Refilling The Pantry, Open

[KidneyThief]

Odessa was getting low on potion supplies. And since she enjoyed making them, maybe it would be a good idea to restock. She put on a royal purple outting robe which was dotted in half moons and five-point stars and she headed out into the fresh morning air. The shop had probably just opened and wouldn't really be too busy until noon or so.

With a small sack of gold and silver, Odessa took a Port Key to The Leaky Cauldron and headed into the pub for a quick morning pick-me-up and a trip into Diagon.

She finished her drink and paid the tab, ready to window shop and get what she was after.

Odessa pushed past a witch or two and approached the entrance to Diagon Alley. With a few correct taps of her wand to specific bricks, the bricks slid away to form a doorway into Diagon. Odessa smiled and tapped her pocket that contained her money. It jingled, reminding her that she had not forgotten her money. She sometimes did that and had to leave the shop to return home and fetch her coins. It was quite embarressing, especially when she had a large amount of items she was purchasing and was up to the counter to pay before she realized her money was missing. But not today. Today she had everything.

Satisfied with her last minute check, Odessa started to amble down the alley. Few people were out and about. This was what she liked. She inhaled deeply, sucking in the scent of the dawning day, and she entered the Apothecary. She walked in a couple of steps and smiled at the clerk. Her familiar face received a welcoming grin as well.

The witch walked back to Basic Potion Ingredients to pick up the items for simple brews. She would check out the more advanced things in a moment.

Odessa was searching through the selections when the bell above the door sounded. She was so used to the sweet little chime of it that she didn't look up. The clerk greeted another shopper and Odessa placed a small bottle into the basket she had picked up before she got too into her shopping. She then reached deep down inside another pocket, the pocket engulfing nearly half of her arm, and Odessa pulled out a long list of things to buy. She also removed a self-inking quill from that same pocket, this time reaching down deeper yet, and she checked an item off her her list. After she took another moment to read her list, she put it away and began to gather up a couple other things.

The bell chimed again. Odessa placed another bottle into her basket, completely unaware of the sound of the bell's song or the footsteps around her.

[FoxyJames]

He had a fair bit of time to kill before work that evening, and so James had woken up, showered, and ventured out on the town. He wound his way to Diagon alley, poking in and out of all the shops that littered the small narrow street and its paths. Eventually, his wanderings found him in front of the apothecary, a place he hadn't seen much of since his Hogwarts days. It had always been an interesting place to visit, especially for someone who was good at Potions like he had been. So he figured a scouting out was in order.

The door chimed as he entered, and the shopkeeper greeted him. James nodded in return and cast his glance about the room, trying to decide where to start. A familiar red headed figure caught his eye. He hadn't seen her for a while, but that didn't mean that he couldn't say hi now.

James strolled his way over to her. She didn't notice him approaching; she seemed far too occupied by what was on the shelves. He placed his hands over her eyes.

"Guess who?" He asked, grinning behind her. She'd probably know who he was, his Scottish accent would most likely give him away. Still, there was no harm in trying.

[KidneyThief]

"Sean Connery?" Odessa replied with sarcasm, not even looking up or thinking about her comment. If she had, she would relize that the reply was wasted on a pureblood because he probably wouldn't know who Sean Connery was. But the accent was familiar, Scottish, and when Odessa took a moment to look up, she was taken aback.

"Oh!" She said as she placed another item into her basket.

"Um... James, right?" Odessa inquired, slightly embarrassed by her smart-ass comment from before. "I didn't mean... I was just... I didn't see you there."

It had been awhile since she had seen him. Years even. School seemed like nothing more than a distant memory, fragments lost and blurry, some clear as crystal, but the faces and names of those she has spoken with stuck with her. Odessa remembered James. It was hard not to.

"Well, how have you been?"

[FoxyJames]

"Sean Connery?"

"Uh, no." James said with a snicker. He only happened to know who Sean Connery was because he'd taken a tour of Edinburgh, and they had pointed out the school where the muggle actor had gone.

"Um... James, right?"

"Aye, that's me." Ok, so maybe she didn't remember him as well as he would have thought. But it was fine, he didn't mind, he wasn't discourage or hurt or anything. After all, time had passed.

"I didn't mean... I was just... I didn't see you there."

"That much was evident." He said with amusement, a smile in his eyes.

"Well, how have you been?"

"Good enough, how about you?" James asked in return, glancing over her. Still as pretty as ever. A lot of the guys in Hogwart's had been blind to Odessa's charms, but not James. Ever the observant one, he'd noticed her curvy figure. Besides, he'd always loved redheads and she was very much one. Right down to her temper.

[KidneyThief]

"Good enough, how about you?"

Odessa smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine. I'm working for the Ministry now. Just some office job, but I'm also into studies about Magical Law. I'm just trying to get by."

She then spotted a jar behind James that contained some kind of liquid, deep red so much so that it was almost black. She pointed at it and cleared her throat. "Mind if I um," And Odessa moved a little closer to James, "get that bottle of purified bat's blood?" She pointed to it. It was a little bit above James's head, back a foot or so. "Actually, it's... kind of out of my reach." She hinted, hoping he would volunteer to fetch it for her.

Odessa stood there for a moment, grinning slightly and unsure of what to say. As she looked at him, a memory came to play in her head. It brought her back to a time when she came ever so close to kissing him and thinking better of it, and as she stood there with that little smile, she started to wonder what she had missed out on.

Oh well... Anyway, Odessa pushed herself from her thoughts and gestured toward the bottle once more. "It's the small one with the silver top, just there, above your head."

[FoxyJames]

"I'm fine. I'm working for the Ministry now. Just some office job, but I'm also into studies about Magical Law. I'm just trying to get by."

"Well, I'm bartending for a living. I think your job wins." James confirmed with a grin.

"Actually, it's... kind of out of my reach."

"I'll get it for you." He said quickly. James only just noticed then that she was standing much closer to him. He caught a waft of her raspberry scented perfume. She'd never worn too much, always enough to keep people wanting more. For some reason, it brought back a memory of him trying to kiss her back in their Hogwarts days. James turned to face the shelves, thinking.

Was it under the Willow tree by the lake he'd tried for a snog? Yes. It had been. Granted, James had been a little...inebriated at that time, but he had kissed her, knowing full well what he was doing. He hadn't been able to help himself. She'd looked so beautiful under moonlight. The way it caught off her red hair, made it burn...

"It's the small one with the silver top, just there, above your head."

"Got it." James said, handing it to her. The bottle was filled with a syrupy like substance. Red, but so dark that it was almost black. Bats blood...now what did she want that for?

"Do you have any plans for this afternoon?" He inquired, looking directly at her. Yeah, they did have some catching up to do and what better to do it over than a cup of coffee?

[KidneyThief]

"Well, I'm bartending for a living. I think your job wins."

"I doubt it." Odessa replied. "I'm willing to wager that bartending has more exciting moments than sitting behind a desk all day."

She took the bottle from James slowly, her hand softly brushing his, and she placed it into her basket. The same memory blazed in her mind now but she did nothing to let him know she recalled, save the glimmer in her eyes. She couldn't hide that.

"Thanks."

"Do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

"Shopping, but I'll have that done soon, and trying to avoid any contact with my mother, which is an everyday thing."

She tossed a bag of Sundried Asian Toadstools into her basket and looked about for a second. "Okay, I think that's it for in here. Do you need anything?"

[FoxyJames]

"I'm willing to wager that bartending has more exciting moments than sitting behind a desk all day."

"That's true enough." James was thinking in his mind that she probably made more money, but he didn't feel like saying that out loud. Money was one of those topics he didn't like to talk about.

"Shopping, but I'll have that done soon, and trying to avoid any contact with my mother, which is an everyday thing."

He smiled when she spoke of avoiding her mother. He was playing that game, more or less, with his entire family. Except Lucille.

"Maybe we could get a coffee? After you've finished your coffee, of course?" He asked, hoping she'd agree. James wanted to catch up with her.

[KidneyThief]

"Sure." Odessa said, thinking roughly the same thing. Catching up wouldn't be so bad. She was curious to see what other things James had gotten into. "Hold on."
And after she checked off a few things on her list, she was ready to leave the store. Odessa led James to the front of the shop so that she could pay for her goods.

A small line awaited them and Odessa sighed quietly as she took her place to wait. A woman with a two small children were in front of them. One of the kids, a little boy, turned around and stared up at them both for a good while before he opened his mouth to ask a question that was out of the blue.

"Are you two married?" He inquired rather loudly.

Odessa smiled and shook her head. "No, sweety, we're not married."

The little boy turned red and returned the grin. He tucked his hands behind his back and inhaled deeply. "Will you marry me?"

Just then, his mother turned around to apologize for her son's behavior. Odessa giggled and shook her head. "Oh dear, I think I may be too old for you."

The little boy pouted for a moment as Odessa reassured his mom that it was okay, even cute, and the oman apologized again before she and her children walked up to the counter to pay for her things and leave.

Odessa was next in line and after she paid for her things she turned to James. "Ready?"

[FoxyJames]

James nodded, following her to the checkout, feeling a bit like a mindless zombie, following her everywhere she went and all. But oh well. He stood next to her, stifling a smile at the little boy who turned and thought they were married. He and Odessa, married? Now that was funny. Acutally, the very thought of him being married was laughable. James couldn't even be loyal to a girlfriend, let alone a wife.

Still, you had to admire the young lad's forwardness. Fancy that, being able to ask a girl you wanted to marry her after talking to her for about one second. Kids had such an incredible sense of unashamedness.

"Ready?"

"Aye," James said with a half smile, heading directly to the door, assuming she'd follow him.

"There's a decent coffe shop down the street." He informed her as they strolled along. James figured it was about time for a decent coffee to perk him up a bit.