April 16th, 1891 - Angie's Flat
Rowan Yaxley

Angie needed out of London and soon. A vacation, a job, something, anything. She'd been in town for near two months now and she was suffocating in idleness. Life had other plans apparently and though she was still working, she would rather not be at the bank every day if she could help it.

She was currently curled up on the sofa with Ash and one of the books she'd acquired on her last trip to Whizzhard's, a little fire crackling merrily in the hearth thanks to the light drizzle outside that kept her from wanting to venture anywhere like the Augurey or the Cauldron today. The only perks of being home was sleeping in her own bed and soaking up the cat snuggles, so at least she had those going for her today. She missed naps— and her friends too, she supposed.

Dinner was on her mind when the fire in the hearth suddenly glowed green. Ang wasn't expecting anyone, but she had a fairly open door (or floo) policy when she was home. Well even if she wasn't, her flat and her room was a respite for anyone who needed it as long as they respected the space. When Rowan stepped out lookin worse for the wear, Angie was on her feet in an instant. "What happened?" She demanded softly of the younger woman, intercepting her and directing her toward the couch.

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It was the first place she thought to go, before Rowan even greeted her family she had torn into the sitting room and stepped into the green flames of their fireplace, doing her best to say clearly, "Angie Swan," before dissolving into even more tears.

As she spun, Ro didn't even try to resist when she felt her body spin round and round; only pressed her face into her hands as she waited for the telltale sign of slowing down to stumble out of Angie's fireplace. At least she prayed it was Angie's.

Relief coursed through her as she heard Angie's voice and felt her friend next to her immediately. Angie must have been close to the fire then. Rowan had tried so hard to keep a straight face as she waltzed through her house, so she wouldn't tip her family off about what had happened. But now that she was safely away, she didn't even make it to the couch before she turned to Angie. What was meant to be merely an acknowledgment of her friend's presence turned into a sigh of relief, which turned into a catch of her breath, which turned into uncontrollable sobs.

When she finally managed to slow down her breathing, Rowan sank down onto the couch and stared glassy-eyed at the hearth. Slowly, she started to tell the blonde about what had happened. The lost pearl earring all those years ago, her lost wand, attempting to pawn the remaining pearl earring. When she got to the part where the man had touched her, Rowan glared down at her hands. What was worse than the embarrassment she had felt then was the fact that she hadn't defended herself. Had simply run out of the shop as fast as she could.

Releasing her hands from the fists they'd made themselves into, Rowan looked down at her palms. Beneath the jewelry shop money, there were now tiny white crescents embedded in her palms; marks from her fingernails where she clenched her hands into fists. "I don't know what to do, Ange,"  she said in a voice that portrayed just how small she felt at that moment. "This...this isn't enough to buy a new wand. But I can't keep using my mother's. She needs it, what if she gets injured? What if she gets attacked?" As she posed the last question, Rowan's voice caught. Since Maisie's accident, and they'd received money to pay off her father's debts, all of them had been fairly safe. But there was always the possibility lingering in the back of Rowan's mind that the men could return. Perhaps that's why the men at the jewelers had scared her so much. They looked like the men that Maisie had described.

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Everything came spilling out and Angie found herself following her friend's emotions as Rowan told the story. She settled on angry by the end, but that was for another time. She'd made a mental note about which jewelers and that she would be paying them a visit in the near future. Angie did not care for bullies or sexual harassment of innocent women either. She was perfectly capable of handling a couple of thugs who thought it was funny to take advantage of a young woman in a vulnerable position.

She reached out to hold onto Rowan's hand with a reassuring pressure. Clearly Ro thought her flat to be a safe place and Angie would never betray the intuition. "You're alright, it's alright. We can handle this." That was what Angie did. Her entire life was problem solving and this one had a very straightforward solution. "Physically though, you're... alright?" It seemed from the story that Ro had gotten out unscathed, but Angie didn't want to just assume.

Using her nearby wand, Angie summoned the bottle of bourbon she and Cash hadn't finished on his last visit and a couple of glasses. She poured them both a small measure, but left them on the coffee table in front of them. "We'll get you a new wand." Angie had a hefty little savings. Her bills mostly included rent, of which she paid the bulk of for her roommate to take care of Ash in her absence, but aside from that, unless she was home, her room and board was taken care of elsewhere. Coming from money once upon a time, she had spent frivolously, but not anymore, she'd learned the value of a galleon and earning them. Plus, she needed a safety net in case anything ever went awry and she was without a job for whatever reason.

"I can front you the money and you can pay me back whenever on your own time." In small installments, or not at all. Angie wasn't really fussed.

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Rowan caught Angie's hand with her own and clutched it, placing her head in her free hand as she let the tears fall freely. ”I’m alright,” she assured, nodding. Despite her distress, a small smile tugged at her mouth. This was why she adored her friend - she knew Angie would be mad at the story, but she would be resolute nonetheless. Someone that Rowan could lean on when her own resolve broke and she couldn't go to her family.

The clink of glasses drew her gaze upward to the drinks in front of them, and Rowan picked up one before throwing it back quickly. The warmth that instantly spread to her extremities was a boon against the slight shivering that hadn't ceased since she'd stopped running.


Ange’s offer registered with her and Rowan looked at her friend, her expression pained. ”Oh, Ange, I can’t let you do that.” she responded fervently, gesturing with the hand that wasn’t holding her friend’s. ”Wands are so expensive.

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Chuckling as Rowan threw back the bourbon, Ang raised hers in salute and took a smaller sip. Since Cash had purchased it, it was the good stuff too. Nothing settled the nerves quite like a good bourbon, in her opinion. At least Rowan was alright, a scare for sure, but that was easier to handle than anything else. Not to mention Angie would have to up her retribution game if her friend had been physically hurt.

"Sure you can. I have a healthy savings, you need a wand." She didn't have much for expenses other than rent most of the time and she'd been gainfully employed ever since she'd graduated. Not to mention she'd been saving her allowance for the last two years of her schooling as well, on top of selling a whole bunch of things upon dropping classes. It would all work out just fine. "Really Rowan, I insist. It's safer for you to have a wand." She raised an eyebrow as if to dare her friend to argue.

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As much as she wanted to protest, there really wasn't a way out of this. She needed a wand. Her mother needed her own wand — the only obstacle was a financial one, which Angie had just offered to remove for her by offering her the money. Rowan sighed resignedly as she caught the determined look on her friend's face. There was no arguing here. Angie would either shove the money into her hands or march her to the wandmaker's shop herself. "Fine," she said eventually, though she fixed her friend with another look. "I pay you back over time though."

Honestly that was the only way she would be able to tell her parents how she got a new wand so quickly. "And expect lots of food deliveries from my mother in thanks."

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Satisfied Rowan would accept the help, Angie squeezed her hand in reassurance. It really wasn't a big deal. "Deal, I never say no to food." She was an acceptable cook, out of necessity, but it was never anything fancy, not like what she was use to growing up anyway and so she would wholeheartedly welcome some supplements to her diet every now and then. Over the years since graduation she had slimmed down and leaned out thanks to her work and her lifestyle compared to the cushy upbringing she'd had. It wasn't a bad thing, but had been an adjustment. Fortunately she'd had Eli to help her get through it.

"Stop by the bank tomorrow and I'll get you what you need." She was in the office anyway, it wouldn't be hard to have one of the Goblins duck into her vault to get the money out anyway. On the whole, she was generally on good terms with most of the bank's employees, even if she kept them at arm's length most of the time.

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Rowan squeezed Angies hand back and heaved a sigh, suddenly overcome with a wave of fatigue. She leaned into her friend again, gaze towards the floor. As if the fatigue weighed her down, she rested her forehead on her free palm. She had a shift tomorrow but there would be plenty of time to stop by the bank to pick up the money. After all, Rowan was fairly useless for work until she was able to yield a wand that would actually obey her.

"I owe you, Angie," she said, raising her head and smiling gratefully at her friend. "Thank you."

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