[Action] Throughout the day of December 16th

[no_love_potions]

OPEN

[If you happen to be out and about during the day, especially around the Attleton area, you might run into your friendly neighborhood wizard. If you're a very early riser or a night owl, you might catch his truck rolling through town loaded up with shovels, buckets and other gear long before the sun is showing its face.

Later, maybe you'll catch him in a diner having a big lunch or going to and from hardware stores and later on stopping for supper at the same diner. One thing's for sure, he's looking more and more disheveled as the day goes on and caked with dust, grime and muck. What on Earth could he be up to?]


CLOSED TO RUBY AND ROOMMATES

[Later in the day, after the sun's already started setting, Harry pulls up to Ruby's apartment building. He's looking pretty worn out, like he'd spent all day doing some serious manual labor, and he's a total mess. His clothes are all wet and there's mud caked on his heavy boots, jeans and flannel jacket.

He heads around the back and grabs a big bundle from the bed of his truck before heading inside and up to the apartment Ruby shared with her sister and after a second to pause, since he's not sure if Ruby's up to any door answering, knocks at it.]

Comments

[onecream_fivesugar]

[Ruby certainly wasn't up to any door answering, but she didn't really have much of a choice with Blake and Yang both out at the moment.

The knock at the door startles her at first so much that she rolls right off her bed and hits the floor with a light thud.]

Great... Good job Ruby...

[She'll pull herself up to her feet and slowly tip toes her way to the door. She'll take a good look through the peephole and breath a sigh of relief when she sees it's Harry.

The door will open just enough for a messy haired, runny nosed, dry eyed Ruby to poke her head out.]

Harry?

[no_love_potions]

[Aw, hell, Harry's heart damn near breaks when he actually sees Ruby in person. She's a far cry from the energetic, cheerful girl he met a few weeks back, and he hates seeing her like this.

Still, as much as he wants to grab her, hug the hell out of her and feed her ice cream and cookies until the hurt goes away he stays in the character he'd prepared, fixing her with a stern look.]

Young lady, you should know that we have a very strict anti-littering policy, no matter how "cool" or "awesome" the items left around might be.

[He slings the bundle out from under his arm.]

So, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that you take this back immediately and hold onto it forever and ever.

[And he pulls back the heavy cloth wrapping to reveal nothing other than her Crescent Rose, looking a little dinged up from the cave-ins but otherwise dry, cleaned up and looking good as new.]

[onecream_fivesugar]

[Harry no. She already feels incredibly small and helpless, she's not prepared for a lecture.]

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, It wont happen agai-

[Wait a second, "Cool" and "Awesome" just what was he talking about anyways?

That's when she notices the bundle and when Harry pulled the cloth away her eyes went wide and she couldn't help but crack a big old smile.]

Crescent Rose, You found it!? I thought it was gone forever! Harry, you're amazing!

[Ruby's eyes will dart between her between Harry and her beloved weapon for a moment. She's not sure which one she wants to hug more at the moment.

It wont take her long to decide on both.

Hope you're ready for a Pajama clad Ruby to jump out the door and hug you Harry.]

[no_love_potions]

[Harry oofs a little when Ruby launches herself at him and for a second, the hallway tilts a little dangerously. It had been a long, long day of heavy lifting, both magical and physical and Winter powers or not, he was going to be feeling it in the morning.]

[But, hell, it was worth it just to put a smile back on Ruby's face and stick a thumb in "M's" eye.]

Whoah, easy, kid! You're gonna get your pajamas all dirty.

[Even so, he manages to get one arm loose in time to hug her right back.]

[onecream_fivesugar]

[Harry look at her, does it look like she cares much for her appearance right now? She's just going to hold him tight and not let go.]

Thank you so so so much.

[She hasn't felt much like smiling lately Harry, let her have this moment.]

[no_love_potions]

[No, she probably didn't. Harry just laughs a little, finding himself feeling much better than he had for a very long time in that moment. So Ruby can take all the moments she wants.]

Don't mention it.

[onecream_fivesugar]

[She'll hold that hug for just a little while longer before she finally lets him go. She'll take a step back and open up the door to her apartment.]

Come on inside, You look like you could use a towel right about now.

[no_love_potions]

I could use a sandwich and about a week of sleep too.

[He'll walk inside anyway, looking around the place, and nodding a little.]

You two did some decorating.

[onecream_fivesugar]

Well I can help with the sandwich. Blake just moved in too so we're a little short on beds at the moment.

[She'll start toward the kitchen and pull out some bread.]

Remember when I aw you at the mall? We all went to shopping to spruce the place up that day. Yang put the Christmas decorations up as a sur-

[She cut herself off when she felt tears start to roll down her cheeks again. Yang put the decorations up on the day she was kidnapped. They were talking about it on the phone.

No no no! She doesn't want to do this after Harry just brought her back Crescent Rose. Come on Ruby, You're better than this. She'll turn away and quickly whip the tears from her eyes before forcing up a big smile and looking back to Harry.]

W-what do you like on your sandwich?

[Pro-topic change.]

[Action - Diner]

[broken_trifecta]

[Oh diner, how Cherise adores you and your sweet, sweet air conditioning. She might have conditioning stones arranged around her apartment to regulate the space indoors, but she failed to take the newspaper seriously, and her grocery day was spent instead bundled up indoors while a bloody typhoon raged outside.]

[On the plus side, that was a very cozy day with plenty of tea and reading, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.]

[When she first set out from her apartment, the air was crisply, bitterly cold. Now she's perspiring profusely beneath her long winter coat and fur hat, dropping both onto the booth seat and giving them a dirty look as though to say 'What good even ARE you?' How did the temperature spike so quickly?]

[Though she planned to order tea to warm up, plans change quickly, and she requests a glass of cold lemonade stuffed with crushed ice as she leaves her booth to head toward the bathroom. She needs a quick freshening spell before she can even think of touching a dish.]

[no_love_potions]

[Excellent timing, because it's not long after Cherise heads off toward the bathrooms when Harry comes out of the men's room, having just washed some of the dirt from his hands before settling in for a lunch break.

As it is, he looks like he's just spent a long morning hard at work, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and some heavy workbooks covered in dirt.

Fortunately he has the presence of mind to keep from running into a very sweaty and disheveled looking Cherise.]

Oops. Excuse me.

[broken_trifecta]

I beg your pardon--

[She says it at the same time, pivoting to slip past. Then she realizes that hey, she recognizes that face, even though it's set a good deal higher up than she anticipated. Once that recognition sets in, she's a whirl of wide-eyed speed, all but rocketing into the ladies' room. He didn't recognize her, she hopes. He'd better not! As a high-ranking sorcerer and local chief of law enforcement, this is not the impression she wishes to make!]

[She faces the bathroom mirror, hands cupped beneath the stream of cold water that she quickly splashes on her face. She looks up at her reflection, her lashes dripping.]

...

Crumbs. Crumbs.

[She almost says a more profane word, but she has no desire to further tarnish her ladylike demeanor. Keep it together. A few more splashes of water before she straightens sharply, taking out her wand and murmuring a few phrases in French before brushing herself off. Just a faint hint of honeysuckle. NO SWEAT. She waits a few minutes more, just to make sure she doesn't run back into Harry too soon. Never mind the fact that he was dirt himself; he was a man. They were expected to be dirty.]

[Clearing her throat, she brushes a short lock of dark hair past her cheek, then strides out of the restroom. Nothing unusual here. She'll just go back to her booth, then act as if she's just taken note of him, and they can chat normally.]

[no_love_potions]

[Oh, hey, isn't that Cherise? He's about to stop and give her a proper greeting when she suddenly shoots past him like a bullet and into the ladies room, leaving him standing there all befuddled.

Huh.

Well, when you gotta go, you gotta go.]

[He shrugs off the encounter and heads back to his table, sitting down with a grumbly sigh and orders a decent meal of a burger and fries, and another Coke to go with it.

It was going to be a long afternoon.]

[broken_trifecta]

[HARRY NO!!! D8 Cherise would be MORTIFIED if she thought that was the reason he-- NO.]

[But she doesn't know. She thinks she's being clever. She exits the restroom as if all she needed was to take a quick powder before settling in for a meal. The glass of lemonade is already set on the table, and she returns to it, settling into the booth and crossing her legs.]

[It actually does take her a moment to realize where Harry is sitting. Too far away for a shout, and unlikely to notice a polite wave. She picks up her communicator.]

I suppose you're not much of a cook either?

[She kind of wishes she had something witty to say, like 'Fries? Aren't you worried about your girlish figure?' Because he's tall and...well, kind of thin. His shoulders are decently broad, she supposes. She just has no talent for this sort of thing.]

[no_love_potions]

[WHAT? Look, it's not like he's judging or anything. He gets it, okay? Sometimes you just find yourself in an emergency situation.]

[For a while there it looks like her cross-room text has backfired, seeing as he got annoyed at having the stupid thing go off all the time and asked Raye to show him how to put it on silent. He's just sitting there looking out the window and waiting for his food. Fortunately it's only a few minutes before he digs into his pocket to take a look for any work related messages and catches sight of hers.

He pauses. Blinks. She was texting him? But wasn't she just...? Um. Okay. He can do this. He can do the thing.

He can have a text message conversation.]

sue i am i cn do both forzen pizza abdleftovers

[Gah! What is this touchscreen hell he's found himself in?! No, screw it. He's lifting his head and trying to spot her.]

[broken_trifecta]

[She's pretty easy to spot. She's the one tilting her head and her radio both, furrowing her brow and moving her lips as she interprets the alien language that just got texted her way. ...Actually that's kind of adorable. She knuckles her lip as though on the verge of a chuckle. She's a bit of a frozen food connosseuir herself.]

[Once the cryptic message is deciphered, she glances in his direction, and at last eye contact is established. She makes a single beckoning gesture with a circle of her wrist, raising her eyebrows inquisitively. If he'd like to join her, he's welcome to do so.]

[no_love_potions]

[It's not hard to pick her out even if she wasn't the only one with a radio in her hand. Harry's good at scanning a crowd, after all, especially for a face he knows.]

He spots her and her signal and gets up with a sigh, bringing his Coke over to her table.]

I'm not much of a phone guy though.

Hardware store - about time they talked again? XD

[baconandsnausages]

[Since the whole damned thing with the scavenger hunt, he's not really talked with the wizard. With two notable exceptions, one a hell of a lot lighter than the other. And not at all since Jenn...

And that's mostly because he knew that her and the wizard had been friends (even if he never talked with her about it in any sort of detail, he knew that much. For him to even have been invited to the party meant that much), and just more than he'd care to admit, he's still carrying guilt-baggage around from that.

But here he is picking up the things he needs to put up decorations and weatherproof the shit out of his house (there's plenty of wood to make shutters in his cart. Long pieces he can get more for his money out of by cutting down to size) when he passes Harry who's getting stuff. And by passes, that means not quite catching the bit of stray wood from falling sideways just as he tries to pass him without drawing attention to himself. Seriously, screw his luck.]

Sorry.

[And great, now more attention to himself when he could have just passed himself off as an asshole shopping in the store. But the apology is a reflex.]

Damn straight it is.

[no_love_potions]

[Harry made it a habit to avoid people who seemed to hate his guts. Especially when said people seemed to know enough to make his life difficult if it came down to it.]

[It's been a long time since he's actually spoken to Dean, although he's been keeping an eye on Mary and Angel since they live in his town, but he keeps his distance. Even if he thinks Dean's got his head up his ass about wizards, Harry understands and respects wanting to keep family safe.]

[He's here at the hardware store, looking pretty impressively filthy already, looking for a new shovel to replace the one that had snapped trying to pry a chunk of stone loose. Digging Crescent Rose out was tough work so he's a little zoned out when the piece of wood slides and the sudden movement makes him jump a little.

And... crap. Hey, Dean.]

Uh. No harm done.

[And now his mind's going back to what happened to Jenn at M's hand, piling up even more guilt on top of not being there to help Ruby.]

[baconandsnausages]

Okay. Uhm... good.

[He's going to start walking again, but he stops and turns around before he even really knows what he's doing. He'll admit he was unfair at the beginning, not aloud to that part anyway, but he's been here long enough to used to the idea that most things... are not actually anything like at home. But he seemed to want to help during the darkness thing, and he's not got into anything bad here, so...]

So... I might have been wrong. [And as much as he doesn't like admitting when he's wrong - hates it - he's almost never not said so when that's the case without good reason. Even if the action of doing so feels like dragging his nails down a board. Especially times like this when he did kind of have a reason.] Looks like it might not the best time... but I'm just gonna throw it out there. [And hoping this is totally not going to turn into a Thing or worse: a Moment.]

[no_love_potions]

Yeah. Good.

[Harry's good with walking away and he starts off in the opposite direction when Dean speaks up again. He turns around, a scathing retort already locked and loaded. He is no mood to hear any "magic is evil" crap right now....

And then his mouth snaps shut again. Did he just...? Harry's quiet for a second, slightly dumbstruck, before he finds something to say.]

We're not gonna hug, are we?

[baconandsnausages]

[Dean laughs from the gut, and it feels good even though it's brief.] Only in your wildest dreams.

[He's taking that as apology accepted by the way.]

[no_love_potions]

[Even Harry manages a laugh at that one. It feels like it's been forever.]

I guess that one's staying on the bucket list.

[Apology definitely accepted. Harry'll even be the first one to step forward to offer a handshake.]

[baconandsnausages]

Yeah. Unless you can settle for cracking a bottle at some point.

[He'll take that handshake as he puts the offer out there.]

[no_love_potions]

I can live with that.

[And handshake. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?]

It'll have to wait though. I've still got some work to wrap up today.