19th December, 1889 — Ministry of Magic Atrium, Candle Lighting

Life at the Welcome desk was looking especially bright today, with the Ministry Atrium growing more and more candlelit with every new visitor who stopped by to light one. Sarah had always admired the grand gilded hall of the Atrium, but there was something austere about it too. It felt warmer today, with the soft glow of all the candles floating above and the soft cacophony of the people chattering below.

There was so much to look at today, so many people to watch. A few people had come over to the desk to say hello, show off their candle engravings, or to offer mulled wine - of course they had to politely decline - but come her break, Sarah had slipped from her seat and ventured over to light a candle of her own.

And then - well, Sarah didn’t know what was happening, but in an instant mayhem erupted in the room. Someone had come staggering out of the lift, some light fleshy thing clamped around their throat, and more of the things had come floating out after it, unravelling strange feelers when they came into contact with any human.

Even if she had had her wand in her hand and not just a candle, Sarah didn’t suppose she would have any idea what to do with it against these things she had never seen before. She was most certainly unqualified, but no one seemed to know what was happening, if the screams were anything to go by: all that was to be done, then, was help to get people out.

She herded the people she could towards the exits and the fireplaces, whichever were nearest at the time, but people were trampling one another in their haste, rushing every which way. Someone shoved her off course and she went stumbling into someone else, her apology dying on her lips as she glanced behind them and saw one of the things unfurling its tentacles of thought, wrapping towards the both of them at once.

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The official reason that Asha was attending the Candlelighting service was work and newsworthy photos. The unofficial reason he had packed up his gear was for a certain Harvest Goddess. He had edged around the crowd getting photos, grateful for the more portable camera he had invested in last summer with his winnings, but hadn't spotted the Welcome Witch anywhere. He had never seen her on his trips to the Ministry (infrequent as they were) but he had hoped this time would be different.

He would have continued to vainly look for her after he had finally stowed his camera back in its bag having determined he had enough shots that surely something would come from it. But that was when the real newsworthy picture hit and thoughts of Sarah slipped from his mind. Brains.

Hastily he dug the camera out and tried for a picture. The flash went off as the crowd realized what was happening and began to surge for the exits. Enough was enough, Asha decided, fighting his camera back into his bag. His life was not worth whatever was happening now.

He had just finished shoving the camera into its bag over his shoulder when the mad press of people shoved someone into him. Asha stumbled backward at the weight, his arm wrapping around the woman instinctually, trying to balance her as well.

"Sarah-?" The question died on his lips as he noticed her gaze glued over his shoulder. Asha spun around, Sarah still in his arms, to see the … thing reaching toward them. He stumbled backward trying to keep Sarah from harm as he pulled out his wand. What spell would protect them from this thing? He held out a shaky hand to try something-anything only for the tentacle to latch around an ankle of them both, as if they shared one leg. One thought. One ... love.

  

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Amazing Elaine set!

Everything happened too fast. There was no making sense of it. She almost didn’t realise the man she’d gone stumbling into was Asha until he said her name aloud; she certainly didn’t have time to register the burst of feeling in her chest, nor a chance to decipher what it meant. He had his arms around her protectively, but no time to dwell: he had also drawn out his wand and turned the way she was looking to face that thing.

It had floated along quicker than Sarah had imagined, and while it didn’t look particularly threatening, the screams of those who had already encountered them could not be for nothing. And she did not know what the extending tentacle planned to do, not until it had wrapped itself around both of their ankles.

“Asha!” She had nothing to cling onto but the candle, nothing else to balance her but the weight of Asha’s body against her, but the thing that had grasped them at the ankles had a stronger grip than she had expected, and she gasped as they were tugged off their feet by it. “What is it?”

The horror and the fear of the thing digging into her skin through old stockings was oddly diminished, however, by something else that felt suddenly more consuming. The thought sent her heart fluttering - not thumping in terror as it should, but lighter and more anxiously - and as she battled between the thought of what was happening and that yearning for deep attachment, it was impossible to turn her mind towards anything but Asha. Was he alright? The thing had him about the ankle as much as it had her, and now from the floor, she leant over to try and prise the strange thing off him, finding it tightened around their ankles the more she tried. In confusion, and frustration, and she didn’t know what else, she thumped the unnatural fleshy thing with her candle, and then, at a loss, clutched in concern at Asha’s arm. Was he well? Let him be well. (Oddly enough, if she had to be anywhere in mayhem and madness like this... well, she was almost glad it was with him.)

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To be quite frank, Asha had utterly no idea what the fleshy pink tenticalled thing crawling toward them was - what he did know is that it was clearly dangerous, and that Sarah (more so than himself in his thoughts) was in danger. That fact alone scared him more than the simple thought of almost being crushed to death by a bolder last summer. Asha would have told her so had the thing not dragged them off their feet altogether.

As they fell Asha tightened his hold on Sarah, hoping this might protect her from the crash on the floor. Once they had landed his thoughts were more on her than the tightening of the tentacle on his ankle. “Are you alright?” He asked, looking down at Sarah, meeting her eyes as worry clouded his own. For a moment, despite everything about them, all he could think of was Sarah and how very beautiful she looked even here, even now. Merlin, please let her be okay.

  

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Amazing Elaine set!

Besides the horrifying thing, Sarah couldn’t pretend she wasn’t worried that Asha was going to hurt himself looking after her - he might have shielded her from the worst of it, but that meant he had hit the floor harder, had probably hurt himself in the process! (And she knew just how unforgiving the Atrium floor was.)

“I’m glad you’re here,” Sarah said nonsensically, panic and whatever had come over her at the touch of the tentacle muddling her mind, coupled by the urge to cry that set upon her sometimes like this, one she was powerless to. “- but what are you doing here, Asha?” She exclaimed, horrified that he happened to be here amongst this madness, and especially risking himself for her - except at the same time - “I’ll - I’ll be fine, just - please don’t leave me,” she implored, in complete contradiction of what she had meant to say, which was you should get out of here. It was her job - sort of - to see that people were out of here safely, so why could she not bring herself to leave Asha’s side? “You're alright, aren't you?”

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It made no sense, but Asha was glad he was here too. "Me too." He agreed with a grin, before realizing this was likely not the best place for such sentiments. "Work -" He started to explain, but the creature's tenticule was getting tighter around his leg, cutting through fabric and adjusting to further up his leg. That most certainly wasn't a good thing.

Relief flooded his mind at her statement that she was okay, but worry lingered as she begged him to stay. Asha met her eyes solemly, "I am not going anywhere." He promised. He looked away, back at the creature, thinking how true that just might be if he didn't get them away from this thing. Wriggling his wand free Asha tried to think of one of the few spells he had learned back in his school days. "Stupefy!" He watched in complete amazement as the thing let go and was blasted back a meter.

"Come on!" Asha scrambled up, pulling Sarah with him, already the thing was starting to gain on them again. "We have to get out of here." He told her, completely forgetting she had even asked him another question.

  

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Amazing Elaine set!

There probably wasn’t time to be making promises of any sort, not when the brain had latched itself to Asha (worse than Sarah had), and was getting a tighter and tighter grip about his leg. She did her best to kick at it, but nothing seemed to deter it until his spell; she started visibly as it was blasted away.

Only for a moment, though: it was floating their way again. “Okay,” she murmured, more to steel herself. “Okay.” No more time to talk it over, anyway: Sarah just slipped her arm around Asha’s waist - to keep them together, to support him on his leg, she wasn’t sure - and decided to do her part in getting them out of here. (Better that than try to hit the thing with a spell of her own; with her luck and her wand in a stressful situation, it would be more likely to backfire than anything.) She guided them towards the fireplaces rather than the front doors, for they were closer - and tried to usher on as many people as she could ahead of them, because surely part of her duty as a Ministry employee was not to flee before all these bystanders could.

Once it was their turn and she had bundled them into the fireplace together, Sarah snatched up a handful of floo. “To the hospital?” She asked, worried about losing him one way or another. This thing was definitely worse than a cut on his hand.

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Putting weight on his leg Asha found hurt more than he had expected. But there was no time to consider that. Sarah's arm wrapped around his waist and they started forward, lurching not toward the doors but rather fireplaces, with Asha putting rather more weight then he would have liked onto Sarah despite how much he tried not too.

Sarah, the caring soul she was, was ushering others into the brick fireplaces. Asha loved her for it (of course the actual word love flitted through his mind before he could truly consider it in such a situation as this), but he couldn't help but continuously look behind them. He had been amazed his last spell worked, but he couldn't imagine that he could replicate it. The things crept closer but before he could send another spell in their direction Sarah had him in a fireplace, emerald green flames dancing around them. Not having really heard what she said, rather more occupied on the encroaching things, Asha agreed with a hasty, "Yeah."

Around them the flames swirled, pushing them toward their destination until they were kicked out into the lobby of a crowded room, landing in a tangle of limbs. Asha's leg pounded in agony and a bead of sweat formed on his brow as he tried not to let out a sound and bring any distress to Sarah.

  

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Amazing Elaine set!

It might’ve been a breath of relief to be out of the atrium if Sarah felt she could breathe at all, her lungs feeling tight from the floo travel and the way they’d fallen out into the hospital lobby, abruptly and uncomfortably. Her ankle was throbbing from where the tentacled thing had wrapped around it earlier, but her attention was caught on Asha, and how much worse he looked.

And he hadn’t made a sound. She extricated herself just enough to press a hand briefly to his face in some gesture of meaningless comfort. “We’re here,” she assured him, “you’re going to be fine, Asha. I promise. I’m - I’m going to get you some help.” They ought to wait their turn, probably, but she was too anxious to sit about and do nothing, not when she could see that he was in terrible pain, however well he was pretending otherwise.

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Clearly his silence had done nothing to still Sarah's worries, for her warm hand reached up for his face, it captured his attention in such a gentle gesture that he could do little but nod as she slipped away.

Around him were people, limping, half in panic, apparently all from the Ministry of Magic. The scene was chaotic and Asha was rather unsure if he could remain standing. In a slow series of limps he made it to a nearby wall to wait for Sarah. After only a moment of waiting he found himself increasingly aware of the pain that seemed to be continuing up his leg. Desperate to do anything that distracted him from it or from Sarah and wondering if she really was okay, Asha brought out his camera and lined up a shot of the chaos. The camera flashed into the crowd, but even that little bit of energy was enough that Asha decided he could no longer stand on his leg. With Sarah disappeared into the crowd he didn't need to put a brave face on.

He put the camera away again and slid down the wall. Funny how even now his thoughts focused on Sarah. On each minuscule detail of them together. On the love he felt for her beating in his breast. Why had he not noticed this before? Had he simply not allowed it until she was in his arms and they were about to die?

  

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Amazing Elaine set!

She felt something wrenching in her chest even as she hurried away to join a misshapen sort of queue that had begun forming of panicked people. In spite of wandering across the room, her thoughts had not drifted from what they had been, a kind of yearning.

It - well, it must just be the fear and shock and dread, musn’t it? She oughtn’t feel this. She oughtn’t be thinking about it at a time like this. The only thing she could say for it was that there was something calming at the centre of it, something that was preventing her from giving into the urge to cry. She twisted her hands around each other and gnawed down on her lip as she waited, her mind very far from the throbbing pain in her ankle, and not so far from Asha.

Eventually - it felt like decades - the witch at the front desk had directed her to the next available examination room with a mediwizard, and Sarah rushed - well, hobbled really, feeling a little faint on her feet - back to where she had left Asha. Only - oh, there he was! He felt worse than he said, she could see that now. Her heart broke for him a little, but she felt a wave of fondness too. “Asha,” she murmured, extending her hands to try and help him up, “They’ll see you next.” Her too, she supposed, but Asha had gotten the worst of it. And if he came to any permanent harm, she would never forgive herself.

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Trying to ignore everything, Asha closed his eyes, his head leaning on the wall and allowed his thoughts to drift to Sarah. Her voice brought him back to his surroundings, a deep sense of relief enveloping him at her reappearance. She seemed pale but alright. Asha gave her an almost bashful smile as he took her hand and pulled himself off the floor. Together they could do this. Together, as if that were the only thing that felt right in life. Together they hobbled to the examination room and together he felt the assurance of their love.

  

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Amazing Elaine set!