Cairngorms National Park ~ Scotland

[MJ Spooks]

Cairngorms National Park

Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in the British Isles, and is located in northeast Scotland, established by the Parliament in 2003. The park covers the Cairngorms mountain range and surrounding hills, and in total encompasses 4,528 square kilometers, or 1,748 square miles, of land. It is classified as a sustainable development area, where tourism is highly encouraged. It has numerous walking and cycling trails, and is home to some of Britain's endangered species such as the Golden Eagle and Scottish Wildcat. Additionally, it is a popular beach and ski destination.

 

[The Forgotten Weasley]

Standing in the cold in the frozen wind
I'm leaving you behind but it's not the end
Walking on a plane as I hold my breath
It's gonna be weeks 'til I breathe again
I know that you hate it and I hate it
Just as much as you

ILLISA
LINDSAY
HARGRAVE
FORMER GRYFFINDOR │ JOURNALIST │ HALFBLOOD

Lisa was rarely nervous around men- or women, for that matter, since she'd been with both since her husband's death. And before she'd met him at all. But that was because she usually had a good read on people, especially the people she was attracted to. Lock, on the other hand... nada. She got nothing from him. Sure, she could tell when he was annoyed and when he... wasn't annoyed, but gauging the subtler emotions was nearly impossible.

Consequently, she couldn't determine whether or not he was exasperated by the fact that she'd talked her way into getting a ride with him to this park. They'd known each other for over a year now, but it wasn't as if they saw each other regularly. Her job kept her busy... and there was also all the... family issues that had cropped up in the meanwhile, although she felt like it was a weight off of her shoulders now that school had started back up again. Myron and Callista were safer at Hogwarts than anywhere else, and Miranda... well, squib or not, she was a careful girl. Certainly much less reckless than Lisa had been at her age.

Anyways, while she was happy to be out on a crisp day, when it felt like fall was just around the corner, she tried not to talk Lock's ear off. Not that she was usually Miss Chatty Cathy- she knew when to shut up, she was a journalist, for Morgana's sake- but talking too much was a common side effect when she was certain the man next to her had very little interest in her. At least, not in the way she was interested in him. He obviously at least enjoyed her company, at this point, if she was still hanging around. And maybe he would be alright with a hookup, if she was blunt- Lisa wasn't being vain, but she knew she was an attractive woman. But for some reason she'd never been able to work her way around to it, and at this point it'd be horrifically awkward.

"It wasnae 'at long of a drive," she said in relief as they parked. Rose roused herself in the back and gave an eager bark. "Hold yer horses, ye auld biddy," Lisa grumbled, and fumbled with her seatbelt- she wasn't in cars that often- before almost knocking her water bottle onto the floor. Luckily she caught it before it spilled, and grinned at Lock. "Hope yer nae tay out of it, or ah'll be leavin' ye in the dust." It was complete rush- even if she didn't have a cane to contend with, although she managed quite well, he'd still be much faster than her. The man was built.

OOC:

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Cara MiaKitty

But if you can brave it
I can brave it, brave it all for you
Call me anytime that you see the lightning
Don't you feel alone, you can always find me
We've got a wild love raging, raging
Lost among a million changing faces

 

[MJ Spooks]

✖ ♥ ✖
═════════════════════════════════════════════
well ιт’ѕ a dog’ѕ lιғe, нoldιn’ onтo вeaυтy wнιle тнe вleaĸ nιgнтѕ
are мaĸιn’ вeaѕтѕ oғ мen - тнe ғaιryтale dayѕ are dead
ѕo тry noт тo loѕe yoυr нead wнen тнe ѕcenт ιѕ callιng agaιn
cold reғlecтιonѕ, тнey тell no lιeѕ, вυт eyeѕ jυѕт ѕcraтcн тнe ѕυrғace
═════════════════════════════════════════════



spaceLock was genuinely surprised how at ease he felt around Lisa. Their relationship, if it could even be called such, had been largely restricted to happening upon one another while walking their dogs for a few months. Eventually, it had seemed natural that it should progress to actively planning to meet, always in the same park. He hesitated to call them friends, mostly because he hesitated to admit to having friends period. He had his pack, and Tink, and... Lisa. Who he was having a hard time finding something to call other than his friend, which felt foreign to him after so long. But, he wasn't a good enough liar to claim he didn't like her, and even if he had been convincing with his words, teh fact that he willingly sought her company was evidence enough to the contrary.

spaceThis, however, was new. He didn't generally let people into his space, and his car was more His Space than anywhere else. He had his flat, of course, but he moved so frequently that he didn't consider anywhere he lived to really be 'home'. The only constant he had was his car, which he had admittedly slept in more nights than he cared to think on. It'd felt natural, to offer to give Lisa a ride out to the new hiking spot. He couldn't even recall how they'd decided to come here, truth be told. They'd been walking their usual path, chatting, which was something he did only with her. Lock was not one to chat with people. He had conversations that needed to be had, and that was it. Except... with Lisa. Who he actually liked talking to, though he found himself increasingly sure that she was keeping some sort of secret from him. He could hardly fault her, considering what he was keeping from her. But in spite of their respective secrets, he found himself relaxing around her, letting her in, doing things he didn't normally do. Like taking her for a ride in his car, taking her along on what he was partially telling himself was a scouting mission for a new potential pack location. They were due to move soon, anyway.

spaceHe didn't reply to her comment on the drive, aside from a faint grunt of agreement, too busy readying himself to get Tink out of the back of the car. As predicted, his dog, who really was too old by now to act like such a puppy, was already showing her excitement. She loved new places, new smells, and she especially loved spending time with Lisa and Rose. He'd thought that perhaps having another dog around regularly might mellow her out, but no such luck. She was still the picture of a well behaved dog, but her energy levels were excessive.

spaceGrinning at Lisa's teasing, he threw her a cocky smirk. "Sounds tae me lahk yer writin' checks yer mouth cannae cash, lass," he shot back, arching a brow. A year ago, he might've worried that his teasing was in poor taste, all things considered. But Lisa was hardly a delicate flower, and anyway, he was pretty sure she enjoyed playing at competitiveness with him. He wasn't entirely positive that one day she wouldn't find a way to do exactly as she promised and leave him in the dust. She certainly seemed capable enough. "But if yer so keen on it, ah'm sure we can come up wit' some kinda wager."

spaceHe flashed her a toothy grin before opening his door to climb out. Tink's tail wagged in excitement, but she remained dutifully in her seat as she waited for him to open her door and let her out. As she stepped out of the car, she held the end of her leash out for him to grab, sitting beside him and looking back into the car, eagerly awaiting Lisa and Rose. "C'mon, lass, Miss Bell's gettin' a bi' impatient," he chuckled faintly, feeling oddly light. It was rare for him to have a moment where he didn't feel the weight of... well, everything, on his shoulders. But right now, it was conspicuously absent. He was going to have to keep pretending not to know why.



═════════════════════════════════════════════
don’т ѕнaĸe мe, don’т мaĸe мe вear мy тeeтн
yoυ really don’т wanna мeeт тнaт gυy
don’т waĸe мe, don’т leт ιт oғғ тнe leaѕн
тнere’ѕ a мonѕтer lιvιn’ υnder тнιѕ нιde
═════════════════════════════════════════════
wнere - Parking Lot - Driver's Seat
wнen - Early Fall 2040
wιтн - Lisa


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The Forgotten Weasley

 

[The Forgotten Weasley]

Standing in the cold in the frozen wind
I'm leaving you behind but it's not the end
Walking on a plane as I hold my breath
It's gonna be weeks 'til I breathe again
I know that you hate it and I hate it
Just as much as you

ILLISA
LINDSAY
HARGRAVE
FORMER GRYFFINDOR │ JOURNALIST │ HALFBLOOD

Lisa had to briefly glance back at Rose so as not to blush like a naive schoolgirl at his smirk, which was rare and therefore all the more infuriating. She'd dealt with plenty of smirky men before, and liked to think herself immune to their charms. It was different when she was dealing with someone who was usually so straight-faced that he appeared to be debating whether or not to kill you. "Weel, if yer sure. Ah'm not in the habit ay losin' bets," she snickered. Then he had the gall to grin at her, and she almost laughed incredulously as he climbed out of the car. She opened her own door and was in the process of extricating herself- bloody cane always made it a bit of a struggle- when she accidentally nudged open the glove box with an errant elbow.

Lisa muttered a curse while he chuckled about Tink getting impatient, and once she was outside of the car, leaned back in, using the door for support, to pick up what had rolled out and onto her seat. Then she stopped, because it wasn't just a bottle but a vial, and she knew a potion when she saw one, even if she'd been awful in the subject. Furthermore, she knew what Wolfsbane looked like. She was a journalist, and werewolves were always going to be a hot button issue. The thought of Lock being a wizard had never crossed her mind. It would have been a point of wounded pride for her to have not realized she was in the company of a fellow wizard after knowing him for over a year. But muggles just didn't roam about with Wolfsbane in their glove compartment. Unconsciously, she held the bottle up to the morning sunlight, and then said, in an oddly quiet tone for her, "Lock, ah'm a witch. Ye ought tae know, at this point."

OOC:

show spoilerhide spoiler

Cara MiaKitty

But if you can brave it
I can brave it, brave it all for you
Call me anytime that you see the lightning
Don't you feel alone, you can always find me
We've got a wild love raging, raging
Lost among a million changing faces

 

[MJ Spooks]

✖ ♥ ✖
═════════════════════════════════════════════
well ιт’ѕ a dog’ѕ lιғe, нoldιn’ onтo вeaυтy wнιle тнe вleaĸ nιgнтѕ
are мaĸιn’ вeaѕтѕ oғ мen - тнe ғaιryтale dayѕ are dead
ѕo тry noт тo loѕe yoυr нead wнen тнe ѕcenт ιѕ callιng agaιn
cold reғlecтιonѕ, тнey тell no lιeѕ, вυт eyeѕ jυѕт ѕcraтcн тнe ѕυrғace
═════════════════════════════════════════════



spaceLock bit back a snort when she replied to his challenge, not the least bit surprised that she was at least pretending to take the bait. In reality, they both knew how a race between the two of them would go. But that didn't mean it wasn't fun to tease one another. Which was odd to him, considering fun wasn't exactly his forte. Then again, neither was opening up to anyone who wasn't in his pack. Or even the people who were. Most of them only knew what they did about him because they'd either been around before Lucy had died, or because they'd been around long enough to wear down his resistance. Lisa hadn't even tried, which he was pretty sure was how she'd managed to do it in the first place. It was easy to talk to her, mostly because she didn't expect him to talk at all.

spaceHe was about to continue their teasing when he heard something, glancing back at her to see what she'd managed to knock herself into. He had meant to use that as further ammunition for his teasing, but was stopped when he saw her leaning down to pick something up. A glance into the car's interior revealed that she'd opened his glove compartment. Panic hit him as he watched her grab the bottle he'd been keeping tucked away inside, fighting to think of an explanation for it.

spaceBefore he could speak, though, she broke the silence herself. Her words fell on him like a ton of bricks, and he felt the tension settling back into his shoulders. His eyes hardened and his expression darkened slightly, her quiet confession settling in like an unwelcome house guest. A witch. She was a damn witch. A tic started in his jaw. "Dinnae suppose thir's a chance ye dinnae ken whit that is, aye?" It was a question, but only just. The potion could be a lot of things, really. It wasn't labeled, not like he made a habit of carrying around potions so he didn't see the point. But something told her it didn't matter, that it wasn't going to help him.

spaceMight as well get it all out there, then. His disappointment surprised him; he'd not really expected them to remain friends half as long as they did, so it shouldn't have come as a shock that it was going to end now. Still bothered him, though, more than he cared to admit. "Squib," he bit out, jaw clenched as tight as his fists. "An' a werewolf tae boot." Which would bother her more, he wondered? It was a toss-up, and no matter which way it landed, he was screwed. He always was. Neither aspect of his identity was one people would welcome. He'd had newly bitten wolves, who should've been absorbed into his pack, reject it entirely because of his lack of magic. And lost still more to the disgust at now being werewolves themselves. She'd have found out eventually, he supposed, since she was a witch. He just wished it had happened sooner, back when he wouldn't have cared as much.



═════════════════════════════════════════════
don’т ѕнaĸe мe, don’т мaĸe мe вear мy тeeтн
yoυ really don’т wanna мeeт тнaт gυy
don’т waĸe мe, don’т leт ιт oғғ тнe leaѕн
тнere’ѕ a мonѕтer lιvιn’ υnder тнιѕ нιde
═════════════════════════════════════════════
wнere - Parking Lot - Driver's Seat
wнen - Early Fall 2040
wιтн - Lisa


show spoilerhide spoiler
The Forgotten Weasley

 

[The Forgotten Weasley]

Standing in the cold in the frozen wind
I'm leaving you behind but it's not the end
Walking on a plane as I hold my breath
It's gonna be weeks 'til I breathe again
I know that you hate it and I hate it
Just as much as you

ILLISA
LINDSAY
HARGRAVE
FORMER GRYFFINDOR │ JOURNALIST │ HALFBLOOD

Lisa watched him carefully. He didn't look happy, which was to be expected, since she doubted most people wanted to be outed as a werewolf like this. Of course, she could have pretended to have no idea what the potion was, or even that it was a potion in general, but Lisa wouldn't have been able to bring herself to that level of underhandedness. Yes, she was a journalist, and that sometimes required, well, not trickery, but certainly the occasional lie of omission. However, Lock was her friend. Or, had been her friend. If he never spoke to her again after this very painful conversation, she wouldn't be surprised. And she didn't lie to her friends. It was that damn 'noble Gryffindor' streak she'd never quite gotten rid of.

"Ah was always shi' wi' potions, but ah know Wolfsbane when ah see it," she said matter of factly, hoping she sounded as calm and nonjudgmental as possible. Because she was calm. Or, at least not panicked, or frightened, or horrified. He seemed to be expecting the worst, and she couldn't blame him. Prejudice against werewolves and non-humans in general was still pretty severe. "Written abit them before. In the Prophet." She might as well be up front about her job, as well, although she'd never write about Lock, or anyone close to her in any sense. She prided herself on her articles being as unbiased as possible.

The squib part did take her by surprise, although it made sense- surely he would have recognized her name by now from the paper, had he been a wizard, or at least a non-recluse. She nodded, and yanked open the door to let out a whining Rose, who practically flattened herself against her owner, not quite protectively, but clearly upset by something. Lisa did not look away from him. His fists were clenched. She didn't think he was going to physically lash out at her- and now she knew he certainly didn't have a wand- but that wasn't what she was concerned about. He likely felt very vulnerable and wounded right now, and she felt for him. Of course she had no idea what it was like to be a squib or a werewolf, but she had been tortured, almost killed, and been the indirect cause of five people's deaths.

"Mah stepdaughter's a squib," she said. "Ah know ah don't talk about them much, the kids, but- since mah husband died, ah'm all she an' 'er sister's got. It was 'ard at first. Ah'm not 'er mam- barely old enough to be 'er mam," she snorted humorlessly. "An' ah wouldn't blame 'er for 'ating me, after- after 'er parents bein' gone, an' gettin' stuck with the evil young stepmam." Her own jaw clenched slightly. "But ah love that girl. She's not mine, but I'd do a 'ell of a lot for 'er. Mah son loves 'er like a sister, and 'e an' the younger girl are both magic. Ah know it's got s**t-all tae do with ye. But ye've haven't changed tae me, squib or werewolf. Yer still a man, wi' a dog ye love very much, an' a good sense of humor when ye decide ter relax a bit. An' yer still the same person ye were five minutes ago tae me."

Of course, he could decide she was bullshitting him, and maybe he had every right to. But Lisa felt like it had to be said, here and now, before either of them jumped to any more conclusions about what the other was thinking. If he didn't want to see her again, well, she couldn't blame him, not really. But she did hope that he believed her, that he could see that she had been telling the truth, because she wasn't nearly that good of a liar as to deceive him to his face about what she thought of him.

OOC:

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Quote:

But if you can brave it
I can brave it, brave it all for you
Call me anytime that you see the lightning
Don't you feel alone, you can always find me
We've got a wild love raging, raging
Lost among a million changing faces

 

[MJ Spooks]

✖ ♥ ✖
═════════════════════════════════════════════
well ιт’ѕ a dog’ѕ lιғe, нoldιn’ onтo вeaυтy wнιle тнe вleaĸ nιgнтѕ
are мaĸιn’ вeaѕтѕ oғ мen - тнe ғaιryтale dayѕ are dead
ѕo тry noт тo loѕe yoυr нead wнen тнe ѕcenт ιѕ callιng agaιn
cold reғlecтιonѕ, тнey тell no lιeѕ, вυт eyeѕ jυѕт ѕcraтcн тнe ѕυrғace
═════════════════════════════════════════════



spaceHe hadn't been holding out much hope that she'd fail to realize what the potion was, and what it meant, but apparently there'd been some shred of it, if the way her words churned his stomach was anything to go off of. His gaze hardened further, eyes going very deliberately blank, a mask to hide how much this turn of events bothered him. Why'd he even have the bloody potion in the first place? Oh, right because he was a responsible bloody human being who carried it to make sure that if anyone forgot theirs, they didn't have to go without. Lock might not care if he bit some unsuspecting idiot, but a good half of his pack certainly would, after all. He didn't want to be responsible for consoling anyone for making that mistake, and now here he was, paying for it. He should've just left the pack altogether after Lucy died and gone off on his own. He couldn't even be a responsible Alpha without it biting him in the arse.

spaceThe realization of exactly which paper she worked for was another matter altogether; he hoped that he knew her well enough to trust that his gut feeling that she wouldn't be a danger to his pack was correct. His pessimism warred with his feelings for her, and he couldn't tell which one was clouding his judgement more. If he were dealing with a stranger, he'd have threatened them within an inch of their life by now. Her words might've been just a statement, but it could also be taken as a threat of sorts. He didn't want to think that was her intention, but honestly, how well did he really know her? Not nearly as well as he'd thought, apparently.

spaceHe didn't know what to expect, at that point, but it certainly wasn't some long-winded speech about her stepdaughter. 'Don't talk about them much' was something of an understatement, since the both of them tended to avoid personal topics like the plague. They always kept thing light. Uncomplicated. Now, thanks to that stupid potion, things were about as complicated as they could get. Well, almost. She didn't know he was a rogue, presumably. Or about any of the dark deeds in his past, or the unorthodox way he led his pack. And it was damn well going to stay that way, because hell if he was going to let a damn reporter for the damn Prophet find out about any of that.

spaceStill, though... She was offering him an olive branch, which was more than he'd expected. More than he probably deserved, really. Shifting uncomfortably, he took a minute to compose himself, to set his mind to rights. He... he wanted to believe her, which was surprising by itself. But he was definitely going to have to be a little more careful, a little more reserved. Until he could figure out how much he actually could trust her. One thing was certain, he wouldn't be moving his pack here. He would definitely be moving them, though, since he'd gone on walks with Lisa near their current stomping grounds.

spaceJaw set, he tried to relax his expression, unable to completely lose the guarded look. The silence, already uncomfortable by virtue of the topic at hand, had been drawn out far too long already. He cleared his throat, tugging lightly on Tink's leash. "We aye daein' this, then, or whit?" he asked finally, making to head towards the walking trail. She could follow if she wanted, he's extended as much of a welcome as he was capable of at the moment. He'd be disappointed if she left (she could, he figured; most witches could apparate easily enough), and maybe he should've made it a little more clear that he didn't want her to leave. But, hell, she ought to know him well enough at this point to know him even offering this much was surprising. She said he was the same man, so surely she could read him as well now as she could five minutes ago?



═════════════════════════════════════════════
don’т ѕнaĸe мe, don’т мaĸe мe вear мy тeeтн
yoυ really don’т wanna мeeт тнaт gυy
don’т waĸe мe, don’т leт ιт oғғ тнe leaѕн
тнere’ѕ a мonѕтer lιvιn’ υnder тнιѕ нιde
═════════════════════════════════════════════
wнere - Parking Lot
wнen - Early Fall 2040
wιтн - Lisa


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The Forgotten Weasley