Khalid's eyes widened a bit.

"Nepenthes?" she repeated. "What were nepenthe spiders doing here? They belong on the other side of the world."

"Trust me. I know." Because Robin was still pissed about that. But oh well. "Those two attract trouble from far and wide."

"Clearly," Khalid said. She shook her head and settled in to keep an eye on her son.

After a while of thinking, Jeane went to go talk to Khalid again.

"So, if I decided to further investigate this whole Fountain of Youth thing, what should I be looking for?"

"Nobody will say anything," Khalid warned her. "There won't be anything in any books for you to find, and there won't be anything more than vague rumors if you asked." That was how carefully the Fountain was protected.

Jeane frowned a little. "What about Robin or Ish?" Because they'd be around long enough that she was sure they'd have some ideas.

"No," Khalid replied. "They won't answer to just a simple inquiry." She looked at Jeane. "Jeanie, I wasn't going to say anything, but I understand that you need to know. Unless you tell them why you want the information, they'll fend off the questions." And Robin in particular was good at redirecting such things.

Jeane sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'm still considering it. I haven't decided against it yet, but it's still not my favorite idea. I figured I could ask one of them, see what they know."

"I'll talk to them for you, if you like," Khalid offered cautiously. "I can't guarantee it will work, but I can talk to them."

"If you want. Oh, what does the Fountain even comprise of? Do you know?" Because Jeane wanted to know what she was getting into, and if it was a literal fountain or something else entirely.

"It's a natural spring," Khalid replied. "From what I understand." She also knew that there were a few peripherals that needed to be gathered, but she wasn't sure what they were. Robin would know better than she would.

Jeane nodded. "Okay." She was quiet for a few moments. She hadn't brought the subject up around Cal yet, but she was debating it. Since she couldn't do it by herself, and he was involved too now.

"This is the only thing I can think of for you, Jeane," Khalid said softly. "I don't know of any other way to give you what you want."

"I know. Hey, at least you had an idea." Jeane smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. "Maybe I'll go talk to Cal about it and see what he thinks."

"Alright," Khalid replied. "If he has any questions, he knows how to find us."

Jeane nodded and left, heading back home. So Khalid would get to go grill Ish and Robin, and she got to talk to Cal. She wasn't sure which of them got the better job.

Ish and Robin were both currently preoccupied playing with Alexander. They figured the females needed female time once in a while and had tactfully retreated before the conversation even started.

Khalid went and settled in next to them, watching them play with the baby for a minute or two.

"I told Jeane about the Fountain of Youth," she said softly after a moment.

Cal noticed Jeane was a little preoccupied when she came back, and didn't comment on it.

"Something up?"

At least, he didn't comment on it immediately.

Robin looked over at her first, tensing just a little. "And?" He wanted to know if he had to do damange control. He really hoped not.

"Yeah. Just something Khalid told me about. A way to get around my mortality, I guess." Jeane shrugged and moved to sit on the couch.

"She wants a bit more information," Khalid said. "Information I don't have." She was quiet for a moment. "She wants a way to circumvent a human lifespan."

Cal's attention sharpened.

"What do you mean?" he asked carefully as Jeane sat down.

Robin nodded. "I see," he said quietly. "What did you tell her?"

"Ever heard of the Fountain of Youth?" Jeane looked over at him, sitting there and studying her feet.

"The truth," Khalid replied. "She deserves that much. It scares her, Robin. She's afraid of being the only one who will grow old and die while the rest of us move on."

Cal raised an eyebrow.

"Like from the movies?" he asked.

Robin nodded slowly again. "I don't know exactly where all the parts are, but I could find out," he offered slowly, looking at her. "If that's what she wants."

"Sort of. I don't know exactly how it works but it exists." Jeane shrugged. "Khalid told me so. She said it was the only thing she could think of."

"I don't know if it's what she wants yet," Khalid said. "She said she needs all the information, first. But this was the only thing I could think of to give her what she asked for."

"What exactly did you ask her for?" Cal asked, watching Jeane carefully.

Robin nodded. "Do you want me to talk to her about it?" Because he'd been around for a long, long time, and he knew he'd seen it used once or twice.

Jeane was quiet for a few moments, still determinedly staring at her feet.

"A way I could stay with you." The admission was surprisingly difficult and very quiet.

"If you're willing to," Khalid replied. "I won't make you. But she's likely to ask."

Cal's eyes widened.

"Jeane, what brought this on?" he asked.