for present comfort and for future good

[hermia_sophia]

Friday, June 1
Day 1461
The garden behind the WhitechapelI think that today I will stay in the garden. The sun is shining, and I can sit on the chaise longue with my shoes off and my feet up, and I have all of the books that I need with me - and the notebook for my project with Alice, too. I shall have to speak with her about that when she returns

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[atrarosa]

I love babies. Even if they are very silly. I like them because they aren't very good at lying about things, and most people lie a lot all the time. I can tell. Father says lying is a useful talent, but he's always honest with me.

Mama, I'm going to see Luc and Valmont and Hermia and Alice. I was going to wait for her to come home, since she gets upset when I go out without her. But I got bored. Being the mayor makes her busy. Besides, I can tell her quite easily where I am and what I'm doing, just by thinking of it. I remember when last year I took Luc out for a walk and Hermia was panicked when I came back. I thought Luc would tell her where he was. I didn't realise not everybody could tell their mama things. Gosh, I was such a baby then.

I go out in my purple dress. Mama says it's for parties but there isn't going to be a party for ages and I like it the best. Father says I should just wear whatever I like when I want. Kent says ask your mother. But if I ask her she'll say no so that's silly. Kent's napping now after lunch. He

[mistresswanda]

"Here's the designs for the new apartment housing, a proposal to extend the market to Fridays and Saturdays, a petition to close 'The Boy..." Toby lays out everything I need to look at today, and that last on the list goes right into the trash bin. Shake my head and sigh. "You'd think people would have given up on that by now." I comment, scribbling down some notes about the market.

"Have you been over to the O'Kelly's cafe' lately?" I ask my deputy mayor, curious to see how it's been doing. They opened a farm to table type restaurant about a year ago. Last I knew, they went from six tables to sixteen. "Maybe I should see if I can get a reservation in for---" My good natured joke is cut of mid-sentence by my daughter's voice in my head. Mama, I'm going to see Luc and Valmont and Hermia and Alice.

"And it seems I must swing by The Whitechapel, right now." I get up from my desk and head towards the door. Toby just nods and shuffles the paperwork. He's learned not to ask anymore when I get up and leave suddenly. He knows

[atrarosa]

"Mama, put me down, I'm not a baby," I protest. The new doctor says I'm as tall as a six year old! I wriggle down. "Hello, Valmont and Hermia," I say politely, and then I go over to where Luc is digging in the flower bed.

[hermia_sophia]

We have a lovely lunch in the garden, all sunlight and flowers, and if Luc tries to plant one or two of his little sandwiches instead of eating them - well, he will eat enough later on to make up for it, I think. I settle back on the chaise when I have finished, balancing a book on my belly while I bask in the sun and watch Luc play.

"Hello everyone, mind if we intrude for a bit?"

I blink up at the new voice. "Wanda! And Rose. Oh, no, not at all. It's good to see you both Please come in."

"Mama, put me down, I'm not a baby," I protest. The new doctor says I'm as tall as a six year old! I wriggle down. "Hello, Valmont and Hermia,"

No, she is not a baby, for all that she is barely a year older than Luc.

Luc adores Rose - he's fascinated by her. She adores him, too, and while I would ordinarily love for Luc to have a slightly-older friend…Rose worries me. She can be a dear child, most of the time. But I do not want to chase her away, even so. Even if the man who calls himself Kent Whitman now is not the man (who was not a man!) who

[valmont_vicomte]

"Mayor Whitman, what an honour," I grin. "Hello, Rose." I watch her go off and play with Luc. She is an unusual child in many ways, and there are plenty of people who are afraid of her - but I know quite a bit about not judging people by their parents, and so I have faith she can be special in good ways, rather than bad. I just hope my faith's not misplaced.

I go inside and fetch more lemonade, bring it out.

"We haven't seen you lately," I say to Wanda. "How are things?"

[mistresswanda]

Rose protests my mothering her and squirms away to join Luc over in the flower bed as Hermia greets us. "Is that half a sandwich..." I ask looking over at the holes in the dirt as I wander over to where Hermia is reclining. "Nevermind. I am sure there is logic behind it." I laugh as I sit down beside her.

"I'm glad that you were able to get away from the mayor's office for a little break. Valmont, do we have any more lemonade?"

"Mayor Whitman, what an honour," I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out at him as he goes to find something to drink

[hermia_sophia]

"Is that half a sandwich…"

"Yes," I sigh, with a fond roll of my eyes over at Luc. "He's going to grow a sandwich tree. Perfectly logical."

"Mayor Whitman, what an honor," Valmont says, and Wanda sticks out her tongue at him.

"Ah, proper mayoral dignity," I laugh.

I reach out to take the glass from Valmont, and murmur, "Thank you," with a grateful sigh while Wanda talks business. "Things are busy, now that summer is here. May extend the market to two days instead of just one, and more people are requesting to be legal Excolo residents. But enough boring stuff…"

"Two days of the market will be good," I agree. "It's already gotten so big that you can hardly buy all that you need on a single day." So strange to think of having that many people coming to Excolo - or living here already!

"I'm more interested in the resident that should be here any day now," Wanda continues, and I laugh. "How are you feeling? Is Luc excited yet?""I'm feeling all right, actually. Everything's relative at this point, of course!" I add ruefully, "but I'm

[valmont_vicomte]

"Two market days! And I remember when one market day seemed exciting," and I laugh. "It's amazing how much the town has grown, even with all its oddities." But then, so much of the world now is hard and strange. Just because Excolo is particularly peculiar doesn't mean it doesn't have many advantages over cold, mean little towns like Dry Run. "What happened to the latest petition about the Boy? Did it accidentally get lost?" I say, raising my eyebrows at Wanda.

Wanda and Hermia talk about babies and about Luc becoming a big brother. His head pops up when he hears us talking about him.

"I want my sister to have a flower name like Rose!" he says, and I laugh.

"You might have a brother, Luc." He looks put out about this idea.

"I'm the only boy," he says, and rolls around on the grass, as if that underlines his point.

"I imagine we may be in for some tantrums when number 2 comes along," I say softly, and shake my head. "But he's such a dear boy, I'm sure he'll adjust well enough."

[mistresswanda]

Both seem in favour of the market expanding to two days. "It makes sense, really. We have so many people now, and I think the town businesses will profit from it as well. I'll have to go around tomorrow and see how the vendors feel about it, but I think within the next few weeks, that will be a go."

I have to admit, it is a nice feeling to know I am making some positive changes in this town. Little god-forsaken place that it is. Or God-over run, not sure some days.

I try very hard not to bounce excitedly in my chair as Hermia talks about her baby. "I'm glad all is going well for you."

"We've told him that there's going to be a baby, and that's why Mama has gotten so big. And every so often he tries to make babies grow in the garden, too, or to water my stomach so the baby will grow faster." I cover my mouth so I do not laugh aloud. Luc even pipes up to offer his opinion, and I am sure my giggles escape past my fingers as he rolls about in the grass.

"I imagine we may be in for some tantrums when number 2 comes along.

[hermia_sophia]

"Oh, don't worry," I reassure Wanda when I see her trying to stifle her giggles at Luc's silliness. "He doesn't understand when we're laughing at him. Although he will soon, so we must be careful to get out of the habit!"

"I want my sister to have a flower name like Rose!" he says, and I laugh.
"You might have a brother, Luc." He looks put out about this idea.
"I'm the only boy," he says, and rolls around on the grass, as if that underlines his point.

"You are our only boy right now," I laugh fondly. "And no matter what, you are the only Luc."

And he is the only one of himself. I can see Valmont's mouth and my eyes and even a bit of my father around the chin, but the combination - and the moods, and the laughter, and the questions - it is all entirely Luc himself. There is such a strange alchemy in making children! And even though we are beginning again with the same mix of Valmont and me, this new child is going to be completely different in his or her own way.

"I imagine we may be in for some tantrums when number 2 comes along

[valmont_vicomte]

Talk turns to Rose, and our voices drop.

"Does she... see her father at all?" I say very quietly. Wanda will know I don't mean Kent, who most of the town take for her father.

Hermia talks about Alice, and I smile to see her pride. Hermia is only a few years older than Alice, but seems so much like a mother to her. It makes me very happy.

[mistresswanda]

"It looks like you're managing her well?"

Sigh and push some hair from my eyes. "Well enough, I suppose." I drop my voice a little as well, but I know she could hear us of she wanted to. "She's usually very low maintenance, but when you wake up and the house is purple..." Spread my hands a little. "Almost everyone believes Kent managed to do it overnight." Almost. Tommi still looks at me sideways.

"Does she... see her father at all?"

"Too often for my tastes. Every four months, give or take. Especially when she does something... unique." I am sure they understand what I mean by unique. "And the more praise he heaps on her, the more she wants to see him. Never mind that he could really care less about her as a person, just what she can do for him..." My voice is barely above a whisper. I try very hard not to disparage her father in front of her, but when he pulls crap like this it really ticks me off. "Still, she has Kent and I, and we try out best to keep things as level as possible." I say, trying to end on a

[hermia_sophia]

Valmont asks - for I cannot! - about Rose's true father. It is better and worse than I feared - he does not see her too often, but often enough to let her want to see more.

"But she doesn't know that he doesn't care about her," I sigh, finishing the sentence with a faint wince. "Which is both a blessing and a curse. And it is good that she has you and Kent. But it must be hard for her, knowing that she is extraordinary, and not knowing many other people who are…"

"So! While I'm here, how are things here and at the library? Anything I should know about? Has Mab been terrorizing the bar patrons lately?"Wanda is trying to change the subject, but I barely manage to conceal a wince at that question, too. Mab has been far too aggressive for my taste recently…and not so recently, as well. It took a while to see the changes, but once I was looking, I saw them, and I have spoken to Jack enough to know that he has seen them too. Exactly what we are going to do about it, though, I am not sure at all

[valmont_vicomte]

I see Hermia's wince when Wanda mentions Mab. I wonder if we ought to mention Mab's changed behaviour, since Wanda is the mayor. But Mab is also Hermia's dear friend, and she was my second in a duel, and these things make it hard to report her to an authority. So I smile and say:

"The bar's quieter these days, anyway. The truly rowdy patrons go to that shack that's sprung up on the outskirts of town."

[mistresswanda]

"Rose is... intellectually aware that her sire does not love her," I say in answer to Hermia's question. "But the human child in her wants to mistake 'attention' for 'care', I think." I look over at my little love fondly, who is now examining the dianthus. "I think it is better she has regular child friends, anyway. The more she cares for humanity and those in it, the less influence her father may have over her in the future." Of course I cannot give any certainty to that thought, but I can hope. I must.

Hermia lights up when she talks about the library, but I do note the tightness about her eyes when I mention Mab. She avoids speaking about her at all. "Well, I haven't had any books fall on my head in the past year, so I would say Lydia is doing alright." I tease a little with a smirk. "And let me tell you, getting beaned with The Complete Annotated Shakespeare leaves a impression." Laugh and turn towards Valmont.

"The bar's quieter these days, anyway. The truly rowdy patrons go to that shack that's sprung up on the

[hermia_sophia]

"Rose is... intellectually aware that her sire does not love her," I say in answer to Hermia's question. "But the human child in her wants to mistake 'attention' for 'care', I think."

My mouth tightens in sympathy. "There's only so much that a child - even an extraordinary one - can understand intellectually."

"I think it is better she has regular child friends, anyway. The more she cares for humanity and those in it, the less influence her father may have over her in the future."

Luc is showering Rose with petals, giggling happily at the colored fall, and it makes me smile too. "The part of her that's human can make choices," I agree softly. "And the better that she is taught, and the more she sees of humanity, the more able she will be to make good choices."

"The bar's quieter these days, anyway. The truly rowdy patrons go to that shack that's sprung up on the outskirts of town."

"And I cannot say that I am sorry to see them go!" I add with a quick laugh. "But I do hope they're not giving you too much trouble."

"They only