| Details for Different Worlds |
| Summary: | Galen ends up meeting Rhyeline on the wizarding side of things this time. And then run into his brother, who ends up having been her classmate. |
| Date: | November 8, 1939 |
| Location: | Southwest Diagon Alley |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
  |
Rhyeline steps out of Flourish and Blotts and stands for a moment upon the street, trying to rub sleepiness from her eyes. A woman in her late thirties follows Rhyeline out of the shop and waits patiently beside her until the girl decides where to go next. Behind them, the lights in the bookshop grow dim as it closes for the evening. Most have gone home for the evening, and yet this little one hesitates, gazing off down the silent street.
In the evening the crowd in the wizarding marketplace have started to lessen. There are a very few wizards and witches wandering through the alleys, if any at all. One young man always feels a little apprehensive in this world. Galen isn’t doing any sort of task, but simply standing off to the side underneath an eave of one of the shops, watching the one or two passersby with a wary look. He hides his nerves behind a relaxed attitude, a cigarette between his fingers. Lifting his hand, he takes a draw from it as he watches the street. He might be afraid of the wizarding world, but he certainly has his reasons in coming here. A surprised look crosses Gale’s face as he catches a familiar face, though her snorts, merely shrugging his shoulders. Stepping away from the shop, the gambler approaches Rhyeline wordlessly until he nears her. “Why if it isn’t the witch with the curse,” he announces his presence.
The guardwitch looming beside Rhyeline notices Galen even before he snorts.
Rhyeline is gazing off down the street in the opposite direction and doesn't notice Galen until he is almost upon her. She blinks at the sound of his voice, looking over. The little one seems rather surprised to find the man she thought was a muggle lingering in Diagon Alley. However, as his words register, she bites her lower lip and the cautious reserve in her young, dark gaze deepens noticeably. "Good evening," she murmurs.
Galen lets out a low, gruff sound of amusement as he eyes Rhyeline. He shifts his head briefly to give the guard-witch a look, but he simply smirks and barely gives a cool raise of his head. It’s at least a little greeting before he looks back to Rhyeline, where the interest returns as she receives his attention again. Coolly bringing the cigarette to his lips and drawing, turning his head to let out the smoke, he lowers his hand to his side to tap the tip as he focuses on the girl. He lowers his head a little as he drops his voice a little. “You’re a generous soul, by the way.”
Rhyeline's cheeks grow rather warm. Head slightly bowed, she peeks up at him through her lashes and clasps her hands tight behind her back. "I… I hope that… that the room was… adequate…"
The guardwitch observes Galen impassively, though she does return his greeting with a small nod.
“More than,” Galen replies lowly, bringing the cigarette to his lips again. As he releases the plume of smoke, he rolls his shoulders and arms back smoothly despite the fact he’s still very much aware of where he is. The cigarette between his two fingers, he rolls his hand out in gesture. “So is this the regular time of day you get out, or is it just coincidence?”
"Mm… no, I- I don't… always wander at this hour. But… sometimes, I do." Rhyeline hesitates, sensing he is ill at ease. Her dark gaze flickers from him to her guardwitch. Hands still clasped behind her back, she approaches Galen, hesitating before she continues a few paces away. Although her guard is still close at hand, she doesn't pose quite such a looming presence. "Your name is… Gale… yes?"
“So I just got lucky,” Galen remarks with a smirk. The tone is of amusement, a careless little lift of his shoulders. His eyes study Rhyeline closely as he takes another draw from his cigarette, tapping it down by his side. “Yea,” he answers, “that’s it. Rhea,” he adds in, an entertained half smile curling at his lips. “Are you hungry? I am. Let’s go get a bite to eat.” His eyes flick briefly towards the guard-witch.
Rhyeline hesitates, following his gaze to her guard. Peeking back up at Galen through her lashes, she murmurs, "I… em… perhaps… a glass of mulled wine at- at the Leaky Cauldron? I am not so hungry, but- but you could get something there…"
Galen lowers his head in a mere nod, lifting the cigarette for one last drag, slowly blowing out a stream of smoke as he flicks the smoke to the cobbled ground. Crushing it under foot, he gestures with his head onward as he begins to walk. “Sounds good,” he remarks, followed by a low, amused grunt.
Rhyeline hurries to follow as Galen sets off down the street. Hands still clasped behind her back beneath her heavy winter cloak, she sneaks a glance up at him. Of course, her guard follows never far behind.
As Galen walks his green eyes sweep the marketplace, passing warily over the few he might pass by this evening. Even as he tries to act relaxed, rolling his shoulders back coolly, the tension is there. He makes a good attempt to look careless even as he keeps an eye out. A grunt escapes him, a simple flick of his eyes toward the guard-witch, but then his attention locks on Rhyeline. “Were you looking for a new book?” he asks simply. The young man certainly knows his way towards the pub, but he steps aside to allow the witch to open up passage back into the courtyard that leads into the Leaky Cauldron.
At the first sight of the face of his brother, Galen sweeps away into the shadows, stepping around to hide at the side as he scowls. As Mark opens up the entranceway into Diagon Alley from the other side, he’s stalled by a familiar face. “Oh, Diderot. Hello,” he offers out, clearly surprised to run into her. But he does indeed notice someone moving off, and a brow arches as he glances to the figure hunched suspiciously by the side of the building, frowning without managing a good glimpse of his face. Mark is automatically reaching for his wand. “Who is there?” he says aloud, keeping his dark eyes on the spot where Gale, unknowingly who, is hiding.
Rhyeline's young, dark gaze lingers on Galen, taking in his unease as she leads him to the Leaky Cauldron. His sudden attention catches her a bit off guard. She lowers her gaze at once. "Oh… em… yes, I- I was just… browsing. To see… if they had anything new." She is about to draw her wand when the passage opens of its own accord to allow Mark to escape. She blinks, just as surprised. "H-hello, Thatcher… I…" She bites her lower lip and follows Mark's suspicious gaze to Gale's hunched figure. "Oh, it- it's just… a friend of mine. He… he is just… a bit shy."
Galen curses silently as Mark’s attention turns to the ‘figure in the shadows.’ He leans against the side of the building, staring with a frown at his brother and - oh, bloody hell - friend? At the same time as Rhyeline’s explanation, Gale grumbles in annoyance as a hand lifts to give a gesture to show his ‘harmless’ notion. Of course, he looks down, dragging his fingers through his hair as he wishes he waited for a second to see what Rhyeline was going to do. Oh well! “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you know each other,” Gale utters dully.
Mark’s fingers had just reached the handle of his wand when they slide away from it. An exasperated sigh escapes him to the realisation who is in the shadows, and his back straightens, stiffening as he frowns as Gale steps out. “What are you doing wandering out here, Galen?” Mark flicks a hand out at his brother in a ‘why bother’ gesture before he turns his gaze to Rhyeline. “A friend of yours?” he asks on a quiet laugh. “I didn’t know you’ve met. He’s my brother. I hope he hasn’t been causing you any trouble, Diderot.”
Rhyeline turns rather pink at Mark's laughter. Looking from Mark to Gale, she murmurs, "Em… well… we- we don't know each other well. We've met… once before. But- but he has never caused any trouble." Her gaze lingers on Gale as she adds, "We were classmates… and- and in the same house… at Hogwarts."
“It’s my business,” Galen mutters lowly in response to his brother. He shifts his stance, dragging his fingers again through his hair and leaving it slightly spiked, before digging his hands into the pockets of his coat. Mark gives Galen a sharp look, warning, but a friendlier one to Rhyeline as he offers her a smile. A pleased smile as he nods to her.
“You have more of a voice. It is a pleasure to run into you.” Mark glances towards Galen. “Under the circumstances. He’s always mixed up in trouble. You’d do best to watch yourse-“
“Why don’t you quite with your warnings and high and mighty attitude already?” Gale interjects with a bite to his tone. He smirks as he glances to Rhyeline as he explains about being classmates, nodding his head as he snorts. “It figures. My sympathies for that,” he states, a gibe to his brother. Mark clears his throat, shifting impatiently as he forces himself to keep his smile.
“Right, well, don’t do anything stupid, Galen, if you can help it.” Mark’s heart isn’t all that in this statement, all but given up on him. But he does dip his head to Rhyeline, extending a hand to her. “A pleasure,” he repeats. Hey, he gave his warning. No need to say it again.
Rhyeline bites her lower lip as she tentatively accepts Mark's offered hand. "Please, he- he has not done anything inappropriate or- or unwise. And…" She looks to Gale. "And your brother… he was always kind to me at Hogwarts. He kept the other boys from- from putting spiders in my hair and- and other things like that…"
“You just keep a wary eye on him," Mark cautions, and Galen gives a snort even as his older brother continues on, “a good evening to you, Diderot.” He offers her a warm smile. “I must run an errand before it’s too late,” Mark explains. Galen snorts out an amused laugh before Mark can depart, a hearty laugh, at the tale about the spiders.
“They put spiders in your hair? That sounds like-“
“A terrible idea,” Mark cuts off his brother, his dark brown eyes piercing as he stares at Galen. “You and Brandt would have had my hands tied were you both in-“ Mark suddenly cut off, his turn to shift nervously by the dangerous glint in Gale’s eye. “Er-“ Mark turns to Rhyeline and nods to her again. “Errands. Good evening,” he says again and walks off along the cobbled street.
Galen’s hand has pulled out the pack of cigarettes, hitting it against hand to loosen it as he frowns after his brother. “Sorry,” he utters out as his green eyes move back to Rhyeline. “He’s always got a stick up his ass.” He sticks a cigarette between his lips and offers out one for her.
Rhyeline steps closer to accept one of the cigarettes. "He was always kind to me… though… I don't think we- we ever spoke." Once he lights her cigarette, she takes a small draw. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she adds rather softly, "I'm sorry that- that you don't seem to get along well…"
Galen brings the lighter to his cigarette first, hand cupped around the flame, and then to hers before putting it away in his pocket. He takes a drag, turning his head to release the smoke. “And you don’t seem the type to have been causing trouble around school,” Galen returns, about his brother being kind and all. He snorts, bringing the cigarette to his lips again and blowing out a puff. “We never did,” states Galen as a matter of fact response to not getting along. He steps into the courtyard as he glances to Rhyeline. “You still want to get that drink?”