| Details for The next Train to Arrive at Platform 8… |
| Summary: | Alan arrives in London to take up his posting |
| Date: | 1939-09-24 |
| Location: | King's Cross Station |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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"…will be the nine twenty from Newcastle, Northallerton, York, Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster, Grantham and Peterborough."
And sure enough, a shrill blast on a whistle and the hiss of steam heralds the arrival of one of the London and North Eastern Railway's gleaming A4 engines, "Silver Link", still resplendent in paintwork to match her name, behind her a long snake of teak-panelled carriages slowly pulling to a halt on the leftmost of the main 8 platforms.
Skipping happily through the station, Sira looks around watching the locomotives with wide wonder-filled eyes. Smiling happily she looks around, wanting to find a seat so that she may just sit and watch muggle work at its finest.
"Silver Link" eases to a smooth stop some ten feet from the buffers, a last long exhalation of steam as the complex valve-work ceases its motion. Doors open, as guards and porters scurry the length of the platform, several with trolleys for the incoming mail: passengers disembark, the usual throng of businessmen, families (though, it has to be said, fewer than a few months ago), and, since the start of September, ever-increasing numbers of painfully young men in newly pressed uniforms with heavy bags. Almost last off from the front carriage is one such, a dark-haired young man of average height in a blue-grey uniform with a set of silver wings over the left breast. On alighting, he stops and turns: why becomes quickly apparent, as a somewhat harried looking young woman feeds him the front end of a pushchair, containing a squalling child, and he helps it down onto the platform. "There you go, ma'am." A touch to his cap. "The cab rank is just outside, unless I'm much mistaken."
Sirawen gives a bit of a wiggle as she hears the young child having a fit, she gives a smile and gives a bounce, giggling softly. She turns her attention to the mom and what she assumes is the father of the babe, she gently reaches into her sleeve and with a small whisper she sends a little spell towards the child, helping some of the pain from teething. This is all done quick, and her wand is gone as quick as a magician makes a pretty lady disappear.
"Thank you, sir." The woman finds him a smile, fumbling in her bag for some form of pacifier for the child. "There, Henry, dear. Hush now, we're nearly there."
"Perhaps he'll just like a change of scenery, ma'am." He keeps pace with her, down the platform towards the ticket collector. "Can't be much fun at that age cooped up in a railway carriage."
The spell doesn't quite do what the red haired woman wants it hits the train cabin and rebounds onto a pigeon. She pouts a little and shakes her head, "Reminder, don't do that at a range." She looks over to the man who is helping the woman, studying his uniform. This she is not hiding.
"Oh, I do hope you're right."
The ticket collector is passed, fortunately without incident on either part, and he smiles at her. "Good luck, ma'am."
She mms, a little distractedly, walking the pushchair in the direction of the exit to St. Pancras Road and the taxi rank, before turning as a thought strikes. "You too, sir. I… have a feeling you'll need it more than me."
He just smiles, watches her as she goes. "Mm." He murmurs. "You may be right there." The young man finds a spot, not too far from the redhead who's been watching all this, to pause, and pull an official looking buff envelope out of his pocket. "Right then…."
Sirawen watches the woman go and the babe giving a whimiscal sigh and then shakes her head, leaning back she folds her hands on her lap and muggle watches. She smiles happily, but now and again her attention falls back to the uniformed man.
"Hrm." Out comes a piece of cream paper, and he studies it with a thoughtful frown. "OK. Biggin Hill it is, then." He folds the paper up, catches Sirawen watching him, and touches his cap to her, "Ma'am."
Sirawen gives a brilliant smile to the man and inclines her head to him, "Lovely day today isn't it sir?" She gives a little bounce, and really it's not a pretty day out, it's a typical day in London, over cast, cloudy and perhaps a little drizzly.
He hrms, glancing up at the station's overarching glass roof and the grey sky beyond. "About what it was when I left York, truth to tell." A faint chuckle. "Makes me feel at home." He pauses, eye caught again by the gleaming silver beauty of the A4 Pacific at the end of platform 8 that he just journeyed in behind, already now with a crowd of fitters and the like seeing to her every need.
Sirawen beams and says, "Well home is always good." She rises and adjusts her green dress, "York is a lovely place, a bunch of castles and my favorite book takes place in Yorkshire." She bounces happily on her toes, "So you're new to London then?"
He nods, a touch distractedly. Shakes himself, with a faint chuckle. "Sorry, ma'am. Not often I get to see one of her kind." He turns blue eyes back to her. "New to London? Yes, I am, ma'am. On my way to join my squadron." A curious tilt of his head. "Favourite book?"
Sirawen cocks her head to one side and says, "Really?" She smiles and says, "I thought most of the industry around York was based on the railway." She giggles and nods her head, "Oh yes, The Secret Garden, it takes place in Yorkshire, I have always wanted to visit Misthlethwait manor, but I doubt it even exists!" The witch giggles and looks to the train, "I like trains. Used to take one every year to private school."
He shakes his head. "Far as I recall from what my mother told me, it doesn't exist. But there are some very fine houses near York." A chuckle, gaze drawn by the engine again. "To be honest, I've not been in Yorkshire for the last few years: just went home to visit Mother before I came down here."
Sirawen oooohs and beams, "Moms are nice, well the ones I have met, and I've met a lot of moms." She giggles and says, "Happens in my line of profession." She gives a nod at this and says, "I'm sure it's facticious but it would still be lovely to visit a home with more then a hundred rooms!"
He nods. "Castle Howard, then, miss." [http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/] Tucking the paper back in his jacket. "Not that far from York, and as the locals would say, it's 'reet pretty'." A chuckle. "So, I'm guessing you'd be a nurse of some sort?"
Sirawen gives a nod, "Oh I am sort of yes! I am a midwife and specialize in infant care. I love to work with children." The witch offers out her hand, "Sirawen Lovegood, welcome to London!"
"Thank you, miss." He takes her hand, a firm but not too firm grip. "Alan Martin." A tilt of his head, curious. "Sirawen? That's an unusual name. Welsh, is it?"
Sirawen nods her head, her eyes sparkling with perhaps a bit of mischief, "Oh yes, my family has a history of unsual names. Runs in the family I suppose, I think daddy just put together a bit of random letters and said, 'Yup that seems right!'"
Alan mmhms. "Simpler in our family. Father was Arthur Alan, Grandad was James Arthur…" He shrugs. "If I have a son, I guess he'll be Vincent something - probably whatever my wife's father turns out to be."
Sirawen smiles and says, "Sometimes simple is fun." Giving a nod she looks around, "Do you need help getting to where you need to go? Or do you know your way about?"
Alan hrms. "I was going to take a bus or the Underground, I think. Still haven't got that bit figured out yet."
Sirawen smiles and says, "The Underground is nice, quite fun actually, I usually take other means of transportation but walking is one of my favorite things!"
"Mmhm." Alan grins a touch. "I could walk, but…" He hefts the big holdall that's been on the ground next to him while he's been talking. "This weighs a ton, and I've had my fill of route marches with a pack on my back. They don't spare us those just because we're Air Force."
Sirawen looks down to the pack and giggles, "Oh yes well I suppose that is a bit to carry huh? Well you'll have to explore later then! You should at least go by and see where the King lives!" She gives a nod and says, "The palace is quite nice this time of year!"
Alan mms. "It's on my list when I get a day's leave." He can't help but grin. "That and buying a nice motor, if I can afford one."
Sirawen giggles and says, "Your feet are better." She gives a nod, "But an auto sounds fun too." She herself mostly apparates but hey when in muggletown… "I wonder how those things work!"
Alan gives her a curious look. "I could give you the long and technical explanation that I had from an Aircrew Sergeant at Cranwell, but…" He winks. "I suspect you'd be bored to tears, miss. I know I was."
Sirawen laughs at this and shakes her head, "We'll go with magic!" She gives a giggle and says, "So you like to fly? That sounds exciting!"
He nods. "Love it. There's nothing like being able to see the world from up there, and everyone looking like little ants." Alan treats her to a genuine smile: evidently this is one of his passions. "I love the freedom. And occasionally the peace and quiet, truth to tell. Present company excepted, of course, miss."
Sirawen smiles warmly and says, "That sounds quite lovely! Flying high above the clouds and looking down on everyone." She beams bouncing on her toes, "It would be so neat to see, perhaps one day."
Alan laughs. "Well, if I can scare up a two-seater…" He grins. "You never know."
Sirawen blushes prettily and says, "That would be lovley, I've never flown in an airplane before." She bounces on her toes never quite sitting still.
Alan mms. "But then I'd have to find you again…" A smile.
Sirawen beams and says, "I'm easy to find." She smiles and says, "I live in Southwark!"
Alan smiles. "Still figuring my way about London, but I'm guessing Southwark not so small a place that I could just wander in and find you."
Sirawen shakes her head and says, "No that is true. I live close to the hospital, not far from it actually." She smiles warmly and says, "If I climb on my roof, I can see the Thames."
Alan nods. "Well, if you see one of the new fighters coming over while you're up there, wave, and I'll waggle the wings back." As, undoubtedly, would any other healthy male fighter pilot on being waved to by a pretty redhead.
Sirawen smiles and says, "I'll make sure to do that, don't have much time for climbing these days!"
"I should," Alan notes, with a touch of regret… What he was about to say is briefly drowned out by a blast on "Silver Link"'s whistle, as she begins to back out of platform 8. He pauses to watch for a moment, then laughs. "Amazing piece of engineering, she is."
Sirawen looks over to the locomotive and smiles, "Yes an interesting peice of work for sure."
He has the grace to look a touch sheepish. "I'm sorry." A smile. "Her I can see anytime I care to come back here, I suspect."
Sirawen laughs and says, "You can see me anytime as well, admire her all you wish."
Alan mms. "Perhaps. But I know where she'll be." He smiles, offer her a hand again. "It's been a pleasure. You can find /me/ at RAF Biggin Hill, I would expect, with No. 812 Squadron. Unless they allow me to rent a place in town."
Sirawen smiles and says, "There are lovely places in the city to rent!"
Alan nods. "So I've heard. However…" A smile. "I'm due at the field by early afternoon, so if you'd excuse me, I should probably stop talking and…" A gesture in the direction of the exit.
Sirawen inclines her head and giggles, "I am sorry I kept you, you have a good day! Please don't hesitate to call on me if you need any help traversing the city!"
He smiles. "Of course. Take care, miss."