One Hell of a Souvenir

[Veronica Grantham]

October 18, 1883, evening

Other than her sister's very hasty entrance a little while ago, Vic's evening after work had been rather uneventful. Their new place was rather quaint, she enjoyed it immensely. It was small, but that was all they could afford, a one bedroom with a loft space that they'd turned into a bedroom for Christian while Del and Vic shared the one small bedroom. It wasn't the best, but the kitchen was decent and there was a huge fireplace in the living area, which she really wasn't complaining about.

She'd fed Chris and left some out for Del whenever she decided it was acceptable to come out from wherever it was she was hiding. Vic was getting increasingly worried about her little sister, but she still really didn't know what was really wrong and Del hadn't told her, so she was just kind of waiting her out. She hoped that when her sister was ready, she'd tell Vic what was bothering her, but it was growing increasingly concerning.

Currently though, she sat on the one springy couch they'd managed to procure for the living space, near the fire, one of her old dresses in hand as she tried to sew up a tear in one of the seams. It was times like this that Vic wished she was better with magic so that she could just wave her wand and magically it would be fixed. That wasn't in the cards for her though, so she sat there with the needle and thread in hand, sewing it up the old-fashioned way. At least it gave her some way to pass the time. With such a new, bare place, they had no books, no games, nothing to entertain themselves with; not that Vic could read all that well anyway, so she couldn't really do that for fun.

A knock at the door caught her off guard and she stabbed herself in the thumb with the needle. Cursing quietly, she set the dress aside and tossed her loose blond hair over her shoulders. "Coming!" She called after she stuck her thumb in her mouth to staunch the bleeding. It wasn't much, but enough to be obnoxious. She made it to the door and pulled it open, surprised to find Leander on the other side. "Hel- oh my!" She gasped when she got a look at him.

  

[Leander Grantham]

If Leander was a praying man he’d have added a few of those in to mingle with unvoiced curses that peppered this thoughts. He really needed Del to be at home because he really wanted to sit down but he couldn’t sit down until he knew where she was. By the time he’d managed to get a handle on the Bart situation and looked around she was gone. Vanished.

It had been a long time since Le had last lost a fight like that. Granted, the man had been much bigger than him and Le had managed to petrify him he still counted it as a loss. Afterall, the only reason Bart had stopped was the fact that Le had magic on his side… but that didn't stop Bart from landing a good many blows before he was petrified.

He took a breath and raised his hand to knock on the newest Cooper residence. Breathing was not a fun thing at the moment because the uncomfortable warmth that spread over his abdomen took on a sharp twinge if he inhaled too sharply. He wanted Del to be safely home even more than he wanted to not have a cracked rib and he pleaded silently as he waited for the door to open. If she wasn’t here he wouldn’t even know where to begin looking for her. As terrified as she’d been she could have bolted anywhere.

He could heard Vic’s familiar voice call pleasantly through the plain door and he instinctively smiled, which also was not a fun thing. Apparently Bart had managed to split Le’s lip and it was open again. He licked at his lip and the taste of blood cleared his mind a bit. He looked down at himself and found a mess. He tried to straighten himself a bit as he heard a hand on the door knob but there was only so much brushing could do for him.

With his wand out and pointed at the spot of blood on his shirt in an attempt to erase it he looked up to find the door open and Vic standing in the doorway. He managed a sheepish grin but her expression told Le maybe he should have put a bit more effort into pulling himself together before he knocked on the door “Veronica… I’m sorry, but is Fidelity here?”

  

[Veronica Grantham]

Vic covered her mouth in shock as she took in the full extent of how battered Le looked right now. What happened? Who did this? Is everything alright? A thousand questions filtered through her mind, but his cut right through all of them. "Yes, shes on the balcony I think, has been for a while." If his appearance had anything to do with why her sister was so moody she was going to throttle Fidelity. She was about to ask him one of her myriad of questions, but she shook her head. Fix first, question later.

"Get in this house this instant." She took one of his hands in both of hers and gently pulled him into the room. A split lip, bruises all over, blood on his shirt, it made her nervous that there could be even more damage that she couldn't see. "Le what happened?" She said as she pulled him further in into the living room. She needed to get a really good look at him, while her magical abilities were useless in most respects, she did know a few quick fixes. Growing up with as many siblings as she did have, Vic had made sure to learn at least enough to fix the small things. And ice, she cold make ice and that fixed everything.

In the better light of the living room, she looked up at him, the bruises, the blood, inventoried the damage. "Oh never mind. Sit, I'll be right back." Vic said it in a tone that left no room for argument and pointed to the couch. And with that she disappeared into the kitchen. Her wand was on the table in the living room, but she gathered a couple clean kitchen towels and a little bowl of water, she could warm it, clean him up and then freeze the rags to ice the bruises. In the aftermath of the old place going up in flames, Del had procured some money, somehow, Vic wasn't sure she wanted to know and they'd restocked the new place. Christian was clumsy enough and she patched him up enough to know a thing or two.

Returning to the living room with her supplies, she took a seat on the couch next to him. "Look at me." She ordered softly, remedies in hand.

  

[Leander Grantham]

Le sagged slightly with relief hearing Del had made it home. She’d been smart enough to run home. The slums were a terrible place to get lost in. He still couldn’t help but look around, hoping for confirmation with his own eyes that she’d made it here because the last time he’d seen her she’d been screaming and babbling in terror. It was not an image he’d be be able to quickly erase from his memory.

Her expression made him fidget, running his fingers nervously through his hair. He’d been so focused on finding Del that he hadn’t taken full inventory of himself and he really wished he had. It was one of the last ways he wanted her looking at him. He’d barely managed a protest before he was falling in step as she tugged him along. Her hands were distractingly warm and soft around his and her tone left no room for buts.

When she asked what happened Le smirked and muttered something about a rogue hippogriff in Hogsmeade but the slightly flippant remark tugged at the stinging split in his lip and stilled his instinct to make light of things. He sat where he was put and watched Vic flutter about with the some command he’d seen her use while fixing dinner a few times. He wasn’t sure what she was doing exactly but he didn't have the drive to stop her doing whatever it was. All he needed was to sit for a bit. Actually he wouldn’t mind sleeping a while and there was still most of that bottle of Fire Whiskey at home. He’d be willing to bet a few swallows of that would improve things immensely.

“Fidelity didn’t mention anything?” He began genuinely confused. Had she really come home and said nothing about being accosted? Granted he felt her reaction might have been a bit strong but it didn't explain her not saying anything to her sister. He’d thought the two were close.

He let out a minuscule groan as she perched herself in front of him with all manner of torture supplies in hand. “You really don’t have to. Its nothing.” He tried to wave her off but he couldn’t help it, the smirk came out of its own accord. She was notably smaller than him but she held more authority than most grown men he knew.

  

[Veronica Grantham]

Oh if this really was Fidelity's fault that girl was going to be in a world of trouble when Vic got done with Leander. Shaking her head, Vic reached over for her wand and heated the bowl of water she'd set on the table beside her wand. Dipping the corner of a towel in before squeezing it out, she hesitated. "Don't move." She requested as she leaned in to clean him up trying to be as ginger as humanly possible. She'd already ignored his dismissal with one of her own, waving it off. It was nothing, especially if Fidelity was the reason behind it.

The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him more, so she dabbed gently at his split lip, brushing impatiently at her loose hair with her free hand. "No, I think she just came bolting through the house while I was cooking dinner, didn't say anything to me." Unless Vic hand't heard her for some reason. She kind of assumed whatever Del was going through was one continuous issue, but she had no idea it was involving other people. "What happened?" She reiterated, looking him over again for more to clean up.

Finding busted knuckles she pulled his hand into her lap, getting more water before pressing on them slowly. "Merlin Le, you look like you got into a bar brawl, what on earth was Del doing?" She was trying not to make too many snap judgments but she would still be highly infuriated if this was her sister's fault. He looked awful and she didn't think she could take care of everything. For all she knew he'd have to go to the hospital and she'd be damned if he said no to that.

"Nothing's broken right?" She asked hopefully. If it was beyond superficial things they would most certainly be making a trip to the hospital whether he liked it or not.

  

[Leander Grantham]

Le tried to hold still, he really did but she was so close. They hadn’t been that close even on his birthday when he’d pestered her while she was making dinner. And really, he couldn't help but watch where her hands were going even if the water seemed harmless enough.

“I can’t believe she didn’t say anything.” He started, running the tip of his tongue over the split she’d just tended to. “I mean…” He paused trying to get the details right because what happened after he saw her was far more prominent in his memory. Her hands were on his again, drawing his attention there. He grinned. At least there was some proof he’d held his own for a bit. There was a rather predictable bruise that had blossomed over the back of his hand and now that he was aware of it he was suddenly aware of the ache there too.

“No...” he muttered, flexing his hand experimentally. Everything seemed to be in working order still “Not a bar brawl. I had the good grace to conduct such business on the street… in public.” He shook his head, relaxing his hand back to her ministrations. “I didn’t see much. Heard a commotion from across the street and went to check it out… Del was - I think Bart was trying to sell her something. She was in a bad way” He frowned, his eyes drifting unfocused on his hand in hers.

“Granted, Bart was way out of line but she was… you’d think he had a knife on her the way she screamed and begged. Anyways, I had to say something. I probably shouldn’t ‘ve touched him right off like that... but he had a hold of her.” He shrugged. Now that he knew Del was safe the whole thing was taking on an undertone of adventure in his memories. He clearly needed he hand-to-hand practice if he could be so easily bested.“By the time things settled she was gone.”

“No no, nothing is broken.” he insisted hastily. “I just had to make sure she made it here before I went home. I’ll be fine. You should see the other guy.” He tried his most winning smile on her to punctuate the sentiment.

  

[Veronica Grantham]

Vic didn't know whether to smile or frown at the moment. On one hand, whatever it was that was going on with Fidelity was worse than she thought. Vic didn't know Bart very well, she certainly knew of him, but had never had any reason to think poorly of him. Del had been a little more sensitive as of late, however. "I'm sorry, something's been amiss with her lately, I'm just not sure what's wrong." Perhaps it was time to up and ask her sister what was going on. If things were inciting fights, there was obviously more to it that Vic could guess and it was time to step in and find out what was wrong. She'd been trying to be patient, to let Del come to her in her own time, but it appeared that she was going to have to make the first move after all.

On the other hand, she was thankful Leander had been there for Del, even though it got him turned into a punching bag in the process. It sounded like the whole thing was a misunderstanding of sorts, an over reaction, though Vic hadn't been there so she wasn't entirely sure. She would however take Le's word on the matter. "Thank you," She smiled softly, turning her grey-blue eyes on his, oblivious to how close they were sitting. "For taking care of her. It means a lot." Thank Merlin for him, otherwise who knew where Del would be right now. It was comforting to know that there were people who would help her keep an eye on her siblings; it was hard for her to do it herself when they were all so spread out.

With the blood cleaned up, Vic set that towel aside and reached for a clean one, submerging it in the water, wringing it out. "You're going to have one heck of a shiner tomorrow." She brushed her fingers over his cheek without think about what she was doing. He was lucky he hadn't lost any teeth or broken his jaw, judging by the bruises she could already see blossoming. With a practiced movement, she folded the damp towel up and using her wand, froze it and set it on his hand. "Ice for a little while." Unfortunately that was about all she could do for him now. Lots of ice to keep the swelling down. "Are you hungry? I can whip something up if you want." She was by no means letting him leave until he'd rested a bit. Poor guy looked like he'd been through hell and back, for her little sister no less and Vic was not about to let it slide.

  

[Leander Grantham]

There was something about the intensity of her look that told Le he should probably take her gratitude seriously but he could do little more than shrug. Thinking about the situation there had been no option for him to walk away. In general, but especially since it involved Del. The thought made him feel guilty but he wondered how he would have acted if it had been Veronica in her place. Shouldn’t he feel equally protective of both of them? They were both Trenton’s sisters and they were both grouped in his circle ever since they’d stayed with them a few weeks ago.

“I guess it was just good timing. Bart’s going to have time to think about things for a while. I guess he made a scene in front of the wrong storefront.” Le pointed to his own face for evidence with a crooked grin “The owner sent out a call, apparently.” He felt a slight sense of guilt. Some how Le felt he was somewhat responsible for getting the man locked up. But it was clearly the man’s poor choices. Stolen jewelry was one thing… manhandling a girl was another. There are somethings that are just not ok
.
He reached up and touched his face experimentally, brushing fingertips with hers. His skin felt puffy and almost foreign. “I hope I can find some bruise balm for a decent price tomorrow. I’d hate to go show up for work looking like I picked a fight with a handicab.”

He did as instructed and held the rag to his face, holding in a wince at the pressure. The coolness was soothing and he mumbled a short but genuine ‘thank you’. Left to his own devices he probably would’ve just climbed in bed and tried to sleep the worst of it away. This was obviously a better approach but he hadn’t be babied like this since… well he couldn't remember exactly when. “No, no. Maybe just a cup of water? Though… I wouldn’t say no to something a bit stronger if you had it.”He eased his way back into the couch now that it seemed her inspection of him was over, his abdomen protesting most of the way. He was a bit hungry... “Or no, maybe like a roll and some water?” She’d always been so accommodating and she had offered but he was not used to this business of asking for things. He was far more used to fixing for himself.

  

[Veronica Grantham]

It was good to know that if this Bart character was going to be locked up for a while. It was a pity it had taken something like this to get it that far. Honestly she had to wonder about people sometimes. Things were always blown way out of proportion and it took such unrealistic things for something to change. Vic smiled as his fingers brushed hers. It really was going to be one hell of a bruise tomorrow.

"Keep icing." She advised, leaning in to kiss his cheek softly in thanks before she stood up to venture to the kitchen. If only that could cure things like it did when you were little. Moving to the kitchen, she fiddled accordingly, already at ease in the new space. Bread and water, what did he take her for? She was no idiot and she had plenty of brothers. Warren had also gotten them a bottle of whiskey as a housewarming present, that would certainly do the trick. As for food, there were plenty of leftovers for him to have some. Vic was still used to cooking for a big crowd, she had to get back into the habit of downsizing again.

Grabbing two glasses from the cupboard she pulled the whiskey from another. The remnants of the soup she'd made for dinner was in the icebox and she ladled a bowl for him, heating it with her wand. Bread, she did have that, and she conceded to bring some with her if only to compliment the soup. Juggling everything with expertise gained over several years of cooking for large groups, Vic brought it all into the living room, setting it on the coffee table.

"Bread and water, I think you were knocked silly." She teased as she pulled the cork from the whiskey and poured two healthy measures into the glasses before settling herself back on the couch next to him.

  

[Leander Grantham]

For an instant Leander thought, in all seriousness, she was going to kiss him. Like for real on the mouth and his back stiffened slightly. Girls didn't do that, did they? Well some girls did but this was Veronica. And they were alone together on her couch. A grin had begun to spread on his face when her lips came to rest on his cheek and not his lips. She stood and headed for the kitchen and he watched her go trying to dismiss the feeling that felt ridiculously like disappointment.

“Well when you say it like that...” he protested. Yes of course asking for bread and water sounded silly when she said it like that. In fact, it sounded like a prison meal when she said it like but he was just trying to keep his request simple. There was nothing wrong with a good roll.

He happily received the whiskey, paying little mind to the soup she’d brought over at first though the aroma was almost painfully hard to ignore. He raised his glass to her and offered a toast. “Your good health” he said before lifting the cool compress from his face and taking the swallow that would burn his throat and settle in his stomach, warming things quite nicely. He followed it quickly with another swallow, pausing to swirl the remaining contents of the cup pensively before he could ignore the soup no longer.

He wasn’t sure how eating was going to work with his lip and face in its current state but his stomach was starting to take center stage for attention. He was especially terrible about bringing food to work so he didn’t always have the best of lunches and today was no exception. After a brief calculation over how to juggle the bowl, spoon, and compress food won out and he put the rag down in favor of eating. Experimentally he opened his jaw for a bite and while the left side of his face seemed to protest just about every movement it seemed to be in working order. The first bite was glorious and he made no effort to stifle a sound of appreciation.

“Your cooking has been sorely missed at home.” Took another hasty bite. It was too good to let his discomfort slow him down and it had been too long since the last time he’d been able to sample her cooking. “Well, and your company too. Having girls about sort of put living with just men into a different light.”

He brought the rag back to his face for a moment, looking up at Vic. “You’ll tell me if she’s alright?” Le felt it wasn’t precisely his his business especially considering there was probably nothing he could do if there was something wrong with Del but it was hard not to wonder and asking set his mind at ease. Vic would tell him if there was something he could do. “I just thought she was shy or something.”

  

[Veronica Grantham]

Vic got comfortable on the couch, sitting more sideways than anything else as she tucked her feet up beneath her. She leaned one arm on the back of the couch, resting her head there too as she cradled her whiskey in the other. Vic wasn't much of a drinker, but every once in a while it was nice to just sit down with a glass and relax. Truth be told, she as a bit of lightweight because of it, but it was only because she had no practice really. There were a few benefits to being lower class though and one of them was that nobody cared whether you drank or not, or acted like a proper lady.

She raised her glass in toast before taking a long, appreciative sip. The burn felt good, though it took her another sip to really appreciate it. Vic honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd had one, but it felt appropriate in the moment. Not to mention it might dull Le's pain for a bit. Vic felt increasingly guilty as she watched him puzzle through eating without opening his split lip again. For one, this was her fault, if she'd talked to Fidelity sooner maybe this could have been avoided. She also didn't have enough magical knowledge to do anything for him beyond the clean up and ice. Vic hated when she couldn't help as much as she wanted to.

Smiling easily at the compliment, Vic simply chuckled a little. She was modest to a fault and cooking was something people should enjoy, but she appreciated the sentiment. "You guys are welcome to come over whenever you like." That invitation was always open, as long as she knew ahead of time and had enough food to go around. Her ability to make things stretch was miraculous, especially in the kitchen.

"Of course." Vic's smile softened; he seemed so genuinely worried for her sister that she couldn't help it. "I should have talked to her sooner, I don't know what she's going through." Vic was just kind of hoping it was some teenage thing she'd managed to miss out on, but Del's behavior was becoming increasingly alarming, especially after what she'd heard about today. "I'm sorry you got dragged into it."

  

[Leander Grantham]

Le set the rag aside. Shiner or no, food was far more interesting than keeping the swelling down. He might be in a fix tomorrow if no bruise balm could be found but you gotta live in the moment! And this moment contained hot food, a fine drink, and a beautiful woman curled up beside him. What was a little swelling compared to that?

He opened his mouth to say something but caught himself, realizing he was still mid-bite. With a few hasty chews and a rushed swallow he grinned and said “You keep saying that like you don’t realize you’ll end up with several strays at your table.” He knew first hand that a late night at work, empty cupboards at home, and a general laziness in the kitchen left him sorely missing the days Vic would simply surprise them with hot food on the table. An open door policy only added to the temptation in those moments especially when he felt maybe she was just being nice.

Le’s head shook almost imperceptibly, the spoon left still in the bowl. Maybe he was the only one… especially considering some of the things people’d said to him but he felt family was a choice. At least in the slums. Yeah, there was your blood family and they were important. But also there was the family that you chose. And he’d sort of loosely lumped Konnor and yes, even Trenton kind of, into a secondary family type thing. Vic and Del were related to Trenton and considering they’d lived together for a few weeks they were also sort of connected to this vague idea of a second family type-ish thing. Even knowing the outcome of things there was no way he’d have left Del in that fix.

“There was no dragging. She needed help and I was there and I’m glad I was.” It was not eloquent and it did not exactly convey his thoughts which seemed to be more of a swirling soup than an organized book that could be easily read but it was a start.

  

[Veronica Grantham]

Smiling over the rim of her glass at him, Vic simply nodded. It was very fortunate that somebody Fidelity knew was there at the time. Normally, her sister would have been able to handle something like that, but lately, Vic wasn't so sure. Deciding to let him off the hook, Vic instead focused on the open invitation about dinner. "You do know what kind of house I grew up in, right?" She teased. Honestly she didn't know how much Trent shared about their upbringing, but that was neither here nor there; the invitation still stood.

"The more the merrier." She added with another smile. She wasn't insisting, but she did want the boys to know she wasn't kidding. She would make them dinner whenever they decided to drop by. As it was, she tended to bring leftovers to work in case Kon needed lunch and if not, she tried to send them home with him. It was pretty bad, but her mother hen instincts just told her that they needed some help in the cooking department. She was sure they did alright, but since she didn't mind cooking quite so much, it was no big deal to her.

"It's easier to cook for more anyway." She assured him after another sip of her whiskey. Against her better judgement, she kept drinking it even though at only halfway done she was starting to feel the effects. It was going down far too easily, which was funny considering it wasn't even high quality.

On a sigh, she rested her head on her arm again. The other downside of drinking for Vic was that it made her sleepy. She was by no means going to kick him out though. In fact she'd make up the couch for him if he wanted. She felt bad about him having to get home in the dark like that. "When you're done, you really should ice that." She noted about his bruise. It would keep down the swelling, but it would also hurt a lot less tomorrow if he iced it now.

  

[Leander Grantham]

Leander tore at the bread and dipped a chunk of it in the remaining broth. Yes, there was nothing wrong with asking for a roll and water because sometimes bread was that good. Like this one, crusty and warm from the broth, was perfect in his mind. It might have been awkward to sit there eating, with unbridled enjoyment, while she sat there not eating. But it wasn’t. It was simple and comfortable.

Le began to studiously wipe the bowl clean with the remainder of his bread. The world was taking on a warm and rosy light. His stomach was full… or fuller than it was before and while the whiskey had not been enough to set his brain buzzing it was certainly enough to relax his muscles. They’d been far more tense than he’d realised.

He placed the immaculate bowl on the table and recollected his drink and rag. He pressed it to his face, partly because it actually felt better that way and partly because he sort of wanted her to see that he was doing what she said, that her fussing wouldn’t be ignored. He turned a bit, so he was slightly facing her and clinked her glass with his for good measure. There wasn’t much left in his glass but he was happy to sip it now. He swirled what remained in his glass idly, content with the silence. Until he saw how tired she seemed. How could he have missed that?

“Oh jeez, I should go. You are tired.” He hastily stood and moved to collect his bowl and take it along with the glass to the kitchen “Thank you, you’ve been very kind. Like usual.”