[PRP] Just Another Day (Jeremiah/Rabbit/Nev/Sy)

[Smerdle]

From what he could tell, they did this all the time. It made sense. When you had kids who had an interest in reading and you worked in a book store, you bought them books.

Presumably he had some sort of an employee discount.

Rabbit, Neverain, and Sywyly hurried from the car into Bibliophile, the kids pulling off their hoods and shaking out their feathers as soon as the door shut behind them.

"Find something you like, I guess?" Rabbit said vaguely, glancing around to make sure no one was looking at them funny. The sirens, while cautious about who they shared their existence with, were far from cautious enough, in his opinion.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah was actually in the shop today, a cane on his arm as he went through the various history books (as the world was no longer the same as it had been; he needed to read up). The sound of a somewhat familiar voice had him peering out from behind a bookshelf, blue-green eyes glowing softly as he caught sight of the small sirens and their father.

He glanced around himself, noting that the store was mostly empty due to the time of year. Not that he wasn't wiggling fingers in greeting towards the small sirens and then waving a hand towards Rabbit himself.

Wasn't he working here now? So it wasn't entirely surprising to run into him.

Smerdle

|: jer likes these smol babbins

 

[Smerdle]

He hadn't spoken to Jeremiah directly... ever that he could recall, but Rabbit still knew a fair bit about him secondhand.

He was the chief of police. He and the professor were married (or maybe they just liked sharing last names and holding hands a lot and smooching as they plummeted to their deaths, but Rabbit was fairly confident in his initial assessment). Jeremiah was a noble too. Oroh never uttered a peep about the tithes that were undergoing their trials, but once they had graduated to lords and ladies, they and their fetches were nothing more than juicy gossip fodder. Respected gossip fodder, like british royals. It was fitting. Rabbit had heard more about the Handsome Englishmen in the past few months than he cared to admit.

Still, no matter how much magic the man had, chief of police was still on his resume and a pair of othercreatures were standing in front of him. Rabbit smiled, nerves compressing it slightly, and watched as the sirens paused to look up at Jeremiah, their grins far more open. They didn't bow. It was refreshing proof that his fetch didn't tell them everything.

"Hello!" Neverain said.

Sy followed with, "You're very tall."

"Like Uncle Jim!"

As Rabbit drew closer, it suddenly hit him. This was the man who had fallen into the hole at Andromache. And fallen. And fallen some more. He hadn't recognized him because he'd been older then, but... holy s**t. Rabbit's smile widened to full goofball. That whole episode had been horrifying at the time, but in hindsight, it was hilarious.

"We're just here for some books. Nev and Sy," he said, pointing at each squeep in turn, "And I'm Rabbit."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

There would be irony if Jeremiah heard anything about being compared to a royal, given his family line but that was neither here nor there (just like a bow would have put him off, it was odd enough othercreatures tended to defer to him).

Jeremiah gave the two small sirens a small smile, head inclined in greeting. There was a cane hooked on his elbow that he was not using and he adjusted it in his grip to lean on briefly. "Coincidentally, my name also starts with a J," he told them and looked towards Rabbit to see the smile on his face. It was out of place but-

Well, he didn't know why and there were adorable small squeeps.

"It's a good place to get books," he replied. "Hello, Nev and Sy," each name was said in turn, following as Rabbit pointed, and he crouched slightly to hold out a hand to them (though really it was a couple fingers so that they could grip properly; such small hands). His attention went to Rabbit once he was standing again, hand held out in greeting for him as well. "Nice to properly meet you, Rabbit."

Another Lord of the Court, employee of his husband, and someone he had often seen but not necessarily spoken with (though Algie spoke of him kindly and that always meant well). There might have been an eyebrow raise because of that smile but ...

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Rabbit took Jeremiah's offered hand, clearing his throat and toning down his smile a notch or two when he realized how it must look.

"Sorry, man. It's nice to meet you too. The last time I saw you I was in the eighties, so..." To his credit, Rabbit said this low, in case there was anyone listening, but even so, the conversation sounded innocent enough. He'd technically been around in the actual eighties too. Maybe he'd seen Jeremiah there.

"It's weird. I'm glad you're okay though."

"Mr. Mercer," Nev said.

"Jeremiah," his sister added. She clearly knew him, or at least of him, though this probably wasn't the place to get into that. "It starts with a J."

"I know." The look he gave Sy was only faintly irritated. "Could you show us a good book, Mr. Mercer?"

Rabbit shook his head slightly, smirking at his charges. They were kissing the cop's a**, but it was harmless enough so he didn't interrupt.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

The moment that Rabbit said he had seen him in the 80s, the expression on his face made perfect sense. Jeremiah let a huff of laughter, shaking his head lightly while the corner of his mouth quirk just a little upward in amusement. "Yes, I am. Though I understand the smile now considering I heard what happened." Now you're thinking with portals. "So you were there as well?"

His attention flicked back to the two squeeps, looking down at them with another brief appearance of a small smile. "Jeremiah Percival Mercer," he told them (a rare treat, his full name). The silver-haired man clearly had no problem with them and what they were doing, finding it cute.

"No formalities necessary, so Jeremiah is fine or Mercer." Not mister or anything else. Never Percival either. "Not here, at least." Court was a bit different because formalities were a necessity and part of it. "... but if you're going to want a good book found by me, you should tell me what kind of things you're reading or interested in? I'll see what I can do though my husband is far better than I am at finding and showing good books."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Yeah, things were weird. I didn't realize that was you until just now, but there was a lot going on." Thinking back on it, he mostly remembered Temperance's chalky finger whittling away as she drew runes on the floor and Europe's The Final Countdown playing in his head. It had been a strange night. "I didn't talk to the eighties you though. Other people could probably tell you more." Presumably, they had.

"Percival is a nice name," Sywyly said, her voice all seriousness until she smirked between sentences. "Benben? Why don't we have middle names?"

Nev barreled over his sister's question to answer Jeremiah's. "We like Harry Potter and Holes and Charlotte's Web when Aunt Liv and Jim read it out loud together."

Rabbit put a hand on Sy's shoulder that clearly indicated they'd talk about names later, then added, "They tried that Wrinkle in Time one too, but they didn't like it as much."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"I've heard bits and pieces about it," Jeremiah admitted, "because Zac talked to me and then Shiloh and Jamie ..." His fingers flicked because obviously there had been a lot going on before his gaze went back to the sirens with a chuckle.

"It was also my grandfather's name." A pause. "My great-grandfather's name in fact but I prefer my first name." Benben got a raise of an eyebrow but then again, Rabbit wasn't Rabbit's real name, now was it? He remembered the fairyball and Ezra- The thought was pushed away.

"Well ... There's the Wainscott Weasel if you like stories that have the occasional picture with it. I read it once to Zac when he was younger." His fingers tapped his side. "Oh and Abarat by Clive Barker, if you enjoyed Harry Potter. There's all sorts of things in that series." There's a small smile given to them. "I think you might like those and I know Alg has them in stock. They'd both be in the youth section."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Neverain looked up at Rabbit in a silent plea.

"Yeah, go on. Keep your hoods up and come right back." He watched them scamper off, only turning to Jeremiah again after they'd rounded a shelf and were out of sight.

"Thanks for that. I didn't read a lot as a kid and my sister's suggestions are either perfect or complete a**." He glanced back toward where the sirens had gone. "You knew Zac when he was young enough to read to? I was going to ask him some things since we work together now. I know so few people around here and I think it's important, you know, with the court and stuff... I should talk to more of us." Like, he knew Shiloh—obviously—but who in the hell was Jamie?

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"My husband is a bibliophile and I'm not entirely that far off myself, so it's no problem at all considering that most of the house wall space is taken up by bookshelves." Never mind their section of the Court. Jeremiah watched the sirens and then his gaze flicked back towards Rabbit. "Besides, while I've no children by blood- I raised Zac. Admittedly he was old enough to read that book himself but I read it to him."

He shifted on his feet, head tilting slightly. "In fact .... with all the changes," his voice dropped, "Zac is my son. We adopted him." It was still something to get used to, that a thing that he had been considering to do in one reality happened long ago in this one.

"With all the shifts and the Court, I agree." He was, in fact, planning on getting all of the nobles together at one point but for now- "I tend to be neck deep in everything, so if I can be of assistance - including babysitting - just let me know."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Babysitting." Algernon had made the same offer back before things had changed, when the squeeps had barely been more than wiggly balls of dark fluff. He wondered if either man knew that the kids had a purpose beyond being cute and mouthing off. Would Jeremiah defend them if the day ever came when giving them up was more beneficial to Ashdown than keeping them safe?

"Alg said that too when he met them," Rabbit continued with a grin. "And you've got experience, so... If I ever have something I've got to do that they shouldn't be there for, I'll give you a call." He might have had doubts about the future, but for now he agreed with little hesitation. The kids weren't in any danger at the moment, as far as he could tell, and he trusted the Mercers well enough in nearly every normal situation he could think of.

The sirens trotted back into view, each holding a book that was mostly lost in the sleeves of their cloaks. Sywyly passed as a human child easily enough if one didn't look too closely at her face, but Rabbit had yet to figure out how to hide Nev's lengthy tail without discomfort, and the boy made a wide turn around the shelves as he approached so it wouldn't get caught on anything.

"We found them," he said, proudly holding up his book so the weasel on the cover was clearly visible.

"Thank you, Jeremiah," Sy said.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"By all means," Jeremiah gave Rabbit a small smile, one that was reassuring. "They're children but they're also ..." His hand flicked a moment, as if to say they're from over there. "They should be looked after and protected and you're doing an excellent job but sometimes you might need a break." A wry smirk appeared. "I certainly did once Zac was a teenager."

When the sirens came back, their books found, he smiled at them. "You're very welcome, the both of you, and I'm glad. Hopefully you'll enjoy them." It was as if they were normal human children and yet they were far from it. His eyes, oddly reflective even now and in Ashdown, glanced back towards Rabbit.

There was a question on the tip of his tongue but he held back for the time being. "Are you doing alright? With the job and all the other things that have happened since?" Since being the world rewritten and changed.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Where he normally would have given a more flippant, thoughtless response, Rabbit paused instead, compelled toward a greater level of sincerity by Jeremiah's apparent interest.

"Yeah." He nodded too, emphasizing his relative okayness. "Everything's weird, but it still feels like my life." The sirens appeared unaffected by the topic of conversation, propping their books on the nearest shelf and idly skimming through them. "I'm a little sad I missed them growing this much, but the job and the house and being... accepted. It's all good." It had been difficult to look at his sister sometimes over the past few months, knowing that she somehow believed every word that he said while also questioning his sanity.

"I feel safer because of what we did, even if I still don't really understand it." He shrugged, sheepish. "I usually figure things out eventually."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"It does take some getting used to," Jeremiah admitted, "... and I can honestly say the same about missing some things." His lips twitched towards a small sad smile, only the slightest upturn of the corner of his lip. "Things were done this time that I never did, or hadn't had the chance to do, and that is an odd mixture of feelings."

Still, he understood what Rabbit meant about safer. "We'll adapt and we'll be able to move forward, I'm sure. Though I suppose I could offer to help if you ever need help. Not just with them but with what's going on. Things happen all the time without us being involved and it's a bit overwhelming to walk into it unknowing." He paused a moment. "Especially when we're a bit more deeper involved than others."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

There was another pause while he considered this, and it held a flash of irritation that sparked and faded like lightning without thunder. Rabbit was frustrated, only with himself and only for a moment. He should know more than he did already, but it always seemed he had so much more to worry about than sitting down to learn. He reached into his pocket, pulling out some money and passing it to Nev with genial lift of his eyebrows.

"Go pay."

He nodded up at Jeremiah as the sirens hurried triumphantly to the register.

"I would appreciate that. I'll find you when I've got time to talk."

azuredreams