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Lily Evans ([info]just_lily) wrote in [info]silverage,
@ 2011-07-28 21:19:00

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Entry tags:!log, lily evans, susan sto helit

Ice Cream and Ducks
Who: Lily, Susan
What: a random encounter
When: Thursday late afternoon
Where: near a duck pond in a park
Rating: Low
Status: Complete




For nearly a week -- sometime tomorrow it would be a full week officially -- Lily had thought to pretend this was just some sort of spell gone wrong. She went through the motions of attempting to settle in, to find a job, to make friends -- for as well as that had gone. The longer she was stuck here, the more convinced she was it was all real, all true, that she truly was stuck here. She hated to think in terms of 'forever' but if no one knew how they'd gotten here (and no one appeared to), then what were the odds they'd be able to reverse it and send everyone home? Even if they managed that, would they be able to get the times right, or would she wind up in some different version of her own universe, some different time?

With no luck yet on the job front -- she was starting to think that 'we'll get back to you' was just code for 'thanks for wasting our time' -- Lily had spent most of the day just wandering the city. She'd bought a few groceries that morning and eaten lunch in her room before drifting out for more wandering.

Later that afternoon, she found herself at an ice cream shop near a park. It was a warm enough day that she'd appreciate the cool ice cream, so she'd bought a strawberry cone before heading out to sit on a bench near the pond. For a little while, she'd simply watched the people but it only served to remind her just how alone she was. She had no real friends here, and she envied the couples she saw walking, or the groups of friends chatting and laughing. It seemed wrong to be so melancholy on such a nice day, but there it was.

Once she'd finished the ice cream, she tore of bits of the cone, tossing them to the trio of ducks in the pond. Once it was gone, she licked the crumbs off her fingers along with the few sticky drops of ice cream on her thumb before she rested her hands on her thighs. She didn't know what to do with herself just then, and since she wasn't interested in going back to her room, she simply remained where she was.

Lily lost herself in her thoughts, unaware that her expression had fallen to reflect the intense sorrow that her thoughts had created.


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[info]just_lily
2011-07-29 01:41 pm UTC (link)
She had to agree enough people she'd met at least seemed to know what it was when she mentioned it, so she nodded slightly. "Maybe I'll have to track down some of the articles and see what they say," she murmured thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure what I've accepted and what I haven't," she confessed. "I still keep hoping to wake up back in my own bed, in my own flat. It hasn't happened yet, but that doesn't mean it won't, right?" She smirked slightly in response to what she thought about an answer to that question. She didn't think it would happen that way. Not really.

She did listen to Susan talk about her home, though some of it didn't entirely make sense to her. Like lesser gods, and death. So she decided to leave that be, unless it came up again in a place she'd feel comfortable prying.

"Both. I'm from London, fourteen years into the future," she replied, and it felt so nice to be able to just say that to someone. "I didn't ... we'd just finished school, and I was working with ... something like a vigilante group. We were at war with some ... some dark wizards," she said. Susan had already mentioned magic, so clearly she was familiar with the idea of it and Lily was comfortable with the risk of mentioning it. Granted, that was a highly simplified version of the truth, but there it was.

"I was just...I was engaged, and we were meant to get married in February. It was December in my world when I came into this world's July." She laughed quietly. "I was supposed to turn nineteen in January, and now I don't know what age I should count myself." She glanced up to her. "What do you think of teaching? I had toyed with the idea ... things to do after the war. Teaching was something I was considering."

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-29 02:16 pm UTC (link)
"Nothing helpful, from what I've seen, other than the story about the opening of the Welcome Center."

Susan walked over and took the seat Lily had previously offered while she thought how to phrase herself. "I understand some people seem to derive comfort from such thoughts. I admit to examining the situation from all sides, but I have been unable to find a hole in the wall, so to speak, and until now I have generally been able to go wherever and whenever I want."

"Temporal as well as cultural shock. Very upsetting, I would imagine." Susan looked over at Lily. "Dark wizards? You mean like evil wizards? How odd. The Unseen University did have Professor Hix, the Official Evil Wizard, but I never took him very seriously. You had enough of them, and they were bad enough to go to war with? Whatever about? A vigilante group? The authorities were no use, as usual in the situation, I assume? Some things seem universal. If you want something done correctly, you just have to do it yourself."

"Engaged?" Susan gave Lily a sympathetic glance. "Not here, is he?" She sighed. "I did know someone at home... we had a perfect moment or two. He isn't here either."

"Education is a lot like a sexual disease. It makes you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you have the urge to pass it on. I get bored with teaching from time to time and take up other things, but I generally go back to it in one form or another."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-29 02:31 pm UTC (link)
Lily nodded again as Susan spoke. She'd tried a few things herself to try to get home, but nothing had worked. Attempting to apparate out had hurt, so she hadn't tried it since -- not even to move within the apparently acceptable confines. She thought she might try it again some day, but there was no real need to; the Muggles had a decent public transport system here. "I hope they discover one, and soon."

She nodded. "One ... Voldemort. He was attempting to purify the blood. Killing off magical people born of non-magical parents. People like me," Lily clarified. "He had a host of followers, masked every time they attacked so you never knew who they were. Could be your neighbor, for all that. We had suspicions, of course, and I'm sure a few people even had proof of identities. The Ministry ... meant well, I'm sure, but they didn't engage. Not really. They tried to send out fliers and whatnot, ways to defend yourself, but there are some thing that can't be defended against. Unforgivable curses," she said. "There's no way to stop those, and the Death Eaters -- that's what he called his followers, or they called themselves, I don't know -- they were fans of those sorts of spells.

"So, yes. There were some witches and wizards that opposed the Ministry's lack of action, and I was invited in. Me, and James, and Sirius, and some of our other friends." She bit down on her lower lip, and she thought she'd give just about anything to see any of them again. Especially James, but she'd accept any of the others, and gladly.

She shook her head to Susan's question. "No. I don't think so, anyway. The one person who is here from my home said he wasn't. Surprised he even took the time to do that," she added with a wry smile. "He's not ... he's not someone who'd consider me a friend." She glanced up to the woman. "I'm sorry to hear your friend isn't here. You'd think if they're going to suck us into some strange world, they'd at least do us the courtesy of bringing a friend along for us."

Her brows elevated at the description of teaching, a little smile lifting one half of her mouth. "Why should it make you unsuitable?"

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-29 03:19 pm UTC (link)
"I think I am one of the 'they' who will keep exploring alternatives. This being stuck in one place and time is most vexing."

Susan chuckled. "This Voldemort fellow sounds like the sort who should have been found to have stolen more chain than he could swim with. Purify the blood? Really? Why did you not simply do away with him? Cut off the head of a snake and it may twitch for a while, but it will die... or grow a new head, I suppose, but cutting off heads is easier than chopping up snakes."

"What is an unforgivable curse?" She raised an eyebrow in inquiry. "Of course the best curse is the one you never cast, just say that you have, but unforgivable? That's a form of magic I've never heard of at all. And magic that can't be stopped? You must demonstrate for me; I didn't think there was such a thing."

"Ah," Susan nodded. "The youthful exuberance and romance of living on the edge. I've heard of it. It sounds... uncomfortable. But if Lobsang Ludd can't find his way here, and I can't find my way out, there is something seriously unusual about this place."

"Think about it. You become accustomed to guiding little hands, setting little feet on the correct path of life. Then you end up with a superior who is obviously doing something incorrectly. Dare we say stupidly? And you let him know of his errors. It all goes sadly downhill from there and frequently ends up in shouting until you turn the person to stone or something less pleasant. I find myself doing much better in a situation where I am given a task and left to accomplish it on my own. My grandfather frequently does it that way when I undertake to solve little problems from him."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-29 03:54 pm UTC (link)
"I wish you the best of luck in finding a way out," Lily said sincerely. If she thought she'd be any help all, she would have offered. As it was, she imagined whatever had done this was well above her range of problem solving skills.

"We were trying. But he hides, and he sends his minions out, and he is very powerful, and skilled, and always surrounded by his Death Eaters." She was somewhat amused by the snake analogy, if only because it was so fitting -- him having been Slytherin and all.

Lily shook her head at the request for a demonstration. "There's a reason they're called that," she insisted quietly. "They're dark magic, and I wouldn't cast one." Not willingly, anyway. Under extreme duress or self-defense if everything else was failing, she may resort to it, but she didn't think so. "They're spells that kill, that cause pain, and that let the caster take control of the mind of the one they've cast upon. Good witches don't use them."

A little smile crept onto her lips at the shift in topic. "You don't already find things about this place seriously unusual?" She asked, an almost teasing lilt to her voice. "This situation ... I've never been in anything like it."

She could sadly relate to Susan's little rant on stupid superiors, and yelling at them. She herself had had heated discussions with some of her professors. Generally over a grade, but occasionally over other instances. There had been some memorable discussions with the Headmaster when she was head girl, and Lily smiled -- sadly, and a little fondly -- at those memories. "I can relate," she assured Susan softly. "Sounds a bit like the way I'd handle things."

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-29 04:58 pm UTC (link)
"At least I can still get about in my usual fashion if I wish, although I seem to be stuck in time. That gives me some hope. Although I have to admit to using the public transportation system to get a better feel for things."

"Dark magic?" Susan raised an eyebrow again. "An unusual concept. Magic has no shade, it is only the intent of the user. Were I at home, I would say it sounds like a case of doing away with them all and letting Grandfather sort them out. I suppose it is fortunate that I am neither wizard or witch then."

She nodded. "A strange place of sorts. At least the population is a strange mixture. Like home in many ways. Ankh-Morpork certainly had its share of strange characters. We also had a few heroes of Mythic proportions. It sounds like you could have used one of them where you are from."

"There you go then. I have applied for various executive sorts of positions to try to get around the stupid superior problem, but since Grandfather isn't around to verify my references of having worked for him, nothing has come of it so far. I shall have to just keep trying, and keep my job as a governess in the mean time."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-29 05:25 pm UTC (link)
"It's useful," she admitted. "The public transportation. I've been learning the subway and busses and the like." She wondered what 'the usual way' was, but reasoned it was what she'd mentioned before. It sounded intriguing, but she didn't want to pry too much.

Lily thought about Susan's take on magic, shrugging a little. "I suppose that's the heart of it, yes. It's just always ben taught that dark wizards practice dark magic and there are dark spells. It isn't as though we go about thinking of every-day magic as light magic." She smiled slightly before she exhaled softly.

"I've spent most of my time since school on the wizarding side of London," Lily replied. "We've got a diverse enough population that this place isn't so foreign in that regard, but we were a touch more advanced, I think. I couldn't be sure though. I think we would have appreciated a hero on our side of things," she agreed. The war was scary and disrupting so many lives and costing so many people friends and families and loved ones. A hero would have been welcome news.

"I can relate," she said again. "I only held a couple of jobs, over the summers. Waitressing, and as a cashier. Even if I'd had more experience than all that, I've no one to vouch for it here. It's making this whole job thing difficult." She hoped she found something soon before she had to resort to selling her coins. That carried a finality she wasn't ready to consider yet; long-term planning was still something she was avoiding as well as she could.

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-29 06:46 pm UTC (link)
"Useful, but slower than just going where I want. I did find I had to be careful not to appear in front of the locals. It seems to upset them."

Susan nodded. "Magic is supposed to have a light side and a dark side and stick the universe together, so the wizards at the Univerity claim. Very mythic. Sort of like Duck Tape. Magic just is."

"Oh, so you lived in the mostly magical side of your world. I can see how ending up in a place with so little magic could upset you, if you let it."

"There are employment agencies that are beginning to specialize in finding employment for those like us. Its where I got my job. You should look into that."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-29 06:59 pm UTC (link)
"We had that problem with apparating. It's ... a bit like teleportation, I suppose? We just will ourselves from one place to another. We also had a Floo network, through the fireplaces. Handy for getting 'round when the weather was bad and you didn't want to get caught out."

Lily smiled at the description; she'd always considered it something like that, even if they'd never really referred to their own as light. But they were the good side, the light side, of the war.

"Oh, don't misunderstand," Lily hurried to clarify. "I grew up without magic, and still tend to do things the Muggle way until I think about it. But my ... James is a Pureblood wizard and we ... I was staying in his part of the world, and of course much of the war was taking place on that side of things."

She nodded before sighing lightly. "I am. I'm researching all avenues. I'm sure I'll find something, sooner or later -- though sooner would be better."

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-29 07:17 pm UTC (link)

"Different names for the same thing. Grandfather and I had the added ability to and when to the where aspect. The when won't work for me at all, and the where seems to be limited to greater New York."

"Wizarding, muggle?" Susan smiled primly. "It sounds like a very we and they sort of society. Where I'm from almost everybody knows how to find a witch. Of course they also know better to go looking for one without good reason. And the wizards have the Unseen University, and turn up in the oddest places and at the oddest times."

She nodded. "I'm sure something will turn up as long as you keep looking."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-29 10:31 pm UTC (link)
"We have time turners, that let us go back in time. But they're not really readily available. The Ministry has them. I've only read about them." She wondered if it was like apparating into the past when a person used a time turner, and she smiled a little as she thought about that.

"Well, we're under a Statute of Secrecy, to keep magic hidden from the majority. We don't want the witch hunts all over again. So I suppose ... it is a bit. Some people live comfortably on both sides, but ... generally, the wizarding side does tend to stick to itself." It was interesting, this conversation. Learning about her world and sharing facts about Lily's own.

"Sooner or later. In the meantime, there's the welcome center so at least I have shelter and food. That's the important bit, right?"

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-30 12:54 am UTC (link)
"Witch hunts? Sounds unpleasant." Susan thought for a moment and then chuckled. "Although I have to say that anyone who tried to hunt Granny Weatherwax would be in for a most unpleasant surprise if he caught her."

"This secrecy thing. Does it apply here? Could you make a living with your magic? What sorts of magic do you do?"

Susan smiled at Lily. "I mean, my magic isn't really the usual, but as I said, I'm not a witch. My magic comes from having been born in my grandfather's Realm."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-30 01:30 am UTC (link)
"They were long before my time, but they were ... all over the world. People fear the unusual," Lily said with a little shrug before she turned her attention to watch the ducks swim about.

"I don't know if it applies or not. I haven't done anything yet that would have brought myself to the Ministry's attention, if the Ministry even exists here." She looked thoughtful, then shrugged. "I could find a way, I'm sure. I do ... all sorts. I'm best at potions, but I imagine that's going to be a bit useless here unless I manage to find some ... some magical plants and some newt blood." A slight smile tugged her lips as she thought of all the other things she'd need. "Anyway, I suppose I could do some things with charms, but I'm not quite desperate enough to start selling my magic yet."

She cocked her head to one side as she glanced over to Susan. "So what it is then, that you do? In regard to magic, I mean."

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-30 02:20 am UTC (link)
"Potions would be a proper sort of a thing for a witch, I suppose. Nanny Ogg used to do a few. I'm not sure what charms might be, but it sounds sort of the same."

Susan waved one hand in a dismissive sort of gesture. "Oh, I suppose just about anything I might wish to do. I really don't do all that much. Just a little of this and that to ease my way sometimes, or provide some interesting lessons for the children in my class. Its much easier for them to learn History when they can see it taking place. And I seem to have inherited all my Grandfather's abilities as well. Makes it easier to get around, and I have filled in for him occasionally when he goes on holiday."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-30 02:56 am UTC (link)
"Different sorts of things. Floating charms and cushioning charms and cheering charms and the like." She reasoned it could take hours to really explain all the various nuances of magic at Hogwarts, so it was probably best not to get into it.

"I likely would have paid more attention in my history of magic class if it had been visual instead of a droning voice," she admitted. The novelty of the class being taught by a ghost had worn off after the first week or so, and after that it was hard to stay awake in class.

Lily sighed softly, her eyes half closing before she tipped her head back. She reasoned she should head in, soon, but she was content enough for now to chat. It was nice to just talk to someone she could speak freely around. Making up and maintaining stories was stressful.

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-30 05:37 am UTC (link)
"So it sounds like you could find a place as a witch, if nothing else."

Susan stood up from the bench and looked down at Lily. "I suppose I should be headed for my apartment. You look tired, and I have a few new books to absorb. It was nice meeting you, Lily. I hope we can run into each other again.'

"You take care of yourself, and keep up your hopes. I'm sure something will come to you soon, as long as you keep trying."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a bit of notepaper and jotted the phone number of her new apartment down. "If nothing else, give me a call on the telephone and we can meet for dinner or something."

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[info]just_lily
2011-07-30 05:58 am UTC (link)
"If push comes to shove," she agreed with a slight nod. "I'll work something out, either way."

She rose after Susan did; it seemed a reasonable enough cue for her to be on her own way. "It was lovely meeting you as well," she assured the other woman quietly. "I'm certain we'll cross paths again." For as busy and populated as the city was, she did notice that she saw several of the same people in her travels.

She accepted the number with a smile. "I'll be sure to do that," she promised. "Maybe soon I'll have good news about a job I'll want to share," she said, though she wasn't going to hold her breath for that. With a last smile and a little wave, Lily turned away to begin the trek back to the welcome center.

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[info]ms_susan
2011-07-30 06:01 am UTC (link)
Susan concentrated for a moment as Lily turned to go, and Left, arriving almost instantaneously in her new room.

Her whisper of "Goodby" was all she left behind her.

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