RP: Random Encounter

[rar_theodore]

Date: Wednesday, 7 August 1999
Characters: Theodore Nott, Tracey Davis
Location: Muggle London
Status: Private
Summary: Theodore and Tracey run into each other and have a chat.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[rar_tracey]

It really was never to early to shop for your mum's birthday. A good gift for a mother meant sending the right message. The wrong gift could send the sort of message that left your mum feeling awful about turning another year older. The wrong gift could tell her "You're official a dowdy old lady, so here, have some socks and a box of tea." The wrong gift could tell her, "You don't spend nearly enough time in the kitchen, so have this snazzy new pan and cook something for us while you're at it

[rar_theodore]

Theo offered her another slight smile. So far so good, progress was being made in his vague plan to become marginally less of a recluse. They were talking. Talking was a good start.

"I'm well, thank you." He managed to keep his hands still, not even toying with his cuffs or something, which was a small victory on its own. "What an unexpected pleasure to run into you - I hadn't thought I'd see anyone I know."

He brushed his fringe back off his face and decided to stick to safe small talk subjects. Maybe he really did need to get out more often. "What have you been up to since school ended? Anything terribly exciting?"

[rar_tracey]

Tracey tried to make her smile convincing, but she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. They'd hardly ever spoken in school, and his father...well, she just wasn't sure about him.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. I'm leading an awfully boring life," she joked casually, realizing it wasn't much of a joke, really. "What about you? I don't think I've heard anything too scandalous through the house grapevine, so I suppose you're staying out of trouble?"

[rar_theodore]

"There's something to be said for boring." He shrugged one shoulder. He could tell that she was at least a little leery of him, and he couldn't really blame her. He tossed the observation onto his mental desk anyway, to be sorted later.

"As for me, staying out of trouble is generally what I do. I spent most of my time at school holed up in the library for a reason, you know." The small smile came back. "Which is why I'm working towards a career with the Department of Mysteries - quiet but interesting."

[rar_tracey]

"A lot to be said for it, really." Particularly after the last few years. "Boring I can handle," she said a bit ruefully.

Merlin it was warm out. She leaned against the brick wall between shops and grinned, "Well I'd ask how that is, but I don't suppose you could tell me much, yeah?"

[rar_theodore]

He chuckled lowly. "I think I can safely tell you that I fill out a lot of paperwork. Which, really, could be said for about three-quarters of the Ministry, hmm?"

He tilted his head slightly to one side. "While I realise it's quite a nice day, it's a bit awkward having a conversation on the sidewalk in front of a shop." Or, at least, it was for Theo, who occasionally admitted to himself that he might have had a few issues. "I was thinking about going for a cup of tea." A lie, but it was harmless and sounded completely sincere. "Would you care to join me?"

[rar_tracey]

Paperwork. There was one thing pub work had going for it. Not a lot of forms to fill out.

She only allowed herself a moment's consideration, because she didn't want to seem rude. It was highly unlikely he was luring her off to some trap, and really the worst that could happen was Theo being a terrible conversationalist.

"I'd love to," she said convincingly. "Do you know this area? Anywhere around here we could go?" She obviously knew at least half a dozen places they could go, but she was certainly not about to admit familiarity with a Muggle neighborhood. Not when she barely knew him.

[rar_theodore]

Theo let a little bit of the tension in his spine drain away. He might actually have been worse at small talk than he was at relaxing (another fact for his somewhat cluttered mental desk - his mental concepts rolled their eyes at him), but Tracey hadn't politely excused herself from the conversation yet. All to the good, then.

He smiled wryly and decided to try his hand at leaving the slightly awkward small talk behind. "I... might. I sometimes come out here for something a little different, you know. Unfortunately," he continued, deadpan, "I have quite possibly the worst sense of direction in all of Britain. There is a distinct possibility that following me will result in a need for search parties. But I'm sure we would, eventually, find a place with tea."

[rar_tracey]

Tracey couldn't help but giggle at that, "I'm sure we'll be fine." She let him lead the way, hoping he didn't head towards the place with the blue awning. Their tea was awful, and their coffee was the weakest she'd ever had.

"So what brings you out here," she asked as they walked for lack of anything else to say, trying to stress the otherness of the place which really, she was far more at home with. "Other than the nice weather, that is."

[rar_theodore]

"I hope you won't come to regret this decision," he responded solemnly. Small talk was definitely out - it was going better already. Unfortunately, that meant he was stuck trying to remember That One Place with the good tea. It had a green sign, he remembered that much. So, left or right?

Left looked promising.

He laced his fingers together behind his back as they started walking. "I don't know if you'd actually believe me, if I told you why I'm out here. I suppose 'wandering aimlessly' isn't a good answer, is it?"

[rar_tracey]

Tracey swung her tiny shopping bag back and forth as she walked alongside him, grinning at his formality. "It's a perfectly good answer. I for one am completely for wandering aimlessly. Although, now we have an aim don't we? A good cafe."

She kept an eye out for shops that looked promising as they made their way down the street, still wanting to pick out a nice gift before she went back to Scotland.

[rar_theodore]

"So we do." Theo smiled and shook his fringe back. "I swear I've had good tea somewhere in this area. It's just a matter of finding it again."

There was a place with a blue awning, but no green sign. His mental concepts helpfully reminded him that he'd tried that place once and sworn never to go near it again. Then they went back to their jazz because that's the sort of thing mental concepts did.

"It's not that place," he said blandly, walking past it. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

[rar_tracey]

Theo scored major points with Tracey as they passed the place with the blue awning. "How about there? Looks like they have scones," she said, pointing across the street at a cafe she'd been to a few times. "And hopefully something good to wash them down with."

She checked for traffic and they crossed the street together. As they ducked inside the shop and into the cool air conditioning, she realized she was in all Muggle clothing, which was all well and good for blending in in London but not so great for fooling purebloods.

He was in black slacks, like she saw most Slytherin boys default to when going Muggle, but she was wearing a Kinks t-shirt and jeans. Hopefully he wouldn't notice, or at least keep his observations to himself.

She put down her bag at a table to claim it and joined him at the counter.

[rar_theodore]

"That looks fine," Theo replied, holding the door open and then following her into the shop. He tilted his head back a bit as the Muggle artificial cool air hit them. It was a welcome break from the heat. He noticed that Tracey's clothing choice was a bit more practical than his. She'd probably taken Muggle Studies, which he'd never bothered with.

He eyed the tea selections thoughtfully, tapping his fingertips against the edge of the counter, then looked over to Tracey. "How do you feel about Ceylon tea?"

[rar_tracey]

Tracey shrugged looking over the menu on the wall, "Don't think I've ever had it. How is it?"

She wondered if he had Muggle money, and if she should pay casually or...fumble a bit. Maybe try to overpay. She'd never been in this particular situation before.

[rar_theodore]

"It's a black tea, a bit citrus-y." Was citrus-y actually a word? He wasn't entirely sure and decided not to dwell on it. "I like it, anyway."

He found himself restlessly brushing his fringe back again as he pulled out his rarely-used Muggle wallet. He'd painstakingly taught himself the currency once, when he first started coming into London, because few things were quite as bad as being proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to have no idea what was going on. If nothing else, Theodore liked being right.

"So, a pot of Ceylon and a couple of scones?"