outfit

Petting the ring like an evil overlord lacing its fingers through the hair of a pet cat, Neely traipsed through the gates and into the main drag of Hogsmeade. Aside from the creepy, not-so-unconscious stroke of her baby fingers, the Slytherin was a bundle of freshly-bloomed roses. (Which rather fit the ring itself, her new favorite thing to show off to peers in the common room, Great Hall, and washrooms.)

She’d wondered, in the aftermath, how Julian had worked up the courage: he knew about her messy tango with Sasha, he knew Jordyn’s claws were sharp, and he knew Neely wasn’t a girl who would receive such invitation lightly (unless it came from the Unworthy, of course, and then she delighted in pretending not to care.) In the end, with the ring on her finger and her freshly-updated diary slumbering beneath her pillow, she’d fallen asleep deciding that Julian had a rebellious streak of courage somewhere in his lanky Boy Form.

Julian’s Valentine’s treat was not homemade like the ring, nor quite as... lasting... but Neely had remembered how proudly he’d worn his Halloween costume, and had promptly owled Mummy’s favorite chocolatier to sculpt the Julian-inspired piece before sunrise. Neely kept the suspiciously huge chunk of sugar stuffed in her charmed clutch.

Waiting on the balls of her shoes (a feat unto itself when one wore heels), the pint-sized serpent looked around at the red-and-white decked town, bunches of pink balloons, and lovers galore. Her spying eyes did their best to fish for new gossip-- firsthand accounts were always the easiest to work with, because one could be sure one would not get blamed for exaggerated detail. If Neely was the only witness, the tale could be as a long and drawn out as she pleased.

Julian was willing to concede to the vague idea that he might not have pursued Neely if he hadn’t come up with a mostly solid plan to win her over. He wasn’t a fan of rejection (not that he knew many who were), and in the aftermath of his New Years fiasco of a fake relationship, he had waited to make his move.

Could he be blamed for stabbing at the heart of every school girl’s desire? A Valentine was something coveted, something cherished, something dangerous if you didn’t have one. The only drawback to his plan, looking back, had been the addition of ‘maybe’ into the options. Where did you go with that? Yes and no were so direct and obvious, it left little to the imagination. Maybe, however, unlocked its own Pandora box, the mind willing to venture down whatever fork in the road that presents itself.

After scanning the helpful letter that he’d received from his all-knowing Aunt, Julian had straightened his suspenders and checked his hair placement, finally setting out to meet Neely where they’d decided on.

Once in the town, Julian set about to setting free a couple of balloons, one of the red ones quickly attached to his little gift box of strawberries covered in white and milk chocolate. Standing up straight, glancing over heads of those shorter than him, Julian finally noticed the petite blonde. It took him a moment to finally take a step towards her, the outfit making his eyes wander almost as far as his imagination.

“That dress looks stunning on you.” He made a show of admiring it, his eyes soaking in the areas he preferred, finally settling on her face, gazing over her lips to her eyes. An easy going smirk made its way to his lips, his free hand sliding subconsciously into his trouser pocket. Offering her the chocolate box, Julian tried to act as suave as he looked, though the light blush staining his cheeks and neck gave away his uncertainty.

Pink, red, and tall as a sunflower, Julian was hard to miss. Neely smiled at the boy, who was as charming to look at as a bottle of his hair product, and squealed a bit, drawing her arms open in none-too-adult-like excitement as he closed the distance between them. She stood on tippy toes, ringing skinny arms around his neck to kiss his cheek with ruby-red lips.

It was the afternoon before the dance, which meant it was prime time for parading one's date around the town. A shared mug of cocoa in the cozy little powder puff of a tea place that was Puddifoot's sounded grand to Neely's overly-romanticized ears. She'd dreamed it up, and Julian had made it come true by sending her a last-minute, surprise invite to be his V-Day date.

She grinned back-- not unblushingly-- at his compliment, and looked him over, returning the favor. "Your suspenders match my dress," she announced, pleased. She looped her arm through his and took the offered chocolates with delightedly huge eyes. She was becoming a regular Fauna Blake in her giddiness.

Good golly Godric, that was a no. Neely quickly straightened up on her towering heels, sobered her face, and smirked, throwing a sidelong glance at Julian. "These look delicious," she admitted, this time unabashedly. "And I think you're blushing..."

There was something a blushing boy that she seemed to like. Her taste in boyfriends said as much, didn't it? Gone were the days of posterized models; Neely Woolfolk was now reigning in tall, lanky teenagers of her own. "I've got something for you, too," she giggled, leading him past the threshold of the tea shop and demanding they have a place by the window. The box under her arm was guarded like a crown jewel. "But I wonder if I should wait until tonight..."

-- Uniform. --

---

It happened every year. Columbine had been working at Puddifoot's long enough to understand that Valentine's day was the worst day ever to exist. Not only because Cole currently lacked a Sugar Daddy, but because teenagers decided to cram their date into the frilly tea shop and act like Columbine was a mindless dog. She didn't have feelings. Hell no. She was there to make tea and not look as pretty as the young chickies that occupied the plush seats. Nothing dampened Cole's confidence more than the leggy teens that managed to snag handsome dates for the day.

With a throbbing headache, Cole managed to remain sweet and innocent along with the small amount of fellow waitresses that zoomed around the tables with her. Confetti was flying everywhere, tangling into Cole's nicely done ponytail and down inside her apron. Every time she went back into the kitchen, she took another handful of confetti out of her crevices and begrudgingly kept her kind persona. Columbine was a nice woman. She was just a nice woman with a good sense of when her dignity was being destroyed.

Her secretly hateful antics were growing more frequent. Steaming dishwater was used in the tea for the people who treated Cole like crap. Used tea leafs were also rather frequent, but the two disgusting ideas were never really combined. Not yet, at least. But Columbine was definitely thinking about. Too many customers, too little dishwater.

Another couple entered the shop, a small blonde with a lanky boy wearing a... Get this... Red bow tie and suspenders that matched his date's dress. Columbine had take a moment to breath so she didn't barf all over her uniform. She hated cheesy couples. She was always very spontaneous and unorthodox when it came to relationships. If she ever had a date that decided to match her, she'd probably knife them and steal their wallet. She simply didn't work that way. She expected that kind of behavior from the few women she dated, however. But she knew broads were highly different from men.

That lanky boy probably lacked self respect.

The girl demanded a seat by the window so Cole obliged. The skank was lucky that they had a few open seats, else Cole would have laughed in her face. She sat them down and plopped down a menu. She never understood the point of the menus; other than the list of certain tea leafs and pastries one could order, it was a bit unnecessary. With a smile that screamed, "I'm going to spit in your drink," Columbine pushed past her hatred of life and spoke up to the couple (who had yet to even acknowledge her).

"What can I get you two?" She asked, tilting her head to side with faux enthusiasm. Cole paused for a moment before adding, "Or do you want a moment?" If so, Cole could recommend another tea shop because she didn't have time for the slowpokes. The confetti sprayed all over Cole and the table and she let out an inaudible sigh. Yet she still managed to smile at the ungrateful teenagers.

Glancing down at his suspenders (not that he needed to, he knew which ones he chose to wear), he merely nodded and grinned. Though not completely intentional, he had gone with the Valentine’s day colors. “Appropriately.” Accepting her arm through his, he kept his strides less than normal to keep up with her shorter legs.

“They should be!” His aunt had sent him the best, of that he had been assured. It helped that a fellow woman had helped him; he couldn’t be helped with some things. And he’d wanted needed the best. Neely was worth it; considering everything else he’d done recently, it was probably the least amount of effort expended.

Bringing up his blushing only made him grin bigger, his cheeks deepening in their slight embarrassment. This situation was new to Julian… having a date (a real one) with someone he liked. “Yes, well…” Glancing over at her, trying not to look at her eyes too much, he retorted, “So are you.” Pulling her closer by the arm in hers, he once again focused on the area ahead of them. Opening the door for her, he quickly followed inside, eyebrows raised in delight.

He also got a gift? He liked Valentine’s Day even more! Pouting however slightly (a good trait picked up from his aunt), he glanced at the box and then at her. “Tonight? But that’s so far away…”

After they were seated, Julian stretched his legs out a little, settling back into his chair comfortably. Glancing out the window, he acknowledged the waitress with a slight shrug, finally glancing towards Neely. “Two Double Chocolate Strawberry red teas… and sugar and chocolate biscuits.” If Neely wanted something else, she could order it. Glancing up at the waitress, he gave her an expected small smile, as if to say she was dismissed.

The waitress' hair blended in with the wall, and Neely had eyes only for her date. Mascared in black, her lashes fluttered like a dragon's wings. Only daintier, for Cornelia Heloise Woolfolk was nothing if not dainty. How had she ever ditched such a charming boy?! She couldn't recall all of the details of their last quarrel, not just right now. She didn't want to, either. Julian had too many compliments to voice, and Neely's ears craved something sweet.

She kept her wicked smile in check and shrugged, her silence saying that he would have to wait-- but she wasn't sure if she could wait. Neely loved surprises, but she also loved to run her mouth and show off. What better place to give Julian his gift than in the nursery rhyme cloud that was Madame Puddifoot's?

"And milk!" She called out after the waitress, as if the woman had already been dismissed by the command hidden in Julian's throat. She might have been a house-elf for all Neely cared. "Cold milk. With cream on top." Chocolate tea and biscuits required as much. The teeny Slytherin kicked her legs under the table (for even in heels, her feet did not reach the ground). She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned toward Julian conspiratorially. "Did you hear about that second year her laced her own pumpkin juice with Amortentia?" What a loser!