Early early early. Ariana did not like early. But she went ahead and got settled behind the counter of the store because she COULD and just waited, blinking tiredly at the shop, go on start making sales and stuff people!

Tobias was BACK at QQS and he had MONEY and he was SUPER EXCITED that he was actually going to be able to get his first broom. The boy decided that it was a good idea to go straight to the counter, as he wasn't sure whether or not he was even allowed to go get the broom himself and bring it up. That caused issues... like did it seem like he was making the shopkeeper do his bidding by not doing it himself? Tricky situation. And anyone who overthought things might have problems. Tobias was just focused on Happy Broom Times.

He gripped the edge of the counter excitedly and stared up at the price list. It looked like he could afford some other stuff from here TOO. Maybe he could get a magazine, or a quaffle of his own!

Ariana was still sitting behind the counter doodling on some parchment cause she was bored and the shop was Slow, ok? looking up every few minutes she'd give a smile to the same few people who had been there for nearly an hour, that she already helped, she was almost about to fall asleep when she saw little fingers at the edge of the counter and she raised her eyebrows and slowly looked up to see the little kid, didn't he play quidditch? She could be horribly mistaken, the boy did look really short, maybe he was lost and needed help to find his parents or something. ... "Caaaan, I Help you?" she said looking at him, he sure seemed excited over something.

A PEOPLE PERSON!

Tobias gave the girl behind the counter a massive grin. He thought he recognised her, maybe from school. Definitely not from Hufflepuff, and he knew THAT because he remembered pretty much all the faces of Hufflepuff students 'cause, you know, common room and stuff. But what was she doing behind the counter?

Guessing from the question she asked that the girl must work here, Tobias flexed his fingers where they gripped the counter and spoke up. "Um... I think so! I'd like to buy a broom." He could do that, right? Did he need to bring in his grandfather? "I didn't know if I was supposed to get it from the display by myself or not."

So.

Um.

YEAH.

Tobias glanced over at the brooms and got all shiny-eyed and eager, and then back at the girl. BROOMSBROOMSBROOMS.

"buy a broom?" she looked at the boy "i can help you with that." she said giving him looks. " Are you intrested in any specific one?" you know one that he could get without his parents cause some you needed a parent consent to buy, you know one he could AFFORD, this was a shop, not a charity case.

she walked around the counter and motioned for the boy to follow her "come on." did he KNOW which one he wanted, which one was best? did he? She had all the questions for him " what's it for?" the broom you're getting kid. what's it FOR?

Toby nodded eagerly still grinning. AWESOME. So he could totally get this broom today... and good job, too, seeing as there weren't many more opportunities to come up to London.

"I'm pretty interested in the Firebolt 600. I've been doing some reading on brooms, and I think that's my favourite," the Hufflepuff said as he followed the girl. He was momentarily confused by her question. Was this a test to try and weed out the people who thought these brooms were for sweeping floors? It was for flying of c- OH. RIGHT. "Quidditch. I hope so, anyway. And flying in general, too!" It was really hard, but Toby refrained from explaining to the girl all about his hopes and dreams of becoming a professional quidditch player, because explaining your life ambition to someone helping you in a shop just wasn't the done thing. Still, he practically BUZZED with energy right now because getting his own broom brought him ONE STEP CLOSER to that aspiration.

Eeeeeeeeeeeee.

"Firebolt 600? she said looking at him. "that's a mighty fine broom, i have one myself you know." he probably didn't know, but he did now, cause she just told him. yup. She pulled one off the shelf and handed it to the boy, CAREFULLY, "how's that feel for ya?"she watched him holding it was that a good size for him? did he need a shorter one.. he'd grow into it right? maybe an average one was good. Yes, this one was fine, he'll shoot up in a term or so and it'll be good. "Quidditch? you play at school? Hogwarts?" maybe THATS why the boy looked so familiar. This WAS a good broom for quidditching, she would k now, it's the one she's used for the past three terms and such.

That was some DEFINITE approval and that made Tobias BEAM. Toby did good.

"Awesome!" The best part about the Firebolt was that Toby didn't really know what kind of broom everyone else had, and had chosen the Firebolt based entirely on what he'd read. Only then had he discovered that it was actually quite popular, which MEANT that he'd clearly chosen well, right?

Toby took the broom, holding the thing almost reverently. At first, he was kind of scared that's he'd knock it against something, or drop it, or get fingerprints on it. It took a while to remind himself exactly what brooms went through during a game, and only then did he loosen up a bit. Still, Tobias was still in awe that he was actually holding the very broom he'd been after for AGES.

It felt alright. Not too heavy, but still with enough weight that Tobias felt he could trust it to hold his weight and to react instantly to his commands. Too heavy and the broom would feel sluggish, too light and it would be too sensitive and Tobias would be too unconfident. The boy held it horizantally at his side for a moment too, just so he could check it out from ALL angles. It seemed a little bit on the large side, but Tobias was well overdue a growth spurt, so that didn't bother him. Plus, it wasn't a MASSIVE amount larger than the school broom he usually used. It was... amazing. HE wanted this one.

"Quidditch, yeah," Tobias responded to the girl. "Uh-huh. I was on the Hufflepuff team last year. I'm hoping to make it onto the team again this year."

As for the broom. "It's amazing. Yeah, I definitely think this is the right one. Will it last a long time?" Because brooms were kinda pricey, and Toby wanted to create a BOND with his broom, y'know?

Paz was just coming to check on Ariana when she heard the young boy speak up. "Of course it will last." She interjected smoothly, "If you take care of it. You'll need a broom servicing kit, of course."

She opened the register and checked the take, then closed it again and looked at Ariana. The young girl would be getting an excellent recommendation from her.

"Everything alright here, Ariana?"

It took some time to fix up the shop and make it look more presentable than when she had first entered but today everything was set and ready and most importantly organised which was the way Erica liked things.

The brunette smiled to herself as she took her place behind the counter. She would be ready to serve any customers passing by.Till then though she took out a stock magazine and began skimming through the pages for ideas of new items she could purchase for the store.

She had a good feeling about this quidditch shop, a better feeling than she had, had with her previous business, but then again if you looked at her past and her divorce her instinct weren't always correct. Hopefully this time they would be.

West was a little early because why wouldn't he be? He didn't want to be late after all. The tall soon-to-be-sixth year entered the familiar shop, his England Under Seventeen Team bag slung over his shoulder.

So he was looking for a Ms Dixon yeah? Dixon like Ness? He didn't know. He guessed he'd find out. West approached the counter.

That lady there with the Magazine?

"Ms Dixon? Hi. I'm West Odessa." Nod.

Another customer, or was it?

Erica placed down her stock magazine and smiled warmly at the person before her. He looked young and possibly a student, but Erica wasn't entirely sure not until he said his name that was. West Odessa. She was sure that was it. Yet just to be sure and not embarrass herself she double checked the names on the paper before her. It was him alright.

"Call me Erica, please. You're here for the internship, I assume." She pushed the magazine to her side. "We'll wait for..Ali..yes? ..no.." Another look at the paper. "Alice, I mean. Yeah. Alice."

"That's me." Alice, that was. Soon-to-be seventh year reporting for duty and stuff.

Entering the familiar place, she gave the shopkeeper a once over before allowing an easy smile to take over her features. "Alice Fischer." No handshaking, right? She didn't know if this Ms. Dixon lady was clean or not.

Oh. And West was here. Alice knew for sure that his hands were fairly germ free, but she didn't shake them either. Smiled, though. Hi boyfriend.

So what were they supposed to do? Was this Ms. Dixon lady going to introduce herself? And did they get discounts? All the important questions.

There she was, the second intern. Erica gave her a warm smile along with a greeting. "Lovely to meet you, Alice." She didn't mind the first name, right? "Lovely to meet you both, in fact." Her head turned slightly to face West again. She had heard they were both quidditch captains and it pleased her quite a lot that they actually had a passion in the sport. It was much easier to sell and work with something you loved.

But to the important stuff. "I'm Erica, your shopkeeper for the time being. I am very excited to have you both here and I hope you enjoy your stay." She then handed them each an identical piece of parchment. "Those are small welcome letters along with what tasks you have to do. It's nothing too difficult and I trust you both to cope quite well." If not they could always speak to her and she'd find something easier.

She gave them a few moments to read through everything then decided to take them on a small little eye tour, rather than walk around. She didn't like the idea much of leaving the counter completely unattended, unless it was necessary, but if the interns really needed her to walk around then she would. "Alright. So this is the counter where people pay, obviously. On the wall behind me is the price list which you may use to make sure you are charging customers correctly." She pointed behind herself. "Then beside that is the door which leads to the back room. That's where special items are kept and that's where I do my admin. You may not go in there without asking me first and if I am in there you are free to knock and I will most likely allow you in." She then pointed towards the shelves. "In the middle are all sorts of various items, that's where you will stack stock. Try keep them the way they are because I have grouped them specifically. I will give you boxes to stack and on those boxes I will write in which isle the items belong. Then on the outer walls are the brooms, be very careful not to damage them, please. " She had no choice but to trust them both on that.

That was it then? She could wrap it up..or not. There was something she remembered. "If you are of age I don't mind you using magic to help you, but please make sure you know what you are doing first. I don't want chaos." Yet she understood mistakes happened sometimes. "Again, if you need anything, have any problems or anything please just ask. I'm really not scary." Not that she thought they'd think that, but who knew?

"Any questions for now then?" About the instructions and all that. "If not then Alice you may do list 1 today and West list 2...Unless you both wish to swap. Have fun." With that she lifted up a heavy box from the floor beside her and placed it on the counter. "For stacking, and come get more when that's done. And cleaning equipment is right there. " She pointed beside the back door where there was a broom, cloth and other cleaning things.

All set then? She could resume on finding new stock to order?

"Erica. Okay. Yeah. Its nice to meet you." Nod. "Yeah its Alice." He should know mhmm. And speaking of her.... there she was. He gave her a quick smile but turned his attention right back to Erica, almost like for some reason it was hard to look at the Gryffindor Captain for too long.

He took the bit of parchment as Erica talked and scanned it a bit, listening to her with one ear. He did look up at not damaging brooms, looking rather incredulous. Who did that? She did know they were Quidditch Captains, both of them, yeah? He was beyond careful with his own bespoke broom, he couldn't imagine not being careful with ones that weren't even his. So he nodded along on that.

And then made a face. Of age? Alice got a quick glance. She would be, soon. Not him though. Questions? Not really but he supposed that he should...

"Erica? I don't know when all my games are scheduled for yet, some of them depend on our results for the first few matches for the Junior European League, but I'll let you know when I'm not available as soon as I know." He paused and then smiled ingeniously at Erica. "I could maybe even get you some tickets if you like." He was so generous yeah? Yeah. He didn't actually know if Erica was like a proper Quidditch fan or not or anything, or if she'd be interested in watching semi-professional under seventeens teams going at it, even if it was at international level.

Aaaaand List 2? So... cleaning? He didn't mind doing whatever, but he did wait to see if Alice had any sort of preference. Did she?

Her? Damage a broom? Please.

She took the letter without comment and scanned it quickly. Did rewarding them mean discounts? Gran refused to pay for broom conditioning equipment, and Alice's savings were seriously dwindling. So discounts. Yes. They'd be much appreciated, shopkeeper lady.

"Get me tickets too," she told West idly, raising an eyebrow at the lists. His was mostly grunt work, yeah? And she wouldn't be of age until 10 days before they went to school, anyway, so it'd have to be done without magic. Not that Alice was incapable of cleaning or anything, but the first list seemed oddly suited to her. Obsessive organization was her thing, did Erica know?

"I like my list," she announced. "Where are the stock boxes?"

So there were questions, Alright...Well not really, but important feedback. Yep.

Erica turned her head towards West and smiled warmly at him as he explained his situation. He was a proper quidditch player then, no surprise there and actually rather impressive, he must of been good. Real good. "That's perfectly fine with me. I wish you luck with that." She understood that and if she were him, the team came first before almost anything. "What team do you play for, might I ask?" She had heard the junior bit and already knew she would have never seen many of those players just yet but she still had her old family team to support.

Then an Alice spoke which made Erica's attention switch to the girl. She was all happy. Great, because to be honest Erica had been rather nervous about her interns as to how they would act and like things and all that, but it seemed she was real lucky with the pair she had so far. "Right over here." She pointed to the box that was now on the counter. "...and when that's done there's more boxes behind the counter here, and even more in the back room." But the back room she would have to go in to get them out for Alice. The less people in that room the better.

Everything all good then?

.... obviously. Of course Alice would get tickets.

He shrugged about the lists, not much caring which to start with. They could switch anyways so no big deal.

"England. Since the beginning of the year." West answered, letting a proud smile escape briefly before looking attentive again.

... and he should go clean stuff now then? West shrugged one shoulder and went off to hunt for a sweeping broom.

Trying to ebb the steady flow of blood from her nose, Alice began leading the way back to the counter from the bat display, being careful to navigate around the stock boxes in the aisle. Wasn't like she needed another injury today, right?

"It's okay, really," she assured the redhead, still unsuccessful in her attempts to quell her nosebleed. "West?" Was he around somewhere? He had to work the counter right now.

And fix her nose.

Adelaide followed Alice over to the counter, the beater's bat still in hand. She was still trying to get over the fact that she'd hurt Alice like that. On the pitch would've been different.

Okay. She was just going to have to drop it because her worrying was going to get her absolutely nowhere on this one. Not like she could do much about it anyways. Addi bounced on her feet while she waited.

"What did you do?" West heard his name, returned to the counter with the broom, and eyed up the girlfriend and her bloody nose. And then saw Adelaide and gave her a big beaming smile before turning his attention back to Alice. The blood wasn't very attractive, did she know? She looked a bit like she'd taken a bludger to the face and he hoped her nose wasn't going to end up crooked, he liked her nose how it normally was.

He looked at Addi and then at the bat in her hand. "Adds. You buying that?" New bat? Good. He approved.

"Nothing," she protested, accompanying the words with a pitiful look. Alice had been hit loads of places before- ribs, legs, back, stomach, shoulder, head, you name it- but she wasn't used to an injured face. And Merlin, did it hurt.

"Yes, she is." Addi's question got answered for her. "And can you clean the blood off it before you ring her up, too?"

Adelaide saw the look on West's face when he saw Alice. Seriously? Why did she have to be such a klutz sometimes. She returned the smile, her thoughts still running. And then Alice answered. True. She had done nothing. "She really didn't do anything. I - uh - was testing out the bat and kinda sorta hitherinthefacewithit." Because she was embarrassed and had every right to be.

...she was about to speak up when Alice answered. "Yeah. A blood free bat is probably a good thing when it's new...."

"Clean it off?" How? He couldn't do magic, and it was her blood, and Addi's fault, why should he be the one to clean it? He gave Alice a look and then bent down and picked up a cloth, which he tossed at her. "Its your blood, knock yourself out."

Except not literally? Yeah.

"Well she shouldn't have got in your way, its not really your fault either, of course you'd want to test the weight of it and all that." He gave Addi a reassuring smile.

"Well its fifteen sickles and five knuts." He said, not even needing to look at the sign to double check.

"Shouldn't have gotten in her way?" HER fault? Alice caught the rag with her free hand, giving him an incredulous look from over her arm. West was world's biggest git, did he know?

She tried to take the bat from Addi with the fingers that were closed around the rag, somehow sandwiching it between her leg and the counter. Took a bit of effort for her to scrub all the blood off while simultaneously holding up her arm to soak up the still flowing red stuff, but Alice managed. Triumphant look in place, she let the rag drop and handed over the beater's equipment again. It could be picked up later.

After she found Erica and got her to fix her nose, since everyone else was clearly incapable of doing the slightest thing to help her.