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Day one:

Four year old Elsie Yates was excited as she squirmed away from her Mother's grip running towards the railing of the grand ship wanting to see the ocean. She was just about to reach the railing when she was grabbed by her Father but she tried to wiggle free to see out into the water. “I want to see!” Elsie said in a huff, quite frustrated. She did not yet understand that the railing was dangerous to be near for someone so small. “Woa little one.” Owain Yates laughed as his daughter pushed off his arms to look over the railing. “Don't move and I will let you see.” He added then waited for her to calm down before he brought her closer to the railing and kept a tight grip on her as she looked out. “Owain...” Ceridwen Yates sternly said as she watched her impulsive little girl try and reach out at the water. “Relax Ceri, I have her.” Owain reassured his wife with a grin. “Mam! Look!” Little Elsie cried out in awe and she pointed at an otter who was swimming on its back. Magic burst from the little girl's finger as she tried to get the otter to come towards her by pulling the water with waves coaxing the fluffy creature closer to the boat. Canceling their daughter's magic, they looked around to see if anyone was watched while they walked away from the railing. They tried to once again to explain to the four year old, not to use magic and what she did was a bad thing. They used hushed voices while they walked away from the muggles boarding the ship. Elsie instead cried and said in a whine only her parents understood, “I want to play with the water cath...” then pointed to the “water cat” that she wanted to play with. “I told you a ship was a bad idea...” Ceri said with a sigh and she took the crying child from Owain. The parents explained that she could not play with the “water cat” which brought more tears. She stopped trying to reach out with magic though, so they tried changing the topic. Elsie kept crying. She missed her room back home, and she did not like that there were so many rules she had to obey on this trip to visit Aunt Tegan. Her father's older sister. Elsie liked looking out at the water, but they always wanted to hold her. And keep her close. She wanted to play, and had fussed when she had to leave her toys back in their room. Elsie's frustration at all the changes was coming out again as she cried. “Oh come on Elsie, no need for dagrau. Look! Look at Tad.” Owain said and he made a silly face to ease her tears. Elsie sniffled as she rubbed her eyes then started to giggle as her Tad acted really silly. Soon she was cheerful and was curiously looking back out at the water. “See? Everything will be alright Ceri. It will only be for a few weeks.” Owain said as he wrapped his free arm around his wife and smiled. Ceri was not as confident, but she sighed and smiled softly as well. “I still don't see why we need to go all the way to Australia.” She muttered with a half smile before she added; “But the view is beautiful.” Owain grinned and hugged her closer while he nodded. “This will be fun.” He reassured her and they watched the water while the rest of the people came on board.

The ship was going to be leaving England at noon. Giving the passengers plenty of time to get on board. While they waited, the Yates were exploring the ocean liner that would be their home for almost three weeks. The ship was large, with four levels. The main floor had the dining hall and above it, up a grand staircase was the conversation room. The gym was further back with the kitchen below. Downstairs were the cabins; giving their one thousand plus passengers the space they needed. The ship was smaller compared to other passenger ships which often held over two thousand, but this was still a good ship. Those with small children knew the dangers of being on a luxury ship such as this. Ever since the Titanic sank the gossip of the dangers were whispered. With the Great depression taking its toll on everyone, only those who had wealth would be on this ship. The year was 1918 and the ship, the SS Erebus stood proud in these waters. With all the talk of war, many were whispering and talking of the latest rumors while they boarded the ship. It was at the end of July, but the weather was still pleasant. Ceri and Owain were given looks from many of the other passengers. Those who believed that children should stay with nannies. They also snubbed their nose at the Yates' “poor” dress. Only some of the passengers cared, but they all watched the young family with some interest. It was still early in the day, hours of sunlight left as the ship finally left the port. Elsie was the only child under the age of ten, but there were 3 boys and a girl on this trip. When America closed their borders, families who could afford it took trips on these large ships and went other parts of the world for fun. Go on grand adventures, pretending they were the exotic travelers in the papers and radio. This journey would take twenty days, so everyone here would have to get along or at least tolerate each other. Hours into the trip, Owain and Ceri took turns holding and following Elsie while she tried to explore everything. She got to wander around a bit, at arms length of her parents. But she still ended up getting into trouble with a woman who was in her forties dressed in pearls and furs. The woman called Elsie some insulting slang for a beggar. Ceri picked up Elsie who was trying to crawl around the woman's chair, and the child was handed off to Owain who had a look on his face as he slowly stepped back pulling Elsie away from earshot. Mam had some scolding to do.

That night, just before sunset they were heading towards their cabin. “We will need to put up all the protections on our door. She will slip out if she wakes up before us.” Ceri reminded her husband of the chore they just gave themselves. “Ah, we do that anyway.” Owain replied with an offhanded wave of his hand, not at all bothered by the extra work. Ceri agreed and she set down Elsie who immediately ran ahead in the halls. A squeak of a giggle coming from her while her father scooped her up and roared as he pretended to gobble her up while Ceri opened the door for them. It was almost dinner time, and the sun was giving a colorful display outside before it left. Elsie had wanted to stay outside. Thankfully her parents had distracted her talking about her toys they brought along. They had to get Elsie back in their room before she ran off into the dark and get into trouble. Supper would be held in the dining hall, though some guests would be eating on deck. Ceri and Owain were trying to get Elsie to listen, but she kept jumping off the bed so they decided to have dinner in their room. Elsie did not care, she was having fun with jumping on the bed. “I'll go get something for us to eat.” Ceri said and left while Owain tried seal the door to protect their daughter. Elsie noticed her mother was leaving and she tried to twist as she was jumping and instead fell off the bed. Tears of a crying child, pulled Owain's attention. Sighing, Owain walked over and saw Elsie was sobbing harshly while rubbing her eyes in frustration and pain. He sighed and said, “This is why you do not jump on the bed, Elsie.” Elsie kept crying then was picked up by her father. He checked her over for broken bones and other injuries while he tried to calm her tears with a soft song. Elsie finally calmed then wiggled free and ran around, back to her spirited self. She hid then peeked from under the bed and tried to scare her Tad. She was squealing with laughter when Ceri returned with their food. Ceri had decided to not give Elsie her own plate, fearing the child would make a mess in the small room. Instead, Elsie got to have a little of everything from her parents plates, then she was back to running around. Ceri was thankful Elsie was no longer jumping on the bed, and Owain said nothing as he quietly ate. Eventually it was bedtime, the bane of every parent's day.

It took an hour of half naked child squirming free from bath, pajamas, then bedtime story and song before her exhausted parents stood by the bed with smiles on their faces as they watched her peaceful slumbers. “How sweet she looks.” Ceri gushed as she changed into her nightgown. “She had a busy day, still she ran around till the late hour.” Owain said with a yawn while he glanced at his beautiful wife, then reminded himself there was only one bed which currently had their daughter asleep on it. Grumbling he got ready for bed and activated the barriers he had made earlier in the day. Ceri laughed softly and gently moved Elsie so there was room. How can someone so little take up so much room? She wondered. “Remember the day she was born? And how little she was?” Owain said while he shut off the light. “And how she cried through the night.” Ceri said wearily. “As did you, if I recall.” Owain teased and he crawled into bed. “Time goes by too fast. Already four years...” He said glancing at his sleeping daughter. “I'm just glad she sleeps mostly through the night.” Ceri said then she paused and smiled as she added, “It is hard to believe just last week she turned four.” She softly reached over to Elsie and hugged her daughter to her. Elsie was the perfect combination of Owain and Ceridwen. Owain's hair, Ceri's eyes. Owain's freckles, Ceri's skin. Owain's curiosity and love for adventure with Ceri's stubbornness and temper. “Time goes by too fast.” Owain said in agreement. He paused and listened to the soft breathing from his heart and soul, the two who made him whole. He suddenly got smacked in the face as a tiny hand stretched out with a little soft noise of a whimper, trying to get away from the hugs during her sleep. Elsie was starting to wake. Ceri released her daughter and the two parents froze leaving a brief silence before Elsie started to go back to sleep. Owain waited a moment longer before he removed Elsie's hand from his face. He looked at the little hand and more memories swam through his head. Her little yet big hand showed how much she was growing. He remembered when her tiny hand could hardly wrap around the tip of his finger. Guilt swam through his mind as he thought of the situation they were in now. “I remember that day she was born, I remember thinking how perfect everything was. Seeing my love holding my baby girl...” he then cursed softly as he added, “If it weren’t for me we would be back home.” He was still holding his daughters hand while he listened to the soft breath enter and leave her tiny lungs. Proof of life, and love. Owain and Ceri's love creating new life. At times, Owain was stunned by this. Magic had nothing even near creating new life. Not like this. His mind wandered while he thought his wife was asleep then he heard Ceri softly say, “You are not to blame fy nghariad. As long as I have you two, my world is still perfect. This is still home. We just happen to be on an adventure now. Elsie loves the boat, and it is good to visit other countries. So, don't you worry. I love you. Now, cau dy geg. I want to sleep.” She then curled up after telling him to shut up, and she went to sleep.

Day two:

Elsie woke and looked around seeing it was still dark out, though the light coming from outside was making fun colorful shapes on the wall. She saw her Mam and Tad were both asleep though she knew by now the door always had loud noises when she tried to open it. The first time she remembered trying to open the the front door to their house on her own, there was a scary noise and it made her cry. She did not like that it called her Mam and Tad to it, and she knew by now to not wake them so she kept quiet. While looking for something to do, Elsie crawled about to get down from the bed when the light from the little window above the bed grabbed her attention instead and she looked up at the circle pushing out from the wall. She paused then started to climb the headboard to reach the window. Standing on the headboard, she stood on her toes while she stretched her arm. She wanted to see out the window. Slipping, she fell forward hitting her face against the wall and she landed backwards with a thud right on her father. He woke with a start and sat up seeing Elsie roll off him, pooling in his lap as she looked up with those big green eyes about to cry. Ceri shifted in her sleep, as if knowing her baby was hurt but Owain quickly tried to calm Elsie telling her that Mam needed sleep. Elsie's chin quivered still, but Tad mentioned going for a walk and Elsie forgot about her surprise fall and busted lip. Owain watched Elsie climb off the bed having noted the cut lip but she seemed to be alright otherwise. Sighing he ruffled his messy hair and yawned. Nothing like being woken by a child landing on your face. How did she even do that? He wondered while he got out of bed. He quickly changed while Elsie got out of her pajamas. She wanted to do everything all on her own; which left room for frustration and tears whenever something went wrong. Hopefully the clothes they had packed would not cause such problems. Elsie was running around naked while Owain tried to get her focus and let her pick out clothes. She now was giggling a bit too loud so Owain redirected her to get dressed. Elsie was wiggling her toes as she pulled on her tights, and stood. Her dress was slanted; but it would straighten as she ran around. She pouted while her Tad tried to help with her shoes. The little girl firmly stated, “I can do my own!” They were simple mary jane shoes, which only needed to be slipped on. Owain shrugged, but glanced at his wife grateful she was still asleep. Finally Elsie was dressed so he got her jacket and tried to help her with that when she ran for the door. Not wanting to wake Ceri, Owain removed the barriers quickly and grabbed the tiny hand while they left; carrying the jacket while Elsie pulled at his hand trying to run ahead. He closed the door behind him heading to the deck with the hyper child.

The sun was just starting to peek out while Elsie managed to pull free from her father. She was quickly grabbed before she reached the railing and she heard Tad sigh while he asked, “See something interesting?” Elsie nodded as she pointed and made little sense as she spoke a mix of Welsh, English and her own made up language. Owain was too tired to translate so he murmured an, Ah I see. Not really listening to her story. She had a wild imagination and was filled with questions as she pointed and asked about the creatures she saw. An elderly couple came out and sat together, wearing jackets while they watched the sun slowly rise. They were at a small table and staff came by with tea then promptly disappeared once again. Owain walked around a bit with Elsie in his arms as she looked out at the water all excited. She pointed at some things only she saw or noticed. There were times he understood what she said, other times he just could not translate the young girl's mixed speech. Eventually he was starting to get cold and there was a chilly breeze that swam through the air so Owain tried one again to get Elsie to wear her jacket. She wiggled free from his arms as he tried to get her to put the jacket on. There was a bit of a fight before they both heard the elderly woman speak, “Would you like some tea?” Elsie paused while she turned to look at the strangers. She gave a nod not even looking at her Father for permission. “Only people who wear their jackets can have this tea.” The woman said with a twinkle in her eye. Suddenly obedient, Elsie let Owain put the jacket on her and she ran over to the table once she was free, then she pulled herself up on one of the free seats. Owain yawned as he walked over, thanking the couple while he scooped Elsie up and sat with her on his lap. The elderly couple smiled, both amused by the child. Remembering their own children and grandchildren. The man offered Owain tea, but Elsie chimed in, “But, Tad have no jacket.” There was a pause as the adults looked at each other and Owain chuckled. “You caught me. No tea for me.” He said while Elsie was handed a fresh cup of tea. She tried to hold it on her own but Owain held it for her and helped her hold it still while she took a sip. She tried to pull it free from his grip, stubbornly trying to do things on her own but Owain scolded her saying the would go back to their room if she fussed. There was a brief pause and Owain then glanced at the couple. They introduced themselves as Elizabeth and John Banks. Owain glanced at his daughter a moment to see if she was behaving then he said, “I am Owain Yates, and this is my daughter Elsie. Say hello Elsie.” He wrapped his arm around Elsie so he could pick her back up and put her back on his lap. Her wiggling had caused her to slide a bit. He repeated his statement to her and she finished another mouthful of tea before she said, “Cyfarchiadau.” and promptly went back to the tea. Owain blinked a few times as he chuckled wondering where she picked that up before he explained, “That means, salutations.” The Banks's laughed at that. John stated Elsie was a proper young lady, while Elizabeth agreed. Owain smirked at that but nodded as he smoothed Elsie's wild hair a little. The adults talked while Elsie drank tea as the sun slowly continued to rise. Eventually, Elsie noticed the bright colors and tried to squirm off her father's lap to see.

Owain excused them while he set Elsie down, quickly taking her hand as he took her to see the pretty sky. They were there for a good twenty minutes; one of the longest times Elsie ever stood still. She named off all the colors she knew, and talked about the pretty sky. Then told about strange creatures under the water that liked the pretty sky too. Elsie would switch back and forth from Welsh and English as she told her tale which often confused a lot of people. But she was using the right words, so her parents did not correct her. Eventually Elsie got bored, so they went back to the Banks who invited Elsie and Owain to have breakfast with them. By now other guests were coming out of their rooms, the small array of table and chairs were being filled up and the staff once again showed themselves. Not trusting Elsie to sit on her own, Owain once again held Elsie on his lap while they waited for their food. He had to play a few games with her to get her to not fidget; and he was thankful when he saw a familiar face walk over to them. “MAM!” Elsie yelled as she tried prying at Owain's fingers to get released. Ceri instead took Elsie from Owain's arms and teased her husband, “You look so tired.” Owain gave her a look while he said, “John, Elizabeth, This is my wife Ceridwin.” Ceri was more occupied seeing the dried blood on Elsie's lip, she hardly noticed the introduction. “Apologies. It is a pleasure to meet you both.” She was invited to sit with them and took the spare seat. “How did you do that to yourself Elsie?” Ceri wondered aloud checking Elsie's teeth to make sure the child did not chip them. “I woke up to her falling on me. She had that when I woke.” Owain said with a yawn, sneaking a sip of tea. “Hey! You have no jacket!” Elsie pointed out when she noticed Tad breaking the rule. “This is new tea. I don't need a jacket for this one.” He quickly said getting a look from Ceri, and Elsie quickly looked at Elizabeth who nodded saying it was new tea. Elsie promptly started to take off her jacket then. Thankfully food arrived, distracting Elsie. Ceri ordered something and everyone there chatted away while they ate breakfast. Only getting mild interruptions from Elsie. The Banks were nice people, and they made friends with the Yates fast. For the rest of the day; they enjoyed the company and were greeted by others who warmed up to the young couple. By now they met everyone on the ship, learning that the other children were well behaved and two of them had great patience when playing with Elsie. By the end of the day; many people adored little Elsie and her young parents. Heading off before dusk, the Yates waved at their new friends and prepared for dinner. If all the other days were like this one, they would have a wonderful trip.

Day three:

It was raining outside that day, so everyone was in the conversation lounge, dining hall or in their rooms. Owain was playing a muggle game of cards with a group of men he befriended yesterday. They were in the far corner of the conversation lounge while Ceri was with Elsie in the nearby dining hall. Elsie was allowed to bring her stuffed owl to play with and the girl was running around having the named owl, Biscuit, fly. Elsie has owned that owl since she was three, and fell in love with it in Diagon Alley. Her parents could not say no to her pleading eyes. Ceri spotted the woman they had met on the first day of their trip, the woman with the fur and pearls. Yesterday, Ceri had learned the woman was named Dina. The woman with furs and pearls was with a group of women chatting about something. Ceri paused then hide a smile as she let Elsie get close before she hurried over and scooped the child up. “Sorry Dina. I know you don't like Elsie being around.” Ceri slyly spoke to the woman with the furs and pearls. Dina looked around at her new friends who looked shocked by that; the women there all adored Elsie. “Oh, no. I don't mind. I was sick that day, and did not want to get poor Elsie sick. That's all my dear.” Dina quickly said, obviously lying but she fooled the others. Ceri let Elsie down who was looking up confused by the talk but she was quickly invited over by a nice lady who had a cream puff. Elsie ran over and was picked up, getting the sweet treat. She was passed around by all the women who gushed over Elsie, finding everything she said and did was adorable. Most of these women were young daughters of aristocrats, without children. Only two there had children. Ceri and Rose. Rose's daughter was feeling ill from the storm outside, so the young girl stayed in her room today. Sarah was great with playing with Elsie, so Ceri was hoping the girl felt better soon; for multiple reasons. Rose and Ceri chatted about motherhood, while the rest of the ladies were playing with Elsie. They did up the child's hair while Ceri took the well needed break and relaxed in a chair talking to everyone. When Ceri was handed back her child she was surprised to see Elsie's hair was in a cute braid. Those women had actually gotten Elsie to stay still long enough to let them brush her wild hair. Ceri kissed Elsie on the top of the child's head while Elsie hummed and talked to her stuffed owl. Then Ceri saw the sticky hands and realized she was going to have a long day. The young women had bribed her daughter with sweets, that was how they did the child's hair. Which meant, Elsie was going to be a nightmare to deal with this afternoon. Rose gave Ceri a sympathetic look as Ceri sighed cleaning Elsie's hands from the sweet treats she had been given. Bedtime would be horrible that night too, thanks to the extra energy. Ceri would have to make sure Elsie skipped her nap today. Which would be tough, especially when Ceri has been taking naps with her daughter. She liked the extra energy it gave. They would deal with that later though. Elsie was behaving and having fun so, they would stay and enjoy the day.

Some time later, Owain was winning the pot when he heard little feet running. Glancing up he saw Elsie dragging along her plush owl Biscuit; with Ceri storming right after her. Elsie hid herself behind Owain's chair while Ceri crossed her arms. “Elsie...” She said; quite mad Elsie ran off from her. Ceri had been talking to the other women, and found Elsie running off. Ceri glared at her daughter expecting an answer, Elsie instead had her owl peek out for her. “Elsie Winifred Yates!” Ceri said, sounding quite cross. “Uh oh, you should listen to Mam.” Owain murmured, amused as he was trying to spot his daughter behind him. He saw her little face peek out from behind the chair, and looked at Ceri. “You don't ever run off like that while on this ship. Understand?” Ceri said sternly and Elsie started to sniffle. “Understand!” Ceri said again and Elsie nodded while she started to cry. Ceri sighed and massaged her forehead. “She's tired and needs a nap; but those twits gave her sweets.. so no nap. But she's getting into everything and getting fussy... then she just ran off like that...” She muttered, very annoyed. “You go rest. Elsie and I can handle things. Right red?” Owain said and he looked down again smiling at Elsie. She looked up as the tears started to dry and she was now smiling back at him. Ceri eyed them both with unease. Often when left alone those two would explore and get into mischief; which on normal days would be fine. But Elsie was tired, fussy and bound to be a handful. “We'll go for a nice walk, right Elsie?” Owain said and the child nodded eagerly. Ceri hesitated still but sighed, far too tired to argue. “No nap, and keep an eye on her... she ran off once already. Elsie... stay with Tad.” She ended up saying. Elsie nodded then she started to climb up on the chair Owain was in. Owain helped his daughter while he reassured his wife he had things handled. Ceri waved as she started to leave, then she glanced back. She was slightly hurt that her baby girl would run off to find Owain, over staying with her. Ceri hid her feelings, but she still felt them as she walked to her room. Hopefully she will be more cheerful after the nap.

Elsie swung her legs while she made up a song as her father finished that round in the card game. He then said it was time for the walk so he stood, scooped Elsie up in his arms and she giggled being held upside down a moment. “Well gentlemen, looks like I am out.” Owain said but the others complained, trying to convince them both to stay. “I don't know...” Owain muttered; sure his wife would be upset. He was surprised she said nothing when she caught him gambling, somewhat grateful for her being so tired. Owain glanced at the gentlemen around the table. There was John Banks, Tod Clivey, George Abbott and Frank Clark. They all agreed it would be alright for Elsie to be there. They were playing rummy, and Elsie was far too young to understand the game. Owain hesitated. He had been having fun, and it was still raining outside... “Well... she is my lucky charm...” Owain said hesitantly. Elsie held out Biscuit and said, “Hoot, hoot, hoot.” She seemed happy enough. He paused knowing Elsie was not that good at sitting still for too long but Owain was convinced to stay. Elsie sat on his lap and was in charge of the money; Owain even gave her his lucky hat which hung over her eyes so she often had to pushed it up. “If Mam asks, we went for a walk and did not gamble...” Owain said while Elsie giggled as the hat slipped down again. {more about the game} She “helped” him by stacking the money chips using them to build towers. It lasted an hour but eventually she got fussy and nothing he did helped, so he carted her off and went on the promised walk.

Elsie pulled him over to the window and pointed outside demanding to go outside to see the water creatures. It was raining hard outside so Owain shook his head. Elsie dropped her owl as she started to cry. Scooping up the stuffed animal and child, Owain realized it was time to get away from others. He tried to reassure her and calm her down while he climbed up the steps. Usually silly faces or songs worked, but Elsie was in need of a nap and she was far too grumpy to be reasoned with. Elsie was screaming and pushing him away; trying to free herself from his grip by the time Owain spied a room that was clear, the gymnasium. He set the screaming child down, and sighed as Elsie flopped to the ground trying to say she wanted to go outside. Owain glanced around and closed the door to the room, taking out his wand he locked the door with a spell and started enchanting the room with illusions making it look like they were outside at the park back home that Elsie played at often. Elsie was still fussy when she saw a little kitty walk over to her and purred with a mrow. Elsie sat up and watched the cat before she smiled and she got up to play with the cat. There were then magical wisps in the air, with a rainbow and her owl flew over to her. Giggling, Elsie ran around chasing after the shooting balls of harmless magic. She played while Owain directed the illusions and spells. Letting her play outside with magic. Owain kept her distracted until dinner time then they went to the dining hall, Owain was hoping she would stay calm but without a nap Elsie's mood was up in the air.

Ceri spotted Owain carrying Elsie into the dining hall. She could tell Elsie was close to falling asleep. The girl was clutching her owl and really quiet. She had worn herself out with a long day, but Owain seemed to handle everything well. Ceri greeted him with a kiss and took the sleepy child. Giving Owain his hands back. Elsie only ate a little and was very quiet as she yawned a lot. The entire dinner was actually really pleasant. It was late enough in the day to let Elsie fell asleep, which she did within ten minutes after eating. With her asleep, Owain and Ceri were able to enjoy some adult conversation; briefly glancing at their sleeping daughter who was curled up on a chair. Ceri tried a new dessert and practically moaned aloud as the sweet flavor drowned her taste buds with bliss. She fed Owain a mouthful and for the first time in weeks; the young couple decided to make this dinner their date, and they were able to properly chat with each other. They danced the night away enjoying the live music, great food and pleasant company. It was late in the evening when they brought Elsie back to their room; she was still fast asleep and once she was asleep it was hard for her to wake up. But once she woke up, it was hard for her to go back to sleep. So Ceri carefully changed Elsie's clothes and tucked her in. “If I had known we would get days like today, I would have traveled by boat before.” Ceri admitted while she got ready for bed. The young couple chatted quietly, falling into their normal routine. It was strange to have a quiet evening for themselves. “Shame we're not alone.” Owain murmured as he eyed his wife's body. She smirked at him before she said, “You're the one who suggested we travel by boat.” Owain groaned aloud while he tried to remind himself it was only for a few weeks. “Still, maybe we can ask around to find someone to watch Elsie for a few hours...” He muttered out loud causing Ceri to laugh. She crawled into bed, hugging her child to her. “I'll ask around.” She said, snuggling under the covers. She was grateful Elsie was fast asleep, hopefully she would stay that way. Owain activated the spells of protection on the door then turned off the lights. “We can pay them even.” Owain started to say as he crawled into bed as well. Ceri laughed quietly as she shook her head. “Good night Owain...” She said somewhat amused. There was a bit of silence before Owain spoke up again. “I have some of that Muggle money left after we bought those tickets.” Ceri hid her laughter as she rolled her eyes. “Good night, Owain...” She said again, sounding slightly annoyed this time. Owain chuckled as he said, “Good night my love.”

Markelm woke groggily hearing Elsie talking. It took him a moment to realize she was playing in her room, and not in his room bothering him. He sighed then glanced at the time. Sunrise... Just a few more hours... Closing his eyes, Markelm lay back in bed feeling his head sink back in the pillow when his stomach complained, now that it was awake it was too late to go back to sleep. Getting out of bed, he headed towards the kitchen; peeking in on Elsie's room with just a glance. She was talking to her teddy bear with various animals around them in a circle, not noticing Markelm was awake yet. Time passed before Elsie started to smell something good coming from the kitchen and she peeked out from her room. Was it really.... Pancakes!? She thought growing excited and she crept over to check what was cooking on the stove-top in the pan. It is!! Elsie thought while watching Markelm cook. Her curious eyes seeing the lemon and sugar had been taken down; with the leftover eggs from that week to be used up. “Pancakes!!!” She shouted, quite hyper. “Mine.” Markelm replied while he poked at the crepe like pancake with a spatula. Elsie looked up to see if he was serious, then pouted. “How come?” she asked sounding quite upset. Markelm pointed to the frying pan, “I'm doing all the work. I should get to eat them.” He demanded, trying to tease. “Can I make some?” Elsie asked, surprising Markelm. He hesitated. Elsie could easily make a mess which meant more work, but it would keep her occupied and it always made her happy. Choices, choices. “Change into something else. Then you can help.” He decided, knowing Elsie had some play clothes that already had stains. Elsie ran off, giddy and she went to change into a jumper that was about a year old. It was faded, and had tears from surviving quite a few events. One that she almost grown out of it. It was used during rainy weekends.

She ran back to the kitchen to see Markelm munching on the pancake he had made. “Hey!” She crossed her arms as she huffed, “Said it was mine.” Markelm said while he pulled over a chair to let Elsie help make her own. He instructed her with the steps by using up the batch he had made, making himself two more pancakes. Elsie watched, her eyes sparkled with excitement. Markelm could not help but grin as well, seeing her so excited. When the final pancake was done, he gave her the empty bowl guiding her while she measure things out carefully. Elsie was always excited when she helped, though she often made a mess of things. Sure enough, while Markelm was distracted taking another bite of his breakfast, there was a cracking squishing sound as she dropped an egg. “It jumped... Sorry!” Elsie said instantly while she looked up with a sheepish look. Markelm shrugged as he said, “I guess no pancakes for you.” Elsie looked crushed while Markelm checked the egg carton. “Ah, one left.” He said then cracked it open for her, letting the liquid slide into the bowl. “That was the last one. Don't screw up.” He said then ruffled her hair to show some reassurance. “You do it...” Elsie said nervously. “Nah, you got it. Sides...” Markelm started to say when he ate another bite of his pancake. “I'm busy.” Elsie pouted then started mixing. Somehow she already had flour in her hair and on her face but she was so focused on making pancakes, she did not see the mess she was making. Markelm took over for a moment, helping remove some of the lumps in the batter. He then told her to pour a scoop onto the frying pan as he turned the burner on while sliding the melting butter around. Elsie's hands tilted a little, spilling some batter on the counter which made Markelm reach over, trying to take the scoop from her. She pulled back, dripping more batter on the counter. “I can do it!” She said stubbornly. Avoiding the hot frying pan, Elsie made a moon shape in the middle of the pan, then grinned as she looked up. Markelm slid over a plate and told Elsie to hold it. There was no real reason for her to hold it, other than to keep her hands busy.

Elsie waited, trying to be patient as the pancake cooked, she started to fidget while standing on the chair. ”Hold the plate still.” Markelm said as he flipped the first pancake. “I wanted to flip it...” Elsie said with a pout, and Markelm sighed. “The last time you flipped one, it ended up on the floor.” He said while looking over at her. Elsie looked upset as she repeated, “I wanted to flip it.” Rolling his eyes, Markelm waited until the pancake was done, then slid it onto Elsie's plate. “If you're still hungry, you can flip the next one.” He replied sliding the hot frying pan to the back burner then turned the stove top. He pulled Elsie's chair over to the table carefully, as she was still standing on it. He wanted to finish his breakfast so the cooking lesson was done for now. Elsie hummed as she ate, grinning away. Markelm glanced at her, a half smile on his face watching Elsie kick her legs, enjoying her breakfast. He made a mental note to make pancakes more often. She was actually behaving. After breakfast, he went to brush his teeth, hearing stomping footsteps as Elsie ran into the bathroom. She had to warn him. “Wait! Don't brush........” Elsie said, remembering what had happened that morning but it was too late. Markelm turned, already brushing his teeth. “Eh?” He asked, and Elsie started fidgeting. “What?” He asked, noting her curious behavior. “Um.. never mind!” Elsie said as she ran off, silently hoping that the soap she had used was enough. There was no way she would confess now, he would be mazed! She realized. Markelm shrugged then finished brushing his teeth, announcing it was Elsie's turn. They took turns now because Elsie liked taking over the whole mirror.

Elsie meets Markelm Wip
Twenty four year old Markelm Nicholais yawned and leaned against his broom while he waited for his contact to arrive. He had a wrinkled wizard's robe over comfortable clothes, a disheveled look to him with dark messy hair and a scruffy beard that had been ignored for a few days. Something must be bad if they contacted me, especially this early. He thought and yawned as he scratched his side through his robes. The port key had taken him deep south in Africa, pulling him from Northern England and into another time zone. The area was thick with heat, even with the sun barely there. It was suffocating and brought a grumble to this wizard as he yawned once more. He had been woken with a messenger from the Ministry of Magic that had a cryptic letter from the Minister himself. The instructions on finding the port key had vague information which left Markelm uneasy. As he yawned for the fourth time since his arrival, Markelm spotted a figure approaching him in the distance. The shadowy figure was tall and bulky carrying a bundle in their arms. Once the man got close enough, Markelm recognized Artemis Ronan; an Auror. He looked wounded, tired and was clutching a bulky blanket as if it were a precious treasure. Artemis was at least ten years older than Markelm, although unlike the former thief, Artemis had sandy blonde hair, dark eyes and light smile that did not reflect in his weary eyes. He nodded to Markelm as he shifted the bundle in his arms. “Hey, Nicholais.” He remarked knowing the thief before him. Markelm was surprised the Auror was not glaring or shooting sour looks like many of the others he had met before; witches and wizards who distrusted him because of his past. “Ronan.” Markelm said with a nod of respect towards the man. There was a brief moment of silence turning towards awkward before Markelm finally asked, “Why am I here?” Artemis chuckled then sighed as he shifted the bundle in his arms again, wincing as he said; “Of course he said nothing...” He eyed Markelm a moment before he continued, “A large group of dark wizards attacked a ship just off the coast of Africa. The ship is gone, along with a wizard couple and almost a thousand muggles...” The bundle shifted in his arms, somewhat surprising Markelm when a little head popped out from the blankets, green eyes peering at him. It was a little girl with wild red hair and a freckled face. She sleepily yawned, blinking a few times before shifting and indicated she wanted down. “This little one was the only survivor.” Artemis added as he instead shifted her so she sat against his hip, keeping a tight hold on the blanket now draped around her. She was wearing a wrinkled dress and missing a shoe. She kept glaring at Markelm while she leaned closer to Artemis. “And I'm here because.....?” Markelm asked getting another chuckle and a wince as the child clung to Artemis again. “She needs to be brought to London by broom. Somehow they have an eye in the ministry. Only a handful knew which ship her family was on...” Artemis said softly in a grim tone. “So, you lot decided to drag me into this shambolic mess?” Markelm asked with a scowl, slightly annoyed as he raked back his hair; the waves flopping back into it's natural mess. “He was the one that pulled you in, and... with all fairness, no one else knows. We do need her safe after all.” Artemis quipped in return. Markelm smirked and nodded, “Fair enough.” He replied while Artemis turned to the young child. “Elsie, this is Markelm. You are going to be going with him.” He spoke softly, and it was obvious he was comfortable being around children. The child clutched his shirt and adamantly shook her head then spoke in a strange babble of words that Markelm had a hard time understanding. Elsie was obviously not happy with this idea. The words Mam, go back, Tad, boat, and no, were the only things Markelm could understand. I don't like this barmy idea either kid. Markelm thought while he watched the two as Artemis tried to reason with Elsie. At least he was able to understand the kid. Markelm noted before Artemis walked over to Markelm and tried to pry at Elsie's death grip and hand the child off. He winced as Elsie struggled. Artemis plopped Elsie in Markelm's arms, who blinked in surprise and held the squirming child away from him awkwardly. “Ariemiss...” Elsie said with her hands out, grabbing the air and reaching for the wounded Auror, the wounds now clearly noticeable; her struggles had re-opened them. Artemis smiled while he eyed Markelm. “Markelm here is a bit scruffy, but he's a good guy. Be nice to him Elsie. And good luck, Nicholais. I need to join the others” He replied, surprising Markelm; then Artemis apporated before Elsie could say anything more. She glared at Markelm with look of defiance on her face and Markelm kept her at arms length, realizing he was alone with this kid. Well shite.

Markelm had packed for camping as the note had mentioned but he was not expecting to deal with a child. He set the kid down to dig through his bag while sorting the items since, he had to make sure he had enough supplies. After planning out the meals he realized he might have to forage a bit for such a long trip. It would take five or more days by broom to London, not the three or so days of food he had. It was only a few minutes but when he glanced back up, Elsie had walked off. “Oi!” Markelm said, quickly catching up to the kid and scooping her up; holding her away from him as he looked around for his stuff. He wanted to get his broom and start this bloody trip. She pointed to the direction she had been walking then said another mix of words that did not work well together. Markelm tried to piece the words together as he carried her back to his pile of stuff. Elsie wiggled as she tried to push away from his arms saying those words again and again, getting angry. So angry that she screamed and started to throw a fit. Markelm almost dropped her when she kicked and thrashed about. He cursed not wanting to deal with this. “Stop it!” He yelled, pulling her far enough from his body so she would stop kicking him. His yell had startled her which made her stop everything. Big green eyes looked up at him, then her bottom lip quivered. She then pointed again and said, “Mam and Tad...” She sounded so sad as tears welled in her eyes. Markelm finally realized what she was saying. Mom and Dad. Her parents. He was not sure what to say nor did he know how much she understood. “We need to go to London.” He said as he shook his head. “This way.” He showed her the direction they were going to fly, and inwardly annoyed by the delay. Elsie started to cry as she went limp in his arms. He was not sure how to hold her but he managed to get his broom and slip on his backpack. Her acceptance made things easier to start the trip. Markelm did not really care about her tears as he figured once his job was over he would never see this kid again.

Two hours later, Markelm was telling Elsie to stop wiggling while they were flying. Elsie was whining about something, but Markelm wanted to finish this job quickly so he pushed the broom as fast as it could go and tried to take only a few breaks. He had brought a borrowed enchanted tent, so at least they had shelter in the heat once it became unbearable. In the beginning, after the tears ended; Elsie held onto the broom as she eyed the landscape below. She had pointed at things while she spoke, but only a few words made sense. He came to the conclusion she liked animals. Markelm had next to no experience with children, nor did he ever have the desire to make any of his own. None of his friends had any offspring. In fact, he could not recall any of them even having younger siblings. He had no idea how old kids were before they learned to speak but obviously Elsie was either speaking another language, or she was just learning. Which made things even more annoying. She tried hand gestures but threw a fit whenever he did not understand her. So far they had stopped three times for something to eat, drink, then eat again. He had quickly learned to give her tiny pieces of food, since she almost choked on a piece of fruit. And he had learned the food needed to cool off before handing it to her. She had burned her fingers by playing with lunch. “Toil” Elsie said, looking antsy again. What? Markelm tried to make sense of her weird language when Elsie wiggled again. He almost told her to knock it off when she fidgeted with her dress and made a universal sign as she crossed her legs. Ah. He realized then lowered the broom to set up the tent. Time for another break.

Due to the time, Markelm figured it was time to stop and rest while avoiding the deadly sun. He would try to switch their sleep schedule so they could travel in the later hours. After her restroom break, then a small snack Elsie was running around in the tent, talking in her babble refusing to get some sleep. Markelm tried to explain that they were going to fly once the sun started go away but either Elsie did not understand or she did not care. She instead held her arms out and zoom around knocking things over then crawling under the table and hopping back up to run around some more. There was no way Markelm could sleep now with all that noise but he knew some potions that would keep him awake. Just a few days. He kept reminding himself while he tried to read a book. There was a lull in noise when Elsie came over and pulled on his pants leg, trying to talk to him. He still had little clue towards what she was saying so he leaned against his arm then asked her, “How old are you?” Wondering if she even knew; not that it mattered to him, he figured it would pass the time. Elsie paused then held up three fingers, glanced at her hand and changed it to four fingers. “Four.” She said then she climbed up onto his lap before he could react. She patted the book and said, “Read.” Elsie huffed when Markelm raised an eyebrow. Elsie glared at the man she had been left with. She knew he did not understand her, so she was trying to use one or two words and gestures to explain things now. “This book is not for kids...” Markelm said but Elsie smacked the book again as she said, “Read.” Markelm sighed while he paused a good long while. Elsie patted the book again and Markelm gave in. He thought back to the wizard stories he knew by heart and recited the Wizard and the hopping pot. Elsie started to drift off to sleep before he finished the story. Making a mental note of that trick, Markelm put her to bed with little problems. Creating a few spells on the tent Markelm went to bed as well, knowing they would be flying most of the night.

Hours later, it was time for dinner but Elsie threw the food and cried. What now? Markelm thought with a sigh as he rubbed at his forehead. He was beginning to get a headache. Instead of trying to reason with her, he tried to finish his meal and ignore the fit. Eventually Elsie calmed down and ate some food before running around again in play. Markelm figured she would wear herself out as she played, babbling her weird language but, after an hour he saw Elsie was still full of energy and not wanting to leave. Growling, Markelm said it was time to go but Elsie flashed him a grin then hid under the table as she giggled. It took some time, and an annoying game of her keeping out of his reach and giggling, but eventually they were back in the air. There were less stops this time around and eventually, as the daytime hours came to light, Markelm landed to set up the tent with a flick of his wand. Halfway through the flight, Elsie had fallen asleep again. Markelm disliked her clinging, but after a bit of juggling he figured out how to safely fly with her still asleep. He had been tempted to stop flying but reminded himself that only meant a longer trip. Prying the sleeping child off him, he placed her on the cot and set up the protection spells, preventing any visitors from entering. He figured with her asleep it was safe so Markelm crawled into his own cot and fell asleep.

He was woken midday to a soft noise. Groggily he rolled to his side to check the cot in the room across from him. Instead of seeing the kid, the cot was empty. He sat up quickly while he looked around calling out Elsie's name. The tent belonged to a friend of his, enchanted to be bigger on the inside; containing three rooms with a kitchen and a restroom. A quick check on the rooms had him swearing when there was no child. He had protected the tent from visitors and from prying eyes, but not from anyone leaving. That's the last time that will happen. Markelm grumbled as he hurried out of the tent to search for the missing child. He used his broom to get a good look from the sky, quickly spotting a trail realizing she had only a few minutes head start. There she was, her blanket dragging as she stubbornly walked the dangerous landscape not knowing there were beasts wandering about that could kill her. Landing behind her, Markelm walked slowly not sure how to handle this without dragging a screaming child back to the tent. “Mam and Tad eh?” He asked watching as she set her jaw in a frown while she nodded. Markelm kept walking with her a moment in silence as he debated the words to use. “They'll find you in London. Why else do you think I am taking you there?” Markelm said as Elsie slowed. She looked at him then glared. Mam and Tad were this way. She knew it but he would not listen to her. He keeps talking about London. That's not where they are. They are on the boat. The boat is this way. Elsie huffed as she pointed. “Boat...” Well, Mam called it ship but that was hard to say. Markelm sighed as he mussed up his hair. “The boat is gone.” He tried to explain but she pointed again and started talking quickly in her fast gibberish. Pushing down his frustration, Markelm was beginning to realize if she did not willingly come with him this time he would deal with her walking off like this again. “The boat is gone.” Markelm repeated slowly while Elsie began to fall apart and flopped on the ground as she cried. Close enough. Markelm thought as he carried her back to the tent, grumbling about the heat. He was conned to once again into read a story to her, then scowled when she clung to him making it difficult to put her in bed. Once she was asleep Markelm set up the new spells. He decided that when they were back in London, he was going to ask for more pay. With the new spells in place, Markelm felt confident she would not be able to leave so he went back to sleep.

There was a scream that woke him this time making him practically fall off the cot. Lack of sleep and care made him storm over to the other room in annoyance but the anger vanished when he spotted Elsie curled up in the corner of the tent crying, visibly shaking from a nightmare. For the first time, he actually felt bad for the kid. She had been through a tough time, and was rather young. Not yet used to the harsh reality. Sighing, Markelm squatted trying to get down to her level. “You're ok.” He spoke softly. Elsie lunged at him, hugging his leg while she cried. “I'm sorry...” He muttered, hesitating before he placed his hand on her head for a brief moment. Clearing his throat quickly, he pulled Elsie off him and noticed the cot was wet. Not wanting to deal with that, he used his wand to toss aside the dirty blankets and used a spell to clean what he could. Quickly getting new blankets, Markelm used a spell to make a new dress with a pillow case. He then handed Elsie the makeshift dress and a wet towel so she could wash herself. He hung his head when Elsie looked blankly at him. Taking another towel, he mimed the motions of taking a shower as he said, “Clean.” Elsie paused then she started to remove her dress so Markelm quickly turned around and went to another room. It felt creepy and wrong to be in the same area. He waited till he heard her moving about then peeked in. Thankfully she was wearing her new dress. Backwards, but it was on at least. “Go back to sleep. You're safe.” He added. She looked up at him then yawned as she tunneled under her blanket. It took some time but they both got some sleep again. That evening, Markelm woke before Elsie so he made them a late lunch... just in time for dinner. When she woke they ate dinner, then they were back in the air.

The whole trip took longer than expected and they ran into some complications once they were over water but, he made it to London just before midnight of the sixth day. Exhausted and weary he carried a sleeping Elsie in a bundle of blankets as he broke into the minister's home, planning on leaving her with the man. There was a faint light down the hall showing {Evenmond} was awake. Markelm slipped into the office having been in this home many times over the past year. Glad to finally be rid of this child, Markelm placed her on the couch before he flopped in a chair across from {}. “Glad to see you both made it safely. How was the trip?” {} asked {intro of name and looks}. He smiled as he took a sip of his drink, then eyed the bundle on the loveseat. “Long...” Markelm replied with a yawn. {} chuckled and nodded. “Any problems?” He asked while he glanced at his drink. It had been a long day at work and he had wanted to relax. As much as he was glad to see Nicholias back and done with the job, {} was expecting to be alone this night. “She screamed bloody murder when we were over open water but once she couldn’t see it, she was fine. She's also damn stubborn about trying to find her parents so good luck to whoever gets her.” Markelm said through a yawn. “Ah, yes. She had been knocked overboard when the Aurors arrived. Poor child is probably scared of drowning again.” {} mused while he swirled the drink in his glass. This whole situation snowballed into a nightmare and {} was unsure how to make things right. Well... he knew what to do, but he was unsure if Nicholias would cooperate.

Markelm slouched in the seat feeling stiff and sore. He was only half listening to {}'s mutters, his brain demanding sleep while his body was screaming the same so he cleared his throat and said, “As much as I would love to catch up and all that, I am heading to bed. We can talk later.” Markelm then forced himself to get out of the comfortable chair. “Actually, Markelm my boy, I have another favor to ask...”{} said leaving Markelm with a sick feeling in his stomach as he slowly sank in the chair again. “We have run into some... complications finding her a safe place to stay. It shouldn’t take more than a few weeks to sort things out...” {} said as he drank more of the clear liquid in the tumbler. Markelm stayed quiet, not wanting to speak and give {} an opening to be volunteered for the job. “So, I've decided you would be the one to protect her. Just a bit longer.” {} replied offhandedly. It seemed Markelm was screwed either way so he spoke his mind. “Why me? I know nothing about kids... What about Artemis?” He mentioned the Auror hoping to toss the job onto someone else. “He already has two little ones of his own, and he is tracking the dark wizards who attacked the ship.” {} said with an amused twinkle in his eye. Markelm scowled and tried to carefully chose his words. “There has to be someone else better for this...” {} paused then he placed the near empty glass on his desk. “Her parents were enchanters. Inventors for the ministry. The kind of inventions that if abused; could cause great problems for us all. Many of the items they had been working on are missing. Scattered in hiding or in the wrong hands. We don't know which yet but, we do know there was a locking spell placed on them all. The creators were the only ones who could unlock the seal... a special spell that...” He glanced at the sleeping child then frowned before he continued. “With them gone, she is the only one left to remove the seal. Markelm, I need her safe until we can figure this out.” Markelm scowled with a few choice words still on the tip of his tongue. The restraint was more to keep Elsie from waking and dealing with her crying again. “One more thing... to keep her from being spotted or recognized I have a home for you two set up in a muggle town. I was assured the muggle town is quite safe.” {} said with a look of amusement back on his face. Markelm scoffed as he finally spoke, “You're looney if you think I'm ok with this....” {} laughed heartily as he nodded. “Somehow I knew that would be your reaction.” He said amused then he finished his drink. He nodded to the couch behind Markelm showing Elsie was waking up. She peeked out and saw the stranger then hid under her blanket a bit before she glanced at Markelm. {} poured more white rat whiskey in the tumbler then added, “Mind your words.” Teasing before he took a swig of his drink. “Find someone better...” Markelm said and he stood, trying to deny the job. There was a sigh from {}. “There is no one else right now.” He bluntly said. Markelm sighed as he glanced over at the kid that made him mad for almost a week. Elsie fidgeted on the couch, crossing her legs as she said, “Makem.... toil...” Markelm grumbled and glanced back at {}. “Just a few weeks.” {} said as he picked up a sealed letter on his desk. With a swear Markelm walked over and took the letter. “I want double.” He muttered then walked over to Elsie, holding out his hand. He knew where the lavatory was.

After a small break at {Evenmond}'s house, and a snack, Markelm followed the map to a muggle town called Tamworth. By then the sun was starting to rise and Elsie was asleep again. The letter had contained a pile of muggle money and a key to the house with a simple note. {explain home looks} Once they landed in front of the right house, Markelm yawned as he fumbled through his pockets for the key he had put away, then entered the home. It was small and looked like an elderly witch had lived there {explain inside}. A slight frown on his face showed while he examined the home before he closed the door behind him. Markelm explored the place to find a bed for the sleeping, heavy child but, the search of the first floor showed no bedroom so Markelm placed Elsie on the couch and stretched his back. There was no way he was going to carry her up all those stairs. He worked on the protection spells then flopped in the chair by the couch. In hindsight, it would have been smarter to give her the chair and take the couch for himself but they can sort out things tomorrow. The grandfather clock rang for dawn while he started to close his eyes. Whatever. Markelm's thoughts were a muddled mess before he too drifted to sleep.

Elsie woke around nine that morning, shivering from the cold. She looked around and found her blanket had fallen off the couch so she climbed down and curled up on it. With a sleepy yawn she tried to wrap herself in it before she stood with the blanket still in her hands. The blanket did not move how she wanted and she was pulled forward as she slipped, smashing her face into the floor. At first she was too startled to think anything then, her face hurt. Markelm woke to a loud thump followed by Elsie crying in pain. Markelm glanced at the time then curled up more on the chair. Not enough time... he thought then felt hands pulling on his pants leg. “Makem....” Elsie whined, holding her hands out wanting to be picked up. Markelm turned then eyed her seeing the bloody lip and tear stained face. It did not look like she was bleeding badly, so he was not too worried. “You'll live.” He muttered while leaning his cheek against his arm, still watching Elsie. She rubbed at her eyes as she fussed, saying a mix of words that were too jumbled to understand. “Want breakfast?” He asked hoping to distract her. “Wayu...” She said, using another weird word he did not understand. “What?” He asked while raising his eyebrow. Elsie started to cry again. Tired and frustrated, Markelm put his hands to his ears trying to block the sound. Swearing he climbed over her and headed towards the kitchen. He was not even sure there was food in the house, and the supplies he had brought were long gone. A quick check to the ice box showed nothing but he found a tin with biscuits in the otherwise empty cupboard. Elsie was still crying when he got back to the living room but her lip was starting to heal. She tried again to reach up and get picked up, but instead Markelm handed the opened tin to Elsie then grabbed his bag by the chair. He wanted to get away from the noise. Hopefully after a shower she would be done crying.

Elsie looked at the tin then watched Markelm head upstairs before she sniffled and flopped on the floor in a pout. She eyed the good smelling biscuits in the tin then poked at them before she picked one up and sniffed it. Hmm.... She thought before she licked it. Mam never let her have sweets like this for breakfast. Oh these are nice! Elsie thought and she began to munch on the sweet treat. Upstairs, Markelm was making a mental list of things he needed to get while he took a relaxing shower. He would have to learn how to use the muggle money and probably learn some muggle phrases. Though, this was only supposed to be for a few weeks and he knew next to nothing about muggle life. Well, there were some classes at school but he barely remembered anything from it. Come to think of it, his friend Ileus was seeing a muggle. Maybe he had some advice. Markelm pondered while he took his shower. In the meantime, Elsie was making a mess as she devoured a great number of the crumbly treats. When Markelm was done with his shower, Elsie was drawing on the floor with the crumbly mess she made. She was thirsty so she walked to the kitchen and pushed a chair over to the counter. She could not reach the cups so she huffed and looked around for something to use while Markelm was exploring upstairs, finding abandoned belongings that were useless. One room had some old dresses while the other room had an empty bookshelf with an old book that had fallen behind it. Tossing his bag on the bed, Markelm claimed a room then stretched. Clean clothes and a potion to stay awake, Markelm walked down the steps in a better mood only to find Elsie sitting next to a spilled cup of water as she was smacking her hands on the floor, smearing wet biscuits into a pile. How the hell... Markelm thought surprised, massaging his forehead with his thumb before he said, “What are you doing?” Elsie looked up then grinned as she held out her messy hands. “Makem! I make bakefist.” Markelm ignored her as he headed to the kitchen to get a clean rag and almost stepped on broken glass. Two cups shattered on the ground with one of the chairs pushed up against the counter. Elsie followed him and peeked in the kitchen, calling out his name while leaving sticky hand-prints on the wall. Markelm quickly stopped her, then cleaned up the mess with a flick of the wrist before he remembered he was in a muggle town. He had to get used to doing things the muggle way, at least for a few weeks. Glancing back at the messy kid, Markelm was not sure he could last a few days, let alone a few weeks.

With Elsie back to playing with her mess Markelm got a rag and tried to make her clean up her sticky hands, then the messy floor. She wiggled then fussed as he grumbled, “Quit it!” She whined then cried when he cleaned up her mess. Elsie proceed to flop on the floor while he took away the tin of biscuits. “Makem mean.” She cried, glaring at him when he came back from the kitchen. “And you're annoying.” He shot back. He then exhaled slowly before he calmed down. The potion helped with the lack of sleep, it did not help his mood which was growing sour by the minute. His stomach was now demanding food; imagination picturing food he had not eaten in almost a week. A juicy steak, with potatoes. His hungry stomach agreed with his choice by giving a grumble. That made up his mind. They would go get some food. He decided, then glanced at Elsie. She had lost her other shoe and a sock during their travels but her pillowcase dress was only slightly dirty. More wrinkled than anything. Meh, no one would care. He thought, dreading that he had to take her with but knowing he could not leave her alone while he went shopping. The hour he left her alone this morning had taught him that. Muttering as he took out his wand, he used a simple transformation spell to make her a pair of shoes out of a couch pillow. “Time to meet the neighbors.” Markelm muttered as he handed her the shoes. She paused before she sat on the ground and tried to put them on. Markelm sighed and used a spell to put them on her before heading to the door. Elsie hurried after him then held her hand out indicating she wanted to hold his hand. Checking his pockets for the key, Markelm begrudgingly accepted her hand then they left the house. She then pulled on his hand and fidgeted as she said, “Toil...” Markelm grumbled as he took Elsie back inside then showed her the bathroom upstairs. He waited by the door until she was done, finally they were ready to go to the market. Markelm glanced at the neighborhood and picked a few houses that seemed to be the best to gather information. One of these neighbors would know where they could buy food.

Knocking at the house on the right, received no answer so Markelm tried the other neighbor; again getting no response. A grumble on his mind when he tried across the street which quickly brought to his face a charming smile when an older woman answered. {looks} She eyed Markelm with suspicion before she noticed Elsie. Smiling she said, “Why, hello there.” Elsie waved while Markelm greeted the woman. “Hello Ma'am. My name is Markelm and this is Elsie. We are going to be neighbors for a while.” She seemed happy as she glanced at Elsie who said hello, “Nice to meet you both.” The neighbor said pleasantly, she paused then realized she did not introduce herself. “Oh! I'm Petunia Archer. Are you Liza's boy? She said she gave the house to family.” Markelm hesitated not wanting any lie brought back to him so he shook his head. “No, a friend of mine said the house was his and it would be a good place for us while he figures out what to do with it.” Markelm paused then raked a hand in his hair as he asked, “Do you know how to get to the market?” The woman sniffed a moment as she said, “Yes, I doubt a young man would want to live way out here. It's nice here, don't mistake me but... all the young people are moving to the cities with those new clubs out there.” Markelm was not sure what to say about that but thankfully Elsie spoke up, “Wayu.” Petunia glanced at Markelm for a translation. “Haven't yet translated that one. Something to do with breakfast... or she wants it for breakfast. She'll pick it out at the market.” He admitted trying to get this woman back on track. “Oh, the market is just down the road and to the left. If you pass the church, you went too far.” Petunia said while she pointed to the left. “Wayu.” Elsie said again, pulling on Markelm's shirt sleeve. “Yes, yes.” Markelm said showing some annoyance while he thanked Petunia. “Ok, let's go.” Markelm told Elsie and they headed towards the market. Hopefully they would not get lost and hopefully Elsie would not need to use the 'toil' either.

The walk was shorter than Markelm expected and thankfully he made the right turn. Soon he was surrounded by Muggles walking about. As he raised an eyebrow while taking in the sights he quickly noticed he was getting strange looks. Markelm also observed that the Muggles were mostly women. Interesting. Markelm thought eying a pretty brunette that walked past them. Elsie, meanwhile was looking at the horses. She pulled on Markelm's arm and pointed to a carriage but Markelm directed her towards the store that had fresh produce out front. The inside of the store was packed with housewives, or people who worked there. He raised an eyebrow when he realized the only other men there, worked there. Markelm walked around curiously, noting the differences with his world and the muggles, glad to see many similarities. He also observed the rationed food due to the war, glad he only had to live in this world for a few weeks. When Elsie looked around, she giggled and tried to run off to explore but he grabbed her in time. While he browsed, he tried thinking of meals to make. Cooking was not a specialty, nor was it something he was interested in. Just a few weeks. He reminded himself while he browsed the strange items. Some seemed familiar, but named differently while others, like oat berries, were strange and new. He walked around while observing the money exchange wondering if he had enough muggle money, and if he could learn it quick enough. He was beginning to wonder if it would be easier to just eat at restaurants. But that usually that cost more, at least in the wizard world. Just a few weeks... He reminded himself but was sidetracked when he heard the soft sound of a female giggling. He turned with a smile and saw a dark haired beauty with gem colored eyes. He waved at her and slid his hand through his hair when she giggled again, pointing to where he last saw Elsie. He realized he had been distracted by the pretty woman and had let go of Elsie. Dread filled his mind when he turned to see Elsie had ripped open a box of confectionery sweets and was eating them. Hanging his head, he could not figure out where she found the box, but he scooped her up while taking away the sweets. Hefting Elsie under his arm, Markelm put the box on the table ahead of him while Elsie started to cry and wiggle to get out of his arms.

There was a brief moment of silence before he heard the woman ask, “First time shopping with your daughter?” She was obviously amused. Markelm glanced at her and noted no ring on her finger. “Oh, not my kid. Just helping a friend.” He said casually. She smiled at that and said, “Well, in the future don't take your eyes off her.” Markelm considered using that advice on the gorgeous woman instead. Clearing his thoughts he sheepishly smiled as he said, “Noted, thanks. Any other advice?” There was a chuckle as the woman said, “Well, she's not a sack of flour.” She gestured her hand to indicate she was talking about how Markelm was holding Elsie. “Here, let me.” She offered, holding out her hands. Markelm paused then teased, “Well, I don't know you. What do you think Elsie? Should we trust her?” He glanced down at Elsie who glanced up and nodded then reached for the stranger as she said, “Her better.” Markelm grumbled while the lady laughed. “Thank you Elsie. My name is Wendy by the way. Now, let's show your friend how silly he's being.” Wendy said amused while Markelm handed Elsie over. Wendy let the child rest comfortably against her hip then asked, “There, is this better?” Elsie waggled her pointer finger at Markelm then said, “Makem should learn better.” Wendy laughed while Markelm crossed his arms. Suddenly Elsie was speaking English. Was she teasing him all this time, or did it take really take him this long to understand her slurred speech. Elsie looked around now that she was higher. She could not crawl around reaching into the cases but she saw lots of new interesting things. More importantly the box of sweets she had been eating. She pointed to it and whined. “No, that's not a good breakfast. How about some eggs?” Wendy asked as she pointed to a case of eggs. Elsie gasped and said, “Wayu!” Markelm finally learned what Elsie had been saying. Eggs. Well, I can cook eggs. Markelm thought making a note. Listening to them talk about breakfast foods.

When Elsie tried to reach for items, for the fifth time, Wendy attempted to distract the child from the items in the shop. “So, Elsie. Who's your friend?” Wendy found herself curious about this cute man, he seemed mysterious. “Makem!” Elsie said with a grin as she pointed to the man. Wendy glanced at Markelm then smiled softly as she said, “Nice name.” Markelm flashed a grin then flirted, “Nice smile.” Wendy blushed as she thanked him. Focusing back on Elsie, she asked some questions about animals. Markelm was starting to pick up more words, it was slurred and hard to hear clearly but when he focused, it made sense. While Wendy talked, Markelm watched their interaction using the excuse to watch Wendy. Markelm learned that Elsie had her birthday in July, and the little girl likes apples. They talked about monkeys, sheep and owls before the store finally started to clear and they were able to be helped. Handing Elsie back to Markelm, Wendy said it was nice to meet them both and she waved as she winked, “Good luck.” She added then focused on her order. The rest of the trip at the grocery store was rather dull but Markelm was hoping to run into Wendy again during his stay in this town. When he finished ordering the food, he was confident he learned the basics of muggle money by watching, but met a few hiccups when he paid. He thankfully had money left over so Markelm headed to the butcher store to order some ground beef. He liked that the muggles delivered, so he only had to worry about keeping an eye on Elsie instead of lugging things home. And he was learning quick, he really needed to keep both eyes on her at all times. Just like Wendy had said. While he observed the muggles, he was impressed to see enough food, even with the war going on. Plus, the muggles were pleasant. It must have been what {} had meant when he said it was a safe place.

Markelm was about to head home when, Elsie pulled on his arm and pointed. It was a restaurant with the smell of food drifting through the air. He actually considered it, especially when he remembered his craving for steak. But, Markelm knew the delivery would come soon and he was unsure how much muggle money remained in his pocket. “We'll eat back at the house.” He said; his stomach weeping for the imagined steak. Elsie, however did not understand. She pouted then flopped on the ground with tears falling quickly. “Wayu....” she whined as she pointed to the restaurant. Markelm sighed and raked a hand in his hair. “Well hello Elsie, what's wrong?” They heard, causing Elsie to halt with her tears and look up. Markelm smiled when he recognized Wendy walking over, with a man dressed in a business suit. Markelm inwardly frowned, but hid hid reaction well. Elsie crossed her arms and pointed to the restaurant once more. Wendy hid her mouth behind her hand, poorly hiding a smile while she glanced at the man by her side. “John, do you think it would be alright if we had some company?” She asked while amused. The man eyed Markelm a moment then sighed. “Well, I suppose it will be alright. I will tell them to get us a different table. Hurry though, before they give away our table.” Wendy smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she glanced back at Markelm. “My brother, John, works in the city. I am glad he makes time to visit home. Mother has not been doing well as of late.” Wendy clarified then she glanced at Elsie before she said, “Elsie, you must get off the ground or you cannot go inside.” Elsie got up quickly then reached for Wendy's hand and pulled towards the food that she smelled. “You must be on your best behavior, alright?” Wendy stated, not budging from where she stood. Elsie looked up then held her hands up asking to be held. “Maybe Markelm here can show he is a quick learner?” Wendy teased, watching him as Elsie glanced over at him. She gave him a dubious look which made Wendy giggle and Markelm scowl. He picked Elsie up and tried to keep her close. Although she wiggled and it was somewhat awkward, it went better than last time. “Well done! You'll be a top notch boffin before you know it.” Wendy stated. Markelm was confused by the Muggle word, but he took it as a complement and grinned. Elsie chose that time to loudly scoff then point to the restaurant again.

They headed inside then were quickly lead to a table. Apparently Wendy was known there. John stood while Wendy gave them all a proper introduction. She then offered to take Elsie and get the child cleaned up before lunch, letting the two men talk alone. Markelm eyed the man, not sure what to talk about but apparently John had something to say. “My sister mentioned you.” He said somewhat curiously. Markelm tried to hide his reaction as he questioned, “Oh?” A small smile crept onto John's face as he said, “Yes, she mentioned an odd man with an adorable little girl.” Markelm shrugged at the remark but John had more to say. “So where's the mother? Raised the kid alone till she couldn’t take it?” Markelm paused, knowing obviously what John thought of him. He took a moment to pull on a saddened expression as he said, “Actually, her parents are gone. My friend did not want little Elsie to be sent off to an orphanage, so we are trying to find her a home with friends. Until then, she's with me. Thing is, she does not understand. She keep thinking they are going to come and find her. It happened less than a week ago, I don't know how to get her to understand. You seem to have a way with words, maybe you can tell her.” He then stood as Wendy and Elsie returned, Elsie ran over to Markelm and grabbed his leg. He glanced at John and said, “You wanted to tell Elsie something, John?” All eyes went to John who looked flustered. “I was wondering what everyone wanted to eat.” He said with a small cough. Trying to hide his embarrassment. Elsie ended up ordering eggs, and Markelm got his steak. Wendy and John got fish; and Elsie noticed the fish tank in the back of the restaurant. She pulled on Markelm's sleeve and demanded they go there, her words made no sense, but her gestures thankfully were easy to understand. Markelm sighed and led Elsie over to the large fish tank, which had assorted fish swimming around. It kept Elsie amused until food arrived, and became annoying once he had to drag her back to the table. As they ate, Markelm mentioned he needed to take Elsie home to be there for the delivery and Wendy offered to watch over Elsie while he worked on dinner. John grumbled but said nothing while they ate.

After lunch, Wendy noticed Elsie was starting to doze. “Poor sweetie is tuckered out.” She stated, somewhat fondly as Elsie nodded off again, dropping her fork as her head nodded down and quickly up from trying to stay awake. “Thankfully the walk is only down the street. I'll carry her.” Markelm replied with a shrug. Elsie yawned and started to whine. “Won't she stay up all night then?” Wendy asked and Markelm shrugged again. “Better than her screaming now. She hates being woken up.” He wearily said. “How long is she staying with you?” Wendy curiously asked, not wanting to debate about bedtimes. Elsie's parents would deal with it once she got home. “Few weeks or so. Till we find a family for her.” Markelm said as he dug through his pocket for the muggle money. Wendy looked confused but she was not sure how to ask what he meant. The waitress came over with the check, then cleared the table. John insisted he would pay, and Markelm thanked the man knowing better than to deny a free meal. Scooping Elsie up, Markelm offered to treat John to a drink sometime. Wendy gave her brother a hug before she followed Markelm. As they walked, Wendy glanced at Elsie who was now fast asleep. “What happened to her parents?” She asked quietly. Markelm paused a moment then said, “They died, last week. I wish I knew more, but my friend knows the family. I'm just helping him out. He has kids of his own and can't take on another. He wants Elsie to have a good home, so he's asking everyone he knows.” Markelm shrugged as he spoke then paused again before he added, “I only know it was a boating accident. Elsie here almost died too, she's terrified of water now.” Wendy visibly mourned for the child, wanting to cuddle Elsie close and never let her be harmed again. “Poor dear. You're so sweet to help them.” Wendy said, not knowing how she would handle losing both of her parents. Especially when so young. Did Elsie even understand? She wondered, once more glancing at the sleeping child. Markelm paused. Truth was he was mostly doing this because it was his job, but once {} told him there was no one else to do this job, he felt responsible. “She had no one else.” He simply said as he shrugged again. The rest of the walk was rather quiet but they were at the house in a short time. He shuffled Elsie while he tried to get the key, but Wendy offered to help, digging into Markelm's pocket to let them in. “Careful, there. Might find more than just keys in there.” Markelm quipped, side glancing Wendy as he spoke. Blushing lightly, Wendy found the keys and said softly, “ Nothing I can't handle.” Then, she unlocked the door. Markelm smirked a moment before Elsie fussed in her sleep, drawing both of their attentions. Sighing, Markelm carried Elsie inside then lay her down on the chair.

“Where's her room? I can help get her ready for bed.” Wendy offered. Scratching the side of his face, Markelm tried to remember which room he had claimed that morning. “We just moved in this morning... the place belonged to my friend's Mum. So I have no idea what is in this house... Thanks to you, I learned not to let her go frolicking about. So, I doubt I want her alone upstairs anytime soon.” Especially since this house had belonged to a Witch. He thought. Who knows what items were still hidden within the home. Markelm had only given a brief search earlier. Now knowing how much Elsie got into things, Markelm was going to do a deeper search before he even let Elsie upstairs. Or alone. His thoughts were interrupted by the bell. Elsie woke and cried as she realized she wasn’t back home. Mam and Tad were still not there. She was tired, and missed being cuddled with a soft song drifting in the room. She was pulled into a hug and a soft voice comforted her. Sleepy and confused, Elsie said, “Mam?” She then looked up and saw Wendy. Tears started to fall again while Elsie wailed. Covering his ears, Markelm answered the door with an irritated look and a sharp hello. The delivery boy became flustered by Markelm's greeting then noticed the crying child. A look of sympathy came to his face and he held out the groceries. “Where should I put these, Sir?” He asked. Markelm glanced at Elsie who was pushing Wendy away and fussing. Sighing deeply, Markelm waved for the boy to follow him into the kitchen. Internally cursing that Elsie ruined his chance to have some alone time with Wendy. It's going to be a long week. He thought to himself.

It was an hour later, the food orders were put away and Elsie had finally calmed down. She was hiding under her blanket and giggling with Wendy, then squealing with laughter when Wendy grabbed her with tickles. Markelm was working on dinner, massaging his head from stress and noise. Elsie suddenly became quiet and she ran to Markelm. “Makem! Toil!” She said, fidgeting. “It's upstairs.” Markelm said with a sigh. Elsie fidgeted then whined as she danced a bit, pulling on her ratty dress. She stubbornly walked over to Markelm and pulled on his pants-leg. “Makem....” She whined. “Go upstairs.” Markelm replied, looking down at her. Biting her lip, Elsie fidgeted again then ran to the stairs and took them up one at a time while crawling. She did not like that staircase. It was creaky. After a few minutes, Elsie started to cry. Five minutes.... Markelm thought as he lowered his head. Before he could say or do anything, Wendy went upstairs and started talking to Elsie. He could not hear what was said, but eventually things became quiet. Blessed quiet. If only she would stay that way the whole time.
Markelm thought, sighing. Upstairs, Wendy was searching for fresh clothes to give Elsie. The child had an accident and was upset about her dress. Unable to find a replacement, Wendy told Elsie to wait a bit longer, then she headed downstairs to ask Markelm.

Wendy found the man dealing with dinner boiling over, she hid her reaction well as she cleared her throat. Markelm glanced back and awkwardly said, “I don't suppose you can just.... ignore this mess eh?” Wendy smiled as she said, “What mess? I simply came to ask where Elsie's clothes are.” It took Markelm a moment to pause and think of it. He was unsure if he even brought along that ratty old dress she had been wearing the day they met. “I think the previous owner left behind some dresses? Maybe she can use those until I can head back into town with her.” He shrugged then smacked the pot before him with the wooden spoon as it once again started to boil over. Wendy stifled a laugh then said, “How about I work on supper, and you help Elsie.” Markelm paused, debating which annoying task he wanted to deal with. Before he could say no thanks, Wendy took the spoon from his hand and shooed him out of the kitchen. Dreading the job ahead of him, Markelm slowly walked up the stairs hearing Elsie faintly sniffle and whine. She was overtired and reaching the end of her rope. Mam and Tad were supposed to find her in London, Markelm had told her this; but they’re not here. Curled up in the corner of the bathroom, Elsie glared at her dirty dress she had taken off. She had tried really hard not to have an accident and Wendy said it was ok. That she could have a bath and everything would be alright but Elsie just wanted her Mam. “Elsie?” Markelm asked, peeking in the room. Crying, Elsie looked up then ran to Markelm and hugged his leg. She spoke in a rush of words, most of them sounding like gibberish to him but Markelm could make out the words Mam and Tad. He was more focused on trying to ignore the fact she was nude and clinging to his leg with stained hands. “Ok, let's get you cleaned up...” Markelm muttered with a sigh, not sure how to pry the kid off without looking at her. After a few attempts, he instead just dragged her along as she clung to his leg. Turning on the bath, Markelm tested the water before he felt pain, Elsie's grip tightened. Pinching him with tiny claw like hands. He glanced down and saw her eyes were wide like saucers.

Markelm steadied the broom while the wind howled; he glanced back with concern watching Elsie use a weak Diffindo spell to tear away at the cloak and rip it free. Inwardly he shook his head wondering what the hell was so important they would risk all this. She just had to do that little pout and plead for help. A heavy sigh and slight shake of his head he almost missed when Elsie lost her balance. Quick as a flash he had his wand out. A simple Wingardium Leviosa and Elsie was pulled back onto the broom. He waited until she gave a clear sign she was alright and he guided the broom back towards the hut. No way did he want to stay in this mess any longer!

Elsie felt her heart pounding heard, had a deathgrip on the broom the rest of the ride. Once they landed she still clung to the broom and was gently reminded they were on land. She got off then ran to Markelm with a cling like hug. She had always liked flying... until that moment. that was scary. Seeing the ground do far away; the wind howling all around them... thinking she was going to fall at any minute. Marcelo patted her head and guided her inside to warm up then sighed. It was getting late and she was going to be past curfew soon. "So, this necklace... what was so important about it?" He asked and went to work making cocoa for her. A flick of the wand he stoked the fire in the fireplace.

Elsie sat by the fireplace and shivered. A quick search in the shredded robe she found her items were still there. Thank goodness. She slipped on her necklace and clutched the hairclip. The fire grew warmer and she scooched a bit closer. When asked about the necklace, Elsie hesitated. The note she had gotten at Christmas was a secret... Markelm disliked secrets. "I got it for Christmas. Don't know who it was from. But I love it and don't you dare try taking it away!" she said, giving half truths.

A deep frown came at Markelm's face. A secret present? Why didn't he know about that? He walked over to examine the necklace and make sure there were no enchantments. "Looks nice..." He muttered, pretending that is why he looked at it. It seemed harmless enough. Still... He frowned then went back to making the cocoa. He would have to check her presents from now on.

After cocoa, he led Elsie back to school and made sure she got to her tower safely. He noted he would have to get her a new robe and sighed at the new expense.