| Details for The Breakfast Crowd |
| Summary: | An author, an auror, and a mouse walk into a bar (the Leaky Cauldron) and have breakfast. No joke, that's just what happened. Dillorous asks Graham again about accompanying him in his work. |
| Date: | Friday, November 22, 1938 |
| Location: | The Leaky Cauldron |
| Related: | What Vegetable Are You? |
| Characters |
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The breakfast crowd isn't quite as lively as the one last night. But as plates of bacon, eggs, and crumpts arrive, the patrons are no less appreciative. Favoring a cup of tea at this early hour over her usual mulled wine Rhyeline sits alone at the bar. She takes a small, silent sip as her eyes flicker across page four of the Daily Prophet.
Dillorous stepped in from the cool November air, clutching his heavy winter robes tight around him. As soon as the warmth of the Leay Cauldron hit him, he drew in a deep and shuddering breath. "Aahhhhhh.." on the exhale. "Now that's much better. Dear chap, I should like myself a coffee and a shot of something fiery. These limbs of mine require some heat." With affable charm the middle aged gentleman wizard dealt with the tender, who seemed to know him. "Coming right up, Mr Diderot."
Sometimes Dillorous could be extremely oblivious, especially when he had something particular on his mind. As such, he didn't even notice Rhyeline even as he settled down at the bar quite close by.
Graham enters into the leaky cauldron glad he hadnt been called into work today. He looks about a moment before spotting the one he's looking for he'd received an owl and of course he'll come for breakfast. He spots Mr Diderot while he's on the way giving a tip of his head in greeting but he'll not make any noise as to be discovered he gets a grin on his face as an idea comes to him oldest trick in the book. The auror will step up behind Rhyeline tapping on her right shoulder but stepping to the left. If it doesn't work oh well he still gets cider!
Rhyline pauses, growing still when she hears her father's voice. It isn't until he comes to sit no more than a few feet away that she peeks over at him. The unexpected tap on her shoulder makes the little one give a soft squeak and quickly peeks over her shoulder. No one there. Bewildered, she looks over her other shoulder. Across the room, sitting at a booth, her guard for the morning gives a fleeting smirk at Graham's games.
Dillorous remained oblivious still as the tender settled down the hot coffee and the shotglass infront of him. With a knockback he took the booze straight to the stomach and with no tasting involved. "Ah.. Thank you, I needed that!" Only afterwards could he lean back with a look of relaxed and dignified comfort about him. He flopped open the Daily Prophet. With a wrinkle of his nose, he added a pair of reading specticles. He hated them. A reminder of the fact he was getting old.
Graham stands behind shoulder number two smiling at her goofily. "You totally fell for it." he reaches over to give her a hug "Good Morning, thanks for the invitation." he says to her easily enough. He looks across the bar before leaning in to say something to the other likely asking if she should invite her father over. The auror either way will sit down beside her and look over the menu to see if he wants something different or stay with his usual.
Rhyeline can't help but grin when Graham pulls her into a hug. Pausing, she tilts her head to the side as Graham leans in to whisper. As Graham sits down on her right, the little one hesitates, biting her lower lip. With a small nod, she peeks over at her father, sitting on her left a few places down. "Good morning, father…"
Blink, blink, blink. "Why, Rhyeline. I didn't see you there. Ah, and Mr Cohen. Delighted to meet you again." Though his delight came with a small touch of polite gentlemanly reserve as he stood up from his seat and moved over to offer the man his hand. "Are you having a breakfast meeting? If so, don't let me interrupt. I know the both of you are very busy young people."
The auror will decide to have cider and toast a slight change for him at least, but he'll allow the lady to order first the body guard spotted in the crowd gets a small wave as well but not to give to much notice and thus give them away he turns back. Graham looks as he's greeted "Mr Diderot, likewise good to meet you. We were having breakfast yes but if you'd like to join of course."
"Not a meeting… just- breakfast," murmurs Rhyeline. The man behind the counter asks what she'd like. Porridge to go with her tea. Taking another sip of tea, she looks over as her adopted brother invites her father to join them.
"Well, if you're not busy and don't mind, I suppose there is absolutely no reason why I wouldn't want to join you. Should we perhaps have ourselves a table? Rather tricky I've found to have a polite conversation at the bar if you're more than two people." He looked towards the tender and ordered himself some toast and an apple. He confided in the others: "I'm trying to keep my stomach somewhat in check."
Graham ponders a moment before placing his order in. "Hm that's a good idea, a table would be easier for certain. It's up to you sis." he's keeping an eye on the two a moment though he wont wait to push up from off of the stool unless they are indeed moving. "How does the morning find both of you?" he'll ask all the same.
Rhyeline slides down from her stool and takes up her cup of tea to carry to a table. She peeks up from her father to her adopted brother, ready to follow. Once they settle, the three of them at a table, she answers Graham's question. "It finds me well. It… it seems a quiet morning…" She takes another small sip of tea. Her eyes flicker back and forth from one man to the other.
His smile thinned just marginally when Graham used the word 'sis', though he said nothing of it. With the calm confidence of age, he settled into one of the chairs, bringing his coffee with him. "Quite well, thank you Mr Cohen. Mind, did you ever consider my request?"
Graham stands and moves to the table as well sitting down lightly if he's caught the smile he's not making notice of it. "That's good, quiet can be nice though especially with the long work week as it is." The auror switches as he's spoken to. "I've not been able to speak to the chief about it, afraid have a lot going on right now. I'll try and get a bit of time."
"Graham mentioned to me that- that you wanted to accompany him? For research?" murmurs Rhyeline, peeking at her father from over the brim of her cup. Her dark gaze shines with hushed curiosity.
"Ah. Well, no rush, no rush. I'm sure you'll get to it eventually." Dillorous brushed it away with a polite little wave of his hand. "It needn't necessarily be with you, either. Certainly I wouldn't feel at all put off it you pawed me on to one of esteemed collegues." His eyes shifted towards his daughter at her quiet little query, and he blinked once behind his spectacles. "Aye, my dear. I would very much like to tag along with someone of the Auror office for a while. See how they work, how they deal with the stresses of their dangerous occupation. I've always wanted to write something about that world, but I've just lacked a hands on experience."
"I will certainly try." Graham says though the mans request at possibly using another one of his colleagues gets a pause from him "That might as well though i'll still have to talk about it, we've all taken extra patrols after the riots and so pulling double duty if you will." he explains to the other
"It would be good for you to accompany him… to see the dark times unfolding… that way, you could write stories that no one would ever forget… so that these times- no one will ever forget their lessons…" murmurs Rhyeline in a rather quiet tone behind her cup of tea. Peeking over at Graham, she adds, "Thank you for working so hard, Graham… protecting us all…" Although she has missed him.
"Ah the riots. I hear that Books Unbound has gotten trashed more than once since that happened. A great pity. I was going to do a book signing there, but now I think I might just have to pass." The elder gentleman sounded quite regretful about it. "So sad and pointless. I rather liked that Rowle woman, the owner's fiance. Besides, who trashes a bookstore?" The thought was anathema to him. Books were sacred, after all!
A shady looking fellow entered the Leaky Cauldron, and gave Dillorous - who was very much ignoring said shady person - a long look.
"That is quite a good point, Rhyeline my dear. If nobody knows, nobody will remember. If nobody remembers, history is bound to repeat itself."
Graham nods shaking his head slightly and a sigh escapes him after a moment. "Yes entirely pointless, if anything else the backlash to it should prove the point that folks wont just roll over." he looks to Rhyeline at her words and grins "it's my pleasure to help where I can but I will have to bring some cake over again really soon." he says.
Rhyeline nods with a solemn look. "The bookstore is one of my favorite places… but… they don't like me going in there…" She peeks across the Leaky Cauldron at her guard, who is keeping an eye on that shady looking fellow watching her father. Noticing the one her guard is studying, the little one blinks and follows his line of sight to her father with that hushed curiosity of hers.
At the mention of cake, Rhyeline forgets herself a moment and offers Graham a soft smile of unguarded delight. "I'd love that…" she tells him.
"It is hardly.." and Dillorous followed Rhyeline's gaze to the guard, too. "Their decision to make, my dear. If you can no longer wile away a few hours in a favorite bookstore, really, what is the meaning of life?" His voice was a mixture of dry wit and earnestness.
The shady looking fellow pulled his hood down over his face when people started paying attention to him. There might've been a sneer on his lips, too, as he headed off to Diagon Alley. Dillorous kept ignoring the man, pointedly. Was there a little shake to his fingers? Certainly not. He lifted his cup up for a sip.
"As long as standing up doesn't mean a backlash of similar violence. It's a sad truth that extremist feed off each other."
"I will go with you to the bookstore if you want to go Rhyeline." He cannot help but smile back at her "Cake it is then." Graham says about her guards not wishing her to go there themselves with the store front he supposes he can see that. He doesn't turn his eye towards the guards now though he's still listening he looks back "That is true, but one can hardly stand aside to allow them to have their own way."
Rhyeline peeks up at her father and gives a small shake of her head. "They don't prevent me… just- they just don't like me going in there. It makes them tense… They stand close…" Looking a touch self-conscious, she lowers her gaze and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now it isn't a question of persistent muggles… now… as you say- things are a bit more dangerous… And Cassius wants to make sure I'm safe…"
"None the less, their presence make you reluctant," Dillorous pressed on with a smile touched with a hint of sadness. "You mustn't let them rule you, my dear. It is your life they are meant to shelter, no? Then you must live it, rather than let them limit it. It is not impolite to request a bit of distance." There was still some nervous energies about Dillorous, even if he tried to keep a calm demeanor.
"She's never been stopped by them yet that i've seen Mr Diderot, your daughter is more tough then it would seem. Plus it seems i'm a bit the exception so i'll keep an eye on her all the same." Graham says trying to bring the conversation back to the middle if he can do so. There is no need to argue on this topic since it's a non issue in the long run of things.
Some time later.. after breakfast and Rhyeline's departure.
"I let the topic go eariler for her sake. While I'll admit that knowing she is safe makes me happy, I do not think that any guards should be so conspicious that my daughter needs to amend her habits to suit them. Whether or not they declare such their intention, they are making her change her decisions." He sighed, looking down at his second coffee of the morning. It was spiked.
Graham nods "I understand, I dont want to stress Rhyeline is all." the auror says to him after a moments thought "I agree with you, unless she is doing something obviously dangerous it shouldnt be up to them to decide." he takes a drink of his cider "I am not sure if anything can be done on that, she feels bad that they worry about her even if it's just they have been paid to do so. Well excepet Bailey she's a good lady."
Dillorous wore a thoughtful frown, while his eyes drifted subconciously in the direction that the shady man had taken. He sighed. "Perhaps there is." It was said mostly to himself. "Well, Mr Cohen, I think I am going to get on my way. You take care, now."
"Of course, it was good to meet you again, thank you for joining for breakfast I know it means a lot to Rhyeline." Graham says to the other he will likely also standing himself to head home "I will let you know when I can speak to someone at my office."