Tea. All right. Where? Would you please tell me now if you're another one of the people with rules and lines in nonlinear and unquantifiable places that I can't reason out in advance who's going to be scared of me or angry or disgusted with me if I break one or cross one even if I didn't know I was doing it, and will you please tell me what they are ahead of time because if you end up deciding not to like me Stephen will... well, whatever it is I don't think it would be good for any of us and if you are I'd rather just not get involved and you probably would too in the long run.
There's the ever-reliable Three Broomsticks, or if you'd prefer more privacy, perhaps we could just use the Room of Requirement here at the castle? The house-elves could probably be induced to provide something. What would you prefer? I -- what? I don't think I do. I like people to be honest with me and I get angry when they lie or try to kill me, but I think most people do. And Stephen is a dear friend, and for his sake I would -- whatever is the matter?
Room of Requirement sounds... good. Tea is fine with me. Or whatever. I don't mind being honest. Not at all. And I'm glad you want me to be honest and not lie, because I'm good at that--- that's kind of the problem at the moment. And if Stephen's your friend you won't mind that I don't keep things secret from him, will you? It's a long story but I told Stephen something that I apparently wasn't supposed to but I didn't know I wasn't and now one of my friends isn't anymore. Isn't my friend, I mean, at least I think he's not.
Will tomorrow be all right? Say four in the afternoon? I'll make the arrangements for refreshments. Let me know if there's anything particular that you like. I see. I think. You can tell me more when we meet. But for the record, I usually assume that husbands and wives or lovers tend not to keep things from one another, you know.
The afternoon after the Fillerbunny Day festivities saw Susan setting up for tea in a Room of Requirement that now had the aspect of a pleasant sitting room -- comfortable chairs, gentle lighting, and an overall cosy and reassuring atmosphere. Per River's request, Susan had gotten the house elves to supply a generous pot of Constant Comment tea and an assortment of biscuits, cookies, and chocolates.
Hostessing wasn't really something that Susan had much practice in, but like governessing and teaching, she was mildly surprised at how easily it came to her. Satisfied that all was to her liking, she waited for River to arrive.
"Well..." Susan had never really expected to have to relate the story as many times as she had in the last two months. She let the memories play through her mind as she talked -- this, at any rate, would make it a little easier to explain. "He was hired to kill the Hogfather -- a holiday spirit. It's a long story, but if he'd succeeded, the world -- our world -- would have probably ended." The Auditor-dogs on the edge of the cliff. The giant boar, sagging to the ground. The man in leather, and the sledge drawn by boars. All still so clear.
"I stopped him." Balcony. Pile of teeth. Teatime slashing at her as they swung over the edge. "I thought I'd killed him -- that was the 'half' time he refers to -- but then he ambushed my grandfather and me at the Gaiters' house." She shrugged, sadly. "I had no choice. He'd have killed my grandfather, and me too. In front of children." The nursery. Twyla and Gawain. Granddad. The blue sparks.
"I don't blame him for being upset, really. I mean, I don't like him, but if our
( ... )
River absorbed Susan's words and memories together in a tapestry. "You make a lot of sense about it," she said finally. "I mean, you can see his side, it's just that you have to take care of yourself. Not that you're... more... than he is, just that you're... you, and he's him, and you each have to look out for yourselves." She beamed at Susan--- because Susan was making a lot more sense on the subject than Stephen had, which was even more impressive given that she was the target of Teatime's vengeance.
"It's not that I don't think he's an utter menace to the world at large either --" the content of her earlier conversation with Logan remained carefully tucked away "-- but I should really like to find a way to neutralize him without adding to the bloodshed. I mean, one does what one must, and if he pushes me --"
She pulled up short. "Er. I'm afraid I may have gone on a bit there. Sorry. I mean, if you wanted to remain neutral..." considering Johnny, and Teatime's ... friendship with him...
Comments 73
Tea. All right. Where? Would you please tell me now if you're another one of the people with rules and lines in nonlinear and unquantifiable places that I can't reason out in advance who's going to be scared of me or angry or disgusted with me if I break one or cross one even if I didn't know I was doing it, and will you please tell me what they are ahead of time because if you end up deciding not to like me Stephen will... well, whatever it is I don't think it would be good for any of us and if you are I'd rather just not get involved and you probably would too in the long run.
---River Tam Maturin
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There's the ever-reliable Three Broomsticks, or if you'd prefer more privacy, perhaps we could just use the Room of Requirement here at the castle? The house-elves could probably be induced to provide something. What would you prefer? I -- what? I don't think I do. I like people to be honest with me and I get angry when they lie or try to kill me, but I think most people do. And Stephen is a dear friend, and for his sake I would -- whatever is the matter?
--Susan
Reply
Room of Requirement sounds... good. Tea is fine with me. Or whatever. I don't mind being honest. Not at all. And I'm glad you want me to be honest and not lie, because I'm good at that--- that's kind of the problem at the moment. And if Stephen's your friend you won't mind that I don't keep things secret from him, will you? It's a long story but I told Stephen something that I apparently wasn't supposed to but I didn't know I wasn't and now one of my friends isn't anymore. Isn't my friend, I mean, at least I think he's not.
---R.
Reply
Will tomorrow be all right? Say four in the afternoon? I'll make the arrangements for refreshments. Let me know if there's anything particular that you like. I see. I think. You can tell me more when we meet. But for the record, I usually assume that husbands and wives or lovers tend not to keep things from one another, you know.
-Susan
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Hostessing wasn't really something that Susan had much practice in, but like governessing and teaching, she was mildly surprised at how easily it came to her. Satisfied that all was to her liking, she waited for River to arrive.
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"I stopped him." Balcony. Pile of teeth. Teatime slashing at her as they swung over the edge. "I thought I'd killed him -- that was the 'half' time he refers to -- but then he ambushed my grandfather and me at the Gaiters' house." She shrugged, sadly. "I had no choice. He'd have killed my grandfather, and me too. In front of children." The nursery. Twyla and Gawain. Granddad. The blue sparks.
"I don't blame him for being upset, really. I mean, I don't like him, but if our ( ... )
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She pulled up short. "Er. I'm afraid I may have gone on a bit there. Sorry. I mean, if you wanted to remain neutral..." considering Johnny, and Teatime's ... friendship with him...
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