Chapter Five

Bres At Baker Street

After a lovely weekend at Baker Street to finish off Severus Snape's holiday, Jennifer was rather excited to get back to the Black Mansion to pick up Serendipity and her guests.

"How has she been?" Jennifer asked Zoe as Seren attempted to stuff her almost-forgotten duck into the top of her bag.

"Terrible, she's been nothing but trouble… oh, you meant Seren! She's been great. I thought you were talking about Lunette," Zoe said mischievously.

"Ha, ha, ha," Lunette said as she came down the main stairs. "They've been doing their best to make sure that Bres has had the full Black experience."

"I am sorry that we will miss Zack's friend," Bres said, following behind with their satchels. "He wanted to introduce me to his best friend, but apparently he has an important job and couldn't get away."

"Owain and his wife Jamie are Aurors, and Aurelius mentioned there was an important capture going on right now, which is why he was the only other Auror who made it to the party this weekend," Jennifer explained. "Sometimes when it's someone particularly dangerous, it can take some time to set up with multiple Aurors. I had to do a couple of those myself the summer that Severus and I spent at the Auror department. The funny thing is that the longer that it's planned out, the faster the capture turns out to go. Do you have any sort of police or guard force who are sent out to capture law breakers, Bres?"

"Well, no, there is little need, since outside of the castle and the city underneath of it, there has been nothing but demons. They have always made short work of anyone foolish enough to escape, and anyone within the kingdom would be immediately turned over to the guards upon breaking any law. I believe, from what you and Lunette have told me, the closest thing we would have to that is a reconnaissance team from our army sent out to capture enemies to interrogate for information. Not that we have any need for that anymore, of course," Bres added thoughtfully.

"Now that the demons aren't there to keep criminals from fleeing, maybe you'll need them now," Lunette said. Bres pondered the problem.

"Perhaps we won't need to. Our archers have longbows," Bres reasoned. Lunette grimaced. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

"Maybe you should teach him about justice reform while you're here," Jennifer teased her, leading them out of the house and pulling out the key. "Oh, and brace yourself! It's going to be a bit loud until we get into the house," she warned. "Has he been around cars yet?"

"No, not at all. I brought him straight to Hogsmeade when I got here," Lunette explained.

"Then this should be quite fun, won't it?" Jennifer said cheerfully, holding the key out in one hand while holding firmly to Seren's hand in the other. Lunette then took Bres' hand, grasping the offered key. After a spinning sensation that left Bres quite dizzy, he found himself at the bottom of a short step in front of the door of a three story house, and so many unfamiliar sounds that he had to cover his ears, turning around and staring wide-eyed at the strange metal contraptions zooming down the street as well as people walking by who didn't seem to see them standing there.

"Yes, I know! Come inside!" Jennifer said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. Seren raced inside and up the stairs while Jennifer held the door open. "It's a bit hot, but I'll get an icefire started as soon as we have you settled," she promised as they stepped inside.

"Let me help, Jennifer! I'll get the living room," Lunette offered, and Bres couldn't help but notice her excitement. "I've always wondered what it was like to stay here."

"You have mentioned it sooner, then! You've always preferred to stay at Coven Suites when you're in town," Jennifer said, going into the next room.

"Well, I didn't want to be a bother, and typically you have guests or adult kids or something…" Lunette said from the living room, while Jennifer's voice seemed to travel.

"Don't be silly! We always have room!"

"Well, what if everyone in the family decided to stay at once?" Lunnette's taunted mischievously.

"Then I send everyone to Father's house," Jennifer said in a low voice, earning Lunnette's laughter.

Bres stood in the entryway listening to them chat. He watched the little girl as she sang her way up the long stairs with her hand on the polished wooden rail until she hurried down the corridor.

To the left of him was a series of three archways leading into different types of common rooms that the witches seemed to be moving through. Between the first two arches, there was some type of polished wooden cabinet with shelves, knobs, and racks to give everyone a place to put their coats, cloaks, hats, umbrellas, brooms, and boots. Down the narrow corridor next to the stairs there were three doors and a narrow corridor on the right, opposite the last archway. And at the very end was a tall paned window with pulled back drapes where he could just make out part of a large tree.

The sounds of the city outside had been drastically muted the moment they had closed the door, allowing him to concentrate fully on the sounds and sights of the house itself. A bright glow came out of the first archway and hovered there. Although he couldn't see him, he knew it was a Trade Elf from the ones he had met in the Black Mansion.

"Hello, little one. I am called Bres," Bres introduced himself. The Trade Elf appeared wearing a tailored black suit.

"I am Darcy, the butler. Can I help you with your bags, sir?" he asked.

"Does anyone want some coffee?" He heard Jennifer call out, sounding closer to the second archway now.

"Absolutely! Bres, you want to give coffee another try? Jennifer, do you want me to help out in the kitchen?"

"As you like. Bres, feel free to put your feet up in the living room," Jennifer said.

"Thank you, I'll explore it presently. Is it alright if I accompany Trade Elf Darcy to drop off our satchels?" Bres asked. Jennifer peered out the very last arch.

"Yes, of course, you may! Which room would you like? We have a lovely suite with its own bathroom and a view of the back garden, but if you prefer a view of the city street, we can accommodate that too," Jennifer offered.

"While I am very curious and perhaps somewhat intimidated by your city, I believe I would prefer a view of that tree," Bres replied, and Jennifer smiled warmly at him.

"Put them in the regular guest suite, please, Darcy," Jennifer requested.

"Yes, Jennifer," Darcy said.

"Come back down when you can, Bres, I'll have coffee and sandwiches ready," Jennifer promised. She stepped back into the kitchen to find Lunette in the process of starting the coffee. "Don't worry, Darcy is very patient. They'll be alright on their own," Jennifer assured Lunette with amusement.

"It's good that Darcy is patient. Right now Bres is taking things as slow and careful as he possibly can, attempting to understand what's going on around him," Lunette explained, and Jennifer smiled. "He's called Bres the Meticulous for a reason."

"I know the type," Jennifer said with amusement.

"Yes, fair enough, the two of them are a lot alike. But we came at it from completely different directions," Lunette protested with amusement. "It's true that the one thing that you and I have in common is that we're both attracted to intelligent men first and foremost… the type that has vast knowledge in a subject that we don't that happens to complement our own. But then our tastes diverge a bit, because the second thing I look for in a man is a good sense of humor with a cunning wit who is unafraid to accept me as an equal partner with both joint and individual needs and ambitions. The secondary traits you look for in a man is someone who is reserved… dark and mysterious, a walking mind puzzle that might take you a lifetime to figure out." Jennifer smiled at that, knowing that Lunette was close to the mark. "Well, thanks to time and effort on your marriage's part and the Hand of Fate on my end, both of us ended up with the package deal!" Lunette concluded incredulously.

"I suppose that means we've done quite well for ourselves then," Jennifer said with amusement as Lunette handed her a cup.

"Without question," Lunette agreed, taking a moment just to enjoy the earthy, nostalgic taste of coffee, the aroma taking her back to warm memories decades… even centuries old. "I understand now some of what Pyther went through now. It has been a long road for me to get here. And yet at the same time, I feel like it was a very necessary road to travel," Lunette attempted to explain. She put a dob of cream in her coffee and stared at it. "The heartaches were piling up… they had really started to weigh on me, which is why I decided to retire from my businesses and pass them on. Heading back to visit grandfather provided me some relief from it all. There comes a point when time seems fast here even when you're determined to live in the present… perhaps because of. The slower time stream provided me with somewhere to reset… somewhere I could relax my shoulders for a bit, since I am always braced for the next blow over here," she explained. "Does that make any sense?" Jennifer nodded at that solemnly.

"In some ways it actually explains a lot, too… like why Minerva and Albus keep going back and forth, and why Minerva considers that her home now even though from her day-to-day perspective, she spends a lot more time here helping us than she does at home."

"Yes, well, Minerva does that because of you," Lunette said. "She came back because after that incident with Severus going rogue, she felt that she still had a supportive role to play here in your family's life and for Hogwarts, by sitting on the board."

"Yes, she's said as much," Jennifer admitted.

"I've even heard some comments wondering why she's still here when things seem quite stable," Lunette said.

"I have heard that as well," Jennifer confirmed.

"And her thoughts have been telling you?" Lunette prompted with a smile.

"That she doesn't want to miss anything," Jennifer replied with a sigh. "You know… she wasn't here that year… the year our marriage nearly ended and Severus nearly ended up in a fate worse than death. And yet it really shook her. She regrets not being here for me. But she was here for me, really because of those robes and that note she sent. She was there and I was here, but I felt close to her at the moment I found that letter. It gave me the strength I needed to continue when things seemed so dark. I was so grateful… and I've told her so many times, but to her, it wasn't the same as being here."

"Of course not," Lunette said with a smile. "I can explain it easily to you by talking about your own children, because I know how you feel about what it was like having to raise your first four natural children hands-off. You did it because you had to… you both did your best, and yet you've always regretted it." Jennifer nodded somberly. "So, when you had Quintin and later Seren, you refused to make the same mistake. You realized after watching your oldest children grow up in what seemed to be the blink of an eye that you didn't want to waste that precious time together, knowing that they don't stay small forever. Children… and people in general… grow and change. Sometimes they grow closer, sometimes they move far apart. And the more time passes, the more likely they grow apart rather than together, that's just the way of things, especially for those of us with extended lifespans compared to normal humans, " Lunette noted with a soft smile, while Jennifer was very subdued. "So, now that Minerva has a home where she doesn't have to worry about outpacing her friends in age, she has decided to spend the majority of her time right now supporting you, especially through getting these last few children through school, so she won't feel the same regret about being away when she felt you needed her most. When she does feel like she needs a break, I don't doubt it's just as hard on her as it is leaving your own children behind when you need a break from them."

"All of the sudden I want to try to spend more time with her before she goes home this summer," Jennifer said guiltily. Lunette laughed.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer. I didn't mean to make you feel that way, I was simply trying to explain. She knows you have other obligations, including helping me educate Bres on the ways of our world," Lunette said, then snapped her fingers. "I know, how about a Coven Night before she goes home? You're a part of her regular Coven star, right?"

"Yes, I am," Jennifer confirmed with a smile. "That sounds like a good idea."

"I need to get stuff off my chest about life with Bres anyway," Lunette said in a low voice.

"That alone will make Coven Night memorable," Jennifer chuckled, then Lunette looked around.

"Where is Bres? Surely it didn't take him that long to unpack our things."

"Seren hasn't come down for her snack, either. Mercy, is Seren still in her room?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes, she is playing hot cocoa party with Bres, Jennifer," Mercy reported.

"Hot cocoa party? Not a tea party?" Jennifer asked with interest.

"Apparently Bres doesn't care for tea, Jennifer," Mercy explained.

"Well, yes I know, but truly it's just water," Jennifer chuckled.

"Maybe I should go rescue him," Lunette said and began to get up.

"No, no. Let them play until one of them gets hungry. After all, he needs the practice," Jennifer said mischievously. Lunette grimaced at her. "As you'll recall, the whole reason we ended up having Seren was because of a potion with Dark Fae blood in it, I know better than anyone how potent they are, and with you being being Half Fae -"

"Spare me, Jennifer, I know, I know," Lunette protested out of embarrassment. "That was the other reason I wanted to come home, to be perfectly honest. If I did end up getting pregnant again, I didn't want the baby to have weird side effects of being in to time streams like Quintin has. Why risk complications when the solution was simply to stay in one for the duration. And since nine months there would be years and years in this world, this world was obviously the better solution."

"I understand. And your grandfather will be thrilled when you can get back," Jennifer said.

"He will be, but while that's important, my other two objectives are just as important," Lunette said firmly. "You're not going to mention it to anyone else, are you?"

"Certainly not. As long as I know it, I don't see how it's anyone else's business," Jennifer replied, and Lunette could help but be exasperated by that.

"Thanks," Lunette said.

"Are you sure you'll be alright for the Coven, Lunette? That is to say… I know you don't like wimpy drinking…"

"Hello? What part of Half-Dark Fae marrying another Dark Fae did you miss?" Lunette said flatly.

"Oh, right, not a problem for you," Jennifer recalled sheepishly. "Who else should come?"

But the two of them were interrupted by heavy feet on the stairs, causing Jennifer to yell out to Seren not to run down them.

"Mum! Mum! Mum!" Seren called out excitedly as she ran into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Jennifer asked, gazing at her intently.

"Bres has never had cocoa before!" Seren blurted out frantically.

"Yes, alright! One drink emergency coming up! Mercy, could you steam some milk, please?" Jennifer said.

"But it's the middle of summer," Lunette said with a chuckle.

"A cocoa emergency is a cocoa emergency… regardless of the weather," Jennifer assured her.

"Do come in, Bres! Come right through," she added when she noticed him glancing in the dining room entryway.

"My apologies. I did not mean to interrupt, but the young girl insisted…"

"We didn't expect you to stay up there, Bres. It's okay," Lunette said.

"It is okay for you, but I would be much more comfortable knowing my boundaries. Young Seren said something about a room with a dragon under the bed," Bres explained, and Jennifer looked amused at that.

"The only rooms that are restricted are the ones with closed doors, since those are either private bedrooms or are currently occupied. The house is bigger than it looks but it is by no means a mansion. You may have use of any of the public areas, including these three rooms, the back garden, and the library," Jennifer explained.

"There is a library?" Bres asked with interest.

"Oh, yes, a very nice one. It's my husband's favorite room in the entire house," Jennifer said.

"Does it have a lot of books on Dark Creatures?" Bres asked with interest.

"Certainly, we have books on every subject," Jennifer assured him.

"Any written in Elvish languages?" Bres asked.

"Well, we do have a few, but Severus keeps most of his Fae books with him," Jennifer admitted, but then brightened. "But do you know what we have a multitude of? English books! In fact, I saved the favorite books of every child I've had, really…"

"It's a wonder there's any room left in that library."

"Thank you, Lunette, you have positively no room to talk," Jennifer said, waggling a finger at her smirking expression. "What do you think, Bres? Would you like to start learning how to read English?"

"I would like that, Thank you," Bres said.

"You're going to learn English in a year," Lunette said dubiously.

"It won't take me all year. What sort of scholar would I be if I wasn't a quick learner, Lunette?" Bres asked.

"Hey, you actually called me Lunette for a change," she teased.

"Yes. I did it to prove to you that I am so quick of a learner that I can even learn to call you by your human name," Bres explained.

"You're such a riot," Lunette said.

"All by myself? Is that even possible?" Bres pondered.

"Jennifer? How about a save?" Lunette pleaded.

"Let's have some cocoa at the table," Jennifer said with a chuckle.

"I'll get the marshmallows!" Seren said excitedly, running for the kitchen.

"I hope whatever those are, they're better than the floating white balls she decided to put in our cups when she was playing," Bres said.

"Much better," Lunette said with a smile.

"Let's give him extra!" Seren said enthusiastically, grabbing a covered stone pot and bringing it over to the table while Mercy helpfully poured the cocoa and set a cup in front of them. Seren took out a small scoop and dumped so many into Bres' cup that some went spilling on the table.

"Thank you, Seren! I'll get that, you're being much too messy!" Jennifer scolded gently.

Bres picked up one curiously, inspecting it thoughtfully before testing how much pressure he had to put on it before it didn't regain its shape.

"You squashed it!" Seren informed him.

"It doesn't hurt the taste any," Lunette teased.

Bres ate it thoughtfully, then decided to have one that wasn't squashed for comparison before attempting to sip the foamy liquid without spilling any more marshmallows out.

"So after cocoa and seeing the library, any thoughts as to what we should do next?" Lunette asked Jennifer.

Bres seemed more than a little surprised at the question.

"Read the books?" Bres suggested, and Lunette waved him off, despite the fact that Bres thought it was the obvious conclusion to make.

"We should probably take it one thing at a time." Jennifer decided.

"I prefer that idea. Perhaps you could explain all of these rooms to me, first," Bres suggested.

"What? Surely you know the basics of rooms here from all of those questions you had at the Black Mansion," Lunette protested. "He spent so much time with Zoe in that side kitchen of theirs wired with electricity that I was bored out of my mind."

"This house is just as new to me. The lamps in the corridors and the ones on the ceiling in the front room are very different. Elf Darcy told me they run on a sort of burning gas. And that strange noisy thing on the counter doesn't look anything like the coffee pot that Sirius showed me. The one thing both houses have in common is how the kitchen is so open and not hidden away out of view, and anyone can go in there," Bres said.

"Oh! That's a modern feature, really… well, modern in comparison to what you're speaking about," Jennifer explained. "These lower rooms were probably changed when the previous owner put in electricity for his Muggle wife. The back half of this house from this wall across to the library corridor was reserved for servants, but between technology, industry, and necessity brought on by wars, more people were doing for themselves. Wizards still often have Trade Elf servants or imps, of course, and they have a private sleeping and common area, but we do share the kitchen and other amenities. Mercy likes to spend a lot of time using the library. She does like her novels, and she likes to read to her grandchildren. And they're always out in the garden and the greenhouse. In fact, I've never had to hire a gardener in this house because they like it so much, especially Ellie."

"Yes, it is like that at the Black Mansion as well. It rather takes some getting used to. In my kingdom, class distinction is quite strict. Here it seems nonexistent."

"I wouldn't call it nonexistent, Bres, not by a longshot," Lunette immediately protested. "Class still plays a big part in society. Blacks, Snapes, and Craws are in a privileged class with certain moral standards, they're not typical by any stretch of the imagination. They're far from common." Bres blinked.

"This isn't common? It seems common to me. What is common, then?" Bres asked in surprise. Lunette put her hand on her brow.

"Drink your cocoa," Lunette said flatly.

"It is too bad that Mage is so wary of Bres, isn't it? Mage would give him quite the lesson," Jennifer said with amusement.

"So would the Maxens on the other end. I think he's in for some culture shock no matter where we go from here," Lunette agreed.

But the two witches were soon distracted from the topic as they watched Seren take a big, chocolate-faced drink and then tilted her head as she encouraged Bres to take a drink too. Uncertain how to drink it without dislodging the melting marshmallows from the top, he took a tentative sip.

"It's good!" Seren told him.

"Seren, he's allowed to have his own opinion," Jennifer chided her. "Ask him what he thinks instead."

"Don't you think it's good?" Seren suggested.

"Leading the witness," Lunette smirked. "Don't fall for it, Bres."

But Bres was too busy taking a second, much longer drink to try to work out what his wife thought was funny. In fact, it was such a long, drawn-out drink that he ended up with marshmallow on his nose. Setting it down with a sigh, he saw all three witches looking at him.

"That was much better than tea," he said.

"It's good, right?" Seren said.

"Yes, it's good," Bres told her, and Seren nodded sagely at that. "Better than tea, at any rate."

"Well, what kind have you had so far, Bres?" Jennifer asked curiously.

"What kind? There's more than one kind?" Bres said in surprise.

"Yes, a great many. So if one doesn't suit you, that doesn't mean you won't like another, they're all quite different. Didn't you explain that to him?"Jennifer asked Lunette.

"I haven't, I've just been ordering for us since he had no frame of reference of what tea is other than the basic teas that Albus brought over," Lunette explained.

"Albus makes a basic wizard's tea, which is a black tea but oxidized with magic to speed up the process, then mixes some local dried florals in to give it different flavor notes. He also has a green tea that tends to be a bit more bitter, but lovely with honey. But they are one of many types. A lot of what we call tea do not even have tea leaves in it; they have different kinds of leaves altogether, so you may want to hold out judgment just because one of them wasn't your cup of tea," Jennifer said with amusement.

"Very well, I don't mind trying again… although I must admit this is the best I've tried so far," Bres said. "And these sandwiches with the strange white bread are very soft. But what is inside of it?"

"Well, I didn't know what you might like, so there's pumpkin butter, cucumber, and tuna," Jennifer offered.

"Tuna is a fish," Lunette explained before Bres could ask. Bres decided to try that first, while Seren picked up a pumpkin butter.

"Cucumber is better with tea," Seren decided. "But cakes are better with tea than cucumber!"

"Really, Seren. Quintin was the same way at her age, always after the sweetest choice," Jennifer said with exasperation.

"Kids need that fast energy so they could get into trouble!" Lunette declared with a grin. "I always make a point to give it to them, because then they tend to crash and need a nap later," she added with amusement.

"You can tell she's an experienced parent," Jennifer teased.

"Yes. I am glad that she is," Bres said sincerely. "I had very little experience with children in Isuldan. We really didn't have the resources to support many."

"How does that work, then?" Jennifer asked curiously. "What I mean is that Danaan has a special river to temper how many children they have. So how do your people keep from having too many children?"

"I really don't know about any sort of special river, and I really don't know what you mean by having too many children, either. Do you mean having twins? That just naturally happens sometimes," Bres said. Lunette furrowed her brows, not liking what she was picking up and not picking up in his mind.

"I really don't know how to put it any other way without being indelicate," Jennifer admitted, noticing how fervently Lunette was concentrating on her husband. "How many children does a typical Delf couple have, resources permitting?"

"One or two," Bres said. "Sometimes three after a few hundred years or so."

"And how do you prevent having more?" Jennifer pressed.

"We simply chose not to have them," Bres said. "There's no need to have any more… unless you're from the warrior class, of course, but they take care of their own population numbers separate from the city and castle proper. How many children do you have?"

"Three adopted children and six natural children," Jennifer explained.

"Oh!" Bres said with surprise. "I always thought that part of our society's view on human breeding was an exaggeration…"

"Woah! Woah, woah, woah! The Snapes are by no means typical…" Lunette immediately protested.

"The Weasleys had seven," Jennifer said defensively.

"They're not typical either, but if you think I'm going to be alright with the level of restraint you're implying, Bres, we have to talk," Lunette informed Bres, growing red and flustered.

"Very well, I'm listening," Bres said.

"Later! Much later… tonight before we turn in or something," Lunette said.

"As you wish," Bres said, not knowing what all the fuss was about. He glanced down at Seren, but she didn't know what the fuss was about either, and she had an empty cup. "Seren and I are finished with our drinks. May I see the library now?"

"I'll show him!" Seren said excitedly.

"Seren, go show Bres where to wash his face and wash yours as well. We'll all go up together," Jennifer said, getting up. Seren grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his chair, leading him out to the washroom near the kitchen.

"May I come as well, Jennifer?" Mercy asked.

"Of course," Jennifer said, getting up as Mercy whisked the rest of the sandwiches in the icebox and the dishes into the sink.

Pretty soon, Jennifer was leading them up the back stairs, opening up the door and into the ornate library, with its nineteenth century decor, gas lighting, and velvety scarlet wallpaper peeking through walls of mahogany bookshelves.

Bres took it all in, amazed at just how many books there were wrapping around three walls of the room, broken up only by a brick fireplace to his left and draped windows to his right, partially blocked by brick but with corner views of both the street and the yard. Queen Anne and Victorian chairs and sofas both authentic and replicated, filled the room, along with a couple of tables; one for tea, and the other a good height for research. As he stepped further into the room in awe, Serendipity ran over to the shelf of children's books and began pulling some out.

"Where are the Elvish tomes?" Bres asked.

"Over here, sir," Mercy said, appearing and walking over to one of the bookcases. Bres followed behind, gently taking one out. "There is only one shelf of them because most are currently at Hogwarts, but if you like, I can temporarily translate any book that you want to read."

"Could you teach me how to do that?" he asked.

"I should be able to using Wild Magic," Mercy agreed. "If you watch me enough, you should be able to pick up how to do it. Until then, I can help you. Is that alright, Jennifer?"

"Of course," Jennifer agreed.

"Could you help me translate the titles so that I can see what all is available?" Bres said.

"Bres, can't that wait until later?" Lunette said with exasperation.

"Am I keeping you from something, Islene? I'm terribly sorry," Bres replied distractedly.

"You can use the library any time you like while we're staying here, isn't that right, Jennifer?"

"Oh yes, any time you like," Jennifer agreed warmly.

"Thank you," Bres said sincerely, gazing intently at the titles as Mercy's translation magic made them clear to him.

"So what would you like to do next, then?" Lunette prompted impatiently.

"I would like to read," Bres decided, pulling down a book and opening it intently. Lunette's shoulders slumped, deciding she could have worded that differently.

"I want to read too!" Seren declared, already sitting in a pile of her favorite books.

"Is it alright if I ask Ellie to do the shopping list, Jennifer?" Mercy asked.

"You know what? I have a better idea! Lunette and I will do the shopping, and we'll let the three of you enjoy the library. The two of you don't mind watching Seren, do you?" Jennifer suggested. "Lunette, how does that sound?"

"Oh… if you think they can handle it," Lunette said.

"Well, of course they can, don't be silly! Do you have a list I can add to, Mercy?" Jennifer asked, and it suddenly appeared floating in front of her. Thank you! Enjoy yourselves while we're gone! Come, Lunette, it'll only take me a minute to have a quick look to make sure everything I want is on here, then we're off to Dagda's Market. Have you ever been?"

"Once with Anna, but it's been awhile," Lunette said, following her back down the stairs. "Although to be perfectly candid, I feel a bit like a mother leaving a child home for the first time. This land is so foreign to him."

"Is it really because you think the land is so foreign, Lunette? Or is the real reason because the two of you haven't been apart since you got married?" Jennifer asked knowingly. "That library is hardly dangerous. All of the cursed books we own are at Hogwarts or in my Puzzle Box."

"Okay, okay, I know. I'm being paranoid. I've never felt this way about a marriage before… I've always married professionals with long standing careers who had their own interests and didn't fear my own professional needs," Lunette explained.

"It doesn't seem to have changed much. Bres is just as independent as you are, that much is clear, and he most certainly respects your autonomy," Jennifer pointed out.

"Of course, it helps that I'm a higher royal standing than he is, too," Lunette admitted.

"That doesn't matter in his mind, it only matters in yours," Jennifer informed her bluntly. "You are very much like my daughter Lucky in that way. You only feel like you're equal when you're holding the trump card just in case you ever feel disadvantaged."

"Ouch, Jennifer!" Lunette protested with a chuckle as Jennifer glanced through the cabinets.

"It only hurts because you know it's true," Jennifer said.

"Fine, I won't deny it. I've always been too much of a perfectionist with a desire to control my environment not to want to have an edge on things," Lunette admitted. "Even so I find our relationship is intimidating in a way that none of the others were."

"In what way?" Jennifer asked, then saw Lunette's expression. "I see. You're uncomfortable with the idea of being in a Fated relationship," she realized with a smile.

"Can we talk about it when we're not in the house? Bres can feel it when I'm uncomfortable, and I don't want him to come down the stairs at the wrong moment wondering why I feel that way," Lunette admitted.

"I'm sure he's quite distracted, but it's alright, I'm almost done. I was going to ask you what you wanted me to pick up, but perhaps it's better if we decide that while we're there," Jennifer decided.

"I love a good impulse buy!" Lunette agreed with a chuckle.