fandomtownies | Chilly Boulder Ice Creamery: Saturday midafternoon

"You obviously don't know my sweet tooth that well," Cedric said, eyes never leaving the assortment of ice cream.

"Trust me, I do," he assured him, grinning at his reaction. "I came prepared. If you want one of everything with hot fudge and a cherry, we can do that."

"Did you find money growning on a tree?" Cedric asked and he wasn't entirely joking. This was Fandom.

"Nope. I get money every month - the Captain is very generous - and not much to spend it on." He smiled. "Except you and Sam."

"Your other you sends you money?" Cedric shook his head, eventually pointing to a chocolate ice cream. "Almost makes me wish I had a doppleganger."

"Don't wish too hard for that, it seems to be the trend at this school." Having decided what he wanted, Jack ordered - three different types of chocolate ice cream with hot fudge, whip cream, and a cherry - then leaned on the counter and looked at Cedric. "You know, if you need anything, money or things that money can acquire, let me know. I'm really not doing much with it."

Nadia was still hunting for the artefacts when she spotted Jack and Cedric through the window of the ice cream shop.

Her jaw dropped open, and she rushed in. "What are you doing?!"

Jack blinked at her, looked at Cedric, then back at Nadia. "Having ice cream? Why, do you want some?"

"You were flirting! With a man!"

"Umm, yeah. Water's wet, the sky is up, I was flirting," he said, torn between amusement and total bafflement. "I'm on a date - it's kind of expected."

"On a date? But--" Nadia was very confused. "But--your goddess! She wouldn't stand for it!"

"You mean Sam?" Jack was completely confuzzled now. "No, she doesn't mind Cedric. We have kind of an arrangement. Nadia, are you okay?"

"But you're supposed to keep yourself pure for her! That's why you're the priestess!" Nadia shook her head. "But I'm fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Because you're a crazy person? he thought, but didn't say it. "I'm the priestess?" Jack looked down at himself to make sure he was still Jack. Yup, he was. "And I'm keeping myself pure?" he asked, voice nearly strangled with laughter. "Pure. A priestess. Of course. Well," he glanced at Cedric, then smiled, deciding to humour her. "The goddess would want me to be nice to people. Right?"

"Well . . . yeeeeeeeah,"

"Well, there you go." Jack grinned and nodded in satisfaction. "I'm not going to do anything," at least not right this minute, "that's going to lessen my purity." He cleared his throat. "Which I have. I'm completely pure. Honest." Even he couldn't keep that up for long. "So, what can a pure priestess of the goddess do for you today, Nadia?"

That was starting to sound more like it. "Well, I'm on this quest, to save Princess Dawn from Aziraphale. Apparently, it's my destiny. But I'm trying to find Il Diluvio, and I'm not sure where to look. Have you heard of it?"

"You're on a quest. To save Princess Dawn. And it's your destiny. Okayyy, that's very, umm, noble of you." Jack shook his head, starting to wonder if this was some sort of elaborate scavenger hunt, Fandom style. "Il Duvio. Nope, can't say it rings a bell. But perhaps my," he snickered, "equally pure magical adviser can shed some light on it's whereabouts. Cedric?"

"I have absolutely no idea what Il Duvio is," Cedric said. "None at all. I'm quite confused."

Nadia was, too. This was really turning out to be much more trouble than she'd originally though. "Oh, drat. If I don't find it in time, Princess Dawn could be in big trouble."

Jack was enjoying himself far too much, even though he had no idea what was going on. "I could pray to the goddess for guidance?" he offered. "She might be able to suggest somewhere to look."

"Would you? That would be wonderful. And perhaps your. . . ." Nadia looked at Cedric thoughtfully. "Magical assistant could help."

"Of course." Jack held out both hands to Cedric. "Take my hands. It will better enable your magical insight to channel through the conduit to the goddess. With my purity and your magic combined, she will grant us wisdom." Dropping his voice low enough that Nadia hopefully wouldn't overhear, he muttered, "Just go with me on this one."

"Right," Cedric said, taking Jack's hands. "I'll...get my magical energy flowing."

Nadia watched with interest. A sacred channeling was something few, if any, other orphaned scullery maids with big destinies ever got to witness.

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