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**Juliet Raphael** · #1 (**permalink**) 02-14-2012, 02:53 AM

As you approach the open village square, the quiet roar of shopper chitter-chatter and the haggling of prices might alert your sense to the fact that you're at a flea market. But if your ears don't do the trick, then perhaps your nose will pick up on the scent of fresh caramel corn being popped, juicy hot dogs roasting on a grill, or even fresh lemonade being squeezed and sweetened by some of the vendors toward the back of the market.

Other than the refreshments offered to keep shoppers at the market all day, there are a wide variety of items available for purchase; sunglasses, bags, scarves, jewelry, handmade whistles and harmonicas, porcelain statues, 'as good as new' china, antiques, children's toys, wooden furniture, bolts of cloth, and a variety of other random items that could keep you there for hours on end.

Take your time browsing and remarking at the prices but beware: all is not as it seems and depending on the vendor, some prices are non-negotiable for a reason.

Cassirin · 02-18-2012, 12:27 AM

Finding someone amidst the crowds and booths was really not conducive to alleviating the nerves Caedwyn was currently feeling as she waited for her matchmade!date to arrive. She kept pressing up on her toes and turning in circles, peering through the throng in hopes of catching a glimpse of... someone. A specific someone.

Merlin, how was she supposed to FIND this someone?

She pressed her hand to her stomach and eyed the hot dogs longingly. Hopefully her date wouldn't be overly fastidious about eating food out of a cart, because she'd come hungry. And nervous. Not a good combination.

What if he didn't show up?

What if he did show up and saw her and made a horrified what-a-troll face?

What if made that face and then left? At least then she wouldn't feel bad about buying herself a hot dog.

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 02-18-2012, 03:53 AM

Atticus...was nervous, to say the least. Not only was he on his first date in years (all thanks to Simone, Sadie, and Stan), but it was at a flea market of all places. This really wasn't the first place that came to mind when he thought of a date.

But of course, it was possible the places to go on a date had changed since his days at university.

With a small, colorful bouquet of daisies (which his sister Simone had insisted he bring) in one hand, he scanned the crowd in search of his date. What good would that do him though? He wasn't sure who exactly he should be looking for. So how would he know if she was here, or if she came at all? This was not a good way to start a...

There was someone he recognized. He didn't really know her, but he remembered speaking with her briefly at the Ministry Celebration Ball back in August. Was it simply a coincidence that she happened to be here on the same day and at the same time as he was, or was it possible that she was his date?

There was only one way to find out.

Hiding the flowers behind his back as Simone had advised him, Atticus walked over to her. "Hello," he said, managing a smile that he hoped didn't reveal how nervous he was, "Ms. Howard?"

Cassirin · 02-18-2012, 05:23 AM

Oh! Oh, she recognized this chap from the Ministry Ball! It was something of a relief to see a familiar face, although she didn't know his name or even the department he worked for. Plus he had a very nice smile.

"Yes, exactly. And you're Mr. Aldredge? But... I know you, don't I? You work at the Ministry." There were Muggles in the area, so she left it at that, but Cade smiled broadly at him. It was still sort of awkward and strange, but she felt some relief upon seeing her date.

"This is an odd place for a date. Why do you suppose they call it a flea market? Perhaps they sell fleas somewhere here." Was she babbling?

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 02-19-2012, 01:56 AM

Ah, it seemed she recognized him too. That was a good sign. At least, he hoped it was.

"That's right," he answered, nodding. "But you can just call me Atticus." He never saw the need for anyone to address him so formally on any normal day, and a date especially didn't seem like the right time for it either.

Already this date seemed to be getting better. She thought a flea market was just as strange a place for a date as he did. At least he knew he wasn't as uninformed on dating as he thought he was. He was, however, uninformed as to why it was called a "flea market." For all he knew, they did sell fleas here... "I hope that isn't why," he replied, smiling slightly. "I don't think my cats would appreciate it if I brought fleas home." That was...a weak joke. Perhaps he should give her the flowers now to cover it up.

Of course, it was also possible that it would make things worse and she would think he was weird for bringing them on this kind of date, or perhaps she hated flowers, or she might be allergic to them... The more he considered those possibilities, the more nervous he felt - but he couldn't simply walk around with his hand behind his back during the entire date, and he'd never know whether she liked or disliked them if he didn't try giving them to her.

So he did, taking his out from behind his back, extending them to her, and hoping his face wasn't turning red. "These are for you."

Cassirin · 02-19-2012, 05:10 AM

"Then you should call me Cade," she decided, although there was a brief hesitation over the normal apologetic speech about her name-with-too-many-vowels-for-one-person. Best to just skip that part and keep it simple.

She was about to ask after his cat when Atticus seemed to magic daisies out of nowhere. Pretty! And not something overwhelmingly romantic and sentimental like roses. Cade took the flowers and politely averted her eyes from his blushing (Merlin, was she blushing TOO? Was she a third year again?).

"Thank you! Daisies are such happy little flowers, aren't they? Very spring." She buried her nose in the bouquet as if to prove how very much she liked his thoughtfulness, and then promptly sneezed. Twice. Merlin.

"Have you been to this flea market before? I don't even know where to start."

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 02-20-2012, 05:18 AM

He nodded. Cade it was then.

So far, this was working out quite well. She was very nice and easy to get along with, and she even seemed to like the flowers he had been so worried about. "Yes, I suppose they are," Atticus answered, smiling. He could only hope that he and Cade would still be happy by the end of this date. So long as he didn't mess anything up...

...it already seemed he might have. She'd sneezed. She was allergic, and she was just too nice to say it, wasn't she? "Bless you," he said. "I - er - can take those back if you're allergic to them or...something..."

As for the flea market... "No, I'm afraid I've never been to any flea market." So this was definitely a new experience for him. "Perhaps we could just go to the nearest one and work our way around?" Seemed like the most logical way to start.

Cassirin · 02-20-2012, 08:50 PM

"No, not allergic. Just showing off and I got a nose full of pollen," Cade smiled sheepishly and brushed at the top of her nose as if the pollen was visible there. Very classy move. Sneeze on the gent and then wipe your nose in front of him.

Merlin, she was so out of practice.

"That seems like a good suggestion, but let's agree to skip the booths that are selling things we don't care about. No sense us both lingering over pickled pixie wings if neither of us has an avid interest in potions." She paused before adding apologetically, "Unless you have an avid interest in potions, in which case I would be happy to linger over pickled... bits." But the wrinkle to her nose belied that statement.

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 02-22-2012, 03:02 AM

Oh. She wasn't allergic? Thank Merlin, he hadn't messed up. Of course, just because he hadn't messed up now didn't mean he wouldn't do so later at some point.

Hopefully they wouldn't get to that point though.

Atticus nodded in agreement to her suggestion of skipping the unappealing booths. Though...was there really a booth that sold pickled pixie wings?! Those poor pixies... He shook his head. "Oh no, I'm more of a creatures guy myself. Live creatures, that is, not...pickled ones." It was probably why he was never a big fan of Potions class. The only reason he'd passed his tests and continued on with it after his OWLs was because of his best friend, who...he probably shouldn't think about right now. It would be better to continue on with a subject that actually made him happy. "Do you like animals?"

Cassirin · 02-22-2012, 04:28 AM

"I do like animals," Cade responded as she tucked the flowers under her arm and let herself fall into step beside Atticus as they moved toward the closest booths. There were so many things to see at each table, and there was no way to see all of it, so Cade didn't feel remotely guilty about only giving the table a cursory glance.

Why would she need old Muggle video games?

"I would consider myself an animal lover. I've been considering getting a rescue crup once my daughter is old enough, and I used to work at the rescue... a long time ago. Right out of Hogwarts." It felt like a long time ago, at least. "Do you have any pets?"

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 02-25-2012, 05:15 AM

Atticus's smile grew at her response. Cade liked animals too? An animal lover even? "Excellent!" Now that they were on this subject, the booths they walked by barely got a passing glance. None of them seemed to have anything creature-related, so he wasn't really interested now.

"That would be a wonderful thing to do." Getting a rescue crup, that is. Those crups needed a home more than the ones living in their breeders' comfortable homes. He was going to say more when he realized she'd mentioned she had a daughter. "Oh? How old is she?"

When she asked about whether he had any pets, he nodded. "I have two cats and a hippogriff - though I'm not sure you can really call him 'my' pet. It's more the other way around really." He chuckled.

Cassirin · 02-25-2012, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl

Atticus's smile grew at her response. Cade liked animals too? An animal lover even? "Excellent!" Now that they were on this subject, the booths they walked by barely got a passing glance. None of them seemed to have anything creature-related, so he wasn't really interested now.

"That would be a wonderful thing to do." Getting a rescue crup, that is. Those crups needed a home more than the ones living in their breeders' comfortable homes. He was going to say more when he realized she'd mentioned she had a daughter. "Oh? How old is she?"

When she asked about whether he had any pets, he nodded. "I have two cats and a hippogriff - though I'm not sure you can really call him 'my' pet. It's more the other way around really." He chuckled.

Cade paused at a booth offering vintage garments and jewelry, putting on oversized sunglasses that gave her a bug-eyed look. Hmm. It was a move to distract herself from the fact that she'd spoken of Carrigan far sooner than she'd intended. Hiding the fact that she had a daughter had never crossed her mind, but saying it within the first 20 minutes made her one of those monster mamas that pulled out wallet photos every other minute.

"Carrigan is five. Going on 80. She can talk your ear off about the difference between carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, but she has no interest in Babbity Rabbity." Her tone was fond as she fussed with the sunglasses before putting them down again.

A hippogriff, though? That was fascinating, if not very dangerous. "How does one come to own... or to be owned by a hippogriff? What do you call it?" And what does it eat and how much room does it require and how does he keep it from eating the cats? SO MANY QUESTIONS.

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 02-27-2012, 04:12 AM

Atticus only paused and glanced at this booth because Cade did. He couldn't walk off without his date, could he? Nothing here really interested him either though, so he turned his attention to the sunglasses she was picking up and putting on. Those were...er, interesting. A bit insect-like though. Were they supposed to look that way?

Ah. So her name was Carrigan, and she was five-years-old? She sounded adorable. "Sounds like she would get along with my nephew," he said, chuckling. "He's a bit of a dinosaur fanatic too, though carnivorous ones are his favorite." And he had no interest in Babbity Rabbity either - though, granted, he was a Muggle, so he didn't know about Babbity Rabbity in the first place.

"It's fairly easy to own one if you've worked with them before and know the right people - and one owning you is even easier," he continued, grinning. Hippogriffs thought they were in charge of most things - and they were generally right since they had those vicious tempers and sharp talons to back them up. Now as for what he called the hippogriff that owned him... "His name's Aquila." And he would be mighty pleased to know that he had come up as one of their conversation topics.

Cassirin · 02-28-2012, 02:39 AM

"How old is your nephew?" Cade fell back into step and let Atticus move them onward. He didn't seem the type to dawdle over playful bits and bobs, so he could decide where they'd stop again. Or when. They'd stop for food, surely.

"I don't really blame him, though. The carnivorous ones are, apparently, much more interesting. Bossy, too, if my child is any indicator. She growls for seconds." And THAT was a bad habit that needed to stop. It was cute the first time, but now it was just... bad manners.

She liked the shift in conversation to creatures, especially because it was obvious that Atticus liked the topic and REALLY liked his hippogriff. "Let me guess... you work in Magical Creatures?"

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 03-03-2012, 04:11 AM

"He's..." Atticus paused. How old was that kid now? "...Ten? Merlin." He felt rather old now. Was it really possible that he was ten-years-old already? It hadn't felt like that long, but . That also made it ten - almost eleven - years since he had seen...

Merlin, why did everything always come back to her?

Dinosaurs. Yes. Much nicer to think about.

"She growls?" He chuckled. "That's adorable." And speaking of carnivorous creatures growling for seconds...perhaps they should get something to eat? "Are you hungry?" he asked.

When she asked - well, guessed, really - that he worked in the Creatures department, he nodded, beaming. "I do," he replied. "I'm the Department Head, in fact." It sometimes still seemed like he had only just gotten that job too, but that was about a year ago now. It really was amazing how quickly time flew.

"What about you?" he asked. "What department do you work for?"

Cassirin · 03-03-2012, 05:14 AM

Cade abandoned the top of the respective children in their lives. She didn't want to bore him by being that mother, and she didn't have much to contribute about his nephew. She could say that ten was a good age, which is what people always said, but really, every age was good, wasn't it? It had been for Carrigan.

"Starving, actually. Well, not literally starving. I'll live to see another flea market, but I am hungry. What looks good to you here?" As in... was he morally opposed to hot dogs? To those little bags of sugared nuts? Oooh. Fresh lemonade! So many options.

Waiting for him to survey the options, Cade considered the fact that she'd been sure she was going to end up in Creatures when she'd applied at the Ministry. Imagine if this Atticus was her boss instead of Van. How would that have been? They certainly wouldn't be here now. Hmm. "Department Head. That's impressive. Do you still get to work with animals, or is it all tied up in bureaucracy? I'm Magical Law Enforcement, if you can believe it. Improper Use of Magical Objects Division Chief, although that's so recent a promotion, I sometimes forget."

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 03-06-2012, 04:07 AM

Atticus was okay with dropping that first topic. It was just...for the best.

Starving? Even if it wasn't literal, she was still hungry, and he was too, so either way they definitely needed to get some food. He scanned the different food carts and replied, "Everything looks good." As all food tended to look when he was hungry - and even many times when he wasn't. Food in general was pretty appealing, honestly. "I'm open to anything you want." So if she wanted to try a little of everything, he wasn't going to complain. Heh.

He looked away from the delicious looking foods when she continued. "Sometimes I do, yes," he replied with a nod. "Just depends on the situation." And how many reports and things he had to sort through, which was rarely as fun. She, however, worked in Magical Law Enforcement? "I can believe that," he said, smiling. Oh, and she was promoted? "Congratulations on your promotion."

Cassirin · 03-08-2012, 04:39 AM

"Thank you," Cade accepted his congratulations with a pleased little blush. She was HORRIBLE at talking about herself, especially self-promotion, but Atticus probably understood what it meant to be promoted. He was a department head after all, and thus had been promoted many many times.

"I'm not sure how to decide. You would think hopping in the shortest line would get us food fastest, but there's probably a reason the line is so short. Perhaps we should try something that you can't eat just anywhere. Although the hot dog smells SO good." DECISIONS.

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