Close Encounters (Alaska)

Aveline peeked around the corner, her hands resting on the cool stone of the wall. She had given her companion the slip on their way to the kitchens and she knew he was probably besides himself with anger as he searched for her. She knew her mother would not be happy when she found out but she had done this many times before and she did not mind sitting through yet another boring lecture on the importance of staying out of sight. It wasn't like her mother ever did anything other than yell and lock her in her room for the day.

Once she was sure that the coast was clear, Aveline skirted around the corner with her cloak closed tightly around her. She normally had on her work clothes but today she had opted for something more comfortable that wouldn't restrict her movements as she would be out longer than usual and where she was going was no place for a dress. Aveline made her way out the back door through the gardens, hauled herself over the stone wall and didn't stop running until the house was almost out of sight. Checking that her dagger was still strapped to her thigh, Aveline continued on. She made it to London just as the storm hit.

It was a nasty sort, obstructing her view and soaking her through to the bone within seconds. A stroke of thunder boomed, and lightening lit up the sky causing her to jump and pick up her pace; unaware that she had stepped off the street, a car headed her way.

Alaska was wandering around muggle London, stealing money so she could get some nice lunch. She managed to get just enough to go and spend at least an hour by slowly eating menu in the fastfood. Which was awesome, given the fact storm just hit. Rain. Cursed rain of UK. When she was little, she used to love rain and snow. Her and mum had little cottage and she spent rainy days running around and playing in the water. But those times were gone now. There was no cottage to hide into and get warm afterwards. No mum with hot chocolate with marshmallows in her hands, no blankets and pillows. There was nothing but few pieces of clothes, constantly wet and occasional a bit of food. Alaska never complained. She was alive, nothing else mattered, right? But that couldn't stop her from missing these days.

As she sat there, busy eating her burger, she absently watched busy street of muggle London. There was a girl walking past the restaurant, clearly not ready for the rain. How surprising here. She was clearly distracted by it and Alaska could see she was going to do stupid thing. Getting up from her food, she ran out of the place, quickly grabbing the girl and pulling her back from the road, just enough to save her from being hit by the car, which almost crashed afterwards, but in the end only dissappeared with loud klaxon sound. "Asshole," Alaska cursed at the driver as she and the girl both ended up on the ground, completely wet. "Fuck this," she cursed again. She will freeze to death this way tonight.

There was a brief moment of vertigo as the headlights captured her and the hunk of metal let out a warning call. It was in those few short seconds that it seemed as if eveything slowed down; that she could see every individual rain drop that fell between her and the car. And then it was all gone. The car rushed by and Aveline was on the ground.

"Asshole."

Oh, so that was it. Someone had pulled her out of the way. She gazed after the car, her lip between her teeth in frustration. Indebted to another person. When will you stop being so careless? Never. "I didn't need your help." Her shaky voice snapped at the girl. Liar "I would have moved in time." Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. She should have been thanking her, not snapping at her. She just saved her life. Yet Aveline couldn't help herself. Indebted to another person.

Alaska narrowed an eyebrow at the girl, amusement in her voice. "Chill out woman, I am not going to blackmail you over piece of wet clothes and pissed off asshole in the car," she said, getting up, checking her food back in the restaurant and waving at waiter that she is definitely coming back to it. He only nodded and made sure food was still there and nobody touched it. Nice people still existed. Even if that couldn't be said about the girl. "Anyway, I have food in there. And I kinda need to eat my only food of the day, so you can either come inside with me and continue putting shit on me for no reason, if that helps your mood, I don't give a fuck. Or you can just go your way," Alaska said with a shrug and went back to her food. She kinda hoped the waiter liked her enough to let her stay inside just enough for the rain to stop and her clothes get dry again.

Aveline sucked her teeth and turned away from the girl. She hadn't thought that at all, not really anyway. Even though she didn't want to, she had to repay the girl somehow. Though she would probably never get out of this debt. A life was a life afterall. Listening to the girl, her eyes pricked up at the mention of food. Before she could question the girl, she was already up and walzting to the restaurant.

Her only option at that point was to follow the girl. Lifting herself from the ground, soaked clothes and all, Aveline trailed after the girl reluctantly. A debt is a debt is a debt. She glared daggers into the back of the girls head. If only she hadn't saved her. It was your own fault. Be that as it may...

Aveline shivered as she stepped into the restaurant. The air was on despite the rain, and of course this only made the predicament of her soaked clothes even worse. Surpressing the chattering of her teeth, Aveline went up the girl and tapped her wet shoulder to gain her attention. "I - I'm sorry for before. Thank you for saving my life." Aveline bit the inside of her cheek. "Have you...have you payed for your meal yet? It's the least I can do." Despite her words, her face was contorted in a grimace as she apologised.

Alaska didn't really expect her to follow, so when she knocked on her shoulder, she was genuinely surprised. And even more by her sudden change of behavior. "Yeah, I alredy paid. But if you really wish to do something like this, you can buy us a desert? A brownie or something? Or cup of coffee so we don't freeze?" she suggested. The girl seemed nice after all. And somehow determined to pay her debt or whatever. Alaska never really cared for it much. She knew life is not matter of course and in the end, nothing was worth it. But that didn't mean the girl owed her. Anyone would... or should do it at least. "I'm Alaska. Alaska Greengrass. You?" she introduced herself.

A cup of coffee would hit the spot at the point, and there was no reason why she could not treat the girl and herself. She had time. "Anything you want," she replied. Aveline bowed her head  as she was accustomed to doing whenever her mother's aquaintances were around. It was more out of habit than respect for Alexis. "Aveline Whittaker, Miss Greengrass." Aveline had decided in the moments before that she needed to start over; treat Alaska as she would trest her mother's guests. Whether she welcomed it or not. "I suggest, however, that we dry off first before getting comfortable."

Alaska stayed a bit in shock by the way Aveline spoke to her suddenly. She felt a bit like she got accidentaly high somewhere or something. It was certainly strange day today. "Is that you are pretending to be my slave or something? Because that's not really going to work. You see I'm just a homeless person, probably much less, than you are, so just treat me like... I don't know... a friend maybe?" she suggested, unsure how to approach the girl. She surely acted weird. "Yeah, and how do you suggest we do that?" she asked with sarcasm, losing control over herself with frustration, that she couldn't just grab her wand and do magic shit when being underage, in the middle of muggle London, her hair changed color.

Aveline's frustration grew but she kept her face calmed if not a bit surprised. Annoyed with the girl or not she couldn't stand to hear speak of herself like that. "Or probably not. Homeless or not, I am now yours to command. I'm sorry to tell you this, but I can't be your friend. Not at least until I have fulfilled my debt." Which was to be...nowhere in the near future.

She was shocked to hear of course that the girl was in fact homeless. Wasn't there an orphanage in the country? Well no matter, she would still serve the Alaska. She raised an eyebrow and was going to reply when the girl's hair suddenly changed colour. Aveline's eyes widened and she took Alaska's hand in hers. She barely gave her time to register anything before she was swiftly guiding her through the restaurant towards the loo. She pushed her inside and locked the door, he back resting against the door as if someone would get past the lock.

Of all the people, she had to be in the debt of a witch. Was her family not enough? Aveline cursed under her breath and glared at the girl, although her voice showed kindness that her expression did not. "That was rather...dangerous."

Alaska felt like doing a facepalm. This was the last thing she needed. Having muggle girl following her around. How will she explain to her, that she kinda cannot take her to Hogwarts, Diagon Alley or anywhere else? As Aveline grabbed her and dragged her to the loo, Alaska felt even more confused, than before, but seeing herself in the miror, she realized the reason. "Shit! And that's why I can't have nice things," she hissed, taking a deep breath and focusing to get her hair back to previous color. It would probably be kinda shocking for restaurant staff to see her suddenly in pink hair. 

"Wait, you didn't scream. You dragged me away! You know this stuff!" Alaska said when she realized Aveline's reaction. "Are you a witch as well?" she asked curiously afterwards. It didn't really fit. Witches never acted like maids or slaves. And they definitely didn't wander around muggle London. On the other hand, it would explain why she simply jumped under the car. Well, almost jumped.

"No, I'm not," she snapped bitterly. Her? A witch? She would see the day...No. She wasn't a witch, she was a disgrace to witches. She would not say exactly that she was a squib, it should be obvious after having confirmed that she was not a witch. She stepped away from the door with a sigh. "Hopefully no one saw you, and those who did dismiss it." She held out her hand with a beckoning motion, having moved on from the subject of her magical abilities. "You need to take you clothes off so we can ring them out. They'll still be damp but at least it won't drip everywhere."

"Oh," Alaska replied, putting one and one together. Poor girl. "If it helps, my life sucks too. Witch or not," she said matter-of-factly. But of course, something like that could hardly help. She couldn't imagine being a squib. Seeing magic every day, all the beings unseen to muggles being everywhere. And yet be helpless and without ability the others had. Alaska in a way admired squibs. She would just jump off the cliff the moment she would learn to walk there. At her comment about the clothes, she narrowed eyebrow. "So, now we are going to get naked here? I seriously hate being underage," she hissed, the last sentence mainly for herself. She was so pissed off about this while day, she for a moment got distracted from the fact the girl made herself her slave for some reason. She took off her jacket and t-shirt and jeans, leaving her in only underwear. "England... fucking England," she hissed.

It didn't help but she appreciated it nonetheless. She herself could never see herself homeless, no matter the circumstances. It most likely meant that Alaska had lost her parents or had been kicked out. She would bet on the former. It made Aveline even more grateful for her life even if it did have its drawbacks. Aveline shook her head as the girl complained. "Witches," she murmured to herself. Taking Alaska's clothes, she placed them on the counter of the sink and began to ring out the t-shirt; the only sounds the dripping of water and Aveline's soft murmuring about how incompetent witches were without their magic. She shook out the t-shirt and put it aside to begin on her jeans. "How old are you anyway, young mistress?" She asked glancing back briefly.

Alaska watched the girl with clear amusement over her complains about witches. She didn't really blame her. At her place, she most likely wouldn't be different. Grabbing the newspapers somebody left at the counter, she began to read. "If you still insist on this slavery nonsense, at least call me Alaska. I kinda like my name. That's why I picked it in the first place," she growled from behind the newspapers, reading advertisement, looking for a pub stuff in muggle London, instead of salary, the lady offered room with rooftop and food. Only money would be from tips. That seemed like a really good deal to Alaska. All she needed was to get her fake ID, which she was to pick up in couple of hours. "And I'm 14. But it doesn't really matter. I'm gonna change that one a bit," she said matter-of-factly.

"I apologise, mistress Alaska," Aveline emphasised her name with a small smirk to herself. "Or perhaps Lady Alaska, that has a nice ring to it don't you think?" Now she was just teasing the girl. She would continue to call the girl so if it bothered her.


Ah so she was a year younger than her. Alaska must have been smarter than she looked to last on her own. But of course she did have magic which was most likely a big help. No, she couldn't use magic outside of school so she heard. What did she do outside of school then, if she went to school, at all? "Change? Your age? I'm not sure I follow." If she had looked up she would have seen, the ad in which Alaska was looking.

Alaska rolled her eyes at the girls new ways to call her. She didn't really have strenght to argue more, just found the whole thing absolutely crazy and bizzare. How cool for a girl who has literaly nothing, to have her own slave. Such a victory. But didn't really solve much of her issues. "I'm gonna get my fake ID. And get this hell of a job, because I refuse to spend another night outside in the rain," she said simply, with a shrug, jumping down and looking at Aveline. "Can I have my clothes back now? I'd like to finish that food. I didn't eat for three days and I could really use that lunch, even if most likely cold now," she said with a cheerful smile. Food and promised coffee could do nothing else but make her smile. Tearing the advertisement out of the newspapers, she hid it in her bra.

Aveline would not even question it. One did what one had to survive. She opened her mouth to tell her that she knew of a place that she could work and stay at, as it was the least she could do. Yet thinking about it she wasn't too sure Asher would appreciate her bringing an outsider into the club. She surreptitiously gave Alaska the once over. She wasn't even sure she was a fighter to begin with. She figured she could at least give her the option without saying too much. "If that doesn't work out for you m'lady, I always have another option awaiting you." With that she handed back her clothes.

Whilst Alaska got dressed, Aveline rung out her hair. She didn't think twice about taking off her cloak to ring out as well, briefly giving a glimpse of her leather getup and it's accompanying dagger before clasping the newly drained cloak back over her frame. Making sure Alaskka was decent, she pushed open the door and held out a hand. "After you."