Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Dec 3, 2008 22:49:50 GMT -5
30 September 2009
Gail was thrilled. She had finally managed a daytime shift, so she was off late afternoon. Eli taught a late class on Wednesdays, and Dev had a late meeting, so she decided to catch a nice early dinner to herself. There was a natural foods café that she enjoyed, but had never convinced her guardians to like, called Pret a Manger. It was also a bit pricey, so she could not eat there often herself. But it was probably one of the last nice days of the year (her schedule would not allow her to get another nice evening between now and then anyway), so she headed out into the streets of London, as the setting sun turned the brick buildings a brilliant red.
She passed the one on Trafalgar Square as too touristy and busy for the peace she sought this evening. So, she took the longer walk up to St. Martin’s Place, probably about halfway to the Leicester Square Station from Charing Cross. Not that it mattered much, as she would Apparate home to Wales afterward. If it was still light, she might take a listen at Speaker’s Corner, though. It was always interesting, even if it did sometimes boil the blood.
The Chandos Pub across the street was rather Victorian and stereotypically British, but they made a good snakebite when it counted. Pret a Manger, in contrast, was glass-fronted, clean, and modern. This evening, Gail was more interested in the smoked salmon she saw a passer-by eating from a takeaway bag. She ordered one herself, careful to keep her pound and pence coins separate from the wizarding money, and settled at a table against the large front windows.
She was about halfway through the sandwich when she looked out the window and saw a familiar face approaching. He did not seem to notice her, so when he was almost right in front of her, she knocked on the glass to get the attention of her old housemate, Drew Thornton, walking down a very muggle section of London road.
((If anyone is interested, all of the places mentioned above actually exist. And a snakebite is one part cider, one part lager, and a little bit of blackcurrant juice. It's pretty good. And again, Drew only please!))
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 4, 2008 0:13:10 GMT -5
It had been a pretty decent day for Drew, considering no one had tried to convince him that the Minister was looking for him, no one had placed an invisibility charm on the paperwork he was supposed to do, and no one had grabbed his bum as he passed by on his way to lunch.
On top of that, he had gotten a letter from Felicity and it looked like his surprise for her on Halloween was going to work out. He had written a letter during his lunch break and sent it off with Bogey who, as always, was quite excited to go on such an important errand. Feeling like his good day wasn't quite over yet, he decided to walk back to his aunt's house that evening, whistling and old Weird Sisters' tune that had gotten stuck in his head that morning. As he made his way through the Muggle streets, he wasn't really paying much attention to the store fronts he passed... until a loud rapping on the window by his shoulder startled him. He turned to look at what had made the noise, immediately grinning as soon as he saw the familiar face. He raised a hand to wave back at her before deciding he could probably use a snack. Changing direction, he opened the door, letting the bell in the entryway signal his arrival as he made his way over to where Gail was sitting.
"Hey! Fancy meeting you here," he greeted, taking a the seat across from her without waiting for an invitation. He sincerly hoped she wouldn't mind too much.
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Dec 7, 2008 21:04:49 GMT -5
Gail could not believe she had run into Drew again. They had not seen each other in more than a year, and now they had met at random for the third time in probably as many weeks. In a place the size of London, especially considering that wizards could live anywhere in the country and Apparate into the city, it seemed unusual that this had happened three times already, two of them in London itself. Gail refused call it anything mystical. Circumstsances had taught her that people made their own destiny.
When Drew came in and sat down across from her without invitation, she did not mind. It was what she had intended anyway, and so she smiled at him. She would have liked to make the invite herself, but she supposed it saved time. Even if it was a bit impolite.
A corner of Gail's mouth twitched. That was the worst insult one could have received from her Mum, and Mary had been sure to pass the importance of manners on to her only daughter. She would have to stop this line of thought. Her parents could still bring tears to her eyes, and the last thing she needed was a meltdown in the middle of crowded London.
Instead, she turned her attention to Drew. There was one question she felt compelled to ask, and she changed one word to not draw suspicion among the other non-magical diners. "What brings you to this very normal section of London? We're a bit off the path here."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 7, 2008 21:29:27 GMT -5
Drew noticed the twitch and began to wonder if he had overstepped his bounds. They hadn't been particularly chummy while they were at school, but after running into her a number of times over the last few weeks, he had felt a stronger friendship with the older girl... a kind of relationship where you didn't have to ask before sitting down. Maybe he had misunderstood?
But it seemed to pass and he relaxed a little, asking the waitress for a burger and some chips when she came over. His order taken he turned back to his old housemate and raised an eyebrow.
"Depends on your definition of normal," he answered with a crooked smile, finding that word slightly offensive when used as a synonymn for 'Muggle', but not saying anything about it. "It was a nice day. I thought I'd take the long way home. What about you? You're kind of far from home here, aren't you?"
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Dec 8, 2008 21:11:51 GMT -5
Drew's first comment seemed a little odd. She could not put her finger on what exactly bothered her about the statement, but something there was not what she expected from the younger Ravenclaw. Especially the word 'normal'...
She bit her lip a little to realize that she may not have won any points with the question. Drew was pureblood, and the wizarding world was all he knew. With all her reading on magical customs prior to first year and her halfblood status, it had not been common knowledge that she had no concept of magic or the wizarding world before her letter from Hogwarts. Be that as it may, the muggle world was still 'normal' to her, and it probably always would be. Her time in the wizarding world had not always been kind, after all. She would not apologize for the comment, even if it had angered him.
He moved swiftly on, eliminating the possibility of awkwardness or the need for apology on that count. Gail could understand Drew's thinking on the new topic. The nice weather had been exactly what inspired her to have dinner in London, instead of back in Swansea. That and Eli and Dev being out of the house, but she still did not wish to mention her living arrangements to anyone.
"I suppose I am a bit far from home, but so is the Cauldron. Still, I'm off early on a nice evening, and it's not like there's anyone at home to scold me if I don't show up 'on time'." That was technically true, as neither Dev nor Eli would be home until late. "I didn't know you were living in London now, though. How do you like it?" Life in London had always seemed a bit much for her. The West Country and Wales were more her style, but she could see how the capital would appeal to others.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 8, 2008 23:03:32 GMT -5
Good point," he answered with a crooked grin before continuing. "I'm living over by Hyde Park... have for a couple of years now," he told her, nodding his head over in the general direction. "I was staying with my aunt for the last few summers and I just kind of made it permanent after I left school." It probably wasn't his first choice on where to live, but it was close to where he wanted to be so it worked for him.
"I mean, I miss home, but I guess I've been here long enough that this is home now," he said with a shrug. "There aren't many places to surf around here, so I figure I might as well help my aunt out and stay with her. She's pretty spry, but still kind of getting on so I like to watch out for her even if she does have help."
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Dec 17, 2008 22:37:20 GMT -5
Gail nodded in response and took a large bite of her sandwich. She had not known Drew had been living in London for several years now. He had never volunteered the information to her, but because she knew he was from Los Angeles, she assumed that was where he lived during the hols. She had never thought to ask.
Well, she was corrected now. Hyde Park was both lovely and expensive. She could not help but think that there were sometimes advantages to being a rich pureblood. Gail could even take up that inheritance, if she chose. Such a shame she had evil relatives to sour that deal. Fast.
However, she did understand at least part of where Drew was coming from. Although she had only lived with her aunt and uncle in Swansea for a few years, it felt almost like home. It was, by no means, her parents' house back in Plymouth, and the place where she grew up would always have a special place in her heart. Especially since she learned her parents were under pressure from outside forces, which had redeemed her father in her eyes. She still regretted never being able to tell him that.
Nonetheless, there was a strong appeal to Eli and Dev's home. It had a charm all its own, one that could not and did not deserve to be compared to her parents' in Plymouth.
"Hyde Park is a nice place, innit. You must like living there," she commented once the bite was gone. The words worked to direct her mind away from the sad situation of her family. "What brought your aunt from America to London?"
It was only partially a real question, though she was curious, because it was such a distance. However, directing the conversation away from her left fewer chances for her to slip up and reveal her living arrangements. It was safer all around, really.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Dec 17, 2008 23:54:00 GMT -5
"I guess it's home," Drew answered with a small shrug and a sheepish smile. He had been around London enough to know what kind of neighborhood he lived in... and knew his family's financial standings would make it a pretty clear conclusion. His aunt's house was comfortable enough, but he still missed the sound and the smell of the ocean. "I like being close to family, so yeah... I guess I do like it."
"It's actually the other way around," he told her with a small smile in response to his aunt's address. "My grandmum moved to the states soon after she finished school, met my grandad, and the rest is history, I guess."
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Dec 31, 2008 18:37:55 GMT -5
Gail grimaced at the word 'history' being used to describe family. The Lawrence line was long-documented in Britain, and before she lost her interest in that side of her heritage, she had found evidence of the name Laurent in France, going back some centuries more.
She took a drink of her juice to hide the reaction, but she doubted it had been missed.
There were times she wished she could be in the United States, even farther from her relatives. She hated having to hide her muggle family all the time, as if she were ashamed of them. That was far from the truth, but having either herself or Eli and Dev discovered was worse than the deception she had to put forth. In a country as big as the U.S., she could disappear and still be herself. The hypocrisy of the situation--expecting honesty from those she met and yet failing to return the gesture--did not escape her.
Finally, she replied to Drew with a simple, "I guess" and hoped he would move on to another topic. This one had officially become too uncomfortable to continue.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jan 4, 2009 2:43:25 GMT -5
Drew saw the reaction, but didn't quite understand it. He had read some stuff in the Prophet about Gail's family, but he wasn't sure if that was connected to the face she had made. he bit on his lip, thinking he had better watch his wording more carefully. He really didn't want to hurt Gail's feelings any.
He felt like he needed to change the subject, but wasn't sure where to go. Asking her where she was living now could possibly cause problems if she was with family and he felt like he shouldn't go there. Bringing up the weather was just too random and Gail had never really done the quidditch thing at school so he wasn't too sure that was a good topic either.
"So... forgive me if I'm overstepping by bounds," he started off carefully, thinking that he probably was, but it was way better than staring silently into his teacup. "Do you like... get a discount at the Cauldron?" Yeah, kind of random and pretty tactless, but maybe it would get a smile out of her and give them the means to move onto some other topic.
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Jan 5, 2009 17:13:47 GMT -5
Drew seemed to get the hint, not that she hid it any. After a short moment where he bit his lip (Gail thought he chewed on it so hard he was about to cut it open), he came forth with a very different topic. His tone seemed a bit awkward, as the situation was, but most subjects were better than broaching her family, on either side. One side she was ashamed of, and the other side could not be spoken of. It was paranoid, she had to admit, but it was not paranoia if they really were after you.
Gail did smile a bit at Drew's question. Tom's rule had always been that his employees paid for half the food they ordered, and the rest came through their hard work. And work hard, they did. Gail suspected the tradition would continue long after her tenure there was over.
"I do, a bit. I only have to pay half price, and the management considers the rest covered by work." A bit of the other half was even pulled out of the paycheck, and she had almost entirely stopped eating Cauldron food when she realized that. "But if I don't pull my weight on my shift, then I have to pay full price." McKenna had fallen into that hole several times, and for good reason. She would not bring up the girl's skiving off to her boss, but if she could not even hide it from the boss, Gail felt McKenna deserved what she got.
Someday, though, she would get out of there. She had just taken her entrance exams for college last week, and she figured her scores would be high enough. It was one hurdle out of the way, though many more remained. Nonetheless, Gail knew her future lay outside the Leaky Cauldron, though she would always be fond of it.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jan 12, 2009 19:30:48 GMT -5
"Well, that sounds cool enough," Drew answered. "I mean, we don't get perks like that at the Ministry." Okay, so they got medical coverage and a retirement plan. He'd take half price on kidney pie and butterbeers anyday.
"But it's got to be tough," he commiserated. "I bussed tables and washed dishes a couple of summers ago and dang, that was exhausting. I think you've really got to love it if you're going to stick with it for more than a few years." He wasn't sure if Gail planned to make this her career, but for some reason he didn't think so.
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Jan 13, 2009 22:09:15 GMT -5
Gail was bemused by Drew's blithe statement. She would trade half price on beef stew for medical coverage and a retirement plan any day. He clearly did not know how good he had it, but it was sometimes hopeless to reason with people who had that mindset. She had tried. It had never worked.
She nodded as he went on. Alright, so he had some idea. One summer was different, though. She had been at this job over a year. It was mind-numbing, doing essentially the same thing, day in and day out. Her aunt's many arguments over the summer that she attend uni had only fanned a flame that was already beginning to burn on its own. Indeed, it did take a special type to work in the Cauldron for years on end. While it looked as though she would be working there indefinitely, that did not mean her tenure would not have an end.
"I think there's a certain temperament that thrives under those conditions. It's a combination of the mundane and the exotic, especially in a magical pub like the Cauldron. I'll always have a place in my heart for the little place, but I'm not one of those types." She shrugged. "I don't know what I'll do after this, but a year along and uni is looking pretty nice."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Jan 14, 2009 0:30:54 GMT -5
His attempt at being optimistic had probably not gone off as he had hoped, especially when punctuated with a touch of sarcasm. He really hated when he put his foot in his mouth and came off as an over-privledged ass. It probably had sounded stupid trying to compare his one summer to her full time job.
He still thought he understood the mix of mundane and exotic though, having spent that summer, nights mostly, at the dance club in Knockturn. They had gotten their share of interesting characters in that place. There was a certain kind of person that could survive in a place like that, and while he was sure Gail had the spunk to do it, he was glad to hear she wasn't planning on staying at the Leaky Cauldron permanently. "University is always good," he told her, lowering his voice just a little considering they were sitting in a Muggle establishment. "Kind of important on this side of Diagon and only helps on the other, right?"
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Gail Lawrence
Witch
Leaky Cauldron Waitress
Just looking for something new.
Posts: 274
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Post by Gail Lawrence on Jan 16, 2009 23:55:08 GMT -5
Gail was still applying for college, and uni would be a ways off. She had no idea what she was going to get her A-Levels in. What it boiled down to was that she was ready to move on, and stupid bureaucracy was not going to let her. She understood why, intellectually, but she had not expended all her rebellion in Hogwarts. The feeling was still there in force, even if she now grasped the idea of ends justifying the means. Her teachers were going to love her next semester.
It was the comment about the two sides of Diagon, though, that got her talking. Diagon Alley was such a lovely, gleaming place when she was young. Everyone her age had talked about it like it was the best place in the world, and she had fallen especially prey to that mindset because she grew up in the muggle world. But as she got older, the uglier side of the wizarding world came out in force, and it was harder every year to see the beauty in the pristine, clandestine street. More and more, it was a symbol of how shiny appearances covered up a raw deal for non-purebloods. She could make herself forget for short times, but never for very long.
Gail sighed and put her head in her hands for a moment. Then, leaning in close to Drew, she said, "Honestly, the other side of Diagon only seems to hold pain these days. It's not the shining fairy tale it looks like when you're little."
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