This post's authors have general content warnings that might apply to the current post.
View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Bella's driving home from Olympic National Park, herbs all wrapped up in paper and stashed in a Macy's bag on the driver's seat. Ho hum. She doesn't need most of them; she's going to dry them and take them home to Phoenix where she can trade them for equally nonindigenous-to-the-Southwest botanicals. The perks of being a child of divorce.
impetuous_force
"Sure." She pops the lock. "You can be more specific, I live there. Don't kick my shopping."
princeofsalem
"The Miller Tree Inn," he says, climbing in. He sets his backpack between his feet - it's carrying very precious cargo that he doesn't want jostled - but carefully avoids her bag. "Thank you so much. My car broke down, I promise I have no sketchy motivations."
impetuous_force
"I appreciate the lack of sketchiness. The fact that you were near a stalled car did help." When he's got his seatbelt on - after a pointed pause, if necessary - she pulls back onto the road. "I'm Bella."
princeofsalem
Neville is very safety conscious! No pointed pause was necessary.
"Neville Longbottom," he says.
"Neville Longbottom," he says.
impetuous_force
"And what brings you to Forks? Things do not usually bring people to Forks," says Bella.
impetuous_force
Bella is now rather thoroughly aware that her herbs smell like herbs and neither a wizard nor a botanist will be fooled by the potpourri-related explanation she has prepared if her parents run into her collections.
She's also pretty thoroughly aware that she wouldn't be willing to pick up hitchhikers if she didn't have magic, and by a similar token wouldn't have picked up this one if she'd known he was magic.
Well, he doesn't seem to be doing anything threatening.
"There's certainly more of it here than where I live most of the year," she agrees.
She's also pretty thoroughly aware that she wouldn't be willing to pick up hitchhikers if she didn't have magic, and by a similar token wouldn't have picked up this one if she'd known he was magic.
Well, he doesn't seem to be doing anything threatening.
"There's certainly more of it here than where I live most of the year," she agrees.
princeofsalem
Given the plants stashed in Neville's bag, he's not about to comment on hers.
"And where is that?"
"And where is that?"
impetuous_force
"Phoenix. You?"
The question's automatic. She does not retract it when it's slipped out.
The question's automatic. She does not retract it when it's slipped out.
princeofsalem
He pauses for a second, considering whether it would be safer to continue to pretend that he didn't see her reaction to his name.
It would definitely be safer, he decides, but it would also be less interesting.
"I get the impression that you already know the answer to that question."
It would definitely be safer, he decides, but it would also be less interesting.
"I get the impression that you already know the answer to that question."
impetuous_force
"I have a guess. For all I know there are lots of coincidentally named people running around, but the hypothetical coincidentally named people probably wouldn't've just said that."
impetuous_force
"I never did Google you. You're not based on the right coast to come up very much, for all that I recognized the name."
impetuous_force
"That works too. I wouldn't've blinked. All things considered I'd rather know, though, especially since you don't seem to be doing anything particularly intimidating."
impetuous_force
"Explains what you were doing in the park. I hope it's nothing too terribly deadly."
impetuous_force
"Likewise, actually - there's nothing I need for my own projects at the moment except some common stuff I wouldn't have bothered to pick personally when I could buy it. I'm going to trade it for things from other parts of the world when I'm back in Phoenix, since I was going to be here anyway."
impetuous_force
"Gesundheit," says Bella, raising an eyebrow. "I only know common or witch names for most things, does that have one?"