Just an injury (Simon)

[Deleted]

It was one thing to be a starving artists stealing buns on the market because most of your money had been wasted on food earlier in the week. It was another thing to to sell the most insane types of art just for the sake of making money to buy food and pay for auditions. Yet there were few things worse than spraining an ankle while running from law enforcement when you had a massive audition later in the week. She still had a few days, luckily but she knew she'd have to dance through the pain. It was horrible luck and Xantha was not saving up on the horrible words that flooded from her mouth as she found a pond and danged her foot in despite the temperature barely being over five degrees. It was very cold and she was lucky the water had not frozen over.

Yet people looked at her and the randomly discarded shoe on the grass as if she was causing problems. As if she'd choose to sit here with her foot and ankle submerged in freezing water surrounded by cold grass and possible dog poop if she had the option to go home and put a cold pack on it. The adventure was all good fun, but sometimes there were distinct disadvantages to having chosen a life fully committed to her dream of becoming a dancer. She grumbled again as she noticed another stranger looking in her direction.

She gave him a clear and distinct look. "Yeah, not all of us get the liberty of going home for an ice pack. It's just a sprain so please leave me and my injury at peace because I'm not going to cause trouble with a sprained ankle by dipping it in freezing water!" She snapped a little impatiently. She didn't get why people always had to be so nosy. She just wanted to wobble to the building where she was squatting and have a juice box and cold microwave meal before turning in for the night. She had a good one too, pasta and with actual meat this time. She glanced at the stranger a moment. "But if you want to help I wouldn't say no to some assistance in stumbling home." Most people backed off very fast at the idea of wasting that much time with a stranger. Asking for help had proven one of the more effective ways of scaring people off, funnily enough. Now it was time to see how this guy was going to react to it.

@simontroy

[Deleted]

The twists and turns life had to it never seemed that crazy to Simon when he was growing up. He would eventually be a healer, have a respectable career and make his family proud. Probably not as proud as they would always be of his younger sister but proud enough. At least that was his train of thought just a few years ago. Now he didn’t know where exactly his life was going. He couldn’t get an actual career as using his name would have him flagged to River’s old school he could only imagine. They were still hunting his sister as they didn’t like to let their students go so easily. Especially after all the things they had done to break her mind. He also couldn’t tell people about what had happened, witch hunters were on their tail. They somehow had very good connections in the magical world for an angry group of muggles.

His newest venture to getting money since his savings ran out was less tasteful. An off the records healer for people who didn’t or couldn’t go to St.Mungos wasn’t what he expected. What’s worse is that it also wasn’t enough. He’d started taking on muggle clients. As long as he disguised his magic and potions for medical skill it all seems like fast healing to them. He was leaving one such client as he walked through muggle London. It was a pain to get their money exchanged for magical currency but this was his life now. He was making his way through a park with a pond when he noticed a girl sitting at the waters edge. Her shoes nearby in the grass and foot in the freezing water. There were many reasons someone would want to ice their feet but in the middle of a park in almost zero degree weather. It just wasn’t the smartest idea to him.

The girl eventually noticed him and started shouting, like he had been the one doing something out of place. Yet she did explain it was because of a sprained ankle and she was icing it while just wanting to be left alone. More than the sprained ankle Simon was worried she would catch a cold or worse from the weather. “It’s not your problem Simon, just go.” He thought for a moment. Especially if she was going to shout at him, yet could he really leave someone out here to get hypothermia? As he weighted his choices she spoke again, explaining she wouldn’t protest help getting home. If his sister wouldn’t have been in good hands at the moment he would have had better places to be. No matter how much someone else needed the help.

“It’s better than knowing you froze to death out here for some reason.” Simon said with a tone like he wasn't too bothered one way or another. yet, he would feel better knowing the girl was somewhere warm than leaving her out here to let who knows what happen. She was a stranger but he was still a healer at heart and had an oath he wanted to follow. He stepped closer, “How do you want to do this, arm over my shoulder or am I carrying you there? There's a freight fee for carrying.”

@xantha

[Deleted]

Not only was it highly irregular for him to actually listen to her request and not scurry off instantly, it was even stranger that he seemed to accept it. She frowned slightly and narrowed her eyes, pulling her foot out of the water. She stood up a little shakily and picked up her shoe and sock and limped over his way, careful not to actually put weight on her ankle. She'd have to rest it when she got to her current home of sorts. "I'm not stupid enough to freeze to death." She complained a little pouty. She really wasn't that clever. All she wanted was to make it big and get the main part in a show. She was working hard for it! Why should she be denied the opportunity if she dangled her feet in dangerous waters sometimes? Stupid cops. She hated them all, blame her useless father and his mistress.

"Well if you're serious about helping I'll take the arm over the shoulder option. I don't actually have the money to buy my own dinner, let alone pay a freight fee." She said, in all honesty and not caring too much that it showed she didn't have much cash to run by to begin with. "But if you're planning on turning me in with the cops, I'd rather freeze to death." She wanted to have that noted for contingency reasons. She wasn't above punching people in the face and risking worse injuries for the sake of not landing in jail for the night. She mostly wanted to dodge a criminal record as it made it a lot harder to actually make it into any show, even as just a chorus girl.

She looked at him again, her expression less cold and hard. "Why are you being nice to me? I'm nothing but a stranger and a street rat. People aren't usually nice to people like me." That and the fact she tended to be inherently suspicious of people being nice. It usually meant they had plans for her that she didn't necessarily agree with. Those were not quite the kind of risks she usually entertained making.

@simontroy

[Deleted]

Simon watched as the girl staggered to get up and grab her things. All before she limped closer to him. Very clear she was attempting to put as little weight on one foot as possible. She complained, almost pouted, that she wasn’t dumb enough to freeze to death out here. Simon didn’t exactly agree with that from what he had seen so far. She could barely walk, she was sitting on the frozen ground with her foot in an almost frozen over lake. All signs pointed to the fact she would probably freeze out here. “You say that, but it only takes a few minutes for hypothermia to set in if you aren’t careful. After that you’d be losing your pretty toes rather than saving your ankle.” Simon explained, he really didn’t want to be thinking about the girl he left at the pond to freeze all night. Even if she claimed she wasn’t dumb enough to let it happen.

The girl accepted his offer to help after which saying that she would take putting her arm over his shoulder. She didn’t have any money for being carried let alone eat. It started to make a little more sense why she was out here at the pond icing her foot rather than at home. She remarked that if he was planning on turning her into the cops she would rather be out here freezing to death. He wasn’t exactly sure why she brought that part up, well he figured it was obvious the cops were after here. Just not exactly why. Either way he wasn’t in a place to turn someone in. He was a criminal to his own people in a a way. Healing muggles with magic for money. ”Why? Is the reward good?” His tone was as close to being serious as it was to dry sarcasm. After that there was a weak laugh from him. ”If I wanted to turn you in I’d just call for the cops and not bother carrying you. Not like you’d get that far hopping.”

She questioned why he was helping her, that people weren’t nice to her before being poor or being a stranger to them. ”Like I said, I don’t want to worry about you being out here freezing to death while I’m home.” Simon explained adjusted the bag he had over his shoulder to the other side. Then lifted her arm on the side of her sprained foot over his free shoulder. It was going to be more of a pain than he thought, now thinking about how she was almost a foot shorter than him. He’d make it work though. “Which way are we headed?”


@xantha

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So he was a clever one. Those were either good company or big problems in her personal experience. She sighed as she had to admit he was right. She couldn't have kept her foot iced that way much longer without risking more damage than benefit but she didn't have to actually like the fact he was right. She sighed deeply, more bummed out about the fact he was right than anything else. She also wasn't sure how to react to the fact he was being nice to her since she still found that harder to trust. "Fine, you make a solid point. I'd like to keep my toes." She agreed, although she wasn't too happy about his being right still. Why did this have to be such a big problem?

When he asked if the money was good Xantha gave him a sarcastic smile. "It just saves you the effort of wrenching your shoulder out of it's socket trying to pet yourself on the back for such a job well done." Her small thievery was hardly interesting enough, and the same went for her works of art. The only one that probably even cared a little was her dad for the stain it'd make on his otherwise spotless reputation. His mention that she wouldn't get far hopping made her laugh a small but genuine laugh. "You'd be surprised stranger. I'm trying to save my ankle because I have an important audition coming up. I can bear one hell of a lot of pain if I have to and I run pretty fast. I just probably would mess up my audition and I kind of need that for a shot at food on the table for a while. Sprained ankle isn't going to help me out there." She said while pulling a face. It had to have been now of course.

She figured she might as well accept his answer that he somehow had managed to keep a conscious through his life and shook her head slightly. "Sure." She muttered, realising that this deal was not going to be half as easy as she might have wished. He was quite a bit taller but it was still better than nothing at all. She motioned vaguely towards an older industrial area. A lot of the buildings there were not exactly in official use any longer. "I'm up in that area currently. There's one building that is oddly comfortable for this time of year." She remarked dryly. Living on the street wasn't easy but it was better than attempting to track down her dad while she couldn't afford even a small and leaky roof over her head.

@simontroy

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With a sigh the girl agreed that he had a point, she did indeed want to keep her toes. She didn’t seem happy about it though but it felt more like it came from the fact he was right or she realized that dipping her foot into an half frozen pond had actually been a bad idea. “Most people would rather keep their toes, you lose a considerable amount of balance til you get used to missing a few of them.” Simon explained, always full of random medical facts. So full that they just came out when not even needed or asked for. A small glimpse into the life he should have been leading, if it wasn’t for his sister’s school and witch hunters. He would have even worried about her being a witch hunter but doubted one would be icing their foot in a pond of all places.

Simon laughed a little more fuller this time as she explained what the money would get him for turning her in. It didn’t sound like much and he wouldn’t have done it either way. He was just making idle sarcastic comments. “Sounds like more of a hassle than it’s worth. I also don’t need to try the amazing idea pulling out my shoulder and icing it in a frozen pond.” He commented back toward her icing her foot in the pond. Still a silly idea to him, the damages far out weighted the benefits to him. The girl explained why she was icing her foot more as she went into detail about how she could still get away from the cops if she had wanted too. He believed it in a way but wasn’t exactly going to test it out. He was happy enough to help her out, if anything it was for his own peace of mind. Her life did also sound harder than he first had guessed. Especially if she was counting on this dancing gig to get her food for awhile. He had never been in such a spot. Possibly close when his funds started to run low for him and his sister, River. “All the more reason to help you. Before you end up with lame ankle from trying to run in it.”

The girl motioned toward an older area nearby with what looked more like industrial buildings rather than homes. She did say she was essentially homeless at the moment so that made sense. There was a moment where he felt bad for the girl, he wasn’t about to offer her a place to say. He wasn’t that generous at the moment but he could still feel bad. Simon wasn’t about to let it show either as she didn’t seem like the type to want or care for the pity of others. “Well, let’s get there so you can rest your foot. You have an important audition to get to.” Simon said as he started to help her make her way down the road and toward the what was her home for the moment. “Thankfully you’re light so I won’t pull out my shoulder this way either.”

@xantha

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He had to go spewing common medical facts in her face now? She rolled her eyes at him. "What are you? Physiotherapist? Save me the medical mumbo jumbo, it won't make my ankle heal any faster." Yes, Xantha could be very unpleasant company when she was hurt and in pain but honesty, you had to forgive the girl. She didn't exactly have it all that easy and while playing nice was the default she hated the sugary attitude she needed to put on to keep herself palatable for the kind of men she wanted to take advantage of. She hated the fact they could be so short sighted that a few batted eyelashes would persuade them to help her out.

His sarcasm, while truly earned, didn't really help put her at ease. He was right and she hated it. At least she didn't feel too much pain in her ankle at this point and it didn't look like it planned on swelling either, though it was likely going to hurt before they reached their end destination. "I'm always a lot more hassle than I'm worth, ask my dad." She said cheerfully, although it was clear she was making an attempt to stop the conversation about possibly turning her in. It made her more uncomfortable than she already was and more likely to actually want to make it home on her own. If she hadn't known it to be foolish she would have wobbled home on her own by now. Truth was she needed his help a lot more than she cared to admit.

He might not have realised it but his words calmed her down the moment he mentioned the audition. She'd been practising for weeks in order to get everything perfect. She'd worked so hard and saved up a last emergency meal to make sure she'd get all the way through auditions without fainting. Perhaps with a job as chorus girl she'd be able to pay for a small and very leaky apartment, although getting one in London was pretty much a nightmare. Squatting was a lot cheaper, although the theft parts were a problem. Lucky her that she still had a debit card despite her empty bank account. She sighed deeply and looked at him. "Sorry I'm being a bitch. I'm nervous and I can't exactly afford to lose the job. It's not a main part but even the chorus pays more than nothing and gives me some job experience." She shook her head slightly as she wobbled along with him across the street. "It's not easy to chase your dreams when life isn't exactly on your side half the time. Not that I'd trade it for anything of course. It's my dream."

@simontroy

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Simon couldn’t help but laugh as she asked if he was some type of muggle doctor before asking him to stop with the medical facts as it wasn’t going help her heal faster. “Maybe in another life, at another time, I was.” Simon replied, knowing just how true that was. A lifetime ago before the nightmares his sister went through he was on his way to being a full fledged healer at St.Mungo’s. Now instead he was healing people who wanted to avoid official hospitals and now muggles for money. He was tempted to bring it up to the girl as she talked about her ankle healing faster but he bit his tongue. He couldn’t exactly go around magically healing anyone he ran into. He had to be picky. Her lack of money was a secondary issue to being worried he might get caught if he was so open about it. “Now I just get by.”

The girl spoke about herself not being worth the hassle and he wasn’t exactly sure if she was just trying to be humorous, she genuinely meant it or just trying to get him to not turn her in. Either way he had no intention of turning her into the cops. Especially with not knowing what it was for. “I haven’t known you long but so far I’d say you’re about equal on hassle to worth.” Simon laughed slightly, it might have been a rude joke but he wasn’t looking to spare her feeling. Especially without knowing her. That just would come out as feign pity. “Either way, I’m not looking to become a bounty hunter or something. You’re fine.”

The girl attempted to apologize for her attitude. Blaming it on her nerves and the chance she could lose her job and the audition due to getting hurt. Which did indeed sound like it would put anyone one in a bad mood. She also explained how hard it was to follow her dreams with everything being against her. Which seemed to be very much the case. With her having little to no money and camping out in an industrial building. “I wouldn’t say you were being a bitch. What’s just under bitch? Pain?” He smiled for a moment toward her. Again another possibly mean joke but Simon didn’t see the need to hold back. Especially if he was saying she wasn’t that awful. “Following your dreams can be hard but there’s something to be said for following them no matter what.” Simon said speaking from the truth. While trying to achieve his dream wasn’t as hard as it was for this girl. He also had to throw that all way for a new goal. He wasn’t allowed to follow them and knew what that part felt like at least. So her going all out was admirable in a way. Even if she was living like this.

@xantha

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Well it sounded like the handsome stranger had plenty of baggage without carrying her around with it. She smiled slightly and shrugged. "I get that, but you don't stop being a doctor just because you're not practising medicine, or at least not if you're a good one. It's got something to do with caring, or so I'm told. I doubt not being able to treat patients stops you from caring about people." The fact he was dragging her sarcastic ass across the city was evidence enough of that. It also applied perfectly to her own situation. It didn't matter if she currently had a job or not, she'd always be a dancer and not earning money with it didn't make her any less of a dancer than those that were currently working in productions. "You could put me in a wheelchair for the rest of my life but I'd still be a dancer." She said with a shrug.

Equal on hassle to worth? It sounded like really low standards but somehow it made her feel a little better. It was a very peculiar kind of compliment but she figured it was still one of the nicer things a stranger had said to her since she'd ended up on the streets. She nodded mutely as he mentioned not planning to become a bounty hunter and she wondered what it'd be like to be hunted by one of those. She was nothing but a nuisance to the police now and she knew that if she got an apartment they'd be even less interested in her than they already were. Small crimes were too many and too frequent to really spend time on, especially when done by somebody for survival rather than greed. The cops realised that and the few decent ones didn't run that fast when trying to get her.

"Pain about covers it." She agreed, not liking it that much. Her ankle was starting to get more painful and part of her wanted to stick it back in some freezing water. She took a deep breath, but the hobbling was uncomfortable and she couldn't wait until she got to her place. At least she could put it up on a pillow and rest with some newspapers. They didn't have a lot of stories but they could end up amusing if you mixed articles up and combined them into a tale of utter nonsense. It wasn't like she had the money to actually purchase a book. She agreed though, she'd follow them no matter what. She shrugged slightly. "I'll just be happy if I can get the job in the chorus. Should give me enough money to afford a crappy studio with a leaking roof somewhere. I don't mind living on the streets that much but it'll be good if I can afford a place to stay without having to worry about being found." That really was the biggest annoyance in the entire street life thing to her. Plus not really being able to afford health care when she needed it to make sure she could land a job. It was a bother really.

@simontroy

[Deleted]

What the girl was saying did make plenty of sense and in a way he was still a healer. It wasn’t the glamorous career that he had imagined but it was still happening in a way. He would have just preferred it to be in an actual hospital. Not in peoples homes or wherever was convenient for them. Also he didn’t like the added bonus that he could be arrested for what he was doing, using magic and potions on muggles was highly illegal. Not the worst crime in the world but it would probably still land him in Azkaban. “Yeah it’s something like that, you do have to care about people to actually want to be a healer, well doctor.” Simon needed to keep in mind muggle healers were doctors. He had used healer for such a broad term and it didn’t exactly work in the muggle world. The girl explained that even if she was in a wheelchair she would still be a dancer then shrugged. Simon got a small laugh out of that idea, “do invite me to that show. I’d love to see the dancing done with just your arms.”

She agreed that pain was pretty fitting her and Simon laughed once more. “What’s you’re name by the way? I don’t feel comfortable calling you a pain, granted it was better than bitch. I’m Simon.” Simon finally introduced himself while asking for her name. He would have done it sooner but there were more pressing matters. Like getting her out of the frozen water and somewhere she can rest. She explained how she would just be happy to get this chorus job and finally have enough for a place of her own. A place where she wouldn’t have to worry about being found by others. Simon sighed, finally willing to relent. He highly doubted helping her would get him into any trouble at this point. “When we get to your place let me look at your ankle. I’m not making any promises but I get a feeling I can help it heal.” Simon offered his help and honestly he could promise that he could help it heal faster but he didn’t need to make it that obvious. Everything still had to appear like muggle medicine, from the spells to potions.

@xantha

[Deleted]

Well, weirdo! Healer was such a new age hippy term for doctor. She guessed some people would prefer such a term since it sounded more wholesome but the entire point of being a doctor was that you sometimes needed to cause one kind of injury to remove another. Surgery wasn't exactly healing, it damaged the body quite a bit to ensure the final result was better than the current situation. Healing was just something the body did. Still, he was right. It required caring about people. Maybe he was actually a therapist of sorts? Those were more like healers? Either way he understood the human anatomy well enough to likely have gotten a license somewhere. She chuckled slightly. "You'd be amazed. There are some very talented ballroom couples that involve one person on a wheelchair and there is no doubt possible that it's dancing. Although my old dance teacher was a little bit crazy in her choreography." She shuddered slightly, since some of it had been nothing short of cringe worthy. It had been dancing, yes, but not of the highest quality.

She chuckled slightly at his question what to call her as he introduced himself as Simon. Quite the simple name. She wasn't fully sure she trusted him enough to give her real name, since it was a rather uncommon one. "Jane." She said simply. It was true enough, since it was her second name. She just figured Xantha was a little too ostentatious and she'd rather be forgotten than remembered by most people.

It wasn't a long walk now and he said he'd take a look at her ankle when they reached her place. She appreciated the offer but was rather sceptic. "It's just twisted though." She said with a slight shrug. "Not quite sure what apart from an ice pack and rest would make it recover faster but I'm willing to try new age medicine. As long as you can assure me there is no risk of it getting worse there's no harm in trying." She was always a little bit nervous about trusting people with her body, although that had far more to do with her still wanting to realise her ambitions than fearing getting hurt in certain ways. If she wanted to make money dancing she couldn't risk getting hurt in a way that would limit her dancing abilities.

@simontroy

[Deleted]

Simon nodded as she explained how dancing within a wheelchair could work. It did seem possible even if a little unorthodox from what Simon considered dancing. Dancing to him had always involved feet and legs. Yet, there were plenty of other kinds or different styles that could help someone with a disability. “As much as it would be a treat to see, I suggest we try and save your ankle first before going down that route. You can call that plan b.” Simon suggested but at least she could dance in a wheelchair. Yet a sprained ankle shouldn’t cause that to happen. “So being crazy it’s just part of being a dancer. I say possibly freezing to death is crazy too.”

“It’s nice to give to a lift Jane.” Simon replied a little sarcastically but that was his default emotion most of the time. “Don’t meet many people as I hobble them toward their home.” Jane explained that her leg was just twisted and she felt there wasn’t much one could do besides ice it and allow it to rest. Which would be true if they were talking muggle medicine but he had magic and the basic ingredients for a weak healing potion in his bag. As long as he promised he wouldn’t make it worse she said there was no harm in trying. “You’d be surprised what the right amount of herbs and medical no how can do for even on a twisted ankle.” Simon hated to explain it like that but it was the best he could do in most cases besides just shouting it was magic. It made him sound like some of those muggle new age healers with their snake oil remedies. Claiming some basic vitamin could heal it all. “A slight chance you’ll grow an extra foot but that’s pretty easy to fix. Or it would make for an interesting dance.” Simon joked, sure she would know it was just a joke anyway.

@xantha

[Deleted]

Xantha pulled a face as he suggested dancing from a wheelchair as plan B. How about no? She'd rather consider that to be plan z or lower, although she knew she'd probably run out of crazy ideas long before reaching that point. "I'd rather not have to consider it at all. It would be pretty much the end of my career." Not that it had taken off just yet, but it would still be the end of her career. She couldn't possibly hope to get paid enough while dancing in a wheel chair, especially not since her most likely competition had been dancing like that for years and probably was used to working two jobs, staying alive not counting as one. No, plan B would more likely be a regular job or starving to death on the streets. Neither was overly appealing.

He called her crazy for being a dancer and she rolled her eyes. "We prefer the term passionate about our job. We might take some crazy risks but at least it pays off if you manage to get a foot in." She was refusing to acknowledge that it seemed like a joke when compared to her earlier action of putting a foot in a freezing pond. It hardly mattered much of course, she knew exactly what she wanted and despite the many biting comments passed between the two of them she did actually enjoy his company more than expected. He wasn't so bad.

"How strange, I figured you hobbled strangers home on an hourly basis with your freight fee." She said, half sarcastic and half joking. There were worse things of course but well, if he kept throwing sarcastic comments then she'd have to counter them. It seemed only natural. What else was she to do? Just accept everything? That wasn't exactly her nature. If she saw her dad she'd definitively chew him out endlessly, even as he threw her in jail.

He was, it seemed, one of the new age hippie kind of doctors. She managed by some miracle to keep a smooth face but she definitively had no intentions to complain if his alternative medicine actually got the trick done. If she could have her ankle recovered by tomorrow rather than by Friday she could actually get more practise in and thus improve her chances of making it in the audition. It was always in the details, especially with how many girls usually auditioned for a part. She knew she was good, but the same went for the competition. Hard work alone wouldn't quite pay off. There was a factor of luck and having the right attitude that they were looking for. She hoped that she had what it took this time, but tried to keep a level head in the matter. She pulled a horrified face as he suggested an extra foot. "That sounds disgusting." She replied with a shiver. "Thankfully that can only be some horror story and even if I'd grow an extra foot I'd just cut it off and throw it in the trash. I'll risk the damage to keep from being a freak of nature." She realised it was probably just a joke but the visuals could easily haunt her nightmares for weeks.

@simontroy

[Deleted]

Simon shrugged as she said that being in a wheelchair would have been the end of her career. He imagined that would be the case already. “You’re the one who brought up wheelchair dancing. I figured it would be the end of any dancing before that.” Simon explained as he didn’t see wheelchair dancing being much of an alternative to typical dancing. Either way she wasn’t going to lose her leg or ability to dance. As long as she didn’t try to run on it to the point of causing permanent damage. He wasn’t about to call the cops and she seemed in the clear anyway. She just needed rest at this point.

He laughed slightly, mostly to himself as she explained that dancers weren’t crazy. Just passionate and willing to take risks. As long as it got them closer toward their goal. Mostly his laugh was at the last part. “I assume you’re implying getting your foot in the door. Not just in a nearly frozen pond.” Simon replied, knowing full well what she was talking about. It’s just who he was, his dry sarcastic comments weren’t for everyone in this world. It’s just who he was and a good part of the reason he didn’t have as many friends as most. Simon was fine with that and while she was okay so far he just didn’t expect to be seeing a muggle all too often. Why sugar coat his words to be less himself?

“The freight fee was for carrying you, as light as you may look I’d expect something for carrying you around London.” Simon did enjoy the little back and forth though. Even if they didn’t end up friends or see each other again. At least her sarcasm matched his. If that was because he started it first or just the type of person she was Simon wasn’t exactly sure. “Helping your walk home is free, at least the first trip. If this keeps happening I might start charging or opening a tab.”

Jane seemed to think he was serious about her growing an extra food and all he could do was laugh even more. “How many dancers have three feet though? That could be your thing.” Simon asked hardly playing along with the laughter coming from him. Magic and potions could do a lot but he hadn’t run into someone accidentally growing an extra extremity. “I was kidding anyway, I’ve never seen anyone grow anything extra.” Simon finally explained as he felt it was obvious he was merely kidding. Still it was best to reassure the girl. If this was a hospital or Jane an official patient he’d have a better bedside manner. Yet this was neither of those, he could have some fun with his dry wit for awhile. “At least that I know of.” Simon said quietly under his breathe like he was thinking about the matter for real.

@xantha

[Deleted]

He made a fair point, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She was a little grumpy with him for being a witty kind of guy, even though she hadn't had the pleasure of a friendly jousting battle of wits at all of late. It happened when one spent a lot of time on their own. It wasn't like Xantha had or made a lot of time to be around other people, unless she happened to score a job. It would reintroduce her into what one might refer to as polite society. Not that she cared much for the polite parts, even if she could act like she did. She decided that the topic of wheelchair dancing didn't really need much further discussion and didn't reply. There was nothing worthwhile she could say on the topic anyway.

She grumbled softly as he brought up the pond again, although it was in line with her expectations at this point. "Yes, of course I am." She said a little tartly, although the undertone remained playful. "If sticking my feet in near frozen ponds would get me a job I would have stuck both of them rather than just the one." She quipped, feeling as if that level of communication was somehow easier with this stranger than simply being nice was. "Never go half on a job." She added, since that was the only way to make it even more over the top without suggesting an ice bath instantly.

She chuckled slightly as he mentioned he'd expect something. "Well unless you'd accept payment in kind I'm afraid I'm too broke to actually pay the freight fee." She said, managing to keep a straight face for a few seconds at most. Something was a very vague term and could mean a lot of things beyond money. "Or would you like the soul of my firstborn son or the name of my first daughter? I suppose you could also go for a more stalker vibe and ask for a lock of hair or bottle of blood in case I get famous so you could sell them." She suggested lightly. There were weirder things on the planet than that after all. "If you name your price I can see if I'm able and willing to pay it." She was fully serious, on the point of his naming his price to see if she was willing to pay. It wasn't about the walking half as much as curiosity to find out what exactly he'd ask. All things considered she was willing to go through quite a bit of discomfort if the pay was good enough. On that point he was actually attractive enough for her not to object to paying in kind if that was what he was after. She'd certainly done worse. "Might be better to open a tab if this becomes regular, unless I have a job at that point."

He was going to be that kind of a guy though, at least on terms of the third foot. She rolled her eyes excessively. "I suppose it depends more on the size and location of the third foot. If men can manage to function with a third leg." She countered with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk on her face. Oh yes, she was going to make that joke. He liked a good jab and she was going to reciprocate if she could. That was the main fun to be had out of conversations of that sort, right? Naturally he was kidding as growing extra limbs from a simple potion was impossible. Though one would think from the muttering under his breath that he considered it to be possible. She wondered for a brief moment if he was trying to scare her but it seemed more like a joking matter. If it were that easy to grow extra limbs then transplant organs would likely be a piece of cake and there wouldn't be much to worry about in terms of donors.

She shrugged. "I'm sure people on the dark web want you to believe it's possible and being hidden by the government in order to extract more money or whatever. Or maybe that's just the weirder corners of the regular internet. Crazy conspiracy theorists, the lot of them. I'll stick to known facts over some insane speculation into the impossible." She wasn't one of those new age hippies that believed in seeing somebodies aura, talking to ghosts or cleansing the negative energy out of a space. If you believed those crazy people you'd end up believing in any sort of magic. She'd leave that sort of thinking to the ancient civilisations with their many deities. Science had far greater merits, even if she didn't always understand it.

@simontroy