Closed RP: Stephen and Sarah - The Surprise

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

((This starts Friday morning. Good clean fun with appliances abounds!))


With minimal fuss, Sarah and Stephen had left the school by Floo to seek out a waiting cab in a nearby 'Muggle' village. Their destination, as far as Sarah knew, was Macduff Aquarium in Aberdeenshire, but this whole day just existing was already so incredible to her. They were leaving the castle - and with it she hoped the stress that had plagued them recently - and venturing out into the non-magic world which she had not been in since her arrival. To be fair, she had not gone beyond the castle and grounds except once to Hogsmeade with Stephen, so she was quite excited.

Settled against Stephen's side in the backseat of the cab, she was content to point out things that caught her attention on the drive - and even explain things that might have been interesting to a man from the 19th century - or simply just sit in companionable silence. The familiarity of being in a car after two months was refreshing because it was something distinctly non-magical and not connected to what they had left behind, and it was all that much better for having Stephen, who was already her new 'familiar', right next to her. They both needed this, in her opinion, so she had been ridiculously pleased when Stephen had mentioned the plans. Without knowing it (or so she assumed, as she had never mentioned her birthday), he had given her an early birthday present in this day trip out with him. There was no more she could ask for, and yet...

"Stephen, I think the cabbie's taken us to the wrong place," she said once she had gotten close to his ear to whisper without being overheard. Outside the window of the now stopped cab was a cottage, very lovely but not the aquarium she had been expecting to see. Too preoccupied with the view or with Stephen, she had not even noticed telling road signs that might have led to confusion much sooner.


((R-ish for quite a lot of smut in various places. xD))

Comments

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

In point of fact, Hogwarts staff were hardly paid exorbitantly. Stephen had never revealed the extent of his personal fortune (http://estebanmd.livejournal.com/49548.html) to Sarah, or even its existence. (Gringotts having existed for rather a long time, inflation had not been an issue at all; funds were transferred as needed in the 19th century by those who had power of attorney for Stephen, and appreciated in the intervening time.) Nor was he accustomed to living according to his means in general. It seemed the agent had taken the amount of money made available to her for preparations to be somehow indicative of her client's tastes, and acted accordingly. He had mentioned that he had an American companion, and asked that whatever Americans (modern Americans, but he refrained from using the adjective) would find to be pleasing or comforting viands should be sent as well. Apparently 'junk food' was that, from what he saw now?

Stephen also had no idea what a dishwasher, microwave, or toaster were. "I assume from the names that a toaster toasts things, and a dishwasher washes dishes, but what pray tell is a microwave?"

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," Sarah said with a smile, returning to the counter with the toaster as the microwave was over it. It was going to be fun explaining all these things to him, a fun she knew she would never tire of having. She launched into an explanation about microwave ovens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven), as well as an explanation - to the best of her ability - on microwave radiation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave) itself. As she did, she popped two slices of bread into a toaster and went to the refrigerator, happily finding American cheese in there. She took a plate from the cupboard after locating them and then put the cheese between the two now-toasted slices of bread and stuck it in the microwave.

"Now, on the stove in a pan, this would take a few minutes to toast the bread and melt the cheese but this way," she began, then turned when the microwave beeped, "it took less than ten seconds to melt the cheese." She pulled the plate free once it was not hot to the touch and held it out for him to inspect. "There, see? Professional chefs might scoff at microwaves, but you can make edible food with them." It was, after all, just a demonstration... not a ploy to eat at all.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen looked extremely skeptical. "That cheese does not appear ever to have been natural. Are you quite sure it is safe?"

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I'm sure it's safe," Sarah said with a grin, setting the plate down to find a knife and cut it in two. "I've been eating it all of my life, it's just a processed blend, of a few cheeses including cheddar." She held the plate back out with half, taking a bite of her own. She swallowed and smiled. "See, good. Microwaves are wonderful and the cheese is not going to hurt you."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen gamely took the plate and tried the ... thing? His expression was not a happy one. "This so-called cheese is an unholy travesty."

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Rather than be offended, Sarah was just amused at the declaration. She took the offending foodstuff to set it on the counter and then wrapped her arms around his torso. "I'm sorry I inflicted such a terrible thing on your tastebuds," she said with a smile. "So what kind of cheese do you like? We could try it with that. I'd offer to show you how much fun the college dorm food of choice - cracker pizzas - are, but I'm pretty certain that won't go over well."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen went to the refrigerator to look. It was a most curious machine, and cold inside!

He would have looked for cheeses, but instead he became distracted by the light bulb inside the refrigerator, and began opening and closing the door to watch it turn on and off.

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Leaning on the counter, Sarah watched and waited for him to pick a cheese, her smile growing when she watched him repeatedly shut and open the door. Never did it occur to her to laugh at him and her smile was simply of good humor at watching him. She stepped forward and placed her hand on his to get him to stop opening and closing the door as gestured with her other hand.

"Right there," she said, pointing in to the refrigerator at the device than switched the light off and on with the closing of the door, "is what is turning the light bulb off and on. So if you do this," she pushed on it so the light turned off and then released it so it turned on, "you don't have to keep closing and opening the refrigerator door to see it happen."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen watched with interest as she made the light switch off and on. "Extraordinary," he breathed, and then: "How did you know that?" He had never been what one might call mechanically-minded.

It was perhaps fortunate that they had arrived during daylight hours so that the cottage was amply lit by sun. Otherwise an undignified episode (http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php/techno) might have occurred, altogether spoiling their entrance.

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

"I'm going to guess my dad taught me how light switches worked when I was little," Sarah said, still smiling as she backed up to the microwave. "See, the microwave has one too," she said, opening the door to point to a similar type of button. "So do cars to make the overhead light come on. It's too bright in here to show you the light switches in this room effectively, but I bet... yes, I know where we can try, come on." She took his hand and tugged gently, leading him back out of the kitchen in search of the bathroom. When they got there, she opened the door and grinned, as with the curtains it would be dim enough to play. His hand, which she had been holding, she now placed on the wall over the light switch. "Go on, just flip it up, and then back down."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

The bathroom was much smaller than the one in Stephen's quarters at Hogwarts, not that he cared. He followed her directions. "So that is electric lighting," he observed. "The whole place has it, I am told, and other electric-powered things. I suppose the microwave is also an electric thing. They all may as well be magic, really."

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Hip propped against the sink counter, Sarah nodded. "Yes, pretty much everything functional in the cottage likely plugs in to an outlet," she said and pointed to an outlet close to the switch, "as you said it had all the modern conveniences and I noticed even the stove was electric instead of gas."

She placed her hand over the panel as a thought occurred to her. She felt better warning him to find out he already well knew not to do so then not say so and have him electrocuted. "But only plugs go in the outlets, don't stick your finger or something else in there in the name of scientific discovery about electricity." She smiled at him. "It's a shame we don't have Muggle Studies classes, but I think you'd be better off with 'Muggle' books than the wizarding ones, the wizarding world has some odd thoughts on 'Muggle' things." Her smile widened into a grin, clearly enjoying this. "So what do you want to see next? Have you ever watched TV?"

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

"What is TV and why should it be watched?"