The sign on the door has been turned to ‘closed’, and Eva stands at the counter, looking rather awkward as she scribbles things down in the ledgerbook. Hearing a loud bang in the back room, she hardly looks up, though she does shake her head. “Don’t be in such a hurry!” she calls to her cousin and tuts while she seems to be doing some ledgers. “Slow day,” she comments to the same person in the back room. It is but a moment before the person contributing to the mysterious noise appears, looking quite dolled up. “Well, where are you going?” Eva asks, quirking her head. “Looking quite gorgeous, I might add.” The blonde grins. “I’m going out. That man came back and asked me to meet him tonight in Hogsmeade, so I’ll be apparating there in a moment. That is, if you don’t mind me leaving a little early.” It is with a sigh that Eva leans back on a stool that is nearby. “Of course I don’t mind, Maura. I only wish I could go with you. I’ve got to go home and help Tommy, though. The kids have been a real handful lately.” The woman shakes her head and bids Maura farewell just in time to see the other woman apparate out. Eva sighs a little louder than is absolutely necessary and begins whistling to herself as she stands again and starts working on the ledgerbook again.

Despite the fact that the sun is still relatively high in the sky –the summer is drawing close, after all– the shops in Diagon Alley are progressively closing and people are hurrying to finish their last bits of shopping. It is also the end of the day for many Ministry workers, and even if Logan Wexler is used to staying later than the official hours at his office, he has decided today to leave the Ministry building on the official time of closing. He turns left and walks down Diagon Alley, avoiding a few kids playing with a ball –it looked to be enchanted, a bit like a Bludger, but is fortunately not made of iron like the real thing– and finally stops in front of the candy shop that belongs to his younger sister. The doorbell tingles as he opens the door, ignoring the “Closed” sign, and he steps into the shop. “Hello!” he says, immediately locating Eva at the counter, and he walks towards her with a smile. “How is it going? I haven’t been here for a long time…”

“I’m sorry we’re — Oh, Logan! Hello!” She chuckles as she notices that it is, in fact, her brother, and not some tardy child or parent stopping in and hoping to get some last minute sweets. “So nice to see you. I’m sure you haven’t seen the shop since we redecorated.” Eva quickly scribbles something down on her ledger book and closes it up, storing it safely away and drawing her wand to secure the book and till away until the morning. “What brings you here so early, Logan? Aren’t you usually stopped up at work all hours of the night?” Eva grins at him and stands up, undoing her blue and purple apron from her front and hanging it haphazardly on a hook nearby. The thing looks as if it could fall at any moment from how hastily it is put up. “Or have you some ulterior motives for being here. Sweets for an as yet unnamed sweetheart, perhaps?” Eva winks as she says this.

Logan Wexler grins in return at his sister as she greets him and shakes his head. “No… I think I missed that, though I promised I’d come to see the new decoration and… well, here I am.” he says, looking around to try to see the changes. He could notice a difference, yes, though he is ashamed to realize that he is totally unable to tell what it was. Making a mental note to come and see Eva more often, he nods and sighs. “But yes… work has been hard on me as of lately. After that scandal and that trial… well… you probably heard that the Ministry was sort of reorganized” –Logan makes quotation mark in the air with his hands here– “especially at the higher levels. And the new people in charge insist on having extensive reports on what happened at the Ministry since, well, since a very long time… You know how it is…” And indeed, even if he pretends otherwise, Logan‘s voice betrays the fact he is more tired than usual, even if paperwork is perhaps not the only reason behind that. “And I’m afraid that doesn’t leave me time for a sweatheart…” Logan sighs even deeper at that, his eyes looking at the floor, as if he were ashamed to admit this aloud. Suddenly looking up again at Eva, he says, in a tone he wants to sound happier: “Anyway, I decided to take a break today and leave earlier. It’s good to see you, really.” he says, resuming his look at the counter and the various jars of candies. “So, what’s the latest candy you must absolutely know about if you don’t want to look like an idiot?” he asks jokingly.

“The truffles, of course,” Eva answers quickly with a grin, the mischeivous demeanor of her youth returning to her as her brother is in the room, though her very pregnant belly seems to marr this image a bit. “And, Logan, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times, you ought to make time for a sweetheart. It’s not healthy to stay holed up and alone the way you do. I mean, I’m busy with work as well, and I’ve managed to have time for a husband, and look, even five children! Of course, I don’t think mum’s wanting for grandchildren now that I’ve got so many, and so does Basil, so you needn’t worry about that. But, really, you work far too much, Logan. Just tell them you can’t every now and again and get out there and find someone. I can get you in touch with Arnauld Ribouet, if you like. He’s got some connections at the Hog’s Head that might at least get you some company for a while.” Eva leans against the counter on the outside and straightens out the sleeves of her dress, which is quite a bit more modest than the woman wears in her non-pregnant times.

“Truffles…” Logan answers, nodding. “Is it those which are in that jar?” he asks, pointing to that jar which has struck his eye when he first looked over at the content of the shelves. “I might take some of them, then… just to try.” he says, sighing another time. “You know, I think you’re right. I should work a bit less and come and see you more often. Or you people may think we’re not related anymore…” Logan says, trying to laugh at what he just said, but failing miserably. There comes a moment of awkward silence, before Logan begins to talk again. “Er… the Hog’s Head?” he replies awkwardly, and beginning to blush. “Do you really think that I could, er, meet someone there? Honestly…” Logan seems nearly shocked by Eva’s words. “Anyway… forget it. I… well, I probably need to work a bit less, for starters. Yes, that might be good.” Logan‘s head drops and he is pensive once again. “When is the baby due, exactly?” he finally blurts out, kicking himself mentally for having to ask a question he should already have known the answer… if only he came more often to visit.

“Oh, stop being a ninny,” Eva chides, shaking her head as she strides behind the counter to procure a box. “It’s these here. These are orange flavored ones. Maura made them just yesterday.” The woman opens the box and holds it out to him. “Anyway, as I was saying, stop being a ninny. The Hog’s Head is a perfectly respectable place, and it would be a start, if nothing else. You act like a child when it comes to women.” Eva shakes her head ruefully. “One would think I were the older of us, if it came down to that.” She laughs light-heartedly as sh epoints this out. “The baby’s due anytime now. Probably late May or early June, I’d wager.” She grins at him and shrugs. Pregnancy doesn’t affect Eva quite so strongly anymore as it might most women. “It’s going to be a boy; I feel certain.” She nods as she says this and then sighs. “You really do need to get out more, Logan. I’m sure Basil would love to see you, being as he’s not working at the Prophet anymore. I imagine he’s going stir-crazy already.”

Logan Wexler nods, not really knowing how to react. “A ninny, eh.” Logan replies. Usually, he would laugh at such words and pretend not to take them seriously, but Logan is forced to admit that there are, at least, some gains of truth in them. “Perhaps, after all.” he finally says. “On the other hand, well…” Logan says, stopping his sentence as he looks for something to say for his defense. “Well, just going to the Hog’s Head is not really something I feel comfortable about…” he finally says, shaking his head, and turning silent again. “I think, yes… I think I might pay a visit to Basil one day, between two interventions in the field. That’s nice of him to have left his job just to help with the kids, at any rate… I don’t know many husbands who would have done that, but I guess he won’t be bored for long… the end of May is coming soon, right? And knowing you, I suppose everything is already taken care of concerning the shop, when the birth is going to occur, isn’t it?”

“Oh, it’s all set up so that Maura can keep an eye on the shop. I won’t be gone for long, anyway. A few weeks at the most. “Eva chuckles as she says this, walking behind the counter to get her coat, which for now, really is a thin overcoat, mostly for convention’s sake, and the occasionally cool evening. She slips it on over her arms and carefully buttons it down — it appears to be made specifically to expand as her pregnant belly does. “Go to the Leaky Cauldron, then, or perhaps one of the ice cream shoppes, but you’ve got to meet someone, Logan, or else Kalika and I will start conniving to find someone for you again.” Eva shakes her finger at him from across the shop and grins. “Sibyl’s helping him get used to the idea, I imagine. It’s only fair that it’s his turn now, after all he expected her to stop practicing when Briony was born. He’d better be glad that she didn’t leave him over that. I’d have done that.” She pauses. “Then again, I wouldn’t have been with anyone who’s a stick-in-the-mud like Basil is.” It is with a shrug that she says this and makes her way out from behind the counter.

“I’ll try to think about that.” Logan says, nodding at the advice Eva gave him about dating, and there is a note of finality in his voice. Logan then smiles, and goes on. “And oh, that’s good… About the shop, I mean. You needn’t more worry, after all, a new kid is already enough.” Logan realizes at this moment that he has yet to look into the box of Truffles, since Eva has brought it on the counter. He takes the box in his hands and examines it. “Hmm… These are tempting, you know… I’m going to take a few, if you don’t mind selling me a few after the opening hours, that is.” he says, with a wink, before jumping back at the previous topic of conversation. “I suppose you’re right… about Basil, you mean. But still, I can tell you not many men would have done that. I’m only telling you about what I see around me, you see. Co-workers at the Ministry, things like that. On the other hand, they have not Sibyl as a wife, so I can’t really compare…” he says, chuckling lightly.

“Times have changed since men were the only ones to go to work, and women were in the home. Anymore, the only women who need stay home are the ones who want to. And, don’t tell mum I said this, she’d be horrified, but I do believe that things will change to the point were the women are the primary breadwinners. It will happen, you’ll see.” Eva grins as she states this, and it is clear that she has found politics from someone else other than her own parents. “At any rate, just take them. You can pay me back later, when the tills and books aren’t all finalized for the day. I’ve secured them away for the day.” She starts walking toward the doorway. “You can join Tommy and me for dinner, if you want, unless you’ve got plans with someone you aren’t telling me about, at which point, you’d best be off to meet that special someone. You must get out more, though, Logan. I mean it.” She reaches the door with a pause as she says this and turns to wait for him to join her.

Logan Wexler nods. “Well, I’m going to take you up on that and take a handful of those candies. I can’t wait to taste them.” Logan says, smiling like a child. “I’ll come back tomorrow during my midday pause. If you don’t mind, that is.” Logan then stays silent for a while, pondering Eva’s proposal for dinner. He is tempted to accept, that would indeed give him some much needed distraction, but he fears also that the discussion might turn around his own inability to date anybody –this wouldn’t be the first time. He could pretend having something to do tonight, but that would be a lie… something Logan isn’t comfortable about, either. Finally, he nods, and answers in a low voice: “I’d like to join you for dinner, yes. I haven’t seen Thomas for a while, either.” The way he says this is probably enough to betray his internal debate.

Stifling back a bit of a snicker as Logan calls him ‘Thomas’, Eva smiles and nods. “Let’s go then. I’m sure he’s waiting for us.” She doesn’t correct him — after all, it is his name — and instead walks out the door and makes to lock it after Logan, too, has exited. “I usually apparate, so I’ll see you there in just a moment then?” She doesn’t wait for his answer, instead apparating out with a muffled CRACK!, and with that, she is gone, presumably to her home in order to get settled in for the evening and the supper she has promised to share with her older brother.

Logan Wexler nods at his sister, not reacting at her snicker but registering nonetheless. Ah, well. That is probably a brother thing. He watches Eva closing the shop and casting the usual charms cast on the door to ward it against burglars. “Well, I’ll follow you, don’t worry about that.” he adds, just before Eva apparates. Within a couple of seconds, Logan follows suit and disappears with a CRACK! of his own.

Other Interesting Logs:

• Enabling the Sweets Addiction
• Family Matters
• A Meeting of Old Friends
• Women Can Handle Bigger Animals than Quintus
• A Busy Day at Cordial Confections