The next day, the sun shone through the curtains, making Carrie squint as
she tried to open her eyes. She looked around the room, and thought it to
be pretty bare. Maybe today after work she and Marion could go and get some
stuff to spice it up. But for now, her first priority was work. Carrie
really had no worth ethic unless someone was on her case, but when she was
getting paid, she took her job very seriously.
Okay, does this look okay? She asked herself, looking in the mirror. Oh, I hope this goes well. And why do I have to be up so early? Marion doesn't go to work until nine, and I have to be there by eight. Oh well.
Finally, she was confident with herself and her appearance, and set out to walk the two blocks to work. She thought about apparating, but then she realized how shocked she would have been if a new employee suddenly appeared right in front of her.
She approached the door of Poppy Pete's Pretty Purple Pet Place Parked in Peaceful Puddlemere. Opening the door, she saw that the whole store was purple, and as soon as she walked in, many dogs started barking at her.
"Hey, you must be the newbie." A worker said, coming up to her.
"Yes." She muttered, her shyness breaking through once again.
"Oh good! I'll go get the manager!" He said, and walked off. Later, he came back with another man, who must have been Pete.
"Hi, I'm Carrie." Carrie said, trying to be assertive, which obviously wasn't working too well for her.
"And I'm Pete- owner of the place. Nice you have you; glad you got here so early. You can get started right away. Puppies, you like, I take it?" Carrie nodded. "Okay, well then, they're in the front here, I'm sure you heard them as you walked in."
"Yeah." Carrie smiled.
"Well, have a good day!" He said, and walked through a purple door to yet another purple room.
Carrie walked over to the puppies, and smiled again as they barked at her. She looked at the schedule on the wall that she saw, showing the employees when to feed them, and now happened to be just the right time. As soon as she put the first cup of food in the first bowl, all of the dogs started to go wild. When she had finally fed all of the dogs, and when they were munching happily away, she checked her watch. Nine thirty, Marion should be in work right now. I wonder how she's doing.
~
Marion woke up around eight thirty, and shuffled into the kitchen to eat breakfast. As she opened the refrigerator, she groaned. They hadn't even bought any food last night! Carrie didn't need breakfast, but Marion was always ravenous in the morning. She grumbled and got dressed quickly to head to work. As she rounded the corner, the smell of...something good...reached her nose. Wishing Carrie was around to tell her the time, she ran across the street to the small bakery that stood there: Walifer's Fresh Baked Goods.
A little bell dingled as she entered, and the smell of fresh bread was overwhelming. A tall, redheaded man was being helped at the counter, so she took the time to look around. The bakery was small and clean, with bright yellow walls that gave the small room a spacious look. As she directed her attention outside, she realized that the sun was actually shining. Her sixth day in England, and it was the first time the sun had peeked out. Marion turned back to the counter. The baker, presumably Mr. Walifer, was handing the red-haired customer a box of cream puffs. Just as Marion was wondering what on earth someone would do with cream puffs this early in the morning, the man turned, shot her a startled look, and left the shop.
"Mornin'!" The baker turned to Marion. He was just what she'd always imagined a British baker to look like- plump, pink, and jolly. "New around *ere, I gather?" [I]Friendly, too.[/I] Marion grinned in spite of her hunger.
"That's right, just moved in last night."
"Well, we don't get too many newcomers 'ere, but it'll be a pleasure to have ya, I'm sure. What can I getcha?" Marion scanned the racks of bread behind him... she could barely tell the difference between a round bread and a loaf, much less a wheat bread from a rye.
"Um... what would you suggest for a morning snack?"
She left the shop a few minutes later, considerably more happy, chewing on some kind of strawberry-filled pastry. The Quidditch stadium wasn't hard to find at all, it was the tallest spot in the entire town. She reached the gates at the entrance right about nine, by her estimate, and found them locked.
"Uh... hello?" Marion walked around the stadium a ways, to see if there was an alternate entrance, or if anyone was around. No one. When she got back to the front gates, she saw a sturdy-looking, dark-haired young man unlocking the gates, while juggling a box and a few broomsticks. Marion jogged towards him. "Hey! Excuse me!" He whipped around, startled, and nearly dropped everything he was carrying.
"...Hello," he said, taken aback. Obviously, he was surprised at the obvious American accent. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yeah, I mean yes, yes you can. My name is Marion Nicholas, I'm supposed to start work here this morning, only I showed up at nine and the gates were locked, and I couldn't find anyone, so I thought I'd walk around you know, just to see if there was another entrance, but it just figures that there isn't... I always have bad luck..." Marion realized that she was babbling, and promptly shut her mouth. The man was staring at her even more strangely now.
"...[I]You're[/I] Marion Nicholas?" She nodded. "You're the new worker?" Marion nodded again, wondering why he had to keep asking these questions when she'd already told him. "Well, I didn't expect you to be American... but... well... you [I]do[/I] play Quidditch there, don't you?" Marion was indignant.
"Of [I]course[/I] we do! We're not some kind of... of... uncivilized nation! How could you even [I]think[/I] that?!" Marion could feel that her face was red, and she was glaring at the poor guy, but...you don't just go around saying things like that about her favorite sport. Sure, she was a worthless player, but she was as avid a fan as could be.
"Er... well... I didn't mean..." The young man shifted his weight to better hold the box. Marion realized how awful she was being.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I get carried away, especially if I haven't had much breakfast... can I help you with that?" He nodded gratefully, and handed her the broomsticks.
"I'm Oliver, by the way. Oliver Wood. Keeper for the Puddlemere team, and this is my first year off the reserve team, which is why [I]I'm[/I] opening up this morning..." He grinned at her. "You'll pretty much be doing the same kind of work as me, when I'm not practicing. They spend less time with me than the older players. So I get the janitorial work..." Another grin. [I]He's nice,[/I] Marion thought, [I]Not quite my type, but... maybe I'll point him out to Carrie sometime.[/I] She laughed inwardly at herself, always keeping an eye out for good prospects for her friend.
"That's okay, I'm starting from the bottom up too..." Marion grinned back at him, and they got to work.
Okay, does this look okay? She asked herself, looking in the mirror. Oh, I hope this goes well. And why do I have to be up so early? Marion doesn't go to work until nine, and I have to be there by eight. Oh well.
Finally, she was confident with herself and her appearance, and set out to walk the two blocks to work. She thought about apparating, but then she realized how shocked she would have been if a new employee suddenly appeared right in front of her.
She approached the door of Poppy Pete's Pretty Purple Pet Place Parked in Peaceful Puddlemere. Opening the door, she saw that the whole store was purple, and as soon as she walked in, many dogs started barking at her.
"Hey, you must be the newbie." A worker said, coming up to her.
"Yes." She muttered, her shyness breaking through once again.
"Oh good! I'll go get the manager!" He said, and walked off. Later, he came back with another man, who must have been Pete.
"Hi, I'm Carrie." Carrie said, trying to be assertive, which obviously wasn't working too well for her.
"And I'm Pete- owner of the place. Nice you have you; glad you got here so early. You can get started right away. Puppies, you like, I take it?" Carrie nodded. "Okay, well then, they're in the front here, I'm sure you heard them as you walked in."
"Yeah." Carrie smiled.
"Well, have a good day!" He said, and walked through a purple door to yet another purple room.
Carrie walked over to the puppies, and smiled again as they barked at her. She looked at the schedule on the wall that she saw, showing the employees when to feed them, and now happened to be just the right time. As soon as she put the first cup of food in the first bowl, all of the dogs started to go wild. When she had finally fed all of the dogs, and when they were munching happily away, she checked her watch. Nine thirty, Marion should be in work right now. I wonder how she's doing.
~
Marion woke up around eight thirty, and shuffled into the kitchen to eat breakfast. As she opened the refrigerator, she groaned. They hadn't even bought any food last night! Carrie didn't need breakfast, but Marion was always ravenous in the morning. She grumbled and got dressed quickly to head to work. As she rounded the corner, the smell of...something good...reached her nose. Wishing Carrie was around to tell her the time, she ran across the street to the small bakery that stood there: Walifer's Fresh Baked Goods.
A little bell dingled as she entered, and the smell of fresh bread was overwhelming. A tall, redheaded man was being helped at the counter, so she took the time to look around. The bakery was small and clean, with bright yellow walls that gave the small room a spacious look. As she directed her attention outside, she realized that the sun was actually shining. Her sixth day in England, and it was the first time the sun had peeked out. Marion turned back to the counter. The baker, presumably Mr. Walifer, was handing the red-haired customer a box of cream puffs. Just as Marion was wondering what on earth someone would do with cream puffs this early in the morning, the man turned, shot her a startled look, and left the shop.
"Mornin'!" The baker turned to Marion. He was just what she'd always imagined a British baker to look like- plump, pink, and jolly. "New around *ere, I gather?" [I]Friendly, too.[/I] Marion grinned in spite of her hunger.
"That's right, just moved in last night."
"Well, we don't get too many newcomers 'ere, but it'll be a pleasure to have ya, I'm sure. What can I getcha?" Marion scanned the racks of bread behind him... she could barely tell the difference between a round bread and a loaf, much less a wheat bread from a rye.
"Um... what would you suggest for a morning snack?"
She left the shop a few minutes later, considerably more happy, chewing on some kind of strawberry-filled pastry. The Quidditch stadium wasn't hard to find at all, it was the tallest spot in the entire town. She reached the gates at the entrance right about nine, by her estimate, and found them locked.
"Uh... hello?" Marion walked around the stadium a ways, to see if there was an alternate entrance, or if anyone was around. No one. When she got back to the front gates, she saw a sturdy-looking, dark-haired young man unlocking the gates, while juggling a box and a few broomsticks. Marion jogged towards him. "Hey! Excuse me!" He whipped around, startled, and nearly dropped everything he was carrying.
"...Hello," he said, taken aback. Obviously, he was surprised at the obvious American accent. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yeah, I mean yes, yes you can. My name is Marion Nicholas, I'm supposed to start work here this morning, only I showed up at nine and the gates were locked, and I couldn't find anyone, so I thought I'd walk around you know, just to see if there was another entrance, but it just figures that there isn't... I always have bad luck..." Marion realized that she was babbling, and promptly shut her mouth. The man was staring at her even more strangely now.
"...[I]You're[/I] Marion Nicholas?" She nodded. "You're the new worker?" Marion nodded again, wondering why he had to keep asking these questions when she'd already told him. "Well, I didn't expect you to be American... but... well... you [I]do[/I] play Quidditch there, don't you?" Marion was indignant.
"Of [I]course[/I] we do! We're not some kind of... of... uncivilized nation! How could you even [I]think[/I] that?!" Marion could feel that her face was red, and she was glaring at the poor guy, but...you don't just go around saying things like that about her favorite sport. Sure, she was a worthless player, but she was as avid a fan as could be.
"Er... well... I didn't mean..." The young man shifted his weight to better hold the box. Marion realized how awful she was being.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I get carried away, especially if I haven't had much breakfast... can I help you with that?" He nodded gratefully, and handed her the broomsticks.
"I'm Oliver, by the way. Oliver Wood. Keeper for the Puddlemere team, and this is my first year off the reserve team, which is why [I]I'm[/I] opening up this morning..." He grinned at her. "You'll pretty much be doing the same kind of work as me, when I'm not practicing. They spend less time with me than the older players. So I get the janitorial work..." Another grin. [I]He's nice,[/I] Marion thought, [I]Not quite my type, but... maybe I'll point him out to Carrie sometime.[/I] She laughed inwardly at herself, always keeping an eye out for good prospects for her friend.
"That's okay, I'm starting from the bottom up too..." Marion grinned back at him, and they got to work.