Echos >> Newt Scamander

07. You Are Quite Short.

Newt and Tina stood on either side of Jacob trying to keep him steady as they walked, "Are you sure that you don't need my help?" Myra asked once again, having been set with the task of being the lookout and keeping muggles from spotting them.

"No," Tina said, "I think we can just about manage."

Honestly, Myra thought it was more likely that she just didn't want the three of them disappearing on her. Which would probably end up happening anyway. At some point.

"Take a right here..." the witch added.

The blonde looked back once again after checking that the coast was clear, gazed worriedly at Jacob, who was clearly getting worse. They rounded the corner and Myra spotted a family of no-majs walking down the street.

"Behind the truck!" The witch hissed at the trio behind her.

The group pressed their backs against the large repair truck until the family disappeared from view, "Okay-" Tina began to peer around the truck at the house across the street, "before we go in- I'm not supposed to have men on the premises."

"In that case, Mr. Kowalski and I can easily seek other accommodation-"

"Oh no, you don't!" Myra grabbed Jacob's arm and pulled him across the street.

Myra almost missed the odd look that Tina and Newt shared, but when she did catch it she huffed, "You're the one who said we've have to go in there. I'm just following through."

Tina shrugged and walked up to the building herself sending a quick, "watch your step", at Newt who was staring at the blonde with a cute confused expression on his face.

The four of them had just reached the first landing when a voice called out, causing all of them to freeze, "That you, Tina?"

"Yes, Mrs. Esposito!"

"Are you alone?"

"I'm always alone, Mrs. Esposito!" the group hesitated for a moment before they continued to tiptoe up the stairs.

Myra's first impression of the Goldstein apartment was the absolute shock of magic being used so freely and so much (especially with their no-maj landlady downstairs). The iron was working on its own, a clotheshorse revolved clumsily in front of the fire, drying an assortment of underwear, and multiple magical magazines were scattered around including The Witch's Friend, Witch Chat, and Transfiguration Today.

Through a doorway, another blonde witch could be seen. She was in a silk slip and was supervising the mending of of a dress on a dressmaker's dummy. Jacob was thunderstruck, which didn't really surprise Myra, as she in fact wasn't blind and could tell that the witch was quite beautiful. Her Echo however, barely noticed the witch or her nearly nude beauty, which, even if it wasn't because of her, made the blonde feel inexplicably happy.

"Teenie-" the new witch began, "you brought men home?"

"Gentlemen, Miss Kegley, this is my sister," Tina gestured to the witch, "You want to put something on, Queenie?"

Queenie didn't seem very concerned about her lack of clothes and responded with an "Oh, sure-" and ran her wand up the dummy, causing the dress to go up and over her head.

Myra looked around, taking in the quaint apartment, it was nice and had a homey feel to it. She watched as a frustrated Tina began to tidy up the apartment, Jacob watched Queenie, and Newt peeked out the windows.

"So, who are they?" Queenie asked.

"That's Mr. Scamander and Miss Kegley," Tina told her, "They've committed a serious infraction of the National Statute of Secrecy-"

Myra's eyebrows shot up when the blonde seemed to be impressed rather than put off, "They're criminals?"

"I know we don't look it," Myra joked.

"You are quite short," the witty response wasn't expected from the pretty witch and it brought a bark of laughter from the wandmaker, "and he's too nervous."

"And this is Mr. Kowalski, he's a no-maj-"

Queenie solomed quickly, suddenly very concerned, "A no-maj? Teen-what are you up to?"

"He's sick- it's a long story- Mr. Scamander has lost something, I'm going to help them find it."

Jacob staggered suddenly, sweaty and unwell. Queenie ran to him, where both Myra and Tina were hovering worriedly.

"You need to sit down, honey," Queenie told him, having the man fall back onto the sofa, "Hey- he hasn't eaten all day. And- aw, that's rough, -he didn't get the money he wanted for his bakery. You bake, honey? I love to cook."

Myra stepped back, now reassured that Jacob was in capable care. She looked back at Newt, who was watching Queenie from his spot by the window, the woman having finally caught his attention.

"You're a Legilimens?" he asked, his attention not unlike that of a scientist.

"Uh-huh, yeah," the blonde confirmed, "But I always have trouble with your kind. Brits. It's the accent."

Jacob listened to the conversation, appalled as he came to a conclusion, "You know how to read minds?"

"Aw," Queenie cooed, "don't worry, honey. Most guys think what you was thinking, first time they see me."

The witch gestured playfully at Jacob with her wand, "Now, you need food."

Myra went to sit down next to Newt as the sisters busied themselves in the kitchen.

"You're not going to help?" Newt asked her, seeming to only give half of his attention to what he was saying, the other half looking for ways out of the apartment.

"I'm not the best cook," Myra told him, "I'm limited to sandwiches and stew."

"I'm very much the same," her Echo agreed distractedly.

The blonde gazed at him, mapping out his face, including the worry tainting it, "We'll find your creatures, Mr. Scamander. I promise."

This caught the wizards attention, as he clearly hadn't been expecting her to say that, and his face was somewhat washed of the worry, "thank you Miss Kegley."

"You can call me Myra if you'd like," she pulled her bag up onto her lap.

"I would like that very much," he told her, "You can call me Newt if you'd like."

"I would like that very much."