Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Agnes hasn’t seen her brother in exactly seven months, two weeks, and six days since he started his ‘secret case’ earlier in the year. It’s also been exactly seven days since the apocalypse happened and all things considered, she’s doing pretty well. The hospital was a little damaged, everything in Neverwinter is at least a little damaged after all the chaos but the Birds held the line--Or so everyone keeps saying. 

She’s not sure how she feels yet, she spent most of The Day in a basement with everyone else from the Children’s Ward. It’s just a lot to process.

She’s thankful beyond anything when she finally gets a letter in their code saying to meet in their usual place in Neverwinter. She doesn’t hesitate in the slightest at sneaking out of the hospital, she’s having a good day so it’s not very hard.

Their bench is destroyed, and so is most of the park but Agnes sits under a nearby tree, shuffling her cards and wondering if she should have brought her good blanket so she could scam some folks with phony readings. Neverwinter is always good for that, with the disaster it’s harder to gauge but she thinks she could get some pity silvers and coppers. 

Every little bit helps, even with Angus sending money the hospital is expensive. 

She kicks her feet a little, she’s crushing a very crunchy leaf when tiny hands cover her eyes and a familiar voice asks, “What’s the password?” 

“Caleb Cleveland is a big nerd .” 

“You’re supposed to say Caleb Cleveland is the best but it’s been a while so I’ll let it slide this time.” She can hear the pout in his voice, and she laughs louder and freer than she has in months. She turns her body, not too fast because she doesn’t want to get dizzy and latches onto Angus like a limpet. 

“You’re a big nerd too, I missed you.” 

“Aggie, I’ve missed you so much, I’m sorry I couldn’t come and see you sooner but everything’s been crazy and no one at the bureau’s let me go anywhere. I had to lie and say I was going to the library to come see you.” 

“The library got crushed by a weird mushroom monster.” 

“Yeah, but Taako and Magnus don’t know that so as long as they don’t crosscheck with Madame Director Lucretia I should be good for at least a few hours.” 

“I knew you had something to do with that big moon cult as soon as I saw it in The Story. That had ‘Angus McDonald, World’s Greatest Detective’ written all over it.” 

“Of course you knew, that has ‘Agnes McDonald, World’s Greatest Clairvoyant’ written all over it.” 

Angus tells her about his past year, both the little bit before when he’d been tracking the Rockport Slayer and everything afterward. Most of the stories are fun, the train ride is exciting, the crystal lab is a little scary but she knows it turns out okay so it’s not so bad, and everyone at the bureau does sound nice. 

They took care of her brother, she’s happy he has people like she has her nurses and the other ward kids.

“You’ve gotta come meet them! I haven’t said anything yet but I figured it would be a cool surprise. Like, we could dress the same and do the thing we used to do where we both hide in different parts of a room, pop out, and say something clever then pop back into our hiding spot. We can see how long it takes them to figure out I’m not teleporting or casting duplicity!” 

Agnes frowns, she hunches over slightly--She doesn’t let go of Angus because she can’t yet, it’s been too long so she practically curls into his side, “Meet them? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” 

Angus seems utterly baffled by her question, blinking wide-eyed as he processes it, “Why wouldn’t it be?” 

Agnes sighs because she always has to be the responsible one, the one who tells Angus when he’s being too ambitious, “Because you lied to them? I mean, we agreed not to tell people about me until I’m out of the hospital ‘cause it’s dangerous but that seems like it’s a big deal not to tell your cult friends about me.” 

“It’s only sort of a moon cult--And it’s only a lie by omission, that barely counts.” Angus counters, clearly exasperated with her arguments. Which isn’t fair, because she’s probably right, he’s lived with them for months without mentioning her. The militia is at least vaguely aware of her, mostly because of the time she’d had to be put under temporary protection from the remnants of a gang Angus had busted. That case had been the reason for their rule in the first place, a precaution to prevent any repeats. 

Agnes pulls Angus closer, pressing her face into his collar. He smells different, like cookies instead of old books. She’s not sure how she feels about that, but she knows how she feels about Angus.  

“I don’t wanna ruin this for you, they like you so much but what if they don’t like me.”

Tiny hands clutch at her back just as surely as hers clutch his. Angus’ voice is so tiny like he’s trying to soothe a startled animal but the undercurrent is as confident and fierce as her brother always is in the face of a mystery. 

“Taako’s a twin too! He’ll get it, Aggie,” Angus insists as his palms rub circles on her back, “I haven’t known Miss Lup for as long but she seems really nice too.” 

“I mean, yeah, I guess they seemed nice in The Story and they like you but I’m...I’m different .” 

“You’re my sister .” 

“I’m sick. Not everybody likes sick, Gus.” 

Angus pulls away and gets that look on his face, the one where he has a clever idea that Agnes knows she’s not going to like. He grins brightly, “What if you don’t meet them as Agnes.” Her brother moves quickly, taking off his hat with one hand and gathering up her curls with the other before summarily shoving them all under the cap. 

“ Angus !” She yelps, her own hands snaking up to adjust her tugged locks. She puts on her most disapproving face, the one with the pout and puppy dogs eyes that works on every single nurse at the hospital. 

Angus is completely unphased.

“Just listen, it’s a good plan! You can pretend to be me for the day, just like we used to and then you can see how nice they are. Give it a few hours and then you can decide if you want to meet them as Agnes or not. It’s completely foolproof!”

“Are you sure?”

“I swear on my signed Caleb Cleveland boxset!”

Chapter Text

Frankly, it’s incredibly weird to be wearing Angus’ clothes again. They haven’t tried pulling this trick in ages, mostly because as it became harder for Agnes to move around it became harder for them to mimic each other's gaits perfectly. Angus could get hers alright but Agnes struggled with her brother’s posture. 

Today’s a good day, she thinks she maybe has three hours of being able to pretend to be Angus like they used to, four hours if she can sit for most of it. She’s holding Angus’ hand on the way up--So much up because the moon is so much higher than she expected and she doesn’t even know how --and kicks her feet again. They’d changed clothes on the way up so Angus is in her sundress and she’s wearing his suit but they kept their own shoes because Agnes’ are made special to help her walk right and Angus’ feet are also almost a whole size bigger than hers anyway. 

Angus says no one will pay attention, but they cast prestidigitation to make them extra shiny just in case. 

When the moon base comes into focus, Agnes can’t help the way her jaw drops. It’s beautiful. The most amazing thing she’s ever seen--A whole big town all on the moon , even if it’s still sort of dinged up from The Day of Story and Song. Angus is laughing beside her, “I guess I know what my face looked like when I first saw it.” 

She gives her brother a nod as he passes over his lanyard, she stares at it curiously, turning the focus this way and that, inspecting it. She had always been the one who dipped her hand in magic, even if hers was all fake card tricks and sleight of hand--Maybe when this was over Angus could teach her tricks too.

“Okay so you’re going to have to check in with Avi when we dock but it’s fine, he’s really nice. Once we’re in we’ll go to the cafeteria and get a snack, then we can go find Magnus and Taako! After you meet them you’ve gotta meet Carey and Killian, I think you’ll love Johann--”

Angus stops himself suddenly, his expression looking like someone had kicked him in the gut. Agnes immediately reaches out and takes his hand. “That’s the bard, isn’t it? The one who played the song,” She knows the look on her brothers face, all the little clever words tumbling around his brain but they're all stuck inside. She squeezes his hand tighter, “Sorry I couldn’t meet him.” 

They sit in silence until Angus collects himself, he shoves his glasses up and rubs at his eyes. Agnes takes his hand again when he’s done and waits for him to continue. Her brother takes a deep breath and shakes his head, “It’ll be fun , okay? You’ll get to meet all my friends and any time you want to switch out we can go to my room and trade places. If you decide you want to meet them as you then we can do it tonight or we can wait ‘till tomorrow.” 

“I’ve gotta be back at the hospital by six, I didn’t bring my medicine with me.”

Angus reaches across her and plunges both hands into his bag currently strapped to her back. He pulls out a little sleek red pocket watch, fiddling with it for a few minutes before shoving it back into the bag, “I set a timer so we should be good!”

Agnes frowns, it doesn’t look like any kind of timer she’s ever seen, no sand or bells but she figures it must be enchanted. Her brother’s friends with powerful wizards, he probably has access to all kinds of interesting things.

Agnes takes about a moment to stare out and admire the smooth architecture getting bigger and bigger on the horizon before her brother grabs his wand and casts invisibility on himself, “Okay, I think we’re going to have to cast this a few time but I’ll give you a few minutes notice so you can sneak me my wand.”

Once he’s finished Agnes feels his pinky pressed against her hand and instantly she wraps her own little finger around his. Giggles escape as her brother proudly announces, like they’re seven and wandering around someplace they shouldn’t and not a pair of eleven-year-olds about to pull a fast one on some of the most powerful people in the multiverse.

“Team Twin is on the case!”

Chapter Text

When Agnes stumbles out of the transport orb, or whatever Angus had called it she doesn’t expect to run into a brick wall. Or rather, once she stumbles back she realizes it isn’t a brick wall but instead a brick shithouse--One Magnus Burnsides. She stares for nearly a minute before she feels someone, a very invisible someone, pinches her side. Agnes stands up straight, her best impression of her brother’s voice flying out with only the softest wheeze, “H-Hello, sir!”

“What’s up, Ango! You’re back early, did the library not have that book you wanted?” 

For a moment Agnes’ mind goes completely blank--What book--and then she remembers her brother’s cover story and she dons her most put-upon expression. The one Angus gets when someone contaminates evidence or that time one of the militia members dogeared a page in his book. 

“No, someone had it checked out, but I’m on the waiting list now. They’ve extended due date because of the apocalypse so none of the librarians are sure when it’ll be back. I’ll just have to be a patient boy ‘till whoever has it turns it in.” 

There’s another pinch at her side, albeit gentler this time. Agnes almost rolls her eyes but instead, she gives a barely perceptible nod, more of a head tilt really, in what she guesses is her brother’s direction. Tone it down just a smidge then--even if her brother really is that much of a nerd boy. 

She sidesteps slightly, enough that she’s not liable to run into the giant of a man a second time. It’s a bit clumsy in part because she’s a bit clumsy. It doesn't help that her invisible brother is underfoot and she nearly trips on him. Altogether it’s completely ungainly and she’s positive it must look like she literally just tripped over the open air. She holds her breath once she’s steady but Magnus makes no comment on the blunder. 

Alright, Agnes tells herself, smooth moon sailing here on out. She’s just gotta stay cool. 

“Is--Is there anything you need, sir?”

He watches her closely, squinting slightly and Agnes can feel her heart start to hammer almost painfully in her chest with nerves. This is a bad idea, a bad plan. Of course, people who’ve lived with Angus for almost a year are going to recognize her, it doesn’t matter if they’re nearly identical but for the hair artfully shoved up into her brother’s hat. They’re still different people, individuals that those who know them best are going to recognize. 

She’s almost ready to give up then, to grab Angus and run to his room--she doesn’t know where it is but he said he’d take her if she didn’t want to do this, he swore --when Magnus’ hand suddenly comes down on her shoulder. 

In a split second, he’s knelt down before her, Agnes moves to step back but the ironclad grip keeps her rooted in place. There’s a split second where she’s terrified, her mind flashing back to hostage situations but then she sees Magnus’ face and the panic dies down--He just looks so concerned. 

“Angus, you’re walking a little funny, are you okay?”

Agnes has to think fast and keep herself from glancing around for her invisible brother for reassurance. She knew her stride was off, even ignoring her near fall. With her orthopedic shoes, she just can’t quite put the same pep of her brother’s into her step. Without showing her internal panic, Agnes bullshits, “Uh, I-I twisted my ankle on some debris outside Neverwinter library! I didn’t want to tell anyone ‘cause it’s embarrassing!”

All at once Magnus’ entire face softens, his frown shifting to an exasperated smile which Agnes has no clue how to respond to. She feels Angus’ hand tap her back twice, which is definitely a comfort but doesn’t actually tell her what to do. She stares down a human golden retriever in the eye and tries to plan her next move but before Agnes can even open her mouth to apologize the man’s hands are circling her waist and he’s hoisting her up onto his shoulders.

“Oh man, why didn’t you say something earlier,” Magnus bellows and Agnes shrieks, hands scrambling for purchase until she ends up clinging to the hair on either side of Magnus’ cheeks. He doesn’t even flinch even though she’s sure it must hurt, “Oh shit, did I jostle you too much? Sorry, kiddo.” 

Apparently, Magnus isn’t phased by ‘Angus’ screaming like a banshee. She files that away for further questioning at a later date then shakes her head--The clothes really are making her think like her brother. 

“Y-You shouldn’t boyhandle me like that, s-sir!”

Magnus’ booming laugh fills the transport deck and Agnes can’t help her own giggle that escapes even when she tries smothering it. His laughter is infectious and it helps her relax, just a little bit. Her hands are still buried in his facial hair, like a horse’s mane and he doesn’t seem to mind so Agnes keeps them there.

Magnus bounds forward, she wonders if she even weighs anything to him. She knows she weighs less than her brother does but is that something easily noticeable? Magnus hadn’t hesitated at all in picking her up so it must be something he does with Angus--Or with everyone really from what she remembers from the Story.

That’s...That seems nice, that Angus has someone so willing to carry him when he’s hurt.

As if on cue Magnus speaks, “We’ll get you over to the infirmary then some lunch, is that alright? I think Lup and Taako have taken over the cafeteria last time I checked.”

Agnes frowns, didn’t they have a cleric? She remembers the one from the story but she’s also pretty sure Angus had mentioned him briefly when talking about his work as a seeker. It seems odd that they wouldn’t go to him first, “What about Mister Merle, sir?” 

Suddenly the Magnus express comes to a halt and the man glances up at her, his eyebrows practically becoming one with his hairline, “You want Merle to heal you?” 

Based on the incredulous tone, Agnes guesses that would be very much a no, “Oh, uh, no thank you, sir. I just--uh--thought maybe he’d like to feel included?” 

Magnus gives her an odd look but ultimately shrugs and keeps walking, Agnes attention is drawn back to the soft fluffy hair beneath her fingers. It looks like it would be fun to braid, but she can’t do it now because Angus is terrible at braids and she’s not sure if they know that or not. She’s the one who always did his braids when they still lived together, at the hospital she sometimes got to do braids on the nurses or the other ward kids because the doctors said it’s good for exercising her fine motor skills.

It takes her a while, but she thinks her braid skills are pretty impressive and now that she has Angus back she’s gonna give him the fanciest braids she’s ever done, once she gets the chance. 

Every so often she glances around, trying to spot her brother even though she knows she can’t. It’s weird to know, technically that he’s here but not quite be sure where. When they used to sneak around as little kids they always went hand in hand, splitting up was something that Agnes always hated no matter how well Angus always said it worked out for Caleb Cleveland. 

Every now and then, usually when Magnus sped up, Agnes would hear the patter of Angus’ black fancy boy shoes clicking against the ground. If Magnus noticed he didn’t say anything but just in case Agnes filled any periods of sole clacking with inane chatter. It’s a gamble, but she and Angus had gone over safe topics of conversation on the way up--Magnus is absolutely loving her quiet inquiries about the logistics of dog training.

She's not sure what's in store for her meeting the rest of Angus' friends but she decides she does like Magnus Burnsides.

Chapter Text

As they approach the infirmary, Agnes realizes she didn’t quite think through her plan, considering she does not, in fact, have a sprained ankle. Which will be obvious soon. Well, shoot.

This is why Angus is supposed to be the one in charge of coming up with their cover stories, Angus the one who’s good with coming up with lies on the fly. Agnes needs time, information, and an already charmed audience to craft hers. She technically has the last bit, Magnus seems pretty cooperative but the first two are more elusive. She glances around wildly, trying to zero in one her invisible brother for a solution when she feels a warm rush of magic on her ankle.

To her right, she hears a rhythm--Tap, tap, pause, tap. One of their codes, Stay put this one meant and Agnes nearly lets go of Magnus’ hair so that she can drag her hands over her own face. Of course, she needs to stay put, she can’t exactly make a leap from Magnus’ shoulders, she’s pretty certain Angus wouldn’t even be able to pull that off without a few bruises.

She throws a look in the direction the tapping came from, but she trusts whatever magic her brother cast. Because he can use magic now, and that’s still just a little bit amazing, no one had ever wanted to teach a pair of street kids magic but Gus found a teacher all on his own. It makes her heart pinch, just a little, because maybe people are more willing to help him when he doesn’t have a sickly sister trailing after him. She knows he started getting better cases after she went to the hospital and even if he says it’s because he looked for them to help pay for her stay there it doesn’t stop the little seed of doubt.

Maybe Angus is better off without her--He’s done so much, helped save the world, found a new family, all while she stayed in Neverwinter stuck in bed all day. If she’d never gotten sick maybe she could have been here with him all along.

Agnes knows why she’s a secret, she’s vulnerable and there are so many Bad People who want to hurt Angus and she’s such an easy target. Sometimes though, it just feels bad, not like protection but like a cage. Like Angus is allowed to have a whole entire life and she’s supposed to be happy with being stuffed in a box for her own good.

Thinking like this makes her feel bad, makes her feel ungrateful, especially now because Angus is trying to share his life with her. This whole stupid plan is his way of saying that the door out of her box is open but maybe going outside is scary sometimes. Maybe she needs Angus to hold her hand and lead her out.

Her hands slip away from Magnus’ face and she reaches up, pushing her glasses off her face and rubbing at her eyes. She’s not crying, today is supposed to be happy--There’s just lots of moondust up here. The man below her slows his pace, just the smallest bit and cranes his neck to look up at her, “You good up there, Ango? We’re almost to the infirmary, okay? We’ll get you some ice and you’ll be just fine.”

It startles her, just a little, the man’s kindness but she reminds herself that it’s because he thinks she Angus but...but maybe he would be just as nice to Just Agnes.

When Magnus bumps the door open with one hip, his arms already reaching up to pull her down, Agnes hears voices further in. She catches the door behind them swing open, seemingly of it’s own power, but Magnus seems distracted as he calls out, “Heeeeeey!!! Killian, you doin’ any better today?”

She’s still being held up, a large meaty hand under each armpit, like a toddler holding a cat, when they approach the back wall. There are a line of beds, but only one of them is occupied, a large Orcish woman spread upon the cot. Agnes recognizes her as Killian from Angus’ description and assumes that the smaller dragonborn sitting at the end of her bed must be Carey. The only other occupant in the room Agnes can’t place immediately, a human with goggles pushed up onto his forehead. He sits beside the two women, a flask pressed precariously between his palms. As they get closer, Agnes realizes he’s holding it like that because the majority of his fingers are set in splints. Well, that seems like a good enough reason to be day drinking.

“Eh, been better since Avi got here,” The prone orcish woman motions to shrug before groaning and biting back a curse at the aborted gesture, “Me an’ Carey have been taking bets as to how much of that Fantasy Fireball ends up in his mouth versus on his lap.”

The dragonborn grins, wide and wolfish, “I’ve got my gold on at least half that flask--Boom, right onto his pants.”

Agnes blinks and words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop herself, “Uh, couldn’t you help him, Miss Carey?”

Carey blinks as if the thought had never occurred to her, “I mean, yeah, I could but watching him like this is like, way more fun. You’re too nice for your own good, kid. Live a little, fuck up your friends.”

“Thanks, Carey,” Avi says dryly from the adjacent chair, “I can really feel the love and sympathy for my seven broken fingers.”

The dragonborn grins and abruptly her tail whips sideways to give Avi a hardy spap on the back that nearly sends his flask tumbling, "Sorry, all my sympathy is currently being used for my fiance's broken collarbone. Try again later, man."

Agnes watches the trio banter back and forth as Magnus gently sets her down on the next bed over. Which finally catches the attention of the other three and Agnes watches, utterly fascinated as their faces slide from all smiles to concern. Killian is the first to speak, angling her head with a grimace to get a better look.

“Woah, little guy, you made it through The Day alright how’d you end up in here?”

Agnes meets the orcish woman’s stare dead on and says, “Extreme reading accident, ma’am.”

Killian barks out a laugh and Carey snorts as Agnes practically preens at her joke landing well. She doesn't really consider herself as witty as her brother, they're both quick thinking but their methods of wordsmithing entirely different. She can't help but feel rather smug with her ability to mimic her brother’s deadpan. So wrapped up in absorbing the laughter of Angus’ friends she nearly misses Magnus reaching down to remove her shoe. She jerks in surprise, though Magnus must think it's pain because he mumbles an apology.

Agnes watches in a little bit of awe at her ankle which certainly possesses a swollen red tint. It hits her more strongly than before that her brother is really a wizard and Agnes has to blink a few times.

Stupid moondust keeps getting in her eyes.

She watches, utterly fascinated, as Magnus wraps her ankle with as much skill as any nurse she's seen. It's pretty basic first aid, a staple for adventurers but it's still a little weird to watch such big, scarred hands work so delicately.

“Alright, little buddy!” He gives her knee a pat as he reaches over and pulls a sticker of all things from the medical kit he’d grabbed the medical wrap from. It’s a little holographic star and while she puffs out her cheeks a bit in a pout as it’s ever so gently pressed onto her bandages. She’s not a baby, she’s eleven. Agnes nearly opens her mouth to say as much but stops short as Magnus reaches for a second sticker and slaps it onto his own cheek.

...Well, if the sticker isn't just because she's a kid, it’s not so bad.

Magnus, seemingly oblivious grins wide, sticker crinkling and lifts her back up onto his shoulders, “All patched up just take it easy for a bit.”

Agnes nods solemnly, kicking her ‘good’ foot as she leans back in Magnus’ hold, “Of course, sir. Only light detective work, just thieves no murders.”

Carey’s the first one from the other side of the room to pipe in, “What about a murdering thief?”

“Yeah, or a thief who only steals from murderers.” Killian adds with one eyebrow impressively quirked.

Agnes makes a show to consider their words, rubbing at her chin the way her brother does during a particularly tricky clue. She hums out a little noise of thought, “That's medium detective work so none of that. Yet.”

The girl manages to keep a straight face for exactly thirty seconds before descending into giggles muffled behind her hands. She practically topples over, leaning forwards and curling around Magnus’ head as she cackles. He makes a show of wobbling her forwards and backward while loudly proclaiming her wiggling is setting him off balance. However, the gentle but firm grip on her calves stays steady enough that Agnes knows she isn’t in any real danger of falling.

“Okay! One freshly repaired boy detective! It’s time for the Burnsides Express to chug along to the next station,” Magnus makes an obnoxious noise somewhere between a holler and a whistle that has Agnes sides practically splitting with laughter. There’s a light wheeze in her chest, and she presses a hand up against it to ease the feeling. A few of her giggles nearly crackle into coughs, but Agnes has spent years figuring out how to hide her tells.

Instead she puts on her most Angus-ly put upon expression of seriousness, the one he wears when he accidentally does something childish on a case--Or when he swears in front of the nurses and has to bullshit that they misheard him. She clears her throat, easing some of the tension there with the deliberate action and hiding the majority of a few small coughs.

Two birds with one stone, getting back into character and making sure no one notices she’s wheezing with a little more than laughter. She kicks her ‘good’ leg again and waves enthusiastically at Carey, Killian, and Avi as Magnus marches her out of the infirmary towards where she assumes the kitchen is based on his declaration at the start of their little quest. She settles in again, lets Magnus’ chatter wash over her and focuses on catching her breath.

They’re fun, she decides, Angus’ new family is so much fun.

Chapter Text

There's a lich in the kitchen. It’s the first thought she has as Magnus carries her in. A brief mad secondary thought sputters into her head as to whether that makes this room a litchen--It's a stupid thought but watching a glowing red figure of necromatic energy levitate pancake ingredients around the kitchen probably has a pretty stupid expression on her face. 

“Lup!” Magnus hollers as he lifts Agnes off his shoulders and settles her onto the ground. He keeps a steady hand on her shoulder though, and Agnes wonders if it’s thanks to her clumsiness from earlier, “Making breakfast for lunch?” 

“Normal people call it brunch , Maggie.” 

The lich--the woman who speaks--is absolutely effervescent in every meaning of the word, magic crackles just beneath the spectral construct that looks something like an elf. A long red cloak billows around her form, It looks more solid than any other aspect of her and Agnes has the immediate urge to poke it. 

A pair of bright white eyes lock onto her, their intensity enough that Agnes nearly scoots back behind Magnus. However, as she moves to step backward her foot falls on something unseen and a muffled yelp fills the kitchen. Agnes doesn’t see the hand that snakes out and pinches her arm but she feels it and only the watchful gaze of the lich in front of her stays her hand from pushing her brother. 

He’s the one that invisible , he should be staying out from underfoot! 

A trilling laugh fills the kitchen and it's hard to track the liches eyes but Agnes has a little moment of panic as they rove past her. Liches are magic , she doesn't know exactly what all that magic entails, scary stuff according to Angus but Missus Lup and Mister Barry, they’re both Liches even if Angus says Mister Barry looks too squishy to be one but she'll hold her own judgment until she meets him. 

Angus’ first detective lesson when he’d started was not to judge books or criminals by their covers and to look for clues in unexpected places. Agnes thinks a Lich in a kitchen (a litchen) is an unexpected place and an unexpected criminal. She’s a little fuzzy on the entire Death Crimes thing. Angus had tried to explain but he’d also said it was getting worked out by the grown-up and he’d only have to do something if a man named Mister Kravitz ‘Decides he doesn’t like having kneecaps anymore’ while gesturing towards his mini-crossbow. 

“You alright there, small fry? Ya look like you saw a ghost.” Agnes is pulled out of her wandering thoughts and blinks rapidly. She scrambles for something to say, the proper Angus-like reply when a groan reverberates from deeper in the kitchen and a middle-aged man in jeans ambles into sight. He’s holding his glasses in one hand with his other pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“ Lup . You can’t just--” 

Before he can finish, the lich is cackling and moves through the air with another crackle of energy. She leads her slow levitation with what Agnes thinks would be her hip and ‘bumps’ it against the man’s causing him to give a full body shiver, “Barry, it’s a good joke and you know it.” 

The two seem to be holding their own silent conversation that Agnes has no hope of understanding. Magnus is laughing beside her as he steers her towards one of the tables. Once she sits down he gives her a thumbs up which Agnes quickly returns with a shy smile. “Cool, cool, cool. Now that you’re settled here I can go grab Taako.”

Her smile fades rapidly, “Can’t you just--just call him on the stone?” She’s comfortable with Magnus, knows him better and thinks that Angus probably knows him well enough that her discomfort isn’t too out of character. Magnus shrugs in reply, “Nah, we haven’t had a chance to get new ones since Barry crushed ours.”

All eyes turn to the be-jeaned man who rubs the back of his neck awkwardly then he glances at Agnes and his grimace widens, “I’m really sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t mean to scare you, kiddo.” 

“I-I wasn’t scared!” Angus had been very scared, he’d told her as much but she doesn’t think he’d appreciate someone else saying that for him. Even if she is pretending to be him and all, “I was just...very concerned. Liches are-- were concerning.” 

Barry stares at her for what feels like a solid minute. He squints his eyes once before pushing his glasses back on, “You know what? That’s valid, kid.”

Lup wiggles through the air again, ghosting her entire form through Barry’s, causing him to yelp, as she moves directly towards Agnes. “That’s street smarts, sweetpea! If any liches ever try and break your stone you magic missile their ass--Well, liches besides your’s truly!” Agnes thinks she’s smiling, her voice sounds like she’s smiling so the little girl smiles back nervously. It’s hard to break eye contact with a lich, she finds but Lup doesn’t seem the least bit phased by the prolonged awkward staring.

With a wave of one spectral hand a bright orange magehand that nearly flickers like a candle flame stretches out of the woman’s hand. Based on her earlier apparent levitation of ingredients Agnes doesn’t think she really needs magehand specifically to grab a little plate, twirl it on two fingers, and slide it in front of Agnes. However, given the level of pure showmanship in the entire gesture, Agnes is clapping excitedly by the time a fork and a knife are delicately pushed into her hands.

“Eat up, Angus! Get a headstart while Magnus is looking for Tiktak because let me tell you, Maggie never leaves enough for the rest of us.”

The girl looks down at her plate a bit dubiously, not really because the food doesn’t look good--It looks amazing but she isn’t sure if it’s something she can eat. Her diet isn’t really as restricted as some of the kids at the Neverwinter hospital but it was always hard to tell what foods would react funny to the plethora of medicines or potions she takes. 

But she isn’t Agnes right now, she’s Angus and sometimes special twin missions require sacrifice. 

Agnes carefully and politely cuts her weird pancake into bite-sized bits, because she and Angus have manners . There are expectant stares from Lup and Magnus even though Lup is motioning to shoo him off. They’re whispering to each other as they look at her and Agnes can’t quite make out what they’re saying but she does raise an eyebrow at them--Just to make sure they know she knows they’re talking about her. That feels very Angus-like. 

She takes a bite at the exact moment that Magnus makes a grumbling retreat out of the room, she catches something about him knowing how to share, and he's presumably going off to find Taako. Agnes knows, intellectually that she should be preparing herself for that because Angus warned her that Taako and the Director are the two individuals most likely to unravel their scheme. However, she’s entirely distracted by the explosion of flavor in her mouth.  

“Ma’am! These are amazing!” Her voice squeaks right out of Angus’ range in her excitement. However, she doesn’t bother to try and correct herself, instead intent on eating more of the delicious food on her plate.

“Uh, hey, Angus you know there’ll be plenty of leftovers in the kitchen if you want any later.”

Agnes freezes mid-bite, for the first time really paying attention to the jeans man. Barry, she remembers from The Song and Angus’ story. The red robe and a lich just like his wife but de-liched at this moment. It’s not really that he’s plain, he's got a sort of subdued demeanor that still demands attention in part because of his odd fashion choices, not unlike her brother really--But he’s not Missus Lup who’s phantasmal and resplendent and currently supplying her with the best food she's had in her entire life.

“Mmfhmm?” She replies elegantly, through a mouthful of lingonberry crepes.

“Like, we’ll have lunch and dinner too, so you can take it easy.”

Again Agnes blinks though this time she finishes most of her mouthful before attempting to speak, “But s’good?” 

Compared to hospital food, bland to a fault to make sure everyone can eat a safe, nutritionally balanced meal these are absolute heaven. If this is what Angus gets for living on the moon, she decides she’ll have to visit more often. Disguised or not, she’s getting more of these weird thin pancakes. 

Barry’s frowning at her, but she wonders if that’s just his resting face. A little nervous and a little frowny, she knows sometimes her and Angus get funny looks for their neutral expressions. Nurse Ellie says they look like somewhere between fantasy bambi and a particularly smug kitten when they’re being ‘smart’ about things--which is apparently most of the time. Maybe Barry just leans more towards the fantasy bambi sliding scale, which is weird for an adult but all of Angus’ adults have been a little weird so far.

He’s nice though, and not a condescending adult nice that she’s used to. She gets it a little more than Angus does, a little because she’s sick and a little because she’s a girl. She’s technically neither of those things as far as Barry’s concerned so it’s hard to gauge if he would be like this if he knew she was Agnes and not Angus but...but Agnes is cautiously optimistic at this point.

Angus’ friends are nice, even if they don’t end up liking her she’s pretty sure at this point that they’ll be nice to her for Angus’ sake.

“Thank you very much. It’s uh--It’s just I’ve never had these before, it’s kind of exciting I guess.” 

“Oh,” Lup’s voice and form simultaneously drift lazily into the dining area, “Fancy Boy like you hasn’t had crepes? Well, get cha’girl a list my little dude and we’ll get you all kinds of hooked up on the finest of flavors.” 

“R-Really?” Agnes’ doesn’t quite know how to respond to that because--Well, Lup doesn’t know Angus, not like Mister Magnus or Miss Killian with their unlimited goodwill and concern. Lup is only slightly newer to Agnes as she is to Angus but the woman is still utterly delighted to make such a generous offer.

The little girl bites her lip and blinks several times, leaning slightly into Angus’ invisible form that slides onto the bench beside her. Lup laughs, like bells and fluttering fabric, and her chimerical form floats over, settling on her opposite side, “Of course, my little man. I haven’t cooked for a crowd in ages, bring all your friends.”

There’s something in her tone, like a wink without physical form that makes Agnes giggle even if she doesn’t quite understand what Lup means. It's hard to track Lup's eyes in this form but Agnes could swear she's not quite looking straight at her--Angus’ adults are weird, but she thinks she likes them.

Chapter Text

“Agnes, what are you wearing?”

Agnes freezes at the sudden voice, someone knew and they hadn’t even done anything yet. It’s only when she feels an urgent nudge against her back that she finally looks up and sees Taako, her brother’s teacher and one of the world’s saviors wearing what could only be the biggest hat she’s ever seen in her entire life.

It hasn’t been that long she’ll admit, but she thinks she’s seen some pretty impressive hats up until now-- None of them hold a candle to Taako’s.

“S-Sir?” She squeaks, scampering up from her seat and suddenly at attention, “You hat looks beautiful.”

“Of course it is, don't change the subject, pumpkin.” A slender hand falls on her shoulder and spins her with a flourish. It takes nearly all of Agnes’ dexterity to not fall on her face, though Taako doesn’t seem to mind that she has to take hold of his sleeve to steady herself.

He’s measuring her, the look is one both she and Angus are familiar with, assessing and judgemental and for a half second it stings, “Flattery isn't about to get you out of the roasting of your fashion disaster.”

"S-sir?"

His eyes narrow and Agnes can practically feel herself shrinking, "White shoes with formal wear? After candlenights. I thought you were better than that, Angus."

Agnes glances down, her white orthopedic shoes do clash with Angus’ fancy boy clothes. They don’t actually go that much better with her own dress that Angus is wearing but that shade of blue isn’t quite so mismatched. She can feel the heat rush to her cheeks because it isn’t as if she wants to wear ugly shoes but her weak joints demand functionality over fashion.

She can feel Angus, invisible but still beside her circle his pinky around hers, he knows how she feels about her shoes. He even helped her find these ones, which are much better than her previous even uglier shoes--but they’re expensive. Angus had taken the Rockport case and it’s half-pay in advance to afford them.

But she’s not Agnes, not right now, she’s her brother who takes pride in how he looks. In how neat and tidy he keeps the four fancy little suits he owns just as much as Agnes takes pride in her two pretty sundresses. So Agnes steels herself, channeling as much of her brother as she’s able, “My good shoes were in a terrible accident, sir. With fire.”

It’s the right thing to say, apparently, because the pressure of Taako’s stare lessens and he slaps a hand against his forehead, “For the love of fuck, I told Lup to keep the celebratory fireworks outside.”

Agnes tries not to let her sigh of relief be too visible, and she takes comfort in the squeeze of Angus’ little finger around hers. Twins in this together, just like the old days before Angus was the World’s Greatest Detective and before Agnes was too sick to help her brother solve the world’s best mysteries.

Simpler times, happier probably too without so much stress over money and cases. Agnes sometimes wishes things could go back to that--and she’d always figured that Angus felt the same but now she isn’t so sure. Angus has a good life here, even if the adults in his life like to pull goofs that make Agnes want to shrink down. Angus is made of tougher stuff than her, they’ve always known that, that’s why he never got sick like she did. It’s why he’s the Big Brother most of the time, unless Agnes feels like he’s abusing his Big Brother privileges and making bad decisions.

Then Agnes has to confiscate the title and be Big Sister until he decides to use the big brain inside his big nerd head and actually think before he rushes into danger.

She stares up at the man who Angus had readily enthused over, his friend and mentor but also the person who threw her brother off a train which she will only just forgive because he would have crashed otherwise--but that’s something to consider avenging in a suitably petty fashion at a later date. For now, she’s making a good impression without making any impression at all because she’s being Angus.

Angus loves Taako, of that Agnes is certain, and though she won’t admit it to anyone but probably Angus that makes her the tiniest bit suspicious. Because it’s always been the two of them against the world, kids against grown-ups who treat them like babies, twins through womb and doom.

What’s so special about Taako that he’s earned Angus’ love? It can’t be bribery through magic lessons, because Agnes has conned plenty of people into teaching Angus things before, like lock-picking and calculus but her brother doesn’t sing the praises of any of those teachers.

“Sir, did you come to have brunch?”

“Well, I’m not here to be interrogated by detective buttercup.”

There’s no real heat in his tone, despite the rather acidic word choice, as he flounces into the kitchen like it’s his own kingdom. Granted, the way Angus gushed over Taako’s cooking it may as well be true. She follows after, her brother trailing behind with his palm pressed lightly against her shoulder. Momentarily glancing back she blinks as she spots something silver and glinting in the air.

Gus’ glasses.

Agnes just barely restrains a yelp from escaping her throat as her hand snakes back and snatches the glasses off Angus’ face. No one is looking at them, too distracted by Taako’s arrival. His is a presence that demands all the attention in the room. Just as she manages to stuff the glasses into one of the little fancy pockets in Angus’ vest she watches in a panic as the brass buttons on Gus’ shoes slowly fade into existence.

“Gus,” she hisses under her breath, “You were supposed to be keeping track of time!”

There’s a soft gasp beside her before a hand reaches out, snatching the matching pair of glasses off of her face, “I-I got distracted, come on we can go hide and I’ll recast!”

Agnes blinks once as her eyes adjust to their glassesless state. When she opens them again more of Angus’ clothes, or rather her own clothes that Angus is wearing start to flicker back into visibility. A hand catches hers and tugs her forward though Angus has the piece of mind to holler back towards the kitchen, “I-I forgot something in my room, I’ll be back in a minute!”

She’s running blind, or rather not exactly running it’s more of a stumbling jog, but Angus has one hand holding her elbow and the other at her wrist in case she falls. Just as they’re nearly sprinting from the cafeteria, Angus still mostly invisible but keeping her steady as he hauls her forward she hears Mister Taako’s voice--

“I think something’s up with my boy.”

Well, dunk.