✷ ✷ ✷ ɐılnɾ ✷ ✷ ✷ (hurlyburly) wrote in thedisplaced, @ 2018-03-21 22:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log/thread, julia wicker, severus snape |
Who: Julia Wicker & Severus Snape
What: Checking out the markets of Agrabah for ingredients.
Where: Well, Agrabah.
When: Towards the end of the last port. I don’t wanna look up the day.
Warnings: ...pretty sure none?
Julia had dressed for the heat. High waisted dark trousers, a black sleeveless crop top that showed just a sliver of her midsection, with her hair pulled up in a bun and a plain pair of black sunglasses over her eyes. She felt a bit like a muggle tourist in a magical world, but at least she wasn’t boiling under unnecessary layers. No one local seemed to pay her much mind, anyway, not even to her tattoos. Her hands were the only particular part of her ensemble. Her nails were painted a matte silver and she had a number of small, slender rings at different points on her fingers. It had helped her focus on how to move her hands at the beginning and now it had just become routine. Her slip on shoes had been enchanted to keep the sand out, but she still wondered if she should have worn sandals instead. “Would you prefer to be called Severus or Professor Snape or..?” she asked without looking at him. She didn’t want to talk at him incessantly during their trip to the market, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who enjoyed idle chatter. So she kept it casual while her eyes were focused on a stall selling various crystals and jewels. Nothing looked especially interesting in a magical sense, at least nothing she couldn’t get from ebay in Texas. Still, she had no idea what the financial situation would be Tumbleweed. Even mundane items she might want were probably best acquired while she had a wristband to buy whatever she wanted. Julia pointed to a particularly nice piece of quartz. She didn’t haggle. Instead she quietly stared, shaking her head subtly until the seller came down in price. She didn’t get it as cheaply as she would have if she’d played the game, but she wasn’t especially concerned. The large piece was placed carefully in a good sized canvas beach bag that she’d brought along in case Snape needed help carrying back anything he wanted to the boat. In theory, there were any number of magical things in a world like this, or at least he would have expected it from his own world, but that was theory, and this was real practice, and Severus found himself distinctly unsettled with not knowing a place. His clothing was likely out of place, although he had given up the robes of Hogwarts shortly after arriving. Today it was dark trousers, a dark shirt, and he'd rolled the sleeves - a concession to the heat - but he suspected that he looked as British as he felt in a place that was a long way from England. The woman next to him was one of the few outside of those from his own world who had engaged him initially. She'd had questions about magic, and seemed interested, and while that could have been frustrating, there was something that was almost a relief in not having to speak about any of that, although he was aware that she had at least some knowledge of it - maybe even a fairly strong knowledge of it. "Severus please," he shook his head slightly, eyes catching sight of a stall ahead with what appeared to be dried herbs. He reached a hand out to gesture towards it. "I'm not a Professor here, and such formality seems unnecessary." He glanced over at her as he skirted a cart of some sort of fruit. "Are you looking for anything in particular here?" “No. Today is my day off.” She’d found what she was looking for, a chance to meet one of his world’s most gifted magic users. “What about you? Anything you’re looking for?” There was some magic that required special ingredients, but for the most part what Julia required was shockingly mundane. Perhaps it was the nature of how she’d learned magic. Access to actual books or magical ingredients was rare. “Find me a map and we could always try a locator spell?” she offered. Not that he wasn’t perfectly capable of finding or discerning what he wanted. It was more like an offer to show what her magic looked like. Over the network Julia was cautious with her wording and how she spoke to Severus. In person though, she couldn’t help but smile in reaction to his overly serious expression. She wondered at first if it was because he was famous, but the longer she stood next to him, she realized it was just him. Some contrarian part of her couldn’t help but perk up the more dour he looked. "Your day off?" Severus raised an eyebrow at the curious phrasing. He'd been under the impression that nobody on the ship had work to do, but the expression suggested that she did consider herself as having work to do and that today she was not doing it. Unless there were jobs on the ship he was unaware of - a reminder that he still had a good deal to learn about this new normal, and the more quickly he learned it, the happier he would be. "Your day off from what?" He stopped near the booth with the herbs and considered them with an expert eye. "There is nothing particular, but I am looking for ingredients. It's my understanding that where we are at home is a Muggle town, and I suspect from that - that it will be difficult to get magical ingredients of any variety there. Thus, we are in a magical realm, it seemed as if looking for things to fill a potions cabinet, was not the worst way to spend an afternoon." Severus turned to look at her. She was a bit shorter than him, although he wasn't particularly tall, she was certainly younger than him as well, but older than most of his Students at Hogwarts, and she certainly had questions a-plenty. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing though. It indicated a keen mind and intellectual curiosity that was probably the reason he'd agreed to the companionship in the first place. "Let's see if we can find some mandrake," his lips turned up into a slight smile. "Is that something you could do with your locator spell?" “My day off from going to stupidly dangerous places to find spell ingredients.” She did feel bad about not inviting him along, even if he would have declined, at least he would have had the option. But the market was a nice change of pace from everything else she’d done at this port so far. It was casual. “Unless someone is hiding their stash underneath magical wards, it should work,” she said, sounding hopeful. He was different than she pictured. Partially because he was at least a decade younger than she imagined, or had been cast by in the movies. Also quite a bit shorter. Julia was used to people towering over her. Severus wasn’t that much taller than Quentin. “We just need a map.” Julia raised on her toes while she scanned the market, trying to look above the other bobbing heads of the market goers. Removing her sunglasses, she tucked them into the collar of her shirt to give herself a little clearer vision. She didn’t see a stall of maps but she did spot-- “There.” Down an alley on the side of one of the preeminent structures was a gorgeous tile mosaic of the city in whites, blues and golden yellows. “That should work.” Away from the market there were less people to spy what they were up to once they entered the alley, but Julia still casually glanced from side to side to make sure it was clear before she started to cast. Her hands and fingers did a graceful sort of dance as she mumbled under her breath, staring at the mosaic, focusing her will. Severus raised an eyebrow at that, his lips turning up in what might have been a smile. It somehow didn't surprise him, and although he didn't know precisely what ingredients or what places, he couldn't help but wonder if she'd had any success. It was at least something to do in the port, and he half envied the sense of purpose it suggested. "Is this to do with the potion you mentioned?" He queried, as he followed her towards the alleyway and the map. He had never been anywhere quite like that, and as the thought settled over him, he had to confess there was an edge of excitement that curled through at that realization. He'd never really expected to travel outside of England, only having been abroad in the continent a handful of times and always for very specific purposes. This was completely different. He watched her fingers with keen eyes as they moved, his gaze leaving them only to glance at the mosaic to see the results. It was not magic quite like anything he'd witnessed before, the fingers themselves seemed to work in the casting, which was curious, although perhaps more convenient than a wand in some ways. It seemed it might be difficult to cast without someone knowing that you were though. "If it's on the other side of the city, I can Apparate us probably," Severus suggested quietly. Julia watched the mosaic carefully, until she spotted a small light which almost appeared to burn a hole under one of the yellow tiles. “There,” she said. The light lingered there for seconds after Julia dropped her hands until there was no sign of the spell. At mention of the potion, she nodded. “I think all we’re missing are dragon scales? Margo and Regina are the ones organizing it. I just offered to help.” Looking between the map and Severus, she couldn’t help the way her lips formed a quietly mischievous smile. She’d teleported with Penny and the Beast, but she hadn’t apparated before. More exciting than teleportation was the possibility that she could learn to apparate herself. “I mean…” she started. “It isn’t that close.” Julia tried to suppress the hopeful look in her eyes and kept her lips pressed closely together as she waited to see what he thought. The corner of Severus' mouth turned up, and he glanced at the map. "We could walk it easily," he deferred, glancing at the map and then back at Julia. The look in her eyes suggested that she possibly wanted to do the apparation, which made Severus wonder if they had something similar in their world or not. If they didn't, she wasn't likely aware of the fact that it would probably make her rather queasy on the outset. He looked back to the mosaic. "On the other hand," he shrugged. "Who knows how far we'll end up walking today. Have you ever side-along apparated before?" “There is teleportation magic on my world, but not many people can do it. Penny is a traveler. He can teleport between worlds naturally. The only non-traveller I know who could do anything like that without an enchanted item was The Beast, and it required him to grow a sixth finger on each hand.” The ten plus year old memories of the books meant some details were hazy in her mind. It wasn’t that Julia wasn’t curious about the basics of using a wand or even riding a broomstick, but this was something much more difficult and interesting and Julia was never one to shy away from diving right in. “How common is the ability to apparate on your world?” Julia asked. She was reluctant to bring up the books, or her hazy memory of them. As a general rule, she decided to was better to ask. She remembered there was a specific test and registration to turn into an animal, but couldn’t remember if any other abilities had similar requirements. "If you've never done it before, you should be aware that it will likely make you queasy," Severus stated. "It does most who aren't used to the sensation, including most wizards. I don't know if the teleportation is similar or not, but just so you are aware." He looked at the mosaic again, calculating the distance and necessary information in his mind, and then looked over her again. "Most wizards and witches in my world can do it," Severus informed her. "Some do not have the focus so never pass the apparition test, and if you can't do it, you really don't want to. Getting splinched is no enjoyable time. Are you ready?" He reached over and took her hand, and then focused, concentrating on the location, and giving her very little additional warning before he apparated them - pulling them from the mosaic, to the destination they'd discovered on it, nearer the mandrakes they were seeking. And yet, he’d given her more warning and even had her consent before apparating, which was already better than her previous experiences. Julia’s fingers squeezed his hand lightly just before they disappeared and then reappeared. “Splinched?” Julia asked. She didn’t pull her hand away, but simply let go. There was a moment of uneasiness, but with a deep breath, she pushed the feeling down. Maybe she wanted to impress Snape with her professionalism. Turning green or throwing up would not be impressive. Now that she wasn’t casting and the sun continued to beat down on them, Julia replaced the sunglasses on her face. She had to orient herself for a second before she could tell which direction the mandrakes had been and motioned with her chin. "Splinched means you don't make it back together in one piece," Severus said mildly, although as he glanced at her, he had to admit at least a small amount of satisfaction that she hadn't allowed it to show if she was phased. That took determination and probably not a small amount of will power as it seemed unlikely it hadn't upset her at all. "Usually you have to go to St Mungo's for that. There's always at least one student at the Apparition exams every year." He said this matter of factly, despite the fact that there were a few years it had been quite dangerous splinching. Magic was dangerous, and those who didn't take it seriously might not live to learn to use it. It was a fact he tried to impress upon his potions students, even if he typically failed. "Which way should we go?" He turned his head to regard her. He was certain it was to the left, but he was curious if she'd marked the map as much as he had. Julia nodded at the explanation, but in truth she was also giving herself a moment to let her stomach calm down. Taking one last look at her surroundings, Julia went left. It was easier using the location spell on familiar cities. Not because it was less effective but because she didn’t have any familiarity with the city and Agrabah didn’t do street signs. But instead of a market stall where Julia thought the mandrake would be was an elderly woman sitting in front of her house, moaning. In her hand was an empty cup. Julia crouched down to meet the woman at eye level, placing her hands gently over the old woman’s with a smooth gesture of her fingers and the cup filled with water. “My friend and I are looking for something,” she said gently. The old woman smiled, suddenly much more aware than she seemed and motioned to her home with a grin. Julia stood and made a shrugging sort of expression with her eyebrows before stepping carefully into the woman’s home. It was less a home and more of a secret market. She didn’t recognize most of what was for sale and kept her hands neatly to herself. As he stepped up to her side as they entered he inclined a head towards her, words quiet and with a bit of dry humor behind them: "Showy, but effective." Severus didn't say anything else as they walked into the house, filled with magical things. It reminded him in its own way of some of the shops on Knockturn, except that he did not sense that any of these were imbued with dark magic in the way the objects in those shops would be. Still he didn't touch anything, but kept his senses alert, and his eyes took in the entire place, noting vessels, likely for potion making, or potion keeping, and other more exotic looking objects that might be utterly mundane in Agrabah, but were certainly not anything he would find in Diagon Alley or even in Knockturn. The old woman turned to both of them, and Severus stepped forward: "We are looking for mandrake root, if you have any." “Careful, that almost sounded like approval,” Julia teased quietly. The old woman paid them no mind. The old woman shuffled around the hidden shop, nodding her head as she went to retrieve what was requested, humming a tuneless song to herself. Though she didn’t seem malicious, the hedgewitch remained alert. Safehouses felt more dangerous and yet were not nearly as precarious as the whimsical folk of Fillory. The elderly woman opened a cabinet filled with soft light and dewey mist and carefully pulled out a plain clay pot with an unremarkable looking plant inside it. Her hands trembled as she held the pot but did not hand it over. “I require payment,” she said, setting down the clay pot. Julia opened her mouth to speak and mention the bracelets but was waved away. Opening up a small vial, the old woman explained, “Each of you must offer a secret. It does not have to be large, simply one you haven’t voiced before. This jar will capture its essence.” "Don't think too much of it," Severus replied to Julia as they walked after the woman, and then fell silent as he watched the woman. Turning his attention to her as she explained the situation, opening the vials, and explaining that she required a secret. He raised an eyebrow, otherwise giving no particular inclination that he'd heard her. Secret magic wasn't something that was unheard of, although not typically in the way it was being put forth by this particular woman. Usually things like vows, secret keeping, those things were more typical. He debated the merits of the mandrakes in question, versus giving up a secret, even a small one. He knew enough of secrets that, despite them seeming to be spread to the wide winds here on this voyage, he did not want to give them away without thought. His eyes fell on the mandrake, sussing out the quality of the plant they were purchasing, trying to decide if it was worth the price being mentioned. "Secrets are powerful things," he glanced from the pot to the woman. "For two, there is surely more than what I am seeing here?" The old woman cackled, enjoying his spirit. She held the small bottle up to them expectantly. “As I said, they do not have to be large secrets. You may take it or leave it. You will not find another specimen in this city, nor do I have more of it to give.” Julia’s eyes followed the conversation between Snape and the shopkeeper. Let them try to barter or… Julia leaned in and spoke into the jar: “I tried going blonde once. It was a disaster. I dyed my hair back to its original color later that day. My hair was fried for months.” Which may not have seemed like a big secret, although Julia had been so mortified at the time, she hadn’t even admitted what she’d done to Quentin. Julia didn’t even touch hair dye anymore after that incident. The old woman nodded and then looked expectantly at Snape. Severus raised an eyebrow at Julia's easy capitulation, but perhaps it was worth it. He had no idea where they would be next, nor how easy it would be to get something like this. He was led to believe that Tumbleweed was Muggle, and from those from his world, which meant it might be difficult to get anything else. He considered Julia's secret for a moment, considering what might be the smallest secret he could give. The most innocuous thing that he had to share. His expression didn't change as he spoke the next words: "When I was nine, I hid my mother's wand in a loose brick behind the pipes in the bathroom." No context, no further explanation, but it was something he'd never spoken aloud, not to Lily, not to his mother, and certainly not to his father - who had been the reason he'd hid it in the first place. Tobias had been frightfully annoyed with magic, that particular lent. Demanding that if Eileen did not perform magic to get us food, they would all give up eating for the duration. Something they of course wouldn't do, although the endless soups with cabbage and beans, might have been enough to entice anyone but the most hungry to give up food. "Your cost is satisfied," he told the woman. The old woman nodded, humming to herself as her trembling hands gathered the potted plant and carefully placed it directly into his hands. The hedgewitch found her eyes naturally gravitating toward the door, careful to keep her expression neutral. Naturally she was curious, but knew better than to ask. “You ready?” she asked. Her eyebrows went up, but the rest of her expression remained successfully stone faced. Though the old woman had done nothing unkind, Julia suspected she was no one to be trifled with, either. “I’m sure there are other things on your list we could find.” Julia’s arms crossed over her stomach. Severus took the mandrake, his eyes staying on the older woman's face, but he'd done enough deals like this, that there was nothing particularly unique about this one, other than he likely would have pushed a bit harder. On the other hand, when one did not know the ecosystem, it was possible he would have pushed himself out of a mandrake. He took it, nodded at Julia, and with a curt nod at the woman, he headed for the door. Outside he took a right and began walking down the alleys once again. "I don't know if we'll continue to have the same luck we had here," he told her simply, continuing to look around the different locations to see if there was another store that looked promising. However, it was very true that he would have overlooked that one completely. “I don’t have any plans,” she said casually. “We can wander until we get tired of it and head back to the ship.” Julia felt better now that they were inside the old woman’s secret shop. It felt too much like the dangerously whimsical magic of Fillory. Julia would have rather ventured into the den of the most dangerous safe house. At least then she knew what she was getting and who she was dealing with. But as Snape suspected the rest of the day turned out to be uneventful. Julia didn’t stop to buy souvenirs or trinkets, but she did enjoy the sights and smells of the city. The memory was enough for her. Whimsy and unexpected was something Severus was used to dealing with more-so perhaps than was Julia, although it couldn't be said that it was something he enjoyed. He tried to enjoy the sights of Agrabah, however difficult it might be when he kept looking for things that might be helpful for him back on the ship. He did purchase a small copper cauldron - it would not brew anything large, but it would be a start, and he felt better even having it in his possession. It needed shining on the outside, but he could do that when they returned to the ship. As the afternoon began to draw to a close, he paused outside a small cart. There was tea there, he could see others purchasing it, and it held the allure of spice and cinnamon along with the tea leaves themselves and he turned to Julia, raising an eyebrow. "Can I buy you a cup?" It was a thoughtful gesture, even if money wasn’t precisely relevant, so Julia accepted it with an encouraging smile. “Thank you.” The distance between herself and Snape was carefully calculated. Not so far as to seem that she minded him in the slightest, and not so close to make him feel she was invading his space. She was a little surprised, but then perhaps he merely felt he owed her for giving up a secret to the old woman. The tea was quite a bit spicier than she was used to, but not beyond what she was able to tolerate and it helped to make the hot, relentless weather itself more tolerable. “If you find tea you like, you should load up,” Julia advised. “I doubt small town Texas will have actual tea unless you’re fond of the words Lipton and bags so…” It seemed only fair to warn him now. She added: “Or you could always pick up a coffee habit.” "In theory Americans don't know how to do tea, so I suspect you might be right," he responded dryly, taking a sip of the tea. It was much different from what he typically enjoyed in England, but it was good - and that was part of the point here he supposed. Trying these different things. He'd never been one for travel - but also he'd never had the opportunity. Maybe he could relax into it. Maybe. "I'm not opposed to coffee, but I will perhaps keep my eyes open for tea as well." He nodded. "Shall we head back towards the ship then?" “Internet will be your friend,” Julia said. Larger cities had tea shops, but she was fairly certain a small town in Texas would be far more limited. “What year was it for you?” Ignoring most wizard’s ignorance of muggle technology in the books, she thought they took place in the 90s, which meant maybe online shopping hadn’t quite taken off in his time yet. Shaking her head she said, “If you have any issues or questions, I’ll help you figure it out.” It wasn’t a big deal to offer something like that. It was just said and forgotten, even if she was completely and utterly sincere. That sort of kindness just came naturally to Julia. She didn’t like the kind of person she was when she didn’t allow for it. Julia didn’t use her bracelet to travel back instantly to the ship. She was content to walk a ways with Snape until they were tired of walking and decided to teleport the rest of the way. Severus might not know precisely what the Internet was, but he trusted his ability to figure it out when they got back to Texas. Still, he was aware there were nearly two decades between him and when he apparently was now. Even without the differences between Magical and Muggle, it would be a struggle. Perhaps the girl beside him could be helpful in that way. He nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Thank you," he responded simply. It wasn't required, and to be honest, he wasn't certain why she was being so nice to him, other than maybe that she had an interest in the Magic he could do, but it had been a relief to have at least a few that were. In fact, he supposed considering the way the day had gone thus far, it wouldn't be the worst to take her up on that. "It was 1997," he tilted his head in her direction. "Perhaps you should bring me up to speed on some things as we walk back?" |