New Meetings (Taylor and Gabriella)

Gabriella hummed a soft tune as she walked into the tea establishment. She couldn't remember when she'd last been in a tea shop. She was more used to drinking tea that'd she'd bought for her house but she was finally finished with some paperwork for her admittance into St. Mungos. With the illness going around she took certain precautions in people, looking out for haunting eyes and being wary of whether or not they were looking even the slightest sickly. She knew that as soon as she was accepted in St. Mungo's should jump on the case, precautions damned but for now she tried to keep her distance. When she sat down she took a simple cup of Earl Grey Creme adding the bunch of cream and sugar she liked and sipping simply, her mind wandering into fantasy land as she stared forward.

Taylor rolled her shoulders, trying to relieve some tension. She'd had a long night at the pub, only tempered by her best friend sharing the burden. Somehow Shei made eight hours of serving drunk people not so bad on those days when she simply wanted to stay in bed.

But today she had off! And she was going to have a bloody good day if it killed her. Moving through the crowd, she ordered her usual. When her name was called, she thanked the girl and turned to find a seat.

Well, damn. It was so crowded that each table was taken. As she craned her neck, she saw a table near a window with one empty seat. She shrugged and moved passed the crowd to the table. Smiling brightly at the woman seated there, she motioned to the empty chair.

"This seat taken?"

Ella's eyes quickly averted up to the girl standing across from her, she took in little mild things. Face was free of wrinkles, young, probably no younger than twenty or twenty-one. No signs of struggle, no residue fevers, no sweating: healthy. Realizing she'd been abnormally silent she blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh yes, sorry for the uh pause," she stated rubbing the back of her neck before taking a languid sip of her tea as she crossed her legs. Her ensemble was simple, a burgundy summer-dress, white heels and her hair curled to her tastes. She extended a hand.

"Gabriella Rose, you can call me Ella if it's easier." She greeted smiling broadly.

Taylor smiled. She loved meeting new people, and it was refreshing to see another person so open. Her mind flitted back to her random encounter the other night. She mentally shook herself, deciding to put that aside for later review.

Taking the proffered hand, she replied, "Taylor Kraine, at your service." She set her cup down and set her light spring jacket on the back of the chair. Since it was her day off, she'd gone for casual jeans and t-shirt, even being to lazy for makeup, opting for a pony tail. It wasn't that she didn't care about her appearance, but life was too short to worry about things like that when they didn't matter.

Taking a sip of her pumpkin tea, she decided to get to know her new acquaintance. "You don't sound like you're from around here. You new in town?"

Gabriella smiled feeling her defenses, she rolled her eyes mentally what defenses?, as she leaned back slightly. She admired that this woman wasn't cold, she hadn't been around to going out as so much worrying if she'd get a job. Circe knows what'd she do! As teaching was not her forte. She carefully placed her cup doing before placing her hands in her laps as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Sort of, I attend school in Salem and lived relatively close with my Uncle. I've applied for St. Mungos'," she laughed nervously biting her lower lip in consternation before releasing it with a kind smile.

"Enough about me what about you? What do you do for a living?" Ella asked tilting her head and smiling.

Taylor smiled brightly at Ella. Something about her was kind and inviting. While Taylor had her friends at the bar, she hadn't made new friends in a long time. Not ones she felt this comfortable with at least.

She took a sip of her tea, delighting in the fact that it had finally cooled below scalding. It always took the fun out of drinking it when the roof of her mouth was numb hours after. She'd been coming here since she was a little girl at the workers had created a special blend of a few different teas just for her. It always made her think of that candy that popped out of little figures mouths. Pez!

Nodding along to Ella's sharing, her eyes twinkled. "That sounds really exciting. What made you want to become a healer?"

She tried not to smirk at the obvious diversion tactic. She was around people too often not to know it like the back of her hand. But she didn't mind. "I work over at Rizukia Pub. It's not glamorous, by any means, but it's fun."

Gabriella bit her lip. Why did she become a Healer? Sometimes people had a dark reason for being a Healer: misplaced sense of justice, a passed away close relative, etc. Those were respectable in their own sense but at the same time she had no truly meaningful reason just that from the day she was born it was in her heart to help people: to try and be a hero. She would've laughed at that preposterous assumption had it not been true. She did like helping.

"Um I like helping?" Letting out a small uneasy chuckle she brushed her fingers against the back of her neck nervously. "I really have no clue but to me it seemed like a good idea. And Uncle Max would rather I be out there facing diseases than fighting like an Auror."

"A pub?" Her eyes lit up; what a delightful idea to go to some time! Maybe party and drink a little. Perhaps Taylor would be off at that time even. "You'll have to show me someday! I mean drinking alone never was safe." She added with a teasing tone.