in the kitchen || ivy & marlene
No one could say the smell of scrambled eggs and fried mushrooms wasn’t absolutely delicious - nothing at the kitchen in that moment didn’t fit the description of tempting and inviting, which made sense considering Rosmerta cooked as if a work of art was in execution. She loved everything about the process, from picking the ingredients to making sure they were prepared at their best, for the best; the outcome later was always rewarding, with her stomach especially savouring every moment. At morning she fought no less than three minutes choosing what to try, and in some afternoons and evening the same thing repeated. Whenever Ivy was truly at home to do so, she enjoyed having at least one time of the day to truly focus on her kitchen. In other moments maybe not, perhaps she would scramble something fast and let things the way they were, allowing herself to enjoy other pleasures of life - it didn’t matter, as long as one meal fit perfection.
Today, she was also staring at Marlene’s favorite breakfast. Slowly, a smile flourished its way onto her cheeks - she’d just received notice her young friends would go there, which only made Ivy feel radiant. Few things gave her as much pleasure as seeing her friends, and even though the atmosphere of her pub was a great one to do so, having the freedom of nobody else hearing what they talked was also a blessing. Marlene understood that, of course; few people knew as much about her relation with the Three Broomsticks as Marlene. That is explained by a simply fact: in the past - and to these days, sometimes - Ivy tried her best to teach as much as she could to the younger girl. Competition wasn’t at all wanted, but truth be told they worked at different areas of the Wizarding World, and a lot more played into her decision.
For starters, she liked Marlene; there was something in the girl that gave her confidence, a sense that she was doing the right thing by offering to teach. Besides, she admired her fire. Ivy wasn’t like that, she wasn’t too interested in playing any part in the war, but Marlene? She used all of herself and jumped head first feet later. Ivy knew she try would her very best to learn better the art of bartending. And she did. Marlene learned everything, fantastically so. Some secrets, of course, Rosmerta kept for herself; but the things she taught? They were all absorbed, digested even, the way they were supposed to. She couldn’t be more proud.
Now, things weren’t about bartending and their relation with the Wizarding World anymore; at least not how it used to be in the past, before things took a turn for the darker, the worse. Ivy still remembered the days in which Marlene was kidnapped, how worried she had been, and the relief later when she came back alive. They’d both been at Aversio before, however she understood the change of hearts; and still Marlene was one of the few people she spoke to openly on the war. It was a trust relationship and no matter how many years the other girl was younger, she felt like she could trust her.
Which leads right back to that day: yes, usually they would speak of amenities too, normality and so, but also the war. It played an important part on their lives, after all. “Hey, Marl.” Smiling, she walked with two plates in her hands, leaving both in a table on the living room. They had already greeted each other, but it was necessary to finish cooking, of course, so Ivy lost a few minutes doing so. Sitting on the table was almost ritualistic, and it made her feel so good, just being there with her friend not actually worrying about what was going on in the world; or maybe worrying, but not acting on it just now.
“Be honest, is this the best breakfast you ever had?” Chuckling, she watched as her friend stared at the plate, getting some bites of her own herself. Ivy was utterly confident, but it was always nice to make sure.
