Post Dinnertime July 6th, 1895 — Sickle Street, Bartonburg

Barnabas was being followed. At first, he'd thought it was just a coincidence to hear footsteps behind him. He'd just had a decent meal at an establishment on High Street–ideally, it would last him until his afternoon meal so he wouldn't have to find another excuse to not eat the slop that Mrs. Stewart called breakfast. He did have his cousin's funeral services to attend tomorrow (RIP), with everything on his to-do list complete. As he turned off the bustling high street and made his way through the darkening sidestreet that led to Mrs. Stewart's, he'd noticed it.

There were plenty of people who were likely heading into Bartonburg, traveling home from a day of whatever it was other people did. Though as the path narrowed and sky continued to darken, he could still hear the footsteps behind him. The hair on the back of his neck rose. Was he about to be mugged? Or worse? Had they seen his cane and thought him an easy target? He'd been away for six years, maybe Bartonburg had gone sideways and this was not the town he'd remembered.

Barnabas cast a glance behind him, but was unable to discern who it was, only that there was indeed someone after him. Slowly, he reached into his trouser pocket, withdrew his wand for some light (as if he needed it to see the path more clearly), and then spun on his heel to face his would-be attacker head on, "Who are you? Why are you following me!?"

@"Effie Clarke" Elias Grimstone

  

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Barnabas walks with a cane • Set by the lovely Lady • plot with me

Effie walked the same way back through town every day, usually without incident. (Even as a woman alone – although years of working at the Ministry and going about her job in the Floo Authority had helped her confidence walking alone, and at the prospect of defending herself, and Hogsmeade was safer than London or Edinburgh... supposedly.)

So when someone spun around to confront her, wandlight beaming into her face and half-blinding her, Effie only faltered for a moment before standing her ground. (Her wand was in her pocket, not too far out of reach; and the man had a cane, so surely she could outrun him if she needed to?) Except he was... accusing her of following him. Which meant – he wasn’t mugging her?

“Excuse me?” Effie said, baffled. “I wasn’t – why would I be following you?” She was on her way home.

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He hadn't expected his would-be attacker to be a woman, but women were just as capable of violence and thievery as anyone else. They were usually a lot sneakier about it though–this one had been particularly obvious. Barnabas held his wand slightly behind his leg. He wasn't quite sure he didn't have need of it just yet... though he could easily fight her off if it came down to it. He had been the dueling commission head of office at one point, after all.

His eyed her warily–she seemed like she hadn't expected to interact with him–but it was possible she was acting. Women were untrustworthy and deceivers from birth. "You tell me," He retorted, another accusation primed and ready to go, but he held on to it.

  

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Barnabas walks with a cane • Set by the lovely Lady • plot with me

Angling for more of a confrontation hardly seemed wise here, when he had not actually put his wand away, and she was walking alone, but she couldn’t help but frown at him in utter consternation. “Not that it’s any of your business,” Effie muttered, with an exasperated shrug, “but I’m just – walking home.”

(She did not particularly want to mention the particular address of the boarding house – she would rather shake him off before she got there.)

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Barnabas took a moment to study her, his eyes narrowed as if he could discern whether she was being truthful. He didn't see her wand anywhere, and if she had been planning on attacking him, she would have done so when his back was turned. "Very well," He replied suspiciously, as he pocketed his wand. Though that didn't mean he entirely trusted her. He waved his hand toward the path forward, "Carry on, I don't mean to get in your way." Better for her to be in front of him where he could see her at all times. No doubt she'd break off to some side street and he could return home in peace.

  

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Barnabas walks with a cane • Set by the lovely Lady • plot with me

Effie didn’t like the idea of his letting her go ahead, because who knew what he would do when her back was turned? If he wasn’t a danger to her, he did seem a liability. But she nodded stiffly, murmured a good day, and walked briskly on.

After a few moments of walking, and a couple of possible turns off this street onto others, Effie shot a casual glance over her shoulder, expecting he would have gone off in one way or another. Oh, hell. Not so. She was too close to the boarding house for comfort; he was going to see, in just a minute, where she lived. Better confront him now, then, and see if she could shoo him off. “Now you’re following me!” Effie exclaimed angrily.

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At least she was agreeable. She'd gone with his suggestion, which meant she likely hadn't been planning anything nefarious. Still—it was better to be overly cautious than not at all. Traumatically losing a limb to a troll attack tended to change a person's thoughts on such things. Barnabas had waited for several beats before he'd begun his own walk up the path. It was better for both of their comforts if there was a healthy amount of distance between them.

Strangely enough, she bypassed every side street. At least he was nearly back to the boarding house. He wouldn't need to spend any more energy on her whereabouts once he arrived. Though before he could reach his destination—he'd been so close!—she whirled her accusation back at him. "I am not!" He retorted, offended that she would even think of such a thing.

  

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Barnabas walks with a cane • Set by the lovely Lady • plot with me

He seemed equally annoyed that she should accuse him of such a motive, but – he had been following her. Effie didn’t grace him with an answer, just thought it would be wise to be rid of him, in case he was off, somehow, in the head; she hurried for the front door and slotted her key in the lock, pulling open the boarding house door and slamming it swiftly behind her, to be sure he wouldn’t follow her.

There! Effie took one breath in the safety of Mrs. Stewart’s boarding house front hall, standing there between the familiar coathooks and the umbrella stand – when the front door almost whacked her as it opened again.

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If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn that the townhouse the woman had flung herself into was Mrs. Stewart's. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him. She likely had gone into one of the buildings further down. It would explain why they were both headed in the same direction. It was a pity he couldn't prove that to her now—that he hadn't been following her. It was no matter. She was gone, and he'd never have to bother with her again. At least he'd finally reached his destination.

He used his key in the lock and swung the door open, only to see an awfully familiar head of ginger curls before him. "How'd you get in here?!" He demanded, wrenching his key from the lock and holding it before him before she could accuse him of some other demented scheme. If she had seen where he'd gone and apparated in so she could rob him proper, she had another thing coming.

  

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Barnabas walks with a cane • Set by the lovely Lady • plot with me

“I live here—!” Effie spluttered, indignant, but in the moment she took a breath to accuse him of stalking her home, she spotted the key he was brandishing, and in spite of his unfamiliar face, everything fell (embarrassingly) into place. “...And so do you. Ah.”

Mrs. Stewart had remarked something on a new boarder to her the other day at breakfast, hadn’t she? (Something about a very short fellow from America...) Effie looked at him headlong again, and now that they were face to face, she did feel ever so slightly taller than him.

And, unfortunately, a little sheepish about this.

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Barnabas Skeeter

"Oh," he blinked. Apparently they were both boarding at Mrs. Stewart's. Well, this was rather awkward. There wasn't really much either of them could do to save face in this situation, so he did the only thing he could. "Goodnight." He ducked his head as he shuffled past her and scurried off to his room.

  

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Barnabas walks with a cane • Set by the lovely Lady • plot with me