Third Floor Common Room, Saturday Evening

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

Wesley felt a little silly, entertaining his bratty child in the common room with board games that she seemed irrationally talented at. Honestly, what nine-year-old could beat a trained and experienced Watcher at Scrabble? He was positive that she was making the words up, but every time he consulted a dictionary, all he saw was Eloise's smug little face smirking at -- sure enough -- the word in question printed right there on the page.

Smug brat.

[[common room is open!]]

Comments

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"They seem a little old to be our children," Peter said. "Unless they're also from the future, which... you know, this is actually pretty creepy."

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"I quite agree," Wesley deadpanned. "It was creepy even without the age factor."

These children were brats.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Well the creepy fact is that we basically just got dumped a whole bunch of kids that are only tangentially related to anyone," Peter said. "Parents in an alternate universe aren't actually your parents."

Oh, Peter. That statement was ironic from you.

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Pretending to be interested, Eloise looked up at Peter and asked too-sweetly, "Are you a doctor?"

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"I'm eighteen. No one gets a doctorate by eighteen," Peter said. Precocious children. Heaven help him.

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

"You talk like a doctor," she explained. "And you're wrong, because my father is seventeen and he's already a Watcher, and it's harder to be a Watcher than a doctor. So there."

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"A watcher," Peter repeated. "And your father isn't seventeen. Unless your father was eight at the time he and your mother did something you're not allowed to hear about yet. How old is your actual father?"

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Well. He certainly was blunt.

Beside Eloise, Wesley was almost shaking with laughter, but meanwhile, she was preoccupied with addressing this important matter. "I think he's thirty-five? Mother's a bit older. But Daddy right here, this Daddy, he's seventeen. And he's a Watcher. So."

Point proven.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Okay, I have no idea what Wes here may or may not watch," Peter said. "And if it's some super secret affiliation I'm not supposed to know about, I'm not going to ask. But whatever he is, it obviously doesn't require the same amount of accreditation as a doctorate. Not that I put much faith in doctorates."

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

"He watches Slayers," Eloise explained, clearly believing that this title would have some significance in Peter's world. "Now don't you feel foolish?"

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

Peter looked over at Wes. "Should I have any idea what she's talking about?"

[wesleynotponcy.livejournal.com]

"It's rather a long explanation, and I doubt you'd be interested," Wesley said dryly.

Huh. He'd come a long way from when he'd first showed up in Fandom, talking about the Watchers' Academy to anyone who listened. Props, Wes.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

Peter turned back to Eloise. "So he says I shouldn't even care," he said. "So while I'm sure it's really important to him and your actual father, I'm not entirely impressed right now."

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Eloise couldn't believe her father's betrayal. Well. She supposed she'd just have to explain herself.

"You know the Slayer, right? She's blonde and Mother thinks she talks too much. My Daddy taught her everythin she knows."

Not really, Eloise. Not quite.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"The only Slayer I know about is a terrible metal band," Peter said. "And I've got a feeling this lady isn't a member."

Peter had a definite shit-eating grin on his face.

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

"It's not a band, you imbecile," Eloise muttered, a very world-weary look on her face.

Sorry, Peter. She was just raised to use mean names.

"A Slayer," she explained patiently, "is someone who kills demons and vampires. She lives in California and she's exceptionally annoying."

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"So like Wendy the Werewolf Stalker," Peter said. "Only with less werewolves and more vampires. Makes sense."

He shrugged. "I'm sure it's really important in your world. I mean, all that watching. Must take a lot out of a guy while someone else does all the work."

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Eloise threw her head back, sighing dramatically. "Daddy," she whined. "He's really irritating."

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

That got Peter to relent. Just a little.

"This is what happens when you start a conversation by telling me I'm wrong," he said. "But in all seriousness, if Wes here is some sort of support for a monster hunter, that is pretty cool."

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," Eloise said finally, with her very best self-satisfied smirk. "I suppose you're not too bad yourself."

But she didn't say he wasn't wrong, because admitting her own fault? Definitely not on the Eloise Morgan-Pryce agenda.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"And I'm sure for nine, you're pretty cool too," Peter said. This wasn't the right age, for him. The younger ones were cute and adorable, but this was the age where he looked for a parent to push them off on. "You certainly have attitude."

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

"I'll take that as a compliment," Eloise said, because she got the sense that, coming from this guy, that was what it was. "And you certainly have... perseverence."

Also a compliment.

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Well then," Peter said. "I honestly have no idea what else we can talk about, so... you can run along and play now or whatever."

[nothingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

Eloise laughed. "Okay," she said, humoring him instead of insisting, as she ordinarily might, that nine-year-olds didn't run along and play. "'Bye!"