Crash, Crash, Burn

There was a sort of calmness that resided over the house that particular evening. It was not much different from any other evening, perhaps only so because Silas was actually there. The witch was never able to fully predict when he was going to be there or not. His second job, which he did not give her the details of yet, called him out at different parts of day and night. At this moment he was only a room away in the study where he spent most of the time he was at home.

There was a sense of privacy between all of the occupants of the house. They all needed their personal space and Ksenia found it most fortunate that it was like that. Her young niece in particular seemed so taken with her pet that sometimes she barely noticed what was happening around her. Cleo just yawned and watched with amusement as the two younglings played.

The witch in turn allowed a content smile to rest on her lips as her gaze was lowered over the household finance records. With a sharp pencil in hand and no less sharp mind, the witch scanned the numbers in front of her, reviewing them.

Jaelyn had never been one for serenity. In fact, the young witch was completely perplexed as to why people, in general, reveled in calm. She simply could not fathom the logic- if it could ever be truly called logic. Being surrounded by noise and colour and chaos- that was what was inspirational. Not sipping coffee on a Sunday morning, lounging about the same house that one spends the majority of their days in. That wasn't living. So, as far as Jaelyn was concerned, her best friend was definitely dying.

The Hitrost raised her arm high, gesturing for the white owl that was perched on it to take flight towards the nearest window. The bird obeyed, swooping through the gap and into the room where her fellow student was. The creature fluttered noisily onto the desk, papers flying astray and onto the ground, before dropping a piece of parchment from its black beak into her lap;

Hurry up and open the door.
-J.M

It appeared that the calmness that she normally associated with her life in this house was not going to last tonight. That is what Ksenia has concluded when she saw the familiar owl sweep into the room. She growled at the bird as her perfectly organised papers fell to the floor. "Shoo!" she snapped at the bird waving the letter that was dropped into her lap.

She shook her head, scowling as she leaned back in her chair for a moment as she read the few words on the note. Trust her friend to make a grand entrance. The witch rose from her seat, smoothing down the skirt of her robe before moving to open the front door.

"Well I can certainly say now that the wards around the house are sufficient enough to keep you out," she drawled, as she appraised the Hitrost.

[OOC - crashing now cause I'm bored. Delia's quiet anyway, feel free to ignore her ]

The sound of the door opening from down the hall brought both curiosity and worry into the young girl, who had been quietly having 'tea time' with Bubba and a misbehaving Ebony. The small kitten simply would not sit still for her tea. Cordelia had been at wits end when she heard the sound, and instantly gathered her clan up.

Bubba clung to her chest, and the kitten at her feet she paddled pass the room her aunt had formally occupied, and the study where Silas was presumable still located, Cordelia came to a stop just at the corner before the door. Ducking her head around the corner, she took in the new comer with solemn blue eyes, the nature of the visitor causing slight alarm in the girl. She wasn't sure what it was, but her aunt's new friend did not look, in fact, friendly. Thus her protective instincts kicked in. Slipping away quickly, she took off down the hall as silently as she could, hoping no one would notice that she had been and then gone as she took refuge in her favourite hiding space, the back corner of her own bedroom closet.

Silas was aware of the arrival of Ksenia's guest, of course. Few things occurred within the house while he was in it of which he was unaware. The man paid the girl's arrival no mind, though he did look up from what he was doing as Cordelia passed his door.

Generally, he left the child to her own devices, so long as she stayed clear of untoward mischief. He did not wish for her to feel that his presence was forced upon her. That said, he did try to remain a careful balance between distance and close proximity. It was part of his duty to the child, after all; to be there, a figure in her young life.

Deciding they could do with at least a bit of interaction, he rose from his chair and followed Cordelia's retreating footsteps up the hall. He moved quietly, but not so quietly that the child wouldn't hear his approach. At the door to her closet, he knocked gently.

"Miss Cordelia? Are you and Mr. Wilson in there?" he queried, as though he was not certain. "If you are, do you mind if I join you? I do believe I find your aunt's visitor most intimidating. You might need to protect me."

"For now." Jaelyn corrected, crossing her arms over her chest impatiently as she appraised her fellow student. Her hair was neat, she wasn't frowning, her robes were impeccable- She looked entirely too relaxed.

Her lips lifting slightly into a minute smile, Jaelyn lifted her gaze to her friend's. "Are you busy?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly, her tone almost mocking. "Perhaps doing the laundry and making tea?"

The Hitrost's green eyes snapped towards the movement in the corridor, only to catch sight of a child hastily retreating. "Or...babysitting?" She asked, evidently amused- though somewhat irked. Her best friend was turning into a house wife. Jaelyn Morozov would not be friends with a house wife.

"Aren't you going to be a good hostess and invite me in?" The girl raised her eyebrow expectantly.

"Why yes I am busy," Ksenia said smoothly crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyebrows rose in amusement at the Hitrost's following question, though her expression remained impassive. "You know there are some things you need to do if you want to live in a nice house," she said with some light sarcasm evident in her voice before rolling her eyes and turning around.

"A good hostess would probably kick someone like you out, so consider yourself lucky that I am actually letting you walk in here." She didn't give the other girl a verbal permission to enter the house instead making her way through the foyer and back to the lounge fully expecting her friend to follow. The doors would close themselves after her.

Cordelia was aware of the footsteps approaching her hiding place. Body readying for an attack she was sure she had no way of fending off, the young girl slipped further back into the shadows, letting a dress or two fall between herself and the entrance, obscuring her from view ever so slightly.

It was, then, with minute relief that the girl recognized the soft voice that spoke through what she saw as a sturdy shield - whatever one else saw as just a door. Frowning for a moment, the girl deliberated for a moment looking at her bear and then back at the door. Her safe heaven was rarely welcome to anyone but herself and her little companions - Ebony had crawled in after her and was now purring away on her little lap - but her gaurdian had proven himself to be trustworthy enough, neither Silas nor her aunt had been anything but kind to her, leaving her to believe that perhaps they could be as safe as the orphanage was, and he did sound as if he wanted somewhere to stay too.

So who was she to deny him?

Softy, pushing Ebony off her lap and onto a pile of soft sweaters, the girl slide forward, crawling on her hands and knees before she reached the door again, and pushed it open slight, peaking her little head outside of it.

"o'ay."

Silas let out a whoosh of relief, having been - at least visibly - anxious. A grateful little smile pulled at his lips as he waited for his gracious host to lead back into the shelter of the closet. He settled himself on the floor in such a way that the child could get past him if she felt the need.

"Thank you very much, Miss Cordelia," the man said in a sincere tone. "The study was much too open. Don't you agree?" He glanced about him, as though taking in his surroundings.

"It's a bit like a secret fort, isn't it?" Silas asked casually. "A few additions... but I suppose you and Mr. Wilson prefer it to look just like a closet, don't you?" He was more than willing to make a few embellishments, but he wanted the girl to feel that it had been her (of her bear's) idea.

Cordelia watched the stranger in her territory. Of course Silas was no stranger to the girl herself, but the closet was her own space, in a way though only place in the house she could protect from everyone. No one, under normal circumstances, had any interest in getting in, so it was a space that no one crossed unless she gave them permission. Silas was in fact the first person other than herself and Bubba to cross the threshold. It was, even if it did not look like it, in fact a great show of trust in the man.

"You we'come." The girl looked down at a soft purr and brushed behind Ebony's ear with her tiny finger. "Open's scary. No where to hide when its open."

Leaning her head to the side the girl thought about the comment, resting close enough to Bubba to be listening to his thoughts as well. "It don hav'ta look lik'a closet. Sometimes Bubba thinks-ed its too dark."

"Ah yes, you must clean the dishes and dust the furniture- and don't forget to buy some new flowers, the ones at the moment look positively dreadful." Jaelyn drawled, eyeing her friend tiredly. She had never thought the Slushatel to be a bore, but if she continued the way she was, she would have to consider cutting the cord. Or, at the very least, not striving to irritate her as much as she already did. The latter was the most likely.

"Absolutely honoured." She rolled her eyes, following her friend into the house.

"So, Sokol." Jaelyn paused. "Tell me all about your extraordinarily thrilling life."

Ksenia sighed at the girl's words, not looking back as she stepped back into the living room. "Must you always be so irritating," she grumbled as she took a seat, finally looking up at the Hitrost girl. "Life does not always have to be thrilling all the time. It's good to take a little break from time to time, you know. Otherwise you are going to run yourself ragged with the way you are going," she replied to the question calmly, her cool expression not wafering from her face.

"We are not idiots to jump at every adventure that comes our way, Morozov," she said with some dry humor as a smirk appeared on her lips briefly. The Slushatel turned her head at the sound from the door to see Cleo walking closely behind the Hitrost girl. The witch scowled at the leopard as her pet openly showed sgainst of affections towards the young student, sniffing her and rubbing her nuzzle against the other's hand.

"I quite agree," Silas said. "Open's scary." Open was vulnerable. It was a concept he himself was acquainted with early on. In many ways, the child reminded himself when he was young.

The man nodded decisively. "It is rather dark. Let us see..." He withdrew his wand and murmured a charm. Then, he flicked the elegant piece of mahogany. With each flick, a dainty little fairy light appeared, yellow and purple and pale blue. They dispersed themselves throughout the space, providing a merry, colorful light. He turned to smile at the girl.

"There. Now we have light. And every time Miss Cordelia and Mr. Wilson come in, you'll be able to see them," he told her. "What else shall we have?"

The girl's constantly solemn expression broke as the lights appeared. Her blue eyes brightened and her tiny little mouth opened in a smile as she watched them float around. Reaching out a hand to touch them as they were dispersed she counted the colours as the passed, "Pu-ple! Yel-ow! and Buh-lew!" In a bought of outgoing honesty, she met the man's gaze steadily with her own and continued in a steady voice, in a complete sentence, "Buh-lew like the sky it my favouritest colour. But if it not like the sky, then its yucky. Sammy Riker sayed that Buh-lew's a boy colour." Her tone as she reflected on one of the boys from the orphanage clearly stated that she though the young gentleman was... when kindly put, miss informed. "But Sammy Riker were a stup'dhead."

Frowning Cordelia looked around her hiding space, attempting to think if there was anything else that needed to be fixed. All things considered, Cordelia was rather used to sneaking herself into tight spots like this. Whether it was a good thing or not she felt rather at home in a dark closet. Still... she fidgeted slightly.

"'times the floor is all," she fidgeted again, "Not squishy."

Silas' smile broadened at the child's uncharacteristic openness. A break-through, and vital, he would wager. It was a success.

"A stupidhead, indeed," the man agreed. "Blue is Flora's favorite color, as well. Blue and green. She has a lot of pretty things in those colors. I believe she may have showed you?" In fact, Silas would have bet several galleons that his sister had acquainted the little girl with a good portion of her collection of curios and knickknacks, maybe even her wardrobe, as well, knowing Flora.

Silas pressed a hand against the floor, clearly to take stock of its lack of squishiness. "Not squishy at all," he conceded. He frowned to demonstrate that he was giving the issue due deliberation. "Ah, yes. I've got an idea."

Opening the closet door a few inches, he cast a summoning charm, catching the small cloth sack that came flying in a moment later. It was filled will small beads that gave it weight without making it completely solid. It was a toy, really, although many dragon keepers used them to hone their reflexes. Silas had a modest assortment of them.

Silas folded his legs, leaving a space on the floor in front of him and placing the hand sack down in the middle of it. Giving the girl a brief glance, he set to spelling the palm-sized object until it had become a squishy cushion large enough to comfortably hold Cordelia and her entourage. It was even "buh-lew like the sky" in color. Settling it into the corner, he patted it with his hand, inviting the child to sit on it.

"How's this? It should much squishier than the floor."

As if a mirror, Cordelia's smile seemed to widen in response to Silas's own. There was something in the verification there. Her level of trust was slowly building in the man across from her and his fiancée - her own aunt - as well. The first evidence of that had been in the mere fact that he had been allowed into her hiding spot at all - and now it was being exhibited in her response to his approval. The smiling expression spoke louder than most words could to the small girl, and she felt secured in the approval that it gave. If Silas was smiling than it must be alright for her to do so as well.

"Flora haded a lot o' things." Cordelia had been quite taken with the older woman in the time that she had spent with her, and quite overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that she had been shown. Always on the run it seemed with her mother, they didn't keep a lot of things around - waiting to run if needed - and at the orphanage she had her few outfits and Bubba. Flora had been the first instance in which Cordelia had encountered the realization that someone could in fact own all those things. Although awed, she couldn't quite figure out all the use for each and everyone of them. "Why she have so many?" Her little head turned to the side, and her blue eyes showed the curiosity that she had felt at that time, but hadn't bothered to voice. She wasn't sure if Flora would answer properly, wanted to. Silas seemed to always answer what she asked in a satisfying manner.

The curiosity remained in her eyes though it switched the direction that it was going in, as she watched the man go about his work. Once the cushion was placed on the ground she leaned forward to poke the object experimentally, causing Ebony to let out a disgruntled mew at the disruption this made. Petting the kitten in apology, Cordelia glanced back up at the man for a moment before sliding across the ground and plopping on top of it. Wiggling around, her little face solemn as she took the job of testing the object very seriously.

"Lots of squishy." She finally said, a little grin breaking across the serious expression and she bounced on the item, the action causing her to let out a tiny giggle.