| Details for Little Kindnesses |
| Summary: | Annie leaves word for Jack to meet her; she's got something for him. |
| Date: | 04 October 1937 |
| Location: | {$location} |
| Related: | Grand opening |
| Characters |
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Bayswater London
Thu Oct 04, 1937 ((Thu Oct 04 13:32:01 2012)) (B,3)
It is a fall day. The weather is cool and overcast.
The very cosmopolitan streets such as Queensway and Westbourne Grove are lined with Victorian Stucco Terrace Homes. Bayswater is one of the more culturally diverse neighborhoods. A strong Greek population is focused around London's Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Garden squares dot throughout the neighborhood and restaurants are very popular. The diversity of the population comes through in the multi-ethnic array of different restaurants.
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Typical London fall day. The skies are grey and there's a damp coolness to the air. If there was less moisture in the air (and if the sky were a little more blue) it'd be a perfect day.. but it's not. Traffic moves, as it will, down the main street of Bayswater Avenue, the road that connects the West End with London proper, with all the little sidestreets of residences and businesses that crop up as well.
Parked along a side-street, there's a well-used Ford lorry parked, and along the back bed, a young man in khaki-coloured work uniform sits, his hands covered in fingerless gloves - a single stripe with the markings and hallmarks of His Majesty's Royal Air Force. In hand, a box of take-out is being worked on.. quickly, if not a bit ravenously. It doesn't take Jack too long at all to finish it off and cast it aside before looking about before checking a watch.. and looking about again.
She's late. Annie hates to be late for anything, but she had to make a stop and it took longer than she expected. She's walking fast, nearly trotting actually, and avoiding people on the sidewalk as she hurries around and past them, finally rounding the corner where Jack said he'd be for a while this afternoon. And there's his lorry, thank goodness! She'd half expected him to get impatient and leave, so her smile blooms upon seeing him sitting and waiting. She's a bit breathless as she hurries up, her coat flapping around her knees, and offers a greeting. "Alright Jack?" A brown paper sack is set down, a spot of what looks to be grease darkening one bottom corner.
And it's to the watch and back out when Jack spies the approaching Miss Annie Taylor making a rush towards him and the lorry. Wiping his mouth with the back of his gloved hand, he offers a lopsided smile as he calls out, "Oi.. 'right.." He follows her with dark eyes, and shifting over on the tailgate, he gives silent invitation, followed by, "Made up yer mind then? Runnin' off an' live 'appily down by the seaside?"
Pushing the sack a little closer to him, Annie plants her hands on the tailgate and gives a hop up, turning as she does to land her rump to sit with legs dangling. "Only if yer comin' with t' keep me company," she answers back lightly, flashing him a smile. She reaches for the bag, opening it with a rustle, and the smell of deliciously greasy fish and chips wafts out. "Sorry I'm late, but I stopped at a chippy on the way, thought yeh might be hungry." She won't be eating lunch for the next couple days from the bit it's set her budget back, but she kind of enjoys doing nice things for Jack. Even if she's never sure how they'll be received.
"G'on an' eat." Jack grins and nudges Annie with his fingers, "Y'could spare it.." A thumbed gesture back is given, "Jus' finished some take out." He shakes his head and looks away, though, "Cor.. smells like heaven though."
Returning to that other subject, he returns his attention to the young woman beside him, his brows rising. "Tha' an invite? Sorry, luv.. can' make it. They'd count me AWOL, an' it's a bit different, as Inspektor Giddy," the 'ct' is over-pronounced with a harsh sound, ".. couldn't get me outta it. An' I dare say, he wouldn't ev'n try." The grin rises, however, "Maybe next time."
Annie unceremoniously tears the sack down the side, letting the gloriousness that is golden brown fish and chips spill forth as she tears it toward the bottom to create a little brown paper picnic blanket for the food. She's famished, herself, and takes up a chip and bites into it. Holding her hand up so he won't get an eyefull of half chewed food, she talks around the bite. "I've got enough, so if yer still peckish yeh might as well help me eat it." The tangy smell of vinegar is there as well, liberally dashed on the chips, and she makes a production of a long suffering sigh. "Aye well, I suppose I'll put the trip off until yeh aren't so tied up bein' a soldier," she quips easily. Quite a difference from the stiff way she'd talked to him before the zoo. Her eyes shift to the bed of the lorry as she asks, "How's work been?"
Jack can't resist the smell of oil and fish and vinegar, and so leans over to nab a piece of fish, "Ta.." before he takes a bite of it. Within three, it's done, and he's licking his fingers, catching the rest of the grease. "Whut I'm hearin', it'll be a bit." His legs dangle off the tailgate, and they begin to swing. Lifting his head up briefly to blink at the sky, he rolls it around to look at her again, brows rising in askance. "Well as could.. whut wif the whole.. muggle-thing goin' on. I read the Prophet.." When it's left in a seat at the 'Cauldron. "Lockin' down on us cleaners. So, been gettin' in some time with His Majesty. Flight-trainin' begins in a week or so." The last part of that is punctuated by the forming of 'wings' of his hands, locking thumbs and letting his fingers wave.
"I know you 'aven't called me down 'ere t'discuss the weather. Things gettin' t'be too much up in Hogs? Comin' back t'me for a breath of fresh air?" London? FRESH air?
Munching more on the chips than the fish, Annie watches Jack with the sort of satisfaction one gets from sharing food with someone else. That feeling of having done something useful, and the way he wolfs it down makes her happier that she made the stop. She nods at his words of things being a bit slow, before her brows lift. "So yeh'll be goin' up in the air soon?" She can't help but smile at the 'wings' he makes and then laughs softly at his questions. "Maybe I jus' wanted t' spend time with a friend?" she asks with a light tease, but a gleam in her eyes says there might be something more to it, yes.
"'aight, am.." Jack seems pleased enough with the idea, though he's not happy about the lack of income with his 'other endeavors'. "When tha's done, the trainin', they might up me, if I'm good." And he seems to think he is. If the young squib lacks anything, it's not confidence. Or at least bravado?
Casting that glance aside, he rolls his head back, and fixes her with his dark eyed gaze. "You are such a bad liar.." A smirk comes after that, and a chuffed laugh. "Frien' nuffin.." An arm is draped across her shoulders, resting there. "Sorry can' take the time, luv.. place is a distant away, an' I'm hopin' t'come into work in the next hour or so.."
Just a small measure of the humor slips out of Annie's eyes as Jack talks of going off to fight if needs be. He gives her no reason to doubt that it'll happen, he's so sure of it. It's not the most reassuring thought, a friend going off to fight, so she brushes it aside, but does not brush aside his arm as it settles across her shoulders. She's not uncomfortable with close proximity of someone she doesn't actively dislike. But he does earn a light elbow to the ribs, and another laugh. "Don't worry, I'll not be keepin' yeh all afternoon, Mister Busy." She makes quick work of another chip before she goes on. "So," she starts, as if setting up for a story. "The other night, in the Cauldron, I met a man. A broom maker. Rather nice sort, good manners and quite pleasant, an' he said he was gonna be openin' a shop." She glances over to Jack, the merriment in her eyes shining. "Night before last, I saw a notice up for the grand opening, so I decided to pop by an' wish him well." She pauses, turning her head to look fully at Jack and asking, "Have yeh ever ridden a broom?" She's not really sure if one must be a wizard to do so, or if one in his situation could because of the charms on the broom itself.
Jack grins at the elbow-nudge but doesn't remove his arm, and lets his hand swing free. He's watching her as she recounts the story, his head nodding, "Yah, saw the announcement. Not a place I'd be, so much's the pity. N'much call for ridin' brooms." A shrug gives his shoulders something of a rise, and he looks forward, his jaw shifting, "Nah.. never did. Can't, really.." He wiggles his fingers, "Dud an' all." He's not dwelling on that, however, and in looking back, his brows rise in amusement, his tones setting a tease, "'Ow'd that turn up for y'? Rubbin' elbows wif all sorts now, aren'cha."
"I wasn't sure if it was the charms or what… Never really thought about it very much, truthfully." There's a lot she's never bothered to think about, and doesn't unless it becomes necessary. As the amusement comes back into his voice, Annie grins again. "It was so fancy, Jack! I didn't really expect, and there I am in my plain frock an' the others there in these pretty gowns." Her head shakes at her own naivete, and she goes on. "It's a lovely shop, he makes all the brooms, an', well I said already how polite he is. A real gentleman." She moves now as she talks, carelessly wiping her fingers on the hem of her coat (she'll be using the spot remover she got from Keenan O'Shea again) before dipping her hand into her coat pocket. She draws it out with a sheet of paper, and holds it back for a moment as she looks at Jack with a big smile. "I thought of yeh when some Quidditch players came in."
"A-yup.. is." Jack really can't blame her for not thinking about it. Who does? Certainly not him before all this. Wizzies, they've got it good. No thought needed, really. "'At's the thing. You don't'ave to. S'all there." He reaches to take hold of a free hand and will show her her fingers, "All's there."
He doesn't hold it for long, however, and as she shifts to dig into her pockets, he's.. curious to say the least. "Ah.. you an' yer plain frock prolly outshone 'em all. Y're passin' fair an' a bit less lah-ti-dah 'bout it." Besides! "Wou'n't be seen wif one who's stuck on 'erself." Now.. and Jack begins to get a look of.. envy, perhaps?
"Quidditch players.. y'got to party wif'em? Good on ye, Annie. Any take y'home?"
Annie tilts her head to regard Jack, her smile taking an impish cast. "Why Jack Dodderidge, I do believe yeh just complimented me." She looks pleased, and then catches her bottom lip in her teeth and holds the paper out to him with a big smile, unable to keep it back any longer. "As if I'd go home with just any Quidditch player. No, I got yeh these." There are scribbles on the paper. The larger one says 'Here's to Jack, don't take any rogue quaffles, Cheers, Bobbie Riggs.' and it's signed with exaggerated loops on the bs and gs. The second is much more a scribble, from none other than Linc Palancher, if Jack can make out the writing.
"Just any? 'Aight, why not? S'all in good fun. So long's not a write-up in the Prophet." That last bit is given in a slightly lower tone, though not any less amused. "Give 'ere.." and he wiggles his fingers. This is enough to have him pull his arm from across her shoulders to hold the pieces of paper so he can read it. "Cor.. sonuv.. dat's nice, Annie-luv.." He barks a laugh at Bobbie Riggs', and shakes his head. "As if.." Like any fan, the inscription is treated as if the woman's actually speaking to him.. which, of course, she's not. And Linc Palancher? "Jeez.. this is.." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slow, and he quirks his head to look sideways at her again, "Thanks.. an' I mean that.."
Annie watches his reaction in delight, brushing off his 'all in good fun' remarks as he obviously doesn't get her standards. Giving him the paper is far more fun than having actually been there, and it shows clearly on her face. "If I'd have known they'd be there, Jack, I'd have hunted yeh down and made yeh come with. As it is, I'm glad I had that scrap of paper, and they were both so nice about it." She shakes her head at herself again, "It took me a bit t' work up the courage t' ask, but I just couldn't not try for yeh."
You say, "Somefin' like 'at? Nah.." and he shakes his head, "Not the place f'me, 'aight?" Jack leans in to press a kiss against her lips, and his voice is low.. his tones turn oddly.. normal? Well, not Cockney'd, and it's not above a whisper, "Thank you.." before he straightens, gives her a cheeky grin, and drops a hand into his pocket to pull out his cigarette case. Within, he puts the scraps of paper, shifting the couple of rolled fags aside to fit them. "'At'll go under a glass frame..""
The kiss doesn't take Annie by surprise, and it's lightly returned knowing he's not the sort of boy that takes kisses seriously. But the thank you from him… that surprises her and pleases her deeply at the same time. Although it's a momentary abberation for him, it shows something more beneath the surface to her, and, for a girl who can prattle on when she's comfortable, she falls silent, at a loss for a moment. A loss that she covers by stuffing a chip into her mouth. After a long moment of chewing and swallowing as he tucks the paper away, she speaks again, lightly. "Aye, well, I was hopin' it'd please yeh. So good." Still a tad flustered, she moves to gather up the remnants of the fish and chips, wrapping what's left in the tattered bag.
A kiss is just a prelude to a good old fashioned snogging and grope.. but that one leads to neither. Jack's got his autographs tucked away safely; a single remnant of life past. He sits there a moment, watching her, that self-satisfied grin lingering on his face. If anything, more so now that it's obvious to him that she's set back and a bit flustered. "'At's a good girl.. y'wrap them up good an' y' can have some'fin to snack on t'night." He exhales in a long sigh, and puts an arm down to leverage himself off the back of the lorry. Once he's down, he offers an arm, "Off y'go. I've got t'go.. people t'see and such." Like check in. "I'll leave y'a note next time I've got aught t'do, an' I'll take y'fer a ride 'gain."
Annie ignores his bit of teasing, getting much practice of doing that the more time they spend in one another's company. She has a smile for him as she looks up again, reaching for his arm and hopping down lightly. Her eyes brighten again at the promise of another ride in the lorry. "Cor, that'd be brilliant, Jack." She looks down and quickly brushes at her coat, getting a smudge of dirt from the tailgate off it before she looks up into his face again. The rebundled fish and chips get thrust toward him, and she'll physically take his hands and make his accept it if she must. "Yeh keep these, I don't fancy cold chips." She'll accept no protest, and moves to hurry off back to work, turning after a few steps to walk backwards for a moment. "Take care, Jack," she calls to him, lifting her arm to wave. And she nearly walks into someone as she turns back to go, her voice drifting back, "Cor, sorry!"