Baby I wasn't there

Maison du diable

The morning is dark, and foggy. New Orleans, Louisiana, is just recovering from a harsh downpour. The streets are covered in small puddles and light drops as it's people carry on with their day. You must work, especially in this harsh economy, no matter the conditions. It's an early morning when Alastor steps into his usual coffee shop, the smell is one he's grown familiar with, and in just a few short moments he's already at the front flirting with the barista.

"I'll have my usual, thank you Anne." He says with a smile, before Anne gets to work quickly with a blush on her cheeks. In this day an age a lady can easily be won over with the charm of a successful man. The men must work, provide. Their goal; to run a household, bear children, and be a guide to his wife, to make her the perfect woman. All women want are pretty clothes, and useless things. What good is a woman if she isn't on a man's arm?

" Here you go sir." Anne says, placing his cup of coffee in front of him, made just the way he likes it. Or at least that's what she thinks. Alastor reads the daily paper, paying a whopping twenty five cents to see todays news. He reads through the sections, flips through the pages, and glosses over the words just as he does every morning. He glanced around the shop for a moment, seeing the usual faces he does this early in the morning. Everything is swell. As it should be. He looks back down to his paper, 'there's nothing like this', he thinks.

Until he finally comes across the hottest topic of the week. A new store has opened in town. A boutique, which would seem nothing out of the ordinary. If it weren't for the name.

Maison du diable.

In bold letters, he sees the picture of a shop. It's a woman, her hair is tied back, and she has all sorts of jewlery on. She stands in front of the store window, her smile wide. Behind her, Alastor notices the shadows around her. He finally realizes the commotion behind this new shop. Maison du diable is french, it means house of the devil.

The community is small, living in the French quarter, everyone seems to know everyone. But word travels quick, just through word of mouth alone. This woman must be mad to have it published in the paper. He sees the reporters words on the bottom of the page. 'Any store run by a woman is doomed to go bankrupt! Stay clear from this store! It's cursed!'

Alastor sits in silence for a moment, before taking another sip of his coffee. Something new to talk about on air today, he thinks. He finishes his coffee, earlier than usual, before folding the paper back up and tucking it under his arm. He leaves with a nod and smile to Anne, leaving her a blushing mess as he exits the shop.

'Today could be exciting' He thinks.

-ˏ͛⑅　‧̥̥͙‧̥̥ ̥ ̮ ̥ ⊹ ‧̫‧ ⊹ ̥ ̮ ̥ ‧̥̥‧̥̥͙　⑅ˏ͛--ˏ͛⑅　‧̥̥͙‧̥̥ ̥ ̮ ̥ ⊹ ‧̫‧ ⊹ ̥ ̮ ̥ ‧̥̥‧̥̥͙　⑅ˏ͛-

"We'll I'll be~" Maxine says, pushing past the curtain behind the counter. Y/n smiled, leaning against the cane she holds.

"I don't understand, I did tell everyone I would be opening a shop..." Y/n said confused, not sure why Maxine was so amazed. " Unless you all doubted me of course..." She said quietly, before Maxine waved her hands.

"No no not for a second, 'jus that, well you know how tight money is." Maxine said nervously, twirling her curly hair. She was a short girl, around 5'4, with long brown curls. She was pale, with a light beauty mark under her right eye, but no one could ever really tell thanks to her glasses.  They were large and round, black blazer, and there was a small crack in the left lenses.

"You know very well money is never the problem for me." Y/n said more serious now, her face going back to its stoic look.

"It's just a tough thing to do that's all!" Maxine said trying to find a way out of this. She needed this job, and she knew Y/n was not one for mercy.