[thd/ddc] burning through the sky [jane]

Eyelops' Owl Emporium didn't have some of the same charm as his magical pet supply back in Berlin, but Elias was used to settling frequently when it came to English living. There were things about England that were wonderful -- his job and his girlfriend, to name a few -- but there were other areas where it really seemed to lack. The shop was dirty, dark, and smelled as if someone had dropped a rat tonic just in the doorway and never cleaned it up. Elias stepped into the shop, fully intending to keep his visit as short as possible, but knew right away that the chances were small when he saw the line. He only needed another bag of food for his owl, and was considering trying another shop he knew of that was a bit farther out of London simply to avoid the mess, when he saw something odd.

A man was standing in one of the dark corners alone, moving quickly and quietly while the workers were occupied with the crowd. Elias' mouth fell open as he watched the man lift a rather dangerous-looking creature out of its cage, despite the warning sign directly in front. Elias stepped over at once, ready to intervene. "What are you doing?" he asked rather boldly, not one to normally place blame but feeling that the situation clearly warranted it. The man ignored his question, shoved him out of the way, and bolted for the door. "Hey! Stop that man!" he called, looking around wildly for someone who might have a better clue how to handle an unknown creature.

@Jane Lennon

Jane had always been a bit of an animal lover. At home, she had two dogs and a cat. So, naturally, she was happy to have an excuse to visit Eyelops' Owl Emporium on behalf of her younger brother, Ethan. He would be starting at Hogwarts, next year, and she and her biological father, Stuart Lennon, had decided that it was a good idea to get him a pet ahead of time. That way, if there were any behavioral problems with the animal, then they would have a year to train them. It hurt a little to see her father care so deeply for his younger children when he'd never really been around for a good deal of her own childhood. Still, she was glad for her brothers and her youngest sister. She didn't want him to ignore them. She just wondered why she hadn't been enough to stick around for. That seemed to be a recurring theme in her life, actually.

Stepping into the store, immediately those nagging negative Nancy sort of thoughts vanished from her mind as if she'd taken an Elixir to Induce Euphoria. An owl would be useful, but the kittens looked so sweet. Maybe he'd like a rat? He seemed like the sort of kid who might enjoy that. Of course, then they'd run the risk of some other student's pet eating them. Probably an owl. Then, he'd have no excuse not to write: the little stinker.

As she was making her way over to the bird section, she heard a disturbance. No matter where she went, trouble always seemed to find her, and this location was no exception. After a foreign-sounding man raised an alarm about the man darting for the door with what looked like a Fwooper, Jane found herself bolting after him. Luckily, she was used to doing a lot of running. She caught up with him just outside the door and forced him back inside as carefully as she could as not to hurt the creature. "Nice try, pal." Her auror training had come in handy for something, at least.

Thankfully, someone responded to his alarm at once. A woman dashed out the door after the man at once, and Elias went up to the front to alert the shopkeeper to the situation. Almost immediately the pair was back, the woman keeping a firm grasp on the thief that indicated that this wasn't her first time. Elias was immensely grateful she had been there; if he'd had to run after the man himself it surely wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

Within moments, members of the Magical Law Enforcement squad were on the scene and Elias was answering a few brief questions. He spoke quickly, wanting to make sure he got a chance to catch the real hero of the scene before she left the shop. He walked over to her at once when he was excused, and extended his hand. "Thank you very much," he told her with a genuine smile. "I have no idea what he was planning to do with that creature, but I am sure that it was ill-willed."

Elias was shooed away by the staff, so he bought his owl feed and a potion to build wing strength while he waited for the rest of the officials to clear out of the shop. He made his way back over with the bag once the scene had cleared. "Have you done that much before?" he asked, hoping the implied compliment came across clearly. "It's quite lucky you were here. I hope your shopping hasn't been interrupted too much."

Jane, of course, recognized the members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. She helped the stranger who'd alerted her in the first place, and was gently prodded to rejoin the Auror Department. She politely declined but sent her well-wishes back to the ministry.

As she was going over to look at the kittens, eyeing a fluffy black one for herself, the stranger approached her. She turned to him with a polite smile, but a bit of an 'it's really no big deal' attitude. "I'm just glad I could help." She insisted, shrugging her shoulders a little. "If those things don't keep a Silencing Charm on, they can drive someone insane with their song. I think we've already got enough crazies in London."

She looked a little amused as she watched the man be shooed off by the staff, and returned to looking at kittens. She really, really wanted one. Ryan probably wouldn't mind. I mean, she doubted she'd need Felix Felicis for luck in getting him to be cool with it. He loved animals, too. Her animals actually seemed to like him better than her. Hopefully, this one would be different.

The stranger made his way back over. His accent sounded German, she noted. "I used to work for the Auror Department." She offered him another smile, petting one of the kittens who'd come closer. "Like I said, I'm just glad that I could help. I'm actually here to buy an owl for my little brother, but I... have no self-control, and I really need a kitten." She admitted, chuckling and shrugging her shoulders again.

One of the half-kneazle kittens also managed to gain her attention, and she side-stepped over to pet that one as well. So many choices! She mewed softly back at the creature, and wondered briefly how her roommate might feel about having a partially-magical pet? Hm.

"So, you have an owl?" She noted his purchase. "I really should be over there looking at one of those for my brother. Any tips on the sort that might be best for a ten-year-old boy? He probably wants a tough looking one." An Eagle Owl, maybe?

"I see," Elias replied, a bit curious as to why the woman had left but not feeling it was appropriate to ask. "I work for the Ministry myself," he told her, "though not in anything so high-profile. International Cooperation," he added, in case she was curious. His job wasn't anything exciting to someone who investigate dangerous potions and tracked down criminals, but Elias tended to assume that everyone was interested in the Ministry, though he was coming to realize that some people saw it as a job, nothing more.

She was meowing back at the cats, and Elias was reminded vividly of his youngest brother who tended to do the same sort of thing. Some people felt much more connected to creatures, he supposed. He had heard that magical creatures like these actually were able to respond to such things, but he wasn't sure he believed it. Did this woman prescribe to that philosophy? "I suppose you'd want to find one that is friendly," he said. "Though I can see why a young boy might want one a little more fierce. I suppose you could test them out, see what they're like? It's hard to judge their personalities, but perhaps you could see if they scare easily. Roar at them, or something." He wouldn't normally have suggested such a thing, but he felt he owed the woman after she had been so helpful, and she clearly didn't seem to think such a thing was insane. He walked over to a bird that looked nice enough, but might still be hardy, and let out a loud hiss like a cat. The owl simply looked back at him. "Does that mean this one doesn't mind cats?"

"International Cooperation, huh? That's actually pretty cool, man. Don't sell yourself short. My name's Jane, by the way. Jane Lennon. You... don't quite sound like you're from around here, mate?" The blonde woman gave him another smile.

"Yeah, that's a pretty solid point." Jane agreed, nodding to his suggestion. Their Gran would never forgive her if she bought little Ethan a mean owl that would tear his face off or something. She was grateful for the stranger's help. "We could try it?" She smiled again, amused at his hissing. "Our little sister might really insist on a cat, so that could be a good thing. Planning for the future and all that?" This felt ridiculous, but fun.

"And he looks pretty cool. I mean... I'm assuming it's a him. Is that what his card says?" She looked at the little descriptive place card that sat just in front of the bird's cage. Ah, yes. A him. "I think I'm sold. Now, I'll just have to find a cat for myself. I'm sure my roommate won't mind."

Her response was refreshingly kind, and Elias smiled back. "I'm Elias Dörfler, and you are right," he replied, holding his hand out politely to shake. "I am from Germany. From Hannover. Have you ever been there?" The answer to this question was almost always 'no', but Elias always asked anyway when the topic came up with someone new. He couldn't help loving his home country, even though it had now been quite some time since he had really lived there.

"I am sure that he will love the owl," Elias reassured Jane, reaching out gently to stroke it, half-apologizing for his earlier attempt to intimidate it. "It really is a very generous present." As Jane looked over at the cat section, Elias glanced down at his watch. "I really ought to be going. But thank you again for your help earlier. It was very nice to meet you." With a final handshake, Elias excused himself and stepped out of the dark and cluttered shop back into the bright summer sunlight of Diagon Alley.

[out]