The Other Real World (open)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

It was just another afternoon, no different than any other lately. Annabelle would be closing up the shop soon she she could head back to the castle before dark. Looking out the window, she couldn't help but resent the winter season. The sun set earlier each day and the snow seemed to have fallen earlier than usual, making her trip between the bookstore and the school walls seem even longer.

Annabelle turned back to her computer and tried to finish before she'd have to leave. She'd finished with her bookkeeping a while ago and was using her remaining time to take advantage of her computer time. It really was hard getting accustomed to not having muggle devices again at school. She was relieved that Hogsmeade, although a wizarding community, didn't interfere with things like the internet.

Over the last year she'd taken to writing a blog, a pubic journal, about her trials and found it very therapeutic. She'd even somehow managed to gather a bit of a following and found their comments encouraging even if she hadn't originally started it for that reason. Okay, maybe I did, but only partly. She'd been lonely with no one to talk to and one thing had lead to another. Now she couldn't imagine giving up her little window into the of the muggle world and managed to find times such as this to continue her secret online persona. She finished up her post and closed the blog window just as the door chimed. Phew. Perfect timing.

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo had wanted to go to London. He'd overheard someone at lunch talking about calling the Knight Bus, and had figured out enough that he thought he could use it. He'd wanted to see if he could find a cafe with internet, because not being connected was driving him crazy, but by the time he'd gotten from the castle to the gates, the snow was falling fast enough that he thought staying close would be a better idea.

He hadn't been ready to turn back though, so he'd pushed on the short distance to Hogsmeade to find someplace warm. The lights of the bookshop had been a beacon, and now, standing in its warmth, he was glad he'd come.

He pushed the door shut and brought out his wand, then paused and looked up. "Do you remember the spell to dry off?" he asked. He'd really rather get the snow off himself before trying to get the laptop out of his book bag.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle told the boy the incantation to the drought spell she'd used earlier, thinking it was the best to use with such wet snow. "Welcome to Mystical Magical Books. Is there something I can help you find?" Anna stepped out from behind the counter with a smile. She had never noticed before what a tongue twister the shop's name was and wondered why she hadn't changed it when she'd taken ownership.

The boy was new to her store, but that wasn't saying much. Anna had regular customers that kept her store going, but there were a number of students and visitors that wandered in occasionally. She looked him over, guessing by his age and book bag that he must be a student. Although he appeared harmless enough, Anna was wary of strangers and stopped near the counter, waiting for him to dry off and enter farther into the store.

[Indigo Noble]

"Uhhh, I don't know," he said absently, in between low murmurs of the spell. "I wanted out of the snow more than anything." He looked up somewhat sheepishly from behind his hair and wondered if he'd ever get used to the English accents everywhere. "I could leave if you want." Despite his offer, he was already digging through his bag for something, and though it took him a bit, his still-gloved hand reappeared with a smallish Muggle device. If his phone worked, maybe his laptop would finally work.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle looked back outside at his words. It was hard to tell with the storm just how long the gloomy light would last and she'd be able to stay open. She certainly didn't want to be rude and kick out a potential future customer. She looked at the item in his hands with a bit of surprise. It wasn't often she saw someone with a wand and a phone. It was generally one or the other. "Is there really service in Hogsmeade?" Annabelle asked with disbelief, "I wouldn't think they'd have any towers near enough to get even a shoddy connection."

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo looked up again. "Yeah, I don't think so either, I just wanted to see if it'd turn on. It hasn't worked since I got here so I'm thinking it's gotta be like Salem and it just won't work at school." He pulled off a striped glove with his teeth, then directed his frozen fingers to find the power button. They didn't want to, but eventually they managed the feat and his phone flickered on, doing a little light show of victory. His lips curved into a grin. "Sweet! I didn't think it'd work!"

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Why don't you grab a seat by the fire? You look like you're an icicle." Annabelle offered, hating to see how cold he'd looked trying to turn on his phone. She walked over and stoked the fire, putting another piece of wood on. She knew she could do it by magic, but for some reason doing it the old fashioned muggle way had always felt more normal. It didn't matter how big she made the fire, she'd just use magic to put it out before they let.

Annabelle regarded him as she crouched before the fire. She remembered how fascinated Chase had been with muggle things, but how he'd not known anything about them. The boy was either way more obsessed with knowing about the muggle world, or he'd been born into it. "I'm not sure exactly the difference between Hogwarts grounds and this town, but I've been able to use all the muggle devices I've brought here. Even the satellite modem I bought to place orders online works. It's a lot slower than the connections in London, but it gets the job done."

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo blinked, and when he looked up, his gaze riveted onto the girl. "You have Internet here?!" he asked in disbelief. "Seriously?! Oh sh~, I'll buy something if you let me use it!" He turned his phone off again and worked on shoving it back into his bag as he moved toward the fire. "I'm so sick of writing in notebooks, it takes forever and it's a waste of paper." But he'd had to write somewhere. There were people waiting on his blog to update.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna couldn't help but crack a smile at his excitement. She supposed she'd be the same way if she was in his place, maybe not so openly enthusiastic, but excited nonetheless. The wheels in her brain began to turn and she quickly made a decision. "Sure, you can use it. I charge 3 sickles for one time use, or 5 galleons for unlimited access." The price seemed fair, it was less than 2 books cost, and if he was only coming in here to mooch on her internet she may as well make money somehow.

[Indigo Noble]

"Hell yes," Indigo said, and stuffed his loose glove haphazardly into the pocket of his coat. "How long are you open today? Do you need me to sign up for anything?" Five Galleons would be pushing it, but he was sure he could justify it to the 'rents somehow. He thought about that as he dug out his money pouch, the heat of the fire already starting to get to him. He hoped she'd be open long enough that he could write something up.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle chewed at her lower lip as she considered his questions. The second was easy enough to answer, but the first wasn't ever set in stone. "I usually close just before dark so I can get back to the school grounds. It varies of course with the weather." She gestured to the storm outside as she stood.

"I can make up a receipt with the access code and I'll put your name on the list of customers that have been granted access." A list she would create right now, seeing that he was the first person to ever ask about internet. An idea occurred to her that if he was looking for access there might be other muggle-born students that might be interested as well. Annabelle walked back around the counter to her own laptop setup and opened a few programs. She pulled the appropriate code and created a generic receipt and another form with basic information about customers authorizing the use of the WiFi. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'll need it to add to the list."

[Indigo Noble]

"Indigo Noble," Indigo said, not moving from his place in front of the fire. While she'd been doing whatever on her computer, he'd stripped off his bag and coat, and now he was basking in the heat. "Indigo like the color. It's not spelled weird or anything." He was so coming back here. He'd just expected a book store, but if she had coffee, this was easily as good as anything else he'd find.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I love the color, You're the first person I've ever met with it as a name though." She'd heard so many strange names at Hogwarts that she should be used to it by now. Doesn't anyone name their kids things like Fred, or George, or even Harry anymore? Annabelle typed in his name on the receipt and her electronic list of internet customers then grabbed the piece of paper off the printer and headed back to the sitting area surrounding the fireplace to collect the fee. "I'm Annabelle by the way."

[Indigo Noble]

Annabelle, Indigo repeated in his mind. It seemed like a lot of people at this school had boring, old-fashioned names. Not that Annabelle was boring, but names like Michael and Ryan were just overdone. Indigo gave a brief nod at the girl's name and a flickering look to her face that only lasted an instant. The heat in his own, however, continued, and he looked directly down into his coin pouch, letting his hair conceal anything that might be showing. "Five Galleons?" he asked, his voice slightly softer than before. He shouldn't have looked. She was prettier than he'd thought.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle nodded, then realizing he probably couldn't see through his hair, spoke up. "Yeah, that's the better price of the two if you plan on using it often." She was oblivious to the reaction he'd had, normally being shy herself she didn't focus on strangers actions much. Her sales depended on customer service though, so she'd trained herself to appear sociable inside the store walls and chat with them at least. "You mentioned writing, are you a writer of sorts?" She pictured Silver, writing poems and sharing them with her in the common room, but Indigo didn't look like he'd fit in that mold.