Aileen let out a sigh. Jonas was playing dumb, which meant that breaking the truth to Abby was all up to her.

Unless Jonas was actually confused. But judging by the look on her little sister's face, Aileen assumed that Jonas might have at least hinted at something going on between the two of them.

"Nevermind," she told him pointedly, then looked at Abby.

"Whatever Mr. Trevelyan may or may not have told you," Aileen paused long enough to give him a look. "There's nothing going on between us. Just business. So, if you'd please erase the idea from your mind and finish your milk in the kitchen..." she trailed off, waiting for her sister to move.

"Well, that sucks," Abby huffed, making Aileen's lips purse in disapproval. Where had she learned that word, and why was she talking like the fifth-year boys in Runes?

Then Abby got that grin on her face, the one Aileen recognized as being deceptively cheerful. "Maybe you should consider it, Aileen. He has a fun, exciting job. He seems like he'd be willing to face undead mummies. He has the redhead thing going on. And unlike your other suitors, he doesn't have a stick up his-"

"Abby!" Aileen scolded her, then pointed at the door. The vein in her head was about to pop. "Out!"

Merlin, when had her sister become as troublesome as Figaro Sellaphix?

This time, however, Aileen didn't apologize for Abby's ridiculous suggestions. Jonas had brought this on himself, and she hoped, she really did, that he was as uncomfortable and embarrassed as she was.

Once Abby had flounced out of the parlor, Aileen turned back to her ledger with a sour look on her face. She finished writing the check quickly, adding an appropriately sized tip (not so large that it would make him raise his eyebrows, but certainly not puny either), and then carefully tore it out of the book and handed it to him.

"That should cover everything," she told him in a very formal tone of voice, which meant she was still annoyed, mainly at her sister and then at Jonas for planting ideas in that impressionable brain of hers.

It was probably lucky for the private investigator that he was already trying to play things off.  If he hadn't been in the middle of an effort to keep a straight face, he would have completely lost it at Abby's observations.  As it was, he had to disguise a snort of sudden laughter as a cough, which at least gave him an excuse to look away from both sisters as he pretended to cough into his hand.

Was this what Gwenna was going to be like when she was fifteen?  Merlin, he hoped so.  He had never realized that teenaged girls could be so bloody entertaining.

Jonas pretended to study a spot on the ceiling as Abby was finally driven from the room, though he couldn't help flashing her a lopsided smile as she left.  He cleared his throat, trying not to look horribly amused by the look on Aileen Reid's face.  If her blood pressure rose any higher, she was liable to give herself an apoplexy.

He managed to maintain his composure, even attempting to look a little abashed as the Runes professor finished writing the check and handed it over.  Jonas glanced at the number briefly, and then folded it crisply in half.

"Thanks," he replied cheerfully, slipping the folded piece of paper into his coat pocket.  "We're all settled then.  And like I said, Professor, you have any other trouble, just send me an owl, yeah?"

Jonas turned toward the door, but before he got more than a few paces towards it, curiosity won out.  He already had the payment, so it wasn't as if she could withhold that.  What was she going to do, hex him?

"Sorry, but I've got to ask, though," he said quickly, keeping as straight a face as he could manage.  "What exactly is this redhead thing?"

Aileen nodded at Jonas, unsuccessfully trying to keep in mind that no matter how irritating his cheerful demeanor was at this moment, he had just tracked down the dagger for her, which had to count for something. Didn't it?

"I'll contact you if anything else goes missing," she said dryly, standing to escort him to the door. Merlin, would this day ever end. "Thank you, again-"

Then he had to say it. He was only a few feet away from the door, and he just had to comment on one of Abby's little outbursts. Aileen's eyes widened in surprise for a moment and then narrowed. She gave him a look not unlike the one her cat gave when someone sat in her favorite chair.

"Why don't you ask Abby? I'm sure she'd love to hear more tall tales from you about battling undead mummies and dating your clients," she told him in a clipped, exasperated tone, putting her hands on her hips.

Honestly, it was as if she had two teenagers in the house.

"Better yet," Aileen went on, before he had a chance to reply. She opened the front door and ushered him towards it. "Take your check, and your oblivious act, and your silly grin, and go."

If he was going to act like a fifteen year old, she was going to treat him like one. She waited for Jonas to leave, immediately shutting and locking the door after him, and then leaned against it and put a hand to her forehead.

"Merlin," she sighed, glaring up at the stairs when a giggle sounded from above.

"Abigail!" Aileen scowled, storming up the stairs to inform her that she'd better not get comfortable, because she was only staying for one night, and one night only, and then it was back to their parent's house. No ifs ands or buts!