InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Got it memorized?"

r. lupin (tufty) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-07-13 12:41:00

Entry tags:

!log, remus lupin, selina kyle

i don't know where to go
Who: Remus Lupin + Selina Kyle
When: Late evening
Where: Around the city, maybe close to a major road.
What: Trouble, trouble, trouble~
Rating/status: ~PG-13 for blood/finished.

Remus hated the Knight Bus.

It was a crazy, bewitched, triple-decker with a goal in life to beat the speed of light but he wasn't going to be choosy, especially not now that he was a little down in his luck. Boarding the vehicle, he noted that there was only one witch with him, someone gaining on age and they smile and greet each other a good evening. Choosing a space for himself that was a bed away from her (the Knight Bus at least had beds at night...), they began to chat, a small, quiet one as Remus made his corner comfortable for him.

"So where are you headed?"

"East Sussex to visit my grandson."

"Really?" Remus smiled. "I'm headed that way, as well." He at least had a destination now.

Bang! went the Knight Bus.

She showed him pictures of her grandson, her daughter and her son-in-law and Remus obliged her in her stories. He had brought little entertainment for himself, after all. Not very long after, the Bus would threaten to toss them all out the window when it halted quite effectively for another lost wizard in the form of a young man in dark robes.

He didn't take it off when he stepped inside the bus and sat down on the closest bed, and Remus frowned. A long, black robe, now wouldn't that make you feel stuffy to keep it on?

They greeted each other with a stare.

"Now he--"

"Get down!" Remus didn't know what came first, his pushing the grandmother down or his yelp but the beam of green had just struck past his shoulder by the time he flattened the witch and got a hold of his wand to fling a spell at the dark wizard. "Petrificus Totalus!"

The conductor behind the dark wizard fell over as though a dead body.

But the quick war had been enough to disrupt the Bus' journey and everything toppled over with a jolt, dark wizard inclusive. Remus had grabbed his suitcase and the old witch's hand, meaning to rush out of the triple-decker while the enemy was still down but something unpredicted had happened. With a crack! the entire Bus had been torn away from sight with his breath but before he could realize that he had Disapparated with the witch, someone was already strangling him by the collar of his top.

The brick wall exploded on Remus' left cheek with a crack! and a cry from him and he fell to the pavement in a heap. The night was brighter and warmer, he could feel his cheek inflating itself and ahead of him was the witch with her wand out and the dark wizard hopping and roaring on the road.

"Exp--" Expelliarmus or Expulso, Remus didn't catch the witch's spell, not when a flash of green gripped her in a fatal claw and she dropped to the concrete without a fight; she had been in-between him and the killer.

Remus scraped his wand from the ground and aimed it at the hopping, pale murderer.

"Ava--"

"Stupefy!"

His heart must have exploded with relief when his wand's red light struck the attacker straight in his chest and pushed him helplessly down the asphalt. Remus wished there was something he could do for the witch who lost her life for his but that was out of the question if he wanted to do justice to her sacrifice. Grabbing his battered suitcase, he spun and made a run for it. Behind him, there were shrieks and a cry of alarm -- and then the sound of tires and something tumbling, then a woman's screech.

Remus turned round his heels again and saw it with a gasp. Where there was once a Death Eater, there was now a small bus over the body, the lifeless hand peeking out of the vehicle's shadow evidence of a lost fight. He caught his breath, his color must have faded from his lips when he realized what had happened but as the crowd began to surround the bus and its corpse, the wizard knew this was no time to be dumb.

So he turned again and ran away.

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tufty
2011-07-24 04:49 am UTC (link)

"Wh-- no!" Remus said immediately. "No, I don't know," he added quickly and he didn't look like he could expand on his gesture or his response either. It had been October of 1981, the last few days of it, prior to his arrival in this past version of New York City and wish as he might that Selina was just pulling his leg, it was a fool's hope. Europe and Northern America were both in the same hemisphere so the moon couldn't just suddenly switch sides just because he traveled three-thousand miles over. On top of that was Selina's reaction on Cuba's threat. That's not a very easy response to fake in a snap of a finger.

In his mind, he was already making calculations, his right hand itching to count the digits for him except it had his wand but in the middle of it all, he would stop, stumped. He was at July 13, 1964 with a moon that was just about to turn full. When would it turn full and when was the last full moon? He had to know but he couldn't, he knew nothing beyond the date that night!

"No, I do not know whether Cuba will attack or not," Remus repeated after a solid pause, himself trying to rein in his nerves, again. His thoughts were still on the upcoming full moon, second on the sudden shift of time. Merlin's beard, how the hell did this happen?

At least he certainly won't be missed in real time...

"You..." Remus shut his eyes tight and pressed his lips together. Scatterbrained, the shock of having been transported through time was finally getting to him and his priorities had become muddled because of it. Opening his eyes, he said -- almost begged to Selina, "You can't be serious...today can't be...it isn't...!"

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thatdarncat
2011-07-24 04:59 am UTC (link)

Alright, that was it. Shock or no shock, this kid was reacting to something much beyond the near twenty year difference. Something she had said had seriously frightened him, and while she still wasn't entirely convinced it wasn't Cuba, she tried to maintain a sense of calm.

"Look, Sev," she said, trying to sound as adult as possible, "I don't know what's got your feathers all ruffled now, but I think it's time you start being honest with me. Is somebody after you? Are you a spy, or something?"

Not that many countries in the world would want such an, er...excitable kid as a spy. If he was trying to gather intelligence, Selina wasn't a great source to come to, anyway.

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tufty
2011-07-24 05:13 am UTC (link)

Remus had almost not responded to the clipped name Selina had called him until he remembered that he was the only one she could have been talking to.

He sighed through his nose, shoulders and head dropping as he stared at their feet. What's got his feathers -- fur, actually -- ruffled? He wished he knew exactly what. He was a werewolf, for one; it was the first thing that crossed his mind but he wasn't desperate enough to go around admitting it yet.

His lips stretched sideways, peeking weakly to a vague smile as he said more calmly, slowly to Selina, "If you had been...removed from your time and thrown into a place you have absolutely no recollection of," all he knew of 1964 was that he was just 4-years old, then, "wouldn't that ruffle your feathers?"

After a quick pause of indecision, he added, "I am not a spy, and no one is chasing me down," at least not anymore, "There is a war back home and I must fight it. I suppose you can say that they need me there..." Might as well be a little bit honest.

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thatdarncat
2011-07-24 05:29 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, I imagine I would be pretty upset, Sev," she mused, taking a step forward. She folded her arms, "But to be honest, you didn't seem too terribly concerned with the year so much as the day, which has, oh, I don't know...gotten my feathers a little ruffled,"

While she had bought that his name was Severus earlier (though it seemed amazingly silly), she had picked up that something was a little off, and the mention of war only further solidified her suspicions - he had given her a false name. She chewed the inside of her cheek, unsure what to do with this information.

"I imagine they'll have to make do without you, Sev," she murmured, taking another step towards him. "I just hope you're fighting for a good cause," she paused, and added, "Because you're giving me quite a few reasons to doubt that,"

Her eyes searched his face. She hadn't noticed it until just now, being distracted by fireworks and intense pain and her bleeding leg and all, but there was something distinctly wild about this boy. Almost as if he had been raised in the woods.

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tufty
2011-07-24 05:41 am UTC (link)

Remus felt his jaw clenching as Selina drew closer to him and he raised his chin as he breathed. He was hiding nothing...save for his real name and his real nature. But he was hiding nothing.

She didn't have a veritaserum with her, did she? The thought of a truth potion made him tighten his grip on his wand, and he was on his toes, again. Could he have let his guard down lower than he wanted?

"I assure you, Selina," he said quietly to her, "it is for a good cause."

What had changed her?

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thatdarncat
2011-07-24 05:48 am UTC (link)

She stared into his eyes for several moments, reading him. She was never great at this, and more than anything wanted to look like she was intimidating. Really what she was most of all - not angry, or frightened - was tired. It had been a long night, after all. But she did pick up that this boy, while skittish and easily panicked, wasn't malicious. On the subject of his motivations, at least, he was honest.

"Okay," she replied simply, "I believe you,"

And she did. She began walking forward again, picking up her bag and hanging it on her shoulder. Her ribs were beginning to ache dully again.

"Let's get a cab and get you to that center. I'm sure they'll be able to assist you with, y'know...whatever they can,"

She stepped to the curb, looking fruitlessly for a taxi. It was the middle of the night, after all.

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tufty
2011-07-24 05:56 am UTC (link)

Remus relaxed a little. "Thank you," he said to Selina with sincerity.

He followed after her, keeping distance after that moment of tension but he was still close enough for her to catch by an arm's reach. A small part of him wondered what would happen if he summoned the Knight Bus, again, but the events of the night told him he knew better than to try his luck foolishly. It was better to check this center out and think his circumstances through before he made another decision, he thought.

"I hope you don't find this question suspicious, Selina," he began as a pair of tiny orbs of light shined from a distance to his left, "but what time is it?"

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thatdarncat
2011-07-24 06:07 am UTC (link)

"That's a good question," she replied, ignoring his subtle teasing. What time was it? Dammit, she should've picked up a watch at that store.

"It feels pretty late, maybe three or four, but my judgement of time isn't great right now. It's been a long night, even before you showed up. It could be close to sunrise for all I know," she finally noticed the headlights, and stuck two fingers between her lips. With a loud whistle, the car began to slow.

"Wow, that actually worked,"

"I think they're open twenty four hours, though," she murmured, digging in her bag. She pulled out a pen - decorated with white cats - and a notebook, and hurriedly scribbled something in it.

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tufty
2011-07-24 06:23 am UTC (link)

Remus made an involuntary glance at Selina when she whistled for the taxi. That was pretty cool! He could never learn to do that, much less whistle without fingers in.

It was only when the taxi finally came into view that Remus realized he had no idea how to pay for it. He didn't bring any muggle money with him and he rather doubted the driver would accept wizard currency. As it was late, though, he figured he might be able to fool them into accepting a few sickles and knuts since they look like silver and bronze muggle coins, anyhow, but he swore he heard something about a protective charm around them that prevented them from being exchanged with muggles.

This was what went around his mind as the taxi came to a stop and Selina was writing something. In the end, he decided that if he really couldn't help it, he'd just cast a confusion charm on the taxi driver and beat it and hope that he'll be forgiven for his actions. Desperate times call for desperate measures, after all, didn't they say?

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thatdarncat
2011-07-24 06:30 am UTC (link)

Selina leaned into the passenger window, smiling. "My friend here needs a ride to the welcome center," she cooed breathily, "Would two dollars cover it?"

The driver assured her it would.

She handed the boy a five dollar bill, wrapped in a page torn from the notebook. A phone number was scribbled on it, without a name.

"If you need any help, or if you get lost, you can call me," she said, sticking the wad in his hand. "That's a privileged number, though. If that falls into the wrong hands, I know where you're staying," she added with a small smile.

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tufty
2011-07-24 06:40 am UTC (link)

Remus knew exactly what she meant, so after a moment of surprise when she'd negotiated for him and performed her charity work, he smiled to her and nodded. "Thank you, Selina. I will keep that in mind."

The driver was watching him as he walked to the passenger seat and tugged the door open. With one foot inside the taxi, he paused in his movements, then looked back to the woman. "I really am thankful, Selina, for everything you'd done for me tonight...in spite of my behaviour. I hope to one day repay you for all of this."

"I don't have all night for this!" the driver said.

It must have been really late by now. Remus figured neither did both he and his good savior. "Good night, then. Take care on your way home." Then swooping down to the taxi, he pulled the door close and the car began to move.

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thatdarncat
2011-07-24 06:49 am UTC (link)

She watched the taxi pull off and out into the night. Beyond the pain in her side and leg that was now coming back with a swift vengeance, she felt good - well, she felt charitable, at least. There was a somewhat hollow feeling that accompanied it. She didn't expect to ever hear from the kid again. He would probably get to the welcome center and, like most of the others, blend into the city and continue with his life, forgetting he had ever met a woman named Selina.

She sighed, and folded her arms. Her apartment was only a few short blocks away, thanks to their walk. She stuck her pen and notebook into her purse, her fingers lightly brushing the ears of the sterling cat statue she had stolen what seemed like weeks ago.

Ah, well. The night was not without its rewards.

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