stop and stare -- ross

[nholt]

The quiet pop of apparition was all that could be heard in the dark alley. The small crack echoed across the cobbled street as a cloaked figure emerged from the shadows and began drifting along the lane. Icy puffs of breath fogged around Nora while she made her way down Knockturn, heading towards the all too familiar shop. The warmly lit windows that neighboring Diagon possessed were absent here, instead only the occasional street lamp illuminating the area. Only a small glow coming from the the door alerted her that the shop was open as she stopped at the store front of Borgin and Burke's that evening. The shady characters that frequented the area phased her little, not bothered by the scraggly wizards with less than admirable intentions that made up the majority of clientele. Nora found those sorts of people much more interesting than run-of-the-mill average Joe's anyways, and found it a shame others couldn't see it the same way. It was with her usual air of absentmindedness that the blonde stepped through the door, shutting the cool November night behind her.

Shrugging off the hood of her cloak, Nora maneuvered her way through the shop that she had formerly worked at. It had been good for her at the time, those first few years after graduating from Hogwarts. Got her enough galleons to stand on her own two feet and certainly proved to be intriguing. Nora had learned a surprisingly large amount from her stay at Borgin and Burke's, and was glad to return to it often. But that was the past and there were new options for the future, the new Ministry decree presenting one. The small nod the clerk at the counter gave her was observed, but not returned, instead she just gave the man a vacant stare and moved on. She floated absentmindedly among the crowded aisles, taking sweeping glances around but not stopping to look at anything in particular. Moving among the objects that most would be disturbed by, Nora didn't even flinch. Approaching a tall shelf full of small glass bottles, she delicately picked one up, holding it to the light. Blowing dust off of the surface, she watched the scarlet liquid swirl underneath the cork, a faint grin forming on her lips.

The shuffle of feet caught her ear, her attention deviating from the current subject of interest as she turned slowly to face the noise. The presence of another person didn't alarm Nora, but rather peak her curiosity. The corners of her mouth turned up just slightly, to where one might not be sure if she was smiling or not. She gave an empty look towards the new comer, not making eye contact but almost seeming to stare right through them. The former Ravenclaw stayed like that for a minute in silence before turning back to the clear flask in front of her.

"Quite beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured quietly, more to herself than anything, as the red color caught the few rays of light in the dimly lit store. Nora studied it in pure fascination, momentarily forgetting that anyone else was there with her.

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[ross]

Ross hated going out in public. It was full of loud people, annoying children, and crowded buildings... three things he absolutely despised. So why he was in Diagon Alley was anyones guess. He walked along the side of the street, his hands in his pockets as he shuffled along. A few people stopped for a moment to look at him, but continued on their way. His face was always on the second page of the Daily Prophet underneath the "Letters to the Editor' section, so he got that reaction from people quite often. But nobody ever talked to him. Not that he was complaining, of course, because he hated conversing with people. Small talk was torture. He was glad he gave off a loner vibe, because that way people always just left him along. He continued to make his way down Diagon Alley, looking into the various store windows along the way. He passed Ollivanders, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and Eeylops Owl Emporium before stopping and staring at Gringotts. He was always very fascinated with the architecture of the building, even if the goblins did scare him. He sat down on a bench for a minute, before hopping up and making the rounds again. He had passed every single shop at least 3 times before he looked down Knockturn Alley.

Ross had only been down Knockturn Alley a few times for article-related business... he hadn't ever gone down the street by his own will. He had absolutely no reason to. He wasn't a dark wizard, he wasn't in need of anything from the black market... so why would he? He stood in the middle of the alleyway for a while, before taking his first steps onto the street. He could immediately feel everyone's eyes on him, and he could see the menacing gazes from cloaked figures around each corner. He felt as though he was going to have a panic attack, but he kept his composure long enough to enter Borgin and Burke's. But immediately upon entrance, he felt the urge to leave. He was in a very darkly-lit room that contained all sorts of various body parts and potions... and the man behind the counter looked like some sort of mutant. He gave a nervous smile and a curt nod as he started to walk around the store. He began to fidget as he noticed a hanging skeleton above his head... although it certainly wasn't a plastic skeleton like the muggles had. It was a real skeleton, and it was moving. His eyes widened and he quickly rushed away, until he made it to another section of the store. In this aisle there were quite a few various vials and beakers of potions that were every colour of the rainbow. He cleared his throat and picked one up, but quickly set it down after reading "Essence of Lamb Fetus" on the label. He rubbed his hands together, then looked up to see a tall blonde girl standing a few feet away from him, looking intently at some sort of red potion of sorts. She began talking, and Ross started getting really flustered all over again. He flailed his arms around a bit, then pointed at himself as if to say, 'Are you talking to me?'




(OCC: lol, wtf is essence of lamb fetus. it was the first thing that came to my mind. amy=weird)

[nholt]

Knockturn Alley was a place Nora frequented, and she was there so often that the thought that people might be uncomfortable around such dealings never even occurred to her. She wasn't ignorant of what went on around her, but rather just didn't care. It was second nature to the blonde to observe all the odds and ends that occupied the shelves, and she found them more intriguing than frightening. Not squeamish around such dark items that the shop specialized in, the snatcher wandered her way towards a dim corner of the shop, occupied by potions ingredients. Did Nora have any use for them? Not particularly, her line of work really didn't call for it. But she rather enjoyed just looking. One of her many odd hobbies, and she had an evening off for once. Was there any better way to spend it? Perhaps a normal person would have relaxed at home or went out for a drink with friends, but Nora was far from normal. A few hours browsing the shop was a night out for her. She had a knack for noticing the small things that many seemed to over look.

Which is how she had come across the small vial. The girl found fascination in things many might grimace at, as she held the bottle less than an inch from her nose, like as if she blinked it might disappear from sight altogether. Nora's training as a snatcher immediately cued her into the light footsteps coming her way, the small clink as the person picked up something than quickly put it back down. She didn't even need to turn to look, and though her attention was currently focused on the vial in front of her, subconsciously she was also picking up on who was around her. Dismissing any sort of threat rather quickly, Nora allowed herself to fully dissolve into her own world. That seemed to happen rather frequently with the blonde, as the mumbled to herself. Only the man behind her made her snap out of her thoughts.

"Yes, you. You're the only other one around," she said as he pointed to himself. "Do you want me to be talking to you?" Nora asked, turning to face him. She raised and eyebrow and quirked her head slightly to the side as she awaited his response, her eyes finally focusing in on him instead of a blank stare. "It could go either way at this point." She could quite easily go back and continue muttering to herself, but something kept her feet rooted to their spot. Her lips twitched slightly into a smile, though for the most part his flustered nature went right over her head. The blonde stepped closer to him... he was vaguely familiar, but Nora couldn't quite put her finger on where she was had seen him before -- the Prophet wasn't something she read all that frequently, preferring the Quibbler or something a bit more open-minded, and the bylines were the least of the things she was interested in. She stepped closer yet, almost studying him to try to put a name to his face. No luck. Personal boundaries and others' comfort had never quite registered with the snatcher as she stood near him, though moving away slightly when she realized she didn't know him.

Not bothering to think about it much, Nora looked away and back towards her vial. "Blood," she said simply, giving a small nod. Polite conversation, also not one of her fortes. "Dragon blood. Peruvian Vipertooth to be exact," the tall girl commented. She glanced back over at him, waiting for him to speak though she hadn't exactly given him anything to respond to.

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[ross]

Do you want me to talk to you? she asked. Of course he didn’t want her to talk to him! If he could go his entire life without having to converse with anyone, he’d be the happiest person in the world. Saying that Ross Bennett was antisocial was just putting it mildly. Ross Bennett just never talked. If he was burning alive he’d probably just sit there and look around instead of calling 911 just because he didn’t feel like talking to anyone. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t talk… he just didn’t like to. Social situations made him ridiculously uncomfortable, especially when pretty blonde girls were involved. But even more especially when said pretty blonde girl was a bit… odd.

After much contemplation and Ross just standing there silently for about 20 seconds, he finally said quietly, “It’s not a problem,” with a shrug. He started to get fidgety once she tried to make eye contact with him, and he kept trying to avert his gaze the other way. He hated when people tried to look him in the eye. It made him weirdly self conscious. What was even worse was the fact that her eyes were creepily huge. She looked like a doe, or like one of those squeeze-dolls whose eyes bulge out. It was strange, but bizarrely beautiful. This girl as a whole was just bizarrely beautiful, from her platinum blonde hair to her alabaster skin. But Ross was too busy panicking to realize.

But then she started inching closer to him, which freaked him out all over again. With each step she took, he took another step back. He was quite afraid of what she was going to do. He didn’t like when people tried to get into his personal space, especially when he was already crowded on either side by the aisles of the store. And of course, as he was backing up he ran into a display. Luckily it caught its own balance before anything fell over. Ross took a deep breath of relief and turned back to the girl, who had thankfully moved out of his way and walked back to her original spot.

His eyes moved back to the small vial in her hands when she uttered the word ‘blood’. He shifted uncomfortably and nodded… for a moment he thought it was human blood. He wouldn’t have been surprised if it was, either. This was a strange place full of strange people… certainly a few of them would have some sort of disgusting use for blood. Why he was even there, he had no clue. He came here on some sort of strange whim, which he never did. But no person in their right mind would just meander into Borgin and Burke’s at this time of night… especially when that person looked as innocent as Ross. He probably stuck out like a sore thumb in the store. He studied the red liquid and continued to ponder. Perhaps it created some sort of potion or cure to a disease. Either way, the word ‘blood’ made him even more uneasy than he was before. But once she clarified that the blood didn’t belong to a human, he calmed down significantly. “And why would one require Peruvian Vipertooth Blood?” he asked after a considerable amount of awkward silence.

[nholt]

He didn't talk much, that was for sure. But it hardly bothered Nora. Not much did, actually. People mistakenly made the assumption that she was oblivious or stupid, but the girl simply chose not to care. Why worry over something you can't control anyways? That airy demeanor could change in an instant, as many magical creatures were recently aware of, but at the moment she was her usual self, conveniently ignoring the obviously low level of comfort the man in front of her was displaying. The blonde had never been too keen on taking into account others' feelings, and it didn't look like that was going to be changing any time soon.

"Not a problem?" Nora repeated quietly after she had stared at him waiting for a reply for quite some time. He distinctly glanced away from her gaze, she noticed -- a lot of people did, but that didn't stop her from looking on anyways. "Something tells me that's not the truth," she stated with a quizzical look, everything he was doing said about the exactly opposite. "Well, maybe an inconvenience. But not a real problem. Real problems are dead people or losing your dog. Not talking," Nora rambled, speaking more to herself again. She said whatever came to mind without a second's hesitation, and this was no exception. Perhaps a bit of a filter on her words would have been an improvement. Too late.

Getting tired of thinking of the man as only 'he', the snatcher tried to think of where she had seen him before. She couldn't quite shake the familiarity and kept searching for his name that she knew she had heard somewhere. Each step closer she took to observe him he countered with a step back, but that didn't stop her from advancing. He backed right into a shelf and she let out a small laugh as it teetered precariously, her lips turning up in her classic half smile, though around him it turned into a full grin. Nora wasn't making fun of him, but just found him rather amusing.

"It's highly poisonous, that's why," Nora said matter-of-factly, still holding the vial. The average person probably would have picked up on the fact that he wasn't that interested, but not her. The notion that practically threatening to poison people wasn't just something you said within the first few minutes of meeting someone didn't occur to the blonde. She uncorked the bottle and dabbed just a bit of the scarlet liquid onto her finger. After looking at it for a moment, Nora smeared it along the pale skin of her hand and then turned back to face him. She brushed at a lock of hair, tucking it behind her ear.

"So, Mr. It's Not A Problem, who are you?" she questioned rather bluntly. "You stick out rather terribly, you know." He wasn't fooling anyone by being Borgin and Burke's most valued customer. Nora let another small laugh escape her lips. It would probably make him even more nervous, but she liked him. He stuck out rather terribly indeed, but it just made him more endearing.

[ooc; what is Nora even saying. I luffff you. and them <333]

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[ross]

“Oh my god…” Ross thought to himself. “Why is she still talking?”

She apparently didn’t get the hint that he didn’t want to talk to her. She was either daft, or just didn’t care. Or both. But if it was the latter, he had to applaud her. Most people just went on their way instead of bothering him to talk, so she must’ve had something to say to him. She was ambitious, he could tell. And he envied her for it as well. If he ever wanted something, he’d have someone else do it for him… or he’d just get over it and pretend he didn’t want it in the first place. He actually cracked a smile at the girl for a moment, and then quickly retracted it. He didn’t want to seem too friendly… it may be an invitation for more conversation.

But even in his silence the girl continued to talk! She was absolutely relentless. He could tell she wasn’t going to let him off the hook without some sort of small talk or friendly conversation… which was what he feared the most. Intellectual conversation with a good friend was enjoyable, but meaningless small talk with a complete stranger was absolutely brutal. He just nodded as she talked, trying not to verbally acknowledge her. But it didn’t seem as if she wanted small talk or intellectual conversation… she was currently rambling on about dead bodies and losing your dog. He snorted a bit to himself, then looked back up to her and cocked an eyebrow, still trying his hardest not to talk.

But it was difficult. Even though she was rather annoying, this girl was still charming in her own sort of quirky way. He almost found himself intrigued by her… or at least, as intrigued as Ross Bennett could be. She didn’t seem like the type that would be in Borgin and Burke’s either, more like the type that would write the Quibbler or something [XD]. But Ross didn’t want to think about the Quibbler. It was a useless waste of paper. Nowhere near as good as The Daily Prophet.

But her response to his question scared him even more. Why was he even here? And most of all, why was he standing here conversing with some nutjob who had a fancy for highly poisonous dragon blood? He knew his eyes widened at the words, but he tried to keep his cool. He nodded as if he understood why she would need it, and shifted his position awkwardly once more.


And still, even though he had ignored all of her other questions, she continued to strike up a conversation with him. He had tried his best to resist, but at this point there was no use. She wasn’t going to back down until she got a word out of him. “Ross Bennett… I’m the Editor in Chief for the Daily Prophet,” he said quietly. He was sure that the store’s clientele probably weren’t fans of the paper, so it was best to keep quiet about that type of thing. He looked around as she commented on him sticking out, and he actually chuckled a little bit. He tugged at the bottom of his cardigan, then laughed once more. “Tell me about it. I don’t even know why I’m here,” he shrugged, as a small crooked smile appeared on his face.

[nholt]

Foot in mouth syndrome. Nora had it terribly, and the worst part was that she didn't even realize it most of the time. The girl just didn't know when to shut up, rambling on about whatever crossed her mind at any given moment without a care in the world. It didn't matter who it was, when or where... she just spilled out random words like it was nothing. It tended to be the reason most people just nodded and slowly backed away, or avoided her all together. She simply lacked that part in her brain that told her to bite her tongue and keep quiet. The fact that most things that escaped her lips made little to no sense certainly did not help matters any. Fortunately, Nora also lacked the part of the brain that told her to care what people thought of her. And so she continued on her relentless babbling, having no problem filling the dead air that his lack of speech left them with.

The snatcher wasn't bothered by his lack of conversation one bit. If she were to stop and think about it a moment, the absence of any words on his end was quite an obvious sign that he wasn't all that interested in talking. But Nora largely ignored that, smirking slightly as he shifted uncomfortably and widened his eyes at her comment. It was lucky that was all he did, she could think of a handful of people who would have run screaming by that point. Finally he spoke up -- at least she had gotten something out of him.

"Ah, that's where I've seen you before," Nora said with a sigh, giving him a small prod in the shoulder as a look of realization crossed over her pale features. "It was really starting to bother me when I couldn't figure out how I recognized you. I read a book once that said déjà vu and all that are really memories from a past life resurfacing. But seeing your name in the paper is a much more logical explanation," Nora commented, giving a small shrug. She stared back at him, finding herself smiling as she saw his crooked grin. "Well, I'm not sure why you're here either, but I'm glad you are, Ross Bennett," the blonde replied, not exactly sure why she used his full name but running with it regardless. He did stick out rather horribly, but oh well. "If Griffin looks at you a little funny, don't worry. That's just his face," she said offhandedly, referring to the clerk at the front whom Nora was sure had stared Ross down when he entered. He seemed to be permanently scowling and did that to everyone anyways.

"I feel like I should introduce myself, but I'm not really one for formalities. If you couldn't tell. It just seems like a waste and rather pointless, you know?" she said, looking over at him. She had never been good at polite conversation, it just seemed like pointless chatter to make a good impression on someone. Clearly it was too late for that at this point. "But um, I'm Nora. Nora Holt. And you're Ross Bennett. And now we can move on," the blonde said, nodding as she spoke. Her logic catching up to her voice, she realized just how much she had been jabbering and actually felt her cheeks burn a bit crimson, which was a rather rare occurrence for Nora. "You can stop me at any time, you know" she added. "You really should stop me, because if you don't I'll just keep going and make even more of a fool out of myself than I already have."

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[ross]

He twitched a bit as she poked his shoulder blade, but he tried not to fidget too much. He mentally scolded himself for being so awkward… it was just a friendly gesture! It wasn’t like she was trying to seduce him or anything… or murder him. He wasn’t quite sure what she was trying to accomplish from talking to him, but there was no point in dwelling on it. “I’m surprised you recognized me. Most people don’t,” he said with a shrug. He was a bit lost as she tried to explain all about this book about reincarnation, but tried to keep up. Ross, of course, thought the whole idea of a past life was completely absurd, but he wasn’t about to burst her bubble. “Ah, yeah. Other lives… déjà vu,” he said with a nod, as he struggled to keep his eyes off the scarlet vial in her hand. His awkward smile only grew as she said she was glad he was here, and he gave a friendly nod. “Well, I suppose I’m glad you’re here as well… what’s your name?” he said as he cocked his head to the side. Now she was smiling as well, and it just made him even more nervous than before. She had a very pretty smile… Ross hated it when girls had pretty smiles. It just made his awkwardness increase. He immediately reminded himself of the time he had to do an interview with a veela, and ended up sweating so much that he eventually hired one of his other employees to do it for him. He peered around the corner of the shelf to see “Griffin” staring right at him, and he felt shivers run up and down his spine. “I’ll k-keep that in m-mind,” he stuttered, trying to get the image of Griffin out of his mind.

He inched closer to her slowly… why? He didn’t really know. She introduced herself as Nora Holt, and he nodded. He knew the name already… she was a snatcher. A cruor snatcher, for that matter. Ross had been doing a lot of research about Delacroix and his new Order, and he had run across her name multiple times. She was a vampire hunter for a living… which frightened Ross even more. “I recognize your name… you’re a snatcher, right?” he said rather loudly, before realizing he probably shouldn’t be speaking at that volume in public about such… private matters. “Snatcher… I meant snitcher!” he said rather loudly once again, hoping the people around him thought that he just mixed up his words. “You snitch on people. Like a tattle-tale,” he repeated, making sure to enunciate for the people who may have overheard. He felt his cheeks start to burn up as well. He was probably making a complete fool of himself. He should’ve known that vampires and werewolves most likely shop at Borgin and Burkes… and he didn’t want there to be some sort of duel while he was there. He fidgeted again, then looked back up at her and awkwardly smiled. “Stop you? You’re not the one yelling in public,” he said with a laugh. “And you’re fine. I tend to ramble a lot as well,” he said, trying not to make direct eye contact with her. Direct eye contact made him even more panicky. Once he got into this talkative mode, it was difficult to get him out of it. He was an odd guy… he was either completely silent or couldn’t shut up.

[nholt]

It wasn't every day that one just struck up conversation in the middle of Borgin and Burke's. Nora had a tendency to make her offhanded comments, more speaking to herself than anyone, but the usual customers of the shop weren't ones to stick around and chat. With her odd little remarks and fairly nonthreatening demeanor, one might expect her to be completely different than the type of crowd that hung around Knockturn Alley, but she was more similar to those people than many would guess. Nora was just as sick and twisted as any of them, and her new acquaintance hadn't even seen the half of it. A vial of blood was practically nothing as far as she was concerned, but she wasn't sure if the same could be said for Ross. Thinking of him by name now eased her mind -- it wasn't often that something nagged her, but the fact she couldn't remember him had bothered her. Well, problem solved.

"Perhaps I just pay an unnatural amount of attention to the editorials," Nora said with a small laugh, though lately she'd been too busy to do anything more than glance at the front page of the Prophet. She found it odd that more people didn't recognize him, though. You'd think having the title of editor of one of the most influential magical newspaper in Britain would gain some attention. But Ross didn't seem like the type to invite that type of focus, and maybe it would get old after a while. The woman smiled slightly as he repeated what she said. "It's really a load of rubbish if you ask me, but no one knows everything," she said with a casual shrug. Why had she even brought any of this up in the first place? She honestly couldn't answer that question, but that was Nora for you.

The blonde felt a little foolish grinning all of the time, but he just elicited that response from her for whatever reason. He was quiet, there was no mistaking that. But nice as well, not arrogant like so many were, and he had a certain sort of awkwardness that made him endearing. Not that she should be talking about social skills, but the snatcher had a different sort of personality that was less than desirable in situations that involved other human beings, but in a different way than Ross. Case in point, she kept staring at him despite his distinct lack of eye contact. Griffin kept staring at them as well, and though it didn't phase her much, she could tell it bothered him.

She was genuinely surprised that, after she introduced herself, he recognized her. It wasn't something Nora was all that used to and found it a little strange, but almost nice that the entire world didn't completely ignore her like a parasite. It wasn't as if she was anyone all that important in the wizarding world, but the idea that someone did know her was a little odd, but good none the less. The woman practically snorted at his flub and then rather loud cover up. She did take a sweeping glance around to make sure there wasn't anyone with prying ears that would cause any trouble, but it was over all harmless.

"That wasn't obvious at all," Nora replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes but letting a good-natured smirk play at her lips. "Of course, I am a snitcher. I will tattle on you all," she stated with a laugh, though nodding slightly to answer his actual question. She frowned slightly, realizing that he knew she was a snatcher, and wondered if he supported the Minister and the decrees or not. Most people found anyone in her profession to be slime balls or something equally as repulsive, except for the few extremists who still didn't seem to respect them much. For a moment she worried he might just turn and run after that realization, but he had stuck around this long at least. The reassurance that he didn't think she was a total loon -- or wouldn't say it to her face -- made her feel a bit better regardless.

"But yelling in public is such a good time," Nora said, raising her own voice to where she was practically shouting. She spun around for the emphasis (random movements was another one of her specialties) before stumbling slightly back to her original position facing him. The outburst had gained Griffin's attention once more, and Nora had to laugh at the clerk's stare down. Ross might not find it quite as amusing.

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[ross]

Ross nodded and stared off into space, still thoroughly entranced by Griffin’s glares. He fidgeted, and then looked back at Nora. “Yes, rubbish. Certainly,” he said indecisively. He couldn’t stop looking at the man behind the cash register, who, for whatever reason, would not stop looking at him either. He was way out of his comfort zone here, that was for sure. He then turned back to Nora and tilted his head to the side, then asked, “What were we talking about again?” with a slight frown. It wasn’t as if he was forgetful… but it was hard for him to concentrate on their conversation while Frankenstein over there was staring him down. He shuddered once more at the thought of him, then calmed himself down. He was acting really self-conscious, yet he didn’t know why. Yes, Nora was a pretty girl. But Ross didn’t give a shit about what people thought about him. He was now convinced that he was going to be forever alone… he’d never settle down with a girl. He didn’t really mind either; he did much better by himself than in a team with people. It’s not that he didn’t want some sort of companion… but he just doubted that anyone would want to fill that position.

He looked around the store, trying to make sure that nobody had heard his awkwardly loud outburst. Nobody was looking at him strangely (well, except for Griffin, that is) so he gave a sigh of relief and made some sort of “I’m sorry” face to Nora. She probably didn’t want him running around Knockturn Alley saying “YOU’RE A SNATCHER!”, especially with all of the forbidden creatures roaming around. He made a sympathetic face, then said, “Sorry about that…” while he tried to stifle back a laugh. “And I know. Smooth move, Ross. Smooth move,” he said as he rolled his eyes, then turned around to see Griffin still approaching the two of them. His eyes widened, but he still returned back to Nora. ”Eh, I’m not a fan. But I just don’t like talking in general,” he said with a laugh, before moving in closer to her. “Should I be concerned about that man?” he asked, watching as Griffin moved closer to them. He tugged on Nora’s arm, then said. “I’m out of here!” and started to bolt out the door. He stopped himself and turned around, then said, “Do you care to join me?” He wanted her to answer as quickly as possible… He didn’t want to waste any time with Griffin around.



[apology]Wow Amy. Wow. This took me about 8 hours and I got like, half of what you wrote down.Not to mention this is a fucking terrble post. My muse is low from all of the Turkey, I guess. But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE forgive me, and if it's not to your liking then I'll add more once I come back from my coma. I'm so sorry. UGH. FUCK MY LIFE.

And now I'm just being really overdramatic, but I hate when people like, only write 200 words when I give them 600. Hey, at least it's like 450. ANYWAY I'M SO SORRY MO.[ /apology]

[nholt]

Nora had to smirk at his discomfort. At least she wasn't the source of it anymore... Well, at least not the main source now that Griffin had taken it upon himself to have a complete stare down with Ross. Nothing much scared the blonde, she found the old man more funny than anything, perhaps because she knew she could have her wand out at any second if he gave them any trouble. However, Ross wasn't quite feeling the same way about the situation, she could tell, as he glanced over frequently and was detached from their conversation. If you could even call it that. She might come off as oblivious to anything outside her own little world, but Nora was trained to pick up on the small details of someone's demeanor and his actions didn't escape her notice.

His little outburst made the woman bite on her lip to hold back laughter. He was obviously a little out of his element, but there was no harm done. If it was another night when the shop wasn't so slow there might have been a bit more of a problem, but nothing that she couldn't take care of quickly. Though something told her breaking out in a duel in the middle of Borgin and Burke's would be frowned upon -- not like it hadn't happened before, though. Something like that would probably make Ross ditch her as fast as humanly possible. It was kind of a miracle he hadn't done that already. Usually she found books or pointy objects as much better company than people, but there was something different about him that kept her intrigued.

"Smooth indeed. You're quite suave," Nora replied with a small laugh, a bit of sarcasm lacing her voice. But it was nice not to find someone so... perfect. Griffin had taken it upon himself to walk closer and investigate the two a bit more, which made Ross even more uncomfortable. He stepped closer to her, and she listened to his slightly panicked words. "He won't attack you or anything," the blonde murmured into his ear. "At least not with witnesses around." That was not the most comforting detail to add, but it was true. If Ross was alone... then he might not fair so well, but she was around, and the woman thought she had saw some hunch-backed old man in the front of the store. Which was enough to keep Griffin from making much of a scene. She swayed slightly as he tugged on her arm, but Nora's words obviously didn't convince him much. Her red lips turned down into a small frown as Ross said he was out and made a beeline for the exit. It was inevitable that he would leave, he had already stuck around longer than most did when they were with her, but it still left her a bit empty. She hadn't expected him to stop to ask her to accompany him, and when he did, her face lit up.

"I'd like that, actually," the snatcher replied, and quickly glided over towards the door as they walked out into the cool night. Ross had seemed pretty anxious to get out of there. Their feet took them out of the dark of Knockturn and into the more inviting Diagon Alley, where he seemed to calm down some. "Can you relax now?" Nora said, teasing him slightly and giving Ross a small nudge. A gust of wind blew through the street, sending her blonde locks whipping around her face and a shiver down her spine. "So are we wandering aimlessly, or would you fancy a drink?" she asked. They weren't far from the Leaky Cauldron.

[Amyyy don't apologize! I luff you and you're wonderful. My posts are just rambling and you don't have to match them, yours give me a lot to work with no matter how many words. No worries, seriously. NOROSS BENNOLT FOREVER. <3]

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[ross]

“Quite,” he said with a small laugh. He knew he wasn’t the smoothest guy around… Hell, he wasn’t even in the top billion smoothest guys around. But he was a sweetie, and that’s all that really mattered. He hadn’t gotten any practice flirting with anyone. He wasn’t normally a flirtatious fellow… hell, he wasn’t normally a talkative fellow. And it was rare that someone brought out that side of him… but perhaps Nora was different. Well, of course she was different. She walked around the place bug-eyed all the time. But maybe she could be the one to bring out that side of him? Ross furrowed his brows… he shouldn’t think that way about someone he just met two minutes ago. But it was true… he had some sort of magnetic attraction to this girl, for whatever strange reason. He was kind of not-sexual guy. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy it… he had just never tried it before. Ross had been physically attracted to plenty of girls before, but he hadn’t ever gotten a chance to relate to them on an emotional level. Of course, that was because he struggled to communicate how he felt. But that was what relationships were all about… communication. He had started to accept the fact that he was just going to be an eternal bachelor. There wasn’t any hope for him anymore… He was 29 years old. Most of his colleagues and peers started to get married and have children ages ago, while the closest thing he ever had to kids was his pet goldfish, Crackers, that tragically passed away three years ago. It was a difficult time for Ross, coping with the death of the one thing he felt like he could talk to without being judged.

He truly did trust Nora, for whatever bizarre reason, but at the same time still wanted to get the hell out of the store. And he didn’t want to be rude by leaving her behind… and he also did want her to accompany him. The wizarding world was going through a very hectic time, so some friendly conversation with a complete stranger wouldn’t hurt too bad, would it? Not only that, but seeing her pretty face twist into a frown made Ross feel as though he had just been punched in the stomach. So, naturally, he was quite pleased when she decided to join him. He held the door open for her, then pulled his coat on as he walked away from the store with her, still looking back every once and awhile to check on dear old Griffin. And of course, he was still there, his body pressed up against the window as he watched Ross dramatically. Ross shuddered, then placed his hands back in his coat pocket. After they were a safe distance away from the store, Ross replied, “I never calm down,” with a nervous laugh. His nerves didn’t get much relief as she nudged him, but he playfully nudged her back. They were acting like children… but he didn’t care. Although he did care about having contact with a girl, even if it was through plenty of layers of clothing. “We can certainly wander aimlessly...” he suggested, but then shot the idea down. “But I’d much rather go out for a drink, what about you?” he asked. In all actuality, Ross hated drinking. His body couldn’t tolerate alcohol… he liked iced tea much more. But he’d seem like a sissy if he said that, so he just kept quiet.

After a very awkward walk around Diagon Alley, the two had made it to the Leaky Cauldron. He held the door open for her once more, trying to be all gentleman-like, then motioned for her to go in. “After you,” he said with a nod as he walked in to follow. He walked to the back of the restaurant, taking a seat in a booth and waiting for her to join him. Not long after, a waitress approached the two of them and asked what they wanted to drink. “I’ll have a fire whiskey.” he said, trying to make his voice sound all macho. It wasn’t working.


[my muse apparently just comes to me in random spurts, and here i go posting 700+ words. but ANYWAY. i did a lot of rambling here... good old crackers the fish. AND I LOVE YOU AND NOROSS BENHOLT OR WHATEVER YOU CALLED THEM AS WELL! yay for us for creating such beautiful babies.]

[nholt]

She had known Ross for maybe, what... five minutes? Tops? But that was enough to peak Nora's interest. Most people would just brush off an encounter with a stranger, but she observed every little behavior and wanted to know more. He was different, the blonde could tell, though for precisely what reason she had yet to find. It was there, she knew it, it was just knowing what it was that she couldn't put her finger on. Or maybe it was one of those things you could never quite figure out, and that idea kept the snatcher even more intrigued. There was something about him, though, something that drew her to him. So when the man invited her to accompany him, it was with great enthusiasm that she accepted, probably displaying a bit too much eagerness, but oh well.

The two quickly left the shop, heading out into the alley. Nora followed his glances back and practically snorted when she saw Griffin still staring at them up against the window. She looked to the crazy old man and then towards Ross and had to laugh at that. And laugh she did, for probably a good minute at least, steadying herself by holding his shoulder at some point. Was she coming off like a total idiot? Most likely, but the woman found the situation humorous. Hiccuping slightly once she finally quieted down, Nora continued walking by his side through Knockturn and then to Diagon, where his anxiousness seemed to decrease a great bit, but apparently not entirely.

"Never? That's a very definite word. Not once in your entire life?" Nora questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. Surely he calmed down some time. "Well, I'll just have to help you then." She crossed her arms resolutely. How exactly she was going to do that, the blonde didn't know, but she would at least try. Nora nodded at the prospect of grabbing a drink, even if it was with someone she barely knew. Walking along the cobbled streets, they approached the Leaky Cauldron and she stepped through the door as he held it open. "Why thank you, kind sir," she said with a small smile. People said chivalry was dead. Nora followed Ross to a table and took a seat across from him as they placed their orders. He got a fire whiskey, and she smirked slightly at the sound of his voice as he spoke.

"I'll have... tea," Nora said before turning back towards him. "Fire whiskey burns the lining of your stomach," she said casually. Well, that was a largely unsupported claim but she couldn't imagine it did anything good. The Ravenclaw could never quite decide if she liked the taste of it anyways. Propping her chin in her hand and resting her elbows on the table, Nora looked at him for a moment. "You're odd," she finally said, a small smile playing at her lips. Like she was really one to talk.

[nooo Crackers. tears.]

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[ross]

Ross shook his head no, then said, "I'm just a very jittery person," with a nod. Even back in his Hogwarts days he would just stay up all night in a cold sweat, worrying about what could possibly happen in his classes the next day. He was still that way to this day... he'd stay up all night, worrying about how his articles would sit with the readers. "That's a pretty big challenge... are you sure you're up to it?" he asked with a laugh. He was joking... but not really. He was still pretty serious. Normally people would just yell at him, telling him to calm down... but that just made him even more nervous. Well, in all actuality, everything made him nervous. Especially the idea of taking a pretty girl out for drinks... what the hell had he gotten himself into? He smiled at her, unsure of what to do, then replied, "Not a problem, m'lady." Was that weird? Of course it was. Everything that ever came out of his mouth was weird. He mentally slapped himself for being so awkward, then sighed. He wasn't sure why this girl wanted to go out with him instead of any other guy around... she was stunning. She could have any guy that she wanted. But for whatever unknown reason, she was giving her time to Ross Bennett. He would've asked her if she was stupid, but he didn't want to be rude. He had never gone out with a female other than for business purposes, but it was still a fairly nice change. Even though there was this awkward tension in between the two of them. But that was unavoidable. There was always just this awkward air that hung around him, no matter who he was with. He just felt bad for Nora... she had no clue what she would be getting herself into. She better be prepared for fidgeting and awkward silence, because that was exactly what she was going to get.

But it actually wasn't as bad as he originally expected it to be. There was a lot of playful banter between the two of them, which was good for him. It kept his mind active and on it's toes, rather than being ridiculously nervous. That was the one thing that kept him from acting like an idiot. Mental stimulation. If he could keep his mind occupied, he was a totally normal functioning human being. But otherwise, he was just awkward old Ross. "Really?" he said at her firewhiskey comment. He thought for a moment, then said, "Well, good. I hate firewhiskey anyway," with a smile. He then turned back to the waiter and said, "I'll have an iced tea, please," with a nod, signalling him to gtfo. He was kind of intrigued by Nora and he wanted to hold a conversation with her. Why? He had no clue. He never held conversations with anyone. He nodded at her odd comment, then said, "Well, so are you," with a smile. But he eventually caught himself. "Oh, no offense," he added on awkwardly. Awkward was his middle name. And then she smiled... oh, that smile. It was so pretty, and it absolutely drove Ross mad.

[nholt]

Nora was certainly glad that had had started talking to a random stranger in the middle of Borgin and Burke's about poisonous dragon blood and deja vu and who knows what else that had come out of her mouth during that conversation. She didn't believe anything would really come of it, but that had been wrong. It was strange to think that one thing different and she never even would have come across Ross. Getting to the shop a minute later, a minute sooner, not saying anything at all, one thing changed and he mine as well still be the slightly familiar face from the Daily Prophet that she would never put a name to. Thankfully that wasn't the case, and the two walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. He was still practically a stranger, if she wanted to think technically, but they had all the time in the world to fix that, now didn't they?

"Jittery, I can tell," Nora said with a small smirk, looking over at him. She had never quite been the anxious type, maybe even a bit too fearless for her own good. Knockturn Alley sure had not been good for Ross' nerves, though. Griffin hadn't helped matters much either, but at least she could claim not to be the creepiest person he had encountered that day. It was hard to top Griffin. "I never back down from a challenge, though. I'll get you to loosen up yet," she replied, laughing slightly as they walked towards the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. Nora would get him to ease up eventually, somehow.

The blonde turned back as he replied in the same manner she had spoken in. "We should keep talking like this," Nora said with a nod, pondering the idea with a smirk. "Ah, never mind. It's rather impractical." She shrugged then laughed at her own words, not even sure what she was saying half the time anymore. Luckily he didn't seem to mind and was able to decipher whatever nonsense she was speaking. That was quite the difficult task, much easier said than done.

They found a seat in the pub and quickly placed their orders, Nora nodding when he asked if it really did that. She raised an eyebrow questioningly when Ross said he hated the drink anyways. "Then why on earth did you order it?" she asked with a laugh. "Weirdo." The snatcher looked over at him, the glint of a tease in her eyes. She rather enjoyed the playful banter that had somehow developed over the course of their conversation, the playful nudges and jokes exchanged between the two of them. He was rather funny, actually. She was smiling again when Ross called her odd right back. "No offense taken, it's very true," Nora said with a grin. "I'm just glad I haven't scared you away yet."

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