Mexico isn't what Tina expected, yes some of her schoolmates were Mexican, but they never talked much about home. She expected a big and hot desert with lots of cactus not the big forest that was the park of Chapultepec, she could see that no one even cared to maintain it, it was just there growing wild. Mexico was not what Tina expected but nothing would have prepared her for the rural roads. Pedro had warned them before leaving Mexico City or as he had call it the safe zone, that the way that they had ahead was going to be gross. The scene Infront of her was more than gross or disgusting. The roads from Mexico City to Morelia, Michoacán was flanked by bodies, of woman, men and even children's and if that wasn't enough every half a mile there was a crucified body. When Pickery had mentioned the crucifixion, she didn't really think that they were really doing it but the prove was in front of her.
"The federals put the crucified bodies on the roads that lead to the rogue's cities to scare away possible recruits." Said Pedro when they passed the first crucified body. As he murmured something under his breath that sounded like a no-maj plead.
"why are they in the crux?" Asked a mortified Newt.
"Jesus Christ was killed that way in the bible, so the government thought it funny to exhibit them for the cause that they died for. "If they love their saints, they should die like them" said the maseual President." Explained Pedro.
"I still don't understand why we have to come in the muggle way!" groaned Theseus. After a long silence of contemplation.
"I already told you, our mission is to keep safe the Maseuales from Michoacán, and they cant know what we are, if we don't come in a car they are going to believe that we are undercover federals. It is already going to be difficult to convince them that you three are here to help. I don't want to add mysterious appearance to the list." Said an irritated Pedro.
"Come on, how are they going to know that we didn't come from the road?" Said a skeptic Theseus.
"They have scouts everywhere the moment that we plant foot in their camp they will know everything that we had done in their city. The public transports are suspended so the only way in is by car or walking." Said Pedro.
"Which type of beast are we going to encounter?" Asked Newt who was trying very hard not to see the bodies in the road.
"you are going to love them, some of them are even mythical. There are feathered serpent's, dzulums, Ahuizotls, ixpuxtequi, Quatezcatl, Yoaltepuztli and Sahaguns." Said Pedro smiling at Newt as he took out his journal and began to make questions about each of the mentioned beasts.
Newt discussed with Pedro the rest of the journey the two getting exited about the creatures that they would encounter, Tina couldn't take her eyes off the magizoologist, his eyes brightened every time that Pedro said something interesting. He fiddled with his quill every few minutes when Pedro explained the mythological backstory of the beast. He just looked so cute. Tina must have been gawking at him, because when they finally arrived Theseus gave her a smug smile and a lifted his eyebrows, that suggested that her staring at his brother didn't went unnoticed by him.
Tina tried to hide her brush by making conversation and making her mind forget the look on the elder Scamander.
"what is the meaning to the nicknames?" She asked to Pedro. The smug smile on Theseus dissolved immediately, Newt was too occupied gazing at the forest to pay attention.
"Well, Chauistle is called like that because he is a killjoy. And Axolotl because the fist time that I met him I thought that his name was salamander not Scamander I found out later when Chauistle told me that they were brothers." Said Pedro with a contemplative look. "Talking about family… how is Iris?" He asked with a smirk that made Theseus fulminate him with a glare.
"You are not getting near her!" spat Theseus.
"Come on, we made a connection few years ago, I bet that she misses me." Said a flirting Pedro.
"Newt?!" Said yelled Theseus. Newt stopped his staring on the forest surrounding them to pay attention to them. "aren't you going to say something?" Asked Theseus.
Newt only shrugged. "If he gets that far to make her go out with him, I will say that the one in danger is him not her. She is pretty good at defending herself." He said offhandedly as Pedro laughed at the interchange.
"So… who is Iris?" Asked Tina.
"Your sister in law Auror Goldstein." Said Pedro with a wink, it seems that even he caught her staring. Newt was too assorted with the forest to even pay attention to them, so he didn't catch the Pedro's statement. Tina just answered with a hard look to the other two men with smug smiles.
"Finally, the camp!" Shouted a delighted Pedro.
The entrance was franked by five guards dressed in with red scarves and a officer. They all looked to the three of them as they stood a meter away from the camp delimitation.
Newt caught up with them and stood next to her, she could feel his knuckles graze hers
"Pedro! ¡¿Que paso, compadre?! ¿Te vas a unir a la causa?" "Pedro! Whats up men? Are you going to join the cause?" Said one of them, the only one that wasn't dressed in white, he was wearing a normal no-maj outfit.
"Es definitivo Mole, ya estoy hasta la madre de las injusticias del gobierno de Calles. ¡Además traje ayuda!" "It is definitive Mole; I am tired of the injustices of the Calles government. I also brought help!" He said pointing at them.
"Gringos?! Va a estar difícil compa." "Gringos?! It is going to be difficult, compa." Said Mole with a thoughtful look. "yo te creo, pero el general es otra historia." "I believe in you, but the general is another story."
"Pero ni son Gringos, son britanicos" "But they aren't Gringos, they are brits!"
"Ella es gringa. Se nota." "She is gringa. I can see it." Pedro nodded then he shot Newt and Tina a smug smile, Tina didn't like it, she didn't even know what was going on. And Newt looked back at Pedro with a glare that said fix it quick, whatever that it was happening it had something to do with her.
"Pero están casados. Ella está aquí para cuidar de él, ya tú sabes es su Adelita." "But they are married. She is here to take care of him, you know she is his Adelita." Newt turned a bright shade of red as the two men smiled at their direction.
"Bueno si de eso se trata adelante, el General tendrá más preguntas, pero tienes mi apoyo pinche loco." "Well if that's what it's about you can enter, the General will have more questions, but you have my all my support, you crazy cad."
The three advanced to what Mole had said was the General's tent. "What was all of that about?" Asked Theseus once they were out of earshot.
"Your brother just got married! Congratulations by the way." He said laughing as he pated Newt on the back.
"What?!" Said a mortified Theseus.
"Mole didn't want the gringos in the camp, he is in the rogues war council, so we wanted him on our side if this is going to work so I told him that Auror gold- well now Scamander is married to Axolotl and is here to take care of him." He said with a smirk. "And don't worry I know that it sounded as if you are going to stay behind and do menial work, but here the ladies only do that when they want too. So, you can still be the fearsome Auror that I am sure that you are."
"But sharing a tent with Newt" Finished Theseus. Newt doubled his earlier brush and Tina felt her cheeks getting hotter, and the weather had nothing to do with it.