RP: Look ma! No crutches!

[shh_tonks]

Date: 25 May 2005
Character(s): Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Anyone else who cares to stop and chat
Location: The River
Status: Public
Summary: After nearly breaking her neck, Tonks decided staying in was the best thing until she was healed. Now, she's ready to venture out once more
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[shh_kingsley]

Kingsley grinned as he looked up and saw Tonks clearing the turn in the path near the bench where he had stopped to eat his lunch. "You know, you would think, seeing as we're neighbors and all, I wouldn't have to sit by the river in order to see you, baby girl."

[shh_tonks]

Hearing Kingsley's voice, Tonks' face broke out into a grin. She jogged the rest of the way to his bench, stopped and without warning threw her arms around his neck in a quick hug. "Yes, one would think," Tonks said, releasing Kingsley and setting herself down beside him. "How've you been?"

[shh_kingsley]

"Umff! Don't strangle a bloke. I'd like to make it out alive if you don't mind. I've been busy but good. I was in America for a couple months but I'm back now."

He grinned as Tonks plopped herself down next to him. "Help yourself to the plum in that bag you're almost sitting on, and tell me where you've been keeping yourself and what you've been up to."

[shh_tonks]

"If I wanted to strangle, you'd know the difference," Tonks teased with a grin. Alright, she definitely needed to make it out more. Plain and simple.

She shifted, picking up the bag and fishing through for a plum. Wiping it on her pant leg, she bit into the juicy fruit and sighed happily. "I can safely say that America would have been more fun than sitting at home. I... er..." She raked a hand through her hair, the tips of it turning red, accompanied by the flush of her cheeks. "I fell down the stairs the night the electricity shut off."

[shh_kingsley]

Kingsley let out a deep chuckle. "Yeah, you'd get me from behind like you're supposed to if you really meant to do me in. Damn, it's good to see you, girl."

It really wasn't funny. It wasn't. He shouldn't laugh. He shouldn't. But the lips began to twitch and he couldn't help it. "I know I shouldn't laugh, but you are the only person I know that trips over her own feet at home, but moves with the grace of a cat in a dangerous situation. Mum patched you up, did she?"

[shh_tonks]

Tonks grinned and chuckled. "As unfair as it is for a back shot, that's probably what I'd do. And pray I didn't step on a twig and alert you first, of course." Smiling, she reached an arm around his shoulders and gave Kingsley a tiny squeeze. "It's good to see you too. Didn't realise I missed you as much as I did."

She did grin even as he laughed at her mis fortune. Hell, now that she was better, even she could laugh at it. "Tell me about it," Tonks said shaking her head. "It was the night the electricity went out." Tonks paused. "No, that would be too easy. It was a few days after," Tonks rambled talking as she thought. "I was too lazy to turn on the light switch and found myself at the bottom of the stairs in a heap. Daddy went absolutely nuts, but yeah -- Mum patched me up nicely. Broken ankle and a sprained wrist... and to be honest, I didn't trust myself on the crutches."

[shh_kingsley]

"Of course you missed me." He nudged her and grinned. "Now that you've realized it, you know this means I'll expect to see more of you, right?"

Kingsley grimaced. "Ouch. Bet that hurt. Glad to see you're better. I didn't get back to Stoats until some time after the power had been out. I'm still trying to get the smell out of my freezer. I think I'm just gonna chuck the whole thing and see if I can't scrounge up a less disgusting one from an abandoned building. I bet your mum is happy to have your dad back."

He gave her another nudge, "what have you been up to aside from mastering the fine art of crutches? I haven't see you at Auror Headquarters, although I'm not spending much time there myself."

[shh_tonks]

"I had a feeling it would," Tonks said, her face breaking out into a grin. "And I fully expect to see more of you as well. And a couple of those times, I'd like some alcohol to be involved as well. 'Course, may need you to pick me up from the floor as well. But so long as you accept that mission, I think we'll be all set

[shh_kingsley]

Kingsley tapped his chin as if contemplating whether or not to accept, then grinned. "I think we can arrange that, as long as you promise to stay down once you fall." He rubbed an imaginary lump on his forehead, "Don't think I've forgotten the goose egg you gave me the last time that happened and you sat up at the same time I bent over. You have one hard head, baby girl. My brains were so scrambled, I thought I'd be forced to give back my lucky Ravenclaw key chain

[shh_tonks]

Tonks coloured slightly, her hair turning a darker pink colour. "Well, I thought standing back up was a good idea at the time. I thought I was helping out. How was I supposedta know you were going to lean down when I sat up?" She giggled, feeling lighter than she had in ages. "You have a harder head than I do. It'd take more than me to scramble you up like an egg

[shh_kingsley]

Giving a little tug on her hair, Kingsley chuckled. "Yeah, but you have padding." Smoothing his hand over his own head, he winked. "Me? Just miles of smooth, baby soft skin... with a monster knot in the middle. It really wasn't a good look for me. Not to mention the various comedians asking if I was trying to disguise myself as a unicorn."

"You're always welcome to stop by. No reason necessary. You know which one it is? The white one at the end? I doubt blowing anything up would make much difference. The house isn't in the best shape, but it's all mine and it has a yard. Do you know I've never had a yard before? 45 years old and never had so much as a scrap of lawn."

"No, there's nothing wrong with teaching most things to men and women together, but Tonks... Shite... you're you. Stop thinking like an Auror and start thinking like a Bird for bit. How do those tiny gals learn to physically get away from those big blokes? Wand works not a problem. It's the physical stuff that causes a problem. Imagine McLaggan in a class with...

[shh_tonks]

Wrinkling her nose, Tonks let her head shift, hair receding to a perfectly smooth head. "Not always," she said with a smirk, screwing up her face to let green hair grow back in its place. Not having hair, even just for a moment was entirely too disconcerting.

"I certainly will stop by," Tonks said with a grin. "I need new places to explore and fall on my arse and I believe it will be your home to be the next victim. A whirling dervish I am." She shook her head. "You've never not had a lawn? I couldn't imagine not having one."

She lifted a brow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I'm me?" she asked. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" She stuck her tongue out, to show she was kidding. "Not all us females are such wee defenseless creatures. I'm sure I could clean your clock any day of the week." She punched him playfully in the arm.

"Yes, I'm well aware that ink spills. Hence why I've been brushing up on my cleaning spells. I think I'm going to need them."

[shh_kingsley]

Kingsley chuckled as she went bald then grew it back, but pouted when it went past the spiky stage. "Hey, I liked it all spiky."

He shook his head, "Never. Not once. My first house and my first lawn. Next thing you know, I might even decide to find a girlfriend or a cat, assuming I could find one that gets along with my owl... the cat, I mean, not the girlfriend. On second thought, maybe I do mean both."

"I'm sure you could clean my clock too." He rubbed his arm. "Damn, girl! Who taught you how to hit?"

"Well, you casting cleaning spells is something I've got to see, so come practice on my freezer whenever you're free. So does this stationery store have a name yet?"

[shh_tonks]

Giggling, Tonks screwed up her face one final time, shortening her hair back to the spiky look. Hey, if the man wanted it short, then short it would be. She ran a hand through it, roughing it up before dropping her hand back to her lap

[shh_kingsley]

"Ahem. I plainly stated that the woman and the cat were both subject to the owl's approval." He grinned. "Besides, you've always had your eye on me. I know why too. You women just can't resist a man who..." he tried for a debonair, sophisticated, man of the world look, but couldn't hold it long enough to make it look like more than a case of a gassy stomach, "cleans the loo."

He chuckled. "It's always my fault. I wonder why that is?"

"If you can fix the freezer for me, you will be my hero. If not, it isn't as if I had planned to keep it anyway." She looked a little nervous as she told him the name she picked out. "Stationary with an 'a'? It's kind of clever. It'll look great on a sign. People might question you when you say it, but print up some business cards to hand over when it happens and you'll be set."