WHO: Betty Braithwaite & Jasper Williamson WHAT: Betty has questions WHEN: December 29th (backdated) WHERE: Jasper’s place WARNINGS: Kneazle
“Uh.” Jasper wasn’t sure who he was expecting at his door at this hour. But Betty Braithwaite wasn’t at the top of his list. The kneazle kitten, whom he had unaffectionately started naming Lucifer, made for the door. “Fuck. Get in,” he instructed and closed it quickly behind her before the wretched animal could escape. He wasn’t fond of it, but he but wasn’t a monster either — despite its origins, he couldn’t just abandon the stupid thing.
“What’s up, Betty B?” he asked casually. As though her best friend totally hadn’t failed to contact her for days.
The look she gave him was one of her harder glares but still didn't hide the relief in seeing him or the lingering concern. “Jasper,” hesitant while trying to be measured, glancing to the door he'd been in a hurry to close. He seemed relaxed enough and it gave her a moment of pause.
“I'm sorry, I just thought I could drop by —” her attention was diverted to the kitten, and she quickly dropped to her knees on instinct to stroke it. “I'm sure you're all just busy because it's Christmas and all, I just hadn't heard from Flick.” And she'd worried, but she didn't say that.
"Careful, Lestrange sent it," he warned Betty, ignoring the kitten's cuteness, and heading to the kitchen. "Coffee?"
Betty’s hand moved away from the kitten sharply, recoiling in horror. “As a present, or what?” Betty stood up and followed him. “Is she here?”
"Bellatrix Lestrange?" Jasper clarified. "Nah, I wouldn't be alive if she was, I bet."
He knew he wouldn't be able to keep up his smart-assery for too long, but busied himself with switching on the kettle and fishing a couple of clean mugs out of the cupboard. "Flick's abroad," he said simply. "We were getting threats, so… gave her money so she could bail." He didn't mention the muggleborn Felicity had insisted on taking with her, though.
Jasper was spared Betty’s withering look in exchange for his joke as she stood behind him and watched him with the kettle. She met his next words with silence, then softly clearing her throat.
She reached for the cupboard that she knew housed coffee, trying to help. “With Luca?”
“Yes,” he said simply. He didn’t have a joke for that, it was still a little too raw. “Sugar?”
Betty shook her head. “And you?”
“You know I couldn’t go.” He kept his back to her, throwing a lump into his own mug and finding another thing to busy himself with: putting the dishes away. Jasper Williamson was absolutely not the kind of person who put dishes away in the morning, yet… “Anyway. I’m sure they’re safe. Haven’t heard yet.”
She moved to help him again, biting back the worry. “Safer wherever than here.” A pause, she picked up a bowl to try assist him with clearing up. “You'll hear soon.”
“Maybe,” Jasper agreed hollowly. He turned around, finally ready to face her and was surprised to see that she wasn’t glaring at him anymore. “What if we made the wrong decision?”
Betty was often keen to see the positives in a situation, but reaching for some wild assumption of it'll work out didn't seem like it'd do Jasper’s concerns justice. Perhaps she was too much of a cynic now, but that didn't seem genuine either. She met his eyes. “I don't know if there's a right decision, just the best you can do for all three of you.” And then, “Are you going to be okay? I know that's stupid to ask, but, you know.”
He nodded. After all, what other response was there? “Coffee up,” he said instead, just as the kettle whistled.