July 23, 1888 - Fudge & Son Desserterie, Diagon Alley
For the "Scenario Challenge" Stamp
10. Smell something and find the cause of it

It was perhaps a bit of an understatement to say that Monet had started going a bit stir crazy. While she hadn't gone to Hogsmeade a lot in the summers passed, it was still strange knowing she couldn't go even if she wanted to. For whatever reason, it made her all the more antsy to be able to go. Perhaps it was simply the idea of being able to go to the festival that was now starting to look as if it may not even happen. It was a frustrating thought, really, not being able to see all the attractions that the carnival was like to provide for the general populace. And when it came down to it, there was really only so much the young girl could do in London.

After much prodding and pouting, she'd finally managed to get her mother to take her to Diagon Alley for a bit of a shopping excursion. She was fairly certain her mother had only agreed so that she could look into finding another painting to put up in the house but she'd take it. Soon enough, they both had a few random items to take home but decided to stop in at the Desserterie to get a little treat before heading home.

Monet settled in at a chair as her mother approached the front counter to make a purchase of a sweet cake for them to share. No sooner after getting comfortable, however, did she smell something that didn't quite fit with the delicious smells that she'd smelled before. Her nose crinkled when a scent that was far from pleasant seemed to assault her senses and she nearly gagged. "What in Merlin's beard is that smell?" she managed to say but not without having to cover her mouth soon after.

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#NolanSet

Domhnall had not been having the best day so had figured that some fudge would be just the ticket to cure his blue mood. He had been comfortably settled in and enjoying his dessert when he could smell something horrid but he dismissed it from his mind. He would have ignored it if a young girl hadn't brought attention to it.

"It seems to be coming from there somewhere," he spoke up, pointing in the general direction of a row of counters that didn't have any display windows. Maybe something within them had gone bad? He didn't know.

  

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With her nose still crinkled up, Monet turned her attention to the older boy that had responded to her rather abrupt question. Her gaze moved to where he'd pointed before looking back to him. "What do you think it could possibly be?" she asked, her voice a bit muffled thanks to the hand over her mouth.

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#NolanSet

"I don't know but I'm curious now. A smell like that isn't the most appetizing, now is it?" He swore that he could almost taste the smell but that was probably just him. At any rate, he went towards the counters, peering into them to see if he could actually see the source. No such luck.

  

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Monet smiled slightly under the cover of her hand. At least she wasn't imagining things and at least he was taking an interest in finding the cause as well. She got up from her seat, glanced to her mother and saw she was still busy, and followed after him. Her nose wrinkled again when there was no source there to be found despite the fact the smell was just as bad as it'd been prior. "I can't believe the owners haven't seen it it already," she exclaimed, annoyed by it as she'd wanted to enjoy a treat and not be stuck eating with such an awful smell.

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#NolanSet

"Quite agree," Domhnall said amiably. He imagined that they had somehow not noticed it. Who knew? Looking around to make sure he wouldn't be seen - well, other than by the girl, of course - he slipped behind the counter that he thought the smell was coming from and tried jostling it open. "Maybe they haven't because they couldn't get to it," he suggested idly as he continued struggling with the counters little door.

  

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Luckily the gentleman didn't seem all that cross to have a young girl following him about in search of the source of the smell. She watched with interest as he slipped behind the counter to test the door but seemed to be having a bit of trouble with it. Without really thinking, she followed him behind the counter.

"Here, let me try," she said quietly, though with an undeniable confidence. It looked as though there might be a little bit of a lock on it, one that could easily be picked by a pin. With a smirk, she plucked one from her hair and made quick work of it. "I've nothing but brothers," she said without really thinking as she heard the satisfying click of a lock being unlocked, "All older and often trying to keep me from things. Or hiding my things." She took a small step back then, letting him do the honors of actually opening the door fully.

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#NolanSet

Domhnall watched as the young girl plucked one of those hair things from her head and opened up the lock. "I'm the youngest too but they didn't hide things from me." He didn't think they had, anyway. Opening the doors fully as she took a smell step back, the scent was immediately almost impossible to take. Dear Merlin, what was it? Hoisting the only thing that was in there - some sort of barrell - he barely held back a gag at the stench.

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"Maybe it's just my older brothers then," Monet answered simply enough with a shrug. Either way, it didn't matter. There was a much more pressing concern as he opened the doors up all the way and the full strength of the stench from within hit them.

Monet gagged.

"What in the world is that?" she all but exclaimed in question as she quickly covered her nose and mouth with the crook of her arm to try and keep away whatever of the smell she could.

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#NolanSet

"Seems like apple cider that went bad," Domhnall said, just barely able to recognize the scent of rotting apple and a label that said 'cider'. It had probably been forgotten about or had rotted thanks to the summer heat. "Now that we've solved the mystery, we should probably find someone that actually works here." It was surprising that no one had prodded them about what they were doing before now, really.

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Monet's nose was still wrinkled with disgust. The realization of what it was that had gone bad hardly changed that fact. Clearly the shop owners weren't that organized or efficient if they hadn't figured out something had gone so far bad. But before she could really respond, she heard her mother calling for her. "Sounds as though I've got to go," she said quickly, already edging her way to where they'd come from, "I'm sure you can handle letting the owners know?" There was a slight question to her tone as she asked it along with a raised brow. She waited just long enough to get a response from him before being on her way, not wanting to make her mother wait too long.

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#NolanSet