Owl to Charles Macaulay

[usethepoker.livejournal.com]

((Backdated to December 27th))



Charles,

I've got a Hogswatch Christmas present for you--would you like to meet up somewhere soon?

-Susan

Comments

[usethepoker.livejournal.com]

That made her laugh again. She really wasn't ever going to live down the purple hair, but she didn't mind when Charles teased her about it. She might thwack Shaun, but poor Shaun was...well, Shaun; something about him seemed to say 'abuse me'. She'd gotten him some fancy polish for his cricket bat for Christmas, since it seemed like an extremely appropriate gift.

"I like them," she said. "I never used to wear perfume, back home--didn't for a long time here, too. Then again, the fashion back home has always tended toward the heavy floral scents--the kind that smell like an old lady's parlor." Texas, huh? One of these days she really did need to look at a proper map of this America place, so she'd know just where he was referring to. "I hope I got the right sort of teas--I had to guess a bit." Much like Charles, though, Susan tended to assume people liked what she did--at least, certain people.

[charlesmacaulay.livejournal.com]

"Well, if you don't like these, there's hundreds more to choose from. Those are just the ones that reminded me of you, off the top of my head. By description, I mean, because you have to mail-order them from America." He really wondered what Susan would make of the US if she ever happened to get there. He knew she was from the Disc, some impossible magic place on the backs of elephants, but something about her just seemed so indomitably British.

"Any kind of tea is good," he said cheerfully. "And you know I love orange pekoe. Besides, they're pretty, like yours. Goodness knows my room could use a little brightening up." That was part of the plan too. Make his room someplace bright, where Camilla would actually like to be.

"You know, my friend used to say those perfumes change a little after they've been on a while. If you don't like it when you first put it on, you give it a minute and it might change. She used to put them on everywhere." Remembering the girl dabbing the wand cap at her wrists, behind her ears, between her breasts. He left the tea where it was, left the chair, crossed the room to sniff Susan's scented throat. Honey and ginger, soft and warm.

"That's happier," he murmured.

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Susan had reflected before how very like Ankh-Morpork Britain was in some ways--right down to the accents, really. Then again, there were all sorts of really weird similarities between the Discworld and here, despite the fact that in most ways the worlds were very, very different.

Brightening up his room a little had been part of her plan. Susan was no interior decorator, but her room had a certain coziness about it--a coziness made up of old books, fat armchairs, oil lamps, and a few little knick-knacks like her tea jars. Charles's quilt was a good start, and the jars matched it nicely--slowly but surely, maybe she could sneak in a bit more.

She couldn't help but laugh when he came over to sniff her. "Much happier," she agreed, grinning at him. "I think you may have hooked me on these." She sniffed her own wrist, wondering why she hadn't discovered this stuff before now. "Would you like me to make some of that tea? I've still got some orange pekoe myself."

[charlesmacaulay.livejournal.com]

So Charles made tea, quite at home; quite aware that Susan was likely to tell his sister what he'd gotten her, and looking forward to the fallout; much less aware of Susan's Other Friends, or what they might think, or do.