| Details for How News is Made |
| Summary: | Avoiding the more boring parts of their shopping day, Tim takes Dae to see what his workplace is like. |
| Date: | August 5th, 1941 |
| Location: | Daily Prophet |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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While the girls are picking out dresses and robes at Madam Malkins, Tim decided that the boys should slip off and Tim could give his ward a tour of where he works. "So here we are. It's really not too special. But it's better than taffeta and sequins, right?" Tim asks from above Daedalus as he walks along behind the chair, only pushing or helping adjust when there's need in the crowd. "Anything ye would like to see first?"
Daedalus looks around with wide eyes, taking in the bustling nature of the newspaper. "I think it's brilliant," Daedalus says, grinning up to Tim. Then, at the question, he answers almost immediately, "The presses, please!" Well, he is a Mulciber. Probably to be expected he'd be attracted to the machines.
Tim chuckles, "Ah, of course!" He realizes how silly the question was, of course it's to the presses for the young Mulciber. Tim's pocket watch comes out to be checked. "I think we can arrange that. Shouldn't be too much in the way at the moment." There is a rythemn and ebb and flow to the Press Room. Thankfully Tim knows it quite well and as predicted when they make their way inside the massive machine is going at a steady half pace. "Just missed the rush." Tim waves to some of the press workers with a smile. It's mostly gestures that ask them if it's alright for him to take Daedalus closer to the machine. Once permission is granted Tim steers Daedalus in a bit of a maze of precise twists and turn. Finally they come to a halt and one of the workers calls, "Ready?" Tim returns with a, "Ready!" Then Tim taps Dae's shoulder and points upwards. There's the kachunks of the machine starting up and soon enough the machine comes alive around them. Papers soar and large iron arms pump and piston around them. It's certainly a treat indeed, not just anyone can come in and get this sort of within the machine access. Tim looks down to watch Daedalus' face, hoping this is a hit.
Indeed, it is a hit. Daedalus' face is full of wonder, as he watches the machine work. His eyes move quickly from one moment to the next, as if trying to figure out how it all works. "This is amazing," he says, loud enough to be heard, as he watches with a huge smile on his face.
Tim speaks up so he can be heard too. "The stories come in over there…" He points to a door that is close to where they came from. "Then the printers take the stories and adverts and put together the print. Then I… or another shutter fly comes in with the pictures and we work together to fit everything together. Once we've done that. The original format is put there at the beginning of the machine. See that box there? Right there. The box there is enchanted, see how there's a flash? The paper slides through there and gets 'burned' with the story and images. then ZIP! Away it goes to be piled with the other pages and folded and bundled."
"Brilliant," Daedalus says again, looking to that box and watching the flash, and then his eyes following one of the papers away. He rolls his wheelchair a bit to get a better look at everything, though not getting too close. Then he looks up again, and asks, "How do you know when you got the right picture to go with what they wrote?"
Tim has a look of pride about him, he's very happy that Daedalus is really taking interest in this. "Well, I'm often there when the story or interview is happening. Some of us, like myself, do both the writing and the photography. It takes a keen eye to take a good picture on scene and and editing mind to make sure it fits the desired mood of the piece."
Though he was extremely interested already, this last comment brightens Daedalus up even more. "You can be a writer and take pictures? You write too?" This topic seems to be enough to distract him from the machines, and he's looking mostly at Tim now.
Tim puffs up a little and nods, "Ye can. I don't do it all the time. I prefer to help other writers with taking pictures for their stories. But sometimes epiphany strikes and I'm a slave to my craft." He gestures towards the way they came. "Would ye like to see my desk? Or would ye like to see the dark room first?"
Daedalus grows thoughtful at this, taking this in. But he answers quickly, to the question, "Your desk, please." He turns his wheelchair to follow, smiling still. Once they're out of the noise, he says, "I like telling stories, but sometimes I don't know the words to say what I want. Pictures help with that, right?"
Tim opens and closes his mouth a few times like one does when their ears are adjusting from loud sound to normal level volume again. "It takes practice, a lot of practice to find the right words. Pictures do help, they help snag interest and if done right, can convey the whole story. Sometimes to the point where written word isn't even needed." The trip to his desk isn't very far as it's close to the Dark Room which is close to the Press Room. "Want ye to have something…" From a row of books on his desk he picks up a pocket sized soft bound leather book and offers it to Daedalus, it's a thesaurus. A very well used and worn thesaurus with notes in the margins and dog eared corners. "Don show this to Anns, she'd never have married me iffin she knew I was a dog-earrer." Tim smirks and winks but also seems deadly serious in a playful way.
Looking surprised, and slightly awed, Daedalus gently takes the book and then opens its look inside. "This is brilliant!" Yes, he really does need a thesaurus. He looks back up to Tim, and nods solemnly, "I won't let her see it, I promise."
Tim gives Dae's shoulder a couple of pats. "Thanks mate. Well, here we are. The mess I call me home away from home." He taps the glass of a framed article. "This is wot I was talking about. This is my first published article that I wrote for and took the pictures. Ye heard about old Headmaster Flint? How he got investigated and then outted? I covered that, had a special source on the inside." It really doesn't take a genius to realize that his wife the Assistant Librarian was his source, even though they weren't married at the time.
Daedalus nods quickly, even as he reaches to slip the thesaurus into the pack on the back of his wheelchair for safety. "Yeah, I knew about that. Locks told me all about it. And mum, she wasn't part of the investigation, but she was pretty close by. You wrote about that? Wow, what a first story!" This last is said in total appreciation, and he has a grin on his face again.
Tim's always been a bit of a shy person. Annie has helped him with that greatly, nothing like the love of a good woman to make a man feel bolder. But at the high praise from Daedalus about his work he does turn a bit bashful in his smile. "Thanks. It was quite the story." He checks his pocket watch again. "Probably getting close to time to check back with the girls. Do you want to see if we can peek into the Dark Room?"
"Yes, please!" Daedalus doesn't even hesitate to answer, grinning as he does. There's no way he wants to miss this chance to see this while he's here. He looks around until Tim indicates which way they're going, before turning his wheelchair in that direction.
Tim leads the way, it really isn't far at all from his workspace. "Here we are." Tim leans over to open and keep open the door for Daedalus. There wasn't the usual glowing red light next to the door to signal that it was a bad time for visitors so they are in luck. The dark room is empty and it's actually quite spacious so there's no issue of getting around in the wheelchair like there was outside. "Would ye like to see a secret? Ye really can not say a peep about this to anyone…" He walks over to his own workspace inside of the Dark Room, his name on a plaque on a shelf where there's basins. "It should be properly soaked by now…" Tim washes his hands and slides on some gloves, picks up some tongs and goes to one of the basins. A large piece of paper floats in the potion filling the basin and there's a little hourglass on the shelf above it and there's a few grains left above. He's right on time! "Now… keep back. Don wish to drip on ye." In the red glow he winks over to Daedalus and carefully he gives the piece of paper a few taps of the tongs but the tongs are held aside and he uses his wand to levitate the paper out of the basin and then after letting it drip quite a lot he gestures to lift it through the air and two clips come up out of another bin to meet the paper on a string hung between his shelves. The paper is blank at first but very very slowly hazzy shapes start to darken and form.
Wheeling inside, Daedalus takes a few moments to look around, taking in the various potions will in the basins involved. Then he looks back up to Tim, blinking but then nodding quickly, "I won't tell anybody, promise." He watches with Tim works, washing the paper and levitating it there in front of them. A grin comes to his face as the picture starts to take form, and he leans forward a little as he tries to see who or what it is.
The image that forms is very dark and really just a silhouette of a very tall building in a dark forested area and unfortunately the quality is not very good. This has Tim looking extremely disappointed and he gives a dark mutter under his breath. "Well look, it's a blob in a forest of blobs. Isn't that interesting?" This really seems to be a kick to his morale and with a sigh he snatches the ruined picture down and crushes it into a ball and tosses it into a trash bin. "I bet there's some sort of enchantment that's affecting the ability for getting a good picture. A whole year trying and nothing to show for it." He pinches the bridge of his nose and then seems to remember Daedalus is with him and he puts on a smile. "Sorry mate. I promise ye'll be the first to see it when it turns out…"
Daedalus looks surprised, at first, leaning back in his chair. Then, he's confident again, "You'll figure it out. There's got to be a way around that enchantment." Then, however, he asks, "What's it supposed to be? Or do I gotta wait until it's done?"
Tim gives Dae's shoulder another pat and then gestures towards the door so they can get back to the girls finally. "Top Secret I'm afraid, Top Secret. But you're going to need to be man of the house for me next week, right? I've got to go see about trying to get around that enchantment finally. Anns gets to worrying when I'm gone on assignment. But knowing she's in good hands will help me work. Yes?"
Daedalus turns his wheelchair around again, starting to roll towards the exit. He looks a little worried at first, and says, "I can try to… I mean, I will. She'll be fine, I promise," he says, trying to sound more confident.
Tim gives a confident nod, "I know ye will. Not a doubt." He clicks his tongue as he gives a wink down after they've emmerged and then when they step out to find the girls waiting for them Tim whispers down, "Winning smiles!" To butter up the girls for the time they've been waiting. A big boyish grin is put on and Tim waddle walks quickly over to his wife and daughter to get the little one giggling at her goofy father before he tickles her and gives Anns a kiss. "Next stop…" He gestures and as tour guide as he can manage Tim leads the way to the next stop to make sure everyone has what they need for Hogwarts.