visits

[searchingfordistraction]

Jim's never brought a guest back from Milliways before. It hasn't seemed worth bothering with.

But he has visited Matilda's home several times, and traditionally speaking it is only polite to return the favor.

More importantly, she asked, and the reasons to say no were far outweighed by the reasons to say yes.

Comments

[catslash_rp]

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Even with six-year-olds, dry (when not flat-out sarcastic) is Moran's default state.

Not like she's a normal six-year-old, anyway.

Behind Matilda, Jim's mobile goes off. It's a business call; Moran can tell by the way in which the ringtone is not the kind of cheesy disco Irene likes to program in whenever she gets a chance. She only does that for her own number. Business contacts get left out of it.

Jim answers it promptly, disappearing into another room, and Moran knows without being told that he's temporarily designated babysitter.

Thank god she's not a normal six-year-old.

"That's gonna be a few minutes," he says. "Like a cup of tea while you wait?" It's the only beverage he has in the house that's anywhere near appropriate to offer a kid, normal or not.

[missnicegirl]

"Sure," she says agreeably. "Thanks!"

She's acting reasonably normal, except for the part where she came here with Jim through an interdimensional bar.

[catslash_rp]

"Not a problem," he says. "Kitchen's in through here."

He pulls out his own mobile to fire off a quick text on the way:

Jim's brought Matilda by.

Irene knows how to extract stories from Jim. She'll have heard all about Matilda by now and will never bloody forgive Moran if he doesn't send that text.

And he'd just as soon avoid being on her bad side.

[missnicegirl]

Matilda trots along after him. (If she'd figured out how to look at things that aren't in her line of sight, she might read that text, but she hasn't. And it would probably be rude. Although, given that he's friends with Jim, Sebastian must be used to geniuses spying on him.)

[catslash_rp]

Honestly? He's all but forgotten how to deal with people who have manners.

The answering text comes as he's filling the kettle; he visibly braces himself as the vibration goes off a split second before the ringtone starts.

Tearin' up my heart and soul
We're apart, I feel it too
And no matter what I do I feel the pain
Without or without you



The worst part is, he's fairly certain he knows which band that is. Fucking Irene. He should not be able to identify late nineties boybands, for fuck's sake.

"You're repeating yourself," he mutters.

The message itself reads: Try not to let them leave in the next 20 minutes.

[missnicegirl]

"Why does your phone play music you don't like?" wonders Matilda. Speaking of absent manners.

[catslash_rp]

"Because Irene Adler thinks she's funny."

Moran disagrees, but he lost that battle before it started. If even Jim can't keep his mobile out of Irene's hands, Moran hasn't got a chance.

[missnicegirl]

Matilda giggles.

She tries not to! But she does.

[catslash_rp]

He allows himself to smile wryly.

At least this time it didn't go off in front of someone he's meant to be intimidating.

"Looks like she's going to stop by," he says, getting mugs out of the cupboard. "She's keen to meet you. People Jim actually likes are generally worth meeting." They are very few and exceedingly far between.

[missnicegirl]

"I know," says Matilda. "There's not very many of us."

[catslash_rp]

"'San exclusive club."

To say the least.

(He also happens to think it's a good one to be in.)

[missnicegirl]

"I got in by having an unmeasurable IQ," Matilda says cheerfully. "What'd you do?"

[catslash_rp]

Inappropriate answers to this question include: Shot people with lethal aim whenever Jim told me to.

He pauses, searching for something a bit more kid-friendly.

"Didn't get chased off, mostly," is what he settles on. It is, at heart, a more accurate answer, anyway.

[missnicegirl]

She grins. Clearly this is perfectly understandable.

"He's nice to me, but I don't think he's nice to a lot of people," she says wisely. "And I bet he's hard to keep up with."

[catslash_rp]

"I do a lot of nodding without actually listening," Moran agrees.

He's long since learnt how to tell the difference between when listening is important and when it's frankly easier for both of them if he doesn't bother trying to follow what Jim is saying.

The kettle clicks; he pours out the water, then investigates the fridge to see if the milk is still good.

[missnicegirl]

Matilda giggles at the mental image this presents.

"My friends do that too, sometimes, but I try to stay on their level so they don't have to."

There is plenty of fun to be had there. Newts, for example, are totally comprehensible to your average six-year-old.

[catslash_rp]

The milk is acceptable. He puts it on the counter.

"That," he says, "is because you have manners."

[missnicegirl]

"You're funny," she declares. "I like you. I'm glad you're Jim's friend."

[catslash_rp]

Much to Moran's inexpressible relief, Jim chooses this moment to stroll into the kitchen.

[searchingfordistraction]

Jim takes one of the mugs of tea, not caring in the least that it hasn't finished steeping.

He doesn't smirk openly, because Matilda is there, but he does take the opportunity to give Seb a decidedly smirklike look over the rim of his mug.

Seb ignores him. Badly. Jim grins.

"Glad to hear you're getting along," he says, all innocence.

[missnicegirl]

Matilda will wait for her tea. Although watching Jim pick one up does prompt her to ask him, "He knows about the magic, right?"

She's pretty sure the answer is yes, but she'd rather check before she starts making things float.

[searchingfordistraction]

"Mm."

Jim takes the teabag out of his mug and drops it into the one Seb intended for himself. It's getting in the way.

"Go ahead." She's safe to use it in front of Seb as much as she likes.

[catslash_rp]

Either he's used to his drinks ending up as Jim's teabag depository or he likes it double-strength; he doesn't even blink.

"Is that what it is, then?" he asks, curious. As opposed to some kind of science, he means, but another thing he's used to is not having to finish his thoughts when he's talking to geniuses.

[missnicegirl]

"Yep," says Matilda. "I'm still trying to figure out the walking through walls part, but I can throw fireballs now, although you probably don't want me doing it in your house. I guess Jim didn't tell you about helping me rescue Jenny?"

[catslash_rp]

Moran gives Jim a long look, which is studiously ignored.

Jim disappearing into Milliways is bad enough, but at least they have security staff equipped to deal with even its most powerful patrons. Someone is going to be getting an earful about appropriate security procedure and how fucking off to alternate realities does not qualify later on.

It won't change a thing, but it'll make Moran feel better.

"No," he says, "he didn't mention that."