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[exitthewallflower]

Aggie, my dearest ward, you have very interesting friends.

I find myself thinking this quite often as I pass the shelf in the living room that houses the gifts that have been left to her. Gifts from friends now gone. I hurt for her, I know they're a reminder of her friends and at the same time... what were they thinking? I know I should be all pro-girls liking whatever they want an experiencing new things but really? Who leaves snakes and lizards to teenage girls?

At least the bank account she inherited from Damon is practical and will go to college (if she's still here, a sobering thought I don't like to dwell on).

The snake raises its head and looks at me. At least I think it's looking at me, it's a little hard to tell. I'm not a snake-whisperer. Sorry, that's just not in my skillset. Fighting, first aid, computers, and detecting, those are things I can do, interpreting snake LOOKS is quite another. There's always something new to learn, I guess, and maybe this is his I'm trying to decide if you fit in my mouth look.

"Aggie?" I call out. "Have you fed the snake recently?"

Just in case. It had belonged to a wizard, after all. You never know.

Comments

[ghost_holder]

"It's an after school club. You do stuff for merit badges, like learn first aid or swimming or go camping," Aggie explains, thinking she has the idea right. She'd mostly thought of it as something for the elementary school kids but Flavia's only a little bit younger and she's involved.

"I bet I could bring more thin mints."

[exitthewallflower]

"If those are some kind of candy or cookie, that sounds awesome. And I'm totally okay with you doing that so long as I can meet whoever's in charge. I'm guessing there are some kind of forms I have to fill out, some fees to pay?" I'm actually really glad that Aggie's getting into these kinds of things. Slumber parties and scouting things. I remember when I first met her and she told me about what had happened to her in her home and I see her now and I just....

"I'm really proud of you, buy the way. I don't think I say that enough, but Agatha Prenderghast, you have come a long way and that's something amazing. Where I come from, a kid like you would probably have an equal chance at becoming a super-villain as a scout. You done good, kid." Reaching out, I ruffle her hair a bit, wondering if a big hug would be too cheesy. 'Cause I kinda want to hug the kid.

[ghost_holder]

"I'll find out," Aggie says, not that she plans to let Barbara pick up the tab as much. She may not even quite be fourteen yet, but she knows that the money she's inherited will can help them out and still have more than enough left over.

She laughs a little when Barbara ruffles her hair and hugs her a little. "I already got the super-villain thng out of my system.

[exitthewallflower]

Wrapping my arms around Aggie, I kiss the top of her head which is getting pretty hard now that she's grown so much. "And we're all glad for that. Now you're just the most awesome witch I've ever met." I pause. "With a very strange collection of pets."

[ghost_holder]

Aggie sighs happily, squeezing back into the hug. "Well, it's like the play says. Eye of newt and toe of frog, and so on," she suggests, looking up at Barbara with a pert smile.

[exitthewallflower]

"Only we're not dismembering these guys. I have to draw a line at animal dismemberment in my home." Which might be the strangest things I've ever said out loud, even in mock-seriousness. Welcome to your current life, Barbara Gordon, it's gonna be surreal.

[ghost_holder]

Aggie nods, glad that Barbara's taken her for the joke. "People entrusted them to me. So I'm going to take care of them."

It's that simple to her, the kind of loyalty she's learned here.