Hi all! This little blurb is for those that reviewed last chapter, I under lined bits for guests who left a comment in hopes you can pick out which one is you:

Guest 1 and/or 4: Hi there, two reviews in one day(I think)! You're spoiling me! I think all of your comments/thoughts will be answered below :) The concept of them going back and forth with Queenie accidentally reading minds might come into play later but for now, its just dinner conversation. Also! I will be doing Newt's POV next chapter!

Guest 2: You're the second person to ask for a Newt POV and you're getting it next chapter! I would have done it this one but I'd already written this guy up by the time you guys asked for it and it felt like a shame to scrap it.

Ivana bocanegra: I see what you mean! We get to see Tina being a little awkward as she relaxes with her sister and our pair. Also, you know I haven't actually considered entering Leta into the situation at all? I think I might actually do that though it'd be in a long while.

Toreh: Hi! I'm really happy you like this story (I do live off of people reading my rambles with fictional characters and telling me what they think, you know) Building these two up has been fun and there have been people asking for a bit of romance which I think is found here in a softer manner as Newt and Ara aren't alone.

Bored411: I think Ara is just totally bamboozled by Queenie, but you'll see what I mean in the chapter below! Thank you for reviewing :)

TheWonderfulShoe: You know, I hadn't actually considered a jealous Newt from Ara's perspective but you just gave me an idea for Newt's POV next chapter.

Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967/Love-Fiction-2018: Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well :)

GreyMoon-Huntress: They do sulk quite a bit, don't they?

Guest 3 for ch21: Sassy, aren't we? You gave me a bit of a smile when I read your review.

If you didn't review last chapter, please enjoy!

I'd wandered over to their modestly sized kitchen after seeing Goldstein take a seat and Queenie ushering the ill Muggle over to the head of their table, next to her. I glanced at Newt from my shuffle to the the table, wondering how exactly we were going to get out of this when I heard a soft squeak from Newt's coat as he edged closer.

Both him and his Bowtruckle were curious about the meal that had been prepared, and rightly so. Queenie's preparation of desert was charming to take in, especially when it'd all floated softly into the tray and a dusting of powdered sugar fell atop of the pastry.

"Well, sit down, you two, we're not going to poison you." My hands lingered on the top of a wooden chair after Goldstein had lit the candles.

I eyed her for a moment, briefly considering if she'd actually do it or not. I mean if she did, I'm not sure that I'd actually know until I was foaming at the mouth and convulsing, it wasn't as though I had major training with detecting poisons. Taking men by surprise? Check. Sneaking around after night? Well trained, thank you. But tasting a poison before swallowing? Not even a teensy bit, I'd be more likely to eat it and think the dish tasted gre-

I quickly glanced down at the feeling of a hand on top of mine with confusion to spy the cylindrical scar that resembled a set of Doxy teeth. Following the hand all the way up the arm until I met Newt's eyes. I raised a brow and let my hands fall away from the chair, taking a few steps back while wondering if he was really going to so petty as to take the seat I'd been at.

A second passed in which several different expressions crossed Newts eyes. At first I was irritated and wondered if he was going to finally say something aloud to me, or if I should before the food got cold because Merlin knows he wouldn't speak up in time.

Maybe 30 seconds went by before he just pulled the chair out and went towards the one next to it, pulling that one out before sitting down. I glanced between the chair he'd pulled out just to quickly pick another with confusion.

Oh.

Oh.

Wow.

Now I'm the sulky arsehole, aren't I?

He'd been a gentleman and while I didn't say it out-loud, I'd just insulted him by thinking he'd just wanted the seat. My lips pursed as I quickly took the seat and shuffled it up to my place at the table with my eyes focused only on the plate in front of me. There was food being passed around and I sat quietly, appreciating the tense yet homely atmosphere of this dinner.

I'd settled down at the table in the Goldstein's flat and stared at the food with some reluctance as well as some excitement while Queenie passed it around the table. They'd prepared a real home-cooked meal, a stew with real meat and potatoes, I hadn't had a dinner like this for nearly a decade.

My mum was the last person to prepare such a thing for me as my da had never been a terrific cook, something I'd unfortunately inherited from him. Newt, for all of his good qualities, was not a terrific cook either.

We'd made do with bits of preserved meats and breads with jam or cheese as well as the occasional bit of beef or ham. Actual meat was a mixed bunch simply because we'd eat the left overs of whatever the carnivorous creatures didn't consume. The bits we did get had to endure a second round of tribulations as they were cooked depending on how well we'd set up the fire (something that we didn't invest much time into.)

Queenie, however, was an excellent cook and looked to be quite talented at this sort of magic. The fact that not only was she talented in Legilimency, a skill that I could never master, but that she was also obviously talented in food-related charms poked at my pride. Those were things I've always failed horribly at and it was annoying to be presented with a perfectly made meal in front of my very eyes.

I watched the bowl of stew come into Newt's hands. Hoping to mentally plan out how I'd divide up the space I glanced down at my plate. If I finished this before Newt was done, I wouldn't have the stew touching the strudel later on...wait a second. There's no plate here.

I furrowed my brow as I stared at the spot with confusion, sitting my hands onto the empty space to make sure it hadn't somehow gone invisible. I did just have a plate, right? I hadn't imagined that?

My eyes scanned around the kitchen for an extra plate that hadn't been set, dishes sat behind a glass door of their kitchen cupboards but none on the counters. I leaned back, attempting to be inconspicuous while I tried to make sure I didn't spot Aurelius trying to shove one of the Goldstein's plates into his pouc-

"Ara?" My searching stare snapped back towards the sound of my name in Newt's soft voice.

He seemed almost amused with me. I reluctantly opened my mouth to subtly mention I thought the Niffler might have escaped the case and stole my plate, "uh..." I mumbled but stopped when he sat a plate down in front of me. This is awkward...and vaguely disconcerting. I'd been wrong on two occasions concerning Newt and they'd been right after each other.

"Thanks," I nodded, suddenly feeling very silly and paranoid. I sat up fully, grabbing my spoon before I paused with my eyes on the stew he was hap-haphazardly piling onto the middle of his plate. I swallowed, unwilling to glance down at my own just yet in case he'd done the same thing to mine while anxiety settled in at the possibility he might've.

Everyone else seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he'd resorted back to our established habits from meals in the shed, but I wasn't. The fact that he'd filled my plate before his own, as he almost always did, imparted oddly warm fuzzy feelings. Peculiar feelings which lasted for a lovely but fleeting second before my neuroses derailed them.

I was worried that he might not have kept my stew to one side of the plate, that he'd just plopped it all down onto the plate. If he hadn't done so then I'd simply have to grit my teeth and decline desert as it'd be impossible for me to eat around the stain stew left after I ate it. Dessert was something that I always looked forward to, courtesy of an impartial yet demanding sweet tooth.

I mean, it wasn't as though I could merely ask for a new plate or magically clean this one of sauce properly without attracting attention. I did know that even if I attempted to, I'd end up having to explain why the thought of my food touching produced waves of anxiety and frustration.

I knew my need for complete separation of my food on one plate was irrational and absurd. But that didn't change the fact that if the foods touched without my permission I simply couldn't eat them.

A minute had passed before I forced my eyes down to my plate with a hint of tumultuous fear and regret. My gaze was forcibly settled on the stew which had been carefully tucked away onto the left side of the plate.

I wasn't sure if he'd remembered or was that just how he also ate. Couldn't recall him mentioning anything but it wasn't as though I spent a good bit of my time studying his eating habits. That'd be incredibly weird, wouldn't it? To encounter someone staring at you while you ate?

Peering curiously at his exposed plate, I leaned over just enough so I could see it over the bowl of stew he'd sat between us. After a moment, it became apparent that stew had been spooned with blatant disregard for it's location in the across his plate as he began to eat it. He remembered.

"Is there something wrong with it?" I glanced up from my research at the sound of concern in Queenie's face and attempted to act like I hadn't just been inspecting Newt's plate out of a silly need that my food didn't touch.

She appeared confused, anxious, and somewhat offended all in one body. I had to admit that Queenie had been unconditionally lovely to us, she gave me the impression of someone who wore her feelings on her sleeves and saw only the best in everyone. So, making her upset made me feel a teensy bit guilty and I pursed my lips.

I stared at her face for a moment, considering how to piece my prior envy for her multitude of talents into words that didn't sound so awful. A second ticked by when I felt like she'd tried to peek inside my mind again and frowned, annoyed she'd try despite my continuous silence. My proverbial walls came crashing down around my mind and for once in my adult life, I felt safe for a short second.

I shook my head, "no-no. It looks great." My eyes stared strictly at my food, a meal that consisted of stewed meat and some boiled potatoes had never looked as good as it did right now.

I stabbed a bit of the meat and placed it into my mouth with some urgency, hoping that'd quell her worries as well as my guilt over her hurt feelings. I supposed that months of Newt and I attempting to cook over a small fire left me with the desire for food that wasn't prepared on the same table an animal had lied on an hour prior.

I chewed it for a bit, unhappily realising that she was indeed a terribly talented cook. Damn it. She was undoubtedly attractive in all senses of the word, sweet to an annoying degree, and she could cook well. This witch was nearly three times the woman I was, well at least in the traditional sen-

"You're an Occlumens, aren't cha?" I blinked in confusion, continuing to chew despite my thoughts being interrupted.

"What?" I furrowed my brow at the plate after I'd swallowed and glanced up at her, "I mean, I tried studying some after school, but I was never any good at it." I guessed that studying wasn't the best term for what I'd did. I focused entirely on pushing my ex boyfriend out of my mind and constantly failed to do so for about a year.

"Maybe she's just part troll." My eyes cut to Goldstein's who appeared to be grinning, "Teenie! You're silly, trolls can't be Occlumens. They're too stupid." Queenie giggled, lightly pushing her sister's shoulder.

Goldstein grinned like she'd told a splendid joke and for a slow second, I merely stared at her; entertained with the fact that I'd officially discovered someone who was more socially inept than Newt. Instead of being annoyed with her teasing, I just smirked. Two could play the mockery game, and I was rather talented at finding people's sore spots.

"No trolls in the family, Teenie." I almost snorted at the sudden unhappy look on her face at her nickname but focused on continuing, "might be nice though. I'd be a good bit taller." I shrugged it off as an interesting joke that hadn't been set up very well.

Apparently months of being around Newt had paid off in some aspect outside of the obvious amount of knowledge I'd acquired on creatures such as Trolls. They weren't stupid by any means, just driven by instincts as they didn't possess a higher level of thought like we did. I didn't mention that little fact, choosing to take another bite instead.

"Well, I can't hear you," I glanced up at her. She motioned to her head with her fork sounding a bit bothered, "so you have to be." I raised a brow at that, attempting to recall of my knowledge on mind-based magic and my awful attempts to excel at it.

"You really can't or feel anything?" I pursed my lips before turning my gaze back to my food after she'd shaken her head. "Interesting." I scooped another bite up into my mouth and chewed a bit of meat.

"I can only get a sense of your emotions. They're fuzzy, kinda like listenin' to a bad wireless, y'know? Everything's really quiet." She sound seemingly upset that she couldn't peer into my mind. I took her description into consideration, attempting to study her ability from afar while I chewed in thought.

Both Legilimency and Occlumency required strenuous mental discipline, and a long time to master them. They required years of work, and even then you might only be half as good as someone else. People's minds were layered and each layer had a lot of different avenues for one to explore, plus people could typically feel you trying to rifle through their minds.

Her existence, a natural Legilimens, sort of destroyed the basis of every lesson and book I'd gone though in an attempt to practice both branches of magic. Since she was born with the talent, I wondered if it was something like people being born as Metamorphmagus; where one had the ability but it took years to sharpen and control it until one could transform at will.

Perhaps I could actually learn a thing or two from her, she was obviously rather clever despite all of her scatterbrained and licentious appearances so far. What was that saying? Don't pull a book apart at the cover? That didn't feel right, but that might as well be the phrase in my case. I'd just need to capitalise on he-

"It would make sense." My jaw stopped it's motions at the sound of Newt before I swallowed the mush I'd turned the meat into. I supposed he'd officially stopped sulking about our circumstance.

"How?" I raised a brow, watching him from the corner of my eye. Maybe he'd gotten over our little tiff about the Muggle, and my decision to go along with the ex MACUSA auror.

"Well," he paused, seemingly unsure if he should disclose such information in our current company as he spared a wary glance at Goldstein and her sister. I eyed the two witches across the table from us before watching the Muggle near Newt at the head of the table as he continued to eat.

We were at their table, with Teenie and her sister acting as the only active listeners so I figured we sort of had to finish this conversation in front of them at this point, it'd be rude otherwise. I'm sure the Muggle could hear a conversation happening less than a meter away from him but he was working on consuming his second plate before dessert.

"Yes?" I turned my head to fully eye him, motioning for him to continue now that I might learn something completely new to me. We simply had to finish the conversation, I didn't fancy seeing what Goldstein was like if she thought we were purposely hiding something under her nose.

"You're rather..." I raised a brow, he seemed to trying to find a better phrase than the one he'd originally thought of, "recalcitrant." I smiled a little at his chosen term, pigheaded or stubborn as a mule were probably better descriptions of me.

"And Occlumens have to be, correct? Isn't that how they have the will to keep everyone out of their heads?" He turned to Queenie who shrugged as her sister nodded gravely, looking as though she'd done 10 years worth of work in a day and I imagined she had if she grew up with a Legilimens for a sister.

"I wasn't any good at it, though." I furrowed my brow, finding fault with his theory. "I mean I tried to be, but I just wasn't."

To be fair, there were times that I'd successfully lied to Marcus, but there weren't many moments of victory in the grand scheme of our relationship. I was often too angry or happy or anxious to actually settle myself down and focus on sealing him out of my head.

"How? You're incredibly talented at everything else, something disciplined like that should have been easy for you to grasp." I peered at Newt for a second, wondering if he meant to pay me such a hefty compliment or if that was just what he thought he'd observed over the course of our companionship.

"Not really," I shook my head, assuming he'd just stated his personal observations. "Too emotional, I think." I muttered my personal theory as to why I failed at mind magic like Legilimency or Occlumency.

The meal finished in almost complete silence with Queenie staring at either Newt or myself with the oddest look on her face. It was as if she kept trying to understand something that was just within her grasp before she'd lose sight of it and start searching all over again. The only time one of us spoke was when Aurelius had begun attempting to crawl up my leg and I grumbled at him for getting out of the case once again.

I couldn't grumble for long, of course, he just wanted some food and he was rather well-mannered for a Niffler. He only growled at Goldstein once before he was quickly won over by Queenie's insistence that he needed to try some of the strudel she'd prepared for desert. By the end of dinner, I was quite sure that Newt and I needed to start him on an exercise regime.

Hiya,

I put this below everything as it concerns the next chapter and my updating schedule, so if you don't really care when I update feel free to skip this!

I will be posting Newt's POV next chapter in the next three days (may be tomorrow, may be December 16th, 2018. I'm not sure yet!) but, after this chapter, expect a maximum of a 2 week break because I will be seeing my parents for Christmas and we're going to Harry Potter World in Florida next week! I'm so excited!

If you have any tips or recommendations for Universal Studios, HIT ME UP! I'll be the 22 year old girl running around whilst waving her wand at everything she can.