no bees, no honey;
no work, no money

OUTFIT@ophelia

Mmmm, chai tea. Kristina had woke up dreaming about a creamy, delicious cup, which was strange since her breath still tastes terribly of bourbon. It had been another late night filled with drinking, dancing, and kisses. She had went home alone, which was somewhat of a let down, but never-the-less she had enjoyed herself. More so enjoying the fact that she hadn't had a single worry in the world aside from what the DJ would be playing next. It was nice... and necessary. If she was going to keep her anxiety at bay Kristina knew that she would need many more nights like that. 

It wasn't very often that she actually felt decent enough after such a night to leave the house, but it seemed that her body was slowly making the transition to her new lifestyle. The hang overs became less and less, and she was finally able to be productive again after a night on the town. Fucking finally. She had the day off from Watson's but that did not mean she was free of work. Kristina needed to start thinking proactively about her new smuggling business. What were the risks? How could she prevent them? What were the best items to ship? To bring in? It was a lot more work than she had originally anticipated, yet she somehow enjoyed it. There was a small part of her that felt the thrill of adrenaline from her illegal work, even while doing the most minute tasks.

Kristina had decided to get to work as soon as she had hopped from bed and as the hours ticked by she began to feel the urge for tea overriding her urge to work. The feeling of the warm cup in her hands was much more enticing than the feeling of her quill. The smell of warm danishes and steamy beverages much more divine than the smell of her parchment and quill. Merlin, she couldn't take it any longer! She needed that damn cup!

It hadn't taken her long after that to dress and leave her flat, she carried with her a manila folder filled with her work. Mostly mathematical equations at this point, she knew that no one would suspect anything if they had glanced over her shoulder, she figured that if she was going to give into her temptation she may as well be productive about it! Kristina had entered the shop and ordered herself a delicious chai tea relatively quickly. It wasn't too busy for a late Saturday morning, which was good, it meant she might be able to get some work finished. She took a small table with two chairs, and a few minutes to simply enjoy the drink before her before she saw a familiar face enter the shop. Kristina smiled gently at her from behind her cup.

Ophelia wanted nothing more than to take a massive break from everything. She was caught up with work and then there were her feelings for Henri. Feelings that as hard as she tried to deny where reputedly there. She thought she should just bite the bullet and come to terms that she did fancy him. She wanted a break from men if she were honest. She had been through enough with Nick and Will to make her good for the next five years or so. She just wanted her heart to have a break. She didn’t think that Henri could hurt her in the same way, however while he knew of her past especially with Nick, he had also admitted that he was not a stayer when it came to women. Just one look at him and how he flirted with people just showed that. She didn’t want to make assumptions but the magical world seemed to be filled with them at present.

While she didn’t bear the title of ‘Lady’ she still shared blood with people who were in power at the moment. Honestly, she hated it, it so far removed from her own morals and beliefs that it was unbelievable. She wanted to help the muggleborns but there was only so much she could do. There was no way of knowing what the Death Eaters were going to do next anyway. They were as unpredictable as ever and if she was closer to the group, she would have inkling of their next moves. As it happened the closest person she had to them was her cousin and she would never willingly go out of her way to speak to Bradley. While he was not part of the group yet, his desire to join them was very strong.

At least today she was catching up with a friend and Kristina’s company was very welcome. The witch was fun to be around. Even if they had not known each other very long, Ophelia was still looking forward to it. Admittedly working at Ollivander’s didn’t leave her much time for friends. She had Henri and Galenia but they were centred around work and sometimes she would go to Galenia’s home for dinner but that was the extent of it. Most of her friends centred around wand making were men because it had traditionally been a male dominated occupation. It was nice to have another female friend.

Ophelia made her way downstairs after getting dressed. Sometimes it was annoying to live above the tea shop because the aromas were far to distracting but that was mostly during the day when she was at work herself anyway. At least she liked tea. The brunette entered the shop and quickly saw Kristina and waved at her before going to the counter and ordering a peppermint tea before heading to her friend’s table. ”Hi, how’s it going?” She asked she took a seat.

NO BEES, NO HONEY;

NO WORK, NO MONEY

@ophelia

As much as Kristina enjoyed learning and figuring things out she likely could have made a swell Ravenclaw. She had always enjoyed researching, testing theories, calculating formulas, things of the like. Her work today, though tedious, was actually quite exhilarating for her. And not just because she was plotting illegal activities! Something about figuring out every teeny tiny detail of her up and coming business felt amazingly rewarding. She hadn't felt like that since...well, since right after graduation. Kristina had traveled the world then and spent her days, weeks, months and years figuring out as much as she could about magical herbs, plants and potions. That had been tedious as well. Perhaps it was the intricacy she enjoyed the most, and not the work at all...

Still, as much fun as she was having, she needed a break from it. She had brought her work with her in that manila envelope, but actually working on it... Forget it. Her brain was in a fog from the hang over she claimed not to have and from the hours of tireless work she had put in this morning. She wanted a break, so she had taken one. It had been a pleasant surprise to see Ophelia at the shop, though it hadn't been all too surprising. The woman did live upstairs, not really a crazy coincidence. In a silly way she believed that she had come here in hopes of seeing her friend. It wasn't easy for the two to catch up, both working in Diagon Alley, both dealing with their own crap. 

Today, though, would be their day! And Kristina was completely happy about it! She watched with a smile as her friend ordered herself some tea and headed over. Kristina sipped happily on her chai tea as she arrived at the table. "I'm well, babe, I'm well!" Kristina chimed merrily. "Oh shite, I'll move my rubbish dear, have a sit!" The dainty brunette chuckled as the woman sat; she hurried to move her obnoxiously large envelope from the table. It was a silly little dance she seemed to do, holding the envelope looking for a place for it. Not on the ground, erm, sit on it? No. Finally she decided to rest it in her lap, though she had to cross her legs in the chair to keep it from sliding down her thighs. 

"Sorry, brought a bit of work with me today. Not that I feel much like doing it." A soft chuckle bubbled from her, she was rather chipper today- as she was most day. "How are you, hen? Keeping you busy at Olli's, I suppose?"

For many years Ophelia had buried herself in work and that went for both work and her school studies. She was not sorry for doing that because without doing she would not be where she was today. She was one the few female wand makers in the world and she knew she could not be here without being dedication. It was a shame she could have not put in the same level of effort into her friends. Sure she had them but she didn’t have those well developed and those long term friendships other people had with their friends. She had had her relationships and she was sure she deserved a break from them for now. If not she deserved an award after all the shit she had been through in regards to wizards lately. Yes, there was Henri but they worked together and sure they had been on one date but Ophelia had not read to much into it since she had been the one that had gifted him the ballet tickets.

She would get to work eventually but for now she was more interested in seeing Kristina. She had fair idea of what the other witch did for work, after all she worked with plants. While Ophelia did work with wood on a daily based, her green thumb was non-existent. She did have a few indoor plants around her flat but that was the extent of greenery in her flat. It as probably for the better though given that she was often so busy with work to actually tend to her plants as she should. She knew that if Henri was to know that, he would poke fun at her. There was no doubt at that really. It was fine really. Ophelia could take some teasing here and there. It was more tolerable when it came from Henri compared to when it came from her cousin. She was glad that she had not seen Bradley in a while but she still felt sorry for all the students at Hogwarts whose he taught. Had he been her teacher, she thought she would have attempted to hex him a few times.

There were some benefits to living up the tea shop ofther than the smell that would waft up to her flat. Ift rarely bothered here because by the time she got home the tea shop was often near closing time if not it was already closed. Ophelia nodded then looke on amusedly as her friend appeared for be confused as to where she should put her folder. Ophelia was glad at least with her line of work, her work was left at work. ”Why on earth do you have work with you, Kris?” she asked chuckling as the server bought over her tea. She thanked them and looked back at her friend. ”Well, I don’t blame you for putting off work” she smirked. ”Well Hun, wands don’t make themselves” she shrugged as she sipped her tea. Was there anything more refreshing?

NO BEES, NO HONEY;
NO WORK, NO MONEY

@ophelia

Kristina was quite friendly to all, but having real friends was a different story. She trusted very few people in this world. Even less since everything with the Ministry. There had been people she believed had been decently good human beings which turned out to be nothing more than hate filled liars. Kristina was a halfblood, thank Merlin, which meant that she was safe from the antics going on in the wizarding government, but that did not mean she was blind to it. Sure, a lot of halfbloods stayed out of the squabble simply because it hadn't affected them, but it affected her. She had been raised solely by her muggle mother and grandparents, never having known her father. It was quite lucky for her to have found some extended family from his side during her younger years or she would have likely been thrown into registration if she hadn't been able to produce any proof. 

There were many who weren't lucky, and she knew that. And it hurt her. Which is why she needed to make this smuggling thing work. This wasn't just about making money or her anxiety, it was finding a way in so maybe she could get some people out. Maybe if she could figure out these numbers, she could find a way to make that work. That was a long term goal, of course, but her short term one was simply to evade the anxiety. For now. She was feeling rather care free today and that felt nice. It had been a while since she felt that without the aid of liquor or something to smoke. Perhaps she was still drunk? Or was it the tea? Who would have guessed the magnificent powers of Chai?

"Expense reports," She sighed heavily with a coy little smile on her fair face. "I've been meaning to get it done, but we've been so busy. Can't say that I feel much like doin' it on me day off." . That had been a lie, of course. Kristina was quite a skilled liar and she rarely even had to take a second thought before coming up with what to say. In fact it hadn't crossed her mind until afterwards that if the other witch had taken a moment to glance at the paperwork it likely would look like an expense report! All the numbers and columns. Kris was a little proud of herself for such quick thinking. 

"Aye, they don't! Quite a good thing too or you'd be out of a job, lass!" The small brunette chuckled lightheartedly and took a sip of her own tea. "Have ye been keeping busy outside of work then? I feel like I have no seen ye in ages!"

Given the nature of her work, Ophelia met a lot of different kind of people. There were some she was going to get along with and there were some she just wouldn’t get along with it. She had to deal with Death Eaters when their children came in to get their wands in preparation for their first year at Hogwarts. Part of the witch thought she should keep her mouth shut and the other part just wanted to pull aside the child and warn them. But still she kept her mouth shut. She knew it would be bad for business if she was to say anything. Ophelia didn’t think any Death Eaters could be reformed in anyway, she would know. She now had her cousin trying to join the and she wished him well, because she hoped that if he did join he ranks of the group, it could very well keep him away from her. What she wouldn't do to Have bradley out of her life. But that was just a fantasy for her. At least he was far off in Hogwarts. She would always feel sorry for the kids up there. On the other hand she knew he would enjoy teaching them ‘proper’ potions, whatever the hell they even wree.

She was glad that she had had that kind of instruction while she had been a student. She had loved school and she loved learning and she still enjoyed it to this day. With her work she was constantly learning. Even with wand making being such an old profession it was constantly evolving as people found new materials and tested out new wand making techniques. All of it certainly kept Ophelia on her toes. However, she didn’t complain. She loved every minute of it. The downside though, was that all the time she spent at work cut down her time to be social. Sure she went out, but it was often to pick up dinner if she was not in the mood to cook for herself or if she went out shopping. She had hardly been out shopping for herself in a while. Not since Christmas if she remembered correctly. She would have to go out soon and get some new dresses, it was imperative with the new season on their doorstep.

Ophelia listened as Kristina explained what the paperwork was. ”I’m glad that Galenia looks after all of that, though I lend a hand when I can” she laughs. While she was competent to do expense reports, she much preferred to work on wands and to serve customers. She knew that Kristina worked as a Gardener and that piqued her interest. ”Forgive me for asking, but why would the Gardener be doing the expense reports?” she asked curious to see what her friend would say. Of course, she was free to not answer her. People had their secrets, they were free to after all.

”Please, no one can make wands like I can….” she winked. It wasn’t entirely true, every wandmaker was different. ”Most of my time outside of work is either me seeing my sister or me in my flat catching up on sleep, I’ve not actually gone out in so long. What about you? How’s the wizard scene looking for you?”

NO BEES, NO HONEY;
NO WORK, NO MONEY

@ophelia

Watson's was family owned, but not exactly a family worked business. Jimson owned the little shop and his two sisters aided him from time to time with the inner workings of it. When it came to the actual workings, however, it was left mostly to Kristina. She was currently the only gardener staffed and when she was working usually took the roll of cashier as well. It had been difficult to find a competent cash maiden, or even one to show up for their shift most days. Kristina had seen them come and go fast as she could snap her fingers. She always stayed, and always would. As long as they would have her, at least. And as long as her secret remained a secret.

Most of the paperwork business was not hers to tend to. As of late Delphi had been doing most of the payroll, and though she wasn't certain, Kristina imagined that Jimson handled the other finances. It was strange, really. She saw much more of his sisters than she ever did him, but when he was in shop he was always kind to her. He would always offer to buy her lunch and would tell her how appreciative he was of her loyalty. Merlin knows that was hard to come by these days. She imagined if she ever left Watson's it would likely burden them quite a bit, since she did the ordering, stocking and cash management. She had become almost like a manager over the years. Not that she had many people to manage, she usually worked alone.

Expense reports weren't something Kristina was expected to do, though she would if asked. The petite woman chuckled as her friend asked why she was doing such things at all. Not that she really was. "I suppose plants aren't all that I grow, I also grow business." She waggled her brows and sipped her tea with a smile. "No, it seems the Watson clan has been quite busy as of late, so I've been picking up some of the slack. Bella is in training, Delphi...well, I'm not even sure. And I can't even recall the last time I've seen Jimson." That last part hadn't been a lie. Jimson hadn't paid more than a handful of visits since the attacks. 

"I'm sure of that lass! And no one's got a greener thumb than me. We're indispensable," she winked back with a laugh. It was true, they both were quite skilled at their work, but indispensable? Unlikely. Surely someone in this world would grow plants just as well or craft a wand as wonderfully as Ophelia could. But why in Merlin's name would anyone want to set out on that long and tedious search to find someone else when these two wonderful ladies were right here?! "Ahh-" Kris let out a nervous little chuckle, "The wizarding world has been...something else for me lately. I've been going out on the town quite a bit as of late. Really enjoying the scene, actually. You should really come out some time!"

Ophelia and Kristina were similar as they both worked in family owned businesses and they were both outsiders to those families. Ophelia was grateful that Galenia did include her in her family as much as possible and invited her to the house for dinner. It made her feel welcome and for a few minutes she forgot that her surname differed from theirs. She supposed that names didn’t matter to much since they were all part of the same wandmaking family and they all had similar skills. She was fortunate that people didn't question her ability because she was not a Ollivander and she was the first in her family to study and practice wandmaking. At least she presumed so. She would ask Killian if any others had studied the art. After all he had been around long enough to know who had done what or been where. From what Ophelia could decipher when he had broken the news to her about being her ancestor she had also found out that he had been tracking the family for a long time.

That had hardly come as a surprise to the witch. She supposed that would be normal since he would want to see how his family turned out. At least he was there to tell Ophelia he was proud of her. She was being petty she knew but she had not heard either her mother or father say they were proud of her since she was four and just like everyone, they wanted to make their parents proud. She that other people suffered worse than she did but in her mind, nothing could top being an orphan.

But she was older now and it was a different time. However the Death Eaters still sort power. It was sickening to realise that would never change. She was her with her friend and she snapped back to concentrate on what Kristina was saying. Afterall there were more important things to focus on, she didn’t have that many friends after all. She had to treasure what she had. Ophelia gave her friend a look of disbelief hearing the pun she had delivered. It was clever suse but it was also rather lame. ”How long did that one take you, Kris?” she asked with a smirk. She knew that families got busy but Ophelia saw Galenia on a daily basis, it was different for her with Ollivanders. She was lucky she rarely ran into an issue where she had consult them. ”So they just don’t come around often? Makes me think you should get a raise” She commented half-jokingly.

Ophelia looked over and prtended to examin her friend’s thumb from her seat. ”Yes I can see the greeness from here, soon you’ll turn into that witch character from that muggle movie” she joked unsure if Kristina would know which movie she was referring to. It was difficult to tell who in the magical world watched movies and who didn’t. ”Have you been going out alone? Or should I ask if you’ve been going home alone?” Ophelia winked before she took a sip of her drink.

NO BEES, NO HONEY;

NO WORK, NO MONEY

Kristina couldn't remember the last time she had been out with her friends. Well, her old friends. She hadn't been doing a very good job of keeping up with many of them ever since she had decided to make a few lifestyle changes. It wasn't that she no longer could relate to them or that she loved them any less, it had just been...hard. She had went from being a girl who casually went out for a drink after work on a Friday night to a girl who was recognized by the staff at most night clubs. She traded in cozy nights reading by the fire in for strobe lights and fire whisky. And as sure as she was that her friends might have enjoyed a night out on the town with her, there as also the fact that she wasn't looking to have just a fun girls night. 

That first month after her anxiety attack she had spent destroying herself. It wasn't a matter of having a fun night out, but more so a matter of getting as obliterated as possible so that she wouldn't have to feel like that anymore. She hadn't wanted to feel anything at all. She hadn't wanted her friends to watch her fall apart that way. Kristina had kept to herself, going out alone and doing what needed to be done. At the time she hadn't known what else to do, her anxiety had come quickly and had been all consuming. She felt lost and afraid, a feeling she never had before. Kristina wasn't one to be afraid. Not ever. She had always been brave and courageous, even when she shouldn't have been. There was no fear when she had taken off after graduation to roam the world. No fear when she had been face to face with dragons, or when she had spears pointed at her throat in New Guinea. It had been thrilling, exciting and everything she ever wished for, but never terrifying. 

Kristina lived for adventure, and the anxiety had built from the void her life had created. There was no room for adventure in her mundane little life. There was no thrills as she followed the same steps day in and day out. Without the excitement her life felt dead and void. She felt an emptiness within her and in that desolate cavern anxiety had made it's home. When she found a way to fill it again, she did so without hesitation. The problem with that had been the ways that she had begun to fill it, ways that her friends and family wouldn't have been very proud of. 

Now things were finally starting to even out; she was starting to gain control of herself once again. She was finding that she could control the anxiety much better, and she knew just how to make it disappear. Working on her new business was a great part of that. Drinking had too, and as shameful as it might have been for her to admit it, the men had too. She wasn't ashamed, though she knew that if her mother had ever found out just how many men she had taken to bed in the last few months she would be more than embarrassed. But she had gotten that under control too, keeping a few numbers in her phone for when she needed company or just a fun little romp. 

Kristina had thought about calling up a few faithful 'friends' last night after she left the bar alone, but she was glad now that she hadn't. The poor bloke would likely still be plaguing her apartment. And she would have likely had to cook him breakfast which sounded quite boring. It was much more fun to catch up with her sassy little friends Ophelia! Kristina crinkled her nose at the woman's question and she rolled her eyes playfully before responding. "Well, y'know lass it sort of just sprouted in my mind!" Ha! She was being punny and she just couldn't stop herself! As lame as she was Kristina enjoyed her own goofy sense of humor, and if it were an option she'd speak only in puns! The woman spoke of her needing a raise as she sipped her drink and she hummed an 'mmhm' into her cup with perked brows. 

"Muggle movie? Are you talking about the animated one with the troll?" Kristina smiled excitedly thinking of the movie she had seen in her childhood years. Hadn't it been based in America? If her memory served her correctly it had been; it had been the only movie about a green thumb that she could remember. She hoped that it had been the one Ophelia was speaking of. "Aye, mostly out on my own. Sometimes JD will come out with me, bless his kind heart. Do you know of him? He works just down the alley at the ice cream parlor?" Kristina twisted in her seat, moving the large envelope to the side of her and folding her legs up underneath herself. She was never one to be able to sit still, often contorting in strange ways to get comfortable.

Ophelia had questioned whether she was going home alone and Kristina waggled her brows once more, tapping her nails against the coffee cup in her hand. "Wouldn't you like to know!" She erupted with giggles though she tried to keep from causing any sort of scene. "I went home alone last night but...that's not very typical. What can I say, the lads 'round here know how to tickle my fancy. What about you, dear? Any lads tripping your trigger lately?" Kristina loved the feeling of gossip, and she wasn't shy to answer honestly about her love life! 

Ophelia knew that shouldn’t be putting off spending time with her friends, but that wasn’t the case so much that she just spend way too much working on making wands which just kept her busy most nights. She did manage to sleep though, thankfully. But that was all she managed to do. She had steered clear of relationships lately, mostly due to her recent experiences when it came to wizards. She had learned many times that they had only thought of themselves. She had fallen for them and had thought they had done the same with her but she was wrong. She had just been a stopover for them on their way to another relationship or some other place. But Ophelia, while she had initially been hurt, she had decided she wouldn’t let it get to her. She would put herself first. She had to if she wanted to be happy. It was a hard reality but it was important that she do so.

WIth being in the business of making wands, it was only natural that she put others before because what she was doing was for their benefit more than hers. Sure she got to hone her skills but the wand she had made was for them to learn magic if or to improve on their skills or just to get by in life as a witch or wizard. She liked to think she contributed to that but she also knew that others didn’t really deem wandmakers as having that big of an impact on someone's life. Ophelia didn’t need the recognition though. For many years she had stayed out of the limelight because of what she had been through as a child and she had tried to stay far away from Death Eaters. So she didn’t want any praise. But given that now she was a wandmaker, she knew that her clients included that kind of people. Well, in her opinion, they didn’t deserve to be called people, to her, they were monsters.

She, of course, had never called any of them to their face as she knew it would likely result in conflict and she tried to avoid that as much as she could. She tried to keep her mouth shut each time any of them came into Ollivander’s either for themselves or because their child was starting Hogwarts. She half Sympathised with that child because she herself was so closely connected to Death Eaters but at the same time she tried to separate herself from her customers too.

As a wandmaker, it was important to remain impartial, so it a way it was better for her to keep to herself. While she did get lonely, she knew she had some friends she could see any time she wished or she could go visit Killian but he had the habit of getting very grandfather like on her, with good reason of course but with him being a vampire, it was just odd. Naturally, she had taken some time to get used to it. She didn’t know anyone else who could say they were the same shoes as she went it came to having a vampire in the family, so she had no one to talk to. Really, finding out about each other was new to both her and Killian, alike.

Ophelia wondered how Kristina would react if she was to learn about. No doubt she would think it was intriguing and she would ask a thousand and one questions but Ophelia would still be keeping quiet about who her relative was and what he was. She had to protect him. He was one of the few relatives she had on her father’s side.

She should have guessed that she would have guessed that she would have been served another pun from her friend by the expression her friend was wearing but that was the thing about Kristina, you didn’t know what she would come out with. It was fun though, it kept Ophelia on her toes. She saw her friend perk up slightly at the mention of raise. She made a mental note to follow up with Kristina if that eventuated or not when they caught up next.

Ophelia laughed a little before she sipped on her tea and shook her head. ”No, this is an old movie….the one where the witch’s skin is green” She had to admit her thinking was a little out of the ordinary at times. It wasn’t bad, but perhaps she had been a little clearer especially when referring to something from the muggle world. ”No, I can’t say I’ve met him yet. But then again, I don’t frequent Florean’s as often as I used to, or as often as I should” She laughed lightly as she tried to recall the last time she had even stepped into the ice cream parlour. It was perhaps when she and Nick were together. At least that was the last time she could recall. ”What is this JD like?” Ophelia pried gently, wondering what her friend had been up to exactly with this wizard.

”Well that’s why I asked, can’t blame me for living vicariously, now, can you?” She laughed as she sipped her tea again. Ophelia wasn’t living the life of celibacy but she just wasn’t really up to meeting any men right now. Work came first, she knew Kristina would fight her on that and for that reason she kept her mouth shut about her prioritizing work over going out and meeting men. ”Do you mean the lads around here...can’t keep up with you?” she smirked before she shook her head. ”No I’m not tripping over any Wizard’s wand or anything like that” she replied with a straight face hoping her friend would pick up on her inclusion of a double entendre. She could be punny too. She knew her friend would pry and she didn’t mind that but she would be disappointed, Ophelia was far being the centre of any gossip right now. ”Maybe we need to head out…..like at night” She couldn’t believe she had suggested it, yet she had.