Mr. Secretary

Beck decided that Clyde might be his worst patient. "What the fuck do you mean, not too much? How about you find out on your own? When you move it and you feel pain, that's how fucking much." He was the only patient that Beck would speak to this way, but it was the language his brother and him always talked. Broken barriers and bruised words. Beck leaned away and began cleaning and putting away his medical tools. He was dutifully wiping them now that his brother was fine and he had time. Beck was sure they would hear a mission report later in the evening. He drowned out Clyde's words about the Minister like he usually did, finding it unusually boring. Then his attention snapped when Clyde mentioned a woman. "Who?" he asked with a tone of surprise. "You're having women over?"

"So bossy. Are you going to put me in time out or something? Steal my puddings?" Clyde complained, moving his arm and hand carefully. He didn't push too hard, knowing that Beck was likely as stressed as Clyde himself had been when he'd first been told they'd enter the same battle. They were shitty brothers sure but they were still brothers.

The witch smirked, playfully glancing down at the itinerary she'd been carrying. There was much to be done and with the recent changes, there was not time to waste in getting her focus back on the career she'd sent out to work so hard on years ago. In that regard, she supposed, things had taken a perhaps lucky turn. Of course, it wasn't luck. Not at all, but she refused to face the darker side of things. "I'm glad you like them." Her voice was soft for the moment, such a stark contrast to the expression her face held.

Clyde couldn't help another spark of pride as Estelle pulled out the folder of everything he'd need to get her hired. Yes, this was exactly how the game played out. Their team could use someone savvy and driven. And the Minister would probably listen to a blonde more than he listened to Clyde.

The thought brought a genuine smile to the witch's lips. If that was something she in turn got to share with someone who had yet to see the cottage, it was certainly something to look forward to. Besides work, Hestia only had a small list of things one could find her doing outside the office. If not with friends, most of her time was spent working on that garden. Was this her inner Hufflepuff roaring its head? Herbology had always been something that seemed to resonate with the bunch of them - or at the very least with her. "Good. You'll like it."

It was odd to feel excited about something outside of work that involved actual people. Usually it was just plants and stars. A visit to Hestia though... that sounded quite nice actually. "I think I will." He agreed. "You'll be there as well so it can't be half as bad can it?"

He sucked. That was one way to describe your father out loud. It didn't happen that people in their society would just say what they think about people. Val had learned to do it more and more but she also knew that sometimes she just had to suck it up. "Family is always the best in bringing up the worst things in life. And often during the most annoying times as well." Her parents were great examples of that. She held out the bottle of firewhiskey that she had brought with her to him. "It sounds like you need this at the moment as well."

Clyde took the bottle, grateful. It would take a while yet for the aunties to forget they'd asked him a question. Merlin knows how long he'd end up holed up out here. "They certainly do. Sometimes I wish I could do without them entirely but," he shrugged and took a drink. "They did give me my brother and he turned out alright."

Every recluse bone in his bone screamed to run the other way and keep to his hermit self. But he knew better. Agatha had the sort of connections that could do a man good, and the Minister liked the Sewlyn's. Plus he supposed it would be nice to have someone else's cooking for a change. "I'd be honored, Mrs. Sewlyn. Tomorrow's a bit busy for me though, how about Friday?"

"You may call me Estelle. I do feel there is far too much of a connection between us." Or so she thought, given the past. Life had taken another direction altogether, forced her to change her perspective at the very least to a degree. "I have brought you a present from France." The witch had brought various presence from her time away, choosing to push forward much rather than hold back. Life was life - it would always continue and the only thing she could do was make the best of it.

"That's very kind of you, thank you Estelle." Clyde wasn't thick, he knew the game Estelle was playing. And honestly he was a bit proud of how well she played it. The Minister (and Clyde) could use someone actually competent on their team and lord knows none of the interns were up for the task.

"Define, 'too much' please." Clyde said, flexing his hand carefully. His brother did good work. If it was anything else Clyde might ignore the advice and do as he pleased, but this had been serious. His fingers didn't quite feel like part of his body but he reckoned that was the pain potion and not the curse.

"I'm inclined to agree with you there. It must be something to do with the weather turning." Amelia replied with a small nod. There had always been something about the darker nights that seemed to bring a never ending caseload out of the woodwork.

"You'd think with how often it's gray and miserable here we'd all be used to it by now." He said, already mentally prepared for the amount of work he'd have heading his way shortly. It was one of the few downsides of his job.

Hestia smiled at the mention of spring. Even though it was far from her season, the witch couldn't help but wonder what the other would think of the cottage garden during that time. It was the area in which spring and summer seemed to stand out the best. "You should come see the garden of my cottage during those months. Biggest blooms you'll ever find. Nothing like the gardens of most manors and estates, but certainly doing a fine job of their own."

"I'd be honored." Clyde said. He liked the idea of a cottage garden. It sounded much more like a home than his estate gardens. Sometimes his greenhouses came close. He had slept in them before. "While you're here, I should take you to the greenhouses. I know this place can be..." he pulled a face, "A bit bleak, but the greenhouses actually feel alive."

"Stop it or I will silence you," he threatened, his tone familiar to their other sibling fights. Beck had seen a lot of people on a healer's bed and done this many times, yet his hands shook through the process. If anything were to happen, it wouldn't only be the Order's fault but it would be his fault as well. He never wanted his brother to be a patient of his even though their relationship was about as fractured down the middle as Clyde's arm which was starting to be more attached to his body. He let the potion channel through Clyde, glancing up to see the pain settle out. It was only then that Beck relaxed slightly.

"Stop being a brat then." Clyde countered, though it lacked some of its normal heat. It was a bit harder to maintain his normal sibling banter when his brother was busy making sure he'd be able to use his arm again. This had all come closer to serious permanent harm than Clyde wanted to admit out loud. The potion helped, it gave everything a nice fuzzy, far away feeling. The swelling was going down now, and the blisters. Beck was good at his job.

Amelia’s smile softened as she listened, though her brows arched at his mention of the Minister. “I think you’re right about the air,” she said lightly, shifting the bag in her hand. “Even I couldn’t resist the chance to breathe it in before September swallows us all whole again.”

“I swear everything gets busier in the fall.” Clyde lamented. He didn’t necessarily mind but it would make finding time to meet Hestia a little more complicated. Merlin wanted to spend time with someone, wanting to woo someone, was more of a time commitment than he’d expected. It wasn’t a bad problem to have or anything, just odd.

where: ministry of magic who: @clydexavery

People didn’t generally make their way into his office. Well, not entirely true. Civilians didn’t normally make it into his office.

"You told me to describe it." He said, exasperated in a way only his baby brother could really bring out. There were precious few other people he would trust with this but that didn't mean he could resist the urge to rib Beck whenever possible. What kind of brother would he be if he didn't?

WHERE: End of Summer Fayre, Hogsmeade WHO: Amelia & Clyde @clydexavery

Clyde had to admit that he hadn't fully intended to actually attend the Fayre this year. The whole thing felt a bit trite, a little too try-hard, but the Minister had been in an awfully stupid mood and he'd wanted to escape it. He could hardly blame any Ministry officials for taking the same route.

@clydexavery ministry of magic

He looked up at the sound of Estelle's voice, a bit relieved to see she'd returned from France. Beck was much less grouchy when she was back in the country. While he'd somewhat given up on using her as source of info into his brother's well-being, he knew enough to know something had happened to make Estelle sad and Beck hadn't been involved. A refreshing change, really.

"It is summer, I wouldn't expect any different." A glance over her shoulder at the sun beaming down on them and the world around them before she stepped into the entryway. "I, for one, don't mind. I like summer. I do like fall the best, but I won't just melt." That, and the fact that Hestia had perfected a glacial charm that made plenty of things much easier to handle during the hotter days.

"Maybe it's the gardener in me but I've always loved the spring best." Clyde admitted. Of course he had greenhouses that meant he had plants year round but there was something different about plants in the spring. It felt more earnest, more real. "But the leaves always look the best in fall. There's no doubt about that."