Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Hey, Sonny-boy!"

cc_boots (cc_boots) wrote in charing_cross,
@ 2009-03-26 18:33:00

Entry tags:

! complete, ! public, * 2003: 03/march, - thread, character: dean thomas, character: dennis creevey, character: harry potter, character: lavender brown, character: neville longbottom, character: ron weasley, character: terry boot, npc: ben boot, npc: gareth boot, npc: maddie boot, retired character: cho chang, retired character: linden stebbins, retired character: roger davies, retired character: seamus finnigan

RP: Obscurus Books Presents
Date: 26 March 2003 (through early Thursday morning likely)
Characters: Everyone who'd like to come, plus various NPCs! Children Welcome! Add your tags!
Location: Obscurus Books & Cafe
Private/Public: Public as public can be!
Warnings: PG to start, if things get kinky, please use the subject line of the first comment to rate appropriately!
Summary: Just another day at Obscurus Books, until the storm hits and traps people inside.

Gareth looked around the bookshop with pride. Children were sitting enthralled by Marigold and her husband as they performed flashy magic tricks. Logan was hosting a small cooking class, teaching everyone from housewives to retired Unspeakables (though Gareth though it was highly unlikely that there were actually such a thing as retired Unspeakables) how to bake enchiladas. His Maddie was graciously signing copies of her latest best-seller Emerald Isle, and open mike poetry night would start in a half hour, followed by a rousing karaoke contest. All in all, Thursday was shaping up to be a wonderful, and profitable, night for Obscurus Books.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-27 11:13 pm UTC (link)

"That sounds good, I like history. Mostly biographies and such. Never read Historical fiction, but that could be interesting. Has to be better than reading 'Death on The Nile' for the 5th time."

He picked it up and scanned the jacket. "Think I might like this, thanks."

"Oh, sorry. My manners. I'm Neville Longbottom. But I am being rude. You probably want to read in peace. But thanks for the recommendation. Only one of my friends is a big reader and she's not her, so I appreciate it."

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-28 11:11 am UTC (link)

"Historical fiction takes a lot of research for a story. Might as well right a nonfiction work to go along with it, you know?" Linden answered with a smile. Gosh, this bloke was easily as timid-seeming as Linden was, and for whatever reason, that made all the difference. No red cheeks, no stuttering, no looking at the floor. Linden wished he could behave like this all the time.

Extending his hand, Linden smiled. "Linden Stebbins," he answered. "And you're not bothering me at all. In fact, I just got here and haven't the slightest idea about what I wanted to read myself," he explained. So no, this wasn't an intrusion at all.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-28 01:48 pm UTC (link)

"That makes sense, I never thought about it like that."

Neville shook Linden's hand. "That's nice to know." He looked at the book, deciding he would buy it. "I'm going to get this, probably shouldn't, it's not like I don't have things to read. But they're still in boxes."

"Think I even have one on Rasputin, Mad Monk, Wily Wizard, or something like that. I may not have the title right. My memory leaves a lot to be desired." And that was something that woud never fail to embarass him as Linden couldn't be that much older than himself, but Neville didn't remember him from school.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-28 02:05 pm UTC (link)

"Did you just move?" Linden asked when Neville mentioned the boxes. Then, of course, he was sorry he asked. It wasn't really any of his business, was it? Neville and he had just met. Oh, for Merlin's sake, why was he messing up and asking really forward questions when he'd met the first person that hadn't intimidated him in perhaps years?

Changing the topic in what he hoped was a smooth transition, Linden decided to stick to topics that would make him seem less nosy. Because he wasn't! Not really.

"Well, book titles aren't always the easiest things to remember," he told Neville. Linden had forgotten lots of book titles in his day. Unless it was a real standout, it got filed in perhaps the very back part of Linden's brain, likely never to return to the conscious level again.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-28 02:25 pm UTC (link)

Neville laughed somewhat sheepishly. "Not just. More like 6 or 7 weeks ago. Still haven't unpacked the last boxes." He shook his head, "so yeah, you're probably think you're talking to someone who's a mess, can't say I blame you if you do."

He smiled at Linden letting him save face. He was pretty nice he thought, maybe if they met again they could be friends.

"No, at least not for me. But Harry and Ron would tell you most things aren't unless it's related to plants. That's what I do, landscaping."

Linden seemed to know a lot about books, so Neville wondered, "Forgive me for asking, probably rude, but do you work in publishing. I got the impression you like books a lot too."

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-28 02:38 pm UTC (link)

Well, that was nothing. It wasn't like Linden and Roger were the neatest housekeepers ever, so he waved his hand. "Eh, it's not been a year. I think you're safe," he answered with a grin. Of course, now Neville could think he was a slob, but Linden didn't really mind. He was pretty neat, and he preferred things clean, but he wasn't necessarily perfect. No one was. It was nothing to get alarmed about.

"Landscaping seems fascinating," Linden answered. "But I'm afraid I'd be bollocks at it." Linden was oddly bad at Herbology as far as Hufflepuffs went. Not that it had mattered, because he'd more than made up for it in Charms.

When Neville asked if Linden were in the publishing industry, Linden laughed. "Oh, no. I work for the Floo Network Authority. I just like to read," he answered. He hoped he hadn't come across as a know-it-all or anything of the sort!

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-28 03:36 pm UTC (link)

"True, and compared to the old Gryffindor dorm, it's postively tidy." Not that Neville was a slob, far from it due to Gran, but he really needed to get around to unpacking the few boxes left in the spare bedroom.

He grinned, "Don't know if it's fascinating, but I like it. Good thing too, since the only NEWTS I got were in Herbology, Charms and Defense." And he was feeling at ease talking to Linden, which was odd. Aside from Charlie it usually took him longer to feel comfortable talking rather than just listening.

"Nothing wrong with that, reading's good. Wish I had more people to talk to about books and all." Oh and did that sound bad, like he was hinting he'd like to talk to Linden more or that his friends were idiots.

"I mean Harry and Ron and the rest are really brilliant, they just don't like to read much. I'd just bore them if I started talking about the book I read that compared the muggle myth of Dracula and how that started to the realities." And he should just shut up now, he thought before he bored Linden too.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-29 10:08 am UTC (link)

"Well, put five boys in a room and it's near impossible not to have a mess, yeah?" Linden asked. His dorm in Hufflepuff had been the same way, with Linden's bed actually being one of the neater areas. Not that he'd have won any cleanliness awards, of course, but it was something.

"Charms was my best subject," Linden answered. He was obviously talented in the area, which is how he'd gotten his current job. He supposed that he could find a desk job if he wanted to, but it would be pretty boring, he suspected. It was far more interesting to work in an environment where he was using his skills, even if it meant he was often sweaty and dirty.

"Same here, really," Linden answered, not thinking about the pitfalls of that comment as Neville had done. Perhaps Neville was simply a nicer person, but Linden would have never considered that he'd made his friends sound stupid by such a comment. It was just the truth.

Was Linden bored with Neville? Not at all. "Really? What book was it?" he asked curiously.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-29 03:41 pm UTC (link)

Neville laughed. "That's certain."

"My second best, or maybe it was tied with Defense. Guess not since I had to work harder at that." And if he hadn't had Harry teaching him in 5th year, he'd doubeted he'd been as good at that either.

"You'd have to be though, right. Your job must require a lot of skill."

"The Historians Guide to..." Neville shook his head. "American publisher I think, there are three that I know of, maybe more. All start of with that and then to Vlad the Impaler, for that one. Mainly they debunk the myths of both Muggle and Magical worlds regarding figures that straddled both worlds. Like Merlin for instance...Muggles know about him from the King Arthur stories, but not everything." Neville hadn't read that one either, but he might want too. He'd have to write Gertie about getting him a copy.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-29 07:23 pm UTC (link)

Linden just nodded, unsure of what to say about the order of his classes. He supposed he knew which ones he had been particularly bad at, but who didn't.

"Well, maybe a little. I just make sure people can floo all right," Linden answered modestly. And it was sincere, too, he supposed, because he was of the mindset that most people could do his job, though some better than others. He happened to be pretty good at it.

"Oh, that sounds really interesting. Do you happen to know the titles, then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Now that would be worth reading this evening. He'd just need to find a quiet corner. . . eventually, of course. Linden was enjoying talking for a change.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-29 07:29 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah, it does. Was too busy working my way through a series of novels to get around to them right then."

Neville smiled. "No, but I'll write Gertie, my friend in California and get her to send me them. And loan them to you, of course."

Neville grinned nervously. "Would you want to maybe get together now and then and trade books and then talk about them. Don't have to, if you don't want, obviously, but if you did we could."

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-29 07:46 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, which ones are you reading?" Linden asked. Not that he'd read tons of series, but perhaps he'd at least heard about it. Linden didn't know why he'd never much taken to books that had one after another of the same characters, but it didn't appeal to him too much. Perhaps he just wanted the freedom to read books in any order he pleased, and a series required a certain pattern in order to make sense.

"That would be great. Thank you so much!" Linden exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'd like that, actually," Linden answered with a smile. Between Neville and Terry, Linden was picking up reading buddies left and right. Perhaps they should start their own group!

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-29 07:53 pm UTC (link)

Neville was a little sheepish, he wasn't sure what most people in the Wizarding world thought of Muggle mystery novels. "They're by an Author named Agatha Christie. Not really series I guess, since they're not continuations of the same story, but she has 2 different detectives. Muggle books, by the way. Anyway, my favourite is an elderly lady who solves the crimes by her observations of human behaviour."

"Good, when Gertie sends them to me, I'll let you know"

Neville grinned. "Brilliant, just owl me when you want to meet, or I can owl you, if that would be okay?"

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-30 08:58 pm UTC (link)

Linden had never heard of Agatha Christie, but it sounded interesting enough. "You don't have to read them order, you said?" he asked curiously. Well, that made it all the better. Perhaps he could deal with the same characters over and over. While not much of a mystery reader, Linden supposed he could give it a try.

"Sure, that's fine. . . either way," Linden answered, nodding.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_neville
2009-03-30 09:39 pm UTC (link)

"No and there are some stand alones. In fact the best one she wrote is one. It's called 'And Then There Were None'; 10 people on an island with no way off. Murdered one by one, all of them. So the question is, who killed them if they were all murdered and the only ones on the island?"

Neville loved that book, even if he did have it figured out a third of the way in. "Can loan it to you if you like but if it's not your cup of tea, I understand. They're kind of frivolous.

He grinned. "Yeah? I'll owl you then." And he should be getting back to Harry and Ron soon he thought, before they came looking for him.

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Re: Linden and Neville

cc_linden
2009-03-31 07:49 pm UTC (link)

Huh. That would, indeed, seem like something Linden would enjoy. "Sure, that sounds great," he answered. He was going to be getting a lot of books from Neville, it seemed. Linden only hoped he wasn't being too demanding, even if Neville had offered. It just seemed so take, take, take.

"Wonderful, thanks!" Linden exclaimed. He didn't really have anyone to go find, so his idea was to find an open chair. . . somewhere and read. There just weren't many available seats tonight.

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