Satisfied he wasn’t going to fall over or from the chair entirely, Tabitha reached for her ice cream, drawing it closer. She could smell the pumpkin and different spices already and was innately curious about the taste. Nearly as much about her new company.

The States, that made sense, though Tabs hadn’t the faintest idea where Texas was exactly, she supposed it also explained his somewhat rough manners. Not that she was going to say anything about it. If she were being honest, she didn’t mind. There was no skirting around the introductions or guessing at intentions. The forthcoming invitation was sort of refreshing. “We do enjoy our tea around here.” She mused, taking a bit of the ice cream delicately, savoring the flavor for a moment. It had a rich roundness to it that she liked, but it was strong. Just a little would go a long way.

His explanation for his visit made some sense. Tabitha had grown up here, though she hadn’t been born here. An auror though, that was also exciting. Tabi couldn’t even imagine such a career, but she was more often on the other side of dangers like that, which was where she preferred to be. She hoped this explanation put to rest his inkling that she didn’t sound like everyone else; of course she didn’t. The tone of her voice had a quality to it that stood out no matter how hard she tried to flatten it. “I have lived here most of my life, but I was born in France. We moved here to be closer to my father’s family when I was a toddler.” Not entirely unlike Mr. Colton’s reasoning, though she thought likely for a different reason beneath the rest. Her father had enjoyed his time in France, but her heritage mixed with her grandfather’s passing had pushed Harlan Chevalier to return to his mother’s family here.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about the States at large, is it much different where you’re from than here?” She asked, genuinely curious as she took another spoonful of ice cream to give him time to answer.