Closed A Fateful Encounter

[Byron Henderson]

In another life, Byron Henderson could have been a great wizard.

Strange things had happened around him all through his childhood, and he had been told he had magical inclination and should be trained in the art of wizardry. But his family had disagreed, and beyond a few simple spells taught under extreme secrecy with a borrowed wand, Byron's budding career as a wizard was over before it could begin. He threw himself into his muggle education with renewed determination, feeling that if he pushed aside all thoughts of magic he wouldn't ever have to dwell on what might have been. From school came university, a degree in law (with honours), study under a Supreme Court justice, the bar exam, marriage, a child, every beat hit as it should have been for a picture perfect life. No time to ever stop and think about the what ifs, or the maybes.

Not until it all unravelled.

In this life, Byron Henderson was a burnout. Widowed, childless (unless you counted Hephaistos, who was about as big as three children combined). Extended leave from the bar, he said, and no matter how many times colleagues stopped by the run down second hand shop asking when he'd come back or offering him cases that were manageable and would at least get him back on track, he refused. Hephaistos tended to chase them off, if they even bothered to show up anymore. Sometimes he considered whether anyone would bother teaching a middle aged man magic for something different he could distract himself with, but he knew it was probably too late. Far too late for anything, really, beyond sitting at a dusty front counter surrounded by junk, memories, and regrets.

And then the door jangled open, and Hephaistos didn't even bark. Normally the bear of a dog drove people off if they were here to bother him. Not great for business, but he didn't need it to be. He peered up from his reading, curious about this new arrival that his dog hadn't even bothered to chase off.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie was a strong, independent young girl. She had a lot of time to herself, her parents often gone. She didn't see them often, but that was alright. She did better on her own. She'd finished her usual exploring, looking through other peoples lost or forgotten treasures. She'd found a few... things, an old clock, a lot of old watches, and she was almost sure she could sell them for at least a week of food.

She wrapped them in paper and put them carefully into her worn bag before getting onto her scooter and riding to an old antique shop across town. It took her about an hour, but that was alright. She pushed her way in, the heavy door almost too much, but she managed all the same.

She smiled at the big dog she saw as she padded her way up to the front desk, where a big man stood. She took out her bag, and took out the small collection of wrapped pieces, standing on tiptoe so she could push them towards him. "Here you go," She chirped, putting her hands on the counter and trying to peek over, looking up to him with wide eyes. "I was hoping to sell these to you?" She offered, smiling shyly.

 

[Byron Henderson]

Byron instinctively narrowed his eyes at the young girl who approached. He wasn't exactly the warmest, even to children, but it came with the territory. Besides, he was immediately suspicious. Whatever she had, and she didn't look like she had much, may well have been stolen, or perhaps she had been sent to dispose of things without really even knowing what they were. She looked small, malnourished perhaps, and still quite young, not old enough to necessarily be doing anything illegal. With barely more than a grunt of acknowledgement, he put on a pair of gloves and his reading glasses, cautiously unwrapping the miscellaneous items. There wasn't much of great value, really. Certainly it wasn't worthless, parts were in working order and there was salvage value. But that wasn't what he was worried about.

Peering over his glasses, he looked at the girl, as though he were now sizing her up in the same way he'd been sizing up her salvage. "Does your family know you've brought these things here?" If his suspicions were correct - and he didn't get as far as he did in the legal profession without a very good intuition and an eye for details - this girl's family situation was less than ideal. Clearly, she had been travelling a while, and clearly these items didn't belong to her, plus her general appearance made it seem that she was quite uncared for. It wasn't his business, really, he just didn't really want to get involved in stolen goods.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie shrugged. "I don't think my parents know much of anything about me," She offered easily. "I haven't seen them for a few days. But I saw this shop the other day and I found these while I was exploring the alleys near the house," She told him easily. "I tried to wash them up, I'm sorry if they still smell at all," She gave him a shy smile. "It's okay if you can't do much, I don't need a lot." She offered, thinking this was a bargaining sort of thing.

 

[Byron Henderson]

Byron's expression darkened a little at her words, not entirely hiding his consternation. It was none of his business what a little urchin was doing, but by the same token he wasn't so hard of heart that he didn't find it concerning. "Do your parents often leave you alone?" If this was out of nowhere, then there could be a crime scene somewhere where the parents were...but this didn't seem to be the case. If it wasn't the usual thing, then the girl would be more frightened and asking for help, most likely. He looked back down at the items. So, things that were thrown away. Not stealing, necessarily. Slightly better.

Byron sighed, feeling a bump on his leg. Hephaistos, giving him a nudge. Dog was too smart for his own good. "I'm sure I can give you something for this. But you need to tell me what you're going to do with it." If she was giving it to her parents, he wasn't sure she'd ever see any of it. He felt a nudge again, and rubbed at his temple. "...the dog wants to know if you would like a sandwich," he added, feeling as though that was very much against his better judgement. But she couldn't have been much older than about nine, and he'd never forgive himself if the poor wretch collapsed from starvation on her way home.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie nodded. "They're just busy," She offered softly. She worried for a bit he wouldn't take the things she'd found, but when he asked about what she was doing, she couldn't help but relax, an easy smile slipping over her face. "Oh, I need to go to the grocery store. I'm almost out of food, I just need enough for some bread and some jam." She told him, being brutally honest. She could do without the rest. When he asked about food, mentioning a dog, her eyes widened. "You have a dog?" She asked, distracted completely. "Can I pet him?" She asked immediately, hoping that was okay. She loved dogs!

 

[Byron Henderson]

The girl's words did not exactly ease Byron's worries. "And there's nobody else keeping an eye on you? Grandparents?" He narrowed his eyes again. "How old are you?" He couldn't really talk, it wasn't as though he'd ever been a very good father. But he'd come across cases like these. Neglect, although she didn't seem to be that worried. Or at least was putting up a very brave front about it all. He rolled his eyes a little, nudging the dog - a hulking great St Bernard - for it to approach. "Alright, sit, both of you," he sighed, gesturing at an antique chair that wasn't exactly the most comfortable but it was at least somewhat cushioned. "He's a big sook," Byron explained, as Hephaistos got close enough for the girl to pat. "You keep him company. I'll get you something to eat, because I can't have you falling over on your way home, then I'll see about payment. Don't think about taking anything, or he'll let me know." The dog would probably do nothing of the sort, but it paid to be a little cautious.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie shook her head. "No, it's just me." She offered easily. "I'm nine." She explained, looking around. Her face lit up when she saw the big dog, and with a giggle moved to go sit down as she'd been instructed. "Okay!" She agreed, immediately too occupied with the dog to be worried about much else. The hulking beast was leaning against her legs, panting a bit as she scratched behind his ears and stroked his fur. "You're a pretty boy," She praised him, smiling happily.

 

[Byron Henderson]

So he had been correct, she was about nine. Too young to be left alone so frequently. It really wasn't his business at all, and as his grandmother would've said, 'there but for the grace of God go I'. But his grandmother was long gone, and Byron just knew he couldn't be so heartless as to leave a kid to starve and be neglected. He set about making sandwiches in the kitchenette, pretty standard ham and cheese with tomato relish. Probably should've fed her some vegetables, but he only had his lunch things on hand and wasn't going to go out of his way right now. He quickly returned with a glass of water and sandwiches for the two of them, and a cup of tea for himself, as he sat back down with an appraising glance. Hephaistus would've have forgiven him if he abandoned her either, it seemed. "I can give you fifty bucks." It was more than it was worth, probably, though she wouldn't have known that. "But you need some fruit and veggies, not just jam." He sounded like his mother. "...what's your name, kid?"

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie settled down, as the dog laid against her legs. She cooed and rubbed her hands over his fur, fawning over the brute. "You're such a pretty boy," She praised him. She looked up when the man returned, blushing a little as her stomach grumbled at the sight of the food. She smiled shyly. Her eyes lit up when he told her how much he could give her. "Really? Thank you, mister!" She smiled brightly. "I will! I can keep some apples in my room," She mused. She'd noticed sometimes the food in the fridge would go missing after she'd gotten it, so she'd taken to things she could keep in her room. When he asked her name, she smiled up at him. "Elodie, Elodie Wynshaw." She told him, offering out her hand to shake. "What's your name, Mister?"

 

[Byron Henderson]

Byron was admittedly quite thrown by how strangely cheerful this girl - Elodie - was, considering what sounded like a less than stellar home life based on simple context clues. But Byron also had a solid poker face, and despite his concern he was able to mask it well. He didn't want to get involved in anything uncomfortable, since he had his own wallowing to deal with, but fate didn't bring a semi-abandoned kid to your door for no reason. Even though he was very much a rational man, one who dealt in legality, sometimes you couldn't argue with what higher powers handed you. At least, that's what he was coming to believe of late.

He quietly slipped the second half of his sandwich onto her plate, thinking she no doubt needed it more than he did. "Byron," he said. Giving a formal introduction didn't feel right anymore, felt like something consigned to suits and office towers. He sighed, clearing his throat. "Now, I want you to be honest with me, Elodie...have your parents done anything to hurt you, or anything you think might be bad?" It was awkward broaching the subject with a child, but if something happened to her he didn't want to turn up in the mess. "You won't get in trouble, alright? But if you don't feel safe at home, if you're left alone and don't have enough to eat all the time..." he trailed off, thinking a little about it himself. He was being too nosy and should have just left her alone, but less so that he couldn't forgive himself and more that neither Hephaistus or Lisa would have ever forgiven him.

 

[Elodie Wynshaw]

Elodie kept eating, hungry and not thinking too hard on why her sandwich was lasting so many bites. She was considering her question. "Well... no," She offered slowly. "They're just never around." She explained. "I see them sometimes... but mostly they're just not there." She took another bite of his sandwich. "Sometimes when I manage to get groceries, to help out, the next morning they're just gone." She told him. "But that's all it is, really," She gave him a small smile, rubbing behind the dogs ears as she kept eating.