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[Open] If You Want to be Happy in a Million Ways

Date: Mid-December Onwards
What: Elizabeth comes back to town after being in hiding for a month, and spends her first Christmas outside of captivity

[A]

[Suitcase, rolling through a station, bundled up in a large coat and scarf? This seems like deja-vu all over again.]

[She'd done a dry-run of her return to London a few days previous, and thank goodness she hadn't had her suitcase on her then because a Fitzroy hunter had tailed her. But now that she's shaken off the scent, so to speak, she's ready to move back into her dorm proper. This time she walks like she knows where she's going, though her suitcase is still heavy with all of her books for study, and she still has to struggle to drag it up the stairs. Again.]

[B]

[In truth, she has a lot of work to catch up on at school, but she has the entirety of winter break to do that-- in addition to whatever Norrell is going to make her do. Laying low for a month, living tense day after tense day... that entitled her to a little bit of fun, didn't it?]

[She goes on walks in the evenings, after it's dark. Lights everywhere, Christmas decor, families going by, frenzied shoppers... She watches it all, enjoying the pulse of life that's flowing around her.]

[Her favorite thing so far is the windows at Harrods. Elizabeth has visited them a few times, smiling like a little girl at the fanciful displays, and admiring them for minutes at a time. Even if she's alone, she still finds little things to enjoy.]

[C]

[Ice skating. Elizabeth has never done it before, but she wants to try. She convinces her roommate to gather some of her friends, and five of them all go out to a little public rink under the London Eye. It's a beautiful night, but the rest of the group is a little more experienced than she is, and Elizabeth spends most of her time trying to figure it out on her own while the others circle around.]

[Well, what had she expected, honestly? She'd been gone for weeks, and they could all ice skate already while she's clinging to the wall.]

[D]

[Even though it's cold, Elizabeth still manages to get some time outside on her favorite bench in her favorite park. She has a book and a cup of hot chocolate to accompany her, and she seems very content to watch... pretty much nothing. It's too cold for there to be kids on the playground, she appears to be enjoying just... sitting there and taking in the cold air.]

[It starts to snow, so she closes her book and tucks it safely into her coat. Then she picks up her drink and just sips it, watching the snow drift by and smiling.]

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[Christmas is the best time of the year as far as Kenzi is concerned. Not because it's her favorite holiday - which it's not. Samhain is the best, no question. But Christmas was the best time of the year because she made about 25% of her yearly income this time of year. A thieves paradise were malls during the shopping season and peoples credit cards were easy to swipe and get clean thanks to the banks being overwhelmed.

In short, It was money makin' time.

Kenzi was leaving Harrods just as Elizabeth oggled the window display and she went right to the witch's side in excitment.]

Liz!

[Regardless of how well they did or didn't know one another (a night of drinking a friend does not make) she would give her the nickname. Not creative, but Kenzi liked to give ones that came from the heart. ]

Oh, Kenzi!

[Elizabeth looks both surprised and so glad to see a friendly face-- and one that recognized her after all this time. She laughs and grins at the other woman, remembering how sick she'd been after they'd been drinking, but how she hadn't regretted it at all.]

How are you? Doing some shopping?

Nah, working!

[It doesn't sound like she hates her job though. It might as well be shopping for her. But...it occurs to her that Elizabeth might not like her job. And she sort of wants Elizabeth to keep liking her.

She's adorable!]

You?

Oh! [Elizabeth's completely ignorant of what Kenzi actually means-- to her it sounds like she's working seasonal for Harrod's. Which is amazing! Must really put the spirit of the holidays into her to be surrounded by all of that for days on end...]

Window shopping, I suppose. [She gestures to the window with a grin.] They're beautiful! This is the second time I've come to visit them, they're pretty, uh-- [Well, whatever.] --magical!

[Honestly, she was hoping to tell Elizabeth some glamorous lie - but working at Harrod's would do just fine too!

It's more believable by half, even if Kenzi won't ever admit that.

Elizabeth gets a snort of laughter out of Kenzi at her calling the window displays magical. She's too cute.]

They are pretty spectacular.

You want something to drink? Not like. Drink drink. But coffee? I'm freezing.

Oh me too-- you know... [Elizabeth looks slyly at the building.] I've always been curious about one of the cafes in here. Cafe Godiva? It's always seemed expensive, but it's Christmastime. Let me treat you!

Aw, thanks!

[She isn't going to say no to some free coffee. Especially coffee that has too much sugar in it for it's own good.]

How's break been treating you?

My pleasure, come on. [Elizabeth tilts her head back towards the doors Kenzi came out of and starts leading them into the department store.]

Honestly? Pretty rough. [She laughs.] I had to uh-- go out of town for a while, just got back about a week ago. So now I'm trying to catch up on everything. At least my dorm is quiet-- everybody's more or less gone home for the holidays.

Oh! Sorry I didn't mean to like, remind you or anything.

[Poop. Here she was trying to be nice and she goes and puts the bummer on everything.]

Well whatever, you're back now!

No, no it's alright! Bad times highlight the good, right? [Or something. She leads them to the elevator.]

That's right! I'm back now, ready to have some holiday excitement for once. Do you have any exciting plans aside from the workday trudge?

[Kenzi wiggles her hand in front of he in a universal gesture of 'eh' and shrugs.]

Not counting destroying my enemies, right?

[Haha...it's a joke. Right?]

Sounds exciting enough to me. Who're we destroying?

[HA HA, SO FUNNY KENZI, let her joke with you!]

[QUICK IMPROVISE.]

Whoever decided to make heels so freaking uncomfortable.

[And yet so sexy. WHY GOD]

[ Lancelot is out of uniform this time, and with the cooling temperatures he's afforded himself a jacket and a pair of gloves. It's still far form the coldest temperatures London has had of a winter, warm enough that ice rinks are struggling to stay frozen, but with the very strong winds and rain they've had it's still far from pleasant and it's been steadily getting colder.

Lily spots Elizabeth the same time he does, surges forward a little to try and catch her scent. The last time he'd seen her he'd been giving her a gentle, friendly warning about public magic. So, he supposes, she may not consider him her best friend exactly.

Still, Lily usually does a good job of easing things. It helps that she's very fluffy, and has a trademark Samoyed smile that makes her always look pleased to see people. Which she is. ]

Ah-- forgive me, miss.

[ He says, gently trying to dissuade Lily from getting too close and too friendly before he's sure she doesn't mind dogs. ]

Lily is still working on her decorum.

[ Lily is also, by the looks of her, a very spoiled dog. Her collar and leash are brightly festive, and have a tiny sprig of mistletoe on them and a little bell that jingles as she bounces. ]

[Fluffy puppies mend everything-- in fact Elizabeth sees Lily before she sees Lancelot, and she looks completely thrilled and instantly won over by such floof-covered joy.]

Oh hello! [She gushes, sitting forward on the bench and admiring her collar. Elizabeth looks up and, of course, immediately recognizes the man who she'd met at this very park a month or so ago. It does take some of the sparkle out of her smile, mostly because of the dust-up she'd had trying to shake off the hunter who'd followed her back to London. But that had been at least two weeks ago, and it had only been a little blip...]

Oh, it's no problem. I love dogs... [Elizabeth tries to fix her smile and look as innocent as possible.] I've wanted one for a while, actually.

Well, Lily is always happy to make a new friend of course. I'm sure she'd be very willing to help you learn all the ups and downs of dog ownership.

[ Lily's tail swishes up over her back as she moves forward and pushes her face into Elizabeth's lap, ears perked forward curiously. She smells interesting! Very interesting to a dog! Once upon a time Lily was a little more nervous of people, but she's learning to trust them. People can be good too! ]

They can be a handful, but they're worth it. Lily used to be much less friendly. Used to hide behind me everywhere we went and shrink away from people.

[ He drops to crouch beside her as she lifts a paw to offer to Elizabeth, ruffling at her ears in reassurance. ]

Dogs are like people, if the world doesn't treat them kindly they don't want to be kind to the world.

[Elizabeth looks a little nervous when Lily starts pushing her face into her lap-- she doesn't really know how interesting she smells, given she has nowhere near a canine olfactory sense, but given all the things she's around while studying there's a lot there. Books, herbs, other people around equally odd things...]

[But she takes the curiosity easily enough. Lily's tail is wagging, after all. Elizabeth smiles and gives Lily a good patting on the side of her head and neck. She's definitely not shy anymore, it seems.]

[But of course, she can't have a dog. Dorm room aside, leaving at the drop of a hat to hide and being out all day wouldn't be fair to a pet. But that's fairly secondary compared to what he says about dogs being like people.]

Well... I don't know. Sometimes the world doesn't treat someone kindly, but they still keep trying to find something to trust. Depends on the person-- or dog, I suppose. But she seems to be the smart type. [Elizabeth says with a wry smile.] Did someone hurt her before you took her in?

Very true, and that is a much better way to be.

[ Closer to how Lancelot is himself, if he really thought about it. Still, onto the question -- ]

She was abandoned by a motorway as a puppy, not in very good shape either. I volunteer at Battersea dogs home -- socialising and exercising, that sort of thing. We became good friends. Couldn't resist those hopeful eyes.

[ Which are now half-lidding in pleasure under Elizabeth's attentions. Yes, petting is very good! Yes, this person is a very good person. ]

I don't think anybody could. [She smiles at how pleased Lily looks, feeling a little excited herself at petting the fluffiest dog ever in a satisfactory way. First try!]

Well, those days appear to be far, far behind you. You're as beautiful inside as you are out.

[Of course, everything that happened to Elizabeth before she arrived in London doesn't feel as far behind, and this story feels a little closer to her trouble than she'd like. She's trying to find the good in the world, she really is, but upheaval seems to be following her. Be it a battle for a neighborhood, or the Fitzroys scouring the city for her, or her own internal struggle for control over her abilities.]

You seem to be a volunteer for every cause. [Yes, she's talking to Lancelot now.] Abandoned dogs and steering people like me clear of people who might make the world a little more unkind?

I suppose I simply like helping, both dogs and people.

[ He quirks a smile, reaching out to ruffle at Lily's significant ruff. ]

There need to be as many kind people in the world as there are unkind, after all, a bit of balance is good. I -- didn't catch your name before, forgive me. Mine is Lancelot -- and this lady is Lily, as I said.

Elizabeth DeWitt. [She smiles back at him.] Retired Unofficial Magical Medic of this park.

You're right though-- if there hadn't been someone kind there that day, I probably would have walked away from that encounter thinking the world was a darker place. Balance is good.

Well, then it's nice to meet you properly Elizabeth.

[ And the same goes for Lily, of course, who is now alternating between nosing at Lancelot and nosing a her impatiently. Will they be playing? She wants to play! Why all this staying still? ]

Forgive me, but your accent is very distinctive. Has it never faded, or are you new to us?

It's nice to meet you properly too, Lancelot. [Aw, such nose from doge, Liz gives Lily another pat though she doesn't quite pick up on what Lily wants. More pets? Probably more pets...?] And you too, Lady Lily.

New. Definitely new. [She confirms with an awkward laugh.] I got here about three months ago-- I'm studying at Westchester, engineering exchange program.

[That's the party line, at least.]

Before here, little out-of-the-way village in Virginia.

Ahhh. I've never been to the United States myself. South America, but never North.

[ He shrugs, ruffling at Lily as she noses him again and scratching behind her ears. ]

What kind of engineering? If you don't mind my asking.

I'm the reverse-- never been to South America, but I've heard all of the countries down there are beautiful and have more culture than America does. [Clearly Elizabeth is interested in other countries, she'd wanted to travel before all the trouble she'd landed in. She wanted to see steppe pyramids and children playing soccer in the streets...]

Mechanical Engineering. But, I confess, chemistry is still a love of mine. It's just harder to get into when you can manipulate it with words, you know...? [She offers an awkward smile. Healing magic-- chemistry sped up, electrons and protons rearranged...] I like to build locks in my spare time, not like I have much with lectures all night and classes all day but...

[ Ah! He smiles at her as she talks, curious but a little wry despite himself. ]

I haven't much of a head for science, I admit, but... I can understand. I spent a long time knowing nothing about... well, all the parts of London most people don't see. It was a little strange to have it all come out so late in my life, everything I thought I understood suddenly... different. I think I'm still adjusting, truth be told.

You and me both, honestly. I suppose I realized what I was kind of late in life as well-- if you count twenty as late.

[She smiles and looks down at Lily's sweet smiling face and feels comfortable with Lancelot for a moment. First time in a long time she's felt comfortable around anybody.]

I was kept in isolation, where I came from. Plenty of books but none on magic, and I kept thinking it was odd that nobody in any of my stories talked about being able to set things on fire, or make frost on glass. I only realized when I escaped.

So I know the difficulty. [She finishes lamely, busying herself patting Lily again.]

Edited (FINGERS MAKE WORDS THAT ARE NOT AWKWARD/ILLITERATE) 2016-01-06 22:34 (UTC)

[ Isolation. Lancelot's face creases in an unhappy frown, dropping his eyes to Lily himself. She just wags her tail happily, glad of attention from both of them. They are friends, yes? This is good! Lily loves her friends! ]

Forgive me, then, if I have reminded you of something unpleasant. I am only glad you escaped it, to join us here. I hope London treats you better?

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[Open] If You Want to be Happy in a Million Ways

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