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Terence Higgs (terence_higgs) wrote in tinworth,
@ 2009-11-06 17:45:00

Entry tags:

!complete, character: padma patil, place: private residence, place: tinworth

Characters: Padma Patil, Terence Higgs
Locale: the Higgs family home; specifically the garden, Tinworth
Date: After work, November 6, 2003
Warnings? Terence attempts to discuss philosophy--the world may come to an end.

The grounds surrounding Terence's parents' home were wholly taken up by gardens, reflecting his mother's interest in herbology. Terence wasn't particularly enamored of gardening, but in his mother's absence the various magical and mundane plants did require some care. Mrs. Higgs might have hired someone to take care of the property while she and Terence's father were on holiday, but instead she had left the gardens in her son's hands.

That Terence's hands were even slightly capable was in no small part thanks to the Pureblood tradition of homeschooling. Faced with a rambunctious and hyperactive little boy underfoot each and every day, Mrs. Higgs had found that garden chores were an excellent way to keep her only son occupied and--more or less--out of mischief.

The same principle held true now that Terence was--arguably--an adult. His former hobbies off-limits due to the constraints of his parole, caring for the garden was one way to use up excess energy and combat boredom. Most evenings found him outdoors, tackling one chore or another. This evening he was in the midst of one of his childhood favorites.

Terence stood poised behind a shrub, eyes on a small burrow a few feet away. As he watched, a light brown little creature with a lumpy, potato-ish head ventured out, peering curiously this way and that. With a grin and a quiet "a-hah!" of triumph, Terence pounced, grabbing the gnome by the ankles. He swung the gnome around--once, twice, three times--then lobbed it over the front gate.

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tothewildforest
2009-11-12 09:57 pm UTC (link)

With only Tilly for company, Padma found that her afternoon walks were becoming longer, her route more circuitous, almost as though she were avoiding going home. What she had expected when she decided to move in with Theodore she did not know, though she suspected Robinswood could not be faulted for her discontent. She simply did not have enough to do, not after years of scrambling from one project to another, bound to the whim of her eccentric patroness and her innumerable passions. Padma had meant to divide her time now between writing of her own and the little translations that came her way, but she doing very little of either.

It was a sorry thing to have sacrificed busy for bored.

Broke suddenly from her musings by an uncommon sound, Padma looked up just in time to let out a little yelp and scramble out of the way of a small bodied something catapulted from the garden on her right.

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terence_higgs
2009-11-12 10:24 pm UTC (link)

It was only natural to follow the trajectory of the gnome to see where it landed (and to see if the little fellow happened to bounce a time or two!) Terence's eyes widened in surprise when a woman appeared right in the path of his garden-pest-missile.

"Heads up!" he shouted, belatedly, as it turned out but at least she'd seen the gnome and ducked out of the way. Terence grinned; the gnome had bounced, and the woman was attractive.

Very attractive, now that he was paying attention, and exotic-looking too, at least by Cornwall standards.

"So sorry to have startled you. I was just doing a bit of de-gnoming; didn't realize anyone was about," he explained, taking a risk that she was a witch. If not he'd just claim she'd misunderstood him.

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tothewildforest
2009-11-12 10:37 pm UTC (link)

It seemed Padma was meeting wizards in every corner of Tinworth, which was a comfort and a curse. Those she did not know, and those that did not know her, were often more welcome than school friends and acquaintances. She'd had her fair share of askance looks for how she spent her time and who with.

Her look was a startled one, but not displeased, as she nodded in greeting over the garden gate.

"Both sport and chore, it seems," she observed as the creature stumbled off, too disoriented to find its way home. She suspected that was the point.

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terence_higgs
2009-11-12 11:39 pm UTC (link)

Terence chuckled as the gnome staggered to its tiny feet, shaking its great lump of a potato-head in confusion. The little creatures always seemed to wander back within a few days. Gardening was nothing if not repetitive.

"As chores go it's one of the more playful options," he agreed, strolling over to lean against the fence and smile down at her. Good manners would indicate that this was the time for an exchange of introductions. Terence didn't offer his name; as previously mentioned, the young witch was exceptionally pretty. No need to frighten her off just yet.

"Do you mean to say you've never given it a try?"

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tothewildforest
2009-11-13 03:57 am UTC (link)

The streets of Berlin had prepared Padma for conversations that seemed to spring from nothing, for the unexpected. She did not recognize the wizard, but she was eager to make the acquaintance of all of the magical folk in Tinworth.

"I have not," she admitted simply, though she made no judgment, nothing to indicate that this was not exactly what qualified as a proper chore in the Patil household. "Perhaps my father avoids them, using greenhouses instead of the open air."

Ammamma's garden was no doubt overrun, but Padma was sure there was nothing that happened to dwell or grow there that her grandmother would consider a pest or weed.

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terence_higgs
2009-11-13 04:21 am UTC (link)

"I doubt a greenhouse would be very attractive to gnomes. Too confining," Terence theorized. He stooped, picked up a small pebble, and tossed it toward another of the curious creatures who'd popped up from its burrow to see what all the commotion was about. The gnome scampered across the garden, dodging between cabbages, and disappeared behind a shrub. Terence chuckled as he watched it go.

"Just visiting Tinworth, or do you live here?" he asked, no less curious than the gnomes.

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	tothewildforest 2009-11-13 11:37 pm UTC (link)
	The question did not catch Padma utterly off guard, but her glance at the wizard was a sharp one. Surely she had seen him somewhere before? Hogwarts, perhaps. "What would tempt a visitor to Tinworth?" She asked, more interested in the answer to her own question than in answering his. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	terence_higgs 2009-11-14 12:58 am UTC (link)
	Apparently she was just as disinclined to give out personal information as he. Exotic and mysterious... Tinworth had never seen the like. "The salt air, the peace and quiet," Terence said promptly, a little lilt of mockery coloring the list. "I've been told the fresh seafood alone is worth a visit." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	tothewildforest 2009-11-14 04:25 pm UTC (link)
	Padma was shamed, then, for the thought that she preferred the peace of her grandmother's garden in Kottayam, and the scents of spice and heat. Was this all she had to hope for? To love Theodore was not exactly easy, even he could not instill in her a love of English winter. How foul her mood was today. "And is that why you live here?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

terence_higgs
2009-11-14 05:10 pm UTC (link)

There seemed to be an undercurrent of discontent in her line of questioning, reminding Terence that it was possible to carry one's prison about within the confines of one's own skull. That he'd once felt that way himself was nothing more than a dim memory--nothing like a few years in a real prison as a cure for ennui.

"Surely your options aren't limited to the wastes of Cornwall?" It was Terence's turn to ignore her question in favor of asking one of his own.

"It's not as if our kind are constrained by geography. Pinch of floo powder or take a turn on your heel," he snapped his fingers, "and off you go."

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	tothewildforest 2009-11-15 06:39 pm UTC (link)
	Nodding, Padma's smile expressed some small relief. "Because we are at liberty to travel as we do, where we choose to make our homes means something more, does it not?" Philosophy was as fine of an art as poetry, sometimes. "We are called to the places that shelter and sustain us." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

terence_higgs
2009-11-15 09:36 pm UTC (link)

Terence couldn't recall very many philosophical discussions in his lifetime, and certainly never one with an attractive young witch. The stranger was proving to be more and more of a novelty as the moments ticked by.

"The choice isn't always ours to make," he said carelessly.

"But to answer your question, I suppose for me, Tinworth is as good a place as any to call home. For now."

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	tothewildforest 2009-11-16 03:52 am UTC (link)
	Padma's gloved hands found her collar, pulling it firmly closed against the wind that whipped unexpectedly up the path she'd followed. "For now for me, as well," she answered with a little smile before the hand that clutched at her throat extended politely. "Padma Patil." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

terence_higgs
2009-11-16 11:13 pm UTC (link)

He tutted, a quiet little sound of disapproval accompanied by a hint of a pout as her introduction put an end to their game--for that was how Terence had perceived the interaction.

Did formal etiquette ever address the issue of a lady unwittingly offering her hand to one whom she might well find repugnant? Fortunately for Padma, Terence was more than capable of improvisation. Before her hand could languish for too long in its extended, unclasped state, he had encircled it with his own in an elaborate gesture as he sketched a bow worthy of any courtier of Elizabeth I. Acknowledgment without physical contact; Terence was extremely pleased with his little act of chivalry.

"A pleasure, Miss Patil. Terence Higgs," he introduced himself, a teasing glint in his eyes.

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tothewildforest
2009-11-16 11:56 pm UTC (link)

"Oh," was all Padma managed, coloring in a fashion that was now as rare to her as it had once been common. Her hand hung in the air like a startled rabbit caught in a trap, dropping limp to her side after an uncomfortable moment. Horrors far greater than a paroled Death Eater had she faced, but it had been a very long time, Terence's freedom alone affirmed that.

Straightening, Padma's posture showed only a little the tremor she felt at remaining where she was. Curiosity was a sturdy backbone.

"Have I anything to fear from you, Mister Higgs?"

Her tone suggested that she suspected she did not, if only for the hit wizards she knew must be someplace nearby. All the same, her years with the historian wanted for a forthright response, whatever it might be. Stories were made in wickedness and uncertainty more than they were in purity of spirit, before Zelma, even, Padma had known that.

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	terence_higgs 2009-11-17 12:29 am UTC (link)
	"I'd imagine not. You dodged my best gnome attack, after all," Terence deadpanned. He really ought to feel guilty for enjoying the flush that coloured her cheeks. The smile he offered Miss Patil as he went back to lounging at his ease against the garden gate was utterly unrepentant. (Reply to this) (Parent)

tothewildforest
2009-11-17 03:08 pm UTC (link)

Well, he was certainly shameless for someone who had spent years in Azkaban. Though, Padma supposed, even the smallest pleasures would warrant such a response if one had been jailed several years of what might otherwise have been a fruitful youth. She did not overmuch appreciate the look he gave her, but she did not know what to make of his displays of chivalry or humor, either.

Padma was not afraid of him, not now, but was not sure she liked him, either.

"Well, now I suppose I better understand what choices you are and are not allowed to make regarding your living situation."

She paused, and there was Zelma again, over her shoulder.

"Many things are decided for you?"

Perhaps had always been.

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	terence_higgs 2009-11-17 10:48 pm UTC (link)
	Her line of questioning elicited a stubborn flare of pride, even the slightest hint of pity an affront. "Not nearly so many things as when I was in prison," Terence said in that same careless, faintly mocking tone. "I pray you not be too concerned for my living situation, Miss Patil. I am not the one unhappy in Tinworth." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tothewildforest
2009-11-17 11:56 pm UTC (link)

"No, indeed," Padma answered calmly. She was reminded of a particularly difficult witch Zelma had hounded for months for an account of her time living under the Imperius curse. The witch had refused every reasonable question, convinced of Zelma's motives before the historian could even begin to work. Padma knew that Zelma's curiosity was pure and without judgment, for if they were a gray place to walk between the good and evils of the world, Zelma settled herself on a sofa and put her feet up in it.

She could not claim the same for herself. Dreams of glory or power had never sustained her, and even knowing better the motivations of Ignatius Nott to preserve a dying culture, nothing could for Padma excuse the horrors of the war, willful acts of hatred against another person.

"I shall leave you to your gardening, then."

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