It was not unknown for Lena to feel a certain unspeakable quickening whenever somebody spoke with intelligence and authority about a subject she was even passably interested in but it had been a long time since she had attributed the feeling to a gentleman. Had it ever happened? It must have done, she wasn’t that unusual was she? The way she had been before was just been because it was Begonia… Her more erudite colleagues usually raised her interest but after knowing them for a little while, and learning all the tedious, off-putting habits they kept from their loved ones they soon diminished in her estimation and any interesting qualities they might have possessed were swept away by her far stronger feelings of irritation.
Whiskey, apparently, went a long way towards slowing that process down so she took another sip and noticed belatedly that her glass had somehow become empty. Merlin, this went down well, she would definitely have to get some for Febby and Edric. Was it really an appropriate wedding gift though? A housewarming one even? She didn’t really know him and she was supposed to be a mostly respectable young woman after all. She felt the smoky liquid burn through her pleasantly and decided it most emphatically was a good gift, and she needed another herself. The golden liquid was moreish and delicious and Lena knew she was hurtling towards the point where she would regret her decision in the morning – what manner of idiot opted to open a distillery on a Tuesday night?! Oh well, if she was quiet and moody at work tomorrow she doubted anybody would note the difference in her demeanour and none of them would dare comment upon it.
“It sounds a fascinating business,” she offered honestly, the intricacies and dedication of the vast subject of wandlore being complex enough to pique even her interest. “I work in the Department of Mysteries so it’s quite the novelty to hear somebody describe their work without making sure there’s nobody listening that shouldn’t be.”
![[Image: NKWBLG7.png]](https://i.imgur.com/NKWBLG7.png)
MJ: still raising the graphics bar as of 2022