The wait had been agonizing, making it through the rest of the ball, trying to make a small show of being a good little part-time debutante and at least dance a few rounds with willing gentlemen. Though she didn't often have a lot of inquiries, tonight had been different and she wondered if it had anything to do with the rumors. Ugh the sooner this nonsense died down, the better. It also made it all that much more insufferable and was well past midnight when she finally found herself standing in her own bedroom, peeling off the ballgown and all of its layers before unpinning her hair. She was oddly energized, though she should have been exhausted.

After bidding everyone goodnight and closing her door, Elsie muffled the room and though she thought it silly, arranged her pillows in a somewhat convincing fashion of a body in bed. She took a moment to look for any lingering traces of magic around her room, other than the spell she'd just cast herself, but wasn't so sure she'd even be able to tell herself if there was. Certainly her mother hadn't put anything on her room? Nor would she check in. Elsie had feigned tiredness in the last half an hour or so, claiming she couldn't wait to crawl into bed for the night.

Hopefully it had been convincing enough. After a few moments more, she thought the house quiet enough, her mother and sister in bed themselves, so in little more than her nightdress, hair long and loose, she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and disapparated. It was just a quick trip, a little alone time to get them through and she would make her way home again before morning. No repeats of last time.

The sensation of apparating would never be pleasant, but it was better than the floo network, she supposed. One disorienting spin later and she found herself in the middle of Tyb's room, the dim light throwing her off briefly before her gaze finally landed on him and a wide smile blossomed on her face. "Well fancy meeting you here." She quipped quietly, slightly flushed and swaying from the effort of getting there and just a little bit by the quickening of her heartbeat now that she was here.

Her smile bloomed into a grin as he picked her up, arms automatically wrapping around his neck as she giggled in delight. This was so much better than a side conversation at a crowded ball, even if nobody could hear them at the time.

"I would never!" She gasped in mock shock, unable to hide the pure contentment she was feeling at this point in time. "Is it still Valentine's?" She teased more quietly, remembering where she was, as she tried to look past him at the clock. Surely it was after midnight, Elsie had even gotten home until nearly then. It was far past her normal bedtime, but such was the life of a daughter trying to make up for being in the rumor mill and for the girl just trying to be alone with her love for more than five minutes.

Feeling her feet hit the ground again, she kept her arms firmly around him, though struggled to hold the shawl in place, letting it flutter gently to the floor without another thought. Sighing softly, she squeezed him tight and buried her face in his shoulder, taking a moment to simply let the moment wash over her. There was something to be said about taking this risk, but when she felt like she could finally breathe, that for just a minute she felt entirely whole, it had to be worth it. "Either way, this is much better." She mumbled into his shirt wondering when this would be their every night and not just one in a great while.

It was crazy to think how utterly relaxed she could be when they knew perfectly well this was a huge risk. Everything else seemed to simply melt away, like anything that could upset them was miles away. Els knew in the back of her head that she was pushing the limit, but it was so just as hard not to as it was risky, but tonight had almost been too much.

Smiling softly, she sighed quietly. Though she obviously knew they were committed to this, to each other, it was nice to hear every once in a while. "I so very dislike the waiting, though." Her distaste for it grew by the day, but what could be done about it? The whole thing was one long, agonizing, waiting game and they didn't even know if they were going to win it. Any brash decisions on their parts would be highly inflammatory and that was the last thing Elsie wanted, but the waiting was incredibly difficult.

The only good thing was that it made moments like this that much sweeter and so she was determined not to let it dampen her mood. Plus whatever it was that had been in the champagne at the party was lingering in her system ever so pleasantly, making her feel delightfully airy and light. Turning her gaze up to meet his fully, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Smiling despite herself, Elsie let herself get lost in him for a purely selfish minute,  her arms wrapped in a loose loop around his neck. Though she felt no urgency in the evening, it was easy to get caught up in him because she knew their time tonight was limited. A small whine escaped her lips when he pulled back, though her brows furrowed at the mention of Witch Weekly.

"I've had quite enough of them this week," Though they'd joked about it earlier in the night, Elsie's recent conversation with her mother was still fresh in her mind and the Merlin-forsaken gossip magazine had caused some unnecessary turmoil for her. Needless to say, Els was bitter about it. Her tone suggested as much and now she felt all the pent up anxiety threatening to take hold. Try as she might to pretend nothing was wrong, it was hard to ignore the fact that things were starting to fray at the edges and she hadn't any idea what to do about it. They were barely any closer to where they needed to be and Elsie felt that sting specifically as of late. It was to no one person's fault, but it felt like things were stacking up against them again and it was a constant worry she didn't know how to ease.

Sliding her hands down his shoulders, she pulled them back to press the heels of her hands into her temples, leaning back just a little to give herself enough room to do so. "Mother saw the article. It was... not a pleasant conversation." She huffed, taking a couple of steps back now to pace in a little circle. The frustration was never-ending and she felt the weight of it on her shoulders, rolling them subconsciously as if it would ease of the built-up tension. Passing him a helpless look, she felt guilty for unloading this on him, but she didn't have anyone else to talk to about it. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin their short time together, but if she didn't release some of the pressure she was going to burst.

Elsie wasn't sure if she was relieved or put out that he moved even further away, however feeling anything but in control of herself at the moment, she realized he understood what she needed better than she did. She watched him perch himself on the edge of his bed out of the corner of her eye while she took a couple of minutes to continue her little circle of energy release. It was helping, she already felt a little better, but she still felt guilty about letting it get to her in the first place.

Realistically, the last thing she felt like doing (and Tyb probably felt like hearing about) was rehashing the conversation with her mother. Just the thought of it set her teeth on edge again and so all she could do was sigh in response. Shoulders slumped, she finally paused her pacing to look at him straight on again. Pulling a dramatic grimace, she moved to stand in front of him, reaching out to brush her fingers along his cheek.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the mood." She could pace her own bedroom any time. Now she should be taking advantage of the fact that she had him at her fingertips instead of letting everything overwhelm her. "But yes, she knows now and I'm sure you can imagine how she felt about it. I was as vague as possible, but that ridiculous gossip rag gave me a lot to work against." She sighed again quietly. "Sometimes it just feels like we're sliding backwards through no fault of our own and it's frustrating." She added in little more than a whisper, blue eyes fixed on his hazel ones intently.

Thank Merlin for Tyb and his seemingly endless optimism. The more he spoke, the wider her smile became and the less anxious she felt. He really did know her better than she knew herself sometimes. It made her stomach do a little flip of excitement even at the idea (though he was only joking) of having their own house sometime down the line.

"You're right, no going backwards. She nodded solemnly, though a smile still curled the corners of her lips. "But I don't think I could ever grow tired of seeing you every day," That was the goal after all, wasn't it? To be able to wake up beside one another and not have to rush around trying to get home before anyone noticed; to be able to be in public together, no questions asked; to come home to have dinner together and fall asleep in the same bed every night. It felt so far out of reach, but like Tyb had pointed out, there was no going back, it was full steam ahead from here on out and they would just have to keep navigating the rough waters to the best of their ability.

Giving their joined hands a tight squeeze, Elsie released only long enough to fold herself into his lap, wrapping her arms tightly around him. She found herself needing the comfort only he could provide more than anything else at this very moment. "I do love the sound of my own library, though." Just picturing it, the two of them, their own little place, maybe a family, put her heart at ease for the time being.

Tyb's certainty on the matter helped fuel her own, pushing back against the doubts that sometimes threatened to overwhelm her. It was hard to believe in anything other than success, when she was curled up into him, all warm and cozy, though it was only for a little while.

A low chuckle escaped at the mention of snoring and Elsie shook her head slightly, "Not in my experience, " Which to be fair, was minimal, but even if he did, it wouldn't change a thing. "Never ever." She added on a slow exhale to punctuate her point.

Squeezing tighter, Elsie nuzzled in, feeling very much at home right now. Though it probably hadn't been her original intention for tonight, it turned out to be just what she needed. The chaos of everything that had happened recently had her wishing now, more than ever, that they could just get past all of this and move on to where they wanted to be.

Clearly she wasn't there only one. "Oh? Do tell." Elsie had often thought about what their life would look like together, she did wonder what Tyb envisioned and if their thoughts matched up on the subject. Truth be told, she wouldn't have assumed he'd given it too much thought, but apparently he had- which left her eager to hear his plans.

In the lull, the warmth of the quiet in Tyb's room, Elsie felt, for the first time in a while, perfectly at ease. Their steady breathing and the feeling of his heartbeat against hers was enough to dull the outside world and push their immediate issues to the background, fading away to worry about another time.

She'd closed her eyes in the peace, a smitten sort of smile curling her lips and if she'd been allowed to stay like that much longer she probably would have fallen asleep.

"The library was a given," She mused, leaning back to study him for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. "Something small, a cottage perhaps, probably won't need too much room." Plus, realistically, they wouldn't be able to afford much bigger. The subject of children hadn't really come up, other than she assumed they would have a couple at the very least and he had mentioned a family here and there. Still a cozy little place to call their own was all she really wanted.

The broader image in her mind wasn't as clear as the feeling she wanted it to have and some of the tiny details that popped into her mind. "Brooms stuffed in the corners, books on every shelf. Warm and cozy inside. A little garden outside for both flowers and vegetables. Room to play. I've always wanted a swing in the yard." They hadn't had the room in Liverpool. Here she'd been off to Hogwarts as soon as they're moved in and then felt embarrassed to ask, feeling like she was a little too old for it.