Romy climbed the steps to White Chapel, a bouquet of flowers in one hand. It was a peace offering of sorts for the trick played on her sister. She didn't really think Gwen required a gift, but she wanted to offer one just the same. This wouldn't be the last time Joscelin would pull such a thing, no doubt, but it was the first time Romy was involved. She was still getting used to the dynamics of her new family and her place in it.

Pressing the bell, she waited, trying not to feel too conspicuous.

Startled by a deep chime, Regan glanced about her room for its source. Looking to Teddy, his head cocked in alarm, one floppy ear raised high, she shrugged and slid from the nest of pillows in which she'd been reading a rather dry history article, padding in her stockings to the landing and peering down, still puzzled.

"Who rings the bell?" she asked aloud, ruffling the collie's head as his tail wagged. It certainly wasn't Gwen, or her pet Auror, she thought sourly, starting her descent. She supposed it might be Joscelin or Bishop, but either of them was as likely just to pop into the foyer as anything. Still pondering as she reached the bottom stair, she patted her jumper pocket to check for her wand, then bid Teddy 'sit', and opened the door.

Realizing after a moment that it was rude to frown when greeting someone, Regan stepped back to motion Romilda inside, confused to see Joscelin's wife in Leeds. "Good evening, Miss V-" She shook her head, the habitual name incorrect, though she'd not had much practice with the new one. "Mrs. Jones. Do come in. Have you come to see Gwen?"

The slight down turn to Regan's lips when she'd recognized who was calling hadn't escaped Romy's notice and she was sorry her presence was the cause of such a reaction. Just the same, the voicing of her new title made her own smile brighten as she stepped inside the large home. "Thank you. I did drop by to see Gwen, but I'm glad for the chance to see you as well. It's been a long time since we've seen one another; I'm sorry I haven't made it a higher priority. There isn't any real excuse I can offer, but I am glad to see you looking so well."

Brow furrowing at the quick patter of Romy's words, her brain feeling sluggish and disorganized after most of a day spent alternately reading and napping, Regan nodded slowly and tried to pull together an appropriate response. "She... she isn't here, and I can't say whether she will be, or when, but... if you'd like tea, I can make some."

She had no idea what she would say to Romy during tea, but it was polite to offer. "And thank you, I... I am indeed in better health than when last you saw me."

"Only if I'm not interrupting," Romy ventured. She wouldn't mind getting to know the young woman whose brother had been her friend a little better, but she didn't care to force her company on Regan. The confused frown at Romy's arrival and the tiredness that dragged her words both indicated her visit might be ill-timed at best and undesired at worst. "I just meant to drop off this bouquet for Gwen. I'd like to take tea with you very much, but if the time is inconvenient please don't feel obligated."

Regan shook her head, beckoning Romy to walk with her through the lower floor of the house to the kitchen. "I was studying, but I have been all day; it's no bother."

It took a few minutes of searching to unearth a suitably tall container for the flowers Romy had brought, and Regan set the kettle to heat, more used to the Muggle way of cooking she'd learned from Annie than to using magic for such things. She leaned against the end counter as Romy chose a spot at the little table, and seized on an obvious point of conversation.

"Gwen's birthday isn't until April, and I can't think of any other likely occasions this month... May I ask after the purpose of the flowers?"

Romy chuckled softly. "I suppose I'm sucking up a little. Joscelin played a bit of a trick on her and I went along with it, willingly of course. I don't really think she's put out with me over it, but it's still a new relationship and I'm hoping the flowers make it clear that I didn't intend any harm."

It was, perhaps, a bit of an overshare, but Romy was out of the habit of filtering the truth outside of work. It wasn't necessary with Joscelin and despite the newness of their acquaintance, Gwen was family. Regan was important to Gwen, so by extension, she was family as well.

She'd seen Gwen in passing in the evenings, and hadn't noticed any particular ire, but perhaps her sister had used her Gryffindor sibling for target practice and burned off enough of her anger for it not to show. "She's not seemed upset," Regan observed aloud, "but I imagine she'll appreciate the gesture all the same. They're very pretty."

Busying her hands with laying a tray for tea, she asked idly, "Joscelin is well, I hope? The singeing tends to wear off rather too quickly for it to do him any good, according to Gwen..."

"This time her wrath left him affected for several hours," Romy replied with a laugh, remembering the hazel eyes she loved staring out of the face of a beast of burden. "She turned him into the ass she calls him, and Bishop into a black sheep. I have a photograph of them on the mantle, should you ever care to see her handiwork. It was really something, though no, I don't expect it will change them in the slightest."

Regan blinked, her lips eventually turning up at the corners at the picture Romy described. "What on earth did they do to provoke her to it? I don't doubt it in the least, but it must have been something unusual, or else they caught her in a particularly odd mood..." The kettle shrieked, and she winced, grabbing it from the cooktop with a towel and warming the pot before preparing the tea.

She didn't quite trust herself with the tray, and levitated it to the table instead, settling it neatly between Romy's seat and the one she intended to take.

"Gwen inadvertently shared that she'd been keeping company with someone, but wouldn't tell Joscelin who. My husband isn't one to be put off when he wants to know something, so he invited Bishop and Tonks over and sent an urgent-sounding owl to Gwen, knowing she had plans that evening. We ambushed them with a dinner, though Joscelin and his brother ended up eating from bowls on the floor."

As soon as she'd finished speaking it occurred to Romy that Regan might not be as pleased to see Gwen moving forward in a new relationship as Joscelin was. At this time a year ago, there was every indication Tristan and Gwen were headed toward a future as husband and wife. They'd been very happily living as a family, with Regan at the center.

Romy still didn't know what had happened to change that, why Tristan had left or what had happened that led to Regan separating herself from him. She still missed her friend, but the absence of the stoic and rigidly proper broom-maker was surely felt most acutely by the sister he'd doted on.

Her expression softening, she gave Regan a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Regan. I wasn't thinking. It must be very hard for you to see Gwen with someone who isn't Tristan."

Her throat was already full of a metallic tang at the mention of Gwen's new lover, and Romy's placation echoed through the numbness filling Regan. Jaw clenched, her chest heaving with the urge to scream, to smash things and erase the hateful words, she stared at the woman before her with hard, empty eyes.

Not here. Romy had not earned the view inside her, and through her teeth Regan ground, "Excuse me," letting the cup she'd been holding clatter back to its saucer. She turned on her heel and stalked away, her socks silent on the marble, breaking into a run as soon as she was around the corner.

Back in the entryway, she smacked her palm against the unforgiving column, tears springing to her eyes at the impact. Not my hands, I need them. Shoving the sleeves of her jumper up her forearms, she dug her nails in and raked, gasping softly as she carved lines into her skin. The white-hot sting was soothing, in a way, bleeding off the storm inside her, and she made the other arm match, leaning against the cold surface of the column as she swallowed back her anger. Romy would not see her cry.

She covered her arms with their raised red furrows, pacing a moment to clear her face before walking calmly back to the dining nook. Deliberately ignoring the last words spoken, she picked up the cup poured in her absence and diluted it with milk, asking, "Are you still working for the Ministry, then?"

Romy was still reeling from the absolute fury in Regan's face before she'd excused herself. She'd done it again. The last two times she'd spoken to Tristan's sister, Romy had managed to send her fleeing from the room.

It wasn't how she wanted her interactions with Regan to go, she just didn't know what to do other than to be honest with the girl. It gnawed at her in the pit of her stomach that Tristan's fate was a mystery to her. The people she counted as friends were not many and she felt the loss of this one deeply. No one had bothered to tell her even where he was. No one considered that she cared about him, too. She'd not pressed for the information, knowing her loss was not as great as others', but that was no consolation.

Tristan mattered to her, and she'd mattered to him. It hurt that no one else acknowledged that she missed him, too. She did not deserve fury for being concerned. Her intentions were good, even if she wasn't skilled at expressing them.

For the time being, though, she'd do the only thing she could think of to keep from upsetting Regan further. "Thank you for the tea, Regan. I'm sorry I made it unpleasant for you. Please give my regards to Gwen." She rose to leave, her eyes shining with frustrated tears. This was not how she'd expected her visit to go. "I'll show myself out," she said with a nod, and headed for the door.

Watching Romy walk away, Regan tried to find words, the thing that she should say to fix it, but nothing came out. She heard the door click, and stared at the cup of tea in her hands for a moment before setting it back on the table. Drawing her legs up, she set her chin on her knees and tucked into herself, eyes intent on the table as the milk slowly separated from the tea in her cup.


Summary: Romy visits White Chapel with a peace offering for Gwen. Her unintentional visit with Regan doesn't go so well.