Unswerved. Sort of

[Luewann MacEachern]

Seven. Eight. Nine. Luewann glanced over his shoulder. Where was the tenth? He hurried through the random scraps of parchment that scattered his desk in an unorderly fashion, flipping books up and down in an effort to find the final piece of his puzzle. It had to be around here somewhere. The man had had a difficult day, serving less than impressed customers at the bank, and all he wanted to do now was organise his ingredients in time for tomorrows showing. While the day job took up a large portion of the Scot's time, he didn't allow himself to relax, preferring to frantically make progress in his study, preparing new concoctions that would help his clients. As a Herbologist, it was important to get everything right, but as he tore through his workstation looking for the crushed figs he wondered whether they were really that important to the recipe. He cursed loudly, knowing he wouldn't be able to forgo them, and that in his last resort he may need to purchase new ones if he wanted to be completed in time. He threw his jacket over his shoulders, and a scarf wrapped around his neck, before he yanked open the door to head out into the evening. There would only be a few places left open at this time, but with summer approaching, he knew of a few places left in the town he could try. At this rate, the levels of his stress would force him via the pub before he managed to finish his mission, but with his first task at hand, he pushed onwards and took the steps up and out into the night.

It took him almost an hour before he had successfully pocketed his missing ingredient, by which point he was no less than 18 miles from home. He wouldn't be getting any sleep that night even if he wanted to, with the mixture of nerves and time it would take to get home. The establishment had served him well enough, and while he was glad to know of its existence he hoped he wouldn't result in becoming a regular. Loyalty was popular for business, but it made for terrible competition.

 

[Elowen Rydderch]

[adminapproval=#11141811]Elowen Rydderch had been taking her job seriously from before she'd gotten it. Her magizoology was a life consuming choice, but it was the way she liked it. Siani was off doing whatever it was she needed to feel better about her treatment of her while she was sick - and Elly didn't bother to contact the rest of the family. There was a separation from them that often made Elowen curse her previous illness, curse the fact that she'd let her brain control her need to have approval to a ridiculous standard that she'd only set for herself. The blonde took a breath, making her way slowly through the terrain trying to locate the wounded creature the blood she'd spotted was coming from. Considering the tracks she though it was either a dog or a Krup. It wouldn't be unheard of in this area. The blonde's head was pointed fairly downward, looking at the tracks. Then they ended, and concrete began. The blonde's head jerked up, and she looked for the creature which she found.

There was the stray dog, sat against an apothecary. Elowen saw it, and her eyes softened. She removed the sweater over her top, and wrapped it around the frightened creature, which only had an injured paw that would heal quickly. She cooed to the small dog, and looked at the apothecary door, just as someone was exiting. "Excuse me, I dont think they'll let pets inside, if i give you some galleons can you see if they have some healing salve for this stray?" She asked, barely making eye contact.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Luewann had barely moved a step forward away from the door of the apothecary when he was interrupted from his thoughts about his table placements. A frown appeared quickly upon his forehead, although not because of what he saw. No, he didn't want to be spoken to. He had things he needed to do, places he had to be. Did this woman even know how long it was going to take him to get home? He glanced down to the creature she was holding, wondering where on earth she'd managed to pick that up. It took him a moment to realise that she'd asked him a question and he pondered for a moment. Of all the people she could of asked, she'd approached him. Perhaps Delphine from the bank was right. He needed a new look, he looked too reliable.

The woman may have had a heart for animals, but it was concoctions that Luewann prided himself on his knowledge of. He turned 180 degrees on his heels, walking straight back into the store without saying a word. It would likely take anyone who didn't know what they were looking for an eternity to find the little vial, and while they could well ask the shopkeeper, they were hardly their only customer even if the sun had now set in the sky. Mandrake infused healing salve would be the best option. It was cheap and easily acquirable, and covered enough of the symptoms. A dried mandrake leaf that was ground down was going to be more applicable than a paste, especially if any pain was acute, and selecting one of the green ash coloured bottles from the warm area of the shelves, he quickly made his purchase.

He'd been in and out too quickly to assume that even if she'd wanted to leave him stranded with a personally unnecessary potion, it was likely he would have seen her depart. Fortunately that didn't seem to be the case, and with a hand held outright he presented it to her like a teacher would present a student with a gold sticker of good behaviour. Galleons meant nothing to him. They were a symbol that the magical government could run rings around their subjects and he had to look at them enough during the day without wanting to be reacquainted with them at night. "This should work. Apply generously. Thrice a day. Keep warm but don't leave in sunlight" he reiterated with about as much passion as a wet pillow, but he knew was right, and that's what was important.

 

[Elowen Rydderch]

When the doe-eyed boy looked at Elowen she felt a twinge of emotion in her gut. She felt like it was very possible this man didn't want to speak with her, or know what was happening with the animal in her arms. She had worried she'd find someone who would just hex her and the stray animal. The blonde didn't have the best record of picking and choosing who to be around. Her friends and her family were included. The blonde continued to stare him down though, brown eyes never leaving his face. She decided that if he decided to harm her or her new friend he'd have to look her in the face while doing so.

That didn't happen though. Instead the gangly man before her turned on his heels and disappeared back into the shop, without his money. Elowen was pleasantly shocked. The blonde looked down at the stray dog. "It's gonna be okay baby." The animal whimpered in return, and it nearly broke Elowen's heart. "No, shh, it's okay." She spoke soothingly, chin rested on the dogs head softly. She wanted the dog to feel her intentions, to feel that her heart beat for it, that it bled for it's situation. That she was a kind soul who meant well most days - but only to creatures other than herself.

Finally the man reemerged with the potion, brushing off the money she was going to offer him for the potion. The blonde looked at him. "WAit!" She spoke with a hint of confusion. "You don't want any money for helping me?" For a moment Elly wondered if it was because he too liked animals. "Please, let me buy you a drink after i get this on this dog's foot. Or if you're staying in town let me pay for your room for the night." She offered, feeling rather generous. "I'm Elowen." She spoke, but did not extend a hand. "Elowen Rydderch."

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Luewann looked at the woman blankly, confused as to how his previous comment could have possibly resulted in her need to ask for clarification. He did not want money, and as she continued to attempt to wager some kind of reciprocating deal from the man, he tried to calculate the best way forward. "I have no desire for the invaluable raw material that will inevitably weigh down my pocket, and while kind the offer is to pay for a room, it is both unnecessary and entirely disproportionate to the total value of the Mandrake Salve. Therefore should you feel the need to lighten your burden of a debt I think a drink would be most appropriate, provided it could consumed on site as opposed to taking shelter in said pocket." His tone suggesting he'd considered all angles, but ultimately leaving the decision up to the woman he'd acquainted. Luewann outstretched his own hand, oblivious to the difficulties this may cause her to have as she clutched onto the creature that seemed so desperate for her care. "Luewann. Luewann MacEachern" his thick Scottish accent emphasised in his thick Scottish name. "Will this take long?" He questioned her, keen to be back on the road for the journey home. If he was to stop for a beverage before he could go, he didn't want to be wasting additional hours that he didn't have to spend, watching her care for the canine,

 

[Elowen Rydderch]

Elowen looked at the guy as she helped the injured dog. She was quick to take care of it, but did not let the dog down. No this was her new project, she'd rehabilitate it and then send it out for adoption to a good family. The blonde began to walk with him, listening to his wordy explanations and Scottish accent. He was quite the verbose person, and Elowen was not quite convcined he really wanted a drink. However she couldn't help turning his name over in her head. Sounded an awful lot like hers. "You're a wordy c*** ain't you?" She asked, stopping at the front of a doorway where they could get drinks. "Luewann I invited you because it was the polite thing to do. Never knew a Scot to turn down a drink." her own accent made it obvious how she knew he was Scottish, so at least that shouldn't have been a surprise. "You must be a herbologist. Where did you study?" She inquired curiously. Maybe he went to school with her. She couldn't quite tell if he was older or younger, and thus hoped he'd tell when he graduated to help her along.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Luewann began to follow this strange woman down the road, but stopped briefly for a moment at her foul language. Before he could reply however, Elowen described the reasoning behind her proposition, and the Scot gave her a quizzical look. "If you say so." He had never been the greatest at determining what consisted as polite, but he would allow her to buy him a beverage if that made her feel any better. "Well, I won't deny the impact that alcohol has on the blood stream. It does after all, at intoxicating levels, act as a vasodilator that causes the blood vessels in the brain to relax and widen as appropriate, but at even higher levels, it becomes a vasoconstrictor, shrinking the vessels and increasing blood pressure, exacerbating such conditions as migraine headaches and frostbite. Although given the volume expected to be consumed tonight, I don't think we need to worry." Luewann stared at the woman, her earlier words playing back once more in his head. "Apologies." Walking forward, he opened the door to an establishment that looked as though they wouldn't find themselves engaged with any unnecessary havoc, allowing the woman to enter first.

Once they were seated inside, he peered nervously at the drink that had been placed in front of him. This didn't look like the liquid he had ordered and it crossed his mind whether this new woman in his life had managed to pass it off as something else while his mind was distracted. "I am a Herbologist. By night." he clarified, wondering how best to answer his place of study. It was highly unlikely she would have idea what he was talking about with his next words, but he needed to try and establish a bond in knowledge. "Have you ever heard of the phrase, Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus?" He questioned. If she didn't he could simply play it off as the nickname to a muggle university in the area, but he hoped she would realise his plan. She seemed quite nice to talk to anyway, even if he did have other, urgent, places to be.

 

[Elowen Rydderch]

Elowen listened to the rambling of the man before her, giving him a strange look from the corner of her eyes as they walked. Wordy wasn't enough to describe the way he talked about how alcohol effected the blood, as if Elowen didn't know that enough. The blonde tossed feather light tresses over her shoulder with the arm not carrying the pooch. The blonde chuckled. "It's okay, you're passionate about being smart, and I'm passionate about food I get it." She spoke with a shrug of her shoulder, trying not to be as animated as normal when she spoke so as not to disturb the beast in her arms.

At the herbologists words reached her ears the blonde nodded. "Yeah, who wouldn't have?" She spoke, thick Scottish accent more evident the more they talked. "I'm a graduate, Ravenclaw prefect."She responded with confidence and pride. The obsessive girl had worked hard for her grades, so hard she'd let her health slip out of her mind. The blonde gripped her new pet closer and entered with gratitude for the open door. "Did you attend as well? What year? We might have had classes together." She spoke, not recognizing the boy, though her last few years because of her illness were a blur.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Luewann appreciated the fact that Elowen allowed him to talk. Some he'd known weren't so kind, but it wasn't going to stop him explaining himself when he thought it appropriate. To the Herbologist, food was an unnatural substance to be passionate about. It had its base usage and its properties of nutrition, required for healthy living and a working metabolism but Luewann felt he needn't share that out loud, as decreasing anyone's interest wasn't exactly his intention here. He was however taken aback when Elowen spoke so freely of her experience at Hogwarts. "Fair enough. I am also a graduate. Hufflepuff. Not a prefect nor anything special actually. Not that I'm complaining. I graduated in 2042. I'm currently twenty one years old although I do think I would remember you if you'd been in my classes. I have a knack for joining faces to names and names to faces and yours doesn't add up." he explained, figuring she must have been in a different year if they had attended the same Hogwarts. Luewann swirled the mixture in the drink, taking a hesitant sip before concluding he'd have been better off with orange juice. But a deal was a deal and here he was, taking a drink with a stranger he just met, wondering how long he had to keep up this play date until he could return to his home. "You should note I do actually have somewhere to be this evening, although I be gracious and wait until all drinks are consumed before leaving." Sometimes he wondered why he had no friends. "You seem to have a passion however for more than just food. Do you frequently nurse creatures in despair?" he asked her, forcing himself to make conversation as they drank.
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[Elowen Rydderch]

Elowen cocked an eyebrow, seeing if she could remember anyone from the year being mentioned by Luewann. "I'm three years older than you. I wasn't very social though." She chuckled, imagining this kid as social was a laugh as well. He was full of things to say, but Elowen got the feeling people often didn't listen because he took too long to get from point a to point b; Elowen didn't mind though, saved her the trouble of having to find something interesting to say. "Very blunt I see, must get what you want often." She mused, playful as it was she thought the more blunt someone was the more often they did get what they wanted. She wondered if ever she'd reach that level. "I do. I'm a trained magical animal veterinarian - I focused mostly on rare and endangered species though. However anything that gets hurt is mine to care for." She smiled, looking down at the sleeping animal. "So Luewann is a strange name." She spoke pondering the fact it sounded similar to hers. "Is it inherited, like your mother or father's name?" Inquiring one of their parents names was innocent conversation enough, and Elowen continued to drink quietly, knowing once they'd both finished and she'd paid he'd be off to never see her again - not that she'd be too terribly hurt by that.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

At hearing she was older, Luewann had figured as much. "Can't say I do." he replied, vowing to try and get rid of this liquid as quickly as possible. He was here right now doing exactly what he didn't want thank you very much. He listened to her explain about being a vet, and if he was completely honest his interest was peaking a little. It never hurt to have other specialists in contact, especially when it came to looking for ingredients. He cared very little that she actually nursed them back to health, some people had some peculiar hobbies. He would have asked for more information about where she located the creatures, and what she did with them once they were, complete. But before the man could begin she'd picked up on his name, as though that was something of any importance. "Inherited would suggest I took it from them, and I can assure you they're still well intact with theirs." he replied initially, his own attempt at humour. "My name was influenced however, I believe my ma wanted me to at least take something from him, even if we haven't heard from him since." Luewann rarely spoke about his family, and it was only a small one at that. "I have a half brother, younger, Theo. My ma named him of course." he finished, wondering why she was so curious.
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[Elowen Rydderch]

Elowen listened and laughed. Perhaps he was not straight forward, bad at saying no. Wasn't that how he ended up here with her Drinking? It wasn't as if Elowen was blind to someone not feeling comfortable, she was constantly aware of her own similar feelings after all. "Oh you don't see him. Who knows, maybe we have the same dad." She joked, but for a moment looked a little closer at Luewann's eyes. "You kind of look like my younger brother if I'm honest." She joked. Elowen knew her father and mother were both promiscuous, it was what her therapist called the route of her issues. She didn't have stable love, blah, blah, blah. It wasn't really something that mattered to the girl. "Do you know your dad's name, or have you ever tried to find him?" The blonde inquired, frankly knowing it wasn't her business but rather uncaring. It wasn't as if they were going to meet again anytime soon. Or at all. Elowen sipped on her drink a little more, nearing the end of the glass and watching Luewann to see where in his glass he was.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Luewann was mid sip when Elowen mentioned he looked like her brother. He choked a little on the beverage, coughing for a few moments and quickly wiping his chin on his sleeve, setting the glass down where it was safe. His large brown eyes looked up to meet hers and he could feel his physical appearance being judged and critiqued like one of his own experiments. What exactly was she trying to imply here? They'd just met, barely moment previously, and the woman whoever she was, was casting around the notions that Luewann didn't think highly of. "I've briefly heard his name in mentioning." Luewann had very little left to say to this woman. "I'm afraid to say my memory if his first name had never been particular strong, although it was such in the line of Rider or Ray or something equally as plain. That being said I had his surname when I was younger, but my ma changed it from Rydderch to MacEachern after her own family when Theo was born."
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[Elowen Rydderch]

Elowen was surprised to garnish an actual reaction from the reaction-less boy. She laughed into her hand, but within moments it was her turn to choke on her own drink, which she managed to spit all over the table. Elowen coughed and hacked almost dramatically, while searching her clutch. Finally she found what she was looking for, holding the squirming animal as she pulled fourth her identification card. Once Elowen caught her breath she looked at Luewann. "You're kidding me. There's no f*****g way." She spoke, before sliding the card forward to him for him to look over. "I was joking." She spoke, wondering if maybe he was too. Had she said her last name earlier? The woman couldn't remember if she were honest. She tried to hush the dog, not wanting to get kicked out of the bar. She begged for it to be some kind of prank. All of Elowen's siblings all but abandoned her, she didn't get alone with any of them. Her sister had stayed with her briefly, but she didn't enjoy doing so. They judged her for her recovery, they felt her parents spoiled her. Elowen then wondered if maybe Luewann didn't have a father because of her - but knew that was ridiculous. Her father only became involved in her life heavily after she turned around 14 years old.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Luewann just about managed to move his drink from the firing line in time, and witnessed the shock reaction of his last acquaintance. Taking the card, he squinted at the name, blood draining from his face at the initial realisation. It didn't take long however for him to recompose himself. "I wouldn't worry." he began, "First of all, do you have any idea just how many in Scotland have that name, hell why not stretch it to the world. Secondly, regardless of whether or not we are some far distant relation, possibly or impossibly through marriage alone, could you care to inform me why it matters?" The facts were still all there, it was simply a case of coincidence that they had similar father figures in their lives. "If you like I could create a formula to calculate the possibilities?" he offered, wondering if that would calm her. Luewann didn't believe it was any more than meeting another member of the community, and just because at one point in their lives they shared the same name, the Herbologist believed that was no reason for them to need to get to know one another beyond their current status. "Unless you have some other considerable proof of a relation closer than potential distance cousins, I believe we have nothing left to pursue."
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[Elowen Rydderch]

Elowen listened to Luewann and in her chair almost physically deflated. Of course he'd think that way. She brought loose a photo of her dad with his name printed across the bottom that she ketp with her - Elowen was always close to her father, they both had photos in their wallets of each other. "I haven't had contact with anyone in my family in a little over five years. Once I graduated and was on my own and tried to move on they all sort of... disappeared." She sighed. Elowen wasn't big on telling anyone their story, but she figured it was worth some sort of shot. She named her siblings, each with traditional names and talked about growing up a little in a large household and how she's always enjoyed medicine and animals. She talked about her father and mother both fooling around outside the marriage, even though they never adressed the issue. Elowen was the oldest sibling out of all her brothers and sisters so she saw the most. Her story took a small turn as she explained why none of her siblings saw her anymore. She talked about her illness, and how it pulled her away from her family. "I've tried for a long time to reconnect with some of my siblings now that I'm more stable, but they can't be found." Elowen stared at her drink. "So finding family that didn't hate me would be nice. I get it though that it's super silly. I just kinda thought we had my dad's eyes." She laughed hollowly. "I'm sorry I took up so much of your time though, I know you had somewhere to be, and I should get this furry thing a place to sleep... and some food." She spoke with a chuckle.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Luewann went to take his leave when he noticed that Elowen was seemingly about to open up more. The Herbologist wasn't great at empathy. It made him uncomfortable and he'd much rather have been busying himself with something that would exercise the logical part of his brain instead. As she spoke however, he remained quiet, unable to interrupt or remove himself from the conversation. He felt that perhaps she didn't do this to many people, and even if there was only a slight chance that they may be related, he was somehow involved in this. Part of him wondered why he couldn't have just turned down the offer of a beverage after helping her at the Apothecary, although he didn't make those particular thoughts known. It did however feel it a little unfair that she was going to dump this hypothetical bomb shell on him before making a disappearance herself. "Would you stay." he wasn't sure whether that had been a question or a statement, but his face had been motionless for the last few minutes, contemplating whether he should divulge his own version of accounts. "I apologise to hear of your difficulties. That, must have been challenging." Luewann glanced nervously at Elowen, wondering whether if he were to give further details she'd be able to pick at their accuracy. "My parents were not together for any substantial amount of time. Ma tried to create a life for us, with my father, but he'd made himself absent a few weeks after my birth. I have no photos" he admitted carefully, "And for the record it's not silly." He was feeling uncomfortable now, but since they were both in the same boat they might as well both grab a oar.
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[Elowen Rydderch]

Elowen felt ridiculous, holding the dog still in her arms and adjusting her glass on the table so she had new ice cubes to look at. She was nearing her leave when the blonde shockingly asked her to stay. Elowen obliged, wondering if he was going to tell her that she was being ridiculous to think that they were related. However Elowen hadn't ever even met another Scottish person with the same last name as her. "I'm a claw, we love a challenge." She spoke, trying pathetically to lighten the heavy air around them. "Listen I am sorry that I dumped this on you, I always suspected my parents would have had siblings elsewhere though and I guess. I was taken by surprise. There really isn't another way to figure it out except." Elowen looked at the photo of her father. "If we asked your mum?" She suggested quietly, though she worried it would be a no from Lue. After all what if his mom wasn't over it, and Elowen could be a dangerous stranger. She wanted to know though if she was jumping to conclusions or if she could find someone to be her family when the family she grew up disappeared.

 

[Luewann MacEachern]

Any chance Luewann had of a quiet focused evening on his work had headed straight out the window with the latest revelation. The Herbologist may not have had the ability of emphathy, sympathy, or showing any kind of warm emotion, but he was also unable to ignore and discard a person. It's what had placed him in Hufflepuff after all. Finishing what remained of his glass, Luewann nodded at her request. "I wasn't lying when I informed you I have somewhere to be this evening." he began, looking across at her properly for the first time. Now that she mentioned it, there were a few features between them that looked similar, although he didn't make this known, still convinced there was the chance this was all just a coincidence. "If you can meet me in Phoenix a week tomorrow however, I will take you to her." That was the best he could do. He knew where she'd be, she hadn't moved since Theo was born. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small silver box, flipped it open, and removed one of the cards before handing it to Elowen. "These are my contact details should you find any issues with our next engagement. Given the circumstances, I also wouldn't be against a visit to the address on here, although I should ask you don't come by an earlier than 7am unless it's due to an emergency." He closed the box, tucking it away once more as he began to stand. He still needed to get back to work and finish his project for the fair tomorrow, and besides, Elowen had a dog to care for.
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