Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide.

Dinner and a Story || The Fox and the Cricket

tod-mitchell

And guilt trip Tod, Jiminy certainly did.

He knew just how lonely his grandmother had been at the end. He had sat at her side for hours at a time while she recounted stories from her childhood. As if it was so far away and out of her grasp now. Even though she hadn't been very old when she passed. Too young, if you asked Tod.

Far too young.

Just like everyone in his life, it felt.

What was it like to live to an age like Jiminy's mother? Like some of his patients that Jiminy had mentioned. He had always wanted to ask them, but it was never really the time.

Tod figured...well, he could say yes today and maybe tomorrow it simply wouldn't matter.

"Okay, yeah. I mean--uh, I think you have my number, right?" The hospital had a directory. And he had a work phone, not that he used it much. Just had to keep it on him while he was on call, but it had the capability to text...though, he had no idea if Jiminy would text. Tod's mother would have loved texting...they were about the same age, weren't they? Or, well, they would be the same age, if Pearl had lived. Instead she was eternally 34.

@yourconscience-jiminy

The older doctor perked up at the answer. "Right!"

He had just about everyone's phone number. Well, the natives anyway. Newcomers and nomads were harder to get to know and less entrenched in the miracles of Swynlake that pulled everyone together. Plus, if Jim didn't have a number, he could get it from pretty much anyone. People liked Jim like that.

"I'll let her know. Don't fret too much about it, son. If supper isn't exactly edible, I can order a pizza and she will be none the wiser." He clapped his shoulder with a smile.

He began to walk away with a pep in his step, but he turned to remind the boy, "You're making an old woman very happy, you know!"

@tod-mitchell

Found Things || Guiding Star

Jim nodded. The three of them spent a lot of time at that cafe. studying until the chairs went up around them. Those years faded into the back of his mind as life went on and his perspective changed. After those, Iris and their child were the center of his life. Everything that really mattered were in the pages of that scrapbook.

Of course he would help fill it out. It was their life together even as one chapter was ending... The journey hasn't ended in divorce, it is only a chapter. "I'll go get the box I have. Memory Lane is just on the corner of the closet. One sec." He held a finger up and went down the hall to their, his, bedroom.

Kneeling down, he found the shoe box brimming with knick knacks and Polaroids. More wedding photos, their baby in the bath. All soft memories he let slip away in his obsession.

A bitterness buried itself in the heart of a soft man. His father wasn't there to see any of it. Not his university friends, his wedding, his child. Jim struggled to keep that ghost out of his periphery. His past ruined his future. So it all sat in a closet instead of on the other side of his bed with a kiss goodnight.

"This one, I think, was meant for you to put in that book." He plucked a photo from the box and handed it to Iris as he came back with his stash.

@iiriidescents

Iris wishes her memory were better for these things. In the corner of the closet - not his closet, not our closet. But that was to be expected. The separation of their lives was both clearer and blurrier. When they'd decided to separate, it only made sense that Iris be the one to move out. She had the Hollow if she decided, though they both knew she wouldn't go back. She had had an Apartment in Castle Suites for a short time, and after that she'd found a house to stay in. She'd only done that last year, seeing as they weren't sure if this -- all of this -- would be temporary. Iris still doesn't know if she wants to resign her lease.

Moving twice hadn't been too bad. It was mostly the furniture, cookware, and sentimental what-nots. Iris didn't have an abundance of clothes, nor decor. A lot of the bigger things stayed with Jiminy as well. No use moving things that might be moved back.

Aha.

Another spring was impending and Iris tried not to think of it, but she knows it's quite possible that her hopes would melt like the snow. They were speaking with lawyers, though the Fairy-Nature of it all on her side did make it a little bit interesting.

She's pulled from that line of thinking as Jiminy comes back. Iris has a sip of her coffee (so as not to seem rude and like she'd asked for it for nothing) before accepting the photo. Oh. This was another lifetime ago, but not quite as far back as university.

A visit to London, the three of them. Their child having to be coaxed as a barely one-year-old to look at the camera. Iris had worn a lavender dress that matched Jiminy's shirt.

"I forgot about this," Iris says, looking at the details all the more closely. It was slightly grainy, taken on an instant camera. "This is the trip that convinced us we were never going back to London without a buggy. Your arms were so sore."

@yourconscience-jiminy

#r: guiding star #t: found things

Memory was a fond thing. Jiminy didn’t remember his arms hurting. He only remembered holding his baby close and the sound of giggles and how heavily they all slept that night.

“It was a great day.” He said simply. “It deserves a spot in that scrapbook.”

It was never painful to reminisce, the pain came when he faced his present. What would he have said to Jiminy dressed in lavender because it was his wife’s favorite color? Keep wearing that shade, keep making her laugh? Take every ounce of kindness you have and put it back into them? Jiminy couldn’t contest with Iris’s reason for leaving. Why she accused him of being the one who left. He was right there. Still Jiminy.

He turned a bit darker as he sat across from her at their old table. Every meeting a fresh hurt. “Iris, why’d you bring this here?”

There was no contempt in his voice, just a wounded curiosity. What separated couple kept scrapbooking together?

Dinner and a Story || The Fox and the Cricket

tod-mitchell

A personal request?

Tod kept his expression as neutral as possible, even if he felt his heart start to do funny things in his chest. It squeezed and then burst at his grandmother's name.

He should be used to it by now. How many people his grandmother had touched during her life in this small town. As far as he knew, the only time she'd ever traveled out of it was for her granddaughter's funeral. She had been buried in the family plot, because apparently they had a family plot, as Tod had been informed by the attorney his grandmother had hired to create her will when she was diagnosed.

She slept, now, beside his grandfather, whose name Tod had only learned from a gravestone. He had died before his mother had even been born.

It was only then that the name Widow Tweed had made sense to him. He had never asked his grandmother. He had never asked her so many things about herself. He was so selfish.

"Uh--I mean...yeah, I-I am busy. I mean--I'm flattered. Uhm, yeah. I just...uh--I am not sure when my next day off is..."

And he didn't want to confront one of his grandmother's friends so they could find out just what a horrible grandson he'd been...

@yourconscience-jiminy

There was a solemn air and a twinkle in the boy's eye that could only convey guilt. Jiminy could read a man easier than a picture book. Tod's eyes painted him an entire story.

A distance, a mourning, a fear.

It all swirled in the boy, but Jim just smiled. "I figured you were, big job and all. It would be totally at the mercy of your schedule though."

He put a hand on his hip and one in his beard, "Mumma is retired so she doesn't have much in the way of a schedule, I just think she would benefit from the fresh company. I'm sure you have plenty of geriatric patients, you understand how old folks can be."

Jim laughed and pat Tod's shoulder. "It doesn't have to be soon. Just when you get the time. It'd make an old lady very happy."

He was nearing geriatrics now, cusping fifty. It was his God-given right to exploit and guilt trip the young for the benefit of others.

birthday kisses wishes || guiding star

Iris: good morning, Jiminy Iris: Happy Birthday Iris: ♥️

@yourconscience-jiminy

#text: birthday wishes #r: guiding star

Jiminy: Thanks, Iris! I appreciate the well wishes. Jiminy: It will be a good day, I'm starting with Hatter's. ☺️

@iiriidescents

Dinner and a Story || The Fox and the Cricket

tod-mitchell

Tod recognized the psychiatrist.

The A&E dealt with psychiatry more than many other parts of the hospital, unfortunately. It was just part of it. People coming in on their very worst days. Tod, himself, had considered psychiatry at some point but...he didn't think he had a very personable personality.

He was better at fixing people's bodies than their minds.

He had respect for psychiatrists and therapists and nurse practitioners. They were an extremely important part of someone's healing journey.

There was also a vague understanding that Dr. Cricket had known Tod's family. He had the vaguest memories of him from childhood and Jiminy had been at Jeanette's funeral.

Had he been at Pearl's? Tod could only vaguely remember his mother's funeral.

"Sure, Dr. Cricket," Tod said with an easy going smile. "What's up? Is this about a patient?"

@yourconscience-jiminy

Tod's inclination towards patient talk made Jim smile. How alike they were in youth. How hungry for more work in their ambition. He silently hoped Tod had something outside of the hospital to ground him like Jim did.

"No, no." He dismissed with a wave. "All of your referrals are doing well. It's actually a personal request."

The psychiatrist quickly continued so as not to waylay the doctor more. "Not my own request, just passing along a message. My mumma is really keen on having you over for dinner one night. I told her you were very busy and might not be able to, but she insisted I ask anyway. She and Jeanette were good friend, you know."

It was a low move, to use that history as leverage. But Jim's mumma wasn't getting any younger. If it gave her peace of mind to feed the grandson of her recently passed friend... Jim wanted to make it happen.

@tod-mitchell

Found Things || Guiding Star

Iris wishes she'd taken in everything on their wedding day. If she could go back, she wouldn't have spent more time worrying about the details that meeting the guests. In a way, Iris had thought they'd look at her and think she wasn't enough. That she wasn't right. That she didn't fit.

She had no idea what Jiminy's friends thought of Iris, they were fairly tight-lipped about such things; but Iris was a fairy, and older. She was a bit bumbling at her talent... She would understand if Jim's friends thought he could do better.

He always had so much potential. He worked hard, studied hard, but above all... Was kind in his pursuits. That's what appealed most to Iris. In times where things were difficult, he remained kind.

She wishes she could recall Jay and Auben better. They'd said congratulations to her? She almost remembers. It's not quite there.

"Right," Iris says, studying their faces. "We... went to lunch together once, didn't we? That cafe down the road from the university?"

A lifetime ago.

Jiminy asks her about the scrapbook, and she knows he could never be cruel about it, but Iris is still fearful that he'll tell her something like not to bother with it. Instead, he offers her help and Iris is reminded now how in love she is and how difficult that is on both of them.

"Oh, It's half done, maybe 15 pages?" Iris looks away, knowing her rosy blush might threaten her matter-of-fact tone. "I have some images from when we started seeing each other up to the wedding, so it's not all the wedding. I think it's nice to think of it more as a journey," Iris says, which is true but she wonders if Jiminy will think she's too sentimental. A journey... That ends in divorce... "But, you know, I'd love to see the photos. You know me. Memory lane is my favorite street."

@yourconscience-jiminy

#t: found things #r: guiding star

Jim nodded. The three of them spent a lot of time at that cafe. studying until the chairs went up around them. Those years faded into the back of his mind as life went on and his perspective changed. After those, Iris and their child were the center of his life. Everything that really mattered were in the pages of that scrapbook.

Of course he would help fill it out. It was their life together even as one chapter was ending... The journey hasn't ended in divorce, it is only a chapter. "I'll go get the box I have. Memory Lane is just on the corner of the closet. One sec." He held a finger up and went down the hall to their, his, bedroom.

Kneeling down, he found the shoe box brimming with knick knacks and Polaroids. More wedding photos, their baby in the bath. All soft memories he let slip away in his obsession.

A bitterness buried itself in the heart of a soft man. His father wasn't there to see any of it. Not his university friends, his wedding, his child. Jim struggled to keep that ghost out of his periphery. His past ruined his future. So it all sat in a closet instead of on the other side of his bed with a kiss goodnight.

"This one, I think, was meant for you to put in that book." He plucked a photo from the box and handed it to Iris as he came back with his stash.

@iiriidescents

Dinner and a Story || The Fox and the Cricket

Pearl. He thought of her face every time the young doctor passed him by with a polite nod. Jiminy would always return the nod with a smile and the hope it would move into a real conversation one day. He knew his Mumma would want an update, their families being natives in a small town. History ran deeper than Tod ever knew it, how his mum and Jim had been friends. How his grandmother had been friends with Jim's mother. Their losses were intertwined.

With a polite nod, Jiminy decided, with his mother aging, he should finally honor a request of hers. He turned to interrupt the man, "Tod. Hey. I was wondering if you had a second? Won't take long, I promise."

Was Jiminy yearning to make up for lost time and a guilty conscience? Perhaps.

@tod-mitchell

Dinner and a Story || The Fox and the Cricket

Found Things || Guiding Star

Iris gives Jiminy a genuine smile and continues sorting the pictures. Most of them were from the wedding, though there were a few from when they were first engaged that had slipped in there. Jim came back with the biscuits. Iris smiles sheepishly.

"Well, all but these," she says, gesturing to their not-actually engagement photos. Iris had felt odd taking engagement photos because there weren't really many people she could celebrate with. She was going against all Godmother-Talent convention by getting married, and to a Mundus no less. "I already photocopied these, so if you want them, they're yours. If you don't..."

Then Iris would understand. And hopefully Jim would understand her trailing off.

"But the rest -- these here are mostly with your mother, I thought you'd want them. And then here are.. I'm so sorry, your friends from uni? Is that who this is?"

Iris shakes her head. Twenty years was a long time ago, and Iris and Jiminy's lives had been growing apart for awhile now. Still, Iris regrets that she can't recall all the guests.

"Anyways, I did save most of them so if there are any of them you want, you can have them. I might even finish that wedding scrapbook I've been procrastinating on for years."

@yourconscience-jiminy

#th: found things #r: guiding star

He felt bad back then, falling in love with her so ardently and forcing her hand. She left everything she knew for him and he always worried that love wouldn't be enough to make up for that sacrifice. His love was always a burden to Iris.

Jiminy looked back at the pictures she brought, the pictures still on the walls. Their child. Friends he hadn't seen in a decade and his mother looking less frail, powered by the joy and the sun that day. He hoped Iris thought it was worth it all. Even if it all ended like this.

"Jay and Auben. We were interns together. They were closest I had to friends outside of you." Before they were married, they were friends after all.

He flicked through the pictures, smiling, reminiscing. Saying things like that, Iris, made him remember how much he loves you. Who put together a wedding scrapbook in the middle of divorce proceedings? His wife, that's who. "I'll take these. Say, how many pages are actually filled in that scrapbook? I might have some photographs you might like to add. Just little things, first bike with no training wheels type things."

@iiriidescents

johnestfellow

Bad PR || Open

johnestfellow

John didn't like attention. Well, no that wasn't true, he liked it when he controlled it or wanted it. He didn't like getting glances from everyone he walked past on the street.

It was strange. A few people did a double take, someone looked him over almost dubiously, another scoffed. He had no idea what to make of that. Sure, he was still reeling a bit that his name had been dropped on the Von Drake's podcast and trying to figure out what to do about that from a professional standpoint. But people didn't know his face, right?

Right??

A poster on a lamppost caught his attention and he felt his stomach drop. It took him a moment to fully process what he was looking at and what he was reading.

He snatched the paper off the post, crumpling it in his hand as dread settled deep in his gut.

"What the fuck..." he muttered, then his gaze fell down the street to another lamppost, another piece of paper fluttering in the breeze. He felt his face heat. "What the fuck!"

#t: bad pr #r: johnimy #i think thats a fun name for them lolz

Jiminy was not a fan of narcissists or cheaters or liars. Reasonably so. However, he didn't like a bully either. And whoever put these flyers up was certainly that, the public humiliation puts it well into that category.

So, Jiminy was taking down every one he saw. And then he heard the expletives from the very man on the posters. He tucked the few he had under his arm and went to comfort the man, John.

"I don't know what you did, but no one deserves this type of retribution. I've been taking them down as I see them." He sighed. "To be quite frank, I'm disappointed in the pettiness. Surely, there's a healthier way to settle your grievances."

@johnestfellow

The Next Hop || Jimian

Ian glanced at the computer, and it was true; he had spent most of his time during his internship either collecting and organizing those notes, making sure everything was in order and studying The parts that he was allowed to that weren't confidential to the patients themselves, and trying to learn by observing.

Sometimes it still felt surreal, like he shouldn't have been that far in life, like there were a million other things he needed to do to reach where he was. But somehow he was there anyway, and all that time and effort had paid off; it had just been a little too easy losing track along the way of just how much he had put into it because it had been in the day to day rather than all at once. But those days added up.

Ian laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck because that also was true; He had gotten so used to staying late more often than not at R2F to help close up, to get things in order for the next day, for a million different reasons that it felt like the right thing to do there in that office when there was always just a few more files to upload or a few more notes to take.

Tony had never minded that really, his job at The Court sometimes meant late evenings as well, and on the days that it didn't Ian got home in time for dinner anyway and thankfully Tony understood.

There will probably going to be a lot of late nights ahead once Tony graduated too, he really didn't know what all was involved in being a music producer, but it had to start somewhere and it probably wasn't the type of job that one worked strictly nine to five.

But they would manage just fine, they always did.

"I don't really mind staying late, Tony's usually out late too with his job and it's a lot easier for me to stay late than it is to get here really early," he admitted with a humored sound; the downside to being a nocturnal elf.

"And thank you, I appreciate that chance now." Even if he was still a little unsteady about it that confidence would come with the experience, the same way it usually did for him. And it also helped that Jiminy who was never far away when he had a question, or some uncertainty or anxious moment to stumble past and need to steady himself again; he'd always been strangely fortunate in finding the sort of mentors who stepped in with the sort of guidance that he needed. First Martin leading him through the unconventional realms of magic the way it worked for him and then Dr. Cricket having that insight knowing when to give him a nudge forward and when he needed to catch his breath.

Sometimes a big part of getting somewhere was having the right type of support to teach a person where to go.

"Yeah, okay," Ian nodded with a smile, "I guess I am ready."

@yourconscience-jiminy

#r: jimian #t: the next hop

Even in this conversation alone, Jiminy could see the quiet confidence building in his protege. That was exactly the feeling he wanted to stoke in Ian, building that confidence over years of knowing the boy.

It was about time he really believed in the things that Jim did. Believed in himself.

A smile painted itself across the good doctor's face. "I'm glad you finally came to that conclusion. I think everyone else in the office was there about a month ago!" He jokingly wagged his elbow out at the boy.

"What do you say to starting this week? Still got a few more days to prepare, but I think too much time might psych you out."

@ianthedisastrous

Found Things || Guiding Star

There was something effortless in the way Jim smiled in Iris’s presence. He opened the door and there she was, he was smiling. Despite it all, he held her softly in his heart. Though not softer than he held onto her when he needed to most.

He recognized the younger man, only just. Less wisdom but a lot more heart to give. And Mumma looked exactly the same with her bird-like grace perched next to him. It felt normal to step aside for Iris. “Of course, come in.”

Having to give permission is what felt awkward.

Jiminy imperceptibly winced. He had to replace that coffee maker a while ago. It was just another thing that changed in the wake of their separation. How was she to know that he finally splurged on a fancy gadget he could barely use?

Not having the heart to tell her, he instead said, “I’ll see what I can scrounge up.”

Hoping she’d just lay out her purse’s contents on the coffee table she picked out a decade ago rather than follow him to the kitchen, Jiminy flicked the machine on and went to the pantry.

Unfortunately for him, he had quite a collection of biscuits. The coffee machine hissed and sputtered behind him before it gurgled and spat out something black and gritty. “Oh no…” he hushedly panicked. Jim hit the red button, flipped the switch, and finally pulled the plug on it.

He sighed. Instant coffee, then.

Returning with two mugs and a plate of biscuits, he feigned high spirits. “Here, do you still take milk and sugar?”

@iiriidescents

It felt strange to walk into his home because it was once her home too. It felt awkward to look at the walls and know she wouldn't be putting up photos of them from their latest outing... No new golden light photos of Jiminy, taken candid during a walk by Atlantis. No more family dinners with Iris's fruit treats, pleasant chatting about days...

Iris takes a seat in the living room, pulling a short stack of photos from her bag and laying them out, face up. Categorizing them by the wedding guests. She hears from the other room a sound she'd gotten accustomed to in the kitchens from the Hauntley. Iris doesn't say a word about it.

It's funny, really, the way that their lives had been so in sync. So intertwined. They knew everything about each other so accurately, so intimately. It's as if their mutual pasts were frozen in time, all those things that used to be true had to be confirmed or denied before those, too, could move forward.

The coffee machine existed until it didn't, and a new one replaced it... but when? A mark on a timeline that was inconsequential to Iris, yet she still wanted to know. How many times had she talked to him about getting a new one, simply because she was worried either of them could burn their hand on the slightly askew and misaligned handle. One of them had to wrestle on the lid in the morning before they both went to work, whoever was up earlier usually tried. Sometimes they gave up and ended up using instant coffee, saying that they'll try again tomorrow.

Where is trying again tomorrow for them now?

Iris throws on a smile when Jiminy returns. "Yes, same as always. Splash of milk, two teaspoons of sugar," she says. Not that he needs reminding. "What biscuits do you have there?" She leans over, tries to make out the tin. She doesn't expect Jiminy to keep her favorites in stock, but it doesn't hurt to ask. "Have.... you got the honey ones, by chance?"

@yourconscience-jiminy

#t: found things #r: guiding star

“Great, your’s is this one, then.” He put the coffee made how she liked closer to her.

The tray had a few biscuit options. Jiminy didn't add the honey biscuits on account of their child. Much like their mother, they were their favorite as well. "Hm, I do have some in the pantry. I can grab them."

He made his way to the back of the closet, the shelf of their child's favorites didn't get much use nowadays. Jim still kept it stocked. He quickly returned with a sleeve of them and looked at what Iris set up.

“Are these from the wedding?” He plucked one from the table and got a closer look.

@iiriidescents

The Next Hop || Jimian

There was a dizzying moment when he was ready to argue that, no, he wasn't ready for something like that. But that was the same voice in the back of his head that told him he was never really ready for anything, and the voice that was so very often wrong. Hard to ignore, his constant unsteady counterpart in life and maybe it would never fully go away.

But he tried harder not to listen to it anymore, he tried harder because so many other people were right there to argue with it. But he was the one who needed to do the arguing, wasn't he? He'd come that far and wasn't the whole point moving even further?

It had been that way with his book and now what? One published and another three on the way? The uncertainty hadn't won then either.

"I'm not sure if I think I'm ready," he answered honestly, "but I want to be. And I will try to be." Ian nodded, because the only chance he was going to regret was the one that he didn't take, and he had been working so hard to take those chances.

"Thank you," he added earnestly, because it had been Jiminy's choice to give him that opportunity that soon, and to stay close by just in case, at least for now. "I think I can; I've learned a lot the last few months here thanks to your direction. I really appreciate the chance now."

@yourconscience-jiminy

#r: jimian #t: the next hop

Dr. Cricket wasn't an oracle or doctor in any mystic arts, but he predicted Ian's self doubt like it was written in the stars. It plagued the boy despite everything he'd accomplished in such a short time.

Jiminy had watched Ian grow into a man and he couldn't have been prouder.

"I knew you'd say that. Because you're a humble man, Ian. I don't think you realize how easy you've made my job the last few months. You digitized all of my notes! It's about time you made a folder of your own on that damned thing." Jim pushed off the door frame and gestured at the computer with his notepad.

"Besides, if it didn't happen now it would still happen sometime soon. Maybe it would be a few months away for any other intern, but you've earned it. And I can't take all the credit. You're the one who stays late every other day..." He said it cheekily, not as an accusation. Jim was the same way when he was studying. Iris was shouldering most of the home burdens at the time and gave him the grace to do so. Jim was glad Ian had his partner through this.

@ianthedisastrous

Found Things || Guiding Star

Iris stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure exactly how to speak in this moment. There he is, charming as ever. Dangerous as ever. Because the truth of it was that he was like perfume to Iris. Intoxicating. Intriguing. Attractive... Flammable, in all the ways that Iris knew too well.

Both a hazard to her and himself.

Still, she reaches into her purse wordlessly -- because what words does she have? -- and holds out a small photo. Wallet-sized, but the subjects are clear.

Jiminy... and his mother. That suit, those iris corsages that Iris had made. A photo from their wedding day.

"I have a few more of these," Iris says, eventually, "actually a stack. I found them when I was rummaging through some boxes looking for a copy of our marriage certificate."

The implications of why hung heavy, but she smiled through it. She was a Godmother Talent... she was meant to bring smiles.

"Do you mind if I come in? I figure we can sort out a few more details over coffee? If your coffee pot still words, the thing's ancient, isn't it?"

@yourconscience-jiminy

#I simply do not have the dule hill gifs to be consistent in using them rn lmaooo #t: found things #r: guiding star #I love them already #can’t wait to torture them

There was something effortless in the way Jim smiled in Iris’s presence. He opened the door and there she was, he was smiling. Despite it all, he held her softly in his heart. Though not softer than he held onto her when he needed to most.

He recognized the younger man, only just. Less wisdom but a lot more heart to give. And Mumma looked exactly the same with her bird-like grace perched next to him. It felt normal to step aside for Iris. “Of course, come in.”

Having to give permission is what felt awkward.

Jiminy imperceptibly winced. He had to replace that coffee maker a while ago. It was just another thing that changed in the wake of their separation. How was she to know that he finally splurged on a fancy gadget he could barely use?

Not having the heart to tell her, he instead said, “I’ll see what I can scrounge up.”

Hoping she’d just lay out her purse’s contents on the coffee table she picked out a decade ago rather than follow him to the kitchen, Jiminy flicked the machine on and went to the pantry.

Unfortunately for him, he had quite a collection of biscuits. The coffee machine hissed and sputtered behind him before it gurgled and spat out something black and gritty. “Oh no…” he hushedly panicked. Jim hit the red button, flipped the switch, and finally pulled the plug on it.

He sighed. Instant coffee, then.

Returning with two mugs and a plate of biscuits, he feigned high spirits. “Here, do you still take milk and sugar?”

@iiriidescents

The Next Hop || Jimian

That had always been the sort of thing Ian gravitated to; when he'd started working at R2F years ago it hadn't been long before he was rearranging shelves and straightening things up in his time between dogs to groom, and eventually keeping up with the front desk and appointments for Greg. He liked organizing things, he liked so many of the things that other people found tedious because he liked understanding how things worked, he liked being able to make sure they continue to work smoothly.

He smiled, while it wasn't that he necessarily needed the reassurance he did appreciate that Mr. Cricket offered it; the biggest part for Ian when it came to figuring out where he fit into places really came from knowing what he was supposed to be doing.

It probably didn't hurt that his boss knew that, there were only so many therapists to be found in a small town after all, but in a way that was reassuring too because he didn't have to voice the doubts that Jiminy already had the insight to expect.

He had been certain about his goals when he'd decided following that career but it would have been a lie to say Ian didn't suffer from doubts along the way the same as everyone else, sometimes even more so given his anxiety. And those doubts revolved entirely around wanting to make sure he was doing things right.

It really hadn't felt like he had been there all those months but he had and with graduation looming along came another uncertainty; that internship didn't guarantee he would be working there, only that he had the certification to start working in an office. There was always the potential of NTO but that wasn't what Ian wanted; since he wanted to specialize in dealing with magic related trauma he wanted to be right where he was.

But that wasn't his decision, and he knew there were so many factors involved beyond just what he wanted. He'd always respected the older man, not just because of the therapy sessions over the years but because Jiminy had always been very patient during Ian's unsteady points, kind when he'd doubted himself and direct in pointing out solutions in coping mechanisms that Ian himself would have overlooked otherwise but had helped him reach the point or he was now.

He nodded, hesitant to say anything until he knew what the conversation was about to turn into, trying to ignore the flicker of apprehension.

@yourconscience-jiminy

#r: jimian #t: the next hop

"I wondered if you'd like to lead group sessions from now on?"

It was a big leap for any intern to take, but Jim trusted Ian. The boy'd attended every session with the current group and was always so attentive. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that the kid was ready, but Jiminy understood that Ian would have his own.

He took a breath and continued, "You've attended every session, you know the members. I think you're ready. And you don't need to worry about any bumps in the road, I'm not taking the training wheels off completely, yet. I'll still be there to jump in if you need another voice."

@ianthedisastrous

The Next Hop || Jimian

Ian enjoyed doing paperwork.

It had been one of the more relaxing aspects of working at R2F, at least when it came to looking after the front desk and booking appointments. And had been much the same during his internship there at the office; it wasn't why he was there, not really, but it was part of learning how things worked and absorbing that knowledge about everything that came next.

It was the..what came next part that made him a little apprehensive. But one positive about your boss also having been your therapist for a long time was they generally had a lot of insight into how much of that hesitation was honest and how much was just his unsteady thoughts.

"Of course," he smiled, clicking to minimize the information on the screen in front of him as he glanced up. He had lost track of time, but that wasn't unusual; at R2F he'd developed the mindset of being available when needed and staying after hours to help Greg take care of what had to be done at the end of the day.

He'd already fallen a bit into the habit of neglecting to watch the clock too closely and realizing the end of the day came when everyone else was getting ready to leave.

"Sorry, I got a little absorbed in what I was doing," he admitted as he shut the computer down.

@yourconscience-jiminy