Percy watched his daughter hug her uncle, and he could tell from the look on her face she wanted to grab onto Charlie's leg and hold on. She didn't, thankfully, as Percy had taught her that it could hurt Charlie by accident. Since he'd explained to her about her uncle's leg, she'd done her best not to do anything that would put Charlie off-balance or make walking difficult for him, even though at times she likely wanted nothing more than to hold on and not let go.
"I don't know," he said with a perfectly serious voice. "Maybe people don't like being accosted by a garden gnome the moment they visit our home, hmmm?"
Lucy glared up at him, but her eyes smiled - she knew his style of teasing and could sometimes be nearly as sarcastic as Percy. "I'm not a garden gnome, Daddy. You can't toss me over the fence, your back would hurt."
He couldn't help but laugh, and waved his brother inside. He knew he was far from his siblings' favourite, and he'd accepted long ago that they enjoyed Lucy's company more than his own. As long as Lucy was loved, however, then it didn't matter what they thought of him. "There are such advantages to being self-employed, I am often told. Come in, would you like something to drink or a snack? Or did you want to see the robes immediately?"