September 6th, 1888 — Jamie's Shack, Hebrides
James MacFusty

Things had definitely slowed down since she returned from the Irvingly fog expedition - and, in a way, it was sort of disappointing. Apart from that single outing with Jamie in mid-August, she'd been mostly confined to her research. (Which, she supposed, was what she was hired to do, but she'd been hoping for a little more adventure after her early exposure to it.) She was still reeling from Richard Gladstone's letters months ago, but was determined to put that behind her; she just couldn't be with him, not as some Irish housewife whose own staff looked down on her as a gold-digging harlot - and definitely not with a family of in-laws who resented her mere existence.

(Of course, all of that was easier said than done. She undoubtedly harbored a heart full of affection for him, but the circumstances could not be ignored. It was social suicide, which she supposed was okay for her, but not for him. The best thing she could do was ogle the unmarried MacFusty men with the hope that they might distract her.)

That led her to another point: Jamie. He'd not exactly been ignoring her, but he hadn't made a pointed effort to speak to her and had even deflected many of her attempts to speak to him. The air of mystery that surrounded him seem to ignite the spark of curiosity within her, but it was so difficult to figure him out when he disappeared for days, sometimes even weeks, on end. Hence why, on that day, she decided she was going to seek him out.

It wasn't difficult finding the shack; he'd had her there once before, and she'd taken note of the entire journey there on foot. She'd apparated this time, not confident enough in her own dragon-deflecting abilities to make the trek on foot. As she approached the shack, her mind wandered to Dagda the Tiny Toddling (as she'd affectionately dubbed him) and she momentarily wandered if he'd be around. However, as she approached the door, an observation she made immediately led her mind elsewhere: Jamie's front door was partially open.

Putting aside any notions of privacy out of curiosity (and admittedly a bit of concern), Bella nudged the door open further and peaked her head inside. It was much different from the aesthetic of the MacFusty's mansion: everything was slightly worn, slightly torn, and nothing seemed to be where it should be. She remained quiet as she walked through the shack, peeking around every corner, into every room, until she spotted him. Them.

"Are those wolves?" she asked, breaking the silence in the room.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie was often given hell about his shack on the island. It was small and dingy looking from the outside, certainly nothing worth particular note of. Inside, however, it had been magicked to be a bit larger than it should have been. Not by much though, of course. Jamie preferred things tight and close. It was one of the reasons he didn't frequent the MacFusty mansion often. There was just too much space. It put him all out of sorts. His little shack suited him just fine with its few rooms, only ones of particular import. A kitchen that housed a fireplace hearth for cooking, a small water closet with just a toilet and small wash basin, a bedroom and then an extra room that he simply lounged in from time to time with another small fireplace for warmth.

At that time, he'd been in the extra room meant for lounging with two tiny wolf pups. He'd found them during one of his travels into Scotland for some necessary groceries for his shack. Their mother had been nowhere in sight and he had been surprised that the two were even still alive. The little pups' eyes weren't even open yet, making them hardly a couple weeks old. Luckily, the season hadn't turned particularly cold but he'd taken note of a couple other pups, stiff and still to the touch, that they'd likely used for warmth. Jamie certainly didn't look like the sort to have a soft heart for anything but when it came to wolves, well, it was perhaps his Achilles heel. Since the loss of Gunna, he'd longed for another wolf to accompany him. And now it looked as if he might have two.

He'd just gotten the all black pup to sleep, the little thing curled up in his lap as he sat cross legged in the middle of the room atop a fur rug. Its little chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as it slept soundly despite the constant whimpers of its littermate. An all white one was held carefully in his arm, cradled on its back as Jamie calmly hummed to the little creature. He rocked it slightly as he slowly fed it from a little dropper he'd purchased after finding the pups. He'd just finished it when a voice broke the silence in the room.

He jumped, startling the black pup enough for it to sit up and yap and the white one to whimper again. Instinctively, he threw the dropper in his hand in the direction of the voice before turning to glare at Miss Scrimgeour. "What in bloody hell are ye doin' here!" he all but yelled the question at her as he continued to glare.

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Yay Bree Set!

Before she could survey the scene before her any further, Jamie all but lost it, firing an object in her general direction and hollering loud enough to make her - and the little pups - flinch. Wide-eyed, she ducked back behind the corner, trying to collect her thoughts before she mustered the courage to peek back around.

"I was just coming to see you!" she responded defensively, only her face and a single hand visible she leaned back into sight. "I don't know, I just thought you - well -" liked me was not the appropriate ending to that sentence given that he'd treated her like a pest, but she hated to think that he disliked her. (People - especially men as solitary and reclusive as Jamie - didn't generally allow others to follow them around if they disliked them, right?)

With a annoyed huff, she stepped from around the corner and leaned against the wall. "They are wolves - baby wolves," she observed. "Where'd you find them?" Did they have names? Were they his?

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie had taken the moment of her fear and hiding to calm the pups. He managed to get the white one to sleep but the black one had apparently had enough of a nap. The pup was nuzzling at his legs and sniffing about as if hungry again. He couldn't help but to chuckle and carefully deposited the white sleeping pup in a pile of blankets next to him and took to picking the black pup up to begin feeding it some again.

"Well you shouldn't have," he answered a bit bluntly, not bothering to look up to her as he said it. His attentions were quite focused on the pup and task at hand. He couldn't be fussed by the presence of the woman in his cabin. Mac would likely have his hide if he knew she was there. He wouldn't really blame him either. Though, he felt a bit out of sorts having her there. He never brought women to his cabin. It was his domain.

He glanced up to her as she came around the corner further and asked more questions. Damned irritable woman. Didn't know how to take a hint clearly. "Found 'em when I was running some errands," he said simply, "S'not my first time tending to pups left for dead. They were the only two still breathing. Not sure that one's going to last." He pointed to the white one as he said the last bit. Only time would tell though.

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Yay Bree Set!

Disregarding his comment with a quiet hmph, Bella slowly moved towards Jamie and peeked down at the pups. The black one looked happy and healthy as it rested in Jamie's arms - but the second one, not so much. Every heave of its chest came with a squeaky breath, almost as if the act of breathing was a painful one.

"Let me help," she said, and without a second thought crouched beside him. She placed her hand on his bicep and gave it a gentle pull downwards, attempting to get a better look at both pups. "I'm sure I could brew something -" Anything, be it a broth or a draught. "- that might have some effect."

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

She came into the room and every bit of Jamie seemed to be on hyper sensitivity to her movements. He hated that fact. Hated that he could sense every bit of her as she wandered into room and peered over his shoulder at the pups. The white one was still sleeping though the rise and fall of its abdomen was nothing compared to that of the black pups. The white one wasn't steady by any means and its breaths were ragged and rough. And even though the black one wasn't asleep, it still moved with obvious differences. There were no rough and ragged movements of it even as it nipped playfully at Jamie's fingers.

"Not yet," he ended up answering, though his body stiffened some as she tugged on his bicep, "They're still too young for anything but milk. Can't give 'em anything else yet. We'll know more in another week when they've opened their eyes." He dared to look up to her then, an obvious softness to him that usually wasn't seen on the rough and rugged mountain man.

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Yay Bree Set!

It was no secret that Bella was drawn to all creatures weak and vulnerable. There was Dagda, the dragon whose mannerisms made it more akin to an over-sized, winged puppy than a fire-breathing monster—and now there was this white pup, whose struggle to get a single steady breath sent a shot of oxytocin rushing through her brain.

She wanted to touch it, to cradle it in her arms like Jamie was doing to the other pup, but her willingness to do so was hindered by the fear of bring it harm. (And, perhaps, the fear of Jamie snapping at her.) "Oh," she murmured in disappointment instead, her head unconsciously tilting as she examined the wolves.

"You're going to care for them, I presume?" she asked, hesitantly reaching across Jamie to pet the black pup. At least that one didn't seem like it was at risk to... die at any moment or anything. "I could help with that, too. I was a healer," she reiterated for what seemed like the hundredth time since they'd met.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

The fact that Jamie could hear the disappointment in her murmur was annoying. He shouldn't be so in tune to her feelings or reactions to such trivial things. As it was, the wolf pups weren't a big thing to be worried about. He'd nursed pups to health before, it was like second nature to him. These two would be easy enough to tend to even if he did have worries for the white one. But, if it looked as though its way of living would be hindered, he'd do what he thought to be the humane option. He wouldn't, however, be telling her that. She'd want to save it, he was sure, and there was a chance there would be no saving it.

"Course I am," he said, a bit of annoyance in his tone as he said it. As if he'd have gone through all the trouble of getting what was needed and transporting the pups back to his shack to not take care of them. He even looked at her with a brow raised just to add to how stupid he thought her question was. But then she was offering help.

"Ye really shouldn't even be here," he said a bit gruffly though didn't outright tell her no.

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Yay Bree Set!

Bella did not respond to Jamie, her attention fixed instead on the two creatures. Presumably abandoned by their mother, they were left alone to fend for themselves—it was an experience she was all too familiar with, and just thinking about it was enough to bring tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She didn't sob, though, nor did she shop any overt display of affection towards the pups; instead, she squeezed Jamie's arm.

"And you shouldn't have been acting all mysterious," she muttered as she rose to her feet. Bella cleared her throat and averted her eyes to the room around her—and it was a mess. "You live like... well, it's not a place for wolf pups to be living," she observed. "You need to clean it up a little. Think about it: what if they ate something they shouldn't be eating? What if they stepped on something and got an infection?" Really, even if her nagging was merely a cover for her emotions, how did Jamie even live here!?

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie simply responded with a huff and even a little growl of his own. He wasn't being mysterious. She just clearly didn't really know him. He was a recluse by nature. If that made him mysterious, then maybe he was. Really, he just liked his solitude and found he liked very few people. Hell, he could only stand to be around his family for small periods of time before feeling like he was going crazy. And Bella, Miss Scrimgeour, seemed to be like an annoying gnat that always escaped his swatting and always came back.

Dark eyes scanned around the room, really not seeing what she was seeing. It was a mess, of course, but to him is was an organized mess. He knew exactly where things were even if it looked as if that weren't possible. When his gaze finally came back to her, he simply shrugged. "S'not that bad. And the pups will be fine," he said, his tone far less offended like it'd been when she'd asked if he planned to care for them, "I don't keep deadly poisons or nothing in here."

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Yay Bree Set!

Bella cast a dubious look in Jamie's direction. "They could get a splinter," she said, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Or worse: they could inhale something in the dust. They're just babies, and just like human babies, I'm sure they'll try and get into everything." The entire shack just needed a good cleaning.

Boldly, she moved towards the white pup and bent down beside it. "She should be sleeping outdoors, not in this dusty place. She needs sunshine, fresh air," she complained, running her fingers through its fur.

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

The bark of laughter that left Jamie was perhaps so unlike him it caught even him off guard. The best reaction, however, was the yap of the pups. The white pup's yelp was surely one of fear but it at least showed more strength than it had originally, which was a good sign to Jamie. The black one, however, yelped then growled with the hair on the back of its neck standing right on end.

"They'll be fine," he said with a shake of his head as his laughter fell to a light chuckle, "They can't be outside without protection yet. Not until they're eyes are open and they're a bit stronger. Then I'll get a paddock of sorts sets up for 'em." He was smiling still from the laughter as he watched her gently stroke the white pup back into a clam that it obviously needed. "Trust me, s'not my first time," he said again. He knew what needed to be done and he'd be damned if he let someone tell him otherwise.

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Yay Bree Set!

Still crouched beside Jamie and the yelping pups, Bella crossed her arms over her chest. "But what if they're not fine? Look at them! Look at this one!" she challenged, attempting to soothe the startled pup by rubbing the top of its head. "We should give them basic comforts, basic decency—like names!" she added, visibly perking up at her own idea. Bella loved naming things; she used to have books filled with odd, foreign names!

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Oh, this woman. Probably the most annoying and insufferable creature he'd ever met in his lifetime. He was already well aware of the state the pups were in and emphasized that with a rather pointed look in her direction once he'd stopped chuckling. But before he could ever respond she was going on about giving them basic comforts and then names. She was clearly delusional.

"First," he started, his time serious as he looked right at her, They're wild creatures. They don't need basic comforts. What I've give them are already more than they could have ever had in their lifetime. They've a warm place to sleep, which, by the way, is not just the floor. I've set up soft beds for them by much bed." He didn't motion to where that was though. She didn't need to know where his bedroom was..

"Second, they cannae even see yet. They'll not be responding to any sort of names for some time not to mention they're still too young to tell what gender they even are," he finished then took a deep breath almost as if he'd said it all without taking a breath in between.

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Yay Bree Set!

A smug smile on her face, Bella caught Jamie's eyes. "Isn't a 'soft bed' a basic comfort?" she teased, a giggle slipping through her lips. "Come on, Jamie. I can see you have a soft spot for them. I'll name mine first, and then you'll name yours," she explained. The white one was hers, of course.

"I think I'll name that one ..." She peered down at the white pup as it shifted in its sleep. "... Frideswide. It's perfect," she declared. Though many had balked at her name choices before, Bella was certain strange, foreign names were the best kind. "Now it's your turn."

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— MJ is MAGICAL —

Jamie responded initially with a smirk as he casually pet the black pup who had fallen asleep on his lap once more. "So I spoil'em a bit at first," he said with a shrug, "They deserve it."

But that easy tone and smirk were quickly replace by an incredulous look, eyes slightly wide when she seemed to think one was hers. "And what makes you think one is yours?" he asked, brow raised to further the incredulous look on his features, "What makes you think you can take care of a wolf? And that's a stupid name."

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Yay Bree Set!