| Details for Porridge and Put-Downs 2: Lorry Madness |
| Summary: | After leaving the Leaky Cauldron, Jack sees Annie back to work… pretty safely. |
| Date: | 09-25-1937 |
| Location: | Charing Cross, London |
| Related: | Porridge and Put-Downs |
| Characters |
  |
---—===================(\|/)==================---—
Charing Cross London
Tue Sep 25, 1937 ((Tue Sep 25 19:59:40 2012)) (E,4)
If there's a true centre to London, it's Charing Cross and, specifically, Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square is a large public space and one of the major tourist attractions in the city. The square's centerpiece is Nelson's Column, a tall stone column surrounded by large bronze lion statues and flanked by two huge fountains. Across the fountains from the column is the National Gallery, and other buildings nearby are Canada House, St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, and the Admiralty Arch, which serves as an entrance to the The Mall, the red road which leads to Buckingham Palace. Venturing further from the square, the headquarters of the London Police can be found in this area, and, to magical eyes, The Leaky Cauldron is settled between a book shop and a music store. Not far from here, the Thames comes up from the South and makes a sharp turn to the East.
Stepping out after Jack, his comment earns him a light smack on the arm, before Annie falls into step beside him. Whether he offers it or not, she companionably tucks her hand into the crook of his elbow. "It's velvet, how can yeh blame me?" she asks in all seriousness. "Don't yeh just love how it feels?"
"Velvet. That brings y'to heel? Velvet?" Jack's got a scowl on his face, and dark eyes remain before them on the street. Shaking his head, he exhales in his annoyance. "Dunno why y'd sit wif him… buy ye a porridge and some pretty words." He looks beside him, and he's still obviously.. irked. "I 'ave t'get back to work m'self. Workin' on aeroplanes now." His lorry's parked a little way off, crates in the back. "Dere's my lorry. Want a ride?"
Annie wrinkles her nose at Jack, no longer apt to take offense at his words. She's seen he can be nice, and she's plenty patient enough to wait for him to feel like doing so again. "Nothing brings me to heel, thank you very much. And why not sit with him? He was being very nice." She pauses, then adds, "To you even, if yeh think about it. Before yeh got shirty." She looks ahead to the truck, and smiles. "That'd be fine, I've not been in an auto in a long while."
"Wot? 'Im, bein' nice? T'ye, maybe, because he was hopin' ye'd feel his velvet. As if Ells would take a bloke like that. She's got better sense.." Jack shakes his head, "Dunno what your def of 'nice' is, den.." Still.. and the next few steps are taken in sullen silence. When they come up to Jack's truck, he opens the side door for her, but it requires a real pull at the handle, leg braced for the extra oomph and all. With a creak of metal, it comes open, but only so far. "Gotta move a bit from the seat. 'Old on.." and he moves to the other side. "You 'aven't been? I prefer it.. 'til they give me an aeroplane. Then I'll be up there," and he raises his eyes towards the sky. "An' if what they're sayin' is true, maybe be behind the guns t'shoot down other planes soon enough."
"You and that velvet," she says, and lets him fall quiet for the next few steps. Annie steps back as he mightily tugs the truck door open, and she waits for him to get everything situated and come back to help her up into the cab. She does lean into the open door, though to regard him. "Are yeh really gonna fly then?" There's a slight frown on her face as she looks across to him. "Aren't yeh worried? Anything could happen." She doesn't give voice to what could happen, that's just courting disaster.
There's a lot of crap in the cab, and it takes Jack some time to sort it. In the meantime, the bits of conversation flow. "Am I worried? Ya, but what's the point of it? Could keep sittin' here on m'thumbs and scratch out what scraps the Ministry tosses my way," which is how he gets the addresses of the different cleaning out, "Or go an' make som'fin of m'self. Not as if anyone'll mourn my passin', but at least I might give 'em som'fin to talk about. 'Ol' Jack,' they'll say, 'hell of a scrapper. Took out a couple of Jerries before they went down.' An', if I'm lucky, survive the fall and take a few more with me."
Annie's frown deepens slightly at his cavalier words, probably unnoticed as he goes about cleaning. "I'm sure some would," she says quietly. A small box falls from the seat onto the floor, and she leans in to pick it up, offering it out to Jack across the cab.
Jack shrugs as he's cleaning. Maybe he heard her, maybe he didn't.. but it's coming into the 'it's all the same'. He's getting closer to leaving the wizarding world behind him, come full duty with the RAF. Hell, he might even get a visit from the Obliviators, if they think his usefulness is at an end, and then he won't remember a thing. "Whot?" Looking up, he cants his head and reaches out for the item. He pauses just before he opens it, however, and pushes it back, setting it on the floor between the seats. "Now.. lib%r Jack shrugs as he's cleaning. Maybe he heard her, maybe he didn't.. but it's coming into the 'it's all the same'. He's getting closer to leaving the wizarding world behind him, come full duty with the RAF. Hell, he might even get a visit from the Obliviators, if they think his usefulness is at an end, and then he won't remember a thing. "Whot?" Looking up, he cants his head and reaches out for the item. He pauses just before he opens it, however, and pushes it back, setting it on the floor between the seats. "Now.. li'bry?" He comes around to the other side now to help her up and into the cab.
With her coat cinched around her, Annie's got no real worry of Jack getting an accidental peek at her knickers, so she doesn't worry too much about that. She takes his hand and climbs in a bit awkwardly, even with help. Hopefully her confidence in her coat is merited.
Of course he'd want a peek at those knickers, but it wouldn't be accidental on his part. Certainly not! Jack does get her into the cab, however, guiding her steps. Once she's in, he has to slam the door in order for it to click. But, it does.. and he thumps on the bonnet and comes around to the other side, leaping in. He turns the key and.. nothing happens. A scowl comes and he begins to mutter under his breath, and turns the key again. Again.. nothing. Shoulders slump, and he leans forward to put his forehead on the large steering wheel for a moment before those curses come again. "Right back.. gotta put up the bonnet."
Such a gentleman, not even a hand mistakenly placed on her rump as she gets up into the cab! Annie settles in, and looks at him expectantly as the key does nothing the first try. Then another nothing, and she has to press her lips together to keep from giggling at his colourful language. No sailor has it up on Jack, no sirree. She manages to straighten her lips to nod at him, murmuring, "Alright then."
As he climbs out of the cab, he looks up at the sky, and prays for no rain. In London, it's always grey.. and procedes to do a 'dance of intense irritation' at the truck.. after he puts the bonnet up to see what's what in the engine compartment. Scrubbing at his face, he climbs onto the bumper so he's half into the engine, and puts his hand on a part.. calling out, "Turn the key!"
There's a measure of entertainment to be hand in his 'dance of intense irritation', and Annie is glad he's out of the truck so she doesn't have to stifle the giggle this time. At his yell, she reaches over, turning the key in the ignition…
*SPARK!* Yup.. that line is definitely live, and Jack yelps from the compartment before yelling, 'Stop!'. He step-falls backwards onto his feet, bending over, waving his hand violently to get that tingling numbless away and normal function back. Again.. how's the full compliment of cursing? Like a sailor. Once again, however, he slowly gains his composure and steps back onto the bumper to wiggle… other wires.
Jack's half into the engine compartment once again, and again.. there's a tentative call, "Okay.. turn the key again.." and now, he prays, making sure his fingers are off, well off, the contacts. "C'mon.. turn over y'sorry.."
Well he did tell her to turn the key the first time! Annie makes a face as she's told to turn the key again, and she does so tentatively….
And there.. the engine sputters and the fans begin the turn.. in a *RRrrr..* sound.. before it catches! Victory! Jack springs back from the bonnet, and with a *whoop!* slams the bonnet back into place and leaps into the cab. "Good as gold now.." Slamming the door shut so it stays, he's got the lorry in gear before it can remember that it's not supposed to be working. "Aight.. London Li'bry."
Annie scoots quickly back over to the passenger side, before Jack can land squarely in her lap! "Cor, that's somethin', Jack. How yeh get it to work. I bet yer a dab hand with the airplanes as well." She leans forward, peering out the windscreen. "I never knew a lorry was this high up before. I mean, I've been on the busses an' all, they're high up, but the cabs are so … squat." She pushes her hair back from her face and turns a grin to the greasemonkey.
Now Jack has a grin on his face from ear to ear. He's set into traffic, looking behind him, checking his mirrors. Sure, the lorry may give the occasional back-fire, but he's got it moving. "Yer on top o'the world in the cab of a lorry. The other cars'll get outta yer way.." He glances towards Annie, and looks back at the street immediately after. "Not bad with the aeroplanes.. Hopin' t'be inside them soon enough.." as he'd said before. "Li'bry.. it's ahead.. not much of a ride, but I've got fings that need doin'.." He's got to earn some more money in order to eat tomorrow. "You right?"
Annie looks at Jack with her brows raised, "Maybe, if yeh feel like it, I can come with yeh to Hogsmeade sometime for a longer ride?" She's not going to push, but it would be fun to have more than a couple blocks up on top of the world. Her attention goes front again, "Cor! Don't hit that bloke walkin' there!" Annie actually leans over Jack to yell out his window, "Mind y'self or get flattened!" OK, maybe she's enjoying this a little bit too much. But it's almost as good as a broomstick.
Jack barks a laugh at the fact Annie's getting into the driving. It's not something wizards do, and it really must be a novelty. He joins in in the yelling, and *whoops* again in laughter as he slows for a light, only to blow through it, almost causing accidents in his wake. "If ye've a mind, aight.. I'll take ye. Nex'time I go up, I'll drop ye a note." Not in the form of an owl, mind.. "Leave it at yer work." As he pulls up now, he sets the brake, and doesn't let the engine die.
Annie is flushed with the brief excitement of the ride. No matter how weird things get in the wizarding world, there's always a feeling of belonging for her when it comes to muggle matters, even her first ride in a lorry. "That'd be brilliant, ta!" She moves to shove open the door on her side, and it doesn't budge. "Cor, yeh need t'fix this, Jack," she chides lightly. "Shove back an' I'll slide over yeh."
Jack leans over her in order to push the heavy door open, and sure enough, it won't budge. Not from his lack of leverage, anyway. He exhales in a chuff, and pushes on his own door before he gets the request from Annie. "Right.. now, easy. Careful. Don't hit the gearshift.. let me set the brake.." and he's ready.. "An' I've got more important things t'fix afore I fix a door no one uses."
"Course yeh do," Annie says lightly, carefully making her way over all the mechanical fiddly bits and over Jack. She even manages not to put a knee anywhere painful! Just about to hop down to the ground, and stops, turns, and plants a peck on Jack's cheek. "Be careful yeh don't get killed in this thing," she teases, then hops down, landing lightly. "Thanks for the ride, Jack." There's a skip in her step as she heads for the library, turning once to wave with a smile. On the seat she vacated, her little take-away cauldron from Elly has been left to supplement Jack's dinner.
Annie climbs over him, and a couple of moments there, he's ready to grunt. While she's as careful as she can be, there are still random weight shifts and he exhales in a breath when she finally stops wiggling for a moment. The peck on the cheek before she hops down gains a lopsided smile, his brows rising in good-humoured complaint. "Tha's all I get? For a breathtaking ride? 'T'anks, Jack..' and a peck on the cheek. Cor.." He shakes his head and mumbles, and puts the lorry in gear, grinding as he does, and the vehicle begins to move forward. He waves a hand and drives off.. not noticing the second little cauldron until.. later.