RP: Exploring

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

Date: October 29, 2001
Characters: Daphne Greengrass, Adrian Pucey, open
Setting: Settlement 1
Content: G
Status: Public: Open




Daphne changed her clothes and put on some boots. If she was going to go out, she at least would like to look presentable. Besides, if she was going to go exploring, she'd better be prepared for anything. This new world was foreign to her and, though in some ways it was much like her regular everyday life, in many ways she knew it would be completely different and she wanted to know for herself as soon as possible.

She took her purse, which had just a few precious things in it, and stepped out her door. She knew only that she was in a settlement and that there were other houses and flats around, but had no clue who lived in them. Her new neighbors. Would they be other witches and wizards or would they be Muggles? Would they be from Britain or other countries? Daphne wondered these things as she stepped outside and locked her door.

She turned to face the street and thought for a moment. Which way was the center of the settlement again? She tried to remember, but couldn't. "Oh, well," she shrugged to herself. And she turned to her right and started walking.

As she headed up the street, she noticed that all the buildings looked similar. She hoped she wouldn't get lost in this maze of a settlement. Usually in a city, she could navigate, but this was different. She tried to keep track of how far she was walking and in what direction, but as she turned a corner, she spotted a vaguely familiar face.

A curly mop of black hair stood out. She recognized him. He was the one who always ordered Scotch at the Three Broomsticks.

"Hey," she called out, waving, hoping he might wave back.

Comments

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

Adrian looked up from the corner of his yard, where he was digging into the dark black soil and making notes on his datapad with his wand, not two feet from him. One of the issues with the datapad that he'd learned right away was that if your hands were covered with soil or water or herb dust, you couldn't do much about 'writing' on the damned thing.

Looking back down he made a final note so as to not miss his place and stood, looking at the dark haired woman that had called out hello. He was the only one out in the yard - he'd assumed Lavender was a bit of a workoholic, considering her being security detail so young, and how little he saw her around.

"Hello?" He called, brushing his hands on his denims and heading in the direction of the pathway that crossed the front of his yard. She looked vaguely familiar and so he assumed she was Magick, but he couldn't be sure, she could just be new in the area, right? Reaching her he put out a hand in greeting, "Adrian Pucey, are you settled in One as well?"

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

"Hi, Adrian," she said. "Daphne Greengrass. I used to work at the Three Broomsticks... I'm settled in One, also."

She shook his hand, even though it was a bit dirty. She went over and over it in her mind. He looked so familiar. Then it started to click.

"Weren't you in Slytherin house?" she posited.

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

Adrian grinned, this was the first Slytherin he'd met, now that he recognized her. "Yeah, yeah, on the House team, you were a... year below? I think?"

"And you always knew to bring out the Muggle Scotch..." he remembered her clearly now, despite not knowing anything about her.

"I hope they're planning to start a pub here?" He asked in hope, and for lack of anything better to say.

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

She smiled back at him. He seemed like a decent guy. "Ah, yes, I remember. I was the same year as Draco."

"Ah, Muggle Scotch. Always a good drink," she said, a glint of mischief in her eyes. Daphne was usually a wine drinker, but she also liked Scotch, especially if she was looking to get very drunk, very fast. She surveyed the land and saw that Adrian had his datapad out, as well as his shovel. She wondered what he was up to, but thought it would be rude to ask too many questions of her acquaintance.

"There isn't one?" she asked. That seemed odd. With as many people coming every day as there were, Daphne couldn't imagine a town without a gathering place... of course, there was the market, but that wasn't quite the same thing. "Hard to imagine that."

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

Adrian nodded, "I thought the same thing," and he smiled. "Scotch drinker, and a witch? Well then, in absence of a pub, let me introduce you to the next best thing," he nodded toward his duplex. "Wanna come in for a drink?"

It might be forward in other situations, but she was a Housemate, and seemed new to the Settlement, and seemed to light up when he mentioned alcohol.

Adrian turned to head inside, summoning his datapad, shovel, and wand while he did. "If not a drink, just catch up? I haven't met any other Slytherins here yet."

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

Well, he certainly was forward. Not that that bothered her. "I'd love to."

She was happy to meet another wizard in her new settlement and he seemed to have manners, which always impressed Daphne. "I've just got here," she said, "You're the first person I've met. I just came in this morning. Figured I should get my bearings."

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

Adrian laughed out loud as he lead the way into the house, opening the door for her. "You do start fast! Took me a good couple of days to get out and about."

"So, what are you working on here? I'm lucky enough to be welcome to do my own thing, don't think I'd want to be out on the Ark or any of that." He headed toward the kitchen and asked what she'd like to drink, "Please, make yourself at home," he invited.

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

When Daphne was determined, she could do anything. She was ambitious, but not a cutthroat. Daphne nearly always got what she wanted. "What can I say? I like knowing my surroundings."

Daphne would never let herself get backed into a corner, proverbial or literal.

"Well, unfortunately, I don't have any desirable skills, really, so I'm doing unskilled labor," she hated to admit that. "Before I came, I was working part time at the pub, and interning at my mum's magazine, Civilitas."

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

Adrian nodded in recognition. "Oh yeah, my dad used to read that every week, what was your specialty? Did you ever get published?" And then, thinking outloud he added, "I wonder if they'll do much print here, with the datapads it doesn't seem very likely, I'd think?" Adrian didn't know much about press, having always stayed under the radar but it was still an interesting thought.

As he got out the drinks an a couple of glasses, he asked which she would like and proceeded to pour. "I'm doing mostly vegetation cataloging now, but I can't wait to get back to potions, I've already got a makeshift lab put together here, in the extra room. Are you in a duplex?" Adrian sat at the table and lifted his two fingers of scotch to toast her. "To the great Green House." He said in cheers, feeling of good spirits to meet someone he might have something in common with.

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

Daphne smiled. "I did, in fact. Just a few short pieces, but it was a great place to work... I don't think so. Seems like the datapads will cover everything in that sense. At least until we have a much larger population. And who knows how long that will take. It could be years, if ever."

"Oh, are you a potions master?" she asked. She always had a fondness for that subject. "Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you... are you doing research and all?"

As Adrian sat, Daphne thought how nice it was to have run into someone familiar, even if they didn't really know each other well. At least she had some things in common with him. "Actually I'm in a single house."

"To Slytherin," she said, clinking glasses. She drank the Scotch and it went down very easily.

"So, have you met many others here?" She wondered if there were many in their settlement already and if most or at least some of them were magical.

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

"That's great, good for you, I wonder if Shacklebolt's office could use a writer? Even if it's not for the 'press'..." Taking another sip of his drink he asked, "So how is the single house? I haven't been in any other than this one yet."

Adrian shook his head, the cluelessness obviousness on his face, "I haven't really met anyone. I ran into Ginny Weasley - I think she was probably a year or two below you? She and I used to fly against each other at Hogwarts, and I've seen her around the Healers at St. Mungo's a bit since then. But she was a Gryffindor, and she told me about a few of her old Housemates at are here..." He thought for a moment trying to recall the names Ginny had mentioned. "Um, the Gryffindor Chaser, Spinnet, she's here, and Ginny's whole family will be here of course, a lot of them were in school with us."

"Am I really the first person you've met since you arrived this morning?" Adrian wondered if other people - other than Ginny, of course - were as welcoming and friendly as this exchange had been. He certainly hadn't sought anyone out.

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

"Hmm, I don't know," Daphne said, "It doesn't seem like they're doing much in the way of writing, at least not yet, but I could certainly offer my services." That certainly would be interesting - writing for Kingsley Shacklebolt! Daphne wouldn't mind that at all. Maybe she would send a resume with some writing samples.

"Oh, that's nice," she said. It was good to know there were other wizards and witches about. "I never had much to do with the Weasley family, but I certainly know of them. And Spinnet, of course. I never played Quidditch myself, but watching the games was always a great time. Think they will have games here?" Quidditch would certainly be a welcome distraction from work here.

Daphne nodded her head. "I came through with a large group, but I didn't really know anyone. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity to meet people, though."

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

Adrian sighed and took another sip before answering, "You know, I hadn't thought of that but wow, that'd be amazing. It's been a while since I've even been on a broom... Then again, I wonder what the Muggle neighbors would think of it?" Adrian hadn't thought much about having an openly magick society, and the prospect of flying with Muggles around was a strange one.

Nodding, Adrian said, "Yeah, it was the same with me. I imagine your family is coming through at some point, though?" He couldn't help but wonder how often people had his circumstance.

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

"They will probably think we are crazy. But then again, they will probably think that, anyway," Daphne laughed. Having grown up in Oxford gave Daphne a life steeped in wizarding history, but also in the modern Muggle world. She had often wondered what the Muggles would think of her magical ways if she ever showed them in public, but the statutes had always kept her from finding out. That and her parents' tempers.

"I sure they are coming at some point, but they both have so much invested there, they want to wrap things up properly before disappearing from the world," she replied. In fact, she wasn't sure if her parents could be adventuresome enough to leave behind everything they knew for a completely new and different world or if they were stubborn enough to want to stay behind, even with the inevitable end of the world. She hoped they would come around soon.

"My brother and sister should be joining our number shortly. I think they're going to be on either side of a duplex."

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

"It's always nice to have siblings around," Adrian side-stepped her mention of her parents potentially not joining. "Tell me about them?"

As he asked, he stood and took down the bottle of Scotch and the bottle of dark red wine he'd purchased at the market when he first ran into Ginny. "What's your poison?" He asked with a smile.

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

"Well, Andrew is the oldest. He's nearing 30 and hard to live up to. He works at the publishing company and everyone loves him," she laughed a bit. It was hard being the middle child, but at least she had a sense of humor about it. "And Astoria is the little princess. She's still at Hogwarts."

"What about you? Your family coming?" she asked, pointing to the bottle of Scotch. Once she started with it, she knew better than to switch to something else.

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

Adrian chuckled, "I don't know that that'll be the case here... I'm sure you've already noticed the life of a writer isn't an easy one on this side. Maybe you'll finally get to show him up." His eyes sparkled a little bit, feeling much like a Slytherin for the first time in ages. "Are they both Slytherin? My older sister, Sera, she broke family tradition in the highest sense, she was a Ravenclaw, now she's married to an American Muggle - Will, he's a good guy, as far as Muggles go, I don't know many of them, I guess."

Adrian swallowed thickly when she asked whether or not they were coming, "It doesn't look like it." Was all he said on the matter before taking a long drink this time.

"So, unskilled labor, what's up with that?"

[tt_daphne.insanejournal.com]

"Maybe so," Daphne responded. She wasn't sure she'd do much writing and getting any recognition as an unskilled laborer seemed highly unlikely, but she was cunning so she might find another way.

"Andrew's a Ravenclaw, and a smart-ass. Astoria's Slytherin... Muggles can be good people, too. I had a Muggle dance teacher in Oxford. She was quite sharp, and certainly cultured." Daphne took a sip of her Scotch.

"Yeah, I guess I'll be working the fields or something like that. I'm sure they'll give me training, but not quite sure doing what exactly," Daphne said. She couldn't imagine digging in the dirt as Adrian had been doing earlier, at least not for days on end. She hadn't really liked Herbology in school. The concepts were interesting and some of the plants were beautiful, but handling dirt and manure was not for her. "Of course, they could assign me to take care of livestock." She nearly shuddered. "Or security. Not sure what that entails." But security seemed to be the least of the three evils. Perhaps she would have a job doing that.

[tt_adrian.insanejournal.com]

"Huh, I wonder if he knew Sera." Sera was 28 now, so it wouldn't be out of the question. When she seemed to defend humanity he shook his head, "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that at all. I love Will, he's family, and being a Muggle has never been a thing... To be honest, I find his American-isms more strange," he laughed.

"You dance? So basically you do everything?" He smiled, surprised she'd be in the fields. "My neighbor is in security, I think she used to be a Hit Wizard, or training to be one, or something, do you know her? Lavender Brown? She's your age." When she finished her drink and stood with a smile, he did the same and shook her hand, "It really was great to meet you, Daphne, we'll have to do this again sometime?" They agreed and he escorted her out, glad to have hopefully made a new friend.