trapped

[Arden Patricks]

It’s raining outside. Practically monsooning. It’s coming down in huge, cold, wet sheets that are probably going to freeze all over everything and make life generally unpleasant.

I wouldn’t really mind though, except for one thing – Lilith had to rush her husband to St. Mungo’s for something involving a crate of magical books that someone mistakenly donated to their shop, not realizing he was a Muggle. I didn’t really catch a lot of what she said, as it was very fast and I was too frozen with surprise at having her kids pushed into the house while she took off before I could say anything.

Not that I would have made them go away, or anything like that. I just wish I could, because this is exactly the sort of situation I’ve been dreading. Logan is somewhere around, because he’d have to be crazier than usual to go outside in that. And Micheal the six-year-old has just run off to the kitchen and started banging open cupboard doors, while Isobel the three-year-old stares up at my solemnly like she thinks we should start discussing politics.

[Logan Andrews]

I should stop standing in the kitchen now. I've been doing it for a while now, staring impassively at the window as if the rain is going to pick up on the fact that it is very unwelcome and then beat a hasty retreat. So far, it hasn't, so I've been confined to inside.
It's not so bad, but I've gotten into a steady routine the past couple of days and this bout of monsoon season really sort of ruined it.
I suppose I'll get over it, but standing here and staring at the rain is just leading to brooding over it anyway, which is making me more annoyed about the lack of outside freedom than I probably would be otherwise.

I can't stop though, because there's nothing else to do in here, and there are other people sounds from the other room and I'm probably supposed to stay out of sight when that's the case so I should really stay here.
That thought trail sort of dies out pretty quickly because then there's a small child in here. Where the fuck did he come from?
I'm standing pretty still, leaning against the wall on the otherside of the room, and it appears that I've not been noticed but still. I think pretty within reason to be a little bit surprised when some random kid comes bursting in here and starts banging the cupboards about.
I stare for a minute more, this time at the boy rather than the rain, and then head past him without much caring if the movement does alert him to my presence and into the hall.

"There's a small boy in there," I point out somewhat unnecessarily, gesturing behind me towards the kitchen, before I notice she also has a small person with her.
Ah. Shit.
Now I'm a little more annoyed with the rain again, because I think this is a really unnecessarily bad situation.

[Arden Patricks]

"Thank you, Mr. Andrews, that somehow escaped my notice," I say dryly, looking up and causing Isobel to do the same. She looks kind of alarmed, which is unusual. She rarely reacts to anybody, but maybe he's spookier looking than I think he is.

"They're my niece and nephew," I add, looking around nervously as I wonder what to do with them. Micheal, I've gathered, is even more wound up than usual today, so that's not a good thing.

[Logan Andrews]

I flick my eyes upwards slightly in a twitchy sort of expression that isn't quite rolling my eyes.
It also appears that I've scared her niece anyway...but that could just be that she's very intuitive and knows it's best to be as alarmed as she looks.
Sensible child.

"Ah, right," I nod, "And what are they doing here?"
When it's raining so hard that I can't escape?
Children make me uncomfortable, and this house is quite small so there really aren't many places that I can hide.

[Arden Patricks]

"Leo's being eaten alive by books or something... I don't know." I shake my head dismissively. "Lilith had to take him to Mungo's and I couldn't very well tell her 'sorry, I don't care what's happening to your husband, you have to take the kids somewhere else first.'"

Isobel is frowning now, giving the rather spooky impression that she understands every word I'm saying. She does that a lot, really, gives the impression that she's really an adult trapped in a toddler's body. Micheal is still banging cupboards in the kitchen, and I wonder how soon I should go find out what he's doing.

[Logan Andrews]

I nod briefly and half-wonder if it's normal to be planning an escape so quickly.
I might actually just face the rain. It can't be that bad out there, surely. It's only rain, whereas here...it's only children and I probably should not be so concerned about the fact that they're here that I'd prefer to go and drown in that bloody monsoon.

"Are they...alright?"
I was going to ask if they were disturbed, but thankfully caught myself. They seem a little bit off, because that one is frowning quite a lot and the other one is making an unnecessary amount of noise and being generally loud.

[Arden Patricks]

"All right as in mentally normal or just not diseased?" I ask, raising my eyebrows while I scoop up Isobel. She finally started speaking about six months ago, but it's rarely any louder than a whisper and only to very specific people, so maybe if I pick her up she'll feel safer and can talk into my ear if she wants to say anything.

So maybe she's not mentally normal, really, but I'm not going to say so. And Micheal... well, Micheal chooses this moment to barrel into the room like the devil is after him, bouncing off Logan in the process but just grinning up at him unfazed.

"Sorry, mister. Arden, where's the play-doh? It's not where I put it."

That's because he put it under the sink, where it got dripped on and moldy so I had to throw it out and it's not that often that they're stuck indoors here so I didn't replace it. But before I can say that Issy is whispering something to me, so I just shake my head at him so I can concentrate.

[Logan Andrews]

"Both...mostly the first one..." I mutter, glancing briefly down and then quickly stepping away so I can stand against the wall instead which should hopefully reduce the risk of being collided with again.

I'm just going to ignore them I think. I lived with my sister and her kids for quite a while and ignoring them worked very well for all that time.
It's vaguely surreal how I can be fine with people wanting to kill me and in groups of hardened death eaters without being remotely concerned...but being in a room with a couple of kids has me literally backed up against the wall.

[Arden Patricks]

I suppress a small grin at how uncomfortable he looks, even as I'm cursing the fact that it's virtually impossible to interact with three people at once. I have half a mind to turn one of the kids over to him for a minute, partially to get him or her out of my hair and partially for the amusement of watching him squirm.

In the meantime, however, I still have no idea what Issy's just said to me, and Micheal is looking up at me with wide, why-did-my-puppy-just-die eyes?
"The playdoh got moldy so I had to throw it out, but if you want you can play with... I don't know - him," I shrug, nodding at Logan. Isobel nods at that, smiling faintly and apparently forgetting whatever she wanted to tell me, so I feel very accomplished now that I've apparently managed to interact with all three of them at once... sort of.

[Logan Andrews]

I shoot a look at Arden which is probably best described as a cross between alarmed and unamused.
As well as children making me uncomfortable, I'm really not very good at handling them either and I would think that was pretty obvious so I really hope she's not being sincere.
I managed to permanently scar and then...lose my own son, didn't I?
I shake my head slowly in his vague direction, just in case he happens to have listened to his aunt.

[Arden Patricks]

I really can't help having to hide a smile again, even though I think it's likely that actually putting him in charge of my nephew might be kind of dangerous.
"I don't think he likes me very much," Micheal says anyway, shaking his head and then coming over to tug on Issy's hand until I set her down. "But I could show him magic tricks. Or is he like dad and we have to -" He holds a finger in front of his lips, making a shushing sound. Very discreet.

[Logan Andrews]

I shake my head at Arden this time, because she seems to be finding this amusing and much as I can't quite manage to be annoyed...I'm not particularly happy about this either.
I'm still weighing up the pro's and con's of drowning outside versus staying here.
And I really am trying hard to ignore them, but I did hear that. So it appears that they're halfblood's as well as being children and I think I'm vaguely irritated by that too, and also the insinuation that I might be 'like dad' or whatever he said. Not that he'd know any different but still...ignorant halfblood children.

[Arden Patricks]

"Ah... no, I think he actually might know a little bit of magic," I say, shaking my head. "He's just not very good at it."
But as amusing as this is, and as much as he's not looking murderous yet, I decide that maybe I've said quite enough for the moment considering we're all still trapped here for god only knows how long. "Um... why don't you go find... a puzzle or something." I shrug, pushing him gently so that he tears off down the hall like a maniac, leaving Isobel to stand there solemnly again.
Dammit. I think I'm going to find whoever sent those books to Lilith and Leo and put some sort of curse on them, whether it was really an innocent mistake or not.

[Logan Andrews]

I sort of half-lean forward again once he's gone, as if I haven't just been aiming to disappear through the wall.
The other one is quiet...more acceptable because of that I suppose.
"How long is this going to go on for?" I ask after a moment in a very pained sort of way.
I wish there was somewhere to disappear off to so I can leave her to it, but I'm not sure there's anywhere that's completely safe to go, besides outside.

[Arden Patricks]

"Until Leo gets the books pried off his face, I suppose." I shrug slightly, then pause and wonder whether or not to add this next bit. "Or possibly until tomorrow morning, if they have to keep him there overnight or something."
Isobel looks worried now, so I smile at her reassuringly.

[Logan Andrews]

Very alarmed now.
"But what are you going to do with them for that long?" I ask, bordering on incredulous.

[Arden Patricks]

"Lock them in the cupboard and then turn them into stew, obviously," I say automatically, but frown thoughtfully at Issy anyway while she giggles. "I don't know. I mean, Micheal's stayed that long before, but only when she was being born, and I think he was... calmer... then." And also it wasn't monsooning. And also I think Travis was here, not you, and he wasn't scared of children.

[Logan Andrews]

"Ah, sounds reasonable," I mutter to the first part, glancing at the small one when she laughs more out of surprise than anything because I don't think she's made a noise so far and I wasn't expecting it.
"So he can be calm? That's reassuring at least."

[Arden Patricks]

"Well, he used to be," I shrug, realizing that this really isn't reassuring. "And he might calm down a little bit if we let him run in circles for a while or something."

[Logan Andrews]

That wasn't very reassuring but I don't think I really need to say this out loud.
"Oh...well, good then."

[Arden Patricks]

I nod as if it really is good, then shrug and sit down on the couch. I think in a bit I'll go see how he's doing, but for now I can still hear him and I don't think he's building a bomb, so I'm sure it's probably fine.
Isobel, still doing her creepy silence thing, walks up solemnly to Logan and studies him, head tilted to the side.

[Logan Andrews]

"Ah...hello," I say awkwardly down to the quiet one.
I like the quiet one better, I've decided, but she's also a little bit disturbing, especially just looking at me like she is.

[Arden Patricks]

Weirdly, she actually smiles at that. Or at least gives an Isobel smile, the kind where she never opens her mouth and looks kind of like a doll with the mouth painted on.
Then, even more astonishingly, she whispers so that I can barely hear her. "Hello."
I can't help but grin, shaking my head. "Well, there you go. The family weirdo likes you."

[Logan Andrews]

I twitch a faint half-smile in response because it seems rude to just ignore her even if she is...small.
Then glance over at Arden and raise an eyebrow, "The family weirdo?"
I also don't think saying hello really consititutes as liking someone either, but I suppose I'll take it. She's still quiet, and therefore still almost in my good graces so far.

[Arden Patricks]

"Well, more or less," I shrug, while Isobel promptly loses interest in him and goes back to where she dropped her doll on arrival. "Technically, I guess Lilith and Micheal are the family weirdos, 'cause they're cherful and know how to interact with people. But within her own family with them and Leo, Isobel is weird because she's more like the rest of us."

[Logan Andrews]

I step away as she turns away again moving over to sit down on the other end of the couch.
I don't really know how to respond to what she's said, so I just half-shrug and half-nod as acknowledgment.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug again when he doesn't respond, looking down at my hands. I'm never really sure if I'm being a good babysitter or not, but really - it's not like parents have an eye on their children every second, and I'm really just taking their place.
But that's not what's really bothering me at the moment, anyway.

[Logan Andrews]

Unlike usual, I'm actually glad for the silence.
I'd much rather that than incessant noise, which is what I generally associate small children with.

[Arden Patricks]

"You know... this just kind of proves it, doesn't it?" I ask abruptly while watching Issy smooth her doll's dress. "Ever since you showed up here, my home has become more popular than it's ever been. I've never had this many visitors in such a short amount of time, so clearly Fate is saying that you're bound to get caught by someone who's going to turn you in."

[Logan Andrews]

I raise an eyebrow at that, because it seems rather tenous logic at best, or maybe it's just how little I set aside for fate.
"Maybe," I shrug, "But if it happens...then it happens. I can leave, if you want."
It might be sensible to leave, come to think of it. Enough people know that I'm here, so it's already pushing it probably.