No where to go...[open]

Reed trudged away from Kings Cross station, shoving his hands into his pockets, muttering to himself. His father, Rennard, hadn't replied to his letter, so he had no where to go. Stop being stupid Reed, he thought, Of course he couldn't reply, he's in bloody Azkaban! he kicked a stone, his temper unstable. Muggles around him shot confused looks at him, taking in his strange robes and a cat perched on his shoulder. If one of them bothered him, Reed was positive he'd lose his mind and do the unthinkable.
He crossed a road, pulling his trunk behind him, and eyed the muggle contraptions that are cars. He could never imagine himself as a muggle, he'd probably go insane. Brooms were a much better type of transportation. Just thinking of having to wait on other cars made the hair on the back of his neck stand.

He made his way through the muggle town, regretting ever coming here. He'd love to just whip out his wand and kill the lot of them. He'd do so if he didn't have to go back to Hogwarts for another year. Arriving in the heart of the putrid town, he spotted a cozy little shop, where he decided to have breakfast. He rummaged through his pockets, searching for the muggle money he owned. Protruding a few coins and a couple of notes, he nodded and entered the shop. He seated himself at a table in the corner, inspecting the coins intrigued, and waited for the muggle waitress to serve him.

Excuse me? Sir? Hello?



Reed cracked his eyes open to see a plump woman standing in front of him. Her hair was in a messy bun, and the bags under her eyes indicated that she hadn't slept in days. Dazed, he sat up, trying to figure out where he was.
"Erm...I'm sorry, but we don't allow animals here," the lady said, eyeing him suspiciously. "and erm...it's past closing time...You have to leave." She pointed at the battered clock hanging on the wall. It was quite late.
Slightly embarrassed, Reed nodded and began gathering his things. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep in the cozy little shop. Rufus, his black cat, emerged from beneath the chair he was sitting on, and curled up in his lap. "Come on, Rufus, we need to go."
Reed picked up his bag and cloak, yawning and still feeling quite drowsy, and headed for the door. A cough that echoed from behind him made him stop in his tracks. He turned to see the fat lady tapping her foot, a look of annoyance plastered on her face.
"Sorry," he muttered, and dug into his pockets, searching for his muggle money. Finally finding a few notes, he tosses them on the table, takes the handle of his trunk and leaves in a hurry.
He exited the little shop, still a little disheveled. It was dark outside, street lamps lit up the road where only a few cars drove by. The streets were empty, everyone was sitting at home by now; everyone but Reed. Rufus meowed loudly, annoyed with the lack of attention he was getting.
"Shut it, you git," Reed whispered, stroking the fuming cat, "We'll be lucky if we even find a place to stay."
He looked around, trying to spot a hotel or something similar. A dog barked somewhere in the distance, and Rufus hissed, not liking their current homelessness. With a sigh, Reed hauled his trunk behind him, hoping to come across some form of shelter.

Cecilia flicked a coin into the cold night air, Luc trotting behind her - keeping pace. She half wondered if she should have kept him at the Leaky Cauldron, what with all these cars around. But Lucifer was smarted than the average cat, she reminded herself. "I should buy a map," she muttered to herself. She had rarely come to London before, even when she was living with her family. Usually they only came to deliver her and her cousin to Kings' Cross Station - and sometimes for Ministry matters. It was such a big place, and she'd get easily lost if she wasn't careful.
As she walked down the street, she saw someone glance at her and her cat with suspicious eyes and mutter to his partner, "There's another damn weirdo with a black cat strolling around. Who let them loose today?" Her eyebrows shot up - could there be another witch or wizard wandering around here?
She turned, reaching out to stop the man, "There was another person with a black cat wandering around? Did they have a trunk with them? Where?"
"Yeah," the man looked at her warily, "Not two blocks away... Ain't none of my business though."
"Thank you," she said, as he turned away with a huff - muttering about weirdos, and continued down the street. Her eyes skimmed along the names of the stores - book stores, travel agencies, clothing stores, cafes, until she reached the place where the man had said he'd seen the person with the black cat. She looked around but saw no other black cat in sight, or a trunk. She looked up at the shops - an Indian Restaurant and a little shop - looked like another cafe or something. She stared in, trying to see through the windows - but the shops were dark. "Muggles are useless."

Annoyed and tired, Reed stopped, scanning the area. A couple of coffee shops, a pizzeria, and buildings were all that came into his view. With a groan, he seated himself on a nearby bench, planning to spend the night there. He propped his trunk against his 'current residence' and leaned back, shutting his eyes. Rufus weaved in and out of his legs, moaning, but Reed just kicked him away lightly. He was too frustrated to deal with a distressed cat.

Just as he was falling into a deep slumber, a car rushed by at lightning speed, sending a whirl of newspapers and other litter at him. He coughed, the dust getting up his nose and into his lungs, and waved the flying garbage away. Rufus hissed and dove into his bag. As the tornado of rubbish cleared away, Reed cursed and ruffled his hair trying to maintain his hygiene. Who knows when he'd have a bath again.
As he sat there ruffling his mangled hair, he noticed a figure peering into the shops, just across the streets. He shivered, realizing that spending a night alone in the muggle streets probably wasn't his brightest idea. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, something caught his eye. This stranger was pulling a trunk, and it seemed as if he...or perhaps she also had a cat.
Curious, Reed sat up, watching.

Cecilia stared down at Lucifer, "Looks like we missed them, whoever they were. We should go back, buddy. Don't want to be caught out too late, not if..." She trailed off, thinking of the events leading up to the end of the school year - Quirrell turning out to have You-know-who attached to his head. She shivered, disliking the idea that the Dark Lord could still be lurking in the shadows - merely a ghost, but still there. Her family would be delighted, though.
However, her cat let out what seemed to be a rather disagreeable meow and started off across the road. "Wait -! Be careful," she hissed after the cat, keeping up with it. "Just where do you think you're going?!" She glanced up at the sky, the dark clouds, hoping that it wouldn't start raining any time soon.
Don't be a coward, Cel. She reminded herself, and shook herself before striding after Lucifer.
She tensed slightly as she felt someone watching, her gaze flickering over the street, until she saw someone watching from one of the benches - which Lucifer was wandering over to. I'm such an idiot, She didn't know how to deal with angry homeless muggles. What is Lucifer doing?! But then she noticed the trunk on the pavement and titled her head, calling our a little hesitantly, "Hello?"

The figure that had been peeping into the shops had turned and was making its way over to him hesitantly, Reed realized. They seemed to be following a cat that had strayed from them and was heading for his bench. He tensed, not wanting any company, especially that of muggles. As the cat approached him, he watched it, realizing it was familiar. He had seen it before...But where? Surprisingly, it jumped into his lap and let out a soft purr. Jealous, Rufus jumped out of his bag and hissed at this unknown feline. He wasn't happy that another cat was occupying Reed's lap. Confused, he squinted his eyes, trying to make out, who was approaching him. A soft and familiar 'hello?' made him recognize the hesitant stranger.
"Cel?" he asked, his hopes rising and eyes gleaming. Maybe he wasn't alone after all. Pushing the two angry cats off his lap, he slowly got up and made his way towards her, not wanting to scare her off.
This better be you Cel, he thought,I don't need any more awkwardness in my life

She jumped slightly but made a snort of disbelief, "Reed? What are you doing in the middle of London at this time of night on the holidays?" She approached, scooping up Lucifer and looked Reed up and down, "You seem... worse for wear. Did you miss your family at the station?" She eyed the other cat, "At least you've had some company."

ooc: I have to go Cel, lets continue some other time, Reed'll enjoy your company :Dd

Adios amigo

ooc, EVERYONE ENJOYS MY COMPANY. -flicks hair-

Ciao fellow human.

He smirked as Cel's face went pale, but slowly began to regain it's color when she realized it was him.
"I think the real question is what a lovely lady like you is doing all alone, in the muggle streets, with no protection." he grins and stands, folding his arms, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You haven't been running away I hope, Nott? That wouldn't be very 'prefect like' of you. You should be setting an example for kids like me."
Rufus hissed at Lucifer, still quite annoyed that a strange cat had appeared and jumped in the lap of his master. Reed smiles at Cel, in the mood for teasing. Anything to take my mind off of my current situation, he thought, as he motioned for her to take a seat on the bench with him.
"So really, what are you doing here all alone. It's not exactly the safest thing to roam around here." he frowned as he noticed a few probably drunk, muggles, staggering out of a nearby pub.

She scowled at the words 'running away' and glanced away, "No... of course not. Just casually wandering through London because I want to." She snorted, "And when have I ever been prefect material? I often sneak away to the three broomsticks, and I stuck bubble gum to a cat's fur." She laughed slightly, "And I have a bad habit of hanging around with trouble makers. I don't know what they were thinking, making me a prefect. Perhaps they thought it might make me more responsible."
"And I asked first," She said, stubbornly, realising she was getting off track. "What are you doing out in the middle of London at night? Wasn't there anyone to pick you up at the train station?" She frowned and glanced off in the direction of the muggles. "There's a better place for this - Diagon Alley, don't you think?"

"I'm just looking for fun," he grinned, "They say London is full of beautiful ladies, unlike yourself, so I decided to come and test my luck..." he shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets, chuckling. "What else is a lone bachelor like me to do on the holidays?" he laughed again; this time it was a shaky laugh, and it quickly morphed into a frown.
"What family? You already know about my mother..." he aimed a kick at Rufus, but the paranoid cat jumped out of the way and clawed at his pant leg.
Reed eyed the drunken muggles, not liking the state they were in, and whispered to Cel, "I think you're right. Let's get out of here before something uncalled for happens." he starts gathering his things.

She rolled her eyes slightly at his jesting and glanced sharply at him when he mentioned his mother, "There's... no one else? I thought the Black family was rather extensive..." She muttered, and started to walk back down the street, away from the muggles - following Lucifer again. "You could always take a few members of my family," She joked, half-hearted, "I've got a lot of cousins - makes escaping them quite the challenge, which is half the fun, I suppose."
Cel glanced back again, making sure the muggles hadn't spotted them - or that if they had, at least they weren't making their way over to them. "Need any help with your trunk or anything? Or your..." She looked at Rufus, "Cat?"

He sighed and looked at Cel, not wanting to weave his way out of telling her things, knowing that in the end, she always found out somehow. Besides, the last time he tried to keep things from someone, he almost lost a close friend.
"Well," he said, grabbing the handle of his trunk with one hand, and scooping up Rufus with the other, "It would have been nice if my father could have flown over to King's Cross station, but I don't think they have quite a big broom supply in Azkaban. Or perhaps all the good ones were taken, who knows?" His voice began to rise, heavy with sarcasm. He calmed himself, not wanting to draw attention to them. Yes, the Black family is quite large. Yes, they are all very close and have great bonds, except for a few. A few, that have been shunned from the family. Erased. Scratched out from the family tree. Such was his mother. Interested in muggles, she had never earned the approval of the Black family. Because of her 'mingling' with muggles, Reed and his parents were shunned and thrown out of the Black family tree. Rennard, his father, was furious, and this tensed the realtionship between his parents. "I'm sorry, my emotions are a little..." he racked his brains for a word, "scattered...all over the place."
He watched Lucifer walk along in front of them. He hated opening up to people, but it felt good. You are such a weakling Reed. Like she want's to know about your personal life. he snorted to himself, knowing that he had already bored Cel with his family issues. Sighing, he made a mental note to blabber less about his problems and maybe, focus on hers.
"No, I'm fine," he murmured, as Cel offered to help him, "You sure you're ok with that trunk. It looks heavy." Rufus moaned again, and Reed hit him lightly on the head, silencing him.
"Ok, now it's your turn. Did you miss your family at the station or what?"

Azkaban, Cel thought, shocked at how nosy she was. She paused, the silence growing heavier, until she finally said, "I'm sorry." A few of her own family members were in Azkaban too - her uncle was one of them, but with how harshly some of them reacted against how differently she thought about the world, she didn't exactly miss them. It was hard on the family though. "Godric, I'm so nosy - and nah, my trunk is fine. Thanks though."
She turned the corner - knowing that the Leaky Cauldron probably wasn't too far away now. "No, I didn't miss my family at the station - they were there alright." She said, slightly tensely, "It's just... we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things - and I found out how much of the world I was missing out on by staying at the manor so..." She shrugged, "I... escaped, I guess - last summer. Didn't want to go back this summer, so..." She trailed off, knowing that it was pretty self explanatory.

"You're just curious, that's all. Most everyone is." he shrugged.
They trudged on, down the dark streets. It was quite dark, and Reed was getting slightly anxious. He hated muggles, and he felt so exposed walking in the streets at this hour. How he hated the law which prevented underage wizards from using magic outside of school. He'd love to levitate his trunk behind him, or blast a muggle away with a carefully aimed reducto. They walked in silence for a while, as he mused about his fantasy world, a grin creeping onto his face.
"Ah..." he nodded in approval as Cel spoke about her family, "I see. You don't have to go on if you don't feel comfortable. I understand. Don't worry." he smiled weakly at her, sleep getting the better of him.

Cel nodded and yawned, "But now that we have the entire holidays in the muggle world - I, for one, intend to explore. Godric, they must have boring lives - no magic, no giants, no dragons... no adventures." She looked up at the sky, "They can't even see the stars from here. But they build so many things to make up for it." The electronics, the cars, the shopping centers. She was going to go and see what this 'football' was about - it couldn't be anything as good as Quidditch.
She saw the Leaky Cauldron just ahead and grinned, "Looks like we're almost there - and you don't have to sleep on a park bench tonight."

"Exploring?" he grinned, "Sounds like fun," they neared the Leaky Cauldron, and Reed let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't wait to plop onto a bed, and snore away until morning.
"After you madam," he grinned at Cel, as he pulled open the door, struggling with his trunk a bit, but managing to keep his gentleman posture.
Rufus jumped out of his bag, relieved to finally be indoors, out of the frightening streets. He disappeared into the Leaky Cauldron, meowing contently.

ooc: Should we move this sarge?

ooc, Aye. To the fortress of Leaky Cauldron in the sparkling world of Diagon Alley.