Credence has had a troubled childhood, and as a result of the abuse he suffers at the hand of his adoptive mother, he comes to crave affection from others. Any kind of affection. Aurelia knew him long ago. She was the only one to show any care for t...
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The Goldstein apartment was the same as she remembered it; self-knitting wool scattered in the corner and the smell of Queenie's cooking lingering through the air (mostly the excessive amount of sugar she used). She didn't have much time to look around beyond this though because as soon as she entered the living room she was almost knocked over.
Aurelia managed to brace herself before the impact, but she still stumbled back when Queenie flung her arms around her neck. "Elia!" She cried, fingers curling into the fabric of her shirt. "I thought you'd never come to see us again!"
Aurelia's brow lined itself with faint wrinkles when her eyes enlarged. She patted Queenie on the back twice, once in attempt to calm her down and the second time to remind her to let go. Affection... she made an exception for Credence but it was never her strong point.
Queenie, sensing how uncomfortable she was becoming, let go and stepped aside. "Sorry, I just missed you."
"I know... I missed you too." Aurelia gave a smile, though it stretched up awkwardly on her right side so that one dimple was more prominent than the other.
From the corner of her eye she could see Credence near the end of the living room, hands at his sides and close to his body. His eyes flicked up at her but quickly fell to the floor again. Newt was standing beside him, slowly rubbing the middle of the the shaking boy's back as if he were one of his scared creatures.
"Good to see you again, Aurelia." Newt smiled broadly at her but made no effort to move away from Credence.
Guilt hit Aurelia like harsh waves upon a rigid shore but she quickly pushed it aside. The only one that noticed was Queenie, but the sharp gaze she was given stopped her from mentioning it. "You too, Newt. What have you been up to?"
"Well, I just returned from France, actually." He said, teeth gleaming under the lights. "They were having a slight problem with Hinkypunk's. I was missing a section on them anyway so Credence and I went over to help, didn't we?"
The black haired boy gave a nod of affirmation, though the very mention of the one-legged creature seemed to make him uneasy. At the sight of his sullen face twitching in fear of even the harmless wispy blue beasts Aurelia hurried to his side. She bent her knees slightly in attempt to see his eyes but every time she could he would shift to a position where they were obscured once more. The blonde straightened up again, shoulders sinking as she reached into her bag.
The moment she pulled out a black hat Credence's gaze snapped back up. His mouth parted in surprise, hands clenching into fists beside him. "I found this for you. It was at your old home." Aurelia said softly, pushing it out in front of her and urging him to take it.
Credence didn't hesitate this time to bring his hand up and grab hold of the brim of his hat. He quickly pulled it back toward his chest like a child would with their favorite blanket or doll. It was an item of comfort for him. Aurelia had no idea why it was so dear to the boy. She assumed it had been a gift from someone close to him.
