"Of course I care," he shot back immediately, frustrated that she kept saying that when it was so patently obvious that he did. He felt like she was just trying to provoke him at this point, by saying it, because of course she couldn't think that was actually true. She was just trying to make him feel bad — as if they both didn't feel bad enough already.

"You think I wanted this?" he asked, gesturing between the two of them to encompass all of the shit they'd been sitting in the past three hours. "You think if I'd known what was going to happen on Thursday, I would've —"

Except Jo didn't know about Thursday, and even in the midst of an argument he wasn't going to let that slip. He huffed angrily and changed track. "If I'd known it was a lie then, I wouldn't have promised it," he insisted. "I do care."

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

It took them longer to get from their case to Alfred's flat than Zelda would have liked, in the snow; by the time they got to the building there was snow and ice stuck to her hair and her coat, and the cold and the damp was seeping in through her gloves even though she had them spelled to repel water. She hauled the door to the building open with no small sense of relief, and led them inside.

"I think this is it," Zelda said to Delight as they shuffled over to the door of the flat. She didn't want to explain that she usually took the floo, or even that she'd been here before - and as they approached the door it was confirmed.

"What were you expecting? I'm getting married!" Zelda frowned faintly, said nothing, knocked twice, waited. Maybe she hadn't knocked hard enough, because there was another explosion of noise, from a female voice - so obviously not his flatmate, which she'd sort of expected. She was also pretty sure she knew who it was, either in the Congratulations she could hear enunciated or just in the cadence of words.

Zelda knocked again, a little frantic - her face was red for an entirely different reason now. You think I wanted this and I do care and - fuck this, actually, she didn't need to eavesdrop, she wasn't even sure Alfred locked the door. She tried the handle and it popped open, and Zelda stepped inside, trying not to look like someone who was - intruding, why did she feel like she was intruding, she was the one who was courting him?

"Hi," Zelda said, because what else was there to say? She looked to the kitchen, and - she'd expected it but of course it was Jo, standing there, with a towel around her hand, even though things were over. She had an instinct to apologize for the intrusion, immediate and unbidden, which she shoved down in her chest. Zelda used her professional voice to relay the explanation, to try to remove any emotion or anything from her tone:"The Ministry has us on call but we can't get back there in the snow. This is Miss Urquart, by the way."

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The following 3 users Like Zelda Darrow's post:3 users Like Zelda Darrow's post
   Delight Urquart, J. Alfred Darrow, Rowan Yaxley

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AMAZING set by MJ

By the time they reached the front steps of Mr. Darrow's home Delight had taken to fixating on things such as the feeling of hot tea against her tongue, the woody smell of the fireplace, the general warmth associated with being indoors—anything to distract her from the fact that her robes were damp against her body, her tendrils of curls were weighed down and dripping  icy water down the back of her neck, and that she could hardly feel her nose, which was presumably about ready to fall off by now. Or maybe she was being dramatic; she knew it was a distinct possibility, but for some reason she didn't care.

She tried to pull together what dignity she had left as she stepped behind Zelda, so close behind her in a desperate attempt to find whatever warmth the Darrow home had to offer that she stepped on the back of Zelda's shoe and stumbled the rest of the way through the door. With a sigh she met the warm air, but the atmosphere, it seemed, was colder than the icy air outside. Mr. Darrow was not alone, and although she knew to be different than most men, the way the emotion was immediately lost from Zelda's voice in favor of a robotic professionalism told her it was not just a given that he'd be alone with a random woman.

Or a not-so-random woman. Zelda didn't ask who she was. Merlin, was it too late to turn around? She could make it to the Ministry.

She cast out those thoughts because obviously it wasn't an option now, and pulled her lips into a tight, tired smile. "Hi," she said, lifting a hand in an ungraceful wave and managing to send little water droplets across the room.

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The following 2 users Like Delight Urquart's post:2 users Like Delight Urquart's post
   Rowan Yaxley, Zelda Darrow

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

"What happened on Thursday?!" Jo demanded, obviously bewildered by the accusation. She came to him for help and advice, only to be blindsided by the sudden realization of how quickly things were changing for him. There was the small hope he would go on a trip with her, too, but that hope had disappeared instantly. He couldn't leave and she couldn't stay, she understood.

That he was seemingly blaming her for her breakdown caused a deep expression of hurt to land on her features. He was ending their friendship because of her actions, because she was an unstable and volatile volcano and he was getting married.

And then Zelda and another woman walked in. And any remaining hope Jo had of perhaps one day remedying her relationship with Alfred was gone, too.

Wordlessly, she turned abruptly and searched for her discarded gloves. She wouldn't be able to put her left one on, but she wasn't about to feel even more exposed in front of Zelda than she already did.

"Alfred was just making dinner," Jo muttered whilst not meeting anyone's eyes.

The following 1 user Likes Jupiter Smith's post:1 user Likes Jupiter Smith's post
   J. Alfred Darrow

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beautiful set by mj

Alfred had been too focused on Jo to notice anything from the other room, until suddenly he caught sight of Zelda framed in the doorway, with flecks of snow in her hair. She looked really pretty like that, with her cheeks flushed from the cold and little dots of white on her head and shoulders, but Alfred couldn't really appreciate it because of how entirely off-balance he suddenly felt. She wasn't supposed to be here. She didn't just show up at his flat, not anymore. His first panicked thought was that this was going to get him in trouble with Ari, even if she had a good reason for being here, before he realized there was probably a much more imminent danger of his being in trouble with Zelda herself.

For a second he just stared at her, paralyzed the way prey animals sometimes were when faced with predators. Jo's voice snapped him out of it, and he was grateful that she had at least said something vaguely normal. Dinner, sure, he had been making dinner, and he could talk about that.

"Yeah, dinner. Just getting started with — you eat fish, Miss Urquart?" he asked. He was talking too fast but this was probably better than just freezing. "You both look cold. Want to take off your coats? I can stoke the fire up. Make tea," he offered. Doing host things was a good distraction for the moment, though eventually he was going to have to get back to dinner. They weren't going to have enough carrots with just what was already cut, and he'd have to do the rest himself because if Jo tried to do it she'd bleed on them, and perhaps this was a strange thing to fixate on given the circumstances but it was what was on his mind all the same, rather than — everything else. Just finding a way to get enough carrots cooked without Jo bleeding on them.

The following 2 users Like J. Alfred Darrow's post:2 users Like J. Alfred Darrow's post
   Delight Urquart, Jupiter Smith

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Zelda didn't know what to say or think or do, torn between two impulses - first, a vague desire to throw a fit, and second, she really very much wanted Delight to like Alfred. These were obviously in contention, especially when Jo was muttering about dinner, and - it wasn't like Zelda had ever asked Alfred to choose, he told her it was over, he'd told her a few days ago. She kept professionalism up as a shield, and didn't move until Alfred started babbling about - the sort of things one babbled about when one had unexpected guests.

Zelda took another step inside, letting the front door swing shut behind her. She unbuttoned her coat to hang on one of the hooks and took off her Ministry badge, shoving it into the pocket of her robes so that if it started glowing again she'd at least be aware of it. "Yeah, it's bad out there. Tea would be great," she managed, a little more genuine this time - tea would be great and maybe once she was less cold she could find a way to ask Alfred what was actually going on. "We were talking about tea on our way over here."

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AMAZING set by MJ

There was plenty she would have to figure out later, either through whisperings with Zelda or simply watching the situation unfold, but she was frankly too exhausted to worry much about the random woman and the complete lack of affection in Zelda's tone. She shrugged off her own coat and quickly realized that the charm she'd placed on it to keep her insulated had faded while they were still trekking through the blizzard. A chill ran up her spine, even in the comparable warmth of the house, and she perked up at the mention of fish. And tea. Mmm, she could do with a warm cup of it right about now.

A lazy, polite smile still on her face, she followed Zelda's lead and hung her coat up on the rack. She turned back to Mr. Darrow, rubbing her hands together, and nodded. "Fish. Tea. All of it sounds lovely," she sighed, "Do you have hot cinnamon spice?" She looked to Zelda, hoping to find some direction—where to stand, where to sit, what to say, what to not say.

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The following 1 user Likes Delight Urquart's post:1 user Likes Delight Urquart's post
   Zelda Darrow

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

Like hell Jo was going to sit at a table with Alfred, Zelda and Miss Urquart and have tea. Dinner with him alone would have already been a difficult task, add in two people who knew nothing but assumptions about the situation and Jo would be unable to restrain herself from being unnecessarily mean. She wasn't angry with Zelda, nor this Miss Urquart. She just wish she had been able to understand the meaning behind after what happened on Thursday in a way that wasn't solely based upon her actions.

She shot Alfred a single loaded glance, a silent apology and goodbye wrapped snug in bristling anger, and retrieved her own discarded cloak from the uncomfortable chair. The towel was still wrapped around her hand, but she could do the chant quickly before heading outside. She simply could not exist within the same space as the trio.

"I should go, enjoy your tea." Jo then stated, not caring that her plan was already obvious through her actions or that leaving now was a dangerous decision. She dared to glance back once more as her hand was on the doorknob. This was what she wanted, Jo reminded herself before swinging the door wide open and walking through it, this was the consequence of her desires.

  

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beautiful set by mj

This was — actually suprisingly okay, all things considered. He didn't get the impression that Zelda was happy to be here, but she was willing to talk about tea and so was her friend. They were at least going to survive this moment, and then the rest — they could figure out all the rest as it came, he supposed. Nothing else to do now except find a way through it.

And then Jo shot him that look, and his stomach tightened. Why was she doing this now? Maybe because she suspected that he wouldn't have the capacity to fight her on it, but — for fuck's sake, if he hadn't been comfortable with her leaving an hour ago and now the snow was so bad that Zelda was here to get out of it, she couldn't possibly think he would be willing to let her go out there now. Zelda had several very excellent reasons to not be at his flat, accompanied by her friend or no — and if anyone was capable of magically fighting their way through a blizzard, it would have been Zelda, who used magic for a living that was too advanced for Alfred to have even attempted it.

"Jo," he pleaded as she headed to the door, then following after her when that didn't stop her. He was pleading for her to stay, sure, but even more he was silently begging her not to make this a thing. The last thing he needed right now was to have to fight to get her to stay while Zelda and her friend stood watching him. He reached out to catch her elbow as she opened the door, to slow her down long enough for him to talk.

"You can take the bedroom, if you can't —" he offered quietly (though not so quietly that Zelda wouldn't have heard — unfortunately he didn't have the luxury of that kind of privacy at the moment). He didn't finish his sentence, but thought Jo would know what he meant. If she couldn't stand to be around him, he wasn't going to force her to. He certainly wasn't going to ask her to pretend things were fine for the sake of his unexpected house guests. "You just — can't go out there."

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Perhaps it was foolish of her to believe Alfred would allow her to slip away without complaint. The heat of their argument had to still be pulsing through his veins as quickly as it was her own and the circumstances of the storm hadn't changed. (They couldn't have if Zelda and company couldn't navigate to anywhere else but Alfred's flat.) So, she ought to not have expected to make it beyond the doorway. She ought to have known he wouldn't let dead dogs lie.

The hand at her elbow burned through her dress, and, just as she had every other time he tried to grab her, Jo quickly pulled out of his grasp. She didn't dare look back into the room, didn't dare lock eyes with Zelda and betray any of the emotions currently building within her.

"You want me to stay?" She demanded lowly, hopefully too low for Zelda to overhear. "What happened on Thursday? Because ending our friendship over my thing with Zach is fucking bullshit."

  

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beautiful set by mj

Why was she insisting on being so difficult? "It's got nothing to do with him," Alfred hissed back, irritated that she would have even suggested it. He felt like it really ought to have been obvious, and now he was annoyed at himself for not having just told her earlier. It might have been mortifying — might have been catastrophic — but at least then they would have been on the same fucking page about it. He might have ended up saying things or even doing things earlier that he would have regretted, but at least he wouldn't be stuck trying to think of what to say about it while Zelda and her friend were standing a few feet behind him.

"Come inside and we can talk about it," he decided. Zelda was not likely to be pleased if he ran off and had a private conversation with Jo in his bedroom and left her drinking tea in the parlor with her friend, but — well, it would certainly be better than hashing this entire thing out on the landing outside his front door.

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

"Either tell me or let me go, Alfred." Jo pushed. Walking back into the flat where Zelda was likely standing brimming with questions and coiled frustration was not feasible. For one, how could they possibly have that conversation in the same room as the two ministry workers? And secondly, how could Alfred think his future wife would be okay with him bringing another woman into his bedroom? Never mind that they'd likely only argue, but the facts remained the same. (Had Zelda ever even been in his bedroom, she wondered fleetingly.)

  

Damn it, Jo, he thought bitterly. She might have been doing this to force his hand, actually. She knew he didn't want her to leave when it was snowing like this, and she was determined to go anyway. And she knew he didn't want to unpack all of this in front of Zelda and a stranger. Even if she didn't already suspect what he would have said, he'd made it very clear he had no desire to say it here.

He hesitated, glaring at Jo and trying to think of anything he could say, anything, that could get her to give up on going out on her own in the snow. The truth, of course, was out of the question, and if he lied he'd just have to find a way to undo it later — and if he admitted that he'd lied to her, she'd probably leave then, even if it was just as bad outside but also pitch black. She was so stubborn, and frustrating, and at this particular moment rather infuriating.

"Fine," he eventually said, voice louder and harsher than he'd expected it to be. "Freeze, then, if that's what you want," he said, moving to close the door.

He turned, feeling so frustrated he could have hit something, or sworn, or both — and remembered with a start that Zelda and Miss Urquart had been standing right behind him that whole time.

So, this was awkward.

  

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Watching Jo and Alfred fight and hearing only a bit of it had Zelda feeling even more like an intruder, especially with Delight here just being a person, and she wanted - a drink or a fireplace or tea or to be somewhere else, anywhere else.

And then Alfred turned back to her looking surprised. ”For fuck’s sake,” Zelda hissed, startled into swearing from the circumstances. She stepped past him and out the door.

”Talk to Alfred or don’t, I don’t care, but don’t go freeze to death just because you fucking hate me,” Zelda said, loudly, feeling - unraveled and annoyed and like she should have gone somewhere else.

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The following 1 user Likes Zelda Darrow's post:1 user Likes Zelda Darrow's post
   J. Alfred Darrow

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AMAZING set by MJ

The door closed behind him and Jo stared at it for a short second before the realization of what it meant sunk in. Furiously, Jo turned to race down the first flight of steps, determined to be gone before the fear of dying won out. Her finger was still bleeding, her loose glove still hanging haphazardly out of her pocket, but none of it mattered. Alfred was done, finished, and, truthfully, so was she.

Which was why when Zelda's voice called out behind her Jo froze and shot a frustrated glare at her friend. "This has absolutely nothing to do with you." She fumed. And it didn't, really. Zelda's only involvement was that she was the one who would marry Alfred. But he could've been marrying anyone and the situation would have remained the same. It was always going to be this way, Alfred had informed her. Be it Zelda, Miss Urquart, or some random hussy on the street, her friendship with Alfred would have never worked.

"I'll be fine. And I've never hated you." She added tensely, not entirely convinced of her own words. "The Leaky isn't far from here." It was closer than home anyway. Fifteen minutes couldn't be that much longer in the snow. Thirty minutes top. She could survive it.

  

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beautiful set by mj

Zelda frowned. ”Please,” she said, because she could not think of anything else to say, ”Don’t.”

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AMAZING set by MJ