Chapter 40
The purification went about the way it always did, with a Guardian first, then Alex, Father Stephen, Julian, and finally the other Guardian, in this case Jacques. The cold pool was as awful as ever, but Alex practically melted into the bench of the sauna, and revelled in the warm shower afterward.
The meditation room with its grass was kept unseasonably warm to facilitate thinking on things besides how cold it was.
Alex noted new plants among the grass, wildflowers he thought might have somehow traveled here from the luck garden, nothing that would have to be pulled but some added colour nonetheless.
He sent his senses down to the deep earth and up to the bleak skies, and then allowed a little wander around this Temple's wards, finding that this time, at least, nothing was trying to get in at them.
Not even some nosy kid at a window, for once, just the peace of winter and the resting nature surrounding them even here in the heart of the city.
He brought that peace back into himself, finding another peace already there for once, and meditated on simple gratitude until the gong sounded once again.
The potion he got with his kiss of peace was the inexpensive one for insight, and afterward there was someone available to do a proper massage on his exercise-sore muscles.
By the time he got bundled back up into his winter clothing, Alex was feeling practically mellow.
He turned his phone back on, letting James have some quiet time as he looked through the few messages he'd gotten, mostly Lapointe complaining about rich people and Thomas complaining that rich people were making his girlfriend grumpy.
Alex texted Nat to remind him to re-book Father Mordecai, and got a leaf back in response, which was Nat's way of acknowledging his human while busy. Then he sat up and looked over to where James was poking at his own phone and figured that his quiet time was up.
"So, how are the wards doing at the Guardian Temple?" asked Alex, sliding over to sit next to him, big and warm as he was.
James chuckled. "They're doing fine. Father Mordecai hasn't started making many changes yet, other than layering in a few things you two talked about already.
Those haven't clashed with what's there so far, so he's hopeful you can reweave sections together in a way that will hold up better in the future and be more flexible. "
"And how's the paparazzi plague?" They'd been having a problem a few months ago with more photographers than usual coming around to try to get shots of the Guardians going about their normal, everyday lives, enough that at least one of the wards they'd talked about was specifically about preventing photography through their windows.
"Somewhat receded," said James with a big sigh.
"We think that James and I might end up being interviewed, complete with a camera crew to look at our rooms, but we haven't decided yet.
There's a few other people that are also reluctant volunteers, but the Fathers think we're the two most well-known at this time. "
"Dispel the mystery, but give up some personal privacy," said Alex with a nod. "It's a hard balance to strike."
"We're considering it," said James. "Any advice?"
Julian and Alex had done a very small amount of press when they'd moved into their house and take up the mantle of Guardianship, mostly because the Queen made them.
There had been an architecture magazine spread about the cottage itself, and a couple of other interviews about their lives in which they'd made every effort to sound as bland as possible.
"We weren't great at it," said Alex. "We went with boring nerds as our persona. I talked about making some charm in unnecessary detail, and Julian talked about his plants the same way.
"Being boring is really the goal," said James. "So unnecessary detail about things like weapons maintenance?"
"And Jacques can talk about cooking; he's good at geeking out about ingredients and stuff," said Julian. "You've got another hobby, I'm sure."
"Mostly reading while eating his cooking," James joked. "I do more of the weapons maintenance, too, though he does his share. I find it meditative."
"What parts of your lives would people think of as exciting?" Alex wondered aloud.
"I have no idea," said James. "There's a tiny bit of action in any given assignment, and not even that all the time. We didn't have to do anything to keep you two alive."
"This time," said Alex wryly. "Maybe Raj and Roger have an idea of what topics to avoid? They're new and they were big Guardian fanboys even before."
"Oh, good idea," said James. "They're doing well as trainees, anyway. Still mischievous but not in a bad way."
Father Stephen emerged from the back next, and changed into his normal robes with a sense of great peace about him.
He and James talked a little bit about the other trainees, no one Alex really knew, only half a dozen in the newest cohort.
Being a Guardian was a lifelong commitment, and there wasn't too much need to grow their ranks, so they only took those who were enthusiastic about the calling, or so they explained.
Alex liked the idea of Raj and Roger growing up to Guard people one day, given how excited they'd been to meet James and Jacques.
Julian emerged and Alex busied himself getting Julian bundled up, though the cold didn't bother him as much as it used to. He, too, felt peaceful and sweet to Alex through their bond, and Alex was glad they'd made time both to see their friend and get purified.
"Have you had any other incursions on the Way?" asked Father Stephen, once they'd all grouped into four to await Jacques.
"No, other than the troublesome squirrel we already told you about, there hasn't been anything since the false murder," said Alex. "Which I for one am very happy about."
"It's light work, the Guarding," said Julian, "but still important. Being the Charmer seems almost as important now that Alex is back in business."
"It's true," said Alex. "I'd honestly no idea there was so much of a market out there for bespoke charms among the rich, and even not so rich. I charge according to what's needed and what the person can give, so I do take the occasional normal person or lower fae."
"I get more of the lower fae," said Julian. "They like the potent plants."
"You also have a thriving business in magical ingredients, when you want to," said Alex with a chuckle. "He was having trouble finding time and land for a Mastery project, but now that it's winter there's more free time."
"I still like the idea of a commons," said Julian, "but I'm not sure there's any land going spare in a location that's useful to normal people. No one needs a park in the middle of nowhere."
"And so we keep circling around ideas," said Alex. "The community garden was doing well last we checked, and he'll go make sure everything's growing well in spring."
"It's not a resource if nothing comes back from winter," said Julian with a shrug.
"That's very kind of you," said Father Stephen. "The ongoing maintenance of your projects is part of what makes them so special, I think."
"Which means we get to see the luck garden," said Alex.
"Yay," said Julian happily. "Horace will be sad he missed it, he's off visiting Emmy, though he might be home by now."
"He'd have come and found us if he was done," said Alex. "He can always find the two of us, but Emmy's made friends with him so he's probably waiting for a return letter."
"He's very easy to like," said James with a smile. "And useful for a lot of things besides just letters."
"He does wishes for us sometimes, too," said Alex, "but in winter the trees don't need it as much."
"They're as dormant as any tree now," agreed Julian.
Jacques finally emerged in his thin purification robe and grinned to see them all ready to go. "Just let me get my kit on," he said, going to the locker he'd shared with James.
"We're going to visit my garden after this," said Julian proudly. "Then Jones will drop you two off before taking us home."
"Sounds good," said Jacques, dressing efficiently and as unsexily as a man that built could manage, not that Alex was looking. Much.
Julian poked him through the bond.
"I hear you two are going to be interviewed soon, maybe," said Alex instead.
"Ugh, yes," said Jacques. "It's going to be so stupid, but at least our rooms are extremely boring to people who read magazines."
"Alex suggested we ask Raj and Roger how to make it all sound very boring," said James. "The duller we are, the less likely it is we'll be flooded with requests after this first one is granted."
"I thought they were still choosing who to let in," said Jacques, putting on his boots. "And who to interview."
"They are, but you know it'll be us," said James with a sigh. "Especially as we'll have more time off once we're no longer on assignment and have debriefed about Julian and Alex again."
"I can ask my palace contact if they have a list of the more trustworthy publications, I guess?" said Alex dubiously.
Julian giggled. "He hates talking to the people at the palace, but the press secretary there is actually really brilliant."
"It's fine, we've got our own people looking into it," said James. "We're just not thrilled to be picked for it, no one would be, really."
"Our sympathies," said Alex with only a hint of trolling. "Press stuff sucks."
"Truer words," said Jacques, and they sat for a moment in the silence of their mutual hatred of publicity.
"I hate the ones that try to block cars," said Jones after a moment, which started another conversation about the annoyance of pushy press, rather than just its existence at all, which lasted until they were pulled up into the Temple of the Guardians' parking garage.
"We'll see you soon," said Alex. "You already promised Cody to come make us practice more often."
"We did," said James with a half-grin. "We'll hopefully come out for mostly social reasons next time."
"Because friends," said Julian.
"Because friends," agreed Jacques.
Jones handed them their bags, and that was it. The Guardians went inside and Jones pulled out, headed for home.