It's About Making Your Own Destiny, Not Waiting For It To Come Along.

October, 2027

“Mr Rookwood,” a high, shrill voice sparked out across the courtroom. The plump, elderly woman leaned across the bench and peered over her emerald green spectacles that were perched on the end of the nose to glare openly at the man who stood, his nose in the air and a disdainful look turning down his mouth. It appeared to be a battle, if not a war, between two forces at hand. Not for the first time in his life he found himself in such a room – after all he had plied his trade in such spaces not so long ago – but never had he been there expecting a judgement to be passed upon him. He had put his case forward, somewhat grumpily – alright, very grumpily – and he had tried to make them see. It wasn’t on him. Then, even he had responsibilities. He had a daughter he couldn’t leave. He wouldn’t leave her. That was an impossibility.

The woman looked as though she was about to say something contrary to what came out of her mouth. She snapped her mouth shut, coughing quietly to herself, and reshuffled her papers. Theodore looked up from his hands which were clasped before him and his eyebrows shot to his forehead at the sight of his uncle darting away from the bench and into the shadows once more, his robes fluttering out behind him. Theodore’s mouth opened, a question rising in his throat. He swallowed it back when he glanced at the woman who seemed to have gotten herself together once more. She continued to shuffle her papers and seemed to not believe what had just gone on. Theodore felt in a similar position though this was out of ignorance rather than anything else and he opened out his arms, shooting the woman an impatient look.

“I have a daughter to get home to,” he pointed out. It was a lie, of course. Esme was in the hall with Adriana. Nevertheless, it was a fair point. He didn’t want to sit in the Ministry all day. He wanted to take his daughter to the park and let her play on the swings or whatever else struck her fancy. It was a warm autumnal day, after all, and once the winter air swept in he knew they wouldn’t get the chance until spring. Plus, he also wanted to take some photographs. He was well underway with getting her photo album together and though he felt exceptional guilt at the early pictures which he’d found amongst the things Cressida had left which so sorely lacked him. He wished he could have been there to hold her. As simple as that, he’d wanted to be there. He’d wanted to still be able to love Cressida. He wished he could have been panicked and excited and terrified all at once. He’d missed it, though. Because he was weak. Making up for it was what he was determined to do, though. It was what Cressida wanted.

“Mr Rookwood,” the shrill woman called again, breaking him from his thoughts. “Unforeseen changes in circumstance have led me to acquit you for any wrongdoing within regards to Article 203, commonly known as the marriage law. You have been fined but that has been taken care of and you are free to go about your day. Next case, please.”

Like that. They’d done it just like that. Theodore was in a daze as he walked out of the courtroom. When the crowd of bustling lawyers and others passed and found their space to disappear into, Theodore let his eyes fall upon his sister and his daughter, the latter of whom burst from the former’s arms towards him. Theodore leaned down and scooped Esme up into his arms, cradling her close to him. He let his eyes fall shut and sighed, pressing a kiss to her temple as he rocked them both for a few moments, until he felt the leather strap of his bag drape over his shoulder and his sister’s hand curl around his arm. She sent him an expressive, imploring look and he blinked at her, misunderstanding what she was trying to tell him.

“Adriana,” a gruff voice barked down the hall and she turned, hurrying along to Eamon’s side. Theodore blanched a little and turned Esme away, as though somehow Eamon, from the other end of the corridor, could still yet reach out and harm her. She gave a squeal, uttering in clipped English where her ‘Auntie Dri’ was going. Theodore mumbled for her to shush for a moment and watched as Eamon wrapped an arm around Adriana, wondering what this supposed to mean for all of them. Eamon was the messenger boy, after all. If Theodore was being liberated from Azkaban and Adriana was being brought back into the fold then the former didn’t want to know what the grand plan was. He just hoped Adriana wouldn’t be married off abruptly. Part of him internally begged for there to be change within their house – change that wouldn’t leave him the outsider. He wanted to go home too.

Eamon and Adriana disappeared with a crack and not for the first time Theodore reflected on the usefulness of being employed by the Ministry. He sighed and shook his head, readjusting his grip on his daughter who reached out to grab at his hair. Theodore winced and reached to disentangle her chilly fingers, wrapping them in his instead to get some warmth back into them. He turned, then, and slowly began to walk down the hall, murmuring to her as he did so that his plans for the day included an array of different things for them – principally some lunch and then a few adventures before they needed to go food shopping for dinner. She liked all of the ideas which lightened Theodore’s heart a little bit and he turned the corner, heading down towards the atrium.

At the end of the hall, he spotted someone who he hadn’t really seen for a couple of years. That hurt, thinking about it – knowing that in a handful of years he’d gone from a high-flying, easy life to one that was a little more complicated and required much more work. He’d been successful. Now all he had to show for it was a job in a restaurant. Yet, he had his daughter. That was his one consolation. She didn’t seem to mind whether he was successful or not – comfortable or not. Whether he liked it or not, though, his loan was beginning to run out and though he was sustaining it somewhat with his income he needed to be a bit more frugal. He needed to work out what it was he was really going to do with himself. Otherwise when school came for the little one – which was far too soon for his liking and rang home again his early failings with her – he didn’t think he’d have much success with catering for her. But that was another stress for another time and not worth thinking about now. He wanted to be pleasant after all.

“Mairen,” Theodore called out softly as he reached her, offering her a kind smile. “It’s good to see you. How’ve you been?”

“Maiwen,” Esme called out, glancing up at Theodore quizzically, searching for his approval. He looked down at her, a genuine smile breaking out across his features as he lifted his hand to tap his index finger to her nose. She grinned, reaching up to grab at his finger and Theodore chuckled, wiggling the tip of his finger at her nose again.

“That’s right, Mimi,” he whispered to her. “You’re spot on, baby. You gonna offer her your hand?” Theodore asked this a bit louder, so Mairen could hear, and he turned Esme around, unfurling her fingers from her palm. “You remember? You shake people’s hands when you meet them, don’t you?” She stole her hand from him and burrowed into his chest, hiding her face in his neck as shyness overcame her. Theodore smirked and turned his head into hers to kiss her.

“Bashful baby,” he admonished with a smirk before looking back to Mairen. “Sorry. She’s more of a flirt than this normally but she doesn’t know the Ministry very well – thank Merlin – so I don’t think she’s feeling very confident. This is Esme, though – by the way. But you’ve been good, yeah? Busy and all the rest? I just got a dressing down from some moody witch. Apparently my wife dumping me in a spectacular fashion is against the law. Weird, isn’t it?” He shook his head, really beginning to look forward to now relaxing a little bit. They wouldn’t marry him off again. Not now there were bribes going in left, right and centre. It was strange. Family did always seem to look out for each other – even when they weren’t on the best of terms.

The boxes in Mairen's office were piled high, despite their miniature form. Everything had to be moved, of course, after Scorpius went missing. She couldn't just leave her things there, and she most definitely could not remain in the flat after he had been gone for so long. She had stayed with her father for a while, but that had gone down hill rapidly, leaving her without much of an option. The afternoon would be spent looking for a place, unfortunately, and if nothing turned up...? Well, Mairen supposed one night in the office wouldn't be that dreadful.

Okay, so maybe it would. It definitely would. But only because she still didn't understand why he had left. All she had done was get attacked, and try to protect his family. Yet he was gone, nonetheless. Waiting about for him wasn't really an option, no matter how much she missed him. For all she knew, he had no intention of coming back to her. At least she had been able to force herself to leave. That was the first step, she supposed. It was far better than moping.

Mairen was on her way back to her office, which was indeed new as she had finally been signed for a full time job as opposed to an apprenticeship. However, her name coming from down the hall caught her attention, sending her red hair falling over her shoulder as she turned. "Theodore?" she asked, eyebrows lifting. Her eyes jumped from him, directly to the girl in his arms, an almost awed smile curving her lips when she heard the child try to say her name.

"She's beautiful, Theo," Mairen murmured, offering the girl a bright smile even as Esme turned away. His words surprised her, though, and she blinked even as her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. trying to ignore his question, she decided to simply repeat it back to him. "But you're okay, though, right? For the most part?"

It was shocking, to an extent, that their lot in life was so strangely similar. Except Theodore had someone to pass the time with, where she did not. In truth, the only person who was anything like a friend to her was the woman who manned the front desk of the Law floor. And yes, it was incredibly depressing to have to admit it. "I'm um, I'm a little out of sorts, admittedly." Mairen's lips pursed briefly before she gestured to her office. She could trust Theodore with it, couldn't she? They had gotten on well enough that he remembered her, after all! "Let me show you."

Her lower lip was pulled between her teeth as she turned towards her door, pushing it open and pressing her back against it so he could see inside. Or, really, enter if he felt like it. "Unfortunately," she explained, her eyes floating over to the boxes, "my entire life is in the office these days."

A stab of pride rattled through the Rookwood man as he turned his head to look at his daughter and not for the first time admire himself that she was truly a beautiful child. He thanked the heavens that she’d taken enough of her mother in order to look like a normal human being instead of a member of his family. She had his hair of course, the only mark of their house that seemed to transcend everything else. She didn’t possess any of his personality, either. She was bubbly and carefree. He couldn’t remember being like that even as a child – well, certainly not when he was around his father. Theodore and Esme’s relationship was different though. It had to be. He wasn’t sure he could live with himself if he had to put her through that. He wanted her to be happy. That was all he wanted.

“Yeah, she is,” he murmured, tickling his fingers beneath Esme’s chin, raising a giggle out of her that made her turn her head into his shoulder, hoping to hide from him. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Theodore smiled a little, hoping to reassure Mairen. It wasn’t as bad as he made it sound, really. He was just annoyed about it. It made things difficult not least because of what had happened but also because he was now back being dependent on his family again – not that it had ever really ended, that dependency, but he’d felt as though he was getting there. Getting rescued by them wasn’t what he’d wanted. Though, that said, he’d never really thought he was ever going to get divorced. He’d always imagined getting married for keeps. That had been the plan. Now that it hadn’t panned out he felt a little bit robbed and vulnerable.

“I’m alright, really. It’s just a pain. I wish it could have been completely different but it is what it is. What can you do, eh?” He shrugged his shoulder and readjusted his grip on Esme and looked at Mairen, his lips parting to form a little ‘o’ of muted shock and surprise when she admitted she wasn’t okay – not entirely, anyway.

Without a second thought, Theodore followed in behind Mairen and his eyes widened a little at the sides as he caught sight of all of the boxes crowding into the office. Esme wriggled and Theodore loosened his grasp on her so he could set her down on her feet. She jumped a little on her red shoes and smiled before wandering over to the boxes stacked up against the wall.

“Blimey,” he reached up to rub the back of his head thoughtfully. “What happened?” He asked, turning his gaze to her. “I mean, I thought you married the Malfoys-” that was crucial as you never really married the person with their kind of families but the whole kit and caboodle from head to foot.

There was a spare room at the front of the house beside Esme’s, overlooking the park. It was, thankfully, a nice road off of Knockturn Alley and housed wealthier residents that could comfortably let their children out to play. Theodore had bought the house not long after leaving Hogwarts and joining the Ministry when the money from his father and his job combined to make him a happy camper. Now he had it more or less sorted out furniture and theme wise. It was beginning to properly feel like home. It was just that spare room. It had everything it needed but the person. It seemed to Theodore that it would be absurd not to at least offer it. An office wasn’t a home.

“How long have you been here?” Theodore asked softly, looking around still. He rolled his lips together thoughtfully for a few moments before continuing. “I have a big house, Mai. And a spare room that you’re welcome to take and make yours. I don’t … this isn’t right. I mean what happened to Scorp- actually no. You don’t have to tell me that at all. It’s not my business. If you can put up with me, though, you’re welcome to a room. This one will nose about a bit, I fear,” he pointed to Esme, shaking his head before reaching over to grab her back up into his arms again, much to her dismay.

“Well, how about this?” He suggested. “I take you out for lunch today … now.” He glanced at his watch. “And we can pop back to mine and you can have a look and if you want I can pick up the boxes from here for you. What do you say?”

"Ah," Mairen winced at the name, her eyebrows tugging together as though she were in pain. "No, that- it didn't-.... I mean..." She faltered, her lips simply parted as she tried to find some kind of reaction worth giving. Something that wouldn't tear her apart on the inside, preferably. "That never actually happened."

The invitations had been sent, the flowers chosen and the dresses bought. But the wedding had never happened. She had asked him to postpone it. Rather, written to him, asking for it, considering she couldn't vocalize what it was that she wanted. She couldn't have made a sound even if she needed to. But then he had left, and Mairen hadn't been given any sign of why.

She really did have a bad habit of admitting too much. Saying too much. As a child she had not been given much cause to speak, but over the years she had decided to break out and say anything that was on her mind. It hadn't always worked out well for her, but it was habit by now.

"Well, actually," she started, watching Esme bounding about, "today would be the first day." Her hand lifted to rub at her neck beneath the red hair that covered her shoulders before she continued. "I left his place a couple weeks ago... Ended up with my father, but he left, too. So I'm on the hunt," she shrugged.

Her action was cut off, though, when he continued. Her shoulders fell, her lips parting as a wave of curiosity swept over her. Even the short version of his name made chills cross over her skin, but she was so incredibly warmed by the offer that she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. In the end, Mairen's arms wrapped around herself, her gaze following Theodore about her office.

"Theo, I- I don't want to intrude. I mean, you've got a kid, now. More things to worry about than me." Her gaze jumped from Esme to Theodore's face, catching the look of sympathy that seemed to linger. Perhaps she was imagining it. Mairen found that she didn't really care either way. "I mean, that would be brilliant, if you were serious. But maybe we should... we should just start with lunch, you know? I couldn't let myself invade on you and Esme. Especially not Esme. Not unless you're sure."

The prices that they had been forced to pay for their lives had inflated beyond recognition. Yet somehow, despite his nature and that of his family’s, so much good had come out of it. All that had happened had happened for a reason, of course, yet he could not consider a time when it hadn’t had pain and hurt riddled within it. It seemed that while his upsets had been minor they had been dealt with by those who still seemed to love and care for him, people whom he had renounced out of petulance and childish jealousy. They protected him. By extension, despite their reluctance to do so, they protected his daughter. He knew that, in turn, his uncle would take in his sister, treat her for her soreness and to a certain degree let her be and let her be happy. No one had come for Mairen. Here she stood, alone, her life in boxes – packed up and waiting. He couldn’t decide for what yet he felt as though perhaps there was a reason for his being there and the offer that had fallen so easily from between his lips. Somehow, it seemed he was finally beginning to understand the reasons why his family did the things they did and why, really, he was no different from them – or, certainly, not as different as he liked to think.

“I’m serious,” Theodore cut in, stepping forward and opening up his hands. His features lifted to express his confusion and he looked at her imploringly, asking her to find fault in him. “I mean it,” he reiterated. “I’m not really the joking kind, Mai. Besides that, it wouldn’t be a very funny one, either.”

Despite himself a small smirk began to play at his lips rather contrary to his words and he gently lowered Esme down onto the soles of her little red shoes. Her wiggling was proving to wear upon his arms this morning, though perhaps it was the strain of events that had conspired to bring him here in the first place finally giving out in his body. He watched as his daughter moved over to Mairen, holding up her arm to the woman half-demandingly in that little way that proved her a Rookwood all over. Another one. Another woman to blow in and out of her life like the tumult of wind in starched sails. It was not a coincidence. Maggie, his co-worker. His sister. She’d taken to them like opposing bits of Velcro and she’d stuck fast and without regret. She wanted her mother back. She’d look into the eyes of every passing creature in the hope to find a match of hers – just as he would always look upon his father in the foolish hope perhaps Thaddeus would look at him the same. It seemed as though the shards of glass, the pieces he’d broken that he had to pick up, were already cutting at both sets of Rookwood hands and ruining them further. Loss seemed riddled within her, just as in him. So he’d failed her. He’d already failed.

“Lunch,” Esme declared almost benignly, reminding her father that there was a world beyond his own mind that still spun and not wholly into chaos and despair, either.

“Lunch,” Theodore agreed, raising a smile where the thoughtful grimace had been. “Lunch. Lunch is a good place to start. You’re right. You’re both right. Though you,” he looked at his daughter. “You - I think you want some strawberry parfait.” She broke out into a toothy grin and Theodore rolled his eyes, ignoring the giggles that rose up from behind her mitten-clad hand.

However much it irked Theodore that he was going out for lunch, he knew that it was better to keep his house and his larder out of the equation – at least for the moment. As much as he wanted to charm Mairen’s socks off with a load of different concoctions in order to make her see that it wouldn’t be a problem if she did take a room, he knew that it wasn’t the best way to try and do that so going out for lunch was the right and proper way to start. He decided to take the girls into London and off of Oxford Street there was this little wizarding road upon which several restaurants were sat which catered to both wizards and Muggles and there were enough charms on the doors to make sure the Muggles always forgot the magic they saw but made sure to give good reviews. It was much better for wizardingfolk so Theodore decided to take them there, opening the door for Mairen into a little restaurant called The Blue Fin.

It was a bright little restaurant with a nautical theme to it and Theodore was guilty of going there a lot while he worked in the Ministry with little time to indulge his own culinary pursuits. As a result the staff knew him well and the waiter lingering on the podium was more than happy to grab the menus and lead them to a table. A little bit of discussion went on about where to seat Esme and Theodore was determined not to patronise her so a few cushions and a chair transfigured to have arms later, Esme was sat at the head of their little table while her father lifted out Mairen’s chair for her to sit down. Once she was seated, he plopped down into his own chair and picked up the menu, smiling a little to himself as he flicked his eyes over the lunches on offer.

“Order whatever you like,” he said, looking up to offer his smile to Mairen. “It’s my treat.” He then lowered his eyes back down, glancing over at his daughter. “You too, love,” he added, watching as she turned her menu over in her hands. It would have something to do with strawberries, whatever it was, he knew that much.

Theodore put Esme down again, and Mairen didn't think she could recall a time where she had felt so surprised. Especially not by the actions of a little girl. Little fingers prodded at the redhead's, and Mairen bit her lip to conceal the enormous smile that threatened to show itself. She couldn't explain, even to herself, why the gesture meant so much to her. Maybe it was the fact that children were blunt about who they did and didn't like, and Esme wasn't making it seem like she disapproved. Or maybe it was the simple truth that she had been alone for too long but now had two people so seemingly open to her involvement that she wasn't quite sure it was real.

"Yes, of course!" Mairen declared, feeling oddly light. Her eyes jumped to Theo briefly before she accepted Esme's hand, picking up her purse with her spare hand just in case. The woman's laugh joined Esme's, quiet though it was, and she shook her head at Theodore teasingly. "C'mon, then, honey," she addressed Esme, gesturing towards the door so the little girl could lead the way.

She imagined that they must have looked rather strange, the three of them, as she locked up the door. But then they were whisked away to a little place that instantly struck Mairen as somewhere Theodore must enjoy. After all, you didn't immediately pick a place unless you appreciated it. So as they entered, she peered about, trying to decide what about the place had struck him. What had drawn him in. It was rather cute, she had to admit.

Mairen hated to note that her cheeks colored a bit when he pulled her chair out, not quite used to people thinking of others before themselves. At least, not in the simple ways or for simple reasons. As Theodore watched Esme, Mairen watched Theo. There was some kind of ache there that she recognized, even as his daughter brought up his happier side. Once she gave her request to the waiter, handing over her menu with a smile, she turned back to look between the Rookwood and his girl.

"Well!" she started, hoping to keep the mood fairly upbeat. Small talk was not necessarily her strong suit, but for one who had spent so long unable to speak, she almost seemed to do more talking than she ever had before. "Why don't you two tell me about the house?" Leaning an elbow on the table, Mairen turned to Esme and set her chin on her palm. "I bet you like your house, huh?" Then, to Theo: "Where is it?"

As predicted, Esme was desirous of having something strawberry-orientated to eat. She settled for a parfait while her father went for a seafood salad thing which he’d somewhat mindlessly picked though paired with a small loaf of seeded bread and garlic butter so he supposed he wouldn’t be too miserable if the salad was insufficient. Once their menus had been taken away, Theodore focused on his daughter who was absent-mindedly beginning to play with the napkin she’d been given while beating her legs back and forth before her, content to finally be in a proper chair. Theodore detested all kinds of chair to propel her upwards and had destroyed the lot of them – especially the ones Adriana had tried to buy. He preferred to either hold her himself or put down a few cushions. She was an independent little thing and he recognised that. She didn’t want to be babied unless it was on her own terms even now. It almost frightened him sometimes just how alike him she actually was.

“It’s black!” Esme offered, glancing towards Theodore for his agreement. He nodded after a moment and smiled, lifting his arms up to rest them on the table. “And big. And nice.”

Theodore chuckled lowly and couldn’t help but nod along, looking up as the waiter returned with a jug of water. Theodore thanked the man and busied his hands with pouring Mairen a glass before doing so for himself and glancing at Esme who reached for her glass but found, much to her disappointment, she couldn’t quite reach. She looked at him expectantly and Theodore chuckled once more before pouring some water in and handing it to her. She took the glass, uttering her thanks in an undertone, and drank happily from it before putting it back up on the table once more, smacking her lips together contentedly. Theodore’s brows knitted together in an expression of muted amusement and he shook his head, topping off what she had in her glass with another slosh of water before putting it down.

“It’s off of Knockturn Alley,” he informed her with a little bit of hesitance. “In Salamander Gardens so it’s not … totally evil.” He flexed his fingers in thought and picked up his glass again, taking a sip before continuing. “And Mimi’s right. It’s black on the outside but was a Victorian red brick originally. It’s got beautiful sash windows, though, and flower boxes underneath each one so there’s vibrancy about it. I’ve been refurbishing the inside slowly. I tend to only really inhabit ground floor and the first floor but, um. I’m working on the second and sorting out the attic and stuff. The other two are all decked out, though.”

“The garden is big!” Esme enthused, bouncing in her seat. “It has bugs and stuff.” Theodore smiled again, muffling it with another sip of water. He sat the glass back down and looked at her, waiting for some elaboration. “Daddy grows things there,” she explained. “Flowers and … herbs and veg-et-ables.” Her mouth moved a little awkwardly across the world but got there in the end, grinning brightly at Mairen.

“Well done, baby girl,” Theodore murmured, reaching to nudge her nose with his knuckles. She giggled a little and he tickled her under his chin before sitting back.

Their food arrived soon enough and Theodore slowly began to eat, idly filling up his time by spreading liberal amounts of the garlic butter on the bread. He held up a piece for Mairen to see and offered it to her. He then took a bite of his own and turned to his daughter only to wince upon catching sight of her already slathered in strawberry yoghurt. He shook his head and decided to leave her until she was finished making a mess. Then he’d sort out getting her clean again though he was half tempted to forego the spell and take her home instead to just dunk her in a bath. It wouldn’t do her much good, the mucky pup. She’d soon get herself in another state.

“It’s quite pretty,” he added, resuming the topic once more. “The little messy one is right,” he smirked at Esme who smiled around her spoon. “It’s just this old Victorian property I saw one day years ago now and decided I wanted. When I bought it there was more that needed doing than I’d originally thought but I’m getting there now and it feels more like home every day. Like I’m making it from scratch. I do it all by hand, too. If it was with magic it’d be done already but I think it’s more fulfilling to spend rainy Sundays painting and laying carpets and other things. I suppose it sounds a bit silly but … I don’t know.” Theodore looked back down at his food, taking a few bites thoughtfully.

“Anyway, um. The room I’ve been working on. Your room, I guess. It’s, uh. Well, I’ve not really got there. It has carpet and painted walls and furniture and all the rest but it’s sort of impersonal. Even for what I was going for it’s impersonal. Really you’d be doing me a bit of a favour by giving it little touches. It’s got a fireplace. All of the rooms have. An ensuite – though there is a bathroom on the landing. I’ve hung up a few pictures but they’re not really … I mean, I’ve nicked them off of Elijah and they’re meant to be worth a bomb but I don’t know so much. They’re the pre-nudes – the Paris landscapes. Which is nice. I mean, I don’t want any of his later stuff, to be honest.” Theodore shook his head again and turned a prawn over with the prongs of his fork.

“It has a nice Queen Anne arm chair, too. This patchwork upholstery … I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do with it seeing as it’s not technically mine it was my sister’s but it’s sort of nice in the corner. But yeah, essentially it’s yours to do with what you will if you want it. How about … after this … I invite you back for coffee and let you see the house and you can see what you think about it? What d’you say?”

A warm, contended smile pulled at the corners of Mairen's lips as the little girl spoke, the enthusiasm making the redhead want to laugh. As Theodore continued, though, she found herself wanting to make excuses. How bad could living in the office be? Of course, she answered the question for herself as she frowned briefly into her drink. Hopefully he hadn't caught the look, considering it was almost hidden.

Merlin knew she already adored the little girl - as Mairen was so typically to do when meeting children - but a part of Mai knew that the two sitting with her had a hurt to them. Something that her presence could only exacerbate if she wasn't careful. So she hesitated, her mind focusing on the details he gave - particularly the bits that she didn't actually understand since she didn't really know very much about architecture or interior design. It gave her something to hold onto and question.

Well, besides the fact that he was being far too generous with both of his resources and, potentially, their emotions. Frankly, it was not as though Mairen was open to considering anything when it came to Theodore and his daughter. But didn't people inevitably get attached? What if she and Theo had a fight and Esme was stuck in the metaphorical middle? She didn't know him well enough to say if they would get along perfectly.

But, seeing the house couldn't hurt, she supposed. If she didn't like it, that could be the reason that she gave herself as she returned to the office. So far, she didn't have a good enough excuse, so she remained. She clearly wanted to stay with them. Her mind was practically screaming at her to stay. They were lovely people, and the house - no matter what Theodore was on about when he described it - had to be better than living at her desk. It had to be. As much as she disliked asking for help - especially after the period where she couldn't speak at all - Mairen wasn't so cynical that she couldn't see the opportunity in front of her.

"You're far too nice to me, Theo," she pointed out quietly, passing a hand over his arm without thinking. "I've no idea about most of what you said, to be honest, but you seem so pleased with it that I just have to see. So, yes. That would be brilliant, I'm sure."

A flush of colour alighted upon the cheeks of the dark-haired Rookwood man and he ducked his head almost shyly, turning over some of his food with his fork as he stomached the compliment. Kindliness wasn’t the sort of thing he was associated with and, typically, wasn’t something that his family encouraged. Yet, wasn’t he offering his home to a veritable stranger because he was outraged she had been neglected to such an extent that this had happened to her? He was determined that she should make no other decision. So perhaps it was an adjective was apt. Still, it was alien to his ears. It seemed wrong to him. In fact, he was convinced of it. More than anything else, it just seemed to make good sense to the Rookwood man. There was no other options worth selecting in his mind.

At the same time, though, Theodore couldn’t help but wonder what he offered her. Aside from his home, he had a daughter who was high maintenance in her own little ways and was, needless to say, highly interested in other people. He had no idea whether Mairen would want that in her life and for reasons he could well identify with he could imagine why she wouldn’t. Yet, at the same time, he hoped that he wasn’t such an unattractive offer. The house itself was nice – a wonderful place to bring up a child let alone live as an adult – but the owner was churlish and irritable, most especially in the mornings. He didn’t want to alienate her from the word go. He was probably overthinking it, though.

“I’m doing the right thing,” he responded gradually, lifting his gaze to her. “I think you deserve someone to do right by you. I might be presuming where I’m not wanted but I’d like to be of some help. Everyone needs a break sometime.” Merlin knew eventually he needed his.

Lunch itself came to its natural end and after getting up to go to the bar and pay, Theodore donned his coat again. He smiled at Mairen and looked to see Esme drop down onto her feet from her chair. Theodore opened her coat for her and she shoved in her arms happily before allowing him to zip it up. He pulled her mittens on and after a little bit of coaxing managed to pull her hat over her dark head of fluffy hair. Then she took hold of his hand and he pulled her up into his arms and then onto her shoulders before moving out into the street once more. A handful of streets later and they were wandering through the Leaky Cauldron, then Diagon Alley, and then turning down onto Knockturn Alley.

A few streets down, before the darkness really began to set in, Theodore turned off onto Salamander Gardens. Light shone down brightly onto the street, illuminating the colours in the leaves. Once the house came into view, Theodore set Esme down onto her feet and she hurried off, bouncing down the pavement before jumping excitedly up the steps to the door where she waited, spinning to and fro on the welcome mat. Theodore chuckled, passing an amuse look over to Mairen, before pulling his keys out of his pocket.

“Come on, daddy!” Esme demanded, pulling on the leg of his jeans before hopping over to stand with Mairen. “In!” She demanded.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Theodore despaired, fumbling with the lock. “Hang on, a stór.” He mumbled, twisting the key before pushing open the door.

Esme wound around his legs and hurried inside first, her footsteps thundering on the light wood of the entrance way. Her coat was abandoned behind her and Theodore shook his head, leaning down to pick it up before opening up the door wide enough for Mairen to come in. He shut the door and took a minute to hang up everyone’s coats before stepping further inside, gesturing for Mairen to look at her leisure.

“Daddy!” Esme exclaimed, appearing in the doorway.

“Baby!” Theodore responded, smirking in her direction. “What d’you want, Mimi?”

“Where’s Dri?” She asked, holding out her arms to him, pouting out her lower lip.

Theodore picked up his daughter and swung her onto his hip again before opening up the door that led downstairs into the kitchen and main living area. The floor was carpeted with thick, beige fabric that was fluffy and had softened many a fall that his daughter had had in the past. He indicated for Mairen to follow and he made his way down the stairs, the coins in his pockets jingling as he hopped down.

“Auntie Dri,” Theodore murmured, “is going home for a little while, okay? Don’t worry, though. She’ll be back soon enough.”

Theodore dropped Esme down on the sofa, rousing giggles from the little girl, and he stepped over onto the tiles that designated the open plan areas – the tiles ordering where the kitchen was and the carpet the living and dining room. It was all one room, really, though, and Theodore certainly liked it that way. Flicking on the kettle, the Rookwood man took three cups out of the cupboard and looked over at Mairen, holding a white mug with pigs on it up for her to see.

“Tea or coffee, love?” He asked with a smile.

“Hot choc!” Came the demand from the sofa.

“Not likely,” Theodore retorted dryly, rolling his eyes. “It’s not even close to bedtime yet.”

Bright eyes appeared over the back of the sofa, widening to puppy-dog size in order to plead with the dark haired man but he was not moved and, with a dramatic huff, Esme flopped down onto the sofa again.

“Tonight?” Followed belatedly.

Theodore chuckled. “Sure, baby girl. Just, cool your socks, ‘kay? I’ll make some after dinner. Pinky promise.”

“I wanna see it!” Esme shrieked, getting to her feet again. She held out her left hand demandingly, shoving her littlest (which wasn’t saying much really given that her fingers were tiny) finger in the air to her father. Theodore held up his in return and she smiled, somewhat satisfied that she was going to get hot chocolate before bed.

“Do you like sweet things, Mai?” He asked as the kettle boiled. “That absolute terror loves anything sweet. Sadly, she got that from me.” He chuckled, lifting the kettle off of the hook to slosh water into the cups. “I think I can say with a little bit of certainty that I make pretty good hot chocolate.”

“The best!” Esme exclaimed, popping up beside Mairen’s legs. “Daddy makes the best hot choc ever. Mai, Mai, Mai, Mai! You need to see my room.” She reached up to grab hold of Mairen’s fingers somewhat awkwardly given the height difference. Usually, Theodore just pulled her up by the hand though she realised it wasn’t something the half-stranger would do. So, she sufficed with jumping wildly in order to grab hold of Mairen’s hand and, in theory, drag her off to see the bedroom. Theodore could only really do but watch, suddenly struck with the feeling that his daughter wasn’t going to make it to dinner time – she’d be out for the count by the time the afternoon was up.

Mairen blinked in surprise when Theodore looked embarrassed, but she made no comment. Inside, though, she had to wonder if perhaps he simply never received them. She certainly hadn't been given any as of late. Without truly considering it too hard, she made a mental note to try and present him with more of them. And she couldn't argue with his assessment that someone had to start doing something for someone else. By the time they reached Theodore's home, Mairen was all but laughing at Esme's antics.

Her coat fell from her shoulders at Theodore's movements to hang the others, and Mairen found herself staring around at the inside. "Oh, I think she's lovely. Not a terror at all," she countered teasingly. She could have kept on, assuredly, about how endearing the girl was. But it was hardly her place to argue with the girl's father or set a poor example. The last thing Mairen needed was for Theodore to be upset with her because Esme started thinking she had the run of things.

"But yes, I do rather like chocolate," she conceded. "Although, really, savory is just as appealing as sweet, for me."

Her attention was stolen away, though, when Esme appeared beside her, shocking Mairen such that the redhead couldn't quite find words to reply properly. Instead, she leaned forward to make the distance a bit easier for Esme, and suddenly wondered if it was due to become her life in the evenings. Surely she would end up with aches from bending over to be closer to the little girl's level. At least after a while. But she couldn't find it in her to mind that possibility.

Her feet carried her along beside Esme, a smile tossed over her shoulder at Theodore as they went. "Okay, pretty. How about you show me your room first, and then the one your daddy's been painting?"