Closed Flights to Nowhere and Everywhere

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie was tired of Vegas. It wasn't bad- it was just draining. He'd been in town all week for a convention, and while it had been fun, he was over it, and ready to go home. He'd given up his place that he'd had with Eugene, and moved into a smaller loft apartment. He wasn't against letting his parents help him when he needed it, and he was getting paid pretty well... at least, enough that with a few extra gigs throughout the month he could survive on his own for the most part. He wasn't really living the high life, but he was comfortable. If not lonely.

He also hated apparating, so he'd gotten a cheaper flight from Vegas back to New York. It was an eight hour flight with no layovers, thankfully. Feeling a bit better now that they were up in the air (and he'd sprung a little extra for a window seat in the back of the plane) Charlie took out his folder of sheet music and pulled down the tray in front of him, spreading out a couple of pages. He was a bit stuck with the piece he was trying to compose, humming a bit under his breath and tapping his pen against the table, lost in thought.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

Headphones in.

Head down.

Eyes front.

One of the good things, he supposed, about being someone who could flit effortlessly between the magical and muggle worlds was that nothing really phased him anymore. Though he enjoyed apparition as a mode of transport for, tiny distances, when it came to the kind of cross globe trek he was currently on, he didn't think it would be appropriate - all those licences and the paperwork, ew. Gross. That felt a little too much like being an adult and as much as he might have wanted to get the f#ck away from his parents, he wasn't about to make it more difficult. Or to ruin his mood. No, he was going to do this the muggle way and he was going to f#cking like it. Whether it hurt him financially or not. Another good thing about coming from both worlds, he guessed, was that whilst his mother lived predominantly in the magical world these days, his father, the bastard, spent most of his time in the muggle world, worked and lived there and could provide Perry with most of the funds he had needed for this trek. Not that he asked his father for much. He just took the card without really asking, but the bastard deserved it for never being there anyway.

Nor was his mother, but he was less angry with her considering.

Perry looked up as he noted he was about to board and then collected the one bag at his feet. Travelling on planes wasn't exactly the most comfortable of things, after all, and his cotton pants and jumper probably wouldn't help in that regard, it was better than nothing. He had found previously that planes had a tendency to just be so cold, and if you had nothing to protect your fragile body from the extra air, that was going to be everyone's problem and he was trying to avoid being anyone's problem. That was why he was going to New Zealand, to get away from problems.

Finding his seat, Perry stifled at sigh at the fact a musician seemed to have beat him out of the window seat. To be fair, he'd been on the standby list for this flight and only got notification last minute when someone hadn't signed in. Great for him, but it also meant he was mostly just in the dregs of the plan. Which also explained why they were right near the toilet. Maybe that would be a good thing on an eight hour flight because god forbid he needed to go desperately and would have to rush down the tiny, tiny, tiny isles. He's not claustrophobic, honest. Just... nervous about picking up his entire life and moving countries. Merlin, what was he thinking?

He sat then, bumping the other occupant without meaning to. "F#ck, sorry. Didn't knock anything did I?" He asked in english, though his clear french accent would make him obvious. It's hard not to have an accent when he was born and raised there. Nice, specifically. "Don't mind me, I'm... apparently a bit of a nervous flyer." He hadn't been before, had he? It had always been so easy back then. These days, without his Gran, everything was a lot harder.

@Charlie Helkovaara ​

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie was distracted when someone knocked into him. His pen smudged over the page, and he looked up, blinking. "Nothing I'll die for," He offered with half a smile. It was mildly frustrating, but not something he'd worry too much over. He could always rewrite it- and if he had any sort of luck rewriting might help him through the block. He shifted, more towards the window, to give his neighbor some space.

"You alright?" He asked, trying to be at least cordial. After all, it was only a bit of sheet music- if it had been his violin harmed in some way, that would be another story. He'd be out for blood then. But he'd thought ahead and magicked it to his father.

Charlie had spent a lot of money for a very, very, very nice violin, and he'd gaurd it with his life. It was a part of why he'd lived with Eugene in that rundown apartment for a year. He'd been scrimping and saving to buy it all on his own.

He shook the thoughts from his mind and just smiled at his neighbor instead.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

Perry cleared his throat, trying to get comfortable, though he knew it was a little pointless since flights were notoriously uncomfortable and they were hardly up in the good wings. This is the place you can't even really sleep because there are always lines for people waiting for the toilet, or the hosts take foever with the food, a lunch they should hopefully be getting soonish, at some point. Well obviously when the plane was in the air, but that doesn't mean much. They come when they come and that's sort of that. He's not exactly a plane ettiquette expert, but his father used to travel enough for work that he's at least mildly familiar with the process. Maybe he should have been a magical air hostess, or air host? Most hosts he's seen have been female, or feminine at least, so he can't say whether there's much call for the boys. The ones who work under the plane might be okay, but he doesn't like touching other people things at the best of times... unless it's his dad's credit card, but he considers that public property. Especially these days.

"I'm alright. Just... long flight, you know." He can't really tell if that's even the truth or not, but he could use the distraction. So he looked over, curiously, to see what his neighbour was working so diligently on that they hadn't even left the tarmac yet. People are still milling about waiting to get to their seats, but this is only for two people so their little duo is complete. Although that doesn't stop the very obviously pregnant lady from trying to work her way down towards them to a seat across the aisle. It's not until she clears her throat at him that he remembers he had forgotten to put his bag up and swiftly picks it up and stands on his chair to thrust it up into the open space.

"Sorry Ma'am." Apparently she didn't like that though, she just glared at him again and Perry rolled his eyes at her. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know if she was married or not, he can't see her ring finger and it's not like she has anyone with her. She could be anyone. He doesn't even know what's wrong with calling someone Ma'am. He blew out a puff of air and dropped into his seat again, sighing. "Sorry, I'm actually usually really pleasant." He doesn't suppose it's weird for people to say that about themselves, though, right?

@Charlie Helkovaara ​

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie raised a brow at the woman being rude, and subtly shot a little cheering charm at her while his neighbors head was in the bin above. Nobody seemed to notice, and she brightened up, so he considered his attempt a success. He smiled and turned back to his pages, mostly just straightening them up again, when the man beside him spoke again.

Charlie looked up with a small smile. "You seem perfectly pleasant to me so far," He replied easily. "Whats one little accident?" He brushed it off again, hoping to put it all to rest. It'd be a long flight otherwise. "The name's Charlie, by the way," He offered easily, thinking that perhaps introductions might help to ease the way for the rest of their trip.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

"Perry," he won't be going by Pierre anymore, not when he's not having to deal with the remaining members of his family. His Grandmother was the worst offender. He can still remember sitting at her feet and listening to her drone on about her years with the French Aurors and how different the world had been sixty odd years ago. He liked listening to her raspy smokers voice, but he didn't enjoy her stories. None of them ever had happy endings and maybe that was a testament to her life being a hard one too, but that didn't mean that she couldn't have been a little less... her about them. As much as he loved his Grandmother, he only lived with her because his parents couldn't seem to ever get their sh*t together enough to come and get him. He didn't know what it was like to live with parents because he didn't have any, not really. Not since he was really small.

"Are you a musician, Charlie?" He wished he could play an instrument. It was one of those things he regretted about living with his Grandmother. One top of the other things. She wasn't a big fan of loud noises or sudden noises and so it was hard for Perry to be able to learn anything new, because there was always the chance he might accidentally trigger her in a bad moment. She was a very powerful witch in her day by all counts. The circumstances of her retirement were still unclear to him, even after the funeral, since no one ever wanted to talk about it, but there were signs of her power throughout his life. Not that he thought too much about them these days. It's only been six months since she passed, and it was easier just to not think about it at all if he was honest. "I wish I could read music."

@Charlie Helkovaara ​

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie smiled as the man introduced himself. Perry, huh? A cute name for a cute guy. Charlie shook his head to dislodge the thought, and was relieved at the subject brought up. He very much enjoyed this topic, and nodded. "Oh, yes. I'm a Violinist," He offered, glancing at his music and thinking. "I could show you some, if you'd like?" He asked, remembering the little course he'd been putting together to show Caspian when his younger brother was older. "It's not too hard once you get the hang of it."

He gave Perry an easy smile. "If you could play, what would you like to?" He asked, unsure if his question made sense outside of his own head. But he'd already asked it, and he wasn't going to take it back. He relaxed, watching absently out the corner of his eye as the plane started to settle.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

Maybe when they were back on solid ground - Perry shifted slightly to glance out the window only to realise they were still on the ground before shifting back into his seat and blowing out another puff of air. The curls of his fringe danced in the way of his eyes and he brushed his fingers through them. "If we weren't currently on a flight to wherever the f*ck this is going, I'd agree. But I doubt you have your violin in the cabin." At his words he quickly glanced around in case maybe he'd missed it. But he did think the guy would have had to be a loony toon if he brought something valuable like that into the cabin. Perry wouldn't even have brought himself if he wasn't required to be on the plane for it to be a trip he could make. He didn't think he would have been terribly comfortable in a suitcase in the bay after all. They seemed like they got thrown around too much for his liking, though he felt like he might have enjoyed the darkness. Still, planes weren't so bright, which was a good thing.

Perry looked back at Charlie then and frowned slightly, but not the kind of frown of annoyance. It was more than he'd never really given the question any brain space. He had never had the opportunity to learn, so he simply hadn't thought about what he would like to learn if given the opportunity to do so. Maybe that was a little odd, but he'd always found it simpler to just not think about the things that might have upset him, especially if nothing was going to change the outcome. At what point did it become unreasonable, or illogical? He didn't think anyone really knew the answer. "I've never thought about it," he said, holding out his hands and spreading his fingers slightly. They were long and slender, maybe that's why his professor's had always said he was a natural with charm work. Not that it helped him escape that A.

But that was a different story.

"Piano, maybe. A girl at school used to play with the choir. It was... surreal listening to it." Describing it was hard, because it was entirely magical. They used to float her in the middle of the room and glitter would fall around her, and snowflakes. It was a beautiful sight. "I think I would have liked that, if I would have looked into it. But I don't really think I have any natural musical talent or anything, I'm far too impatient to really sit down and give something like that a go, you know?" Perry supposed he probably didn't know, actually, since he'd seemed to have managed to learn an instrument.

@Charlie Helkovaara ​

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie listened to the man speak, admiring for a brief moment how soft his hair looked before again pushing the thought away. Charlie had very little luck with romance, and he wasn't really intending to try and flirt with a practical stranger. He raised a brow a few times during the mans rambling, but didn't stop Perry from speaking at any point. Instead he just chuckled softly as the cutie did finally finish. "Well, my violin isn't here, I was more offering to show you to read music," He teased gently.

"We're going to New York- though I suppose it's a bit soon to ask if that was a general 'where are we going' or just a lack of plan after the airport." He ignored the urge to fidget with his own hair, as it was pulled back in a messy man bun. "Piano is a beautiful instrument- if a bit hard to move around." He chuckled again. "It's also much more versatile- the sort of instrument that could flow well with any sort of music." Charlie laughed lightly. "Violin is more practical, but a bit more niche- not exactly the instrument of choice for groups," He mused, thinking back on the dorm band he'd not been involved in back in his school days.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

"Oh, that actually makes a lot more sense. Sorry, you might have guessed english is not my first language." Or technically his second, but he wasn't about to go into the whole history of his life and the languages he has learned and why. Although, given how much time they're about to be stuck together on this plane, he probably could. Of course the conversation probably won't even be finished by the time they did stop off in... was it New York? Either way, it was a lot of story to tell and this didn't really feel like the right time to be pouring his life story out to anyone, least of all someone he's only just met and will never see again once all of this is over. The world is a friggen big place, it would be crazy to think they would ever run into each other again.

The idea that people wouldn't immediately jump at the chance to work with a violinist though struck him as crazy, he's always enjoyed the sound of a violin, so he can't really understand it, though he could see maybe why a piano, or perhaps a keyboard might be more versatile. Especially when considering the numerous instruments that all use the same pianoist skills to play. If you could play one, he would wager that you could play the others as well, with a bit of an update of course, because despite that they are different instruments all together. "That seems like a bit of oversight. I like the way violins sound. My Gran took me to an orchestra once, it looked so wild."

@Charlie Helkovaara ​

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie chuckled. "No worries," He promised. "English actually isn't my first language either, but I grew up speaking Finnish and English interchangably, so it's a bit easier for me," He offered. He had to stop talking, of course, as the flight attendants called for attention, and couldn't speak again until the plane was moving. He smiled at his neighbor, and once he could, picked up the conversation again.

"I'm a bit partial to violins, too," He winked playfully. "I found one when I was about twelve and picked it up out of curiosity- actually stole my first one," He laughed lightly. "Thankfully my dad bought me my own when he found out and had me return the one I'd taken." He lowered his voice, conspiratorially, like he was sharing some big secret.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

The take off was bumpy, expectantly, and Perry sat still, rigid, in his seat, waiting for the inevitable to be over. He hadn't thought he would be a nervous flyer, hadn't been before, but it's all so very different when he's literally picked up his entire life and moving it to a country he's actually never set foot in before. New Zealand is so far removed from anywhere else he's been that it's practically impossible for his family to have any influence over him what-so-ever, but that doesn't mean that he isn't absolutely terrified of the prospect either. Apart from being at Beauxbatons, where he had friends, he had never really been anywhere on his own, or without his family. He didn't have any cousins or siblings that he was aware of because both of his parents were only children. Probably for the best, all things considered.

"That sounds like a story, Violin's are expensive though so I'm sure that would have gone over really well," he said, laughing slightly now that the stress of the flight has passed. For now. He can't really fault the guy, nor judge him, since he's hardly innocent of theft himself. The difference, of course, is that Perry wasn't not a twelve year old with a passion. He was a nineteen year old who was pissed off and wanted to teach his father a lesson that probably wouldn't teach him anything anyway. Perry was pretty sure that by the time this plane landed, his father will have reported the card as stolen and he would be back to square one where funds were concerned. Didn't matter though, he'd think of something, he always did. "Do you have a good relationship with your father then? Still, I mean?"

@Charlie Helkovaara ​

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie could see the man had been uncomfortable, but seemed to be relaxing a bit. He smiled, and decided to try and keep his neighbor company for the flight. It was a good way to pass time, he decided. He hummed, leaning back in his chair and smiling softly. "Oh yeah, the school barely noticed it was gone." He offered easily. There wasn't much room in his seat to stretch out, so he ended up just fidgeting. He smiled a little warmly at the question.

"Oh, yeah. I get on pretty well with my dad- and my mom, and my baby brother Caspian. We're far from perfect. Mom and dad weren't really together when they had me- one long week, it seems, but she got scared, dropped me with dad, and took off. He only found out when little bouncing baby me showed up on his door. He named me Charlie, and when I was about thirteen, I think, and mom popped back up, with one cousin in tow. Fast forward a few years and they have an apartment together and one more little guy." He shrugged, knowing it was a lot of info- but you never got anything without giving something yourself.

He shook his head and looked to Perry with an easy smile. "So, what about you? Any family you're close with?" He asked, curious now who he was traveling with.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

"So, what about you? Any family you're close with?"

It almost felt like he'd slapped him. He hadn't of course, and in reality Perry had been waiting for the reciprocal question when he'd asked it, but it didn't stop it from hurting. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Not anymore, unfortunately, bit of a lone wolf these days," he said, sighing and leaning back in his seat again. His Grandmother had died only six months earlier and the sting of that prickled through his skin as though he wanted to shiver. He had been so close to her, she had raised him from the time he was four or five. He can hardly remember. Neither of his parents had ever been there for him. They'd stayed married purely for appearances sake and the fact that neither of them believed in divorce, but maybe they should have gotten divorced - they couldn't even exist in the same city, let alone the same house. Spending time at school away from them was the highlight of his life - being at his mother's alma mater was a little annoying because he could see her wherever he was, but he knew his Grandmother had been there too, and he liked that part of it.

It was nice that he had been able to be close to his family, either parent or both, but it wasn't the reality for Perry - he wasn't sure he would want it to be given the kind of people his parents were, so caught up in their own lives they couldn't bare to spare a singular moment for their tiny son. He'd had to grow up mostly on his own, even with his Grandmother involved. She was a tough woman, very strict, but she'd done everything for him, provided him with everything he needed. How could he ever fault her for having to put her retirement on hold to deal with a grandchild who never fully appreciated her? Perry would always regret not telling her how much he had appreciated everything she had done for him. Even if at the time he thought she was overstepping and trying to control him. Maybe she was, but it was more than either of his parents had ever done for him. "They're still alive - my parents I mean. Just left my dad, but... we don't have much of a relationship at all and I haven't seen my mum in longer than she probably even notices." He didn't mention his Grandmother, it was still hard to talk about.

@Charlie Helkovaara ​

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie could see he'd touched on a sensitive subject, and made a note not to bring up the family again. They were just strangers, after all, he doubted this handsome man would want to go into his life story, and Charlie didn't want to leave a bad impression on his flight buddy. He gave a gentle smile, and decided to take the conversation back to safer grounds. "Well, New York is definitely a good place to get lost in. Have you ever been before?" He asked, shifting slightly in the cramped space and stretching out as best he could. "If you haven't, I wouldn't mind giving you a tour- finding a place to stay, especially last minute, can be rough, but I could help you out with that. I had a place of my own for a bit with a friend, and just moved into a new place as well. I know some decent realtors that owe me some favors." He mused, trying to decide what he could do to help out Perry. New York was a tough place, and dangerous if you didn't know your way around.

 

[Victoria de Lacey]

Victoria isn't on this plane, you're dreaming.

 

[Pierre Bonnet]

"Getting lost is just what I need, honestly," maybe not in America, NYC seemed like it would be a bit too overwhelming for him. After the amount of time spent in the muggle world though he wanted to spend more time in the magical one. He felt closer to his magical kin than he had ever felt to his muggle one, though that wasn't to say he didn't have friends amongst them all. Ada immediately came to mind and long with her of course came Diego - but they weren't the people he needed right now, the people he needed were new people, not the old people he'd been stuck with his whole life. Maybe "stuck with" was a bit of a harsh word, but that's certainly what it felt like for the most part. "Not to New York, though most of my family have travelled independently of each other at different points," which of course was just a fancy way of saying none of them liked each other enough to combine their holidays.

"I appreciate the offer, but honestly New York isn't my destination. I have a five hour layover, but I'm getting on the next plane to New Zealand. I don't really think I would have time for a tour," raincheck maybe? He couldn't imagine heading back this way any time soon though, and as the man had said, getting lost in New York was fairly easy, even if he did make it back there he doubted he would ever run into the man again. That sort of thing was an incredibly rare twist of fate.

@Charlie Helkovaara ​