[crow]

Sivain inwardly winced again. He hadn't even thought of that, how strange it would be just to bring a human accountant with them. “Yes, we're... very close. He's a knowledgeable, um.” Sivain wanted to say 'man', but that would be a lie. “He's worked with us for a long time,” he finished lamely. If Charlie noticed the hiccup, she didn't mention it.

She did look him up and down once more, however, which made Sivain feel self-conscious all over again. The feeling ought to have been unwarranted. He hadn't felt so much as if he was on display since his presentation to the gods at his ceremony of godhood, and back then it had been dulled by the ache of--- No, I will not think of it. And no, it wasn't right either. The first time that he had met--- I will not think of that either. But that was not the same as this, and the discomfort stemmed more from the idea that Charlie's dislike might cause trouble for Suvi and Elliot's friendship. “Is something the matter?” he asked.

“No, I'm just thinking... Well, you guys must be loaded if you need an accountant,” Charlie said, at which point the gears finally clicked into place.

[35: Bakery]

[crow]

Charlie's tattered clothes, Elliot's mention of the newspaper-wrapped presents... The two of them were from a family that was much less well off than Sivain's own. Well, his current family anyway. Back when he had been young and believed himself human, he and his father had not been rich. Farmers seldom were, and farmers ridiculed by the entire village as being sadly delusional were even more poor than the norm.

He wondered why, then, Elliot had been so reserved at the bakery; but perhaps it was merely a matter of pride. It was possible, too, that he simply didn't have the same taste or passion for sweets as Suvi did, or indeed as other children his age would have. It wasn't out of the question. There was so much else about him that was ahead of his time.

[36: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

“Our income is not so great,” Sivain said. “We have... A relative left a very large house to us, and the fact that we have an accountant is more a necessity of the management of such a place. And our accountant does not cost as much as you might think, even if he takes his pay a little strangely.” Charlie was nodding, but he could see his words didn't convince her otherwise. And well they shouldn't, he supposed. If they were having trouble buying nice clothes, then someone in his own circumstance would seem rich by comparison by default.

It made him feel uncomfortable, and he wished suddenly that he could do something for her and her brother. But he knew from his days on the other end of this divide that any charity would be difficult to accept, if not outright offensive. Charlie and Elliot both looked the type to be proud of their independence, even though Elliot's independence was as of yet a scant thing, considering his age.

[37: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

If Charlie had any more to say on the matter, she kept it to herself. They arrived at the petting zoo to find the children eagerly chasing after the Sahound puppies, the reindeer apparently forgotten. Sivain was hardly surprised. Suvi's attention span wasn't the greatest when she was hyper, and he had the feeling Elliot might have tried to distract her too. A dark shape off to the side caught his eye, and he turned to it almost expectantly before he caught himself. No, Rhodes wouldn't make his appearance here, of all places. There was too much a chance of him being mistaken for one of the petting zoo creatures, and for Rhodes to subject himself to such an indignity was out of the question for him.

Except, as soon as he dismissed the idea, that bit of dense shadow unfurled itself into a cat-like shape and began walking toward them. Now Sivain did a double take, and found that yes, it was Rhodes.

[38: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

Baffled, but nevertheless glad to see him back, he crouched down and offered a hand. Rhodes leaped onto his arm and climbed up onto his shoulders, which had apparently become the accustomed cat perch of the night.

He caught the look that Charlie was giving him, and fought for words. “You two know each other then?” Charlie said. “I didn't take you for the volunteering type.” Ah, she had made the assumption that Rhodes was part of the petting zoo. The cat dismissed that with a snort, putting up one paw to daintily lick and rake over his face.

“Don't be absurd. Of course he isn't; but yes, we are acquainted. And you may close your mouth up too, if you please. That is a very rude way to greet someone.”

[39: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

He sounded slightly miffed, and Sivain thought something else must have put him in a bad mood. He was usually better about the incredulity he inspired.

Sivain cleared his throat, trying to diffuse the tension. “Charlie, meet my... accountant. Rhodes, this is Charlie, the older sister that Elliot mentioned to us.” Sivain tried to give the cat a stern look, but the angle at which he had to turn his head made it impossible. Charlie was shaking her head and muttering something about back-alley medication and someone named Dave. Sivain had the sense not to ask her about it.

He waited until she had regained her composure before he spoke again. “I mentioned that my accountant takes his pay somewhat strangely, did I not? You... begin to see what I mean by that now, I hope.” Charlie was still staring at the cat, though now her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

[40: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

“This isn't some kind of weird ventriloquist trick of yours, is it? Do it again, the talking thing,” she said. Sivain didn't blame her for her skepticism, but it was the wrong thing to say as far as Rhodes was concerned.

“I beg your pardon,” the cat said, fully incensed now. “Not even the child was so insulting. I can pardon ignorance, but to be rude on top of it is---”

Sivain jostled the cat with a forceful shrug, then spoke up before the cat could regain his balance and start anew. “Children take much better to you because they don't question things, Rhodes. You know this. She meant no harm by it, and I'm sure she can see clearly now that you are very much your own... speaker.” He didn't know what else to say, and he glanced between the two of them, half dreading and half beseeching.

[41: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

Fortunately, Charlie finally seemed to accept what she was seeing. It was a good thing too, since passers-by were beginning to stare at them. “A talking cat, huh? I suppose it's not much of a stretch for him to be an accountant after that,” she said. She didn't look contrite in the least, which didn't help smooth things over with Rhodes, but Sivain would take what he could get.

It was the children, surprisingly, who came to his rescue. They dashed over, Suvi quivering with excitement as she launched into this big speech about what they'd seen and what they'd petted and what the animals did. She noticed only belatedly that Rhodes had made a return. “Oh, hullo Rhodes! Where were you? Were you talking to your friends at the petting zoo while you were gone?” She beamed at him so earnestly, and the cat subsided a little.

[42: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

Sivain expected the cat to forward another denial, albeit gentler than before. Contrary to that, however, Rhodes said, "Why yes. I was conferring with my feline fellows about whether you children ought to be put on the nice list. Santa has helpers everywhere, you know." Sivain couldn't see him, but from the sound of his voice, the cat must have been making an expression of unparalleled smugness right about then.

Suvi scoffed. "No way! They only ever mention elves and reindeer, not Santa's cats."

The cat drew himself up as tall as he could go, the effect accentuated by the fact that he was riding on Sivain, who had real height to him. "Are you doubting me, young lady? I'm afraid you won't be getting any gifts then! I'll have Santa deliver all of yours to Elliot instead."

Gasping, she shook her head furiously. "No, I'll be good! I believe in Santa's cats," she said hurriedly. Rhodes allowed himself to be thus placated, licking a paw daintily. "I think you guys could use some more publicity though. Really, I've never heard of Santa's cats."

[43: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

"We prefer to remain secretive. We're his spies, you see. If people knew about us, they'd go out of their way to be nice to us, and then we wouldn't be able to get our work done." Rhodes delivered this speech in a conspirational stage whisper, and Suvi nodded.

"Oh, okay. I get it! I'll keep your little secret then. We all will, right?" She looked beseechingly at Elliot, who seemed at a loss for once.

It was Charlie who spoke up. "Sure we will. Won't we?" She nudged Elliot, who nodded, resigned to going along with it. Sivain had no doubt that the boy didn't buy it for a second, but it had already been established that they were all really just humouring Suvi. Sivain nodded too, when Suvi turned up to look at him.

"I do hate to be the bringer of bad news, but on that note I'm afraid we really must get going," Sivain said, taking a look around. Most of the other attractions were food-related, and what was worse, most of the food happened to be sweets or snacks.

[44: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

He wasn't about to go through another round of that bakery fiasco if he could help it. He had spotted a fountain with geese, which he was sure Suvi would have enjoyed, but it really was getting late too. She'd already been awake past her bedtime for some time now, and they'd have to get her to brush her teeth today more than ever.

Of course, Suvi didn't take the news well; her face fell, and she let out a long, "Awwww. Can't we stay a little longer? Elliot and Charlie are staying, right?" Again she looked to them, but Elliot shook his head.

"We're going home," he said on his own, without any prompting whatsoever. "Your brother's right, it's pretty late." Sivain wondered at his willingness to leave. Perhaps he hadn't enjoyed the event as much as Suvi had? But then he added, "Our neighborhood gets kind of scary when it's dark... I don't want it to get any darker." It was already almost full dark out, so Sivain didn't know how they'd fare as far as that went.

"If you're going the same way, we can escort you," Sivain said. "Come along, Suvi; we're all leaving."

[45: Petting Zoo]

[crow]

Suvi gave a big exaggerated sigh and took his hand, falling into step beside him. "Fine," she said in a tone that said it definitely wasn't. But she was coming, and that meant they had won that battle. Charlie and Elliot followed, since they were all heading toward the exit before they could split up.

"We live east of here," Charlie supplied.

"My, what a wonderful coincidence," said Rhodes, "so do we. Let us be your escorts then. I'm sure Sivain would be happy to deal with any derelicts who attempt anything suspicious." Charlie snorted, obviously amused; Sivain laughed along awkwardly. It was the unfortunate truth that he had dealt with criminals and much worse in the past, more often than it was savory to admit--- if only because many of those criminals hadn't survived their encounter with him.

They passed the tree on their way out, and Elliot gave it one last wistful look. Rhodes, as it so happened, took note of it and asked, "Whatever is the matter?"

[46: Christmas Tree]

[crow]

Elliot looked startled at the cat's attention, shuffling his feet uneasily. "Oh, it's nothing," he said, but Rhodes would not let him be so easily. Under the cat's persistent gaze, he caved. "I was just thinking... There are so many nice presents. We, um, we don't have any at our house. There's no tree..." It was obvious that the lack of a tree wasn't the problem, and he knew it, but didn't want to say so. More than likely it was an issue of funds instead. Charlie was beginning to look uncomfortable too, but before she could say anything, Rhodes spoke up again.

"Well, that goes against tradition somewhat, but I suppose we're willing to make an exception." Before anyone could ask him what he meant, Rhodes waved his tail and a pile of gifts appeared out of nowhere, piling themselves neatly next to the two siblings.

Elliot couldn't suppress a cry of incredulity, while Charlie looked almost frightened rather than pleased. "Where did those--- what?" was all she could manage to say. Sivain could hear Rhodes purring faintly in pleasure. If there was a showman in their little family, it was definitely him.

[47: Christmas Tree]

[crow]

"Didn't I tell you? I'm one of Santa's helpers. You didn't doubt me too, did you?" he asked. Elliot stared wide-eyed at him, which most likely confirmed Rhodes' suspicions rather than refuting them, but he didn't say anything and the cat let it slide. Charlie was counting the gifts, then squinting at the pile near the tree. Sivain had a similar thought.

"You didn't...?" he asked, not quite willing to say outright what he meant. Rhodes wrapped his tail around Sivain's face, flicking the tip under his nose as admonishment.

"Of course not. What do you take me for? Really," he said, pretending to be displeased. Sivain could tell, however, that he was happy about Elliot and Charlie's reactions to his surprise. Elliot was shaking the presents, smiling from ear to ear. Charlie's expression too was beginning to brighten, though she still looked more shocked than anything. Suvi had joined in on their present examination, eagerly exchanging theories with Elliot as to their contents. For the first time, Elliot seemed without reserve, just as animated and excited as his friend. Perhaps he had grown up too fast, but he wasn't grown yet.

[48: Christmas Tree]

[crow]

Sivain was the last to kneel by the pile, which was really quite significant up close. "We'll help you carry these," he said; as soon as he said so, Suvi moved to pile the heaviest ones on him. It had been something he meant to do, but he was a little dismayed at the readiness with which she loaded him up, before handing a few of the lighter parcels to Charlie. She and Elliot made off with one or two small presents each, still chattering excitedly. Sivain rose with a grunt. It wasn't the weight that was the problem so much as it was the size of the gifts. He could have carried much heavier things, but as far as volume went, he was close to his maximum carrying capacity.

"I... don't know what to say," Charlie said. "Thank you. Where did you...?" She looked to Rhodes, who said nothing. "Did he just wink at me?" she asked.

"I can't say for sure, as I can't see him at the moment," said Sivain. "He is fully capable of it though, and I'm sure if you saw him doing so, he did."

[49: Christmas Tree]