Chapter Thirty-Nine
Wake-Up Calls
Alexandria woke up and stretched contentedly, glad that she thought ahead enough to close the owl window and the blinds. Maybe she should just sleep in, she contemplated with a smile and reached over the bed, her hand hitting the mattress. She frowned, patting the spot for a while before finally opening her eyes, her shoulders drooping when she realized that she was in an empty bed.
She got up and threw on her dressing gown before finding the flat deserted except for some dirty plates in the kitchen sink.
What in the world had she been thinking? Then again, she hadn't done much thinking at all. Had he left by the Portkey pad or the front door? Clearly this location needed to be wiped off her list. She frowned and glanced at the skyline forlornly.
"Goodbye, Shard. Goodbye, perfect view," Alexandria muttered to herself, shutting the curtains before getting dressed. She took the Portkey pad to her office, walking in to find her two familiars in their normal places, one on the tree and one in his warming bed.
"Good morning, Minister!" Wilder hooted cheerfully.
"You're late," Austere hissed critically. "And I could not get into the flat last night."
"Uh... yeah, sorry. I had someone over," Alexandria admitted sheepishly.
"It was still locked this morning," Austere hissed suspiciously. "Did you have a man over?"
"Just for dinner and fireworks..." Alexandria protested.
"What kind of fireworks?" Austere asked.
"I think it means that she had sex," Wilder informed Austere.
"Yes, thank you! Do you mind if we don't talk about it? It was just a one-night stand. Austere, what would you know about such things?"
"I'm a serpent. We know all about the sins of humanity," Austere explained sagely.
"What is one-night stand?" Wilder asked Austere.
Alexandria let out an exasperated noise when she realized they weren't going to drop it, sitting at her desk and putting her hands to her forehead in resignation.
"It is when humans have sex the first time and vow not to have it a second time," Austere hissed at him.
"Why would they ever want to do that?" Wilder asked Austere.
"Wilder! Go order me some coffee. Austere! Start sorting through the boxes to figure out which one is the priority this morning!" Alexandria barked at them to get them to stop talking. Wilder hurriedly flew out into the foggy corridor, but Austere hadn't moved.
"Your priority is speaking with your grandfather," Austere informed her. "He was here at eight o'clock sharp and discovered that you weren't in yet."
"Craters, he's going to ask me why I was late," Alex cursed.
"Do you need me to come up with a good lie for you?" Austere suggested.
"My grandfather may not be a Truth Seeker, but he'd spot any attempts at lying to him in a minute," Alexandria said. "Not to mention the security implications of what happened last night... just what the hell was I thinking?"
"I am guessing that you don't want me to answer that," Austere hissed, then heard a bell. "Someone is coming. It is probably your grandfather."
"Oh, no," Alexandria said, putting her head down and shading her face.
She was still sitting like that when Thomas walked in. It didn't take him very long to assess her behavior, especially after remembering what her plans had been the day before.
"Good morning, Alex. Decided to have a lie-in this morning?" Thomas asked. "Stay up late last night because of the holiday?"
"Little bit," Alexandria mumbled.
"Uh huh. And what time did the Dashing Doppler leave this morning?" Thomas asked knowingly.
"I don't know," Alexandria admitted sheepishly.
"Did he at least take his shoes off first?" Thomas inquired.
"It's not funny, Grandfather," Alexandria snapped, blushing bright red.
"I wasn't laughing. I was asking," Thomas said unapologetically, then noticed a flutter at the window as Wilder came back in. "I'll assume that's coffee or tea or something else highly caffeinated. Which box?" he asked. Wilder hooted helpfully.
"Box twelve," Alexandria translated, and Thomas went over to fetch it.
"It was a mistake to get coffee from here, by the way. You should have sent Wilder somewhere else to get it instead," Thomas warned.
"I've always gotten my coffee here. It goes through poison and magic checks before it enters the box," Alexandria said.
"Yes, and those are time-stamped. Or are you really naive enough to think that Bagman still doesn't have spies in the building?" Thomas pointed out.
"None in any high positions. We rooted all of those out, and I doubt any would be interested in when my coffee is checked," Alexandria said.
"Normally they wouldn't, no, because you typically get your coffee at the same time every day. You don't think they won't notice you having your coffee over an hour late, when you were traipsing around London with Public Nuisance #1 all day yesterday?" Thomas asked her skeptically.
"It was New Year's Eve! Most people have today off. The Ministry is on weekend staff only on holidays," Alex argued, growing redder by the minute.
"The only Monday you have ever taken off for is Christmas, Alexandria, and if I know that, Bagman certainly does. It won't take long for him to put two and two together, so if I were you, I'd be watching the newspaper over the next couple of days and prepare to do some damage control," Thomas warned.
Alex groaned and would have hid her face again if Thomas hadn't pushed her cup in front of her to prevent it.
"Coffee break time. We have ten minutes to discuss this as a family matter rather than as Ministry business. Got a tin of biscuits?" he asked, and Alexandria reluctantly brought it out. "So how do you want to handle this from a personal point of view?"
"There's nothing to handle. It was a one-night stand," Alex said, opening the tin.
"Uh huh," Thomas said, getting some coffee first.
"You say that like you don't believe me," Alexandria said flatly.
"You're right, I don't," Thomas admitted, then went over to the boxes, opening up the second one and bringing out a file that he sent.
"I thought we were on coffee break," Alex pointed out.
"Humor me for a moment, I'll add to our break time," Thomas said, opening up the Dashing Doppler's file. "File blah blah – I'll skip the number- Name Currently Unknown – got a name yet?" Alex cringed. "I take that as a no."
"I have a new alias... Robert Sterling," Alex said just to have something positive to say. "It's the identity he uses when he's disguised as the old French gentleman."
"Okay," Thomas said and scribbled it in, then continued. "Talented Metamorphmagus, prefers male forms. Most likely description; possibly early thirties, six feet even, blonde hair, blue eyes, athletic medium build... can you confirm that much?" he asked.
"He says it's his form," Alexandria said reluctantly. Thomas gazed at her expectantly. "Let's just say I can confirm it's his preferred persona."
"We'll call it confirmed," he decided, putting an asterisk by it. "What alias does he use for that one, if you don't know his name?"
"Just Magician as far as I know."
"If you don't know, I don't know who does," Thomas said, noting it. "Did you at least find out what this objective of his is?"
"No," Alexandria admitted evenly.
"Okay. Known traits... now here's where it gets interesting," he added before reading it. "Street performer and skilled information broker. Along with Metamorphmagus, individual has a talent for understanding all known languages. Has no known wealth, prefers barter and exchanging favors over monetary compensation, especially involving new food experiences. Adventurous drifter with no current address, admits to visiting several different countries. Has a fascination with Muggles and Muggle cinema, especially James Bond films.'" he read. Then he looked over at her. "Now, who do I know who's a skilled information broker, can understand all languages, and used to be adventurous and fascinated with Muggles?"
"Used to be is the key phrase there," Alexandria replied.
"True, but I don't doubt that you've noticed the similarities or you wouldn't have written it down. In fact, I'd say the two of you have a lot in common," Thomas noted, setting aside the report.
"Whatever happened to the idea of opposites attract?" Alexandria said dryly, reaching for a biscuit.
"You need both to make a good couple. I'm sure you were married long enough to realize that, Alex," Thomas said firmly. "You and Ben may have been starkly different on the surface, but on balance, you still shared the same ideals when it came to raising a family. If anything, the two of you went a bit overboard when it came to putting your kids first. Don't get me wrong, you should put your kids first, but not when it causes so much harm to the parents that it ends up hurting everyone. Ben had just as much of a tendency to do that as you did, you know."
"Yes, you're right," Alexandria admitted with a sigh. "But what he did for me in the end... that was different."
"Of course it was different. That was a matter of doing what he had to do to save someone he loved when there was no other solution. It's not the same thing at all," Thomas said. "Now, Jay doesn't see it as two different things, of course. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole reason he's angry is because he can't tell them apart. The question is, can you?"
"I can now, although I admit it's something I've figured out pretty recently," Alex admitted. "To be perfectly honest, the Magician is the one who's been helping me through it, believe it or not."
"I believe it," Thomas said, sipping his coffee. "It's not like he had much choice in the matter. There's no way you'd have been willing to shag him if you were still feeling guilty about it."
"Grandfather!" Alex exclaimed in shock.
"You have to admit that he was pretty determined to get you on your back. Or do you really think he arranged those 'food and fun' exchanges just to get a free meal out of it? He's been after you from the start," Thomas said, making Alexandria turn bright red again. "So the question is, now what? How do you want to proceed?"
"I was just a one-night stand," Alexandria protested.
"Sure it was."
"Don't say it like that, I really mean it!" Alexandria snapped.
"That sure, are you?" Thomas asked again with a stoic expression.
"Absolutely positively certain," Alexandria said.
"Alright, then, let's make a bet. I have fifteen hundred galleons that says it's not going to be a one-night stand," Thomas said.
"Fifteen hundred galleons?" Alexandria repeated in shock.
"We should probably put a time frame on it... how about I give you the benefit of the doubt and give you six months? Personally, I don't think you'll last six days. But if you're as certain as you say you are that this is a one-night stand and it'll never happen again... consider it a gift... a tidy little birthday present. Otherwise, you can pay me the moment you... well... screw up. Do we have a deal?" Thomas asked, putting out his hand with a serious expression.
"No deal," Alexandria mumbled and his outstretched hand patted her on the head instead.
"That's what I thought," Thomas said and Alex planted her face on her desk. He checked the time. "Well, I'll let you sort that out... maybe even try to find out his name. And as far as business is concerned, I suggest you talk to him about becoming an Agent so he can be officially pardoned, trained, and lost in the paperwork."
"Lost?" Alex frowned.
"Bagman, remember? He's going to stir people up over this, and the best thing for everyone concerned, including you, is if your nameless friend lays low for a while and stays out of the press as much as possible, especially if you want to make him an Agent," Thomas said.
"But I still don't know if he's trustworthy yet!" Alexandria protested.
"Then I suggest you figure it out. Quickly," Thomas advised. "Let me know if you need anything else, I got work to do."
"Thanks," Alexandria said glumly, watching him leave.
"So what's next, Minister Alex?" Wilder hooted.
"Well, I need to check on all my teams and what they're working on, but I also need to get a note to the Magician, but how?" she asked herself.
"Didn't you say you went to a market? Maybe he can be found at a market," Wilder suggested.
"That's a really good idea... we went to the Covent Garden Market yesterday... and Quintin said that he'd seen him juggling at Dagda's Market. I'll write a note, and then I'll need you to go look for him. If he's not at Covent Garden, try Dagda's."
"I will find him! I'm a good Postal Owl," Wilder said. Austere let out a dubious hiss at that.
"Austere, I need you to get a note to my brother in the Auror department, because I want to talk to him," Alexandria said.
"Me? You want me to be deliver a note?" Austere hissed indignantly.
"I'm sorry, but as you can plainly see by the empty familiar tree, there aren't many familiars around the Ministry today because of the holiday. It isn't that far... besides, it's part of your job to handle interdepartmental post," Alex reminded him.
"Why not put it in the box?" Austere hissed.
"Because if I put it in the box, he might not know that it's there and he's only got a flag board shift today," Alex said impatiently.
"Very well. You put it in the box, and I'll fly over and tell him that it's there," Austere hissed.
Deciding that was better than nothing, Alexandria gave them both notes and sent them on their way. She got back to work, checking on each team, puzzling so deeply over one case that she missed exactly when Austere had come back inside.
"I take it he got the note?" Alexandria said.
"I don't know. I told him that you wanted to see him," Austere hissed. Alexandria sighed, taking her letter back out of the box. "He said that he'd be here in a few minutes when his shift is over."
"You just do what you want whenever you want, don't you?" Alexandria said.
"I am in charge," Austere explained. Alexandria rolled her eyes and got some more work done until Aurelius finally came in.
"Hi. Had lunch yet? I'm starved," Aurelius greeted.
"Why is everyone in my life obsessed with food?" Alex growled.
"I haven't eaten in hours," Aurelius protested. "We're probably obsessed with food because we actually need it to survive. Besides, if I know you, this is going to be a fairly long conversation if you wanted to talk to me about the fact that you shagged the Dashing Doppler."
"What! Austere! What exactly did you say to him?" Alex snapped at the Winged Serpent.
"I thought it would save time to tell him the truth," Austere hissed.
"You were getting even with me for sending you on an errand. I should put you up for adoption and get a new familiar!" she threatened.
"You wouldn't do that. I'm magnificent. Besides, I know things," he pointed out.
"Woah! Both of you! I didn't come here to hear the two of you fight again!" Aurelius said.
"Austere! Go home at once! You're excused for the day!" Alexandria shouted at the snake, pointing at the fog.
"Enjoy doing your own filing," Austere hissed unconcernedly and flew out the door. Alex blew her hair out of her face.
"You could have asked him to send for lunch first," Aurelius pointed out.
"Oh. Yeah, you're right, and I sent Wilder off with a note for the Magician. Who knows when he'll be back," Alexandria said. "All Austere was supposed to do was tell you I left you a note to come see me. I didn't expect him to do anything like that!"
"You know your familiar well enough to know that he likes to give you trouble any time you show him a bit of weakness. It's just his nature," Aurelius said. "He only obeys when it's obvious that you're in a position of authority, not when you're feeling vulnerable."
"Yes, I know," Alexandria said with a sigh. "Anyway, I was wondering if you go could go with me to meet him sometime and help me to determine whether he's trustworthy or not. You know... just as a brother who is also a Truth Seeker."
"Why? Are you afraid you're new boyfriend is a demon or something?" Aurelius asked evenly. "I think you'd have found out if he was last night if that was the case."
"What I'm looking for is a sympathetic, understanding brother who will help me figure out if I can trust the guy I'm slightly interested in," Alexandria said.
"Slightly?" Aurelius repeated blankly. "Okay. I can totally see now why Austere was giving you hard time this morning. You can't really blame him for having a laugh at your expense on this one. Come on, Sis. Let's head to Hogsmeade."
"Hogsmeade?" Alexandria repeated in confusion.
"Yeah, we're going to head to the tinker shop, then have lunch," Aurelius said.
"The tinker shop? But it's hardly ever open," Alexandria said.
"Then we'll go straight to lunch," Aurelius said unconcernedly, waiting by the door. "It'll be open. The museum is closed on New Year's, and Maurice and Beth went to New York. Come on, I want to show you something."
Alexandria frowned but got up. She followed him out and into the pattern of twists and turns that led them to Hogsmeade, coming out behind Corey's shop and cutting over to get to the Tinker Shop. Sure enough, it was open, and Ambrose had one customer. Andrew was sitting at the counter having tea and biscuits while a very large bagged lump leaned against the counter near his feet.
"Oh no. What are you doing here, Andrew?" Alexandria asked, wondering how long it took for her personal life got spread to the entire family.
"Happy New Year. I was sent out for a new pushcar. The old one failed us in New York, and since Laura can't take a Wakeful Dose while pregnant and I could, I was sent out for it, despite her conviction that she was certain I wouldn't get the right brand, the right color, and it wouldn't meet the highest safety standard," Andrew explained, turning to one side so that he could see everyone. "I did find one that Laura wanted, but then I decided that I didn't want to rob Gringotts to buy a baby carriage and came here out of desperation."
"Why didn't you just Transfigure one?" Aurelius laughed.
"She doesn't trust transfigured carriages, she thinks they're not safe enough because they haven't been 'magically tested to meet magic-born infant standards.'" Andrew said, failing to get even close to her voice. "You'd think that after being married for a few years, she'd trust me a bit more."
"Yeah, it doesn't work like that. There are a lot of nuances to trust," Aurelius replied.
"Tell me about it," Andrew said. Ambrose, seeing that the catching up finally ended, took the opportunity to finally get a word in.
"Hi. What can I help you find today?" Ambrose asked.
"Can we borrow the Mirror?" Aurelius requested.
"You should charge them for that," Andrew suggested.
"If I charged everyone who wanted to look in that Mirror lately, this jar would probably fill up real quick," Ambrose replied. "Go ahead."
"So what's so special about this Mirror again?" Alexandria asked with a sigh.
"It always reveals your true self," Aurelius explained.
"That'd be great if the Magician were here, but I don't see how it helps me at all," Alexandria said. "It's not like I'm hiding anything."
"I think you're hiding a lot," Aurelius said evenly. "I think you've been keeping a lot bottled up on the surface, and that's the real reason you don't trust him. It has less to do with him and more to do with you. Come take a look."
Alex walked over to the Mirror and stood so she could see herself, frowning at her image.
She looked exactly the same; same robes, same way she wore her hair, same everything... but the image in the mirror had both hands over her face as if weeping or in despair. Andrew got up and he and Aurelius gazed thoughtfully at it. Alex's expression became more and more stricken, until she too brought her hands up to cover her face.
"Alright, Alexandria. Tell us what you're really going through," Aurelius said firmly. "We're all family here, and you know this stuff never leaves the shop. So how do you really feel right now?"
"I'm... scared. Terrified even," Alex got out as she put down her hands and folded her arms, refusing to look into the Mirror any more. "I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I have too much baggage in my life to let someone in... my job is too risky, and I could be putting him in danger, just like I put Ben in danger. I don't want to lose him! I don't want to lose anybody else because of me! I can't be responsible for putting anyone else in jeopardy. I only have time to be responsible for myself! Besides, it was a one-night stand, regardless of what I was felt at the time, it doesn't matter. It was biological in nature, not emotional. He didn't even stick around, so I'm certain that he didn't see it as anything else. Therefore, none of it matters because it didn't matter in the first place! There's no reason for me to trust him, so why even bother trying? He doesn't matter to me, any more than I matter to him. He hasn't even given me a name or a straight answer to any of my questions, really, so who cares what my feelings are? It was just a business arrangement and that is that, and as far as I'm concerned, it's over!"
"Then why are you so scared?" Aurelius demanded relentlessly. "Why are you trying to make a case for yourself as to why it's alright to run away from how you're feeling?"
"Because he's not interested in me!" Alexandria snapped as she turned her back on the Mirror. Aurelius raised an eyebrow dubiously. "I'm nothing but a meal ticket to him, just someone who happens to be in the way of whatever this objective he has is! He was just trying to use me, just like I was using him to plug holes in Ministry security so that Bagman couldn't find his way in! He has spent years perfecting that charm of his to try and win people over, but he's not going to win me over! I want nothing to do with him other than to put him in jail where he belongs, because now I've realized that I don't trust him at all, nor should I!"
"If you don't trust him, it's because you don't trust yourself," Aurelius told her firmly.
As Alex was struggling to come up with a reply, she suddenly noticed there was someone else in the room.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped at Alicia, who was leaning against the shelves behind Aurelius. Alicia glanced down and picked up an art kit.
"Getting new brushes," Alicia explained.
"That's a lie and you know it! And since you're here, I bet the fact that Andrew's here isn't an accident either! Did Mum put you guys up to this?" Alexandria demanded, and Alicia glanced over at Aurelius.
"It wasn't Mum, she's decided to stay out of it. It was Dad," Aurelius informed her, and Alex looked back in his direction with a frown. "See, when we went over for Christmas dinner, Dad pulled the three of us to the library. He told us that you were in the middle of plunging off a building, and because of everything that's happened in your life until now, you were going to have a much harder time accepting it and dealing with it than the rest of us and asked us to be your safety net. So when Austere came into my office and told me what happened, I immediately called the other two and let them know to meet us here."
"Plunging off a building?" Alexandria repeated.
"Dad first used that metaphor when we had a talk about it some years ago," Andrew commented. "Basically, it's the falling in love is like a train wreck metaphor, only it's worse because the person falling is in a much more vulnerable position and has no chance of escaping it."
"Apparently, you had a discussion at breakfast on Christmas morning that reminded Father of what he had been going through when he fell in love with Mum. It made him remember what it was like when he was risking his life on a daily basis and didn't know how to juggle having someone new in his life just then, especially someone who was also in constant danger. And while I wouldn't want to speak for Dad in this, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't just as terrified as you are right now."
"He was terrified, he admitted as much to me in that conversation," Andrew confirmed.
"Where are we in the process, do you think?" Alicia asked.
"Considering the terror level, I'd say she's seen the ground and realized that her fate's inescapable and doesn't know how to handle it," Aurelius ventured.
Not wanting to look at her siblings any longer, she desperately looked towards the Mirror, only to see herself crying. Soon, she was as well.
"This is not good. I can't afford to have all of these emotional breakdowns," she sobbed. "I'm the Minister of Mysteries, I can't do this. I can't show this kind of weakness to anyone."
"It's not weakness, Sis," Andrew replied. "If anything, it shows why you're a better Minister of Mysteries than Bagman ever was, because you're not as cold or as ruthless."
"Being ruthless is exactly what is required to do my job well," Alexandria told him firmly, using Rel's offered handkerchief to brush away her tears.
"Let's try to put aside your job for a moment," Aurelius suggested.
"Impossible," Alexandria told him.
"No, it isn't," Aurelius said sternly. "A person is more than just their profession, no matter what that profession is. You need to get back in touch with your Alexandria side that isn't a Minister."
"That's what he says," Alex replied tersely.
"He who?" Alicia asked.
"The Magician... the stupid idiot who won't even give me his name even after - even though we've been going out and stuff!" Alex snapped in agitation.
"Typically, when a girl didn't give me her name after staying over, I just made one up to put in my book," Andrew offered.
"Not helpful, Andrew," Aurelius informed him.
"Actually, he keeps telling me to do that," Alex said bitterly. "In fact, the whole reason he goes by Magician now is because he hates being called the Dashing Doppler and I suggested it as an alternative."
"Really?" Andrew said with interest. "I always wanted to name my own girlfriend..."
"Andrew! Do you want this conversation to get leaked back to Laura?" Aurelius threatened him.
"What is said in the Tinker Shop stays in the Tinker Shop," Andrew reminded him. "Would you like some naming ideas?"
"Andrew, shut your gob, we're here to listen," Alicia scolded him.
"He can make fun of me if he wants, I don't care. For all I know, the Magician is exactly like Andrew used to be, and I was just one of a string of conquests. After all, he didn't stick around until morning," Alexandria said.
"That does seem pretty rude. I was never that callous," Andrew said. "That's more of a rookie mistake, really. Maybe he got scared about how you'd react in the morning. Did he act like he knew what he was doing?"
"Andrew..." Aurelius began.
"No, wait, he's got a point," Alicia interrupted, putting up her hand. "Alex, you'd have been able to tell. Was he first timer?" Alexandria turned bright red.
"He uh... told me not to worry because he learned everything he could by watching films," Alexandria confessed, and her other siblings all groaned at that. "But he was fine once he got started!" Alex protested, very much afraid they were going to start teasing her about it. "In fact, I felt kind of guilty afterwards, because it was the best it's ever been."
"Which probably made you all the more worried when you woke up alone, I bet," Alicia ventured, and Alex nodded somberly.
"Maybe he's just as terrified as you are," Andrew suggested.
"No, he's not. That much I'm sure of," Alexandria said firmly. "He's confident despite being humble, certain of his facts without being a know-it-all, intelligent yet still innocent, and he's an incredible listener, absorbing so much of the conversation that he can come to some startling conclusions."
"Wow. Opposites really do attract," Alicia decided.
"That's a strange observation, considering that Grandfather and I decided just this morning that we had a lot of common," Alexandria told her, but then shrugged. "Of course, he also told me that it was important to have both things in common and things that complement each other."
"Sounds like you're well balanced, then," Aurelius said.
"But then why wasn't he there this morning?" Alexandria wanted to know.
"Ask him yourself," Alicia replied.
"Alicia's right. If you want this to be more than the one-night stand you're afraid of, you're going to have to confront him and work out your problems on your own," Aurelius said.
"They're right. No matter how awkward it is or how hard it may seem, if you want something more, you're going to have to sit down with him and have some heartfelt conversations," Andrew agreed. "Assuming of course, that's what you want."
"I know what I want. I just don't know what he wants," Alexandria said, then paused. "And what to tell the kids if we, well, you know... do get together."
"One thing at a time, big sis," Alicia said, then paused, picking something up off the shelf. "Hey, look, Alex! It's one of those worry stones with a Dragonheart Diamond in it. Maybe you should get it."
"Figures it'd show up now instead of when I wanted it," Alexandria said with exasperation. "I don't want anything to do with that thing! I'd be terrified if it went off, and I'd be terrified if it didn't go off!"
"Boy, do I remember that feeling," Andrew said sympathetically.
"Then how about we just leave this place and go find somewhere to have lunch in town? Because I really am hungry," Aurelius admitted.
"Great idea," Alexandria said with a smile.
"Let me drop off this pushcar at Corey's on the way," Andrew said, getting up and turning to Ambrose. "Sorry we took up so much of your time today, Ambrose."
"Oh, no problem," Ambrose said sincerely. "Alex, can I talk to you a minute before you go?"
"Okay," Alex said.
"We'll go wait outside," Aurelius said, and the three of them went out the door while Alex worked her way over to the counter, a bit embarrassed about the display in front of a former Agent.
"Siblings, what you gonna do?" Alex said sheepishly. "They're the best."
"You're right, you have great siblings," Ambrose agreed. "Anyway, it's about the Dashing Doppler... the Magician, I mean. You see, he was in here a few months ago." Alex stared at him.
"He got in here?" Alexandria said with amazement.
"Yeah. He just seemed curious, really, and having a lot of fun looking at spy gadgets that looked to me like they were out of a spy film," Ambrose said. "He ended up buying one before he left."
"That's him, alright," Alexandria confirmed with a snort.
"Well, I thought you'd be interested to know that he actually stopped and looked into the Truth Mirror, only his appearance was slightly different and he had to make some minor adjustments," Ambrose said.
"What did he look like?" Alex asked insistently.
"Tall, but not quite as tall as Andrew. Blonde with a suave haircut, blue eyes, fit build..."
"So he really does look that? He didn't just steal it from somewhere?" Alexandria said, stunned. "Stars, he's gorgeous."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Ambrose agreed. "Only the weird thing was that when he first came in, he had green eyes and wasn't as tall, and he wasn't sure what was wrong in the Mirror until I pointed it out and he fixed it. It was as if he really didn't know what he actually looked like."
"Really?" Alex said with a frown. "I wonder how long how he's been on his own? Has he been on the streets and morphing so long that he somehow forgot what he looked like? And if he doesn't remember that, does he even remember who he is anymore?"
"I don't have any answers to any of that. He just told me that it was complicated," Ambrose explained. "But considering you two seemed to be getting close, I thought you ought to know about it."
"You're right, it could be important," Alexandria agreed. "Thanks for pointing it out."
"Sure thing, Alex. I hope everything works out," Ambrose said.
"Me too," Alexandria said, going out to meet her friends.
Ambrose watched her join them, the four of them discussing where to go for lunch as they walked down the street, As they stepped out of his view, his eyes fell on the shelf where the Worry Stone was still sitting and smiled softly to himself.
