InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Baby Got Back!"

Mercedes "Mercy" King (animal_doctor) wrote in indarkness_logs,
@ 2010-10-08 22:00:00

Entry tags:

!complete, 2032 10, mercedes king, severus snape

RP: So, it's not a dream ...
Characters: Mercy, Sev
Time/Date: Evening, October 8
Location: library
Warnings/Rating: None anticipated
Summary: Mercy has concluded this isn't actually a dream
Status: Complete

After the music had died, she'd been pleased. She wasn't sure what she was meant to expect for the following week, and while she'd seen a couple of questionable entries that implied something might be going on, it wasn't anything to affect her.

She also didn't know a lot of people here very well, so it wasn't as though she exactly felt comfortable hitting them up for conversations.

While she'd thought a lot about Severus, she hadn't quite managed to run into him for any extensive period of time. Which, she supposed, was just as well while she was settling in. She'd taken a couple of days to thoroughly explore the island, another couple of days holed up in her room while she gave her sanity serious contemplation, another day or so just wandering around in a daze, and then ... the week was nearly over.

She had met a few people in her wandering. She'd had a decent conversation with a Lily who was a friend of Severus, and who she'd been hard pressed not to badger for information about him. But then, Lily didn't exactly strike her as the sort to spill too much information about another person anyway.

She'd also met Dug, who quickly put an end to the mystery of what dogs would say if they could talk. Strangely enough, it wasn't so very far off from what Mercy had always imagined dogs saying.

Now though, she was done seeking out random people, and she was ready to let random people find her. Carrying her current book in progress to the library, Mercy plopped herself down into a chair and opened up the book. She was fairly certain that she'd be interrupted in no more than ten minutes, and she set the timer on her watch to see if she'd win that bet or not.

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delicate_power
2010-10-09 02:42 am UTC (link)

He should have known better. It was probably the stupidest idea he'd ever had, truth be told. Showing up at her door with a bouquet of conjured roses. He really ought to have his head examined. It was probably just as well that she hadn't been in. He wouldn't have known what to say to her once she'd opened the door anyway.

But he hadn't wanted to offer to get her a coffee, because ... well, since their food and drink here was free, that rather diminished the gesture, didn't it? Whereas flowers were a bit hard to come by on this island. At least the non-magical kind. But conjured flowers he could do. Except ... he really didn't know what he'd been thinking.

After he'd knocked for the second time, and started to feel like a fool standing in the corridor holding a dozen roses, he vanished the flowers and left. It simply hadn't been meant to be. In spite of the kiss to his cheek, which even he wasn't fool enough not to take as a good sign, he simply wasn't any good at this relationship business. He never had been, and he doubted that he ever would be.

Instead of entertaining any silly romantic notions, he headed down to the library, and ... there she was. Well, that explained why she hadn't answered the door, didn't it? He didn't feel quite confident enough to conjure more roses when she might see, but he did feel confident enough to interrupt her reading. Even if he probably would have snapped at anyone who had done the same to him.

He seated himself in the chair nearest hers and quietly cleared his throat to get her attention, if she hadn't already noticed his approach. "Any good?" he asked, nodding toward her book with raised eyebrows.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-09 02:52 am UTC (link)

"Suppose it would depend on your definition of good," she admitted. "The writing's a little choppy, the story is bland, but the kid is interesting enough to keep me reading," she replied with a smile. She did lift the book so he could see the cover; it was a bit of fiction that she'd likely label as a mystery-thriller titled Misery's Eyes. "You can have it when I'm through," she oh-so-generously offered as she tipped him a wink.

All the same, the prospect of conversation was far more interesting than the book ... if only because she'd read a couple just like it when she had trouble falling asleep earlier that week. Some authors could get away with recycling plots, but ... some really couldn't.

"But you seem a tad more interesting than that, so ..." She trailed off and lifted her eyes to him.

She couldn't say she was at all displeased he'd found her. She supposed she may have subconsciously decided to head down here in the hopes of encountering him again, but she wouldn't admit to that. Besides, it was all subconscious, right?

"Unless I'm already interrupting your reading time again?" she prompted with a little smile.

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delicate_power
2010-10-09 03:22 am UTC (link)

Severus chuckled, and he smiled at the wink. That, he imagined, was a good sign as well. "With a glowing review like that, however could I pass it up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The eyebrow arched a bit further when she said he was a tad more interesting. "Only a tad?" he asked then, his smile transforming into a smirk. He, of course, didn't think that he was interesting at all, but if she did, who was he to argue?

"Not at all," he answered, shaking his head, when she asked if she'd interrupted his reading. "I was planning to find another book," he added with a slight shrug. "But I suppose I got sidetracked, as well, by something a tad more interesting." Or someone. And there weren't many people for whom he would forgo reading. She likely didn't realize what a compliment that was just yet, but she would in time.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-09 03:29 am UTC (link)

"Only a tad," she agreed with an impish grin. "I mean, if I said you were by far the most interesting person I'd met on this island, you might get a swelled ego, and who would be to blame when you couldn't fit through the doorways anymore? I don't want to take that fall," she teased him.

With an air of utter innocence, Mercy blinked. "What on Earth could be a tad more interesting than reading?" She did grin a little; he'd turned that right back around on her, hadn't he?

"So what'd you spend the last week doing?" she asked softly. "Me, I spent it figuring out this wasn't a dream, and that I wasn't hallucinating. That I really was kidnapped and people really are stuck here, and now I'm among them. I also met one of the talking animals. Dug? Have you met him? I'm sure he loves you," she continued before she shook her head. "I always wondered what the dogs were thinking. Now I know. The depth of their mind is truly astounding," she added in a faux serious tone.

Not that she was calling Dug dumb, but he did seem to exhibit the thoughts she'd ascribed to various dogs she'd met in her career. They had simple wants, simple desires, and were very eager to please.

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delicate_power
2010-10-09 05:10 am UTC (link)

Severus actually sniggered at that. There was exactly zero chance of his ever developing a swelled ego. Though, actually, if she kept saying things like that, he might. His cheeks began to warm, but he still smiled. "Well, I suppose that I could always expand the doorways so that I could still fit." Which was likely something Mercy wouldn't have thought of, but she wasn't as used to thinking in terms of magic, the way he was.

When she asked what could be more interesting than reading, he very nearly answered 'talking to a beautiful woman, of course', but he hadn't the nerve. "I would have said nothing -- at least up until recently," he finally said. Let her take from that what she would.

"No, I haven't met him," he said with a shake of his head, when she mentioned Dug. Dug ... probably wouldn't love him. Animals didn't tend to like him, as a rule, and he couldn't say the feeling wasn't entirely mutual. That would likely be a point of friction between them at some point, seeing as she was a veterinarian and all, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

He took a deep breath then, and held up his hands, to begin ticking of his fingers. "In the past week, I have attempted to locate a giant called Hulk, prepared some hellebore and moonstone for a potion known as the Draught of Peace, and helped to destroy a Dark object." With a slight shrug, he titled his head to the side and added, "All in a week's work for a wizard, I suppose."

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animal_doctor
2010-10-09 07:10 am UTC (link)

"Yes, but you'd eventually come across a doorway that no one had enlarged, and then what?" Her brows arched expectantly, but playfully, not fully anticipating a response to that particular question.

She was a little baffled by his response to her question, and she wondered what had happened recently to change his tune. Deciding that the answer would eventually work its way out, she nodded to him.

"Really?" she replied in response to him not having met Dug. "I thought he would have met everyone by now. Lovely golden retriever," she explained, in case he had met the dog and simply didn't know that his name was Dug. "He's a sweet-heart, really," she continued. "Very friendly."

She listened to him go on about his week, and she grinned. "Well, mine doesn't even hold a candle to that. I did a lot of wandering around, some reading, some hiding in my room, and finally, some accepting of my situation. It's rather dire, this situation of mine. Kidnapped on some barren island," she shook her head and sighed. "I suppose I should be happy they let me have my traveling med kit. Even if there are no cows or goats or pigs, oh my, here."

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delicate_power
2010-10-09 05:56 pm UTC (link)

Severus started to say that he would simply enlarge that doorway when he got to it, but he decided not to. It was a silly hypothetical anyway, and besides, he soon became distracted. Mercy looked, well, confused when he'd said he formerly thought nothing could be more interesting than reading. Was he being too subtle? He supposed, in hindsight, that 'talking to a beautiful woman' comment might not have gone amiss, but unfortunately, the moment had now passed. Pity.

"I've seen him," he answered, when she mentioned that Dug was a golden retriever. "It simply never occurred to me to introduce myself to him, in case he might talk." And, of course, if Dug was as friendly as she made him out to be, he would likely jump on him and leave yellow hairs all over his robes. Severus tried not to pull a face at the very thought.

He chuckled at the 'cows or goats or pigs, oh my', and added, "Well, we should probably count ourselves lucky that there aren't lions and tigers and bears." Though even as he'd said it, he wondered if their captors might be listening. Well, naturally they were listening, but he hoped he hadn't given them any more ideas. But they likely didn't need any help from him.

Severus hesitated for a moment, licking his lips, and then swallowed, screwing up his nerve. "There was one other thing I did this week, but seeing as it was dreadfully unsuccessful, I wasn't sure I ought to mention it." He gave a slight shrug before continuing. "I thought I'd try my hand at the good kind of stalking, but given that the lady wasn't in at the time, the attempt rather fell flat."

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animal_doctor
2010-10-09 06:15 pm UTC (link)

"Maybe you frightened him," she teased playfully. "I didn't have to wait to introduce myself. He proclaimed me a new person and told me he loved me even though he didn't know me and then proceeded to ask me where his ball was so that we may play fetch."

Mercy shook her head. "There are bears. Giant pink ones. I saw them, just over the line. Along with the blue rhinos and the purple dinosaurs. They seem content to stay on their own side though, so I just played safari with them. Lovely pictures, really," she continued in a lightly teasing tone. Still, it did tickle her when he got her references. "Haven't seen the flying monkeys yet though," she added thoughtfully. "Maybe they don't like it here. Not enough perches."

Amusement flickered through her blue eyes when he admitted to a failed attempt at stalking. "Well, you were doing it wrong then," she said in a matter-of-fact-ish voice. "You've got to follow her around and get her schedule first? Figure out her pattern, and then you spring when she's likely to be in.

"Let me know who it is and I'll help you out," she added, a playful glimmer in her eyes. While she didn't like to be presumptuous, she reasoned it wasn't so very far off for her to assume that he meant her, and she wondered if her incessant teasing was going to grate on his nerves. But it was what she did when she was nervous. This entire place made her a little edgy, so ... she made jokes.

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delicate_power
2010-10-09 07:03 pm UTC (link)

"I would not be surprised in the slightest if that happened to be the case," Severus answered with a shake of his head. But he decided not to elaborate for the moment. No need to shove his dislike of animals in her face so soon, after all. She would probably discover that unfortunate trait quite soon enough.

He gave a quiet snigger when she mentioned playing safari with the colorful fictitious animals she claimed dwelt across the line. "I should like to see those photos some time, if you'd like to show me," he added, smiling. "And there is a hardware store," he suggested, raising his eyebrows. "Perhaps we can build some perches to attract the monkeys."

Severus nodded, with a quiet, "Obviously," when she said he was going about the stalking wrong. But then he shrugged again and added, "Well, she hasn't been here very long, so I can't say that she has established a pattern, as such, just yet." When she offered to help him, he leaned an elbow on the chair's arm, rubbing his chin with a finger as he pretended to consider it. "And how do I know you won't simply tip her off, so that she can avoid me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-09 10:17 pm UTC (link)

"Ah, but the question is ... do we really want to attract the monkeys?" She looked thoughtful. "Suppose we could harness a bunch of them together and use them to fly over the line," she reflected. "If this wasn't a close environment as I heard it was." Or read. Or even heard from him. "Well, or if they were ... real. Though I suppose I shouldn't start making judgement calls on real or unreal, should I?"

Mercy chuckled softly when he speculated she'd tip off the girl he was stalking. "Well, perhaps I'm not willing to share my new friend," she quipped. "If you're busy stalking someone else, how will I ever find time to sit you down and pepper you with questions about yourself and your home and magic in general? I mean, I could ask some of your friends, but somehow I don't think I'd get complete stories out of them. Not like the stories I'd get from you."

She paused. "Lily's quite nice, by the way. She was very helpful when I was trying to get my bearings and settle in."

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delicate_power
2010-10-09 11:19 pm UTC (link)

"Fair point," Severus conceded with a nod. "Though as long as the monkeys aren't in league with the Wicked Witch, they probably aren't so bad." He wasn't quite certain how to answer the question regarding judgment calls, but he imagined it was mostly rhetorical anyway. Though in her defense, those in the wizarding world did take great pains to keep themselves and their existence hidden from Muggles. It wasn't as if she were thick or something.

He had just opened his mouth to say that he would make time for her, and she didn't have to go spoiling his (admittedly rubbishy) stalking attempts to do it when ... she mentioned Lily. The smile dropped off his face so quickly at that he imagined she might have been tempted to look for it in his lap. He forced another, smaller, one a second later, and nodded. "Lily is quite nice," he answered quietly.

He knew there was no logical reason for him to feel guilty. Lily was married, and dead, in his world, and it was just as well that he'd never worked up the nerve to tell her how he'd felt about her. It was nice to have her here, and to make a stab at repairing their friendship, but still -- that was an unpleasant reminder. One for which he had been thoroughly unprepared. He probably ought to have been. After all, Lily was the welcome wagon here, so she undoubtedly looked after the new arrivals, but still. That didn't stop his innards from twisting just then, almost as if they had been caught in a vice.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 12:30 am UTC (link)

Well, that had been an interesting reaction, hadn't it been? Mercy was content to abandon the facetious monkey conversation in favor of pursuing the suddenly more interesting topic.

"She had nothing but positive things to say about you," Mercy assured him quietly. "You ... just look a bit worried that she was telling stories about how you're a puppy kicker or serial killer or something." Though she supposed he could be; it wasn't as though she really knew that much about him or his past aside from the one or two things Lily had mentioned about his childhood.

Now though, she was a little curious if there was more to their past than either of them had let on. Granted, it wasn't her place to pry, and she didn't know either of them well enough to dig like that ... but perhaps it would come out eventually. She'd just have to be patient about it.

She could be patient. Really.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 02:11 am UTC (link)

Severus shook his head when Mercy assured him Lily hadn't said anything bad about him. He had never thought she might, even if there was more than enough material for her to choose from. Lily simply wasn't like that; she would let bygones be bygones, because she knew he had chosen the right path in the end. Though he did give something of a wry smile at the examples Mercy had used. He didn't particularly like dogs, though he had never gone so far as to kick a puppy. And he was a killer, even if not the serial type. But he didn't feel like mentioning either of those things just now, either.

"No, it isn't that," he answered quietly, with a shake of his head, and he licked his lips, wondering if he ought to tell her what the real trouble was. He didn't know her very well, after all, but ... he wanted to. Part of him wanted to excuse himself, say he was sorry to have bothered her, and go hide in his room. But another part of him didn't want to leave. At all. Neither part, however, particularly cared for the idea of telling her this. "When we were younger," he began, but he paused to lick his lips again. "I, ah -- well, I suppose you could say that I stalked Lily, as well ... but also unsuccessfully."

He shrugged then, a little helplessly, and looked away, not entirely certain how she would react to that revelation. But one thing was certain: if her response happened to be as negative as he imagined it might be, he didn't want to see her face before she left.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 02:26 am UTC (link)

Mercy nodded slightly, waiting for a continuation or explanation or some cue as to how she was supposed to feel about that. Or how she was meant to react. Was she supposed to reply with 'yes, there was this charming guy at college. We had the same major and dated some but it didn't work out'? Wasn't that kind of the story of life? You met people, you dated, and sometimes it didn't work out.

"So ... did it end badly? Is she a jealous ex and I should sleep with one eye open?" Lily hadn't come off that way, so then Mercy wondered if it had been a one-sided thing. He'd pined and she ... what? Hadn't acknowledged? Hadn't been aware of? Had played the 'let's just be friends' card?

She was curious now, and she studied him openly, blue eyes intensely seeking his.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 03:37 am UTC (link)

Had it ended badly? Very badly indeed, even if there had never been an actual relationship to speak of. But when Mercy asked if if she had to sleep with one eye open, Severus actually sniggered. He looked up then, not a bit surprised that her gaze was focused so intently upon him again. "No, nothing like that," he answered with a slight shake of his head. "She never knew. Still doesn't, actually, and I'd prefer it stay that way, if you don't mind."

He looked down again then, shaking his head once more. He had dodged a bullet when Lily had seen his Patronus and apparently had forgotten to ask him about it, but he didn't relish the subject coming back up any time soon. It would only make her feel awkward around him, and that was the last thing he wanted. On the other hand, he was glad that he and Mercy had been able to drop the teasing pretense that he hadn't been stalking her.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 04:12 am UTC (link)

Mercy fell silent as she thought about that and attempted to translate what he meant to say from the words he was speaking. What did he mean? That she should know he'd pursued someone here when they were younger, and that meant what, exactly? That she shouldn't bother trying because the second Lily batted her pretty little lashes at him, he'd go running? That his heart was taken but she could have his body? She was a little amused at that thought, and a smile briefly twitched the corners of her lips.

"All right," she finally said. "I'm not completely sure what you're trying to convey here. You ... chased her and she didn't notice, and ...? I'm a little stuck on what comes next," she admitted. "I'm not going to rush off and tell her that once upon a time you liked her, or anything like that," she assured him. "So if that's all you were after, consider it covered."

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 05:31 am UTC (link)

Severus wasn't entirely sure what he was trying to convey any longer himself, if he were being completely honest, but he wasn't sure he should actually say that. He simply wasn't very good at this sort of thing. Of course, having been cloistered away at a boarding school for ten months of the year, on top of being generally unsociable, didn't exactly help his chances of meeting women, and then there was that whole spying thing, as well. He couldn't have gotten close to people. It had been dangerous for him, and it had been dangerous for them, too.

But here, things were different. He wasn't a spy, and though he was trapped here, he had to get close to people in order to survive -- and not only Lily. In addition, even if he still wasn't precisely sociable, he found that he did still enjoy the interactions for the most part. Present company most certainly included. And that made him feel guilty, but why? Because even if he had loved Lily all those years, or at least convinced himself that he did, he had not exactly started pursuing her immediately upon arriving here, had he?

"I know you wouldn't," Severus answered quietly, with a frown, shaking his head. If he'd been worried about that, he never would have told her in the first place. He would have simply closed himself off, as usual, and left before saying anything at all. That likely would have left Mercy hurt and confused, and that was the last thing he wanted, as well. Even if she still was more than a little confused. But he trusted her. He wasn't certain why, and his instincts told him he shouldn't, but he did anyway, all the same. "I just ... didn't expect you to mention her, that's all," he finished with another shrug.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 02:17 pm UTC (link)

While that hadn't really clarified anything, Mercy wondered if maybe that was one of those things that just couldn't be clarified. For whatever reason, her mention of Lily had incited that reaction, and ... that was that. Maybe it was one of those things that was simply too complicated to put into words.

So she shrugged and offered him a smile. "All right. I'll try to warn you next time I'm going to mention her," she replied. It was still a somewhat baffling situation, but maybe once she got to know both him and Lily a little better, some light would be shed on the topic.

"So, in a not so subtle attempt to shift the topic," Mercy began with a grin. "What should we discuss now? The fine selection of reading material? The price of tea in China? Possible methods of escape?" She, of course, was being mostly facetious; none of those things really mattered but she did want to climb to a somewhat safer topic of conversation.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 04:44 pm UTC (link)

When Mercy said that she would warn him, Severus actually managed to look up at her again with a small smile. "I don't think that will be necessary," he answered quietly, with a shake of his head. He likely wouldn't have such a strong reaction the next time, after all, and he imagined Mercy would simply try not to mention Lily from now on. He had just been about to add that he didn't want to talk about Lily -- he wanted to talk about her -- but she changed the subject before he had the chance.

"Why did you decide to become a veterinarian?" he asked, quietly, and he smiled again at her expression. Only after he'd asked that did he realize the topic might still be a rather treacherous one. No doubt she would turn the question around and ask why he'd become a teacher, and that wasn't any easier an answer than ... why he'd acted the way he had at the mention of Lily's name. But at least she was still talking to him, and that question about Lily possibly being a jealous ex ... well, that rather meant this wasn't one-sided, didn't it? Or at least not as one-sided.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 04:52 pm UTC (link)

"Because I couldn't be a truck driver," she replied promptly before she tipped her head back and laughed quietly. "Honestly, I don't know. It just ... seemed to be where my strengths were. I grew up around animals, had an affinity with animals, and it just seemed ... like the way to go. I had good grades in sciences in school, and I was accepted to a few other colleges, but ... Tufts was the best for what I wanted to do. So there it was."

She looked thoughtful. "The better question is why'd I opt to be a large animal vet," Mercy continued with a grin. "But that's simple enough. Domestic vets are a dime a dozen, even in my area of the world. We needed more vets trained for farm animals. The cows, the goats, the pigs, the horses. Especially the horses for the Amish folk." She shrugged and smiled. "It's tough work, but I like it."

Though she was at something of a loss around here, unless they were planning on filtering in some sick cows or something.

"What about you? Always wanted to be a teacher?"

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 05:49 pm UTC (link)

Severus chuckled when Mercy said she couldn't have been a truck driver. He knew that was what Yanks called a lorry, and it was undoubtedly an amusing image. "That was my next question," he answered, raising an eyebrow, when she mentioned being a large animal vet. She was such a slight thing that he would be exceptionally worried about her treating such large animals, but ... well, it really wasn't his place to say anything about that, was it? They had only just met, after all.

"Actually, I never wanted to be a teacher," he replied with a shake of his head. "I wanted to be an Auror -- a Dark wizard catcher," he quickly added, because she wouldn't know that term, he didn't think. "They are the elite in Magical Law Enforcement, but my marks weren't good enough. Particularly in Transfiguration." She likely wouldn't know that term, either, apart from the Biblical reference, but he would explain, if she was interested in hearing.

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 06:11 pm UTC (link)

"So teaching was the follow-up career option?" She inquired. She reasoned out transfiguration by context; it wasn't so hard to break apart the roots.

"Suppose it makes sense. Those who can't do, teach, right?" She thought that was the saying at any rate. "Did you like it at least?" Blue eyes searched his face, studying him curiously.

"Are they an elite force then? Your Aurors? Like Navy SEALs or the Marine's special ops or green berets or whatevr?" It made sense to her; if he had to have high marks to get in, then not just everyone could join up, right?

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 07:19 pm UTC (link)

"Not exactly," Severus answered with a small shake of his head, when she asked if teaching had been his follow-up choice. It hadn't even been in the top ten, honestly, but it really hadn't been up to him, by that point. "My follow-up option was to open an apothecary. I borrowed a bit of money from a friend, and my business had just started to take off, when--" When his entire life had been turned upside down. "I had to give it up, because of the war."

When she asked if he'd like it, he shook his head again. "I despised teaching, actually, but it was necessary." Necessary to his cover, of course, and he wondered if she would ask why, but he still opted not to say, in favor of talking more about Aurors.

"I'm not entirely familiar with those groups, so I couldn't say, you understand, but possibly. From what I've read, I think they would be closer to the FBI or possibly the Secret Service?" He gave a slight shrug. "They are sometimes assigned to protect high-profile targets in wizarding society, in addition to tracking down wanted Dark wizards."

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animal_doctor
2010-10-10 08:34 pm UTC (link)

"War?" That caught her attention, and she nearly pointed out he was too young to have fought in the war. Granted, she was thinking WWII, and didn't take into account that he wasn't even from the States and thus wouldn't have been involved of any of their later wars or other shenanigans.

Then she recalled that whole time difference thing they were likely engaged in, and she made a gesture with her hand to brush off the question. "Keep forgetting we're from other sides of the planet and completely different times."

Nodding to his description of the Aurors, she shrugged a little. Sure, FBI required grades and the like. Or so she assumed; it had never been a track she'd given any thought to pursuing. But still, they wanted smart guys protecting the president and whatnot, right?

She didn't pry, though she'd have liked to. She was a very prying sort of person. But she was working on her social skills and not digging and prodding for information not freely volunteered.

"So what do you do here? I mean, we don't have jobs or anything like that, so ... besides reading and enduring whatever joy they're tossing at us at any given time ... what's there to do?" She very nearly added 'practice making babies?' but thought that was probably a bit pushy and highly inappropriate.

Even if it was probably true.

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delicate_power
2010-10-10 09:10 pm UTC (link)

Severus nodded his confirmation when she asked about the war, and then he smiled, shaking his head, at the bit about forgetting. "What time are you from, if you don't mind my asking?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Not that it made a great deal of difference, but he'd said the wizarding world was rather old-fashioned, and now he wondered if the two of them had the same idea of what old-fashioned would entail.

"I do a little potion-making, whenever our captors oh-so-generously provide us with ingredients," he said, tilting his head with a slight shrug. "And a little teaching, here and there. And recently, I've taken to stalking -- I mean talking to you." He paused briefly to smirk, and then added, "Personally, I hope to do a great deal more of that last one, in the future." Then he raised his eyebrows, questioningly, though he really didn't expect her to say no, absolutely not.