milliways_bar | (no subject)

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It has been a million and a half years since James was last in the bar.

So, what is the first thing he does? (Well, after a quick bite to eat and a visit to his old room.) He takes his broom out for a spin.

Later, while his younger brother is elsewhere in the bar - at an older age than James currently is, might we add (only in Milliways!) - James himself (in his Quidditch robes) is outside by the porch, absent-mindedly picking at the worn leather of his boots. His broom is propped next to him.

He'd forgotten how much he missed this place.

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"I am. You... don't, as much."

He doesn't mean to make a face, really.

"Yeah, I know. That's because I don't think I am."

Much.

"I used to come here almost every day. Now it's been ... nearly half a school year? Blimey."

Enzo scratches his head.

"I don't remember how long it is since I've seen you. Longer than that, though, for me."

James rubs his face. It's the closest he'll come to facepalming at the moment.

"So. How've you been, then?"

Enzo's face falls, and he sits heavily on his board, cross-legged, as though on a magic carpet.

"Great, until last night."

James raises an eyebrow.

He even looks to be giving Enzo his full attention, which is pretty hard to do sometimes when you're thirteen-going-on-fourteen and full of energy.

"Yeah? What happened?"

"The virus who infected our system for years is here."

His eyebrows go up in surprise.

"That's - bad, yeah?"

He might not know the specifics, but 'virus' tends to universally be a negative thing.

"He nearly destroyed the entire city. He did destroy it, or trashed it to the point where it crashed by itself, but it got restored."

"Oh."

James makes a sympathetic face.

"But he can't do anything here, right? That's one of the rules."

"Right." Enzo looks sour. "He might even follow them."

"Well if he doesn't, Security'll do something about it."

James has faith in the members of Security.

Even if he doesn't actually - personally - know any of them.

"Yeah." Enzo scowls grimly. "And if they don't, we will."

By 'we' he means himself and his family, but, y'know, James is welcome to help if he wants.

He would!

If he could be of any help.

"Do the rest of your family know he's around?"

"Yeah, I found out from Bob. Megabyte fell out of the sky right in front of him."

Eek.

"That's a terrible surprise."

"Seriously."

"Is he still around? Or did he leave?"

Megabyte, that is.

"I'm not sure if he can leave. He didn't input a normal way. Anyway, he came here from the Web. I wouldn't go back there."

"What's wrong with the web?"

...

Actually -

"What is a web? I reckon you're not talking about the sort that spiders make."

"No, it's... sorta like a parallel dimension in our world. Only it's not parallel to the systems, more to the 'Net pathways. It's another way to get between systems, but it's really, really dangerous. I mean, your code can degrade just from being there unprotected."

Enzo's world has always been something of a confusing field to James.

That hasn't changed, since.

"And does this bloke live there?"

Enzo actually smiles at this, somewhat viciously.

"He does since Mouse and Matrix trapped him there."

Okay. The smile is kind of a good indicator that this is a Good Thing.

James nods.

Approvingly-like.

He also has no idea who Mouse or Matrix are. But that's besides the point.

"Oh - brilliant. Er, though I suppose he doesn't think so."

"Tough. He sent Bob there for five years. We almost didn't get him back at all."