fandomtownies | The Magpie Emporium; Friday, 09/23.

Charlie dashed in mid-morning. "Just warning you," she said, "Three of my Aunties have showed up and Lord only knows what they'll do here. BUt I told them we were friends, so they may well show up and question you."

Graham's brows lifted as did his head from the dice he was organizing as Charlie came in and fed all that to him. "Oh!" he said, now straightening his shoulders and straightening his cap as if said aunties had just walked in and he wanted to make sure he was good and presentable for them. And then he gave Charlie a grin. "Good thing I wore my good cloak today, then!"

It was funny, you see, because he only had just the one, but then his head tilted curiously.

"What sort of things would they question me about?"

She smiled at him. "Oh, how much trouble I'm getting into, what terrible things I've done lately, where you're from, who your parents are, how much money you make - not much is off limits for them."

Charlie stopped for a moment. "And Auntie Gwen may flirt with you, but you're too young for her, so she won't mean anything by it."

A little bit of a blush sprung up across Graham's cheeks at the idea of anyone flirting with him, auntie or otherwise, but he grinned through it.

"Got it," he said with a nod. "So, just so I'm prepared, in order: all the trouble, too many to mention, Llewdor, Sir Hereward and Lady Rosie Cracker, not nearly enough to fund my newfound dice addiction, which I am seeking help for...how's the sound?"

"I think you've got this down," Charlie said, and paused to pull out her phone. "Hang on. Auntie Jane when did you -? ... Yes, yes, well, but you said you weren't arriving until - ... Of course they upgraded you to the Presidential Suite .. Auntie Gwen what? Oh god, just please don't let her sleep with any of my professors. ... Me? Where am I?"

She looked around the Emporium. "Heading towards the picnic soon. Ooops, phone's dying, got to go."

She hung up. "I completely apologize in advance. Please don't stop being my friend."

Graham's eyebrows lifted a little when Charlie answered her phone, then his head tilted a little in intrigue, and then he realized he probably shouldn't be listening in on her conversation with her aunties, and so his eyes started to roam around the Emporium while he whistled idly to show just how much he wasn't eavesdropping, really!, and then back to Charlie when she seemed to have finished up.

And then all that was left was a soft, maybe a bit too sincere smile.

"I don't think I could stop being your friend," he said.

He'd never had friends (people friends, anyway!) before coming here! He wasn't going to let that change just because of a few harmless interrogations and/or flirting!

"I know everyone always says that I'm a lot, but my Aunties..." She shook her head. "Anyway, I apoogize in advance and if they find you I probably oweyou pizza or something."

"I do have a lot of sisters," Graham reminded Charlie, with a swing of his finger forward as if that would help emphasize the point. "I think I might be able to handle some aunties, too. What are sisters, but future aunties in the making? And I've got Triumph here today, too."

Upon hearing his name, Triumph lifted his head and chirruped.

"He can pull through if things get really rough, I'm sure."

And then, just because he did really like pizza:

"You....could still owe me pizza even if they don't find me! Although if I get pizza out of it, then I kind of hope they do find me. I'll put up a banner in front of the store and everything. 'Charlie's Aunties! Find Graham Here!'"

"Oh, you have no idea," Charlie said, "But you're remarkable anyway."

She turned and grinned. "Well hello, Triumph! Aren't you looking magnificent today!"

Then she turned back to Graham in horror. "No, no sign, good lord you have no idea what you'd be bringing down on your head. But yes, I'm happy to buy you pizza whether they show or not."

Edited 2022-09-24 17:51 (UTC)

Triumph lifted his chin proudly at the praise, letting out a trio of chirps to thank Charlie for her kind words and let her know that he knew, proving it with a little shake of his head, a little extra floof in his fur.

And Graham, for his part, in clear defiance of the doom that was apparently heading his way, could only grin. "So pizza," he said, quickly, because when free pizza was on the table, you had to seize it before it was too late, "aunties or no aunties. It's a date!"

"If you still want anything to do with me after the Aunties descend, yes," Charlie said. "It's a date. I'll even throw in some of whatever the Magnificent Triumph enjoys."

She sighed and shook her head. "And if you decide you'd rather I never darkened your doorstep again, I can just have Raiden send it here to you."

"Charlie," Graham said, frowning a little as he realized that she was actually serious about this worry about her about her aunties, especially since he didn't think he'd ever really seen her like this before; she was always just so bright and cheerful, and now, she was so clearly...not. "I don't think there's anything that could happen with your aunties that would make me not want to have anything to do with you ever again. And I can share a pizza with Triumph any time. I..." He felt a little bit of heat rise up to his face, as if he had just realized what was just about to come out of his mouth, but there was definitely not stopping it now, "....I want to share that pizza with you."

Charlie stopped and looked at him. And smiled despite her worries. "You're pretty amazingly awesome, you know that, Graham? Then we'll have pizza together, one way or another. I'd like to share that pizza with you, too."

But this was Charlie after all and she couldn't resist throwing back a teasing, "But now it's going to be completely awkward when you're wishing you'd never met me and I show up with a pizza and show no signs of leaving till we've eaten the whole thing."

The softly pleased grin on Graham's face at that first part went a little crooked with the last part, although that lovely shade of red that perfectly matched the ruddiness of his nose remained on his cheeks the whole time.

"I'll still get pizza out of it, though," he pointed out. "The awkwardness'll just be like a free extra topping!"

Charlie burst out in laughter. "I'm going to remind you of this later when you sit there miserably wishing you were on another continent, even without pizza!"

Her tone made it clear that she didn't suspect any such thing would come to pass.

"Come on!" said Graham, who definitely never met a pushed metaphor he didn't like. "Who needs cheese or red pepper flakes when you could just sprinkle on reget? And remorse?"

"One large pizza with regret and remorse coming up," Charlie said with a grin. "Okay then. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Guillermo felt rather bad that he was showing up without his usual containers of empanadas this week but he figured he would make it up to him next week with extra.

He also has his mother following behind, trying to keep up with him.

“Graham hi,” he said brightly when he stopped by.

"Guillermo!" Graham greeted him, just as brightly back, especially since he wasn't sure if anyone would really be stopping by today, with the game canceled and all those guests to visit with. "Hey! Good to see you!"

And he was definitely sparing a curious glance toward the woman with him, who he could only assume was a mother...or maybe an auntie!....but, either way, being a gentleman, of course, he bowed his head a little and doffed his cap to her. "Ma'am."

“Oh,” Silvia started to blush at that, it was suddenly very obvious where Guillermo got that from.

“I like your friend Guillermo,” Silvia giggled.

Guillermo smiled, “Mama this is Graham, Graham this my mother, Silvia de la Cruz,”

With such a positive reception, Graham couldn't help grinning from ear to ear with pride, his shoulders and back just a little bit straighter and his chin now lifted confidently.

And it called for a much bigger bow, with a flourish of his hand and a little bit of his cape, too, as he continued. "Oh, of course!" he declared. "What an honor it is to meet you, my good lady! I suppose I have you to thank for all the delicious food that Guillero is so adept at making! And," he grinned, because this was the important part, "sharing!"

Silvia blushed even more at the bigger bow and ducked her head slightly.

“Si,” she smiled at the praise Guillermo was getting for his cooking, “he is a very good cook, I’m glad he is able to continue cooking here,” she paused, “he cooks a lot?”

"At least every week!" Graham (and his very satisfied stomach) was happy to report. "For our Friday game nights! And sometimes at other times, too! And I have him to thank for introducing me to ~empanadas~," he gave the word an air of wonder and spread his hands in reverence, as deserved!, "which are undeniably, indisputably my new absolute favorite!

"Other than choco-chip pancake, anyway."

Nothing could beat choco-chip pancakes.

Silvia nodded approvingly, “he makes excellent empanadas, he is always making them at home, i can’t be around as much when he does but there is always containers of empanadas,”

She did miss Guillermo’s cooking, even though she felt bad that she always had to work and couldn’t cook with him as much as she’d like.

“Oh is this the game night you told me about Guillermo?” she smiled at Graham, “he loves your game nights,”

"Yeah?" Graham's eyes lit up to hear it, his beaming grin bouncing over to Guillermo as if to confirm that his mother spoke true. "Oh, that's great! We usually do them every Friday! Right here, actually! In the ~Maaaagpie Empooor~rium~!"

Also said, of course, with the usual flair and the waggly fingers.

"We aren't doing one tonight, though," he admitted, his smile going a little apologetic. "I figured everyone would rather have the extra time to visit with their guests."

Guillermo was smiling and blushing a lot as his mother relayed that information.

“Si, we talk every week, he’s rather disappointed that he doesn’t have very good throws with his dice, I tell him he has to be patient that he will get a good throw soon,”

”Mama!” Guillermo was bright red now.

“There seems to be a lot of visitors,” Silvia nodded, “they never had anything like this at the last school Guillermo went to,”

"It's all about the luck of the roll!" Graham said, grinning broadly, though he had to admit, seeing Guillermo and his mother interact made him think about his own mother and the small flitter of sadness in his chest that she couldn't make the journey. He'd never really been away from home for so long, but, if he was to be a knight, that was the sort of thing he'd have to get used to.

"And, if that still doesn't work? There's plenty more dice to try!

"They didn't have anything like this at my last school, either," he added. "It's nice, though! I'm a little sad to miss the Meet & Greet since I have to work, but I hope I can make up for it during the rest of the weekend!"

Silvia tilted her head thoughtfully at Graham, "you don't have any visitors this weekend?" she ventured a guess, sympathetically.

"You are more than welcome to spend it with Guillermo and I if you would like the company," she told him, "I can see why Guillermo likes you so much,"

"Mama!" Guillermo went even redder, since it was definitely a bit more than liking on his part at least but neither party knew anything about that.

Ohhh, this conversation was doing wonders for Graham's self-confidence, and he found himself grinning from ear to ear.

"Well," he stated, "I like Guillermo an awful lot, too! He's great! And, well, my mother couldn't quite make the journey, and my sisters were all too busy, but I won't be lonely! I still have Triumph here--"

It was at this point that Triumph, who had been conveniently napping behind the counter, let out a little trumpeting chirrup at the sound of his name.

"--to keep me company! But I might just take you up on that offer, Mrs. de la Cruz, especially after I get the chance to meet some of the guests of all my other friends, too!"

Silvia smiled, "oh I'm sorry they couldn't make it but it's lovely that you have your ... is Triumph your pet?" she ventured a guess, especially at that chirrup sound, "we will look forward to it," she promised, "Guillermo has promised to show me all around the school and island, it was very fortunate that he was able to get a scholarship here, it seems such a lovely place,"

"Oh, no," Graham corrected, "Triumph's not a pet! Triumph is my mighty steed! Come on, Triumph!" Graham grinned down at where he was curled up behind the counter and gave him a little nudge with his boot; Triumph let out a sound of protests and a few objecting grunts and chuffs. "Don't be rude, Triumph, come say hi to Mrs. de la Cruz!"

After a few more complaining chirps and whuffs, finally, the incredibly large capybara that could put a mule to shame for size and mountability came ambling out from behind the counter, blinked at Guillermo with his big, glossy eyes, then at Silvia, and he lifted his adorable face and let out a little trumpeting chirrup of greeting to them both.

"That," said Graham proudly, "is Triumph! He says hello!"

"Hi Triumph," Guillermo smiled and totally waved back.

Silvia blinked a few more times but she did smile, "Hola," she nodded her head, "it is very nice to meet you, does he go with you wherever you are?" she asked Graham, finding it rather curious that Triumph was with him in a store.

Triumph gave a little bit of an extra double-trill of a squeak in response to Guillermo's greeting, and Graham grinned.

"Not everywhere," he admitted, "but just about! I don't usually bring him into the store..." He looked around a moment to see where the store's cat was, before leaning in, hand to his mouth, to whisper, oh-so-covertly, "I think Saffron gets jealous. But!" Back to his normal voice and posture now, "I do bring him with when I can, otherwise, he mostly just chills in the stables by the school."

Sometime later there was a flurry of activity outside the door as the Aunties, decked out in their red hats and purple dresses, debated over whether this was the right place and if so, who should go in first. As if there was ever any question about it. With an impressive swoosh, the door opened and Auntie Jane sailed in then immediately turned to Aunties Gwen and Camilla. "What did I tell you? 'Mine plain as day. As if there'd been any doubt."

Auntie Gwen cackled a little, which left Auntie Camilla to actually be the first to greet the young man inside. "So, tell us, and don't prevaricate, how do you know our Charlotte Marie?"

"Charlie," Auntie Gwen pointed out.

"I'm the one speaking, aren't I, Gwen? I can ask what I'd like," Auntie Camilla sniped back.

"For now," Auntie Jane said with a glower, before looking back at Graham. "Well, speak up, boy. Cat got your tongue?"

And that would be the full force of the three Aunties turned on him.

Oh, this was...

...this was...

...this was incredible!

Whether or not Graham would have been so absolutely instantly enamored with this whole flock of aunties if he hasn't gotten the warning was Charlie was a matter unknown, but, as it was, he was pretty sure that this had to be them from the moment he saw them flocking like so many purple-breasted, red-capped birds in front of the store, and the fact that one of them pretty much answered his question about who Charlotte was before he even got the chance to ask it pretty much sealed the deal.

And once it was absolutely certain that they were, in fact, finished, Graham took a second to look right back at them before both of his hands clapped over his mouth and he turned, positively aghast toward the actual cat in the room.

Who was, naturally, not paying any attention to any of this.

"Saffron!" he cried out with a gasp. "You give that back! I need my tongue, for talking! To all these lovely ladies!"

At which point her turned his attention back to the aunties hopefully, because he figured that was really going to go over only one of two very different ways.

Edited 2022-09-24 18:02 (UTC)

Auntie Camilla gawped at him, then turned to stare at the cat in question, then back to Graham.

Auntie Gwen's eyes went wide and then she laughed until Auntie Jane thwacked her on the arm.

"Enough of that, Gwen," Auntie Jane muttered. "We don't need him thinking we're a pack of wild hyenas. She fixed Graham with a beady look. "Very amusing." She did not find it amusing. All right, she did find it very amusing in an entirely non-expressed way. "One can see instantly why Charlotte Marie would mention you so frequently."

It was not a compliment. Except again in that deeply buried way. Auntie Jane would never admit it - not even on pain of death, but she appreciated people who stood up to her.

Well, as long as they didn't get in her way.

"I believe there was a question gone asking."

"Oh," Graham assured them, firmly, with a hand held out as if to emphasize the point, "believe me, I could never mistake you for a pack of wild hyenas, but, to the question that has gone so unfortunately unanswered....for which I do sincerely apologize for, ma'am....I know Charlie because we go to school here together!"

Honestly, he felt that was kind of obvious, but he wasn't about to say so.

"We've had a few classes together and everything! She's great, though," he added, his smile going a little softer at the realization that the auntie had said that she'd not only mentioned him, but frequently. "She's a big fan of Triumph, too. Triumph! Come say hello to Charlie's aunties!"

He wondered if he should have saved the Triumph card for a desperate moment, because how could anyone not be charmed by Triumph?, but he got a bit excited and, upon hearing his name, Triumph perked up from where he'd been sniffing around behind the counter and peeked his head out from behind it with a curious little chirping sound.

Did Auntie Jane's lips twitch as if she was repressing a smile at the hyenas comment? She'd never tell.

"You go to school together," she said, in exactly that manner that hid a deceptively dangerous tone. "And she's 'great'. Interesting." Her look might have said 'Fool or totally unaware of imminent danger?'

This was how Auntie Jane talked to people she might actually approve of.

Auntie Camilla jumped and squeaked a bit when Triumph peeked out.

"Good heavens, Camilla. Don't you recognize a giant capybara when you see one?" Auntie Gwen said, as if seeing a giant capybara was an everyday occurence for her. It was not. "So just how much trouble has our 'great' Charlie gotten you into so far?"

Graham had been momentarily distracted for a moment, just looking at Triumph fondly as he came around the counter and nuzzled up against him, and he almost idly, habitually, began to rub the top of his head. "Don't worry about Triumph," he assured Auntie Camilla. "He may be a mighty steed, but he's a real sweetheart, too. And as for your question," he gave a nod of acknowledgement to Auntie Gwen, before his finger went to his chin to rub it a little bit in thought.

"I'm not sure Charlie's gotten me into any trouble so far!"

He sounded almost as surprised by this as he was starting to suspect the aunties would genuinely be, before he added, "She's clearly beem slacking off."

Auntie Jane just stared at him. And then that lip-twitching started again until she couldn't help but laugh, Auntie Gwen joining in once Jane started.

"If I were 60 years younger, boy, I might just give Charlie a run for her money," she said, once she composed herself. "Seems that perhaps she has indeed been 'slacking'. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or just means that she'll burst out into some Wildly inappropriate nonsense sooner rather than later."

Auntie Camilla was cooing to Triumph and so completely off message that she didn't even notice the death glare from Auntie Jane. "He's truly adorable, isn't he?"

Graham would always one-hundred-and-ten-percent relate far more to anyone appreciating Triumph over pretty much anything else, so he was, first and foremost, giving Auntie Camilla a broad and grateful grin of agreement. "Oh, yeah," he said. "Triumph is the best!"

Although, admittedly, getting the aunties to laugh like that? With all the warnings Charlie had given him? Made Graham feel like he'd just climbed to the top of a very treacherous mountain top and he breathed out a great sigh of relief while mentally raising his arms up over his head in victory.

He had to make sure to remember that it probably wasn't over yet, though. Because it was at the top of the mountain top where you could take the biggest fall.

"She did tell me," he offered, "about some of her baking, though. Thankfully, she hasn't baked anything for me yet, but I definitely know that, when she does, then I'll probably really be in trouble."

Even Auntie Camilla froze at his last statement.

"Don't even joke about such a thing," Auntie Jane said when she'd caught her breath. "The lawn still hasn't grown back since the brownie debacle."

"You shouldn't put Triumph in that sort of danger," Auntie Camilla agreed.

Auntie Gwen was grim. "I'm not even sure we should allow her to use a microwave, but I was overruled."

"All right, enough of this nonsense," Auntie Jane said. "No cooking and especially no baking for Charlie. Got it? Now, tell us, who are your people, boy?"

"My people?" asked Graham, blinking a little with confusion, but then he remembered the litany of questions Charlie mentioned he could expect, one of them being who his parents were, and maybe that was what they meant? "Oh!" He nodded, confident now that he would get this one right, it was a little hard to screw up your family! "That would be Sir Hereward and Lady Rosie Cracker, of Llewdor, of course! And let's not forget my sisters, either."

And so he rattled off their names (whatever they may be), as well as a list of all their various different pets, from the mini-chimera to the were-hogs to the jinxes and the weevils.

"And, of course, obviously, Triumph the Third here, but you've already had the pleasure of meeting him."

Triumph let out a little trumpet of agreement to that statement.

"Royalty," Auntie Camilla whispered and was shushed imperiously by Auntie Jane.

"Clearly brevity is not among your accomplishments," Auntie Jane said dryly. "What about magic? Any ability in that area?"

Graham was debating whether it was a good idea or a terrible one to correct the aunties that he wasn't royalty yet, but he was saved that conundrum by that question, face lighting up again.

"Oh! Yes!" he said eagerly. "Not much, but I'm working on it! Mostly it's just animal languages, a teeny, tiny bit of moving things with my mind, but I hope to one day work my way up to animal transformations and flying!"

The Aunties looked at him skeptically and discussed this amongst themselves.

"Not exactly sorceror material," Auntie Gwen said.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Auntie Camilla asked.

Auntie Jane just scowled, then tapped a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "No charms?" she asked.

When they turned back to him, Graham made sure to dart his eyes elsewhere for a moment to make it look like he hadn't been leaning in a little to try to hear what they were discussing amongst themselves, but he didn't miss a beat with his answer.

"You mean, other than my infectious smile, winning personality, and clever humor and wit?"

Because, come on, now, Aunties, you practically just handed that one right to him.

Did it look like Auntie Jane was impressed? It did not.

"That would be a no, then."

The Magpie Emporium; Friday, 09/23.

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