The libraries were useful, but Rasalas was admittedly doing her best to have things she could easily refer to just in case she had to babysit and needed to know something quick. She didn’t want to have to call Sirius any time something went wrong. She was casually dreading having to change any of the children, but she would...do her best if necessary. At least there were more than a few people at the house to help if she wasn’t sure. She was fairly certain everyone there had had children at some point. Or had them now. She was glad she was in the minority in regards to that.
She had a blue robe on that day and she’d spent most of her time trying to get acquainted with everything on her own. She could only rely on others for so long. So when she ran into a bookstore with a decidedly Greek name, she had to stop. Cerberus, if she recalled, was a three headed dog in Hades. She, herself, was just a star that made up Leo. Both as her current form and the form most people knew: Regulus.
She pulled her hair over her shoulder, standing just outside the door briefly before going inside. She needed books that she could keep. Plus, maybe she could find some non educational books so that no one thought she was trying too hard. It was going to be hard to prove it and she wasn’t sure that it was important to do so. She had goals and she couldn’t be the only one making potions when they were starting at none. As she opened the door and went inside, she looked around, noting that everyone was in...various and unusual outfits. She had seen work specific outfits, but none of these even seemed to make sense together.
She went up to a girl that had black hair with two braids. The closer she got, the more aware she was that it was potentially more of a wig, but she decided against mentioning it in case it was because of some medical condition she didn’t understand. “Excuse me. Do you know where the books on…” She peeked at her phone to look at the pictures again. “Childhood development are? And maybe if the section for general baby books is in the same area.” She smoothed the front of her robe down reflexively, straightening her posture even if she didn’t really need to.
Eleanor loved working at Cerberus books. There were milkshakes, for one, but also she got to dress up regularly as her childhood hero, Wednesday Addams and because it was the sort of bookstore that people weren't so formal in. That was probably due to the campy horror theme. She'd seen Rasalas enter, saw her take in the place, and now she was quickly approaching. She looked young, but entirely too proper with her mannerisms.
She wasn't sure why that stood out, outside that it didn't really fit with the usual vibe. But guessing from the other woman's expression, she'd never been in here before.
Either way, she nodded. "Yeah, right over here," she offered cheerily (not at all matching Wednesday's attitude), leading Rasalas to the kids section and then specifically the books on how to raise kids and various related topics like development. "Anything in particular you're looking for?" This was hardly her area of expertise, but she could try.
Ras found herself unusual in most places, but years of training and embedded information never truly disappeared. She knew that the easiest way to deal with things was to move with the confidence that you truly belonged somewhere. Whether or not that was true. “Thank you.” It was a soft deliverance. While her family was not well liked (outside of Sirius), she could at least positively represent the Black family.
“My brother has had twins in my absence and I am attempting to understand how to care for children. Though, I would prefer he not know. Even if he would not mind.” In fact, he would make quite a few faces and lightly teasing her before never letting her forget it and how “adorable” it was. No, she could not do that.
“I took some pictures of books I looked at in the library here. If that is helpful.” She pulled out her phone, more at ease with such Muggle devices after a year. She still was not exceptionally fast with it, but she had spent eighteen years of her life dead set against almost everything Muggle-related. They were quite innovative, however. But then she hadn’t expected to have time to know anything past the Cave. She pulled up the pictures, slowly going through them. “If you think there’s anything more widely accepted, I am willing to look into it.”
"Well that's a nice gesture," Eleanor said, because if she had siblings and they had acquired twins in her absence even post-death new-and-improved Eleanor would have balked at learning to take care of them. "We have a couple of those, at least" she said, bending down and reading through the titles, pulling out three books and handing them over to Ras one by one.
"I'm just going to be straight with you though, I don't know anything about kids. I never wanted a chance to fu… mess up as bad as my parents did and then I died, right? And I went through the afterlife perfectly content never having had any so now that I'm alive again?" Eleanor shrugged. "Still not a priority." She almost swore, and only barely caught herself in time remembering she was at work.
A relationship with her sister had been out of the cards for so long that now that she had someone who was basically her sister even if he was a man, she was doing her best not to ruin it. She didn’t think she could. Even when she teased Potter in a way that displeased him. He still forgave her.
As Eleanor spoke, Ras remained quiet. It seemed like something she’d needed to say and, while she wasn’t really certain how to deal with people spilling parts of their emotional selves to her even now, she was at least not exceptionally surprised by it. Her expression softened slightly at the mention of her death. “Was it your choice? Dying. I know it’s not usually, but for some it is.” She adjusted her posture again and then her hair. Then she addressed the other part of it. “I can understand the pressure of family and feelings of inadequacy. And dying. Though, my own was my choice. Not the choice most would have made, but I preferred it to having the choice taken from me later.”
"Oh, no," Eleanor said, almost laughing but she caught herself. "No, I definitely wouldn't have chosen to go out the way I did, it's pretty embarrassing." But her expression sobered almost immediately as Ras mentioned her own death.
"How old are you?" she asked, because she couldn't have been too old and yet she was talking about choosing her death? "I take it you're not from here either, then."
Not having a choice was no less complicated than having one, so Ras didn’t question it. “I am nineteen, which is one more year than I would have had.” She smiled softly. “And no. I am not from here. I was in a place before here, but it’s confusing to think about mostly.”
She shrugged then. “I hope your second attempt at life is at least going well for you?” Even without the children. She was still surprised somewhat that Sirius had children. She had expected to have them eventually. But things were not what they should have been. “My name is Rasalas Black.” It was hard to tell if anyone knew who she was outside of the people from her world or the people she knew in Tumbleweed.
Okay, wow. Nineteen was young and eighteen was even younger to have chosen death, whatever Rasalas meant by that and this definitely showed on Eleanor's face even if she didn't say anything about it specifically. However, the second part of what she said caught Eleanor's attention and she asked, "It wasn't Texas, was it?"
As to her life here? "Yeah, it's going alright. I mean, I didn't have to work in the afterlife, so that's kind of a bummer, but at least here I get to dress up like Wednesday and drink milkshakes, and my other job has the best skin care products you can find in Vallo so I can't complain, really."
She didn't recognize the name, but she introduced herself as well. "Eleanor. Shellstrop." Since they were being formal and all.
Ras wasn’t really surprised by the reaction. Most people had when she’d mentioned it to them. It was part of fewer people having the training to hide their emotions easily. Sirius could still hide his well enough, but he usually chose not to. “It was Texas. Are you familiar with Bonnie or Sirius?” She wasn’t sure who else was from Texas outside of those two.
“You dress as a day of the week?” She tilted her head to one side slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She was still not overly familiar with muggle films or muggle traditions. It seemed like an unusual thing to personify days of the week, but perhaps it was a tradition for them? Other worlds were unusual at the best of times.
“Pleasure to meet you.” She was, in fact, very proper. It was one of the many things with her. Manners always spoke best of her family and it was perhaps not the worst habit to still have.
"Vaguely," Eleanor said, though her contact with each had been limited at best. She knew of them, at least, and knew Sirius from the movies which made her wonder if Rasalas was related somehow? She hadn't really paid too much attention to the plot, just that some boy wizard destroyed an evil wizard without a nose after some old wizard basically manipulated him into doing so. And she knew Marina had enjoyed having a Harry Potter wand, and that there were a bunch of people around now. But that wasn't enough for her to make any real connection between Sirius and Rasalas.
"I know Marina though, if you've ever met her. She was in Tumbleweed before here." She couldn't have imagined them interacting much, this kid was too sweet for Marina. Of course, she was pretty much the opposite of her and yet considered Marina her best friend here, so what did she know?
"Oh, and Wednesday Addams. She's a character from the Addams Family? This place has a general classic horror theme going for it cause that was the original owner's thing. You gotta dress up to work here."
She considered Rasalas for a bit, still so formal even after discussing something like choosing to die. "Yeah, it's good to meet you too. Feel free to take those books or any others over to one of the tables and look them over. Get a milkshake. Let me know if you need anything else?"
“My brother mentioned her. I think he worked for her at some point, but I never really met her myself, no. But Sirius always has a lot of friends.” She’d miss the few she had. A Harry that would never remember her as she was. She hoped he was safe in his home and that the zombie infestation would get to be less and he and his aunt would be okay. Then there was Alucard and Rhy, but Rhy more so than Alucard. Draco as well.
She stared again because that didn’t really clear anything up. Classic Horror theme. Perhaps it was some Muggle story. “I don’t know many Muggle stories. I must have missed it.” She’d ask Sirius about it later.
Nodding slightly, holding the books in her arms. “Thank you for your help. I’ll probably buy them and go home, though. Perhaps I’ll come back another time for something else.”
"Okay, hold up. At some point you need to watch the movie. And you are from Harry Potter… his world aren't you? Cause Muggles." Eleanor caught herself from referring straight to the fandom rather than the actual world, even if it didn't bother her too much. (Maybe because she just didn't question things further than she needed to.)
"I can ring those up then. Message me their ages later and I'll figure out if there's anything else we have that you might need?" Eleanor asked, getting back to the business at hand. "Oh, if you want there's a group that meets Wednesdays. For people who have died before showing up here. We have donuts."
“I am, yes.” She was casually glad that she had long sleeves to hide the hint of a Dark Mark. Even if it just looked more like a scar than a tattoo these days. No Voldemort, no black color. It was a curious thing to know about. “Most people know me as Regulus Black. But my sister and I are females in my world. Well, it seems everyone’s genders are swapped there.” But it was complicated to explain...or perhaps only complicated in that it hurt people’s heads to think of everyone they knew as different.
The mention of a group for people that died wasn’t really something she was sure she wanted to go to, but then maybe she could just go sit and see what it was about. Sirius probably would suggest that she did. “Thank you. I meant to ask how old they were, but I guess I’ll only be lightly teased if I ask now.” They were still small enough to be babies. She would need to know their birthdays anyway in case she needed to get presents soon. “Do you have to talk at these meetings? I’ve talked with friends, but strangers is...sometimes stranger. Especially when a lot of people awkwardly know your story.”
"Cool," Eleanor replied, her default go-to for when she didn't know what else to say. "I mean everything's already weird here anyway so what can you do?" She shrugged, not at all concerned with who Rasalas was meant to be because she didn't know the movies well enough to remember Regulus Black. And she definitely hadn't read the books.
She walked to the register and pulled her phone out from where she had it stashed. "Here," she said, finding Ras on the network. She sent her a message with the meeting time and place. "Sent you the details, but just message me back if you want to meet here first. Or Morningside if you're staying there. You don't have to say anything. I mostly just went for the donuts until I started making sure a friend went. People have different experiences, you know? You may just find someone whose story is close enough to relate to."
She checked out the books and gave Ras her total, then added, "You're a good sister. Those twins will have a good aunt."
People just knowing was stranger than having to tell them. She at least didn’t seem to know who she was or she was doing a very good job at hiding it. Either way, she was glad to not have to deal with the whole “Slytherin Hero” thing.
“I’m staying at my family home, but I’ll let you know. I haven’t been to Morningside yet. I will have to explore a little more, but I’m sure I will know by the time the next meeting happens.” And then if she decided to go, she would reach out. She could just apparate to wherever. She nodded at the information. Rhy and her had had similar upbringings and, though their deaths were different, she’d be comfortable talking to him about everything. It was mostly the struggle with having a chance at life when you knew so little about what you wanted to do with it and it felt wrong to have it. There were also other things like having to come to terms with the likelihood of your being disowned because of the choices you made to exist in a place and time.
“Thank you,” she said softly as her mind withdrew from its cycling thoughts. “I hope I will manage well enough,” she said as she handed over the payment. “And thank you again for assisting me with the books.”
"Yeah, no pressure," Eleanor said, finishing up the transaction. "Just let me know so you don't have to walk in that first time on your own, if you go." Maybe Ras wouldn't mind it. Eleanor had dealt with the awkwardness by beelining straight for the donuts and having no shame in doing so.
She bagged up the books and handed them over. "If you need anything, just reach out," she added wondering when she'd started to sound so much like Tahani, save for that British accent of hers.
She wondered if Sirius went or anyone from the house. Strange that they should mostly all have died. An unusual thing to be so popular, but dying was that way. Many from their home worlds had died in Tumbleweed as well. “Of course. I will reach out. If there is anything you need as well, you can find me at Grimmauld Place or on the network.” She wondered if they’d altered the wards around the house or not. She may have to more specifically invite her to make it work and ignore her mother’s feelings on the matter.
She took her books and offered something that she hoped looked less like a practiced smile and a more natural smile. “I’ll see you around.” Because she assumed she would. She might reach out about her other job. She could use just about everything. But she’d worry about that later. For now, she would go home and hide her books so her brother was unaware and could not look at her as if she’d done something “adorable”.