Forum Block
Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux
Prompts: Sirius Black/Lily Evans (auction); Noise (365 words); Betwixt (Insane Prompts)
Word count: 723
"Toerag!" The shout swept across the whole restaurant and all the diners looked up from their meals at the noise to see a red-headed woman throw her napkin at her companion and storm off. The man noticed all of their eyes on him and flushed before smiling charmingly at them. They all shrugged and turned back to their food, the distraction no longer interesting.
Sirius watched the woman as she made her way over to the buffet table he was currently using as a place to steal garlic bread (he had an all you can eat ticket, he just didn't want to keep getting up and down and decided standing at the buffet was easier).
"Stupid…never should have…still an idiot…" were the snatches of muttered criticism from the woman as she got closer.
She stopped next to him and stared at the food in front of her. Sirius wondered if she even realised he was there. When she had done nothing for several moments, he silently offered one of his precious pieces of garlic bread.
The woman started—yeah, definitely hadn't known he was there—and took the proffered bread with a sheepish smile. Sirius grinned back at her and returned to his dwindling stack of garlic bread. A worker came up and refilled the tray, casting the both of them a strange look as she did so. Sirius just shrugged and took one of the fresh breads.
Noticing that the woman next to him had finished the piece he had given her before and wasn't moving for any of the options, he handed her one of the newly-deposited garlic breads as well. She took it with another small smile and chomped her way through it stoically.
They continued on in this fashion for about half an hour; Sirius handing over bread when the woman finished one and continuing his own quest to eat as much garlic bread as possible. The woman's companion left after fifteen minutes of this, clearly having accepted that she wouldn't be returning to the table.
Finally, the woman placed down her new and as-of-yet uneaten piece of garlic bread and sighed. "Lily." She looked and shrugged at his rather perplexed expression. "I figured I'd give my supplier my name."
Sirius chuckled and gestured to the piece she held. "I'll keep you supplied as long as the kitchen keeps me supplied. I'm Sirius."
"Good to know, garlic bread is a very serious thing." Her mouth was twitching into a smile and he knew she hadn't mistaken his name for the word. Instead, she was making the age-old pun and he immediately decided he rather liked her. Taking every opportunity to make a pun was what made a person great and he had the perfect test stored in his own name.
"You speak only the truth, milady. Would thou like to join me in my quest to eat all the garlic bread possible betwixt the hours of six and nine?"
She laughed, clutching the bench in front of them for support as she struggled to breathe. Sirius didn't know whether he should apologise for causing such an extreme reaction or be happy he had managed to break her out of the stupor she had fallen into.
"Pray, doth allow me to join your noble quest," she said after gaining her breath back, still breaking out into giggles occasionally.
Sirius gladly did so and they continued standing at the buffet table, snacking on garlic bread as the tray was refilled by the slightly concerned workers. When the clock hit nine, they were politely told that the buffet was closed and that they had to vacate their spot at the garlic bread station. Lily had seemingly forgotten all about her terrible beginning to the evening and Sirius was only glad he could share the magic of garlic bread with someone who had clearly needed it.
"Same time tomorrow?" Lily asked as they left the restaurant, laughter glinting in her eyes.
Sirius was stunned for a moment but then smirked. "But of course! The quest must go on!"
"Indeed, it must!" returned Lily, saluting him as she turned away and started walking.
Sirius grinned after her, he definitely liked her. She was awesome. He swivelled on his heels and started home, hands in his pockets and adding the occasional skip to his steps.