Rosalind Rookwood (espionne) wrote in an_ill_wind, @ 2009-07-12 23:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | - 1980/07 july, daniel wilkes, rosalind rookwood |
WHO: Dan Wilkes and Rosalind Jugson
WHEN: Sunday, 12 July 1980 (afternoon)
WHERE: Diagon Alley
WHAT: Chance run-in of friends
RATING: Low
STATUS: Complete log
There were so much to do and so little time, Rosalind thought as she came out of Gringotts. She still had to visit the apothecary and Madam Primpernelle's beauty shop. Thankfully she didn't have to stop by Madam Malkin's store; she'd owled her earlier that day and had learned that her order from Paris hadn't come in yet. She wondered if she'd been right to have it delivered; she would soon return to the French capital for one last fitting of her wedding dress and could have picked it up there herself, after all. If it didn't arrive this week, she'd do exactly that, she decided. She walked down the white stairs from the wizarding bank and, out of habit, scanned the crowd filling Diagon Alley in front of her. She always liked to know her surroundings and who was there, though of course with such a weekend crowd it was difficult. Recognising one of her fellow Death Eater, she smiled and called out, "Dan!" Dan was out and about shopping for things he would need for his next business trip. This time he would be off to India for a second time in his career. He knew how hot that place could get and he was not particularly keen on the native food either. This time he could prepare himself by bringing his own stuff -- stuff that he actually liked and deemed edible. Just as he was about to cross the cobbled stoned street, he heard his name being called out. Immediately he turned in the direction of the voice and scanned the crowd. His eyes settled on the one face he recognized -- Rosalind. He smiled and gave her a wave then began to make his way towards her. "Oi!" He called out in his usual greeting as he approached her. "Haven't seen you in a while... How've ya been?" Rosalind smiled as he made his way towards her. "It has been a while indeed," she agreed. "Wasn't it at Narcissa and Lucius' wedding?" She couldn't remember seeing him since then. Their Lord rarely called meetings, after all, she thought with amusement. "I'm good. Quite busy but that's what I get for planning a wedding in such a short time." She hoped that he wouldn't be hurt that he hadn't been invited; thankfully it seemed that men didn't care about those things as much as women did. "That's right! You're getting married to Rookwood," Dan said, nodding as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I never told you before, but congratulations with that," he said genuinely. It was amazing how many women he was either with or had gone after were all now being claimed by some other bloke. In all honesty, it was quite amusing. "When is the big day?" He asked her curiously. "Thank you. I'll pass on your congratulations to Augustus as well," she said, wondering if her fiancé remembered that she'd once dated Dan Wilkes. It was years ago and hadn't lasted very long, so she guessed that he most probably wouldn't know about it. Looking at Dan now, she thought back on those days, when she'd seen him mostly to placate her mother. She honestly liked him for he was a man of his own mind, doing a job that so few of them dared to do. He was a better friend than date though and she was glad that it was Augustus she was marrying. "It's the first of August, which is why I'm slightly overwhelmed by everything there is to do." Dan remembered those days when he so-called dated Rosalind. She was a nice girl, a pleasure to look at, but not someone he would consider to take things seriously. A shag, of course. Nothing more. "That is coming up quick," he said thinking of the month they were currently in. "Small wedding is it?" He asked her, realizing that he was not invited. Usually these invitations came so early and he always hated having to go. He'd been down on his luck with her as she was old-fashioned and saved herself for her husband. She'd always known that it was why they'd had so few dates, but she hadn't really mind for neither of them had been serious about this, after all. She'd only wanted an escort for social events and to placate her mother, and she might as well get an entertaining one like Dan. Returning her attention to here and now, she nodded in reply to his question, hoping that he wouldn't prove her theory wrong and get as upset as the ladies had. "Yes, we both wanted a small and intimate wedding, which is as well because it was impossible to plan a grand wedding with so little time." Dan didn't care either way, but he would have to thank Rookwood for wanting such a small affair the next time he saw the man. Either he was invited and he had to go or he wasn't invited and could find better use of his time. "That's understandable," he replied honestly. "But to each their own. Sometimes these bigger weddings are only used as a means of social gatherings rather than a celebration," he said with a slight shrug. "Where are you off to?" He asked her, trying to steer the conversation away from marriage -- it most definitely was not his topic of choice. Rosalind agreed with his evaluation of those large weddings' purpose. "Quite true. I was heading to the apothecary next, though I also need to stop by Madam Primpernelle's. And you? We might walk together if we're heading the same way." She was in a good mood, glad that he had proved her theory right. Men were much easier to deal with than women, when it came to planning a wedding, she thought with a grin. Dan looked up and checked the Alley. "I need to go that way too," he said as he nodded in the general direction. "Come Wednesday I'll be off to India on business and I was going to pack some food to bring along," he informed her as they began walking. "Nice place. Terrible food," he added with a smile. Or maybe it just didn't agree with him. Whatever the reason, he wasn't going to eat any native delicacies like last time. They began walking and she looked up at him when he mentioned his upcoming trip. "India? How often have you been there before?" The way he spoke, it wasn't his first trip. "I never get to travel on business, I'll start thinking I picked the wrong career," she joked, amused. While she admired him for choosing a risk-filled job, she couldn't picture herself working with dragons like he did. She liked the adrenaline rush, but she also enjoyed the more cerebral aspect of her investigating job. "I was there last year around this time for about two weeks. Thankfully I'll only be there for one week this time," Dan said as they weaved their way through the crowd of people that had filled Diagon Alley today. "I hate to tell you, but travelling for business is actually fun... You get to see new places, experience new things. You truly don't appreciate home until you've left it though," he said with a smile as he glanced down at her. Rosalind laughed when he teased her with visions of his travels. "You're cruel, that's what you are," she joked. "I'll have to continue to travel for pleasure rather than fun, I'm afraid." She'd be going to Paris soon for her wedding dress fitting, but her next trip after that would be for her honeymoon, she realised, and her smile brightened at the thought. "Do you have other trips planned?" she asked. "I imagine that you're sent elsewhere sometime, not always to India." Dan shoved his hands deep into his pockets, his shoulders shrugging up as he did. "You don't know too far ahead of time. It's usually just a couple of weeks before you go. So I've known about India for about that long now," he explained, occasionally looking over to her as he spoke. "But I've been to plenty of places around the world," he continued and glanced up briefly. "Egypt, Bulgaria, Romania, Indonesia... No place really fun like Italy or Greece." It didn't allow for much long term planning, she thought as they passed a mother trying to soothe her wailing baby. "Do you get special training for those trips?" she asked once they passed them and they could hear each other once more. "I assume that you deal with different breeds of dragons in each place, am I right?" She was amused that he traveled so much for his job that he didn't seem to want to do so on his own time and go visit Italy or Greece, for example. "Don't you travel for leisure as well?" she couldn't help but ask, in the end. "Well, to be a Dragon Keeper you should have special training in general. To know all the different dragons you encounter, you need special training. The first few times you travel you accompany a more experienced Keeper, then it's off on your own," Dan explained. He loved talking about his work and if someone was willing to ask him questions, he was willing to answer them. "There's no time for leisure," he said with a bright smile. "Besides, I enjoy my job too much to want to take a leave." Just as he finished the phrase, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Rosalind's arm and pulled her forcefully towards him as a man carrying a stack of books nearly crashed into her. Rosalind was naturally curious - it was necessary for what she did, after all - and she loved to learn more about his job. As long as he answered, she'd gladly keep on asking questions. She was already thinking of her next one when he suddenly grabbed her and pulled her out of harm's way. She was shocked at first and was about to protest when she saw the man blinded by his high-piled books. "Thank you," she said instead as she regained her balance. "What a lunatic," she added as she watched the man, who'd finally crashed into someone behind them. Dan had pulled Rosalind so close to him that her body ended up crashing into his. After the man had passed, he immediately let go and continued walking. "You're welcome," he said with a slight smile. "Some bloody people," he muttered, shaking his head as they pressed on. He suddenly looked back when he heard the flutter of pages fly through the air and a woman yelling frantically. He laughed at the sight and turned back around again. "I would do more than just yell," he mused. "So would I," Rosalind agreed, shaking her head at the man. She'd checked her state of dress after regaining balance and she had to hurry to catch up with Dan who'd already kept on walking. "It's a good thing that I wasn't carrying packages yet," she mentioned, thinking how angry she'd have been if she'd already been to the apothecary and had dropped and broken phials when the man almost crashed into her. It wasn't worth wasting time on it though, and so she went back to their previous conversation. "Where were we? Oh, yes, your travels and how you enjoy your job too much to want to take a leave. Don't you ever take a few days off, though?" Dan returned his focus back to their previous conversation. "On a rare occasion. I don't work most nights, so I usually just go out then and have some fun," he said with a sly grin as he dodged a couple of kids running towards him. "I'll have one day to myself while in India. I guess that can be counted as a day off." She sidestepped to avoid the kids, smiling at their obvious excitement. Remembering her colleague's entry in his journal about his son beginning Hogwarts this year, she wondered if Williamson was here with his own son. He was a good Auror, efficient, who'd never showed any sympathy for the resistance, and she'd put in a good word for him to Rodolphus, after his work on the Jones' murder. With the DMLE reshuffling in the work, it was time to pass on what info she had on her colleagues to her cousin. It was her day off and she shouldn't think of work on such a day, she reminded herself, returning her attention to her companion. "Your schedule is as bad as mine, if not worse," she commented, amused. If she added their work for the Dark Lord on top of his other engagements, he certainly didn't enjoy much free time. "What do you do on those precious rare days off, then? Enjoy a game of Quidditch with my cousin, maybe?" Knowing her cousin's passion for the game, she was quite certain that he'd taken his good friend to a few games, at the very least. Dan somehow was able to not only work, but carry out any tasks the Death Eaters required of him, juggle women and sleep -- sometimes all in one day. He enjoyed living life fast, but sometimes he wondered when things would slow down. In one way, he didn't want things to slow down, but another part of him wouldn't mind it. Maybe when he met the right girl... Then again, he wasn't looking in the right places for her. "It depends. You know me, I'm the get up and go type. If I feel like doing something, I'll go out and do it. Spontaneity keeps things exciting," he said as he glanced over at her, flashing her a smile. "Quidditch is always a possibility too." "I do know you, yes," Rosalind said, grinning at his very apt self-description. She was the opposite; spontaneity could blow her cover more effectively than most anything. She had to think things through all the time, to evaluate consequences, to plan her next move. She could relax more in her personal life, of course, but she'd never be a spontaneous witch in Dan's fashion. It simply wasn't in her nature. What they did have in common, apart from their service for the Cause, was an interest in Quidditch, and so she went on with that. "When was your last Quidditch game, by the way? It's been too long since I was able to go to one, I must admit." Dan didn't answer right away as he had to think about when was the last time he saw a Quidditch match. He kept up with the scores in the Daily Prophet, reading the articles to find out who was being traded or picked up. However, he rarely made it to the actual pitch. "I'm not exactly sure," he finally replied after a moment's hesitation. In all honesty, he would very much like to go and soon. "Oi!" He suddenly burst out as he nudged Rosalind rather hard with excitement. "Why not you and me go?" He suggested. The nudge surprised Rosalind, who hadn't expected it, and she leaned to the side under his soft blow. "Together?" She hadn't think of it. "It would have to be after the wedding, as I don't have a minute to myself until then. I would love to catch a game and I'm sure that Augustus would as well," she said. She was an independent witch, but she was also about to get married; if she wanted to go with her fiancé more than with anyone else, could anyone blame her? "Sure, why not!" Dan replied rather nonchalantly with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He wasn't asking her out on a date, just a day at the pitch to watch Quidditch. They both enjoyed the sport, so they should be able to go together without any worries. "Yeah, yeah... After the wedding," he said, waving his hand dismissively. He didn't understand what it took to plan a wedding -- Rosalind should still have time to see a match, or so he thought. When he glanced across the street, he spotted the store that he needed to stop in to. "Oi, Rosalind... This is my stop," he said with a smile. "We'll catch up when I get back from India, savvy?" Rosalind wanted Augustus to come with them because she enjoyed spending time with him, not to squash gossip, but it would take care of that as well, which was a good benefit. "I look forward to it," she said honestly. They had reached his destination though and she smiled back as he said his goodbyes. "It was good seeing you, Dan. Take care in India." |