Put Your Feet Up, Try to Relax (Jessica)

[Deleted]

Ev shouldn't be out in public right now. At least, she didn't think she should. Not with the recent breakup with Rocco, after his announcement to the world that they were engaged. She normally had a strong grip on her emotions and held them close, not really letting anyone see what she was thinking or feeling, but at the moment she was all over the place. She couldn't seem to keep her emotions in check. Still, she was also tired of being in her apartment. She was tired of reading, tired of watching movies and playing stupid games with herself. At least she could go to Dustin now. She knew that he was still mad at her for lying, but he was still her friend and if she was having a hard time, she went to him. Still, he couldn't always be there. He had a life outside of Ev and so here she was, wandering Diagon Alley and trying to find something to grab her attention. The only problem was that nothing was. Ev sat on a bench, wondering what she should do now. Nothing was working and she needed to find some form of distraction, but how?

@jessica

[Deleted]

Jess had been to Florish and Blotts to buy a few new books on Muggle Studies and Charms, because she was never going to be done learning, and they were the things she used the most. But what she hadn't expected was quite how thick the books would be or how many she would end up buying, and now she had to get them all home. It was a great day to have forgotten to bring a totebag.

So as Jess made her way out of the store, she tried to step carefully, but she couldn't see over the books, and her foot caught on the uneven cobblestone. The books went flying and Jess went sprawling. Her palms were stinging, and she was sure her knee was bleeding, and she didn't mind that so much as the fact that she could feel the eyes of everyone in the street on her. "I'm fine," she informed the audience, and they mostly returned to what they were doing as she pushed herself up to sitting.

@evelyn

[Deleted]

As Ev sat on a bench, she saw a girl leave the bookstore with a load of books. Interested to see how she would traverse the loads of people in the street, Ev watched her. The girl was obviously trying to be very careful, but after just a moment tripped, probably on the ground, and her books went sprawling everywhere. Books on the ground was not something that Ev could simply sit and watch. She stood immediately and moved to help the girl. Actually, she was moving to help the books by helping the girl. She picked up as many books as she could reach and then looked at the girl in front of her. "Here, let me help you," she said belatedly. Oops. Yeah, Ev still wasn't good with people. Dustin, yes, but normal people no. "Where are you headed?" she asked, trying to make the stranger feel a little more comfortable, maybe.

@jessica

[Deleted]

Someone was picking up her books, and Jess looked up at them gratefully, dusting off her hands. "Thanks," she said with a smile. "I guess I overestimated how much I could carry."

When the other witch asked her where she was going though, she heaved a sigh. "I was headed home, but if I can't make it down Diagon Alley without a problem, I might have some issues in Muggle Exeter." It was times like this she wished that wizards had come up with an equivalent of ereaders. Or that she had been better at Transfiguration. Or that she hadn't bought so many books - except no, she didn't really mean that. But she could hardly ask a total stranger to help her get her books home - especially when most witches and wizards would be a liability in the Muggle world. Didn't mean she was going to give it up, though.

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Evelyn nodded when the girl said she overestimated herself. Clearly, though she wasn't going to say so. That would probably not be well received. "I do that often when it comes to books," she offered, figuring that was probably an appropriate response to the previous comment.

"Or I can help you," Ev offered. Really, she wasn't doing anything important right more, and she was still working on talking to people. It felt like that was a constant effort she had to make, but she wanted to make friends and wanted to allow others closer to her. That meant she had to deal with the awkwardness of first encounters and try helping people out ... hopefully this girl would be alright with that. "By the way, my name is Evelyn. Uhh but most people call me Ev." That was a friendly gesture, giving your name, wasn't it?

@jessica

[Deleted]

Oh good. Jess’s new friend – because that was always how Jess categorised new people – understood her book dilemma. Which was just as well, because this was embarrassing enough as it was. ”It’s a bit of a problem,” Jess agreed.

But Ev offered to help, even knowing Jess was going quite a ways, and knowing that it was into the Muggle world. Well, as long as she was subtle, that would work just fine – and if she wasn’t, well, fixing that was what Jess did for a living. ”That’d be really helpful,” she answered with a smile. ”Thanks Ev. I’m Jess.” She stacked the rest of the books into a neat pile and tucked them under her arm – much easier now – and stood.

@evelyn

[Deleted]

Ev shrugged at the girl. "I can think of worse problems to have," she commented. Honestly, buying books could be a bad thing when you needed to spend your money on other things, but in her mind they were always worth it. Books lasted ages, while other things didn't.

The girl- Jess- accepted her offer and Evelyn smiled. "Of course. It would be a sin to let you carry these books on your own. Especially if they're so heavy they'd end up falling again." Was she ... teasing? Ev paused for a second and then nodded to herself. This was good. She was smiling and getting along with someone and not even close to crying. Definitely a good thing. "You just lead the way and I'll follow along behind you," Ev encouraged, gesturing for Jess to take the lead.

@jessica

[Deleted]

"Much worse problems," she agreed. She could list off a dozen - not having space to put the books once she got home being one of them, losing all her books another, and those were really the simplest ones - but talking about all the things worse than buying too many books seemed like something that didn't endear one to strangers.

Ev teased Jess about carrying the books, and how they couldn't be permitted to fall again, and she seemed a little awkward about it, like it was something she was trying hard at. But Jess didn't mind that - her sister was like that - so she smiled in return, and took the lead.

"The Floo's just this way," she said with a tilt of her head to the fireplace she usually used to reach the nearest Wizarding establishment to her home. She could apparate, but it was easier to give directions by Floo, and she always had a pouch of the powder just in case anyway.

@evelyn

[Deleted]

This girl- Jess, Ev amended- seemed to feel the same way about books that Evelyn did, which was a relief. Most people read when they had to or for pleasure, but someone who bought too many books about so many different things, like this girl, definitely appreciated them. 

Jess didn't say anything in response to Ev's attempt at kidding, but she didn't tell her to leave either. So ... Ev was going to take that as a win. Finally there was a new person who seemed to want to get to know her. She followed Jess when she gestured to the fireplace they would be going through. Floo powder wasn't Ev's favorite way to travel, but she could do it. 

Once she came out the other end, following Jess's directions, Ev looked around herself. "Now where do we go?" she asked curiously. She didn't recognize this place at all.

@jessica