These Streets open Closed

Clarke let out a quiet groan knowing he'd have to chase after her again. And what better things did he have to do here? He didn't know where he was and he didn't have anyone else around him. As he hurried after her he turned once more to the baker to wave bye to him and called "thanks" over his shoulder.

When he finally caught up to her, he was panting just a little, "so are you from here?" He asked curiously as he kept pace with her "You know your way around but I noticed your accent" He said pointing vaguely towards his mouth. He didn't know if it was a rude thing to ask or not but she was bossing him around a lot and he figured it wouldn't hurt to try to get to know her right?

It hadn't even really crossed her mind that this might be a dangerous thing to do, following a stranger around a city he hardly knew. In his head it made sense because she was around his age so why would he even question it? Besides she had taken him to get food first which would be a weird thing to do if she was going to then beat him up in a park. If anything there was witnesses. Either way Clarke just followed along after her, curious.

Ami shot a look back at Clarke as he asked his question, and she chuckled to herself, the reason really only known to herself. "Born here, grew up in Chicago," she mumbled, her body swaying side to side, her skateboard following her (duh). "Mom wanted me to move back for Hogwarts."

Her childhood had always been a touchy subject for her, especially when it came to her parents. Growing up in Chicago had been her father's wish, but after her first sign of magic, her mom had wanted her closer to her, so she could watch over Ami and explain to her the wizarding world when her Hogwarts letter came.

It didn't work out all the smoothly, though. First of all, Ami stubbornly refused to any British terms of any sort, both magical and non-magical. Car parks were still parking lots, baubles were still Christmas ornaments. Muggles were still No-Majs, and Hogwarts should've been Ilvermorny.

She glanced back at the boy, sliding into a power slide to stop sharply. There was a cheeky smile on her face, like there always was when she called someone out on something, and her eyebrow was arched like Maggie Smith. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Your humming gave it away. You're a wizard, aren't you?" 

Clarke nodded wordlessly, taken by surprise. He was speechless for a second. He had seen the skateboard and just assumed she had to have been a muggle, in his town they were the only ones who used those contraptions. Once the surprise wore off though he felt immeasurably more comfortable. It was rare for Clarke to feel intimidated, he was raised to hold himself with a certain amount of confidence, but London always threw him off guard. But now, knowing that she wasn't just a street wise muggle, but a witch, Clarke felt a little more calm.

"Yeah" He said, "pure-blooded" he added pressing a hand over his chest. "But that's good isn't it?" he asked, thinking about what she said about moving back here for Hogwarts. "Hogwarts is the best school in the world. Both my parents went there, and my moms parents too. My dads parents went to Ilvermorny themselves but they moved to England before my father could. He says it's a good thing too, Hogwarts was the best thing that happened to him," Clarke announced proudly.

"I'm only just going into my first year though," He added in a less excited voice, like being a first year was something to be shamed of, "I'm excited though, I've spent too much time at home it feels like."

"Pure-blooded isn't a badge you should be displaying on your chest," Ami said quietly, hopping back on her skateboard as she continued on the path to the park. "Not everyone appreciates it." Ah, yes, blunt and straight-forward Ami, who only came out when it was nighttime and her brain began to slowly shut off.

"And Hogwarts is hogwash compared to Ilvermorny," Ami's nose twitched, and she smiled, raising an eyebrow."Ilvermorny has less of a death toll." If he was pureblooded, then surely, he would have heard tales of the Battle of Hogwarts. Even she, a mere half-blood brought up as a No-Maj, had heard the of the infamous Battle.

"Your first year will be great!" Ami smiled encouragingly. It hadn't been, for her, at least, but she hadn't exactly made things easier for herself through the school year. Someone as enthusiastic as he was, with his blood status, surely wouldn't have too much trouble fitting in at the vast school.

"Just... don't get on the wrong side of some people," she added, kicking up her skateboard into the air as they approached the park, grabbing it and putting it on her shoulder, strolling into the park. Scanning the area, Ami looked around for any sight of a redhead.

Nope. No one. Eris wasn't there. Slightly defeated, Ami trudged over to a bench, sitting down. "Come sit. I don't think anyone will disturb two random kids alone in a park."

Clarke made an uncomfortable face, "Not to be rude but," he paused and took a deep breath, "if not everyone appreciates my blood status it's not really my problem," he told her. "My family isn't.." he trailed off and frowned as he thought hard, "they're very proud," he settled on.

"I am excited though," He said as he walked over and sat on the bench next to her, "I don't plan on getting on anyone's bad side but I'm not the kind to just sit and take it if someone messes with me" he said squaring his shoulders. It wasn't clear if Clarke was playing up his aggression or if he genuinely was unaware of how harmless he really was. Because the truth was when it came down to it Clarke wasn't much to fight, he preferred deescalating and mediating. He was the type to step in between two fighting people and calm them both down.

The boy was also fiercely protective, not just of people he liked but of anyone he felt needed it. Yes, Clarke stood up for other beings a lot more than he stood up for himself, but part of him liked to imagine he was a little more tough, a little more outspoken. His father was. His father was tall and strong and had a intimidating presence when he wasn't exuding his usual carefree attitude. Clarke had always tried to emulate it but there seemed to be something his father had that Clarke was just missing. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad yet though.

Finally through with her apple, Ami tossed the core into a trash can about 8 or 9 feet away. “Go on, Mr. Tough Kid,” she smirked, nodding at his freshly-purchased sandwich. “Don’t let me stop you from eating your dinner.”

Ah, so he was the type of kid who solved the problem using words before resorting to violence, wasn’t he? One of the sweet kids? Ami, on the other hand, was pretty much the exact opposite. Punch first, ask questions later. It wasn’t the best policy, she’d be the first to admit that, but it worked, nonetheless. 

“I’m just gonna skate around a bit, okay?” she asked, standing up and setting her board on the ground. “Take your time eatinf. Mr. Fiteri makes some pretty mean sandwiches.” And with that, Ami pushed off, leaving her box of muffins behind on the bench.

Ah, the sweet, sweet taste of wind pushing past her as she rolled along. It had been quite awhile since she last skateboarded, what with the summer camp, the Ancient Runes trip, and now the upcoming History of Magic adventure... it was nice to have some time to herself, skateboarding once more.

The park’s paths were paved rather smoothly, lined with the occasional bench on either side as the pavement meandered through the sparse trees. Jumping her skateboard off the pavement and onto a bench, Ami slid along the seat before jumping back to the pavement- basically, just showing off in general. She was good, and she knew it.

Clarke unwrapped the sandwich and started to eat it slowly. He was too distracted to truly enjoy it but distantly he was aware that it was very good. His mother was never much of a cook herself and he wasn't sure his dad ever made a home made meal in his life. So he could appreciate it. But mostly he was just thinking about how he got here, truly. He had come to London to spend more time with his father before going off to school in the fall but instead he was here, with a stranger, eating dinner in a park.

It was a little funny to him that even as this girl ignored him for her skateboard, she was still spending more time with him than his father had. It made him smile a little, at the irony of it. He wasn't sure what he was really expecting from this trip though, had he really thought his father was going to put his life on hold to spend time with Clarke? not likely.

Clarke watched her show off on her skateboard before clearing his voice and speaking up, "I don't think I ever introduced myself" He said. He felt a little bad when he realized it, not even telling her his name? That was rude and his mother would be very disappointed if she knew about it. "I'm Clarke, Clarke Laredo," He said, "but my friends do call me Mr. Tough Kid" he added as a joke.

"Well, Mr. Clarke Laredo, it's a pleasure to meet you," Ami said, adopting the airs and graces her mom had drilled into her. It was almost second nature to slip into a more mature, adult version of herself when someone began to introduce themselves to her. 

Skidding to a stop in front of the bench, Ami stuck a hand out for a handshake- ooh, how formal and mature of her, really such a nice touch. "Ami Procoppio, known to lazy as Ami Poptropica. Call me that, and suffer a broken arm."

Laredo wasn't a name she recognized, although from Clarke's pureblood status, along with the importance and deep pockets of his father, the Laredo name seemed to be an important one. Even if her mother was a pureblood from a high-standing name, Procoppio was one only military-loving No-Majs would recognize

Deeply rooted in wars and conquering, the Procoppio name was a blood-stained one, although Ami wore it with a deep sense of pride in the legacy her ancestors had left for her. After all, she was expected to enlist when she turned 18, hence her reluctance in going to Hogwarts. For her, it was still a "waste" of her 7 years, which she would rather be spent training in America. Alas, it was not to be.

"Come on. Once you're done with your sandwich, I'll walk you back to your hotel? I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you don't know where it is," Ami said, mostly poking fun at Clarke's lack of knowledge regarding the city and its streets. 

Clarke made a face at the threat, "I'll try to keep that in mind," He said slowly, but shook her hand anyway. He had no intention of actually taunting her name but he also was aware that if she really did want to break his arm there was probably little he could do to stop her besides running away and even then, she'd probably be able to catch him.

When he pulled his hand back he reached into his pocket and pulled out the muggle map of London his father had given him, "I have this" he said waving it at her as if to say he did know the way back. He had already gotten lost trying to use the thing but he didn't want her to think he was totally helpless. Given enough time he could find his way back to the hotel, and his father well... if his father really wanted to find him he probably could have. Who knows how long that would take but eventually it would happen.

Even so he knew it would probably be best to follow Ami back to the hotel, it would get him into bed before sunrise at least. Still he didn't want her to think he was totally incapable. Sure, London was new ground to him but he wasn't the type to just freeze up.

Ami smirked at the boy's crude and simple map, finding it rather funny that he seemed to be lost, even with the map. "You have no idea where you are, don't you?" she said gently, prompting him with a pitying smile. "It's okay, you know. To admit it. This isn't your hometown, it's okay to be a little lost." Ah, kids and their high-and-mighty pride, unwilling to ask for help. After all, all they wanted to be was grown-up.

It was like teenagers had some sort of innate desire to be seen as adults, not kids. Breaking rules, disregarding authority... those were just things that every teenager went through. Well, unless you were a goody-two-shoes, which were the weirdest types of people. I mean, who didn't break rules for fun?

Normal people? Pssh, those types of people were boring.

"So, what hotel are you staying at?" Grabbing Clarke's wrist, she hauled him up to his feet, now that he was done with his dinner. Kicking her skateboard up into the air, she balanced it on her shoulder as she took the map from Clarke. There were a few lines drawn on it, as well as a couple of locations circled, like the hotel. "Aight, let's bounce."