London Calling

[toujours_impur]

The past few days have been rather traumatic for Sirius, but he was doing his best not to dwell on it, because he had a whole new London to get on with getting used to, a new life to start. Thank God Remus had been here and had somehow been the one to find him, because he wasn't sure what would have happened otherwise. He likely would have been arrested by the muggle police and probably even been declared insane, for he would have insisted it was 1981, not 2016.

Instead, he'd been taken to Moony's flat and been taken care of as well as caught up on this new reality he found himself in. A trip to the Ministry had gotten him further sorted, and while there was one more meeting he would need to undertake soon, he wasn't quite ready to meet the adult version of the infant he'd seen just a few nights ago in Hagrid's arms.

But at least he now had money in his pocket, and he knew just where he wanted to spend it. He'd always enjoyed muggle toys (which reminded him, he'd have to find a way to get a new motorbike, as he had no idea where his old one might be by now, and at any rate it was decades old even if he could locate it), and from what he'd seen so far of Remus' mobile phone, he knew he absolutely had to get one of his own.

Finding a shop to purchase one hadn't been difficult; he'd simply asked the first person he saw peering at their little screen where they'd got it and gone there. The problem now was that there were an awful lot of models and varieties to choose from, and he had no bloody clue what he was looking for, what made one version more or less desirable than the next. He wandered around the shop peering at the little cards that announced each phone's features (which may as well have been in Bulgarian for all the sense he could make of them), fighting the urge to just buy the most expensive one in the shop and be done with it, as he no longer had unlimited funds available, at least for the moment. "Which one do you like?" he asked a nearby person with a flash of his charming smile, not bothering to check if they were an employee or if he was simply hassling a random customer.

[Welcome to modern-day London, Padfoot! If your pup wouldn't have a reason to be inside a mobile phone store, feel free to run into him outside trying to figure out how to work his shiny new smartphone. :D)

Comments

[yves]

"I imagine that depends on several things," Yves purred, leaning lazily against the counter while he waited for his new phone- His old one having met an unfortunate end while he'd been boiling Wendigo bones to get them clean.

"Budget, for starters, limits your options. ...Then there's personal preference. Do you want a larger screen, do you need more storage?"

He didn't wait for answers though, he only shrugged and gestured vaguely at a model nearby. "I like that one, personally. Does all I ask of it, and it's not so pricey that it matters much if it winds up in the bottom of a cauldron."

The shop girl gave him a curious look, but Yves only smiled at her, soft and charming. "Or in the loo," he suggested, his words making her giggle before she returned to setting up his new device.

[toujours_impur]

Sirius arched an eyebrow at the mention of cauldrons, drifting toward the model indicated to investigate it. "Does that happen to you a lot, then? Phones ending up at the bottom of cauldrons?" he asked with a faint smirk. It was really the only thing he could comment on, as he didn't have any idea what his personal preferences were--or even what his budget was, really. The amount in his pocket, changed from galleons to pounds at Gringotts, seemed like quite a fair amount, but he really only had values from 1981 to go by as of yet.

[yves]

"No, not often. I'm usually much more cautious," Yves admitted, wandering away from the counter so as not to attract the clerk's curiosity again.

Wizard, he could feel the magic radiating from him, and so Yves didn't bother to pretend to be human.

"Not much need for them in our world, hmm?" he mused, touching one of the more expensive models as he walked by. "Is this your first?"

[toujours_impur]

Meeting another wizard--for that's what he assumed the man was--in the middle of muggle London was a surprise, but a generally pleasant one. Though how the man had known he was one was beyond him. He looked down at his clothes briefly, wondering if something he was wearing had given him away, perhaps. He thought he was dressed fairly muggle-ish, but perhaps something had changed in the 35 years he'd missed in a single breath. If so, he couldn't figure out what.

He was still more cautious about his reply than the stranger, however. Breaking the Secrecy Laws wasn't high on his to-do list for the day. "Er, no, there's not," he admitted with a half-shrug. Of course, with his personal embracing of all things muggle simply to annoy his oh-so-pureblood family meant he would have had one ages ago, but explaining to a stranger that he was new to this decade would definitely not do, wizard or not. Not where just anyone could overhear, at any rate. So he let the man think his assumption was correct and nodded. "Yeah, first one, so I'm a bit lost."

[yves]

"Which one catches your eye?" Yves asked.

He'd found you could tell a lot about a person by the phone they picked.

[toujours_impur]

It took great restraint to not shoot the man an incredulous look. Which one caught his eye? They were all the bloody same, beyond a few minor differences in shape and size. How was he to know which one would suit him more or less?

He looked around with a quiet, frustrated sigh and then gestured to one nearby. "That one, I suppose." It was gold and white, and not massive like some of them, though not the smallest one either. Slim and sleek with rounded edges, it looked as if it might slide into the pocket of even the tightest pair of trousers, which was about the extent of Sirius' requirements thus far.

[yves]

"Expensive, but pretty," the fae shrugged. It didn't appeal to him, but it wasn't an uncommon choice. Yves didn't like anything, or anyone, he couldn't pick apart after all.

[toujours_impur]

Sirius nodded, appreciating the information, though the other man couldn't know that. He had no sense of the value of a pound in this new time as of yet, and while he knew that should make him a bit more cautious, he always had had expensive tastes, so the idea that this phone he'd selected met them pleased him. Irrational perhaps, but there it was. "Like me," he replied with a playful smirk, wandering closer to his random choice to inspect it more closely. Perhaps he would get this one.

[harrowgate]

"I'm an anomaly," Felix answered, sliding into a conversation with the stranger as if they had been chatting away already. "For me, the smaller, the better. These new larger models are far too heavy and absolutely ruin the line of my jacket. Get them to let you put it in your pocket before you decide."

He turned away from the display he'd been idly glancing over, once he'd finished, to see who had actually asked. Felix was four inches over six feet tall, and his heavy red curls were loosely pulled back away from his face, exposing the row of little gold rings piercing each ear. Just now, he had his hands in the pockets of his very expensive trousers, concealing his tattoos, but not the nature of his magic, lingering in those odd mis-matched eyes for anyone who had the sense to see it.

[toujours_impur]

Sirius nodded solemnly at the man's advice, picking up one of the display models and drawing it toward him, understanding a bit better the comment about putting it in a pocket as he noticed the retractable cord that tethered it to the shelf it had rested on, preventing anyone from going too far with one.

"And you don't have trouble touching the, er, pictures and letters with the smaller ones?" He didn't terribly care about ruining lines of jackets, since he was more of a jeans and leather sort of bloke, but with size of some of the little boxes on display, he couldn't imagine how it could fit comfortably into a pocket, particularly with how tight the fit of his trousers usually were.

[harrowgate]

Were he being honest, Felix would admit that he couldn't quite see the icons very well at all times, depending on how near he held the screen. His blue eye was nearly blind, and depth perception could be a problem. However, Felix was very rarely honest, especially not with strangers.

He slid a sidelong smile at the dark-haired stranger, who sounded unfamiliar with the interaction of a smartphone. Odd for a younger person, but not wholly unheard of. Felix knew a dozen wizards near his own age at the Mirador who had never owned a phone. "There's a secret way around that. They let you talk to them, now. Speak the magic words, and the spirit of the smart phone summons whatever you desire," Felix drawled whimsically.

[toujours_impur]

At that Sirius looked distinctly dubious, turning the phone in his hand over to look at the back and then the front again. Surely the man couldn't mean his words literally. Enchanted phones, or spirits, or what have you. Not in a muggle shop, at any rate.

He hated to look so completely unfamiliar with an object that a normal muggle would obviously be familiar with, simply based on the sheer quantity of the little rectangular devices he'd witnessed in his short time in this new decade, so he decided to try to bluff his way out of it and just hope the man wasn't having him on, or he'd really look the fool. "Oh, right, yeah, I heard about that," he replied, nodding as if he'd only just recalled this fact.

[harrowgate]

"Here," Felix explained, sliding a hand out of his pocket to point to the button at the bottom of the device. His hand was wrapped in bold tattoos, leafy vines in crimson, gold, emerald and azure, the indelible decorations of the centuries-old order of the Cabaline wizards.

"You touch there, wait for the tone, and then ask it whatever you like. Find a nearby tea shop, check your calendar, set an appointment for Thursday, summon a decent cocktail recipe. It's astonishingly helpful, especially when you have better things to do than stare at the little electronic dictator all evening."

[toujours_impur]

Sirius' eyebrow rose as he stared at the tattoo, recognizing it immediately. He'd never met a Cabaline wizard himself, but he was well aware of them. "Just like magic, hmm?" he drawled, smirking faintly as he let his eyes move from the man's hand to meet his eyes. "Dead useful, that." And whether he meant the phone's voice feature or actual magic was up for interpretation.

[harrowgate]

Felix blinked twice when he saw it. Magic, behind the other man's eyes. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that this fellow was ridiculously, devilishly handsome, in exactly the way that Felix liked. His gaze lingered appreciatively. "Well. Hello. Felix Harrowgate, at your service," he offered, along with his hand. The conversation was obviously no longer about smart phones.

[toujours_impur]

It was Sirius turn to be taken aback momentarily as the tone of their meeting abruptly shifted, but he quickly recovered, lips curving into a grin as his eyes lit up with pleasure at the other man's interest. "Sirius Black," he answered, taking the hand with a touch that lingered a moment or two longer than a normal, friendly handshake would. "Pleasure to meet you." God, he could practically sense Remus rolling his eyes somewhere, a thought which only made his grin broaden.

[harrowgate]

What an absolutely perfect name for a wizard. Felix's long fingers wrapped warmly around Sirius' hand for that lingering clasp that wasn't quite a handshake. "Likewise," Felix agreed, his glance flicking down to the other man's hands by force of habit. A wizard, but not a Cabaline -- Felix would have known him if he were, of course -- and that was doubly interesting.

"The Ministry, or the Other Side?" he asked quietly when their greeting finally released. "You don't sound like a visitor."

[toujours_impur]

"Ministry," Sirius said in reply, and then, "Hogwarts." He felt a momentary flare of ire as he thought of the war he'd been embroiled in until just a few days ago, the sacrifices he'd made and things he'd lost. The Cabalines had to have known about Voldemort, and yet they had done nothing, had sat by and let the Ministry fight him on their own.

But this man was clearly too young to have been a part of that decision, and he shoved the anger away again. No, he would do his best to not let his prejudices colour how he viewed Felix, at least not until such time as they were justified. Hell, maybe even the Cabalines had changed in the time he'd missed, though he doubted it. He'd never met a wizarding body yet that moved faster than a snail's pace when it came to changing their ways.

"Don't need to ask about you," he added with a somewhat rueful smile, his gaze drifting briefly to Felix's hand once again. "So is it to be a duel at dawn, or an evening at yours?" He flashed a flirtatious grin, making it clear that he wouldn't let their differences get in the way of a good shag, at least.

[harrowgate]

That was a much more forward proposal than Felix was accustomed to, but by the tilt of his brows and the lift of his lips, he quite liked it. Felix tended to be, if not more subtle, then at least less direct in his own flirtation. Plausible deniability was his saving grace.

"Might I choose both?" he suggested, liltingly. "Evenings do, inevitably, lead to dawns. In the intervening hours, we may discover that we both emerge victorious. No dueling required."

[toujours_impur]

Sirius chuckled a little at the response. Spending the night with his lovers wasn't something he did all that often, much preferring to take himself home (after a proper amount of post-sex snuggling, if the situation called for it, which it didn't always), but he'd done it on more than one occasion, so it wasn't as if Felix's proposal was a problem for him. "I like the way you think, friend," he replied, shifting just a little closer. "Both it is, then."

[harrowgate]

Felix glanced toward the front of the shop and the various milling employees, then turned back to Sirius. His head tipped, inviting, and he inhaled slowly as if tasting the other wizard's scent. "We can't talk any further here, I'm afraid, darling," Felix murmured like a contented cat. "If I give you my card, will you ring me once you're settled with one of these little miracle devices?"

[toujours_impur]

Sirius arched an eyebrow and looked around, curious as to why the encounter was being cut short, but as an offer to resume it was on the table, he wasn't terribly fussed. "I'm certain I can manage that," he assured Felix with a smirk. "With such a proposal awaiting, I'd have to be a fool not to."

[harrowgate]

If Shannon caught him flirting, he'd be in much more trouble than he cared to deal with. Temporarily inconveniencing a handsome stranger was a small price to pay to keep harmony at home. Felix's fingers dipped into his jacket pocket and produced a small card case, from which appeared a white business card. It bore his name, telephone number, and an email address beneath the words Mirador Consulting. Behind the printed words, visible only to those who could see magic, was a watermark like a shimmering blue jewel.

Of course the Mirador had an image of the Virtu, the source and center of their power, on their business cards. They didn't want anyone to forget.

"Here, darling. I simply can't wait to learn all about you."

[toujours_impur]

Sirius took a quick glance at the card and then slid it into a back pocket with a nod and a chuckle. "We'll talk soon then."

Now he just had to pick one of the damn phones so he could ring the man.

[shannonteverius]

"I don't care what your policy says," Shannon snapped. "I will not risk having splinters of glass in my ear every time I speak on the phone. Now either get this fixed, or give me something new." He shoved his phone into the young woman's hands and turned away dismissively. Once she had headed off - most likely to speak with a manager - he wandered over to the display advertising the latest cell phone models where he came across the handsome stranger.

"Whatever you pick get a case to go with it. Otherwise you risk having the screen shatter over the simplest of accidents," he said in answer to the man's question.

[toujours_impur]

A bit of broken glass was of no concern to Sirius. A simple reparo spell could sort it out with no problem, after all. But he could hardly tell a stranger that, so he simply nodded, smiling with faint amusement. "Noted. I would imagine you'll be leaving with a case then?" he asked arching a brow and gesturing vaguely in the direction the employee had departed in, having overheard the previous exchange.

[shannonteverius]

"I better be leaving with more than that," Shannon said, sternly.

It was unfair to direct his moodiness on a fellow customer. He softened his expression into a smile and turned to face the man fully. "Shannon Teverius," he introduced. "And you are?"

[toujours_impur]

"Sirius Black. Nice to meet you," Sirius replied with a charming smile. "So what happened to yours?" The man actually reminded him of a fair few of the wizards he'd known, and not necessarily in a good way. If he'd broken his phone, shouldn't that be his problem and not the poor shop girl's?

[shannonteverius]

"It was knocked off of a table," Shannon replied. "Apparently, if it hits the ground the right way the screen completely shatters."

For the first time Shannon took a proper look at the other man. He was young, handsome and very unfamiliar. "Are you new to London?" he asked.

[toujours_impur]

It was a tricky question to answer, given the circumstances, but Remus had already briefed him on the best way to handle it, so Sirius chuckled a bit and shook his head. "No, I was born and raised here, but I have been away for a while."

[shannonteverius]

Shannon's smile warmed. "Welcome home," he said.

[toujours_impur]

Sirius couldn't help a small chuckle at those words. Despite being in London, he was about as far from 'home' as he'd ever been--or would be were it not for the fact that one of the two men who had meant home and family to him for nearly half his life had been waiting for him here. Still, everywhere he looked the city was both familiar and utterly foreign.

"Thank you. There've been a lot of changes while I was gone, but London will always be London, yeah?"

[shannonteverius]

"How long have you been away?" Shannon asked.

[toujours_impur]

"Oh, quite a while. Seems like decades," Sirius remarked, grinning.

[shannonteverius]

"I'm sure less has changed than you think," Shannon said. "London has a tendency to hide its history in plain sight. Turn a corner and you'll be looking at gas lamps on the street." He laughed.