Welcome to Forbidden Desire!

[Andromeda Tonks]

The scene around Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor was an obscenely jolly one for the time and age; the brightness from the sun beat down upon the few red and white umbrellas that stood above the small circular tables around the shop, and the sky was a beautiful shade of gray that had previously not existed on this earth or any other. Though the weather was frigid, the little shop kept business coming by offering got drinks in the winter. At the moment, the parlor was quite busy, with children and their parents running about through the door and into the ice cream paradise that awaited them within. The inside of the parlor was rather large, in contrast to its dingy outside. Brick red booths lined the walls, and a gleaming counter stood on the right, with staffer house-elves standing behind it, waiting at the customers' every beck and call. It was like a bubble inside the turmoil of the world that Andromeda lived in... but that was they way she liked it.

Walking with a bag slung against her thin right hip, Andromeda walked with a kick in her step toward the parlor, searching for realease, relaxation, but most importantly, coffee, in the small shop. Andromeda looked rather undercover today; she had neither the time nor patience to deal with any distant family members today. Large sunglasses enveloped her eyes and eyebrows, and her lips were painted with a soft pink gloss. Her dark brown hair was far less bushy than usual, after her recent haircut, and it hung around her face like a frame. Her black and white striped shirt hung around her skeletal torso like a bag, adding an invisible weight to her lithe frame. The black coat that hung around her had a few rips that made her seem slightly grungy. Her skinny jeans gave no mystery to her sleek legs, and her small feet were covered by motorcycle boots that ran up to her mid-calf. All in all, it was an ensemble that a member of the Black family would not be caught dead wearing. Again, this was just the way Andromeda liked it.

A breeze shuttled past Andromeda as she made her way into the shop; the door was held open by a small elf, and Andromeda thanked it sweetly. Andromeda sat at the counter and hailed a house elf to her side. "I'd like a regular coffee please- milk, no sugar." Andromeda then waited, as she had made plans with a friend that day to meet her in Florean's. Felicity was sure to be there any minute.

[Felicity Warren]

Gray wasn't a color normally associated with sun, but the sky seemed to have taken a different tact and abandoned its usual azure tone. Diagon Alley had always been a place of happiness, where it seemed that nothing bad could happen - shops were welcoming, their doors flung open and breezes wafting in gently, scores of witches and wizards bustling down the cobblestone streets. The sun broke through scattered clouds seamlessly, its rays bouncing again and again off of windows and doorframes, and the joy that laced itself through every inch of the town was enough to make any killjoy retch. Felicity, though, was quite different, a large smile crossing her face for the first time in what seemed like months. Though often preferring the rain, the petite woman was extraordinarily chipper about the lovely weather. Her peppy jaunt carried her down the narrow street and she smiled at everyone she accidently bumped into. Even Felicity wasn't so sure as to where the good mood had come from - the past few weeks, she had been blue all the time. Wishing to hex everyone in her path, all of her friends knew that this certain bad mood had arrived in a silver filigree envelope.

Because gold was just too tacky.

On this particular morning, though, Miss Felicity Warren had decided to admittedly abandon all thoughts of The Damned and enjoy a nice cup of coffee, as planned, with her closest friend. And with such beautiful weather, it wasn't hard to feel a little better about life. As the pepperment stick-resembling awnings came into her view, her pace quickened and smiled in spite of herself. Dressed in her usual garb, Felicity admittedly looked like she did any other day, though her Ministry identification card was missing from her breast pocket. With her blonde hair tied into a knot at the back of her neck, there was no mistaking the beautiful girl among the other witches on the street. A gray, knitted poncho covered her top half and skinny jeans peeked out from underneath - casual, simple, and perfectly Felicity. Heels click-clacking on the pavement of the patio outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, she pushed open the door, a merry bell jingling over her head.

Spotting Andromeda in the corner, looking about as un-Black-family-ish as she possibly good, Felicity grinned and raised a hand in recognition, heading to the counter. "Large black coffee, please?" she asked, paying and taking her rather simple drink to the table where her friend sat. Heaving a great sigh as she sat down, as though it was an immense burden to be here at this particular moment, Felicity's smile lit up the room and she dropped her purse on the back of her chair steadily. God, she hadn't told Andromeda about the invitation yet. Though they hadn't been close friends in school, the woman had eventually learned the details of Felicity and...his relationship, and would probably want to hear this information as soon as possible. Well, so be it.

"My cat swallowed one of the Christmas bells hanging from my bedroom door, the ceiling's leaking in the bathroom again, and, oh yeah, I got an invitation to my ex-boyfriend's wedding." Looking rather grumpy again, she blew lightly on her coffee to rid it of it's scalding temperature and took a small swig of it, setting it down and laying her arms on the table. "How's your week been?"

[Andromeda Tonks]

Picking up her coffee, Andromeda sipped it quietly, feeling the warmth it radiated rattle through her esophagus and into the pit of her stomach, giving her a happy lull of peace. The coffee here was good, she concluded to herself. Giving a small smile to the house elf that had served her, she whispered a small, "Thank you." The elf beamed and ran off to help the next awaiting customer. Andromeda set her coffee down on the gleaming white counter and sighed as she felt a gust of breeze come from the open door behind her. Turning, she felt herself smile at her dearest friend, who hereslf looked a bit put off- but still dashing. Felicity could pull off any look, even when she was in the most sour mood. Her heels clicking against the floor with a small metallic sound, she walked toward her and raised her hand; Andromeda raised a small hand as well, giving her a great smile. It was nice to see someone who didn't hate her guts for a change.

"Large black coffee, please?" she asked the house elf that was now waiting on her; Andromeda relzaed into her seat and watched her best friend turn to her with a large coffee. "My cat swallowed one of the Christmas bells hanging from my bedroom door, the ceiling's leaking in the bathroom again, and, oh yeah, I got an invitation to my ex-boyfriend's wedding." Andromeda winced at the last part of her sentence as Felicity continued, "How's your week been?" Looking away, Andromeda decided that now wouldn't be the best time to tell Felicity that she'd gotten mulitple death threats from her 'former' relatives... suddenly becoming rather charitable, Andromeda spoke. "Well, I do hope the cat's okay... and I cannot believe he invited you!" she exclaimed, knowing that Felicity would probably be pissed off at this turn of events.

"You know," Andromeda said conspiratorily, "you should go just to piss him off; you know, be gorgeous, show up, show off what he's missing and then leave." Andromeda sighed, knowing that if anyone could pull it off, it was Felicity. "And maybe throw a hex or two at his bride." Andromeda took another sip of her coffee and found that she was suprisingly immune to its hot caliber. Placing it down with a soft hand, Andromeda looked to Felicity with sad eyes. "My week's not been too bad..." She coughed- a sign to most everyone who knew her well that she was lying- and looked away. No eye contact, no eye contact... Felicity would know spot on if she wasn't telling the truth, if she was looking her in the eyes.

"Anyway," Andromeda began again, rubbing her thumbs together. "What are you going to do about that invitation?"

[Felicity Warren]

Andromeda was an amazing friend, something that Felicity had sorely lacked in her younger years - always supportive, and she knew that she could tell the now married woman anything. Running a finger along the rim of her coffee cup, a sigh escaped her thin lips as the dark-haired beauty said, "Well, I do hope the cat's okay... and I cannot believe her invited you!" A wave of her hand dismissed the first portion of the statement - Oliver was fine, as usual, and just had a fetish for digesting objects that shouldn't be digested. As for the second part...well, as Felicity's eyes wandered the large, diner-like inside of Florean Fortescue's, she pondered whether or not she believed it, either. One of her hands found its way to the elastic in her hair and she yanked it out, muttering, "I don't, either. I mean, what possibly could have been going through his head to think that I would want to watch him marry another woman?" She kicked at the floor glumly.

Grabbing her coffee cup and raising it to her lips again, the hot liquid burned its way down her throat but she ignored it. Her good mood had diminished quite a bit but she was determined to get off of the subject, because her somber heart couldn't handle much more thinking about the topic. Nevertheless, an unwilling smile creased her cheeks and she looked down, reddening a little bit as Andromeda proposed an idea - "You know, you should go just to piss him off; you know, be gorgeous, show up, show off what he's missing and then leave...and maybe throw a hex or two at his bride." Raising one shouulder and lowering the other, an effective shrug showed her opinion of the idea...or, rather, her lack of one. Deciding where she stood on the even would be easier if she knew what he was feeling. "His bride is probably some spoiled-ass that never had to worry about anything beceause she's so damned gorgeous." Her coffee cup was slowly emptying itself into her lips, Felicity now immune to the liquid's high temperature. Drumming her fingers on the table, another sigh found its way from her figure, her eyes downcast. "I don't think I'd be able to handle going."

"My week's not been too bad..." The obvious lie was followed by a cough and peculiar eyes narrowed at the figure across the table. "Liar. I told you my dark secrets, now, c'mon, spill," Felicity prodded, knowing that Andromeda had, if the information related to her family, kept it from Ted so as not to upset him more about their disapproval for him. "Are Bellatrix and Narcissa giving you shit again? Those girls need some serious weekend spa time," she grumbled along - her opinion of her best friend's sisters had always been strong, because of the way that they treated the poor girl for being a kind soul.

Trying to divert the conversation, Andromeda questioned her more about the invitation. "I don't know," Felicity confessed quietly, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. A tension headache was grabbing her in its manic claws and not letting go. "I think...I thought that maybe I would go, maybe talk to him. But telling him that I still lo-" The words wouldn't come and she coughed, continuing, "Well, it wouldn't be me...it seems so pathetic, and wishy-washy, like I'm at his dispense." She eyed Andromeda warily. "I'm not."