# [closed post]

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan has devised another activity to occupy her days. By the calendar's reckoning, the start of spring is roughly a week away. Between her and Tress, they've got the outline of a plan for the next Dark, and Susan is happy to rely on people who've got greater interest in and skill for growing things insofar as agriculture goes. But the growing season here shall be longer than usual, and Susan should like to have some idea about what that might mean for the ecosystem,

This is her flimsy excuse to pardon the latest stack of books she's currently carrying out of the library. There is a marginal off-chance that preparatory reading on soil biota could, potentially, be useful. Perhaps she might even talk someone else into reading on the subject as well, so that they might discuss it.

Comments

[az_fell]

"Surely explosions, like most things, exist on a scale." Aziraphale is having a perfectly enjoyable time arguing pedantically; this is what he and Crowley do to flirt, after all.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan, however, is not. Oh sure, she might be an avowed pedant, but she only enjoys it in others rarely. "Then if there was no risk to the conjuring, why did you not conjure?"

[az_fell]

"Why, because I didn't imagine anyone was in terrible need of LEGO, or nearly undrinkable discontinued Canadian soda pop, or any of the other utterly useless things to which my miracles were reduced."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

That rather sounds like throwing in the towel instead of making your best efforts despite setbacks, but then again, Susan supposes one mustn't hold an angel to human standards. He really is such a useless angel though, isn't he? "That does sound rather frustrating," she says, kindly. It's not a test, as she has no interest in giving yet another pitiful excuse for a divine entity a chance to change her opinion of him. Rather, it's that - pitiful excuse for a divine entity or no - she thinks it would be rather foolish to anger him.

[az_fell]

The chances of Aziraphale doing anything dangerous to Susan beyond irritating her or boring her are vanishingly tiny, but of course he doesn't know to refute any thoughts to the contrary. "Quite," he agrees. "Theoretically, I'm meant to sit back and observe and merely sway humans toward goodness rather than involving myself directly, but it's difficult to imagine anyone feeling swayed to religious ecstasies by high fructose corn syrup."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Oh, perhaps not," she allows.

[az_fell]

"All that is to say that if you're in need of something palatable, I can once again provide." There is also no chance that the Almighty wanted him to utilize miracles for the purposes of introducing humans to sushi, but if any food can induce humans to religious ecstasy, surely sushi is that food?

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan pauses. "For instance?

[az_fell]

"Charcuterie," he suggests, then immediately warms up to the question and continues: "Sashimi, as Crowley well knows. Lamb chops. Oysters, if those are to your taste."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"A veritable feast," says Susan. "Can you do jellied eel?"

[az_fell]

"That classic London dish! Young lady, of course I can." Promptly, Aziraphale produces a tidy little shallow bowl of said jellied eels. If Susan was merely being rhetorical, he'll eat them himself.

[quote_gentle_unquote]

All right: in this specific instance alone, Susan is impressed. "It's been ever so long since I've had jellied eel," she breathes.

[az_fell]

For a bit of surely-misdirected whimsy, Aziraphale pretends to be plucking a spoon from his breast pocket. He passes it to Susan along with the bowl. "Vinegar, my dear?"

[quote_gentle_unquote]

Susan spares him one lightly-suspicious look - she's wary of self-avowed powerful beings who manifest food out of thin air, for several reasons - and then sighs. She has been craving jellied eel rather a lot lately. "Oh, very well."

[az_fell]

Aziraphale smiles. Ever so helpfully, he takes the stack of books from her, trading it for the bowl and spoon, and then produces a bottle of malt vinegar to top it all off. "Do let me know how it is."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Oh, I shall." Susan hesitates. "They're not bespelled, are they?"

[az_fell]

"No," says Aziraphale with surprise. "I'm not sure I'd even know how to bespell a jellied eel. I'm an angel, not a witch."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Hmm," says Susan. Balancing the plate carefully, she adds a little vinegar and then gives the eel a cautious taste. Her eyes fly up to the angel's.

[az_fell]

Aziraphale smiles again, right back at her. "Well?"

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"Oh, I have rather missed this," says Susan, and takes a larger bite.

[az_fell]

"It's all yours. Have as much as you like."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"So how have you been, Aziraphale?" Never let it be said that Susan Pevensie isn't deeply polite!

[az_fell]

She is so deeply polite that she's asking after him for a second time! Such a kind young lady, whose opinion of him is surely just as positive as his of her. Aziraphale's smile persists. "Well, I believe my struggle to organize the library may be an eternal and Sisyphean one, but there are worse fates."

[quote_gentle_unquote]

"And how are you going about that?"

[az_fell]

"Quite futilely, I'm sure. I've spent months trying to arrange it as though it were my own bookshop. When I turn my back, it rearranges itself happily."