Malachi stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at Frida. The way that she had lavished attention on Casper who had trotted into the house after her and was now stretched out at her feet convinced him, totally and finally that she was a good person. He never trusted anyone to be a good person straight away, his experience had taught him otherwise. The fact that she had an attack cat was very endearing to him too.

“So, you’re going to come again then? To drop of the cages and see me?” He asked this quietly, crossing the room and sitting next to her on the sofa. He had intended to ask her if she liked the photographs of the fire-crabs. “I haven’t scared you off?” He gave her an almost tentative, crooked smile. He lifted the album up and turned a few pages. Giving it back to Frida, he pointed to the large fire crab. “That one was known as ‘The Boss’, all the others seemed scared of it him.” A small laugh escaped his lips and then stopped, looking her in the eye, needing to know. “I don’t expect anything other than friendship, just to be clear.” Of course, he did want more than that, she was wonderful, he would have been a fool to not want more but he had a feeling that she had been hurt. She had awoken his inner Gryffindor; his sense of chivalry was stronger now than it had been in a very long time. “I just... the world isn’t always a great place to be, but you make it brighter for me.” He blushed deeply and shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, that was just...” ‘Far more honest than I’m used to being.’ He shook his head and looked at her. “I’ve probably sickened you with my incredible levels of cheesiness.” There was an unmistakably wry tone to his voice. He stood up and ran his hand through his now short hair, causing it to look very messy indeed. “If you can stand to be with a cheesy old fool, we should go so we don’t miss the start of the film.” Again he gave her a tentative half smile. “You can come back and pick up the things I picked for you afterwards, if you want?”

"Yeah." Frida said and mechanically started to rub Casper's tummy while still paying attention to the album and Malachi. "I'll just tell my family that I have to work late so they won't bother me. 'Course I could come by earlier too, when it's still going to be daylight for a few hours."
She felt herself raise up an inch when Malachi sat next to her on the couch...and then he said something unexpected. 'Scared me off?' Frida stopped looking at the album and stroking Casper and stared right at Malachi. "Why would you..." She started to say as her imagination grabbed hold, "Why would you scare me off? You're a sweet person." 'Oh my, God. He's a psycho-killer! Don't tell me he's a murderer!' Her eyes had widened and the woman was pretty sure that she had leaned back an inch or so.

'Okay, maybe he's not about to slay me.' She breathed a sort of sigh of relief and relaxed when Malachi moved on to the album. "He must weigh a ton." Frida commented and examined the creature in the photo as she started to tremble a little bit at what her friend said next.
'That's an odd thing to say.' Frida thought and started to flip the edge of the album page to distract herself somewhat. "I...um..." She clasped her hands together and thought for a moment while the pair sat in silence for the brief time.
Surprising even herself, Frida slowly reached over and took Malachi's right hand in her left, and laying her right over it. "It's good that you're honest." She said, though she knew there was more he wasn't telling her. "It's just that, right now seems-" 'a bit soon.' The woman gave a half-smile, and kept certain things to herself. "I'll keep it in mind. Okay?" It wasn't much, but at least it was something comforting. Frida disregarded the word Malachi used, 'Cheesiness.'

Frida rolled her eyes and laughed slightly, releasing Malachi when he stood up. "Malachi." She began to say while giving him a 'Oh, come on now' sort of look, "You're not cheesy, you're not old, and you're not a fool." Frida stood up as well and set the album down where she had been sitting. "Now let's go. I want to see what a cinema is like." There was an emphasis on the word 'I'. "And of course I'll be back to pick up what you've selected for me." Good produce was always nice to have.

When Frida talked about bending the truth so that her family wouldn’t bother her, Malachi blinked a little. He wasn’t sure what to make of that. ‘Is she trying to hide her friendship with me? Is she embarrassed by me? Would her family make a big deal of it? That’s the last thing we need...’ He realised that he had thought of them as ‘we’ and his mouth went little bit dry. That train of thought was moving too fast, far too fast. 'Frida doesn’t need that.' He corrected himself firmly. ‘And neither do I. In a separate way.’ Even inside his own head Malachi was feeling like a fool. “Well, I hope that you know you’re always welcome here.” He tried to smile at her but by then she was calling him sweet and his lips seemed unco-operative. “Th-thank you.” He wanted to compliment her too but his brains seemed to have turned to porridge in the spot light of her attention.

Malachi nodded when she was mercifully distracted by the fire-crabs. “He’s a grumpy so and so as well. Absolutely no pleasing him.” The distraction didn’t last long, which was his own fault. He noticed that when he was honest, Frida started to tremble. “Oh, don’t get up...” He trailed off when she took his hand. “Up-upset. Please.” His eyes showed an earnest pleading. “The last thing I wanted to do was upset you. I just wanted to be honest with you. It was a compliment.” He hoped she would see it as a compliment. He found it difficult to sit there with his hand sandwiched between hers, his palm had started to sweat because he was feeling so very nervous.

He caught sight of himself in the mirror above the fireplace and attempted to flatten his hair surreptitiously. When Frida spoke, he looked at her, his now mouth now completely dry. “Thank you, I’m glad that you think so. I hope that we can have a good time together, as friends.” He swallowed and smiled widely and crossed to the french windows, closing them and locking them with a quiet spell. Malachi turned and walked to the door, ready to lead the way out the house. “Right then, let’s walk. It’s not far and it’s a nice evening.” He smiled again, the thought of just how pretty she was springing back into his mind. Casper stood up too. “Not you Casper, not this time. Basket.” He clicked his finger and pointed at the wicker basket by the fireplace. The whippet hung his head a little and then went and curled up in the basket, looking at them dolefully.

She noticed Malachi seemed to have become a little confused. "They worry about me." Frida added, "And since they might get nervous about me cancelling evening plans so frequently, I have to keep things creative. But not too creative, or they'll catch on." She held up her hand and started to count on her fingers. "Miniature golf with Tasha, I still don't know what that is. Training new employees. Taking care of the sick owls. Babysitting for my friend Rebecca. And building a lifesize model of a fainting goat." Frida relaxed her hands, "It's best not to ask about the last one."
She raised her brows, "Always welcome?" Frida laughed a little, "Even when I'm in a terribly foul mood? Well, alright then. I guess I could deal with that." She crossed her legs and started to bob her right foot up and down. "And you're welcome." Frida smiled slightly and continued to bob her foot.

"I'm not upset." Frida replied quietly, "I'm fine." Her hands weren't quite as steady as they had been half an hour ago, but they were moreso than thirty seconds prior. "It was a nice compliment." Frida said more confidently and finally looked at him, "Thanks." 'Yes, it must have been...'.
She had started to feel something warm on her hands. 'Don't tell me...sweat?' Once Malachi stood up though, it was painfully obvious.

"Yeah, as friends." Frida agreed with a smile. Once Malachi had walked over to close the doors, Frida wiped her hands off on the back of her jeans, then clasped her hands behind her back as though nothing happened. The way she was standing was similar to a military stance. "A walk would be very nice. And a good opportunity to see what your neighborhood is like later in the evening."
Her eyes landed on Casper, who seemed to have become disheartened slightly when he wasn't allowed to go. "He's so obedient." She took longer strides over to Casper and stroked his head affectionately. "Such a good boy."
Straightening up again, Frida looked to Malachi, "Ready when you are." She was excited now. A real muggle place, and not just a silly park or something.

Malachi listened to Frida’s explanation of her truth bending. He realised that it was through concern for her family’s feelings rather than anything else. He nodded. “That’s very considerate of you.” He grinned ruefully as she listed her excuses. “Miniature golf is a game they play with metal sticks and little balls. It’s... oddly entertaining.” He laughed out loud when she mentioned the model of the goat. Holding his hands up in an ‘I surrender’ gesture he said “I won’t ask. If you ever need any help with that though, I am a Magizoologist, I might be the man for the job.” He laughed even more, burning up some of his nervous energy.

When Frida raised her brows at him, Malachi matched her expression. “You in a towering temper?” He bit back the first remark that came to mind, one that the old Malachi would have had no problems in saying. Instead he grinned. “Okay... so long as you’re not aiming hexes at my head, you’ll always be welcome. How’s that for a caveat?”

Malachi was very relieved that the awkward moment between them was seemed to pass. He tried the doors to make sure that they were indeed locked. “Good, right. Two kits ignoring each other upstairs, two owls roosting in Esme’s room, she’ll be thrilled, Casper in here and Lemuel off on a jaunt. That’s everyone accounted for.” He nodded as she spoke, watching her stroke the whippet. “Casper is a very obedient, he’s the least trouble out of the whole Cavanaugh tribe.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a very lively place, there’s always something happening.” When she said she was ready he grinned and led the way out of the flat, taking out his key to lock the door the muggle way.

Frida gave a single, loud, short laugh. "Yes, very considerate of me. Although perhaps the best thing to do would be to tell them all that I need a break from them all, and that they are driving me bonkers. I love them all very much, but seeing them all every day...it's kind of, er, mind numbing." She shrugged. What was she to do though? They were family now and forever. If it were just her and her parents, then it wouldn't be nearly as irritating, since her aunts and select cousins caused most of the trouble.'Hmm. Miniature golf sounds kind of risky.' Her thoughts strayed to metal rods being tossed through the air.
"Well, I doubt that I'll be using that excuse for a while. But if I need help then I'll certainly consult you." Frida chuckled a tiny bit and took a deep breath.

"Of course. Everyone has a temper. We just don't like others to see us at our worst. But I'm sure you can handle it." She moved her hands out in the front of her again, clasping them together. Malachi's comment caused her to smile, " Sounds fair to me. I won't do that. Ever. I don't like causing bodily harm unless it's a matter of life and death."

"One animal shy of my household." Frida said with a nod of her head, wondering whether or not the 'kits' Malachi referred to were the kneazles. "Bye, Casper." She whispered and gave the whippet one final stroke on the head with her index finger. "If he's the least trouble then who's the worst?" Frida asked with a smile.
"Good. Because it sounds like fun." She followed Malachi out.

Malachi locked the door, chuckling. “Yes, any problems, give me a shout. Just think of me as the fainting goatherd.” He put his keys into his pocket.

He waited until he had gestured to the left at the end of the path to respond to Frida’s idea about what to do with her family’s frequent visits. “Well, if you’re moving in with your friend, they can’t expect it to continue, can they? And even if you don’t move in with her, the suggestion that you were going to may prompt them to give you a bit more space, especially if you drop a few well placed hints.” The late evening sun was dazzling as Malachi stopped at a pedestrian crossing. He shielded his eyes with one hand, the other ready to grab Frida incase she didn’t know to stop. He got the impression that her experience with muggles was limited. The last thing he wanted was for her to be squished by a delivery driver.

Malachi had realised that she was a more serious person than he was, or that her serious side was dominant quite often. He got the feeling, over and over again, that Frida had been hurt, deeply hurt. He snuck a glance at her every now and then, wondering what kind of blundering fool could ever allow themselves to hurt someone so amazing. His conscious prickled and the knot of self-loathing that he usually managed to ignore grew tighter within his guts as he realised that he was exactly the type of blundering fool who had hurt too many women with his own selfishness. He ran his hand through his hair and swallowed, silently warning himself to never make that mistake with her.

To try and lighten his own mood, Malachi went back to the conversation about the animals. “Casper really does seem to like you, although he is a friendly dog anyway. Not like that kneazle of Pandora’s.” He chuckled, thinking of the scratch on his bicep that the creature had given him. “Tajma she called him. I have no idea why. He’s a little thug, honestly. He bullies Lancelot, Ronan’s cat. Taj seems to think that because he’s a thoroughbred so to speak, and Lancelot is just an ordinary cat, that he has the right to be as mean as he likes. You can’t always stop him either.” Malachi shook his head, a wry grin tugging at the corners of his lips. It was his feeling that if Lancelot stood up to Tajma, Taj would soon back down.

They had arrived at the cinema. “Here we are!” Malachi’s eyes shone with an almost child-like excitement as he grinned widely.

Frida laughed, "Oh, yes. I'm sure your job can be quite difficult too, Sir. What with the animals falling down around you."

She could only shrug and say, "I have the feeling that won't matter." Frida blinked and reached over her shoulder as though to grab something, but failed. 'My bag...shoot.' It was still in the kitchen at Malachi's, and without it with her, Frida's back seemed almost like a moving target. All open and such. "My parent's would at least want to know how I am doing...I was ill a while back. So they like to check up on me." The woman added, almost like an afterthought.
Fortunately, Frida had been paying attention when Malachi stopped, because she copied what he had done. About three seconds later a blasting siren could be heard and a very large vehicle went zooming by (firetruck) followed by little cars, which also gave off loud sounds and had flashing lights (police cars). "Whoa." She said in a quiet voice and backed up a little so that she was partially blocked by Malachi's right shoulder. Her hands had gone up to cover her ears. "What was that?" She asked as the sounds became more and more quiet as the vehicles got farther away.

Frida had began to hum to herself, a tune that sounded awfully similar to Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition'. She stopped when her peripheral vision caught her friend running a hand through his hair...again. The woman moved to her right slightly, just enough so that she was able to bump into Malachi a tiny bit. "You okay?" Frida asked as the music grew quieter in her head, though it was still very much present in the background. "Hair still too short for you? You can change it back if you'd like."

She nodded in agreement, "He's a real sweetheart that Casper." Frida looked at the buildings nearby, and noticed a fairly bright structure up ahead. "If I didn't have so many animals already I would steal him. You could explain it to your friends, I'm sure they'd understand." 'Mwahaha!'
Or not. If one of HER animals had been taken away there would be one very bruised up individual.
"Hmm? Well, maybe Tajma would like me then? I'm no quitter, I can take a few bites and scratches." Really, it took a while for Webster, a dog, to get used to her. But it turned out that he was a sweetie too. Frida started to laugh, "Just an ordinary cat? No animal is ordinary, Malachi. They all have their little quirks." She paused, 'Wonder why that sounds familiar.' Her thoughts went to her Siamese cat, Bogey, and she smiled.

They walked up to the bright structure and Frida simply stared at it, a wild sort of fascination in her eyes. "I don't see any moving pictures, Malachi...?" Perhaps they were closed? Even if they were, the blinking lights were interesting enough to keep the lady busy.
She noticed another few people (muggles most likely) walk past them. 'Must think I'm a freak asking that.' Frida kept her voice down and moved closer to Malachi, "Where's the rest of it?"

Malachi had laughed at Frida’s joke but when she said she had been ill he sobered and looked at her, concern evident in his hazel eyes. “Nothing too serious I hope.” he said quietly. “It’s understandable that your parents would want to make sure that you were okay, even if you hadn’t been ill, but there comes a point where a person has to say ‘I’m sorry, I need some space’. Perhaps you just haven’t got there yet?” Malachi asked this and then wished he hadn’t. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business, I’m just... speaking from experience, that’s all.” Although it was hardly likely to be a comparable experience: Malachi’s wanderlust had taken him around the world, each time he moved on because he felt that the place just over the horizon was bound to be better than the place he was in. He looked at Frida again and realised that there was nowhere he would rather be. Just as he thought that, a fire-engine and a few police cars went zooming past them. He immediately put his arm up protectively, even though he knew Frida had stopped walking. He felt her move so that she was partly behind him and he squared his thin chest, attempting to shield her. When the vehicles had passed them Malachi turned to her and quietly asked, “Are you okay? The red one was a fire engine and the others were police cars, they’re going to help someone who’s in trouble.” He watched her carefully, wanting to make sure that she felt safe. He wanted to take her hand as they crossed the road but felt that this might be patronising.

When she bumped him out of his reverie, quite literally, he gave her a relaxed smile. “I’m fine, just... thinking.” It was an evasive response but he couldn’t tell her what he was thinking about. “My hair? Oh, it’s an old habit, I don’t even know I’m doing it.” Indeed, he ran his hand through his hair again without realising. “I’ve tried to stop but I can’t manage it. I think it would be easier to give up a pipe, not that I’ve ever smoked.”

As she suggested that she might like to steal Casper, Malachi laughed. “You’ve met Pandora, right? She might have gone ballistic with Ronan for buying the dog when she was pregnant, excellent piece of timing that was, but you couldn’t separate her from her animals. I’d rather try and steal a dragon egg from under the mother!” He chuckled. “I think Tajma would like you, he likes people with spirit.” He gulped when he said this, thinking ‘so do I’. “Yes, yes, of course they do, how silly of me. Lancelot is a very sweet little creature, quite timid but he likes to come and wake me up in the mornings by licking my nose.” Malachi grinned at the thought of it. “Best alarm clock I’ve ever had.”

He looked at Frida’s face and found a kind of wild fascination with the exterior of the building they were in front of. Her whispered question caused him to release a short laugh until he realised that she wasn’t joking. He slipped his arm around her waist, his hand resting lightly in the small of her back and whispered in her ear, “The film is inside, we need to go and buy a ticket.” He pointed to the doors, taking in her scent, an intoxicating mix of pine trees and her own sweet self. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he should step away, out of her personal space but he didn’t. He loved standing there too much.

"Erm...well-" Frida started to say and looked at the ground, "Kind of serious, yes. I was in the hospital for two days so they could keep watch of me." She kicked a small rock that was in her path and watched it clatter across the sidewalk. Anything to distract her from the memory was a good thing.
Frida shrugged lightly, "I'm afraid that if I say that they'll think I was being unappreciative. Believe me, I've thought about it." She looked over to Malachi and smiled slightly, "It's okay. I take any advise I can get."

She continued to watch in amazement in the direction the vehicles had traveled. "I'm fine." Frida said in a dreamy voice and brought her attention back to Malachi and cross-walk. "Fire engine...police cars." She repeated to herself and crossed the road. "I hope everyone's okay." Sure, Frida didn't know the victims, but any time somebody was in trouble she wanted to help. But if the muggle authorities were already on their way, it was best to stay clear and let them do their jobs.

"Still, much better habit than smoking." Frida said with a nod while reaching up and messing up the guy's hair as well. "I've never been too fond of smoke, the smell is terrible." 'Gets all in your hair and clothes. And at the end of the day you smell just like a walking ashtray.' She tried to think for a second, did she have any habits that she was unaware of?
"Do I have any strange habits?" Frida asked Malachi suddenly. Now that they were on the topic, she wanted to know of any existing 'faults'.

"I've met her, yes. Used to work with me for a little while." Frida replied and listened while drowning out the music that started up in her brain again. "Well, who could blame her? He's a sweetheart. I'd probably be the same way." She laughed when Malachi compared Pandora to a dragon. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."
Her face broke out into a smile, "Maybe we'll have to see if he likes me or not once we get back?" The cinema shouldn't take more than thirty minutes at most from what Frida gathered. "Awww! He licks your nose? That's so cute!" She giggled while thinking of Bogey. "My siamese likes to sleep across my neck. He falls down on top of me over and over again to wake me up. If he's in a bad mood then he'll bite my ear. Little brat...I love him for it though." Frida adored that cat and his weird behaviors. "Maybe I'll have to bring him over with me sometime? I'm sure he and Lancelot would get along."

She tilted her head to the side a little when Malachi started to laugh, "What's so-?" 'Wha?!' Frida was stunned into silence when she felt him put his hand on her. Her eyes had widened into something of a petrified stare, and she arched her back away from Malachi's hand.
Frida gave a forced laugh and said, "Of-of course i-it is." Her face was as red as the truck that had zoomed down the street earlier, and her eyes were a little more damp than usual. "How silly of me." She reached into her back pocket and grabbed a handful of muggle money. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here!" Frida said quickly and shoved the cash into Malachi's free hand. "Remember? I said I would pay." She could almost hear her heart beating. Who knew that guys could ever be so scary to her? 'Never used to be that way...'.

Malachi frowned deeply, concerned about her. “But you’re okay now? Fully recovered?” He watched her carefully, noting that she hadn’t explained why she had been in hospital and thought that it would be best for him not to press her for an explanation. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him.

Malachi smiled when she said she welcomed his advice. “Well, you wouldn’t have to put it as baldly as that, just gently explain that to make sure you stay healthy you need to have some time to yourself. It doesn’t mean you love them any less, but you have the right to time to yourself.”

Malachi was still keeping a watchful eye on Frida, her dreamy state was not the best for crossing the road. When she said that she hoped everyone was okay, he smiled gently and nodded. “Me too.” Frida was proving to be an extraordinarily kind person.

“You have a point there, smoking is a terrible habit. All mine does is make me look a like I’ve been dragged through a hedge - Oi!” He gave her a rueful smile as his scalp tingled where her fingers had brushed against it. “Any strange habits? Apart from being a potential dog-napper you mean?” Again, the corners of his mouth were tugged into a wry smile, eyes twinkling with merriment. “None that I’ve seen.”

Malachi was forced to laugh, or the laugh forced its way out of him, when Frida said that Pandora couldn’t be that bad. When he regained a little composure he said, “I can tell that no-one got on the wrong side of her while you were working together. I’ve known her since she was nine years old and she’s always been the same; if you do something to hurt, embarrass or insult her then run for the hills because she is merciless. I’ve seen her make grown men cry with a well chosen word.” His laughter had subsided. “People think she’s an ice queen, utterly unreadable, inflexible and frosty but under that there’s real fire in her belly.”

When Frida mentioned going back to meet Tajma, Malachi smiled. “I’m sure he’d love you.” He blushed, his throat becoming dry, seemingly for no reason at all. He listened as she spoke about her own cat, smiling and nodding. “I haven’t got them for very long, Curi just wanted to get the babies settled into a routine before the animals went home. I’d like you to come an meet Lemuel though, when he gets back from wherever he’s making a nuisance of himself at the moment. He’s rather willful, just how you like them.” He grinned again.

Malachi saw Frida’s reaction to their close proximity and knew that he had made a big mistake. He removed his hand from her back and with the money pressed between their fingers, he gripped hers lightly and encouraged her to walk towards the queue, saying soft voice "Frida, I'd never hurt you. Never." His tone was entirely serious. "I just get the feeling someone has hurt you in the past and I want you to know that you are far too amazing for that to be allowed to happen again." He curled her fingers around the money. “I know that you’re determined to be an independent woman, but today was supposed to be about someone looking after you for a change. So let me do that, please?” He had an awful feeling that Frida was about to cry in the queue for the film. He put his hand in his pocket to try and find his handkerchief, just incase.

"Um..." She swallowed a little bit and continued to stare at the ground, hands in her pockets. "I'm still seeing somebody, my psychiatrist. Just for more help." Frida smiled a little bit, "He says I'm doing much better though." She found the stone she had kicked before and gave it another tap, making it fall into a drain next to the road.

Frida nodded, "I know that...it's just-" She sighed a bit, "They don't want to leave me alone for too long. Ya know?" She caught sight of a man riding a bicycle and spaced out for a moment. "Maybe I'll just tell them, they might understand more than I'm giving them credit for."

Frida laughed loudly, "Maybe not THAT bad." She chuckled and said quietly, "Dragged through a hedge..." *teehee* "You stay around me long enough and that's bound to happen. I go hiking a lot, so I might end up forcing you along with me one day."
Frida gave an overexaggerated gasp, *GASP* "You believe that I would steal another person's dog?" She laughed again, "I would never do thaaat." Frida gave it some thought, "Not unless they were abused."

She raised her right eyebrow, "Oh, some pal you are." Frida chuckled, "Can't even lie and say, 'She's a lovely, wonderful lady. Wouldn't harm a fly.'" Frida smirked at Malachi.
"Work was always organized when we had our own offices, so there was little stress." She spotted another small rock on the ground, aimed to kick it, but missed. She decided to pass it off as fixing the heel of her converse sneaker, since it skidded across the sidewalk. "Then I'll be sure and be perfectly sweet if I ever see her again. Wouldn't want any more visits to St. Mungo's."

"They're bringing all the animals back at once?" Frida raised her left brow this time, "That's going to be somewhat hectic I would imagine." She looked towards the tops of the buildings, seeing that the sun was finally out of their path, and for the most part, not blinding them. "I would love to see Lemuel. I've never had the chance to see a falcon close up before." Those birds would always stay far from people where Frida lived. Which was probably the smart thing to do.

Frida could finally breath again once Malachi retreated somewhat. 'That was terrifying...'. She assumed prematurely that she would be able to relax her hand again, but she was wrong. Instead, Malachi had a careful grip on her.
'Oh no. Don't say that!' Frida could feel all of her color leave her face. Leaving it a porcelain white. She could feel her throat start to hurt, 'Never hurt me.' her eyes filled with tears and when she blinked they cascaded down her face. 'That's what Blaze said too.'
Frida was quiet for what seemed like an entire five minutes, thinking things over. The past year and a half of her life that she had wasted stung now more than it had in weeks.

Finally, Frida simply nodded and said, "Okay." She wiped her tears away with her hand just as the queue moved up.

Malachi blinked a few times but offered no comment other than, “It’s great that you’re doing better.” He was aware, deep inside somewhere, of a surge of protective feelings towards Frida. Whatever had happened had clearly hurt her deeply and that actually made him quite angry, even though he wasn’t sure what it actually was. He wanted to ask and be sure but resolved to allow the conversation to drop, it was clear that she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Well, that’s understandable, it really is but they have to allow you to spread your wings. It’s not like you’re suddenly going to pack your bags and move to deepest Peru, is it? But eventually, if a person feels too smothered, that’s when they do something reckless to say ‘Just back off can’t you?!?!’ and that’s... never pretty.” It was Malachi’s turn to avoid eye contact. He looked off into the distance, swallowing hard a few times. It had been more than twenty years since his father had packed Malachi’s bags for him and physically removed him from the family house.

Malachi tried to somehow neaten his hair up without a comb, chuckling along with her. “You’ve forgotten my offer haven’t you?” He said this quietly, glancing at her, “To take you to see the North York Moors? Besides, I frequently look I’ve been dragged through a hedge backward.” He ran his hand through his hair and then realised what he was doing. “See?” He asked, his hair standing up on end. He laughed when she was mock insulted but it trailed off when she mentioned animals being abused. “Well, in that case it would be more of a rescue than a theft, and you’d be well within your rights to do so.” Malachi hated cruelty towards animals, it made him really angry which was actually something that didn’t happen very often.

Malachi looked at her, seeing her smirk. “Well, you are wonderful, a friend to all the flies. Pandora is wonderful too, just in a slightly scary way.” He chuckled. “From what she said I think she really respects you. Pandora wouldn’t hurt you, I won’t allow it.” His last comment was said in a light and simple tone but what he really meant was that he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt Frida, not if he could help it.

Malachi smiled. “Yes, I think it will be hectic, but she’s strict with everyone. I often feel sorry for Ronan. I know what she’s like to live with.” He chuckled. “I wasn’t her partner and her father was alive at the time, he always kept her balanced.” He ran his hand through his hair again. “Falcons are quite big and noisy. Lemuel struts about like he owns every place he land on.” He looked up and saw that the sun was beginning to creep towards that point in the sky where sunset begins. “I’m sure he’ll warm to you though, you seem to have a special touch when it comes to animals.”

When his words only served to make the situation worse and not better he was utterly lost for what to do. Malachi watched as all the blood seemed to drain from her face as though it had been sucked out. When he saw her tears, he let go of her hand and went to pass her his handkerchief, but dropped it. He scrambled for it, only for it to fall in what he hoped, despite the dry spell, was a rain puddle. “Oh for Mer-Heaven’s sake.” He had realised just in time that they were surrounded by muggles. Indeed, as he straightened up a plump woman with frizzy black hair gave him a hard look, obviously of the opinion that he had been horrible to Frida. By the time he had straightened up the queue had moved forwards, and Frida with it. “Oh, blimey.” He muttered under his breath, realising that it wasn’t a rain puddle. He slipped the handkerchief into his pocket and then his wand out of the holster, and down into his pocket and Vanished the rather revolting handkerchief. He turned to find Frida. Moving up to where she was, he stood close to her but didn’t touch her. In a quiet voice he said, “Frida, listen. I’m not sure why that upset you, but I have an idea. And that’s just...” He closed his eyes to retain his composure. “I hope that we’re friends now. I just want you to know that I’d do anything for you, anything. You’ve got a good heart and you deserve the best things in life.” Malachi hoped that one day they would be more than friends, but there was no way that he wanted to rush things. The queue moved forwards again and he said “Do you have a preference for what we see?” He grabbed an information sheet. “There’s some here... oh look, Some Like It Hot, that’s a classic, in black and white. It’s very funny.” He handed the sheet to Frida so that she could read it for herself.

"Maybe I should move to Peru." Frida said and sighed deeply. "And I'm pretty sure that's why things are the way they are now with my family. Due to the fact that I went off on my own." She looked over towards Malachi, but quickly turned back. He seemed to have wandered into his own world again, and Frida didn't necessarily want to disturb him.

"I-" Frida started to say and remembered the chat they had at the Leaky, "I remember you saying that, yes. But that won't be until it snows." She grinned a little bit, "What about before that? When the leaves are all nice and colorful? Or when they're still green? It's not safe to hike when there's ice and snow." Not that Frida would know from experience. "Besides, there's lots of trails behind my house in the woods, and they all belong to me. So you could visit there."
She giggled again when Malachi's hair was all stuck in weird directions and talked about the animal topic.
"I could still get into trouble for it though...theft. But oh well. It'd be worth paying a fine."

There was a loud burst of laughter that seemed to come from the deepest part of Frida's stomach. "Yeah, friend to all filthy vermin too apparently. I would save mice that my dad would catch in cages." She smiled slightly, remembering how cute they were. "I named a little white one, Gerald. Hid him away in the barn out back and would feed him peanut butter and crackers."
Frida's eyes widened a little bit, "She's talked about me?" 'Oh dear, oh dear.' She'd seemed to have forgotten that work carried on outside of the Ministry...in a social sense anyway. "Just glad to be in her good graces I guess." Frida blushed, not realizing until now that her job actually did have some sort of an influence on her employee's home lives. She usually left work at work when she could help it.
"I should just hire you as a bodyguard then." Frida smacked Malachi's upper arm, "Big tough guy like you could scare off anybody." She smiled, wanting the man to know 'no harm intended'.

"Seems like she can handle things quite well then." Frida mentioned and noticed Malachi's hand going through his hair again, 'I'm going to start keeping count...one.'
She could already feel herself getting all excited about the bird, "Oh good!" Frida said sweetly and clasped her hands together, all happy-like.

Caught up in her own wanting to get rid of her tears, Frida missed most of what had happened. She opened her eyes just as Malachi was catching up to her in the queue.
And then he started to talk again. Frida was half tempted to tell Malachi to 'Just shut it', but that wasn't polite, and not how she would want to behave or be remembered as behaving. "What?" She said suddenly and fairly surprised when Malachi mentioned, 'I hope that we’re friends now.' "I thought that..." Frida blinked a few times, confused, "Weren't we friends already?" Maybe she was just too easy to see others as friends? "Malachi, we are friends." She finished off saying as though her word was law and stepped up with the queue again.
Frida looked at Malachi when he continued to speak, "That's very nice of you to say that." Her voice trailed off somewhat. "I appreciate it." She forced the corners of her mouth into a smile to show how glad she was then.
Finally, the subject changed, which Frida was very glad about. "I'm game for anything really...just nothing scary." She took the paper and read it over, "Black and white...". Frida mentioned to herself and wondered just how old that movie was. "I could do with a laugh." Frida said and seemed to verify her decision. "I think we both could." She added with a look to Malachi.

“Well, you could move to Peru.” Malachi said quietly, “but I’d miss you if you did.” Whatever she had done in her past was not is business unless she chose to tell him about it. He was a fairly private person and so respected other people’s right to keep things to themselves. He stuck his hands in his pockets.

“Well, there’s Westonbirt Arboretum, that’s near you. We could take a picnic, make a day of it. There’s something like eighteen thousand trees there, some of them are apparently quite rare.” He realised that she had probably been there before and switched tack slightly. “I’ve not been for years, not since I was working on the snidget reserve.” Malachi tried to flatten his hair. "I think this is what Esme calls a bad hair day.” He muttered. When she talked about getting fined he shook his head. “Nah, if it was a muggle, you could sort them out memory wise. And the MLEs have better things to do than fine people for rescuing animals. In fact the owner would be the one up on charges.”

Malachi watched her laugh, entranced by the effect that laughter had on her. She was even more beautiful, almost luminous. “Gerald sounds like a lucky little chap to me.” He said smiling. When her eyes widened at his comment about Pandora, he tried to alay any potential worries. “Not in a bad way. She was just asking about that fair thing. Her husband tied for first place. She asked if I had met anyone interesting and I said I had, you.” He smiled again... until she smacked him. ‘Ouch!’ “I hope it pays well, this bodyguard gig. Especially if regularly taking a beating is part of the contract.” He chuckled, liking this playful side of Frida.

As the queue moved forwards, Malachi tried to hide his surprise. ‘Maybe she thought that we were more than friends... Oh what have I done? She’ll think I’m not interested... but, there’s potential now...’ He smiled, just as she firmly stated that they were friends, but he wasn’t really listening. His hopes were well and truly raised now. When she thanked him, he lifted his hand to squeeze her arm, but changed his mind at the last moment, sweeping his fingers through his hair once more. “I’m only being honest Frida.”

“Some Like It Hot it is then.” Malachi grinned and stepped forwards, paying the woman for the tickets after making sure his wand was safely holstered. He looked back to Frida with a large grin on his face. “Ready?” He was excited, and it showed in his eyes which were twinkling more than usual. He had the air of a little boy on Christmas Eve who was absolutely sure there was a fire engine in his stocking because he had sneaked a look at the presents in his mother’s hiding place.

Frida smiled a little bit at what Malachi said, "Well, I'd miss you too. But it's not like we're muggles." She quieted momentarily as they walked past a muggle woman sitting on a bench, and started up again after a few more paces. "There's still flying and apparating and the floo you could use to visit. I just don't know what regulations the Ministry in Peru has against them."
When Malachi stuck his hands in his pockets, Frida couldn't help but take notice. But rather than saying anything else she simply caught his eye and smiled again.

"I've not heard of the place." Frida replied with interest, "It could be a fun trip. Especially since there seems to be so much to look at." Rare trees and muggles; what more did anyone need? "Although all I'll need to bring is a couple of apples and some bits of cheese. Have you ever had apples and cheese together? I think the stuff is wonderful. Perfect treat when one is outside." She could remember the last time she'd had it; in the fall when she was nearly 'lost' on one of her trails.
"If you've not been there in ages, and I've not been there at all, then we'd best go." Frida dodged stepping on a beetle crossing the sidewalk.
'Two...'. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Oh, he was." Frida chuckled some more as she remembered the little guy. "My dad never found him either, I was so glad. He did get awfully chubby though from all the food I gave him." She shrugged. At least Gerald was happy and enjoyed himself.
"Ohhhh..." Frida said, rather impressed. "Well, good for...Ronan?" She wanted to make sure that she had the man's name right. "I love when everyone in the Ministry gets together. There's always someone interesting to meet and talk to." Frida started to smile, but thought of someone else that she had also met at a conference that welcomed International Ministers from around the globe a couple years prior.
She swallowed, and moved the memory from her mind with a smirk. "I take care of my people, don't you worry." Frida said jokingly.

The line moved, and Frida found herself staring off towards the interior of the building. It was awfully dark compared to the outside, and seemed pretty noisy too. 'Muggles can watch stuff being that loud?' She thought and turned back to Malachi, wanting to ask about it. But the man seemed a little...too busy with something. However, he finally spoke up again, and Frida could think of no other response but to smile kindly. 'Three...'.

"Ready, ready." Frida replied and grabbed Malachi's sleeve, almost as if she were scared of going inside. She eagerly took one of the tickets, which she knew had to belong to her, and looked it over. It was much different than any other event ticket she had ever had. There was nothing moving on it to try and catch the buyer's attention.
She followed Malachi. Since he knew exactly what he was doing, and because Frida would probably, somehow, get herself lost.

Malachi nodded and in a quiet voice said. “Well, even so, it would be difficult to spontaneously think ‘Oh, I wonder if Frida would like to go to the theatre tonight’ if you were in Peru. There’s something unnerving about the idea of turning up in Peru on the off chance you might want to go and see ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.” He returned her smile. “If you were here, I could send you and owl and not look like a raging sociopath.” He gave her a wry little chuckle, wondering for a second if she would misinterpret what he’s said.

Malachi listened to her talking, happy that she seemed so excited about going to the arboretum. He generally hated to be inside for too long, hence him going to eat his lunch on Ben Nevis some days, and on Dartmoor on other days. Far away from all the people. Not that he didn’t like his colleagues, he just needed to have the chance to be away from people and all the noise that they made. “I love apples and cheese!” He said, sounding rather more enthusiastic than he would have liked. He coughed, blushing slightly, “Yeah, that’s one of my favourite things to eat.” When she seemed so enthusiastic to go, he beamed, his eyes twinkling. “Well then, I think that’s settled! You, me, apples and cheese at Westonbirt.” Another day out planned before this one was over, that fact seemed to inflate his heart somehow and he stood up taller, walking with a slight spring in his chest.

Malachi grinned. It was clear that Frida cared for animals, all sorts of animals, which just made Malachi even more sure that she would make a good friend for him.

“Ronan Cavanaugh, that’s right. He’s a good man.” These words stuck in Malachi’s throat a little. He had reason to believe that Ronan had the potential to be anything but a good man. He would never, ever forget or forgive the state that he had found Pandora in, almost two years ago now, because of Ronan. Trying to shake this thought from his mind, he nodded. “Well, that’s how we met and I find you endlessly interesting.” He looked to her, to see how she would take this compliment and saw that she had fallen into her own private reverie. When she seemed to pull herself away from it and joked, he gave her a crooked half-smile. “Oh well, in that case, sign me up. One bodyguard, reporting for duty.”


Malachi was surprised when Frida clutched at his sleeve, his mouth forming a perfect ‘o’ for just a moment. He gently, tentatively, not wanting to frighten her, guided her hand so that their elbows became linked. He passed her a ticket and guided her gently towards the screening room. “Where would you like to sit?” He asked, running his free hand through his hair.

Her initial, 'What's, A Streetcar Named Desire' question was cut off when Malachi mentioned, "Raging sociopath". She widened her eyes and looked at the man next to her. 'Can he read my thoughts?' Frida wondered and continued to stare at him, nearly falling over when she tripped on an uneven patch of sidewalk, though she caught her balance pretty well.

Frida smiled at Malachi's approval, "Great! I'll have to shop for some goods soon for that trip." She stepped more gently on the ground then before, wanting to be careful. "Just tell me what kind of cheese and apples you like, and I'll be sure and pack a bunch before we go."
Boy was this fun. Even just talking about doing stuff was entertaining. It wasn't like Frida had much of a chance to do what she loved recently though either.
She nodded when her friend confirmed it, "I can't wait."

"I'm glad he is. Would be horrible if he wasn't." Frida suddenly felt that she was far too exposed again. Not having her backpack was starting to drive her mad...and hopefully Casper wouldn't rummage through it.
She could feel herself blush slightly as she caught Malachi's response, "Oh, thank you. But I think your experiences still top mine, which makes you far more interesting than me." With a short laugh she said, "I'm glad. You'll get your uniform once you arrive at five in the morning. Tardiness is not acceptable." Frida grinned at Malachi, "You will not receive payment for hours worked overtime, and no Holidays will be given off for break." She gave a small *tut* and continued, "Minimum wage for starting salary. Other than that, I'm a rather nice lady to work for."

She could feel her arm slide into Malachi's bent elbow, but Frida decided that she was more comfortable simply holding on to his elbow, and not being 'linked'.
'Four.' "To sit?" Frida repeated and looked up at Malachi, who seemed to have gotten taller...either that, or Frida was hunched over a little bit from being nervous. "Um...".
Once they entered the screening room, Frida was slightly overwhelmed. There were lots of seats; all sorts to choose from. Ones in the back, ones in the middle, ones in front, and another two rows that had no row right in front of them to allow for an alley for people to walk from the right to left side of the screening room. "Uh..." Her eyes immediately landed on the front row, and so she started to drag Malachi there.

Frida plopped down in a seat, which also forced Malachi to do so in the seat right next to her. But after a moment, she realized that the screen was far too close to them. Craning her neck upwards was not very comforable. She turned around, and noticed that there were only a handful of people in the room.
Sighing, Frida grabbed Malachi again and said, "This way." And led him to the back row.
Unfortunately, this row was back too far. She blinked several times and looked over at Malachi, who was next to her again. "One last time. Promise."
Frida gave him a smile and picked a middle row. One of the rows that had no seats right in front of them, and a bar to function as a sort of rail to divide the aisle from the seats that were elevated (where they sat).
"I like this spot best." Frida said, clearly proud of herself for doing such a good job. "Where do you usually sit?" She asked Malachi, not even noticing that she was still gripping his elbow.

Malachi noticed Frida wobble and wondered if she had caught her foot on the pavement, since it was uneven in places. However, she straightened pretty well and he didn’t want to be too fussy, so he didn’t mention it.

Malachi nodded at the mention of shopping. “I really don’t mind. There’s not a lot of food I don’t like. Having said that, I really do like Wensleydale cheese and russets. They’re my favourites but don’t feel that you have to get them.” He didn’t want her to go out of her way just to please him. When she said she couldn’t wait, he grinned. “Me neither, I think we’ll have a great time.”

Malachi didn’t comment on Ronan. He didn’t trust himself not to say anything. He tilted his head to one side and considered her. In a soft voice he said, “Frida Bok, you have no idea how wonderful you are, do you?” Malachi realised as the words left his lips that he had gone too far, that she might be spooked. “Umm, Yeah. I’ll take the job. I’m very punctual!” He avoided her eye, trying to breath normally.

When Frida was dragging him around the cinema, Malachi tried to object, laughing as she dragged him to the back row. “I don’t think you’ll want to sit here... oh...” When she finally settled in a seat in the middle of the cinema, he sighed with relief, running his hand through his hair. “Here, I usually sit here.” He dropped his voice, “The muggles use the back row for kissing. So I didn’t think that you’d want to sit there.” The adverts began on the big screen, with a noisy tune. He pointed at the screen. “There we are look, these are the adverts and the previews of other films.”

Frida made a mental note to herself, 'Wensleydale and russets. Wensleydale and russets...think I got it.' "I'll get it for you anyway. I don't think I've had that Wensleydale before, so I'll try some of it too." She missed stepping on a crack...not that it had anything to do with superstition at all. "What time of day do you want to go? Later? Early?" She gasped, "Is there a meteor shower soon?!" How great would that be? It would be awesome!

Frida could feel her face burn, and it was uncomfortable. She slid down a little in her seat and said, "Erm...I just don't want to have an over-inflated head. That's not very appealing is it? To be so caught up in yourself." Frida realized that she had a sort of death grip on Malachi's elbow...still. "Sorry!" She let go and clasped her hands together, resting them on her lap.

'Five.' A smile appeared on Frida's face as she thought it. "I'm a good seat-selector then." She said with a pleased expression. "You usually come alone?" That was a depressing thought.
Her eyes widened when Malachi mentioned a specific 'use' for the last row. "Oooooooh...oh." That was kind of gross. She let out a short laugh, "Who would do that in public? Crazy peopl-" Frida stopped when she noticed the lights dim and an image appeared on the screen. And boy was it loud!
It was like she was in a trance the whole way through the movie. She could barely even laugh when everyone else in the room did. 'It actually works! I can't believe it!'

And then, before Frida knew it, the film was over and people started to stand in order to leave. "That's it?!" Frida asked and looked over to Malachi, "That was only...erm, what, twenty minutes!" Clearly, time really had gone by like a flash to the poor woman.

Back at his house, Malachi went through the pretense of unlocking the door for the sake of his neighbours and held it open for Frida to go in.

Casper’s ears pricked up as he heard the sound of the door opening. Suddenly he could smell the lady who had been so nice to him and he skittered through the house, trying to find her. When he saw them, he bounded towards them, feeling very happy indeed.

“Casper, in!” Malachi said sharply. The whippet stopped in it’s tracks, almost out of the door, and backed up a little, looking at the pair of them with doleful eyes. Malachi looked at Frida “Oh goodness, that look. I swear no creature has ever pulled at my heartstrings like he does.” He ran his hand through his hair and waited for her to go into the house.

"Thank youuu." Frida said when Malachi held the door open. She was about to enter when she clearly heard a fast paced tapping noise. The unmistakable sound of a dog's nails on wood floors.

"So authoritative." Frida said with a grin, as well as a glance towards Malachi.
"Hi, Casper!" Frida said happily when she spotted the dog, and when he noticed her as well. The animal was so obedient, it was remarkable. "I wish my cats would listen to me like that." She mentioned when Malachi told Casper to stay in the house, to which the dog obeyed.
The face Casper gave them was completely irresistable. "It's true!" Frida said and walked inside, crouched down to pet the dog. She reached Casper and gave him a nice scratch under his chin. "You're a good boy."

"Six." Frida said to Malachi as she "Oof" Picked Casper up off the floor and cradled him in her arms. "You're so spoiled." She couldn't help but giggle.
"I really appreciate you taking me to a cinema, Malachi. Thank you." She gave the man a smile to show how grateful she was.

Malachi laughed when Frida called him authoritative. “Well, I do a decent impression of it.” He was about to wink when he remembered how uncomfortable it made Frida. Instead he gave her a conspiratorial smile. “Just don’t tell anyone, you’d ruin my reputation.”

He watched as Frida lavished attention on the whippet. “Yes, he is spoiled, but he’s a good dog. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to let him go now that I’ve had him for a while.” He blinked rapidly, very glad the sentence came out how it did and not as he had thought it. He grabbed at his hair and asked “Six what?”

Casper liked the lady, she cuddled him lots. He tried to lick her face to show her he liked her.

He closed the door behind them and led the way in to the kitchen, quickly knocking the book of classic muggle poetry that he loved into the bag of vegetables and fruits that he had put on the stool. He had written an inscription for her: 'For Frida, because you should have poetry in your life,*Malachi x' He felt that she would be spooked by him giving it to her in person but he hoped that she would like the subterfuge.

“You’re welcome, it’s not always easy to find someone to go with. It was a treat to have such lovely company.” Malachi said softly, not looking directly at Frida but sorting out the tea things instead, hoping that she would accept the compliment if he wasn’t looking at her. “So, you want to go to Westonbirt so that we can see that meteor shower? We could go before sunset and that way we’d get the benefit of seeing the trees too.” He gave her a small smile. "Tea?”

'Bwahaha!' Frida couldn't help but smirk, "Oh, you do indeed sir. I'm telling your daughter that it's all an act, and that she can get away with everything and anything." She was kidding of course. Frida couldn't imagine what kind of trouble that might stir up.

"You shouldn't let him go." Frida said as she blew some cool air on Casper's nose, watching it wiggle back and forth as he sniffed it. "You should keep him. That way I can see Casper whenever I want. Just as long as you don't mind me breaking into your house?"
'Whoopsieees!' "Six? I didn't say six did I?" Frida had to stop herself from laughing like a madman when Malachi grabbed his hair...again. Instead, she gave something that sounded like a strangled laugh and hid her face behind Casper as best she could. "I meant seven...seven for the number of animals I already have." Her eyes had started to water from holding in her laughter. "Re-reminding myself that I can't steal Casper." She held her breath. Hopefully that would stop it.

'Oh no, oh dear!' "No, no, no. Silly puppy." Frida said sweetly and moved her face away from Casper's tongue, which only managed to touch underneath her chin. Just to make sure that the animal didn't suddenly turn on her, Frida scratched him behind his ears.

Frida laughed as she followed Malachi into the kitchen area shortly after he went inside, "Yeah, I was practically braindead the whole time, so I couldn't talk to you or bother you or anything." 'Okay, too heavy now.' Frida thought as her arms started to shake from holding Casper for so long, "Down you go fella." She set the dog on the floor, feet first of course.
"Yeah, I love meteor showers, and I love trees and nature and stuff. I think the two would go rather nicely together." Frida leaned against one of the countertops, "Sure, I'll have some tea." Who cared if it kept her up a little longer? Not her.

Malachi continued to chuckle. “Oh she knows, trust me. I tried to put my foot down... it went spectacularly wrong.” He covered his face with his hands in mock-dismay. “I told her to be back by nine. She sashayed in at half past eleven with this look of ‘and... what are you going to do about it?’ on her face.” He chuckled again. “We negotiate now.” In reality, the two of them had argued that night and Esme had become so emotional that she had caused the glass in one of the windows to shatter. That was why they negotiated.

Malachi adopted a mock serious expression. “I can’t condone breaking and entering or dog-napping, you know that don’t you?” He watched her amusing the dog and grinned. “But you wouldn’t have to break into the house, you’re welcome anytime, so long as you knock.” He couldn’t vouch that Esme wasn’t still a little hex happy, but he had said enough to spook Frida for one night.

Malachi listened to the odd half explanation of her saying ‘Six’. It almost seemed like he’d caught her out and she was trying to cover up. It felt... sort of good, for a change since it was usually him that would be doing the backtracking and tripping over his tongue. “No,” he said mildly, “You can’t steal him, no matter how lovely he is.”

Casper provided a distraction by licking at Frida’s face. Malachi stifled a laugh as the two of them had a little tussle.

Casper whined a little when the nice lady tickled him behind the ears and whined a little more when she put him down. He looked up at her sadly, and then up at his temporary master, who wasn’t as nice as his real master and had the wrong colour fur. He whined again, wanting them to look at him.

Malachi noticed that Casper was on the verge of becoming a nuisance. “Basket.” He told the dog firmly. He was surprised when Casper simply looked up at him and moved to Frida’s heels, sitting down as though he was on guard. “Casper seems to think that you’re in charge.” He said with a smile, “He’s a clever chap.”

He poured the water onto the tea leaves and put the tea pot between himself and Frida, moving the bag of vegetables onto the counter and sitting down, gesturing for her to do the same on a second stool. “I’m really looking forward to it, watching a meteor shower. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one.” He studied her face carefully for a moment, still trying to work her out. Frida was a complete mystery to him, she seemed to not hear him at times, be scared by him at others and then at the next turn to be made of iron and then... to be so caring and attentive. He poured out the tea, using the strainer to catch the leaves. “Do you take milk and sugar?” He gave her an easy smile.