like the sound glass makes

claudia daviau. sweet william's bakery owner. mother of a nine-year-old punk. "Every time I want to write, I want to write love stories. But as soon as I pick up the pen I’m overcome by horror." -Margarita Karapanou, Rien ne va Plus

[clouddaviau]

ncdiamurr​:

Nadia smiles and shakes her head. “Look, I have this theory,” she begins, “that you have to weed through the donkeys to get to your ogre.” Bad analogy? No, she’d just had a lonely weekend cartoon marathon. “So you go on a couple bad dates, then– wait. Did you really climb through the window?”

“Wasn’t donkey a good husband to dragon, though?” She’s got her head tilted as she asks that. But then the subject somewhat changes, so she covers her face and laughs some. “Yeah, I couldn’t go through the front door. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings or something.” Which is dumb. She probably did hurt his feelings by leaving. But she does not think of that. That’s not how her brain works. 

[clouddaviau]

arabelladaviau​:

———————

“Who’s fault is that?” Ari retorts back childishly. “I moved out here to spend more time with you and Rory, and we haven’t had a proper chat in ages!”

Ari knows full well that Claudia has been busy taking care of her, Rory, and the bakery, but she was always honest about her feelings with Cloud even when they were a bit irrational. Ari can never stay mad at her anyways, even if Ari has been itching to go shopping with her sister or just bad mouth their mum over some tea.

Her small pout and frown relaxes back into a smile as she huffs, “But yeah, we should spend more time together – like I could even come bake with you at your store or something. I won’t burn down your kitchen… probably.” She grins at the reference to giving their sweet mémé a heart attack when they tried to bake without her during those summers in France as kids.

“Probably?” Claudia scoffs, before playfully elbowing Ari in the ribs. This feels like old time, the two of them, joking around alone, no one to interrupt them. “Alright, we can bake together. I wouldn’t mind it. It would be like “Bring your sister to work day” or some shite.” Softly, she laughs, rolling her eyes soon after. 

“And I know I’m why you moved here, silly. That’s why I felt the need to bring it up. I felt awful.” Which is rare on her behalf. She isn’t really one for feeling awful for others. While she does empathize, sometimes it doesn’t come easily.  “Anyways, when we’re done, you can have a whole cake to yourself. How’s that sound?”

[clouddaviau]

reyevie​:

“You flatter me too much.” Ev sighs, but makes no real effort to hide that she’s exceedingly pleased with Cloud’s praise. It’s a true relief to hear that she has no real cause for concern, that the music-lovers will begin to arrive eventually, and that the revamped store shows real promise.

“I think I’m just freaking out that people won’t like it now that it’s under new management but I think you’re right.” Ev bumps Claudia’s hip back. “Should we wait a little longer for the music-seekers to arrive or close up a little early for lunch today? I know it’s probably irresponsible, but I think I deserve breadsticks.”

“You shouldn’t think I’m right, Evie -- you know know it.” She arched her eyebrow and pointed at Ev, before letting out a laugh. “We can order breadsticks, then come back, if that’s what you want? That way we can see what’s going on in this place. I mean, have you had a right and proper look around, yet?” 

She’s curious because she knew that if it were her shop, she’d explore a little bit. Not because there could be anything there, but because it would give her a good idea of where to put things. And with stuff like records and cds, it would be a good idea, Claudia thought, to know where to them.  

[malcolmbrights-archive]

[clouddaviau]

jude-morgan​:

   “Hey, he’s nice! He used to let his younger brother borrow his ID to buy us liquor when we were sixteen.” Jude pauses. “Okay, so maybe that’s not a shining example of his moral fiber, but he’s very … nice. Besides, he asked me to introduce you.”

   She sighs, and swipes one of Claudia’s cherry pastries. “I’ve only been back a week and a half, Cloud. And I’m very new at this. You’ve got to give me more time before I find your other half.” She takes a bite of the pastry, then gestures with it. “What about that record shop girl? I saw you making eyes at her.“

--------

“That honestly gives him a few more brownie points. I like a badass from time-to-time. The thing is, he was a bad conversationalist and we had nothing in common. Plus, he never shut up about himself.” Claudia waves her hand down at the ground after speaking.

“I don’t need another half. I’m happy being single, really. I just get tired of Ari and everyone else pestering me about my lack of dating life.” She laughs at the next few words to leave Jude’s mouth. “Oh, God. No, no, no -- Ev is my best friend. I look at her the way I do because she means the world to me. I don’t see her that way. But I heard a lot of people assume I do, but small area and all and everyone gets bored.” 

[clouddaviau]

adaedwards​:

__ 

“Thanks for the warning,” Ada grinned. “I was really hoping to try out my new supplies but ruining them on their first run seems like a real waste of time,” she grabbed at the baby’s breath laying atop the glass counter and carefully placed it in spaces between the roses–not too much, if they’d not asked for a bouquet of baby’s breath, after all. “Oh–yeah, the book–it’s by my–” she trailed off for a minute. “Just an old friend, really–I hear it’s getting all the big buzz and I thought I might give it a whirl. Plus I’m a little curious to see if I’m in it, if I’m honest.”

-----

“You can always go tomorrow. I heard that it isn’t going to rain then,” Claudia expresses with a half-hearted smile, picking up a nearby rose to smell and hold. She will pay for it because she’s not an animal, so she hopes that it won’t be an issue to Ada. “That would be really cool if you were in it. I’ve always wanted to be in someone’s book, whether it was for a good reason or a bad. It seems exciting, you know?” She sniffs at the rose and sighs. “Do you think they have a reason to write about you? Like did they interview you or something?” 

[clouddaviau]

lottiemoored​:

__ 

Lottie lets out a hearty laugh, “surely that’s a waste of a good pastry, no? Did their Granny’s never tell them,” she takes a deep breath in, places one hand on her hip and points a finger vaugely in Claudia’s direction “Eat that up now! Think of all the poor starving children in the world who haven’t a bite and you with a big plate in front of you!’” If I pulled that shit visiting Granny Moore as a wee one she’d hang my arse from the Christmas tree,” Charlotte chuckles. “As for not losing my mind,” she shrugs, “hard to lose something you don’t have,” There’s a quick pause hanging in the air before Charlotte laughs, “Nah, I leave and say a quick prayer to St. Anthony on my walk home every night to find it. Another lesson from Granny Moore: You may leave the Church but the habits stay with you. Don’t tell her I left, of course. Woman’s in her 90s now and she’d kill me if she knew I don’t go to Church on Sunday anymore. Haven’t stepped in one in years–afraid if I do I’ll burst into flames.”

-----

The laughter that leaves her mouth is louder than she expected and rare, but it can’t be helped. “Apparently not,” she states after she catches her breath, sniffing soon after. “I get what you mean, though. My grandmother used an hourglass with sand pouring out to show me how many children went starving each second. She said that if I didn’t eat all of the food off my plate that I’d be betraying them. Which, I think, isn’t the type of thing that you tell children. But grandma’s really don’t care about those type of things, do they? They just want to make a point.” She runs her hand through her hair. There’s a moment where she’s about to talk again, but then she ends up laughing, instead. “Anyone ever tell you you’re hilarious, lot?” she asks. “But that makes sense. Though, I can’t say all that much about you not going to church, because I haven’t been to any religious facility in so so so many ages.” 

[clouddaviau]

status: open

place: sweet william’s bakery

Claudia rubs at her temples, a frown on her face as she stares down a row of baked goods. “Ugh, I can’t believe you’d set me up on a blind date with someone that booor-ing,” she says with dramatics, picking up her head in order to make eye-contact. “It was so bad that I had to sneak out of the bathroom window just to get away from them. What in the bloody hell were you thinking?”

[reyevie]

@clouddaviau​

“You’re the first customer of the day. That is to say, you’re my first customer ever.” Evelyn informs her best friend, worriedly glancing at her phone to check the time. Permanent Record has been open for nearly two and a half hours on Evelyn’s first morning as its new owner and manager but there hasn’t been any traffic save for Claudia. While any face would be godsent right now, the sight of Cloud’s is an immediate relief. “Be honest with me … should I be worried that I haven’t had any new customers?”

[clouddaviau]

“Congrats, darling! I am proud to have the honor of being the first customer of such a cool establishment,” Claudia exclaims with a welcoming grin, gently bumping the side of her hip against Ev’s. She knows how much work Ev’s placed into this shop, so she’s genuinely happy for her and hopes that the shop will succeed. “I wouldn’t be worried. You have this. You have lots of good music, and in this era of tech, I bet there are people dying to put their hands on CDs and records, instead of spending their time sifting through Spotify playlists.” She knows she likes to hold CDS and RECORDS in her hands, anyways -- it feels intimate, in a way. “Just be patient and people will come. Promise.”

[clouddaviau]

arabelladaviau​:

—————

Ari wrinkled her brows in confusion when the movie cut off abruptly. She stuffed her mouth with popcorn and began munching. Her mouth full, she replied, “Rude, but okay. What about?” 

She shifted her body to face her sister instead of the tv screen. “I hope you know that you came out to me about your sexuality many, many years ago. You don’t need to do it every time you think another label suits you better. I’ll always be proud of you no matter what label you choose down the road. I guess if you want to tell me anyway, that’s fine too.”

Claudia’s face scrunches into a frown and then she sighs, shoulders rising and falling dramatically as she does. Sometimes Arabella says things that make her want to face palm or cover her face, and right now, is one of those ‘sometimes’ moments. “No,” she says defensively, “I was going to say that we needed to spend more time together, you little punk.” She pats Arabella’s shoulder before she turns to face her, even though he sister cannot see her. “We haven’t spent time together in what feels like millions of years. I miss you, even though we live together.” 

[clouddaviau]

like i know my own mind // ari

Rory was at his friend’s house for the evening, so it was just Claudia and Ari in their house. It was weird without him there, since Claudia was used to his presence and ramblings. However, Claudia was thankful for these moments where her son was away. Him being absent meant she had her sister all to herself and that they’d get the opportunity to bond without interruptions. They rarely got to do that anymore, so she took any chance she got to be alone with her sister.

Keeping that in mind, Claudia planned to make the best of her Arabella Time. She had put on Arabella’s favorite movie and made some popcorn for her to eat. And, while Claudia had described parts of the film to Arabella by this point, she was ready to talk to her -- like really talk to her. So instead of describing the film, she stopped and changed the subject.

“Talk to me. I’m getting bored. I’ve watched this movie so many times, and by now I bet you know all the words.” There was nothing bitter in her tone. It was a neutral, with no hint of negativity at all.

@arabelladaviau​

[lottiemoored]

“I’m not sure what’s more interesting–being told off by a drunk guy for telling him he’s too drunk for another drink or being told off by his drunk wife for not selling him another round. I’m just tryin’ t’make sure he doesn’t fall down dead drunk because then I have to sort him out.” She groaned, “I’ve worked in plenty of bars but there’s something about workin’ in a tourist heavy town that really brings out the wild ones.”

[clouddaviau]

Claudia covers her mouth to hold back a laugh. “Oh God, I agree. Tourists are soooo wild. While I don’t deal with drunks, I have dealt with quite a few wild patrons. Like, once, an American tourist threw one of her pastries at the store wall, picked it up, licked it, and then walked over to put it on my counter.” Claudia lets out her laugh. “Your ‘wild’ sounds more difficult. How do you do it without losing your mind?”

[adaedwards]

“Have you heard anything about what the weather is going to be like this weekend? I was planning on going down to the shore and painting but if it’s going to rain–and it looks like it’s going to rain–I’m not going to waste my time packing supplies,” Ada grabbed several single stem roses and arranged them in a glass vase. “Though, I suppose I could stay in and read that book I’ve been meaning to get to.”

[clouddaviau]

Enjoying the sight of Ada placing roses in a vase, Claudia crosses her arms and leans against a nearby wall. She, herself, wouldn’t be gifted in such a thing, even though she gardens. But watching makes it look easy and like she could if she were patient enough.  “I would go with the book. I heard the the weather will be ghastly tomorrow, so I think it would be wise to save yourself the trouble.” She pauses. “What book is it, by the way? I just love hearing what people are reading.”

[quotebook-in]

Maybe she, like me, would have loved the tiny details and inconveniences even more dearly than the wonders, because they are the things that prove you belong.

Tana French, In the Woods (via quotebook-in)

[clouddaviau]

2: What is your character's favorite memory?

“The day my son was born, for sure. I was a bit nervous about having him at first because I wasn’t sure I was mother material, due to how aimless and confused I was growing up. But then I had him and things just clicked and I knew that I’d be the best mother anyone could ever ask for. I fell in love with that little boy the moment I heard his itsy bitsy cries. Then fell even harder when I held him in my arms for the first time. So yeah, the day my son was born - nine years ago - happens to be my favorite memory.”

[clouddaviau]

56: What's one of your character's quirks?

“I’ve been told I twitch my lips when I’m upset or angry. Also I’m pretty sure wearing gloves is a quirk of mine, as well. I tend to wear them all the time unless I’m incredibly comfortable with someone.” A pause. “I have heard that they’re the first thing people notice about me. However, I don't take that as an insult because they’re a part of who I am at this point.”

[clouddaviau]

53: What clubs would your character join?

“As far as clubs go, I’m already involved in a salsa dancing class and a yoga course. If I had to choose, though, I’d say something that involves art of some kind. I’m rather fond of painting and sketching and think it could be fun to join an art club. Might be fun to meet talented people to see what they can create, you know?”