|
Donations & Prize Table
|
Kath x Anna Freddy hadn’t been at the Ministry long enough to know which events were truly optional and which ones would quietly haunt his personnel file if he skipped them. The Easter Hunt & Brunch felt like the sort that required “showing face.” So he came. With Anna beside him like a lifeline he pretended not to need. He had absolutely no idea where he was supposed to go. Or stand. Or be. Every direction looked like a wrong turn. Everything felt crowded, loud, inconvenient. Mostly, it felt like a chore. “Feels… different,” he said, which was his way of saying I’d rather be anywhere else but I’m trying. He subtly shifted closer to Anna as one small child chased an egg past him, nearly colliding with his knee. m e r l i n. He rubbed the back of his neck out of habit, trying to look like he knew what he was doing. “Do we just… pick a place to stand?” he murmured. “Or... I dunno. Walk in a direction and hope it’s the right one?” |
Quote:
She glanced up at him when he said feels… different, and her lips curved with gentle understanding. "Well," she murmured, leaning in just enough that their shoulders brushed - or sort of brushed since a proper brush would require her jumping a bit, "it’s a whimsical Ministry rather than a prim, proper, and orderly one. I image that will always feel different... and a bit confusing. If I see anyone from the Memory Restoration and Retrieval Breau dressed as a bunny or chick or something...I do want to warn you that I may become a bit insufferable with glee." She smiled at the child that zoomed past, wishing she had had better reflexes so she could offer one of the little rainbow bags of Cadbury mini eggs she had nestled inside to them. Then again, it looked like there would be plenty of sweets for all so she really hadn't needed to prepare any sort of favors - old habit she had no intention of shaking. She reached out, brushing her fingertips lightly against his sleeve in a quiet HOPEFULLY grounding touch, and slipped her arm through his. "We can start over there," she nodded toward the donation table, "I brought a few things for the Portkey drive I can deposit and then we can look at the Bingo prizes and daydream about what we would do with them when we win something." |
Freddy huffed out something that wasn’t quite a laugh but close enough to pass for one. “If someone from mysteries shows up in a bunny suit,” he said dryly, (imagine that, an unspeakable bunny) “I’m turning in my resignation on the spot” And then her fingers brushed his sleeve. He didn’t flinch… but there was the smallest shift in him, a tightening at the edges of his posture, like his body had to register it before his mind could allow it. A breath held, then released. And when she slipped her arm through his, he didn’t pull away - instead just adjusted his stance so the contact was there, steady, contained, manageable. It wasn’t effortless. But it wasn’t unwelcome either. “Donation table,” he repeated, nodding toward it, “That I can do. It has clear instructions. Unlike… all this.” His free hand gestured vaguely to the wandering rabbits. And then he snorted, before adding: “Sure. Let’s pretend we have a real chance at these prizes.”Pretty sure some kids might end up fighting them for it. |
"Do you have a fear of people as costumed characters?" she asked without an ounce of judgement. "I know someone like that you know. It's called Masklophobia and is less about the costume and more about how the unknown face behind the mask or costume creates unease and sets off something in the most primal corners of our brains. I hadn't know this and met them for ice cream on one of the days the Ice Cream Bears were out and about and oooooooooooooooi vey do I still have loads to do to make it up to them." She paused to consider the whole sentiment about a Level Nine rabbit, but couldn't see such a situation as anything else but delightful. She felt it, that tiny recalibration in him when her fingers brushed his sleeve. Not the pull away she might have braced for once upon a time, but something more purposeful. The awareness of it settled warmly in her chest even as she pretended not to notice at all - and purposefully not making note of it while very much aware it had happened, which was considerable growth to her simply not noticing him behave like a cat who absolutely did not want to be touched and her only looking at how fluffy his metaphorical fur was and insisting she pet it. The comparison made sense in her head. "Mmhmm," she nodded with exaggerated seriousness as he agreed on the donation table. "Step one: stand in the queue. Step two: hand over the donations. Step three: accept gratitude and move along. You know, social gatherings are really just a series of small very much survivable tasks," she continued softly, as if imparting a great secret about the universe. "Pick one thing, do it, and then a small reward. No resignations necessary." Her gaze flicked toward the prize table, then back to him, eyes sparkling. "It's called manifesting, Freddy. Which prize are you going to manifest winning?" she teased with a little squeeze to his arm. "I think I'd like the coupons to Madam Malkins or vouchers to Espresso Patronum myself." |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 04:33 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2026, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.3.2 © 2009, Crawlability, Inc.
Site designed by Richard Harris Design