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Jeremiah had eventually found the location of his car. It had been near the beach, near where Sunny was, and for a moment he had thought to go talk to her but the deal weighed heavily on his mind. Never mind the heavy feeling that settled over him, in both his mind and his chest. Something else was missing from his memory, something important, but it was pushed aside.

There was no need for his car, not when he was trying to make a way to other ashdown. If you walk the streets enough ... Reasonably he knew it could be futile, he could just walk forever this day and not find a way but he also knew that he was inexplicably tied to all of this now.

Eventually he would find a way. It was something he needed to do.

The detective found himself downtown, near city hall, blue-green eyes flicking from place to place. He was looking for something, for anything that would give him a clue. Could he just will himself there? Algie had mentioned Finn could find his way but it also seemed like he could just find a path and that was different.

Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, jacket pulled tighter against the chill (the one in the air was far more reasonable to deal with), he was about to turn himself towards the path to the State Park when he noticed it.

If he had not been looking for little details he might have missed it.

Algie had said it had been easy, there was nothing hiding the grove now. Jeremiah expected the same and, unlike the first time he had come to the forest, did not have that impending sense of doom. He was closing and shaking the umbrella out once he was underneath enough forest cover and found himself following the same path they had walked not that long ago.

At least there were not odd footprints this time, though he could tell that it looked as if Algie's were still in the soft ground and that lead him where he was going.

"Hullo, Heliodora." Jeremiah inclined his head in greeting, pausing a moment to lean his umbrella against one of the mangrove trees as he stepped further in. No need to carry it here.

He got a wry look on his face at the mention of Pax. "I am feeling better, thank you." Algie's hands were a part of that, if he were honest. The chill was not so bad here but he did not notice that, not under all the layers he wore. The detective looked her over, thoughts turned to what he knew had transpired, but for now that was not on his mind.

Walking over to where she was, Jeremiah pulled the messenger back over his head and set it to the ground before he sat himself. No need to stand and better to not look down upon someone. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm not exactly wanting to see Pax any time soon." Not that he would do anything, it was just that his back did still hurt. "Are you doing well?" he asked, and genuinely meant it.

She looked happy and at ease here but he probably would ask every time.

"I'm not," he agreed. "It's actually one of my so - it's Zac's." Which explained some of the stars that were on the bag. "Since I was coming here and Algie knows, he had me bring you the books he promised."

Right as he was about to lift open the bag, it started to shift and move. A fluffy white head with a not-quite-bloomed flower mohawk poked it's way out. "... you are a brat," he mutter-sighed at the small kitten. Hellbine just blinked bright blue eyes calmly and pushed the rest of the way out of the bag. He might have plopped to the ground if not for Jeremiah reaching and setting him down.

Then he was turning back to the bag to pull out the set of Red Herring Mysteries for Heliodora.

Jeremiah's lips twitched upwards into the smallest of smiles at the grabby hands as he passed over the books. Which turned into a look that might have been similar to Mike's for entirely different reasons. "A lot of people like the female lead," he replied, "she's ... unique."

Not having this conversation and when Heliodora was focused on Hellbine, he went for it.

"Ah, that's Hellbine. Who has been getting into everything." Said small kitten was sitting and trying to clean himself but when Heliodora focused on him he was making his way over to her. He was the same white as his mother, though his eyes were a darker blue and he had a line of not-bloomed yet flowers along his head. Hellbine may have, in fact, moved to the books to make his way on top of them and sit.

He was here, obviously, to deliver these books.

Jeremiah snorted, watching as Hellbine soaked up the attention and pressed for more scritches. Yes, all of them. The comment about Algie and himself got another look but mostly because they still had not really been open about it with others. "It would be extremely hypocritical. Not only that," Algie and himself, "but one of my colleagues and friends are a happily married lesbian couple." He rubbed fingers across his forehead. "... it has more to do with I happen to know who the female lead is based on and it's never quite stopped being odd."

Listening to anyone discuss the Bulldog - that goddamn nickname - from the series always made him wait for the moment when someone would click. Thankfully, no one had. Not to his face anyway.

When plopped into her lap, Hellbine walked around a few times and pressed into her stomach briefly before curling. Best lap. Yes. He started to purr quietly, small flowers blooming slowly around the young woman.

"No, not just to deliver the books. I actually wanted to talk to you about magic." Jeremiah stretched his fingers out, looking down at them a moment and then rubbing his thumb across them. He looked up at Heliodora. "If you don't mind?"

Jeremiah did not blush but he did smooth a hand across his face at the mention of the belt loop hooking. "Yes, well ..."

Hellbine, from his perch in Heliodora's lap, gave his owner a look. Don't lie. The kitten knows you're whipped, Jeremiah. Then he very pointedly returned to wanting paw beans rubbed.

"It's not quite like you being here thirty-two thousand years but I've known him since we were both children." Which as close as he would come to admitting being whipped. "Magic here." Except then he felt a need to clarify. "Not just in your demesne. I mean in other ashdown as a whole and not the abilities we've gained, though I suspect that's part of it."