Unexpected

[Shelby Crescent]

Smash!
"I don't think that this one is right..."
Setting the wand down back onto the desk, Shell puts a hand through her brown curls before turning around and glancing out the window. It was snowing and a few people were walking along the street, having fun or getting frustrated with their first trip of buying Christmas presents. She smiles to herself as she walked back to Mr. Ollivander.

It seemed to be some kind of hobby of people she was in a fight with her a duel, breaking her wand. This was her eighth wand in her life and she was sure that Ollivander was getting a bit frustrated with her, but it wasn't necessarily her fault most of the time.

Taking the next wand he found, she flicks at the door handle to the shop. Wincing slightly, she hears it twist open causing her to grin. "I'll take this one." Shell says before realising who was on the other side of the door. Feeling a faint frown form on the corners of her mouth as she tucked a curl behind her ear.

[/size]

[Logan Andrews]

I am being unnecessarily stupid, today. I am taking unnecessary risks.
It seemed like a really good idea at the time, but at the time I decided to do this I was sitting in Arden's living room and staring blankly out of the window at all the muggles on the street outside.
I realised it was about time I got out of there when I laughed out loud at something that had just sprang into my head, and then couldn't remember what it was. Which is worrying in itself, but is more worrying considering I do not laugh.

It's strange. For all that staring out of the window, I actually failed to notice that it was snowing, at all. Which is another thing that's worrying, but is actually more annoying because now I'm freezing cold and should probably go back.
And I mean freezing, as in shaking all over, hands are making the transition from blue to purple sort of cold. Azkaban is very cold and even when I got out, the cold has stayed. And now wandering around in the snow is just making me more cold.
Another stupid thing that I am doing to add to the list.

As if I needed anymore.
I should go back right away and hope that no one has seen or recognised me, but I don't think that I will.
In the past few days, staying inside has been grating on me anyway and usually I just walk around muggle back alleys and try and keep my 'borrowed' wand in my pocket and resist the temptation to hex the ignorant bastards.

I don't know what brought me here.
I guess I sort of like playing with fire.
A 'hey, I wonder if I can walk about Diagon Alley without getting caught' sort of thing. Maybe Arden was right and without the Dementors, I am regressing back into insanity. But if I am, then it's a different kind of insanity...minus the bloodlust.

I realise I've stopped outside a shop without making the conscious decision to do so.
Which is something else stupid because I made the decision earlier to keep moving or I'd end up freezing to the spot.
And then I realise, more disturbingly, that the woman in the shop is looking out with a frown at me. Do I know her? Not that I remember, but that doesn't mean that I don't.
I sort of incline my head away from her on the odd chance that she's frowning at something else, and decide that now is a good time to move.
Play with fire and get burned, I suppose.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell sighs and continues to watch him from where she was standing. Of course he probably didn't even remember or know her for that matter. She heard of Logan Andrews from many people in her time. Maddie, Arden, Fitzy and Riley her cousin. She nods at him slightly before biting her lip and taking the small box that Ollivander packaged up for her.

Walking over to Logan she inclines her head a little. "I have a feeling you don't know who I am, or at least me. Maybe heard of my name though. I'm Shelby Crescent." she says extending her hand out towards him as Shell felt a weak smile forming on her lips.

[[sorry for the short replies. My wheels aren't turning... lol.]]

[Logan Andrews]

"I think you have me confused with someone else." I glance at her hand as if it's going to burn me if I touch it.
I think I should have walked away when I first decided that would be the smart thing to do, but I think it's that unhealthy curiousity again.
I know that name, of course, now she's said it, but I'm going to pretend that I don't.
It's probably the safest course of action to pretend that I'm someone else and if I was someone else then I would have no idea why she was introducing herself to me.

(no problem. sorry for the shortness of mine too...my brain is sort of dead.)

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell purses her lips to the side and sighs a little. "I guess you don't know who I am then." she says but not fully believing him. "So, why are you out on Diagon Alley today then? Broke your wand or looking for a new one or did you stumble in here by mistake?"

[]

[Logan Andrews]

"I'm going to go now." I decide out loud and half point behind me at the same time.
She's making me sort of nervous. I brought it on myself by walking around in a wizarding street, of course something like this was going to happen.
I wish I'd just stayed and gone slowly insane on my own.
I don't know why I don't make any move to actually go though, probably because she's set me on edge and much as I don't want to talk to her, I'm still a bit worried about what she might have possibly worked out.
I keep putting myself in these situations and then worrying about it obsessively afterwards.

(lol, yeah, they really do. any ideas?)

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell laughs a little bit before tilting her head to the side. "Your feet don't seem to agree with that statement it seems Logan." she says with a faint grin gracing her lips as she shifted her weight to the side as she tucked her hands into her dark blue coat. "So how's life Logan, walking free?"

[[Maybe they could be deatheater partners from the past and had a minor fling so it's a bit iffy with each other? I don't know. XD]]

[Logan Andrews]

"No, apparently not." I half-nod, frowning down at the ground for a moment as if somehow it's not my fault that I won't let myself leave.
Then I sort of sigh softly because apparently the stranger card isn't going to work, so I'll just give it up now.
Hopefully she won't turn me in. I'll just have to count on that, I guess.
"It's not as great as I thought it would be." I admit with a slight shrug, glancing back up at her and tucking my hands into the pockets of my jeans. "And how are you, Rubalyn?"
I take extra care to pronounce each syllable of her name, because I remember her and I want her to know that now we're being honest.

(cool, sure thing. )

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell smirks lightly before rocking on her feet a little. "Really, when I got out of there it was the best feeling to be honest. No one to go see or anything to do then?" she asks raising an eyebrow at him as she noticed that Ollivander disappeared which made her slightly uneasy. "Come on, let's go have a drink at the Leaky Cauldron. And I'd prefer if you'd call me Shelby, not Rubalyn." she says with a faint glare, pronouncing every syllable like he did before.

[Logan Andrews]

I scowl slightly at that, because she's actually nearly hit the nail on the head.
I suppose I should have spent some time actually building up relationships rather than just wrecking other people's, but I wasn't to know that I'd ever get out of Azkaban and consequently spend the rest of my life lacking a purpose.
I follow her quick glance into the shop, Ollivanders I now notice, and see it's now empty. Dread prickle idly at spine, but I force it away again. No panicking now, I did this to myself.
"Fine." I shrug. I could really use a drink anyway, but I haven't quite gotten round to it yet with all the brooding I've been doing instead.
Then I just smirk slightly without saying. I can't make any promises on what I'll call her, and I like to have this small bit of power over her.

[Shelby Crescent]

She grins a little, realizing that she either struck a nerve, or he just was scowling for no apparent reason. Shell looks up at him slightly and sighs. "Alright then, let's go. So anything going on in your life at all then?" she asks raising an eyebrow before opening the door and walking out of the shop. She turns around slightly noticing his newly formed smirk and rolled her eyes. "It doesn't bother me that much Logan to the point where I'm going to get mad." she says with a sigh.

[Logan Andrews]

I'm tempted to bite back with What do you think?
Of course there is nothing going on with my life, of course not, because I'm a fugitive and I spend most of my time holed up in Arden's house trying not to think and the rest of the time taking stupid risks like this.
But on the off chance she's assumed that they just let someone like me out of Azkaban on their own volition rather than me letting myself out, I won't say anything about being an escapee.
"Not as such. Nothing I'd care to share with you." I add gratuitously. "How about your life? How many brats have you spawned now?"
I roll my eyes slightly at that, following her at a slightly slower pace down the street because for some reason I almost don't want to be seen with her. I'm really not sure why that is.
"I suppose I'll just have to try harder then." I mutter in response.
Although I probably won't. I just can't be bothered with being too antagonistic today.

[Shelby Crescent]

"Fine, be an ass." she says with a shrug before glaring at him all together. That was her weakest spot when anyone messed with her kids, even if it was a shot at herself. "There's eleven if you must know. I, unlike you have a heart so I take in my godchildren who lost their parents. Whatever happened to your son anyway?" she asks crossing her arms watching him walk as far as he could from her, as if he was ashamed to be with her. Getting an idea, she smirks to herself before picking up her pace and linking arms with him acting as if they were a married couple causing them to get a few looks. "You have to try harder than that love."

[Logan Andrews]

I seem to have struck a nerve; excellent. That was my intention, of course, I don't really care how many children she's had or with whom. I might have gone for a question about just how many husbands she's gone through by this point, but people tend to be more defensive about their offspring.
I suppose that includes me, because my stomach sort of flips when she mentions my son. I don't know whatever happened to him, he could be anywhere for all I know and I don't care and if I keep thinking that then I won't get that weird empty ache whenever someone mentions him.
And it's pretty much on these grounds that I ignore the first half of what she's said, because I suppose I am quite childish like that and have developed a habit for just ignoring what I don't like. Or have I always had that habit? It's quite disconcerting to only start figuring yourself out when you're thirty.
I swallow back the urge to reflexively yank my arm away from hers and tell her to never touch me again, because that would look a bit strange in public and I don't want to attract any unnecessary attention.
"You are a complete bitch Rubalyn." I shake my head disgustedly, as if she's behaving in the worst possible way and beneath contempt.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell just shrugs lightly still having a hold of his arm. "And you're a sick bastard, so I guess we're even. So much for our past Logan. We got along so well..." she says almost in a singing tone of voice as they reached the Leaky Cauldron. Opening the door she walked inside and sat down instantly at one of the corner tables. "Why don't you get us some firewhiskeys then? Since I'm a bitch might as well order you around."

[Logan Andrews]

"Point set and match to you." I commend under my breath.
I supress a shudder at her next comment though, because I'd almost forgotten that until just now. "Oh yes, swimmingly well."
And now I think I'll take any opportunity to get away from her for a few seconds, so I obey wordlessly and head across the bar.
I don't like taking orders from her, but orders of any kind are sort of welcome. Years of unquestioning servitude didn't really help me learn to think for myself.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell sighs a bit, taking off her coat and putting it on the chair aside of her. Being in her thirties her clothing style was still on the sluttier side, or at least that what Andra and Briar told her but she didn't care. Looking up towards the bar she rolls her eyes at Logan behind his back, just drumming her fingertips on the table surface waiting for him to come back.

[Logan Andrews]

When I come back from the bar, I set her bottle a little harder than strictly necessary onto the table top in front of her, then sink down in the chair opposite, still without a word.
She's quite aggravating, even if she hasn't really done anything wrong.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell takes the bottle and takes a sip, still watching Logan out of the corner of her eye though. "Do I seriously bother you that much? You're the one that started it Logan, not me. I'm not your usual victim that doesn't stand up for themselves..." she mutters before taking a bigger swig from her bottle, nearly emptying it already. "I'm just going to get a round of drinks, not that you probably care." Shell says bitterly afterwards before coming back with a tray so each of them could have five shots. "Cheers." she mutters softly and having one.

[Logan Andrews]

"Oh, I don't much like anyone," I snap, but then realise that I just repeated what Arden said to Riley. I hadn't even realised I'd taken in that conversation, let alone that it had bothered me. Let alone that I would then go and take it out on her.
"Cheers." I mutter when she comes back, taking a shot off the tray and knocking it back, followed by a long draught of firewhisky.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell rolls her eyes and couldn't help but laugh slightly, letting her mind travel back to the past of when he either was just using her for his own gain or did actually like her. Either way, it was rather funny now how he acted towards her. "I'm starting to think you might need to get your own tray..." she says glancing down and noticing that she was holding her third one already in her hand before downing that as well. "Do you even remember our past, or do you block that out like everything else?"

[Logan Andrews]

"If you keep drinking at that rate, I probably will." I raise an eyebrow at that, because she is going through them quite fast and I don't suddenly want to be caught with the responsibility of having to make sure she doesn't do something stupid. Or maybe I could just leave her here if she gets too drunk, that'd probably be easier.
"I remember." I lean forward slightly, resting my elbows on the table after taking another swig of firewhisky. "I remember everything."
I don't block anything out, I just tend to focus on what's most important at the time and really thinking about what happened between us is not really important to my day to day life nowadays. I never did like her...not properly, not really...just in the way that she was there so it was one of those 'might as well' things.

[Shelby Crescent]

"Let me guess. I was one of those girls that was there so might as well have a one night stand or more thing... such a flatter aren't you. No wonder you're always going to be single. You'd have to pay me to even consider kissing you now." she says slightly slurred before grinning and taking another shot. "I haven't drank in five years, I guess that's ruined now." she says laughing slightly before shrugging and taking her fifth shot.

[Logan Andrews]

I laugh at that from a mixture of bewilderment and genuine amusement. I honestly have no idea how she did that, nearly the same phrasing as what was in my head as well.
"How did you do that?" I take another long, measured pull on the bottle and am half-surprised when it's empty, so I take one of the few remaining shots instead.
I almost want to tell her that if I wasn't single there would be something very wrong with the world and that I don't want to kiss her anyway because she's a whore, but the words don't really come out in time so I just let it drop.
"Five years? I find that hard to believe." At the rate she's going now, I doubt she's been sober for very long at all...or maybe that's why she's already slurring, because she's out of practice.
I haven't had a drink since before Azkaban...but I don't know how long I was in there anyway.

[Shelby Crescent]

She raises an eyebrow at him and laughs a little. "Forgot I can read my minds. And I'm not a whore, Andrews." she mutters before resting her elbows on the table and her head on her hands watching him. "You better believe it. Why else would I be so tired and almost drunk already..." she says rolling her eyes as she took the last shot of hers and finishes it. "If I was just there, you didn't even find me attractive did you?" she asks actually giving him a look of worry, wondering what he thought. For some reason, even if she couldn't stand a person she always felt self-conscious.

[Logan Andrews]

I did forget that. Maybe that is why I dislike her so much now, because I remembered that on some subconscious level but without really acknowledging. Thoughts are a very private place, especially mine because there's something very wrong with my thought processes and I don't like anyone seeing it.
"Sorry." I shrug in response to mentally calling her a whore. I probably wouldn't have said it out loud anyway, and then I realise I've just said sorry to her and carefully set the shot glass down on the table and slide it away from me.
I've obviously had enough if I'm being careless.
Then she completely takes me aback. Why does she care what I think of her? Or thought of her, as the case may be?
"Uh...attractive enough." I'm surprised enough about it to be honest.
I'm frightfully shallow most of the time after all, so she has to have been attractive enough or I wouldn't have bothered just because she was there.

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell glances up at him, almost shocked that he was being well... somewhat polite. "Did you really say that you were sorry and actually meant it for once?" she asks her eyes slightly glazed over from drinking way too much firewhisky. For some reason a faint smile forms on her lips as she looked back down to the table. "And may I ask why's that exactly, unless you rather just drink some more. I'm fine with either or the other."

[Logan Andrews]

"No," I say immediately, snorting slightly. Even though, actually, I think maybe I just did.
It sort of slipped out, so it doesn't count. But if that's the case then everything I've said in the past...few weeks hasn't counted because I've not really been able to think about anything like I usually would because I'm not thinking like I usually would. I'm thinking like someone else.
"I'd rather drink some more, actually," I mutter, shaking my head.
Although maybe that isn't a good idea either.