| Details for That's LIFE |
| Summary: | Mikhale and Annie meet on the street; she gets a look at a new magazine he's got and the pair talk of travel. |
| Date: | 03 January 1938 |
| Location: | Diagon Alley |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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It's a few days after the last of the actual holidays, and children and their parents are out doing some last minute shopping for things needed for the new school year. The streets aren't crowded, but there are people around. Mikhale exits Gringotts with a magazine in hand, the muggle photo on the front is of an ice skater, and LIFE is displayed prominently across it. He's turned to a page with a title, "Benito Mussolini tells the Facist grand council and the world that Italy is through with the League of nations." He pauses for a moment to lean against the bank and read through the article.
Although it's cold outside, it's clear and the air could be called 'crisp' if one wanted to put a lighter spin on the bone chilling temperatures. But, it's nothing a bit of a warming charm can't handle, and most of the community seem quite comfortable as they amble about the Alley. Annie has foregone her hat, not being much of a hat person in the first place, and her hands are bare and a little reddened from the wind. She herself is having something of an amble about the Alley, pausing to look at the window display of Madam Malkin's Robes before moving on. Being without his easily identifiable dog, Annie doesn't seem to take note of Mikhale as she moves to cross his path. Unfortunately, it's just then that some of the younger students not yet back to Hogwarts choose to bolt past on their way to the soda shop, bumping against her and sending her nearly into the wizard and his magazine in her sidestep to reclaim her balance. "Cor… pardon!" she chirps automatically in apology.
Mikhale was about on business and it's too cold to have Precator out wandering with him, so the wizard left him at home. He sees Annie almost take a spill into him and reaches out to steady her, one hand, still clutching the magazine against her hip and the other on her elbow. "Are you alright there Miss?" He asks before he realizes that it's Annie. He throws on one of his more charming smiles, "Why, if it isn't the little bird from the Cauldron."
Steadying on her feet, not without the kind help, Annie takes an actual look at the wizard to whom she is apologizing, and her smile blossoms. "Why if it isn't Precator's wizard. Alright?" she asks, her typical casual greeting, as she straightens her coat and politely takes a step back from the man's personal space.
With a laugh Mikhale nods his head, "Well, I suppose there are worse ways to be remembered than Precator's wizard. It was… Annie?" He asks trying to remember the girl's name. He glances at his magazine that now has a page slightly wrinkled and pushes it down and snaps it shut.
Her head bobbles in a slight nod as Annie affirms his guess, "It is. It's nice t' see yeh again, Mik. I hope I didn't damage your magazine?" she asks, something of a contrite look dropping to his hands. Although it wasn't technically her fault, she was raised with that unfailing British politeness. "I could buy yeh a new one," is offered as a means of retribution.
A glance down at the magazine and a shake of his head, "That might be difficult, I have a friend at the publisher, it doesn't even come out for a few more hours, and even then you'd have to go to America to get it." He says with a grin, "No, it met a tragic, but heroic fate and what more can a piece of paper ask for than that?"
How can his words of somewhat clandestine reading material not catch the interest of a Ravenclaw? Interest sparks in Annie's eyes and she tilts her head, attempting to see the magazine more clearly. She wouldn't just ask to see it, that's too easy. "An American paper?" Bright eyes rise to Mik's face, "An' before it's even out? Cor, that's brilliant."
Quirking an eyebrow at Annie's reaction, Mikhale turns the magazine so she can see it a little better, the slightly scandalous picture of the figure skater easily visible. "Yeah, one of the editor owes me a few favors, so I pop in every now and again to see what's going on in the news."
Slightly scandalous is right! Annie's eyes widen a measure, and she looks away from the magazine, a light pink touching her cheeks. Surely that's just from the chill wind though. From the cover alone, her first impression might be that it's a men's magazine, but surely Mik wouldn't be so crass as to be reading something like that right here on the street! "I've not heard of it before," she says vaguely, only glancing back briefly before her eyes are away again.
Mikhale glances at the cover and coughs, "Ahh, sorry. Forgot they had put her on there." He turns it to the page he was reading, which is a respectable article about hundreds of thousands of people listening to a speech in Italy. "It's a picture mag, supposed to be a slice of life for anyone to look at as they want. The main reason I got it was for this article about Italy."
As the magazine is opened, Annie leans a bit toward Mikhale, her eyes on the pictures displayed. "So many people," she says softly. Her eyes quickly scan before coming back to the text to quickly read. Absently, she takes another step closer to the wizard, her attention captured by the magazine he holds. "Well… that's not good, is it?" she questions, her eyes lifting to him. She's not much on politics, not like many are these days.
Shifting slightly to allow Annie a better view, Mikhale shakes his head, "No, it's not a good thing… I don't know much about Italy, my travels rarely take me there, but it seems to me that it's just another set of secret alliances." Mikhale shakes his head, "Well it's dark times ahead for everyone."
"I've never been there," Annie says absently, finishing the small article, "But then, I've never been much of anywhere." It's not until she raises her attention that she realizes how close she's stepped to the man, and she eases away once more. "Have yeh been t' many places then?"
"Well, I'd do your traveling soon, it's only going to get harder in the future, and… well.. do it soon." Mikhale says with a slight frown closing the magazine again and nodding his head, "Yes, I've spent the last half of a decade traveling. I think I've been to all of Asia, most of the American countries, and Northern Africa… with a few stops in the Polynesian isles and Australia."
There is still clear interest in Annie's eyes as she regards the handsome older wizard. Her brows lift lightly at the list of places he's visited. "All in just a few years? That's a lot of travel. D'yeh have a favorite?" Next time she'll surely remember him as Precator's well traveled wizard.
"Hmm." Mikhale says as he ponders for a moment, "I have a few places I like to go back to." He eyes Annie, "There is a beach out in the Pacific I stopped at one night… I think I'm the only person to ever step foot on the island, the water was so clear you could see the fish swimming around for a hundred feet under me as I flew in. The wind blew through the palm trees and the smell of the flowers.." He pauses for a moment and breaths in deep as if remembering.
Annie's eyes don't waver from Mikhale's as he looks at her, and her smile broadens as his recollection. "It sounds lovely," she says softly, after he's taken that breath. "It was warm then?" She's been over to Brighton Beach, with her folks years ago, and can only imagine that it's quite different from Mik's beach.
A laugh and Mikhale nods his head, "Yeah, I got back every now and again and it's never been cold." He seems to break from his memory for a minute and smile at Annie, "Well, there are other good places too, a whole world to explore and experience. From the Pyramids of the Pharohs to the Forbidden Palace of the Emperor. The gates of heaven, and the forgotten mountains. The massive gyser's of Yellowstone and Redrock arches in Utah." He pauses for a moment, "There is a waterfall in America so tall that it all evaporates by the time it reaches the bottom."
Annie has seen many of the places he mentions in books, what good Ravenclaw hasn't? Her eyes go a bit dreamy, imagining having actually seen all those places and not just read about them. The last… that catches her attention anew, and bright, surprised eyes look up at Mikhale. "Go on now, there's no such thing."
Raising a hand to his heart Mikhale looks offended, "No, it's true, I've seen it with my own eyes." He grins, "I'll take you there sometime. Actually… it's summer there now so we could go anytime you wanted." The benefit of apparition is that the world is TINY… so long as you've been there before.
The offer brings a light of excitement to her eyes, but then it tempers, and her smile turns a bit sheepish. "I don't think my Tim would like if I went apparatin' off with yeh, but it's a kind offer." She sighs softly, looking very regretful indeed that she'll not get to see this spectacle for herself. Trying to add a positive note, she looks up and chirps, "Well, I can look it up in a book, anyway."
Mikhale grins and nods his head, "Well, the offer still stands. Anytime you want to see a bit of the world." He laughs, "Maybe I should start a tourist shop for the downtime."
He may have tossed the words out jokingly, but Annie sees them for their worth immediately. "You ought to!" she says, reaching out to lay her hand on Mikhale's arm. "That would be smashing! Especially to get people away from worries for a little while right now. Yeh'd make a pretty penny, I'd wager."
"Well, maybe I will." Mikhale says after a moments consideration, although he'd have to be selective in his clientele… no sense in wasting time on married couples or fat women after all. "Anyway, I've kept you too long in the cold. I'm sure you have some pressing business to be about."
Annie gives a light pat before drawing her hand back, her smile bright. "It's somethin' t' think about." His words bring a nod of agreement. "As I'm sure yeh do as well, Mik. It was good t' see yeh again. Give Precator my best, will yeh?"
"Sure thing lass." Mikhale says with a grin and a mock salute, he tucks the magazine under his arm as he walks down the street whistling a tune that doesn't exist yet… but which our more modern listeners will know to be: "If I only had a brain."