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 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."

He shook his head. "My scouring charms aren't what they used to be with my wrist like it is, but they still work. Thankfully the air freshening spells don't take much more than a flick. I hadn't considered replacing the fridge until the power came back on, but there are still a few houses up around us that haven't been claimed. I'll probably take care of switching it out this week."

A store? "What kind of store? Roger Davies? Nice bloke. Met him at Christmas time." He chuckled. "I'm boring, remember? Just got done teaching a round of safety and defense lessons up at the orphanage. Didn't scare any of the kids, either. That's what I was up to in America, learning what their law enforcement departments offer their citizens. Robards is letting me offer courses here as long as I teach both men and women together. Can't say I completely agree, you know? But there isn't any other place to sponsor it, unless I took a page out of your book and opened my own business. But then I'd have to charge for lessons."

[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."

Tonks chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "Well, I could always give it a whirl if you'd like. Could stop by sometime next week and see if that'd do anything. I promise, I won't blow up the kitchen, refrigerator or house if it makes a difference." Tonks wrinkled her nose. "I can't imagine what it must smell like when those freshening charms wear off."

Listening, Tonks nodded in all the right places. It sounded absolutely fascinating. "As for me... a stationery shop. No place nearby to buy ink and parchment, you know? And the teaching, that's wonderful, Kingsley!" Tonks poked him in the side. "There's nothing wrong with teaching men and women together. I've cleaned your clock with a couple of duels if I remember correctly. We females can hold our own." She grew silent, thinking for a moment. "Depends, really. You could always try doing something and working out of your own home. So long as, of course, you didn't mind not turning a profit and just doing it out of the goodness of your heart."

[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... McGonagall. Fluffy would clean his clock with a wand, but Superboy'd be bouncing off the walls in glee knocking into everyone to show how tough he is a physical defense class, despite 80 percent of physical defense being learning how to evade."

"I suppose I could do it on my own, but I do need some paying work too. Man's got to feed himself somehow. So stationery? Quills? Ink? You do know that ink spills, don't you?"

[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.

"I see how you men work. Find a cat you fall head over heels in love with... but if the woman doesn't work with the cat, then it's time to get rid of the female." She gave Kingsley a teasing look. "I see how it is. I have my eye on you."

The girlish laugh was back, Tonks looking at the hand that had abused Kingsley. She blew on her nails, giving him a wink. "Who taught me to fight? Aside from my own talent for tripping over everyone, I believe you had a slight hand in honing my finer points. So you only have yourself to blame for the strength of my punches.

"And I certainly shall... at least attempt the cleaning spells. And as you said the freezer is fairly shot, if I totally fuck up, it won't matter so much." Tonks chewed on her lower lip. She hadn't really mentioned the name to anyone else and was hoping it was as witty as she thought it was. "I've... thought of calling it 'The Stationary Stationery Shoppe'. What do you think?"

[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."