04

[pottershotter]

[In the front hall, right where anyone and everyone will walk by and see, James has set up a booth. The sign at the top says:

FILL ANY QUADRANT
1 GALLEON
(OR OTHER WORLDLY EQUIVALENT)

And, being the showman he is, James is standing up on his booth, shouting to anyone who will listen]

That's right! Step right up and I, James Potter, will fill

Comments

[notursalvation]

[Nagi witnesses this whole scene. He just stands at a distance listening to James for a minute before approaching. He's both bemused and amused, and thinks that this warrants some consideration.]

You must be a versatile person, if you can fill any quadrant on demand.

[pottershotter]

[His eyes widen in fascination at Nagi's mechanical-ish voice, but he's over it in about ten seconds. Maybe he'll ask later, when it's not time to brag.]

I'm incredibly versatile. I've got more versatility in my little finger than most people combined!

[Look at that charming eyebrow waggle. How can you fault him for any of his personality flaws?]

...And besides, even if I'm not versatile enough for someone, I'll find someone for that person. I'm a pretty good matchmaker, if I do say so myself.

[notursalvation]

[He chuckles. Which is a weird as hell sound.]

You're very confident. That's probably half the work in this case.

[pottershotter]

Pretty much! No one would buy anything if I wasn't confident in what I was doing.

[Then he eyes Nagi, because his curiosity just can't take it anymore.]

...How are you doing that with your voice? I've never heard anything like it!

[notursalvation]

[Nagi isn't totally surprised by the question, but usually people at least get his name first. He fingers the scarf around his neck, making sure it hides the scars on his throat.]

I have an artificial voice box.

[pottershotter]

[James just stares in awe, like he just said "I am merely a puppet being voiced by a Hippogriff" or "There are bees buzzing in my throat making words for me".]

That's incredible! I've never heard of anything like it, not without magic anyhow. That's just brilliant! I mean, with a spell you'd have to keep it up constantly or be exceedingly clever about it, I think.

[He pauses then, realizing that he's kind of impolitely rambling at this point. Oops. Oh well.]

Err. Anyway, I'm James Potter. And you?

[notursalvation]

I'm called Owl by most people. [Nagi bows just slightly. Not enough for it to be anything more than a formality.]

To be honest, the technology isn't that complicated.

[pottershotter]

Owl? That's an excellent name. You can call me Prongs if you want to. [You know, since Owl definitely sounds like it might be a code name, and Prongs definitely is a code name.]

And most technology is kind of complicated to me. I'd never even been in a house with light-switchy things until I showed up here.

[He makes an odd flick-y motion with his hand, in case Owl has no idea what he's talking about.]

[notursalvation]

[Oh he got it. The motion helps.]

Prongs? I see. [He smiles. Kids are great.] Your world sounds very different from mine.

[pottershotter]

It probably is! I sort of get that a lot. Something about flying on broomsticks not being normal, or something like that. [And he waves it off like it's nothing.]

[notursalvation]

I get that a bit as well. But probably not as much as you.

[pottershotter]

[He shrugs.] I dunno about that. You probably get tons of that for your voice, and if your world's got tons of things like that, then I can't even imagine how different this place must be.

[notursalvation]

Most people from twentieth century earth don't consider this voice all that strange. Though most of them think it's from smoking.

[pottershotter]

I'm from the twentieth century! Just, um. ...A different one, I suppose.

[notursalvation]

It seems that way.

That aside, any luck with this? [He indicates James's stand.]

[pottershotter]

I have, actually! I found someone the best Moirail they could have.

[AKA himself.]