who: amira shacklebolt ( @shcklebolts )
where: the leaky cauldron.
when: friday, august 11th, 2023. 17:59.
iris had a plan. she had a plan, and she had not planned on it going so wrong.
she had finished her internship early that day, for which she was very thankful. it wasn’t that she disliked the internship, really, it was just that she had expected more. she had hoped she’d get to attend important meetings with important people and make an impression on them, but so far, she’d spent most of her time in a cubicle. which, like, okay. that was what most people did, and iris couldn’t really complain. but it wasn’t nearly glamorous enough for the brunette, and she was starting to look forward to the end of it all. therefore, she had decided to treat herself to something a little special that day. with the money her mother had leant her, she bought herself a new handbag — a cheap one, but a cute one nonetheless — in muggle london. then, she decided to head to the leaky cauldron for some butterbeer before she’d head over to quality quidditch supplies.
problem was, she didn’t expect to run into amira shacklebolt. not literally, of course. the other was a few tables away, but iris knew it’d be rude not to go over and say ‘hi’ at the very least. this thing between them was meant to be simple, and iris should at least pretend that it was still the case for her. still, she hadn’t expected to be caught in this situation. having to interact outside of the… fun they usually had. she had to try, though, and so, she walked over to amira’s table, and forced herself to grin and plopped herself down in a chair, hoping she’d look at least half as confident as usual. “you know, i heard some places don’t even put butter in their butterbeers.”
there was only so much of the ministry that amira could handle at once, and she already received her fair share of it while in her own home. so if she skipped out a little early today, feigning a headache - there wasn’t anything wrong with that in her eyes. she needed some fresh air and anything else to occupy her time with.
she’d wandered for a while through diagon alley, perusing the shops before settling on heading over to the leaky cauldron, getting a table at one of the edges of the room and sitting with her butterbeer. things would’ve been just fine - if, of course, she didn’t immediately notice iris as she had walked in the door. coughing slightly on her drink but trying to not attract too much attention to herself, she swore under her breath. it wasn’t that she didn’t want to see the other girl - quite the opposite, actually. but things were supposed to be simple and easy between the two of them, and somewhere along the way it had felt like anything but simple. amira ducked her head down, knowing she probably looked like a fool to anyone else was around, but hoping she could avoid whatever uncomfortable interaction might come next.
she glanced over to the doorway, wondering if it was possible to make a quick exit - how many steps it’d take, and if she could go unseen. right as she looked over, though, she caught eyes with iris, and could only offer a small smile as a weak response. these were the sort of interactions she was never prepared for, and as iris came over to the table, amira still wasn’t even sure what was happening. “oh, hi,” she greeted shortly as iris came over to the table, before glancing down at her own half-drank butterbeer. “i can’t imagine how that must taste. sounds like they’ve just never had the good stuff,” she adds, before realizing she needs to add to the conversation as well or it’s just going to become more unbearable. “so,” she starts slowly, taking a sip from her drink to try and draw time out in order to think of a conversation topic. “how’s your summer been?” she settles on, already cringing from how dumb it must sound.
