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Tweak says, "Cranial infarction!"

ben (and noah) sellers (sellers) wrote in de_novo,
@ 2008-07-07 14:58:00

CHARACTERS: Ben Sellers (and Noah, of course) and Rose Weasley
SETTING: Tuesday June 12, lunchtime, at St James's Park in London
RATING: TBA! But probably fairly tame. ;)
SUMMARY: Old friends run into each other after quite some time without any contact. Catching up?
STATUS: ongoing/incomplete

It was the worst nightmare for most parents, and anyone who knew Ben well would have known that he was nothing if not a typical, protective parent.

Noah had begged his father to take him on a picnic that morning and Ben had obliged. He went along with most things that his son suggested, especially the more harmless ones. Noah's idea that day had taken them to St James's Park, away from their neighbourhood and certainly not to the Collective's land. The little boy was always eager to see the big buildings and busy streets and automobiles and buses of downtown London, squealing and pointing at everything that passed. And because Ben had the day off, they could spend as much time as they wanted at the park. A picnic was the perfect way to get Noah out of the flat and burn off some of the seemingly endless energy he had.

Unfortunately, Noah had slipped away and had disappeared before Ben realised what was happening. They were in the park, so there was no worry that Noah would dash into traffic (unless, God forbid, he managed to run all that way before Ben found him). And unfortunately, with all the trees and bushes around, if the little boy got too far away, Ben wasn't sure he'd be able to find his son quickly.

"NOAH! NOAH SELLERS, GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Ben bellowed, frantic. He was both angry and terrified. What if someone snatched Noah up and took off? Noah was his world and he honestly couldn't imagine what he'd do without him. Ben had survived his wife's death, but his son's? That would be impossible.

"NOAH, THIS IS NOT A GAME!" A few people nearby asked to help, and after describing his little boy (in detail) and writing down his mobile number, Ben was off running again. Surely he couldn't have gotten that far, right?

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roseism
2008-07-07 11:34 pm UTC (link)

Rose Weasley wasn't really the type to spend much time outdoors. She was, what you could call, a workaholic. Plus the weather last week had given her the perfect excuse to stay indoors. However, her three-year old chocolate lab, Porthos didn't exactly agree with her. So she'd spent the last several days out at St. James' Park in London, letting her dog get some air, while getting some for herself as well. Being stuffed up in the Department of Mysteries for hours on end tended to make you a little on edge. So it was a win-win situation for the both of them.

Holding a frisbee, Rose had long ago ditched Porthos' leash, leaving it in her purse. Throwing it in the air, she watched her dog run after it, coming back mere minutes later. She went through that cycle again, but the last time, Porthos didn't come back. Frowning, she held a hand to shade her eyes, searching for the dog. He wasn't that hard to find and it wasn't like there were a million other dogs in the park. Spotting her dog in the distance, she headed towards him, finding a young blonde boy petting the dog. Porthos, always one to love attention, was trying to lick the little boy.

"Hello there!" she said cheerily, the redhead dropping to her knees next to the younger boy. "I'm Rose. This is my dog Porthos. What's your name?" Rose glanced around, seeing if the little boy had a father or mother somewhere. She couldn't find either yet. Maybe he was lost?

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sellers
2008-07-08 05:37 pm UTC (link)

Though he'd been momentarily afraid of the big brown dog, Noah warmed up to him quickly. The little boy had been drawn to him almost immediately and had approached slowly, just as his father taught him, but was giggling and petting the dog's head by the time the lady showed up. "Noah," he said, beaming up at Rose with a toothy smile. "I'm two and a half!" He'd become very insistent recently that he wasn't just two; he was two and a half. "I like doggy!" Lately, he'd also been demanding a puppy, something Ben had been reluctantly to get him. Ben felt like he barely had time for his son, let alone a puppy.

Meanwhile, Ben was still searching frantically for his son. A helpful bystander had claimed that she saw a little blonde-haired boy toddling in the opposite direction that Ben had been looking in, so he immediately switched directions and followed the lead. "NOAH?" Where was he? The little boy was not that fast, so--

"Oh my God." There, by a chocolate lab and a pretty young woman was his son. "There you are!" He tried to put on a smile, but his voice still betrayed how upset he was.

"DADDY!" Noah squealed, turning to run at his father's legs. "Lookit! Doggy!"

Ben scooped his son up immediately and held him close, even though Noah was struggling to get down. "I see. It's a very nice doggy, isn't it?" He turned his attention to the young woman, feeling the need to explain himself, lest he appear like a really really terrible father. "Sorry about that. He snuck away and... well, I suppose he's a bit faster than I thought he was."

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roseism
2008-07-08 05:52 pm UTC (link)

"Hi there Noah," Rose said with a friendly grin, reaching out for Porthos and patting him on the head, the dog sitting down at the action so that Noah could pet him further without Porthos getting overexcited and knocking him over. "It's nice to meet you." He was rather adorable! Rose had always loved kids, often ending up being the babysitter for most of the Weasley children. They'd all called her Mama Rose and followed after her at family gatherings when they were all younger. She smiled when he told her how old he was. "Wow! You're a big boy then, aren't you?" Porthos was wagging his tail happily at Noah's attentions and Rose grinned. "Well he definitely likes you, look at how happy he is," she told him, motioning at Porthos' wagging tail. "When they wag their tail, that means they're happy."

When she heard someone speak, she looked up and spotted a man coming out of the distance towards Noah. He was obviously Noah's father, her assumptions confirmed when the blonde boy hurtled himself at the man's legs. She smiled and stood up, Porthos standing up as well when Rose did.

"Oh that's alright. My cousins always did that when I was a babysitter. They would sneak off and hide when I would turn my head for one second." She grinned a little at the memory and looked down at her dog, who was looking up at Noah and whining a little. There was something really familiar about this bloke and she squinted her eyes a little. Then it hit her -- Ben Sellers! She covered her mouth and lest he think she was crazy, exclaimed, "Ben Sellers?? Do you remember me from school? Rose Weasley!"

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sellers
2008-07-08 06:12 pm UTC (link)

Ben blinked. Did she... just say his name? He hadn't gotten a close look at her, too concerned with making sure his son was all right, so he hadn't even noticed who she was. Once he did take a good look at her, he was able to connect the face with the name, and the recognition crossed his face. "Oh, hey! Yeah, I remember you now. It's been a while, though, hardly recognised you." He smiled gently at her, but he was still a bit wary. He'd put some distance between himself and his former schoolmates in the past few years and wasn't sure how many of them still knew who he was - or even cared. He also wasn't sure how many of them he really cared to be around now. The world was a different place than when they went to school, and he was a different person.

That didn't mean he'd be outright rude, though. He'd always gotten along with Rose at school, even though she was a bit younger.

He hoisted Noah up onto his shoulders, hoping that it would help get Noah's mind off the dog if he could see the world from way up high. "How have you been?" Small talk was not his forte, but he figured he had to try. If not for Rose and her dog, who knows where Noah could have run off to.

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roseism
2008-07-08 06:51 pm UTC (link)

It felt like it had been a while since school, especially with everything that had gone on in the past couple of years, so it was a little strange to see someone from Hogwarts, aside from seeing people at the Ministry. That was different. That was all business. Lately there'd been little time for play and only time for work. But it seemed like a new day today. Probably just because it had been a while since Rose had been outside just enjoying herself.

Porthos had finally figured out that Noah wasn't going to come down and play with him. He instead trotted off to inspect a tree. Rose turned her head and watched him run off, making sure he was at least near-by.

"I've been... well, as well as anybody can be at these times," she responded with a small smile. Ben looked different. Appearance-wise, he still looked the same. She remembered she'd always had a minor crush on him in school. But now he just looked tired. And a little worn out. "I think I've turned into even more of a work-aholic then I was in school. What about you? Your son is adorable, by the way."

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sellers
2008-07-08 08:12 pm UTC (link)

Ben nodded. He could understand that - even though she didn't really say how she was doing. He, also, was doing about as well as anyone could expect, given his circumstances. Of course, he wished that he was doing better - he wished a lot of things - but life wasn't necessarily bad either. Ben chuckled a little at Rose saying she was even more of a work-a-holic; he remembered her intensity fairly well, once he started thinking about it. His time at Hogwarts was not something he dwelt upon often, but memories were beginning to come back to him.

"I've been..." Ben paused, searching for the right word. He didn't want to give away too much right away, but he didn't want to lie either. "Been decent, I suppose. I'm a chef... well, trying to be, at any rate, but it's a bit hard to devote all the time I should when I've got this little one around," Ben replied, his tone more good-natured than usual. He'd grown more private over the last few years, and more cynical, but he could still pretend to be the happy-go-lucky bloke he used to be. Talking about Noah helped a bit. He was usually glad to talk about Noah. "Thank you. He's a delight. Keeps me very busy when I'm not at work."

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roseism
2008-07-09 03:53 pm UTC (link)

Rose usually tried not to think about the bad memories at Hogwarts because there were a ton of good ones. She'd had so many accomplishments and made so many friends that she honestly couldn't look back and regret the whole thing, despite the circumstances of when they'd gotten out of school.

Tilting her head to the side slightly, her eyes studied him for a second. That was Rose for you. She was a researcher so she tended to be very perceptive and found that studying people was the best way to get into their heads, even if they didn't want to let you in. You could tell things about them just through their body language and the way they talked to you. He seemed kind of down about something, though Rose didn't want to ask what. That would be rather tactless of her, wouldn't it?

"A chef? Are you a good one?" Rose teased with a grin. "Where do you work?" She glanced up at Noah and smiled at him again. He really was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. "I can only imagine. And I thought raising a dog and a cat were hard work." Speaking of Porthos, she turned around and found that he wasn't by the tree anymore. Turning back to Ben, she made a face. "My dog's run off. Could you give me a sec? Oh, and cover your ears." Once she'd made sure they'd both covered their ears, Rose turned and put two fingers to her mouth, a loud whistling noise coming from her mouth before she shouted "Porthos!" Two seconds later, the chocolate lab came bounding from behind another tree, skidding up to his master and sitting down next to her.

"Sorry," she told them, patting Porthos on the head. "So anyways, I never thought you'd become a chef. Well, I didn't know you knew how to cook so that could be why."

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sellers
2008-07-09 04:18 pm UTC (link)

Ever modest about his abilities, Ben shrugged. "Dunno. I suppose I'm good enough," he replied, though he knew he was better than just good enough. "This restaurant near Piccadilly. It's actually quite close to here, considering how big London is. L'Etoile? It's a French place. I'm not the head chef or anything. But I work a lot, mostly evenings, weekends." The schedule was a bit of a pain in his arse, if he was perfectly honest. He'd love nothing more than to be around to put Noah to bed and read him a story, but as he always reminded himself when he was upset over that, at least he was there to make Noah breakfast in the mornings (even if that mostly involved pouring a bowl of cereal).

Ben helped Noah cover his ears before doing it himself, brow arching as Rose whistled. That was impressive. He'd never been able to do something like that. Noah's eyes were wide, too, also surprised, but he beamed when Porthos returned. "All right, buddy, you can get down to pet the doggy, but you've got to hold my hand and no running off." With that, he placed Noah back on the ground, but kept a firm grip on one of the boy's hands.

"I never thought I would either, to be honest," he admitted. "But... it happened. My parents have a restaurant back home, so I worked there a lot, loved it, ended up taking some culinary classes back there, and then continued with it when I moved here." He noted the use of the singular 'I', rather than a 'we' as it actually had been. It unsettled him a bit, not including his wife in the story, but he didn't really want to open that door with someone face-to-face.

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roseism
2008-07-09 05:33 pm UTC (link)

"Wow," Rose responded, obviously impressed. "I'm sure you're better than good enough, Ben. You're probably really good! No need to be modest." The redhead laughed, tucking some hair behind her ear. "That must be hard on the little one here," she said, indicating at Noah who was down on the ground, petting Porthos again, who was happy for the attention. Her dog had obviously taken a great liking to Noah. "Who watches him at night and on weekends?"

She glanced down to make sure Porthos was behaving, but he was. He was a well-trained dog. He was currently rubbing his head against Noah's hand. "Well that's really good, Ben. I hope everything's going well with you, despite everything that happened when we graduated." Rose wasn't naive. She knew a lot of people (muggles) had died and she certainly hoped no one close to anyone she knew had died, but of course, one could never be too certain. The Ultima Project had ruined a lot of lives and now that they were working on things again, despite her parent's protests, she wanted to help. She wanted to make things right, maybe put people at ease, especially with all the opposition towards it. But her mum told her it would be best to stay away from it and let the people who initially made the mistake the first time, fix their mistakes.

"I'll have to come stop by your restaurant, by the way. Though, I've never really been to a French restaurant before, so all I've heard are horror stories of caviar and escargot."

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sellers
2008-07-09 05:56 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah, I think it is sometimes, but he's a good kid." Ben was sure that Noah got lonely at times, though he was far too young to know to miss his mother. The little boy certainly missed his father, though, and on bad days, was known to throw major tantrums when Ben had to leave. But as far as Ben could tell, they were doing just fine, considering the circumstances. He didn't have much of a choice with his work schedule, and he didn't particularly want to move back home, where there would always be free childcare. He wanted to prove he could do it on his own. "Um, someone from, uh, the Collective," he replied, a bit sheepish. He didn't really like admitting to another wizard that he was affiliated with them, or any group at all. He cleared his throat and continued with an explanation: "it's cheap."

And that's when it happened. She brought up what had happened since they left Hogwarts, in a roundabout way. Even though it was nice to know she was hoping everything was going well, Ben still had trouble thinking about it. He did his best to crush any of the emotions he felt and simply nodded. "Thank you. Same to you, of course," he replied, with no indication that there was anything amiss.

He smiled gently. "Don't worry, we serve more than just caviar and escargot, but if you're daring, I'll have you know that we make some mean appetizers with escargot."

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roseism
2008-07-09 06:12 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah, seems like it," she said with a small smile, looking up at Ben and then looking down at Noah again. It was really a surprise to run into people and find out how much they'd changed. Having a child must've been a big change for him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a dog treat and held it out to Noah. "Here Noah, feed him this. Just hold it at the end and hold the other end out to Porthos. He won't bite your fingers, don't worry." She closed the ziploc bag in her pocket where Porthos seemed to have smelled the scent of the dog treats. But when he saw Noah with the treat, he stood at attention, waiting patiently for Noah to give it to him so he could take it.

Ahh. The Collective. A group that the Alliance wasn't too happy with, but then again, when was the Ministry ever happy unless everyone was with them? Rose's affiliations with the Alliance were purely for work purposes, finding that working in the Ministry and being affiliated with any other group was like a death sentence. "Ah, I see." He seemed a little embarrassed about it. "That's good that they can do something good for the community like that," Rose answered in a genuine tone. She never really was one to be judgmental of people and their choices and who they chose to support.

Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "That sounds a little frightening. What does escargot even taste like?"

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sellers
2008-07-09 06:37 pm UTC (link)

Noah's eyes lit up when Rose said he could feed Porthos a treat. He glanced up at Ben for reassurance, and once Ben nodded and told him that it was all right, he took the treat eagerly and held it out. Ben watched the interaction carefully. Even though Porthos seemed to be a very well-behaved and gentle dog, one could never be too careful with children around. Noah was so much smaller - and surprisingly not afraid, either.

The little boy giggled when Porthos took the treat and licked his hand, clapping once it was all over. "I think he likes your dog," Ben commented, smiling down at the boy and the dog. He was damn proud of his son, even though he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it later that afternoon. "He's gonna beg me for a dog." As for the Collective... yes, it was nice that they were giving back to the community. As wary of the government and community groups as he was, at least the Collective was offering something. That was more than he could say for the rest of the bloody wizarding world. "They're great. Really helpful. And Noah loves 'em. They're as close to family as we've got here, I suppose." That.. might have been a bit more disclosure than he would have liked, but it was too late to take it back.

Ben chuckled. "It's not frightening at all. To be honest, it doesn't taste like much without herbs or spices or a sauce. That's where it gets all its flavour. If you ever want to come by, tell them that you know me and I'll whip something up special."

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roseism
2008-07-09 08:00 pm UTC (link)

When Noah fed Porthos, Rose kept an eye on her dog just in case. But Porthos was good and took the treat without snapping at one of Noah's fingers and munched on the treat rather happily. Rose couldn't help a smile at the interaction. Porthos was obviously happy at the attention, especially since Rose was always so busy half the time. His only playmate lately had been her cat Heathcliff, not that Heathcliff was much of a playmate for the dog.

"I think so," she said with a small laugh. "I think my dog likes him too," Rose told Ben in a stage whisper as if she was pretending like Noah couldn't hear her. "I'm sure Porthos would love to go home with him, seeing as this is the most attention he's gotten in a while. I'm always at work. And he loves kids. He always runs off when we're at the park and plays with little kids at the play jungles." Moving her bangs off of her face, she nodded in response to his comment about the Collective. She noticed the family comment, but chose not to respond to that.

Her face scrunched up. "I'm not going to lie to you, all I can think about is the snails in their little shells all frightened and having salt put on them." She couldn't help a laugh at the mental image. "But if you can make it well, then I'll try it, how about that? I mean, everyone should try everything at least once."

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sellers
2008-07-10 03:12 am UTC (link)

Ben snorted. "Unfortunately for him, all we've got is a small two-bedroom, and I don't have a lot of free time, either. I think Noah will have to settle for a pet rock. Which should be more than enough for him, actually, as long as I give it some eyes and maybe a tail."

He could completely understand the hesitance towards snail... and, well, any new food that someone hadn't tried before. The image that Rose conjured up was funny, though, and he chuckled a little. "Don't worry, the snails aren't live." Which really probably didn't help at all. They'd been alive at one point. "You're not gonna see their little antenna or whatever those things are."

With that, Ben fell silent. He didn't have very much to say to her; he didn't have that much to say to anyone, if he was perfectly honest with himself. Not one to be comfortable with silence, Ben cleared his throat, shuffling his feet a bit. "I should probably go fetch our stuff. I left it behind when Noah went running off... hope it's still there." He should ask her to accompany him, shouldn't he? It would be polite... and it would certainly put off the tantrum that Ben was already expecting. "You and Porthos can come too, if you'd like."

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