Everything happened so quickly, but one thing was clear: Zelda knew whoever this woman was, was uncomfortable with her presence, and Mr. Darrow seemed to care about her enough to leave the two of them standing in the room without tea (a point against him, for sure, because she was tired and so cold). She felt uncomfortable sitting down because the gust of wind that swept through the room as the other woman opened the door left Delight with the uncomfortable knowledge that her bottom was also wet, so this was - just great.

And then Zelda—bless her soul, really, because if Delight was in her place she'd have spoken up sooner—hissed at the woman, and it wasn't what Delight wanted to hear, but really she couldn't say anything in her position. If the woman didn't like Zelda, and Mr. Darrow liked her, why wouldn't Zelda just let her leave? And moreover, did it make Delight a bad person that she would have let the woman go even knowing what a terror it was outside?

Probably, but she also might not have felt that way to begin with if she was warm and dry, but she wasn't.

Merlin, she needed some tea.

"I'm going to go put some tea on, if that's alright?" she piped up awkwardly, already heading in the direction of the kitchen. Whether the woman stayed or went, they were going to need some eventually, even if it wasn't hot cinnamon spice.

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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 —

Were she in a better mood, Jo might've noted the similarities in Zelda's and Alfred's arguments. Mainly, their use of 'don't as a pleading word. Alfred had used it several times on Thursday when he had the tight grip on her wrists. Then, just as Jo suspected Zelda would, he had given up and walked away. They were meant for one another, really. Jo was facing increased disappointment to both miss their eventual wedding and have caused such difficulties. She never meant to, not that either party would believe her now.

Frowning, Jo looked down at her still bleeding hand carelessly wrapped in the towel. She really shouldn't leave. The chances of her surviving the trip to the Leaky were slim to none. She would be lucky to make it block or two before succumbing to the cold. However, Jo couldn't fathom sharing any kind of space with Alfred and company. Not when things were the way they were. Not after the show she just put on.

"I'll be okay," she promised again, this time managing a tight smile. "If I get too cold I'll beg for shelter somewhere." She wouldn't, of course, but Zelda needn't know that. "Go have your tea."

  

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beautiful set by mj

If Zelda hadn't just come out of the blizzard herself, she might have believed her. But the Daily Prophet didn't advise against travel in anything but the most dire cases, and the floo network was down, and she and Delight had taken ages to travel four blocks. And they were Ministry employees who knew how to spell their robes against the weather, they did impossible and risky magic under difficult circumstances sometimes multiple times a week. It wasn't that she thought Jo wasn't strong, because she did but - well. The floo network was certainly more powerful than a twenty-two year old woman with a rag wrapped around her hand, and the floo network was down today.

She had to stop her, she didn't know how to stop her, she didn't know enough about Thursday to say anything about it. The action came to her in a flash of impulse rather than a real thought, an idea that this was the only option, and she did not think it through.

Zelda was a quick draw with her wand and it was maybe half a second between the word tea and the moment it came out of her pocket. Zelda hadn't even thought through anything but the impulse - she had to stop Jo, she didn't know how to stop Jo, this could be the best way to do so, if it worked - and certainly not any potential consequences.

So the spell was muttered in the same beat that the wand came out of her pocket, like Jo was someone trespassing at an MA&C site, like she was trying to do some irreparable damage to herself or to others, which in a way she was, wasn't she?

"Stupefy."

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AMAZING set by MJ

Before Alfred could find his voice to try and explain himself Zelda had pushed past him and started talking to Jo herself, which was — crazy and stupid but incredibly like her, and it brought this strange constricted feeling to his chest like his heart was swelling up but hitting something solid. It was hopeless, was the thing, because if Jo wasn't going to listen to him then she certainly wasn't going to listen to Zelda, but he loved her for trying, despite how she felt about Jo. She didn't have any of the context, though, and as soon as she spoke Alfred thought oh, Zelda, this isn't about you at all.

And then Jo said exactly that, and he felt... chastised, a bit, though obviously no one was paying any attention to him to notice. It was just another piece of evidence that they were closer than they ought to have been, that they were thinking the same thing in response to the same statement, and — and he regretted that he'd told her to leave, particularly regretted that he'd phrased it the way that he had, but maybe Jo was right. Maybe it was better if she did leave, because if she stayed, how the hell was he supposed to get through this?

Miss Urquart said something about tea, and Alfred opened his mouth to respond but she was already heading towards the kitchen. He thought maybe he ought to follow her and just pretend nothing was happening, maybe. He could let Zelda and Jo have whatever moment they were going to have on the stairs and not sit here silently witnessing it, and he could deal with the fallout of it whenever he had a chance to deal with the fallout of all the rest of it, and in the meantime maybe at least he could make Miss Urquart feel a little less morbidly uncomfortable about this whole awful situation. So he had decided to go and show her where the tea was, and he had taken one step towards the kitchen when Zelda pulled out her wand. She'd cast before he even fully realized that she'd drawn it, and Alfred was left staring at the girl he was going to marry with wide eyes, a little in awe.

"Holy shit," he said, moving closer to Zelda so that he could try and see what had happened to Jo on the other side of the door.

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

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

No sooner had she finished speaking did a stunner go flying past her head, just narrowly missing her shoulder and neck. She had no wand to react with herself, no way of protecting herself from a sudden one sided duel. It simultaneously enraged and destroyed her, for she could have defended herself if her fucking hand wasn't damaged. But, it was. It was and she was trapped even further.

"Using offensive magic on innocent civilians, nice." Jo seethed as she carefully took the next step backwards, determined as ever to get out. She was watching Zelda like a hawk, ready and poised to dodge another spell should one be cast. Jo managed a second step back. "Keep that up and I will hate you."

  

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beautiful set by mj

The spell missed her, but only just. Alfred let out a breath. Obviously he didn't want Jo to be unconscious, so he ought to have been relieved, but — well, he understood why Zelda had done it. Jo was being so difficult and purposefully obtuse and infuriating that he'd closed the door on her, which was admittedly not as extreme as stunning her but represented roughly the same level of being unable to expend any more energy on this shit. And he really shouldn't have had to fight Jo to get her to exercise some basic fucking self-preservation instinct, and neither should Zelda. It would have solved a lot of problems, actually, if the spell had hit, because Jo would be safe from her own stupidity and he wouldn't have to keep wasting his breath arguing with her.

But it'd missed, so it didn't really bear thinking about. And then Jo kept right at it, this time trying to provoke Zelda rather than him. Though it made his chest puff defensively hearing Jo say anything at all derogatory about Zelda, he also knew he couldn't really defend her in this case. It had been logical to pull her wand out, and coming from a place of both kindness and frustration, he understood — and it had been a little sexy, besides, having her go from cool to shots fired so quickly and seamlessly — but it was also probably not very legal, which probably ought to matter at least a little, regardless of the circumstances.

"Let her go," he told Zelda, putting a hand on her arm and pulling her back towards the flat. He ignored Jo entirely, because after she'd spoken so flippantly to Zelda he was sure nothing he said to her would be even remotely helpful. "Even if you got her back inside, she'd just sneak out later when it's even worse. Just let her go."

  

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

She knew the spell was a mistake as soon as it left her wand, was the thing. But if it worked - if it hit - it would be worth it, because then Jo would be unconscious and unable to cause any damage to herself, and she could deal with the rest of it later. But the red light of the spell missed, striking the wall behind Jo instead, and then Jo was seething at her.

Until Alfred spoke, Zelda was really thinking about firing another stunning spell - a silent one, maybe, actually aimed at the center of Jo's mess. If Jo wasn't drawing a wand, then Zelda was sure she could outcast her - she could prevent her from leaving if she wanted to, never mind innocent civilian, never mind Jo hating her (Zelda still felt that she already did.) She'd already tried once, what did it matter if she tried again?

Alfred's voice punctured the little balloon of rising impulsivity.

She could be fired for this, if it got out. Zelda didn't think Brownhill liked her, and maybe Urquart did, or maybe her connection to the Minister would help, but she could be fired for this, it was probably illegal, and she should not have done it. And - well, it hadn't even worked. And maybe Alfred was right. She couldn't save Jo from the consequences if she wanted to go outside; she could just put them off. Let her go.

She stepped back into the flat, staring at Jo but guided by Alfred's hand on her arm, a little shellshocked, with her wand still gripped tight in her right hand. Because what the fuck had she tried to do?

And how was she going to explain any of this to Delight?

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AMAZING set by MJ

Zelda was coming back inside, and although it wasn't really as though there was anything good about this situation Alfred felt at least a little relieved that it appeared to be over. He didn't want Jo out alone in the snow, but he'd realized there wasn't anything he could do to stop her, if she really wanted to go, and if she was going to leave it was better if she left now than hours from now when things might only be worse (both with the weather and with her — staying in his flat and being smothered by this tension between the two of them clearly hadn't been good for her mental health so far today, if she was willing to risk an actual blizzard just to avoid him).

But it was over now. Jo was going to go, and hopefully she'd be fine, and Zelda was back inside and looking a little dazed, as though she had just been the one nearly on the receiving end of the stunning spell. Alfred let go of her arm once she was inside, but frowned at her as he waited for the door to swing shut, mildly concerned. Hopefully she didn't think this was her fault, somehow. She hadn't done anything wrong at all, and actually she'd gone rather above and beyond the call of duty, because no one reasonably could have expected her to step in and try to save Jo from her own stupid decisions when Alfred had just given up. It would have been ridiculous to ask that of her, but she'd done it anyway, so quickly that she didn't even appear to have thought about it first.

"Hey," he said gently, as if trying to nudge her back to the present moment. "Thank you for trying." He flashed a shadow of a smile at her — more of a gesture than a real show of emotion, because it didn't reach his eyes and was a little too quick. He should have just left it at that, because despite having just tried to keep Jo out of the snow she was probably still angry with him, and probably the last thing in the world she wanted was for him to try and do something cute or sweet, but — well, seeing her with that faraway look in her eye and that white-knuckle grip on her wand made him want to wrap her in his arms and squeeze her tightly for at least ten minutes. So, really, she was getting off pretty lightly when all he did was lean in to quickly kiss her forehead.

He froze for half a second afterwards, as though the possible consequences of this action had not really caught up with him until just that moment. He sort of wanted to touch her again — push her hair back behind her ear, maybe, and stroke her cheek with his thumb — but she was almost certainly at least a little angry with him, so that probably wasn't the best idea.

"Did you find the tea?" he called instead, turning to walk into the kitchen, which by now was buzzing with the noise of sizzling oil and boiling water and all the rest of the things he'd forgotten whilst trying to fight Jo in the entryway.

  

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

Delight had found the tea, but his selection was probably the worst of anyone's home she'd ever visited—but then again she rarely visited the homes of unmarried men, and maybe they were just uninclined to keep enjoyable things in their home? She didn't know, but she'd grabbed what looked to be English breakfast tea and had decided that it would have to do, because there certainly was no hot cinnamon spice, or really anything especially suited for cold weather.

"I found it," she said, unwilling to chastise a complete stranger—who was also Zelda's beau—for his poor tea selection. "Would you like me to finish making the fish? Or can you cook?" She sort of hoped he could, and that he hadn't been relying on that other woman to cook his food for him, because that seemed intimate and she hated whatever it meant for Zelda's emotions. She did not look too good right now, but pointing it out might not make it any better.

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

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

What if Jo said something? Would people believe her? That Zelda had not just tried to hex her, but also that she'd missed - the latter was not just a point of pride, but a point against Zelda if the whole stunning thing got out. She felt a flash of irritation as Alfred kissed her forehead, but whether it was with him or with Jo or with herself or with the situation, Zelda couldn't say. Probably some combination of all of it.

Rather than head directly into the kitchen, Zelda took a moment to step out of her boots, which she left by the door, and used her wand to silently pull most of the moisture out of her robes. Feeling at least a little more useful than she had a moment ago, she pocketed her wand and followed Alfred into the kitchen, where she leaned against the door frame.

Watching Delight and Alfred interact was also a little surreal for her, which Zelda should have anticipated even before the Jo thing - Alfred hadn't actually met one of her friends before. She was a little at a loss for words, even though she knew that she ought to say something.

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AMAZING set by MJ

"Of course I can cook," he responded with a frown. He wasn't sure if it was a joke or if she'd been trying to imply something, but decided it might be best to assume it was a joke — they didn't really need any more tension in the atmosphere. He'd already managed to make Jo explode like a volcano, and Zelda had cracked like a tree struck by lightning, so if he could just... refrain from having any arguments with Miss Urquart for the moment, that would be grand.

"Well, I can cook fish, anyway," he clarified, moving to the counter and picking up the knife to start cutting and cleaning the fish, now that they'd thawed enough to be manageable and the oil was ready. "I can't really vouch for the vegetables. I was just planning on boiling them," he admitted. "They'll be edible, anyway, but I can't really claim much beyond that."

He had fish on his hands by the time he noticed Zelda had appeared in the doorway, so he couldn't do much except glance her way, trying to gauge where she was. "Hey," he said softly, but that was all. He didn't really know what else to say.

  

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

So he could cook. She re-awarded him one mental point, because he ought to be able to cook being a sailor and if he hadn't - well, she would have had to make an thinly-veiled insult, and she didn't want to do that.

"I'm glad I'm not fussy about vegetables, then," she responded. She stepped out of his way and quietly resumed her tea-making, making sure to keep a respectable distance between them. She was not acquainted with many men outside of a work atmosphere, and to say that she felt awkward in such a domestic setting would have been an understatement. Her gaze kept flickering up from the kettle to the entranceway to the kitchen, until Zelda finally stepped in.

Delight didn't say anything, but she did cast her a questioning, raised-eyebrows look and glanced over at Mr. Darrow as if to ask what was up with that?

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

She couldn't lean in the doorway in silence forever, they knew her too well for that, and the trouble was that Zelda really did have no idea what she wanted to say. She hadn't spoken since trying to stun Jo in the hallway, and perhaps a part of her was worried that if she opened her mouth again something equally caustic would come out.

And that was ridiculous, she knew it was ridiculous, but: there was some cluttered mess of feeling in her chest and she wasn't sure she could risk verbalizing it. But she couldn't stay silent forever, because Alfred was saying hey and Delight gave her a little raised eyebrow look, and Zelda was going to have to say something eventually.

She twitched her shoulder in a quick little shrug at Delight, knowing that this would come up later when they could actually talk. Even if she didn't want to, she was sure that Delight would get some abridged version of the truth on Jo Smith from her later. Abridged from what Zelda knew, even - (but what did Zelda know about what brought Jo to flee into the cold, really?)

Zelda cleared her throat. "I think I'll stoke the fire," she said, "Unless there's something else that's helpful?"

She was a little hopeless in a kitchen outside of tea, though.

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AMAZING set by MJ

Alfred was a little reluctant for her to leave again, but he didn't have anything to keep her in the kitchen, so he only nodded. "Thanks," he called as she left, and took care not to look at Miss Urquart afterwards, but to turn his attention back to the fish. He was ready to fry them, now, which would be loud enough to make conversation impossible for a few moments, which was probably for the best. He didn't really have much he wanted to say to this perfect stranger in his kitchen, anyway, and it would probably be better for all of them to get a little more space between Jo's departure and trying to carry on normal, superficial conversations.

The food cooked quickly, though he did have to revisit some of Jo's mismatched cuts to slice things into slightly smaller portions before he left the vegetables to their own devices. It wasn't a wealth of food for three people, but it was enough, which was a bit of good luck since he'd only planned to feed two with this meal. He'd never really been good at portions, though — if he was eating with others, someone else was almost always cooking.

"Hope it's alright," he said as he plated things up. "Do you want to sit at the table, or —? It might be warmer in the other room," he pointed out. Particularly since Zelda had just gone to see to the fire.

  

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

The tea was finished long before the fish was, but Delight felt too awkward to leave him to follow Zelda into the other room. Instead she poured herself a cup—lots of milk, no sugar—and leaned up against the counter, watching him as he fried the fish. She'd heard a lot about Alfred Darrow, but he didn't exactly fit her image of what a sailor and adventurer was meant to look like. He wasn't broad and buff—if he had any muscles under his clothes Delight was not looking close enough to realize it, but altogether he looked like an average man, if not a little disheveled with all those curls. At least if Zelda's kids had curly hair Delight would be able to assist with the upkeep.

She moved forward only when he began serving the food on plates, her hands instinctively reaching towards the one with the least amount of food. She was hungry, but this was Mr. Darrow's home, and Zelda was his - woman.

"The other room is fine," she said, managing a smile but finding it difficult to meet his eyes.

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

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— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

Stoking the fire gave her the opportunity to be alone, for a minute, and maybe this was better, for all that she tried to avoid it. Her hair felt damp where the snow had melted into it but her hands were starting to warm up now, and the redness had gone out of them. She could be — fine and normal through dinner, she was sure, especially now that she wasn't as cold, and maybe she could even convince herself that her stunning misfire had never even happened. Delight hadn't heard it, so — maybe it hadn't. Maybe she could even pretend that Jo had never been here at all, and then she wouldn't have to talk to Alfred about that whole thing, or try to begin to explain who Jo Smith was to Delight.

She was watching the fire and perched on the edge of his couch when they came out of the kitchen. "Hi," Zelda said; her stomach growled now that dinner was an actual option. "Thanks for doing the &mdash stuff."

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AMAZING set by MJ