Bridge Over Troubled Water (Victoria)

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Grayson spent most of the day worried about Victoria, but dutifully stuck out the rest of his shift until the library closed at 8:00pm. He thought back to her original voicemail. She hadn't been able to get the words out, but he was able to piece it together: her contract had been terminated. She'd been fired.

Grayson knew how much her job meant to her. He also couldn't imagine Victoria doing anything worthy of being fired for--she put her heart and soul into her work; it didn't make sense. Something was off, and he needed to hear the full story--that is, if she was willing to tell it. His main priority of course was to comfort her, and if that simply meant keeping her mind off it, then so be it.

As soon as the clock struck 8:00 he was moving. He ducked into his office to grab a few things, made sure the last students had left, and closed up the library, locking the doors on his way out. He quickly made his way down the stairs towards the ground floor, then out across the Hogwarts grounds and beyond. Once he was off of Hogwarts property, he disappeared, appearing with a snap on High Street in Hogsmeade.

He took a right and entered Honeydukes, thankfully still open but nearly empty at this time of night. Picking out a sizeable box of chocolates, he counted out a few sickles and handed them to the cashier, then left the shop.

Out on the street again, he scrolled through his messages until he found her address. He plugged it into Google Maps, thankful 1) that Hogsmeade had an internet connection 2) that he had a smartphone and 3) that he lived surrounded by muggles, and had picked up a few things. One couldn't apparate anywhere without a clear picture in their head of where they wanted to go. Google Street View was a handy trick.

A moment later, he was standing outside her building. It was 8:36pm. He searched for her flat number, found it, and knocked on the door, a box of chocolates under one arm, and a small tin of Kenyan tea in his pocket.

Subject: Re: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Victoria) Sat Apr 14, 2018 4:35 pm

Since the letter had come through that morning, Victoria had spent the day in two states of being. The first state consisted of awfully pained tears streaking down the witch's face and down in to her pillow that she was hugging for dear life in the attempt of keeping herself together. Letting the pillow go, the young witch knew, would lead to almost certain breaking of her person. The second, which followed the first state promptly, was to fall in to a slumber that was induced by the exhaustion of crying so hard.

This had been why Victoria had missed the call from Grayson, instead picking up his message only a short while later, and replying to him via text in respect of what she needed.

Jake had always said that chocolate helped, and he was not wrong. From period pain, to sadness at a heart wrenching film, to aiding in the stress of a case, chocolate had been the perfect solution for the young witch. Grayson, the darling that he was, had agreed to get her some, and denoted when he'd be round to see her.

That had given Victoria a time limit.

So, until six o'clock that evening, the cycle had continued on. Sleep, crying, sleep, crying. Victoria was heartbroken, of course she was. Her job had been her world, and it had been cruelly taken away from her. But as the witch woke from another fitful sleep, she pushed herself up from the sofa she'd taken refuge on, and towards the shower. It took just over an hour to make herself look human again, though there was nothing that could be done for the redness of her eyes, she looked presentable in to too big shirt and jeans she'd pulled on.

From there, Victoria went about tidying her already immaculate flat. The witch had never liked mess, and there was little to do, but she had to be sure before Grayson arrived.

Shortly after 8:30 -- just as Victoria finished cleaning the kitchen counters for the fourth time (the joy of small homes), the knock at the door came. Victoria hurriedly tidied everything away, before heading to the door and checking through the peephole (on tip toes, of course). A small smile touched her lips upon seeing Grayson, and the witch opened the door, wide.

"Grayson, thank you for coming..." The witch said, motioning him inside. "How was work today? I know exams are just around the corner. It was my favourite time of year back at school. I'm weird, I know. Can I get you tea? Or, coffee, I don't know. I think I have a bottle of wine, if you'd like that instead. Or..." Victoria asked, clearly not wanting to talk about herself, or register there was a problem, but focusing instead on her friend for as long as possible.

Even though the witch knew this was not healthy at all.

Victoria's Flat (just imagine everything much more feminine!)

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Soon after he knocked, the door opened to reveal one Victoria Newbury, her eyes rimmed with red from crying. Grayson wasn't surprised. He greeted his friend with a soft smile, opening his arms for a hug once he'd stepped inside.

"It's good to see you," he replied. "Work was work. Nothing special, just hoards of students frantically cramming." He chuckled at her assessment of herself. "Oh no, I rather enjoyed exam time as well. Studying was one thing I was actually good at."

He handed her the box of chocolates he had bought for her and followed her into her flat, glancing around. He hadn't been there before. It was small and tidy, with simple decor and a window overlooking the street. It seemed very fitting for her.

As she offered him an assortment of beverages, he took a moment to assess the witch before him. She seemed to be avoiding thinking about herself, which he understood. He didn't feel quite right making her do anything for him--he was there for her, after all, not for himself--but he knew she was just looking for something to do.

"I brought some tea," he said, "I thought you might like it. If you could put the kettle on, that'd be lovely. Have you eaten yet?"

He rather suspected she hadn't. With the day she'd had, he would be surprised if she had remembered to take care of herself at all, aside from cleaning herself up a little bit before he'd arrived. He wouldn't blame her one bit, and was more than prepared to provide anything she needed.

He followed her into the small kitchen, taking stock of his surroundings. He moved to lean against the counter, taking the tea from his pocket to show her.

"It's from Kenya. It's quite strong, and this particular blend has a mixture of ground cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. I have a friend who keeps me well-stocked."

Subject: Re: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Victoria) Sat Apr 21, 2018 8:30 pm

Once Grayson had stepped inside, Victoria moved straight in to his arms, allowing herself a brief moment or two to take in the familiar scent of the man before her and... relax. Comfort had many different connotations, there was no 'right' or 'wrong' connotation at all. What Victoria had learned, though, was that Grayson was a great source of comfort, whether he knew it or not.

But, Victoria didn't overstay her welcome in her best friend's arms, no, she let go after an acceptable period of time, and waited for him to answer her questions. The idea of the students cramming was not a new one to Victoria, she'd watched her friends do that over the years. "I can imagine the library is filled with tension at this time." Victoria commented, remembering fondly the almost electrical like tension that sparked off the students. "And that, is why we're friends!" Victoria reminded him with a smile when he admitted to enjoying exam season too.

Though, of course, they were both in a very small minority with that!

"Tea sounds wonderful!" Victoria replied, motioning for Grayson to follow her through to the kitchen. It wasn't big, but when you were small and living alone, it was more than big enough. That was how Victoria had put it to Jake, anyway, who always complained her house was too small, and that she should move in with him to save her money.

The witch filled the kettle and put it on to boil as Grayson explained how he'd acquired the tea from a friend who kept him stocked. "That sounds wonderful, I'll confess, though... I've never had tea with all those things in it... in truth, I've only ever had what would... be considered English Breakfast Tea..." The witch admitted with the softest of nervous laughs in that moment. Admitting to being all but a tea 'virgin' was not something she had thought she would be doing.

"And... no, I haven't eaten. We can order something, though, if you would like...?" The witch prompted, getting two cups down from the cupboard and turning to Grayson. "Do you need anything else for the tea?" She asked, setting the cups down on the side for him to work with.

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Grayson wrapped his arms around the small woman and let her sink into him, silently offering simply to be there whenever she needed him. She let go after a few moments, and so did he.

He chuckled at the mention of tension in the library. "It's certainly more crowded than it's been all year." He returned her smile as she led him into the kitchen and watched as she started filling the kettle with water.

She seemed a little embarrassed at not having tried many teas, but he wasn't surprised, and certainly didn't think any less of her for it. In fact, he had brought the tea precisely because he'd suspected she had never tried it before, and he knew she was one who liked to expand her horizons. He figured she'd appreciate the new experience, and, hopefully, enjoy the tea as well.

"Then you're in for a treat," he replied with a smile, hoping it was clear that he hadn't expected anything from her, and wasn't trying to be condescending in any way. "In Kenya, this is what you'd typically drink first thing in the morning. It's called chai--you might have heard of an Indian tea with the same name. It's quite similar, but I think the Kenyan version is slightly spicier."

As she confirmed his suspicions, he nodded. He himself wasn't all that hungry--he had eaten a couple hours before--but he wanted to make sure she ate something before she went to sleep.

"We could order something. Or I could make something if you want. What are you in the mood for?"

He glanced at the cups, and nodded at her question. "Just milk and sugar," he replied. He moved to open the fridge, looking at her first for permission.

Subject: Re: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Victoria) Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:17 pm

As Grayson moved on to explain that Kenyan tea was spicy, and shared it's name with an Indian tea, Victoria nodded along in understanding of what he was saying, savouring the information for later inspection. Next time she went shopping, perhaps she would have to look in to some different shops that stocked foods from different cultures so that she could try a number of different things. "I've heard the word before, but I didn't know of its origins, if I am honest..." Victoria admitted softly, not wanting to sound uncultured, but probably doing so anyway.

The note of needing milk and sugar was one that made Victoria start to move to the fridge only to stop when she saw Grayson there already. A small nod in the man's direction showed it was okay to make himself at home, and she motioned to the sugar that sat on the side in the tin labelled 'sugar' beside the kettle. Victoria moved aside to allow the librarian the chance to work on the tea he'd brought for them both, but not so far that she couldn't watch him make it for future reference.

The offer for food made Victoria consider for a moment. "Honestly... I'm not overly hungry..." Victoria admitted softly, which was the truth, the sense of nausea that had run through her body all day still remained, and the witch didn't think she would be able to keep anything down. "But, there's food in the fridge if you want something. I think there is some chicken and ground beef... and then there is pasta in the cupboard..." She trailed off, not knowing what Grayson might want, if anything.

As the witch waited for Grayson to make the tea, Victoria wrapped her arms around herself, comforting herself as she waited, and trying not to think about why she'd called Grayson here. So, instead of an impending silence, Victoria pressed on. "So, what do you have planned for your summer break?"

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Grayson simply smiled and nodded, showing Victoria that he was not judging her and never would. His intention was certainly not to make her feel worse about herself, so he hoped he wasn't embarrassing her in any way. He decided the safest bet would probably be to let the topic drop, and get on with the actual tea tasting. He had yet to meet anyone who disliked the combination of spices in Kenyan chai, and it had a strangely calming effect which he thought she might appreciate.

Grayson opened the fridge and quickly found the milk, taking it out and putting it next to the sugar for future reference. When the water was ready, he poured it into the two mugs and placed the tea in to steep. It would take a few minutes for the full flavour.

As she seemed reluctant to accept any offer of food, he decided he wouldn't try to force her to eat anything if she didn't feel up to it. "Maybe later, then," he said. If she grew hungry at any point, the offer still stood. He would certainly feel awkward though if he came to her house and ate her food while she had nothing.

As Grayson waited for the tea to steep, he turned to face Victoria directly. She had her arms wrapped around herself, and she looked so...small. Defeated. Yet still she focused her attention on him.

"Honestly, I haven't planned much of anything. I'll be in England for most of it, and Scotland for the last week or so in preparation for the new school year. I suppose I'll get a bit of reading done. You wouldn't happen to have any suggestions, would you?"

Somehow, he'd eventually have to get her to pay attention to her own needs instead of his. He understood that she didn't want to think about it, but it was better to talk about it with a friend than it was to suffer alone.

Subject: Re: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Victoria) Wed May 16, 2018 9:25 pm

Victoria watched Grayson from her spot across the small kitchen intently. Watching how he made the tea with the blend he'd brought with him. It wasn't overly different from the way you would normally make tea, of course, but that didn't surprise Victoria. There was no need for conversation at that point, either, they both knew the basics of tea making, this one was simply a new flavour.

At Grayson's admittance that he wasn't going anywhere over the summer, Victoria couldn't help but feel somewhat deflated in that moment. She had wanted him to come out with something far away, somewhere outside of the UK, somewhere that could be a getaway if she could convince her closest friend to take her with him. Though, of course, Victoria didn't really want to insist upon her presence with anyone, it would never hurt to ask...

But, England and Scotland were not places she wished to be.

"The librarian is asking me for reading suggestions?" Victoria joked softly, though even though she let out a laugh, the young witch's eyes did not light up like they usually would in such a situation. "Umm... I recently purchased the Robert Galbraith series, actually. They're detective novels. I wrongly guessed the first two killers, so we'll see if you can get them." Victoria explained, moving off to the lounge and her book shelf where she retrieved The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm before returning to Grayson and putting them on the side.

"Bare with them, to start with. They're a little slow, but worth sticking around for." The witch explained, her arms once more tucking themselves around her to keep her safe from the world that was insisting on hurting her at the moment.

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