Getting to know you better.

[thegluethatbinds]

WHO: Philip Coulson and Tess Mercer
TONE: Friendly, with some little bits of angst here and there.
RATING: PG-13
WHEN: Backdated to the 4th of July
WHERE: London
WHAT: Fellow Americans must bond, especially if it's Independence Day.
STATUS: Ongoing



Coulson had to admit; it seemed like things were really looking up for him. The Teacher's retreat had introduced him to some of his colleagues, and they seemed like great people to work with. Most of them had been polite and friendly, willing to help out the new kid in the block. It was hard enough making the switch from tracking down Dark Wizards to educating the young wizards; it gets worse when you're in a totally different culture. They may share the same language (and even that is debatable to some extent), but honestly it was quite interesting to see the little differences here and there that separated the Brits from the Yanks.

However, he did still miss home. And that special someone in Portsland. WAND could train you to adjust to life-threatening situations at the drop of hat, but loneliness was something that you could only deal with by yourself. It was strange to be in the UK, so far away from home and all the familiar faces. He missed the action that came with his job, yes, but he missed more the relationships that he had built back in the US. Not only her, but Agent Hill, Agent Sitwell, even the Director. They all shared a camaraderie that he knew would never be able to be replicated, no matter how welcoming the professors had been.s

Still, he wasn't one to just mooch about and mope. He could still make friendships here in his new life, and Ms Mercer had kindly offered to show him London. It wasn't like he was going to be an outcast in Hogwarts.

Right?

A small frown passed his face as his hand reached up to touch his left shoulder. Under the coat and the shirt, he knew, were teeth marks that forever would mark him as something...something else. He really should've brought the issue up at the Teacher's Retreat, but his first encounter with Mr Rhydderch had him wary of sharing such information to all the staff. The support department for werewolves had assured him that he was still him, the wizard, the human, the same Phil who loved the Winconsin Packers, believed in heroes, and who did his job to save people from Dark Wizards. But there was no doubt that in society there was a stigma. Sticks and stones, that's what his mother used to say. He smiled bitterly; he wasn't one to let other's opinions bother him too much, but being a werewolf isn't something you let others know.

He sighed and looked out at the crowd for Ms Mercer. Maybe he was being too worried about things. Maybe it was the combination of homesickness, loneliness, and nostalgia. But he knew that he really, really did not want to spend his first 4th of July by himself.

Comments

[itsintheblood]

Tess had been hoping to be state side by this time in the month, but she still had work to do in England. She didn't have any plans with her estranged family, but being back on home soil was as close to a family barbeque as she got. When Dumbledore asked her to show the new Defense Against the Dark arts teacher around though, she didn't mind being in London for a while longer, at least he spoke normally and acted like a civil human being.

Tess weaved through the crowded streets and spotted Phil Coulson a block away, a man that orderly was hard to miss during the summer months. She picked up her pace, wondering if she had been running late or if he was just early.

"I hope you weren't waiting for me very long."

[thegluethatbinds]

He smiled and shook his head. "Not at all, Ms Matteris. I really appreciate you taking the time to show me around London, especially on the 4th of July."

[itsintheblood]

"Call me Tess, please. I don't mind at all, and it'll be nice to spend it with another American anyways."

[thegluethatbinds]

"Alright then, Ms Tess."

He clasped his hands together and inclined his head. "Where should we go first? I haven't been to many places yet; just the Tower of London. Usual tourist spots."

[itsintheblood]

She extended her hand to lead him down the street. "Have you been to any of Wizarding London yet? Not as exciting as crown jewels and Big Ben, but I think they also have postcards."

[thegluethatbinds]

"Can't say I have. I've got the standard tourist guide from the Muggle information centre, but that's about everything I know about London." Following her lead, he walked on behind her, observing the area around them as they headed to their destination.

[itsintheblood]

"We should start with Diagon Alley then. It's a place every witch and wizard over here needs know. It has Gringott's and the Daily Prophet, as well as all the stores you could need."

[thegluethatbinds]

"Diagon Alley it is then."

[itsintheblood]

"The easiest way to get there is via the Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross Road. You could Floo in, depending on how you like to travel."

Tess was glad that she agreed to show Phil Coulson around, he seemed to be better company than a few people she dealt with on the teachers trip. "So what made you jump the pond? Scenery change?"

[thegluethatbinds]

He's got his cover story all ready. It would be safer for her if she never knew exactly what he did back in the States, so an alibi was one of the first few things he'd have to come up with before he met any of the teachers.

"Something like that. I used to work for the American Ministry of Magic under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was a good job, but I thought I'd try something new and broaden my horizons. You get a little too old to be running around arresting people for breaking the Secrecy Act."

[itsintheblood]

Tess couldn't help but chuckle at his statement. "Now you'll get to run around after students. They can't apparate an escape though."

They were already fairly close to the Leaky Cauldron and she could see it from across the street, looking like a run down building to muggles. "My last employer sent me overseas to research different potions and ingredients."

[thegluethatbinds]

A slight smirk escaped him. "I have to admit, that was part of the appeal of the job. Still, students can be resourceful. You never know the many ways they come up with to keep things under the radar.

What company did you work for, if you don't mind me asking?"

[itsintheblood]

"I don't mind at all. I worked at Luthor Potions, I was the VP of Research until I came over here."

[thegluethatbinds]

"Luthor Potions? That's a rather prestigious company."

And one involved in one too many shady dealings for WAND's liking. There was never enough information to actually implicate the company in anything, much less the leading man himself; too many loopholes, fake alibis and paid bribes.

It did lead to interesting questions: what was Tess Mercer doing here then? Lex Luthor always had an ulterior motive, and it never spelt any good, no matter what the press made of him and his company. Tess herself had never really gone onto WAND's radar either, so he did doubt that she was involved in any way with Luthor Potions less...public dealings with Dark Wizards.

"I didn't know that the potions and ingredients in the UK were any different than the ones in the US though."

[itsintheblood]

"The one and only." Tess could tell that Phil Coulson was a smart man and he worked for the Ministry back home, so he had probably heard about the rumors.

"There isn't much difference, but certain things are more accessible over here. Some things are tradable here where as some ingredients were hard to come by unless requested by the Ministry. It does make it easier to experiment."

[thegluethatbinds]

He nodded at that; it made a lot of sense. American trade laws tend to make it difficult for some ingredients to pass customs, and experimenting in a different country with a different set of rules was a legitimate and often exploited course of action taken by many other companies.

"How has your research gone, if you don't mind me asking?"

[itsintheblood]

"It's going well so far, I could be farther along but teaching the students come first. I'll be heading back home for a few weeks to present my results."

"This is the Leaky Cauldron." Tess stopped in front of the Wizarding hotel establishment and pointed to the sign. She was glad that the muggles would just think they were admiring an old out of use building.

[thegluethatbinds]

"If research is your first priority, then why did you apply for a teaching job here? I hope you don't mind me asking, but while I know Hogwarts has a pretty good Greenhouse for ingredients, there are other places that might be better suited for research work. No students too."

The Leaky Cauldron was mentioned in his guidebook, but navigating the winding streets and alleyways would've taken him quite a while to locate it. "I heard good things about this place. Good food and good rates."

[itsintheblood]

"I made that argument to Lex, but he insisted since there isn't another wizard like Albus Dumbledore. The students did grow on me, some will definitely go places in the future."

She opened the door when no one was looking and held her arm out so that he could go first. "It doesn't matter how high up you are on the social ladder in the wizarding world, everyone comes here."

[thegluethatbinds]

"I hope I get to enjoy a similar experience with them. I haven't really worked with kids before. Given what I used to do though, that's something I should be thankful for."

He walks in, taking in the sights, the smells, the sounds. It's certainly a busy day for the Leaky Cauldron.

[itsintheblood]

"Well, it's going to be just like when you met the staff, but on a shorter scale."

Tess weaved through the tables and dodged any drinks that were escaping their mugs. "The entrance to Diagon Alley is in the back."

[thegluethatbinds]

He moved to the side to give way to a busy waiter, following Tess as they manoeuvred through the crowd.

"They are a diverse group, and I have to say I enjoyed their company. Did you enjoy the Teacher's Retreat, Miss Tess?"