video;

[elegance_guaranteed]

[This is the expression of a child who just got what he wanted for Christmas, set on a face that would have been suitably boyish if his eyes had not been quite so unnerving. One was a dark grey marble and the other, unnaturally pale with a tiny pinhole pupil. An indistinct feeling of discomfort generally accompanies those who stare at him too long.]

A new scrying stone in my pocket and a new sword? I do hope that everybody's Hogswatch was as happy as mine.

Comments

Video.

[no_nonsense]

[Her face couldn't actually become any more grim or unamused so, quite inadvertently, Susan had no visible reaction to that chipper piece of information.]

No.

[Unfortunately, until she took a moment and thought this through, that was all she had to say. Susan hated repeating herself, it was something that bothered her to no end, and it didn't stop bothering her just because Teatime bothered her more. Satisfying as denial was, in the short run, it wasn't a good overall approach to life. So, as she resigned herself to his presence being reality, she narrowed her eyes and took a silent moment to absorb the situation.

'Why are you here?' wasn't likely to be something he would answer even if he could, and he couldn't. Nobody had that particular tidbit of information. 'Why are you alive?' was similarly useless. 'How did you even get here?' was a bit pointless to ask, given that she already knew, but it did raise another question.]

Did you get found by a magical glowing deer? Or did you just drop dead and pop up on the lawn?

[elegance_guaranteed]

Magic deer? No, no. Nothing so exciting as that.

I just followed you is all.

[no_nonsense]

You most certainly did not.

[At least, she really, really hopes he didn't. Then again, he'd been dead, and there was no telling what he believed in or where that had sent him after he'd left his corpse.

Oh dear, did that make this Teatime's hell? No, he was manic (or rather, he was a maniac), if anything this was his heaven.

No, Susan couldn't be having with that line of thinking. It was time to change the subject, and drastically.]

I assume you're using the new stone to talk to on, but who was fool enough to give you a new sword? It certainly wasn't the Hogfather.

[elegance_guaranteed]

Certainly not the Hogfather. [He agreed, almost matching her tone. He, however, could not quite suck all the amusement from the marrow of the statement. His eyes glittered as he held up a familiar, bone-decorated blade. And then he was unable to contain his delight.]

It works here. I checked.

[no_nonsense]

[Susan wasn't often startled but, somehow, Teatime kept managing it. This was a pretty severe reaction, comparatively speaking, because she actually leaned away from the book as horror darted across her face.

Teatime had the sword. Grandad had taken it, he couldn't possibly have it. But, on that same note, he couldn't possibly be alive, either.

The value inherent in the words "couldn't" and "possibly" was rapidly diminishing.]

You've checked? [Susan discarded her momentary bit of self-indulgent shock and leaned forward again, her grim expression returning as quickly as it had left.] What do you mean you've checked?

[elegance_guaranteed]

You nearly killed me when it didn't work the first time. It would be very careless of me if I didn't try it out before I found you. I'd hate to get punched off of any perilous heights again.

[no_nonsense]

[Her brows dipped sharply and she scowled at him, outright.]

Who?

[She paused.]

Or what?

[elegance_guaranteed]

You're the Granddaughter. Shouldn't you know?

[no_nonsense]

[Susan just narrowed her eyes and, given that this conversation was already turning circular, had no qualms about promptly snapping her book closed and hanging up on Teatime.]