Pocket System

[theaceoffire]

Security was VERY laid back as long as Jessica claimed to be testing out an experimental 'Inator' effect caused by John. It transformed her initially complicated plan to gain access to all sorts of expensive and dangerous 'waste' materials into a trivial affair, since some of the paperwork her little brother had filled out apparently streamlined the approval process.

After all, anyone who goes with the 'Super Secret' option MUST be one of the few and proud budding evil scientists to be, right?

At least, that was the logic everyone had as far as Jessica could tell. And to be fair, they weren't THAT off the mark... John was certainly able to pull off the effects of a crazy not-a-pharmacist with the best of them.

So she just had to fill out a form, declare that she would be testing the features of her recent modification, and bam! Full access to lots of locked down and restricted areas.

Oh sure, her inner secret agent was freaking out a little bit about having all these technicians recording the process and the sensors and stuff documenting her ability while in use... But 'operational security' had a different tone in this world.

When any random animal or plant or whatever could be transformed into a ghost or god like being or cheese or who knew what, society either learned to adapt or perish.

So with far less paperwork but mountains more oversight than expected, she was being led from a sealed vault to a secured 'infinite pit' to a zoned exclusion facility (And so on and so forth)... And then allowed to act with impunity.

She winced at the glowing mountain of... Maybe jello? Yeah, let's assume that at least. "Are the doors open?"

One of the OWCA interns double checked. "Yes ma'am!"

Good. Last time she'd nearly hurt everyone when grabbing something this large due to causing a sudden vacuum. "Then here we go!"

[[Pocket.]]

A torrent of wind flooded the vault as her mental grid gained a hillside of VERY deadly... Pudding. THAT was pudding!? Why did it GLOW!? It wasn't radioactive, it wasn't bioluminescent! No, more than that: Why had it been MOVING!?

From what she could feel in her mind, there was NOTHING alive in it, no muscles to cause vibrations, no nothing!

With a wince as her ears popped and the air pressure restabilized, she mentally shrugged her shoulders and tagged the new material for disposal. Weird stuff was probably valuable, in her opinion... More likely to have rare or odd materials or energy fields or something.

Though so far, the most 'expensive' material she had sent off for recycling had turned out to be that restrained Wheel of Cheese.

No, it hadn't been alive.

Nor had it been weird colors, nor did it have an odd smell or texture or sound or anything.

But her temporary team had found it with her in the eleventh secured vault, held up on a pedestal and COVERED in thick solid silver chains with golden bolts locking it down tight.

Actual gold, actual silver.

No, no one knew why. Hell, no one remembered that cheese wheel being secured here in the first place!

There was no documentation. No warnings. No one working here or at headquarters even remembered vault eleven being occupied in the first place!

The terrified technicians who had attempted to document the aged delicacy had been unable to discover anything either. From all the detectable methods available to her overly prepared surveillance team that was witnessing her new powers, this Wheel of Cheese was simply that: A gouda example of fine cuisine.

What had set Jessica on edge however was how everyone ELSE was reacting to the bolted and chained down wax covered milk related product.

Terror.

Fundamental, uncontrollable fear. Of a Wheel of Cheese.

Thankfully, Jessica had been in some odd situations before and had bag and tagged the entire pillar (Chains, bolts, and all the electric wires as well... Why had they been SHOCKING this thing!?) and vanished the entire structure into her Pocket for disposal.

From the tightness in her chest and her sweat covered body, it had apparently been a close call too. A cold core inside her, a primal part of her existence, simply KNEW that only her fast actions had prevented... something.

The fact that an hour later no one else remembered vault eleven when they moved on only confirmed her suspicions.

So uh... Yeah. No taking of samples, no attempt to recover the wires made of rare alloys and expensive materials, no reclaiming of the massive silver chains or the enhanced golden bolts.

All of it, gone. And good riddance.

That said? Her strange connection to John's Pocket had actually PURRED when she had sent that whatever-it-is over for processing.

And for the record, having a memory in the back of your mind reacting like a kitten was a VERY off putting experience... But useful information at least.

Anyway, since then? Much more relaxing stuff like radioactive chemicals and deadly bees made of shirts and stuff. Nothing else had come CLOSE to the Wheel of Cheese, and hopefully? Nothing would.

"Miss Smith?"

Oh, right. The observation team. "I'm alright, let's move on to the next disposal test subject."

The nerdy woman next to her fidgeted. "Was... Was it about the...?"

Yes, it was about the Wheel of Cheese again. The one none of the others could remember even as they continued to feel instinctive horror. "It's nothing. Let's just move on, shall we?"

Relieved nods and glances towards a place they didn't recall confirmed it: Fuck that Wheel of Cheese and whoever had made it.

Right, what was next for testing? "I think there was a fluid storage tank that kept generating nacho cheese sauce?"

The woman nodded, checking her clipboard. "Yes ma'am, although the cheese is nacho flavored instead of cheese flavored... And it causes anything you eat to taste like unsalted nachos for the following twelve hours or so after consumption."

Hmm. "Am I collecting the sauce itself or the entire container?"

The woman waved the way forward. "Sauce first, to determine in a safe way if there is a rate of collection limitation to your new skill or if it possesses a volume restriction. The stuff is safe to consume or touch and as far as we can tell is available in infinite quantities, so we thought it would be perfect for this!"

The giant mountain of pudding had apparently been a 'max instantaneous intake of materials' test, so the next one also made sense. "Lead on then!"

Hopefully this would help John's Pocket System heal faster... Or at least give it resources to work with.

She wasn't exactly SURE about how useful a few lakes worth of strange tasting nacho cheese sauce with annoying side effects would be, but better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, right?

~~~Pocket System~~~

John blinked as enough material was shifted out of the way for light to intrude on his thoughts. "Oh. Hello everyone!"

A weary and unenthusiastic 'Yay!' with one 'About time!' came from the dozen or so children that had apparently been enlisted to help untangle his accidental restrainment.

Phineas looked concerned. "Hey John, are you alright? You went a bit quiet in the middle of us getting you out of there."

Huh? Oh. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that my Sister had apparently been collecting a whole bunch of strange stuff all of the sudden while I was in there and it was SUPER distracting."

One of the girls... The one who nearly 'bounced' him? Anyway, she looked concerned and confused. "What do you mean?"

He held up an empty hand which suddenly had a massive spoon in it. "Like this, for example. Why would my sister suddenly start putting a whole bunch of silverware into my... Into our Pocket? It and the other stuff was confusing."

Another boy tilted his head... (He was of Indian descent maybe? John was half sure his name was Balijeet.) "But... I do not believe that is silver."

John wiggled the thing, which was fairly hefty. "Yeah, but I can't be calling it 'Fosilized-Wood-Enriched-with-Platinum-Ware' because that's way too long and confusing. Everyone knows what you mean when you say silverware, even when the stuff is made out of iron or plastic or steel or whatever."

Ferb had moved closely to observe the material while Phineas had gone back to look at his equipment. "Huh... I didn't detect any dimensional or folded spatial manipulation... Oh fiddlesticks, I think that whatever you did is being obscured in a similar way that YOU are. Are you sure that is made out of...?"

John blinked. "Platinum particles and fossilized wood? I'm pretty sure. Let me check."

Bringing the spoon handle near his mouth, he took a huge bite. After all, it was too annoying to reach the actual bowl of the spoon when it was held this way.

Om nom nom.

Hmm. "Yer know, esh maybish ah bish oh ryeraniam ooh..."

The children were staring at him.

Oops! He had been talking with his mouth full! "Rorry."

Gulp!

Right. "I said, while it isn't obvious? I think there is some titanium as well. Not enough to be considered part of the general makeup, but sort of a faint residue or something? Like the spoon had been dipped in some titanium powder in the past and no one bothered to wipe it down later."

They were still staring at him, the spoon, and the bite mark.

Uh. "It's not like a LOT of titanium, and uh... I mean, it wouldn't be enough to really show up on most of the measuring equipment you had been using on me for example and..."

One of the rougher and thicker boys grunted. "They're staring like that because you took a bite of that wood metal spoon stuff! Sheesh."

Oh! "I'm so sorry, I didn't even consider that. Would anyone else like a bite? There's plenty enough to share! I didn't even touch the other end!"

That was how you did this right? You made friends by sharing stuff? Right?

A few polite 'No thank you' and 'I am good' and one 'Maybe?' from the bully looking kid later (named... Buford? Maybe?), and thankfully whatever awkwardness had built up had seemed to evaporate.

Apparently these children had gained a certain amount of adaptability from spending time around the two boys who had been examining him earlier.

Speaking of which, Phineas was grinning as he hit some buttons on his console! "Hey John, could you take another bite of that for me but slower this time?" He hesitated. "But uh... Only if it is safe for someone of your species or origin to consume that kind of material."

John smiled! "Oh, no problem! And I can eat anything, my internal System can either use the materials or convert the excess into raw energy or other needed components. It's why my sister got me all those poisonous seasonal stockings to chew on between meals."

The gruff bully-like kid grunted. "And I'm out. Call me when the next crazy thing is set up, I'm going to go home and secure my emergency snack supply."

As the children began to disperse (Or in the brother's case, set up NEW scanning equipment that DIDN'T require such complicated hookup requirements that could lead to future tangle messes again), the 'ball girl' seemed to have caught herself from whatever thoughts she was having and moved up. "Hey John?"

He blinked. "Yes?"

She gripped her hands together. "I am SO sorry that I nearly squashed you outside! I had been moving so fast and I hadn't expected..."

Uh... Alright? "It was fine, you missed me entirely."

The girl winced. "But it had been SO DANGEROUS and if I had actually hit you..."

John nodded. "Oh yeah, even with the strange materials those balls were made out of I would have fractured twenty four bones, pierced some organs and perforated my skin, and..."

Her wide eyes of horror caught him off guard. Uh. Oops? "I mean, uh... I would have been fine? I mean, I accidentally sundered a good chunk of my brain when I first entered this reality and cannibalized a BUNCH of my organs and all sorts of stuff, and that was easy enough to fix."

He missed the expression of the children who hadn't left yet as he glanced at his flexing hand. "I mean, I don't ENJOY having my body pulped or anything... But as long as it is only a physical wound or injury I can easily walk it off."

The girl was pale. "I... What?"

John nodded! "Yeah, I have recovery plans in place now! As long as it is simple mental, physical, or spiritual damage? I can walk that off, no problem."

Well, most spiritual damage. Anything that crippled the Soul at least. If it was faith or magic based ongoing curses or something, that might take a few weeks to fully recover from.

She didn't seem to know how to handle that. "What are you?" Then she blinked and blushed bright red! "Ah! I'm sorry, that's not polite at ALL and..."

He waved it off. "Nah, it's fine. And I am mostly a human! Well, the physical bits at least. I didn't have a body when I was... I didn't have a body before, and my memory was a bit spotty because of the insanity cycles and madness loops and... Well, I assume my Soul was originally humanish?"

No idea. And System was suspiciously quiet about the topic too.

Anyway. "Point is, when I was recovering there were people around and I didn't have much of an opinion about the entire situation one way or another... So I went human! A boy too, which is fine. Some cultures argue about which gender is preferable, but I can always just get a new body if it becomes too much of an issue either way."

As long as he had his Pocket.

As long as he knew this was Real.

Then everything else was fine.

The girl did NOT know how to handle that. "Huh."

John nodded. "Yep! By the way, do you mind if I ask you something?"

She blinked. "I... I mean, go ahead?"

He grinned! "What is your name? I just keep calling you 'ball girl' in my head since I met you doing those AWESOME jumps in that freaking sweet ball thing earlier!"

Ball girl seemed fully off balance. "...Isabella."

Ha! Another friend: Get! "Hi Isabella, my name is John Doe! I put my sister into my Pocket and escaped to your world when bug people tried to kill us in another reality! Let's be friends!"

This 'friend' thing was SO EASY!

 

[theaceoffire]

Candace Flynn had a dream.

Well, to be fair she had MANY goals and dreams, but this one was somewhat concerning due to how it had escalated over the years, a simple and basic desire that had grown in perceived importance due to years of being denied victory.

She wished to tell her mom about the crazy stuff her younger brothers got up to.

Initially? It was from a very basic and simple place. They were doing things that they were not old enough, according to society, to do safely and without risk.

But as impossible things kept removing evidence, substituting lesser 'activities' for the insane madness those two children continuously unleashed, and generally making her seem to be overreacting and unreasonable?

Her desire to be validated grew.

It would be less frustrating if her brothers were doing this on purpose. If this was some sort of mean spirited torment or ongoing plot that could be combated and overcome!

But they weren't.

They were nice to her. Polite. They were willing to let her join in and see what they were up to, allowing her full access to any and every aspect of each situation... And it didn't matter.

A helicopter with an impossibly large magnet would take the massive theme park away. A huge crab would escape the sea and steal the newly designed 'world largest ball of twine'. TRAPPED ON ANOTHER PLANET WITH ALIENS!

...Although it had been fun to be the Queen of Mars for a while.

Still!

Even THEY didn't know why such things always cleaned up their messes, dispersed the cheering crowds and bustling groupies that gathered at their parties and concerts and plays and such, etc.

It just happened.

And it became more and more of an issue for Candace to accept as time progressed.

The initial minute annoyance became an ongoing feeling of failure. Just the fact that it was IMPOSSIBLE to bust the boys no matter WHAT actions they took began to grate at her... Even if the actual actions started to matter less and less.

After all, by this point? She knew that Phineas and Ferb WERE capable of doing these crazy things safely. That they were likely more prepared and professional to handle any issues that could come up than the many professional workers that inexplicably followed her brother's whims.

It didn't matter: She just wanted to succeed. Just once.

Sure, on some unconscious level she also understood that if she HAD managed to bust the boys, she'd be like a dog that had finally caught his own tail and became confused about what to do next.

After all, she didn't want her brothers to be arrested or anything. And the city clearly knew about their activities considering the event locations they happily rented to the boys and the never ending construction crews and material delivery shipments.

But... But she wanted Mom to know that she was right. That these crazy things weren't just pretend or silly stories, but actual events!

Her brothers didn't mind telling her parents either, but what Mom or Dad would simply accept 'We built a multistory tall robot today' without doubt or a massive amount of evidence? Even with her brothers attempting to help, Mom would just assume her younger siblings were humoring her.

But that fire, that desire to be proven right never really went away. And over time, it grew.

So when she found herself with access to an impossible neighbor, one that could fundamentally do impossible things RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE... Her mind latched onto that same ongoing desire that had grown over time.

This could be it! PROOF that her brothers could do impossible things!

Oh, anything they built would probably roll away or get evaporated or shrunken or teleported or something, but this was a PERSON! One she could just visit down the street! HE couldn't vanish as well before Mom saw, right? RIGHT!?

She waited until her siblings were in between tests, most of the other kids gone and Isabella still to one side confused. "Excuse me, John?"

An average looking child, John smiled! "Yes?"

Right. You can do this Candace! "That stuff you were saying earlier, about being an alien or something? What was that about?"

John blinked, and then tilted his head. "Huh... I mean, alien is close enough I suppose? But technically I am an out of context existence who dimensionally traveled here during dire circumstances. Not a traditional alien, not from this universe at least."

Not even a hint of concern or fear that she would tell anyone... Or that he would even care. "How are you different from an alien then?"

His body seemed to flicker for a moment as he waved an arm. "Well, for one thing I am organically a human from an Earth, specifically an American depending on how you define 'birth' and 'natural born' and all that. Most aliens are either from other regions of the planet, and thus 'alien' to your local area, or from other planets entirely which is more commonly assumed in this context."

They both ignored the strange noises, sounds, and clouds of smoke from the children behind them modifying hardware for more advanced scanning as John continued. "For another? I don't think I entirely exist in one place."

Uh. "I don't understand."

John nodded and absently took another bite of a spoon fragment he had been devouring earlier. "Well, my abilities don't rely on genetics or my Soul or my mind. I'm basically elsewhere and just project my everything where I seem to be, and if anything goes wrong I can restore whatever had been damaged at a later point."

He waved an arm and... There seemed to be three of them? Half? Two? "I'm still hurt though, so as I get closer and closer to recovery the discrepancies become more and more obvious. I won't be able to seamlessly seem 'normal' for quite a while yet, which is annoying... But yeah, that's also something that 'normal' aliens don't have a problem with, as far as I know."

Huh. "Do you mind if I parade you in front of my Mom as evidence that impossible things exist and that my brothers are literally accomplishing unbelievable acts on a daily basis?"

John paused, mid arm wave. "I... Uh. No? I mean, I guess I don't mind?"

Her grin actually hurt a little bit. "Perfect. Come with me. MOM! MOM!"

And they were off!

~~~Pocket System~~~

Linda Flynn-Fletcher gave her beloved (but sometimes exasperating) daughter a wry look. "So the new neighborhood boy is a reality warping practically immortal dimensional traveler that may actually be a fictional construct projected from a conceptual storage space outside of logic and physics: One who was recently involved with the boy's most recent… What did you say they had been up to?"

Candace waved that off. "Constructing a skyscraper tall support tower to launch bouncy ball variations of kid sized hamster balls with AI assisted guidance and all their various safety protocols."

Oh honestly. Still, she'd not ignore this out of hand, not like her own mother. Not when her daughter clearly cared about the topic. "Alright then. Where is he? When we went and visited the Doe's earlier this week, that boy had seemed pretty bedridden and clearly needed time to recover from whatever bug he had picked up."

They both blinked when from another room a boy spoke up. "Sorry! I was just examining the pneumatic tubing installed in your laundry room!"

Something felt off. Like reality itself had suddenly scratched the record, or fundamental facts of existence had shifted.

Candace blinked. "Wait, he didn't go 'poof' like all those other times I tried to show you something!?"

Then her face broke out into a beautiful smile! "He didn't go poof! MOM! Come on!"

And she was being pulled into the other room where… Yes, that was the same unwell young man she had visited last Monday.

A young man with an arm half inserted into a large mechanical section of her laundry room wall that she had been COMPLETELY UNAWARE could unfold like that, with mechanical devices and equipment she was POSITIVE hadn't been in the walkthrough or schematics of this home when they bought it.

John grinned at her daughter! "These things are AMAZING! Do you have any idea how hard it is to embed dimensionally collapsable transportation tubes into a three dimensional surface like this?"

He tugged something unseen in the wall and quickly withdrew as the entire opening folded away into nothingness. "It's not inside the insulation either, the entire structure is sort of layered between the drywall and the surface layers of paint. I'm SO going to use this technologic shenanigans on future projects!"

Candace however was still too hyped up! "You haven't gone 'poof'!" And then suspicious. "WHY haven't you gone 'poof'?"

And John paused, confused. "Uh… I haven't hit puberty yet? Plus, until I get hormones and stuff, I probably won't have ANY actual sexual preferences… Probably."

Again, that odd feeling of reality getting confused for a moment washed by.

Candace looked confused… Then blushed. "No! No no no, I mean, I expected you to disappear and vanish like all the other things I try to show Mom."

Memories of her daughter talking about her boys building massive roller coasters, famous restaurants, organizing massive events…

John blinked. "Oh! Yeah, that might still happen."

Her daughter wilted. "What?"

He nodded! "Yeah, I need to eventually get my older sister home! Big sis Jessica got brought along when I helped us both escape the ambush/kidnapping/assassination attempt, and she eventually needs to go back. To file appropriate paperwork, if nothing else."

John began… Projecting holograms in the air? "But either way, reality itself is a bit flexible here. It tries to keep everyone safe and sound, even if that is only mentally… You of course have easily enough adapted to how impossible and talented your younger siblings are, and to some degree so has your father… But to your mom? Well, you three are her little darling babies, and of COURSE you wouldn't go skydiving or exploring the oceans or whatever you all get up to each day."

Something in her heart clenched at the very thought!

Candace seemed to weaken. "But… But she's right here, right? She can see us!"

John waved at himself as the (Magical? Holographic?) images vanished. "I am not of this reality, the safeguards that would have hidden me away or prevented us from meeting like this can't handle that. Plus, I have certain defenses and stuff, so at BEST it can sort of poke my mind and whine a bit about me being a big meanie jerk and stuff."

Linda felt caught flat footed. "I'm sorry… Are you saying that my daughter has been trying to tell me things but life itself has been attempting to 'protect me' by preventing my little girl from succeeding?"

The child/alien/Eldritch Creature?/boy wiggled a hand. "Sort of? But it's not just some sort of sick practical joke or anything like that. It also makes sure people survive accidents that would have severely injured or killed them, that illnesses and stuff put you down for a week or so of recovery rather than crippling or killing the patient, and all that jazz."

But… What about? She thought about her daughter's horrific allergies to parsnips. "But I've seen people get pretty sick before…" A whole couple of days with a messed up voice was pretty convincing that her girl was reacting poorly, after all.

John shrugged. "Then in any other place, they would have died instead. Getting a scrape here is like breaking bones elsewhere, getting a cold is like being hospitalized for a month or more, and any ACTUAL symptoms that don't clear up in a day? Lethal."

He missed her growing horror as she realized how many times her daughter and husband had gotten 'a bit of a tummy ache' or 'a bit off', as she remembered how dangerous Phineas's birth had been and how it had been far too 'close' to…

Candace missed it all too, thank goodness. "But so WHAT!? She HAS seen you!"

John shrugged. "When I leave, either today or this reality, how much she can remember will be up to her. If she can't handle facing facts, then she will forget them. If the truth is 'too harsh', then it will be hidden. Not everyone can handle the kind of crazy stuff that is possible in this world, after all."

For a brief moment, she weighed the heart chilling truth and the growing terror of all it implied… But against the look in her daughter's eyes right now? That defeat?

It wasn't even worth considering.

She pulled her little one into a hug. "If 'reality no longer making sense' is the cost for my little girl and my boys being able to come to me and feel accepted and trusted, then that is a small 'price' to pay. I'm an adult, and it is my JOB to handle stuff that isn't easy."

Though once she got a full rundown of what was going on, clearly the house rules would need to be VASTLY updated.

Still, talk first. She wasn't going to be like HER parents and just ignore her kids to push arbitrary rules and restrictions on them. Not if her boy is ACTUALLY as incredibly talented as those endless stories Candace told were even close to accurate.

She blinked. "Wait, does your father know?"

Candace shrugged in her hug. "I mean, maybe? He always seems laid back and just rolls with whatever craziness crops up all the time."

Dang it Lawrence, this his British side acting up again, she just knew it. 'Oh, you DIDN'T know that our little ones were constructing massive robots? Oh dear!'

 

[theaceoffire]

Something was going on.

Jessica moved to the next containment facility room, and… Yep. She HAD been here before, a month ago or so.

But now it had a NEW contained evil scientist invention, and all the documentation claimed it had been stored here for… Seven and a half years or so.

Which was just accepted by everyone around her. As if this room HADN'T contained that glowing tentacle Christmas tree last time, now replaced by this massive pencil sculpture that seemed to be five dimensional.

At least whatever was happening in the background didn't seem to be targeting her or her little brother, thank goodness… Or at least, not negatively.

After all, if they didn't scoot from this reality soon? She might get forced to take a third promotion.

Apparently having someone show up, safely contain and dispose of dangerous, deadly, and embarrassing creations with repeatable and reliable methods, AND not actually be a spy or implanted traitor working for some ongoing evil/mad scientist scheme?

Promotion material, right there.

After all, it costs money and resources to contain this stuff, no matter how necessary such actions may be. So each location and secured facility she visited, it almost DIRECTLY translated to departments having more room in their budget, better numbers on their quarterly reports, AND lower injury/mishap/casualty/vanishment rates.

Oh sure, whatever crazy stuff was going on in this world kept anyone from DYING due to these things, but it WAS possible to end up on the wrong planet or in the past or turned into a cabbage for a few weeks or whatever.

And that meant hazard pay and 'I was a cabbage' overtime compensation and blah blah blah.

So now Agent S. was getting called by ALL the groups for Jessica to make a quick stop and 'Maybe take care of this multi headed shark' or 'Collect the animated razor blades', and so forth.

Her boss found this all pretty hilarious… Maybe?

Honestly, it was a bit tricky sometimes to interpret snail facial expressions even WITH her history of working with non-humanoid species.

At least her performance reviews from him were glowing, if her other two promotions had anything to say about it.

Anyway.

[[Pocket.]]

There, another one nabbed.

No doubt this cell would be occupied by the NEXT creature/food/thing/onion that 'had been here for a few decades' in a month or so, but that meant more goodies for John's future recovery.

Still, it went against her training on a fundamental level.

What USE was OPSEC if Operation Security was both automatic and continuous? Anyone who shouldn't know something (Or couldn't handle it) just… Forgot. Or marked it as 'unimportant' and filed it away like a bad memory.

It meant that some companies and crews and personnel were FULLY AWARE of how crazy things actually were… But a coworker or family member would just wave off the inflatable chicken army and keep going to their shop for a fresh cup of coffee.

She felt her memory of the grid, of her portion of Pocket, and felt some of the thoughts vanish as they were processed for recycling. MOST of the memory was stuffed with things like that now, since the grid seemed to expand when nearly full and she was collecting a LOT of junk at a very fast rate.

That's not to say that she wasn't stockpiling a bunch of stuff for future missions/adventures/journeys, because 'be prepared' is not just a boy scout motto to MIB agents… But when she claimed she was collecting stuff?

It was a LOT of material. Both in scale, quantity, and material variety.

Theoretically, if she stopped collecting this junk and John focused solely on recovery (And not on further expanding his 'safe' Pocket space), they could have both left a month or so ago already!

…But she knew better than that.

First of all, they didn't know what the next destination would be. Safe, dangerous, deadly, pathetic? No clue.

Secondly? Resources. Right now Jessica ALONE was gathering materials that were far beyond the worth of diamonds or gold, at least to John's Pocket anyway… And building up a reserve of 'food' for her brother to use if he got injured in the future was just common sense.

Tied into that, HER personal Pocket storage was being supplied too during this period. Custom equipment, clothing for various circumstances, disguises and tools, food and water, various tents and foldable chairs and paper and pens and pencils and…

Well, if it wasn't just a thought in the back of her head? She'd already be considered a hoarder, no doubt, no question.

But in her defense? Who WOULDN'T want to collect things if it was trivial to store, never degraded in quality, and weight basically nothing?

Heck, it took active attention to not get into the habit of tossing leftovers and scraps and stuff into her Pocket when cooking or whatever, just because she didn't want to have a thousand or more half sliced tomatoes or partially grated ginger or whatever.

She had a roommate back in college like that… Would use a third of a tomato for a dish, save the rest for later… Then just use a new tomato instead, forgetting the other was there.

Sure, it meant that Jessica learned how to make a mean Roasted Tomato Linguine (And a dozen other tomato paste/sauce/etc dishes), but it was also a habit she herself didn't wish to encourage.

At least, unlike back then, it was trivial NOW to mark stuff like that for recycling and let it go to a better use than sitting around due to some unexplained dread instilled by her parents to never 'waste' anything.

Oh no, you can't throw away that $0.83 fraction of a head of lettuce! Much better to just never use it till it rots and mess up the refrigerator instead. Yep.

Sigh.

"Ma'am? Are you ready to move on to cell 382DI2?"

Huh? Oh, right. "Yes, lead on."

The order of 'collection' and 'disposal' was never the same in these places, made a hundred times worse since the memories of those working here shifted as the contents of the containment vaults got updated.

Despite having visited this place several times before, Jessica had NEVER traveled through the facility using the same route twice. At least, not yet… Though that time when they climbed up that hidden ladder in the wall had at least been interesting, if nothing else.

As she followed the team in hazmat gear down the hallways, she idly began sorting her 'memory' of the Inventory. The more she played with it, the more flexible the memory became.

Tabs, folders, groups, rule sets, automatic filtering, bunching, gathering… Over time the features of her Pocket became more and more comfortable to use, like an old pair of shoes that one had worn down.

With a minor amount of effort, she had even created a 'document' Pocket space, one that collected not just the papers and such themselves but the CONTENTS of the material as well! The memory could even generate 'reports' about her collection, collect THOSE as well for future reference/searching/whatever, and more!

Though… Well, Her new brother didn't seem all that interested when she cheerfully shared all her new innovations with him.

Apparently, as the owner of this 'Pocket'? John could do FAR more than this.

Automatic stored item processing/manipulation/filtering and beyond, alerts and conditional modifiers and timed actions and…

When she tried to find out more and really get a grip on all the amazing things his ability could do though? She bumped into a wall.

To John, most of those abilities and features were inconsequential.

To him, there was only one feature he cared about, and it was the one he pursued to extremes.

Storage.

The most fundamental aspect of his ability, to a beyond excessive level.

Sure, he could do all those things she mentioned, or more… But there would be compromises required. One that to her seems trivial, but to him felt critical.

To gain flexibility and expanded features or abilities… He would have to reduce his grip on his personal Pocket's security levels.

At first, that seemed like a reasonable concern to her… But over the last few weeks, they had talked more.

Even at the most basic of levels, the Pocket was basically untouchable.

Only entities and creatures beyond mortal understanding were even theoretically capable of noticing its existence, only circumstances and locations above any reasonable scenario could put it at risk.

But in the end, John confided in her, it didn't matter.

Yes, he knew that his Pocket was secure and safe.

In his mind, he understood that he was not being efficient or logical, that he could drastically improve his own abilities AND her new skills with a negligible amount of 'security compromise' at risk.

But in his heart, he apparently remembered 'before.'

Before they had met, before he found her own world, a place he didn't like to talk about.

She suspected it was why he sometimes cried at night, when she checked in to make sure he was alright before going to bed. Why he woke her with his screams in the dark, and she had to rock him to sleep again while 'complaining' about all the antics her snail boss got up to throughout the day.

But with Spike the Pinecone, her brother was somehow holding it together. Somehow.

As they approached the next vault, she felt her frustration grow slightly.

WHY that pinecone though!? She had tried getting him other toys, dolls, plushies, but NO! It was ALWAYS that random pinecone she had found that first day back when he was having a panic attack in the woods!

After all, she knew about Wedgie the Apple Slice now. She knew how important some things could be, even if other people never were able to understand such things.

So she had intended to get him a REAL toy friend, like a teddy bear or a stuffed whale or something For that stupid random pinecone to be a sort of placeholder until she had money, documentation, an understanding of where the hell they both had ended up in, and a good night's rest.

But after getting everything settled away (And drinking a LOT of coffee), it was too late.

Her brother was now 5,234% on team Pinecone, forever and ever.

It made her feel silly with each new stuffed toy and what not she had followed up with… But whatever, as long as he had what he felt was needed.

Though on the NEXT jump on their journey, she'd know better and find something her brother could actually snuggle with FIRST, before random junk caught his eye. A toy that he could more easily sleep with, so that the night terrors and stuff would hopefully be kept at bay.

Her thoughts were derailed as the swinging vault door exposed the glowing blue room. Hang on. "Are those smurfs?"

The tiny blue creatures with white caps and pants turned glowing red eyes toward the door.

Her coworker on the right whimpered while her guide gulped. "No ma'am… Not in the end, anyway."

One of the nearest tiny blue creatures seemed to split in half as its torso exposed rows of teeth.

Shit. "That is MESSED up."

[[Pocket.]]

Suddenly the room, including a tiny vault of mushroom houses and half consumed creatures, vanished.

And she winced as the new memories in her Inventory seemed to unfold and untwist in horrific ways as her Pocket fully examined each one. "Ow."

Yeah, fuck that. "Guys, I'm calling it. Early day today, let's go home."

One of the more muscular guys in the heavy protection gear actually broke down in relieved tears, but no one felt like giving him a hard time over it… And the path back to her office happened to take a MUCH faster route than any of the other methods used before.

Even so, her mind flickered to the new 'Smurfs', a plant based ant hybrid colony hive mind species that felt suspiciously similar to certain fictional orks from that thing her nerdy coworker used to talk about back home.

Could these scary things procreate via spores too? Did she even want to know!?

She was likely overreacting and it was probably over nothing, but uh… Just in case…

Pocket, mark everything from that entire area for priority processing and destructive collection and recycling. Now. Like, RIGHT now. Please.

Feeling her memory start to shift slightly as certain things forever vanished… a weight lifted from her shoulders.

Good.

Just… Better to be safe, right?

It was probably not a big deal anyway. Totally! Yeah.

The next day, when the first four vaults in a row only contained big 'thank you' basket bundles (Written in dozens of languages) filled with chocolates and candies and flowers and fruit and stuff… Well, she wasn't so sure anymore.

 

[theaceoffire]

John was enjoying 'taking it easy', despite his various responsibilities. After all, in the end it was Jessica's displacement that was the main issue, wasn't it? If she wanted to wait before leaving to gather supplies (Or even just enjoy mexican muffins), that was fine by him!

Not like he felt specifically attached to any of the worlds so far anyway. Anything was fine, as long as it wasn't the before.

So the days passed with oddities and adventures, spending time with children that built miniature golf courses and teleported to other planets to find the most tasty alien cheeses and so on and so forth.

Though really, while he didn't mind the company of most of the children… He ended up spending most of his time with Candace and her Mom. The older girl apparently felt better verifying he hadn't 'gone poof' yet while the overwhelmed mother had many questions that he was perfectly happy to answer, even if the actual responses sometimes caused even more questions and confusion.

It helped that his System could now review and analyze information around Jessica too now, considering her current employment and the high level clearance it provided… But more than that, his System was sort of connected to the current Realm on a high Conceptual level somehow, and while not recovered it had no issue answering basic questions as long as he didn't act up too much.

Slight side note: Insisting on doing dangerous stuff or being uncaring about personal injuries counted as 'acting up', so uh… Yeah, he was trying to adjust such previous behavior.

Sure, he could technically just rebuild a body or two if something went wrong… But apparently this was not a healthy mindset and his System did not approve of such. So: Act slightly less suicidal, and attempt to care more about potential risks in the future.

John was pretty sure this was just his System being frustrated about the 'harvesting organs and stuff to retrieve sunglasses' thing and other stuff like that, but as long as his ability to ask random trivia was on the line he would play ball.

For example? How many onions go in a pot of onion soup?

[[Varies based on recipe and personal tastes. On average, 1kg of onion equates to 6 average sized onions in the current world. Number required can be calculated when recipe is designated.]]

…Huh.

Well, uh… What about 'how long is the Great Wall of China measured in hot dogs'?

[[The Great Wall of China, local variant, is 13,171 miles in length. The average hotdog, local variant, is 4.8 inches in length. Assuming ideal conditions, the Great Wall of China is 173,857,200 hot dogs in length.]]

Neat!

That was useful stuff that would be annoying to find out! Especially since the internet on this world is WEIRD with all the time travel and arbitrary memory alterations and all that.

So maybe he'd have to be lame and sleep more often and not skip meals and stuff, but the payoff was WAY worth it! Like, what was the volume of a hamster?

[[The average Syrian Hamster weighs 115 grams and possesses a blood volume of 8.4 milliliter, assuming destructive measurement methods are not implemented.]]

Uh… Gross. Alright, it was MOSTLY worth it!

His lazy Saturday was interrupted when his big sister slumped in. "Hey! How was work?"

Jessica grumbled. "The free ride might be over, and we may have to move on now."

Huh? "What do you mean?"

She waved at the table and it was COVERED in decorative baskets. Big, small, painted, made of rare metals, woven from what seemed to be hair, all sorts of crazy stuff. Each one filled to bursting with all sorts of bright and colorful things and paper and plastic and bows and ribbons.

Jessica stabbed at the table with a finger. "I did something and now ALL that crazy locked away stuff I've been harvesting for you has been replaced with baskets of candy and stuff. It was surprising at first, flattering for a little bit… But now I'm getting weird looks from coworkers, my boss is snickering all the time…"

She went a bit unfocused. "Which I must point out, looks VERY ODD on a snail by the way…"

And she was back. "And the payoff is just not worth my time now. A thousand or more of these baskets are not nearly as valuable as a single vault, like that one that had chemically tainted train cars from last week for example. My paycheck can't keep up with our old rate of 'unlimited and free death materials' resource collection…"

John hummed. "So time to move on?"

She nodded. "Soon. Sorry for pulling you away from your new friends."

Meh, not an issue. "Candace knows I'll be traveling soon anyway, I warned her last week when I healed enough for our trip before we decided to delay a bit. She even got her brothers to help me set up a mail box so we can keep in contact."

Basically it was a set of quantum connected boxes, which his System was able to analyze after shoving one of them into his Pocket.

Sure, the original half of the pair was destroyed… But NOW his System was directly in control of John's side of the whole mess.

That meant that letters would be delivered in relative time rather than absolute… After all, if John went back in time or skipped forward a few centuries relative to THIS reality, it could be confusing to read about things that haven't happened in the future about the past that occurred twice.

THIS way, no matter what happens here or on his trip… Candace would receive and send her correspondence as usual and John's Pocket System would take care of the messy stuff.

It DID require that he not look in his variant of the box though. Already it was filled with letters not written or never written that would eventually (or never) need to go in both directions… But it was 'Not His Issue™' anymore. It works, don't ask John how, send any complaints or compliments to his Pocket, thank you and goodbye.

Still. "I think Candace and her family might want to throw us a going away party though." He mentally remembered the multi-state wide concert last week. "And uh… Just a heads up, it might get a bit out of hand. And crowded."

Jessica chuckled. "Yeah, it's strange seeing how people interact with the unusual here. There's a group of people that just go from state to state to Tri-State Area just to attend the crazy events that happen every week."

Huh. "I did wonder how so many people were ready to go skiing in July. Or how it has been July for so many weeks now."

She shrugged. "The few people who notice AND have a technical background at work just call it 'temporal modulated stress adjustment effects' and then wander away." She picked up a purple banana from the nearest basket. "So yeah, I've put in my two weeks notice and it's time to start getting ready to move on."

John gave her TWO thumbs up! "Will do!"

As he went to put his shoes on and visit the neighbors, he couldn't help wondering…

How much did a soaked cat weigh?

[[Depending on the length of hair and the density of the fibers, the weight of any furred animal can vary up to around an additional pound due to retained moisture for any animal of average domestic cat size. Thus an average soaked cat would weight 8.8-11 pounds, plus up to an additional pound due to liquid exposure.]]

How fascinating!

~~~Pocket Space~~~

Jessica sighed as she watched the massive, four story tall cake continue to be slowly parsed out and passed around. "Things like that still feel ridiculous."

The nice neighbor hosting this farewell party, Linda, gave a wry laugh. "You're telling me! I'm still shocked by how many of these contractors and businesses know my children on a personal level. Half the coupons and discounts I find when shopping were actually due to the amazing things they get up to!"

Hmm. "I suppose I am lucky in that regard… Before I met my brother, I was already aware of how impossible he was. Then again, my life itself was fairly unusual for years prior to that as well."

Many years. She may look young, but that was due to good living, alien medical science, and one or two accidents with temporal chaos zones during dangerous missions.

Also a good moisturizing routine. Never underestimate having access to personal care products, you end up missing them very soon after being yeeted outside of reality while being shoved into a little eldritch child's Pocket.

Linda sighed. "Does it ever get easier? Dealing with this sort of thing I mean." She waved over at the milkshake fountain, one large enough to be in a central park. "I didn't even know my boys knew how to construct plumbing to that degree, much less handle the finances and orders and all the planning and…"

She wilted slightly. "I feel like I missed so much of their lives without noticing."

Jessica held back a wince and gently gave her a side hug. "Nah, that's normal! Kids always grow up too fast, guaranteed! But you love them and they love you, and do THEY seem to feel like you haven't been giving them what they need?"

The woman glanced over at the laughing children… And sighed with a small smile. "No… I suppose not. And… Even if I DO feel like I haven't done enough in the past… I just got to keep giving it a good try, right?"

That's better. "Yeah! Plus you could probably adjust their chores a bit to take advantage of raising two geniuses too."

The mother's expression turned towards exasperation. "By THIS point, I'm probably just going to have the boy do our taxes and finances. I've been through college and I still feel like an amature compared to my children with them easily filling out all those forms and documents… Did you know there is a form SPECIFICALLY designed to request approval for the construction of physics altering and reality bending bakery goods? I know that I certainly didn't!"

Jessica snorted. "Imagine how I felt when I found out that my little brother could pass out superpowers or make reality his plaything and just doesn't bother to do so because he is happy with that stupid pinecone."

Linda blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Sigh… No, just let it go. "Nothing, just… Sometimes the way that boys like your children or entities like John think? It just doesn't line up with how we work."

She chuckled. "That sounds about right."

Forget thinking outside the box, half the time John has the box thinking outside of YOU.

Feeling a mental nudge from a tasking alert she had assigned her Pocket Memory earlier, she blinked. Oh, right. "By the way Linda, how do you feel about snacks and candy and stuff from undefined timelines and sources?"

Linda blinked. "I… Don't really have much of an opinion on it?"

She opened her hand, one of the wrapped bars of 'Looks Like A Candy Bar but Tastes Like Chocolate Glazed Donuts Somehow' and waved it. "I've got literal tons of unknown candy, all marked as safe to eat for human consumption. Some of it is made of strange stuff that prevents you from having health issues when eating it, other types keep altering their temperature to always be warm or cold, one seems to regenerate when we try to eat it…"

Another wrapped orb replaced the bar. "This thing looks and acts like a jawbreaker, but tastes like a rare steak. Got a few thousand of these, if not more."

The other woman's stunned look shifted slightly. "Huh… Mind if I try one?"

Here ya go. "Just a warning, if you swallow it by accident then it will show up nearby rewrapped within an hour or so. No idea how, not sure why, but it scared the HELL out of me when I was in the shower."

The woman froze, the candy unwrapped and halfway to her mouth… Before she found her confidence and decided to give it a shot. "Well, compared to the giant floating baby head everyone keeps ignoring, that doesn't sound too disturbing."

In went the jawbreaker… And three… Two… One…

Jessica grinned when Lynda's eyes lit up! "Oh mah gawd tha' ish amashin."

She laughed! "I know, right? If I didn't have SO MUCH of this stuff, I wouldn't be handing it out to everyone who will take a few crates. I'd feel bad just disposing of it all, but it CAN'T be healthy to eat nothing but candy for a few years."

Well, for her anyway. John regularly ate paint chips and stuff, so he could care less about dietary needs and whatever.

 

[theaceoffire]

Jessica grumbled. "One more time… Food?"

John sighed but confirmed it. "Check."

She moved down the list. "Stuff you treat as food?"

And on. "Check."

This was like the third or fourth time. "Bottled water?"

Which was fine. "Check."

After all, he understood the need to check one's Pocket. "You packed ALL your clothing, right? I know you don't use the tagging or folder or tab features, but you have shoes and suits and casual and extra socks and…"

Damn it, this was so embarrassing! "CHECK! Check check check!"

She winced. "Sorry John, just… Maybe I'm a bit nervous about this."

No idea why, if anything went wrong his System would take care of it or they would all die. There was no middle ground of 'hurt but survived', now that he was fully out of 'emergency evacuation mode' all the safeties were on and all the backups checked and contingencies in place… If anything overwhelmed that, death would be instant.

Potentially retroactive, even.

Which meant everything would be fine OR it wouldn't be their problem any more! "It will be fine! I promise."

Plus, if John was wrong? No consequences! Woo!

Jessica sighed. "Right… Right." She straightened up. "Alright, let's do this."

Kay. "Here we go!"

[[Pocket.]]

She vanished.

[[Pocket.]]

John Doe V̟̯͙̮̬͇͢ͅa̡̤̩̹̠n̵̡̡̬̘̗i̶̪̟̮̜̝̯̘̼͓s͏̣͙͇̖̀͡h̗̝͍͈͈͘ę̴̘̦̞d͉̗̺.̧̻͕͍̩̯̝͘͜

[[Transfer.]]

~~~Pocket System~~~

[[System connection reestablished.]]

[[Deploying HOST.]]

~~~Pocket System~~~

And John GASPED! "HOLY SHIT!"

What a RUSH!

He couldn't hold back a grin as his body flickered back and forth a few feet as things synched up. This was like ALL the sugar! WOOO! Feel the tingle, feel the burn… Look out world, it's now JOHN'S turn! "HOORAH!"

YEAH! FUCK YEAH!

In all likelihood John couldn't dance, and he certainly hadn't practiced doing the worm before, but by all that was holy he was going to give it a try! "Oh yeah, oh yeah, Pocket travel is BEST travel! Self containment for the WIN!"

And he was up, absently Collecting all the dirt and stuff that had attempted to stain his awesome outfit! "I'm going to do that again. Like… ALL the time! Hell yeah!"

Could he do that locally, like as a fake version of teleportation!? Or maybe SLEEP in his Pocket, with Spike too, like the best security blanket ever!? Or maybe…

"Um… Excuse me?"

Huh?

John Doe blinked and turned to the side, seeing a young girl close to tears wearing VERY dirty clothing. "Yes? Can I help you?"

Oh wait, he still had one hand thrust up mid-disco dance and was half twisted.

Oops.

Right, uh… Adjust a bit, and NOW he looked like a proper gentleman! "I mean, uh… No wait, I had it right the first time! Can I help you?"

A bit of a smile crossed her face before she became serious again. "Do… Do you know how to get to number 17, Cherry Tree Lane from here? I'm… I'm a bit lost."

What a coincidence! "Hey, isn't that cool? I'm lost too! Do you want to be lost together?"

She blinked at that. "I… I'm sorry?"

John nodded! "Yeah, I am sort of wandering my way back to where I came from but I have to go lots of places until I can get there. But unlike me, you only want to go somewhere nearby right? Like within a few million miles or so?"

At least she looked so confused she wasn't about to cry now. "I… My home is here in London."

Like the London in Arkansas or California or Indiana or Kentucky or Michigan or Minnesota or Ohio or Texas or…

[[HOST is currently located within London, England, on a variant of Earth.]]

England? Not America at all!?

Oh! "So we are in THAT London!? I've never been to England! My friend's dad came from here, well sort of anyway, and I've heard all SORTS of neat things about this place!"

Now she was looking at him in utter confusion. "One second, let me figure out where we are, then we can find out where we want to go, then we can get to… Uh. Where did you want to be again?"

She shuffled a bit. "Number 17 on Cherry Tree Lane. My brother and I were supposed to be going home, but Michael ran ahead and I… I got a bit turned about…"

Huh. "Brother, huh? I have a sister! I mean, she sort of adopted me unofficially and I don't think I actually ever had parents or siblings before that, but I'm pretty sure it counts anyway. What's it like having a brother?"

System, where are we? And how do we get to that place she mentioned?

[[Generating map and suggested route.]]

Thank you. "Right, I know where to go now, so you can tell me about having a family while we get you home."

The girl blinked but seemed relieved that SOMEONE had an idea what to do now. "Oh… Alright. And um… Mother and Father are awfully busy most of the time, so we mostly spend time together. Me, my brother, the twins and little Annabel I mean."

They began walking down very tight and winding streets, the dirt and grime absently Collected and recycled as they passed. Pointedly ignoring how their surroundings and her clothing were rapidly becoming perfectly clean, he hummed. "Holy cow, four siblings! My Sister was an only child and I don't really remember being a human that long, so I can't even imagine how chaotic that must be!"

The girl blinked as if caught off guard. "I'm sorry, what?"

Oh wait! "Before I forget again, Introductions! I can't keep calling you 'cute girl' in my head… Well I mean, I could but names are kind of important. My name is John Doe! I was given it after being born and my surgeries! What is YOUR name?"

Yep, for some reason she WAS caught off guard. And blushing? Huh. "I'm Jane Victoria Winifred Banks? I… It is nice to meet you?"

WOW! "You have FOUR names!? We can DO that!? That is so cool! Maybe I can get my sister to give ME four names! Or two I mean, if I added four I would have six names and that feels a bit greedy to me, you know? Other people deserve to have names too."

Oops, have to turn left here. "Does everyone in your family collect names, or are you just lucky?"

Idly he felt like he was forgetting someone, someone who would be very exasperated when he remembered to bring her out of his Pocket, but that felt pretty unlikely.

Now onwards! Into the (disturbingly sooty) world we go!

~~~Pocket System~~~

Mrs Banks wrung her hands… Oh WHY did this have to happen on one of the few day's when Mary Poppins was off? Or perhaps it was the other way around, and such things would happen every day at all hours without her near magical ability to help keep the little ones occupied and cared for.

She paced, fully unwilling to consider her other responsibilities. Not until little Jane was found. She may find herself dreadfully busy attempting to keep the family image up and prepare the way for her children's future, but none of that mattered when one of her little ones was missing.

Especially considering that her husband was forced to work to the bone at the bank as it was… Both of them were so busy they rarely got moments to spend together. It made times like this, when a crisis was unfolding, so much more stressful…

The others were in their rooms, with only the older of the children, Michael, aware of how concerning Jane's absence actually was. His older sister very rarely went off on her own or failed to keep an eye on him… Her not being behind him when he came home had been devastating apparently.

Should she contact the police? The constable was always a reliable man, but if Jane was just a bit lost or taking her time, or if she was playing with those other children from the park and just assumed Michael was nearby or… Or something…

A glance at the clock, once more… Twelve more minutes. It would be the usual time the children knew to return home, if Jane was not back by then she would reach out for further help.

Her heart felt too tight as she attempted not to stare at the clock once more, as she slowly paced.

Because Jane would be fine. The children often ran off, being quite rambunctious, but always came home (often enough with assistance), and she would receive a stern note to be more careful when out playing and to not lose sight of her siblings and… And she would be fine.

When there was a knock at the door, she didn't even bother to wait for the help to answer it! Please, please, please…

Door opened wide, and her baby was there! "Mother!?"

Mrs. Banks realized that she may have failed with the 'stern, please act like a responsible adult' act halfway through the slightly too tight hug, but that was a concern for later. "Oh I was so WORRIED when Ellen said you hadn't come home with your brother, I wasn't sure what to DO and…"

An unknown young boy's voice came from the door. "Wow, she's a fast hugger! I better make sure my sister doesn't take any notes about… Uh. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting…."

Twirling around to look over her clutched daughter, she saw a young boy of uncommon cleanliness (How was it even possible for a child to not be dirty after even glancing outside?) as he seemed to have remembered something.

Oh dear, how embarrassing! "I… I'm sorry, that was very impolite of me. Please pardon my outburst."

Refusing to let go of her daughter even for impropriety's sake, she gave a slightly teary smile at the child. "Hello there, I am Mrs. Banks, Jane's mother. Are you one of Jane's friends?"

The boy smiled! "Yes! We met each other when we were both lost and since she was looking for here and I happened to be in the area we decided to have a bit of a walk back!"

He pointed outside somewhere. "There were ALL SORTS of neat things out there, even if most of it was covered in soot or trash and stuff. And we saw a puppy! It ran away though."

Her daughter's giggle made everything a little bit better. "I… I see?"

The boy nodded! "Yeah, some dogs and puppies are busy I guess. Anyway, my name is John! John Doe!" He pointed. "And she is Jane, which I think you knew, but she is ALSO Victoria, Winifred, AND Banks… Just like you, but without the 'Mrs' part. But don't ask if you can have one of them because I think she wants to keep all the names and build up a collection or something."

…Sigh. Mrs. Banks just didn't understand children these days. "I see."

No. No she did not.

Still. "Thank you for helping my little girl find her way home, John. I was very worried."

The boy smiled! "Aww, it's no problem, I know that my big sis would want me to help people! When they aren't trying to maim, kidnap, or kill me, I mean. But I still feel that is sort of self evident and didn't require all the extra rules and promises and stuff."

…Alright then. "Still, you must come in for a bit… I'm sure Mrs. Brill has a bit of something, and I'm sure you are both hungry and tired after such a long afternoon. And Jane, I'll send Ellen up to let your siblings know you made it home safely."

John lit up! "Ooh, I hope she has cookies! Or painted lead chips, I'm not picky either way."

Nope. As a proper British woman, she moved on and attempted to roll with the… Whatever that was. "I'm sure she'd have tea and a biscuit or two, at the very least."

As a matter of fact… "Would you like to join us for dinner? I could have Ellen ring your family, I would love to tell them how helpful you've been to both of us today."

John waved her off. "Nah, it's fine! My sister would love to oh no I forgot I left her in my Pocket and sheIsGoingToBeSOMAD!"

Mrs. Banks blinked. "I'm sorry?"

John held up one hand. "One moment, please? Thank you."

And the door closed, leaving a confused woman holding a very worn out (but also confused) little girl.

Then the door opened, and next to John was a very lovely woman wearing extremely darring clothing… Who seemed as confused as everyone else in the room. "Huh!? John, where are we..."

John grinned, two billion percent innocent! "We made it! Just now! Totally just arrived right here, at Jane's house, at this moment, at this place!"

What?

The woman seemed to rapidly begin collecting herself… And then examined her surroundings. And her eyes seemed to pierce through Mrs. Banks like a lion debating how dangerous the local prey would be towards her cub.

Then the feeling vanished and a smiling lady of standing was present. "Good…" She glanced outside. "...Evening! My name is Jessica Doe, and before we go any further I would just like to say: Whatever my younger brother has done, I am so, SO sorry."

John slumped. "Aww, sis…"

Her hand half petted his head, half held it in a grip. "And if you will please give me a moment, we'll be right back."

Then the door closed for a third time, and fierce whispering could be heard outside the front door to her home.

Jane whispered in her arms. "John's sister is pretty."

Well… To be fair, that was true. "Just in case, let us both inform Mrs. Brill that we may be expecting two more for dinner tonight while they converse, I feel like your friend may be delayed temporarily."

Was it too early for a glass of sherry? Or even more than one, perhaps.

 

[theaceoffire]

Jessica Doe gave another sigh. "This is delicious, Mrs. Banks."

The woman apparently felt more in her element, here in her home and surrounded by more usual circumstances. "Yes, our Mrs. Brill always impresses! And it is so rare that I have time to be home with my little ones, what with my responsibilities with society and everything…"

Jane and Michael were fully distracted talking with John, while the younger twins John and Barbara were being carefully spoon fed by Ellen, a polite but stereotypical maid… And apparently there was another baby, young Annabel, off in a crib taking a nap upstairs.

Yeah… Five children? No WONDER they needed help.

Mrs. Banks smiled at her distracted mini-army, and sighed. "Honestly, I try to spend what time I can at home, especially considering how busy their father is most days… George invests much time in his job at the bank."

Her mind flickered back to a childhood film, one that didn't quite match this world exactly but was clearly related… And about one specific scene from that movie, towards the end.

The lonely and heart broken man walking home on the dark streets of London, having lost something he had treasured and held up as a monument to his life's work: His career.

She hummed. "Which bank?"

Mrs. Banks blinked. "Why the Dawes Tomes Mousley Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank right here in London, of course!" Her face broke into a wide smile… "My George nearly danced the entire night away with me when he was able to gain employment there… We married not long after, in fact."

She waved at the opulence that still felt like a home. "He wanted to be able to provide stability, as one could guess. I loved him for his drive and passion nevertheless, and never concerned myself about how his social status may not be up to what some may consider to be par like some have argued… But it was his dream, and he was all the more beautiful for it."

Jessica couldn't help but smile back at the weary woman who was still glancing towards her eldest daughter, confirming that she was home and safe. "It sounds like he is quite the man."

Mrs. Banks softly smiled. "I am very lucky we found each other." The smile drifted away though. "That said, attempting to support him through social connections requires… Quite some time and effort. Higher society doesn't necessarily approve of the 'Nouveau riche', as it were."

Jessica wasn't SURE the musical film she remembered mentioned the wife being an heiress or high society woman or whatnot finding a romantic love connection with a hard working but lower class man aiming to gain control of a massive Fiduciary Bank…

But then again, the entire movie had focused on the children who didn't understand why or how the resources they enjoyed were connected with their parents being extremely busy.

After all, compared to the actual starving children out there on the street, the orphans, the harsh working conditions… Well, the love was being expressed if not potentially conveyed in more usual ways.

Hell, when the young boy Michael from the film pretended to be a chimney sweep coated in dangerous ash, he almost got away with it! Probably because apprenticeships were still a thing here.

How YOUNG were some of the people on these streets? It was around 1910 or so (apparently), so… Strikes were very recently legalized, and unions were gaining traction? Maybe? Honestly history hadn't been her best subject to begin with, muchless interdimensional time traveling divergent reality history.

Jessica blinked at her younger brother doing or saying something that made the young twins giggle and spit up their food to the exasperation of the maid. "Well, at least you have some good help! I know the orphanage I grew up in was run ragged when us kids were being all out and about."

Mrs. Banks paused, her elegant eating on hold. "Orphanage?"

Those were a thing here, right? Or was it only workhouses and stuff!? Shit, just roll with it. "Yeah, I only adopted John when we found each other much later in life. He was hurt and needed medical care, and I decided to protect him… Then things got a bit out of hand, we helped each other and…"

She shrugged. "Sometimes when you don't have the family you were born with, you find the family you can gather. Besides, as annoying as my new brother can be from time to time… He's a good boy, you know?"

Well, when he wants to be a boy, child, human, etc. A vague memory from the past implied pretty heavily that John could theoretically be ANY species as desired with some effort and a bit of biological paperwork, but for some eldritch entity that was thrust into humanity?

He pulled off the 'annoying kid brother' act VERY well.

Mrs. Banks glanced at the boy and her children. "I must say, it is very impressive that the two of you managed to overcome such difficulties… I've heard even minor health problems can have disastrous results, and George doesn't like to mention some of the concerns that can arise when one has little support as a young man."

Jessica grinned, perhaps a bit too sharply. "Well to be perfectly honest, I wasn't going to give life a choice. I was going to succeed and it would just have to accept it and stay out of my way."

It certainly didn't hurt that women had more rights in her universe and time period, or that she had dedicated her life towards self improvement and preparing for the future as a youth.

Escaping poverty and near homelessness was a MASSIVE motivation for reaching towards the stars, in her opinion.

Oh, right. "By the way, is there a hotel or some such you would suggest? My brother managed to run off and have an adventure with your daughter before I could arrange anything." Also may have to go find the underground markets and exchange some goods for local currency, depending on what was needed.

Mrs. Banks blinked… And then waved it off. "At this hour? Never. I'll have Ellen freshen the sheets in the third and fourth guest room, we can discuss such things in the morning after a nice breakfast."

Jessica blinked. "Wow, that's… Thank you, that would be very helpful and convenient. Are you sure it won't be a bother?"

The older woman chuckled. "Not at all! It is clear your brother, while perhaps unusual, seems to be adored by my children. Very few of their peers are free to visit, after all. Besides, I suspect you are in more dire straits than you have implied… Do you have your luggage being held somewhere? I can send out for it."

That… That may not be good. "Unusual?"

Mrs. Banks rolled her eyes. "Until you have met the other help I have hired, do not assume that I would believe your sibling is the only one in this world that has strange habits or quirks. Perhaps I should mention our neighbor Admiral Boom? The man who insists on having that pirate 'crewmember' of his, Binnacle, help him set off that blasted cannon every day to help mark the time."

Oh. Well, yes: that was pretty unusual.

Somehow, Jessica felt touched by the concern. "No, that will not be required." She waved at the door. "When I found were John had gone I ensured our luggage would be available."

Mrs. Banks glanced at the door, unconvinced… But let it go. "If you say so. Do you have room for afters? A bit of something sweet feels like a good ending to today's stress, considering how improper it would be for me to attempt to partake in something stronger."

Woah, hold up. "You have alcohol?"

The woman paused. "A small cellar of options, though I only prefer a glass of sherry now and then."

Jessica's grin grew a bit. "You know that sounds lovely right now? After the runabout today, it sounds near heavenly."

Mrs. Banks smiled back. "After a bit of dessert then." And then winced. "After Ellen finishes with the twins… For such darlings they can be fussy at best at meal times."

Apparently. "John, since you've finished eating…" As if, he could literally consume things forever thanks to his Pocket. "Can you please get our luggage from the front porch? Just leave it by the door."

Her brother didn't get the hint at all. "What luggage?"

She didn't even flinch. "Our bags and such that we brought with us for when we head off to find a hotel. Mrs. Banks has agreed to let us stay the night in one of her guest rooms, so please go bring them in."

John blinked. "Huh?"

Oh for pete's sake! "The perfectly normal luggage that normal people have when they visit a normal location such as here, normal luggage that we can use in our normal rooms to access our normal things like normal people. Since we need those normal bags to get our normal things just like normal people, please bring our bags in from the porch since we left them there." And she gave him a glare.

John Doe hesitated… Then flashed a knowing grin! "OH!" He looked at the confused children and the bemused older woman sitting next to his sister. "Oh. Riiiiiight."

The boy then proceeded to wink. With both eyes, because he hadn't quite gotten that down right just yet. "I'll just… Go get our normal luggage then, shall I? Yep! No problem, be right back everyone!"

Mrs. Banks watched with amusement as the boy headed towards the front door. "I see that, despite the adoption, both of you happen to share certain traits."

Nope. "Like I said, this is perfectly normal."

The door opened and then instantly slammed shut somewhere in the distance. "Okay sis! I got all the normal and unsuspicious bags and stuff, I just put them in the hall. Can Jane and me go play now? She says she's got like a HUGE model of a house for dolls and stuff."

Damn it John, at least PRETEND to be moving things around first! "If Mrs. Banks is alright with her children doing so, you may."

Mrs. Banks gave the children with overeager looks a sigh. "Go wash your hands again first, then you may go play with young Mr. Doe."

Jessica ignored the looks she was getting from the maid and the mother as the children were about to get up and run off… And then she blinked. "Wait a second…"

Checking her memory of the inventory, she wanted to smash her face into her palms. "HEY JOHN!"

A closer 'Yeah?' at least informed her that he could fix this. Jessica tried to stay calm. "You only brought in our FOUR bags of luggage, yes? Because we only have four? Right?"

An awkward silence… And everyone could hear him walking back towards the front door. "Yes sis!"

Jessica ignored all the looks the adults were giving her as her brother went to unblock the entryway from the hundreds of backpacks, luggage carriers, hampers, hat boxes and more that had been filled with random stuff to look 'normal' and then wedged into place. "Anyway… I believe someone mentioned dessert? And a drink?"

God she needed that drink.

~~~Pocket Space~~~

John grinned! "This is incredible! And all the rooms can open up like this?"

Jane couldn't help but smile back. "Yes! It can be hard to keep it all clean and dusted, but that just makes it feel more like a real house for my dolls. Plus, Mary Poppins says that taking care of one's things is a good habit to nurture."

Oh right. "She's your nanny, right?"

A nod from the child. "Mhm. Mother and father are awfully busy, and Ellen can't handle how energetic we can be… So we wrote a letter for a new nanny and…" She winced as she remembered how her father reacted to that. "Anyway, Mary Poppins somehow got it even after our letter was… damaged… And she's been awfully lovely! She takes us on outings and knows all sorts of interesting people and things."

Neat. "Is that her room over there?"

The little girl blinked. "I'm sorry? Oh. Yes, yes it is! But today is her day off, so she's not here today." Then she caught something. "How did you know?"

John shrugged. "I can feel some dimensional folding and minor amounts of reality modification, but it's mostly focused in one room instead of spread out all over your house. I mean, I can detect energy traces on your bedroom and the toys and such that was utilized to manipulate them or clean or whatever, but most of the power is over there."

Jane wasn't sure how to respond to that. "I… I don't know what that means."

Oh! No problem. "Have you seen her use a closet that was too big on the inside or maybe a pouch that could hold too much?"

And the girl's face lit up! "Her carpet bag! She had a whole mirror and lighting and all sorts of things in there! It was amazing!"

John shrugged. "Well, I feel stuff like that over there, and from some of the unusual adventures you told me about it made sense if that was related."

And that was just the basic stuff his Pocket System could detect in that direction too!

Still not sure why a reflective dimension was bonded to the wall over there pretending to be a mirror, nor why a subjectively existent entity was constantly gazing through it… But it didn't feel dangerous to anything four dimensional or below, and it seemed happy to slowly devour the air pollution that intruded into the home.

Still, he'd have to warn Jessica that at least one 'mirror' in this building might actually be a transmogrified existence pretending to be your reflection. It felt like something his big sister would want to be aware of.

 

[theaceoffire]

Jessica found rich people of this time period a bit strange.

Which was probably an unfair judgment to make, especially considering her OWN circumstances, but unfair or not she made it nevertheless.

Maybe it was due to having an outside perspective? The idea of keeping up with society to support the family just felt… Strange to her.

For one thing, she never really had a family before joining the MIB and adopting John. So, there was that.

But for another? Back home, independence was heavily emphasized. It was all about leaving home, buying a house, making a family, paying bills, and so forth… No longer about representing ancestors or upholding traditions or making sacrifices to support some nebulous concept like being a 'Proper Lady'.

At least, not in her social circles. That kind of thought process probably did exist in older and more powerful families even in modern times, even in the USA. Just… Never really bumped into it herself before.

This house operated like a miniature of a city.

The leader would be the busy and currently absent Mr. Banks, the leader of the faith would likely be Mrs. Banks, the various help would be the branches of government and the children were the citizens.

Which would make Mary Poppins… What, the local head of union? Not a rebel leader, as she clearly had no issues taking a paycheck for her services, but some sort of organizer that worked on a social level.

Hopefully she would be as nice (If prim and proper) as she was depicted in the books and films.

John had already given a warning that most fiction or literature would have discrepancies when being visited… Something about 'infinite possibilities making exact matches tricky'.

But since nothing was obviously wrong just yet (No strange skin colors, no crab people fighting aliens, etc), it was best to operate with caution and keep an eye open. If nothing else, John had assured her that this variant of the story was at least SIMILAR to the stuff she saw when younger, so the chances of Mary Poppins being a blue skinned alien were low.

She tried to find a more comfortable sleeping position in the overly floofy bed. Again.

Yeah, at least she had been smart enough to avoid the 'sleeping gowns' offered. As a more modern woman, the idea of wearing a sleeping outfit with multiple layers that seemed DESIGNED to strangle you when tossing and turning just felt like a bad idea.

Besides, she was self confident enough to wear less. Significantly less, at least compared to the locals… Couldn't be fully 'sky clad' with the risk of John having a nightmare or something, but she wasn't far from it.

Oh, and that was another thing: The chances of certain 'activities' were LOW here. Health issues and concerns aside? Casual sex was basically not a thing here. Nor were threesomes, or moresomes, or… Yeah. Maybe behind certain doors, maybe within some groups, but not as a part of the culture.

Not that she was considering making a deposit at the Banks, or anything. Even if that mother certainly had some balance in her accounts… That figure!

Let's just say that Jessica fully understood why there were five children in the household and that Mr. Banks was a lucky man.

But if she was going to accidentally earn a reputation as a loose woman due to her little brother not WARNING her about appearing in 1910 London wearing casual clothing… Well, she at least wanted the upsides too, darn it!

Meh, whatever. Her mind sometimes went to odd places when she was trying to sleep/not smother herself in blankets and layers and whatever the hell was done to these pillows.

Hell, the bed acted like a contraceptive on its own!

'Hey baby, wanna do the horizontal tango?' '<MURPLE MUFFLE MUMMER!>' 'What!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU THROUGH ALL THE CLOTH!'

Stupid bed was so soft and squishy it would be like trying to have sexy times in a hammock or something. But with less pinching from bits getting caught through the holes… Maybe one of those hammocks with cloth instead of nets? Though depending on the partner, that might actually enhance the experience and no she was not going to think about any of that shut up brain SHUT UP!

~~~Pocket System~~~

John slept outside of reality in his Pocket Space.

And it was good.

Plus, Spike was here, well technically over there. In that layer of whatever it was that bound the System together. But that was basically the same as being here, which was cool.

He still needed to make a local Pocket Pal, it had been too fun to run around with Jane and explore/find her home. Got distracted several times and uh… Well, he might have been running on a bit of a high after his first deliberate Pocket Transfer.

But it was hard not to feel so awesome here!

Unlike that bad place, HERE he was in his OWN Pocket! That meant he could detect himself!

He could feel that he existed, even if Spike was lost or hurt, even if everything else vanished… And that was important.

Sure, he couldn't stay here forever, nor would he… There was so much to do out there! But for sleeping, or for any other excuse he could come up with? Pocket, each time and every time!

Plus, it was nice to know that in a home that seemed slightly connected to unusual layers of existence, he was here safe and sound. Though in truth, both him and sis were… After all, they were both technically being projected while safely secured in the Pocket, so there shouldn't be any risk in the end.

…Uh.

He had mentioned that to her, right? The 'You half exist in and out of my Pocket' thing? Like, she was physically here, just like him, and they could eat and use the bathroom and all that. Grow stronger through exercise or whatever. Just… They also existed in the Pocket and could be reformed from there if John had to suddenly abandon Realm or something.

He probably told her already.

…Right?

Actually, had he even warned her about the maybe-demon mirror? Or eldritch mirror or whatever it was pretending to be. It had been on his to-do list, sometime before everyone went to bed… Uh.

Crud, he might have gotten distracted playing 'house' with Jane.

But to be fair, her doll house was SO COOL! Like, several floors tall and hand carved and painted and….

John felt a growing belief that he may have, in fact, forgotten to warn Jessica at all.

Not that she was in danger or anything.

And it was pretty late… And the Pocket was so comfy… And the scans didn't read hostility or danger anyway…

Yeah, it could wait till morning. Right? Right!

Complex concerns handled, John drifted away in soft slumber outside of reality.

~~~Pocket System~~~

Bert the Matchman hummed as the lovely Mary Poppins was about to leave. "Trouble you think?"

The woman huffed. "Something a bit unexpected, certainly… But a bit of uncertainty does not necessitate negativity."

Uh… Alright? "But you'se thinks this 'Strange Wind' be blowin this way?"

She gave him a wry look. "Nothing too dire. Just… Take care of yourself, Bert. From what I can tell, it is young and drifting, not having found their own currents through the sky… A baby more than a monster."

He glanced towards the Bank's place. "Right, well… You'd know best I reckon. As long as the children are alright."

She hummed. "If anything, it feels like a bit of socializing is doing good for them both. The little ones locked away by privilege and love and the lost one unknown to most and unrestrainable… Sometimes, it is new friendships like these that can build a childhood."

Aye. "Expand thems view a bit, yeah? After all, not everyone can sees outside their own corners of theirs worlds, I suspects."

And she gave him that smile that always felt so warm. "Just so. Afterall, my life would be so much poorer without the many people I've met along the way… Now, before I must away and return to duties long… Walk with me a little longer?"

Anytime for her. "Of course, Miss Poppins! Nows wheres was I?"

For just a bit longer, the two walked and talked of impossible things and thoughts and places.

The evening was brisk, and despite the smell and fog of London it was lovely.

~~~Pocket Space~~~

Mr. Banks gave a grateful nod as the next book was delivered. "Just there, that's a good lad. You and the rest can get some rest then. It will be another busy day tomorrow!"

The young man was another up and comer, but more importantly: Followed instructions. "Yes sir!"

He noticed the slight wobble as the worn boy left… Yes, perhaps he should have sent the less experienced workers off earlier than this. They hadn't built up the required endurance needed for a last minute crisis like this.

Right, best to ensure these accounts were in order. It was going to be another late one… Yet another long stressful day to pile on his back. If he didn't love the challenge of it all, this sort of thing would have crushed him years ago.

Still, it felt horrific to not follow his own routine… His daily habits helped ground him and find his inner peace!

After all, he ran his home precisely on schedule! At 6:01, he would boldly march through his door, his lovely wife having prepared his slippers, sherry, and pipe by 6:02…

But, harsh times required sacrifices.

His smile withered and was set aside as solemn concentration returned.

This week had been the worst in months as several accounts had to be fully reworked… To the point where he had been required to stay much later than was his habit.

Oh, he was properly compensated as one would expect, and it would no doubt boost his career forwards towards his lofty goals… The higher ups noticed when a good employee went above and beyond for the institution. They rewarded such, without restraint!

But the cost was high.

He felt his hand twitch… Yet, it was long past 6:03. Long past sending off his young children to sleep.

The little ones would be long since off to bed by now. As should he.

But… But needs must. Another day or so and his routine could continue, his consistency restored… His world put back into logical order.

He may work long hours, he may not always feel appreciated… But at the very least, he had certain things he could hold on to. Something to grasp in this sometimes fearful world.

And unlike his own history, his own issues and heartaches… He would pave the path to ensure his children would walk with confidence and assurance through life.

Proper guidance, stern instruction, healthy food and living, resources and… And all those things he wished he had so long ago.

If nothing else, they had Mrs. Banks in their lives and were all the more blessed for it. She certainly had blessed him when they had found each other, no mistake.

No, focus.

The dimly lit room in the Dawes, Tomes, Mousely, Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank watched a man with dreams toil towards a better world one ink mark at a time as weary helpers struggled to stay awake.

And in his own weary, worn, and hard working way… Mr. Banks made the world a slightly better place. At least, his little corner of it.

~~~Pocket System~~~

Michael huffed! "I still say he's odd."

Jane rolled her eyes from her bed. "Most people are odd."

Her brother kept his voice down, as the twins and little Annabel slept in their cribs. "MOST people don't just make things vanish and magically appear!"

Harumph! "Mary Poppins can."

He waved it off. "She can do anything."

…Which was fair. "John's a nice boy, and you could have joined us if you wanted to play too. We would have been fine with it."

She couldn't see his face well with the room this dark. "But you were playing with dolls! And I wanted to go do something or… Or something!"

What was wrong with playing with dolls? "Well, Mary Poppins is often enough willing to take us to the park and tomorrow she comes back… We can ask her if John can come along and then play there."

His voice was soft in the room. "Really? And… And I can play too?"

She sighed. "Of course we can play together! When have I tried to do otherwise?"

Her brother shifted in the dark. "I… I mean, you two were so busy and stuff. I don't want to… I felt left out."

Her heart hurt a bit. "Well, tomorrow we can play together in the park and maybe even go see the balloon woman. She always has a balloon with our name on it, and you can tell John about the time we nearly floated away! We will all have lots of fun, you just see."

The soft sniffles stopped, "Okay. Good night, Jane."

She was going to hug him extra hard tomorrow. "Good night, Michael."

 

[theaceoffire]

John was suddenly on his bed. "Wazzi?"

A knock on the door again. Oh. OH! "I'm up!"

Jessica's voice came through. "Morning John! Breakfast is apparently in a few minutes, don't go back to sleep. Alright?"

He yawned. "Kay." Collect all grime and junk from his body, the sheets, etc, for recycling. He might not have slept on the bed, but that was no reason to be untidy.

Right, time for a shower, if they have that here. Or a bath, otherwise.

Oh, and something radiating an odd form of energy was in the room with the fake mirror, so that should be the nanny. Her power felt… Orangish? No, more like the smell of the east winds. Huh, it was a bit soothing!

Oops, get cleaned/dressed/ready and go get breakfast, right!

~~~Pocket System~~~

The man of the house still seemed worn and weary, but was clearly attempting to fully wake up. "And will you be staying for the day?"

Jessica held back a snort, fully feeling the despair from the man at something so outside the norm attempting to interact with his daily routine. "I'm afraid not, Mr. Banks. My younger brother and I are more than grateful that your wife was so helpful at allowing us to stay the evening yesterday, but that was more due to the late hour when my brother brought your eldest daughter home."

At least, that was her story and she was sticking to it. "No, I am afraid that I must be about today to establish a local account and acquire a residence for this holiday… Though my brother may spend a portion of it playing with your children, if the constant whispering and such last evening was any indication."

The disguised relief that the unexpected invaders to his domain would not be staying long term was swept away by a gleam of interest. "Account?"

Ah. Right, he wasn't just a banker: Banking was his life. "We travel light, and so instead of bringing large amounts of currency or bothersome bonds and so forth I simply collected some of the excess spare jewelry I've been collecting over the years… It should be more than enough to cover this holiday while my brother gets to see more of the world. Although I will have to find an local appraisal service, as I am unsure if the paperwork I already possess is acceptable this far from home."

It had been her idea before they left, since any currency would be counterfeit in new worlds and carrying around massive mounds of gold or silver or ore or whatever was beyond suspicious.

This was 1910 England, so it should be items with garnets, black opals, and Montana sapphires that would be most popular, yes? Nothing with gems too large either, just lots of material and such to make up for the value.

After all, showing up with a gem that should be historically famous that no one had ever heard of would NOT be a valid way to go rent or purchase a home. Not without annoying paperwork and loud hullabaloo and all that.

His eyes drifted. "I see… I know a few gentlemen who could assist there. Our bank has many operations in other countries, and more than a few of our clientele have needed our services for rare item appraisal and some such…"

Mr. Banks focused with intensity. "It may take a bit of the morning, and I myself would unfortunately be occupied with ongoing services, but I believe you would do well by our firm. If you wish, I could guide the way when I return this morning… Heavens knows London can be confusing enough on the best of days for locals, much less visiting guests."

Mrs. Banks smiled widely, hands gently clasped! "That would be WONDERFUL George! Jessica, you must let us cover the small fees and such for your appraisals as well, I won't hear anything against it! And little John could spend the day with the children, so not to be left alone while I visit the Clendersons or be left unoccupied while you are getting your affairs in order!"

Well.. That DID solve a lot of problems. "Are you sure, Mrs. Banks?"

It was waved off. "Of course! Your younger brother saved my heart when he brought my little Jane home safe and sound! Besides, the little ones have been busy like foxes since the morning. I doubt they heard a thing we talked about before they ran off from the table."

Mr. Banks frowned at the stairs… And sighed. "Indeed." He turned a subdued but burning look of appreciation towards his wife, who flushed. "I'm afraid I must away, my dear… And I will be busy for another night or two even with my lightened workload. Wait for me?"

Her smile lit up the room. "Always dear. And even if unlikely, there shall be a pipe and slippers waiting for you at home. Just in case."

Jessica shuffled slightly awkwardly as the two smiled a bit too warmly at each other… Goodness, British romance was a bit of a different thing, wasn't it? "Well, shall we then?"

Mr. Banks stood, nodding to Ellen as she began to clear away the remains of the meal. "Quite. Let's be off."

Oh, better grab one of the time period accurate bags to 'carry' the jewelry in… She wasn't going to pull a John and just manifest random valuables from nowhere. Though some may wonder why she had an entire bag filled with gold and silver jewelry and HOW it had managed to survive travel long enough to reach London… But that was an issue for later.

At least this bag would give a paper thin excuse for where the things were being stored compared to the 'I pulled it out of nowhere' Inventory approach. That was a step up, right?

Yeah. Probably.

~~~Pocket System~~~

Jane fidgeted as Mary Poppins glanced over the group. "Hmm… The young ones seem a bit too excited and tired… Yes, a nap for the morning would be in order. Michael, please gather your coat, it will be a bit brisk today. Jane, I heard you had a bit of adventure yesterday?"

She blushed. "I… I got a bit lost."

The woman sighed. "It is easy enough for one to lose their way even when life isn't confusing and busy. I am assured that you will be more cautious in the future?"

She swiftly nodded!

Nanny Poppins tilted her head. "Then what's said is said enough. Now, would you please introduce me to your young gentleman friend?"

Huh? Oh! "Yes miss, this is John!" She didn't fidget as she whispered. "John, you got to say 'Good Morning Miss Poppins', it is the polite thing to do."

The boy blinked in surprise as he whispered back. "Really? Are you sure?"

What!? "Yes, of course I'm sure!"

John seemed skeptical. "But is this morning good?"

Jane felt like the world slipped a little bit. "I'm sorry?"

He whispered in seriousness. "As far as I can tell, this morning may be average or even slightly below! The smog in the air already detracts slightly, and we had to rush breakfast because we wished to go play faster and breakfast is an important part of a daily eating things."

Confusion was growing as she held back a yawn. "What are you talking about!?"

John began setting up some sort of wooden structure to the side as he whispered. "Hang on, I can graph this."

And a big pad of white paper on a board was placed onto the wooden supports as he began marking it with an odd sort of wax crayon. "Right, this circle is all the bad things that can happen, but this one is all the good things, and you can see how they interact in the middle, yes?"

It was FAR too early in the morning for this. For goodness gracious, Mary Poppins was watching this too! "John."

He began doodling more, his tongue sticking out. "Now some good things can happen along with the bad stuff, but not all of them are part of the 'morning', per se. In general, this morning was fairly average in my opinion, unless we include the bits before we wake up which honestly should be part of the 'night', which was AWESOME because I had the best night sleep ever…"

Oh just stop talking! "John!"

He was absently coloring in some odd shapes. "I mean, in comparison this is the BEST morning, especially compared to being exploded by alien kidnapper bugs or that time I almost got arrested by my Sister's snail boss, but if we are going by comparison ONLY then this might be a below average or even 'Meh' morning so far, unless (Again) we count my awesome sleep into the mix."

No! "JOHN! It's just a thing you say! It is something you say to tell someone that you acknowledge they exist, that the time is in the morning, and that you wish them well!"

John blinked, and whispered. "But… But what if it wasn't a good morning? Or even if it was too late and it was noon or even evening? You couldn't say 'good morning' THEN, right? You'd be lying!"

She tried to remain focused. "Just tell Mary Poppins good morning, please, with the intention that you WISH her to have a good morning."

He paused. "Oh. OH! Why didn't you say that to begin with?" Turning with a bright smile to the slightly amused woman, he waved! "Hi! I'm John Doe, and I'm supposed to say good morning!"

The woman's lips quirked into a wry grin. "And a good morning to you, Mr. Doe."

The boy waved that away! "Oh, please call me John! Mr. Doe probably would have been my father if I had one."

Jane gasped! "You lost your father!?"

John blinked. "Huh? No, I never got one. Turns out if you aren't born from a person, getting a mom and dad gets REALLY complicated and there is paperwork and stuff, and… Well, let's just say it was MUCH easier to get adopted after I accidentally yeeted my sister and myself outside of reality. Our last names even match now!"

Mary Poppins moved over that confusion with ease. "John then. Once MIchael returns properly warm and prepared, we will be taking a short walk to the park this morning… I believe your sister and your friends here have plans for you to join us?"

John smiled! "Probably! Though can we go to the park through the allies and stuff? The dirty ways I mean."

The woman blinked. "It is possible, of course… But why?"

Jane gasped as John waved a hand and the room visibly became cleaner. "I like to collect dust and trash and stuff and destroy it for materials and energy! When I was bringing Jane home last night I managed to find ALL SORTS of stuff back in those allies! And a dog! Well, a puppy really. He ran away though."

Mary Poppins hummed. "That is… Quite the handy ability, I suspect. Though if you are going to interact with such things, I must insist you wash your hands after using it. For health reasons, if no other."

He grasped nothing and an open barrel of water appeared. "I can use one of these! And after washing my hands, I can absorb all the bad stuff out of the water and use the barrel again next time!"

The woman blinked. "Oh my… Well, if nothing else that seems efficient. Oh good, Michael is ready. Gather your barrel John, come along Jane… We are off on an outing!"

Jane huffed at all that craziness! She had just wanted to introduce her friend to her nanny, why had it all gotten so complicated!?

Still, both Banks' children piped up. ""Yes, Mary Poppins.""

John blinked. "Wait, am I supposed to do the taking thing too!? I wasn't ready! Michael, you didn't warn me that we needed to say stuff at the same time!"

Her brother clearly wasn't awake yet. "Wha?"

John narrowed his eyes. "This is going to be like Jane's name hoarding isn't it? You two are trying to sneak away with all the telepathic twin speech moments just because you grew up together! Well, ONE can play at that game!"

He paused. "Wait, shouldn't I have said two can play at… But I mean, I am the only one who wants to play… But I want to say stuff at the same time as you guys, so should it be 'THREE can play at that game!' or what?"

Michael stumbled a bit, they both had honestly stayed up too late last night. "We are playing a game? Which one?"

John sighed. "I don't even know anymore."

Miss Poppins quietly chuckled. "Games after we arrive at the park, onwards march forward for now! Spit Spot!"

Jane held back a massive yawn. Maybe things would make more sense when they got to the park later.

 

[theaceoffire]

John followed the group, Collecting the filth and trash and waste as they wandered.

He (And the other two children) were lost.

Not that it was any surprise, London was confusing at the best of times and he HAD requested that Miss Poppins lead them to the park in a roundabout way, specifically to clean up the area a bit and all that.

So like baby ducklings, the children followed the prim and proper woman as they confidently wandered dangerous alleys and byways. Paths that, John was pretty sure, would get you shanked if you weren't with someone special like this nanny.

Still, it was a smorgasbord of collectables at least!

Layers of grime, some several inches thick, vanished behind the group as they walked. Ash and soot in the air was Collected, slime and grit was Gathered, and it felt almost palpably brighter behind the group as John kept Pocketing all the wonderful chemicals and filth and tainted residue.

Some bits were even radioactive! How lucky was THAT!? Not common either, good radioactive material can be tricky to find outside of specialty locations or without using special connections and people in the know.

He wasn't exactly sure why Mary Poppins had paused when he collected whatever it was, but she seemed settled by his smile and thumbs up, so the walking continued! To ever more dirty streets and passages, away!

Now that Michael was a bit more awake though, him and Jane seemed to be enjoying the bit of exploring as well as watching stuff vanish behind them like magic.Which was good, because he'd been getting some depressing vibes from the younger brother and it felt nice to have him perk up a bit and be less grumpy today.

Oops. "I'm sorry, what?"

Jane huffed in frustration. "I was ASKING if you are done for today? We apparently are near the park and Mary Poppins wanted to know."

Uh. "I mean, sure? I can do this literally forever, but I'm mostly just enjoying how satisfying it is to wipe away decades of grime like this. We can move on any time." He waved his arm over a segment of wall. "See? Almost zen like! It feels a bit like watching those videos about pressure washing, soothing or something."

Her eyebrow twitched. "It feels like watching what about what now?"

Oh. Right, it's 1910. Play it cool, man! You can do this! "Nothing. Right, on to the park!"

He felt her suspicious glare behind him as he confidently strode forward and paused. "Uh, whichever way the park is. Miss Poppins?"

She gently waved to a side street, and THEN John confidently strode forth to visit the glorious park of 'Not acknowledging his mild screw up'! Huzzah!

~~~Pocket System~~~

Jane stomped after her confusing (but interesting) new friend. He probably wasn't doing this on purpose, but he could be so FRUSTRATING!

Michael on the other hand had lit up because they could see the park now. "Oh! Let's go climb a tree!"

Jane instinctively glanced at his perfectly clean clothing and back at the sap covered trees… Gross. "Maybe in a bit? Didn't you want to show John the Balloon Woman and all that?"

John blinked. "Balloons?"

But it was far too late, because Michael was on the case. "BALLOONS! And they are all bright and you can bounce them by pulling its string and… And she always has one with my name on it! I think she saves one just for me in case I show up, but Jane says it might be magic."

John looked intrigued. "Magic, hmm? I haven't found much of it that hasn't tried to run away from me in the last world. Supernatural stuff doesn't seem to mind me much, but that Magical Old-Timey Bathing Suit Who Lives in the Himalayas avoided me like the plague."

Jane tried to process that. "What?"

The boy hesitated. "You know, Klimpaloon? He was born or made in 1883? Honestly the life cycles of magical swimming attire has never been clear to me, so it could have magical clothing parents or just a powerful weaver with special abilities, but either way he should be around somewhere."

Michael joined her in their confusion. "Are you teasing us?"

Mary Poppins hummed. "Some things can change from place to place and from time to time young man… And stories and tales spread with a life of their own. While I am unsure if this… 'Klimpaloon' wanders the mountains, you may need to confirm it one way or another on your own when you grow up."

John slumped. "No I can't, the guy is slippery and like most magical things he knows when I am in the area. I probably won't ever be able to track him down."

Jane was still held up in the early portion of the conversation. "But that is a thing? A magical… Bathing suit?"

He nodded. "Yeah, people hear him all the time in the Himalayas crying his traditional yodeling call of the swimsuit: 'Nang-nang-nang-nang-nang-nang-nang-nang-nang-nang!'"

She felt her eyebrow twitch. "I'm sorry?"

John waved her off. "Maybe it's just the wrong season. After all, he stands in winter and this really feels more like a British Autumn to me. Not that I've been in Britain or experienced many Autumns, but you know what I mean."

No she didn't.

Then Mary Poppins clapped with a small smile! "And we are here! Michael, please lead the way towards the nice Balloon Woman and we can each collect our own little reminder for the day."

No! She was NOT going to let this go! "You don't really think that John is scaring away magical bathing suits, do you Mary Poppins!?"

She blinked. "Well I certainly don't see any nearby… Do you?"

But! But! BUT! "...No."

The woman nodded. "Well, there you are then. Now onwards! I feel like a nice purple balloon today would be just about right."

No Michael, don't just go along with this! Something felt a bit off here, didn't it? He shouldn't get distracted just at the thought of getting a balloon!

…Although a purple balloon did sound awfully lovely.

John twirled in spot, waving at her to go faster!

She sighed. Fine. But she wouldn't forget to bring this up later!

~~~Pocket System~~~

John blinked at the broken balloon. "Uh. Oops?"

The Balloon Woman herself also seemed caught off guard. "Oh dear."

Michael on the other hand was ecstatic! "Did you see that!? It EXPLODED! Like BOOM!"

He frowned. Why would this happen? Jane and Michael both got their balloon just fine, and Marry Poppins had gotten one with not just her name but a small paragraph of text describing how she was practically perfect in any way…

But his chosen balloon attempted to flee from the nice woman's grip and then, when out of options… sort of imploded/popped/something when he actually managed to grab ahold of it.

He glanced at the string in his hand leading to the flat deflated rubber object. "Huh."

The other boy paused in his exultation. "Though it should have popped instead of going out with a 'Whizz-ba-donk', right? That was a bit odd."

John shrugged, carefully lifting the deflated thing into his hands. "I think so? In other places, popping is the normal reaction, pretty sure." He blinked at the fragment of text…

That wasn't a letter.

…Oh. "Never mind, I think I know what happened."

Jane was leaning in and poking the fragments. "You were unlucky?"

He pointed out the odd shifting symbol. "No, it tried to show my actual name, not the one I got after I was born." The text moved out of sight by shifting into the missing segments of rubber. "And uh… I really don't think the material could handle it."

Mary Poppins frowned at the destroyed balloon. "That may make it a bit difficult to acquire a replacement then…"

The nice Balloon Woman waved them off. "Oh I'm sure I can do something dearies, just give me a moment and…"

John blinked. "Huh? Why would I want a replacement?"

The group hesitated. Jane nudged the scrap in his arms. "Because it popped?"

So? "A balloon is still a balloon, with or without air or whatever. And this one is mine!" He felt a grin grow on his face. "Plus, it feels like a part of this place… Of this world. Yeah! He's going to be my friend!"

Michael seemed lost. "Huh?"

John held up the collapsed rubber sheet tied to a string. "Everybody, meet Poppy the Balloon! He's going to join Spike the Pinecone and be one of my Pocket Pals!"

Oh, right! Best be safe.

[[Pocket.]]

There! Now Poppy would be clean and safe and sound in his personal storage with his new best friend, Spike! "This trip has been GREAT so far! What are we going to do next!?"

Mary Poppins had just finished saying something to the flustered balloon woman that seemed to calm her down but easily turned to the little ones. "I believe some climbing was on the agenda…"

Noticing Jane's expression of displeasure, she softly smiled. "And I am sure young Mr. Doe would have no issue cleaning away any sap or dirt that may be acquired along the way?"

Seeing Jane's hopeful look he gave her a huge grin! "Of course! I'd be happy to help out!"

Michael had already gotten his balloon tied to his wrist. "Let's go to the climbing glade! Those trees have the best branches and you can see SUPER high up on them!"

As the boy began talking about the time he saw a birds nest in one of the trees and how Jane had once nearly fell and got covered in leaves and she started arguing that it was MICHAELS fault for nearly falling and she had been trying to keep HIM from losing balance and how sticky sap could be and can he really make sure she wouldn't be all nasty after climbing and…

Well, it all blended into a chaotic mix of youth and vim and vigor as the group began running/tripping/dashing/meandering towards the cluster of trees that Michael swore were the best climbing trees in all of London, their nanny idly following along behind them.

If the nice Balloon Woman didn't notice her suspiciously cleaned clothing and surroundings or the now brisk and fragrant air in her area… Well, that wasn't John's problem either, now was it?

Right, let's find out how to climb a tree! Probably wouldn't be that hard, his body was pretty strong and even dire injuries were more an inconvenience than an actual issue. Even if it turned out to be a bit more tricky than expected, he'd figure it out somehow along the way!

~~~Pocket System~~~

Jessica hummed, thankful she had only extracted one piece of jewelry at a time 'from her bag'.

After all, half the reason these things had been so easy to acquire was thanks to her Pocket abilities. Filter out pure gold from collected materials, request that a small portion of the recycled stuff from the vaults be converted into gems, use her paycheck to get custom jewelry made… Bam, a huge amount of future trade goods for a fraction of the cost!

Honestly, gold and silver were simple to acquire from the crazy stuff that had been so deadly and hard to store away for others. Compared to the nuclear material and the conceptual hazards and stuff, the 'rare metals' and 'valuable gems' were converted and collected in massive piles without issue or effort!

So it was a REALLY good thing that she had been having each item appraised one at a time rather than just dumping a small pile of valuable loot on the counter.

Because she could pretend that these four pieces were all she had brought. And not just a pittance compared to the thousands of other ones tucked away in her Pocket.

Even still… "That sounds like an awful lot, doesn't it?"

The old man with a majestic white beard and jeweler glasses shook his head solemnly. "If anything, I may be undervaluing it… I have rarely seen materials of this purity or gems of this quality, much less so well combined in such an artistic set of pieces as these ones. I assure you, this estimate of mine is closer to a low estimate than an overestimate."

Oh dear. Glancing at the bank representative nearby and the gleam in his eyes… "And would the bank be interested in helping me find a buyer for these pieces, with the resulting funds deposited in my new account?"

Based on that reaction: Yes.

Yes, they would.

Yep. She had really REALLY underestimated how valuable these handcrafted bejeweled pieces from a future Earth would be in London England back in 1910.

Thank goodness she had only shown the lowest quality choices first, this could have caused a bit of commotion otherwise. As it were, they now had the option of purchasing a home rather than renting a townhouse should they feel interested. Or several of them, or just acquire a small neighborhood if desired.

Good grief.

 

[theaceoffire]

Jessica sighed. "I should have done this through the bank to begin with."

Sexism still existed. Shock! Surprise! How could it be!?

Half a day wasted trying to get a place and being asked where her father or husband or boyfriend was could have all been handled by just having the bank step in and wiggle those fairly impressive beards.

One frustrated trip back to the bank? Problems solved!

Although at least a portion of the issue was due to being both a foreigner AND not well known in high society. With the amount of wealth she had access to, and without those two stigmas, MOST places would have waived away almost all prejudices in the hunt for profit.

Whatever. A good chunk of time might have been squandered but heading back to the bank got everything wrapped up SUPER quick, so now she owned property. A good amount of property, with prepaid scheduled maintenance and future improvements planned and all that.

Well, technically she had been a bit sneaky and ensured that the Doe's would only own the place while they were here. After all, this was only a stop on the journey for them… It would be a waste to have the 'owners' vanish and cause the place to go abandoned.

So a bit of paperwork later and now she'd have the entire mass of property bestowed to the Banks family for governance when John had them leave. Did they need it? No. Did they want it? Who knew! But most of the excess funds were in accounts to pay off future taxes and any needed repair work, so it wouldn't be a burden on the people later on. Probably.

Meh, it wasn't like she had a lot of attachment to her new sudden wealth anyway. All that jewelry was a side project, a negligible effect of having access to a small portion of her younger brother's power… And it wasn't like they could take it with them when they left.

…Maybe.

She blinked at the furnished home and considered John stuffing the entire place in his Pocket.

…Yeah, best not even suggest it. Otherwise the rest of their journey onwards would be marked by massive craters from all the hotels and stuff he would collect along the way… 'Spike the Pinecone' was one thing, 'Party the Apartment Block' was a totally different kettle of fish.

Meanwhile, the biggest concern was how to keep occupied until John was ready to move onwards. Getting a job was right out, careers here were a lifelong dedication that you could end up literally marrying into or inheriting, not a short stint between occupations or locations.

Not to mention, again, that anything she was capable of quickly acquiring job wise was vastly below her capabilities. Physical labor, certain sexual options, peddling small goods or busking as entertainment, yadda yadda yadda.

Something about menial jobs made her mind flicker… Staff.

This 'home' was enough for over thirty people, and she needed to hire people to take care of it. Not because she and her brother NEEDED that sort of thing, but because it was expected, it helped to blend in, and it would allow the place to be maintained when they both moved on.

Shit.

No, wait! Mrs. Banks had to know this stuff, AND they were basically already friends! Right, let's go bother the OTHER half of the Banks family and get some stuff done. She'd need a housekeeper to manage the staff, a cook to feed them all, maids for cleaning, a repairman for maintenance, a chimney sweep (Were they kept on retainer or hired as needed?), a seamstress to maintain and repair clothing, possibly a porter or two who could go out and negotiate for home supplies from the various markets and bring back the daily food and goods for the staff, lawn care specialists…

After all, she had the money to cover it all and most of them would end up supporting each other when the Doe family moved on. Even without the siblings these people would need food and clothing and housing and all that, might as well make the entire place mostly self sufficient.

That still left… An AWFUL lot of space. And massive amounts of additional funds. Hmm.

There had to be something she could do with all this space. Not to mention the properties she technically now owned to the sides and back, even if they were mostly just empty massive buildings right now.

She glanced at her wrist and… Wasn't wearing a watch. And phones didn't exist yet. What time was it? Mid afternoon, thereabouts?

Right, just needed to track down John and let him know… Oh. Wait, could that work?

She grabbed some paper and a pen from her memory Pocket Inventory and scribbled a note.

There we go, and…

"[[Pocket.]]"

Now hopefully he will notice the new item, since she could sort of flag it as 'Critical Item: Time Sensitive' in the non-existent menu…

~~~Pocket System~~~

John blinked, hanging upside down. "Huh." Then a piece of paper was held in his hands. "Let's see… Oh, that is very convenient!"

Allowing himself to drop some dozen or so feet he Pocketed himself and then exited without velocity and oriented to land gently on the ground, ignoring Jane's sudden shriek of fright seeing him fall. "Miss Poppins!"

The woman was watching Michael wrangle his way up some branches but somehow managed to give him a good amount of focus. "Yes, John?"

He grinned as Jane began to calm down in the background. "Can we go visit my new home next? My sister just bought a new place and it would be awesome to go explore it!"

Mary Poppins hummed as the tree holding Michael subtly shifted branches to better support his leg that was about to miss his footing. "After a bit of afternoon tea, perhaps. A bit of a break to the day is good for one's mental health, after all."

Jane meanwhile was now standing behind him and seemed frustrated for some reason. "You can't DO that John!"

Huh? "What do you mean? It's my house too, of course I can explore it!"

She glared at him! "NO! You can't just FALL like that, I was scared to death! What if you had gotten hurt!?"

OH. "I mean, it was only like twenty feet or…" Wait, this was England. "I mean, a bit over 6 meters?"

She blanked on him. "Six what?"

…Hang on, what?

[[In London England, in 1910, the public still utilized Imperial units, also called the British Imperial System. These were the standard units of measurement of the British Imperial System, the system of weights and measures used officially in Great Britain from 1824 until the adoption of the metric system beginning in 1965.]]

Metrics didn't EXIST yet!? "Never mind! I meant… Uh…" Help! Oh, thank you System! "I only fell 1.21 rods or 0.03 furlongs or 0.3 chains or 6.67 yards or 240 inches or 0.000459 acres or…"

She waved her hands. "Stop that!" She gripped his shoulders. "Do! Not! Fall! Please! It was scary and I was scared and I thought you were going to get hurt!"

Oh. Ah. "I'm… I'm sorry." He felt right awful now. "It's just, I can easily fix myself if anything gets hurt or damaged, so sometimes I don't really… Like, understand or grasp how big a deal some things are?"

He waved at the rooftops visible from the park. "I mean, people up there are literally dancing from chimney to chimney several floors up over massive gaps, and everything is slippery and covered in soot and stuff… So compared to that, a small drop didn't really seem like a big deal to me."

Mary Poppins hummed in the background. "To some degree, after years in a profession, one gains a certain amount of self confidence that can allow them to achieve miraculous things… Though it is true that a portion of said astounding abilities are due to a lack of fear and understanding of consequences rather than any level of actual safety."

Another branch shifted, preventing Michael from losing his grip and falling a fairly significant distance himself, as John blinked. "You mean like when collecting sand crabs?"

Jane blinked, her hands still gripping his shoulders. "I'm sorry?"

John nodded! "Yeah, sand crabs and blue crabs and stuff all have these tiny pinchers and claws. If you move fast and with confidence, they are likely to be confused and unable to stop you from just picking them up and tossing them in your bucket! But uh… If you are afraid of them or move too slowly, they can give you QUITE a pinch and it hurts and… yeah."

Seeing her expression he cleared his throat. "So I guess in this case the ground would be the crab, or maybe gravity, and jumping would be my plucking confidence while landing is thanks to my powerful bucket manipulation skills combined with pure talent and gumption and…"

She looked him straight in the eye, throwing all that out of her mind. "Please don't fall from big heights like that again, please?"

He shifted. "Alright."

Mary Poppins smiled. "There, see how a little talking can clear things right up? Now, a bit of afternoon tea and then a small journey to visit John's new home seems in order. Michael! It's time for us to continue!"

A distant 'Aww' came from the tree, but the limbs were already shifting to more safely allow him to… Nope, he missed one. And that… Ouch, no, he caught himself.

Man, children were sturdy things.

John ignored the groaning from the slightly bruised younger Banks sibling. "So what sort of tea are we going to drink? Sweet Tea?"

He faltered at the look of confused horror in Jane's eyes and the exasperated one from the woman. "Ah… Not Sweet Tea then?"

It turned out: No. Tea time in England is not that simple.

At least there were tiny sandwiches! Tiny sandwiches were AWESOME!

~~~Pocket System~~~

Jessica sighed as Mrs. Banks hid a smile behind her tea cup. "It never ends."

The other woman hummed without commitment.

Jessica glared at nothing. "I've hired over forty people so far. Forty-four. Would have been double that if I hadn't focused on people with difficult issues and troubled backgrounds, but that is a LOT of people that I am now responsible for."

Mrs. Banks didn't interrupt.

She glanced down at her half drained cup. "That still hasn't filled up my new house, by the way."

The older woman held back a giggle. "There is a REASON why my dear George and I haven't gone for a larger home than this one! And why such a cost effective property has remained unpurchased despite the amount of space provided… Aside from maintenance and taxes and some such."

Jessica slumped slightly. "It's only going to get worse after this."

That caught the mother off guard. "Oh? From your original plans I assumed you were nearly done with establishing your staff."

She groaned. "The staff helped cause the problem! Or to be more accurate, got me involved with it." She waved at the paperwork. "One of my new house maids needed additional time off to manage her children, which is how someone so talented and with such a long and gainful employment history has been having issues acquiring a new position."

Mrs. Banks blinked at the seemingly off topic rant. "Oh? But as their duties should be awfully light for such an empty property, that wouldn't be too much of an issue, correct?"

Jessica sipped from her cup. "I thought so as well, but something felt off about the entire situation and so I began asking more and more questions… Her situation is a bit unique."

The older lady, seemingly burdened by life but refusing to bow. A single matriarch in that interview room, so hesitant to ask for assistance despite clearly needing help. "The woman never married, and has been adopting orphans and abandoned little ones instead. Despite her savings and financially powerful background and inheritance, it has apparently been growing to become a significant issue. Especially considering her advancing age."

Eating a small bite, Mrs. Banks clearly was thinking ahead. "You said 'Manage' her children, not 'raise' or…"

Yep. "She is currently supporting over three hundred children. Technically she is running her own workhouse, though for more religious reasons than for profitable ones."

Most of the funds from running the place and even the incoming donations from the children raised there were being funneled right back into keeping all the orphans fed and housed… And unlike many similar institutions, her attempts to provide them the things she lacked in her own childhood meant that money was tight and time was valuable.

Mrs. Aylward just had this… Pure vibe or virtuous aura about her. And an odd feeling that she was out of place somehow? Still, she had found a calling in this city and was attempting to help the orphans of her home become something greater.

Although it should be noted that, in England, being an orphan didn't simply mean you lost your parents… It also referred to children with a single parent or who were abandoned due to costs or other issues. Needless to say, the number of needy were not minute.

Mrs. Banks gasped in shock at anyone supporting so many! "And yet she still works herself? How does she have the time!? Or the energy!?"

No idea, the woman seemed to be running on pure determination by this point. "She considers the children to be her own and told me that she couldn't just sit back and allow them to help her when they were also in need. The woman quoted me something from the Bible… 'Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.'"

So despite having so many responsibilities and duties, she continues to work in an effort to provide even a token amount more for her children.

Sigh. "Needless to say, that complicated my whole plan entirely."

The mother blinked. "I'm sorry? I think you've lost me… Were you unable to assure her of additional time off?"

Jessica grumbled in her chair. "Before I was just hiring a bunch of people to keep my property in order, but now I'm having to move a workhouse and establish a pair of orphanages and apparently a church… Not to mention the construction crews and the demolition teams that will need to clear out the structures that won't work for the new property layout I've been working on…"

Oh. "Right, I'm going to need a full child care staff too, so I guess I need to head back to the bank tomorrow and start this whole paperwork mess all over again… Might need to sell a couple of additional pieces of jewelry just to ensure everything is covered."

Best plan for lots of extra space too, which would complicate everything… Sigh.

The room got a bit too quiet.

Jessica blinked. "What?"

Mrs. Banks seemed stunned. "Isn't this a bit sudden?"

She didn't know. Maybe? "I did mention I had a lot of property available now, right? It would be a waste not to do SOMETHING with it. Besides, it would give me something to do and lots of new children for John to play with! Win win, really."

What ELSE was she going to use all that space for? Jogging?