Much Needed Rescue Mission (Molly Weasley)

[greatmanking]

Fred Weasley was on a recuse mission pure and simple. He'd heard the call and had responded. Now all he had to do was go through with it and it would be excellent. The person in question was his Cousin Molly who had said she'd needed the recuse in a particularly desperate sounding owl. Fred had never been to resist such a call, and it provided the potential for a little bit of fun. That and he really missed hanging out with Molly. The two of them seemed to get on reasonable well from his point of view. And it needed to be done. For the sake of her sanity. And because there'd be hell from her if he didn't.

And he hated getting hell from people. Especially people that had potential blackmail potential rattling round in their minds. Fred couldn't really have that. Especially with Avalon going round calling him friend. But he wasn't going to go there today. Fred was here to hang with his cousin, not worry about his angst. He downed the last remnants of his butterbeer, one of the many childish things he had yet to throw off. He had thrown on a pair of jeans, a shirt from a muggle band called 'AC/DC' that he'd gotten on the cheap, his ever present high tops and a trench coat, he checked them all to make sure they were fine. They always were, but still. Had to look good for the ladies out there. Even if he wasn't looking anymore.

He stepped out of the pub and onto the street, heading towards the shop that his lovely cousin Molly had found herself working at. It was a dreadfully boring place in Fred's opinion, but each to their own. He wasn't going to bemoan Molly's career choices so long as she didn't complain about his lack thereof. Making his way towards the shop in question he began whistling an amusing tune, glad to be out about in one of his rare pre-Christmas days off. And why not spend it with company? The other day off that he would be having would definitely be spent with company so why not this one as well? Stave off the boredom and all that.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies, Freddie Weasley is in the house!" Came his cried as he pushed his way through the door of his destination and his eyes fell on his Cousin Molly standing at the counter. Success!

[juniperfive]

i want to be rich and i want loads of money,
i don't care about clever, i don't care about funny
i want lots of clothes and fuckloads of diamonds,
i heard people die while they're trying to find them

leaning with one hand on her chin, slumped over the register, molly weasley  had never looked so bored. it was a particular talent of hers so to have surpassed even the glazed-over stare she kept when attending awards ceremonies dedicating small countries and whatever to her uncle harry was something in itself. she thought she had made it clear to mister honeyduke himself that she was not fit for working at the counter: she created masterpieces, she didn't deal with sticky-fingered children and complaints from unimpressed parents. those jobs were for people without what her boss called 'a natural affinity with confectionery'. but for some reason, molly's bright presence seemed to draw in the 16-25 year old male contingent of their clientele more; probably because of the hours she took every morning ensuring she looked hot enough for her own standards, or perhaps the rather unsubtle liberties she took with the dress code for honeyduke's employees. anyway despite her pleas to the contrary, she was put up front for today and in her usual petulant way had decided to do absolutely nothing resembling work as a protest against this, a most unsuitable use of her natural-born talents. 

looking around with an unfocused gaze, she swept across the room from left to right, almost missing the sudden appearance of her fuzzy-haired cousin in the doorway. with his characteristic loudness, he announced himself - molly wondered off-handedly if he noticed the pair of girls giggling at him over to the left, and dismissed it as unimportant - and she just rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him, thanking her lucky stars he had answered her owls with such rapidity. the pair of them were not the most responsible people in the world - perhaps quite the opposite, if truth be told - but maybe that was why they felt somehow responsible for each other. anyway, fred had vowed to side with her against the veela weasleys, even though he was not even a true traditional weasley, getting his dark skin and fuzzy hair from his mother. it seemed she was the only one left these days who had the freckles, red hair, lanky limbs and pure blood that signified the weasley family, and in a very casual way was kind of proud of that. her and rose and lily, anyway, and even they were just halfbloods. she gave fred a winning smile as he burst through, tilting her head to the side lazily. "i thought you'd never get here," she said melodramatically, sighing. with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she added, motioning towards the big sign that read 'employees only, do not enter', "how about a grand tour, freddie?"

and i'll take my clothes off and it will be shameless,
'cause everyone knows that's how you get famous
i'll look at the sun and i'll look in the mirror,
i'm on the right track, yeah, i'm on to a winner

[greatmanking]

Fred had never seen someone so bored in his life as he stepped into the shop as his Cousin Molly. Thankfully that managed to change this with his most excellent entrance. Yes he was naturally loud, but that was his Weasley genetics coming into play, and who was Fred Weasley to deny his genetics? Well, maybe once or twice back when he started Hogwarts but that was the past and this was now. He'd recognised the blank eyed look that his cousin had managed to master with ease and was glad he'd chosen now to make his dramatic entrance. Much later and things might've gotten out of hand and Molly would've been unsaveable.

But he was here now. And that was all that mattered. The infamous Fred A. Weasley was here to save the day with his crazy antics and pure undiluted loudness. He gave a casual grin to the girls in the corner, which set them off in another round of giggles. Turning back to his cousin he offered a 'WTF?' look and a shrug. They really didn't matter to much these days. He really hadn't paid to much attention to the fan club since he'd left Hogwarts. They'd been taken down a few steps on the importance ladder once he'd hit the real world. And even with his irresponsible ways he'd had some adjusting to do if he want to survive. Helping out Cousin Molly, who he'd felt somewhat responsible for, even to this day, was something he would do without restraint.

"I may be a little on the late side, dearest Molly, but I am a most excellent man of my word." And he was. Once given it was usually his bond. His eyes returned Molly's mischievous glint. This was going to be fun. "And the grand tour sounds most exquisit, when can we start?" He added approaching the counter with some enthusiasm.

[juniperfive]

i want to be rich and i want loads of money,
i don't care about clever, i don't care about funny
i want lots of clothes and fuckloads of diamonds,
i heard people die while they're trying to find them

she could only break into a friendly smile as fred chucked some look over at his fangirls in the corner and gave her an equally misunderstood look as he turned back. replying with a raised eyebrow and a shrug, she only pushed herself up with two arms and verily leapt onto her feet, pushing past a woman who was halfway through a sentence that began with 'could you help me with...' and probably ended with something that molly seriously could not give one single shit about. skipping over to him - which wasn't the best of ideas, since skipping probably was one of the movements which most shortened the length of her already devilishly short dress, which freddie definitely did not want nor need to see - and linking her elbows with him, she heaved a heavy sigh. "next time, be a less excellent man of your word and just bloody get here already." one thing was to be said about molly; she never minced her words. she swore like a sailor, she talked up front and out loud, and she never ever thought for one second about what she was about to impart before she flung it off her tongue like a viper strike.

why did she need to? that would imply she cared what people thought about her. flinging an arm around the room expansively, she grinned. "we can start... well, let me think about it. i come off shift..." she looked down at her wrist, which was very decisively watch-free, and said with intensity, "whenever the fuck i like, so how's now for you?" she smirked, tapping his sternum with one extended pointer finger and walking them up his chest to eventually tweak his nose. by merlin, if fred wasn't her cousin any passers-by would only roll their eyes at these classic molly antics. "it all depends which parts you've seen," she said, non-committally. she knew as well as any that things that weren't new were so damn boring, and she would never be so rude or so hypocritical to be responsible for boring anyone. suddenly, her eyes lit up and her voice became deep, low and growly. "merlin's pants, have you seen the fucking giant fudge vat? it's delicious! i'd go swimming in it if, you know, it wasn't unsanitary and all." and without another thought she dragged him by the elbow towards the testing rooms out the back of the shop, through the employee's entrance.

and i'll take my clothes off and it will be shameless,
'cause everyone knows that's how you get famous
i'll look at the sun and i'll look in the mirror,
i'm on the right track, yeah, i'm on to a winner

[greatmanking]

Fred couldn't help but laugh at his cousin's enthusism as she pushed passed a customer to come and see him. Possibly not advise given her occupation and need for gainful employment, but considering his usual attitudes, who was he to judge? Not that he really bought into the mindset of pot-kettle-black way of course. He was more then happy to judge others for something he had done in the past or would possibly do himself. But more in joke form than an actual judgement. Fred detested those judgemental types.

But enough of that, Fred had enough to focus on at the moment. Like avoiding looking at the lower half of his cousin's body as she skipped towards him. On anyone else, he'd be staring. Especially Avalon, but on Molly? He gave an involuntary shudder at the thought. She was to much of a relative, and that kind of thing was just weird and disturbing. Anyways. Focus on other things Fredrick. Other things. Focus! Fortunately the next words that came out of her mouth helped. "Merlin's bloody bathrobes your an impatient one aren't ya?" He quipped with a smile on his face. This was one of the reasons they seemed to get on so well. The fact that they tended not to mince words to much. Unless of course, Fred was pulling a prank in which case, the entire English language would probably go through the grinder. "A woman after my own heart." He added with mock praise and much mirth.

He couldn't help but laugh at his cousin's antics. She had never really cared about what people thought. Especially not the customer who was staring daggers at her, or the Freddie fans who were staring in awe at Molly. They were quite possibly wondering why their precious Fred would hang around someone so profane. "Now is pretty damn good for me right now." Came the reply before he rolled his eyes at Molly's fun and nose tweaking. It was all part of the well oiled charm really. "Well, I've seen many parts. You're going to have to be a little more specific." And all it took was a waggle of the eyebrows to add to the effect and the joke as raised.

Fred had bearly even got a thought in about the fudge before he was unceremoniously dragged through the employee's door and towards the vat of sweetness. In come Weasley's looking for fun was never a good sign...

[juniperfive]

i want to be rich and i want loads of money,
i don't care about clever, i don't care about funny
i want lots of clothes and fuckloads of diamonds,
i heard people die while they're trying to find them

rolling her eyes and flourishing grandly in his direction, molly was every inch the respectable older cousin, the more responsible of the pair, clearly. she grinned at his shudder, knowing full well the facts that their blood was the same - or half of it anyway - and that - though her father and her uncle george had never really got along, at all - they had spent practically all of their childhoods together would be combining to make him increasingly uncomfortable with her mere existence, just as it did for your average breed of girlfriends, mothers and wives. it gave her a sense of wicked glee to know she was putting him off. it was all fun and games until freddie threw up in a corner, and then it was hilarious! "how do you know merlin wears a bathrobe at all?" she said, with a peering look down at him, adding loftily, "and there is nothing wrong with desiring prompt service. i am molly weasley, i deserve only the best in life." with an easy laugh, she lightened the mood, putting herself down with a little hand movement as if to say, 'pah, who am i kidding?' she raised an eyebrow at him after his statement. "you can keep your heart, i'm not coming after it. not coming anywhere near it, to be honest with you. i have other plans," she said, with the aim of an air of mystery.

she couldn't give a rats' ass whether now was good for him or not because, as she saw it, he had turned up and placed himself at her feet to relieve her of boredom and she was going to wring every ounce of that promise out of him before his duty was done. if that meant delivering a dried-out, exhausted husk of freddie when the night was over, then that was what she would do. probably with a fair bit of delicious mirth. looking disgusted, she dragged him along with a scoff. "ugh, fred, i thought we discussed this via owl. you look like a strangled fish half the time and the other half is taken up with your dear cousin molly not wanting or needing to know about which or whose parts you may or may not have seen." there, that should have settled it. it was all well and good the entire weasley family being a tad disappointed in her current life situation or her rather loose inhibitions and lack of any sense of moral duty to poor ol' uncle harry, but for fred who in living up to his grand uncle's namesake was doing well for himself at least by his own - and grandma molly's - standards, she didn't want to know about his life in the romance department. that was just ... eww. it was like last year all over again, hearing girls swoon over the size of james'- but that was another story.

with a little giggle of unquenched happiness, she pushed through the swing doors and with a flourished arm, said grandly, "ta-da!" before ushering him quickly through all the different things, showing him a chocolate conveyor belt over here and boxes of turkish delight there; one of which she took and began to munch through, for sampling purposes only, of course. with her mouth half-full of delicious rosewater delights she mumbled through to fred, "isn't it awesome? and i work here like, every day." swallowing, she offered the box to freddie with a grin, licking her teeth with satisfaction. she hummed for a second, placing the non-box-holding hand in a fist to her chin in a mimicry of the famous sculpture of the thinker. what had she forgotten? ah, of course! "the fudge vat! it's a new thing we're trying. i thought of it," she said proudly, lighting up for all of two seconds before plunging forward into conversation once more. "it's enchanted to taste like whatever you're thinking of the moment you place a piece in your mouth." with a wink, she nudged him in the ribs. "so mine tastes like certain falmouth falcons most mornings, unless i put in a special effort to get some kenmare kestrels in there. ha!"

and i'll take my clothes off and it will be shameless,
'cause everyone knows that's how you get famous
i'll look at the sun and i'll look in the mirror,
i'm on the right track, yeah, i'm on to a winner

[greatmanking]

Fred was at a loss as to how he and Molly got along some times. They seemed to be forever trying to make each other uncomfortable, or otherwise awkward. That is when they weren't uniting for some form of chaos. Though their alliances did then to have a habit of dissolving into wars unto themselves. It didn't help that the battle lines had inadvertently been drawn by the awkward relationship of their respective parents. Still, he had yet to give up on finally defeating Molly in their eternal battle of wills. "Is there any evidence to suggest he didn't?" Came the reply with a cheeky grin. His usual reaction to anyone looking down at him, mock or not. "Not that you really had a chance in the heart steaks any ways. But should I be scared or disturbed about your plans?" A curious grin played on his lips as an eyebrow raised. Molly's plans were possibly one of the few things he was scared of. Not as scared of as heights, but still scary nonetheless.

He was probably going to regret his promise to help relieve Molly of her boredom by the end of the day. Luckily he had a standing order with the local for a number of pepper up potions every time he came to visit his chaotic cousin. "I seem to remember you mentioning this. But why wouldn't you want to hear the brilliant and side bursting experiences that I managed to wrangle out of my well developed and experienced youth? Though I may have someone to argue the toss about the strangled fish part. But that's neither here nor there." He was doing okay for himself in his own round about way. And though he didn't have Molly's complete lack of inhibitions, he did share her lack of moral duty. Though he was admittedly dating at the present point, and would undoubtedly not hear the end of it from anyone, ever. Still. Fun. Ah well, whatever would be, would be.

Fred looked around with a healthy sense of respect. This place was the home of many of his favourite snacks and nibbles. Some of which he'd charmed for pranking purposes. "I've seen better," he offered in his best unimpressed voice he could muster. But nevertheless he took a sample. Who was he to argue with free stuff? Especially on his budget. He couldn't help but laugh at Molly's... interesting references. Who was he to deny her sense of humour? "Sounds like an interesting treat to be sure. I wonder what assorted insanity I could get it to taste like?"

[juniperfive]

i want to be rich and i want loads of money,
i don't care about clever, i don't care about funny
i want lots of clothes and fuckloads of diamonds,
i heard people die while they're trying to find them

theirs was an unlikely friendship. molly had no doubt that if they hadn't been related, and thus forced upon each other by a mere accident of their birth, or maybe if they hadn't been born so close to each other and therefore given their respective fathers no choice but to pawn off the troublesome youngsters on each other, they would not have given two hoots about each other. or definitely molly wouldn't have given a hoot about him at least, she couldn't talk for her wayward cousin. but despite this, they were together, and probably would be for the rest of their lives. molly knew that when - oh, for the sake of merlin, if - she ever had a family of her own, she'd want someone who could take them off her hands for a few hours, or days. and if fred had kids then he would have no choice but to have molly's little brats foisted on him too. sucks to be him. she shrugged and grinned, really not caring whether merlin had worn bathrobes, a three-piece suit or gone commando. "you should definitely be disturbed," she said, with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "feel lucky you're not a part of them, you'd probably be scarred for life. but that's a little rude, anyway - i could win anybody's heart, with my hands tied behind my back and blindfolded. i probably have, once or twice," she giggled, poking her tongue slightly out of her mouth at him. that part, at least, was true. molly would never lie about something so fun, especially something that might get fred's tummy twisting as he had to think about his baby cousin molly - the redhead he'd spent his childhood with, the one he'd given hand-me-down clothes to and had baths with - in that kind of a way.

rolling her eyes at him, bored barely two words into his little monologue. fred was such an effort sometimes, with his eloquence and his command of the english language. molly, despite having tutors and elitist schooling from the moment she could speak, did not want or need to put so many long and unnecessary words into a sentence. she could get her point across quickly and poignantly, with more than a few curses, and people would listen all the way, rather than getting caught up in syntax and sentences. "blah, blah blah, god fred, don't you ever realise how much you talk?" clamping a hand over her cousin's mouth, she tossed her auburn hair behind her shoulders with a vague semblance of an unsettled horse flinging its mane. "i daresay my youth's more experienced than yours, in more ways than one. as for well developed... we'll leave that one to the viewer's discretion." with a sniff, she noted his uninterested voice and probably shamelessly agreed with him. "yeah, so have i," she said, with a shrug. but it put wine on her table and cash in the taxi driver's hand, so she could hardly complain. besides, it came with a healthy amount of free snacks during the day, and the company wasn't so bad once she got past the stage where the other girls wanted to be her friend and they simply viewed her with a mixed dose of respect, admiration and fear. "assorted insanity? boring," she said, with a grin. "isn't there something - or someone - you could think of instead? insanity might taste like... fireworks, or burnt hair, or straitjackets and pills. not fun at all, freddie. not fun at all."

and i'll take my clothes off and it will be shameless,
'cause everyone knows that's how you get famous
i'll look at the sun and i'll look in the mirror,
i'm on the right track, yeah, i'm on to a winner