Home of Helga, Ulrich her father and Baby Ägid

Helga's home is it a small clearing in a dense and lush forest, it seems ragged and wanting repair from the outside, but exudes warmth and love within. Having been built by Ulrich's own hand it is an extremely large house to accommodate the massive man of thirteen and a half feet in height who built it. From the sofa to the bookshelves and wood burning stove everything was made for one of Ulrich's size, including Helga's own bed which like much if not all of their furniture her father had built himself. The only books in the house are Helga's old textbooks, a hand bound and written cookbook, and a terrifyingly thick family photo album whose contents had spilled out to the remaining fives shelves four children ago. There are no items of 'entertainment' such as televisions or toys save for a handful of stuffed animals and a few boardgames such as cribbage and backgammon. For fun growing up, the children had to look outside or to their own family members for fun, just the way Ulrich thought it should be.

Helga was ecstatic to return home and find that three of her elder siblings had come to visit. Embracing them each, including Adler who had brought her to their father and the quite plump Frieda well on her way to being a mother of five. "Squeaks!" Erdmann laughed heartily throwing his arms about her, his bristly bread scratching her cheek. "They're young'ns have been driving me mad!" he said leading her into the living-room.

"Is tha' my baby girl?" her father's voice came from the kitchen and his foot steps announced his impending arrival.

"Yes Papi, it's me!" Helga smiled as his belly entered before the rest of him. Soon the four 'children' were scooped up in his massive arms in a spine jarring hug. "Love you too Papi!" she wheezed having never seem him happier.

"Four boys this 'ne!" Ulrich exclaimed motioning to Frieda. "When are you gonna give me grandchil'ren hm?" he asked raising a brow.

"I have to get married first Papi and that means dating, and dating means knowing people you like Papi!" Helga summized.

"Oh no it don't!" Erdmann said his eyebrows bouncing mischievously. With a gasp Helga slapped his arm.

Stroking his short but bushy beard Ulrich seemed to be deep in thought. "He is righ' you know!" he said at last.

"Papi!" Helga nearly screamed boxing him in the thigh, as her face flushed a vivid red to match her coat. A sudden sharp wailing caught everyone's attention. Frieda sprang up ready for a fight but her husband restrained her. Their first child had been killed during a raid, it was unintentional but she was weak and couldn't keep up, she had been trampled by a neighboring group of Hippogryphs with no room to spread their wings. Helga rose to go get Ägid, her heart heavy, no one dared talk about the small child who had been lost or the trauma her parents felt as they had tried to save her.

"There's me boy!" Ulrich said clapping his hands thunderously as he reached for the babe. "Come 'ere my furry ball o' horns!" he laughed tossing the toddler into the air a few times. This however, only succeeded in making him cry louder. "'elga give your finger f'r nibbles." he commanded as he handed the babe back.

"No, it hurts!" she protested.

"Makes the boy 'appy!" her father countered before saying, "Or do I 'ave to sit on ya?"

Sighing she let the Fawn gnaw on a knuckle. "Papi?"she asked to which he raised a brow. "I'm having a work friend over tonight, is that alright?"

Ulrich paused to consider this for a moment. Helga had only brought home one co-worker before and the girl was quite frightened for someone who worked in the field that she did. "Only if Sarah don't mind me cooking." he nodded.

"It's not Sarah, his name's Benedict..." she replied softly knowing all too well what would come next.

"His?" Erdmann asked cheekily before the room was filled with ruckus laughter and teasing.

Benedict made his way from the Hidden Forest and towards the home of Helga Zimmermann. When he reached it, he could scent the smell of young children as well as an older man. He raised an eyebrow when he heard laughter breaking. He walked over to the door and knocked on it, waiting to be let in.

Leaping up, there was a short scuffle over who should answer the door as both Helga and Erdmann scrambled to answer it. In the end Helga managed to shove her way past baby Ägid yanking her hair all the while. "Benedict," she smiled upon opening the door. She hoped that as soon as he met her family his fears, and through him the other's fears would be resolved. Taking a step back she swept her unoccupied arm wide as she said, "This is my family!" Standing forefront the bested Satyr rubbed a badly boxed nose, the centaurs to the right nodded their welcome, and Ulrich her father stood and spread his arms out wide as if to hug the entire world as he always did whenever anyone, stranger or dear friend entered his home.

"Ga!" Ägid screamed in a displeased manner tugging on Helga's hair again.

"My nephews are galloping about somewhere!" she said with a wave out he door trying to release her hair. She then moved away to allow him entrance.

Benedict blinked when Helga opened the door to her house. He saw a fawn, an elder man and a lot of creatures. She really took her job seriously. He then stepped inside when she permitted him entrance. He gave her a nod and looked at the creatures.

"I suppose this is your family?" Benedict asked calmly, looking at the fawn in her arms and continued on to them all, giving a respective nod.

"I'm Benedict Holmes," he said to them in his normal deep voice.

"Yes!" she said smiling warmly at him she she shifted Ägid on her hip. She hoped that she would have the chance to explain herself to him. To explain how she took her position in the ministry only in the hopes of changing things for her family and other oppressed 'creatures' everywhere, and that she truly hadn't meant to cause any dis-contention in his group but merely wanted to avoid possible blood shed if they were deemed a threat. It didn't look like she would be getting to that anytime soon however, as her father had begun the thunderously make his way over to the man who could have been a boy intent on hugging him.

"Welcome!" the burly flame haired half giant called down to him in a booming and jolly voice. Helga simply loved the warm open nature her father had about him. It was hard for her to believe what Abelard had told her about him, that when he was younger he used to be a calloused and depressed boy who didn't care for himself or much of anything. That is until Alder the oldest child and white centaur came along and changed everything. Papi always said that it was his children that had saved his life. "Com' 'ere!" he laughed.

"Papi, don't hurt him!" Helga giggled as she watched.

"Wouldn't want to go breaking her only friend and all!" Erdmann chuckled coming to stand beside her. Helga elbowed him sharply. Erdmann fiendishly snapped his teeth by the baby sending him into a fit, Helga fixed him wit a glare as he looked at her quite smugly.

Chaos. But a kind chaos. Benedict had to smile in the slightest. Well, she sure was right for her position in the ministry. He wondered how it was like to live here. It was a charming place, but he had a feeling it could get a bit cramped. He was beyond amazed at the house he was standing in, and the welcomeness of them all.

He understood that the half giant was the head hold of the house, whilst the centaurs and others were seemingly something like his child. Of course, not directly. But the only human in the room that Benedict could see was Helga Zimmermann. He was by now wondering if she was even human. He tilted his head slightly when the man said that he wouldn't want to go hurting Helga's only friend. Friend? Only? Not the type that was understood then. She was too kind to not have friends because people didn't like her, so it was probably because of her family or something else about her that people just didn't understand.

"Helga, may I speak to you in private?" he asked calmly, turning to her.

He liked her family, it made her seem more kind to creatures, but just because one person in the ministry believed in them not being cruel or anything, it didn't make the threat of hurting creatures any less. However, it was a start. He would make sure Helga was countable, and he'd possibly ask for her help on some occasions, but she would never be included in the meetings between the creatures before Benedict had gotten the consent of each and every one of them.

Helga was quite happy with herself, and her family. She of course knew they were going to act the way they did and she loved it, except for Erdmann, as always he could stand to be nicer to her! “Yes, of course!” she smiled warmly to him. “Erdmann, take baby.” She said shortly to her brother holding the woolly toddler out to him. “Love you Ägid!” she told the babe before pausing for a moment. She turned and looked down the short hall towards her bedroom and then to the door. She knew that her room was a lamentable mess but the boys were playing outside and could be overwhelmed with fiendish curiosity and ruckus behavior.

Choosing the lesser of two evils she reached for the doorknob behind her guest, “Let’s talk outside.” She said opening it and stepping through. “Is there something the matter?” she asked trying to hide a smile before pulling a package of bubble gum out of her pocket.

Benedict watched as Helga gave the foal over, and he then followed her out of the house, looking around. It was a pretty beautiful spot, really. He then turned to her. This was extremely serious. And what had happened at that meeting had been his fault entirely. He had never meant for a human to come to the forest, thinking they knew better than to walk in there, but this woman had guts, and she would probably do almost anything for the creatures, but that was besides the point. He would have to put up shielding charms and the like next meeting.

"I must say I'm surprised at how much you clearly use your time in the company of creatures. I did not expect that, and I truly respect so. But just because you have creatures on your side, it doesn't mean we will be. Creatures are pretty much like humans, you know. In other words, just because some creatures trusts you, does not make every other creature in the world do so. I'm pretty sure you know this. I am not saying this to reprimand you or anything, it is just a state of fact. The creatures who was there will not take it lightly if you were to join the next meeting. However, I think it will be a good idea to involve the ministry. But not yet. We, as in the creatures, have to find where we stand before we involve another party," Benedict said calmly.

He looked at her. "You understand this, I'm sure?" he said, but formed it as a question.