RP: Walkabout

[shh_angelina]

Date: March 9, 2004
Character(s): Angelina Johnson, [Zaan James], Lee Jordan
Location: Streets of Stoatshead Hill
Status: Private
Summary: Angelina takes Zaan on a walking tour of Stoats and they bump into Lee.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_lee]

As Lee was walking through Stoats, he thought over everything he needed to do over the weekend. He'd not owled McGonagall, or Remus Lupin yet, but he knew he wanted to help with the school. Even if he were to just donate funds for supplies or the restoration of the building, he wanted to help with anything he could.

He reached back with a hand and rubbed his neck as he walked, he needed to owl Cedric about looking over the scrolls and when to get that worked in his schedule. Hermione had said he could take a couple of days from the printing press to help Cedric at the library, so he wanted to get that taken care of as well. After thinking over a few other things, he lifted his head to see where he was. As he looked across the street, he heard laughing and turned to the sound. Seemed awfully familiar.

And in that moment, he spotted Angelina, smiling and talking with some bloke he didn't recognize. Watching them curiously, he had to wonder who he was. For those few moments, Lee was able to watch Angelina and her mysterious friend, unbeknownst to them.

[shh_angelina]

Angelina turned to Zaan as they were heading back towards Angelina's shoppe and her flat. Just before they were about to turn the corner, she stopped, smiling brightly.

"Shall we go to the market? I think when you made us breakfast, you cleaned out all of my stock from the kitchen," she laughed. "I haven't been home much and have been so busy with work that I haven't really kept much to eat there... I've kept most food stuffs at the shop."

Zaan laughed heartily. "Sounds just like you."

Just as they were turning to head into the market, Angelina stopped dead in her tracks. She had almost, very literally, bumped into a very quiet Lee Jordan.

[shh_lee]

Lee hadn't realized how still he'd become, just watching Angelina with this bloke. Even more puzzling was that he couldn't really decipher what the reasons were behind his reaction, which was curious in his mind. Alright, so maybe he'd had a huge crush on Angelina in school, and they'd been going out before he'd had to go out of town but, nothing major had happened and, well, that was that.

He thought maybe he should head over and greet Angelina like it were any other day, but he didn't want to be rude. Or make things uncomfortable. He frowned at himself, and rubbed his neck because he felt awkward, and that was just wrong.

Before he was able to make a decision, different thoughts going through his mind and all, he hadn't realized Angelina and the man with her had gotten closer, and Angelina had very nearly just collided into him. Which was a relief, and not. He'd not have to decide how to approach them, seeing as Angelina was now smiling, perhaps a little unsure, but still had a sparkle in her eyes.

His eyebrows leapt up for two beats and he tilted his head slightly before deciding to just be normal. This was Angelina- a friend. "Hey! Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention." Lee made eye contact with the man and then looked over to Angelina and coughed in his left hand. He smiled and turned back to the guy reaching forward to shake the man's hand with his right. "Uh. Hello- I don't think I've seen you around town, I'm Lee."

[shh_angelina]

Before Angelina had time to feel awkward, Zaan, being his usual and friendly self, struck out his hand and introduced himself. "G'day, mate. Zaan James," he said confidently.

Oh, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! thought Angelina when her brain finally caught up with her body. She still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Zaan about Lee and now, here they were, standing both in front of her and she had no idea what to say.

"Nice town you've got here," said Zaan, continuing the conversation normally. "What is it that you do, mate?"

Angelina rubbed her hands together and waited for Lee to answer, trying not to look too guilty. She couldn't exactly explain why she even felt guilty, considering she wasn't going steady with either one of them and the issue hadn't even been brought up with Lee at all. And Zaan had practically showed up on her doorstep uninvited. Angelina's face burned with confusion and defiance. She listened in silence as the two men talked.

[shh_lee]

Lee swiped the back of his hand across his forehead and smiled politely, "Thanks. Yeah, I'm starting to like Stoats, too. Uhm, right now I'm actually working at a printing press. I'm helping the local bookstore reproduce lost literature, along with other things." A woman walked by and nodded politely as she wound her way on the sidewalk, Lee responded in kind.

Then lost himself in thought, being vague. "I've got a few other projects on the side that haven't happened yet," he shrugged, realizing he'd just rambled on about his own stuff when Zaan was just being polite, "but, yeah." He smiled sheepishly, and glanced at Angelina to see why she was being so quiet. He wasn't able to discern the expression on her face, but he supposed he'd soon find out.

"That's me though, what about you? Are you here permanently- or...just visiting friends? I don't think I've seen you around town before, but I haven't been around much." Smiling, Lee decided to just relax and talk. Zaan could carry a conversation while Ang stood there doing whatever it was she was doing inside her head, if need be.

While he listened to Zaan, Lee quietly reached over and gave Ang's arm a light squeeze, he hoped she'd relax some, or at least say something. He caught her eyes and gave a small smile, before pulling back his hand.

[shh_angelina]

"Printing press, eh?" replied Zaan. "Sounds pretty ace, actually. I've always been a fan of books. Never seen a press, though. How'd you get that job?"

Zaan found Lee quite interesting and he was sure that he and Angie were friends, but he was also quite sure he saw Lee cast Angelina a questioning look. Of course, he thought. Quite silly of me to think she'd tell anyone I'd be here, since she just got the post the day before I showed up. He hadn't given her any prior notice. Besides, they hadn't been in touch at all really, since she'd left.

Lee asked how long he'd be staying, but Zaan hadn't had a chance to talk to Angelina about it. "I'm hoping to stay until the middle of next week, for a start." He winked. "I've got a game - Aussie Rules Football - next week that I've got to get back for. But I might be returning afterwards."

His stomach turned. He hadn't had a chance to really talk about it, but he'd been thinking about picking up and moving here to be with her and he was hoping she'd be keen on the idea, as well.

Angelina felt Lee reach over and squeeze her arm, which made her jump a little, at first. Then she looked over at Lee and gave a shy smile.

"Sorry," she mouthed. "He likes to talk." And winked at Lee.

[shh_lee]

He grinned, "Yeah, I contacted the owner of the bookshop, who also bought the printing press and did a normal interview and all that rot," Lee remembered seeing the contraption and smiled, it was quite a thing to see. "The press itself is brilliant, it's amazing to see everything that goes into printing just a page from a book."

He listened to Zaan talk about how long he'd be staying and cast a glance Angelina's way. And he saw that she had turned to Zaan, too, maybe they haven't talked about that yet, he suppressed a smirk. Then he heard the word football and his ears perked up just a little, is this guy a ...?

"Football, was that?" his eyebrows jumped up and he turned to Zaan more fully, but not before he noticed how Angelina had jumped after his hand touched her arm. That was weird, but he supposed she felt awkward.

Why would she be uncomfortable? Unless... And she was being all quiet too, not exactly the Angelina he was used to. He glanced at Zaan but then noticed she was trying to get his attention, and he turned his head slightly and read her lips, then nodded when she winked.

Lee had the pressing thought that he needed to go to the market, and it was just down the lane, "Uh, where're you guys heading? I've got to go to the market-" He turned to Angelina, and then Zaan, wondering if that was where they'd been walking towards, "Are you two heading that way?"

[shh_angelina]

"Yeah, we were going to pick up some groceries," replied Angelina. "I haven't been keeping much at the flat because I've been working so much."

She turned, careful not to take Zaan by the arm too quickly, and pulled him into the market behind her. Zaan smiled and held the door for Lee and Angelina.

[shh_lee]

When Angelina finally picked up in the conversation, Lee felt relieved, sort of.

He rubbed his neck and turned to Zaan, "Well, I suppose we'll just- go right on and do some shopping then. I need owl treats, too." He turned to Angelina, "You think they'll have those here? I've not been grocery shopping in a long time."

Lee thanked Zaan before walking by and following after Angelina.