RP: Museum and Reunions

[shh_su]

Date: 5 February 2005
Characters: Su Li, Cedric Diggory
Location: The Museum
Status: Private
Summary: Su sees the museum and an old friend
Completion: Complete

Comments

[shh_cedric]

Cedric was coming back from hanging bills when he noticed the young woman sitting on the steps, looking down at a book in her lap. Was she waiting for him? Rita Skeeter had mentioned the museum in The Daily Prophet, so perhaps he should expect more interest.

As he walked up the path in the fading light, she heard him coming and raised her head. With it bent, he hadn't been sure, but able now to see her whole face, he could tell she was from the far east ... somewhere. As embarrassing as it was, even after having dated Cho for half a year and knowing several folks from there in Toronto, he still had a hard time telling ethnicity from ethnicity from that neck of the global woods. As her skin was very fair, and had a faintly gold sheen, so he was guessing Chinese rather than anything Southeastern or Korean. But then, she might be Japanese.

"Hello? Are you looking for the museum, or new to Stoatshead and lost? I'm Cedric Diggory." He held out a hand to her, to help her up.

[shh_su]

When Cedric hadn't appeared, Su thought she might as well wait for him, having come this far. She pulled a book out of her bag and sat on the steps to read. Su had gotten three pages in when, hearing a noise, she looked up to see Cedric approaching. He clearly didn't recognize her, but she had sort of expected that.

"Hello, Cedric. My name is Su Li. I doubt you remember me, but we were at Hogwarts together." She didn't mention the connection; if he remembered, great, and if not, it would only mean dredging up painful memories.

"I was interested in the museum, actually," Su said, taking Cedric's hand and allowing him to help her stand, glad to be a few steps above him, as it gave her less of a height disadvantage than usual. She looked up at his face; he seemed older, more mature, but as handsome as ever. There was a moment of silence before she realized she was staring at him. Blushing, Su looked down and continued, "I studied art history at a Muggle university in Shanghai."

[shh_cedric]

"Su ..." He knew that name. "Su Li ... Oh! Yes, one of Cho's friends from Ravenclaw!" He slapped an embarrassed hand over his face. "I'm sorry, I just didn't recognize you. Then again, it's been 10 years. I dare say most of us don't exactly look like we did in school."

Now that she'd placed herself for him, he did sort of recognize her. She'd been a tiny little thing at Hogwarts -- smaller than Cho -- and still was, her features more classically Chinese. She didn't have the Scottish accent, either.

"You're interested in the museum? Oh, and come in. It's turning a bit chilly out here with the sun going down."

Opening the door, he ushered her inside. "You studied art history? Chinese? Something else? Any particular period? It seems like a number of wizards actually went to Muggle uni with the war disrupting our world."

[shh_su]

Su smiled when Cedric made the connection. It was lovely to be moving back into her old social web. "Yes, Cho and I were close." It got easier and easier to talk about Cho, now that Su was back in England. Why was that? "Don't worry, I had the advantage over you, having the name before seeing the face. And yes, it's been quite a while. Last time I saw you, you weren't looking so well." Su hoped he didn't mind her referencing his 'death'. Comforting Cho was one of her strongest memories of fifth year.

Su thanked Cedric and entered the museum, glad to escape the cold. Once inside, she turned a slow circle, head back, to take in everything. Not that there was much there, mind, but she could see the possibilities. "It's wonderful," Su exclaimed. "Yes, I've heard that many wizards have done the same. There are more magical people in China, of course, but we mostly lived as Muggles, except when inside the family compound. At university, I studied Asian art history. My main focus was actually ukiyo-e--my parents weren't

[shh_cedric]

Cedric listened to her talk about what she'd studied and did his best not to look completely lost but he finally gave up and laughed. "I have ... no idea what you just said, in terms of eras." He was still giggling. "Then again, I think most people look at me like that when I start babbling about politics, so it's a bit of pot ... kettle, you know? But I take it from that you can probably help me to identify some of what's in my Southeastern Collection. Sometimes I was reduced to describing something as 'funky bronze Chinese dragon with curling tail.' Not much of a title there. I couldn't even tell you what Dynasty or era it belonged in."

Hands on hips, he glanced around as she had. He was so used ot the place now, he tended to come and go without really seeing it anymore. "And yeah, I reckon the 'dead' look isn't good on anybody." He shot her a grin, then dropped his hands.

"Come up to my office, have some tea. Tell me when you got here, what you're up to these days."

[shh_su]

Su blushed when Cedric admitted confusion. "I'm sorry, I figured that with the museum, you had a background in art history. I shouldn't have assumed. If you're interested, ukiyo-e are Japanese woodblock prints, generally from the late 1800s. You've heard of Hokusai and Hiroshige? They're the most well-known artists in the genre, although I prefer Yoshida Hiroshi, myself. He's not tremendously well-known in Asia, more popular with collectors in the West. He did the most amazing things with light, you wouldn't believe. Ragamalas are raga paintings, lots of Krishna cavorting with the milkmaids, and the Mughals were a dynasty of India. Babar, Akbar, Shah Jahan? He built the Taj Mahal. Anyway, the miniatures are splendid, gorgeous use of gold leaf." Su stopped, realizing she was babbling. Breathe, Su. Cedric giggled, which Su realized she found rather cute

[shh_cedric]

"I thought Babar was an elephant king in children's books?" Cedric asked, still laughing.

"No, seriously, I reckon anybody's got to be better than me at sorting some of that collection. We actually have the old museum archives, and they're supposedly keyed by Accio to an object's location in the museum, but the problem is that I'm so clueless, I'm not really sure if the identification is correct. I wouldn't know a ... Tang pot from a Han pot. I reckon there's as much variety -- no, probably more -- than in European art. The Chinese and Indians were doing it all when we Brits were still painting ourselves blue and putting lye in our hair

[shh_su]

"A children's book? Really? I'm not sure about that. Historically, Babur was descended from Tamurlane and Genghis Khan. He founded the Mughal dynasty in India in, and I hope I'm remembering correctly, the sixteenth century. I brought all my books from Shanghai, and I have a copy of his autobiography, if you'd like to read it

[shh_cedric]

"He wrote an autobiography? Really? Maybe so, although not immediately. I'm afraid I'm a bit swamped of late." Cedric was interested in letters and diaries and autobiographies; even if especially the latter were often careful constructs, not stream-of-consciousness mental spewing, they were still windows into another mind and culture, which got at his most basic curiosity.

"My parents did the same, in terms of cutting ties, although in their case, itw was out of anger. And they did give me money for my shelter. But yeah, they didn't want me to come back. Fortunately, I'd been on my own for a bit, and they couldn't really stop me, you know

[shh_su]

"Swamped? Yes, I can only imagine, it looks like you've done a lot of work here. The offer stands, though, just owl if you're interested

[shh_cedric]

He watched her set the painting then observe while it unfolded. He waited for it to finish, then cleared his throat and she turned again, asking him about his vision. Which made him grin

[shh_su]

Susie-Q? Su had completely forgotten that old nickname. She laughed. "No, it's fine. I haven't heard that in years

[shh_cedric]

Cedric smirked when she suggested Boot. "Guess who my 'Charms expert is'? I watched him walk around the museum the other day and examine things; reminded me a little of watching Flitwick work, back in school, or this professor of mine in Toronto. Boot is so clever, he's bloody scary, even if he seems a bit out to lunch, you know? I think it's just that his brain is so far ahead of the rest of us earthbound sort ... " Cedric chuckled

[shh_su]

Su laughed. "Your expert is Terry? That's great! He is brilliant, isn't he? It's a bit funny, though, he goes from bounding around like a big puppy dog to doing all these incredible charms." She grinned at Cedric over her tea. "I overhead the bartender in the Five Alarm the other day. He said that Terry's son got ahold of a wand in his apartment once, and now his coffee table licks people. Can you imagine

[shh_cedric]

Cedric nearly spit tea through his nose. "His table licks his guests?" He burst out laughing. "Sounds like his son has a bit of a talent for Transfigurations, however improperly that one took." He wondered if he should offer to come and take a look at Terry's table, see if he could fix it, but he wasn't sure if the other man would be offended. "But yeah, it wouldn't surprise me with Terry as a father. He's a powerful wizard, however puppy-doggish he might be."

At her offer to curate, he nodded. He wasn't sure how serious she was, but he might have need of that in the future. If things went well with Lestrange's fellowship, he might even have the money for it. He smiled at her yawn. "Yes, it is rather late. Let me show you out, all right? But I'm glad you came by. It's helpful, and you will go on my List ... sort of like my little black book." He laughed and stood, gesturing her out the door.

[shh_su]

Su slipped into her coat and followed Cedric to the door, pleased both to have seen the museum and to have reconnected with an old Hogwarts friend. "Thank you for showing me around. Let me know if you need any help, yeah?" Once outside, she waved at Cedric, still standing in the doorway, before Apparating home.