The Other Real World (open)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

The tension between them had gotten so think it could be cut with a knife. "Kay." Anna managed to get out before forcing her body into action, leading the way back up to the counter. She knew her face was burning with color but there was nothing she could do. She tried to focus on the aspects of having to do his job and sell him the book, but realistically it wasn't rocket science. She could practically do the tasks in her sleep, leaving plenty of opportunity for her mind to focus on other things. Get a hold of yourself! You're making a ninny of yourself, he probably thinks you're mental or something. Yeah, she'd seen him practically drop the book and stammer an apology, but that was probably just in response to her actions. He was most likely way out of her league anyway.

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo followed her back to the counter, unable to control where his eyes went, despite the fact that he'd have gladly disillusioned himself so he could sneak out. He'd never so much as held hands with a girl, and it felt like it was written on his face in big, blocky letters: LAME-ASS VIRGIN.

He tried to get a hold on himself as he set the book down on the counter, turning it to see the tag. He forced himself to focus on the numbers long enough to get the correct amount out, then set it on the counter, all the while trying to think of something to say so he could look normal. "Uh, so... you have a lot of friends and stuff?" he asked. Lame.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna was glad for the question, regardless of the topic. She'd wanted to say something but hadn't been able to come up with anything that wasn't even lamer. "Not really." Annabelle answered before realizing how bad that sounded. She collected the coins and counted them in to the register as she tried to backpedal, but only seemed to make things worse. "Well, I mean I have friends. I just didn't seen most of them while..." Crap. "I, I mean, I haven't seen them in a while. Cause, um, a lot of them have graduated, and um, I work a lot?"

[Indigo Noble]

Aw, sh~, Indigo thought, picking up on her stammering. He must have screwed up really badly to make her that uncomfortable. Or maybe he'd just imagined it and she hadn't stammered at all. That was more likely. No, her wanting to get rid of him was more likely. "So like, you don't have a b-I mean, like..." Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! "I was just wondering, you know? Since like, I don't really know anyone yet?" Like, like, like, you sound like a moron. "It's a nice shop." Better.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle's imagination was really getting out of control. She could have sworn on Merlin's beard that he'd been asking her if she had a boyfriend… but that couldn't be. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it, since you plan on coming by a lot right? I mean for the internet. And I'll be here, so I'm sure we'll get to know each other. If you want." Just stop talking. Of course he doesn't want to come here to see you. Stop sounding so desperate.

[Indigo Noble]

"What?" Indigo asked, glancing up. Damn, she was pretty. Were her eyes brown? "I mean, yeah, that'd be nice." He dragged his own back down to the book on the counter, then to his hands as he tried to get his coin pouch to close right. The drawstring wasn't cooperating with his fingers, and he nearly cursed himself. Was she going to think he was an Internet addict now? Was she going to think he was stalking her by coming around all the time? He really was serious about the Internet, but she couldn't know that.

Indigo realized that he was more or less done. Whatever meager light was still coming through the windows wasn't doing much good, so it wouldn't be worth it to get his laptop out. He'd bought a book and couldn't really justify buying more just to stick around, since he wouldn't be getting any more money until Christmas, but it didn't feel right to just leave. He glanced out the window, searching for something to say.

"The snow's really coming down," he managed. Weather was a craptastic subject, but it was the best he had, and it really was coming down. He couldn't really make out anything past the windows except swirling white. "We should get back to school." He caught himself and blinked, then lowered his head again and shifted slightly on his feet. "I mean, I should get back. And you should get back, probably."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle hadn't heard that last bit Indigo said. She was too busy staring at the snow obstructing the view out the window. She rushed to the door and pulled it open, "Oh no!" The flurries of snow from earlier had developed into near-blizzard conditions. Anna looked down at the floor of her shop that was now covered with the white powder that had been packed against the door. She swore under her breath as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. The top of her mid-calf boots were just barely sticking out from the accumulation of the last hours.

Annabelle stepped back into the shop and rubbed her arms, wishing she'd thought to pull on her heavy cloak first. She looked over her shoulder at Indigo chewing her lip nervously. "What do you think? If we leave now could we might be able to make it back without getting lost. Maybe." She wasn't a fan of going out in the dark, or of getting lost in a blizzard. On the other hand she wasn't exactly thrilled over the prospect of the alternative - being trapped in her shop with a stranger she'd. Just met.

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo had almost made a move to stop her. Even from where he'd been it had been iffy at best, but when the door had opened, any delusions of getting back to school were cut short. Wary couldn't begin to describe how he felt about the notion of trekking into that.

"Even if you could apparate... us... to like, the gates, I don't think we'd be able to see the castle," he said. His gaze dropped to the snow on the floor and stayed. "I don't want to sound creepy or anything, but... I don't think it's safe..." And now his LOSER sign had to be glowing brightly. Not only could he not apparate, but he wasn't willing to risk his neck in a whiteout.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I think you're right" Annabelle shivered and cast "Flipendo" to banish the snow back outside and slammed the door. She used the drought spell again and went to go warm up by the fire. It's not that bad. It's not that bad. "It's not that bad. We should just stay, I mean you're right, we wouldn't even be able to see the Castle and I'd hate to end up in the lake or something. Besides, I can't apparate either. I haven't learned yet."

She chewed on her lower lip again as she assessed the situation. After a moment she looked at Indigo and shared. "There are rooms upstairs, I have one basic bedroom set up, and we can try and transfigure something into a bed in the other room that's empty. So sleeping is arranged. There's a full kitchen, but I've never had a reason to stalk it, so I mostly just have snacks, Hot Chocolate, and I might have some coffee left over from over a year ago."

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo's nose wrinkled slightly, though his hair likely covered the motion. He liked coffee, but if it was a year old it'd probably be pretty bitter. "I'll just have... whatever," he told the floor. He shifted on his feet again, and both hands returned to his warm hoodie pockets. "Sorry I kept you here and everything." She probably could've left and gotten back to school if he hadn't come in. He only paused a moment before glancing up almost hopefully. "Does your Internet work in bad weather?" he asked.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I don't know, I haven't had any problems with it yet. We could check it out, and maybe see how long until this storm is supposed to blow over while we're at it?" If Annabelle was brave she would have voiced her thought out loud, Your computer or mine. But that would be flirting, and she didn't have an ounce of Gryffindor blood flowing through her veins. "Do you want to see if that code works for you?"

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo nodded and slid the book off the counter, then carried it over to where his book bag lay slumped against a chair by the fire. He squatted down to flip the top back, then traded the book for his laptop before straightening and scanning the walls. "Do you have electricity in here too?" he asked. How did you even get electricity in Hogsmeade? Maybe he shouldn't question it. He didn't want to tick her off, especially since it looked like they could be spending the night together. Trapped together at night, he clarified. Not spending the night together.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle nodded and pointed to an outlet hidden behind a plant to the side of the fireplace. "I do for now. It's solar, so even though it only powers the computer system, I've never been stuck here to test how long its power lasts." She hadn't had any issues with it yet, but she hadn't ever stayed overnight or tested it during any severe storms. She'd been told that it should last for several days because she didn't use it for much. Everything else in the place ran off magic like all the other shops. As it was, she only had two outlets - the one she showed Indigo and another at the purchase counter.

[Indigo Noble]

Indigo forgot not to look too eager when he saw the outlet and his heart jumped. He dug into his jeans pocket to make sure he had the receipt with the code, then grabbed his bag and took everything over to the nearest chair. "Thank you," he said, definite gratitude in his voice. He moved immediately to plug in and start up, mentally prioritizing what he needed to do.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle couldn't help it, she let out a short giggle before catching herself. She focused on her hands, rubbing them together before the flames. She was more nervous than cold, worried that she'd offended him. "Sorry, It's just cute, er, cool I mean. To see someone else get all excited about something that's practically a daily staple in muggle life. I totally understand, though. I didn't even know if it'd work here when I bought it all. It was like Christmas or something when I saw Google come up."

Annabelle pressed her lips together, forcing herself to stop talking. She hated that she rambled when she was nervous, excited, scared, or, well, filled with just about any other emotion. It was a bad habit that was constantly trying to break with little success. She'd either be shy and withdrawn, or spill her whole life story in 30 seconds flat.