Technically Illegal

One of the nice things with his memory was that he always remembered things like prices. It made comparison shopping excellent, but even so he couldn't help but shake his head.

"I got what I came for," Jude said. "And I don't think I'll need more than this before... well, before I'm 18." His dad would probably buy his own, which would stock him up, and the idea was more to help him get settled. Jude was in the unusual position of having more money than his dad probably did right then. He had savings. His dad... did not.

Well, he had them back in Halcyon, for what little that was worth.

Jude dug into his wallet, pulling out several bills - enough to cover the cost. He'd come prepared, and he held them out for Zora to take as he accepted the bag.

"Thanks a lot for this. I'm not sure how I'd have done it otherwise." Asking Broen? This wasn't exactly a Broen errand.

Ooooh, Jude hated this. Trying to give money to someone who was doing the 'no, keep it'. He'd learned better then to get into a 'no, I insist' war over it, but made a mental note to buy Zora something nice for Christmas instead. Even if she wa-

Oh.

She'd already headed him off at the pass, obviously familiar enough with him to know that he wasn't the type to take no, keep your money easily. The idea of donating the money was... well, it seemed a bit silly, considering they were themselves on the receiving end of the island's charity.

But Bussola? He could do that, and he nodded.

"I'll talk to him," he said, "but it shouldn't be a problem. Will this be a nice evening, or is this going to be a date?"

Jude wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis. Truthfully, he still found it strange, but... well, he could deal.

Well, that was a firm maybe, wasn't it? Jude adjusted his grip on the bag, checking the time to register that his dad was probably going to be at work. Good. That gave him time to hide t-

Oh right.

Jude turned his head, a shimmering, barely-visible square appearing in the air, and then he loaded the bag into the portal, watching it vanish from sight. That was far easier. The portal was invaluable, even if it had its own risks, and Jude patted his hands together before turning back to Zora.

"I'll let you know," Jude said, "after I've talked to my dad. But thank you for everything. It's been helpful."

Jude couldn't just say yes. After all, it was something he had to talk over with his father, to weigh the invitation. But a part of Jude felt ever so slightly uneasy at the idea. It felt... odd. Him and his father with Zora and... Celeste? Broen?

He couldn't put his finger on it, even as he stood there, and he pushed away the thought. That was for another time.

"I'll talk to my dad about it," Jude said. "And let you know. Things have been pretty busy, so it might have to be later in January."

He gave her a quick nod of the head, their shopping trip more or less done.

"Thank you," he said one last time, and then he said his goodbyes and was on his way.