(no subject)

[for_his_friends]

Remus had actually been quietly relieved when he and James and Sirius (who had invited themselves along) had got to the phone booth nearest James' house and found that it looked nothing like the one Noriko had shown him. And since they couldn't quite figure out what they were meant to do with what they found (even with Sirius' best attempts to remember phones from his Muggle Studies classes), Remus couldn't call Angela.

That relief had lasted the five seconds is took for Sirius to declare, "'S'all right. Prongs can ask Evans about it."

And the shock of Sirius voluntarily suggesting that they involve Lily in anything has been great enough that Remus had nodded without meaning to (which, as much as Remus would like to give Sirius credit for trying to be more mature about the Evans Situation, was probably at least part of his intent). So Aether, the Potters' owl, had been off to Milton with James' letter within the hour.

Lily, bless her, had at least written back to Remus rather than James, and apparently given Aether very strict directions about delivery, as he flew right past James and wouldn't let go of the letter till Remus had hold of the other edge. ("She bribes him with bacon," James said, knowingly and with a certain fondness in his tone that makes Sirius roll his eyes behind James' back.)

The letter begins What have they got you into this time?, but it does detail the steps needed to place a call, and Lily even enclosed the right Muggle coins. She has also included her own telephone number if he wants to practice.

Which is all good and well.

But he still has no idea what to say.

So, one teenage boy, staring at a letter, thinking.

Help?


[OOC: Slowtime, please? Mun's brain is shot. Thanks!]

Comments

[the_gene_genie]

Gene's a bit drunk. He's been a bit drunk most of the day actually, and the last few hours have involved him carrying part of a car engine in one hand, a fag, a pint, and an iPhone in the other.

So when he walks behind the lad, and knocks against him by virtue of the carpet being a bit uneven at that point (shut up, he is totally not that pissed), the consequences involve both beer and a smear of engine oil ending up on the boy's shirt.

'Shit.'

He stares at it a minute, then finishes his pint before he spills any more.

'What you sitting there for?'

[for_his_friends]

Remus pulls his wand out and cleans the beer and the oil off his shirt without really thinking about it, and then turns his attention to the man who has bumped into him.

"I was just rereading a letter. I didn't think anyone would mind if I sat here?

"But if this is your table or anything like that, I can move.

"Sorry."

[the_gene_genie]

He blinks. This is not usually how conversations go.

'Nah, you're alright.'

It's a bit of a letdown when people just give in. Unless it's Chris or Ray. He sits down next to him instead, and points at the wand.

'You're a wizard.'

Bar provides a coffee. He ignores it.

[for_his_friends]

Remus isn't really the sort to take stands he doesn't need to take. (He has enough to take already, after all.)

He nods. "Yeah. There are a lot of us here, I understand.

"I'm Remus Lupin."

[the_gene_genie]

'Remus,' he mutters, with a frown, like he's trying to place it. Mainly because he is.



A moment later, he snaps his fingers and points at his face. 'Can't use a telephone. Can't chat up women.'

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen's not normally the sort to bother strangers, at least not at the Bar. At home it happens more than she might like. Just at the moment, though, she's getting awfully tired of reading up on radio antenna construction and operation, so any excuse to do something else is a good excuse.

So if the fellow staring at the letter happens to glance up, there'll be a girl of maybe nineteen or twenty, with a couple of scars and an odd blue and gold jumpsuit, looking vaguely embarrassed as she asks, "Bad news?"

... what? That's the kind of thing that makes people stare at letters, right?

[for_his_friends]

"No, just ... I, um."

He looks up at her, and takes note of the scars. (He tends to notice scars. He's got a few himself, though almost all of them are covered by his usual long sleeves and trousers.)

"Nothing's bad, exactly.

"I just have to make a decision about something."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Hers are mostly what you get when you live in a war zone and helmets aren't an option, and when things with claws and people with knives are a regular hazard of trying to travel through the nearest big city (or remains thereof). There's others, out of sight, but that's what long sleeves are for.

"Oh. Um. I'm sorry, then," she says. "I didn't mean to interrupt- you looked like something was eating at you, there. I'm not always good at making that kind of guess- I'm sorry."

[for_his_friends]

"Oh, no, I don't mind being interrupted at all," Remus says, quickly.

Please. Interrupt him.

"I'm Remus Lupin."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Ellen Park," says Ellen, with a small smile. "Pleased to meet you, Remus."

She nods at the letter a moment.

"I'm guessing that's what the decision's about? Whatever it is?"

[claudiometer]

"Why do you think she's headed there?"
The girl saying this on her way in appears to be addressing a small black box in her hands. Whatever the response is, it doesn't quite travel, but then she says, "Okay, I'll look into it when I-- Pete?"
She proceeds to poke a few buttons on the box, then sighs and heads back out the door. A minute or so later, she comes back in, closing the box and sticking into a pocket in her tool belt.
So Farnsworths are good, but they're not interdimensional-signal good. That's worth knowing.

[for_his_friends]

Remus looks up at the name 'Pete' (it's habit), but as this doesn't seem to be about the Peter he knows, he simply half-smiles an apology and turns back to his letter.

[claudiometer]

No, it isn't. Pete Lattimer is many things, but a British wizard is not either of them.
"Sorry about that," she says. "Turns out the signal on this puppy doesn't cover interdimensional spaces after all."
(Better that she found out now than mid-conversation with Artie, she figures.)

[for_his_friends]

"There's really nothing to apologize for," Remus says, easily.

[claudiometer]

"Guess I had to get the equivalent of stumbling in while on the phone sometime. I mean, we have a door that stays put, I can plan for an actual phone call."
Claudia shrugs. "But I think this is the first time I've bumped into something that really interferes with the Farnsworth's signal. Well, that isn't weather."

[alsoagreengrass]

A sentient, toy-sized broom is not of much help. Especially when it happens to be accompanied by a mischievous, letter-stealing cat.

Scorpius is not entirely certain how or when Red learned to fly - being as he's only been home less than half a day from his adventures in Ambergeldar - but she's good.

She leaps off the broom, snatches the paper from Remus' hands, and is on the broom once more, whizzing away, in the blink of an eye.

Scorpius, fortunately being quite fast himself, is not too far behind.

"Sorry," he's saying as he dodges past the boy's table in pursuit, Hogwarts robes flapping behind him. "I'll have that back to you in a minute!"

[for_his_friends]

Wait.

What?

Did that just ... ?

"Your cat can fly a broom?"

[alsoagreengrass]

"Actually," Scorpius says, skidding to a quick stop and running a hand through his floppy blonde hair, "I think it's the broom doing most of the flying. Red's only along for the ride.





"I think."

He grimaces and then, without so much as a how-do-you-do, is off again, after the thief.

"I've got to catch them before she shreds your paper!"

[for_his_friends]

Right.

Details later.

"Aresto Momentum," Remus says, wand pointed at broom and cat.

It might slow them down enough that the other boy can catch them.

[alsoagreengrass]

The spell does manage to slow them down, and Scorpius catches up to them soon enough, quickly conjuring a net to block their path and reign them in before they find some hidey-hole to fly into.

A bit of pawing and some bristling of twigs later, he returns to the boy with two letters in hand.

One is addressed to Scorpius, the other -

"Uhm. Bit soggy in a corner, but in one piece," he says, handing the boy the said letter.

[themysciran_diana]

"Hello, Remus," Diana says warmly, though she doesn't quite sit down.

Not yet.

"You look -- I can't quite say troubled, but certainly not at your ease. Have you had bad news?"

[for_his_friends]

"Hello, Diana.

"And, no. Nothing bad. Just ... "

Remus exhales not quite a sigh.

"Sirius would tell you I'm being a sad, pathetic -- " Remus checks himself, because the term Sirius would use there is not exactly one he's going to use in polite company.

Anyway, he's sure Diana gets the idea.

[themysciran_diana]

Diana merely raises her eyebrows.

"Do you think I ought to listen to Sirius? Because I'm a little doubtful about that, to tell you the truth."

[for_his_friends]

Remus smiles a little. "As a general rule, I'd say no one should listen to Sirius," he says, though with evident fondness. "I'm frequently sorry that I do as often as I do.

"In this case, however, there might be a certain accuracy to his assessment of the situation."

[themysciran_diana]

"Well," Diana says, smiling more than faintly, "I think my own assessment might be helped by knowing exactly what this particular situation is."