Of Stifled Courage and Fretting

Mairen was still shaking when Keiran arrived at her office. Of all the people to contact, she had chosen to get in touch with the man she had been hurting for about a year without his even knowing it. She could have brought an end to the questions about his father. At some point, he had let it go in favor of worrying about his family. But Mai had never felt that anxiety leave her, and now that she had decided to do something about it, she had only gotten herself into even more trouble. There was no more time to lose, though. It didn't matter what Ana did, she had told Keiran and now he was furious. When he finally slowed down to ask why she was fidgeting so badly, he reached for her hand, catching the thundering pulse in her wrist.

That was when she admitted that she couldn't be he lawyer. No one would stand for it. She had a conflict of interests. And she couldn't seem to stem the tears that came from her fear of his hating her as well as worry that something worse could have happened to her after Ana heard. She was stupid to entrust her investigation notes with Ms. Cabot's new intern. She had asked him to file them in her office as a quick favor, and he said he had said he didn't mind. It must have been him. No one else knew her intentions. Except for Ana, now, and Keiran. But the older woman absolutely knew. Otherwise she wouldn't have been stopped on her way back to the office after lunch, and wouldn't have been threatened and visibly bruised because of it.

Her first request from Keiran, even though she admitted that she didn't deserve it, was that he not tell Theodore until a decision had been made about what would happen to Ana. Something had to be done. But she didn't need to create yet another hurtle in the way of their happiness - hers and Theodore's. Somehow, and she still didn't understand it, he had run the gauntlet of her ridiculous life choices, her absurd situation, and come out smiling. She didn't deserve that, either.

But Keiran hadn't questioned it. Something in him could feel the guilt that was fraying her already wounded nerves, and he hadn't so much as frowned at her. Instead, Keiran had nodded and sent a letter to Kip, saying that he was in urgent need of someone who might defend the pair of them in a court case. It had to be kept quiet, and the person had to understand that they were walking into a case that wasn't going to be the most easy thing in the world. He also snuck in a comment about how worked up Mairen was about the whole of it. The sooner he could get there, or send someone there, the better.

Kip looked about the room in Ugly Pigeon, his friends all seeming to be at a loss. Kip could not help with the trial as he was going on a diplomatic mission with Yuri to America, where tensions were mounting unbeknownst to most of the wizarding world. But he really wanted to help out Keiran, a man that both he and his half sister had decided would be an amazing ally, if not an amazing friend, could they get him into their fold of trust. He knew his friends could help... if any of them happened to be free.

"Remy, really?"

Remy shook his head. "My dear aunt needs me in France. I doubt even you can dissuade her from demanding I come out to help review curriculum." He flicked his eyes skyward, before lounging backwards. "You're lucky you didn't get drafted."

Kip sighed, turning his eyes on Rory, who laughed. "No way," came the Scottish drawl. "You know I've had plans. I have Beerpalooza. I have to be there. It's my trade!"

Kip leaned back, rubbing his temples. "What am I going to do?"

He opened his eyes with an exhale, and met eyes with Yuri, who was looking with a bit of concern over Kip's shoulder. Kip turned around to see Kenna in the doorway, a manic smile on her face.

"I can do it."

And she took off. Kip and Yuri glanced between each other and then with Remy and Rory. And suddenly, all four men were chasing after Kenna.


Kenna had won. The fact that she had to fight her friends on the point of being competent enough to be a lawyer. None of them had law experience, real law experience, and had supposed they could do the job just find on merit and intelligence alone. She was, by far, the most moral and smartest of the group, even if she let them think they each were the supreme. But it was that trait alone that spoke the most to her skills.

She had borrowed a nice dress and pair of shoes from a regular. As a bartender, she didn't really have need for nice clothes, but she wanted to make a professional impression on... Mairen. That was who she was meeting with. Her friends and brother had tried to scare her off with the implications this case could have, but it only made her more eager to prove herself, her abilities, and her worth.

She strode towards the office, proudly flashing the visitor badge pinned to her dress at anyone who happened to look at her. She knocked on the door, before slipping inside. “Ms Tierney? Hi – I’m Kenna McBain, your attorney.”

It sounded cool to say. Even if it was fairly inaccurate.

Keiran had stepped out to pick up a coffee and to check to see if Avery had any potions that might calm Mairen down. But as he walked back down the hallway that led up to her office, he caught sight of a woman he didn't quite recognize as she knocked on Mai's door and entered. He sped up his pace, making it to the doorway as the redhead stood to greet Kenna.

"Hello," Mairen offered, standing and extending a hand almost hesitantly.

Deciding it was best not to surprise Kenna by showing up behind her, Keiran was lifting a hand to knock on the doorframe when Mairen turned her gaze on him and directed the other woman's attention towards him. "I'm not sure if you know Keiran?"

The professor let his hand fall to his side as he entered. If he had met Kenna before, he couldn't recall. Usually he just spent time with Kip during their poker nights, but did not see as much of the man's friends as perhaps Ben might. He, too, held out a hand and waited for Kenna to shake it before he closed the door and moved around the desk to stand next to the redhead.

"Here, Mai," he offered, handing over the coffee with the weak potion Avery had given him already mixed in. Then Keiran turned to look at Kenna and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't explain fully in the letter, but there was... an incident," he began, glancing subtly towards Mairen as she sipped from her cup. She looked up and he swiftly refocused his attention on the new arrival. "I'm sure you have heard of Mrs. Levski. We have a bit of a bone to pick with her. It turns out that, according to one of Mai's sources, Ana had my father murdered," he continued, a frown taking his features. It had been more than a year, but it didn't make it any easier. Particularly now that he knew he had been right all along.

Merlin, what would Millie say? He hadn't quite thought through was this would do to her or the kids - particularly the one on the way - before writing to Kip or agreeing to help Mairen. His anger was too present and Mairen was too worried. He had to say it, didn't he? "Mai would have taken the case herself, but.. Well, she's a bit worked up because, on her walk back from getting lunch, she was physically threatened."

Mairen lifted her hand from her slightly rounded stomach, passing her hand in front of her neck to do away with the concealment spell she had used to cover the bruise that came from having a wand pressed below her jaw. Something in her gaze had hardened, and it actually just managed to make Keiran all the more concerned. Stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets, Keiran let his gaze shift to Kenna, his expression a clear sign of his discomfort.

Mairen put an arm out to shake hands, and Kenna dove forward, holding her large satchel back as she shook hands with the woman who was giving her the opportunity to prove herself. The other redhead's eyes lifted and Kenna straightened up and turned, setting her eyes on a good-looking man near to Kip's age. She smiled and put out a hand, tipping her head. "Nice to meet you! Kenna McBain. I believe you were the one who contacted Kip." She turned to be able to take in the pair at the same time. "He wanted to help, as did our other friends, but it was just... bad timing."

She realized this might sound offensive, that it implied the problem wasn't worth their time. So she quickly amended with, "Bad timing on their part." Still didn't sound perfect. She needed to practice her political speaking. She smiled brightly, and said, "Fortunately, I'm here to help. They are going to help me construct a case and then I'll be there."

Keiran began to explain and Kenna focused her attention back on him. As he mentioned Ana Levski, she scoffed, a knowing look on her face. Levski had been a major topic of discussion in the Ugly Pigeon among her little group of philosophers. The scoff left her face rather quickly, however, when Keiran delivered the icing on the cake, just how horrible Levski was. Shock was apparent on her face, and she blinked, trying to find the words. But what words made up for something like that.

"I'm sorry," she said. He continued on and Mairen showed just how far things had gone. Kenna shook her head. "Basically, we're dealing with some serious shit here," Kenna said, her Scottish heritage very evident now. "These are cruel people. Cruel. We need to bring them to justice."

She wanted to be apart of that.

A confused expression crossed Keiran's face as Kenna tried to correct herself. In the end, the injured redhead was almost laughing. Nothing about their situation was normal, so she didn't understand why Kenna was trying to make it seem that way. Perhaps Kenna thought it would make things easier -- Mai couldn't fault her for that.

Mairen looked down at her cup while Kenna replied, realizing belatedly that she was not supposed to drink coffee while expecting. She shot a disapproving glare at Keiran, thinking that, really, he should have known better now that Millie was headed through her second pregnancy. He just rolled his eyes, though, and mouthed to her that it was de-caf. Mai frowned at him but turned her attention back to Kenna instead.

Mairen replaced the disillusionment spell to ensure that she wouldn't forget about it. She absolutely refused to let Theodore see it. Ironically, she thought about the Rookwood's arm. To be honest, she thought it gave her a bit of an excuse if he found out and became upset.

"That would be preferable," Keiran returned, nodding.

She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, so she frowned at him before cutting in. "Where do you want to start? I've got my old files on Ana if that's something that would be helpful."

[ooc: Not sure how much of this you want to go through? We could also try and start the actual thread/time jump this to the actual thread and go from there.]

((I'll just sort of need a list of everything I can write the trial))

Kenna felt awkward, but she wanted to chalk that all up to the fact that she was just new to this and that it would all feel more comfortable once she... what? Every step of this process was going to be new and it was going to be done with these two strangers. Besides consulting with her friends, there wasn't going to be any part that she felt certain she was doing the whole thing correctly.

It was a good thing her genius friends had always made her feel so inadequate and out of place. She had learned to deal with it so long ago that it would be easy to deal with those feelings again.

Kenna looked between them and decided she was going to make it at least look like she was comfortable with herself.

She sat at one of the chairs across from Mairen, putting her hands on the desk. "All of it. I want everything."

(gotcha!)

Keiran gave an account of coming back home - though he left out from where he had come - two days before Christmas to find that his father was dead in his lab. The proof had been found in Aiden's notes that he was trying to create a potion that would alter the ability of Ana's fertility spell to actually discern the truth. Keiran could have taken it to convince the Ministry that he was unable to have children, and would have been able to go on with his life. Now, with his kids and with Millie, that wasn't something he regretted being without. But there were some people who have been desperate for it, and Ana had ensured that it wasn't even an option. That was why, of course, Aiden had to go.

As for Mairen finding out, Keiran hadn't actually been given the whole story when she tried to admit it all to him. So he gestured that she should explain and sat back in his chair to see if he could properly understand it this time. She seemed to be feeling more calm, so he hoped it would make more sense, now.

"We had traced the magic of one of the men working for Ana. He said Ana sent him. Told us in exchange for a near-pardon. A hefty fine was meant to have been sent his way, if nothing else, but we never got to take the case through. I lost my voice, and Sc- ... and Malfoy left, but not before Ana found me and laid down a threat against my family, and against the Malfoys. Pretty sure she said she would go after the Hayes as well," she added, glancing towards Keiran.

He bristled without meaning to, wildly uncomfortable with the idea of Ana doing anything to his mother or his wife and children. Beyond that, of course, were the Rookwoods. But they seemed easily able to take care of themselves. Keiran found himself wishing she had said something earlier, if only because he knew Theodore would have helped them take her down. He believed that. At least until Mai opened her mouth to continue.

"I moved in with Theodore back in... November. End of November," she corrected with a slight nod, even as her cheeks colored. "I told him at Christmas, and I wanted to tell Keiran," she elaborated, apparently refusing to glance in his direction despite his obvious surprise, "but Theo felt it wasn't the right time. He didn't want anyone making a move they would regret - especially during the holidays. But now that things are changing - for me, and for Millie - it seems like there isn't a whole lot of time left to do something about it. I would have hated myself if I'd waited until after Millie's baby came, or after mine. I've been told that it takes courage to admit to fear. But I don't feel brave for having waited or giving Ana time to cover this up.

"When she stopped me today, I didn't even think to realize she might have heard I was looking into it again. Not until her wand was at my throat and I had to wonder what Theodore's reaction would be if I came back and looked hurt. Or if anything happened to- Well, I can admit that my life is the one I was less worried about. I don't think that was so unusual, though. Worrying after your child, I mean."

She glanced at Keiran and caught his expression. He felt sorry for her, to be sure, but he was also upset with the redhead and her man for keeping it from him now that they both knew.

"If nothing else, I've got memories I can pull to show them," she finished, turning her gaze to the desk in front of her and wrapping her arms around herself.

Kenna took it all in, desperately taking notes as the two explained it all, wanting to ensure she left nothing out. The plan was to take it home and begin her own research, sneaking into Yuri's home to make use of his massive library while he and Kip prepared to run off to America to do whatever it was that they were planning on doing. She would try her best to construct a case on her own, then run it through her brother, before bringing it to the others. She was most eager for Yuri to see her work, but also terrified for it. She didn't want him to think she was stupid.

She nodded, adding the last bit of punctuation. She let the words hang in the air, making sure she would not be trampling on any more information, which she was now hungry for, now that this seemed more real. She felt like a student who had just been told that finals were still on, suddenly realizing it was time to take her studies seriously.

"This is all great," she said, once again hating herself for her word choice. "Well, not great. It's horrible. Absolutely wretched. I just mean, it's good information. I can use this. And I'd appreciate the memories. Any evidence you have is all right by me. I'm going to win this case for you guys. I promise."

((We can go into the real thread now! Now that she's perfectly set up to fail. Poor thing XD))