fandomtownies | The Perk, late afternoon

Having eaten two cupcakes for lunch, Willow was still hungry. She wandered into the Perk for tea and cookies.

She gave a tentative wave when she saw Susan. "Hey."

"Willow!" Susan managed a definite smile at seeing Peter's friend, and gestured to the chair across from her. "How lovely to see you. Do you have time to join me for tea?"

"Sure, thank you," Willow said. She took a seat. "Have you heard from Peter?"

"No. Not since his departure on Monday." Susan carefully re-folded her napkin, then studied Willow cautiously. "But I don't expect to. He'll just suddenly be back, without any warning, if past events are any indication."

"Do you think everybody's okay?" Willow asked. She glanced around to make sure nobody was listening. "It'd be awful if he had to go back because of a flood, or people being hurt, or hungry..."

"I hope so." Susan realized this probably wasn't quite the right thing to say. "I believe so. I think if anything bad had happened, we would have been contacted already. He's simply very, very busy."

"He said this time of year there's lots of ships?" Willow said. "Maybe he's busy with that, and all the neat stuff they've brought."

"Yes, well..." And pirates. And raiders. "That certainly must be part of it. I know that there's still a great deal of work that has to be done, redistributing goods inland. He quite probably will have to act as emissary, after all the supplies have arrived. And caravans travel quite slowly, you know."

"So probably no time for dancing at parties," Willow said.

Not that she was jealous.

"Oh, highly unlikely. Even the diplomatic embassages will probably be simple dinners, nothing elaborate." Susan tilted her head. "He was very concerned about you, before he left. I don't think he wanted to go back very much right now."

Willow looked surprised. "Me? Why?"

From tone it was clear she was bewildered at people being concerned for her as a concept.

"He didn't think you would be very happy about his sudden disappearance. I think he was worried you'd take it personally." She watched Willow a moment, then gently said, "And it most definitely is not."

"Oh no!" Willow said. "No! Not personal at all! I know he's got very big responsibilities. I'm glad he went. Well, not glad in the sense that I don't miss him and wish he was here. But in the sense that I'm glad he's not the kind of guy who'd find out he was needed for - you know - his job with a capital-J and replied to it all 'tra la la, sorry, too busy playing on the beach.'"

"No, but it isn't easy." Susan smiled slightly. "That job with a capital J-- I wouldn't ever want him to give it up, he's actually very good at it. But I've been so glad he got this chance for a break, I almost forgot it wasn't the kind of job that runs on a schedule." She took a sip of her tea, and laced her fingers around the cup, looking pensive. "I just wish letters were easier to get out of Narnia."

"I've been trying to research teleportation spells," Willow said. "You know, to send stuff over? It's going slowly."

"How very clever." Susan smiled, tilting her head. "Part of the problem is the time difference, of course. You may want to adjust whatever you're doing to account for that." She bit her lip. "Not that it's possible to know exactly how much difference there ever is."

"Dimensions can be funny that way," Willow said. "Some go at the same speed, others can pass centuries when it's only been a day in the one you left."

"Exactly." Susan shook her head. "We always came back at precisely the moment we left, no matter how much time we spent in Narnia. And it was several centuries in Narnia, when it was only a year or two in England between visits." She crumbled a little more muffin. "I do hope that it's only been a week there."

"Oh," Willow said. She took a thoughtful sip of her tea. "That must be very strange for your people. Unless they know you're going?"

Susan looked down at her tea, then took another sip. "Well, no. At least-- right, we did have enough warning to tell them every time but the first." She sighed. "But nothing definitive about when we'd return. I suppose it was to make us deal with where we were, instead of longing for where we weren't. Narnia, or England."

"Did you like one more than the other?" Willow asked. "If - if that's not too personal?"

"Narnia," Susan said instantly, then blushed. "Oh, that sounds terrible. But if only our Mum and Dad could have gone to Narnia, I never would have wanted to leave."

"Must be nice having a mom and dad you like that much," Willow said.

A wealth of things were revealed in that statement; from the insecurity to some of the flights of fancy. Susan didn't comment on it directly, though. "It is-- was-- wonderful. Our dad was in the armed forces during the War. He made it through all right, much to our relief. Edmund was the worst about it, he missed him so. Mum was left alone in London. If it hadn't been for Narnia, that whole time would have been unbearable." She was quiet a moment. "I don't suppose Peter told you, but they died when I was just a bit older than you are now."

"Oh no," Willow said. "I'm so sorry! I can't imagine how hard that must be for you."

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