Late morning when Moira was taking care of some things in the barn an owl swooped in to deliver a letter from Abby. The contents were an invitation to meet later that afternoon to talk and spend some time together. She did consider the girl a friend even if the relationship leaned more towards complicated in regards to her pentral. However, it wasn't as though she could blame either of them for it. They were victims.

As things turned out, meeting her friend in front of the Leaky Cauldron at four p.m. wouldn't be a problem. On a normal day Moira would have been working at the menagerie ranch. The day before, though, her boss had strongly insisted she take the day off and left the witch with no real choice but to acquiesce.

Once all the chores were completed Moira spent most of the day lying on her back near her unfurnished cottage staring at the sky. The weather was cool and cloudy, not bothering her through her jacket, and the rain had taken a break.  The clouds rolled across the sky, changing shapes and always staying in motion.

Sleep had evaded her for the past several nights. She was chased to consciousness by nightmares, even after pouring some of her frustration, and unfortunately emotions, out to another friend. Perhaps that was why she had been able to relax in such a way.

Before, the witch had done everything she could to stay busy and not give herself much of a break. Idleness meant her mind would wander down paths she didn't want to think about. Now, she still didn't sleep but managed to drift in a thoughtless state somewhere between wakefulness and dreams.

The clock in the barn, chiming a short distance away, alerted her when it was time to get up. Feeling surprisingly refreshed, Moira went inside to freshen up and grab her bag before apparating away to Diagon.

The streets were already getting busy as many wixes attempted to finish their Holiday shopping. Most of her own had been accomplished in the hours after work this week. Moira still wasn't sure what to get Sasha. Maybe she'd just draw Baldur again, or Wobius.

Spotting Abby she gave a half smile and moved to join her. “Hey.”

It was Thursday-should-be-Friday and Abby was so ready for the week to be over. She had the Ministry party on Saturday and who knew what on Sunday, but it didn't matter because she wasn't working this weekend. And yet...

It was her very last weekend. Iona's very last weekend, rather, to spend as she liked before the winter solstice, when her pentral was supposed to pass on forever. The thought chilled her through her warm winter cloak.

In the crowd by the Leaky Cauldron, she caught a glimpse of her friend's brown hair and light eyes.

"Moira!" Abby called, hurrying to meet her. Moira had agreed to hang out this evening. Moira who was like a beacon of strength in the coldest flurry.

"Hiii," Abby gave her arm a hug in greeting. They were getting there. To a real hug. No rush. She'd do her best not to pull the 'we are technically related!' card.

Abby just wanted to see Moira on her own after that tense but necessary family meeting at the Ministry in November. The weeks had flown by and she couldn't be sure how Moira felt about officially meeting the deceased Iona McBoid. Freaked out! Unnerved. At least, Abby would be. She was.

And what better remedy than meeting for warm drinks and possibly shopping.

"You look very relaxed and winter-fresh," she teased, masking a bit of nervousness. Abby had tried to phrase the owl in a way that would let Moira off the hook if she didn't feel comfortable being around someone 'possessed' by her relative.

"How are you?"

Moira accepted the arm hug from Abby without the slightest bit of tension in response. She still had two friends. Good.

At Abby's comment on her appearance Moira blinked. “Do I?” Now that she thought about it she certainly felt more relaxed than even a day ago.

Sitting around doing nothing wasn’t a common pastime for the witch. If she was physically still something was occupying her mind; the people around her, the creatures she was observing, a books he was reading, or even when she was drawing. 

For Abby’s question Moira gave a half shrug. “I’m okay I think. I’ve been staring at the clouds for the past five hours.” Catching a look of concern she reassured, “Because I've not been sleeping well this past week.” More like barely sleeping at all. The last thing she wanted was for Abby to feel responsible or that she was uncomfortable with this get together. If anything, she was glad for it. This would clear the air since what had happened at the family meeting and they could resume their friendship again.

Considering the looming future and Iona’s official end (again), Moira mentally vowed to keep this outing as positive as possible. Definitely no mentioning werewolves or people who lurked in the shadows.

“More importantly, how are you? Both of you?”

"You do!" Abby let out a giggle at Moira's surprise. Sometimes she suspected that Moira was one of those people who never checked the mirror before walking out the door, and just arrived to places looking naturally lovely. Abby, of course, had a full length mirror in her room and used it to inspect her outfit and pull silly poses all before the coffee was ready.

She looked at her friend closely, giving her arm a light, reassuring squeeze. Moira admitting that she hadn't been sleeping well made Abby worry much more than any statement about staring at the clouds, but trust Moira to think that idleness was a cause for concern. Abby would ask her about it later. Since the start of the week, she'd heard a rumor that she really hoped wasn't true, and wanted to make sure she was well.

"Just as importantly, but thank you," she rebutted, her expression softening in relief. Thank Merlin! Moira looked glad to be here, and willingly brought up the topic of the pentral. Abby had been right to owl her.

"I'm alright. It feels like the calm before the storm. The appointment is next week and Iona's been quiet since December started."

Both in Abby's thoughts and out loud. She glanced around.

"Do you want to go somewhere? Where to, on our afternoon adventure?" She smiled, figuring it might be easier to talk away from the crowd of the street.

Moira nodded when Abby mentioned the appointment and Iona being quiet. She could only imagine how that must feel for them both. Lonely and frightening.

With her cousin's spirit being so quiet, it might be due to reflection, or distraction through Abby, on the imminent future, or she was trying to make the transition for her host easier. Sharing experiences and memories. Having that constant presence suddenly be gone. It was horrible.

“I don't really have a place in mind.” Talking away from crowded and noisy streets would be more preferable. “One of the cafe's first?” Grabbing something to eat that they could share and something to drink didn't sound like a bad idea anyway.

As they made their way to the cafe Moira glanced over at her friend, “All set for Christmas or are you still gift shopping?” As festive as Abby had been during Halloween, something told her it was much more pronounced during the Christmas holidays.

She was more or less done with her own shopping, having started over a month ago and not having that many people to buy for. Only one person remained left on her list. One thing she had bought, however, had been recently returned. No point in gifting it now.

"Hm, there's a place like Alohomocha but it's even quieter and cozier. Shouldn't be too busy on a week day. I'll lead the way," Abby offered, continuing down the main street until they reached one of the narrow alleys of Diagon Alley, which hid the less popular, hole-in-the-wall shops. A few months ago, she'd stumbled upon a cafe that sold crepes and coffee made to delicious perfection. The owner's fat cat liked to lounge on the booths and nap beside the patrons on cold, rainy days like this one.

"I'm still gift shopping even though I have like a thousand gifts for everyone, piled up in my room," she grinned. "You should see my desk at the Ministry. Christmas and unicorns threw up on it. And my flat," she giggled. "Poor Raine. Though she's going away for the holidays and so am... I," she paused a second. Yes, she was. That was the plan, to stay at her parent's estate over Christmas. It was so odd to think about the future after the 22nd, and to think about it in terms of just herself.

"The flat is all decorated and we are enjoying it now," Abby smiled, pushing past the snag of unhappiness.

"Did you do any shopping yet, or does Xavier have you working crazy hours?"

Abby raised her eyebrows teasingly and opened the door of the shop. They both knew Moira worked so much because she wanted to and that her boss had little to do with that.

The couple who owned this place sat at one of the tables inside, and glanced up in recognition of Abby as the door squeaked. No bells announced their presence, the door shut with a thud, and the couple went back to chatting in a relaxed way along with the few other patrons. The lamps on each table glowed softly and a cat-toy garland hung low on the wall, jingling as the cat batted at it.

Three options were scrawled on the chalkboard by the counter:

   1. omelet crepe
   2. chocolate crepe
   3. coffee, black

Moira might like this place.

Listening to Abby talk about her own festivities it was easy to imagine it. Colors and glitter that couldn’t stay contained in one area. Much like Abby herself, her unicorn vomit would permeate everything in an engulfing manner and everyone couldn’t help but love it. Including her poor roommate that shared the same space.

Moira smiled faintly at the tease, “Xavier doesn’t really manage the employees or day to day business. I’ve only seen him once, and that was kind of a surprise visit. Drayce was really overdoing it in trying to please him but,” she shrugged, “I guess that’s what happens when the new mega owner comes around.”

The comment on working crazy hours went, intentionally, ignored. Her interrogation by Bagnold a few days ago had cut into her morning hours. So instead of staying just an hour late she hadn’t gone home until nine. An hour after that and the nightmare had gotten worse.

"Anyway, I do have all my gift shopping done. Except for Sasha's. It’s hard to match something like a cottage.” Duncan had been asking if she was ever going to move into it. ‘Eventually,’ had been her reply. Whether it was next week or next year, Moira couldn’t say.

Walking into the shop behind Abby, Moira took in the setting. It was cozy. There was something to be said for small businesses like this. The service was usually different, not necessarily better or worse, than larger and busier places. She also took a better look at the owners and patrons than she might have in the past before finally letting her gaze fall on the chalkboard menu. Black coffee with chocolate. Perfect.

“Well, I know what I want.”

Abby nodded, sharing Moira's smile. She thought she'd heard about Drayce before, Moira's manager, and he sounded like many managers who tried to impress their bosses.

Of course Moira had almost all of her gift shopping done! She was prepared and considerate like that, and she kept the number of close friends to a minimum, Abby privately thought. She liked to think she was in that small number.

Oh? Sasha had gifted her a cottage? Had she just said cottage? Certainly not cottage cheese.

“Well, I know what I want.”

"I do too," Abby glanced distractedly at the menu. Turned out they wanted the exact same thing. Coffee and a chocolate crepe. The shop owners set about making the crepes in the open kitchen behind the counter, and the sweet, mouth-watering scent of sugary dough and chocolate filled the air. Her stomach rumbled. What a perfect early dinner!

She settled into a booth seat across from Moira to wait for their order.

Little did Moira know that another, albeit friendlier interrogation was about to begin!

"Who do you usually buy presents for? Am I on the list?" Abby smiled coyly and without shame.

"Annnnd, tell me all about this cottage and how that happened. Cottage as in thatched-roof cottage and flowering gardens?"

She rested her chin in her hands and her elbows on the table, leaning forward.

Abby asked if she was on the gift list and Moira gave a half shrug, “Actually,” she smiled and pulled a small box wrapped in red and white paper with a light blue ribbon ending in a bow out of her bag, “You are. You can open it now or wait until Christmas.” Placing the box on the table she gently slid it over to the other girl.

“I don't have many people to shop for, to be honest. You, Sasha, my dad and Duncan.” There were a couple other people usually, but life and work had happened for everyone, so this year would just have to be skipped.

Then Abby asked about the ridiculous gift of a cottage. “It’s not a big deal, really, except for the fact that it’s a house. You remember from Halloween the one he used for the witch? With all the candy on it?” Moira continued once she had confirmation, “He said if I didn’t accept the cottage he was going to destroy it. Decorations are all gone, of course, but it’s fully functioning. Or it will be, anyway.”

Their orders were delivered and she glanced up with a thanks, immediately pulling the coffee towards her first. After having drank so much of it the past week there was a chance Moira was becoming addicted to the black beverage. Coffee had been her friend while Casper slept.

"Moira!" Abby said loudly enough to create a stir in the quiet, aloof atmosphere of the shop. "You didn't have to, but I'm so glad you did. Thank you," she slid the box closer to her, smiling. Wrapped and everything. With a bow on it. She was the sweetest.

"You'll be getting your gift early as well, before Christmas," Abby informed her cheerfully. Due to the pentral's schedule, but Moira hardly needed to be reminded of that.

Abby nodded at the short list of people, just happy to be on that list, and listened with interest about the new cottage.

Her eyebrows spiked up.

"Yes, of course I remember the candy cottage."

Surely that wasn't it. Abby clapped her hand over her mouth, beset by giggles. Oh wow. First the phrase of Sasha destroying it, which Abby couldn't help but think was due to the candy contamination and the resulting calories, and then Moira claiming he gave it to her as a gift.

"I'm not laughing at you," she insisted, waving her hand in the air catching her breath as the food arrived and the cafe owner gave her a funny look.

"Oh my god. Maybe a little. Maybe a bit. Are you pranking me? Sasha gave you his cottage? And it's the very same one we stumbled upon at Halloween? Meaning it's in the spooky forest? In Germany? Why in the world are the decorations gone, Moira? Does the skeleton fox come with it?"

Shoulders shaking with mirth, Abby bent over her food, oh wow it smelled delicious, and maneuvered the box to the edge of the table in case Moira tried to take it back due to Abby's disloyalty.

The present had been received with more gratitude than miss had expected, but she was glad for it. It wasn't every year she bought a present for someone new. Bagnold would be getting a bottle of beer, but that didn't count. Paying off a debt had nothing to do with the holidays and gifts.

Moira, curiously amused, watched Abby when she began laughing after hearing about the cottage. Taking a drink of het coffee, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as the questions started, she patiently listened to them all. Then she took a bite of the crepe - it tasted divine - giving Abby's giggles a chance to subside a little.

"Not a prank. The very same one." Moira paused, "Except it's not made of candy. Some sort of illusion spell, I guess." She took another drink of coffee. "He had it transported to the back section of our property. " Even having grown up in the world of magic it amazed her sometimes. "And I hope that skeleton fox didn't come with it." Enchanted bones and no actual necromancy or not, the fox had disturbed her.

"I've only gotten around to furnishing the bathroom and kitchen/dining area. Maybe I'll finish it next year."

Accepting such a large and expensive gift was difficult for the witch. Her plans had been to save up the money to have one built herself. The majority of her earnings at the menagerie so far had been saved except doe a few things she had been helping purchase, like food and a few other necessities. There were the ingredients she had also bought to mix up a medicinal paste for any injuries the horses acquired, but that hadn't been overly expensive.

Moira took another bite of the crepe, "This is really good."

Ah, so Sasha had moved the cottage all the way to Scotland to rest on Moira's family farm. Abby pursed her mouth to keep further giggling at bay. She imagined a house floating in the clouds, gum drops and candy canes raining down as the illusion spell wore off.

"That makes sense. Close to home and the animals."

It was really very sweet of Sasha, no pun intended. Moira had a place of her own now, to furnish and relax in and cook in.

"Oo, priorities. Of course you had to fix up the kitchen first, so you can invite your dearest friends over for dinner," Abby smiled. "And so those dearest friends can help you decorate. That way, Moira, it will definitely be finished by the end of next year."

As Moira complimented the crepe, Abby took a bite, raised her eyebrows, and nodded. Heavenly chocolate made everything better.

"What's the layout like? How many rooms? What colors did you pick for the bathroom? And the kitchen and dining room, is it more rustic farmhouse or not-so-shabby chic?"

She asked curiously, pausing to take a sip of coffee.

"Can you tell I'm excited for you?"

Abby was sweet, even if the only 'dearest' friends she had at the moment were Sasha and Abby. Everyone else was busy with their own lives, or they were a selfish ass.

No. Happy thoughts only. Abby was excited. Better to focus on that.

"It's, uh, yes. I can tell." Taking a bite of her crepe, Moira worked through the barrage of questions. Not-so-shabby chic?

"It has a normal layout?" She supposed not everyone paid as much attention to their surroundings and tended to remember them as she did. "It's kind of big. Door leads into the living room with the kitchen and dining area to the left. The bathroom is the at the beginning of the hallway which leads to the two bedrooms at the end. The master bedroom has its own bathroom, which I haven't done yet. I didn't really pick colors and… I don't know?"

How was her coffee cup already empty. She frowned down at it before catching the owner's eye to ask for a second one. With that accomplished Moira looked back to her friend, catching a thoughtful look.

"What are you thinking?"

Moira remembered the general layout! She called it the 'normal' layout, which made Abby grin. Abby just had one pressing question. How in the world did she not know the colors if she'd already furnished the bathroom and kitchen and dining room? Which colors had she already, unknowingly picked?

Abby donned her very best Reid mask of politeness and repressed a shudder at the thought of walking into the cottage and finding a sea of beige and gray and (horror of horrors!) greige.

This was ok, this was fixable. Moira focused on making a place livable whereas Abby would happily help decorate.

Sipping her coffee, she shot her a mischievous look at her question.

"I'm thinking that I want to pick colors with you. I want to help you find your gift for Sasha. I also want to open your present like, right now. So I'm going to do that."

Abby untied the light blue ribbon and made a bow out of it, setting it next to her coffee. Then she unwrapped the wrapping and also set that to the side. And then, with a flourish, she opened the lid of the gift box and uncovered...

A unicorn!

A pretty unicorn pendant on a necklace. She held it up to the lamplight, admiring the glint of its horn. "Ooo."

Abby fastened the necklace around her neck and smiled at Moira, touched by her thoughtfulness. "Thank you! This is perfect. It goes with my whole theme and everything I wear."

No beige, no gray, no greige here!

Picking colors seemed to be of extreme importance to Abby, which only made sense. The squib had such enthusiasm it was difficult to imagine her in a world not filled with color.

“I’m glad you like it.” Her friend said it was perfect, and it looked that way when she wore it. The witch was glad she had gone for the pendant and not the ring. Necklaces were more practical anyway, rings tended to get in the way in her experience.

Her second cup of coffee was delivered and, again, Moira glanced up gratefully then looked across the table.

“You’ll need to see the place first, before helping me with the colors of course.” Which meant they’d use the floo to go to the main cottage, unless Abby was okay with side-along apparition.

 “Do we search for Sasha’s gift before heading over first or shop for everything at once?” Either way was fine with her. There was work in the morning but who knew if she’d actually sleep or be up most of the night again. Staying out late wouldn’t be an issue.