Naturally Awkward (Anna/Silver)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Oh, well I don't have to come along." She hated that she actually sounded disappointed that he didn't want her company but she didn't have a clue as to why she would feel that way. The reasoning her brain could think of was that she had told him she'd help and she intended to see it through til the end. It couldn't be that she'd been lonely, or that she would take any excuse to leave her thoughts and problems behind to focus on his. Anna rose to her feet and looked at him with hopeful eyes. "I just thought you'd like the help is all."

[Silver Blackwood]

"Oh, no, I mean yes, I... I want the help, I just... you don't have to...It's... It can't..." He hated this! He stopped and tried to regroup, taking a breath before he let himself begin again, and keeping his eyes diverted from Anna's. "You don't have to do that. It's Dare and Michael, and... I'm sorry." He felt terrible for having come in here to remind her of things that had happened so long ago, and that had apparently hurt her for a long time. He wondered if it ever went away.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna suddenly realized where he was going when he apologized. Her eyes got big and she shook her head. "It's not like that, I'm fine, really." She truly meant it. If she was going to help Silver find this gift, Anna decided she should try and explain so the air might be cleared a little on the subject. "Michael and I wouldn't have ever worked out anyways, so it would have just been a matter of time before we discovered that on our own. He was a nice guy and I loved him at the time, but I've moved passed that hurt."

A small voice in her head told her to stop there, but she couldn't. She'd opened the gate, and she knew she needed to say the rest - for her own peace of mind as much as for Silver. "It might still sting when I remember I was the last girl he'd been with before Michael decided he liked boys, but there's nothing to be done about that. It's nothing against your brother, or even Michael really, just me not able to understand why I guess." At some point, she'd cast her eyes down to the bottom button of her shirt where her hands were idly twirling the button in circles. When she was done, she remained in that position, afraid to look up and see Silver's reaction to her flood of personal information yet again.

[Silver Blackwood]

"Oh," Silver said. He shifted on his feet, one hand moving reflexively to push back his hair a bit, though it fell quickly back into place. "That makes sense." He was embarrassed for his brother, for the fact that he'd apparently been unable to wait for Michael to let go of his girlfriend on his own. Anna said she was fine, but Silver wondered. His eyes dropped to Anna's hands for a moment, watching her fingers against the button before he caught himself and looked away, clearing his throat lightly. "So, um, where do you want to go?" he asked.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna blinked, pulling herself out of reflection and back to the present moment. "Right, um, London?" She was pretty sure that she'd said they could use the floo network to get there already, but she didn't know any specific store to name. She'd been shopping in muggle London plenty but it was always accompanying her mother on errands. She started for the nearby door, locking it and setting the wards before heading to the fireplace and taking the container of floo powder off the mantle. "Do you want something Muggle or Wizarding?"

[Silver Blackwood]

"Um, wizarding," Silver answered. "Apparently Muggle stuff confuses Michael." He caught himself after and hoped that wasn't too much information. He eyed the Floo powder warily, but didn't say anything. It would be the fastest way there, no matter how little he liked traveling by Floo. "I haven't really looked around Diagon Alley," he tried, hoping he could keep this from getting unbearably awkward.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna had smirked at the little barb toward Michael, whether it was intended that way or not. Just because she wasn't still heartbroken over him didn't mean that she couldn't appreciate someone bringing up something Michael was lacking. She caught his unenthusiastic look at the floo powder then and offered her apologies. "I can't apparate yet. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's how I get to the shop and home now. Care to go first or you want me to?"

[Silver Blackwood]

"Ladies first," Silver said. He gave a light nod of his head, then took a handful of the glittering powder. He'd never really looked forward to his apparition license, but he was certainly beginning to. Even if he wouldn't be able to manage intercontinental apparition, it would still help.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna took some powder and placed the canister back on the mantle before stepping into the fireplace with a "Diagon Alley" and landing in the Leaky Caldron. The place was nearly empty except for a few patrons near Tom at the bar. She started wiping the loose soot from her hair and clothes, looking up when she heard Silver arriving.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver half stumbled from the fireplace, then gave it a brief glare over his shoulder as the emerald-green flames died into oranges and yellows. He coughed once as he started to dust himself off, mentally cursing the soot he'd be getting out of his hair for hours that night, if not days. He did a half-assed job, but he was presentable enough, considering they were going shopping. He didn't look forward to the activity, and he was already grateful for Anna's help. He gave her his best attempt at a smile.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna smiled back before heading to the door. When they reached the street lined with shops, Anna looked around with interest. She'd never been shopping there other than at the beginning of each school year so her knowledge of the other shops was very limited. "Should we just start at one end or do you know of any stores that we might get lucky in?"

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver shook his head as his eyes scanned the rows of tightly-packed shops. He hadn't been here many times at all, so he only vaguely recognized the Leaky Cauldron, let alone anything else. He knew which direction the pet shop was in, but he'd have to watch where he was going to even find that. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I think we could skip the ice cream shop," and the pet shop, "but that's about it.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Not to mention the robe shop." Anna added as she walked past the door to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. She didn't think Silver was the type to give the gift of clothes. Next door was an antiques store which Anna looked into the window with hope. They entered the store, packed with odds and ends and she hoped there would be something Silver might find interesting. "Prefects Who Gained Power" Anna glanced at a book sitting on a table. "Interesting." She said in a sarcastic tone as she moved on farther into the store.

[Silver Blackwood]

Silver found himself picking up more things than he likely should have, considering none of them were anything he could see Dare being interested in. Dare really wasn't a vintage guy, and Silver couldn't begin to guess what was actually worth anything. He found some things he liked, but left them behind as they moved from that shop to another. They found their way into an Odds and Ends type shop somehow, and Silver looked over things, even if he'd far rather go back to school, write them a crappy poem, and be done with it. He picked up a box off the shelf. Who needed a reusable hangman game past second year?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle wandered passed all the potion supplies to the section with a bit more interesting items. She caught herself staring at an elegant Pensieve, wondering what it was like to use one. Tearing her gaze away, she moved on to the next item on the shelf. Silver was doing the same nearby, and Anna decided to alleviate her boredom by striking up conversation again. "So, who are you taking to the wedding?" She had been wondering all day if he was really dating Lucritia's cousin like the prophet had implied, or if that was just another case of unfounded gossip.