Blueprints And Beginnings
The café smelled like burnt espresso and fresh bakes goods, a combination that always worked. Regulus sat in the corner, a sketchbook in front of him, though he hadn’t drawn anything in over twenty minutes. Instead, he was watching Pandora across the table as she scrolled through listings on her phone, chewing the end of a glittery pen.
“This one’s promising,” she mused, tapping the screen. “Decent location, not too expensive, and it has that cool industrial look you like—exposed brick, big windows, high ceilings. Feels very artsy.”
Regulus hummed, taking a sip of his black coffee. It had gone cold, but he didn’t mind. “Where is it?”
Pandora glanced up, eyes bright. “About ten minutes away it seems. Not smack in the middle of the chaos, but close enough that we’ll get foot traffic.”
Regulus leaned forward slightly, finally intrigued. He had always pictured something small, something tucked away—a place that felt like a secret to those who found it. This sounded like it could be exactly that.
“I’ll check it out,” he said, flipping his pencil between his fingers.
Pandora grinned. “Knew you’d say that.”
She set her phone down, then reached for the notebook beside her, where she had been scribbling down business ideas. “Alright, so we’ve got a name, Raven and Rose—”
Regulus rolled his eyes, but she ignored him.
“—we’ve got a potential location, and we’ve got the best tattoo artist in the making.” She gestured to him with a flourish. “Now we just need a piercer.”
"Have you had any applications yet?" She asks Regulus replying with just a shrug
“I've not had any emails about it but you've gotta give it time. I only posted it 2 days ago"
Regulus arched a brow. “You really think someone's actually going to sign up for it?”
“I have hope.”
He shook his head, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Hope was Pandora’s thing. She had enough of it for the both of them.
She pulled out her laptop and typed up the listing into Google as he watched.
--Seeking Experienced Piercer--
Raven and Rose, an upcoming tattoo and piercing studio, is looking for a skilled, professional piercer to join our team. Applicants must be certified, reliable, and passionate about body modification. Ability to work well with a stubborn perfectionist is a plus.
She scrolled down to replies to see it just as bare as it was last night when she checked, because Regulus refuses to look unless he actually gets a reply.
Regulus snorted. “no one yet then”
She rolls her eyes at him before smiling.
As they packed up to leave, Regulus couldn’t shake the feeling that something was shifting. The idea of the shop, once just a concept, was becoming tangible. A future he had chosen for himself, not one dictated by anyone else.
Somewhere across the city, James Potter was about to find the ad, after a deep dive into actually becoming a piercer, that would change everything, both for him and, unknowingly, Regulus.