we are invariably pleased to welcome tourism

[cross_and_bow]

Sherlock is usually very puncutal. He's only one minute late, but that's still not quite as punctual as usual. Bella peers out the window, not yet allowing herself outright concern.

Comments

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet attempts to disguise her nod as a roll of her neck.

[pythbox]

"I have never heard of a book becoming self-aware. I have heard of possessed books, but even those did not have actual awareness except as lent to them by their demonic residents. And none of my books are possessed."

[cross_and_bow]

"Do you check for possession on the first Wednesday of each month?" Juliet snickers.

[dark_light]

"Just because he hasn't heard of it happening any other way... I'm going to go ahead and whip up at least a verse-and-herb for it when we go back to your house," Amariah says. "Don't nod again, he'll notice you're acting funny."

[pythbox]

He removes his glasses, cleans them, and puts them back on.

[dark_light]

"You weren't kidding about him having nervous habits," snorts Amariah. She sits down and goes back to looking through Juliet's books.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet doesn't answer aloud, just goes back to her own reading and notetaking.

[pythbox]

"Would you mind answering a question for me?"

[cross_and_bow]

"What is it?" Juliet asks, twisting around in her chair.

[pythbox]

He gestures to Amariah.

"Who or what followed you here, and are you on friendly terms with him, her, or it?"

[dark_light]

"You can see me?" demands Amariah. Not loud enough to break the spell; someone else might walk in.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet holds very still and waits for Mr. Giles to answer Amariah's question.

[pythbox]

"I have no idea what you just said," he says in Amariah's direction.

[cross_and_bow]

"...But you can tell that she's there and that she said something," Juliet says slowly.

[dark_light]

"I'm sure I cast the spell right. I'm sure," exclaims Amariah. "I was following you around all day, no one saw me -"

[pythbox]

"Yes," he says. "Should I not be able to? Who is it? It seems to me that if you know someone who can summon invisibility that well, you have no business applying to a, a dusty old librarian for lessons in magic."

[cross_and_bow]

"Is there somewhere less - accessible - we can go so she can take the spell off and we can explain?" Juliet says. "Your office maybe?"

[pythbox]

"I don't have one," he says.

[cross_and_bow]

"Do people ever come in here after hours besides me...? I guess I'd know better than you would, I've been here longer. Okay. Amariah, do you know any kind of spell to - you know what, nevermind, this is Sunnydale and everyone here has their certificate in advanced rationalization. But please don't break your notice-me-not by screaming this time. Do something else."

[dark_light]

Amariah shrugs and walks up to Giles and pokes him in the chest, hard enough that he can't shrug it off as irrelevant.

"Hi," she says sheepishly.

[pythbox]

He blinks at her.

"...Hello."

[dark_light]

"Don't touch the owl," Amariah adds. (This has become its own word, all strung together, she's been in Milliways warning people away from her daemon enough now.) "Um, so, I'm an alternate of the Bella you know from another dimension. I can't teach her magic because my kind only works for my species, but I came here to help her out by casting a few blessings on her, and now I'm hanging around until I can get back home."

[pythbox]

"It's... good to meet you," he says cautiously. "How do you two... know each other?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Amariah, I hope it goes without saying that this should not turn into a story about who exactly you picked up at a bar," says Juliet dryly.

(This is code for don't tell him about Sherlock.)

[dark_light]

"Okay, I'll spare your librarian's sensibilities and omit the fine details," snorts Amariah. (This is code for okay, I won't.) "But in the non-fine-details department - the interdimesional hub collects alts of lots of people. I've met three others of us and heard about a couple more beyond that. This isn't even the first one I've visited at home."