Interlude. A Micro.

[Anton Zollner]

Anton was all smiles as he strolled into the Hogs Head. It had been too long since he and Rip had gotten to meet up with Little Lina...but she was back in the UK! So it was the perfect time. Being the first one there, Anton grabbed them a table and a round of drinks. Good thing he remembered all their orders. Then he sat back and waited for them to arrive.

[Evelina Stenbock]

Pushing open the door to the musty little pub, Lina too was all smiles. She quite enjoyed Anton and Rip's company and she was glad they would all have time to hang out more now that she was back in the UK. Spotting one half of the duo, she shuffled over, wrapping him in a hug as he stood. "Anton! I'm so happy to see you." She smiled and the two would engage in animated conversation as they waited on Mister Serious himself.

[Rip Winstead]

Rip might not have been smiling when he entered the dingy pub, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy to be there. Despite their teasing, he actually enjoyed hanging out with Anton and Lina. And to be perfectly honest, he really needed a distraction. His lips curled into a small smile as he looked over and saw the two of them sitting at a table speaking animatedly. Anton must have ordered him a beer because it was sitting there waiting for him.

"Excuse me," he said as he approached. "Have you seen a big pain in the ass? About this tall with blonde hair?" A soft chuckle escaped him, his hand clapping against Lina's shoulder. "Good to see you." Rip took his seat and brought his mug to his lips. "So, what'd I miss?"

[Anton Zollner]

It really was good to see Lina again. Anton remembered fondly how they had stumbled into each other in the remote areas of China...and how happy Evelina had been to see people of magic. He had decided then and there that he and Rip were adopting her and they trio hadn't turned back since. They'd kept in touch after Anton and Rip left China and while yes, at some point Anton may have had a small crush on her...he had long since moved past that, instead adopting her as a younger sister. So when Rip showed up, playfully calling her a pain, he feigned a hurt expression for her before laughing and watching Lina greet him.

[Evelina Stenbock]

At the voice behind her, Lina perked up...laughing as Anton seemed playfully shocked at Rip calling her a pain in his ass. Rip patted her shoulder and Lina stood to hug him before they all sat back down again. "Nothing much...Anton was just telling me how busy you two have been lately." She took a sip of her mead and grinned. The guys knew she was back in the area, but she hadn't told them she had taken a job at the school yet...they likely just assumed she was on a break until her next trip. So she couldn't wait to drop that little news bomb on them.

[Rip Winstead]

Rip hummed thoughtfully at Lina's reply, settling into his seat with his mug in his hand. They had most certainly been busy these last few months. He let out a sigh, glancing over at Anton before fixing his gaze back on the blonde witch. "Yeah. A lot's happened recently - it's enough to make your head spin." It felt like he was juggling a dozen cases at once what with the attacks and poachers and Jackson. "Seems to be over for now, work's starting to slow." He knocked on the wooden table for luck. He was still working on the poachers, but that was mostly separate from Anton. Though there had been plenty of times that he wanted to bring his partner on to help, but he kind of wanted to keep Juniper to himself. "What brings you back to the UK? See enough of the stars in China?"

[Evelina Stenbock]

Lina nodded as Rip talked, her eyes shifting to Anton who was also just watching and sipping at his whiskey. ”Well I’m glad you two are getting a moment to breathe these days,” she offered. But as Rip teased her about the stars over China, she smiled softly. ”You could say that,” she started. ”When we finished that job…McGonagall offered me a position teaching astronomy here…in the UK…at Hogwarts.” Lina grinned as Anton’s face broke out in a big smile, his German accent thick as he expressed his happiness of having his friend close by.

[Rip Winstead]

"Yeah," he chuckled, sipping on his drink. "You and me both." He would have thought that end of the attacks would allow him to relax a bit, but he'd been largely unsuccessful in that. There were a pair of bright green eyes that were haunting him day and night. He could get no rest. Meeting up with his friends was something he was too ashamed to admit he was desperate for. Lina came back at just the right time. He asked her why she was back and her answer had his face lighting up. "No way! That's great!" Rip gripped her shoulder with pride, looking over at Anton. "Look at our girl teaching the next generation of star gazers." He was genuinely happy for her and, for once, he could think of something else than those green eyes.

"So, how is it?" he asked after finishing off his beer and ordering a whiskey to follow.

[Evelina Stenbock]

As both Rip and Anton seemed happy that she would be back relatively permanently, Lina just smiled softly behind her cup of mead. It was nice to have friendly faces who were happy to see her. She truthfully didn't know whether Monty was happy to see her or not. Things were certainly complicated. But Lina was doing her best not to dwell on it. Sure...there was closure she would like to have. But she was determined to be respectful of Monty's new relationship above all else. Closure could wait. But as Rip asked how things were, Lina sighed softly. She could at least talk to her friends about it...right?

"Lovely...absolutely lovely. Even if I do have to awkwardly work with my ex and his new girlfriend."

She shot the boys an exasperated smile and a small chuckle. She was happy to see Monty and she was happy he was doing well and happy. But she couldn't deny the tension she felt in the halls of the school. And Lina...was not a fan of confrontation.

[Rip Winstead]

The sigh didn't escape his notice, a brow raising as he looked at Lina. The barkeep set his whiskey down in front of him and he sipped slowly on it, watching his friend closely. Now Rip didn't know about her past relationships - it just never came up in conversation - but he could sympathize with her. He whistled low and shook his head. "Yikes. You didn't know he was there?"

[Evelina Stenbock]

Lina smiled softly as she stared at the table, tears of memories playing in her head. Monty had been her first in almost every aspect and she knew she would never fully get over him. But it was nothing she planned to tell him. She wasn’t a home wrecker. At Rip’s question, the blonde looked up to Rip and Anton. ”I truthfully never expected to see him again. Distance just tore us apart,” she explained. There was a sort of pain in her voice that she was still working on hiding in conversation. But she knew these guys wouldn’t judge her.

[Rip Winstead]

As he listened carefully to his friend, Rip continued to sip on his drink. A small frown touched his lips as he thought about her predicament. He could sympathize a little, but their situations were vastly different. His ex had died and that was the ultimate distance. Rip looked to Anton, then to Lina, and sighed, taking another swig of his drink before speaking, "Something similar happened to me with my ex." He offered the blonde a half-hearted smile. "It sucks, I'm sorry. And the girlfriend? Is she... understanding?"

[Evelina Stenbock]

Lina's eyes flicked up from her drink to watch Rip as he spoke. Anton's hand patting her back calmed her a bit and she just offered Rip a small smile. "I'm sorry to hear that...it's...not idea." Had she known that Rip's partner had passed, she would have likely chosen different words. But as it was...

He asked if Monty's girlfriend was understanding and Lina's brow furrowed.

"I don't really know. I've just been trying to stay out of the way...I don't want to get in the middle of whatever he has going on. That would be cruel."

Truthfully, Lina just didn't do conflict. It wasn't in her wheelhouse. Her usual mode of operation was to evade and avoid.