RP: Message to Charlie Weasley, Ark Operations

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Date: 27. October, 2001
Characters: Alicia Spinnet and Charlie Weasley
Setting: Alicia's home in One, wherever Charlie is, and The Ark
Content: Most likely PG
Status: Open: Private, Complete


Wiping the back of her hand across her forehead, Alicia smeared the rich soil on her hands along her hairline as she looked at the work she had just finished. She was pretty proud of how she had spent her first day off; the small patch of ground behind her house had now been turned into a regular vegetable garden. At least she hoped it would be, that the seeds she had planted would grow and that she soon could harvest the crops she was attempting to grow. While not a Herbologist by a long stretch, or even particularly gifted in that area, the richness of the soil hadn't escaped her. She could practically sense the life radiating from the ground the minute her fingers had started working the seeds into the ground.

Casting a quick cleaning Charm on her hands, she pressed her thumb to her datapad, clocking out from her garden session. She still felt a bit bad about earning credits for working at home, but that was how it was, and she was certain there was a good reason for things being that way. At this point, she wasn't going to question it.

After a quick shower, she found herself standing in her kitchen. Everything was sparkling clean, and though she still had some unpacking to do, none of the remaining things were important in her day-to-day life and she didn't think she could handle dealing with memories right now. She didn't feel like reading either, or being inside for that matter, but it was still early afternoon, and she wasn't sure what she could do around the settlement to spend her time.

There was one place, though, and even as she thought about it, she turned to look at the datapad. Charlie had invited her to come see the Ark, which she really wanted to. She wanted to see how it actually functioned and get a feel for the place, in case she had to go there for an emergency. Those were two of the reasons, at least, a third, and possibly bigger reason was to see Charlie again. Although she was still embarrassed at how she had acted while he had been in the Medical Center, she had also enjoyed his company, his easy way of just... being. And she wanted to see if they really had clicked like she had thought they did, or if she had simply connected with her inner duckling and imprinted on the first familiar person to address her in this new, completely unknown world.

Picking up her datapad, she considered contacting him again. He hadn't given her his contact information, but she distinctly rembered him telling her, that if she wanted a tour of the Ark, she should just let him know. Then again, if she could accidentally send a message to the leader of the entire community , then she should be able to send a message to Charlie Weasley, Leader of Ark Operations intentionally. With a determined nod, she picked up the datapad and began navigating her way into the message system and after a bit of searching, she found Charlie's name and pressed the button to start a new message to him.

Five minutes later, she was still staring at the blank screen with the cursor blinking tauntingly at her. As determined as she had been before, just as blank was her mind now when she had to put words to the message she wanted to send. "Uhm..." she muttered, her fingers brushing furiously through her hair as if to pull the words out from there. "Dear Charlie..." she continued as she tapped in the words, then groaned and deleted them. "Charlie..." she tried, then shook her head and deleted the letters.

Maybe she should just give up, and with a sigh she put the datapad down on the kitchen counter and went to the cupboard to make herself a small cup of the coffee she had learned was so precious here. Just as she reached up to open the cupboard, she changed her mind, turned around and without giving it anymore thought, she started typing in the message.

There.

It was written.

And she liked it.

Now she just had to send it...

Staring at the message for a couple of long moments, Alicia could feel her cheeks heat up. What if she had been mistaken? What if he had just been polite and said what he figured she expected to hear? What if it was something he was required to do, yet didn't really have any interest in doing? And why would he even be interested in showing it to her.

Fully intent on deleting it all and just head down to the market, Alicia drew in a deep breath, and hit the 'Send' button.

To: Charlie Weasley
From: Alicia Spinnet
Subject: Tour of the Ark

Charlie Weasley, Ark Operations,
You told me to just say the word when I would like a tour of the Ark, but as I have yet to figure out how to make voice recordings on my datapad, I am going to have to do it in writing: the word.

Are you free this afternoon?

Alicia

Comments

[tt_charlie.insanejournal.com]

"Small steps," Charlie agreed easily. Volunteers who requested to work with the dragons were put through extensive training and familiarization before they were allowed near the dragons and it would be no different for Alicia if she decided she wanted to get closer to them. He had years of training and he never would have brought her to the observation point for Dmitri if he hadn't gauged her ability to deal with it correctly. She was a Healer, used to dealing with life and death decisions and there wasn't anything flighty about her.

"This isn't a petting zoo, Alicia," he explained with a chuckle. "The tours are just a walking and talking routine. We point out the animals and give a brief run down of what they do, how they live, what the transition was for them to come here. We brought these animals with us to save them. They have more freedom here than they ever had back in the future."

Charlie's eyebrow arched and he remained quiet for a moment as they made their way down the path towards the beach. It would take them some time to reach it and then they could apparate back to the Ark HQ but it was a beautiful walk and the ocean stretched out before them on the horizon. "We haven't found any on this island but that's not to say there aren't any out... there, somewhere," he answered finally, gesturing to the horizon. "But we know that there are more dangerous things out there than magical creatures."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Alicia could feel her cheeks heating up. She looked down at the boots, at the ground she was making her way across, but even through her embarrassment at having somewhat assumed that they would be going to the Thestrals as well, she couldn't deny the imminent relief that she had been wrong. She really didn't like those animals, and it wasn't because of the way they looked, more because of what they represented. "I'm... glad to hear that," she said, raising her head again as she did her best to focus on the fact that things were the way she preferred them to be.

Reaching a place on the path with a clear view over the mountainside and the ocean surrounding them, Alicia paused as she considered Charlie's answer. It was difficult to think about that at this point, however, because the ocean was so vast, so enormously untouched, like everything else, that it made her head spin. She loved the beach, always had, but the ocean here was filled with dangers she could only imagine. That didn't mean that she wasn't looking forward to reaching the beach, since the wind always tended to be different by the water, and she had yet to experience that. "It wasn't so much the dangers of the different creatures I was thinking of," she finally said. "More along the lines of when animals started evolving into magical beasts and creatures."

Out on the water, something huge broke the surface, launching itself into the air only to land back in the water with a massive splash of water. "This place is amazing," Alicia mused aloud. "The settlement, even with the houses is gorgeous, but this place..."

[tt_charlie.insanejournal.com]

He wasn't sure what he heard in her voice but Charlie felt as if he'd scolded her somehow and that hadn't been his intention. Threstals were gentle creatures, it was normal to assume that he would offer to bring her over to them and there was a possibility that he'd made her feel ridiculous for that assumption. Charlie reached out and touched her arm, slowing his step for a moment. "Hey, I think we were both on different pages there. It happens."

"There's some who say there have to be magical creatures here somewhere because we have records of dragon bones going back 20 million years but I would argue that doesn't indicate anything. Dragons, while incredible, aren't magical. They possess no magical abilities. Their fire comes from a mixture of flammable secretions as a form of self-defense but there's nothing magical about it. It's all genetic. So, even if, in this alternative time line, there are dragons here, that's no indicator that there will be other magical creatures. We don't even know if future humans in this time will develop the magical abilities that we possess," Charlie stated, falling into a thoughtful reflection of some of the discussions he'd had already with several of the Keepers at the Ark.

When Alicia stopped, so did he but it wasn't until she spoke that his attention moved from her to the ocean. It was a view he saw almost every day but it was evident from the tone of her voice that she was struck by the beauty here. "It is," he agreed warmly, lifting his hand to rake his fingers back through his hair, ruffling it more. "Now we have to keep it this way."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Out on the ocean, the large animal that had disturbed the peace had fully submerged again, and left nothing but the waves behind. But it wasn't the only life out there; Alicia found that the more she looked, the more proof of life did she find. Like fin that would peak through the reflections of the sun on the water or the flock of birds making silhouettes against the horizon. Without thinking, Alicia let her fingers run along the outline of her tattoo on the inside of her right forearm. Would she ever see a swallow again? And if not, would that have any effect on her Patronus?

Charlie's rumbling voice made her smile wistfully. "I hope we can," she replied to him, and her thoughts went back to his statement about the evolution of magic. "What you said about us not knowing if humans would develop magic abilities in this timeline..?" Tearing her eyes from the spectacular view she looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Continuing that line of thought, I guess we can't even be sure that humans will evolve at all." Then she shrugged. "Don't know if that's a disturbing or comforting thought." She sent him a small, slightly crooked smile, and then nodded in the direction they had been headed. "I didn't mean to hold us up. Please lead the way, Charlie Weasley, Ark Operations."

[tt_charlie.insanejournal.com]

"We're isolated from the rest of the world right now, so nothing we do will effect human evolution. Still, there's nothing that says humans will evolve here but that doesn't change the fact that we are here now. With our current population, the human race will continue indefinitely and the portal is still open, which means more people will come through so our population is only going to rise," Charlie replied, looking down at her. It was a disturbing thought to know that this time line might never create the world they left without their help.

He laughed and nodded, beginning to walk again. "You weren't holding us up, Alicia Spinnet, Healer. I can think of worse things than stopping to admire the view and discuss the future of mankind at the same time although I admit it will be the first time I've done both of those things in the same afternoon." Charlie's boots kicked up a little dust from the path as he made his way down the mountain side on the gradual descent. "Once there are new births, our people will feel less like this is a strange world and more like its our world."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"That could be," Alicia said as she kept up with Charlie. "The first one's due in a couple of weeks, so it'll be interesting to see if your theory holds water or if it'll take babies actually conceived here to get that feeling rather than an exotic refuge." As she spoke, she wondered what it would take for her to stop feeling like she was a visitor, that this was where she belonged. Would it really only take births of babies? Or would it have to be when or if she had children here herself? "I don't know. And I know I've not even been here a week, but the hou- my house feels more like a vacation cottage than my actual home."

Walking for a bit, Alicia looked up at Charlie. "So, I know now that you don't spend your afternoons enjoying the view while discussing the future of mankind, and I know that the animals here in the Ark aren't as much tended to as encouraged to make their own living," her lips twitched slightly with mischief as she was attempting to contain a teasing smile. "Now, I don't mean to be bratty or anything, but what does the Leader of Ark Operations do, if he doesn't do any of those other things?"

[tt_charlie.insanejournal.com]

"Granted, I'm making my assumptions based upon the animals that we brought through. They're all reacting differently. The dragons are happier and healthier here - they are essentially as free and there's no pollution. The unicorns were in hiding until the first foal delivered, now they are acting as they did before the Portal. The kneazles did the same thing but they have kittens now and you'd think we found them here. People are just animals that can talk, really," Charlie explained slowly, working through how he said his words before actually saying them. He knew his rationale was simplistic but when you put everything else to the side, humans were just walking, talking animals.

Nearing a favorite spot of his, Charlie slowed his step while listening to Alicia. "I'd have to say that bratty comes naturally to you," he teased back, flashing a quick smile. Cute or not, Charlie really enjoyed her sense of humor and the realization that he could have a friend outside of the Ark was warming to him. He held out his hand to her, nodding toward the edge of the trees. "There's a spot over here I want to show you." Charlie smirked and chuckled before answering. "Well, the Leader of Ark Operations does a great many things. I answer questions, teach new Keepers, and care for the dragons. I also give educational tours and keep Shacklebolt from going nutters."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"That doesn't mean it's a wrong assumption," Alicia said, more or less agreeing with him. "You and I just have very different viewpoints. I mean, you've been here for months; I've only been here for days, not even a week yet. You work with animals and can attribute animalistic behavior to people, where I work with people and most likely have a tendency to assign human characteristics to animals." She frowned; what she had just said sounded more like an insult than an explanation, making her hold up her hand to amend. "Not saying that you don't know anything about people, because I'm sure you do, or you wouldn't be doing these tours, I'm just saying that that's your assumption, and I've yet to be here long enough to come up with my own. Until then I can only speculate about how it'll be."

Without a thought, Alicia looked up at Charlie, sticking out her tongue just like she would when her brothers had called her a brat. "It does not," she argued, then laughed softly at his teasing, before she took his hand wondering what was to come for him to think that she might need help. "So, the Leader of Ark Operations is actually a rather busy man?" she asked, stepping over a fallen branch. "Granted, I don't know what or how much it takes to keep Shacklebolt from going nutters, but I've given you the benefit of the doubt and assigned that a high value."

[tt_charlie.insanejournal.com]

Charlie threw his head back, laughing loudly, when Alicia finished her sentence. Regaining his composure, he shook his head, still chuckling heartily. "I didn't take any offense there, Ali. I do see people in animal terms because that's what I do, that's what I've done for years now, and it doesn't matter if we're here or five million years in the future. It doesn't matter which one of us is right, we're both on the same page. I do, however, hope that you come to feel as at home here as you did before you stepped through the portal. The only thing I miss from the future is Romanian stout."

Of course, his family was here now or he'd have said that but Charlie had been apart from his family in his daily life for many years, also. He roared with laughter again when she stuck her tongue out. Her smaller hand filled his when he offered it and Charlie led her across the grass toward the treeline, weaving between the trees to get to an outcropping on the side of the mountain. "That's Leader, Ark Operations," he teased, seeing the gap between the trees.

"And keeping Shacklebolt sane is a daily task of me reassuring him that the dragons won't try to eat the settlers. There's only 'go away' wards over the settlements and that's not really enough to impress a dragon, not to mention all the farms outside of the wards," Charlie pointed out, drawing Alicia to stand in front of him. With his hand on her shoulder, he turned her to the left just slightly where, spread before them was the view of the island running jaggedly along the water's front. It was a spectacular vantage point that Charlie hadn't found an equal to. "The dragons, they like to come in on a fast dive toward the beach and pull up just in time, racing up along the peak of the mountain."

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

Charlie's laugh was loud and big, massive like he was, and even Alicia had to give in and smile at what he was laughing, even if it was what she had said and that she had been afraid of offending him with it. At least they were talking the same language now, or they were 'on the same page' as Charlie called it. That was a nice progression and she found his concern for her warming. "Really?" she asked, looking up at him. "All you miss from the future is a Romanian beer?" Somehow she found that hard to believe, given how close she knew the Weasley family to be, in spite of the differences she had heard of from the twins. "You don't miss your family? Your friends?" Then she shrugged. "I hope I will too, I mean, it's not like I really have a choice. Can't go back, and even if I could I don't think I would, though I do miss my mum and my friends. But until my friends, hopefully, get here, I'll have to make new friends, and that might make it easier to see it as home."

Keeping a hold on Charlie's hand, she let him lead the way between the trees, listening as he talked, until they reached a clearing. At first Alicia wasn't sure what his intentions were, when he positioned himself behind her, but then he turned her, and a view that made the one she had admired on the path, fade to something merely nice. "That must be an amazing sight," she said, trying to imagine what it would look like for one of the magnificent creatures to come diving into this view. "Is it alright if we... I mean, can we take a short break here, see if maybe we get lucky?" She looked over her shoulder, open at him, hoping that he had the time to do so.

[tt_charlie.insanejournal.com]

"Ali, believe it or not, my life hasn't really changed that much. With the exception of two or three keepers who chose to 'ride it out' with their families back in the future, most of the people I've worked alongside for years came through. These dragons, they've been our lives for so long... and my family is here and coming. All of them. Weasley's stick together," Charlie answered honestly. He had a feeling that things were different for her somehow but this was reality for him.

At the small clearing, Charlie chuckled again, patting her shoulder lightly. "We can stay but I doubt we'll see any of them for hours," he stated mildly. "Its still a nice spot if you want to sit for a bit but I can't stay out for too long." Charlie wasn't on a tight schedule but things had a routine around the Ark and he was expected in several places later on that afternoon.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

As hard as it was for her to imagine how this – to her – completely foreign world, was something akin to normal for Charlie, it did make and odd sort of sense. Then again, maybe it wasn't so odd, really, at least not now when she thought about it. She couldn't help but envy him that a little, wishing that she could feel as home here as he did and feel the assurance that his family stuck together as they did. Yet, in that envy, she also found a small bit of solace that made whatever sadness and longing she felt here bleed into the background. "All of them?" she asked, the hope evident in her voice. "George is coming, too?" Alicia had hoped that her friends would come here, but hearing that George was already on the list of people to go, was such a relief to hear. No, it didn't mean that she would stop trying to make new friends here, but it did mean that one person, whom she truly considered a friend, was on his way.

Looking down, off to the side, to where the waves crashed against the shore Alicia sighed deeply. "That's alright," she said softly, then looked back up at Charlie. "I don't know if it's against regulations, but would it be alright if I stayed here a bit. You're welcome to stay for as long as you like or can, of course. Just figured it'd be a nice place to spend a little time." She sent him a warm smile. Though they hadn't finished the tour, Alicia at least now was a little familiar with the area and what they did here, and she figured that the chance of seeing the rest wasn't too small. After all, it wasn't like either of them were leaving this place any time soon.

[tt_charlie.insanejournal.com]

"Yeah, he wanted to bring the shop with him so he and Ron were packing it all up," Charlie answered with a smile. He didn't realize Alicia was familiar with his family but it was a pleasant surprise. If she were friends with George, it put her into his class year or very close to that. "They'll be along soon."

"Well, you're in luck since that would need my approval and I'm happy to give it. If you want to hike down to the shoreline later on, about a mile down, you'll find the two colonies of crups and kneazles," Charlie stated, waving to the ground before taking a seat himself, dangling his legs over the embankments edge. "I'd love to take a break with you or keep on the tour, I just can't do both."

He leaned back on one braced hand, admiring the view. There were worse ways of spending time than enjoying the peaceful location with a funny, pretty witch before he was called back to his responsibilities.

[tt_alicia.insanejournal.com]

"Then I'd like to take a break," Alicia said after a moment's consideration. "Then I can be a good citizen and take the official tour at a later time." Feeling lighter about her situation, she sat down next to Charlie, taking a page out of his book by letting her feet dangle over the edge as she leaned back on her hand while she enjoyed the view.

Maybe things weren't as foreign here. After all, George was coming, and that was a start, but right now she wasn't going to worry about that. Right now, she was going to enjoy the magnificent view, the pleasant company she had found in Charlie and perhaps in a bit, they could have a cup of that instant coffee she had brought along, but not just yet.