Frodo Baggins (theseabell) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-02-26 13:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, frodo baggins, remus lupin |
Who: Remus Lupin and Frodo Baggins
When: Tuesday, February 26th; Afternoon
Where: Bookstore in Irvine
What: Frodo feels compelled to purchase a certain book, Remus assists
Rating: PG, References to violent Smeagol
Status: Complete
Remus didn’t take personal days often, but after the dream he’d had the previous night, his nerves were on edge and he hadn’t thought that going in would be the best idea. Not to mention, his shoulder was still sore where the scars had appeared. It was probably the most bizarre thing Remus had ever experienced; when he’d gone to sleep his skin had been virtually unmarred then when he’d woken up there were four long slashes along his shoulder. They weren’t open wounds, but the skin was still tender and pink as if they were still healing. Remus knew that there were various things that bled over from the dreams, such as James’ new accent and their magical abilities, but he hadn’t expected anything like this.
He hadn’t been able to get back to sleep after the dream, which had consisted of him being attacked by a wild animal as a child, which had resulted in the scars that now adorned his shoulder, so he had made himself a couple cups of tea in an attempt to calm himself while he sent a few texts to his friends. When the tea didn’t work well, Remus had decided to do the only other thing that tended to calm him down and that was reading. It was common knowledge amongst his friends that Remus had more books than he had bookshelves and there were often books piled up on most of the flat surfaces in Remus’ apartment; yet somehow he kept from looking like a hoarder.
Having read most of the books he owned, more than one, Remus decided to take a trip down to the bookstore. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but that had never stopped him from going into a bookstore in the past. He simply enjoyed wandering the shelves, scanning the titles and authors names until something caught his eye.
Frodo Baggins, however, was not one to frequent bookstores. His uncle had tried to pass on that habit when he raised him, but he had only partially succeeded. Frodo had not directly inherited Bilbo’s passion for the written word, but he had inherited a sizable library that contained everything Frodo could ever hope to read. Or so he thought...
So the fact that Frodo was drawn to books that afternoon was a little odd. Maybe he was just bored. He’d been staying away from his office since Smeagol’s attack. He needed a walk and before it knew it he was wandering into the bookstore. Only, he felt a strange sense of purpose in it, like he was hoping to find something specific. The trouble was, he did not know what.
Remus was stopped at the shelf marked biographies and was scanning the shelf at eye level. He had quite a few biographies on various important people and none of the ones on this shelf were quite as important. Honestly, who over the age of fifteen wanted to read a book on Justin Bieber? There were times when Remus was extremely worried about today’s youth, which was one reason he had decided to teach high school. If there was the chance that he could enrich just one teenager’s life, then that was enough for him.
Giving up on finding anything on that shelf, Remus moved on, heading in the direction of the history section when he spotted a man who seemed lost. Once or twice Remus had been a little overwhelmed with the size of a particular book store, but this one wasn’t exactly a Barnes & Noble, so that couldn’t be why this man seemed so lost. At least Remus didn’t think so. Noticing that none of the employees were approaching him, Remus decided to take it upon himself to see if he could be of any service to him, “Are you looking for something in particular?” Remus’ cardigan and jeans and lack of name tag should have been a tip off that he wasn’t actually an employee.
Frodo tended to walk around with a dazed look in his eye on any occasion. Being offered help by employees and Good Samaritans was something of a regular event, and one he appreciated. The look in his eyes wasn’t just for show. He typically was ever so slightly lost.
He hummed quizzically and tilted his head. “To be quite honest, I am not sure,” he replied in his British-American hybrid accent. He had lived here since childhood and he was now in his mid-fifties, though he looked younger. “I thought there was something on the tip of my tongue, something I had seen a poster for or...” He shook his head and smiled in spite of himself. “Some help I am being. ‘I need a book, but I do not know which one.’”
“I’ve been there before.” Remus said, watching the other man, “Was there a specific topic you were looking for? History? Political?” There had been a few times when Remus had, had so many topics on his mind that he tended to forget the main one he’d wanted to look into and sometimes listing off various topics brought it back.
“...Fantasy?” Frodo replied slowly. The word had come to him like a flavor in his mouth. “Something to escape with.”
Remus nodded, “Well, I don’t actually work here, but I can help you in that direction,” He frequented this particular book store quite often, so Remus knew his way around the various subjects and shelves fairly well, “Otherwise, you may wind up standing here for some time before anyone else offers to help.”
Frodo smiled appreciatively. “Ah, well if you know the way...” He gestured that if the man would lead, then Frodo would follow. He felt he had a trustworthy face and looked rather bookish.
“Follow me then,” Remus smiled and led the way towards the fantasy section, “My name is Remus Lupin.” He figured that if he was going to offer to help this name, it was only right that he knew who was helping him.
It was a very unique name, Frodo thought, though maybe he was too used to his own name. “I am Frodo. Baggins. Frodo Baggins. Thank you for your help, Remus. My wife is off with her mother this afternoon, shopping for baby things. I do not usually walk this far from home, but I had some extra time on my hands.” He was easily friendly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Baggins.” That was also a rather unique name; one that Remus had never heard before. It was always nice to meet someone who also had unique name, because there was less chance that they were going to poke fun at him for it. He couldn’t even count the number of Remus and Romulus jokes he’d heard over time, “Are you expecting a baby then?” Other people might have congratulated Frodo right off the bat, but Remus knew that just because a woman was shopping for baby things, that didn’t mean that she was actually the one who was pregnant, so when in doubt, he asked.
He assumed that part of the reason was Remus was asking was because of his age. Frodo looked more likely to be on the verge of becoming a grandfather, not a father. But his life, in many ways, was just getting started. “I am,” he almost chirped. “First time. Due in May, so it is getting down to the wire.” The closer it got, the more anxious he felt, but Frodo thought that was to be expected.
Remus had learnt not to make assumptions about people, because nine times out of ten, it only made you look like an ass, “Congratulations. My best friends just had their second.” Besides Harry, it had been a very long time since Remus had been around any babies, but it had all come back quite quickly the first time he’d held Charles, “You must be excited.” Children of his own had never been something Remus had thought of.
Frodo's smile turned a little lopsided. "Excited, yes," he said, tilting his head and scratching the back of his neck "A bit... nervous. Well, not nervous. Just... Over thinking things."
“I expect that nervousness is part of the equation whether it’s the first or the fifth child,” Remus said, scanning the titles on the bookshelf how that they had reached the Fantasy section then turned back to Frodo, “Once the baby comes, I’m sure you’ll know just what to do.”
Frodo wrinkled his nose. “Maybe. Hopefully.” He looked down at the floor for a moment, now that they had come to a stop. Even though they had reached the section, he was still was not sure what he was looking for. “These are just normal impending fatherhood jitters, I am sure.”
He sighed and lifted his eyes, taking in the books and their colorful bindings. He wanted something that he could escape into. Things with Smeagol had lately gotten a little too real and Frodo spent most of the time feeling unsafe. When he was not worrying about himself, he was worrying about Merrill and the baby. He wished Smeagol would just go away. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“It’s perfectly normal to have pre-baby jitters.” Remus could remember how nervous James had been the first time around and while he hadn’t been in town for most of Lily’s second pregnancy, he was pretty sure that it had been similar. “I myself have never experienced it, but as I said, my best friends just had their second and he was rather nervous the first time around.”
When asked for suggestions, Remus scanned the shelves again and took down a book, “The Dark Tower by Stephen King is a good one. The Wheel of Time is also good.” Remus had read so many books that at times it was actually difficult to make suggestions, but being right there in the bookstore made it easier.
Frodo shook his head quickly. Stephen King's name set of an alarm. "Nothing scary... I am trying to escape terrifying things at the moment." He was not talking about the baby, of course. He was thinking about Smeagol's attack, even though Remus couldn't know that.
His eyes, meanwhile, had fallen upon an unassuming book with a green cover. The word Hobbit was printed on the cover... a word Frodo recognized from his dreams.
Remus’ brows furrowed ever so slightly at Frodo’s reaction to the book, but he smoothed them out a moment later, “Alright. Have you ever read any of the Narnia Chronicles?” His gaze followed Frodo’s, but he couldn’t be sure exactly what book he was looking at, “Anything by Neil Gaiman is good as well.”
"As a boy," Frodo replied, sounding vaguely absentminded. He pulled The Hobbit from the shelf and lifted an eyebrow. "How odd. Ever read this?"
Remus glanced at the cover of the book that Frodo took off the shelf and nodded, “I have actually. Twice.” After a moment, Remus frowned slightly as he took in the cover of the book, “Come to think of it, the main character has the same last name as you.” Remus didn’t really think anything or it besides the fact that it was quite a coincidence. Of course he’d also read The Lord of the Rings, but he had read it as a child and for one reason or another, he didn’t make the connection between the Frodo standing in front of him and the Frodo in the books. Of course the Frodo in the books was only about three feet tall and the man in front of him was quite a bit taller than that.
Frodo squinted his eyes a bit as a weak headache came and passed. He began the moment he touched the book, but it didn’t last long. He turned to Remus with a raised eyebrow. “Same last name as me?”
Remus nodded, “Baggins. It’s curious...” Was it just a coincidence or was it possible that there was more behind it? After all, things in the OC had gotten rather strange since he’d come back. Nothing was exactly the same anymore; no one was the same either. After all, he and his friends were apparently wizards. And he was also apparently a werewolf; in the dreams at least.
“Curious... yes...” Frodo murmured.
He dreamed about being a hobbit, a word he had never heard before, now here was a book with that title about a fellow named Baggins. His head swam for a moment. He even moved to return the book to where it had been found, but something stayed him. An incomplete thought, perhaps, but still he felt that this might very well be the book he came to find. “Maybe it is just so uncanny that I have to read it.” He smiled a bit.
“I can certainly guarantee that it is a good book.” Remus told him, watching Frodo. It was obvious that the other man had quite a lot on his mind and he was still trying to figure out if this was merely a coincidence or not. He would have to take another look on Valarnet and see if he recognized any other names from things he had read in the past.
Frodo tucked the book under his arm and smiled graciously at the young man. He had no reason to help, and yet he had taken the time out of his of shopping trip for a stranger. The Hobbit Frodo was a bit sad to think that once they parted ways, it was unlikely they would run into each other again. “Well, thank you very much. I’m glad I ran into you today”
Remus smiled, “You’re quite welcome. I could hardly let you wander around aimlessly when I know this particular store quite well.” Remus knew that there was a chance that they might not see one another again, but if Remus’ theory was correct then there was a chance that he’d see him again on Valarnet. “I do hope you enjoy the book.”