Run freedom run!

[thelionharted]

The thing about weddings is they take a lot of planning. And normally, James would be quite happy to help with all of this, since it means he's got his Lily back and things are happening as they should be. Not today. Today, Mr. Potter has decided he's had quite enough of this wedding planning madness, and left Lily to her massive piles of bridal

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[wankerrecluse]

Bernard too has decided to escape the madness, although his has nothing to do with a wedding, more the being in a new city (a new country)and adjusting to having powers. Usually he would cope by locking himself in at home, but nowhere's home here. Plus, he was getting electricy again, and after setting a book on fire, he had to get somewhere he wouldn't do any huge damage, or maybe look more into how he got here, since he arrived in the park and all.

However, he got rather distracted on the way by someone... in a tree. He takes a drag of smoke, and stands near the tree, staring up, as if trying to figure out why someone is in a tree.

"Why are you in a tree?" Well, he gave up on trying to figure it out. Asking is easier.

[thelionharted]

James grins and scrambles down a bit, balancing somewhat precariously on a branch.

"Do I really need a reason? It's a lovely tree." It's nice to hear someone else from England, anyway. "Care to join me, or should I come down?"

[wankerrecluse]

Well, lived in England perhaps, but his accent is still quite prominently Irish, easily recognisable if Bernard bothers saying more than six words. Bernard can identify the kid's accent as English though, possibly South Western. He hadn't really expected to bump into anyone from across the pond so quickly, but he's not complaining. He's not too fond of Americans in general.

"I think I'll stay down here, thank you," he answers, taking another lung-full of smoke. He's not leaving though. He's a bit intrigued as to why this English kid is up in a tree in the middle of Chicago.

[thelionharted]

"Alright, then." So James scrambles down from the tree and gives him a bright grin.

"So, are you going t' stand there and smoke, or talk?" He leans against the tree cheerfully and stretches a bit. "I'm James Potter," he adds, after a minute, and offers a hand.

[wankerrecluse]

"Bernard Black," he answers with an amused smile, moving his cigarette to his left hand to shake this James' hand. He pulls the packet of smokes out of his pocket as well, offering one to James. He's not usually this friendly, but, well, the guy's name is James Potter, that's just amusing, and also, he's climbing in a tree, which is also amusing.

"James Potter, huh? Like the wizard?" he asks. Probably a question the kid gets often, and one that if it were Bernard, he'd like to shoot the person asking, but hey, at least he's making conversation.

[thelionharted]

"Exactly like the wizard." He grins broadly and takes the offered cigarette with a little nod, then laughs. "Merlin. I feel famous." There's nothing wrong with that, of course. He always felt vaguely famous around Hogwarts, too.

"Don't s'pose you're any relation to Sirius Black?"

[wankerrecluse]

Bernard has to pause a little to decide if the guy's joking or not. True, he's heard there are a few people around he would consider fictional -- Doctor Who, to name one, although apparently he looks different now -- but he hasn't actually met any of them yet.

"Er, no, sorry. I know him, though. Well, of him. I'm a muggle, I'm just... well read," he explains. Even if the kid's joking, he can just as well play along!

"So, can you do magic? Can you 'accio' this?" he asks, grinning and holding up a lighter. THEN he might believe it. After all, Bernard can do electricity here, who's he to say what might be possible or not. For all he knows, he's more or less stepped into a storyworld of his own.

[thelionharted]

"Yeah, Lils and Sirius mentioned something about books. Don't know if I want to read 'em myself, it might be a bit weird." He gives Bernard his best charming smile.

"Of course I can do magic, mate." He likes showing off, what can we say. So he pulls out his wand and mutters a quick 'accio', and hey, flying lighter! "What is this thingy, anyway?"

[wankerrecluse]

Okay, Bernard's convinced. Either he's a wizard, or the guy is telekinetic and messing with him. Either way is just as ridiculous to Bernard, so he's just gonna go with it. He's spent enough time trying to work out how insane this world is anyway, so now he takes things at face value. Really though, this gives Bernard hope that he might bump into some of his literary heroes.

"It's a lighter. Muggle invention for making fire," he explains, throwing down his finished fag and stepping on it, then reaching over to take back the lighter, and lighting it. "You can have it, if you want," he adds, tossing it back to James. "I can do this now."

He pulls out another cigarette and pops it in his mouth. Then he holds his forefinger and thumb apart, on either side of the tip of the fag, then concentrates. Blue sparks of electricity fly between his fingers and through the cigarette, lighting it. Now it's Bernard's turn to look a bit smug. He's been practicing that.

[thelionharted]

James studies the lighter curiously, then sticks it in his pocket with a little shrug. "Sirius might want it. He smokes more than I do, anyway."

He shoots a vaguely impressed look at the electricity, then laughs and shakes his head a little. "Damn. I'm impressed. All I got was this bloody stupid ...sparkliness. I look like a --" He frowns a little, trying to think of the word, and shakes his head. "A disky- -- I dunno. They have them on the ceiling at clubs sometimes?" He's learning, slowly. Lily's taught him a lot about Muggles in the past year or so, and of course Remus has as well. But he never thought he'd have a reason to know tons about them.

[wankerrecluse]

"Disco ball," Bernard supplies. He's never been to a disco, never wants to, ever, but at least he knows what they are. Know thy enemy?

"To be fair, you can already do magic," he answers, taking a drag from his smoke. "And there's no Ministry for Magic here to stop you, as far as I know... So, how old are you now, anyway? Nineteen, twenty? You've finished school, yeah?" Bernard asks, guessing by how old he looks.

He was never a huge fan of the Potter series, they were alright, but... Still, it's interesting to learn more. Although hey, the last two books might be out by now, won't they? It's 2009 and all. He hadn't thought of that. He'll have to hunt down more new stuff by his favourite authors.

[thelionharted]

"Right, yeah! Those things." James nods enthusiastically and lights the cigarette in his hand, taking an absent drag.

"I'm, ah, eighteen. Training at the Ministry to be an auror. Or I was, anyway." He pauses a little and frowns. "Yeah, I know there's no Ministry, but -- better safe than sorry, y'know?" He's not about to go out looking for danger unless there's a really good reason for it.

"And -- yeah. Done with school, obviously."

[wankerrecluse]

Bernard nods, which is what he'd doing in this world too. Staying out of trouble. Until he works out how to do things like he did when he arrived -- blowing up a small part of the park -- he doesn't have that much to bring to a fight.

"Right... And Sirius and Lily are here too, you say?" He has to think back to what he knows about them at that point. None of the really bad stuff has happened yet. No Voldemort, no death, no betrayal. No Harry Potter, either.

"No Lupin, no Wormtail?" Must be odd for James to hear some called by first names, some by last, some by nicknames, but that's how he's used to reading about them. "No... well, any other witches or wizards?"

[thelionharted]

All things considered, James does have much more to bring a fight than Bernard, especially with some of the training he's been getting as an auror lately. Not that there were dark wizards in Chicago, but it is Chicago. Weird things happen.

"Yeah, Sirius and Lils are here." There's a bright grin. He really is glad to have them back, to know they're safe. "Lily found me when I first got here."

He blinks a little at the mention of Peter and Remus, then remembers. Oh, right, books. But Wormtail? That's just a bit weird, to hear your friend's nickname coming out of a Muggle's mouth. "Ah -- no Remus or Peter, no. I'm sure I'd have found them by now if they were here. Or Sirius would've. I'm not sure if there are any other witches or wizards, Lils and I have been a bit, er, busy." Planning the wedding. Of course. ...And locked in their bedroom, but that's another story.

[wankerrecluse]

Bernard smiles with amusement at the 'busy', because, well, 1) they're 18, and 2) they're presumably dating (weren't they dating in 7th year, too? Bernard doesn't recall). He can take a guess as to what they've been busy with.

"Don't think anyone I know are here either. Not that I could find out easily, I mean, they're just normal people..." Bernard tells him, tapping his cigarette. "I don't think they exist in this world, so unless they've fallen through like I have..." He sighs, frowning. He misses them, he realises. Not anything he'd ever actually admit, he's doing perfectly fine without them, thank-you-very-much.

"They're both your age, yeah? Not... Well, older..." he asks, trying not to give too much away. Has your best friend become a depraved near-corpse yet? just isn't something you ask a person.

[thelionharted]

We were figuring he could! They've got six months of lost time to catch up on, after all.

"Well, y' never know. They might show up." James grins reassuringly. "I mean, Lily and Sirius were here a long time before I ever was."

He nods at Bernard's question, absently running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Sirius was, ah, 17 when I saw him last back home, but it's been a year since then. So. ...Yeah. Why d'you ask?" Pardon his nosiness.