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It's a beautiful day and Demelza is pleased to be spending it outside at the market, even if it is a bit crowded, made all the more difficult by Jeremy strapped to her chest. He's nine months old now, squirming and crowing with as much excitement as anyone and it's not terrible in the market, people are excited to see such a sweet face and they give Demelza room whenever she's trying to move, but after a bit of time, she finds she's too warm in the crowd.

Thus far she's managed not to change her dress too terribly much since arriving in Darrow, but this summer has begun to test her patience. Her dresses are still made of rather heavy material, long both in skirt and sleeve, and she can see the appeal of the shorter dresses other women in Darrow are prone to wearing. She's sweating and her hair is sticking to her forehead in curls and Jeremy is beginning to fuss in his carrier, so she quickly picks up a few more apples, then begins to make her way toward the exit, stopping only to buy a lemonade, which is cold and tart, and exactly what she needs.

It's on her way out that she treads on someone's foot and she nearly jumps in surprise, having not seen them there.

"Oh, Judas, I'm that sorry," she blurts out. "I were distracted, I didn't see you and now I've walked all over 'ee." She's only just stepped on his foot, but she knows she should have been paying more mind instead of sipping her drink and talking directly to her baby. Jeremy is hardly a good conversationalist, after all.

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The market, as Sirius has found, is an excellent place to observe the people of this strange city. Even after being here for well over a year now, he never stops being fascinated by them all, Muggles and Magicals alike. The natives of the place are interesting as well in their own way, fascinating in their cluelessness and Sirius is deeply entrenched in the most boggling circular discussion with one regarding the crop trade when he's interrupted by a woman rounding the corner and promptly stepping on his foot.

Even with a child strapped to her chest, she's not particularly heavy and the pain eases in a flash, though not fast enough for Sirius to hide the sound he makes. (Though he'll argue that's more from being startled than anything else.)

The sound gets a bit stuck in his throat when he lifts his head enough to see who it is that's run into him, eyes widening at the familiar red hair and pale skin. If he were on four feet instead of two, he'd have known her on scent alone, would've sensed her approached moments earlier.

"It's no trouble," he rushes to tell her, pasting on a bright smile just as soon as he's able and hoping she won't notice his faltering. To further the act, his gaze drifts over to little Jeremy and he smiles wider. "I've had far worse in my time. Is this your little one?"

For a moment Demelza thinks he's going to say something else entirely from the way he looks at her, though she hasn't the slightest idea what it might have been. There are many people she's met in Darrow, but she's always been very good with names and faces and she's very certain she's never seen this man before, but he doesn't speak right off and she wonders if perhaps she's wrong.

Then, giving it a bit of thought. she wonders if maybe she doesn't look like someone he had once known. There are so many men in this city who look like Ross, after all, she supposes it only makes sense that there might be someone else out there who looks like her.

"Yes," she answers, giving him an encouragingly smile before suddenly wondering if she ought not to. If she does look like someone he knows, she may only be making things worse. But then, she can't simply be rude to him without any reason, especially since he's just trampled all over his feet. "My son, Jeremy."

The many years Sirius spent concocting and executing countless pranks have made him into a fairly decent actor if he does say so himself. So it's easy as anything to play as though he's only just met the child and, in a way, it's true enough. For all the times Sirius has sniffed and licked and snuffled this adorable face as Padfoot (or William as she's seemed keen to call him) he's never gotten to really speak to the child.

So his smile is wholly genuine as he bends slightly to meet Jeremy's eyes.

Jeremy, of course, hardly looks even half as impressed.

"It's nice to meet you, Jeremy," he says, holding his hand out to him then though little Jeremy's arms are all rather tucked away in the sling. "My name's Sirius. Are you having a lovely walk?"

If there is any way to Demelza's heart, it's to be kind to her children -- or to her dog, who is as good as a child, though she'd never say as much to Ross -- and she blossoms into a warm smile when Sirius addresses Jeremy directly. He can't speak, of course, but he manages to flail and screech, which leads Demelza to unbind him just a little so she can remove his hand from inside the sling to offer it to Sirius.

As if a child so small might actually like to shake hands in greeting. It's too sweet a thought, however, not to allow.

"I d'believe that means he likes you," she says. "My name is Demelza and I suppose I must answer for him, that the walk through the market has gotten a little tiresome. People are generally kind and make way for us, but tis so hot in that crowd and with a day so lovely, it's a shame to spend it all crammed in like pilchards in a barrel."

Little Jeremy only blinks up at him even as his mother gently unwraps him a bit to free his tiny, chubby arm.

Grinning, Sirius takes Jeremy's tiny hand gives it a proper shake, bowing as he does. He lifts his gaze once more to Demelza as she speaks, cringing a bit internally at the wear she must be feeling in this heat. It's not quite as bad as it could be, not nearly as terrible as it's been before and likely will be again, but Sirius isn't walking about with another human strapped to his chest either. He can imagine well enough.

"Have you come to look for anything in particular?" he asks. "Or just out to get some fresh air?"

"To pick up some fresh fruit and I suppose for a little bit of fresh air," Demelza says with a smile. "Where I'm from, tis not possible to have apples and oranges at our fingertips in such a way, so I come to get some every few days when the market is open like this. Tis too good an opportunity to pass up."

People in Bodmin had died from lack of fruit, Dwight had explained it to her, and although Demelza doesn't understand all the details of it, she does make sure to feed her children and her husband properly as a result. She doesn't want any of them to get sick over something so easily fixed and it makes her terribly angry that such simple solutions had been kept from the mining folk of Cornwall. Just because they had been too poor.

"Then let's get fresh fruit, shall we?" he suggests, holding an arm out for Demelza to lead the way. He gives little Jeremy a wink in the process, wondering if maybe the tot recognizes him a way Demelza doesn't. Possibly can't. Because, children, Sirius thinks, possess a certain time of wisdom that fades a bit with age, a certain magic, even. One he suspects is true even of Muggle children.

He hurries to fall in step alongside Demelza then, nodding over toward a stall several meters off that appears to be selling an large assortment of oranges.

"There, perhaps? I've two working arms and now child strapped to my chest if you'd like me to carry anything."

Jeremy squeals when Sirius winks at him and waves his hand, which causes Demelza to laugh. Her son is generally the more quiet of her children, somber and serious where Julia is often bright and chatty. Of course, he's yet to begin to speak, but even so, he tends toward a solemn expression, but there is something about Sirius he clearly enjoys, smiling at him, his dark eyes sparkling.

He looks so like Ross. She can see it even now.

"Thank 'ee," she says with a laugh. "We've only just met and you're being that kind to me. Oranges are my favourite, too. We almost never had them in Cornwall and so many people did get sick as a result. I wish I could send these back to them now, to help all the villages that were suffering."

Little Jeremy lets out a familiar shriek and waves his arms about and, strangely, Sirius misses the feel of those tiny hands grabbing at his fur. Padfoot will have to stop by again soon, he decides.

Demelza, of course, has no reason to believe that she's met Sirius before. He spares only a moment to considering if it's dishonest or even cruel of him to carry on without telling the truth, but decides in the end that she might not much enjoy it. Supposing, of course, that she were even to believe him.

So he keeps his mouth shut for now, only grinning as he starts gathering up oranges by the armful.

"They're marvelous, aren't they?" he agrees as he cradles a solid half dozen in one arm. "They put them in all sorts of juices these days, I've found. Have you had any? They're amazing!"

There's something about Sirius and his cheerful, easy charm that has Demelza at ease already. She's always enjoyed meeting new people and Darrow has given her so much in terms of what she's able to do, but even still, she sometimes finds herself nervous, wondering if someone is going to catch her doing something that makes her look like one of the poor folk. If they'll know, just be her actions, that she doesn't deserve all she has.

Sirius, though, has such a kind grin that she can't help but feel at ease.

"Yes, smoothies!" she exclaims excitedly, though perhaps he means some other juice. She's had smoothies, though, had spent nearly two weeks drinking nothing but before she had realized it would be better to save money and simply return to drinking water. "They've a machine to make them in your home, but I don't think I'd know where t'begin with something like that."

Edited 2017-06-23 16:29 (UTC)

"Smoothies, yes! Those are the ones!" He'd never seen anything quite like them before arriving in this place and has consumed far more of them in the past year than he could ever have thought possible. They're impossible sweet and sugary and how they don't exist in a shop at Diagon Alley at the very least is completely beyond him.

Then again, maybe they do in Harry's time. Maybe it's not only a Muggle invention or something that only exists in this world. It's hard to know.

"Oh, do you mean a blender?" he asks, brightening once more for being able to identify a Muggle contraption. It's only because of Kieren, of course, who even now insists on certain Muggle things to litter up their kitchen. "The thing with blades that makes a delightful racket?"

"Yes," she says with a laugh, pleased to note Sirius doesn't seem to quite know what to make of them either. There are still days when Demelza feels as though she might be leaps and bounds behind everyone else, as if she's still running after them to catch up, but while Sirius knows what the blender is called, it doesn't seem as if he's terribly well versed in it either.

"They are quite loud, aren't they?" she asks. "I thought I might want one so that I could make my own drinks instead of purchasing them, but they're terribly expensive and with two little ones at home, I'd not want to disrupt them. I'm that lucky if they both sleep at the same time as it is."

She pauses, then asks, "Are 'ee from somewhere that doesn't use them?" It's still a bit of an odd question to her, but she's getting used to asking it.

That's not something Sirius had thought of, the need for Demelza to have quiet in her home for the children. Idly, he considers putting a silencing charm on one and gifting it to her, but he's not certain she'd be keen to accept such a thing from him while he's in this body. As far as she's concerned, they've only just met after all.

And Padfoot dragging in a blender into her home one day might raise suspicions.

Perhaps, one day, it will just magically show up in her kitchen.

"Some apparently do use them where I'm from," he admits, arms still full of half a dozen oranges. "Afraid they weren't around much in my home, is all. We have one now, Kieren and I. More upon his insistence, of course. Though, I'll admit, I don't see him using it all that often. Do they not make ones that are quieter?"

"Oh, I don't know, truly," Demelza admits. There's much of Darrow she still doesn't quite understand, even with all her trying, and there are some things she has simply let go of, deciding them to be less important than others, and a blender has certainly fallen into that category. After discovering she was pregnant, certain things had become too expensive for them to purchase when they weren't necessary, and even now, even though she and Ross are both making money, they try not to spend too much on things they don't need.

"I have two children," she tells Sirius. "But my husband and I... well, we're not used to living on top of other people as we are now. I'd like very much to be able to move out of the city and somewhere a little less crowded, but that will, of course, take a great deal of money, so I try not to spend too much on things I may not need."

She grins suddenly and says, "Tis why I drink fewer smoothies these days."

It's all very reasonable and responsible, two things Sirius has never been particularly good at himself.

Frowning slightly, he looks back at Jeremy who's still looking all about with wide eyes that catch on Sirius's more than once.

"Hmm," Sirius says thoughtfully, considering a moment before he spots a rack of bags hanging off just to the side. Quickly, he takes one to deposit his armload of oranges and then wanders toward a booth selling an even more vast array of fruits, the likes of which Sirius has hardly seen before. "Well," he asks then, turning to look back at Demelza, "would you give me the honor of paying for this bag of fruit then. Fill at full as you'd like and I'll cover it all. You can use the fruit for smoothies or anything else at all that you'd like. I hear fruit can make excellent pie filling."

Normally Demelza would never take advantage of such an offer, feeling it to be charity more than anything, but the way in which Sirius offers it is so charming. And he mentions pie filling, which makes Demelza's smile grow wider still.

It's as if he knows her already, knows so much about her she's never once mentioned to him.

"I shall allow it if you'll allow me to make 'ee a pie in return," she says, knowing she'll be unable to refuse such an offer. And a pie will be a fair trade, she believes, for she's always been good at baking and Greta has taught her so much over the months that her fruit pies are becoming more and more delicious.

That hadn't at all been Sirius's aim, but he'd be a fool to turn down such an offer.

His grin stretched wide, Sirius only nods. "That seems entirely fair," he decides, nodding toward the vast array of fruit once more in invitation for Demelza to have her pick. Sirius can't say he has too big of a sweet tooth, but he's smelled the pies in Demelza's kitchen. Of course, at the time, his sense of smell had been greatly enhanced, but he has the feeling they'll taste just as good when he's in his human form as they smell when he's Padfoot.

"Tell me, Jeremy," he says then, leaning in a bit, conspiratorially. "What sort of pie should I ask from your mum? Do you have a favourite?"

"Apple is by far the most delicious, as 'ee can pair it with cinnamon and have ice cream on top," Demelza answers as Jeremy coos in response and tries to reach for Sirius again. With some people he's very hesitant, clinging to her or Ross, but with Sirius he seems quite comfortable. "And I d'believe Jeremy will answer the same once he's able to eat pie."

He's only just getting teeth now. Only two, one on the top and one on the bottom, but even so it's happening too fast for Demelza's liking. She wants her children to stay small, to be her babies forever, though she knows such a thing is impossible.

"But you really ought to pick your own," she says. "It's so kind, your offer, I'd like to treat 'ee to something special."

Shifting his bag of fruit from one hand to the other, Sirius reaches out a finger for Jeremy to grab, wiggling it a little in the child's grip and smiling as Jeremy beams up at him. Sirius has always liked children, especially after little Harry was born. Being a godfather, as far as he's concerned, is just about the best thing a person can be.

And it's obvious Jeremy likes him, acting every bit like he does whenever Sirius is about on four feet instead of two.

"Apple sounds fantastic," he says, turning his smile back on to Demelza. "I've always liked a bit of ice cream with my pie and, you're right, it's the best mix with apple. Oh, can you do the crumbly thing?" he asks then, remembering a dessert he'd tried once at a restaurant a few months back. "It's a bit like a regular pie, but the crust is all different."

When it comes to Jeremy, it appears as if Sirius is a natural, and Demelza knows perhaps it's not the best way to judge someone she has only just met, but she believes her child must see something in him. And for Demelza, that is more than enough. Ross might tell her not to be so naive, but it isn't as if Sirius had needed to offer to buy fruit for her. He's been nothing but kind and Jeremy's reaction to him only convinces her he's a good man to know.

"Oh, yes," she says brightly. "My friend Greta showed me how to make that. It's even better with ice cream than pie and if that's what you would like, I'd be that happy to make it for 'ee. You shall have to come over and meet my other child and my husband. I'm that certain Julia will adore 'ee as much as Jeremy does already."

She says nothing of Ross, because she's never sure if Ross adores anyone, but he will be kind to her friends and that is all she can ever ask of him.

Some part of Sirius nearly feels guilty in that moment. Demelza's being wonderfully kind and friendly to man she assumes to be a complete stranger when, in reality, she's known Sirius for nearing on a year. She's no reason to believe otherwise of course, no reason to find Sirius familiar in the slightest.

Now's probably not the time to come clean though so Sirius only forces a brighter smile, his finger still captured in little Jeremy's tight grip.

"I would love that," he says, giving his finger another light wiggle. "Maybe I'll bring Kieren along. He's very into food these days. Can't get enough. I'm certain he'd love your pie." Kieren's a bit less social than Sirius on the whole, but Sirius has a feeling he'll be able to convince him to come in one way or another.

"Yes, please," Demelza says. "That would be lovely."

It's true she doesn't know who Kieren is, but from the way Sirius is speaking and from what she's learned of Darrow, she has to imagine they're in some sort of relationship. It's possible they're more than simply friendly, too, which she does not disapprove of at all, despite what some think when they find out what time she's from.

It's true that it had been a bit of an adjustment at first, discovering that men were happily and publicly in relationships with other men, but only because it'd been considered such a sin in Cornwall. Demelza, though, is a true believer of love and happiness and believes everyone must do whatever they can to find it.

"I really ought to be getting home now," she admits, smiling at Sirius. "But I'm very glad to have met 'ee today. You've been lovely."

Sirius can't help but wonder what Demelza must make of all this talk of Kieren. He's not minced his words at all, not hidden the fact that Kieren's a man and he's quite certain he's implicated their familiarity well enough. It could be she's only choosing not to react for the sake of pleasantry or, of course, that she simply doesn't mind either way.

Most people here don't, a fact that's thrown Sirius more than once.

"Oh yes, of course, I don't mean to keep you," he replies, quickly turning back toward the stall to pay for his bag of fruit. "You're certain you're okay to carry all that? It's quite heavy." Not for the first time, Sirius hadn't thought so far in advance in making his decisions and he mentally chides himself for the oversight. Likely too late to cast a buoyancy charm without notice as well.

"Well, if 'ee like, you can walk with me," Demelza says with a grin, as if she's offering him something quite nice instead of more or less asking that he help her. The fruit is all a bit heavy, though, and she has Jeremy besides, which means a little extra help would certainly be appreciated.

And besides, he's been so kind of her, she doesn't want to simply take fruit from him and send him on his way, even if she has promised to make him an apple crumble.

"Is Kieren someone you've met here?" she asks.

Pleased by the invitation, Sirius smiles wider and nods, hiking the bag up over his shoulder and nodding for Demelza to lead the way. Though, if she's on her way home, Sirius already knows just which way to go, of course.

"He is," he replies, always happy to speak of Kieren though, even now, he's a bit wary of all he should say. "Met him well over a year ago and we're... quite close."

He cringes at the delicacy in his words, well aware that it's the first time he's hedged a bit since bringing him up. And it's not like him, is the thing. He's always been one to proudly state the facts and bear judgement as necessary. But it's not only himself who would be judged in this case and he's not certain how keen Kieren is on strangers knowing of his life.

Sirius purposely doesn't give any details and Demelza grins over at him slyly. It isn't his fault, she's born of an entirely different time and people have a certain expectation of that, which she can hardly blame them for. Where and when she's from, people aren't welcoming, they aren't open, and any men who feel the same desire for men as Sirius does tend to live their lives in secret, often ending up alone.

Not that they ever speak of it. Having been in Darrow for some time now, Demelza has had time to adjust, to understand, and when she looks back now, she thinks it's terrible that people have had to spend so much time hiding their love.

"Your boyfriend then?" she asks, her smile still bordering on cheeky.

He isn't surprised when Demelza gives him that little knowing look, her smile a cheeky thing and eyes glittering. It's a look he's seen on her before, albeit typically from about three feet lower to the ground, but the topic still nearly makes his cheeks go pink as he lets out a quiet bark of a laugh.

"Yes, well, I suppose that's the term," he says because that still seems such a stranger word to him. Particularly now that they're actually living together, sharing a space out in the countryside only feet away from Lily and James who are rightfully and happily married.

Eyeing her a bit, he adds, "You're not put out by it?"

Normally he wouldn't ask if he's honest. Normally he wouldn't care. But, though she may not know it, Demelza's opinion has come to be one he cherishes. It's only that he's never had to bear it about himself before now. Not really.

"I'll admit that when I first came to Darrow, the idea of such relationships were a bit... odd," she says, because Demelza is aware of her many faults and thinks it right that she address them honestly and be truthful in her answers when someone asks her a serious question such as this. "Twas not how men or women lived where I'm from and although there were sometimes whispers now and then, I did my best not to participate in them, for I know too well what it's like to be the subject of gossip."

She pauses for a moment, then looks at Sirius, "And I have always believed that love, above all else, should be treasured and sought wherever it can be found. With a little time to adjust to a different world, it was easy enough t'see how that meant the same here as it had elsewhere. Tis all that matters at the end. If there's love, that's everything."

"To be honest, it's not how many men or women lived from my world either," Sirius admits, much more candid than he's ever really been in regards to this particular subject. "Or I suppose-- I suppose it was in certain areas, certain facets, but certainly not in my family nor many others that I knew."

Because, from what Sirius had seen, there'd been far more of that sort of thing in the Muggle world. His short time spent in London with Lily and James had proven that much. But he'd hardly seen a whisper of it amongst his other wizards. There were rumours, of course. Always rumours, of men living together and women cavorting, but it wasn't anything people did in public. It wasn't normal.

"People here seem a bit more forgiving," he says then. "And Kieren's..." He trails off when he feels a slight flush work up his neck. "He's rather difficult not to love. You'll see when you meet him."

"Tis so lovely," Demelza says sincerely, reaching to take Sirius by the arm when she seems him beginning to flush. "I know what tends to be expected of me, given the time I'm from, but I like t'believe that if I can see all that matters is love despite the way I was taught, shouldn't anyone?"

It isn't so easy, she knows that. Demelza is rather accepting of all kinds of things others aren't and she believes that to be a failing of those people, because acceptance is what everyone should strive for. One doesn't need to understand the choices or the life of another, so long as they accept them.

"And though it isn't the same at all, I d'understand bein' the subject of gossip," she admits. "I were a scullery maid, which is to say, perhaps the lowest of all the low in Cornish society. My husband, though, is a gentleman from a proud family name that holds much strength and wealth. When we married, all anyone wanted to speak about was my low class."

Sirius has always been more easily comforted by physical affection and Demelza's light touch does much to calm the blood rising to his cheeks. He lets out a grateful huff of a laugh as he relaxes and listens as she explains her own struggles with living a bit outside the realm of normal. It's not the same, of course, they hardly have the same background and that's clearly even more true as it seems Demelza's station seems a bit closer to that of a house elf.

He immediately scolds himself for even thinking such a thing.

"Did they think you unworthy?" he asks, balking at the mere thought. Sirius, of course, has met Ross a number of times, though always on four feet instead of two. The man seems kind enough, but he doesn't quite have the spark of Demelza, in his opinion. If anything, Sirius would say that he's the lucky one in the relationship.

"Terribly unworthy," she says and although her tone is cheerful enough, she knows she can only speak of it as such with a great deal of distance and, of course, Ross' constant love and support. "Parts of his family were terribly unkind as well. His cousin did call me a troll."

She's been called worse than that, though hearing it come from Francis with such venom had hurt her deeply. She wishes so much that he were here, that they were able to mend their broken bridges, but she doesn't know if such a thing will ever be possible.

"But his other cousin, Verity, she were always lovely," she continues. "She said she cared not for my station, because she'd not seen Ross as happy as he was with me in years. Twas all she needed."

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