Mary Poppins
'What are you going to be this time?' Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way, looks down at her dæmon, eyebrows raised. They have come to rest on a cloud, Mary sorting out her makeup while Voltooi gazes down at the family they have been hired to help.
'The children's dæmons haven't Settled yet, so it'll have to be something big.'
Mary nods, moving slightly to follow his gaze. 'Their father seems quite regimental so I would suggest something impressive. First impressions are always important.'
He nods his head at that, eyes looking over the surrounding area. There is a large park and lots of winding streets.
'A big cat, I think.' He says, with no small measure of certainty. 'One that's quite rare, to shock the father out of his ideals.'
Mary smirks, shaking her head as her dæmon begins to change shape. Voltooi stretches and grows, the ferret's face becoming more pointed and shoulders more pronounced. His tail is longer but sleeker, his limbs stronger and likely faster. On his hind legs, Mary is sure he would be as tall as her.
'I'm not sure I recognise this animal.'
Voltooi, shaking himself off, grins his new face at her. 'I saw it while we were passing over Africa. I thought it was just the thing.'
Mary smiles and moves off the cloud, her currently a cheetah dæmon following, editing his shape as they go. He makes his tail slightly longer, his teeth less sharp until, finally, he is ready to go, his form the exact shape he needs for the house they are about to enter. Voltooi nods at his girl and she smiles, walking up the steps and knocking on the door,
If Mary is to be practically perfect, she needs a dæmon that is still Unsettled.
Skoorsteen runs back towards her man, running up Bert's leg and up onto his shoulder. The man pauses in the middle of his drawing, tilting his head towards her. The ermine nods her head in the direction of Cherry Tree Lane, shaking her head frantically when Bert turns to look. He frowns, raising his eyebrows at her. She frowns back, nodding again but slower. Bert, still frowning, turns a second time, slower and subtler, to look at number 17. He sees nothing interesting.
'What?' He hisses, glaring at her.
'They've gone. All the nannies've gone.'
Bert continues to glare, picking Skoorsteen up and putting her on the ground. 'So? We've got to get on, there's work to do. Rent won't pay itself.'
She scurries forward again, resting on his non-drawing arm. 'The Bankses need a nanny. All the nannies've gone. Don't that sound familiar.'
Bert rolls his eyes, moving to a blank spot to make some changes to the background before drawing. 'Yeah it does, but no getting our hopes up. You'll just end up sad when it's not her. Like ya did with the last dozen odd nannies.'
The ermine scowls at him, looking back at No. 17. 'A bird just flew out the window.'
'Now you're being ridiculous. Stop distracting me.'
Bert turns back to his art, ignoring his dæmon as she pulls on his trouser leg. As he's concentrating, a shadow moves over his background.
'Wait!' He says, smiling. 'Don't move. Don't you move a muscle.'
'Mary Poppins, don't you love us?'
The stout around Jane's shoulders looks up at her, tears brimming in his eyes. Fëmijë moves up when he sees Jane crying, shifting to a monkey to wipe away her tears. She pushes him away, staring at her nanny who is packing her things away with no apparent reason why.
'Your father is calling.' Mary says without looking up, the cheetah at her feet moving away from Michael's dæmon as Pak tries to speak to him. 'Off you go.'
Jane takes Michael's hand, pushing him in from of her. Fëmijë is a bird now, leaning against her cheek. It's supposed comforting, she guesses, but it's difficult to comfort someone when you're just as upset.
She forgets a little about Mary Poppins when she sees her father and the nanny is completely gone from her mind when he pulls out the kite. Fëmijë is a wildcat as they leave the house, laughing and skipping along with their parents. Jane smiles as Bert as she passes him, Fëmijë moving to say hello to Skoorsteen.
If they looked sideways, they would see Mary leaving the house. But they don't turn, so they don't get to say goodbye.
Michael leans over the railing as the first applicant walks into the house. Pak leans over his shoulder, becoming a snake as she topples and stretching out even further. Michael moves his hand to hold her as she tries to hear what the nanny is saying.
'What's happening?'
Michael and Pak glare at Jane, shushing her and turning back to their father and the nanny. The lady is pulling out a letter, torn up but patched back together.
'That's our letter!'
The lady turns slightly and the children run upstairs, Pak turning into a lynx and jumping to Michael's feet. He leans down, his face right next to hers. The lynx hits her tail against his stomach, nodding at the door as Ellen closes it. The other nannies, the ones they had seen blown away, still haven't come back and Michael doesn't really expect them to. He smiles at his dæmon but she turns back to the nanny.
Michael looks back, just in time to see the lady jump onto the railing and slide up. He runs backwards, pressing himself against the wall, mouth open and staring.
'Close you mouth Michael, we are not a codfish.'
Michael's mouth slams shut.
Yínháng almost falls off her man's shoulder as they walk into the conference room. All the senior partners are there, staring up at them, their dæmons glaring unapologetically.
'Take your hat off, Banks.'
George shuffles into the room, staring at the partners. Dawes Sr nudges his son, making him stand. Dawes Jr starts talking about a loan the bank gave out, asking George if he knew what happened.
'Why yes, I think I do. A group of natives boarded the vessels, tipping the tea out into the harbour and making it unsuitable for drinking. Even for Americans.'
The pigeon hits her wing against her man's ear, even as the partners begin talking. A joke, really? Did he honestly think now was a good time to develop a sense of humour? The partners certainly don't look amused.
'What are you waiting for? Get on with it!'
The younger Dawes is walking towards them and Yínháng presses herself closer to George's ear. Dawes takes George's flower, ripping it up and replacing it, inverts his umbrella and punches through his hat, all without saying a word. He moves back to the table, leaving George and his dæmon stunned. Yínháng looks at George, her chest shaking at the shocked look on his face.
'Well Banks? Do you have anything to say?'
Yínháng is fully laughing now, trying to keep herself under control. George smiles at her out of the corner of his eye.
'Well, when you've nothing to say, there's only one thing. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!'
Winifred frowns as George heads out of the house for work. She has three different riots to go to today, plus five petitions to sign, before she's off to parliament to chain herself to the railings. It going to be a busy day and, luckily, Bert has agreed to look after the children for the day. Things would be much easier if they still had a nanny but, since Poppins, Jane and Michael have preferred to spend time together in their room or outside with the jack-of-all-trades.
'We need to go, Win. We'll be late.'
Winnifred nods, picking up Quanlì and heading for the door. She waves to Cook and Ellen as she goes by, swinging her sash over her shoulders. The cat in her arms tugs it down slightly as she walks out, grabbing more leaflets as she goes.
'Where to first Quan?'
Her dæmon regards the streets, looking one way then the other. 'Regent's Park, I think. I'm sure Emmeline said to meet there for the first riot.'
Winifred nods, walking through the streets. She puts Quanlì down so she can easier put leaflets through people's letter box, the cat stopping to talk to other dæmons they past. Most ignore him but one or two stop, nodding at what he says.
Finally, they make it to the park, hundred of women swarming around and getting ready. Winifred picks her dæmon up again and squares her shoulders, grinning. This is where they are meant to be.
Albert and his dæmon laugh, the two of them floating the the ceiling instantly. Albert tries to grab hold of Xiào's scruff as she floats away but she is quickly out of the reach, the two of them bouncing off the wall as they continue to giggle. It would be hard enough to stop if it was just one of them but, with the two of them setting each other off, they're not coming down any time soon.
'I'll be right back, Uncle.' Bert says below him. Albert just giggles as Bert runs out to find Mary Poppins.
'Do you think he'll find her?' The hyena says, kicking off from the wall to reach him. Bert wraps an arm around her neck as she nears him.
'Well, you know what they say about Mary Poppins.'
'What do they say?
'They say...' Albert cuts himself off with his laughter. 'Well, they say...you know, I can't remember.'
Xiào bursts into giggles, the sound echoing around the room. Albert joins her, the two of them spinning, even as their door opens again. They're far too happy and they're not coming down, no matter what anyone says. They just like laughing to much.
Ellen rushes to catch the vase before it hits the floor, Sobarica grabbing hold of the china with his teeth so they won't break. Ellen pats the great dane's side as they walk back to the kitchen, setting everything in place as they go. Mr Banks has sat down at the piano, ignoring all the commotion around him. Cook and her terrier dæmon meet them at the door, letting them go in first before following.
'Master want his dinner half an hour later today.' Chushi says to Sobarica before heading back to Cook. Ellen raises an eyebrow.
'Why on earth would he want that?'
Cook shrugs, dropping half a sausage for Chushi to eat. Sobarica and Ellen had never see someone feed their own dæmon before they met Cook and Chushi but to each their own. If Ellen had picked up the habit herself, who'll complain.
'It's because of his new hours, I'll bet.' Sobarica says, his tail hitting Chushi's side. 'Since he got promoted, he's been working more and more.'
'And less and less.' Cook points out. 'He spends more time with his kids.'
The four fall into silence, getting back to work. They have a job to do.
'A wooden leg called Smith?'
The younger Dawes looks at his father, eyebrows raising. Šef hops onto the younger banker's hand, the toad looking between her man and her mother dæmon. The viper curled around Dawes Sr's neck ignores her daughter, in favour of thinking about the joke Banks just told them. Šef tries to head closer to Otec but the snake dæmon pulls herself up, further away from the toad.
'Father? Father, are you okay?'
Dawes Sr doesn't look up at his son's words, even as Šef gets within inches of his hands, trying to get him to look up. Dawes Jr pulls her back, shaking his head minutely. Otec has coiled even tighter around her man's neck, completely ignoring Šef now, repeating the joke over and over. Šef's man looks around at the other partners, shaking his head.
Then his father starts laughing, lifting out of his chair.