Echos >> Newt Scamander

18. It's Babysitting.

The five of them apparated in front of the Macy's department store, the window's they were stood in front of were full of glamorously dressed mannequins. Myra approached a shop window while she was putting Pickett into the pocket on the other side of her coat, eyes narrowing suspiciously when a handbag, seemingly of it's own accord, started sliding down the arm of a mannequin.

She heard the other four hurry up behind her and watch as the bag hovered in midair before floating off into the store. The five of them followed, opening the door of the store with a simple spell. The department store was well-presented and decorated for Christmas, it's aisles full of expensive jewelry, shoes, hats, and perfume. The place had clearly been shut down for the night as all of the lights were off and no noises could be heard.

Myra spotted the handbag floating down the central aisle, accompanied by small grunting noises. The group quickly tiptoed through the store coming to hide behind a large plastic Christmas display.

The blonde quickly eyed up the floating handbag, "Is Dougal going to be violent?"

"Demiguises are fundamentally peaceful," Newt whispered back, "but they can give a nasty nip if provoked."

Myra nodded, "Okay, so they're kind of like occamys. I should just refrain from petting him."

"You tried to pet an occamy?" Newt looked surprised and the blonde watched as his gaze traveled down to her hand, which had a tiny cut from where the occamy in her coat pocket had bit her when she hid it from Gnarlak.

Her Echo's eyes softened with worry and took a hold of her hand, examining it closely. Myra looked back toward the handbag, feeling a bit flustered. The witch soon saw the demiguise itself appear- a silvery-haired orangutan-like creature, with a curious, wizened face- starting to clamber over a display to reach a box of sweets.

Myra took her hand back from where Newt had been holding it and nudged him into looking where Dougal was grabbing the chocolate box. He looked up and his eyes brightened when he saw the creature.

"You three..." Newt told Jacob and the sisters, "head that way."

They began to move, "And try very hard not to be predictable."

The trio exchanged perplexed glances before heading off. Once they had disappeared around the corner a roar sounded from a distance away.

"Was that Dougal?" Myra asked, seeing the demiguise, which upon hearing the sound, had looked up toward the ceiling before continuing to gather sweets, shoveling them into its handbag.

A tiny squeak came from within Myra's jacket pocket in response to the roar, "No," her Echo began, "I think it might be the reason that Dougal is here."

The witch's mouth opened with an oh sound when the occamy in her pocket tried to slither out of her coat and toward the roar that they had heard. The pair began to move swiftly down an aisle in the direction of the demiguise, which was moving away through the store. Probably realizing it had been spotted, Dougal turned and looked at Newt quizzically before moving up a set of side stairs. Myra and her Echo grinned at each other for a moment and then went to follow.

The pair followed the creature into a huge, dark attic space covered in full floor to ceiling shelves backed with boxes of china: dinner services, teacups, and general kitchenware. The demiguise walked along the attic in a patch of moonlight, glancing around before stopping and emptying its handbag full of confectionery.

"Its sight operates on probability, so it can foresee the most likely immediate future," Newt told her, creeping up behind the demiguise.

"So what's it doing now?" Dougal was holding up one of the sweets, seeming to be offering it up to someone or something.