And it may take some time to learn what&#39;s real

No one's ever going to call Helen observant, when it comes to people, or emotionally sensitive.

But Jamie's her (only) friend, and she's spent enough time with him to feel a creeping of--unease at the look on his face. She doesn't know what to do or say about it, though, so she ignores it with some contempt and watches the rest of the world from behind her curtain of hair.

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Alright, so Jamie did know what he was talking about. Rather well, in fact. They all got off the train without a hitch, and into a rather large city, by the looks of things-

So why Jamie is not bragging about it is a bit of a mystery to Joris. He glances over, a bit concerned.

"what's the matter?"

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"Nothing," Jamie says, drawing the familiar careless easiness back over him like a comfortable suit.

"I reckon we ought to look for some lunch."

He's always been quick on the rebound. And now, he starts to think, maybe he wasn't so wrong to let his Hope off its leash after all. You do get worlds in a set that are quite alike. If this world is so much like, then maybe -

A large part of him wants to grab Joris and go racing back to the Boundary. Right now. A few worlds on, and he could be Home. Next world on, and he could be Home. Maybe today!

The other part reminds him that there's the others to look after, and he'd be really selfish if he didn't at least give them some sort of idea how to get on without him. After all, he thinks, Hope in his eyes and ears and tapping away just barely contained in his mouth, he might not be with them much longer.

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There are lots of people where Jamie takes them, all bustling and pushing here and there. Helen glares at them from behind her hair, staying close to the boys. They almost lose Joris, a couple of times, and once Helen has to go "Excuse me!" loudly to a large group of people who pass between her and the others.

There are security guards at all fo the shops, even the ones at the covered market place. Helen is growing progressively angrier at the people who ckeep staring at them--one in black, one in red, and one in white. It was the boys who were drawing the attention, she knew. After all, there's a lot of people here all in black!

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They are really going to have to find something different for Joris to wear.

They are also, Jamie can see, going to have to find a cleverer way to find food than simply nabbing something off a stall.

"I'm going to try the 'lost my money' trick," he tells them finally, eyeing the 'LUNCH TO TAKE AWAY' sign overhead. "That ought to get us something."

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... The what, now? Joris glances over at Jamie, puzzled.

"Though we didn't have any money to lose in the first place- so why would you say that?"

If Joris is even noticing any of the odd looks toward his clothing, he is used to it. Demon hunters tend to stick out even on his own world- though most people tended to pay more attention to Konstam instead of him. Anyways...

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"That's why it's a trick," Jamie says patiently. "Like telling the man at the station that the took our tickets on the train. You go in and you pick someone kind-looking to stand behind, and then you pretend to realize you've lost your money, and the person almost always will pay for you. It'll work to get us sandwiches. You'll see."

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Technically it is true- none of them have any money, and certainly none of this world, where ever it is. But it still seems too much like a lie to sit well with Joris. He frowns slightly, glancing from Jamie to the shop.

"If you say so..."

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Irritated once more - yes, he does say so, and he knows what he's talking about - Jamie puts on an air of extra confidence and heads into the shop, ready to start looking for a kind-looking person.

And then he's hit by the smell of the ham sandwich.

Jamie's never thought to ask for a ham sandwich particularly, at Milliways or otherwise. They were never especial favorites of his. But the smell of these, the crisp hot rolls lying stacked behind the counter, takes him straight back to the rolls they used to have in the shop. They were delivered fresh at breakfast every morning. They always got two each to take for lunch, with a bit of cheese for each of them, and Elsie would be hanging around to pounce on any extra bits of cheese and his mother would get all irritable and -

"What's up, my duck?" says a kind-looking person just behind Jamie. "You do look mournful."

Jamie looks up. He means to say that he's lost his money, truly he does, and he can't think how it happens, but what comes out of his mouth, in a sort of wail, is "I've lost my mummy!"

It's beyond lucky for Jamie that people hear what they expect to hear.

"Lost your money, have you, my duck?" says the kind lady, terribly sympathetic. "Never mind. I'll buy you a roll. Two ham rolls, please, miss."

Thank goodness Helen and Joris are outside, Jamie thinks, trying to pull himself together, but he still comes out of the shop practically in tears. And with only one roll.

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He looks like he has been crying. The only way to deal with that is to ignore it. He can thank her later.

"Not much between three," said Helen, disapproving. "What is wrong with you, Jamie?"

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"Nothing," Jamie says, and concentrates very hard for a moment on dividing the roll into three equal pieces and sharing it out.

Once this is finished, he looks up again and says, in his most competent and in-charge manner, "It's bothering me the way we look. We're too noticeable. We really must get Joris something else to wear at least. Your clothes will do, Helen. I'd be all right if I had darker trousers, but Joris is the one who's urgent. Nobody here wears white all over."

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Jamie can not be serious.

... Jamie better NOT be serious. Joris' jaw clenches into a frown. "Oh no." He crosses his arms. "This is the proper dress for a demon hunter, and I'm proud to wear it. I refuse to sneak about dressed as something else!"

Seven years of training so far, and a few more to go. He has earned this uniform, and he will not give it up.

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Jamie is really, really not in the mood to mollycoddle Joris and his Absolutely Wonderful Demon-Hunting Specialness right about now.

"Don't be a fool," he snaps. "You stick out like a broken leg in it. The only way we're going to get on in this world is by looking like everyone else."

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And Joris has just been pulled from his world and anything at all familiar to him- Under no circumstances is he giving up his uniform as well. He narrows his eyes at Jamie.

"I'm damned if I shall!"

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Idiots.

Helen rolls her eyes behind her hair. "Put a coat on over it, then."

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"And serve you right if you swelter!"

Jamie is thoroughly sick of trying to convince ungrateful Homeward Bounding babies what's best for them. He never had any helpful guides willing to put themselves through enormous inconveniences for him. He had to sink or swim and learn to adapt on his own, thank you, very much!

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Joris just scowls at Jamie. So far they have been doing just fine without his help!

Well. Sort of. Somewhat. Well maybe not...

Even still. Joris is NOT going to give in to Jamie and his outrageous request. He glares silently at him for a few moments longer.

"Fine." Through gritted teeth. "A coat."

If only for Helen's much nicer suggestion.

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"Thank you, oh Lord Joris," says Jamie, "for granting us this great favor."

Well, maybe for Joris, acting sensibly is a great hardship. Who knows what goes on in that head.

"All right," he adds, and turns away, towards a side street. "Let's go out towards the edge of the city. You get clotheslines and washing there."

If the route he wants them to take leads through the part of the city where his house sits, in his own Home world . . . well, that's just a minor detail, yes?

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Helen follows him, through the winding streets, past the construction of yellow houses and absolutely no clotheslines.

Her feet have started to pain her within several hours--the hard black stuff is nothing like walking on sand, or on the soft well-worn rock of the House. She doesn't say anything, but sighs pointedly and glances at Joris through her hair.

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And here Joris thought the idea of getting him a coat to wear was to keep from walking around in his uniform where everyone could see him? Clearly, Jamie really has no idea At All of what he is doing on this world.

Joris rolls his eyes, and glances over at Helen. It does not seem as if she is buying this either.

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Jamie's mood is not improving as the afternoon wears on, either.

Fortunately, before any of them snaps, they come to a long hedge. The sound of children's voices comes from behind it. Jamie knows a thing or two about how children play (more than Helen or Joris does, he bets; neither of them would know the first thing about a normal childhood) and where there are children, in this kind of climate, there are almost always shed coats and jackets and sweaters left somewhere behind.

Jamie pushes through the hedge to let them see what's beyond.

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Joris and Helen follow through, to find themselves next to a house with some sort of transit bus parked next to it. Off in the distance, however, was a group of boys roughly their own age, wearing WHITE, and playing some sort of game.

WEARING WHITE.

Sure, Jamie. Nobody here wears white. And Joris is the King of the Sudan, back home.

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"I'll stand watch," Helen says, raising her chin to view the surroundings. It is only practical: she's a girl, and it's not like she needs new clothes.

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. . . well, if Jamie were one of those boys there, he wouldn't want to try and get by Helen.

He nods at her, and then creeps off across a sort of creaking porch-thing to get inside the house - inside which, it turns out, are dark grey trousers, black shoes, grey shirts, and navy-blue jackets galore, hung all about the place in semi-neat piles.

Jamie surveys the trove of clothing with immense satisfaction.

Damn, he's good.

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