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Tweak says, "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra"

Cormac McLaggen (macmclaggen) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2015-01-07 19:31:00

Entry tags:

character: cormac mclaggen, character: theodore nott

RP: Post-run cool down
Who: Mac + OPEN
What: Cormac went for a run, now he's at the Fountain cooling down.
Where: the Fountain in Monument Alley
When: Wednesday evening
Rating: SFW (will change if it changes)

It was cold out, but Mac liked running in the cold. He'd started out at a jog, down Monument Alley, through Diagon, and out into Muggle London. He'd found an open park and run hard for an hour before heading back to the Leaky Cauldron and through the magical wall. He jogged down Diagon and back down Monument, passing his shop and coming to a stop at the Fountain, turned off thanks to the weather. He stretched and watched his breath condense in the air. Standing up straight he ran his hands up and down his arms, his sweatshirt doing a good job of keeping the chill off him but his post-run high was wearing off faster than he liked.

Jogging in place he shadow boxed, ignoring the evening shoppers scurrying around him, nothing on his mind but the sound of his heart beat in his ear. He hadn't been flying in ages and sometimes found that physical exertion found almost match the high he used to feel. He'd started to feel out of shape as the winter had descended on London, and had decided that a night run might be just the kick in the pants he'd need. Slowing down again, leaning down to stretch and feeling his breathing regulate, he new that whatever this feeling was - running hadn't helped.

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nottfinished
2015-01-11 03:41 am UTC (link)

ooc: hope it's okay I took this hun, lmk if there's a problem :)

Theo was wrapped up warm in a coat and scarf and still shivering as he walked home. He'd spent some time at Finnigan's pretending that he was being sociable so that he could tell his therapist he'd done his homework even though he hadn't actually. He felt guilty about it but he managed to tell himself that because it was winter and his mood was pretty low naturally anyway he could give himself a break.

Just for now.

He kept his head down and let the walk warm him up a little, although he kept his damaged left hand in his pocket and warm, knowing that his nerve damage meant that he wouldn't feel it very well if it got cold. He didn't expect to come across anyone the way he did, but when he heard the sound of someone breathing heavily he paused and looked up, catching sight of someone by the fountain leaning down and immediately getting worried.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, coming in closer but shifting his wand in his right hand, just in case.

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macmclaggen
2015-01-13 03:44 am UTC (link)

ooc: totally fine, of course!

Cormac looked up, straightening his body as he did, but his breathing didn't slow any just yet. Nodding he huffed out, "Yeah," he reached out a hand in greeting, "Just finishing up a run. The cold air, takes me longer to get back to normal," he explained.

"You're um, Nott, right? You were, um," his breathing slowed a bit but his words still came a bit staggered, "couple years below me, right? Cormac," he introduced himself. He recognized the wizard from Slytherin, but hadn't actually known him in school. Then again, Cormac had hardly 'recognized' anyone in school. Girls in short skirts, Oliver Wood on the pitch, Horace Slughorn when he was giving out praise, but unless you'd been down his nose - because that was the only way he looked at anyone in school - he probably hadn't seen you.

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nottfinished
2015-01-15 12:32 pm UTC (link)

Theo's concern faded a little when the person stood, seemingly fine, and he took the offered hand and shook it after pretending that he hadn't flinched from the gesture at first. "Oh, I see." he said, feeling silly now but still pleased that the guy was okay.

He wasn't expecting the man to know his name and indeed it made him grip his wand and step back a little bit - he'd had nothing but bad experiences from people in the street who knew his surname and he was worried about what was coming as he nodded confirmation. The guy gave his name and a memory tugged at Theo's brain, seeing him around but not much more than that. "I'm Theodore." he corrected, hating hearing his surname out loud. "Yeah, I think I was. Sorry for interrupting." He added, indicating their little scene.

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macmclaggen
2015-01-18 05:05 am UTC (link)

Mac's eyebrows went up to his hair line when the smaller man gripped his wand. "Did I... say something?" His hands instinctively went defensive, splayed wide in front of him, but he didn't overtly indicate the wand. "You're not interrupting," he explained.

Cormac smiled, "It's nice seeing someone out here, to be honest, usually when I run I'm just stuck in my head the whole time until I can get home and put the wireless on. I hate listening to my own thoughts most of the time," he shrugged.

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nottfinished
2015-01-18 09:06 pm UTC (link)

"No. Sorry." Theo apologised, resheathing the wand and flicking his hand quickly to obscure it's presence with a spell that was always there for that purpose. "Old habits, ecetera."

He felt bad now that he'd disturbed the man's seemingly peaceful routine, despite the assurance that he wasn't interrupting, but then Cormac mentioned he listened to the wireless to escape his thoughts and that hooked into Theo's attention like bait and a catfish. If there was one thing even an entire childhood of abuse and a spell in the Janus Thickey ward couldn't squash it was Theo's curiosity, and when matters like this were involved even good manners couldn't stand in the way.

"Does that help? Listening to the wireless after going on a run?" he'd never tried the combination, although had done both separately before. He wasn't really the running kind, not with the way his heart didn't beat properly, and even having the wireless on full blast couldn't completely silence the things he heard sometimes; they didn't even have to shout to be overheard.

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macmclaggen
2015-01-19 12:22 am UTC (link)

Cormac smiled then, a slightly sad smile, and nodded, "Yeah, I get that," and continued stretching. He could tell you the moment Theodore seemed to tune into the conversation.

"Well, used to just be able to fly. Don't ever seem to have the time or space these days, though. There's nothing like a real fast, high flight to drown everything out, you know? But without it, it's like... Nothing really works. At least a run tires me out, and the wireless keeps the flat from getting too quiet, but it's still just a wireless instead of another voice, right?"

Shrugging, interrupting the last of his stretches, he added, "Sex helps. Especially of the athletic, noisy kind, it's sort of the best of both worlds, but it's not for everyone." His look turned wry and his dimples showed up, naturally highlighting his impishness.

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nottfinished
2015-01-19 10:30 pm UTC (link)

Theo caught the melancholy in the smile Cormac gave and could have kicked himself for being the cause. He supposed there wasn't anyone left in their year bracket who didn't carry the shadow of the war in some way or another.

He hadn't gone flying for a very long time, and he wasn't sure why. He wasn't even sure where his broom was, although an Accio would probably have it in his hand if he needed it at the last minute; he preferred to have escape routes that were more reliable than accessing flight though, which could have accounted for his lapse in the activity. He struggled to find time for anything that wasn't related to his paranoia, despite what his therapist said.

Drowning everything out sounded nice though.

"Maybe there's a kind of... flying club?" He suggested, although he wasn't sure if he'd heard of any. He'd seen diet clubs and some running groups advertised but no one seemed to think about flying in the same way.

What Cormac said next though hit him like a slap to the face, so sudden that he actually took a half-step back. He went a little white suddenly, unable to help himself when the topic he so thoroughly tried to avoid suddenly loped up and plonked itself right there. Some part of him was pleased to see the sadness disappear in Cormac's wry look but most of him was too busy trying to gather itself. He licked his lips nervously and shrugged, a little startled out of his usual poise. "I suppose." he managed, neither agreement nor denial.

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