Summer Home Part 1 (Nornir)

Jemmy walked into the living room where Marleigh was reading. She clasped her hands behind her back and drew a circle on the ground with her toes. The little Lord of Chaos was nervous.

"Hey Marleigh, I have something I want to show you, in the other room."

The room in question was a spare bedroom that had been sitting empty. Perhaps it had once been a guest room, but Mr. Hawthorne apparently never had guests. As Jemmy opened the door, it was revealed that the room was no longer empty.

One million dollars cash sat in a loose pile on the floor.

"I'm going to stop asking Hawthorne for money, and I'm going to stop living in his house. I'm moving, and I want you to come with me. I hope this much money is enough. Will...will you please keep being my friend?"

Jemmy had no idea how much she had been paying Marleigh. She didn't really understand the significance of money, but she had seen in a movie that one million dollars was considered a lot of it. Hopefully, it would be enough to make Marleigh keep loving her.

There was something a little different about Jemmy's behavior today as she asked Marleigh to accompany her to one of the bedrooms. She promptly closed the book she was reading and followed the princess until they reached the room in question. Inside was a rather large pile of money. The maid adjusted her glasses as she listened to what the girl had to say. There must have been at least several hundred thousand cash on the floor. Possibly a million.

Marleigh realized this was one of those childish moments of the Lord of Chaos; something she had come to learn and observe since she had been staying with her. Experience has told her that it was best just to go along. Though she would be lying if she said she was not slightly tempted to tease her a bit.

"That is good isn't it? Mr. Hawthorne should be pleased."

"Where and when are we moving? I shall have to pack yours and Ms. Annie's belongings. Does Ms. Annie know by the way? If she doesn't, perhaps we can have a surprise moving away party. Or a moving in party."

"I certainly hope the new place has a good kitchen. That would probably be the one thing I would miss when we leave this house."

Marleigh wondered if her response was too vague and dodged the question. Maybe it was. She knelt down so that they were at eye level.

"Princess, I accept your money because being a maid is a job. However, being a friend is not. For as long as I am able, I shall continue to look after you and accompany you wherever you go. So please do not worry about it too much."

She spoke that last line with a smile.

Jemmy didn't answer any questions or speak until Marleigh's last words. She said that no matter what, she would continue to be Jemmy's friend and stay by her side. Jemmy was surprised. Marleigh was so kind. She didn't ask for anything in return for being Jemmy's friend.

Jemmy didn't understand it, this friendship without expecting anything back. Humans could be so peculiar, but that was what she was coming to like about them. It had all started with Rain, the girl who introduced Jemmy to the concept of love.

Jemmy's eyes started to tear up, but she wiped the tears away with her sleeve. "Thank you, Marleigh. That means a lot. As for the move, you know me. I don't have any real plans set. I'll let you make those decisions, because you'll do a good job. Oh, I know where we're moving, though. I have a friend named Rain. She has a big house, and I'm pretty sure she'll let us stay with her. I haven't told Annie, yet. I don't know if she will want to move. But...it's wrong to kick someone out of their house, isn't it? I think Hawthorne will be happy, but this is Annie's house too, now. Either way, won't I be kicking one of them out of their home?"

If Marleigh had to give her impression of Annie, it would be that she was a normal girl, special powers aside. That being the case, the time that had passed since they started living together was not at all too long. At least it was not enough to make a normal person develop strong lingering attachments to the house. In fact if Annie had any strong attachments, it would be to people. The maid thus concluded that for as long as they stayed together, the little girl would not mind where they went.

"Princess, I believe that Ms. Annie would place more value on family than a house. Wherever we go, for as long as we are together, she will be happy. Though if it really bothers you that much, it would be best to tell her yourself. I would like to think that we are simply returning something we had borrowed. I doubt Ms. Annie would hold such a thing against you."

Marleigh was slightly curious about the one she called Rain. It was always interesting to meet a friend of the Princess. From what little the maid heard, she sounded like an older person or at least an important person for her to have the authority to decide whether the Princess could move in to her home. Marleigh was also curious about the new place being a big house. Was it also a mansion?

"Your friend Ms. Rain must be a generous person to lend us her home. We should get her a gift as well."

Jemmy was relieved to hear Marleigh's words. The maid seemed confident that Annie would feel proud of Jemmy giving something back, instead of angry that Jemmy had taken something in the first place. Maybe Marleigh was right and Jemmy was worrying about nothing. Annie really didn't seem like the type to get angry over past events.

Kasha was another story. At the end of the day, however, Kasha was Annie's familiar. It wasn't his place to tell Annie (or Jemmy, for that matter) what to think.

Jemmy hadn't exactly asked Rain if they could stay with her yet, but she was sure the answer would be yes. Rain had practically invited Jemmy to live in Titan's Tower before she had quit the team. Marleigh suggested that Jemmy give Rain a gift, to show her appreciation for their friendship. Jemmy smiled. That was a good idea.

Realizing that she didn't really know many of Rain's interests, Jemmy wondered what would make a good gift. "What do you think she would like? Maybe we should go shopping for something."

Marleigh was a little surprised that the question was returned to her. Now that she had thought about it, the princess rarely described her friends in detail, at least in the time she spent with her. She knew their names and perhaps one or two things about them, but the maid could not recall an instance when Jemmy spoke lengthily about them. She wondered if that meant the princess did not know much about them except what she wanted to know.

"Well I suppose you can't go wrong with food, unless Ms. Rain happens to be allergic. Homemade treats make good housewarming presents."

That, and Marleigh was eager to make a positive impression on yet another friend of the princess. Good relations and establishing connections was important. As the maid of the household, she wished to know who to turn to in times of need.

Jemmy's face brightened. That was the perfect idea. Jemmy always felt happier when she was eating something sweet, and she was sure Rain would feel the same way. Making something tasty for Rain would be a really nice thing to do.

"I don't think she's allergic to anything. I didn't see anything like that when I read her mind." Jemmy quickly tried to think about something else. She was still feeling down about losing her telepathy. In fact, she hadn't even told Marleigh that she had lost that ability, or that she had gained another one in its place. She decided to tell her as they made treats.

"How did you get so smart, Marleigh? Let's make her some cupcakes, with frosting. I'm sure she'll like them. I want to help make them, so please don't do everything yourself."

In the kitchen, Jemmy realized this could be the last time they would make food in this house. It seemed sentimental, for some reason, but Jemmy wasn't one to grow easily attached. If this house blew up tomorrow, she would laugh. In fact....no, Annie would be sad if Jemmy blew up Hawthorne's house after giving it back to him.

"Just tell me what to do," Jemmy said, putting on an apron. She had helped Drav do some simple cooking over at his house. She was still not skilled in the kitchen, but she felt a little more confident. That reminded, her, she had more news to tell Marleigh. A lot more news.  

"So...I kinda got a boyfriend, and two people are trying to kill me."

Marleigh had a feeling that Jemmy wanted to be more hands-on with this project and so she silently acknowledged her desire to help. The maid had always kept the cupboards stocked with everything needed for cooking and baking so there was nothing to worry about with this sudden decision to make something for the princess' friend. Though the fact that they were making the moving-in present now meant they were leaving as soon as tomorrow or even later that day. Otherwise it did not make sense to bake the cupcakes now, taking freshness into consideration.

"Of course you are welcome to help Princess. Let me prepare the baking tools. Meanwhile you can choose and get the ingredients you would like to use from the cupboard over there and the refrigerator. We can lay them all out on the table. The ingredients from the refrigerator will need a little time to get to room temperature though."

While Marleigh was reaching for the tools on the shelf, Jemmy continued their little conversation, beginning with a few startling revelations. Perhaps the latter was to be expected considering her identity as a lord of chaos, but the former was certainly surprising. The maid figured her surprise could be attributed to the fact that the princess always took the form of a little girl and so it was not easy to imagine such a scenario. Maybe she found a friend in a little boy her "visual age", was the thought Marleigh had.

"You must introduce me some time Princess. I am quite curious what kind of person your boyfriend is like. Does he treat you well?"

"I certainly hope he is up to the task of protecting you from the ones who are after your life. Though I am sure you are perfectly capable of looking out for yourself, it is still the man's job keep you from harm."

The maid would reserve judgment until she learned more about him or better yet met him in person. But she had already marked him as someone eccentric to go out with someone like the princess, unless he was forced to. Sadly, she could not tell. She hoped that was not the case.

The ingredients? Without a recipe, Jemmy could only guess what went into cupcakes. Sugar, for sure, had to be in there. Flour seemed to be in everything, so she grabbed that, too. Salt, baking soda, milk, eggs, and vegetable oil all seemed like good choices, too. Jemmy hoped that her guess would not end up embarrassing her.

Marleigh was interested in knowing more about Dravocn. Jemmy smiled. "Yes, he's nice to me. Otherwise I would have kil..." Old habits died hard. "Kindly turned him down, and not gone out with him. Yeah."

Jemmy grabbed some brown sugar, just to look busy. "He gave me all that money, and some ice cream, too. He gave me things just to be nice. I didn't even threaten him at all." She frowned, and her eyes drifted. "I'm just kinda worried that he's too nice. Like, there's something wrong with him. He just gives stuff to people he hardly knows." Jemmy snapped back to reality and smiled. This wasn't the time to worry about such things. "I'll introduce you two."

Marleigh said that it was a man's duty to protect her. Jemmy thought about that, quite seriously. Marleigh was smart, so she knew what she was talking about. Was Jemmy making a mistake by going out with Dravocn? Dravocn was a man of mind, and he was by no means defenseless. However, the foes that Jemmy faced now were a self-appointed Lord of Chaos and an Agent of Order. How could a mere human, even a smart one, hope to defeat such opponents?

Jemmy sat down. "Well, I have a hard time finding men who are stronger than me. In fact, the only one still around is..." Jemmy blinked. Why couldn't she remember? She shrugged. It wasn't uncommon for her to simply forget something, even the names and faces of people she had loved. "Doesn't matter. Even the strong guys I find usually don't find me attractive."

Jemmy transformed into a teenage girl with long black hair and blue eyes. Her clothing changed to a skirt and white t-shirt. This was her alter-ego, Grace. "Of course, there are ways to get around that. I'm a Shallow. I can be whatever I want to be, like a balloon animal. I can become the most beautiful woman in the world. Or at least, I can look like her. But sometimes I get tired of being Shallow. I want something in my life to stay the same, so I can grow attached to it." Jemmy slowly transformed back into the little girl that was her 'true' self. "I don't think Drav is looking for just a pretty girl. In fact, it almost seems like he doesn't care about that at all. I think he just wants someone to love him, which is what I want, too."

So her boyfriend was someone who was starving for affection. Well, that was one way of getting along with Jemmy. Marleigh could see how and why that relationship would work. If she had anything to worry about, it would be if and when that relationship would come to an end. Break-ups where one side was too overly attached were troublesome.

"He sounds nice. I wish the best to the both of you."

"But I think you have the wrong idea about being protected. The protector does not have to be stronger than the one he is protecting. You might be surprised at what he will be capable of when the time comes."

"They say people show their true worth when protecting someone or something they care about. It is an idealistic thought and me being a realist, it is not something I can wholly advocate. But I cannot deny that I have seen my fair share of instances where that thought had some semblance of truth."

Jemmy demonstrating her shape changing abilities did not surprise Marleigh too much. In fact it would have been much more unusual for a lord of chaos to be limited to only one form. From the words that followed however, the maid could not help but think that a part of the princess no longer wanted to be a lord of chaos.

She did not think it was possible and she was likely just overthinking it. But for some time now, she felt that somehow Jemmy felt resigned to being what she was. For example, on several occasions, she had used her very existence and identity to justify her actions. How much of that was a just whim and how much was her true feelings?

"Change is good. It may not always be for the best, but it is proof that you are moving forward. It is fine to be attached to something, but in my opinion, you should bring that thing with you instead of letting it tie you down."

"Ah, I seem to be getting philosophical again. Well, I am certainly glad that you found someone who accepts you for who you are."

Marleigh looked over at the ingredients the princess had gotten. They were surprisingly normal. Was she playing it safe?

"I am sure we also have chocolate, cream, cheese, nuts, sprinkles and various flavored frosting somewhere. There is no need to hold back Princess."

Someone didn't need to be stronger than you to defend you? Jemmy decided that made sense. That shy boy she had met, Damian, had actually saved her life, even though he had been an underdog in the fight.

Change was good. Jemmy knew that was true. There were times where she didn't want certain things to change. Eventually, Jemmy knew, she would outlive all of these good friends she had been making lately. With her temperament tied closely to those she surrounded herself with, Jemmy had no idea what kind of a person she might be in a hundred years or so.

But right now, Jemmy was good. She had friends that she liked, and she liked herself. To celebrate this, she would make Rain some cupcakes.

Marleigh congratulated her on finding someone who had accepted her, and then provided a list of ingredients that would make the cupcakes extra special. Jemmy blushed a little bit. How could she forget the frosting? "Oh, yeah, I was just...going to get those things." She collected all the items that Marleigh had mentioned. Pausing, she gave her maid a curious look.

"Marleigh, have you ever loved anybody? Has anybody ever loved you?"

The Princess popped a rather curious question. There were different kinds of love, but considering the context of their conversation, Marleigh assumed she was referring to the romantic type. Unfortunately, it was the one that the maid herself did not have much experience in. She was the type who was "married to her work" and never really thought about romance. Was she missing out? Perhaps. But the subject had never really piqued her interest, even now.

"I am quite in love with my work, but I guess that is not the love you meant. I suppose you could also consider my feelings toward my master to be love."

"I am not much of a romantic, but I think love depends on the person giving it meaning and then accepting it for what it is. You can ask others about it, but ultimately you decide what it means for you."

"As for how that applies to me, no, I do not believe I have ever been romantically in love or loved. Perhaps someday."

She relieved the Princess of the ingredients she was carrying and laid them out on the table in an organized arrangement. The preheated oven had reached a good temperature as well so they could begin baking soon.

Jemmy studied her maid. She had never loved or been loved? Jemmy had experienced that for countless years, and it had made her feel miserable. At least her immortality had given her the hope for love in the future, but Marleigh was mortal. She only had so many years to live and then she would die. The idea of an entire lifetime going by without love seemed so...sad.

Jemmy walked over to Marleigh and hugged her around the waist. "I can't honestly say that I love you, Marleigh. I won't lie about that. The feeling just isn't there. But you should find someone that loves you. You deserve it." Jemmy released the hug and turned away. "I...I'm glad that you take good care of me, and I'm going to need you to take even more care of me in the future. But you still need to take some time off to be free and do fun things. Because fun is a big part of Chaos, an important part."

Jemmy sat on the counter and looked at Marleigh once more. "I'm sorry to tell you all this stuff at once, but I ran out of time. This might be my last chance. You see, I'm going to...forget everything. Tomorrow, I'm going to erase my memory, and forget everything I've ever seen and everyone I've ever met. I still want you to be in my life then, so I want you to introduce yourself to me again. That way, we can become friends all over again."

Marleigh did not see the hug coming but smiled when it did.

"Your concern is more than enough. Whatever you may think, I am quite pleased with the way things are. Asking for anything more would be rather selfish."

It was then that the Princess dropped another surprising bit of information. This one though seemed to be even more serious than the previous ones. Marleigh could imagine there were several well thought out reasons why an immortal would want or need to have their memories erased. The maid was not in any position to question it, but of course she felt it was a shame. The more pressing concern however was that most people did not have her ironclad resolve to take and accept things as they come. Especially when the purposes and reasons for such were unclear.

"I would certainly want to continue working for you even after that. But have you settled things with your other friends and acquaintances? I can imagine, few are as understanding as I am. Not that I am unaffected by it. It is unfortunate but I am sure you have your reasons."

If she gave off the impression of coldness, Marleigh definitely did not mean to. It was her way of not letting feelings get in the way of her work.

Jemmy chuckled, and the infamous 'way-too-wide smile' appeared on her face. "What's wrong with being selfish?" Being selfish and inspiring selfishness in others was a big part of Jemmy's job.

Marleigh was really understanding, as Jemmy had come to expect from the maid. It made her seem like an immortal, for she certainly seemed to understand the long view of things much better than other humans. Marleigh asked if Jemmy had settled her accounts with everyone. Jemmy looked down. Said like that, it sounded like she was going to die or something. In Jemmy's mind, it was quite the opposite. But losing all of your memories could be considered similar to death, she decided.

"Not yet. I don't really plan things out all that well. But don't worry, I will." Marleigh was actually the first person she had told. Some people may not be told at all until after the fact by note.

But Marleigh was right. Jemmy did have her reasons, and she would not be dissuaded at this point. It was getting to be so much to remember, and new memories were appearing that hadn't been there before. They were shadows of the lives she had lived in the distant past, before her previous memory wipes. She had even remembered him, the Forgotten One. He had jogged her memory at their last meeting, and now Jemmy had remembered his purpose.

This time, she would accept his gift.

Jemmy looked back up at Marleigh. "Let's just get these treats ready for Rain."