for melanie

[goldsteins]

It would be far easier to simply apparate, but the woman doesn't trust her knowledge of the surrounding areas yet to do so. Besides with so little to fill her days with she might as well accept the travel from the city to the Nook. At least it was peaceful-- Something she very much needed these days. For as much as Newt would say she has a good head on her shoulders, she feels anything but such these days.

She's returned to her habit of forgetting to eat-- she always had before when she was too busy or stressed. And without Queenie there to scold her and shove a plate of food under her nose she wasn't doing very well in that department. She's only driven to eat when her stomach growls in protest, an act of rebellion it had started minutes prior.

Tina had been quick to dismiss herself from Newt's presence, it was drawing late in the day and she couldn't impose any longer (at least that''s the excuse she gave). 

She'd known that others lived in the Nook with him. The strange other wizard, James Potter, and to her understanding a young girl Newt had taken in. Despite that the few times she'd been there had been scarce of any other occupants. So when she leaves today she doesn't expect to stumble across the young girl coming out of the forest.

Tina had known the girl to be young, but it's rather different in person. For as tense as she's been she softens, if only slightly, with the smallest of smiles. "Ah," She managed, "hello there." 

Comments

[goldsteins]

"I see," Tina murmurs in response, brows furrowing somewhat. She doesn't know who this Sara is, but it's to be expected given her relative newness to Darrow. The woman can only expect that Newt knows and approves of the encounter, but doesn't linger on it-- Not when the girl gives her that sound and she looks up apologetically.

"I was," She says shifting her gaze back to the girl with a nod, ignoring the way she can feel the heat growing in her cheeks, "Newt had some things he needed to do and I was getting in the way." Or more like something embarrassing happened and it's better to leave now rather than to stay and continue to flounder. But that's not something she's going to tell a ten-year-old.

[all_the_gifts]

That doesn't sound right. Newt can be busy, that's true, but he's almost never too busy for Melanie. Even when she thinks he probably is, he'll tell her that he isn't, and then he'll show her what he's doing, if she likes. And Melanie's just a hungry child, not someone from Newt's home, not a friend that he's been missing.

"I don't think you could be in Newt's way," she says frankly. "You're his friend, and he likes you. I think if you asked him if you were in the way, he'd say that you weren't. That's what he tells me whenever I get worried that I'm bothering him."

[goldsteins]

Tina raises a brow at the girl's frankness. It's amusing in a way, given she was nearly always as frank herself. The only thing stopping her now was not explaining more adult situations to a young girl, especially one that Newt was looking after.

"It's a little bit different," She counters evenly, shaking her head, "I'd agree he would usually say as much, but I have been here most of the day. You live here. Eventually, non-residents should leave."

[all_the_gifts]

"I suppose," Melanie allows, though she doesn't look entirely convinced. Part of her wants to suggest that Tina just move into the Nook as well. It would make sense for all the magical people from the same world to live together, and if Newt and James will accept her, she doesn't doubt they'd welcome Tina, too.

But that's not her place to say. The Nook really belongs to James, so if anyone invites Tina to stay, it should probably be him.

"Maybe, next time you visit, I could be there, too," she suggests instead, looking both intensely shy and hopeful. Maybe Tina visited while she was away on purpose. Melanie couldn't really blame her for that. But it still saddens her to think that a friend of Newt's might be avoiding her on purpose.

[goldsteins]

Tina wouldn't be the Auror she was if she couldn't tell Melanie was unconvinced, but nonetheless, she didn't feel the need to explain herself further. It was private affairs and not something she wanted to touch on, much less to the child Newt was fostering. So her features remained as impassable as ever until Melanie says that.

"I'd quite like that," She responds easily, softening. Though, of course, it would be some time before she visited again-- far from what the girl was worried over. "I'm sure Newt's currently back to attending to his creatures right now, but if you would like...?"

She doubts that whatever awkwardness or uncertainties may lie between them now, Newt wouldn't begrudge her speaking to Melanie in his home.