Olivia carried a whole set of bags on her forearms while her hands moved through the air, her body angled so that Amelia who walked beside could see what she was telling her.
"Why do we need so much vegetables, exactly?" Olivia questioned, slightly confused as Amelia's eyes continued to scan all over the street market and the stands covering the lot. Both of them already carried a multitude of bags containing all kinds of foods. There were onions and tomatoes and peppers, and also cherries and grapes, and many other things.
"Oh come on, I just want to find some Brussel Sprouts and then we can go." Amelia tried to pass it off as nothing, but Olivia still knew what Brussel Sprouts were a sign of. And she was more than ready to intervene. If she didn't, her father would ground her for life.
"Alright, you've lost control. Time to go." She signed simultaneously speaking the words, as she always did, her tone determined as she took hold of Amelia's arms and started to pull her towards the exit. If they brought Brussel Sprouts back home, Ted would kick them out right along with them (while keeping everything else for himself).
"Well how about some broccoli then? You love broccoli!" Amelia tried to win her case by bribing Olivia with something she knew would be hard to turn down, the debate in the young girl's mind almost instant.
"No! You're just trying to distract me!" While at first she was almost swayed, Olivia knew better than that in the end. Her pulling on Amelia's hand continued, relentless until she dragged her out through the exit of the market. And even then, she wasn't yet ready to fully let go of the elderly woman's hand.
"You and your father have no taste." Amelia grumbled, her complaints making Olivia send her an unimpressed look. So maybe she didn't like Brussel Sprouts just as much as her dad detested them, that did not mean they lacked taste.
"You can get them the next time you go to the markets alone." Olivia announced with a teasing smile, knowing perfectly well what that meant.
"But you always accompany me when you're home." Amelia pointed out obliviously, making Olivia let out a small laugh and while Amelia could not hear it, the look on the red head's face was enough of a clue. "Oh you little..."
Olivia's brows furrowed, slightly confused while she juggled the multitude of bags in her hands and simultaneously opened the door of their flat, allowing Amelia to pass through before she attempted the task of closing it again. She knew her dad had only gotten off of work and returned home not too long ago, so she was surprised to hear him in the living room talking to someone. Maybe he's brought over a coworker?
"Dad! We're home!" She called out into the hall, in case he hadn't heard them coming in. Although that was doubtful, she almost knocked over their umbrella stand in the process.
"I'm coming!" Ted yelled back, his footsteps already echoing through the halls while Amelia and Liv moved on towards the kitchen, more than ready to set down all of their bags and let their arms rest.
So as they entered the kitchen and headed straight for the dining table, neither Olivia nor Amelia saw Ted come into the room, accompanied by yet another familiar face. It was only when Amelia turned to put away some of the food in the fridge did she give a small jump of surprise to find the dark haired woman standing beside Theodore.
"Well finally." Amelia signed to him with a smile, her thoughts going in a completely different direction than what the real story was.
"Finally what?" Olivia asked curiously, turning around herself to see Gwen and Oliver's mother right there in their kitchen.
"Hello, you must be Amelia, it's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Nadia." Nadia, while unable to sign herself, made sure to talk properly and slightly slower than usual, ensuring that Amelia could read her lips even though Ted was quick to sign her words.
"Oh the pleasure is mine, it's about time Ted brought over a girlfriend." Amelia signed, relying on Olivia who chose to be the one to speak her words out loud. However, the younger girl didn't get through it all before she burst out laughing, amused by Amelia's mistake. At least Olivia thought it was a mistake.
"Wait..." She turned to her father with a questioning look. By now she knew all about how much time he spent with Oliver and Gwen's mother during their last year. However, her obvious trail of thought had Ted's eyes widening in shock.
"No! No, no, no, no, no." He kept repeating the words. The whole ordeal leaving Nadia to look between the faces of the family confused by what had been left out of Olivia's translation. "Nadia is just a friend, she's the mother of Liv's friends from school, that's all." Ted was quick to explain to Amelia, his words also making Nadia let out a small laugh as she realized now where the mistake was.
"But why are you here Mrs Volkov? Are Gwen and Oli alright?" Olivia asked curiously, unsure of why the witch would have popped in for an unannounced visit. The last time she had been over was when Liv was going to spend some time at their home for the summer, so that she could apparate Liv over.
"Well, Nadia came to ask whether Gwen could stay with us for some time." Ted started to explain, but his daughter was quick to interrupt with a reminder.
"But I'm going over to the Weasleys in a couple of days."
"I know, so I offered to apparate you there myself. Gwen and Oli are going tomorrow so if you want to, you can come with us. It would spare your dad from having to make the drive there and back." Nadia offered politely
"Really?" Liv's excitement shone through as she heard the offer.
"Yup, we've definitely entered the 'I want to be with friends more than family' stage." Ted mumbled to himself, although he still continued to sign the words so Amelia wouldn't feel lost.
"No, it's not like that dad. I wouldn't mind staying either. Both options are great." Olivia quickly tried to explain. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her father's feelings, especially since she truly didn't mean it to come across as if she didn't want to spend time with him too.
"Don't listen to your father darling, it's alright if you want to go spend time with your friends." Amelia was quick to reassure Liv, sending a scolding look towards Ted for being dramatic. She could certainly remember nights when he'd first moved into the flat when she babysat little Olivia so he could go do the same. Although, the truth was that in their case most often it was her forcing him to get out of the house.
"I'm just teasing Liv. I've already said it's a great idea. It's only up to you if you want to go." Ted sent his daughter a smile. Of course he wouldn't be hurt if she wanted to go. He knew she loved being home too, but after months of not seeing her friends and communicating with many of them only through letters, he wasn't surprised by her eagerness to see them.
"I'll start packing!" The young girl exclaimed happily, already rushing out of the house letting her legs carry her towards her bedroom as fast as she could. At this point, Ted didn't even bother trying to remind her not to run. He'll just keep apologizing to the tenants in the flat below them in hopes they didn't skin him alive one day.
"Okay, but you can't say we aren't in the teenage phase." Ted signed to Amelia once Olivia was gone, sending Nadia a questioning look, expecting her to back him up as her own children were slightly older than Liv. If anyone would know she would. However, as no reply came, he continued on.
"Can someone explain time to me again? Wasn't she two just yesterday?" The despair in his voice made the two women around him laugh in amusement. And all Ted could do was glare at them. Because in his eyes, Olivia was growing up much too fast. But at the same time, he loved seeing it too.
Published: 18th July, 2020
Small announcement so everyone knows: Innocence is officially up!!!