i’ve got four drafts and i’m so excited for them all but they’re all long and ... my attention span is not gonna let me do them tonight so uhh come plot w/ me maybe ? or send me some development q’s for tina ?

@groundstein / didn’t ask for this but here we go

“ teenie, does ilvermorny still want me?? ” her eleventh birthday is coming up quicker than an out of control train, but there’s been no letter. one of the kids living a few floors above them just got their letter earlier in the week ( dear mister brenner, we are pleased to inform you… ). why hasn’t her’s come?? her aunt and grandparents haven’t commented on it yet –– not out loud or in front of queenie, anyways, but they’re worrying she won’t get a letter at all. 

 does anyone want me? 

she picks at a loose thread on her dress so she doesn’t have to look up at her sister. “ i don’t want to not go. mama and papa loved ilvermorny. ”

❝       you   know     ,      they   call   this   place   sophisticated      ,      but   i   still   had   to   deal   with   two   drunkards   trying   to   get   my   number   and   the   night   isn’t   even   over   .       ❞             a   roll   of   eyes     ,      exasperation   and   distaste   touching   upon   thin   features   .        rotten    place                             filled   with   expensive   suits      ,       hiding   the   filth   beneath    .        it’s   invigorating        :        watching   people   pretend      ,       picking  their   masks   away   with   observations   .        she   likes   it   more   than   she   should   .        silhouette   shifts   into   the   seat      ,      fingers   tapping   a   staccato   against   wood   before   wrapping   around   the   glass   .        two   sips   are   taken   right   after      ,       nose   crinkling   as   head    tilts    to   the   side   .

❝       i’m   glad   you   called   .       ❞             lips   curl   at   the   corners     ,      sweet   and   soft   .        right    hand    extends     ,      polished    nails    brushing   against   the   other’s   arm     ,      gripping   it   briefly   before   falling   onto   her   lap   .             ❝       i’m   only   seeing   you   in   the   situation   room   lately   .        what   are   you   up   to   that   you   never   drop   by   my   office   anymore   ?       ❞

↻ *       @groundstein    !

       ❝     it’s  been  too  long .     ❞         her  smile  is  weary,  but  sincere  nonetheless .    tina  gives  emily’s  hand  a  light  squeeze  before  it  leaves  her  arm ,  and  swivels  slightly  in  her  chair  so  that  conversation  is  made  a  tad  easier .      ❝     ah ,  wouldn’t  you  like  to  know ?    it’s  nothing  important ,  trust  me .    tedious ,  yes ,  but  not  important .    i’m  glad  we  were  both  free ,  though    ––––––    i  can’t  even  begin  to  imagine  how  busy  YOU  must  be !     ❞

@groundstein

“Goldstein, isn’t it?” He knows the woman’s name. He doesn’t know the names of every auror in training but he makes a point to know the names of those that stand out. Because they’ll be aurors eventually and he does know the names of EVERY person under his employ. It simply saves him time in the end. But she doesn’t need to know that. In fact, it serves him better if she thinks it a privilege that he does remember her name. “You’re here rather late.” He’s gone down to the TRAINING rooms after finishing up a caseload for a bit of practice before he heads home. It’s been a bit too long since he’s last had the time and he tries to keep himself on his toes as much as possible. She should have left with the rest of the recruits but he does have an appreciation for her work ethic.

his fingers twitchnervously at his sides from where Credence stands, watching the other as shewalks through crowds. as she keepsher attention elsewhere, entirely unawareof him and his presence. he doesn’t know whether he wanted her to notice him. he didn’t know if it was safe—— but he still felt safer following her, keeping his distanceand trying not to be spotted, than he did anywhereelse. Tina had helped him before, had been the only one to try and stop Mary-Lou, and he had appreciated that more than he could ever try to put into words. hedidn’t want to force Tina throughmore. he just wanted… he wanted to besafe. he wanted to stop being taunted,to be teased and yelled at. he wanted the calmthat she gave him, even if it didn’t last.he just wanted… peace. to not have toworry that the wizards that had seen him, pointedtheir wands at him, would do so again. that they would keep him lockedaway or try and destroy himagain. maybe that’s why he makes himselfknown after all this time.

@groundstein

she  tries  to  keep  those  thoughts  out  of  her  head  as  often  as  she  can,  partly  so  that  she  can  throw  herself  into  her  work  and partly  because  she  doesn’t  want  to  dwell  on  it  too  much.    and  her  go - to  method,  it  appears,  is  to  find  food  to  eat  before  heading  back  to  the  department.    sometimes,  she  does  think  that  she  can  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  familiar  face  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye,  but  it’s  always  passed  off  as  a  heavy  conscience  and  a  busy  mind  ––  what  else  could  it  be  ?

“ no, i don’t want any tea, ” her response is a little sharper than she intends it to be and she winces at the sound of her own voice. if tina didn’t initially suspect anything about her getting home so late ( and queenie is almost entirely sure she did ) then she surely must by now what with how defensive queenie is being. pink lips part in a heavy sigh and queenie moves right into the kitchen. they’ve got to eat dinner at some point. 

as she starts on dinner, she makes a point of not looking at tina as she stands there. it’s not until a roast floats itself into the oven that the blonde peeks at her sister out of the corner of her eye. “ i –––– i stopped by the bakery today. and before you get your wand in a twist, i didn’t go in. just peeked in the window, s’all. he’s doin’ real well… ”

        ❝     i’m  ––    ❞          she  takes  a  pause,  trying  to  pick  through  her  thoughts  and  find  the  ones  she  wants  to  express.    the  ones  of  a  loving  sister,  not  of  an  auror.          ❝     ––  it’s  good  to  hear  that  mister  kowalski  is  doin’  well.    the  least  he  deserves  after  everything,  y’know.    but  . . .  how  are  you  holdin’  up,  queenie  ?    ❞

personal strength aside, queenie will be the first to admit that tina’s the tough girl as well as the money-maker. as hard as she tried to fill both roles, to keep her sister as safe as she kept her— queenie’s heart always dimly registers her failiure. her sister is unhappy, unjustly punished for something good she’d done.

when her voice catches, queenie feels a very real pang of worry. when teenie sheds tears, queenie’s never far behind and doing the exact same. if she’s failed her sister before, she can’t do it now. this isn’t about her. giving her shoulder a squeeze, queenie wonders if tina was the tough girl too long.

❛   you broke a stupid law, teenie !! you didn’t deserve to get fired for it !! she hurts all of them and no one’s ever done anything about it before. you did, you did that, you protected him how you’re supposed to.   ❜

       ❝     but  like  y’said  queenie:  i  broke  the  law.    i  was  stupid,  doing  what  i  did  in  front  of  a  whole  load  of  no - majs.    i  don’t  know  what  i  was  thinking  would  happen .     ❞          she  hadn’t  expected  a  demotion  as  embarrassing  as  the  one  she  had  been  handed  though,  or  the  humiliation  of  being  made  wear  an  admonitor  bracelet  ––  the  years  of  studying,  of  training,  all  discarded,  and  for  what  ?    being  human  ?