Open Heading into Town.

[Evan Eldridge]

Evan took a deep breath and stepped outside the house, alone, for the first time. She was eleven now, but since her mother still wasn't going to be around the house much due to work, she had finally given Evan her own pocket money and permission to head to town for an hour or two in the weekends if she wanted to.

The only problem was Evan hated being outside the house, it made her feel small and broken, and the longer she was away from home, the worse it would get. But Evan was determined to make it to town today, as she was preparing to start work on a new project - a bright pair of pants for her best friend Terry, whose parents didn't let her dress in anything that wasn't white, grey, beige, or Terry's mother's favourite- a very specific shade of BLEH.

Waiting at the bus stop, Evan kept her head down, so she didn't have to be constantly reminded that she was outdoors, all the while cuddling her backpack to her chest like a beloved teddy bear. As the bus pulled up to the bus stop, she hoped that it wasn't too full, but also that there may be someone her age on the bus so she didn't feel so small and lonely out in the world on her own. She stepped onto the bus, and took a look around for a seat.

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Mum generally didn't like Ryan going too far off on his own around muggles. Ryan speculated it was because they didn't trust him not to blurt out something weird, but he strongly doubted any muggles would believe him anyway. A lot of witches and wizards already ignored him, and muggles tended to be oblivious when it came to magic anyway. Besides, Ryan was undercover as a muggle today anyway. He'd found a map of the bus route and had decided to check it for factual accuracies. His parents had declared him 'stir crazy' with Nicole gone at school and sent him off to play outside for a bit, so as long as he got back before dinner, he was fine. And as long as the bus stayed on schedule, Ryan didn't have any concerns. The bus pulled up at the next stop and Ryan squinted out the window, standing a little in his seat to make sure the curve of the road matched the route map in his hand, twirling the marker in his hand pensively. The route map was pretty basic, but so far was close enough that he could allow it.

It was also interesting to make note of muggle behavior on public transport and Ryan checked the new passengers as they got on the bus. It seemed to be an unspoken rule not to sit by anyone you didn't know unless you absolutely had to, and as the last girl got on, it seemed like there were no free single seats. Ryan watched her closely, wondering what her next step would be.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

Evan politely smiled at the bus driver as she handed over exact change for her fare. As the bus pulled away from the bus stop, she held on to the hand rails and made her way down half the length of the bus.

Looking all around she could see that most free seats were next to adults, until she noticed a young boy a few rows further down. In Evans mind, that would probably be the best place for her to sit. She hated sitting next to strange adults.

As she stepped closer to where the boy was seated, she managed to make eye contact, and smiled at the boy.

"Hey. I uh ... don't want to sit next to a random grown-up..." Evan carefully seated herself next to the boy, hoping he wouldn't object. "I'm Evan. What's your name?"

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Ryan watched closely as the girl made her way down the bus, meeting her eyes when she stepped near enough and seemed to decide to sit next to him. Nodding as she sat down, Ryan looked down quickly at his notebook, scribbling a note. Sitting next to someone your own age seems preferable. Larger sample size required.
"Hi," He said, re-capping his pen and scooting closer to the window, half to make room for the girl, Evan, and half to make sure his view of the bus route outside wouldn't be impaired. "I've found random kids are usually better than random grown ups too," He said knowingly, thinking of the times he'd been shushed or hurried away while out with his parents or sister. "Oh, I'm Ryan," Ryan added as an afterthought, pausing before offering his hand to shake, a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his mother, of even his sister, reminding him to be polite. "Are you going anywhere interesting?" He asked her, picking up his route map again to consult.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

"Nice to meet you, Ryan." Evan was slightly taken back by Ryan offering his hand to shake, but she took it anyway, not really knowing what to do, shook it awkwardly, and was unable to hold back a nervous chuckle. "Wow, he's really mature!" she thought to herself.

"Oh, I'm just heading into town to get some sewing supplies." she shared. "How about you?"

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Withdrawing his hand, Ryan tilted his head when Evan mentioned sewing supplies, trying to think of something fun you could do with them. Sewing, obviously, but he was sure you could make something cool than just clothes or fixing buttons or whatever people who sewed did. "What are you making? Like a costume maybe?" Ryan said, warming up to the idea. He'd borrowed one of his dad's old cloaks as a costume a few months ago and had spent almost a whole week running around in it, even though it was definitely too big and dragged on the floor. If Evan was making something cool like a cloak or a costume it might be interesting.

Even more interesting though was getting to tell Evan about his map, and Ryan happily showed her where he'd been marking the bus route out on the flyer. "I'm monitoring the bus route, I wanna make sure the map is accurate," He said. "So far it's pretty close to the road map, but you never know." Ryan twirled his marker. Muggle maps could be interesting, but they weren't quite as exciting as wizard maps that could move or update themselves constantly. Or hide hidden secrets or clues with the right spells. But at least they were reasonably accurate most of the time. Ryan was tempted to mention this to Evan, wondering if she'd believe him, but he fervently reminded himself he was an undercover muggle today, and it wouldn't do to go blowing his cover so soon.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

Evan wriggled in her seat, jumping at the opportunity to talk about her new project.
"Oh, my friend's parents are really strict and they still choose her clothing for her, even though were not five anymore! So I'm going to make her something fun and bright. I have made some costumes before, just not this time."

Evan didn't understand why it would matter so much to someone her age whether or not a map was accurate - that sounded like something that grown-ups were supposed to be responsible for. She peered over the map he was showing her, noticing how much care he had put into marking out where the bus had been so far.

"So, you're just riding around the entire route all day? What would you do if you found a mistake?" Evan imagined Ryan standing before a bunch of grown-ups, cleverly pointing out how they had done their job wrong, the grown-ups utterly bewildered as to how an eleven year old could have outsmarted them. The concept made Evan chuckle a little.

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Ryan scrunched his face up at the idea of someone's parents telling them what to wear. Though sometimes Nicole or his mum would tell him his clothes were wrong somehow, which he didn't get, but he was generally left to his own devices on what to wear. "Fun how? Like with a cloak or a cape? And you're making the whole thing?" Ryan asked, still secretly thinking of his dad's old cloak. "That's nice of you," He added, mostly as an afterthought.

Ryan paused when Evan asked what the next step of his plan would be, realizing he hadn't really thought that fair ahead beyond being really smug about it. "Well I'll tell the bus driver probably. Or the bus people. They should know if their map's wrong. That's why I'm checking," He said confidently, tapping his map with the back of his marker. "And it's fun to ride the bus anyway, right." Ryan figured to some muggles buses were boring, but to him it was like an adventure, and even if he was just going to follow the route back to the stop near his house, he could still imagine he was going on some journey someplace far away.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

"Oh, no not a cloak or anything quite as cool as that, just something simple like a pair of pants, but in a super super bright colour that would really annoy Terry's mother if she ever saw it." Evan felt a little worried that Ryan might think pants were boring compared to his idea of a cloak. But in that moment, it also occurred to her that now that she knew she was a witch, she felt like she would be wearing cloaks and capes eventually!

"But I think a cloak is a great idea, it would be fun to come up with a design, and to pick out different buckles or clasps, and things like that! Maybe I should learn how to do that!"

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Mollified that Evan seemed to accept that cloaks were cool, even if she wasn't making one, Ryan amused himself with the idea of super bright pants. They wouldn't be very practical for sneaking around or anything, so he wouldn't wear them, but he could appreciate them being fun. "How do you make things like that? Do you just like.. trace the fabric and then sew new things together?" Ryan had never spared much thought for how clothes were made, bending over in his seat to investigate the stitching on his own pants leg. His mum always told him off if he picked too much as loose threads, but now Ryan desperately wanted to pick the seam apart and see.

"You should definitely learn to make cloaks, like big billowy ones that kinda whoosh out when you run. They're the best kind," Ryan said knowingly, sitting up fast enough to give himself a little headrush. "Though I guess they're not as complicated to make as pants. Maybe you could make your friend both and see which one they like more." Ryan said, half sketching out the shape of a cloak in the air as he spoke. It didn't seem like it'd be that hard to make a cloak. Maybe he could make his own since Dad put up the old one.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

"When you make clothing, you create a pattern on paper first, and then you pin the paper to fabric, cut out the shapes and then get sewing! It's a very satisfying process. I taught myself how to make clothes for my toys when I was a kid, and I've been making my own stuff for about six months now. This is my favourite piece so far" Evan raised and waved her arms and wriggled her fingers, as though to say 'tah-dah!' and to show that the purple polka-dotted dress she was wearing was in fact her own work.

However, with each passing second, Evan was becoming more and more fascinated by the idea of making cloaks. She wished she had given them consideration earlier in life. This conversation was filling Evan's head with the thought of herself someday designing an entire line of practical, fashionable cloaks, in a range of rich and vibrant colours. She watched Ryan's hands appear to trace the shape of a cloak in the air, and she grinned at him intensely.

"That's is a great idea, but when I'm learning how to make something new I won't usually give it as a gift until I've mastered it. I've definitely decided I'm going to start learning cloaks as soon as I finish the pants, though! I'm so glad you helped me think of my next project, thank you!" Evan wriggled in her seat, her cheeks flushing, this had been such a wonderful conversation, she was so pleased she had decided to introduce herself to Ryan. As she smiled, she felt the bus begin to slow, and realised her stop was the next one after this. She then remembered Ryan's map.

"Look Ryan, we're at a stop, is this right on the map?"

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Ryan listened as Evan explained clothes making. It didn't sound too terribly hard, and he appreciated that she actually offered to explain for once. A lot of people didn't seem to take Ryan seriously when he said he wanted to know how things worked, which was frustrating. "That's cool," He said, reaching out to feel the fabric of her sleeve curiously. He still thought cloaks were cooler, but they'd probably get boring after awhile so Evan knowing how to make other things was good too. Ryan had never really been interested in clothes in the first place, but it was definitely more interesting knowing how they were made at least.

He nodded approvingly at Evan's logic, pleased that she agreed with him about the cloaks. "Maybe you should teach your friend to sew too, so they can make their own stuff if their mum won't but them anything," He offered. Ryan found things were generally more interesting to learn if he could share it with people, though his sister told him it was annoying when he talked all the time. Ryan looked up as the bus began to slow, realizing Evan was right and hurriedly checking his map, realizing he'd not been paying attention since talking to Evan. "Dang, I haven't been watching.. I don't know if this is 100% right anymore," He said with a frown, trying to crane his neck to see back down the road but mostly just succeeding at smacking his head on the window. "The stop name matches at least." He mumbled despondently, rubbing at his forehead.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

Evan thought about all the times she had tried to get Terry interested in sewing, and how nobody ever seemed to quite enjoy it as much as Evan did. She really appreciated that Ryan was somehow able to see that sewing wasn't just plain old boring housework, and it was actually a satisfying creative process from start to finish.

"Terry didn't really want to learn because she always saw how much work it can be and she doesn't see it as fun like I do." something fell into place in Evan's mind, and she realised this was similar to how she didn't understand why Ryan might be interested in maps. Everyone is different, and between two different people, one may see something as fun and the other may see it as boring. Evan felt she had learned a valuable life lesson that would help her see people in a different light, and have a better understanding of people and their differences.

As Ryan began to check the map again, Evan realised she had been distracting him from his work, and she felt a little guilty.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to distract you. I'd be happy to just sit quietly with you if you need to concentrate." Evan smiled, hoping she hadn't actually upset him.

 

[Ryan Fisk]

Scratching at his cheek, Ryan shrugged when Evan mentioned her friend not really seeing the fun in sewing. Ryan liked taking things apart or figuring out how they worked, but he could get how it might be boring to just make pants all the time or something, but Evan seemed really excited about it at least. "Their loss. At least they have you to make them a bunch of stuff," Nicole sometimes made her friends little things like Evan seemed to, though she always made it clear Ryan wasn't allowed to touch.

While Ryan was annoyed about not paying attention, his conversation with Evan hadn't been a total waste of time, so he shrugged again. "It's fine, you're not boring or anything, that would have been annoying. I can just pay more attention on the way back," He said, running his marker along the straight part of the road they were currently on, though it was mostly redundant at this point. "And I kinda know how to make clothes now." He added, warming up to the idea of the new information he'd managed to glean from Evan today. Much better than he'd expected from today's trip to be sure.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

Evan was pleasantly surprised at how well this discussion with Ryan had gone, she had barely ever met anyone else her age who was willing to sit and listen to her enthusiasm about clothing. Based on his responses, she was beginning to understand that Ryan was more interested in the more technical side of things, whereas Evan herself couldn't get enough of anything to do with textiles.

"I'm glad you don't think I'm boring," Evan hated not knowing how people felt about her, and so she was very pleased that Ryan had made a point to say this to her. "I'm glad I met you, Ryan! I wonder if we'll cross paths again someday." She felt much more comfortable than she had anticipated she would feel going out on her first time on the bus by herself. She had almost entirely forgotten about her nerves, thanks to her conversation with Ryan.

"Well, you definitely know the very basic place to start, if you ever wanted to learn how to make yourself a cloak or something. You'd just need to buy a pattern, or design one! I got started when I was quite little, when I took off my coat and the sleeves came right through the body, it turned inside out and I was fascinated by seeing all of the individual panels and the connecting seams and how all the shapes work together. " Based on what Evan had learned about Ryan so far, she felt like he would appreciate that kind of information.

Evan peered out the bus window again, her stop was coming up just around the corner.

 

[Ryan Fisk]

"Probably not, but oh well," Ryan said matter-of-factly when Evan mentioned them seeing each other again. Once he started school, he wouldn't have nearly as many chances to play muggle and ride the buses, so he doubted he'd ever see Evan again. The odds just weren't very high, so it wasn't worth getting worked up over. "I'd not thought much about how clothes were all made of parts, that's pretty interesting," Ryan said as Evan explained more about how he might get started on his own. Ryan turned out the inside of his jacket, examining the pockets for a moment and wondering how easy it might be to convince his dad to let him take apart of some his clothes when got back home.

Evan seemed to be checking out the window a lot, and Ryan checked his map, squinting out the window. "Next stop's coming up soon, looks right." He said confidently, poking at the map with his marker so Evan could compare to the road. He'd enjoyed having someone who didn't immediately dismiss his map stuff as weird or boring, hopefully more kids at school this year would be as interesting.

 

[Evan Eldridge]

Evan frowned a little when Ryan said they probably wouldn't see each other again. It made sense though, it was a big world, after all. It suddenly hit Evan that hopping off the bus would mean being on her own again. She was looking forward to going to the store, but her conversation with Ryan had distracted her from the fact that she was actually out on her own. The bus began to slow down , and Evan felt a wave of disappointment.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you, either way. If we never meet again, I'll always remember you as the one who got me onto the idea of cloaks." Evan gave Ryan a shaky smile, struggling to contain her emotions. She wasn't ready to get off the bus, but it was time. She stood up and decided to end their conversation the way it had started- she held out her hand to offer a handshake back to Ryan, something she never done before. She giggled at herself. She did feel she had grown up somewhat since she'd hopped on the bus, but if she was going to grow up, she could still do it with a laugh. Maybe she could handle shopping on her own, after all.