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Aug. 8th, 2007 08:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallestopener“Tom, can I ask you something?” Ingress sat at the kitchen table, coloring a picture while she waited for lunch.
“Of course you can, little one.” Tom waved his wand and flipped her grilled cheese sandwich in its pan. He was on lunch duty today, as Door was taking care of some unexpected business in Marble Arch. He winced and pointed at the scorched bread, vanishing the black bits made visible.
“Could Dickon come live with us? If he wanted?”
Tom frowned. A strict rule had been put into place about bringing children in need of a family to the House of Arch after Ingress brought Gavroche home. “Dickon? I think he’s happy with where he is, isn’t he?”
Ingress had been talking about Dickon a great deal lately. And drawing his picture. With copious amounts of hearts and flowers included. Door thought it was cute. It was all Tom could do not to go find the boy and give him a stern talking to, even though he seemed a well-behaved lad.
“I guess.” Ingress pushed away her drawing as Tom placed her plate of unburned grilled cheese in front of her. “It’s just- Megwyn said he couldn’t come to Valdemar, because she can only bring me there. But you and Door can come, so you could bring him? Or he could live here, and I’d see him when I came home?”
She looked so hopeful. How could such a young child be so smitten? He’d passed right over that phase to getting whomever he wished however he had to, and the mere thought of that kind of behavior in Ingress made his blood run cold.
“I think Dickon belongs in his world, Ingress, not ours nor yours in Valdemar. Sometimes there are reasons for people to leave their worlds. But I don’t think Dickon has one.” He hoped, anyway. Ingress was far too young for this.
Granted, he’d think she was far too young when she was thirty, but still.
Ingress chewed her sandwich, deep in thought. “That’s what Megwyn said, too. I asked how come you could leave your world and come to ours.”
“I had a reason. I wasn’t happy there, and it wasn’t the right place for me any longer. Does Dickon seem sad about living in Yorkshire?”
“No, he likes it very much. He’s always talking about his garden.”
“Then I don’t think he’d be happy here at all, for while we have gardens, we don’t have Yorkshire anywhere in London Below.”
“I guess.”
She looked terribly unhappy now, and Tom knew he’d said this all wrong. He hated getting things wrong where Ingress’ happiness was concerned. “Say, I have a little time this afternoon,” he said, even though he really didn’t. “Why don’t we go to Florean’s? We can get your favorite sundae as a special treat.”
“No, I think I want to go to the stables and help today.” She finished her last bite and slid out of her chair. The stables were close to the greenhouse, after all.
“Maybe tomorrow then? Or we can do something special when you come home from the stables.” He’d do any number of desperate things to make Ingress happy. Sometimes he just had no clue where to begin.
“Okay,” she said, placing her plate in the sink. She kissed Tom on the cheek and took off for Milliways. He watched her disappear through the painting and frowned again.
Ingress sat back against a bale of hay by the stable door. She had a good view of both the door to Milliways and the greenhouse.
She sighed. Today was not a very sparkly day. Even petting the horses on the nose didn't cheer her up.
“Of course you can, little one.” Tom waved his wand and flipped her grilled cheese sandwich in its pan. He was on lunch duty today, as Door was taking care of some unexpected business in Marble Arch. He winced and pointed at the scorched bread, vanishing the black bits made visible.
“Could Dickon come live with us? If he wanted?”
Tom frowned. A strict rule had been put into place about bringing children in need of a family to the House of Arch after Ingress brought Gavroche home. “Dickon? I think he’s happy with where he is, isn’t he?”
Ingress had been talking about Dickon a great deal lately. And drawing his picture. With copious amounts of hearts and flowers included. Door thought it was cute. It was all Tom could do not to go find the boy and give him a stern talking to, even though he seemed a well-behaved lad.
“I guess.” Ingress pushed away her drawing as Tom placed her plate of unburned grilled cheese in front of her. “It’s just- Megwyn said he couldn’t come to Valdemar, because she can only bring me there. But you and Door can come, so you could bring him? Or he could live here, and I’d see him when I came home?”
She looked so hopeful. How could such a young child be so smitten? He’d passed right over that phase to getting whomever he wished however he had to, and the mere thought of that kind of behavior in Ingress made his blood run cold.
“I think Dickon belongs in his world, Ingress, not ours nor yours in Valdemar. Sometimes there are reasons for people to leave their worlds. But I don’t think Dickon has one.” He hoped, anyway. Ingress was far too young for this.
Granted, he’d think she was far too young when she was thirty, but still.
Ingress chewed her sandwich, deep in thought. “That’s what Megwyn said, too. I asked how come you could leave your world and come to ours.”
“I had a reason. I wasn’t happy there, and it wasn’t the right place for me any longer. Does Dickon seem sad about living in Yorkshire?”
“No, he likes it very much. He’s always talking about his garden.”
“Then I don’t think he’d be happy here at all, for while we have gardens, we don’t have Yorkshire anywhere in London Below.”
“I guess.”
She looked terribly unhappy now, and Tom knew he’d said this all wrong. He hated getting things wrong where Ingress’ happiness was concerned. “Say, I have a little time this afternoon,” he said, even though he really didn’t. “Why don’t we go to Florean’s? We can get your favorite sundae as a special treat.”
“No, I think I want to go to the stables and help today.” She finished her last bite and slid out of her chair. The stables were close to the greenhouse, after all.
“Maybe tomorrow then? Or we can do something special when you come home from the stables.” He’d do any number of desperate things to make Ingress happy. Sometimes he just had no clue where to begin.
“Okay,” she said, placing her plate in the sink. She kissed Tom on the cheek and took off for Milliways. He watched her disappear through the painting and frowned again.
Ingress sat back against a bale of hay by the stable door. She had a good view of both the door to Milliways and the greenhouse.
She sighed. Today was not a very sparkly day. Even petting the horses on the nose didn't cheer her up.
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no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 02:19 am (UTC)Recent events have simply intervened.
As it is, he is currently leaning against the stable door, quite casual despite the yellowish bruise on his cheek and marks on his neck. He had considered popping his collar, but found it to be stupid and gave up on the idea.
"Ingress, dearling?"
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:22 am (UTC)"Hi, Puck. Ouch, did you fall down the stairs?"
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:25 am (UTC)"I was in a bit of a scrap, I'm afraid. Well past now. How do you fare, dear heart?"
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:26 am (UTC)She looks longingly towards the door to Milliways.
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:28 am (UTC)The word sounds strange when Puck says it. He tilts his head, following her gaze.
"Why no more than that?"
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:31 am (UTC)"Dickon can't come live with us in the House of Arch, and Megywn said he couldn't come with me when we go to Valdemar, either. I want him to be with me all the time, but he has to stay in his world."
She sighs.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 02:37 am (UTC)Yeah, he should get this fixed.
"I am terribly sorry to hear it, Ingress," he says sincerely-- or, you know, as close as Puck ever comes to sincere. "What has Dickon to say on the matter?"
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 02:41 am (UTC)"That is the way of it, now and again. More's the pity."
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:44 am (UTC)She looks toward the door again.
"I wish he would come. I can't go to Yorkshire where he lives."
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:47 am (UTC)Puck smiles, crooked and rueful.
"So far as I know, Ingress dear, there is but one balm for the pain of such a separation."
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 02:52 am (UTC)Puck blinks.
"'Tis a salve. Aught that heals. Though in this case I mean it in a strictly metaphorical sense."
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 02:55 am (UTC)Puck nods, smiling. "And it should go all the better with you for it, I think."
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Date: 2007-08-10 02:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 03:04 am (UTC)"You most assuredly may, dearling. There is but one condition."
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Date: 2007-08-10 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 03:09 am (UTC)Puck gestures with a finger; most likely, it's a rhetorical flourish. "'Tis a cure that relies upon a peaceful heart and a sweet dream. The latter I can grant you, if you will do your best as to the first."
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Date: 2007-08-10 03:11 am (UTC)"I am kind of sleepy."
She leans back against the bale of hay, and her eyelids flutter closed.
If it was a rhetorical flourish, it was a very suggestive one, as well.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 03:21 am (UTC)Well that was easy.
All right, so long as she's out ... he digs around in his pocket for the white chrysanthemum he's been carrying and gently applies the juice of it to her eyes.
"There," he says softly. "Let us see how that soothes your heart."
When Ingress wakes up, Puck will not be there. She will find, however, that no matter how she may think of Dickon, her tummy will experience no funny feelings whatsoever.
Don't read too much into it.
Puck just ... doesn't want to get in any more trouble, that's all.
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Date: 2007-08-10 03:34 am (UTC)Stretching, she looks around. The sun is bright and it's not too hot and not too cool. It's just right. She forgets about looking towards the back door or the greenhouse, because it's a nice day, and she's going to say hi to Mr. Julia.
She smiles and hops down from the bale of hay. She does wonder where Puck got to, because she likes Puck, even if no one else does, and she thinks he's nice.
The next time she sees Dickon, she is very happy to see her friend, because he is nice and funny, but her tummy feels absolutely normal.
This is a very good thing.