Well, Luna thought that anyone would be mad to pass up the chance of free alcohol in any shape or form. In addition to that, there really hadn't been much news from anybody at all. (In fact, she was getting a tad worried about her father. She hadn't heard from him in over five months.) There were no Quibbler leads to chase, and most of the creatures that she had set out to document had long since hunkered down for the winter. In fact, her days, and especially her evenings, yawned at her like the long dark corridor that had led to the Department of Mysteries. Luna, to put it simply, was bored.
Finding a seat at the counter, Luna said, "Do you make Pineapple Daiquiris?"
Sirius grinned widely at the sign, and took a seat at the bar. "Free drinks, eh? Thanks, mate!" he told Wensleydale enthusiastically. Then, he glanced at the girl sitting next to him. She was a very familiar looking girl, and not just from having seen her around the manor-- was his memory playing tricks on him, or had she been in the Department of Mysteries that day?
"You're Harry's friend, aren't you?" he said casually, and then added gallantly "Put the lady's daiquiri on my tab, if you don't mind, and I'll have a scotch." He may not have had much money, but he could still afford to buy a round of free drinks.
"Yes, I am," said Luna. "And you're Stubby Boardman, alias Sirius Black. Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Boardman. I grew up rather familiar with your music. My mother was a fan."
"How kind of you, Mr. Boardman," giggled Luna. "My name's Luna, by the way," she said, offering a handshake.
"Are you doing the entertainment for tonight, then?"
"Charmed, Luna," he said, not allowing himself a snicker. Well, she was a bit odd, but to think she was mad would be a bit like the pot calling the cauldron pewter. "It's always nice to meet a fan. I take it you read the Quibbler, then?"
He accepted the handshake, and then smiled at the question. "Nah, I'm afraid I'm trying to keep a low profile around here."
"The Quibbler? Do you read it? My father's the editor," beamed Luna enthusiastically. "I'm working for him now, of course. We came here - that is, my father and I, were supposed to come here together to do a story on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, but he was called away on other business, so I guess that means that it should be 'I came here' - to, well, do a story on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. It's been slow, though," said Luna a little despondently. "They can be rather difficult to spot, with their colouration. In addition, I think they should have all gone into hibernation for the winter."
"A low profile? Does that mean that there'll be no chance of an interview then? How about an autograph? I could bring down my camera and we could take a picture and you could sign it? Please?" Luna looked beseechingly at Sirius. There might or might not have been an element of puppy dog eyes being thrown in.
Sirius is better at not laughing than one might think. It probably comes from his history as a troublemaker, when the ability to keep a straight face is so important. At any rate, he is completely serious when he replies, "Is that so? I'm not a regular reader, but I've been known to pick it up now and again. You're certainly the only ones I've seen crack the Stubby Boardman story."
"Don't think I can do an interview, but--" he really can't give her an autograph as Stubby Boardman, can he? She'd never learn he was a fraud, but it seems wrong somehow. Ah, well, he's always been a bit of a sucker for puppy dog eyes-- "I suppose an autograph wouldn't hurt. And I'll be sure to be on the lookout for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
For Luna, an interview with Stubby Boardman would have been a realisation of a - well, a dream. It wouldn't exactly have been the scoop of the year, but it would have been a coup for a fledgling journalist in any shape or form. It didn't hurt that she had grown up with his music either. But she could settle for an autograph. "Well, we have to thank Doris Purkiss for helping us with that, you know. If she hadn't sent in that letter, we probably wouldn't have guessed either. In fact, most of our stories come from leads that our readers direct us to. We follow up on them as much as we can to verify what our readers send in. We can't print fake stories, you know."
"Oh thanks!" It was always useful to have another pair of eyes on the lookout for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Luna beamed. People here were so helpful. Accio!" Within moments, Luna's camera zoomed into the bar and neatly into Luna's hand. Looking around, she spotted Wensley. "Hi - um, Jeremy, right? Could you take a picture of Mr. Boardman and I, please?"
"Sure!" came his reply as he re-approached the bar, taking the camera from Luna's hands. Waiting a few moments for the two to position themselves, he snapped the picture, taking it and waving it in the air, like he'd seen his mum do countless times. Looking at the picture, though, was not the sme as usual. Picture-Luna was blushing furiously as Picture-Sirius winked lecherously.
"Uhm," he muttered, handing the picture and camera back to their owner, "I think your camera might be broken."
"Thanks!" said Luna. She took a glance at the picture, and inhaled sharply. Momentarily, the same blush colouring Picture-Luna's face appeared on the live model. "Um... no, it's working fine, thanks," the blush making its way down Luna's neck as she tried to smile at Wensley.
'Embarrassed' would not be the right word to describe what Luna was feeling right now. It might do in a pinch, but it really wasn't the right word for the job. It was too small.
Taking a deep breath, and trying to quell the rising red tide, Luna fumbled for a quill in one of her pockets. Wordlessly, she thrust the photograph and the self-inking quill at Sirius.
Sirius picked up the quill, poised it over the picture, and paused. What if she'd seen Stubby Boardman's signature before? He knew the Hobgoblin's music all right, but he had no idea how to forge Boardman's signature.
"Listen, I, uh, you know, can't have word get out I'm here. Would you mind if I signed as my alias?"
If circumstances had been different (for example, if she wasn't still blushing fit to start a fire), she would have insisted that Stubby Boardman sign his own name. As it was, the small voice said, "... I suppose it wouldn't hurt." With a small sigh, Luna continued, "Just knowing it was you will have to do."
Well, now he felt kind of bad. But it isn't as though he could have told her he wasn't really Stubby Boardman. Sirius wasn't the type to rain on someone else's parade, even if it was the responsible thing to do.
He took the photograph and the quill, and signed
To Luna, My #1 fan Your friend,
"Sirius Black"
"Oh, you know, taking a break from the trials of celebrity. I'm enjoying the countryside, spending some time with an old friend." Well, it was all true. Except for the part where he was Stubby Boardman. And spending time with an old friend was taking a hit at the moment, considering that said friend had abandoned him in favor of work on New Year's Eve and had been avoiding him ever since an innocent snog a few weeks ago.
He paused, frowned, and then said, "Oh, what the hell, kid. I'll give you that interview. I can't have you publish my location or any details that might give me away, but I can't see the harm." He finished his scotch and grinned. "But some other night, right?"
"Oh yeah. The celebrity thing can get on people's nerves. Harry used to grouse about it a lot." Well, he didn't so much grouse about it, but Luna could tell that Harry was upset about it much of the time. Or at least, he had been, when they were still all together.
"Really?" If Luna had had a tail, the floorboards could have provided the bass beat for a rather fast-paced techno song - no, make that extremely fast-paced. "Thank you so much!" The blush was almost entirely gone now, and was replaced by a large grin. "Yes, of course," gushed Luna. "This will be my first real interview! Daddy'll be so proud!"
Finding a seat at the counter, Luna said, "Do you make Pineapple Daiquiris?"
Reply
"You're Harry's friend, aren't you?" he said casually, and then added gallantly "Put the lady's daiquiri on my tab, if you don't mind, and I'll have a scotch." He may not have had much money, but he could still afford to buy a round of free drinks.
Reply
"How kind of you, Mr. Boardman," giggled Luna. "My name's Luna, by the way," she said, offering a handshake.
"Are you doing the entertainment for tonight, then?"
Reply
He accepted the handshake, and then smiled at the question. "Nah, I'm afraid I'm trying to keep a low profile around here."
Reply
"A low profile? Does that mean that there'll be no chance of an interview then? How about an autograph? I could bring down my camera and we could take a picture and you could sign it? Please?" Luna looked beseechingly at Sirius. There might or might not have been an element of puppy dog eyes being thrown in.
Reply
"Don't think I can do an interview, but--" he really can't give her an autograph as Stubby Boardman, can he? She'd never learn he was a fraud, but it seems wrong somehow. Ah, well, he's always been a bit of a sucker for puppy dog eyes-- "I suppose an autograph wouldn't hurt. And I'll be sure to be on the lookout for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
Reply
"Oh thanks!" It was always useful to have another pair of eyes on the lookout for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Luna beamed. People here were so helpful. Accio!" Within moments, Luna's camera zoomed into the bar and neatly into Luna's hand. Looking around, she spotted Wensley. "Hi - um, Jeremy, right? Could you take a picture of Mr. Boardman and I, please?"
(ooc: It's an instant ( ... )
Reply
"Uhm," he muttered, handing the picture and camera back to their owner, "I think your camera might be broken."
Reply
'Embarrassed' would not be the right word to describe what Luna was feeling right now. It might do in a pinch, but it really wasn't the right word for the job. It was too small.
Taking a deep breath, and trying to quell the rising red tide, Luna fumbled for a quill in one of her pockets. Wordlessly, she thrust the photograph and the self-inking quill at Sirius.
Reply
"Listen, I, uh, you know, can't have word get out I'm here. Would you mind if I signed as my alias?"
Reply
If circumstances had been different (for example, if she wasn't still blushing fit to start a fire), she would have insisted that Stubby Boardman sign his own name. As it was, the small voice said, "... I suppose it wouldn't hurt." With a small sigh, Luna continued, "Just knowing it was you will have to do."
"So why are you here?"
Reply
He took the photograph and the quill, and signed
To Luna,
My #1 fan
Your friend,
"Sirius Black"
"Oh, you know, taking a break from the trials of celebrity. I'm enjoying the countryside, spending some time with an old friend." Well, it was all true. Except for the part where he was Stubby Boardman. And spending time with an old friend was taking a hit at the moment, considering that said friend had abandoned him in favor of work on New Year's Eve and had been avoiding him ever since an innocent snog a few weeks ago.
He paused, frowned, and then said, "Oh, what the hell, kid. I'll give you that interview. I can't have you publish my location or any details that might give me away, but I can't see the harm." He finished his scotch and grinned. "But some other night, right?"
Reply
"Really?" If Luna had had a tail, the floorboards could have provided the bass beat for a rather fast-paced techno song - no, make that extremely fast-paced. "Thank you so much!" The blush was almost entirely gone now, and was replaced by a large grin. "Yes, of course," gushed Luna. "This will be my first real interview! Daddy'll be so proud!"
Reply
Leave a comment