[TTD] were you expecting me? [lyra]

It was a decently fine Saturday morning and Fabien had planned a weekend visit to the Baltic coast. The Latvian and Lithuanian national teams were playing a match and, while he didn't actively support either team, he had nothing better to do that weekend and decided it was enough of an excuse to take a trip out there.  It was rather a last-minute decision in fact; he'd only read about the match on Thursday lunchtime and figured that visiting a part of the world he'd never been to before would be fun. Normally Fabien would apparate shorter distances, but this would be stretchng the limits of his capabilities (though he would never admit as much to anyone). Besides, he wasn't entirely sure where he was going and it seemed more reliable to use the floo network to be certain he got to the right place. While he'd never had any such accidents himself, he'd heard enough tales of people accidentally apparating into the muggle area of a town or ending up in somebody's back garden to be a little cautious.

The previous evening he'd packed a small bag, not much more than a change of shirt and underwear and a toothbrush. He assumed he would find a cheap hotel to stay in but failing that, there would likely be someone willing to offer sofa-space for the night. Not that he expected to be getting much sleep. That was half the fun of these events. The match would be worth seeing, but afterwards there would be celebrations with local foods and drinks to sample (though Fabien didn't hold out much hope for the quality of Latvian wine) that would likely continue long into the night.

With the small bag slung over one shoulder he left his apartment and headed to the Floo office a couple of streets away. As his own apartment was in a muggle complex he had never bothered with the extensive paperwork he knew would be needed to complete in order to attach his home to the network. Besides, he actually liked the fact that people couldn't call him or turn up unannounced. There was more of a wait than he had expected. An elderly witch speaking a language he didn't recognise had just arrived and from her gestures and mannerisms she clearly hadn't intended to end up in Paris. Fabien didn't pay her much attention. It wasn't his concern if people failed to speak their destinations clearly; he just waited until someone helped the woman to a seat and leaned on his walking stick until it was his turn at the fireplace.

He knew at once something was wrong. He'd spoken his destination clearly, he even held the name of the place in his mind though personally he doubted whether that made a difference, despite what those superstitious types claimed, but immediately the sensation felt wrong. It didn't feel as if he was travelling far, more that it was one or two stops or...a backfire? was he back in the office again? Like most people, the young man closed his eyes when he took the floo but now he opened them to find he was in an apartment that looked uncomfortably familiar. Feeling confused, he couldn't place it immediately, but was just relieved that there wasn't anyone in the room. There was the faint sound of someone using the shower, but aside from that... It was annoying, but not embarrassing. Nobody would ever know he was here. He could head back, put in a complaint and try again.

Fabien turned and looked along the mantlepiece. Almost everyone kept their floo powder handy, so it was sure to be here somewhere... where did they keep it? Maybe it was actually in a jar on the floor? He'd heard of that, though Fabien felt that was an accident waiting to happen. One misstep and you'd kicked over the floo powder and it all went up in an impressive display in the fire...

...which had completely died. Even as he looked, the final spark flickered into oblivion. "No!" he hissed, carefully getting to his knees in a futile effort to blow on the dead fire and awaken it enough so he could get out of here.

@Lyra Hartmann

Lyra couldn't sing but that certainly didn't stop her from belting out a song she'd heard on the radio earlier that morning. Under the warm jet of water, she wiggled her hips as she "sang" the chorus, lathering up the shampoo at the same time and styling her hair in a very fetching unicorn-esque spike and sending soapy bubbles everywhere.

Today was her lazy day and she didn't have much planned, except maybe reading or going for a walk. It was sunny outside and she knew because she'd rolled over in bed and the sunlight smacked her right between the eyes. Scrubbing her hair and taking her time to brush it through with some conditioner, she rinsed, washed her face, did the shimmy as she washed and turned off the power.

Stepping out, she wrapped her hair in a turban with a towel and got dressed into her jogging bottoms that had long since lost their elasticity (but she refused to throw away because they were so comfy and the style was no longer made) and an oversized grey jumper that belonged to an ex-boyfriend. Not only had he left her, he'd also left his belongings so Lyra was now a proud owner of some soft knitwear, a magazine about Muggle cars and a couple of pairs of socks.

Brushing her teeth, she frowned at her reflection as she spat and rinsed, squinting as she thought she saw the start of a pesky zit on her forehead but figured her hair would cover it. Still bopping her head to the melody and singing the incorrect words (the song was about young love and she'd decided to switch out lady for baby), she clicked the bathroom door open, padded out in her bare feet and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

There was a man hunched over her fireplace and she thought it might have been Sylvain but why would he be poking around the hearth for? Lyra began to panic and she picked up the first thing she could grab on to, which just so happened to be the tube of toothpaste, and threw it bodily at the stranger.

"Who are you?!" She shrieked, grabbing two pillows off the sofa and hurling them in quick succession, without giving him time to explain myself. She needed Sylvain and she needed him fast. "Get out!" She yelled, wrapping her arms around herself despite being fully clothed if not a little damp.

He was muttering under his breath and blowing at the fireplace which made Lyra blink in confusion. She tilted her head. He had a bag with him - was she being robbed? It seemed a bit small to be stashing stolen goods. Then she noticed his walking stick and she became very confused. "No, really," she added, staying still. "Get out of my flat."

It was no good - the fire had gone out entirely now. Fabien's next move would have been to reach for his wand to rekindle it, but for the piercing scream that shocked him out of any and all other thoughts. He was about to reach for his stick and get up when something hit him on the shoulder and he instinctively flinched even though it hadn't hurt more than a momentary sting. "I'm-" he began, staring to turn around, when first one and then another pillow hit him in the head. Under the circumstances, Fabien didn't even have the luxury of feeling p*ssed of about it because he was very well aware that he was somewhere he shouldn't be and this woman - for it was clearly a female voice shrieking at him - wanted nothing more for him to leave as soon as possible.

Well that was fine, because Fabien wanted to leave as well, in fact would have done so already if not for the fire going out and now the various missiles being hurled at him. He wanted to yell that he hadn't meant to be here, he was trying to leave and besides, what sort of an idiot doesn't keep their floo powder in a jar on the mantlepiece anyway, but he didn't because he had a feeling that if he turned around and shouted the Ministry would be called. Even though none of this was his fault he could end up being charged with a crime anyway because technically he'd broken into someone's house, albeit entirely innocently. The best course of action would be to explain.

He was in the process of standing when she told him - at least this time in a more reasonable tone of voice - to get out of her flat. "Believe me, I'd like nothing better to have never been here in the first place" he began, turning around and facing his assailant - and, he supposed, victim - for the first time. As their gaze met, his eyes widened and he felt both intense embarrassment and relief. "Lyra?" he asked in amazement. He wasn't sure if he could call the young woman a friend - and certainly she wasn't having any friendly feelings towards him at that moment - but they'd been at school together and while she was younger, he was at least glad that he was in the flat of someone who could be reasoned with.

"The floo network must be malfunctioning. I meant to go to the Quidditch tournament in JÅ«rmala but instead of Latvia, I ended up here. I was trying to leave when the fire died and you came in and found me and...will you stop throwing things at me please?" he finished in a voice than had gradually been diminishing. He wouldn't have believed the tale either and his heart was sinking. At that moment he felt a warmth by his ankles and turned back to the fireplace in time to see a hand drop something and then vanish. Now completely confused, he cautiously - making sure not to make any sudden movements - reached down and picked up an old library book. He held it up for Lyra to see.

"This makes no sense either, but it looks like someone was trying to return a library book, and they dropped it off here by mistake..?" he opened the front cover and smirked. "It's overdue. Guess they were trying to avoid a fine..." He had momentarily forgotten that he was still unexpectedly in someone's house and could well find himself hexed at any moment if she didn't believe him.

[ooc: an overdue library book is the best petty crime of all IMO xD]

"Fabien?"

Lyra blinked as her name was called and she took a step back in mild surprise. She knew of him, they weren't friends, but she was pleased and thankful that she wasn't getting burgled -- she hoped. "What're you --" oh. Latvia? Lyra scratched her head. "Quite a malfunction," she murmured, still shaken up before she realised she also looked like a threat with her wet hair and her baggy trousers.

"Oh." Immediately, she dropped the cushion she'd been brandishing with a blush that suffused her cheeks. She still didn't move, holding herself stiffly as she chewed on her lower lip. "Sorry." And she meant it. Lyra's bright eyes watched the fireplace as a hand poked through it and she sighed gently. "I'm going to have to talk to Sylvain about having us taken off the network," she announced. She wasn't that keen on being connected regardless and she'd never really worried about it previously but now was completely different.

Fabien held up the book and she rubbed her eye, the adrenaline wearing off so she dropped onto the couch. She squinted at the book and despite herself, she snorted. The title read Time Management From the Inside Out. "That's rich," she remarked wrly with a soft smile, not missing the irony as she carefully crept forward to sit near the hearth, eyeing his walking stick. It was rude to, of course, but it was just unusual for someone so young to have one.

Lyra took the book from him and opened the front cover. She peered into the fire grate as though all of life's little mysteries were somehow in there. "Shall we just chuck it back in?" She asked stupidly. "I don't want an overdue library fine," she went on, her eyes wide in fright. Sitting down cross-legged, she absently thumbed through it, pretending to read. She wasn't stupid but she wasn't one to be reading high brow literature.

"How are you getting to Latvia, then?" Lyra asked, concerned because her fireplace was apparently goosed. "And I'm sorry for attacking you," she added softly. "And for the singing, if you heard it."

Fabien's natural instinct in a situation like this - no matter how unreasonable - would have been to become angry and protest repeatedly that he was the innocent victim without bothering to consider the feelings of the other person involved. Thankfully, two and a half years working for the Ministry had sufficiently curbed this instinct so that although he was royally p_ssed off, he recognised that his annoyance needed to be directed at the Floo department rather than the poor woman whose home he had accidentally invaded.

At least she had accepted his explanation and he could just get out of here and pretend the whole thing had never happened. Well, aside from the fact he needed to find a different way to get to the tournament, but... "Oh Merlin, is he here just now? He's going to find this whole thing hilarious and I won't hear the last of it for weeks..." Fabien shook his head, looking disgruntled but managing to force something close to a smile. He assumed Sylvain had mentioned their friendship and the fact they met for lunch at work on a fairly regular basis "and now I know why I never got my flat put on the network in the first place!" Actually, he'd considered it when he'd first moved in, but because he lived in a muggle area there were extra regulations, more forms to fill in and honestly the extra effort didn't seem worth it when the closest Floo office was only five minutes down the road.

He noticed she was looking at his walking stick with almost as much interest as the library book, but decided not to respond. If she wanted to ask a direct question fair enough, but he wasn't about to explain his childhood injury unbidden. Still, he realised in the next instant that must mean Sylvain hadn't mentioned it either, and that random realisation made him feel happier. As much as he loved to talk about other people Fabien loathed being the subject of gossip himself.

Besides, there were more important things to think about now. "I don't think you'll get the fine...the library should have a record of whoever borrowed that book. They think they've sent it back now though so..." Fabien shook his head and snorted with amusement as well "Who knows where it'll end up if we chuck it back in, the way the network's malfunctioning today. Give it here, I'll take it to the Floo office and have them deal with it. Their mistake, might as well be one of them deals with it."

As for getting to Latvia, that was another issue. "Portkey, I guess. I can't say I like them, but at least they can be relied on to get you to the right place. I'll apparate to the Floo office, tell them off and then take a portkey instead. And don't worry about it. I'd probably have hexed first and asked questions later if someone turned up in my flat, never mind throwing cushions at them!" he didn't mention the singing, that having been the last thing on his mind when he'd unexpectedly turned up here. Truth be told, he had barely registered the sound, if he'd even noticed it at all. "Um...do you mind if I use your front door this time?" he added, with a hint of apology in his tone.

[out]

When asked if Sylvain was here, Lyra shook her head. If he was, she'd hope her screaming might have alerted him. Realising she still had her hair wrapped in a towel, she flushed pink and removed it, folding it neatly on the arm of the sofa as she surreptitiously tried to finger-comb her hair into submission. "I think he went for a walk," it was on the tip of her tongue to say you're welcome to wait for him but he actually wasn't.

Lyra pulled a face. Sylvain and Fabien discussing her made her feel a bit awkward but she could see why it was funny. It was funny.  It would be funny, once she got past the crippling awkwardness. She nodded along in sympathy - her flat was definitely getting removed from the network and soon.

"Oh thanks," Lyra replied, still dazed as she held out the book for Fabien to take, wondering how much worse it could have been if an actual stranger had landed in her flat. Quickly, she snorted with laughter, genuinely amused. "I'll think about trying that next time," she added in jest, stepping forward with her hands out to help him stand before dropping them, in case he thought she was being rude.

Portkey. Yes. "Safer," she agreed with a nod as she followed him to the door, keeping a polite distance. "By all means," she said graciously as she opened the door for him. "It'll be more convenient than the window," she smiled smally. "Nice seeing you again," she told Fabien genuinely as she leaned against the doorjamb.

"Thanks for dropping by." The words were out before she could stop them and she actually wanted to punch herself in the face. "Enjoy the match!" With that, she slammed the door shut, leaned against it and let out a howl of anguish as she smacked the heel of her hand against her forehead.



[done!]