Sturgis Podmore: Closet Masochist (scantron) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2009-07-24 17:58:00 |
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As he stepped inside Terrortours, located so conveniently between Brogan's Cordwainery and Second-hand Robes, Aeneas Nott realised at once exactly why he had never before been inside the shop before and why he would never again come inside the shop. He only hoped that he wouldn't catch something. However, he had told Karkaroff ages ago that he would look into this Podmore, and while he very easily could have had any of the other Death Eaters do it, now that he had some time, he actually wanted to. Being the Minister certainly had its perks, and one of them was the reaction he received from people. Not to mention he trusted his own ability to read people much better than he did many of the younger Death Eaters. "Mr. Podmore," he greeted as the door shut behind him and the two Law Enforcement Squad members, his security detail in instances like these, stood behind him. They were, in all honesty, just for appearances, since Aeneas Nott likely knew just as much about incapacitating a person (and had more experience than they knew), but appearances were still important in the Ministry, at least for the time being. "Good afternoon." Sturgis had been half-hidden inside a filing cabinet, turned away from the front door of the shop when the bell dinged, alerting him that someone had just walked into the travel agency. Zimbabwe. Why was someone trying to arrange a trip to somewhere in the Zs? They weren't allowed to leave the country; this was a waste of his time, and digging in the very back of the bottom drawer required a limberness that Sturgis Podmore did not have. He heard his name, though, and wondered if he'd forgotten about an appointment. "I'll be with you in just...one...moment," Sturgis finished digging, pulling himself out of the drawer and slamming it shut with his foot as he rolled backwards on his chair toward the front counter, spinning to face the door as he rode the wheeled stool across the floor. "Now what can I do for you today...?" He started to ask, only to look up in a moment of shock when it was Aeneas Flapjackin' Nott standing in front of him. Sturgis jumped to his feet -- the chair continuing to roll across the floor until a set of drawers on the other side of the area stopped it -- immediately holding his hand out to shake Nott's. He hoped that outwardly he gave off the impression that he was merely startled by the Minister of Magic standing before him and not because Sturgis was well aware of Mr. Nott's sadistic pastimes. "Welcome to Terror Tours, Minister Nott, and good afternoon! Are you and the Mrs. looking to take a holiday?" Aeneas glanced down quickly at Sturgis' hand and instead of taking it, he simply nodded. It would not do to catch anything, after all, when he had a very young child at home. Even with gloves on it was best not to touch the commoner. Even if his wife worked for the Ministry, which was slightly better, he did work in a shop, after all. "Perhaps," he replied. "Mrs. Nott would like to take a holiday to the seaside," he explained, knowing full well that they had a seaside home, but that would eventually be their primary home - or it would when he got around to fixing the wards. For the time being he was more than content to live in Lestrange Manor, even with the high tensions between the women. It was not any of his concern - they were merely women's troubles. "I regularly tend toward vacationing abroad, however, since being elected," he added an extra emphasis on the word, "I do not know if it is such a good idea, especially in my first year of office." He eyed Podmore. "Have you any suggestions for a seaside retreat?" Sturgis pulled his hand back after a few seconds, instead running his hand through his hair on the sly as if that's what he'd meant to do all along. He listened intently, running down the list of places they had agreements with on the coast, while also taking care to remember as many details of this as possible so that he could report to the Order later. "Oh, you bet we do, sir. We've got some of the most beautiful coastline in the world right here in the UK; there's no reason to ever go anywhere else." "Brighton's one of our most popular spots this season," Sturgis rattled off, fishing travel guides out of a filing cabinet off to the side, laying each one face up so that Aeneas would be able to see the pictures of the locations as Sturgis explained the benefits of each one. "Maybe too popular, though." Sturgis silently hoped that the Minister would choose to go there anyway as a way to 'reach out to the public.' Brighton had a very large, very loud homosexual population, and Sturgis hoped that maybe running into some p.d.a. would cause his head to combust on itself, leaving the Order with one less death eater to fight. "If surf and turf is what you and your family would like, Newquay has seven excellent and gorgeous beaches and something for everyone." He paused, and tapped his finger against his chin for a moment as if trying to "read" Aeneas's character. "I think you and Mrs. Nott would enjoy something a little more... posh, though, yes? I think you'd enjoy St. Ives. Aside from the water, they have art galleries and high end tea shops and restaurants, and some of the Inns come highest recommended in all of England." Aeneas smoothed the front of his robes, pretending to be interested in what this Podmore had to say. He heard the words Brighton - most definitely not. He supposed it didn't matter much which he asked about, since he had no plans to actually book a trip, but he still very much did not want to give the impression he would be all right with a place so... common. Muggle studies had been his best subject in school - much to the surprise of many - and he kept up with current events well enough still to know of the alternative lifestyle there. This was still England and he would not tolerate that sort of indecency on his holiday with family. "Certainly not Brighton," he informed the hairy man. "Which would you prefer, Mr. Podmore? Were you and your wife to go on holiday this summer when she has some days off, where would you rather go?" A perfectly innocent question, under normal circumstances, and a question that Sturgis usually had no problem answering. HOWEVER. This was the Minister of Magic, and the Minister of Magic was a Death Eater, and considering his wife worked for the Minister, he had no desire to let him in on where they may or may not be going on holiday. Holidays were for relaxing, not for Big Brother keeping tabs on your whereabouts. "You know, sir, that's a great question," he tried to stall for time. "Probably Newquay. I'm a big beach guy," Sturgis replied jovially. He hoped that Nott wasn't going to follow up on that to make sure that's where they vacationed, or else Sturgis would need to take swimming lessons asap. "Too bad you couldn't bring her along with you today," he motioned to the law enforcement officers Nott had brought with him. One of them looked vaguely familiar. "Hey Joe," he said before turning his attention back to the Minister. "I'll put the Brighton info away then! To be honest? Don't blame you there. Brighton's pretty loud." Aeneas gave a slight nod to show that he acknowledged the man, then resumed the line of questioning that Sturgis had tried to steer away from. Sturgis had done it naturally enough that Aeneas assumed him to just be an annoying salesman, but he hadn't come to really buy a trip, he came to intimidate the man. "How about the Lake Country, then? My wife enjoys the seaside but I spent many summers in the Lake Country as a boy. Does your wife enjoy it, or does the Ministry not give her enough time off?" |