Clutching at the back of an old woman's jacket while going through the
city streets at sixty miles per hour was not how she'd been planning to spend
her morning. Upon seeing the motorbike parked by the street, Leslie had
promised herself not to scream. Not even once.
That promise had been broken five minutes later on the first
speed bump Agatha hadn't deemed important enough to actually slow down properly
for.
She'd also been expecting to end her morning on a bench in Fairview,
not in a small diner with an old lady she'd just met sitting across from her.
"Kid, are you actually going to order anything filling?"
"I, um," Leslie glances up from the pouch she's hiding under
the table. "I have. Let's say a budget."
Agatha leans herself over the table far enough to see. "Oh, kid.
Keep that to yourself. For emergencies, or something. I'm covering the
essentials. Now you'd better choose something or I will personally shove half
my bacon down your throat myself." She mimes stabbing something, and
points at Leslie with the metaphorical fork. "And I don't like sharing my
bacon."
"... Peanut butter pancakes."
"And an omelet. You need protein, girl."
Within ten minutes, Leslie is reaching for a mug with a fork in her
other hand.
She takes a sip of her black coffee. "I don't think I can drink
this," she says immediately after gagging.
Agatha spares her a look over her own mug. "That's 'cause you're
drinking it wrong. Creamer. Milk. Lots of sugar. Here." She pushes over a
few things. Leslie notes that her coffee is somehow a light beige color.
After a few more minutes of silence, Agatha asks; "So you a
mealtime talker or you like to focus on the food?"
"Um. Isn't it... easier to choke if you talk while eating?"
"Eh. Depends. Takes practice. Either way, it just saves time if
you plan while eating, but we ain't in any rush. 'Specially now that they've
cut off the train lines- uh," she adds placidly when Leslie chokes on a
piece of egg. "Okay, maybe you shouldn't talk over the food."
She hacks it out into a napkin. "They've what? Oh
no,"
Agatha gestures over her own shoulder to the TV screen on the wall
behind her. "Have some awareness. You're going to need to pay more
attention to your surroundings, young lady."
On the screen an announcement is playing. A member of a well-known
family has gone missing, along with a precious heirloom; a description is being
given. At the bottom, there is a strip of words, and she sees the words "-will
not be leaving until further notice is given" sluggishly slide across
it. The longer she stares at the screen giving very, very bad-for-her
information, the higher her heart rate picks up. She looks away when the description finishes
and segues into "-the Clavier family is also well known for, among
other things-"
That's when she realizes that Agatha is not looking at the screen, but
right at her. When Leslie stays silent, trying to tamp down her panic, she goes
back to giving her attention to her food in front of her.
"I, I don't think we're going to be able to stay in the
city..."
"Damn right we can't. They're gonna be onto you in no
time."
Leslie feels her heart leap, and she starts fumbling both her utensils
and words at the same time. "Wha- uh, why do you-"
"'Cause of your package. They'll be looking, of course.
Now, it's a stretch as to how they figured out you'd be takin' a train,
but..."
"Yeah. I. Yeah." She ducks her head and tries to continue
eating. "... Do you, um. Do you have any ideas how we're going to
leave?"
"Well, I'm already sure they're going to start monitoring other
ways in and out as soon as possible. Maybe they have already. Normally, I'd
leave right the minute I'm done with my bacon, but if they've got their eyes on
the road already, then I can't take you over with me without causing some
damage."
"To... the bike?"
Agatha grins. Leslie notices that her canines are longer than the last
time she'd seen them. "To anyone keeping an eye out. Honestly, physically
speaking, there probably ain't anyone in this city that can keep me from
leaving if I really wanted. But, within the bounds of the law, it's gonna be a
bit rougher, seeing how we're gonna need to keep under the radar a bit.
'Specially since I can't leave yet."
"You can't?"
"We can't, sweetheart. Can't really leave the place
without checkin' a couple other things on my list first. 'Specially since we're
not gonna be able to come back for a while."
Leslie lets that sink in. Not returning for a while.
It feels... good. In an unsure and almost scary way, like climbing to
the very top of a tree, far past where the branches are still thick enough to
support each step and the leaves thin out. It feels like a new wind is blowing
and she can see ahead.
"Don't worry," Agatha tells her. "Even if they close
all the routes out, I've got a way around."
"How?"
"Well. I know a guy who's got a way around. Pretty sure I
can call in a favor."
Leslie nods, and Agatha returns her full attention to her plate. She
lets the silence stand for a little, and occupies herself with pushing her food
around her plate, and her thoughts around her head before speaking up again.
"So what now?"
"I already told you, sugarplum."
"No, no... I mean right now."
"Well." She takes a thoughtful sip of coffee and swishes it
around her mouth. Leslie briefly wonders if that's what's caused the slight
yellowed tint to her teeth. "... Depends on if they've started monitoring
the roads yet. If they haven't, then I'll just have to cut my losses, and we'll
leave right then and there. If they have... well, then we'll have some time to
kill."
"And, um. Then. Where are we going after we leave the city?"
"You thinking that far ahead? You only get to ask that if you
have an idea in mind."
Leslie thinks of her notes in her bag, but doesn't answer.
When silence is all Agatha gets in return, she continues. "And in
any way, I fully intend on educatin' you a little before we leave."
"Uh. Educating?"
"When was the first time you ever held a wand?"
Before she can stop herself, she squirms in her seat. "... A few
hours ago."
"Exactly. It shows, dearie. And that's not acceptable. Not at
all."
--------------------------------------------------------
She's too busy trying staring straight at her hands clutching at the
back of the jacket in front of her, and very specifically not at the
road to realize what Agatha suddenly grunts in displeasure for.
Leslie dares to lift her head, and sees a large road to her right. She
catches a glimpse of the road filled with vehicles and people before they pass
it, and it leaves her sight.
"That was the road out, wasn't it?"
Agatha grunts again. "If they've got an eye on one road out, then
they've got eyes on the other ones."
"Where're we going to go now?"
"Well," Agatha tosses her gray curls, then readjusts her
cap. "I've got a call to make."
One hand is still pulling at her cap even as they reach the next
light, and Leslie distracts herself the rest of the way with wondering exactly
where said owner of hand falls on the scale from 'skilled at riding' to
'bleeding arrogance'.
---------------------------------------------------------
Whenever she's imagined a park, roads and streets never made an
appearance. She alternates between marveling from the bench she's occupying at
the grass (it's so green), the trees (they're so green),
and greenery (it's all so GREEN), and ducking her head to keep
her face from being visible from the sparse passerby.
The only break in the greenery in front of her is the concrete
pavement twisting through the trees, and Agatha pacing back and forth on the
grass. She keeps on grumbling at the phone in her hand, and it mixes with the
sound of the street behind her.
For the first time (... in their very, very short time of knowing each
other), Leslie is fairly certain she is somehow calmer than her new (friend?
acquaintance? mentor?) companion.
"It's still a little early. He, uh, might still be
sleeping."
"I'll wake him up then," Agatha grumbles, telegraphing 'how
dare he be asleep when I need him' clear as day.
Ten minutes of Agatha pacing a flattened ring into the grass later,
Leslie is about to reach for her notes for something to do. Instead, she
reflexively jumps at the sound of Agatha's voice suddenly booming out.
"THERE you are, I've been trying to get hold of you for,"
She checks her watch. "Twelve minutes now,"
Leslie fidgets.
"Listen, sorry I woke you, but it's a bit of an emergency. You
know Keystone city? I recall you telling me you knew a low-down way in 'n
out?"
She's a bit confused as to whether she should listen or not. Listening
on a phone conversation is rude, that she's aware of; but Agatha is also
talking loudly, and right in front of her.
"Yes- yes, I heard. Long time ago, Sid. You've been
retired for what, twenty years now," She pauses and nods sharply. "Fifteen.
Sure, yeah. Sorry. ... Listen, they're closing all the ways in and out and we
don't-"
The volume of her voice suddenly drops, and individual words can't be
picked out.
I need a distraction. Leslie
rocks lightly in place, and finally gives in to the urge to touch the grass.
"-get her as far away from here as possible, as soon as
poss-"
She throws herself across the bench to flop her arm on the ground, and
feel the grass from there. Whatever else is hearable, she does her best to tune
out.
"-lright. So, just asking, how convinced are you? Like on
a scale from one to ten. What? Trying to just know if I need to start
lookin' into other options. Which will be harder. You know. With a kid."
The late morning sun is warm, the grass feels nice in her fingers, and
no one can see her face while she's lying like this.
"... Alright. Thank you, Sid."
Grass rustles somewhere near her. It's only when she raises her head
and adjusts her glasses that she sees that it's Agatha looking down at her with
something that looks like amusement.
She snorts out loud when Leslie throws herself back into a sitting
position. "Well, don't get uncomfy on my account," she says,
as she sits down anyways.
Leslie occupies some time adjusting her glasses, and looking anywhere
but at Agatha. "So. Um. What happened?"
"Okay." Beside her, Agatha claps her hands together.
"So, the guy's bein' cagey, telling me he'll get back to me with his
answer by the end of the day. But he's a fuckin' soft touch as long as you know
what buttons to press, so I wouldn't worry. But, on the other hand, I still got
one more mandatory thing to find in this city."
"Is it the, uh," Her mind brings up the early morning mess,
and the memory already feels like it was just of a bad dream. "The thing
you mentioned on the train?"
"The Staff of the Ancients? Oh, sweetheart, that was an extra.
Whoever has it's already onto the next city by now. I just got a hint of it
being there; it wasn't even my information to know."
"Who's was it, then?"
Agatha thumbs at her nose and snorts derisively. "Those two
suckers. Amateurs. Now this thing we're looking for was actually
requested of me. It also ain't too much of an important thing, small little
trinket, if I've got it right. Nice thing to start you out with."
"Alright. Okay," She gets up, brushes her coat off, and
reaches for her backpack. She's halfway through pulling a strap on when she
notices that Agatha still hasn't gotten up and is looking amused again. Her
backpack is sheepishly returned to the ground.
"Glad you're eager, Les, but," Agatha cheerily flashes her
phone at her. "Still got a couple things to do before we can get to that.
Now," She pats the bench before getting up herself. "If you'll excuse
me, I've got another call to make. Gimme ten minutes."
------------------------------------------------------
"Now, I know what you're thinking." Agatha says over the
bike engine.
"What,"
"I said," Agatha repeats as they stop for a red
light. "I know what you're thinking. "'Why, oh dearest Agatha, did
we stop at the post office? I thought we were going to go hunting for a magic
artifact!'" She pauses. "How spot on was I?"
"... Barely? I know you were renting a P.O. box."
"But for what?"
Leslie stays silent, until she realizes that it wasn't a rhetorical
question.
"You ain't even a little curious?"
"... I figured it was none of my business."
"Girl. Child. Leslie."
The light turns green, and they begin moving again.
"Normally, I might agree with you, but if we're both on the same
page with this," She gestures vaguely, somehow looking completely in
control, despite the fact that she is driving a motorcycle at forty miles an
hour with only one hand steering. "-what're we calling it, apprenticeship
thing. Then that means we're gonna be travelling together for some good
amount of time. And when you travel with someone for a good amount of time, you
both need to be aware of each others' business. Like, hey, I don't mean you
have to share all the gory details with each other if you don't wanna, but you
both'd be better off knowing when something might hold you up. It's just --
communication. It's important."
From behind her, Leslie can see her head duck briefly.
"I, uh. I didn't mean to turn that into a lecture, but uh.
Communication's important and shit."
Leslie nods, then promptly remembers that, right, she's sitting on the
back of the motorcycle. "No, no, uh, yeah. I got it."
"You get it?"
"Yeah."
They stop at another red light.
"So. What's the P.O. box for?"
"Pffffhahaha. Okay, that, I actually want to keep a
surprise. Won't hold us up, though, that I can pretty much guarantee. It'll be
here by the time we gotta go."
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The light turns green again a few moments later, and their movement picks back up. It doesn’t occur to
Leslie that Agatha was already moving with a destination in mind until she
speeds off the larger streets and delves into a sidestreet, moving through the emptier
roads with a with all the purpose a senior citizen on a motorcycle can convey.
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