bunchoflosers

8!

"I'll only be a second!" Moving from the train towards a kiosk, she watched as Nemhain gave a curt nod and continued towards the exit. Really, she didn't want anything from the stand, but Umeka needed a moment to collect herself. It had been so long since she'd been in England, been near The Order... Her pact with Nemhain was still fresh. Though she trusted the shade and was ever so thankful for her companionship, she couldn't talk to her freely. Not yet.

As Umeka dithered by the candy bars, she wondered if it might not be best to simply give up on this fancy. She could always get a job at home, after all... "Oh... Oh, hell..." she muttered to herself before turning round, tripping on her wheel-a-way and falling against the nearest body.

Mortified, Umeka went limp, which made untangling her and her suitcase from this stranger especially difficult, but what could she do? Her nerves had already been frayed- now they were completely unraveled.

Edited 2013-04-11 12:47 (UTC)

Here's to the train line. Here's to train delays. Stuck in England thanks to leaves on the track or whatever other excuse they've come up with to not bother with transport, Leo nudged his bag with his foot miserably. He was only supposed to be going back up to Scotland for a week, but after so long at the train station he was wondering if that week hadn't already passed him by in a blur of crackling tannoy announcements and whooshing trains.

Checking over sweets he'd browsed through a hundred times before, he examined the rack of magazines and newspapers. He was not interested in the headlines or cover stories. Any interest there had died after hours of scanning the same pieces of paper to assuage his boredom. The shop keeper has been throwing him a funny old look though, as if to say, 'you again,' and he felt guilt drip through him at their stare. It wasn't right, was it? Looking and not buying. He was actually considering dropping cash for a copy of the Private Eye when he felt the impact of someone trip and land onto his side.

"Oh!" Leo was a big man, thanks to hours in the gym every week; it wasn't as though a little body falling against him could do much damage. Hands on the girl's shoulders, he lifted her up, off of him, maybe an inch off the ground. "You alright? Where should I put you down?"

There was a suitcase too. Leo blinked at it, and then down at her. "Here alright?"

Being caught was a pleasant surprise; visions of losing her teeth against a rack of magazines or cracking her neck on the counter had flashed before her eyes. Being picked up, however, was not so pleasant. "何やってんだよ?!" Umeka blurted, then flushed. This person probably couldn't understand her, but still she felt horrible for being so rude.

"Here is perfectly fine," she murmured, arms latched at her sides. "I'm so sorry for bumping into you. For crashing into you, really. Your reflexes are fantastic. You should be very proud of them."

Perhaps you should be less quick to pluck people off the ground, Umeka considered adding, but then he might have saved her teeth... She smiled awkwardly instead.

Leo raised his eyebrows at the sudden ejaculation in a language he can't understand. Maybe it's the crowded platform, or the speed of it, but he couldn't even place the language. The English that followed was a relief, though he felt bad to admit it. He put her down and scratched his head. "That's alright, it's no trouble."

Once she was back on the ground his hands were shoved directly into his pockets, where they felt much more comfortable. He nodded to her big suitcase. "You alright? Need some help getting to your station? That's a big one. I can help you along if you'd like."

Mostly he was hoping she wouldn't fall into anyone else. People running around train stations could be very unfriendly if they felt like they'd been held up in any small way. And she was very small.

With both feet back on the ground, Umeka let out a small sigh and went about smoothing her sweater and skirt. "It really wasn't, was it? Some people can be so put out by insignificant accidents."

Nemhain had probably left by now. She wasn't one to tolerate tardiness. And she would be angry...

At Leo's offer, Umeka glanced up at him through her coke-bottle glasses. "I-" She worried her mouth and looked this young do-gooder up and down. He probably wouldn't steal her luggage... And there wasn't anything in it which couldn't be replaced. Perhaps she could catch Nemhain with his help.

"Would you? That would be tremendous. I'm afraid I've grown rusty navigating train stations in England. And the bag doesn't at all help." She smiled and extended her hand, "Umeka! And you are?" It was important to get introductions out of the way early on in a conversation.

Leo blinked at that, rolled on the balls of his feet and didn't say anything, filing it away. If he was smaller, she would have taken him out. Best to not say anything.

"No problem," he was already looking for her suitcase to grab it, so hesitated before reaching out and gripping her hand. He squeezed her hand between his thumb and palm, pressing it, then reached and grabbed her suitcase. "Leonard," he said. "Leo. Umeka, that's a nice name," he came back up with her suitcase, ready to follow her out. "What does it mean? Leo is pretty easy to guess."

Her handshake was surprisingly firm for someone so small. It ought to be; she'd spent quite a lot of time practicing it. With a nod and a grin, she let go and started trotting towards the underground map. "Leo! Yes, of course. You do have a lionish look about you. Umeka isn't nearly so regal. Loosely translated, it means my mother thought I smelled of plums."

Unaware of the sudden hitch in her voice, she pulled the itinerary from her peacoat pocket and went about her business. Glaring at the long list of transfers, Umeka sighed, "It's as if Countshire doesn't want you to find it..."

"Lionish?" He asked as they started off but was soon distracted by the rest of the information that last twenty or so seconds had thrown at him; a small girl with a shockingly firm handshake, the new knowledge that naming your child after a smell was apparently not an act of cruelty, the speed at which they were walking, the sudden hitch that had been in her voice.

He doesn't know what to tackle first. Usually in these situations he stays silent but that would be awkward, when they've been talking so long. So he picks up on the last part instead: "Countshire? Oh, I know that place. You need a hand?"

Even while she was busy trying to read the map, Umeka noticed that this Leo didn't talk much. No, best not to judge him yet. Perhaps he was just being polite and letting her focus on-

"You've been to Countshire?" she asked slowly, a marked difference from her usual hundred words per minute. Forcing a smile, she nodded. "I mean, that would be amazing! Thank you so much. It's just such a remote location. I didn't think I'd run into someone... with ties. Are, aa, you a student?"

Oh, Souji would be livid if he could see her floundering like this. Her pact with Nemhain had made her soft...

Leo looks down at the suitcase, adjusts his grip on it. "I'm doing my MA in English literature there next year, hopefully."

Maybe. The suitcase bumps against his leg and he hums a bit. "It is remote, isn't it? Right up there. Well, down there, for me."

He checks his watch and then looks at the departure board. His train is still delayed. At least his ticket is open return. "I don't know the place that well, but I think I remember how to get there. Which part of it do you need help with?"

[IC]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject