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Post by Ted Tonks on Jul 30, 2008 22:58:41 GMT -5
Ted glanced around his mostly bare walls. "I know what my family looks like," he said, then waved off any chastizing she would give him. "Yeah, I know. I have some photos somewhere... just never got around to framing them. But I would like to go antiquing with you," he made quotes marks in the air around the word antiquing. "Or at least get your input around here."
He finally dialed the number, shaking his head and trying not to laugh at the fact she didn't know how to use a telephone. "I forget about you pureblood types."
He hung up after he'd made the order, telling her it would be about a twenty minute wait when it finally dawned on him to ask, "Wait... how do you order pizza? Not by owl?"
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Jul 30, 2008 23:18:32 GMT -5
Andi laughed at his typical response about the pictures. "Oh, I know you do, it's just... you actually like your family, so it might be nice to have a few pictures around. I don't have any pictures on my wall of my family for a very different reason. I do have a little picture of Narcissa--we sometimes get along--and one of my cousin Sirius. I should introduce you to him some time, actually. He's only a second year, but he's a pretty cool kid."
She watched in fascination as he dialed the phone and placed his order. "Oh, no, I always use the Floo Network... it's easy, because they send the pizza right through the floo as well. It's a little sooty, but it's fast. So you just push the numbers and it connects you to someone?"
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Post by Ted Tonks on Jul 30, 2008 23:57:51 GMT -5
"Tell you what," Ted said, as if coming to some great compomise. "You introduce me to your cousin, and I'll introduce you to my folks."
He sat down again and handed her the phone. "All of these telephones are connected through wires... it works by electricity, which, I think, you have to hand it to muggles coming up with. But everyone who has a phone has their own number... kind of like the floo network... you say where you're going, and if you say it right, there's only one place you can end up. Well, if you dial the right number, there's only one person you can call. Does that make any sense at all? You talk into that part and listen from that part, and it's like talking to someone in the room. You just can't see them." He was sure he had bored her at this point, and got up to search through his movies, waiting for more questions about the phone as well.
He wondered if she'd be the type for a romance, an action film, a noir... "I have King Kong. Jessica Lange? It's fairly new. Not cinematic genius or anything, but kind of fun." Then, he realize that probably meant nothing to her, and laughed. "It's about a giant ape that kind of destroys New York City."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 16:17:08 GMT -5
Andi listened to him explain about the telephone with great fascination. She wasn't sure if it was just the fact that such a clever invention had been created by muggles, or if it was just that she enjoyed listening to him talk. But either way, she was completely fascinated.
"Now, see, this is what I don't understand about the wizarding world. So many wizards don't even try to learn anything about the muggle world. They look down on it as stupid or useless... but it's not. It's interesting. And really, muggleborns like yourself are far more worldly than any pureblood. You know about both worlds. How is that not better? Honestly, I wish I had grown up in a different family. My parents are so narrow-minded, they don't even realize what they're missing out on. Ted, I want you to teach me more about the muggle world. Even the stuff I learned in muggle studies doesn't do it justice."
She knew full well that if her parents ever heard her talking like this, she would never be mentioned in the family again. But she didn't care. It was what she believed. And spending time with Ted only proved it to her.
"A giant ape?" she repeated. "Well, that sounds interesting. And I've heard about New York City, too... a big muggle city in America? It sounds exciting."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 21:46:09 GMT -5
Ted sighed, inaudibly, and looked at her with a very contemplative look on his face. He didn't know her family. He, like everyone else at least, knew of them, and no more. But he had a good idea of what they were like, and if Andi had gone her whole life withought any muggle inventions or knowledge, they likely wouldn't want her to start now. And Ted did understand how much her sisters meant to her.
"Are you sure?" he asked, softly, as though she might be offended that he asked. "I mean, I'll be honest... we do all right for ourselves, but without magic, that world can be kind of... dull."
He would suggest another movie for her, one he thought she might be more interested in, but he wanted to get behind her desire to know more about muggle inventions. Was it genuine, or just a show for his sake?
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 22:02:18 GMT -5
Andi gave him a strange look. "Of course I'm sure," she said, still smiling. "Did you know, Ted, that my mother was so strict that I never even had pizza until I was 15? She said it was muggle food! But look at what I would have missed out on if I did what my parents said. I had a friend back at Hogwarts who was muggle born, and she used to play some of her muggle music... I loved it! She used to play this band..." She paused a minute, thinking. "I can't remember the name... something about insects, but they spelled it funny... It was brilliant! There are so many things out there that I don't know about, because my parents were too ignorant to let me experience them. I don't want to be like that. My parents and Bella have pretty much given up on me already, I may as well turn my back on them, too."
She tilted her head and looked at him. "Ted, you don't think this is just some kind of rebellious phase I'm going through, do you? Or that I'm just doing this because I think it's what you want to hear? Because I am pretty serious about it. I find it all very fascinating."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 22:20:29 GMT -5
"It's the Beatles," he said softly. Had his mind not been spinning, he would have laughed.
"I'm not entirely sure what I think this is," Ted said, being honest with her. "But I like to think that I know you... at least somewhat, and I think your family means a lot to you, strict and ignorant or not. You don't want to give up on them, do you?" He stopped himself. He didn't know Andromeda that well yet.
"I'm sorry, Andi. I shouldn't have said any of that to you just now. Here," he said, quickly changing the subject. "I have a movie I think you'll like better."
He took the tape out of the box, and the handed the box to her. "It's Casablanca. The back of the box will tell you what it's about."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 22:33:10 GMT -5
She accepted the box with the movie, but didn't look at it. "Ted," she said in a very serious voice. "My father has already disowned me for my career choice. And I don't care. It was an awful fight, and it hurt like hell, but I'm OK. Really. My mother and I never got along. And Bella and I... we had this horrible rivalry... as far as I can tell, she wants nothing to do with me. Maybe I have a chance to be close with Cissa, but if she can't accept the way I live my life, then I don't need her. Yes, family is important to me. But if my family can't accept who I am, then I'll just have to make my own family." With you, she thought, but didn't say. She knew that was rushing things too much.
She gave him a smile, hoping he understood. Then she looked down at the box and read the description of the film. "Yes, this one sounds good," she said, nodding and handing it back to him.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 22:51:05 GMT -5
He wanted to stop her, to tell her that she didn't have to share any of this with him, but he couldn't bring himself to. In that moment, she was so perfect to him in all of her worries, her hardships. They all made her beautiful. and the look on her face when she looked at him was one he'd like to frame and put on his wall. If only he could decorate his appartment with the looks she gave him.
He finally nodded. "All right. I'll teach you about that world. We'll start with movies. Which are better than your photographs, I have to say. They have sound and last much longer."
He popped the tape in the VCR, and turned on the tv before he came back to the couch, sitting close to her. "We'll just pause it when the pizza arrives."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 23:25:49 GMT -5
"That sounds good." Andi shifted closer to him, leaning her head against him. She wondered if he realized just how incredible he really was. Back at school, she would have told her friends that guys like him didn't exist, that no one could be as perfect as he was. But she could find no flaws in him. He was perfect in her eyes. He felt so warm and he smelled so good, she wondered how she would ever be able to concentrate on the movie. All that really mattered to her in that moment was having him close to her.
As the movie started, she watched with rapt attention. Maybe he could explain to her later how the muggles made the pictures move and talk, and how they showed up on the television. But for now, she was enjoying the story as it played out.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Jul 31, 2008 23:47:06 GMT -5
He shifted slightly, putting his arm around her in a silent way of encouraging her closer. It occured to him again how good her hair smelled, but he didn't dwell on the thought. He couldn't dwell on any singular part of her, or he might miss something.
His phone rang about fifteen minutes later, and he loosened himself from her, answering quietly.
"I have to let the delivery guy up," he said. "Let the movie play, I've seen it before."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 1, 2008 14:30:07 GMT -5
Andi wouldn't have known how to stop the movie, even if he'd wanted her to. She wasn't entirely sure magic would work on such a contraption. But without him beside her, she felt cold and empty.
Although she was starting to get into the movie, she still found herself watching him instead. It was hard to take her eyes off of him sometimes. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. He'd been quiet ever since their conversation and she hoped he wasn't feeling uncomfortable about anything. She wondered if he would ever know just how deeply she felt for him.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 1, 2008 14:41:27 GMT -5
Ted came back up a few minutes later with a bottle of soda in one hand, and the pizza box in the other. "Food's here," he said.
He stifled a yawn just after he said this, being reminded of how tired he was, but he pushed the thought away. He had Andi in his apartment, wanting to... well, whatever they ended up doing or not doing, he was happy with, but he wasn't going to send her away so that he could fall asleep.
"See that long box on the table?" he asked her. "Buttons all over it? That's the remote. Look for a button that just has two lines on it, straight up and down, and push that."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 1, 2008 15:04:19 GMT -5
Andi picked up the item in question and stared down at it for a minute, fascinated. There were so many little buttons on it, she wondered how he could remember what they all did. She located the button he described and pressed it, watching as the picture on the screen came to a sudden stop. "Oh, how clever!" she said. "It's like a wand, but it only controls one thing." She lauighed at herself, thinking he must have thought she was a complete moron.
Setting down the box, she stifled a yawn and got up to help herself to some pizza. "Should I get some plates or something?" she asked.
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 1, 2008 15:12:46 GMT -5
Ted laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty clever," he said, realizing just how much of the muggle world he took for granted. "It's called a remote."
As she came into the kitchen, where he had set the pizza box, he gave her a teasing look. "Be patient. I'm working on the plates and napkins and things." A thought occured to him... with the family she grew up in... "Have you ever used plates you can throw away or napkins you don't have to wash?"
He set a paper plate in front of her, and then a glass and opened the bottle of soda, in case she had finished the one from earlier. "Have at."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 1, 2008 15:30:13 GMT -5
Andi paused to look around his kitchen. Again, it was sparse, but neat and functional. "Yes, I've used paper plates. But only when out with my friends. My mother would never approve of such things. We always had to use her priceless china, handed down through the Black family for six generations, blah, blah, blah..." She rolled her eyes. "As the oldest daughter, I was supposed to inherit it when I got married, but I think my mother wants to give it to Narcissa instead. As if I would have wanted the ugly, heavy old things anyway..."
She poured a glass of soda for herself, then set it down so she could take a couple of slices of pizza. Looking up at him, she added, "I just realized how that must sound. Like I'm resentful or bitter. I hope you don't think that. I'm happy with my life."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 1, 2008 19:03:04 GMT -5
He shook his head. "No, I don't think you're resentful or bitter." He did, however, think that she would have loved that set of China, had it been from a family she actually liked. "And even if you were, I don't think anyone could blame you for it," he added, taking a couple slices of pizza for himself after she had gotten hers.
"I don't know what else muggle to introduce you to," he told her, leading them back into his living room after grabbing a couple of napkins.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 1, 2008 23:43:18 GMT -5
Andi smiled at him and headed back to the living room to settle back on the couch. "Well, as I mentioned, I really like muggle music. I actually think it's better than wizard music. What other bands or singers do you like? And do you have anything by the... what did you call them... the Beatles? I liked them. And as I said before, I'd love to meet your parents, and have a nice, normal, muggle Christmas." She didn't add that, whatever they ended up doing, she would like it all the more because she was doing it with him.
Looking back at the TV, she added, "I always thought that muggle movies were on big screens and you were supposed to eat popcorn and candy while you watched them. That's what Melissa told me."
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Post by Ted Tonks on Aug 2, 2008 0:54:00 GMT -5
"I do have a few Beatles albums," Ted said with a nod. "I have a lot of David Bowie... I'm not sure you'd like him, but we can see. I think you might like a lot of music from the 50's. Elvis, maybe?" He was running through a mental list of the albums he had. "The Eagles, the Rolling Stones..." He gave her a long look before he finally decided to admit, "My parents would adore you, Andi."
He came back to the couch, setting his soda on the table and his pizza in his lap. "When our movies are new, they're in theaters... not with stages, like I imagine you're used to, but with a big screen in front of the seats. You can eat popcorn and candy... but small screens with pizza and soda are perfectly acceptable too."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Aug 2, 2008 1:14:40 GMT -5
Andi munched on her pizza as she listened to him talk about the music he liked. "I would like to listen to all of them," she decided. "I think I've heard of Elvis before. Melissa might have liked him, too."
As he mentioned that he thought his mother would like her, Andi felt her cheeks turn red. "I hope she does," she said. It occured to her that she might be jumping the gun a little. It wasn't even Halloween yet and she was already assuming that she'd still be with him by Christmas. But she couldn't imagine wanting to break up with him. She just hoped he continued to feel the same way about her.
"Maybe we could try that some time. It sounds like fun."
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