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WHO: Ron Weasley and the Trollburrow Bunch
WHERE: The Trollburrow
WHEN: Wednesday, April 11th
WARNINGS: Likely none!
SUMMARY: With the twins and Ginny gone, Ron steps in to try to take care of the Trollburrow
FORMAT: Have at anything.

The rest of the Weasleys were gone. Ron had a more solid confirmation on Ginny, and the twins... Irresponsible as they could be, they would have picked up the phone or called him back by now. They were gone, too, or otherwise hiding very well for reasons that Ron couldn't figure out.

That was positive thinking, though, and he frankly wasn't much about that.

He'd spent most of the morning out on a walk, stopping for a big breakfast, before returning to the twins' house. They'll have left that aside, along with the group of children who lived there. That needed to be tended to while he was distracting himself from feeling this properly.

It had been good to have the spare time. He would try to take that as it was.

He went to the house and searched it, looking for documents, notes, wishes... Anything that might've been left to indicate what was meant to be done with the place. He'd stay around to speak to the odd children, too, inform them of the apparent change-over, find out a little more about them and what they wanted out of the situation...

To that purpose, he lurked in between the living room and the kitchen for a good portion of the day, trying to catch them as they went about their business.

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It was the sound of someone moving about that got Kanaya's attention as she entered the house, after ferrying everyone back from school. She wondered if perhaps it didn't mean Ginny or the twins had returned, but kept her lipstick on-hand just in case. Sometimes these absences didn't last too long, and Ginny hadn't been gone for more than a few days. For all she knew, Fred and George might've just been busy elsewhere for the past twenty-four hours, maybe on the hunt for some ingredient or other.

She poked her head in the kitchen, glowing warily, until she saw him. The glow waned as she relaxed, releasing her weapon back into her specibus. There wasn't any reason he needed to know how close he came, there. "Oh, Ron," she greeted him with as she placed her bag on the counter. "I'm afraid your siblings have all been rather truant these past few days, if you were looking for them. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ron smiled tightly at the statement, well-aware of the fact. Kanaya was the occupant that he was most familiar with, after a grand total of one actual conversation, not in person. It was Kanaya, right?

"I've more or less concluded that they're properly gone. Even given their reckless abandon, it's not like George to not return a call." It was a little more like Fred to, maybe, but part of him wanted to forget about that. "I'm here to make sure the place doesn't come apart at the seems, see to it that you lot are properly cared for."

"Well, I'm sure it won't be met with any lack. I can see to that personally." She's got a job, she's responsible, right? She's totally got this one.

"Merlin's sake," he exclaimed, voice somewhere between humor and frustration. It was a simple thought, he'd figured, but the apparent troll-children seemed to not want any sort of normal help in the least. Not that the resistance was particularly rough, but it still felt a bit like hitting a wall. "I'm only trying to help. You lot are bizarrely resistant."

Well, that reaction seemed a little strong. She'd only provided a bit of light dissent, but perhaps there were signs here of another Weasley who she'd have to look after while he thought he was looking after her. "Falling under the care of adults isn't an arrangement we're accustomed to, you'll excuse us if we don't all fall in line the moment you demand it. I'd never even encountered an adult for my first six sweeps, I certainly won't require one to hold my hand as I stumble so clumsily through my own survival! You may be surprised how personally invested I am in the success of that goal on my own."

"I didn't demand anything!" And what the hell did sweeping have to do with anything..?

"Look. I didn't mean to insult you, just--" He gestured pointlessly for a moment before stilling himself by crossing his arms. He took a breath and wondered if he shouldn't just give up, go back to the MAC, let the house run itself into the ground... "Fred and George set this all up. Whatever they meant for it, I just want to make sure it's well-maintained. No matter how you lot operate where you're from, you're children. You go to school and everything, don't you? And you're all small and everything. Good conscious isn't going to let me leave a bunch of children alone, especially not in some dopey place like this."

Well, he's really overreacting now. She settled a hand on her hip and leveled a scrutinizing glare at him as her glow waxed somewhat. She was clearly growing similarly agitated.

"Well, when you respond so disproportionately to the slightest insinuation that we're not entirely incompetent in regards to the maintenance of our own continued survival, I'm left to wonder what your own capabilities as a guardian may be." She coked her head slightly and quirked an eyebrow. "How can I be certain they surpass my own?"

He shouldn't be making any fuss over this. He took in a breath to calm down, but there was something persistently aggravating about that glare... Glares are annoying no matter who they come from. His brow furrowed. Okay, fine. If he couldn't concede to a degree and receive something close to a welcome, he was giving up.

That in mind, he let out a sigh. He could calm down. He could. If he wanted to prove he was here to help, he'd do good to actually have a better attitude about it.

"I have two kids that are still intact, if that helps, not that they're here to prove their worth to you or anything. My wife works more than I do, and... Well, I work with George. Family business isn't all that demanding, so I'm the one who's home with them. Aside," and the twins themselves were so fond of pointing out, "I'm old. I don't think it can hurt to have a geezer at your disposal in some circumstances."

"Well, I'm not sure that 'old' is the term I would employ, but you are undeniably adult." But he has a point. Given how many people have insisted they keep some adult guardian, there may be something in that. "Would you, perhaps, be willing to pretend to such a role? Not with any notions of legitimate human parentage, and in fact you wouldn't necessarily need even fulfill that role, but it may be beneficial to have you appear as one."

"Well, yeah." That's all he'd meant, really. He'd never expected to treat the lot like they were actual children of his, just... To make sure that they had groceries and were faced with minimal troubles. Perhaps the slight misunderstanding, lack of definition in what he wanted to do here, was the cause of resistance.

"Appearances are fine and whatnot, and know that I can help with anything where it's needed. As a bonus, I make a pretty wicked breakfast."

This next question was not entirely genuine, but perhaps a bit of Terezi rubbing off on her. "Do you mean to imply that my breakfasts would be inadequate?"

That's got to be a joke, yes? He'll just have to avoid saying anything from now on for not wanting a potential challenge. With an eyebrow raised, attempting to stay in good humor, he answers, "No? Implying that I'm not bad in no way implies that you are."

Kanaya raises her eyebrows. "Oh, but you expect yours are superior, then!"

"What? No."

Ron was half-sure he hadn't met somebody more argumentative since Hermione. He couldn't very well take any of the normal counter-measures, so it was just the air of disbelief. Beyond that, he didn't even know how to answer the accusation.

Kanaya offered him an amused smile in response. "How impenetrably solid a counterargument! Though I will admit that the complaint was meant somewhat in jest." Maybe they could stand to keep this human around. If even Kanaya could get such a reaction from him, this could be an interesting arrangement.

"Good to know."

Less good to know would be the idea that he'd been kept around for amusement, but he does tend to react vividly even when it's not entirely called for. So long as the immediate fuss was over, he was perfectly content to leave it as it was. He hardly felt like a dazzling conversationalist, at this point.

"Well, then," he tried anyway, mustering bounce into his voice. "I'll attempt to continue not offending." While it still felt sane, at very least.

"Before you take your leave, I have one final inquiry for you. You mentioned that your employment was in your brothers' business, but what sort of income will you negotiate a source for in their absence?" She and Terezi couldn't be the sole breadwinners after all, could they?

"I'm not completely sure at the moment. I came to take care of the house before the business." He didn't doubt that the twins would've thought about this, however, that they would've seen fit to arrange a way for their house and the lives of those in it to be funded. Further, pains though they tended to be, he didn't think they'd carelessly leave him scrambling.

"I've dealt with the business back home. I'm not the inventor that George is, but production is perfectly doable, at very least. I've done well enough by the place, I should think, to make it work alright here."

"Well, I am presently employed, so we have at least some source of income. If you plan to continue in the distribution of their wares, that should suitably augment our budget until such a time as they return." Their being gone wasn't definitely a permanent thing, after all. No reason yet to discount the possibility.

It was comforting to hear somebody put it that way, where he own mind had automatically closed out hope of their return. It was fine, save for the finality of Fred's disappearance; he'd see George and Ginny again when he returned home, as well.

He smiled, and there wasn't too much else to say on the matter. "Seems like a sound enough plan to me."

She had no reason to really expect their return, but she had no reason to doubt it yet, either. People take temporary breaks all the time, she'd give it a few days first before deciding they wouldn't be back.

For now, though, she extended her hand to him. "In that case, Ron, I hope our collaboration will prove adequate for the management of this household."

Ron moved from his counter-lean and reached out to shake Kanaya's hand. At the friendlier sentiment, the smile came easier. "Yeah. Here's hoping."

She gave him a firm shake along with a smirk that had a sort of mock annoyance to it. "Let's not bring Hope into this, we can easily succeed without it."

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