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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[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 it usually has to do with Rose.

It's only a few minutes trot from my office to The Whitechapel; and sure enough, there's my imp, peeking through the gate, in her best dress.

"Well, are you going to announce us; or just play spy at the gate?" I ask her with a smile as I come up behind her and scoop her up to sit at my hip as I push the door open.

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

[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 called himself Kent Whitman in order to marry Wanda…well, Rose still has the sort of ancestry and power that makes it even more important for her to have good influences in her life. So I will let Rose play with him, but I will watch them carefully, as much as I can.

She is taller now than she was the last time I saw her, I think.

"Rose!" Luc squeals. He's so happy to see her! Which is another reason why I do not want to send Rose away. "Look, I'm making flowers." He points proudly at his ragged little furrow in the ground where he's placed some of the flowers that he's picked from the other side of the garden, and the last of his sandwiches as well.

I keep one eye on them while I smile up at Wanda. "Have a seat, please. 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?"

[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.

"Well, Rose wanted to come visit," And I shoot a pointed look at Rose, who just smiles back at me. "How could I say no to that?" Especially since she was already halfway here before I knew we were coming out of a visit.

Valmont rejoins us, and I gratefully take a glass.

"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..." I wave my hand and give Hermia and Valmont a grin. "I'm more interested in the resident that should be here any day now." Damn baby bug, thank Nanshe there are a few expecting people in Excolo for me to fawn over. "How are you feeling? Is Luc excited yet?"

[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 not too uncomfortable, and the baby is active enough that I know it's healthy." Which it has been confirming very emphatically all day, with as many little jabs as it can get in its current crowded state. "Luc only understands halfway, I think. 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," I add with a laugh, "or to water my stomach so the baby will grow faster. But I'm not sure that he understands what it means, really, to have a little brother or sister."

[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. But he's such a dear boy, I'm sure he'll adjust well enough."

"He will adjust wonderfully, I'm sure. Bribery with cookies... or worms may need to be employed though." And I groan as Rose flops down and shows him a better way to roll.... in her good dress. "By the way... if it is a girl, I have plenty of Dorian made clothes to pass along to you. It would be nice to see them get a little more wear. Rose outgrew them so quickly." Which, of course, is stating the obvious.

"I saw Alice over at the Dormouse... looks like she's settled in fairly well over there." I mention, sipping my lemonade. "Does she like working there?"

[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," I say softly, and shake my head. "But he's such a dear boy, I'm sure he'll adjust well enough."

"We might," I sigh to Valmont, rubbing at the twinge of another kick from within. "But then again, this one will be a new audience for him, so he'll enjoy that."

Rose jumps in to show Luc the proper way to roll, and Wanda sighs. "By the way... if it is a girl, I have plenty of Dorian made clothes to pass along to you. It would be nice to see them get a little more wear. Rose outgrew them so quickly."

"Oh, thank you," I begin - and then add, "Of course," as Wanda gives the explanation for how she's got so many clothes. I watch Rose playing - rolling happily as if she's the tiny child that her age would say that she is, and speaking in the smooth disdainful tones of a nearly-grown girl - and look back over to Wanda to ask quietly, "It looks like you're managing her well?" It's definitely a question - nothing is certain when it comes to Rose.

"I saw Alice over at the Dormouse... looks like she's settled in fairly well over there." I mention, sipping my lemonade. "Does she like working there?"

"Oh, she does! The twins are teaching her well, and she loves having the responsibility." My smile warms and strengthens with pride as I think of Alice's time at the Dormouse. It's been like watching a flower bloom to see her growing into her new life, seeing her realize that she can try new things and succeed in them, that she can be the sort of person that others depend on. That she can be an ordinary teenager, with lessons and crushes and whims. "Thank you for agreeing to take her on. It's been the most wonderful thing for her, truly."

[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 positive note and a smile.

Which is good, because when Hermia talks about Alice, she is all smiles as well as Valmont. Alice could be Hermia's younger sister, but it warms my heart to see how fond they are of each other and how much Hermia cares for her like a mother.

"Thank you for agreeing to take her on. It's been the most wonderful thing for her, truly."

Shake my head and grin. "I had very little to do with it; the twins asked me and I trust their judgment. It's more their tea shoppe than mine anymore. A few of the old biddies complained for a bit, but they still all go there." I laugh, recalling how Nellie kept going on about the incense stink and 'hippie vibe'.

"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?" I do so hope the answer is 'no'.

[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.

So instead I answer the easy question, and say, "The library is doing very well. All of the new people coming into town have made circulation numbers grow quickly. I'm training someone to fill in for me after I have the baby, but I'll probably keep her on after I return as well - we could use another person. Lydia does what she can, of course, but it isn't the same as having more people at the desk."

[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 outskirts of town." Make a face at the mention of that place. "They only have a temporary permit. On the one hand, it does keep the seedier elements out of town proper, but we're getting enough complaints about it that I may have to shut it down. As for Mab..." A delicate line, to be sure. She's been nothing but wonderful around the kids, and most of the time...

"There's a drop box outside my office you know. If someone wanted to drop an anonymous complaint in it, I would have NO idea who put it there." It's a casual announcement as I sip my lemonade.

[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 have a temporary permit. On the one hand, it does keep the seedier elements out of town proper, but we're getting enough complaints about it that I may have to shut it down. As for Mab…"

She says nothing, just as Valmont has said nothing, and I have said nothing. And that means that we do not really need to say anything.

They've seen the change in her, too; of course they have. How could they not? Even though there are more people here, Excolo is still a very small town - especially when it comes to those of us who were here for the dreams and nightmares and crises, and who have a connection to the more supernatural side of Excolo life. We're closer to each other than we are to any of the newcomers.

"There's a drop box outside my office you know," Wanda offers carefully. "If someone wanted to drop an anonymous complaint in it, I would have NO idea who put it there."

I swallow. Yes, I've known for a long time that something must be done. "Let me talk to her first?" I ask, very quietly. "Then I'll know more. How she talks will tell me as much as what she says, when she answers my questions."

[valmont_vicomte]

The mood in the garden is tenser now. I take Hermia's hand, squeeze her fingers lightly.

"Let's invite her here," I suggest, because that way I can keep an eye on things. Once I would have trusted Mab with my life. Now... I don't want to think she could ever hurt Hermia. But her moods have got more erratic, and I no longer want to leave my pregnant wife alone with our sheriff.

I force a smile for Wanda.

"Let's have some more lemonade. And I bought some cake from Edmund's today."

"Cake!" says Luc, springing to his feet and dancing around my chair ecstatically, so that I laugh and scoop him up.

"Come inside, then, little man, and help me serve the pieces."