Made Of Stone

A milkshake. Adrian would leave his family house in the middle of the Sunday for only one person - his mother. And that person wanted a milkshake, it's true she slipped back to sleep before he even left her room, but she promised he'll get her one, and he will, although healers forbid them waking her up when she drifts back to sleep because she can't sleep well for months, he'll buy her a milkshake and leave it close to her so she can find it when she wakes up.

He rolled his slaves up. A quick glance on his forearm confirmed his dark mark is still hidden with a spell, Blanchard always kept it hidden but always checked if the spell worked, he doubted it would do him any good if the spell suddenly stops working, but since that part of his skin was now covered with an illusion of other tattoo that fit the rest of the tattoos that filled his arms he was safe and ready to go.

Apparating in the middle of the Diagon Alley seemed like better idea, so he chose that instead of old fashioned walking to the Leaky and passing through wall made of bricks, that would be pointless waste of time, this way he could do few more things besides buying a milkshake. Check if his new broom has arrived, for starters.

Adrian appeared at the street in a bundle of light and started to walk ignoring all the people around him.

Shylock didn't believe in a higher power, so it surprised him how often he found himself praising the Lord.

He certainly praised Him for the creation of the perfect specimen who'd just apparated to the centre of the Alley. Absolutely divine. Shylock wasn't usually one for the chase, he far preferred to be the one pursued, but there was no way he was letting this one go.

He wasn't really dressed for reconnaissance. Shylock was rarely dressed appropriately, except for clubbing. Even today's toned down ensemble - skin-tight black trousers, a sheer blouse and the chains that always hung from his belt loops - made him stand out among wizarding fashions that clung stubbornly to the past.

Nevertheless, he strode up the street toward the man who'd captured his interest. It wasn't difficult to get close to him, glance aside at the last moment and just happen to stumble into the guy.

"Oh, hey, sorry!" he exclaimed, skipping further forwards to prevent himself losing his footing all together.

At the moment, a fall could potentially break one of Shylock's bones. And if he was going to end up in bed, he was quite sure he didn't want it to be a hospital bed.

This. Is. Not. Happening.

Adrian didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or kick the universe in its groin.

Blanchard didn't even seen it coming. Well he seen someone in his peripheral vision, he just wasn't in a mood to observe his surroundings so he wasn't prepared for someone bumping into him. He stumbled a few steps backwards before finding his balance. He tried to help the person that bumped into him knowing that if that person falls, he'll probably fell to the ground too, and he wasn't fond of getting dirt on his clothes, that would mean he would need to wash it sooner than he planned, and he still wasn't used on doing that, it became even worse when he tried to wash it using his wand, the last sweater only disappeared and he hasn't found it ever since.

Adrian moved his hands away once he was sure that the other man found his balance and look at him . "It's fine. Are you alright?" He really didn't care about the answer, but even him had some manners… and a mum that would most likely kick his butt if she founds out he's acting rude towards strangers, again.

Shylock spun as he found himself gripped by his quarry. Well, that was an unexpected bonus. He awarded the man a dazzling smile as the guy tried to help keep them both from falling.

He was working on the fly now, since most people reacted to Shylock's more outlandish methods of meeting people by chastising him for being 'clumsy' or simply for existing at all. Being treated civilly had thrown him off his game a bit.

"Oh, yes," he replied. "Thanks so much."

He added a bashful laugh for effect.

"You practically saved my life. I should buy you lunch or something," he said.

If the guy had just had the decency to start an argument, Shylock was sure he wouldn't have done something as stupid offer to buy lunch when the very thought of eating in public made him want to throw up.

You're welcome? It sounded too silly to say it aloud so he simply chose not to say it. He rolled his slaves a bit more, only to unroll them few seconds after that. Forcing himself to stop he glanced up meeting the other guy's gaze.

"Anytime." Yeah, that didn't sound weird at all.

Adrian found himself chuckling despite his current mood, thinking that the guy who bumped into him (or it was Adrian who bumped into him? He wasn't sure) is overreacting. "Thanks, but that's too much….You'd really help me if you could tell me if there's any place that sells milkshakes, though." Since it's been more than eight years since he moved from London he wasn't sure just how much the city had changed. With that in his mind finding milkshakes seemed quite difficult, and he'd use every help he could get.

Not a local? He sounded like one, though. Maybe someone who'd been away for some time. But still, how could anyone miss Fortescue's? It was right at the beginning of the Alley.

Oh, right, he hadn't come in that way.

"You'd be looking for Fortescue's, then," Shylock said. "Ice creamery, but they do milkshakes as well."

He paused a moment, biting his lip. His curiosity about this guy was overwhelming. It wasn't exactly his looks. Objectively speaking he was kind of awkward, but then Shylock had always been drawn to the idiosyncratic. But no, that wasn't it.

It was more that the guy clearly had similar problems to Shylock's own, and that made him feel like there was a level of intimacy in their casual conversation that the logical part of his mind was already telling him didn't really exist.

Nevertheless, he made no attempt to hold back on what was probably quite an invasive question, considering he'd known this guy all of a couple of minutes. Not even long enough to introduce himself, he realised.

"Are you not from around here? I could show you, if you like. My name's Shylock, by the way."

There, so simple.

(OOC. Sorry cause it's short and wonky - lack of muse. :S)

Fortescue's. The name meant nothing to Adrian Blanchard. He couldn't even connect it with some foggy memory of a place he once visited. If he visited that place, his memory of it was berried deep beneath the others.

„Maybe… To be honest, I've never heard for Fortescue's.“ He admitted, after a few seconds of silence.

It might sound unusual, but it was true. In Adrian's defence, he was never a fan of cakes, cupcakes so he never felt the need to visit any kind of pastry shops. Glancing at the other man Adrian wondered does that makes him weird.

If not, there are surely many other things that makes him fit into that category, and from what he could conclude from looking at the other man, he fit in that category, too. It's a happy coincidence they bumped into each other.

"Please, I'd be grateful if you could show me, every building seems the same." One end of his lips curved in an untight grin. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Adrian."

Shylock's lips quirked, taking on a self satisfied slant.  

Never heard of Fortescues.  Every building looked the same.  Such transparent excuses, especially coming from someone who was as hung up on food as Shylock suspected his new friend must be.

"So, where are you from, Adrian?" he probed, curious how someone who sounded so English could possibly be so at sea in Diagon Alley.

If he hadn't seen Adrian apparate with his own eyes, he might have taken him for one of Monroe's muggles, but Shylock doubted even his brother would attempt to teach muggles advanced magic.

"You can't have been here long if you don't know your way around the Alley, if you don't mind my saying so."

(Sorry for waiting this long. :S)

Adrian chuckled, "You'll probably find this weird, but I'm from here. Well not here like from Diagon Alley but here like from London. I just hate sweets, that's all."

He shut up, realizing he's speaking way too much for a person who never takes a part in conversation with people he met couple of minutes ago.

Quick glance on his right confirmed Shylock is still walking beside him, silence. Instead of saying something just to break the silence, like many other people would, he gazed to the front again and continued walking without saying anything - silence felt comforting enough.

"I don't mind, in fact you're right. I lived in Switzerland for longer period of time and just moved back to London so this is my first visit to the Diagon Alley since Hogwarts." He'd like to say he missed it here, but he wasn't. Adrian missed his family, of course, but this place was just like any other and he kind of hope that more time will pass until he return, yet that wasn't something he could change.

In his attempt to made their conversation sound less like police interrogation Adrian realized he'd probably need to ask something, too. "So, did you also go to Hogwarts?" It was lame question, yet he couldn't ask him if he's from here since he quite possibly was considering how well he knew his was around the Alley, and speaking about the weather seemed even more lame than speaking about (possibly) their beloved (huh!) school.

"Yorkshire," Shylock replied in kind. "The entire wizarding population doesn't live in Diagon, you know."

Okay, Switzerland. That didn't really explain anything, but Shylock was willing to pretend.

There was a brief spell of silence as they walked along, he wondering how to turn this situation to his favour, and Adrian, well he had no idea what was going through Adrian's head.

"But of course," he replied to the inevitable question, then anticipated the next. "Slytherin."

Shylock's own train of thought was still back in the station, though. He slowed in his walk, slipped his hands into his pockets (as far as these jeans would allow, anyway) and made a show of looking Adrian over.

"Why are you so keen to buy a milkshake if you hate sweets so much?" he asked as though he had no idea how this worked.