AN: I'm updating! Yay! Anyway, here is the second chapter!

Disclaimer: (sniff) I don't own the Bartimaeus trilogy.

Bartimaeus

So far, I had come up with nothing. The silver necklace must have been really pure because I could feel the cold metal sapping my essence through the bag, which I held on Ptolemy's little finger to minimise contact with the offending necklace. I was so going to guilt trip Mandrake for this.

In fact, I gave Ptolemy's form a greenish hue and two black eyes to show my pain. I kept my head down and my face hidden by my hair until the necklace was dropped unceremoniously on Mandrakes precious paper file.

"You have done well, Bartimaeus," John Mandrake tells me. "Though you were a little slow."

Slow! SLOW! How dare he? I admit I did dawdle while I thought about Nathaniel-izing him but I moved way quicker than he could ever manage the lazy little human that he is. I wanted to tell him all this but I was trying to send him on a guilt trip so I just kept shtoom.

"Place it in Ms Piper's draw." No manners again! His beloved Mrs Underwood would be ashamed! I kept that to myself too. Yes, impossible as it may sound, I was actually keeping my mouth shut.

I obeyed him though it pained my essence to do so. I felt his eyes on my back as I closed the draw (1) and turned to look at him, revealing my face for the first time.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise before he control them and his mouth opened and closed a bit like that of a fish. I just stood there, regarding in emotionlessly and, above all, quietly until he managed to form a coherent sentence.

"Have you-? Was it-? Were you attacked by resilient children?" he gabbled. Was that worry I detected in his voice. It was! So there is a bit of Nathaniel in there – even if it is only a smidgeon.

I shook my head and gestured to the draw containing Ms Piper's necklace. "Silver," I told him.

He pointed to an armchair. "Sit," he commanded. "Rest for a bit. I'm not a fool, Bartimaeus; I know your essence will heal. Remember the Golems? The mercenary? His silver?"

Oh well, no dismissal for me now. John Mandrake asserted himself, but still, I know Nathaniel's in there now. Also, that was pretty good guilt tripping, don't you think.

I sat and managed a couple of minutes silence before boredom struck. I switched to Kitty Jones's form and sobbed. (2) Mandrake sighed and rewarded me with his attention. Yes!

"What now, Bartimaeus?" he enquired exasperatedly.

"What now?" I echoed. "I'm being mistreated! First you keep me here and make me serve you for ages so my essence hurts, then you send me out on the streets and let me get attacked by a load of deranged commoners (3) and now, you've made me bring you silver and you've been ignoring me!"

"Feel better now you've got all that off your chest?" he says, scrawny arms crossed over his own chest.

I nodded, pouting like a sulky child with Kitty's face. "As a matter of fact, I do!"

"Good!"

"Good!

"Fine!"

"Okay then, I'm going to get on with my work."

"You do that!" I snapped, turning my back to him.

There were few minutes of silence, where I stared at the wall with my back straight and my arms crossed, mimicking Mandrake's earlier pose. Surprisingly, the silence was broken not by me but by the magician.

"Bartimaeus?" he called tentatively.

I ignored him. It felt so good to be the one doing the ignoring for once.

He tried again, this time louder. "Bartimaeus?"

I sniffed.

"Why don't you go upstairs into my lounge and watch TV for a bit?" he asked, finally acknowledging that I wasn't going to talk to him.

I took my leave, storming out. Who knew? Maybe this TV would be slightly interesting. I was going to take my chances with John Mandrake's private rooms.

The first thing I noticed about his lounge was that it was furnished remarkably like his old attic room at the Underwoods' place, complete with the vase of flowers like those that Mrs Underwood used to set out for him and the too dark oil painting that was looking rather scorched. Perhaps it was the same one, rescued from the wreckage. Perhaps not. But one thing was certain as I settled down to watch something called 'Eastenders': this was Nathaniel's room, not Mandrake's. Nathaniel was still there somewhere.

All I had to do was lure him out.

(1) Not literally. Thought I'd just spell that out for you; humans can be so dense!

(2) I know I'm not acting anything like the actual Kitty Jones but hey, it got me a reaction and reactions meant entertainment. I'm sure Kitty wouldn't mind. It's my sanity that's on the line here.

(3) Yeah, it happened about a month ago. I was just wandering along, minding my own business when suddenly; I found myself surrounded by commoners calling me "vile demon" and other things that aren't suitable for your ears and lobbing bricks at me. Luckily, I had a shield but it was still not my finest hour.

AN: Yeah, the humour didn't quite make it into this chapter but it will surface next chapter when Bartimaeus discovers soaps, Nathaniel's furniture and a rug. Yep, three's the charm!

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