Days into Spring Break 2022



The first days of Spring Break for Simon Kincaid were spent in Edinburgh, Scotland with AngelFyre McCubbin and her family - at a countryside manor there. He wouldn't really call it a farm because it wasn't anything like his experience visiting Carlisle, England during Winter Holiday on Clair Fernandez's family farm. He had enjoyed his time there but the two had only arranged for part of his two week holiday to be visiting, and he arrived back home to London.

London reunited him with his beloved Aunt Maggie and also Rascal (whom she was watching while he was away). He visited his friends: Gabe, Oliver, Olivia, Henry, James, Sophia, and even got to see Mia Anderson. He popped in to see his favorite librarian where he used to have youth book club and stopped in to see those he missed at church. He saw a couple of former teachers and took part in a pick up hockey game. It didn't seem to matter how long Simon had been away or how much time was passing - London was always there to welcome him home.

Yes, in no time at all he was back into the swing of things: Riding the London Underground to take him places, listening to the orchestras and symphonies, taking walks along the city streets that were so familiar to him.

That afternoon, with Aunt Maggie busy at work, Simon independently made his way to London Euston, the sixth busiest railway station in Britian to meet up with his best friend, Clair Fernandez. She was meeting up with him after attending a party at another friend's home and he hoped that after such fun and festivities that London wouldn't let her down.

Checking the board, he made sure he was at the correct platform and waited for her train to arrive. When it pulled up, he utilized AngelFyre's strategic method of being halfway at the train's length so he could best look for her and when he saw her descending from the train he hurried to meet up with her.

"'Ello, me china plate! 'Ope the train ride ain't give you much Barney Rubble. Lemme 'elp ya wiff yur crowded space." ^{*Hey, best friend! Hope the train ride didn't give you much trouble. Let me help you with your luggage.} He smiled widely, glad to see his friend, and engulfed her into a hug.

Clair had been at Vale's party for the start of the 2022 spring break, and now she was on her way to Simon's where she would be spending the rest of spring break, as she sat on the train her school trunk shoved at her feet (because she had not wanted to heave it up onto the rack) and Comet sitting in her carry case on her lap, a big man sat in a seat near her he was snoring loudly as she slept and Clair found it hard to read, which was what she had been trying to do, she felt the looks that people gave her when they seen her carrying her rabbit and her trunk, it must have been a rather odd sight!

As the train pulled into the train station she watched as the people swarmed around, on the platforms, most likely waiting for people to arrive. As the train pulled to a stopped Clair got up and got Comet and her trunk ready to go, and then she slipped by the snoring man and then off the train, the first thing she noticed was that there was not wonderful smell of horses and cattle and wet grass, it smelled of people, people and more people.

Looking around she spotted Simon, relief filled her it was great to see him, it meant she had gotten off at the right place!
Heading towards him she smiled "Hey!"
And then he spoke, and was that ever weird!
"Umm Simon are you ok? Is this city air getting to you?" She tried to think of what he had said something about a train giving her barns and rubble? And cluttered space? She watched him, was this how city people spoke? If so then that was a big surprise!
(wc 300)
@Simon Kincaid

Simon took Clair's trunk for her and knelt down. "'Ello to the li'l badger as well!"^{Hello to you as well, Comet!} he said as he looked to Comet in her little carrying case. "Aunt Maggie ain't not know what she'll do wiv two o' thems. Got right attached to Rascal, she did."^{Aunt Maggie won't know what to do with two cute animals at the house. She's already gotten really attached to Rascal.}

He motioned for Clair to follow him because he knew she wasn't used to big train stations such as this one. "Be quickest to take The Tube," and they left the trains behind them as they approached the area with the red circle and the blue label, indicating they were headed to the London Underground. Simon had his unlimited pass, but they did stop at one of the machines where he fiddled around with the buttons, inserting his debit card that Aunt Maggie had given him, and then purchased a card for Clair.

"Lemon squeezy. You hover it ov'r thee sensor 'ere and when thee light turns green, you walk through. Bof when enterin an' exitin." ^{It's easy. You hover the card over the sensor and when the light turns green, you walk through. Both when entering and exiting.} He then showed her on the map where they were going, just so she'd get a sense for what was going on. "We shall be takin' the Victoria line to Victora," he traced his hand along the route, "an' then we will switch to the District line to South Kensington." Maybe if she would get separated from him, she'd find his way there but he paused. Separated could be a bad thing in this big city. Simon pulled out his cellphone, one of his most favorite of muggle inventions. "'Ave you got a mobile phone? It ain't right if you ain't. Best we get you one."

Clair rolled her eyes, guessing that this was the way city folk spoke while in the city and that she would just have to figure it out on her own, "did you bring him with you? Or is he with your Aunt?" She asked, even as she asked it her eyes scanned the place, the smell was very different and she felt bad for her rabbit, the poor thing had a stronger nose then she!

Clair followed him, not knowing what or where The Tube was, she guessed it was some sort of ... Tube, that maybe cars or trains went down, it bugged her about her lack of City Knowledge, hopefully she would have a little more City sense by the end of her stay.

Clair watched intently as Simon showed her the map, and the route "So are you in South Kensington, no?"

She smirked "Have you forgot how to pronounce things? It's not 'ave' it's 'have'!" Pronouncing things correctly had always been something that Clair had liked, and in her time at Hogwarts it had made her enjoy it even more, due to spells an such.

Simon's last question was a weird one "No, do i need one?" She asked, looking down at Comet and making a silly kissy face.
"So how was your trip with AF?''
(wc 221)
@Simon Kincaid

When Clair asked if he had forgotten how to pronounce things he flashed her a smile. "I'm just tryin' to get you all accustomed to city life. It's fun, innit?" and with that classic one, he'd let it rest. Clair would probably be quite thankful."But yeah, Aunt Maggie likes Rascal. He likes all the treats she makes. The dude is going to gain 30 pounds if he doesn't watch out," he said as they headed down to the correct platform using the escalator. The sign said the train would be arriving in just about two minutes and he walked with her down where there wasn't a big crowd.

"Be on the lookout for a new World Record there. And I don't know, he just seems quite attached to her. Maybe he likes girls more than guys," he shrugged. It was nice to see though. He knew Rascal liked him enough but he sometimes felt like Rascal would dart off as if he was searching for something, searching for Alexa or searching for someone that felt more like 'home' for the little rat. Could rats even think that way? He didn't know.

Simon thought it was a little odd that Clair didn't have a mobile because every one of his muggle friends did and she did come from a muggle upbringing. Maybe they just didn't care about such things or maybe there wasn't good connection out where she lived. Either way, he would modify that situation for her. She could at least use it during holidays and the summer months.

"AngelFyre's home is amazing, Clair. It's like...this HUGE house and every room looks like something out of a a magazine. She's got a really big dog and other animals which you would appreciate, and this treehouse that is like an actual house practically. It was neat being there. Her parents are nice too. I get the sense that I freak her dad out and I don't mean because I'm a dhampir. More like...because I'm the boyfriend." Which...he could understand. If Simon was AngelFyre's dad, he wouldn't like someone like Simon with his daughter. Simon was a teenage boy, after all.

The lights that lined the edge of the platform began to blink, indicating that the train was coming and Simon reached out, taking Clair's hand protectively. "Stay with me, the doors don't stay open very long. We'll let anyone who's coming out to come out first and then step in." The lights came around the corner and the subway train came passing in front of them, causing a wind. It slowed to a stop and the compartment doors opened in front of them. Only two stepped out and Simon and Clair, along with a couple others, entered. Luckily it wasn't rush hour.

"Oh goodness, is that how everyone talks around here?" She asked rather alarmed, and then much to her relief, Simon fixed his way of talking back to normal, it would be very hard to spend the rest of spring not knowing what he was saying, oh dear, does his aunt Maggie speak that way too? the thought smacked her in the face, oh dear, she hoped not.

"Well I can't blame him, I bet it's his heaven, all those sweets. Anyone will like the hand that gives them candy" she said, with a smile, thinking back about Clover, her rat had adored the treats, the silly thing would sneak into the kitchen and steal Misty's cookies after they had been pulled out if the oven, oh poor Clover, oh poor Misty.

"maybe your Aunt makes him think of Alexa?" Clair wondered out loud, it could be as simple as that, or maybe he felt like Females were more welcoming.

Clair listened to Simon talk about Angelfyre's place, "That is so cool, it sounds like you had a blast. So her Dad was nit a fan of you dating his Daughter? Did you have to do some form of like a right of passage?" She teased him.
And then another thought hit her, "Ohhhh yeah." She said, as calmly as she could. "have you heard of a boy named Edward Smith before?" She smirked, nit quiet sure how to tell her best friend about him.
First she would find out if the two knew each other, and then she would tell him about their.... New change.

First she would just have to get on this Train first. Sticking to his side like he had said she followed him aboard, "Are thongs always so slow here? I kinda remember it being a little crazy."
(wc 305)
@Simon Kincaid

"Depends on the time of day. We're not at rush hour. Plus, it's Spring Break." Obviously. That's why she was there visiting! "A lot of Londoners go on vacation elsewhere." The two easily found a seat and sat down as the subway train began quickly on it's way. They had to stay on for five stops before getting off at South Kensington.

It wasn't long before the blue horizontal stripes and literal subway tiles greeted them, with the circlular metro signs greeting them to SOUTH KENSINGTON. This was home and he smiled, eager to have Clair see his place and to meet his Aunt Maggie. "Come on," he said as he stood just as the cars were slowing to a stop. They made their way over to the door and got out. There were a few people waiting to come in but they didn't shove their way in until after the two had passed. Simon led her to the escalators and up they headed back into the sunlight.

Just as they were finally above ground, Simon didn't let them be out there long. He turned almost directly left and led Clair into a store. It sold many different items, but mostly technology ones. "Do cellphones not work out in the farmland of Carlisle or have you just never had one?" he asked. Simon knew that all the mobile phones would have call capability (because that's what phones were for) and would have texting. He wanted one that would also maybe take some photos because that was one of the things he used his phone most for and maybe she'd want a sort of network so that she could look up things on Google when she had questions - at least, when not at Hogwarts. "Come pick out one," he said. She'd at least need one for the trip because if the two should get separated, he wanted her set up with a way to contact him.

"Where do they go then? I've rarely seen one in Carlisle." She shrugged, "And it's not all farm land. sadly." By the few people Clair had seen she guessed that everyone was either on Vacation or else at work, which was understandable, after what Simon bad just said.

She decided to leave the topic of Edward alone, maybe he still needed to think on it, or else he had not heard her, or maybe he was even just ignoring her, though she doubted it.
Clair was a little slower to get up, standing on a moving train seemed a little weird, even if she had done it on the Hogwarts Express, this seemed different. After a moment's hesitation she got up and followed Simon, very much like a puppy follows his owner when he first comes home.

She looked around as she walked very interested in her new surroundings, she wanted to see everything at once.

Her attention was brought back to Simon when he spoke. "Hmm? Oh yeah sorry."
"Cellphones work in Carlisle, I've just never had the need, I rarely talk to anyone there." She looked at the prices, and chose out one of the cheaper ones. "That should do, right?"
(wc 204)
@Simon Kincaid

"They usually go elsewhere. Many to France or Italy," he said as the two began to look around. He gave her a moment to search the options.

"No, that won't do," he said as he slipped the phone from her hand and placed it back down, going over to another table. He knew that Aunt Maggie wouldn't mind, whether this was a temporary plan or not and despite his age, he had authorization to make changes on their accounts with her prior permission. The trust that woman placed in this thirteen year old was immeasurable but he wouldn't ever let her down.

"Let's do this one, that way if you've got some questions with that brilliant Ravenclaw mind of yours, you'll be able to do some research." He then said he'd be right back and went over to get a salesperson. "We'd like to add one of these to my plan, please. New number." The salesperson motioned for the two to follow him up to where the computers were. All high tech stuff - this was London, after all. He began asking Simon for some of the details of the account, like number, name, passcode, and then they began to get to work. Clair had her choice in colors for the phone and then as the man went to set it up, Simon pulled her over to another area.

"Pick out a case for it," he said as he brought his own out of his pocket to show her how the case worked in case she wasn't certain. The movement made his illuminate and his new lock screen of a photo of he and AngelFyre from her home in Scotland appeared and he smiled. "So who is this Edward Smith you speak of?" he asked her curiously. There hadn't been enough time to discuss such matters on their short subway trip.

Clair smiled "I always thought France would be such a nice place to go, Paris sounds so amazing."
She was rather surprised that Simon was not crazy about Paris, after all it was supposed to be the romantic place, and everyone knew about Simon and his love of Romance, or at least having girlfriends all the time.

She nodded, "Ok." Looking at the cases she decided to settle with the case that was a blue and silver marble design, it was very pretty and Clair thought it would look very good.

She returned to Simon "Really you don't have to do this, I'll pay you back."
And then he pulled out his own phone, and a photo of AF and Simon appeared,
"Oooooooooo, lovebird" she teased him, oh yeah, Edward, she smiled.
"So he is a Russian boy, I met him last time they came in the Room of Requirements, that was when he asked me to be his ball date, things kinda grew between us, or at least on my side from there, a d then at the ball, as he was puking slugs, which he had given himself and don't ask me why. He asked me to be his Girlfriend." Part of her wondered if Simon would get mad at her for only telling him now, but she felt like this was the right moment.
(wc 228)
@Simon Kincaid