Fifth Floor Common Room, Late Saturday Morning

[not_in_the_book]

"There's some orange juice in the fridge," Ronan said, as he pulled two tumblers out of the cupboard. "D'you want to pour us some?"

He started assembling items for breakfast -- eggs, bread, bacon, sausage...

[Open! And there will be lots of food to share, oh yes.]

Comments

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

Katrina went to the fridge and got out the orange juice, being careful not to spill it. "Right. What year is it, Daddy? I should've looked for a newspaper, but I figured out where I was first, so, I didn't. Find out where and when," she sing-songed, clearly parroting someone, "then find out why. Not the other way around." She slowly poured the orange juice, not spilling a drop.

[not_in_the_book]

"2009," Ronan told her. "And that's good advice. Mine, or your mother's?"

He got to work on breakfast, starting the bacon and the sausages in two separate pans while he began cutting holes in the bread.

Lots of bread. He fully expected many others to be coming by looking for food.

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

"Yours. Mom says to always have chocolate and at least one diamond bracelet." Katrina held out her ankle so Ronan could see the anklet her mom had gotten her for her last birthday, with all the diamonds turned inside so it looked just like a little chain. "'Cause they're Items of Universal Exchange."

[not_in_the_book]

"And the chocolate?" Ronan asked, grinning. That certainly did sound like Parker-advice -- and was very sound, too.

He just hoped the chocolate was high-quality.

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

"Is food and you can trade it on some planets!" Katrina nodded carefully. "Just in case. You never know." She raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't go out without it, do you?"

[not_in_the_book]

"Of course not," Ronan said. "I mean, where do you keep it?"

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

"Inside pocket," Katrina said, unzipping her very stylish jacket to show him. "Phone," she said, pointing to the other side. "ID," she added, pointing to a smaller pocket. "And you put a tracker-thingy on me after I lot lost at the Great Market last time, but Mom doesn't trust that, so. Chocolate and diamonds. Even if the chocolate gets melty."

[canadianwizkid.livejournal.com]

A little boy dragged Tony into the common room. "Da!" he exclaimed "Waffles, please? Please please please?"

[not_in_the_book]

"No waffles," Ronan said, "but there's egg-in-a-hole, and bacon and sausage, if you'd like. And orange juice."

He looked up at Tony. "Ours?" he mouthed.

[wantstodirect]

Tony nodded and shrugged helplessly.

[not_in_the_book]

"Very good," Ronan said. "And very sound advice to carry them both."

He paused. "May I ask, do your mother and I... live together?"

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

"No," Katrina said, giving him a very composed look. Serious business, this. "Mom works in London. At the Centre there." She bit her lip. "We live in Ireland. She visits a lot. But she has to be sneaky."

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

Katrina studied the new little kid with interest, catching the byplay between Tony and Ronan, too. "Hello. I'm Katrina. Would you like some juice?"

[canadianwizkid.livejournal.com]

"Sausage and eggs!" Colin ran up to hug Ronan. "Da? Are we really in olden times?"

[not_in_the_book]

"She would do," Ronan said, nodding. He flipped the bacon out of the pan and onto some paper towel, then started in on the first batch of egg-in-a-holes.

"Yolks hard or soft?" he asked.

[canadianwizkid.livejournal.com]

"Yes, please!" Colin said politely. "I'm Colin. It's very nice to meet you."

[not_in_the_book]

"Well, I wouldn't call it olden times, but yeah, you're in the past," Ronan explained, smiling softly. "In fact, you haven't even happened to use yet."

If ever.

Sometimes he hated days like this, for futures that might never come.

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

"Hard, please." Katrina took a sip of her orange juice, looking thoughtful. "Can we see all the places around here? We never have much time when it's Homecoming."

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you too," Katrina said, pouring him a glass, and watching him with fascination. "So you're my sort-of brother? I guess? I'm eight. How old are you?"

[canadianwizkid.livejournal.com]

"Is it when books are all heavy and creepy like the ones at Uncle Henry's place that I'm not s'posed to know about?" Colin clapped his hand over his mouth. "Powers! Don't tell him, please?"

[not_in_the_book]

"Of course!" Ronan grinned, flipping the bread-and-egg. "And I think perhaps even a visit to Chilly Boulder?"

[wantstodirect]

Tony was pouring himself a very large cup of coffee. "Uncle Henry?!"

[canadianwizkid.livejournal.com]

Colin held up five fingers. "Five!" he exclaimed. He looked her over. "I never had a sister before, but I think you'll do quite nicely." He nodded in satisfaction.

[not_in_the_book]

"Someone you know, then?" Ronan asked, smirking just a bit.

[nolan-kidlets.livejournal.com]

Katrina grinned up at him, then leaned against the non-making-eggs side of him. "Cooooool. Magic after dinner?" she wheedled. "Something small. I'll really behave today. Promise."