& these are the reasons I think that you're ill [edith]

"I think..." she paused, not knowing what she actually was thinking. She looked up at him and nodded, taking in his words. "I think if you don't want specifics then I'll be done talking about it." It was enough that he had offered, she guessed, not sure if she actually wanted him to pry or not. At least the offer would probably be there whenever she did need -- or want -- to talk about it. But now it was going to feel good to get past all of it. A drink with a friend was going to be a welcome diversion from everything.

They started walking again and she couldn't help but laugh at his next question even though she was pretty sure he wasn't trying to be funny. "It's just on the next corner," she pointed in the direction they were walking. "I figured I kind of owed you a drink after all of this," the woman said with a shrug, hoping that giving him actual thanks once was enough for him. Now she got to show her appreciation in the way she was used to: free alcohol.

The pub was very nondescript on the outside, having one simple lit sign that said PUB above the smallish, red door. The inside of the pub wasn't anything to write home about either, but it was still one of Edith's favorite places. She was quite the regular here, to the point where they knew what she needed to drink before she had to ask. Edith nodded with a little wave to the man behind the bar before holding up two fingers and jabbing her other thumb back at Elias.

She ushered them to the least smoky of the corners, waving and nodding at some of the other regulars strewn about the dimly lit room. There was a television set in one corner, playing a football match that wasn't United, so Edith didn't feel the need to position herself to be able to watch it. No more than thirty seconds had passed since they sat at a small, roundish table, before they had their drinks. Edith's was in her hand in no time.

"Don't tell anyone about the whole crying thing or I'm revoking my friendship," she said, raising her glass to Elias. She was mostly joking, but she did also have a reputation for not having feelings and she wanted to retain that as much as possible. She smiled, remembering his manners, and added a quick "Prost," before taking a very large swig of beer.

"Please tell me you have something traumatic you can tell me about so I won't feel quite as lame as I do now." She grinned, shrugging her shoulders, "I'll also settle for something slightly embarrassing."

He nodded at her reply, telling himself that he needed to accept her answer. Edith was in a delicate state right now, he could see that, and if she wasn't ready to talk about what had happened, then they weren't going to talk about it. He gave her a side look as she laughed, sounding a bit hysterical still, but followed her dutifully to the unknown location. He shook his head at her suggestion of buying him drinks, but didn't argue for now. He would pick up the tab; he owed her that much after pushing her to the brink like that before.

The pub was smoky and and small, its muggle clientele clear from the lit sign outside and movie box in the corner. He didn't mind being in a muggle pub, especially if it meant that the chances of Edith hexing him were lower now. His claim earlier sounded sillier now that she had calmed down a bit. He followed her to the dim corner but slipped around her quickly to hold out the chair that she was aiming toward. The urge to take care of her was still strong and it wasn't until she was seated that he lowered himself onto the stool across from her. Their drinks came quickly, and he thanked the barkeep, but didn't lift his drink right away. He was too focused on the woman sitting across from him.

"Of course not," he replied immediately. Even if she hadn't asked, he felt sure he would be keeping the details of this evening to himself, out of respect for her privacy. He was here to be her friend, not to nose about and spread gossip. As she toasted, he lifted the mug and took a swig of the beer but immediately set the drink back down on the table. He was searching around for a subject, something to bring some normalcy to this evening, but Edith beat him to it.

At her request for a confession of his own, Elias' mind immediately jumped to what had been weighing on him over the past few months: the sudden announcement that his parents had made back in December. Why was he blushing? There was no reason to be embarrassed about it, no reason to worry what Edith would think about it all any more than anyone else. Besides, these were things that were so far in the future that it hardly mattered right now. It shouldn't affect him, really. It's not like he had been wrapped up in some great romance that he would now have to abandon.

"Well," he began slowly, unsure how to present the news as something casual but still satisfy her request. "My parents made a family announcement at Christmas, actually. I don't know if it really counts as traumatic, but it was a bit surprising, I suppose." He clutched his own pint and then raised it to his mouth for something to do, delaying the confession. No, not a confession, he reminded himself. It's nothing to hide. He set the heavy glass down and spoke a bit quicker than normal, his accent coming through a bit stronger in his distraction and looking over at the bar as if it was perfectly normal not to look his friend in the eye while talking to her. "They've found a girl for me. She's younger, a few years behind in school." The words sounded strange on his mouth, and he tried to remember if he'd actually told anyone this before. Sure, his siblings knew, but they had been there when his parents had surprised them all with the news.

He was being stupid about the whole thing. There was no reason for Edith to care; he shouldn't want her to care. He shouldn't be hoping that she would feel sad about it, that she would comfort him or object or try to help him get out of it. He should be feeling proud, not fighting back the urge to tell her it was all a joke.

Edith just smiled when Elias agreed he would let the whole crying situation just drop where it was and hopefully never, ever bring it up again. She was definitely feeling better about everything, even after not talking about it, but maybe that was because she was able to not talk about it with Elias, who was probably one of her better friends, considering the small number of them she was working with and the fact that she actually liked him. She had really no idea how emotions worked though, so it really could have been anything at this point.

He started with a very slow 'well', and Edith thought that some sort of incredible story was about to follow. She propped her elbows up on the table, resting her chin in one hand as she waited for him to get started on everything. His alcohol was clearly already getting to him as he was a bit red in the face, even noticeable in the dim light of the pub.

Ooh there was a family announcement at Christmas, this was already sounding promising. If it was anything like her family Christmas, then his parents were drunk way way before the pudding and were reciting Shakespeare while trying to practice various foreign accents. Still, something told her that his Christmas was probably a little more somber occasion, considering that her own parents were a couple of whack jobs. Edith was thinking through various scenarios, thrilled to finally have something else to focus on rather than wallow in her own self pity. His parents were getting divorced, someone was having a baby, they were getting a puppy, all scenarios except the one that he actually said.

They found a girl. And she was younger. Well, that was vague, Elias. What did that even mean? The confusion and shock showed on the woman's face, her mouth open as she tried to process what exactly he had just said. "Like..." she furrowed her brow in thought. "Like, to marry?" Edith scrunched up her nose, hardly believing she was even old enough to start even considering the idea of getting married, let alone old enough at whatever vague age this girl was. "That's gross, man," she said before taking a large gulp of beer. "Where'd they find her? A catalogue?" It was such a weird way to say what he had said, 'they found a girl'.

"And you said yes?" Edith raised one eyebrow, trying to figure out what he was talking about and feeling and wanting to make of the whole situation but this was all very foreign territory for her.

Edith seemed like she was really looking forward to hearing the juicy family gossip that Elias had to reveal, but the look of surprise on her face at the limited information he had offered told him that she had not been expecting that. He looked down at his mug again so that he wouldn't have to see the shocked and confused expression she was wearing. He was already regretting bringing the topic up; he should have just told her something stupid from work or quidditch practice. Why was he trying to discuss something so awkward and heavy when she was already having a hard time? It didn't quite occur to him that this might be something he actually needed to talk about.

He raised his eyebrow at her judgment. Was marrying him really such a 'gross' prospect? "Yes, to marry," he answered, cringing slightly at the horror-struck look on her face. In some ways, it was nice to hear her reaction, as it reflected his secret hesitations about the arrangement. It was relieving to know that there was at least one other person out there who thought it was a bit strange that his future had been so abruptly laid out for him, especially given that he (and everyone else in both of their families) had been taught from a young age that this was the way things were done.

"It's just the way things are for us," he told her, trying again to bring that casual tone back into his voice but slightly missing. He wondered if Edith could really understand, not having been raised the way he had been. "My parents were arranged from a much younger age than I am now, and it's worked out well for them." He was clinging a bit desperately to that idea, the fact that it had been a normal and successful path for his parents. He just needed to get used to the idea, then he could move forward with this and fulfill his obligation to his family.

As he lifted his mug again, Elias remembered his promise and grew worried that he wasn't providing the cheery and normal evening he had agreed to. He knew he shouldn't be putting all this on Edith, shouldn't be expecting her to fix his problems when she was clearly the one more in need.

"Look," he said finally, "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to. You said you wanted just a normal night. We could, I dunno..." he cast his mind around for something that she might rather do, but nothing came to mind. He looked at her a little helplessly. He wasn't used to having trouble finding a topic or keeping the evening flowing. Getting into this awkward subject had clearly flustered him.

She exhaled sharply when Elias confirmed that this was indeed about marriage, but it was followed by a dramatic eye roll when he continued on about how it was just the way things were done. They had always done a pretty good job with not mentioning the pureblood/muggleborn issues and differences, mostly because Edith was not very good at hiding her opinions about things and she actually kind of wanted to keep Elias as a friend, but that was too much to ignore.

"Just because your parents did it doesn't mean you have to," she added with a shrug, putting her serious face back on. And thank goodness for that. If she had to follow in the footsteps of her parents (never mind that the shoes she was currently wearing were stolen from her father), she would be growing up into a slightly batty old woman who thought she wielded power over a very small and very bad group of actors and also sometimes forgot she had a child. Needless to say, that was less than ideal.

"No, this is perfect. I'm replacing my misery with yours," she tried to smile, wanting to laugh but deciding against it. It didn't seem like that was what he needed quite yet. "Have you thought about crying hysterically while in a heap on the floor? I've heard that works wonders for the mood," she nodded quickly, feigning seriousness. It was bad enough that she had already brought their friendship to the next level with her own sobbing. She wasn't emotionally equipped enough to see that from him any time soon.

Edith scrunched up her face, trying to pinpoint her best options for continuing the conversation. "Do you at least get to meet her? Or is this one of those 'don't see each other until the wedding night' kind of things?" She was mostly serious, very curious as to how these things actually worked. She took a quick gulp of beer, continuing on before giving him much time to answer. "Also, can I be a flower girl?" She had experience, after all, having been the best flower girl ever at the wedding of her parents' theater troupe friends. She might have been four at the time, but those were just minor details she didn't need to mention.

She smiled, raising her eyebrows expectantly. Of course, she was already trying to figure out ways to get him out of this, because this whole thing was clearly insane. But short of offering to marry him instead so that he wouldn't be able to marry someone else, Edith was fresh out of ideas, and she wasn't about to seriously suggest that one.

Elias let out a little sigh at Edith's eyeroll and assertion that he didn't have to be a part of it just because it was in his family. There were times when Edith was great to have around, but there were some things that she just couldn't understand. If he was being honest, it was hard for him to explain it to himself. Why was it so important that he go along with it?

"It's not that I have to, exactly. It's not as if I'll die or be cursed if I don't," he started. It was difficult to put this in words in a way that she could understand. She just didn't know what it was like to be a part of the pureblood world, to be taught from childhood certain ways of carrying yourself and living your life. "It's about responsibility. To my family, to the community. I am obligated to...carry on the family name. The magical line." And it was true. He cared about his family, about their place in the community. He would hate himself if he were to be the one to lower their status, to not live up to expectations. He wanted to prove to his parents that he had been raised right, that he was capable of everything they wanted for him.

He laughed a little at Edith's joke, trying to relax. It was frustrating that he was frustrated; he didn't want to be unhappy about this. Did she really think that he was miserable? Was it that obvious? He wasn't sure even how he felt about it; he just knew that whenever the thought came back to him, he felt a tightening in his stomach and was happy to move on to a new subject.

"Of course I get to meet her," he told her, a bit surprised at her assumption. "I've met her a few times, actually. We were at Durmstrang together, and we often run into her family at events, things like that." He didn't know the girl well, though. She was friends with Leonie, so she must be kind. He thought well enough of his cousin to be sure of that. Of course, the next time he saw her, things would be different. It wasn't often that Elias felt anxious about the prospect of a social event, but he found himself hoping that Zofia wouldn't be in Germany or England any time soon. He just needed a bit more time to get used to things.

"A flower girl?" he asked, confused. What did that mean? She wanted to provide flowers for the wedding? "Of course you will be invited," he told her, wondering if that was what she was getting at. As soon as he said it, though, he wondered if it was true. She was his friend, probably one of his closest, if he though about it, but that didn't mean that she would want to come. Or that she would be wanted. He wasn't quite sure what his family -- or Zofia's -- would think of Edith. His parents had never been exclusionary, exactly, but they just never ran into muggleborns, as a general rule. He certainly hadn't before leaving Germany and Durmstrang. Things were just different in this part of the world.

Edith frowned at her friend's reasons for agreeing to the whole thing. His answer was perfect, too perfect, really, that it almost sounded rehearsed. 'Respsonibility', 'family', 'community'. Those things she understood. And then he said he was carrying on the magical line. It took every ounce of self control she had to not say anything about that reason in particular. Because clearly the only way to have magical offspring was to have an arranged marriage. Instead, she just shrugged, not willing to push him any further on the subject. Not now, anyway. Surely there would be plenty of time for that later.

At least he got to meet her, or already did apparently. "So you know her, then?" she asked before taking another swallow of beer. She didn't take the glass too far from her mouth as she asked, "Do you like her?" She took another swallow as soon as she finished her question, hoping that her drinking would only encourage Elias to drink more as well. Hopefully this girl wasn't as terrible as Edith was picturing her to be, but she couldn't help but imagine a large, troll like woman who couldn't find her own husband for herself. She wasn't sure if she wanted Elias to actually like her or not. She didn't know which answer would be easier to hear.

"Heh, never mind," Edith said with a laugh at his confusion at her flower girl question. She grinned at his invitation though, and she thanked him with an overly sweet sarcasm, "Aww thanks, Eli." She reached out and pat his hand a couple times. She wasn't going to hold out for an actual paper invitation. If she couldn't even understand the merits behind this whole arranged marriage business, she doubted she was going to be invited to celebrate it. Never mind the minor detail of her muggleborn self trying to fit in with his pureblood family. It had taken her long enough not to hold that against Elias, and she actually liked him.

She picked her glass up and drained about half of what she had left before setting it back on the table with a sigh. "Do you know when it's happening?" The woman didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to worry about everything that would happen after he was married. Would he live in London anymore? Would he work in Germany full time? She really didn't want to have to visit him in Germany, never mind wonder if she would even be able to hang out with him any more anyway. This was a first for her, never having had a friend get married before. She thought she was still too young to have to deal with this.

As his friend lifted her drink, he mirrored her, trying to sort out the answer to her question. "I suppose I did," he started slowly. His memory was stretching back, trying to recall the last short and formal conversation they had carried out. But his memories were tainted by what he now knew, and he couldn't look back on the few brief encounters they had had without judging her as a future wife rather than a potential friend. And suddenly his frustration with the situation, and with himself, found its way out of the back of his mind where it had been contained. "But nothing will be the same now. I won't look at her the same way, how can I? Imagine it was the two of us in this situation. As much as I like you, Edith, things wouldn't feel the same. Not when you're forced to feel a certain way about someone. Whatever was there would just feel false."

The words tumbled out before he could stop them. He looked away, embarrassed at the honesty. Where had that stupid thing about being forced to marry her come from? Now she would probably make fun of him. He hated being this vulnerable, sounding this desperate, but it was as if he had opened a door the tiniest crack on the subject and it was now blowing open, his emotions forcing their way out from the place where he had been hiding them for the last two and a half months. He wanted Edith to understand, but he also wanted her to argue. He hoped she would comfort him but also was praying she wouldn't recognize how much he needed a friend at the moment. It was his job to care for others, not to be cared for.

But he supposed she owed him one.

He lifted his pint once more to his lips, glad that he had something to do with his hands. It wasn't enough alcohol to really relax him or distract him from his worries, but it was sort of comforting just to sit and drink with Edith. He was a bit surprised at how grateful he was for her presence at the moment, even with all of the confusion and turmoil. There would be few others he could talk to honestly about this, so he supposed it was worth it to take advantage of her interest in the subject while he could. She reached out and patted his hand awkwardly, and he couldn't help smiling wryly at her touch and her use of 'Eli'. He supposed he shouldn't ask for much more from Edith when it came to this sort of thing. Her next question was easier to answer than the last, and he met her gaze as he replied.

"There's no timeline yet, but I think it will be some time before we move forward. She lives abroad, you know, so we probably won't see one another often, at least for now. And we're still quite young. At least, I think so." His brow crinkled in worry for a moment as he tried to recall how old his parents had been when they got married. They must have been older, he felt sure of it. He refocused on Edith and was surprised to see a look of worry on her face. He recalled his first thoughts when he had breached the subject, how he had hoped that she would be upset by the news. He had no idea where that wish had come from, but now he was concerned that it had been granted. He knew it might seem odd to comfort Edith in this situation, rather than the other way around, but it was his way. He flipped his hand over so that their palms were touching and gently squeezed her hand. "What is it? Have I upset you?" His own concerns for himself were replaced by the desire to make sure she was alright. He was worried again that he wasn't providing the right kind of evening for her.

Imagine it was the two of us in this situation. Besides the fact that was literally what she was just thinking about, if only to get him out of the actual, real situation, Edith was having a hard time imagining the whole scenario for herself. Herbie and Tilly Holthouse were a couple of free spirits and had always encouraged the same for their daughter. They had even offered to let her pick her own first name when one day she said she didn't like the name 'Edith'. The woman was fairly certain she could pick anyone to marry and they would be okay with it. But if she really thought about it seriously, he did have a point. Whatever her parents wanted, she usually wanted the opposite, even if deep down she actually agreed with them. It was just a principle part of having parents.

She offered a quick and quiet "Sorry," as Elias looked away, clearly upset. Normally Edith didn't care when she upset people, but after everything he had done for her that evening, she couldn't stop herself from feeling awful about it. She took a gulp of beer to fill the awkward silence. She really had been trying to understand things, but had obviously gone about it the wrong way. Edith looked back at her friend, who was still looking away, and cleared her throat before continuing, "Well first, thanks for letting me know you would hate to marry me. I'll keep that in mind," she had a small smile on her face to let him know she wasn't completely serious with this. "Pretty sure I didn't make the cut when they were looking for candidates, though." The minor detail of her lack of magical heritage, plus she was nearsighted and surely they didn't want to introduce that into the family line.

She was going to continue on with some more serious thoughts on the matter but decided it was probably best until he had calmed down a little. They were stepping a little too close to feelings territory again. Edith nodded quickly at Elias's assertion that they were too young, agreeing wholeheartedly. Normally she would have pulled her hand away at anyone's attempt to hold it in any fashion and she was close to doing so in this case as well, but Elias had just endured her crying and snotting all over him so it was probably the least she could do to just let it happen. She gave his hand a little squeeze in return as she shrugged her shoulders. "No," she shook her head slowly. "I don't know," she changed her answer almost immediately. "It's just," she was at a loss for words again, which was usually not the case with someone so opinionated.

"I guess just.. if you're actually this upset about it, maybe it's time to... I don't know." She took a quick pause, searching for the best way to phrase what she wanted to say. "Change things?" She shrugged, quickly adding "You said you wanted to do it, but I don't know, man." She didn't want to talk about her own feelings on the matter. This wasn't her deal. She was more upset for him rather than at him. Up and changing everything his family stood for was probably not at the top of his to-do list. Edith was pretty aware of that. But since it seemed like he wasn't about to say that; maybe she needed to? She honestly had no idea where she was going with this conversation anymore.

Edith's apology filled him quickly with regret. He was again wondering why on earth he had thought this was a good idea to bring up. Sure, Edith was one of his closest friends, and sure, it was probably good to actually talk about something from his own life once in a while, but he hated the fact that he couldn't keep it together. He was upsetting her with his honesty and emotionality. This wasn't how his relationships were supposed to work: he provided support and comfort, but he didn't ask for it in return. That was not his role.

At her next words, Elias looked back at her, slightly alarmed at the way she had chosen to interpret his example. He had definitely messed up now. "That's not what I meant at all, Edith, I -- " he stopped talking once he registered the look on her face, realizing that of course she had been joking. He should have known she wouldn't take something like that seriously, anyway. "You must not think well of their taste," he replied after a moment, trying to continue the joke. She was right, though, of course: the Dörflers would never approve if he were to introduce a muggleborn to them as his fiancee.

He couldn't blame his parents: they had gone to Durmstrang, just like him, and had never really met any wizards or witches from muggle families growing up. The only reason his own views had matured at all (and to be honest, they hadn't matured all that much) was because of the time he had spent abroad, first at Hogwarts and then living in London. Before the war especially, the British seemed much more open about their family backgrounds than those in Germany or Russia ever had been. It was only because he had been able to watch students and ministry workers from non-magical homes achieve the same things as purebloods and halfbloods that he was able to recognize how little blood status mattered in the long run.

Edith seemed to be struggling to put her thoughts into words, but Elias waited patiently for her to get her meaning across. Her words made it clear that she had understood both his desire to do what was right for his family and the anxiety and discomfort he felt at the obligation. He looked at her for a moment, not sure how to respond. Continuing the honest streak was tempting but felt irresponsible. He settled for something in between.

"I admit that I am not happy about it, Edith. But I just need time to get used to the idea." It was what he hoped was the truth, though he couldn't honestly say with complete confidence that time would be enough. He needed to stay open to the possibility of really enjoying spending time with Zofia; for all he knew, this whole thing could work out quite smoothly. It just sat with him wrong. He had intended all along to marry a pureblood, because he had been brought up that way. He knew it was expected of him and there was no reason it shouldn't happen. It was just the choice being forced upon him, the complete lack of romance or real connection that bothered him. "I just wish they had given me a chance to find someone myself. But I can't run away from this, not before even trying to make it work."

He hoped she could understand. He pulled his hand away from hers and lifted his beer again, and drained the glass. "Do you want another round? It's on me for making you listen to all of this."

She snorted as she laughed, definitely not thinking very highly of his parents' tastes. "I highly doubt they'd invite me to the wedding, let alone let me have a starring role in it," she said with a shrug, a horrid mental picture of her in a white dress crossing her mind. No, that would definitely not be happening ever. And it would definitely never be happening if Elias was in the other starring role. That would be beyond terrible. She took a large swig of her beer to clear her mind of those thoughts, finishing the glass but not remembering when she had drained the rest so quickly.

"Do you actually think that you'll get used to it?" Edith really wasn't enjoying all the serious talk, but she really needed to know. For some reason she was actually concerned about his feelings. All he needed to do was give her some sort of sign that he needed someone to intervene on his behalf before she would offer to help, but it really did seem like he was determined to do this. The woman loved her parents, yes, but only out of necessity. She definitely wouldn't go this far to keep them happy and she was having a really hard time believing that Elias was doing all of this just to stay on his parents' good side.

She was searching his face for any sign that he even wanted some sort of help, but it was either the dim lighting or the smokiness of the room or the fact that he was actually okay with this that she couldn't find anything. "Sooo how long will you try to make it work before finding out that it doesn't?" She didn't even entertain the idea that he could actually enjoy being married to someone he hadn't chosen for himself. "Because wouldn't getting divorced be so much worse for your family? So you should probably decide all of that before you got married. Just saying." She couldn't imagine herself ever being in the position, but she would much rather be dumped before getting married rather than after.

Edith withdrew her hand as soon as Elias let go of it, realizing how weird holding hands was in the first place, but she nodded, agreeing about the second round. "I do, but don't worry about it. I come here enough that they give me a little discount now. Plus," she added with a grin, "I think Buddy's a little shocked that I brought a boy," she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder towards the bar as she talked about the bartender. She was always in here alone, only really having company when there was an United match on, and even then she wasn't really on a first name basis with anyone. She waved her hand a bit more vigorously to get Buddy's attention, once again holding up two fingers for two more beers.

"Do you even carry bank notes?" she asked, hoping to change the subject to something a little less emotional. Buddy was over at their table as soon as he possibly could be, and Edith couldn't have been more grateful for that second (at least in the pub) beer. She took a quick swig of it, casually wiping her mouth with her sleeve after setting her glass down.

"I think it's worth a try," he responded, surprised at her skepticism. But she kept going: apparently Edith was sure that there was no hope for him. He was taken aback at her suggestion of divorce; did she really have so little faith in his ability to maintain a relationship? Elias was a persistent guy, and he felt that if he really put the effort in, he should be able to succeed in just about anything. The fact that he had never really been in an adult relationship didn't need to come up at this point. Elias recognized that Edith was just trying to help; the truth was that the reason she was doubting him was that he had somehow let it slip that he wasn't thrilled about the future that had been layed out for him by his parents. He regretted the moment of weakness. The seed of doubt that had been sitting in the back of his brain for a few months now was finally seeing sunlight, and Edith was doing nothing to help him bury all of that unpleasantness. Not that he had asked, of course. The whole thing was confusing.

But that was the way it was. Sometimes there was no good answer to a question, and in situations like these, Elias' default was to choose the option that would make everyone else happy. His parents and extended family, Zofia's family, maybe Zofia herself. He wasn't sure what the girl's feelings were on the subject, honestly, but he guessed that she would be like most proper purebloods and recognize the value in the connection above all else. He was acting like a child, he knew it, and he wished he had done a better job of convincing Edith that this was the right path.

"Divorce would definitely make things complicated for my family," Elias agreed. He knew that Edith had a point, but he just wasn't sure what to say anymore. Unless she had a genius plan for his escape, there was nothing to be done. Talking about it wasn't making the situation any simpler. With a sigh, he did his best to respond in a way that would make her happy. "I honestly don't know how long, Edith. Unless you have some incredible relationship insight and advice for me, I think I will just have to figure it out as I go along." It was his only hope that the situation would resolve itself with time. He had no clue what he was doing, truthfully.

Elias looked at his friend in surprise as the barkeeper set their beers down, a little offended that she thought him so out of touch with the muggle world. "Of course," he told her. Some of his favorite restaurants around the ministry were owned by muggles. Much of Elias' job was concerned with familiarizing himself with other cultures, and for Elias, that included the muggle community in London. All the same, Edith seemed determined not to let him pay, so he dropped the subject. He would simply have to think of something to buy her later to keep his conscience clear. Her birthday was only about a month away; he felt sure he could think of something suitable by then.

The arrival of the beer had provided the break in the conversation that Elias needed to change the subject, and he jumped on the opportunity with the first thing that came to mind. "So, I didn't quite understand what you meant earlier. Are you coming back to the Ministry soon? I need my lunch dates back," he added with a smile, hoping that Edith wouldn't think he was prying. He had agreed not to ask about her time in the dome, but he still needed to know that she had some kind of plan to get her life back on track. And if she didn't -- well, he would be here to help her figure it out.

"As it turns out, I am fresh out of incredible relationship insight." She wanted to get things back to their usual, light tone. This conversation was getting more serious by the minute. "Well," she started slowly, a grin forming on her lips, "If you need any help..." she didn't know what she could seriously do, but she could offer all the same, right? "You know I'm a licensed Obliviator, right?" She wasn't actually suggesting she obliviate anyone, be it his parents or his fiancee (what a weird word to use when talking about Elias), unless of course that's what he needed to happen. She was pretty good with her work, as a matter of fact; they wouldn't have to miss too big a chunk of their memories to take care of it, really.

Edith shrugged her shoulders as she took a prolonged sip of beer, smiling as she set the glass back down on the table. "That was a joke, Eli," she informed him, hoping to ease him of the shock on his face. But it seemed that he decided to seize the opportunity to bring the conversation back around to her and her problems, either because she had been so helpful about his own issue or he actually wanted to know what her plans were. Edith rolled her eyes; she wasn't going to be done talking about Elias and his pending nuptials, but she supposed she could put that on hold. For now at least.

Edith honestly couldn't remember what she had said about returning to work earlier. Her original plan was to come back at the beginning of March, but apparently she had missed that opportunity already. "I mean... I guess I have to, don't I?" she responded to his question if she was coming back soon. Just how long could she use the 'health reasons' excuse if she wasn't actually seeking out medical assistance? "I sort of need to keep my job," she continued slowly with a frown. She had considered quitting altogether, but no matter how appealing that option was, the woman was still heavily reliant on a salary, having blown through what little savings she had while in hiding during the War.

She shrugged, frowning again, averting her eyes to look at anything but Elias. "You can't think I'm ready yet, do you?" She paused briefly before adding quietly, "Not after tonight, anyway." She decided she didn't want to give him anytime to answer that question, rather hoping he would ignore it altogether. "I think," she started again, "Maybe another week or two. But I'm going to ask for night shift so there's less people to deal with, so you might need to start eating lunch at midnight." Edith finally smiled; not eating lunch with Elias was the worst part about being on night shift, but the schedule was probably necessary if she wanted to get back to work without blowing up at anyone.

But if it was March now, that meant that April was soon, and April meant birthday money from her parents. Maybe she really could stretch her leave a little bit longer; it wasn't like anyone had come inquiring after her yet. So far, Elias had been the only one to express any concern about her whereabouts, at least that she knew of.

Edith's sarcastic reply made the corner of Elias' mouth twitch toward a smile. Her willingness to drop the subject when things were getting too emotional for him was one of the things he most appreciated about her. Really, it was a blessing that Edith put up with him, given how infrequently he returned the favor: Elias had a bit of a tendency to direct the conversation toward everyone else's problems, eager to involve himself however he could but never as interested in discussing his own. "I'll keep that in mind," he laughed, relieved to feel some of the tension, which he had failed to notice until it was gone, leaving his shoulders. He was far from feeling content with his lot, but at least he knew Edith was there to back him up, a thought that reassured him more than he would have expected.

As his friend began to talk about her plans for work, Elias set his second beer back down on the table, wanting to ensure she knew that she had his full attention. He nodded, smiling gently as she seemed to talk through her feelings out loud. "You definitely need a job," he agreed, "but I suppose it doesn't have to be at the Ministry. I miss having you around, but if you need to be somewhere else for a while, I understand." It was hard to picture Edith working somewhere else, given that work-Edith was the version of her he most often saw, but he supposed that was just because he got to know her in that context. She was smart and a highly capable witch. He saw no reason she couldn't get a job somewhere else, as long as she showed up.

The encouraging smile fell off his face when Edith suggested the idea of working nights. That was not one of her better ideas, as far as he could tell. "Edith, I know you feel like you're not ready, but I think working would actually help you feel better. Being in a routine, getting back to the way things were. If you're staying up all night, how are you going to get back into your normal routine?" Plus, he would never see her if she was sleeping while he was at work, and vice versa. Being without his closest friend for two and half months had been bad enough; he couldn't support a plan that would continue in that tradition.

"I don't think you should put it off longer than you have to," he insisted, before taking another long drink. The idea of Edith leaving the Ministry was bad, but the idea of her staying and still never seeing her was somehow worse. "Is there something I can do to make it easier for you? Is someone bothering you?" He would be more than happy to intervene on her behalf, if it meant she would feel comfortable again at their office.

"I guess you'll just have to come with me to my new job, then," she suggested with a shrug, though honestly, what other job would she go to? She was qualified for other Ministry jobs, but there wasn't much else besides that, and then those jobs weren't exactly appealing either. She used to like her job, to actually enjoy the work, happy she wasn't back in Lunt working in a shop. Sure, it was probably a pity job offer in the first place, the Ministry's way of apologizing for thinking she had stolen magic and had been impersonating a witch for so long.

But money was money, and alcohol was expensive. However much she wanted to disagree with Elias, he was right about getting back to work, even if she had different reasons for it than he did. But he did have a point, getting back to a routine, maybe having a set sleeping schedule other that 'whenever I'm tired I sleep'. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was nice to have someone to talk to, and knowing Elias was on board with her plan was making things a little bit easier.

Edith considered her options for timing as she finished off her beer, frowning as she set down the glass. "April?" That would still give her a few weeks to maybe work on her general routine of being awake at normal working hours, maybe cut back on the beer just a little. "And short of sitting in my cubicle as a blockade to intercept people who want to talk to me, I don't think there's really anything you need to do." Nothing that he hadn't already done, of course. She didn't think she needed to thank him again for what had happened earlier, feeling it was thanks enough that she hadn't hexed him in the end.

Now came the most important decision: order another round and have to talk about her feelings some more, or go home and not have to toe the line of emotions. After a few seconds of internal debate, Edith settled on the latter option. "I think I should probably head home. And you have to work tomorrow so you shouldn't be out too late." She said this with a smile, proud of herself both  for being a responsible drinker and remembering that it was a weeknight. Plus, she was pretty certain there was beer at home, in case she changed her mind.

She settled her tab as Elias finished his drink, waiting for him before heading out back onto the street. "We can plan to do something before I go back, since you miss me so much," she offered as they walked, nudging him with her elbow. She missed him too, but she had already shared way too many of her feelings for one night.

The walk back to her flat too much less time than it had before, either from the addition of alcohol or the lack of serious talk. Yet despite the time that had passed since she had last expressed her feelings, she didn't protest as Elias pulled her into another hug, even putting effort into hugging him back.

edith out~