《 Skip a Beat 》

"So you're saying you got a letter from the Ministry," began Jacob uncertainly. Theseus nodded eagerly, tucking into his pie. "And they found out that Grindelwald's got a plan to capture this kid..."

"Credence."

"Credence. Yeah, that's what I meant to say."

"And that he's got a base in... where did you say it was again?"

"Avalanche Pass," murmured Theseus with a mouth full of pastry.

"But that's not the only thing the letter said, is it?" asked Queenie, carrying a tray of steamed vegetables towards the table. The heavenly aroma of steamed carrots and broccoli drew Newt and Tina into the dining room, eyeing dinner with ravenous hunger dancing through their expressions.

"Hey lovebirds! Sit down." Queenie indicated the table with a flick of her head. Swiftly ignoring her cheeky remark, the pair promptly took a seat at two empty chairs and began spooning food into their plates.

Theseus watched them for a moment, then continued. "The letter said we're- Tina and I- are required to take part in a stakeout."

Pure silence reverberated around the table.

"Does Leta...?"

"Yes."

Queenie nodded, serving herself a slice of pie. Jacob looked up.

"When are you leaving?" he asked quietly.

Tina looked down, biting her lip. "Tomorrow," she responded, her tone hushed.

She quickly stabbed a piece of pie with her fork and gulped it down. Newt stared at the floor.

Tomorrow? It felt too soon, it was too soon. If one of them got hurt...

Theseus took the silence as an opportunity to continue.

"There's an office at Avalanche Pass- like a headquarters for all the tour guides- but they built a new office, and stopped using the old one. They think that Grindelwald is using the abandoned office as a temporary base."

Halfhearted nods of understanding- the mood was quiet, sobering.

"He and his acolytes move suddenly and often. He's never in the same place twice, but we did manage to track him to just near New York," he added, desperately trying to save the conversation.

"New York? That's a long way, Theseus," piped up Jacob, finally setting his fork down.

"Exactly!" he crowed. "And that's why we're using the best aurors from the British Ministry, as well as the American Ministry. It's a joint operation."

Everyone stayed silent, digesting this, then-

"Travers and Graves are in charge of the stakeout," he added tightly.

"Mercy Lewis," muttered Queenie, artlessly ignoring Theseus' incredulous look. He pointedly cleared his throat, then continued.

"If we catch Grindelwald, or one of his acolytes, they're to be taken back to the British Ministry. The Americans are only helping because the stakeout takes place in America," said Theseus, a cocky note of pride in his voice. Tina rolled her eyes.

"Or it could be because you need our help, but you're too arrogant to ask," she quipped.

Theseus scowled. He opened his mouth, about to snap out another clever remark, but Leta sauntered into the dining room and dropped into the last empty chair.

"Hi," she greeted awkwardly.

The remaining five greeted her with vague nods, and Theseus immediately set about spooning pieces of pie onto her plate.