| Details for Sweet Nothings |
| Summary: | Phil ventures into the new sweet shop and comes away with tasty treats. |
| Date: | 1938-08-26 |
| Location: | {$location} |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Sweet Temptations
This shop is a bakery and sweet shop. Polished hardwood floors and walls painted a soft ivory give the room a welcoming and calm air. Green plants and flowers are placed in planters throughout the room and landscape paintings of the countryside covers part of the walls. Wooden tables with soft cushioned chairs are placed throughout the room. A long counter runs the length of the back wall with a collection of baked sweets and candies for sale. Jars of colorful candies and glass covered plates of cakes, pasteries, and sweet breads sit atop the long counter tempting customers to buy them. An old fashioned register sits for the clerk to ring up purchases and a large board above the counter states what is available. Everything from cakes to pastries to all sort of candy is being sold here in many different flavors. Several drinks such as tea or hot chocolate are also sold and the smell of sweet fresh baked cakes wafts through the air coming from a back room behind the counter.
The door opens and soon after Phil strides into the shop. She closes the door behind her and looks around, her lips curling into a broad smile when she sees just what is on offer in the shop. The skirt of her dress swishes about her calves as she walks to the nearest display, fingers trailing over the beautiful glass jar. It is an hour before closing time but she has been at work all day and this is the first chance she has had to come into the new sweet shop.
Michel pokes his blonde head out of the back room when he hears the door to the shop open. He offers the woman a warm smile. "Just a moment Miss and I will be right there." He disappears again only for the door to open a few moments later. The young man comes out carrying a large tray of chocolate candies which he sets on the countertop before turning to the woman with a smile. "Now what can I do for you?" He makes his way over to her studying the jar of candy she was looking at before meeting her eyes with a smile. "I'm Michel Morrison the owner of this shop. If you need anything please let me know. We have candy, pastries and even tea or hot chocolate if you need something to drink."
"No worries," calls out Phil as he says he will be out soon. She is content to look around. When Michel does come out to greet her she looks curiously at the tray of chocolates and then at the man himself. "I heard there was a new shop and wanted to come see for myself. My boyfriend owns the shop across the way." She holds a hand out to Michel then laughs realising he can't shake it. "I am Phil Rowle of the Daily Prophet." And those rich purebred Rowles too, but she doesn't advertise that as those who are interested would know by her name and those who are not wouldn't care either way.
Michel blushes a bit and turns around to set the tray down on the counter top before offering his hand to her to shake. "Yes I just opened this shop up recently. Just a few weeks ago in fact. Which shop does you boyfriend own?" He shakes her head firmly before releasing it with a smile. "Do you like chocolate Miss Rowle? I just finished a new experiment of mine. It has chocolate on the outside a layer of vanilla and then a cherry on the inside." He gestures to the tray of small round sweets. "If you would like you can try one. I still need to test them before I can sell them and its always good to have a second opinion on your work."
"I love chocolate," says Phil with a bright smile. "They sound heavenly." She peers at the tray and selects one carefully, choosing what she thinks is the most perfectly formed chocolate. Choice made Phil says, "Laurence owns Flights of Fancy. He is a broom artisan." She looks at the sweet and then at Michel, "Should I put it all in at once or bite into it?"
"Thank you, I hope they taste alright as well. I would put it in all at once, unless you want cherry juice on your chin that is." Michel smiles playfully and nods. "I enjoy flying, I will have to visit his shop sometimes. Though I don't really have much room to fly a broom at this point. Apartments are not good flying zones." He watches her reaction as she eats the chocolate curiously. "Is it any good then?"
In goes the chocolate - all in one - as advised. Phil closes her eyes to focus on the flavours as she bites carefully - chews thoughtfully - tasting each layer as they emerge and then meld together on her tongue. She opens her eyes and smiles at Michel, her dark head bobbing up and down. "Mmmhmmm, it is very good. Could I have a box of them please?" She glances at the window as if she could see the broom shop from here, "Flying is always a worthwhile thing to do. You should go into the shop. You never know, you might come out with an order for a bespoke broom." Her head turns and she smiles at Michel.
Michel smiles brightly and goes off to get a box for the rest of the chocolates. He places them into the box neatly and closes it up tying a silver ribbon over it before offering it to Phil with a bright smile. "Here. I was not planning on selling these yet so you can have them on the house. An incentive if you will to spread the word. Besides if you don't eat them I probably will." He winks at her. Looking out the window he seems a bit surprised. "Its later than I thought it was…It will be closing time for me very soon." He turns back to Phil. "Still you are welcome to come back another day if you would like to."
"Thank you, that is most kind. I would like to buy a quarter pound each of sherbet lemons and pear drops too, if I could before I go?" Phil takes the box and nods to the jar she had been looking at earlier, the one with the pear drops in. From within a pocket she takes a small coin purse which she opens with a twist of the wrist. Balancing box, purse and the need to get out money is precarious but she manages it and sets some coins on the counter, more than she needs to.
"Of course." Michel smiles and proceeds to bag up the requested sweets. He weighs the bags, counts and puts the amount of money to pay for the two bags of sweets away in the register and hands the bags of candy and extra money over to Phil. He carefully places the bags on top of the box of chocolate so she can carry it all and still have a free hand. He offers her the extra money with a smile. "Here is your change. Is that all you need?"
"Keep the change," says Phil. She tucks her purse away again and smiles at Michel. "Thank you for the chocolates and your help. It is nice to see someone so young starting up a business and with luck you will give the sweet shop in Hogsmeade a run for its knuts. She starts for the door then, "It was lovely meeting you."
Michel smiles brightly and nods to her before going to put the change away. "Thank you, it was very nice to meet you as well. I hope to see you again." Michel watches her leave out of the corner of his eye as he goes about getting ready to close up shop for the night.
Happy with her purchases Phil slips out.