"Being here without you is like I'm waking up to only half a blue sky, kinda there but not quite."

Was there even a word for how she felt at the moment? Mairen wasn't sure at all. It seemed impossible, really, to qualify the feeling as anything tangible or fitting for the vocabulary she could grasp at. But if she had to pick something, she supposed 'giddy' would do the trick, considering she couldn't really bring to mind many of the more impressive words. After all, he was distracting in a way she had not anticipated, so any and all language she thought she owned had been taken from her. Perhaps she was becoming mute again and just didn't realize it.

Thankfully, that was not the case, of course. Regardless, she could admit to feeling giddy, particularly when he tried to hide the new... could she call it a development? - It was a change, if nothing else - from his daughter. She smiled into the kiss, making it slightly difficult but utterly wonderful at the same time. All good things had to end, though, she mused. So when he did lean back to appease the little girl sat beside them, Mai laughed, the sound somehow running through her even after it had escaped. It warmed the cold, frightened parts that had felt so lost, and any anxiety she had within her about what she would do upon seeing Scorpius at work on Monday was stolen from her. There was only them. There was only this. Everything else could be worried after later, when they mattered again because the trio were no longer wrapped up in their own world. The walls of Theodore's house could not protect them from the outside world forever, but she was grateful for the chance to hide out. They were not a city upon a hill, but instead a little group who was able to take time in an alcove or a copse of trees - cut off from the eyes of people who would judge them. Like Scorpius, or like Theodore's family undoubtedly would, she assumed.

Her eyebrow lifted at the comment about the temperature of her tea, something resembling a smirk peeking out as she glanced down at her cup. "I'd say it is, yeah," she murmured, somehow tempted to laugh again.

As usual, she didn't actually have a preference in regards to breakfast, so she just shrugged one shoulder and took a sip from the teacup. Holding it carefully as Esme bounced off of the bed and out of the room, Mairen turned her head to watch the dark head of hair leave. Upon turning back, of course, her lips parted in surprise as Theodore reached for the hem of the shirt she had borrowed from him out of necessity. Her torso lifted instinctively, as though it would flatten out what small belly she had. Of course, she didn't really have reason to worry, if his words were any indication.

"Only this morning?" she asked, her tone a mix of teasing and threatening. Her sarcasm fell away, though, when his gaze caught and held hers. Her insides melted, combining together in a weird, scrambled, fuzzy mess of feelings that she didn't completely understand. She had never felt that need to squirm before. Not just because of a look, at least.

A hum of appreciation rumbled from her throat as she fought to keep the teacup steady, her free hand curling around his neck. Mai's fingers toyed with his hair until a voice called and drew her attention - and her gaze - to the doorway once more. Why wasn't Esme reacting? Mairen couldn't help but feel strange about it. From experience, she assumed that children innately thought grown-ups were a bit icky. Particularly when one or both of them were related to the child in question. Maybe she approves, a little voice suggested in Mairen's ear, making her cheeks color in surprise.

Hopefully, if whatever they had - which, frankly, Mai was still thoroughly confused about - became real, Esme wouldn't object to her father making room for another girl in his heart. After all, hearts don't fill up. They just grow to fit the new loves in a person's life. But if the guilt she had felt earlier meant anything, Mairen would certainly be the type to avoid stealing all of Theodore's time, no matter her feelings. Nothing was more important to him than his relationship with his daughter, and nothing should have been.

"I'll be down in a bit," she promised, her hand trailing down his arm as he took off to fill Esme's requests for breakfast. Setting a warming charm on her cup, Mai bounded out of bed, feeling quite lively on feet after the rather pleasant start to her morning.

So it was off to the shower that she went, taking a bit longer than she usually would have once her mind started wandering, imagining oddly domestic situations she would have been embarrassed to explain to Theodore. Shaking that away, Mairen dried her hair and donned a dress - but decided to forgo the tights this time, since those had not really been helpful the day before. Not that she was expecting anything, obviously. But... still. She didn't want to have to shop for more of them, either way. She also ignored her shoes, heading downstairs to the kitchen and living room area.

“Well, we’ll have to see about tomorrow, won’t we?” Came Theodore’s easy reply, coupled with a devilish smirk.

It was then that the Headmaster was back on his preferred duty – that of a father. Cuddling his daughter close to him, he hopped down the stairs with an uncharacteristic spring in his step which would have garnered a wry look from any number of his friends, even those who he hadn’t spoken to in years. Theodore was, relatively speaking, an open book. It would’ve been simple to tell what had made him happy that morning.

His daughter hadn’t quite honed her Rookwood intuitiveness yet – and for that he was more than glad – so she was just content to be with him while his good mood held. It was, after all, a rarity these days and the black mood of her father always made her wonder once more after her mother and, as she had done since she was big enough to consider that there were meant to be two parents, she put them together in her mind and wondered if they would work still. Cressida was getting fuzzier and fuzzier in the little girl’s mind, though, and instead, Mai slotted in as the missing jigsaw piece quite nicely – well, at least in her mind she did.

“You’ve got such a serious face on,” Theodore’s Irish lilt teased at her. Esme’s eyes flicked up to her father’s face and she smiled shyly at him, drawing a broader quickening of the lips from her father. “You are beautiful, little one,” Theodore murmured, pressing his lips to her temple. Despite herself, Esme couldn’t help but giggle and she buried her face into his chest, her arms coming up around his neck at the same time.

When Theodore re-entered the kitchen, he sat his baby down on the sofa and wrapped a blanket around her, watching with a soft smile as she snuggled into the cushions at what was typically seen as his end – if only by the virtue of him inhabiting it more often while he read. He pressed his lips to her forehead and rose back up to his full height from his crouch before wandering around the kitchen island and to the fridge where he took out eggs, bacon and all of the other staples. He also grabbed some potatoes out of the pantry and then set to work.

It didn’t take long before some sort of movie was playing in the background. If it was one thing that Esme had no desire to give up upon leaving her mother’s then it was her movies. Theodore had no idea what this one was, in truth, but he did spent a hearty amount of time watching it between a cup of coffee, remembering only at Esme’s shout that he owed her some milk – which he duly gave her. She had about as much attention-span as her father, however, and soon enough trailed back over, pulling at Theodore’s jeans in order to get him to lift her up. He did as his baby behest him and soon enough she was presiding over breakfast, too.

“Hash brown?” He offered, lifting up one of the ones he had cooling under a warming charm to keep them from going stone cold. She thanked him and eagerly nibbled on it while watching her father get the bacon and eggs sorted, marvelling not for the first time at the way he could multi-task, though remembering that it was because – as he’d told her before – that he was used to turning out breakfast for dozens of people so three was a walk in the park, really.

Theodore released the utensil he was prodding at the eggs with and once Esme had finished her hash brown he took up her hand and rattled off a nonsensical tune that vaguely matched the waltz steps he was moving into. It was something he felt he could have probably done while still crawling. He didn’t learn to walk, he learned to dance like all good Rookwoods. As it was, Esme had broken the mould in their family in so many ways – not least because she couldn’t dance a step. Theodore rather liked it that way, too, if only it because it meant she was further removed from his dotty family.

“Daddy!” She exclaimed through giggles, trying to warn him. To no avail as he bumped into the island mid-turn and winced a little as his hip clanged inside of him petulantly. He danced on with her all of the same, continuing to sound off a tune that was so wildly far from being in tune that at one point Esme covered her ears and left Theodore to merely spin with her, rather than really dance. “You’re rubbish,” she admonished, smacking his shoulder playfully.

“You’re such a critic for someone so small,” he replied, taking her hand before ending it semi-customarily … well, whatever it was, he dipped her.

And breakfast was ready.

A gentle, wistful smile grew as Mairen turned and caught sight of Theodore twirling his daughter about the kitchen. A strange feeling overcame her, along with an image of an older, perhaps a bit grayer, Theodore spinning Esme, who would then be perhaps a teenager. Would he still do this when she was grown? Mairen desperately hoped so, if only because it was so endearing and so... Romantic wasn't the right word. But something along those lines. She couldn't decide what word she liked better.

Regardless, it was the most charming thing she had ever seen, and was likely to remain in that spot until someone she loved did the same for her own child. Granted, Esme was something of a daughter for the redhead after living with the Rookwoods for nearing two months. Perhaps that was a short amount of time, but Mai didn't care. These two were incredibly easy to love. She just couldn't help it.

A jolt hit her as she considered that last thought again. To love? She supposed that depended on how strongly one defined that word. Then again, she wasn't unsure that every version of the verb could be true. Eventually, why couldn't it be? He was everything, somehow, yet she wasn't qualified to say so. Not by then. Despite having known of him before, Theodore had never been someone she spent time considering or worrying after.

Not until moving in, walking down the hall, and realizing that he would be there. Not until he had walked in, shirtless, and she couldn't breathe. And not until he had given her his warmest, most awe-inspiring smile that very morning, sending her thoughts whirling and her heart racing in a crazy, desperate rhythm she didn't understand. It was somehow new and familiar at once, and the guilt she felt about her problems with Scorpius returned with a vengeance. She had left the ring, she reminded herself. This wasn't cheating, this wasn't using Theodore. It was... Well, she decided that labeling it as "the maybe-start of something wonderful" was good enough. And open enough so that, once Theodore changed his mood or his mind - since she wasn't sure exactly what his thoughts were on all of this - she wouldn't be so thoroughly crushed. Or, well. She would be. But she would be able to pretend otherwise. Maybe.

Probably not.

She didn't want him to change his mind, Mairen realized. She didn't want Theodore to not want her, as selfish as that was. Maybe he really could be everything, she decided, leaning on the door frame. A broad grin appeared at Esme's scolding, and she stepped forward, reaching a hand out to stop him. She called her wand to her, and conjured up a song that was vastly more in tune. Mai wasn't sure if he had been joking in singing so poorly, but she started humming along to the new tune, gesturing for them to start again as she wandered to a cabinet to pull out a glass. Into that, she intended to pour a serving of juice so that she could turn round and watch them again.

Times like these, when Theodore was effortlessly happy and utterly in love with his child, were times when the young man had a little bit of regret within him in regards to her. When she was older, she’d ask after her mother and eventually Theodore would have to own up to the fact that he hadn’t been a father to her until fatherhood had been forced upon him. He could already imagine the horror on her little face and the unadulterated anger that would follow. He’d let her down through his own folly. He lived in hope that he could make it better, though, and that when the time came she’d forgive him more easily.

He lifted his baby up and stood her on the kitchen island. She giggled and looked about herself, feeling like the queen of the castle. He would have made her queen of any land, too, if she desired it. He was a slave to the desires of his daughter – a man completely lost on the completion a child brought into his life. He had been searching for something, some sort of purpose, and like many Rookwoods before him he’d looked to his career and the modicum of pleasure pureblood women brought. He knew the latter wouldn’t work. That was a no brainer. What amazed him was that all along, it had been something he’d before shied away from: it was a family of his own.

“Stay there, beautiful,” he murmured before gliding round to grab after Mai. “And you, gorgeous,” he uttered in her ear as he brought her into his arms. “Dance with me,” he murmured. Esme laughed and sat herself down on the island as her father dragged Mai into a little bit more space so he could try leading with someone who was a little bit more proportioned when it came to following the steps. He’d have to wait until Esme was a bit taller in order for it to work properly but for now, Mai would most certainly do.

He took her around the kitchen a few times before hanging one arm around her waist and pausing to pick up Esme. He cradled her in their collective embraces and though it was a little bit awkward, Theodore managed to take both of his girls around the kitchen until the music died away. Then, the Slytherin dropped a kiss to his daughter’s forehead and popped another on that of his … well, that was up to some debate but he supposed that he could mentally call her ‘his Mai.’ Then he left his baby in Mai’s arms and moved to retrieve breakfast which he found was, to his delight, finished.

Bacon, eggs, toast, some beans and hash browns found plates and Theodore tickled magic over them to get them over to the dining table. He then made fresh cups of tea for himself and Mai and poured out some more juice before joining the girls at the table. He kissed the top of Mai’s head and reached to ruffle Esme’s hair before dropping himself contentedly into his chair, picking up his fork with his right hand.

“What do you want to do today, then?” He addressed his baby, who, in between mouthfuls of hash browns, shrugged. “Glad to know you’re helpful then,” he shook his head and glanced to Mai. “What’s on your agenda?”

"Theo!" she gasped, her cheeks coloring up as she set the glass down. "I can't!"

Still, she beamed at him, pressing her forehead against his jaw before placing a kiss along the column of his neck. And after her initial protestations in regards to his pulling her into a dance, Mairen realized that, despite her lack of any real dancing ability, she didn't want it to end. So as the weeks passed and no question came from his lips regarding what they had really become, Mai decided that she was more interested in just living rather than thinking too much about what was right or what was there between them.

It was with a start that she woke, a bizarre roiling in her stomach making Mai wonder if she hadn't been having a nightmare and forgotten. For a moment, she was able to settle, realizing that Theodore had moved her again. A shy smile appeared, although he couldn't have seen it given how heavily he slept. Upon opening her eyes, Mai frowned. The feeling hadn't truly gone away, and she was starting to get seriously concerned. Where she would have attempted to wake him with kisses or... whatever else, she couldn't manage it.

A sudden, desperate need to make her way to the bathroom forced Mai out of bed, though she did try not to mess about the sheets too badly, considering Theodore would still want to keep warm. The idea of breakfast was completely thrown out the window as the discomfort got the better of her, and sent the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Was this what overly-trashed drunks felt like? It was terrible! Confusion tore through her, and it wasn't long before tears streaked her cheeks.

Mai batted them away angrily, quite unsure why the stupid things had shown up at all. Sinking properly onto the floor, she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face in the semi-circle it created, releasing a whimper. What horrible timing for her to get sick. Things had been going so well with Theo, and with Esme, and now she was a mess. She just wanted a simple weekend with the both of them, maybe a bit of time by the fire or playing a game with Esme in front of it, if it suited them. She wanted to be allowed a moment or two in order to merely feel that she would be safe, and Esme would be contented, and that Theodore could relax and let the worry lines disappear more often than just when he knew one of the girls were watching.

Embarrassment licked up her neck as she realized Theodore would see her in that less-than-desirable state, so she turned away from the doorway, giving out another whine as she curled in on herself all the more.

It wasn't that he'd awoken with a start, though it would have been far more romantic, but rather that his awakening was part of a much more unconscious realisation that he was alone and it was though, in being alone, sleep was no longer an option. He woke gradually but when his eyes opened and his hands reached out in search of the form of warmth that should have been beside him, only to find nothing, a deep pang of fear set into his heart and it was then that he did start. So, perhaps indeed it would be accurate to claim that the young Rookwood had awoken in unceremonious circumstances, or indeed with a start, such was the way he mourned the loss of his lover by his side.

Reaching over for his glasses with a blind hand, the dark-haired man rolled over and pushed them onto his face long enough to read the glowing numbers on the clock by his beside. With a soft groan, Theodore threw off the heavy-rimmed spectacles and cursed under his breath at the clanging plastic sound they made when they hit the tabletop. He lifted his hand and drew his fingers through his hair, pulling at the roots to rouse some life in his body. Unwittingly in doing so, he only served to muss his already uncontrollable bed head which he spent many of his waking hours trying to tame. The man looked around and turned over onto his belly. He crawled over to Mai's side, registering the warmth of the sheets, and peered over the lip of the bed to check he hadn't lost her down the side. There was a pair of her shoes and one of his ties poking out from underneath but no Mai. In a funny sort of way, Theodore was quite glad about that but it meant that he'd have to get up and under no circumstances were Rookwood men morning people - not, he thought miserably, that this counted as morning. This hour, he'd long decided, was a form of purgatory that the Church had forgotten to preach about.

Theodore half fell out of bed. Only half, though, because he quickly found his feet. He stumbled a bit over the sheets that had pooled on the floor at the end of the bed but by the time he reached the bedroom door he was walking more naturally. There, he paused. He had two guesses as to where Mai had wandered off to and given that he highly doubted Esme was either up or had a bad dream that night, Theodore was left with only one other option: the bathroom. He was going on this because he hadn't heard the flick of the kettle downstairs, nor could he see any evidence of lights being on there, either. The bathroom, however, had its little light on so that was where Theodore was guessing she was. It wasn't such a hard thing to find out, mind, but he felt a little bit triumphant.

The man retreated back inside and pulled on a t-shirt before grabbing a glass off of the side which had once had milk in it. He'd been drinking that in between reading his book once he'd come home that evening, having fetched Mai and brought her back to bed with him. Now, he figured it might come in use. He avoided the squeaky floorboards like the plague, not wanting to wake Esme, and arrived outside of the bathroom door just as his bravery evaporated. He squared his shoulders, pursed his lips, and summoned any bit of Gryffindor he had in him and pressed his hand against the door, tempting it open tentatively, not wanting to spook her. The bathroom was revealed bit by bit and it didn't take long for Theo's tender blue eyes to find the curled up little bundle of Mai. He opened his mouth as a silent gasp parted his lips and he felt his heart tighten within his chest as another pang of fear lashed through him.

In his initial ministrations, Theodore was quite robotic as he was willing himself to stay calm. He rinsed his glass and re-filled it and only once he had a something to give her did he relax a little bit and he lowered himself to the floor. He felt his stoic expression curl into one of more obvious concern but he wasn't as mad with worry as the rising heartbeat within him suggested. He took a few coaxing breaths for his own benefit and drew in close to Mai's back, parting his legs so that they were either side of her body. He drew one arm carefully around her and leaned down to press his lips to her shoulder before stretching to set the water down beside her.

"Drink," he murmured in her ear, drawing her hair back from her face with gentle fingers. He didn't like how pale she looked but moreover he didn't like the way she was collapsing into herself as though she was willing the tiles to swallow her whole. He brought one hand down to rest on her leg and he began to rub across her skin, hoping to make her feel at least somewhat reassured. "I've got you, babe. Alright?" He lifted his fingers up through the front of her hair to get some air to her face and he lifted up the water for her to take. "Do you want any painkillers or something?"

The opening of the door drew Mairen's attention enough for her to glance over her shoulder and catch sight of Theodore standing there. Shame colored her cheeks, shockingly red in comparison to her drained complexion. Although it wasn't as though she knew the reasoning behind her feeling ill, she couldn't claim that the embarrassment she felt was entirely or properly founded. It was more due to the fact that she rarely, if ever, came down with anything, and had probably never been less put-together in front of him. Barring, perhaps, that initial part of her drunk evening. The ending, obviously, hadn't been half bad. But, she would still attest to the fact that the image of her that morning was far worse.

When he sat with her, Mai relaxed her frame and essentially accepted defeat. She turned her head towards him as he spoke, and her eyes met his, the typically fitting pale irises merely making her seem that much more apparitional. In a way, she felt it, too. The irony was not lost on her, of course, considering she would not have been one to condone such a volatile reaction from herself in many other cases. She didn't really do the crying thing, usually. But she hadn't really been the self that she was used to since she met Theodore.

She had been far more argumentative, more impatient, and arguably more annoying before Scorpius had left and Theodore had stepped in. To be fair, she was still a bit of a nuisance at work to those who disagreed with her. But that was a different story, she supposed. Since moving in with him, she had somehow mellowed, and Mairen had no doubt that it came from finally seeing what a family could be. Not hers, obviously, but a differently family - the one she had more or less fallen into being a part of. She didn't exactly want to extract herself from it, either. She just had no idea how very involved she was going to find herself.

Taking the glass from him, she shook her head a little to decline his offer. "It doesn't... hurt exactly," she attempted after drawing a sip of the water. "I just don't feel right. I- I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so weird about this. It just never happens, really. I don't understand," she complained quietly, her gaze falling to the tiles next to them as though the floor could have some sort of answer for her.

One hand unfurled its fingers from around the cup then lifted to whisk away any remaining tears from her skin. They didn't deserve to be there, in her opinion. This was just a rough day, not the end of the world, right? Stress ran through her shoulders, causing her body to stiffen abruptly, as another wave of nausea crashed within her. She lifted the glass to drink from it again, hoping to reject the feeling, and dropped her free hand to grasp the one of Theo's that was wrapped around her. So maybe it wasn't just an odd morning. She doubted it was food poisoning - or wanted to, anyway, considering she had made dinner for herself and Esme the night before.

A gasp escaped and she shifted in his embrace so she could look at him more properly. "Is Esme alright? If this a food thing, she might be unwell, too. Theo, you've got to go check."


(I left you a link on Skype. Not a "funny" exactly, but I found it amusing.    Break time over. <3 )

The most awful thing in the world was seeing someone you loved cry. Theodore wanted to steal the tears from Mairen’s cheeks and offer them back to her eyes where they belonged. He hugged her closer to him instinctively, and lifted his head to press his lips to her forehead. His fingers on one hand began to draw up and down her arm while the others opposite were beginning to tickle over her belly over her shirt. He was at a loss as to how to make her feel better if it was just a case of not feeling right and not anything palpable or directly fixable. That said, weirdness was probably curable with good food, a lazy day and cuddles – all of which, between himself and his daughter, could be provided.

“Don’t apologise,” he replied, his voice firm. “It’s not your fault, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

What Theodore wanted in that moment was to get Mai off of the cold tiles. Above everything else, he didn’t want her to catch a chill on top of whatever she already had so regardless of any protestations she gave he got to his feet, albeit into a crouch, and picked her up. He did so with all of the care in the world and cuddled her to him, one hand reaching down to rub at her poor, frozen feet before carefully picking his way back towards their room. It was much warmer in there and he gently set her back down on the bed, drawing the sheets loosely over her legs. One hand fell to her cheek and he curled a few stray locks of hair behind her ear before raising his brows, registering what she’d said before.

“You know that little wriggle monster isn’t going to just accept me asking her if she feels okay,” he pointed out, inclining his head to kiss her forehead again before getting up to acquiesce with Mai’s request.

Esme’s feelings on the odd sort of non-relationship-relationship he had going on were overwhelmingly positive on the quiet. If possible she’d gotten even warmer towards Mai as though she was trying to convince Theodore that making Mai a permanent part of the family should have been on his to-do list. It also probably came out of the fact that he was increasingly working late and thus the girls were, more often than not, together on their own. It had worried Theodore at first, if only because he wasn’t sure what message he was sending his daughter, but now, in a distinctly happier mood generally than he had been in months, he was willing to go completely with the flow and his baby wasn’t unlike him in that regard.

As quietly as possible, Theodore opened her bedroom door and poked his head around it. He found his baby in bed, sound asleep and he felt a little smile take hold of him. He moved her as well, gently scooping her up into his arms with her lion and some of her blankets. He cradled her close to him and she buried her face in the crook of his neck as she shifted to get comfortable in his arms. Then just as before he returned to the other room and set himself down on the bed, laying down against the pillows with his little one who he doubted even an earthquake would wake yet. So possibly the wriggle monster wasn’t to blame but daddy was just a little bit clingier than first thought. Either way, just having her in his arms was a blessing in itself.

“See she’s fine,” he murmured, smiling at Mai. “I’ll make you some soup,” he added over a yawn, extending his hand towards her while the other came to stifle the said yawn. “And some crusty bread,” he added, forcing his eyes to blink wider, “and we’ll get you better again, eh? Because you’re definitely not yourself. Would it be worth my Weasley coming to check on you or shall we ride it out and see what happens? Whatever you want. I’ll do it.”

Gripping onto the class with everything in her, Mai didn't argue so much as pout at him when he decided it was time to move her. Granted, she didn't feel like she was going to be sick - in that sense, at least - again, so she had no reason to complain, really. Had she been feeling less awful, and less ridiculous, she probably would have offered him a kiss for his efforts, or made some comment about his strength to distract him while she tried to hide her blush. As it were, she didn't manage a blush exactly, instead turning her forehead into his neck and trying to keep the cup upright as he walked.

Mairen was a bit unsure about the idea of bringing Esme back into the room with her - particularly if the little girl was feeling well and Mai herself was not. It wasn't fair, she felt, to subject his daughter to whatever had so thoroughly done her in. But at the same time, she was glad to see that Esme was still sleeping soundly. When they returned, it was to a redhead peeking at the door from under her hair, taking sips from the glass intermittently. The urge to scoot away when Esme was lowered onto the bed was present, but she didn't want to upset anything more than she already had, so she kept still and just listened.

"Isn't it kind of early for soup...?" She asked, not fully against the idea but a bit surprised that it had been suggested at all. Besides, she felt bad that Theodore would have to, more or less, get to work straight out of the gate. His daughter wasn't even alert enough to request breakfast, and although Mai tended towards preferring mornings - hence her typically having fallen asleep by the time he got home - she knew that neither of her companions were of the same mentality. It didn't feel right to expect anything from them when she was the one who had gotten ill in the first place.

Her dilemma over the food situation was pushed to the side when he mentioned 'his Weasley.' Who was that? A friend from school, maybe? Mairen didn't like hearing Theodore say she didn't seem like herself, but had to concede that he was probably right. But then, he was also seeing, in part, the Mai who had grown up without either parent on her side. The one that avoided accepting help, or needing anybody. So that probably didn't help, either.

"Umm, if they have time, maybe? If not, you know.. I'm sure it will go away eventually," she replied gently, though fully aware that speaking at any sort of normal level would probably not wake the little one settled next to her. Looking down, Mairen's gaze locked on their hands - clasped, now that she had settled hers in his outstretched one. Something in her registered how... normal the whole situation, the whole room felt. Ill or not, she wasn't oblivious to the implications that could stem from her being in his bed, or those which could come from Esme being there with them. Whoever Theodore's physician was, Mai just hoped she wouldn't have to do any explaining.

Merlin, was she in for an interesting day.

When he finally opened the front door, having fumbled for a moment with the bolts and the like, Theodore found on his doorstep an irate, slightly hung-over but no less impeccably dressed blonde. He was pulling on a t-shirt himself, only having just come out of the shower, and he managed a shy smile for the matron, not particularly used to seeing her in something other than her uniform. She flashed a happy smile, one which didn't quite reach her eyes. He'd always notice that about her. While many were distracted by her maddening good looks, which he couldn't blame them for, what had always intrigued the former Slytherin was how sad her eyes looked. He had wondered for just as long what had caused it but he'd never built up the courage to ask and today wasn't going to be the day, either.

"Headmaster, I hope you know that I wasn't going to get up for at least another three hours," she told him tersely as he stood aside, opening the door wider so she could come in and he could only do but smile cheekily at her, running his fingers through his hair in the hope to flatten his hair but a blue eye flicked in his direction and the twitch of a pair of soft pink lips told him that the likelihood of that happening was minimal.

"Theo, here," he encouraged her. "This is my home. I'm not headmaster now."

"Then this is a favour for a friend or an employer?" Victoire asked silkily, her lips lifting into a sly smile as she unbuttoned her soft pink coat and slid it off. Theodore stepped forward to take it from her and she offered him her scarf and gloves, watching as he hung it up and set the latter pieces on the hall table.

"Friend," Theodore decided, turning back to her. "My, uh, my girlfriend," Theodore felt the title in his mouth for the first time and he found, to his surprise, that he liked it. "She's ill, food poisoning or something, and I wondered if you'd be able to--"

"Of course I can figure out what's wrong with her," Victoire replied with just a smidgen of both arrogance and irritation which, bizarrely, Theodore valued.

"I'll make you a cup of coffee, shall I love?" He offered, gesturing for her to follow him downstairs.

"Two sugars," Victoire replied, smirking at him as she followed.

Downstairs, Esme was on the sofa, cuddled into Mai's side. He'd left them with tea, which he'd thought would be alright. He'd been making the soup busily, trying to remember his old dry nurse's recipe. He didn't want to make it as fiery because it wasn't a cold but he did want it to be comforting and so in between checking that the bread was rising he'd been making that and he'd left his girls to their movie and the soup bubbling away long enough to grab a shower.

"Vic this is Mai, Mai this is Vic. Esme this is Vic. Vic this is my daughter Esme." Theodore darted over to check on the soup, lifting the lid to give it a stir before replacing it and turning round to see Esme lolloping over to him. She went to her cupboard and retrieved her box of guinea pig food. Theodore was always going to regret buying them but she was good about feeding them and he picked her up, calling over his shoulder that he'd be right back.

Victoire felt suddenly quite out of place when the man exited through the back door out into the garden. Left only with his girlfriend, now her patient, Victoire had no idea what she was supposed to do in terms of small talk. However, she could get to work and that alone was enough to do so she put her bag in her chair and got out a few things just for the sake of having something to do before coming to perch on the coffee table in front of the other witch.

"Alrighty then," she murmured optimistically, flashing Mai a comforting smile. "I'm going to sort you out so you'll be right as rain and ready to go again in no time. If you could take this for me," she held up a vial, "it's a diagnostic potion and it'll identify the problem area for us. What I'd like to do is explore your symptoms and try to see whether it's actually food poisoning like Theo said or something else, is that alright? Just go through them like a list. As quickly or as slowly as you like."