Of all the places in the world he could've found himself, this one didn't surprise him. Gordon knew it was inevitable that all the riches his masters had gained would keep him in the presence of the wealthy. He had simply hoped for better - give service to those who had little and appreciated much.
Now, he found himself standing in a room bedizened in rich gold and maroon. It was familiar, but not entirely desired. Gordon had been in more than his fair share of castles and estates, but none of them compared to the back alley in Spain and a little box fashioned to hold back the rain. Those were memories he cherished as it seemed he would never get the chance again.
Amber eyes found the lush bedding and he sighed, deciding on the side that faced the window. The sky was clear, leaving trails of stars. No moon meant he could see the thick streams of light that made up the Milky Way. Part of him wished his mistress had sent him outside. Sleep was irrelevant to a genie and he would've much preferred the night sky and shadowed countryside.
His thoughts went to his new master, his initial impression less than memorable. He did enjoy the way her face scrunched up when he messed with her though. Gordon got the distinct impression she wasn't used to being mocked. Of course not. She was wealthy and young. People probably fell at her feet to please her. Who was he to do the same?
But, then they'd made that deal.
It wasn't a necessary promise, since he went out of his way to never hurt people with his masters' wishes, but it had been somewhat refreshing to hear it from the woman. It meant he might not be used as he had in the past. Tyrants had grown from his powers and he'd had to live with that.
His curse.
So, even if this was another rich home, another spoiled master, at least she seemed... decent. And she was amusing.
"Can't ask for much more than that, can I?" Gordon grinned, taking a seat on the bed. With the night to himself, he let his mind drift to memories and songs, smiles and happy tears. These were the dreams of Genies - ever aware yet off in a world they could never truly be a part of - and Gordon let himself sing. It was a soft tune none would remember, save him. That master was long since gone.
And as time passed, so did the stars until the darkness of night grew into a brilliant, soft grey-blue and orange. Gordon was on his feet even before the light tap of knuckles on oak hit his ears.
"Good morning, mistress," the genie beamed as he opened the door and stepped aside to allow her entry. "What can I grant for you on this lovely morning? Oh, maybe you could wish for breakfast! I'm pretty certain there are some aristocrats who wouldn't miss a bowl of granola."
That little pinch of her nose said it was too early for how energetic he was. "I don't believe that will be necessary. Parker will have breakfast ready shortly. I would actually like to discuss the schedule for the day."
Gordon's face fell, along with his shoulders and the hope that maybe things would get interesting. Penelope took a seat at the small table by the window and gestured for him to sit. As he did, she produced a simple looking watch and slid it over to him.
"Um, I don't really need this," he picked it up anyway, running his thumb over the smooth surface.
"I assure you, in my line of work, there will be times when you cannot be seen with me. This will allow me to talk to you in those situations." Penelope lifted a circular disk, a delicate tap clicking it open.
He found it peculiar that she still seemed so calm and collected. She had just discovered that genies were real and she had one at her disposal, but acted as though it were business as usual. It gave him pause to wonder just what her "line of work" was.
"Very well, mistress."
"And stop calling me 'mistress'. It will only cause more grief than I care to deal with."
Gordon laughed as he placed the 'watch' on his wrist, only made difficult by his bracer. "Then what shall I call you? Goldilocks?"
A measured intake of breath. "Lady Penelope, M'lady, or your ladyship should suffice."
"Mmm, Lady P it is then." This earned him an irked glare, much to his benefit.
"Now, as for your attire," she moved on, setting a tablet on the table. "I would like to negotiate a wish."
"Wait, what's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Oh, he knew, but that didn't stop him from standing and deliberately running his hands over his abs before turning to flex the muscles in his back. The reaction was subtle, but Gordon had been around enough socialites to know how well they could hide their true emotions. A blush, swallowed up by her fingers finding the holographic screen and producing an image of a well tailored suit.
"I'm afraid you would stand out far too much with so little on. I would like for you to wear this. The problem is, I would not feel comfortable with you receiving such a garment without proper payment." She spun the screen for him to see as he grudgingly took his seat again.
"Ugh, that looks uncomfortable," Gordon groused, spinning the image like a top until her hand stopped it. "Fine, what's there to negotiate?"
"Would it be possible to wish for the garments and provide payment?" Penelope was watching him with a critical eye for any hint of deception.
"It would be, but there is a way to obtain it without cost or harm. I mean, if you're interested?" Amber twinkled in the morning sun and he could see the curiosity in her eyes.
"What do you propose?"
"Well," the genie leaned over the table, again toying with the tablet image. "There are quite a few of these sitting, unworn, in closets of some very rich individuals. They wouldn't miss one measly suit. Think of it as a donation."
Free. There was always a thrill to be found when you could get something for nothing. No cost or reprecusion. Gordon could see it in the way her lip twitched and the sapphire flashed as she glanced to the window in search for the right answer.
There really wasn't one. There were just answers and it honestly depended on his master's conscience. Penelope only needed to decide if inconveniencing the wealthy was in her personality.
Another twitch and her lip turned up in a way that sparked his own mischief. When she finally addressed him, there was still enough hesitation to make him wonder where her allegiance fell.
"I believe I know quite a few gentlemen you're talking about," and her smile grew. "And you're happy to wear someone else's suit?"
"Oh no, I hate suits. Way too constricting." Blatantly honest truth. He could tell she wasn't used to it, but was collected enough not to lose that icy chill she'd been developing for him. "But if you wish it, a used suit will be fine."
"Are you always this -"
"Fun? Charming? Endearing?"
"Obnoxious seems more appropriate," Penelope flashed him a warning eye. "Alright, then I wish for you to wear his suit from someone who no longer needs it."
Oh, fantastic choice of words. "As you wish." A snap of his fingers and the gold and silver cords were gone, replaced by a crisp white, cotton shirt. Gordon held his arms out for her to see the deep blue wool spread down from his shoulders, stopping at the wrists as the rest covered his chest. He immediately felt the loss of his loose fitting pants, replaced by the fitted pants. At least she hadn't wished for shoes, yet.
"Much better," she stood, collecting herself for what he suspected was a trip through the mansion. "Come, Parker will have breakfast prepared and I'm certain he'll be more than a little curious."
"Ah, so you're not planning to hide me?" He followed, wriggling uncomfortably in the new clothes.
"Not from Parker. I trust him far too much to do that."
The moment they stepped into the hallway, the shuffling of little paws sounded, followed by an excited yip. Gordon instantly found the little pug and bent down, already enamored by it as its head tilted in his direction.
"Hey, pup!" The genie had met only a few animals in his life so far, but he greatly appreciated the chance to meet new ones. Dogs were the typical. They tended to be on his list of "would own if free". Cats were a challenge, but he enjoyed their company just the same. His hand reached out for the pug to sniff. "What's your name, little guy?"
Penelope stopped mid stride, her heels clicking on the marble floor. If she was annoyed with his distraction, she didn't sound it.
"Sherbert, this is our new guest." The dog turned to regard its owner with an anticipatory wag of its tail. "Do help me keep an eye on him would you? That's a good boy."
As if in response to his new task, Sherbert pivoted, sniffed the still outstretched hand, gave the fingers a lick before allowing further scratches behind his ear. Gordon was more than happy to comply to the dog's wishes. A soft clearing of their mistress's throat and they both returned their attention to Penelope.
Her smile was slight, "Come along you two. Parker will be waiting." Her eyes remained on the pup as Gordon stood and he caught the instant she noticed her mistake. "Where are your shoes?"
OoOoOoO
The tea pot still sat on the center of the table, along with plates of biscuits, jams, cheese, and fruit, yet the chair across from his was vacant. It wasn't unheard of for his charge to sleep in, which was why he'd been fiddling with the holographic news reports feeding into the corner of the room. And also why he didn't catch the odd sound of her footsteps as she entered the room.
"Good morning, Parker. Interesting story I take it?" Her voice wavered slightly, but he was too engrossed to make a connection.
"Right you are, m'lady," Parker chuckled at the images. "It appears one of the members h'of parliament decided to strip in the middle of 'is meetin' in Beijing." The images of the man frantically trying to cover himself were circulating quickly and the former thief couldn't find the ability to feel sorry for him. He was a pretty rubbish politician.
A laugh that definitely wasn't her ladyship's had Parker out of his chair and spinning to see the shocked expression on the young woman's face and the amused one on the man behind her. It took a split second for him to analyze the image, but the uncertainty remained. Had her ladyship brought a gentleman into her home without informing him or was there something malicious going on? Parker would have preferred some clue from his charge, but she was still watching the footage of the bothersome MP fleeing from the camera in nothing more than his briefs, socks and shoes.
"M'lady?" Parker decided to be direct, drawing the younger man's attention.
"You're Parker, right?" His high pitched American accent set off more warnings than the bodyguard cared to acknowledge. He watched the brown eyes move to Lady Penelope and back. "Ah, she's currently dealing with some reprecusions to something she and I discussed earlier."
Never let anyone say that Aloysius Parker couldn't kill with just a look. It took quite a bit to get him as worked up as he was now, but with Penelope at the forefront of the issue, Parker found himself unable to stop the glare towards the stranger. "And what h'exactly would that be?" He didn't try to hide his disdain.
To his credit, the kid didn't flinch. "Just give her a second." And his hand came up to graze the side of her arm.
Parker should have stopped it, but there was a table in the way and just not enough time to reach them. That didn't mean he couldn't quicken his steps around the awaiting breakfast and shift a startled Penelope away from the blighter. Again, he showed little sign he was put out by the action.
Penelope had never taken being moved well and today was no different as she let out shout in protest to the handling. Her eyes lost the hologram and found the two men, narrowing in on the younger.
"I'm fairly certain he needed that suit?" Penelope growled in exasperation.
"Nobody really needs clothes," the man rebutted, acting a little too familiar with her ladyship. Parker would have to remedy that.
"H'excuse me, sir," Parker turned to address the young man, shoulders back and head up. It helped he was an inch taller than their guest. "But I don't take kindly to your tone."
A gentle hand caught his arm and Penelope offered an appreciative smile as she gave him the sign to stand down. "Don't mind him. Sit. We'll eat and then I'll explain." Her attention moved to the young man. "Parker, this is Gordon. Gordon, Parker. Do try not to upset him."
"Too late for that," the elder man grumbled as he caught the devilish spark in the amber eyes, but he did as he was told. They sat down, the news feed promptly shut off, and began with cups of tea and biscuits. Parker kept his eyes on Gordon, who simply sipped at his tea.
"Not hungry?" Penelope queried from behind her own cup.
Parker watched the man's brow quirk before turning to regard the ex-thief and back to her ladyship. "There's an explanation for that, but I think your butler here needs a bit more info, don't ya think?"
He found Penelope paused mid sip before she begrudgingly set the cup back in its saucer. It was evident she was still suppressing much of her frustrations to maintain some sense of control.
And then, her eyes met his. "I must apologize to you, Parker. I hadn't meant to keep this from you as long as I have, however, it is quite unbelievable."
"H'I'm sure it's nothin' I can't 'andle, m'lady." But the fact she had felt the need to hide something from him was somewhat unnerving.
Her lips thinned, hesitating only a moment before offering her news. "Gordon, here, is a genie." Her hand lifted to stop the flurry of questions she knew he was going to ask, even though all he wanted to do was wipe the smug grin off the young man's face. "Before you do anything rash, do let me explain."
"By rash, you mean break 'is face until he explains what 'es done to ya?" He let his glare speak volumes of the seriousness to that threat.
"Precisely. Trust me, if I hadn't witnessed his appearance myself I would've had him thrown from the premises immediately." There was a meaningful glance between the two blondes.
"You did threaten to lock me away, though," Gordon pointed out.
"I still just might after that last display."
"No one got hurt and you have to admit it couldn't 've happened to a better slimeball." Another sip of tea to cover a knowing grin.
Things weren't clicking as well as Parker would have liked and he turned back to his charge. "You're tellin' me this bloke 'ere grants wishes?"
She nodded, but before she could continue, Gordon piped in. "Oh! I think he needs a demonstration!"
"No, I don't think -"
"Aw, but seeing is believing right?"
"Gordon…"
Parker felt a twist in the pit of his stomach at the way Penelope faltered. It wasn't like her at all and it only made the desire to strike that much more irresistible.
"Just a little one, it'll make this easier." Gordon turned to him, almost oblivious to the daggers being shot at him. "C'mon, you can even let him pick."
"That's a terrible idea. No offence, Parker."
"Aw, it couldn't be that bad. Let him try, just this once. Right, Parker? You've got this." Whatever joy the young man was deriving from this, he knew it needed to stop. This was ridiculous after all. There were no such things as genies.
"If it'll get you out of my 'air, I'd be more than 'appy to oblige, m'lady." Parker leaned back in his chair. "What's one little wish gonna 'urt?"
"You'd be surprised," Penelope grumbled before relenting. "Fine, one wish, same rules. No one gets hurt." Gordon gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. "And Parker, by small, I mean absolutely tiny."
"Right."
She let out a long breath, hands clasped on the table before her. "Then it's settled. Gordon, I wish for Parker's wish to come true."
The "genie" turned to him eagerly. "Your wish is my command."
Parker smiled.