A Quiet Monday at Home

[a_phale]

Returning home from the Leaf, Wilson had set straight to preparing a wild mushroom lasagna to fulfill the angel's meal request. Never one to stop simply at a single dish, however, the young doctor added a green salad that included the cucumbers, peppers, and cheese that had been requested from his grocery shopping, fresh fruit salad, and fresh

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[kikidelivers]

"I might not be at fault, per se," Kiki sighed, "But I am responsible. Susan made that abundantly clear to me after I confessed to her how the switching had happened. I'm just thankful she accepted my apology, for she definitely hinted at legal action.

"No one else has said anything to me about it, but most people don't know why it all happened. But Susan told me that it would be better for me to step up and offer reparations to everyone who was affected by it upfront; that it would make a better impression. She has a point. Enough people know the truth that it will get around." Kiki waved her fork in a small circle. She sighed. "And people always like having someone else to blame."

A little ashamed of sounding that bitter, Kiki continued, "So, Susan said she'd drop the matter if I compensated her for the four days of work that she missed, with LexCorp missing its PR director. Basically, I'm at her call this week; she wants me to tell her about the odd things that happen around here. Tonight, for example, she wanted to know about witches, supernatural beings and talking animals."

[a_phale]

Frowning deeply, Aziraphale shook his head. "Kiki, my dear, if anyone is responsible for this happening, it's me. Pogo interrupted your first spell, and he's my responsibility. And Metatron ruined the second one, and although he isn't my responsibility, we are...in this together, so to speak. So if he's not around to take the blame, then I'll do it for him."

Trying to walk a fine line between defending his young friend and letting her make her own decisions, the angel stood and walked across the kitchen, talking as he went. "If you feel that it's right for you to agree to Susan's demands, and make reparations to her, then of course I won't try to stop you. But I can assure you that if she does try legal action, it won't go very far. Not even in this town. But I hardly think you owe the same to every single person who was affected. If people feel they've been inconvenienced monetarily, then I'll be happy to make recompense. But I can't see where putting you at someone's beck and call for a few days can do anything except assuage a person's sense of vengeance. Which helps neither of you."

[kikidelivers]

Setting down her fork, Kiki mulled this over for a few minutes. "That makes a lot of sense." She propped her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand. "I did point out to her that if anyone sued me, they wouldn't get much more than a new broom. I actually thought her final decision to be very fair, given her complaints. I don't, however, really want to have to offer the same to everyone else in town, even if it is the fair or responsible thing to do in her opinion. While I'm sure most would probably dimiss it, there are a couple I could think of who I really wouldn't want to offer anything to. Like Jonathan Crane."

Kiki tucked one foot up under her on the chair, and reflected. "I was a little puzzled over Susan's request, though. I'd thought she'd want me to work for her, but instead she just seemed to want information. Information on, well, the non-normality of Fandom and Tropolis."

[a_phale]

"I see no reason you should need to offer, my dear. If anyone else says anything to you about it...well, we can deal with that if it happens."

Because although he didn't have the same deep dislike for Crane that Wilson harbored, he most definitely did not trust the young man.

Taking a moment to think about what Kiki told him regarding Susan's request, Aziraphale replied, "I think...that Susan is having some difficulty reconciling her worldview with the place she's found herself in now. Perhaps she's trying to gather information that will help her do that, and sees you -- as representative of things she may have been telling herself weren't real -- as a good source of information. Does she seem to be all right?"

[kikidelivers]

Scraping the plate clean, Kiki answered, "I think so...but I'm not sure. It did seem like she was trying to process a lot. I tried not to overwhelm her, but on the other hand, hiding the truth from her isn't going to help."

She rinsed the plate and put it in the dishwasher. "Although, if all she really wanted was a primer course in the oddities of life and the people here, all she had to do was ask and I would have been happy to help her out. She didn't need to resort to... well... blackmail, although that's a pretty strong and ugly word for it."

[a_phale]

Frowning a little, Aziraphale joined Kiki at the sink. "I'm not certain why, unless it's the way she's used to having to do things. Some people...think they appear weak if they ask favors. And Susan...hides herself a great deal. I do wish she'd open up, and talk a bit more."

He sighed, and smiled ruefully. "But she's no more reason to trust me than anyone else, I suppose. Perhaps someday, when she's more comfortable with her surroundings. I do hope the information you've been able to give her will help with that. And she did...make a rather unusual request, which I hope to be able to fulfill soon. She wanted me to take her to the zoo, to see the lions."

He wasn't certain why yet, but Aziraphale suspected that animals, and especially lions, were somehow bound up in the source of Susan's troubles. Lions, and faith.

[kikidelivers]

"Lions?" Kiki repeated, looking puzzled. "That's odd. She was very, very interested in my ability to speak with Jiji, and wanted to know who else Jiji could talk to. She wants to meet Jiji as soon as possible to know how he sounds, and she asked me twice about the 'giant cat/wolf thing Aaron used to work for.' I finally figured out she meant Mayor Red."

[a_phale]

Which would also fit in with her odd reaction to seeing him speak to Pogo at the Leaf. Aziraphale gave Kiki a speculative look. "I wonder if Susan has some prior experience with talking animals. Something she's repressed, or that frightened her."

Or that she misses, and wants to return to.

He determined to keep a close eye on her actions at the zoo, and anytime he happened to see Susan beforehand.

[ooc: Off to watch House! Back in an hour. :)]

[kikidelivers]

"It's entirely possible," Kiki said, leaning aginst the counter and bowing her head a little in thought. "But...the way she talked about it. She was obviously unnerved by the idea, but I didn't get the sense that she was scared. And she did say she wanted to meet Jiji so she knew how he sounded - maybe that's just so she won't be startled or scared by it later? I don't know."

[a_phale]

"And I doubt we will know until she's ready to tell us," Aziraphale added. "I won't ask you to betray any confidences, Kiki. But if she says anything that worries you -- that makes you worried for her, and you feel you can do so, I'd like you to tell me. I'm concerned for Susan, and I'm afraid that beneath the calm demeanor she shows all of us, there's a very troubled young woman."

Turning, he laid a hand on Kiki's arm and smiled reassuringly. "But I don't want it to become something you worry about, my dear. If you're comfortable helping Susan the way you've been...well, maybe you'll be doing more than repaying a debt she believes you owe. Perhaps you'll actually be helping her to adjust to life here, more easily than she'd be able to on her own."

[kikidelivers]

"I truly hope so. I don't know when she'll want to talk next, but I'll let you know when we do." Kiki stifled a yawn. "Hopefully, it won't be for another day or two. I'm beat."

She reached up and gave Aziraphale a warm hug. "Thanks."

[a_phale]

He returned the hug, and added a kiss on the forehead. "You're very welcome. Run on along to bed, my dear. Hopefully we'll have a quiet day at the Leaf tomorrow."

Leaning down to give Jiji a goodnight scritch on the head, Aziraphale shooed the two of them off upstairs, then gave the kitchen a quick once-over before heading back up to his own bed.