new self-stirring cauldrons had come in yet.  They came in tarnish-resistant brass now! It wasn't that Ahmes didn't already have a cauldron... it was that she needed one in gold.  ... Buying one was productive, right?

There was a sound of clattering coins as an elderly woman emptied what seemed to be a year's worth of spare change over the counter from the depths of her handbag.  Even from the back, Ahmes could hear her counting audibly.  Hands shoved deep into her pockets, Ahmes took a breath, looking up at the ceiling.

"I come in a lot." Flynn admitted. He ate almost exclusively take out food, and Alohomocha was one of the places he frequented. "I don't think any healer can survive St. Mungos without copious amounts of caffeine. We keep coffee in the break room. The amount of coffee we consume is probably--"

"Hey, Flynn."

He craned his neck while turning to see who was speaking. What a coincidence! They had just been talking about co-workers. She kind-of fell into that category, didn't she?  "Ahmes!" Flynn greeted her with excitement before turning back to Maree. "Just one moment. This table has room for three." He excused himself and joined Ahmes in line just in time for her to order.

Flynn threw money onto the counter before she could protest. "Do you want to join Amaryllis and I?" He asked, knowing very well there wasn't exactly much room left in the cafe to sit.

Ahmes looked down at the money on the counter, processing.  "Er..."  Tall & Fierce slid the coins into her hand before adding them to the till before she could figure out a tactful way to get out of whatever this was that was going on.

Wait, did he just bribe her to break up a date with Basic Witch Amaryllis? (What a pretentious name if she ever heard one...) Not that he entirely blamed him, but... tacky.  Unless it was not a date. In which case, it was a kind offer, even if it hadn't been in the plans, the stars, the cards, or whatever.

"Uh..." she stalled, still processing. Fact: he'd paid. It would be rude to walk directly out now, as she'd plan, and she'd have to face him again on Monday anyhow. "Sure."

"Well, coffee in the break room's only natural," Amaryllis was beginning.  She had a few stories she could tell about Mihai Zamperia alone.  But it didn't look like she was getting the chance just now.  Before she knew it, Flynn was pivoting in his seat after some brunette, insisting there was room for three.

Amaryllis felt her stomach sink.  Out loud, she said, brightly, "Of course!"  It was hardly as though she had a say--Flynn was beelining towards the queue and then, yes.

Paying for her.

She swallowed, pushing down the instinct to reach for her bag. Apparently she had misread this entire situation.  Or had she? The girl, at least, had a sort of ... uncomfortable or distasteful expression on her face.  She'd breezed right past Flynn, hadn't she? Maybe she still had a chance.  It was worth seeing it through.  Flynn would see just how pleasant she could be to his friends. She was fantastic with all sorts of people.  She'd--

Oh, Merlin, they were already on their way back.  Amaryllis wet her lips, pressing them together for a bit of color, and plied on a determined smile.  "I'm--"

"Amaryllis" the girl cut in. Maree tried not to gape at the interruption.  "Flynn said.  Ravenclaw--two years below me, I think."

"Maree. I go by Maree, usually, actually. And yes. Kema... right? It's nice to meet you... again!" her face was on fire. 

"Ahmes."

Amaryllis' smile was forced. That was all? That was all she was going to say?

"Are you a friend of Flynn's, then?" she asked, looking between the two.  One of them would have to talk!

"Ahmes is a friend of mine." Flynn confirmed, sitting back in his chair, ready to savor his very cosmopolitan americano. "We work together at St. Mungos. She's got a brilliant mind for inventing spells." He had something positive to say about each and every single one of his coworkers, even his ice-queen boss.  "And Maree--" He motioned towards her with his coffee, nearly spilling it, "Is an obliviator. We consult with them sometimes in the Janus Thickley ward."

He leaned back, pleased to be having coffee and pastries with two of his favorite people. (Okay, anybody he was hanging out with was automatically positioned in the top 5 of his favorites) Flynn was blissfully unaware of how awkward this entire situation was. It seemed that Flynn was only good at reading people accurately when he was at work. Socially, not so much. It was as if he wasted all of his sensible energy at work and had to forgo social norms in every other situation.

He decided to make conversation. "Story time!" Flynn announced. 

"At Hollingbury's Christmas party, I have vague memories of giving him heartfelt advice in the pantry." Flynn paused, "After hi cupping fire and wiggling across the floor." Why did he say that?

Ahmes was his friend.  And she, Maree, was--not termed.  Which meant she wasn't friendzoned.  Which meant that maybe Flynn was just being nice to Ahmes Morgan.  She would have liked it if she were a little less pretty, though. 

Flynn seemed to imply they'd worked together. They hadn't. But, eyeing Ahmes Morgan, she did not think now was the time to set that straight.  She was just trying to think of something clever to say when the story began.

At least she thought it was a story?

It was more, like, an observation. "Wh..." she began, brows knit.  She wet her lips and began again. "Why were you in the pantry with him?"

"Seven minutes in heaven, obviously," Ahmes said, deadpan.  The Basic squirmed a little uncomfortably at this.  "I think the real question is--was it you or Hollingbury hicupping fire and wiggling across the floor?"  She arched a brow, her smile slow. 

Woolfolk seemed out of her element with this level of absurdity.  She wasn't going to make it easier on the kid; if she was with Flynn, she'd have to get used to it.

"Did the party end up with you on the auctioning block again?"

"The... auctioning block?" the blonde reiterated.

"Flynn's employer auctioned him off to the masses for charity to raise money for the hospital." She gave a mockingly sombre shake of her head.  "Mungo's has fallen on hard times. Sending its healers out onto the streets to hawk up money..."

The blonde was still processing... wait for it... processing...

"Oh! That was that fundraiser, right?"  She looked at Flynn, blushing slightly.  "It's hardly charity, though, I wouldn't think."

GAG!  Ahmes' eyes widened as she looked, shocked and amused, across to Flynn to gauge the reaction.  Was this girl for real?

"I mean," she was trying to recover, "From what I know about the healers, they'd be happy to volunteer, I would say. You all are so passionate about your work and the hospital."

Well, that actually wasn't half bad.  Unless that was what she had meant the entire time.  Though from that lash flutter, Ahmes wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't angling for a little charity to be directed her way.  This was painful to watch.  Best get it going on its way as much as she could.  In an effort to hasten the little meeting along, Ahmes took a deep swig of her black coffee.  "I think the charity depends on who you've got to go out with after.  Who won you this year, Flynn?"  her smile was wicked.

Flynn didn't know what seven minutes in heaven was, but his moment in the pantry with Arcturus Hollingbury wasn't exactly heavenly. He didn't recall much about that night, except that he called Johann a snake, or a lizard, or something. In hindsight, that was inaccurate. Joh was more like a man who was supposed to be a cat. Not a reptile.

Speaking of cats, didn't Arc's cat turn giant or something???

Eh, he'd ask Arc about that later.

It was then Flynn realized he hadn't been paying attention to the conversation the two women were having. Oops. He put on a smile and pretended like he had been listening all along. Who had won him this year? What in Merlin's name were they discussing? He hesitated, then said the first thing that came to mind.

"Solomon Carstairs."