Babysitting

[Arden Patricks]

It isn't fair, I don't think, to be so annoyed with him. Or maybe it is. I've long since realized there's no point trying to figure out if I make sense or not. But it does seem kind of silly to be annoyed with him when he did nothing to me, and those I'm annoyed on behalf of have either forgiven him or are doing quite enough to show they haven't, so I'm kind of extraneous and it's silly to be so annoyed.
But I really do hate child abandonment.

[Ian Hunt]

"Have I done something?" After a moment it starts to grate on me, so I have to ask to get it out of my system.

[Arden Patricks]

I sigh slightly, shaking my head. "Not recently."
I don't know if he's noticed or not how I've been mildly annoyed with him the last year. If not, that's probably quite a frustrating answer.

[Ian Hunt]

"Not recently?" I repeat, raising an eyebrow, "Alright then..."
And apparently I have infuriating habits...I wonder if she knows how annoying that is.

[Arden Patricks]

I shake my head to just dismiss it and say 'never mind' or something of the sort... but then realize that will just be annoying of me and nobody else ever wants to drop a subject when I do.
"If you must know, I've been fairly annoyed with you about the last... three years now," I shrug.

[Ian Hunt]

I stiffen slightly, but then nod, "Ah. I see."

[Arden Patricks]

I nod, glad he seems to get it but feeling somewhat bad.
"So, that's all, really." I shrug slightly. "Just a bit annoyed with your existence on occasion. Doesn't last. And at least you're not an auror or something."

[Ian Hunt]

"And at least I'm not an auror or something," I raise an eyebrow at the strangeness of that remark but decide not to press it further.

[Arden Patricks]

"Because then I'd dislike you just a bit more...." I shake my head, shrugging slightly. "This is the problem with saying things; I can't shut up and just start spouting off my thoughts without double-checking first whether they should be said.

I don't honestly know, now that I think of it, whether he even knows about Travis and that whole business. I mean, he knew he existed, obviously, and probably knows that he's died or at least isn't around anymore, but maybe not why. In which case he won't know what I mean and now I've just trapped myself in having to explain it. That's brilliant.

[Ian Hunt]

"Yes, I figured that was the jist of it," I nod slightly, "Although I really have no idea what'd make you say that."

[Arden Patricks]

I bite my lip slightly, wishing I could just keep my mouth shut because I've definitely trapped myself now. I'm trying to figure out how to try and say it without really having to say it and also without showing how much it bothers me, when I'm saved by Katie of all people. Evidently she's inherited her father's habit of inconspicuous eavesdropping and startlingly clear insights.

[color=Pink[/i]"It's 'cause the bad aurors killed Uncle Travis and that's why she was sad and quit her job even though most of the aurors aren't bad and they were just...."[/color] She pauses, frowning. "Oberjealus."

"Overzealous," I mutter, correcting her and staring at the sidewalk.

[Ian Hunt]

I nod, feeling a little colder all of a sudden because it really was stupid to press it and I should have known better and now I feel guilty and it takes a moment to swallow properly.
"Oh. Sorry."

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug, still looking at the ground. "Three years ago. No... it shouldn't really matter," I say instead of 'no big deal' because I really can't say that and the replacement sounds better somehow. I feel silly bringing it up now, even inadvertently, though on the other hand I also feel a little relieved that it's out there, kind of like my annoyance with him. We haven't properly talked about much of anything in a pretty long time, and it doesn't quite seem like you can consider someone one of your closest friends while not mentioning something like this.

[Ian Hunt]

"No, it should."
This probably isn't exactly tactful, and she's not asking for my opinion, but I think that I should at least say something. It bothers me that she says that it shouldn't matter after all, because it really should. No matter how much times passes, it still does.

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug. Maybe he's right, and I'd say the same to anyone else I think, but I still like to hold myself to a different standard than others and convince myself I'm pathetic.
"Shouldn't matter this much, then?"

[Ian Hunt]

"It really should," I disagree, "If it didn't, then that'd be cause for serious concern. You're human so it should matter an awful lot."
I've had that said to me a fair few times over the years. I've always hated it. I don't know why I bother repeating it.

[Arden Patricks]

"True enough...." I shake my head. "Look, anyway... that's one of my more illogical reasons for being annoyed with you, so sorry about that. I know you've never really said, but thanks to that I know the ministry was rounding people up a bit then and I'm guessing that's why you took off and abandoned your family and therefore it's all connected so I've disliked you for a while and it isn't really fair to." I incline my head graciously as if to say I won't be unreasonably annoyed anymore, then shrug.

[Ian Hunt]

I pause at that, to take that in, and then just shrug.
I suppose it was obvious why I left anyway, so I don't really need to agree or disagree with it.
And then just nod and say finally, "Alright then."

[Arden Patricks]

I nod, then glance down at Isobel when I sense her looking curiously up at me. I'm suddenly very aware, especially in light of Katie's eavesdropping, how little of this conversation has been child appropriate, really, and I just hope Abby and Isobel don't realize what we're saying. Micheal is blissfully oblivious, of course.

[Ian Hunt]

I follow her glance down at Isobel and Abby, only now just realising that the subject matter probably wasn't appropriate for younger ears.
Abby is still grinning, I think from when she was grinning earlier and I suppose that's a good sign. Whatever's going on in there, it must be pretty pleasant.

[Arden Patricks]

"Do you think we should stop acting like small children are just part of the scenery?" I ask, frowning slightly.

[Ian Hunt]

"I think it's about time we did so, yes," I agree.

[Arden Patricks]

"Might cut down on some of the awkward subjects," I mutter, looking at Melody, who blinks at me.

[Ian Hunt]

"One can only hope," I reply, glancing at Melody briefly, before my curiousity gets the better of me, "Who's is she anyway?"
I know she's Fitzy's, but I really can't think who he might possibly have a daughter with.

[Arden Patricks]

I raise my eyebrows at him, pretty sure I've mentioned this. "Fitzy's. Technically. But usually mine because her mum dropped her off with him and split, apparently, so she wasn't exactly planned and he's worse with kids than I was ten years ago." I shrug slightly. "No idea at all who the mum is; he won't say."

[Ian Hunt]

"Did I already ask that?"
The answer seems a little familiar, and I suppose it's entirely feasible for me to have asked that already and promptly forgotten straight afterwards. I'm not really having one of my brighter spells anyway.

[Arden Patricks]

"Might have." I shrug slightly. "I don't know if I mentioned her mum the first time though."

[Ian Hunt]

"That's what I was confused about," I admit with a shrug.

[Arden Patricks]

"Ah," I nod, hoisting her up a bit again. "I do have to admit it was a bit of a shock, and not something I especially like to think about, that Fitzy of all people has a child with someone."

[Ian Hunt]

"No, I wouldn't really blame you," I decide, shaking my head.