A Strange Morning

With a grumble and a stretch Myst slowly woke herself, the morning sun glaring brightly through her bedroom window where she'd forgotten to close her curtains. With a gasp she suddenly remembered what had happened the night before and sat up in her bed as if she was spring loaded, looking about with a mane of bed hair before clambering out of her sheets and heading over to her bedroom door. She listened for a moment, wondering if anyone else was awake before she carefully slid the bolt lock on her door open, part of her felt guilty at having locked her door the night before, she didn't know the guy that had taken refuge in their stables and she'd like to think he was nice, but still she had to be rational, a stranger is just that until he tells more about himself.

As calmly as she could pretend to be she headed out of her room, giving the spare room a quick glance and noticing it was empty, she then padded her way down the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen and there she saw her mum trying to sort breakfast while the stranger sat awkwardly in his borrowed pyjamas at the kitchen table, listening as her mother fired every question at him in enquiry of what he'd like to eat.

Myst chirped out a pleasant, "Morning," as she came towards the table, gaining his attention as he quickly stood from his chair and took a step away, "It's okay," Myst shook her head with a smile, "You don't have to stand on ceremony," She hoped to lighten the mood as she passed him a smile, "Sit," She motioned back to the chair he'd just jumped out of and pulled out another for her to sit at.

"Oh, you're just going to sit there are you?!" Her mother turned to her with a scoff before her backside had barely touched the chair, leaving her daughter to gawk at the attitude she'd just received.

"Hey!" She frowned, "I've just got up!" she tried to defend herself, giving an eye roll as soon as she'd turned around only to get a well aimed tea towel thrown in her face- her mother and magic, it was a miracle the woman was allowed to use it!

Mysty gave a meek shout of surprise, sounding very much like a squeak as she pulled the tea towel off her face and shot a frown at her grinning mother, "Make your self useful," She nodded towards the tea pot sat in the centre of the round table before turning back. "Have we decided what we want for breakfast?" She then questioned, having been asking the poor boy since he got up and rambling off many different options, all of which he declined so very awkwardly.

"Pancakes?" Myst perked up with her hopeful suggestion, passing an encouraging smile to the stranger who glanced to her quickly before looking away.

"I'm not making pancakes!" Sonny shot back at her daughter, ignoring as she gave an irritated huff at the answer.

"Jam and toast?" She then offered with a shrug and slight shake of her head, giving a look to see if her mother approved and by the agreeing nod she did, they both then turned to the dark haired boy with matching looks of expectation, watching as he looked awkwardly between them both before Mysty pressed for an answer off him, "Jam and toast good with you?" She asked, brows raised and hopeful and finally he gave a nod, a barely audible 'yes' passing his lips.

"Wonderful!" Sonny smiled, finally having breakfast to make while Myst picked up the tea pot and brandished with a smile.

"Tea?" She looked to him with brows raised expectantly and teeth flashed in a smile as she waited for an answer but when she didn't get one she tilted her head towards him a little, "It's not a trick question, and you are allowed to say no if you don't want any, I'm not going to get offended," She smiled brightly at him before pouring herself a cup, "Mum?!" She then called gruffly, looking to the back of her bustling mother as she grilled the thickly sliced toast, "Tea?" She questioned.

"Please!" Her mother answered in a similar tone to how she was asked and Myst leaned over awkwardly to tip some tea into her mum's cup. "So," she began slowly, setting the heavy tea pot down with a thunk before brushing her messy hair back over her shoulders as she turned to the dark haired stranger, "What's your name?" She asked, resting her elbow on the table and placing her chin in her hand as she watched him, noting how he struggled with maintaining eye contact, his lips parting as if he was attempting to answer but no words came out, "You do have a name, yes?" She pressed after his silence stretched a little long, her brows knotting lightly in confusion, before a look of dreaded realisation came to her face, "Oh my goodness!" She gasped, her chin lifting from her hand which slapped to the table as she sat up straight, her other hand reaching towards him apologetically, "Have you forgotten?" She gawked at him, worry clearly shown across her face, even her mother looked over in great concern. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be so insensitive!" She jumped to apologise all while he shook his head, panic coming to his face.

"N-no, no, no," He repeated, lifting his hands in surrender as if that would make her stop.

"Mysty, leave the poor boy alone!" He mother then scolded her while her daughter placed a hand to his forearm and gave a gentle squeeze as she let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry," she closed her eyes a moment before releasing him and placing a hand to her chest, "I just though you might have lost your memories and here I am being an insensitive toe-rag!" she shook her head lightly before looking back to him, watching as he gave the tiniest smile.

"Hm, lets just hope my toe-rag daughter can keep quiet for the rest of breakfast," Sonny then stated as she placed a wooden chopping board in the centre of the table, shifting the tea pot over a smidgen so everyone could reach the toast piled on top the board evenly.

With a grin at her mother, Mysty reached for a thick slice of toast and brought it onto her plate, before picking up her butter knife and scraping up a good wedge to smear across her toast before she reached over for the strawberry jam. Sonny picked two pieces of the board and held out a hand for the jam which Myst passed over wordlessly after she'd scooped some onto her toast, "Don't be shy-" She spoke, going to say his name and realising she still didn't know it, her daughter looking up and over the the stranger also.

"Credence," He spoke quietly, his tone so delicately soft it was if he was always afraid to break any silence, and both Mysty and Sonny looked towards him, Myst in confusion as to why he wouldn't look at them and Sonny in worry.

"Nice to meet you, Credence," Myst spoke up with a smile, earning a quick glance from him but she caught his eyes and gave him an encouraging nod.

"Help yourself to some food now, Credence," Sonny then spoke up, nodding to the toast and smiling when Mysty plucked a slice and placed it on his plate so he couldn't refuse, it wasn't often she was proud of her daughter's impulsiveness but in this odd situation she thought it might be good for this poor boy to have her drag him out of the shadows he'd obviously been living in his whole life.

Breakfast went quietly apart from the sounds of crunching being the only noise between them as they sat together, Sonny picking up the paper to read and Myst determined to eat as much toast before it went cold. Credence looked between the mother and daughter sheepishly, he thought they were both nice so far, but he was very unsure and he thought it best he leave as soon as possible.

"Willow!" Mysty suddenly shrieked, near choking on her toast and scaring both her mother and Credence as she leaped up and all but pounced on the cat that had just sauntered in.

"For goodness sake Mysty!" Sonny scolded, looking to her daughter in confusion as she watched as she held the cat still by it's scruff, kneeling on the floor next to it as she held a hand beneath it's mouth, "Oh good grief!" She then shrieked much like her daughter when she spotted the beady little eyes of the bird peering up from the jaws of the cat.

"Drop it!" Myst shouted at the cat, "Drop it right now, Willow!" She frowned and eventually the cat spat the bird out, the poor distressed creature scuttling across the floor in an injured flap, while the cat went to make chase but luckily it was still held down by Myst's grip on it's scruff, "Mum, save it!" She frowned as the older woman took to shrieking in horror and panic as she tried to find a cloth to throw over it, only to miss but luckily Credence stepped in, swooping in effortlessly and cupping the small bird up in both hands and trapping it there.

"Oh, good work, Credence!" Sonny breathed a sigh of relief as she placed a hand to her chest while Myst released the cat.

"You evil little thing," She frowned after the feline, watching as it followed where the bird went before sitting the Credence's feet, peering up at him knowingly and giving a chatter as she waited for the bird to go again.

"No, you mustn't tell her off, she's bringing us presents," Sonny corrected, although like her daughter she wasn't best pleased with Willow's antics, "She does it because she think we are useless hunters," the older woman then continued.

"So she's mocking us," Myst narrowed her eyes at the cat as she stood before giving a shrug, "You know, we feed her, surely her getting a stable source of food from us is evidence enough that we are good hunters?" She huffed and her mother shrugged, bending down to scoop the cat up, wandering off to the back door to take the cat back out, all while giving her praise and fuss.

"It's bleeding," Credence's soft voice spoke up quietly and instantly Mysty tottered over to him, peering up at him in worry as he looked from his hands and to her before opening his hands a little more so she could see the bird.

Her brows, knotted in worry as it's blood started to form a small pool in his palm, it's little breaths growing shallow and eyelids drooping, "Quickly!" She grabbed him by the sleeve of his pyjamas and dragged him off, thundering up the stairs and into her room, she only released him so she could jump over her bed and near crash into her desk, she then clawed her wand from the desk top and flung herself back over the bed and at at him, "It's still alive?" she panted and he nodded, "Episkey," She breathed softly with a point of her wand, hoping the minor healing spell would be enough considering it was such a little bird, but with a sudden panic she grew unsure and threw her wand to the side, cupped her hands over his and tried her hand at wand-less magic- she'd practised it at school, she could surely do it now!

The pair waited with baited breath, both scared of what they would see if she dared move her hands and to their surprise they both felt a tiny flutter, Mysty jumping a little in surprise while Credence looked to her in shock. She looked up to him, meeting his eyes as she gave a pleased smiled, her cheeks plumping up and causing a happy squint to her eyes she smiled so widely as she then released her hands and up hopped the little bird, giving a tiny tweet and darting off into her bedroom, both Mysty and Credence watching in awe a moment as the bird circled the room a few times and settled on her wardrobe, "Oh bugger," Myst then huffed, "We're going to have to catch it now," She frowned lightly and looked back to Credence who was still staring at the bird in wonder, his awe stuck face coming back to her and spotting her looking at his hands, "You should wash your hands," She spoke softly, reaching for his wrist and turning his hand over, he then realised he still had blood on his hands- but with a dreaded thought he knew that wasn't the only blood on his hands.

Mysty watched in concern as his face dropped, her worry growing frighteningly fast as she watched him start to shake, fixed upon the smear of red on his palms, "Credence?" She spoke softly, looking to his eyes and willing him to look back, "Hey? It's okay!" She frowned lightly, trying to understand but there was more going on there than she could see, and so she did the only thing she thought would be helpful. She grasped his wrist firmly and gave his hand a tug down, grasping the skirt of her nightgown and using it to wipe the blood from his hand, she then grabbed his other wrist and did the same, her concerned eyes turning up to then check on him, while he looked to her in a confused form of wonderment. "Go wash your hands now," She pressed, her tone soft as she pointed him off down towards the bath room, having wiped the majority of the crimson liquid away.

She watched as he gave an obedient nod of his head and went off, leaving her to shut her bedroom door and quickly change out of her nightgown, finding an outfit quicker than she ever had before in her life and redressing herself.

With a deep huff from all the effort of the morning she flung open her door again and checked down the hall, hearing the sound of the tap still running and turning back to look at the little bird sat high on her wardrobe, "Well, you best let me catch you unless you want Willow to again!" She spoke to the bird with a sigh, settling her hands on her hips.