Goblin Town -- Logs

The quiet of the night settles down easily over the trod. Everyone goes to their rooms after Fraser and Rafe are put in before they begin their changes. While Rafe's door isn't reinforced, he also didn't try to get out until he heard Fraser tearing his way free. Thus Cinnamon isn't worried, since it simply doesn't occur to her that Fraser -- like any bored, clever individual -- might take the risk and make the effort to peel his way out of his room... through silver! Nor does it occur to her that Fraser might have found a way past the silver in another, more sneaky manner! Thorn too is comfortable with the idea that Fraser is going to behave himself due to the silvered door, so the healer goes soundly to sleep.

Consequently it's an hour or so past midnight when Cinnamon hears something that sounds like a light tapping on her door. She wakes up with a start, not quite sure what woke her, and sits up to listen carefully. Just as she does so, there's another light tap-tap-tap! at the door. Cinnamon frowns worriedly -- that's not a solid rap like from someone's fist! As she starts to hop out of bed, her brain is already filling in stressful possibilities: is someone hurt, and not able to knock well? Is that breathing she hears, but with no words? Are they trying not to wake anyone else, but they need her for her strength? She shoves on her glasses, then hastily slips into her robe and plushie unicorn slippers as she calls, "Moment!" -- then patters to open the door.

There's another tap-tap on the door as Cinnamon gets close. Were there words that time? Hard to tell -- it's such a quiet sound! Also, the doors in the trod are solid -- nothing here is flimsy, since it's all built to last. Cinnamon unlocks and opens the door, a worried, "Hello?" on her lips.

Unfortunately, the moment the door is open there's a surge of motion! A large, warm, red-furred body bursts through, bearing Cinnamon to the ground. She gives a startled yelp as she's shoved back and down! When her head thuds heavily against the rag rug on the floor, though, she grunts a slightly annoyed, "Ow." She raises her hand to check her glasses are okay, then scowls, "Fraser, this is very rude of you! Get off me, now."

The wolf's eyes are bright and his tongue lolls in a laugh as he backs up enough to kick the door shut, then stalk back toward Cinnamon. His teeth seem very white in those powerful jaws! Even if he couldn't say it or currently fully form the thought, he knows he can be rough with Cinnamon and not break her. The human female almost broke, before, and Rafe is below him in the pecking order, so that's nothing to worry about. Besides, no one got between him and his intended target this time -- the silver on the door sure didn't stop him! When he was still two-legged, he'd managed to do something to the lock so it sounded like it had caught -- but it didn't. Besides, this annoying female won the last dominance contest! The curse-warped part of his brain just can't have that... and she smells good, too. Not like a mate, more's the pity -- but she does smell like maybe he can scare or annoy her... or just maybe win back some of his place in pack hierarchy.

Cinnamon sits up once Fraser steps back, fumbling a bit as she straightens her glasses... then pushes herself up to her feet again with a small, 'oof!' of effort. Once she's straightened, though, she sees Fraser heading right back at her! She tilts her head in warning, still frowning as she murmurs, "Fraser... don't you dare!" She's still sleepy, so she's not realized what a challenge that sounds like. When the big red werewolf keeps right on swaggering up to her, though, she sort of tiredly loses her temper -- and swings her hand back, snapping, "No!" as she simultaneously slaps Fraser as hard as she can right across his furry face! Then she straightens, folding her arms and frowning at the big red wolf as she adds sharply, "You are being a real doodyhead, Fraser! You cut this out or I'm going to lock you back in your room again, you hear me?!"

Fraser is big. Fraser is tough. Fraser is resilient! ...Fraser is not as tough as a dragon. Part of his brain hasn't yet remembered that 'tough' has started to link up with 'strong,' inside Cinnamon. When her palm impacts his muzzle, it's a little more intense than Dorothy whapping the Cowardly Lion! There's a shrill yelp! and a crack of bone as his head whips to the side, and he staggers from the impact. A heartbeat later he's wrinkling his eyes and his muzzle, trying to get things to work right again! He's not looking at her now... because clearly, Something Went Very Wrong Here!

After all that nastiness... Fraser is so rude as to ignore her?! With a small, indignant huff, Cinnamon clenches her fist at her sides, and stamps one foot, "Fraser! Are you listening to me?!" That makes Fraser growl-whine at her and shake his head -- which makes him yelp again, and hastily paw at his muzzle. Still, it's clear he heard her, so Cinnamon nods grimly, muttering to herself, "That's more like it!" Then she sighs, looking around her little room, "Well, if you're here... let me guess: you tore your way out of your room again. I guess you can stay the rest of the night here, then -- so you don't bother anyone else, or break down any more doors." She smiles wryly at Fraser, wondering why he's pawing at his face as she adds, "Arvid's sure gonna be mad at you tomorrow again, I bet, dude!"

Fraser is still pawing at his muzzle, though he attempts a tongue-lolling leer at her even with the crooked muzzle! Cinnamon scowls again at that, snapping, "But only if you behave yourself -- I am not putting up with you being a jerkface at me any more, okay?" Shaking a remonstrating finger at him, she adds, "'Cause I am totally smacking you again as hard as I can if you do!"

Fraser hangs his head and si-iighs in the most lugubrious, remorseful way a wolf-formed being can -- even his tail is hanging, instead of swishing briskly through the air! It might even be convincing... if you didn't know Fraser. Perhaps the crooked muzzle helps... though at mention of another smack, he crouches a little and paws unhappily at his muzzle again.

Cinnamon can't help the small, wry smile at that so remorseful act! She grins, shaking her head, "Yeah, not falling for that one, dude!" She blinks as the crooked muzzle finally registers, though -- she's pretty sure he didn't come in looking that way! "Oh, no, Fraser -- did I do that? I'm so sorry, guy! Here, let me try to put it back, okay? You don't want it healing crooked, after all..." She steps forward to reach slowly for his head, trying to sort of frame his face with her palms. Fraser doesn't look at all sure about this! He starts to kind of ease backwards... except he's already up against the door -- the door he closed! -- so there's not much room for him to move. He whimpers. His muzzle hurts and he's not sure he wants it touched.

Cinnamon croons quietly, "It's okay, Frazey, just relax..." She steps up enough so she can put a hand on each side of his muzzle, still crooning, "There, there... we're all good, silly boy -- just hold still now..." She takes a deep breath -- then gives a quick shove with her hand, trying to straighten the werewolf's muzzle into its correct position. There's a snap of bone and a short, sharp yowl which cuts off suddenly. Werewolves are tough, but that's going to hurt! -at least for tonight. Fraser isn't as good a healer as some, but still... now this will be a lot less of a problem in the morning. He licks his nose a couple of times and then lolls his tongue in a still-fairly-wicked werewolf grin.

Cinnamon beams, rather pleased with herself -- she's never done that before! "There you go -- all better! Okay, let me go get my pillow and blanket, and then we can curl up and sleep." She pauses, studying her nice, sturdy bed for a moment... then glances at Fraser -- then back at the door. A heartbeat later she grins, and starts tugging the bed over to firmly block the door closed. Over her shoulder she adds briskly, "But first -- oof! Moving this -- urg! -- so you can't just trot out and keep bothering other folks all night long!" Fraser actually puts his shoulder against the bed and it suddenly starts moving a lot easier. Cinnamon straightens, dusting her hands off and looking pleased once she's sure the door is locked and blocked, "Because knowing you, you'll try to sneak off yet again!"

The big red werewolf lolls his tongue, eyes bright when he realizes that this means Cinnamon is going to snuggle up -- and let him stay in here with her. Now she's demonstrated that whole dominance thing again, he's unwittingly settled a bit. Cinnamon laughs as she collects her pillow and blanket, "Lie down, you great monster, and get some sleep! You need to heal some, after all... and I'm tired!" She curls up against Fraser, her pillow on his side and the blanket tucked around both of them as she sleepily rubs his ears until she drifts off again...

The next morning there's another knock on the door. This one does sound like a fist, though -- not a heavy banging, but definitely sharp, and accompanied by Shane's worried voice, "Cinnamon? Acushla? You in there?"

Cinnamon yawns, flipping back her blanket to get up -- and accidentally tossing it over Fraser's head! Still waking up a bit, she doesn't realize how odd it sounds when she calls back, "I'm fine! Moment... oof! Gotta put the bed back!" There's a snort and a warm, deep laugh as the blanket lands... over Fraser's head! There's also the sound of a heavy body moving behind Cinnamon.

Shane sounds worried, "Are you okay? We can't find Fraser and his door's open again... we think he did something to the lock before he changed...?" The knob on the door turns back and forth without any result as the half-beansidhe adds, "Did you barricade yourself in?"

Cinnamon fumbles on her glasses, then tugs repeatedly on the bedpost, trying to drag the awkward thing back to where it belongs as she breathlessly adds, "Fraser- whoof! Don't worry, Fraser's here too; he's fine! Urf... though, do you have any clothes for him? Also -- ugh! I blocked the door with the bed so Fraser couldn't get out and bother anyone else... which turned out to be a good idea -- hrff! ...because he woke me up twice more last night, trying to get out!" She sighs then, straightening as she adds, "Whew! There, that should do it for now." She dusts off her hands and patters over to the door, unlocking it and pushing her glasses back as she smiles up at Shane, "Good morning! Also, it only took two more muzzle smacks for him to behave... which I think is pretty good for him, maybe? Especially since he let me put his nose back the way it should be!"

When the door swings open, what Shane sees would look... different... were it not for the fact that he knows Fraser, last night, was a large, fractious, hard-to-corral, cursed werewolf! ...that Cinnamon seems to have a knack for corralling! What Shane sees framed in the open doorway is a rumpled Cinnamon in her nightie and robe, and a large and quite naked Fraser behind her, giving Shane a mischievous grin! Fraser is male. It's morning. There are... consequences to that! He's casually wrapping a sheet around his waist. Shane, knowing Cinnamon as he does, puts a hand over the bottom half of his face to hide his expression -- then closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath, "OK. Good. We thought he might have gotten out of the trod. Yours was the last door we checked."

Cinnamon has no idea how odd she sounds -- or looks, considering her robe is now sleep-rumpled too -- as she firmly adds without turning around, "Nope! Though he's gonna get another smack if he's naked at me again while walking out of here!" She grins, then cheerfully adds to Shane, "So, want to come in? Are you hungry? I'm starving!"

Fraser chuckles and rumbles, "Don't worry, lass; I've got y'r sheet. Me clothes are in me room." He pats her on the shoulder as he swaggers past, brushing by Shane and pausing just long enough to lean down and murmur something very quietly to the half-beansidhe as he goes by.

Cinnamon studies Fraser's face carefully, making sure the nose looks sorta straight before she steps aside for him. Once he's out of the room, she smiles more relaxedly up at Shane, her voice curious, "What'd he say?"

Shane still has his hand over his mouth to hide the way his lips are twitching, "He assured me he didn't hurt you." What the werewolf actually said -- which Shane is not going to repeat because he knows it would make Cinnamon blush redder than a tomato! -- is: 'Don't worry, lad, didn't even nibble. I'll leave that to you!'

Cinnamon nods gravely, "He didn't, actually -- it was me that hurt him, when I whacked him the first time... though it's a good thing I'm sturdy."

Shane finally lets his hand fall, "Good. Good. Maybe have Thorn have a look at his nose." He takes a deep breath, "I'll go let Quinn and Arvid know we can metaphorically call off the dogs." He grins, "Hungry? There's breakfast this morning since people aren't so hungover."

Cinnamon beams delightedly at Shane, her entire demeanor lighting up -- he must think she did a good job with Fraser! "Love to! Gimme just a sec to get dressed, okay?" She hastily pulls on her clothes while standing behind the door, rapidly brushes her hair, and then does a very rough toss-together of her bedding. She's chattering happily as she trots out the door a few minutes later, padding next to Shane as they head for the breakfast buffet, and telling him about how Fraser behaved last night. She's both pleased and a bit surprised at how well the nose 'reconstruction' went, though -- as she wryly admits to Shane -- she probably wouldn't have tried it if he weren't a nice, self-healing werewolf!

Shane puts an arm around Cinnamon's shoulders as they walk. Truthfully, Fraser's comment has him considering... and feeling a little protective! "You could have called for help."

Cinnamon sighs happily, leaning a bit tentatively into Shane -- it feels so nice! She considers his statement for a bit, then slowly replies, "Hm. I... I guess I didn't think of it? Like, it was really late, and I was a bit groggy from sleep still, and I really didn't want Fraser to accidentally hurt anyone else, or break anything else...?" A bit ruefully she adds, "I'm really sorry, Shane, if that was, umm... dumb of me?"

Shane shakes his head and smiles down at the top of her head, "Nah. You handled him fine. Cagey bastard was canny enough to disable the lock on his door before he went four-footed. It didn't latch properly, so he barely had to touch the silver to get out last night. Looks like you were his first stop."

Cinnamon sighs in relief, "Oh, good! I didn't think of it last night, but I was worried just now about if he'd already been a bother!" She beams up at Shane again, her eyes sparkling with happiness behind the glasses, "It turned out okay, though, right? Even if I had to smack him a bunch of times?"

Shane nods and smiles... then leans down and spontaneously kisses the tip of Cinnamon's nose! He comes within a breath of it being on her lips, too. She really has a breathtaking smile, when she's not nervous! But he doesn't want to scare her, and this is not the time, "It turned out fine." Cinnamon's eyes fly wide open at the kiss, and she almost stumbles in shock!

The two find Quinn and Arvid in the main hall; both men look relieved at seeing Shane come in with Cinnamon. Quinn quirks an eyebrow, "Well?"

Cinnamon looks sort of... radiantly dazed as she patters into the room next to Shane! Without thinking, she beams exuberantly at Quinn too, "Good morning!" If you asked her, of course, she'd have no idea who she just spoke to... she's still remembering that shockingly wonderful, thrilling moment where Shane kissed her! Oh, sure, it was likely the way he would for a sister, but... but he kissed her! On the nose!

Shane grins down at Cinnamon, "Little Miss Firebrand corralled him and barricaded him into her room. He was in the trod all night."

Quinn and Arvid both sigh in relief. Jaeger, also there, chuckles, "Of course. Is he all right?"

Shane says, "Well... Thorn should check his nose. Apparently she broke his muzzle and sort of re-set it?"

Cinnamon blinks a bit as she starts to come down to earth again. Jaeger's question is the first one that really registers to her, and she glances up at Shane as he replies... then nods once, "He, um... he was... kinda rude? So I s-smacked him. Kinda hard..." She worriedly adds, "I hope that was okay?"

Arvid says dryly, "It was Fraser on the full moon. I suspect he heartily deserved it." Cinnamon blushes a bit, but nods silently -- she really doesn't want to describe what he was doing that caused her to slap him, after all! She glances around, searching visually for Thorn -- as much to change the (embarrassing!) subject as to make sure Fraser gets help!

Thorn comes back to the hall with a few others who have been searching for Fraser, and spots Cinnamon, Shane, Quinn, and Arvid looking relatively relaxed. The healer guesses that means Fraser has been found, and hasn't done anything too outrageous. Cinnamon grins and waves at Thorn, hoping he'll come over, which he does, smiling amicably, "So, I take it our prodigal has been found?"

Cinnamon blurts out a hasty, "Hi Thorn could I ask you to please check Fraser's nose since I whacked him there?" She blinks, then grins and adds, "Yup! I kept him in my room so he wouldn't bother anyone else." She pauses to consider a bit... then says slowly, "Wow, I... I guess I really kinda hit the poor guy a lot...?"

Thorn blinks, "You...? Sure, I'll do that. Was his nose off-kilter after you smacked him?" As Thorn is asking that, a jeans-and-flannel clad Fraser saunters in. His hair is combed and braided, though he doesn't look as... extra-vital as he does on the three days of the full moon. Today he just looks like himself -- though with a swollen nose and slightly bruised eyes... and yes, his nose is indeed a little off-kilter!

Cinnamon nodnods to Thorn, holding her hands up and cupped together, as if she had a muzzle, "Yup, it was like this!" She tilts her hands to the side about 15 or 20 degrees, then adds, "But I pushed it back into place... sort of?" She blinks at sight of Fraser... then winces a little guiltily, "Uh-oh! Not, um... not quite enough, I think... I'm sorry!"

Thorn smiles and nods to Cinnamon, "It's all right. I'll take care of it. Things have been quiet, and last night was the last of the full moon." He goes over to Fraser, greeting the man and offering to have a look at his nose.

Cinnamon looks unhappily at her sneakered toes, "Gosh, I really hope the two black eyes weren't... me... er, though I guess they kinda were..." She sighs softly as it hits her: she really should apologize for being so rough with poor Fraser! Well... maybe breakfast first. He's likely healing-hungry too, after all! She smiles shyly up at Shane, "Thanks for checking that I was okay, Shane. I'ma get some food now..." She doesn't really want to leave the lovely shelter of his arm about her shoulders... but she is hungry, and she can't expect him to sort of hover over her when there's something wrong that's her fault! And really, things are pretty good still... he kissed her! The happy little dragon can feel her toes curling with excitement in her sneakers, as she heads for the breakfast buffet.

Shane smiles, "Breakfast sounds great." He moves to go with her, sensing she doesn't really want to be left alone just yet.

Cinnamon happily loads up her plate as she talks with -- well, considering how fast she talks when she's excited and interested, it could more properly be called chattering at -- Shane, "So, is there like an herbalist or something here in Rowan? Oh, also a, um... a seamstress, maybe?" She happily thanks Shane for the information that Rowan has not only those two specialists, but also a couple of metalsmiths, a leatherworker, a bowyer, a fletcher, and more! Once breakfast is done, she goes to her room and collects up her cleaned, neatly folded clothing that has been damaged, then heads first for where she was told she could find the seamstress.

Cinnamon politely asks the woman if it would be possible to have her clothing repaired, please? She admits a bit sheepishly that the robe was slightly torn by werewolf claws, and one blouse was slashed by Darragh of the Holly trying to stab her in the back... while the shirt that looks like a colander now was repeatedly pincushioned by arrows shot by, er... over-excited Hollies. The seamstress clucks at the clothes and declares the shirt with all the holes to be a total loss, but assures Cinnamon that she can replace it with something similar in cut and style. The rest, however, she can repair. If Cinnamon so much as makes a peep about trying to pay for a replacement shirt, however, she gets such a glare from the seamstress.

Cinnamon is actually starting to learn her lesson on that one! -as in, she starts to blurt out thanks and a request for what she can do to return the favor -- but partway through she remembers Eirich's glare, and her words trail nervously off... and then she hastily thanks the seamstress again before fleeing precipitously! After a few moments to catch her breath and slow her hammering heart down -- angry seamstresses are the scariest! -- Cinnamon whews, then patters off to find the herbalist. This errand is far less fraught with danger, as far as she's concerned! She just wants to know if there are any seeds that are maybe distinctly Irish, and therefore might make a nice gift as thanks to the nature spirit on Coblyn Street who cares for her cottage's lovely flowering windowboxes!

Thorn spends a bit of time with Fraser, carefully healing the man's nose so it heals straight and true. In time, the swollen nose is gone, as well as the black eyes the werewolf had been sporting. Fraser is patient with the healing, though he makes more than a couple dark jokes about staying on the ship next time the full moon comes, around if a proper cell can't be found for him. At the end he shakes his head with a sigh, "I'm not a bad guy, y'ken. Not now, anyway. But the curse? It strips away most of the upper mind."

Thorn mmms, as he studies his work, "Yes, I understand. It's the damndest type of curse, all in all, it seems. I'm sorry you have to go through it."

Fraser smiles wryly, "Indeed. She wanted me to hate meself... and I did. But I've been with the Havvarger for a lot longer than I ran amok. I think I've made up for much of the evil I did."

Thorn smiles quietly to Fraser, "I think you have, too. You've been good to the Havvarger." Inwardly he considers how to possibly break the curse. Ideally it'd be to find the person who cursed him in the first place....

Fraser smiles and shrugs, "I like to think I'm working on balancing things out." He pats Thorn on the shoulder, "You're a good man, you know."

Thorn smiles quietly, "Thank you, Fraser. I'm really just trying my best." He worries, of course, about the time that his best isn't enough... but at this time, here and now, that isn't the case.

Fraser grins wryly, "Laddie, that's all any of us can be doing." He considers, then adds, "Well, any of us whot aren't total gobshites."

Thorn murmurs wryly, "Ain't that the truth."

Elsewhere, once Cinnamon finds the herbalist, he smiles at her request and considers, "Well... you can't really get more Irish than a shamrock, lass -- even if Patrick did try to make it all about the Cat'lic church. Do ye have any of those in your flowerboxes? There's also the sea aster. Buttercup... cowslips... They're all native."

Cinnamon brightens, "Oh, those sound lovely! May I have some of those types of seeds, please?"

The herbalist smiles, "Oh, of course ye can." He starts making up little waxed packets of seeds, "Keep these as dry as ye can! Otherwise, they may sprout before ye're ready, and they'll perish before they're planted." He also jots down instructions for planting and care. Cinnamon thanks him very happily, though she has to firmly remind herself not to ask what she might do as thanks in return! Instead she makes a mental note for herself, to tell Muriel where she got the seeds. That way, if Muriel wants to send some back as a gift, the little dragon can help ensure they arrive safely!

Cinnamon carefully packs the precious seeds away in her luggage, then remembers two other things she wishes to accomplish. For the first, she needs to find Spice -- and Shane... or maybe Quinn? -for the second! Quinn is easiest to find. He's in the main room. Cinnamon glances around thoughtfully as she arrives, making sure there aren't a lot of people there -- she wants to whisper a question to Quinn without everyone in the trod finding out immediately about it, after all!

Quinn is in a corner of the room. People aren't exactly avoiding him, but they are leaving him be, as he seems to be working on something. Cinnamon dithers for a moment, wondering if it's rude to interrupt... then gulps and decides she'll just ask! She takes a deep breath, patters over, and hesitantly whispers, "Er... Q-quinn? M-may I have a moment of your time, or, uhmm... are you t-too busy?"

Quinn glances up and smiles, "Aye, lass. Sit, sit. I'm not too busy." He motions at the papers he's writing on, "Letters to the trods. Working out a gathering."

Cinnamon's eyes widen slightly -- how cool! She brightens a bit before she remembers her small quest, and pulls over a chair. She keeps her voice low as she hastily explains, "Okay! Thank you. So, um... I, ah, I'd l-like to do something nice for Eirich, and Shane gave me a really good idea! He suggested getting some of the rarer cooking stuffs, like, um, like saffron and truffle oil from in town? But if I do, it'll be when we're all there and about to leave... so that means I need someone to deliver it to him. So, ahh... w-when we leave, would it be possible to send someone trustworthy with us, that I can hand the package to?" She blushes, hastily adding, "N-not that I, um, don't think most everyone here's trustworthy! I just, umm... was kind of hoping it maybe wouldn't be, like, the leprechaun again, you know?"

Quinn laughs, and his eyes -- shaped almost exactly like Shane's but a lighter color -- twinkle, "Don't worry. I'll go with you meself. I'm enjoying the new freedom. Galway has changed a lot in the last near-thirty years since I came back from the States. I mean... thirty years ago, cell phones existed, but they were a thing that only the hoity-toity Hollywood and Wall Street types carried. Now, every child on the street has one!" He shakes his head, "I missed out on more than Shane's growing up due to all this nonsense."

Cinnamon smiles in quiet sympathy, impulsively reaching out to pat Quinn's hand, "I'm sorry about that, but at least now you can be more in his and Janet's lives, right?" She blushes in spite of herself, grinning shyly as she remembers how happy Quinn and Janet had looked at first spotting each other in the Galway pub! "I'm really glad we came, because of that!"

Quinn squeezes Cinnamon's hand back, with a smile, "Shane's kept in touch with letters as much as he can since he stumbled upon us. And now Janet can too... and she'll come visit!" He laughs warmly, "She tried to fuss about how much she'd aged."

Cinnamon's small smile gets thoughtful, "Somehow I bet that didn't matter to you at all, though... did it?" She sighs happily, not quite wiggling in her seat! True, Shane had been worried about the danger of his parents potentially getting together again... but looks like poking him about it (once Holly had been dealt with) was indeed the right thing to do! She nods firmly to herself: and if they ever need help keeping Janet safe? She, Cinnamon, is totally on board with helping however she can!

Quinn shakes his head and smiles, "Not in the least. She's my lovely lass. She's human. Humans age, but that's part of their beauty. Now I'll have a few more decades with her rather than never seeing her again." He pats Cinnamon's hand.

Cinnamon beams at that, almost glowing with happiness -- she so loves seeing True Love win out in the end! She thanks Quinn warmly, then leaves him to his missive-writing. Getting the trods together more sounds like a fantastic idea to her! Now all she needs is to find Spice... and then she can just relax, whew! Or... hm. As she's pattering along, it occurs to her: she really should apologize to poor Fraser too! She kind of... whacked him a lot? Like, a lot a lot? Well, Spice first -- it's just a quick question! Then she'll go looking for Fraser. Cinnamon hms quietly to herself as she searches, remembering Quinn's words: "Humans age, but that's part of their beauty." What a lovely way to think of that! She wonders thoughtfully if Marcus realizes that, yet... she'd guess not, but also that Jaeger does know it... maybe?

Spice is easy to find -- she's in Josie's room. The two of them are playing a card game of some sort and laughing together. They seem to like just spending time together doing friendly things as much as they like cuddling and being romantic. Cinnamon grins as she peeks in the door and knocks lightly on the doorframe, "Hi, you two!" The strange (to her) thought occurs to her: wouldn't it be nice... to do stuff like this with Shane? She blinks startledly, hastily banishing that thought: [Don't be silly! Shane has much more important things to do!] Hastily she pushes her glasses up and adds, "Can I, uh... ask a quick question, please, Spice?"

Spice glances up and grins at Cinnamon, "What's up, bosslady?" Josie also glances up, tail wagging and tongue lolling happily at seeing her friend.

Cinnamon grins shyly, "Okay -- it's just a quick one! It's what Veles said, back in Bulgaria... when he said 'Spice let me know no bullshit would be tolerated,' and I was wondering... what did he mean by that, please?"

Spice furrows her brows and says, "Huh?"

Cinnamon pauses for a heartbeat, bringing the moment back up into memory... then relates a broader amount of Veles' conversation. She concludes with, "-and then you gave him this... almost stern glare-smile?" She smiles uncertainly, "Does that, um... do you remember now?"

Spice considers, "Huh..." then laughs, "Oh. That. Uhm..." She rubs the back of her head, "Ahhhh. That was back when I didn't fuckin' trust Veles as far as I could throw a fuckin' hacky sack. But now, y'know, he's my brother. I'd trust him with my life." Cinnamon tilts her head in silent curiosity, smiling puzzledly and waiting for an explanation. Spice grins, "Well... dude just... shows up, y'know? Just..." She takes a deep breath and lets it out with a chuckling huff, "I got in his face and told him I'd rip him a new asshole if he hurt you."

Cinnamon blinks a bit startledly at Spice... then giggles uncertainly, "You... what?" A moment later she looks worried, "You, er, y-you didn't... punch him in the eye or anything, did you? L-like with Fraser?" Then she blinks at another thought, "Oh! He wasn't rude or any- wait. This is Veles... I don't think I've ever seen him be rude...?" Wryly she adds, "Not that Fraser didn't, um... kinda deserve it..."

Spice shakes her head, "Nah. I didn't punch him. I'm not silly enough to punch a merc. I'd have tased him."

Cinnamon laughs in spite of herself! A moment later she patters in, grinning and shaking her head, so she can give Spice a warm hug, "You're awesome, Spicy, you know that? Thanks for being you!"

Cinnamon feels curiously warm and happy as she's pattering along the hallways of Rowan, a short while later. Frankly, if this is what having friends is like... she is totally willing to keep doing whatever it is she's doing that's making it happen! She grins to herself... then sighs. Apologizing for being a dope, however... is not nearly so much fun! Still, unpleasant though it feels, she thinks she really needs to do this. After all, her pummeling poor Fraser repeatedly probably wasn't very pleasant either!

Rowan has an outdoor space for practicing martial arts and for other things like target practice, but that's not always practical. The laws in England and Ireland for ramblers can make it hard to stay hidden, even with good keep-aways and wards. With that in mind, there's quite a large underground area in the trod for sparring and other such practice. It has a high, well-supported ceiling, and is both well-lighted and -vented. Racks of weapons line the room's perimeter, and currently it's rather full of werewolves! Since they're in the trod, the Havvarger are working out with wooden and bronze weapons rather than their usual steel and iron ones -- they're doing their best to be considerate of their hosts.

Cinnamon pauses in the tall, wide, open entranceway, feeling abruptly shy -- she's never been good at walking up to large groups, after all! She watches for a bit, picking out Fraser... then takes a deep breath and sternly reminds herself she is brave! She steps into the room -- then hastily decides to walk around the outside rather than striding firmly over to Fraser. It's... just cautious of her -- that's it! After all, watching the sea-wolves move like this, it's obvious why they would be in-demand as protectors, and why no one would want to be on the wrong side of a force that had them as backup.

Cinnamon reaches the closest point on the room's edge to where Fraser is sparring with others, and then hesitates. How does she get his attention? She nibbles uncertainly on her lower lip, watching the men working out... then blinks and waves shyly when she spots him glancing her way. Can she maybe... wave him over or somethi- drat! He's already turned back to the sparring! There's a sharp crack of shield and sword, and she winces slightly. Mmmmaybe not such a good idea to distract him right now...?

Most of the Havvarger are stripped to the waist. They usually fight in armor, but this is sparring -- and it's hot in here! Also, most of the weapons are blunted and none of them are silver, so none of them are worried about serious injuries. Not to mention, Thorn is there and all of the wolves have come to trust the medic. They're as fond of him as they are all of the passengers on this particular extended voyage. It's just then, in fact, that Thorn glances up and spots Cinnamon. He's there, in part, to make sure Fraser's nose is well-healed -- which, fortunately, it is. Also, his eyes aren't blackened anymore, though both he and the rest of the Havvarger have a few welts on their bodies from getting whacked here and there during the sparring.

Cinnamon blinks slowly as it registers: there are an awful lot of -- of half-naked men here today! The slow blush warms her face as she stares around the room. She's not sure if the heat she's feeling is due to embarrassment or what, but... wow! She has to hastily slap a hand over her mouth at the unbidden nervous giggle that wants to escape, when the thought hits her: Aisling would just love all these, er... extremely visible examples of the male form!

After a moment or two, Arvid calls a moment to rest; the pairs of men step back to take a breather. There's laughter and some calling back and forth in the ship's tongue. Cinnamon wonders why the sidhe aren't here too... but then tries again to get Fraser's attention, once the fighting (or so she thinks of it) pauses. It's possible, she realizes, that the sidhe aren't around because the Havvarger were engaging in maneuvers that were literally taking them back and forth across the entire room -- having other people trying to work out here simultaneously would certainly have caused problems with enough space! When the Scots werewolf glances her way, she smiles uncertainly and waves again, in the hopes that he'll come over.

Fraser glances over and grins when he sees Cinnamon waving, tossing the cudgel he was using to Rafe before sauntering over. About halfway to the little dragon, though, Fraser realizes he's still in battle mode -- and therefore might be exuding violence! He drops to a relaxed crouch instead, smiling up at Cinnamon, "What's up, lass?"

Cinnamon takes a deep breath, then sighs it gustily out, "I, um... okay. Well. I came to apologize for... forwhackingyousomuchlastnight!"

Fraser reaches up to scratch his beard, blue eyes twinkling. So many things he could say! So many -- but she's so obviously in earnest that he simply rumbles, "And... this would be... when, exactly? I mean, I know Thorn had to help get me face back into shape today." He looks over toward the healer and waves a hand with a broad grin and calls, "For which I thank ye again!"

Thorn smiles and nods to Fraser, "Glad to help!"

Cinnamon pushes her glasses up, flushing again, "L-last night!" She winces at the nervous squeak in her voice, then tries again, "Wh-when you spent the night in my room. I..." She takes a deep breath again, then sighs, her shoulders slumping slightly, "I'm really sorry about how mean I was."

Fraser mmms, "Ahh. Last night. When I was a wolf." He rubs a hand over his nose. It serves as good cover for his grin because the squeak is a little cute and a little funny... and he honestly doesn't really remember the smack, but he figures he probably deserved it. "Tell me again the circumstances on this apparent horrid assault on my person?"

Cinnamon blinks uncertainly at Fraser -- is he... laughing at her? No, wait, that's right -- doesn't he have memory problems after the full moon? Oh, crab cakes! She sighs, hoping he's not too visibly disgusted with her after she tells him how... well, how unpleasant she was to him! She takes a deep breath, then doggedly begins, "W-well, umm... the first time w-was when you jumped on me, after knocking Spice down and hurting Rafe -- I, uh, I s-sort of slapped you into the wall? A-and when you were growling at Arvid and Quinn, I, ahh..." she tries not to visibly wince, "I... y-yanked really hard on your ear t-to get you to stop!" She pauses, glancing worriedly at Fraser... she really hopes he doesn't start avoiding her after this! He's actually a really nice guy, after all, when it's not the full moon...?

Fraser grins, "So... a big, growling, violent critter hurt someone and was between you and your family, and you gave 'im a wallop and a yank on th' ear to make 'im behave?" He rubs his beard again, "Y'know... t' me, lassie, that sounds a bit less like somethin' to apologize t' me for and a bit more like takin' good care of yer clan an' family." He looks around the room as if asking for confirmation on this from people. Thorn nods soberly at this observation from Fraser.

Cinnamon sighs and shakes her head, "That, um... th-that was just the first time?" She's blushing unhappily and staring at her clasped hands as she continues, "b-because, well, uhh... well, after that I, er... I k-kinda threatened t-to... to spank you and... and, um, wh-while we were walking you back to a safe room, you lunged and growled at Quinn and Shane! A-and I, uhh... I... kind of grabbed your tail and hauled you back by it, and then smacked your nose again...?"

Fraser rubs at his nose again as he rumbles amusedly to Thorn, "I think I'm starting to understand why you had so much work this morning!" There's obvious teasing and affection in the words. He turns back to Cinnamon... though by now, a couple more of the Havvarger have wandered over. Arvid is one of them, his eyes warm and twinkling.

Cinnamon sighs and mutters, "Y-yeah... that's why I wanted to apologize..." She slowly continues relating her (somewhat personally embarrassing) litany of what she considers incredibly impolite and over-the-top actions -- and trying hard not to sheepishly scuff one foot on the ground like a kid caught out at school, "...and, uhm, that time I yanked your tail again, and rapped you on the head w-with my fist when I told you t-to, um, to stop being a doodyhead and to cut it out..."

Arvid, who was there for some of this, looks at Fraser with mock horror, "You did all that and you're making the poor flicka apologize to you?!" Another of the wolves -- Willem perhaps -- says with faux lugubriousness, "Ahh, poor girl, stuck with such a rough character. So crass! No manners at all, hey?" The wolves have gathered around by now and one of them teases Fraser a bit about the lengths the Scotsman will go to get alone with cute girls. He snorts and shoots a bird over his shoulder at them, with a cheerful grin, when Cinnamon is looking at her feet. Of course, he also doesn't mention what he said to Shane that morning too. Perhaps he doesn't remember... or perhaps he just doesn't want to embarrass Cinnamon!

Cinnamon blinks uncertainly at the other Havvarger... but then remembers Fraser asked her for what she did. She should really finish telling him! "Uh, and, umm... ah, right, the second t-time you got up, I, um... I..." she winces, her shoulders hunching up a bit, "I... kinda got mad and... smacked your nose again?" Hastily she adds, "I, I didn't mean to! I w-was sleepy and forgot it was broken!" She stares down at where she's twisting her fingers together, adding, "But, um, but it didn't go crooked again, fortunately..." She sighs... one last time, and then he'll have heard everything! Just... got to get this over with, right... though she nervously wishes the other wolves wouldn't tease Fraser so -- she knows how much that hurts! Well... maybe they'll stop after hearing she hit his poor broken nose again -- she's actually a bit ashamed of that one.

With each statement about Fraser's shenanigans and what Cinnamon did after each of them, the wolves are tching and clucking and teasing Fraser for being so crass and such a good-for-nothing cad. They're being a bit over-the-top and seem to be enjoying themselves in coming up with old-fashioned and silly terms for him misbehaving... all of which he seems to be taking in stride, occasionally rolling his eyes as he listens to Cinnamon. She's getting the occasional grin and wink from them too, as they tease about how awful it must have been.

Cinnamon is getting more and more uncomfortable, actually -- this sounds an awful lot like the unpleasant sort of nasty-spirited sniping that she would occasionally get from her family! She isn't familiar with simply good-natured teasing... and so at one point she finally stops, glancing uncertainly between the Havvarger and Fraser. Then she takes a deep breath, her voice sort of sternly worried as she says, "Guys, umm... I, I know Fraser c-can be... kind of a jerkface during the full moon? But... b-but please -- don't go being all mean to him and all... j-just because of me...?"

That protection of the big, rough werewolf makes the pack smile, and even makes one of them go 'aww!' Fraser himself stands up with a grin, opening his arms to offer Cinnamon a hug. She looks a bit confused, but steps forward readily enough for the hug... though she does sort of stare sternly -- or at least as sternly as she can while being both small and confused -- at the other werewolves before she does so.

Fraser grins and scoops Cinnamon up into a big hug, then plants a kiss on top of he head before setting her down with a smile, "Lass, shhh. Don't worry. I dinnae hold any of it against you. For true, you were just doing what you needed to handle the wolf. You were protecting your family. Your pack. I'm... a wee bit much to handle on the full moon." That makes someone snort. He smiles, "And don't worry about them..." he waves at the Havvarger, "I'm not upset at them. They're just taking the mick." There's some laughter and the rest of the wolves give Cinnamon little hugs or pats on the shoulder, assuring her that they agree she was just doing what needed to be done! Further, they think she's a sweetheart -- they'd have been much more stern with Fraser than she was! Not to worry! No one's upset with her at all.

Cinnamon blinks confusedly as she pushes her glasses up, glancing around with wide eyes at all the happy, laughing wolves. This is... totally new to her -- almost like... like they're all friends? She smiles uncertainly as she glances around all the men, though her smile starts warming as it hits her: there really is no malice in the behavior of all the Havvarger here, right now. The odd thought occurs to her: this is... nice! ...fun, almost? Friendly! It's like... like the Havvarger don't just all really like each other... but also like her as well!

Indeed, no one seems upset with one another despite the teasing and joshing and all the silly/horrid names they called Fraser. Fraser himself is chuckling and rolling his eyes. It's then, for the first time in her life, that Cinnamon unwittingly starts to realize what it's like to be teased by family, or those as close as family -- but without any vindictiveness. As she tightly hugs Fraser, and then several of the other wolves offering hugs, it occurs to her: is this what family should be?! If so... she really, really likes it!

Cinnamon thanks the seamstress almost with awe when she gets her shirts back. The repairs are nigh invisible! She's also astonished at how well the newly made shirt fits her -- to the point that she makes a mental note to ask Aisling later if clothes made just for you are supposed to fit better? And if so... is it worth doing that to make sure the clothes are awesome?

Aisling looks surprised at the question, "Yes, they fit better because they're made to your measurements. Off-the-rack clothes are made to fit as wide a range of people as possible -- it's an average. So most women buying this particular size have measurements inside this range... but if something is made for you, the bust measurement will be exactly your size, and the waist is your size, and the hips..." Her eyes light up as she realizes she may be able to get Cinnamon to get some truly flattering clothes, "Lianne will be happy to alter some clothes for you." Cinnamon thanks Aisling, a clearly musing look on her face -- she'd not thought of Lianne, but she thinks that may be a really excellent idea!

When it comes time to leave, the visitors are given many hugs and some kisses and quite a few small parting gifts as remembrances and thanks for all they've done while they were visiting Rowan. Saoirse says a small blessing over each of them, and this time it's Quinn himself that's their guide back to Galway. He did, after all, promise that it wouldn't be a leprechaun! The same horse-drawn carriages that brought them from the town are their conveyance back. It's a bittersweet sort of parting.

Thorn thanks Saoirse warmly for the blessing, and also thanks Quinn for guiding them back to Galway himself -- even if it was to keep the promise of no leprechauns! Quinn grins at Thorn, "Oh, it's partially selfish. Before you lot came along and remedied the situation, I couldn't leave the bounds of Rowan's territory. I'd been there since I came back before Shane's birth. I'm stretching me legs a little." He slaps the medic on the shoulder, "It's me should be thanking you!" Thorn finds himself a little bit sad and bittersweet at leaving Ireland -- especially with all that took place over the remarkably short time they were there, and the people he got to know. He does promise them -- and himself! -- that he'll return someday. This was an unprecedented experience, in that he's honestly never felt more alive than he has in the past days.

Cinnamon hugs Saoirse after the blessing, deeply touched by it! She hugs Quinn too, thanking him shyly for being so understanding of her, er... nerves on arrival! While on the trip to Galway, Cinnamon also checks with Quinn: does the seamstress make her own thread? Or would, say, some lovely, colorful embroidery silks be a welcome gift -- or maybe some nice, sturdy quilting thread too? Quinn grins, "She buys the thread from town. The cloth, she tries to get from artisans inside the supernatural community, as much as possible. Much of what the human world sells is either too expensive or... problematic for us."

Cinnamon brightens at Quinn, "Oh, awesome! Okay, can I ask you to help me pick colors she uses a lot, maybe?" Quinn tells Cinnamon that Aisling would be better for that. Aisling, for her part, is more than happy to do a little shopping. Cinnamon beams excitedly, hugging Aisling and thanking her for coming along -- and once they're in Galway, the little dragon excitedly asks if they can do a bit of shopping before dinner, maybe? She wants to find a cooking store, and a bookstore, and a sewing store, please!

A few hours later, Cinnamon is tired but happy, back at the inn. She does some wrapping and such in her room, then patters back downstairs to proudly present Quinn with a pretty wicker basket with a colorful bow on the handle, containing several brightly wrapped packages. Each package has a nicely calligraphed tag on it, with the recipient's name. There's embroidery silks in several colors, and some nice, sturdy quilting thread for the seamstress -- Cinnamon is still rather astonished at how well her new shirt fits, after all! For Eirich, there's some earthy black truffles, pure Madagascar vanilla, and golden saffron. The package for Quinn contains some tea -- the kind Aisling and Shane said he most liked, of course!

Finally, the gift for Saoirse is the complete set of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries -- and on the attached card, Cinnamon had shyly noted that she'd enjoyed the series, but if Saoirse has already read them, Cinnamon has included the receipt as well, so they can be exchanged for something else later. The little dragon beams happily at Quinn as she adds that she checked everything they bought -- she was careful to always purchase things with no steel or other 'bad' metals on them, so he can rest assured it's all safe!

Quinn looks touched when he's handed the basket -- in fact, his eyes look suspiciously shiny in the moment before he wraps his arms around Cinnamon and hugs her tight enough to almost be too tight. Cinnamon's beaming smile brightens even more at that -- she'd been worried that her gifts might be taken wrong! She has to sniffle a few times herself as she returns the hug just as warmly. She's so glad she and her friends were able to help out a little bit at Rowan and Holly! She's also going to have to thank Shane and Aisling very sincerely for all their help -- this entire UK vacation has meant a great deal to her!

That night, Cinnamon also makes sure to download her next language lessons for the trip home on the Valkyrie: Hawaiian and Greek. She plans to take a day to make sure she's got Church Slavic correct too, for Veles' family next year... and one more language, maybe? Cinnamon debates quietly with herself, wondering what to pick. Hmm... how about the language that's most spoken in the world? Yeah, excellent choice! She types quickly on her laptop... then grins wryly. English... yeah, no. She kinda already has that one!

Well, what's next most common? Second is Mandarin Chinese, and third is Spanish. Cinnamon brightens at that -- with Mandarin Chinese, she should be able to talk to Aoi! Just like Himeko wa- er, wait. Isn't Himeko Japanese, not Chinese? Huh, that's right -- and when Shane took Cinnamon to Aoi's home, the gatekeeper was Japanese, and the home itself was set up in a Japanese style too... how odd!

Cinnamon frowns thoughtfully as she wonders why a proud Chinese goddess-type would live in a Japanese style home, with Japanese servants... then blinks as it hits her: Japan still reveres its deities and spirits! China, on the other hand... is run by the Communists. Cinnamon sighs softly, shaking her head once: poor Aoi! That's sad -- that one's homeland should forget you so. She makes a note to get Mandarin Chinese and Spanish later, but for now, she decides: Japanese, so she can talk to Aoi and Himeko. Plus, bonus: she can practice it with Shane!

Getting settled back onboard the Valkyrie is easy. The Havvarger all seem happy to be back aboard -- but then, this is their home. For some of them, being on land for more than a day at a time is quite unusual. They've gotten used enough to their current passengers that they don't bother with the 'we've got guests aboard' pleasantries, however. Instead they just treat everyone as friends -- basically just getting on with the business of getting underway when the tide allows.

Cinnamon is also happy to be aboard again -- though she's incredibly tentative for the first day aboard ship! She really doesn't want to suffer through seasickness once more. Consequently she decides to spend the day on deck, tucked into an out-of-the-way chair with a nice, warm blanket and some ginger tea. That will also give her the opportunity to quietly review, in her head... so she can ensure she's got Church Slavic straight in her memory. She wants to be able to speak easily with Veles' family next year, after all, since she promised to return for the agricultural rituals.

That night, at dinner, Cinnamon checks with her friends: are all of them intending to head from Boston to Texas, for the Council meeting? If so, how do they plan to travel there? Cinnamon smiles ruefully as she adds, "I'm asking because we have 19 days until the Council meeting... but two weeks of that will be taken up by sailing to Boston, you know? So... that leaves only five days to get there. I want to spend one day in Boston so I can dump my stuff off and get clean clothes for Texas, and I want to arrive at least one day before the meeting so I'm fresh for it... which means only three days left for travel. That'd be a seriously unpleasant car drive, I bet, for the elves, though." She pushes her glasses up as she smiles shyly at Aisling and Jaeger, then adds to everyone else, "So... I was thinking of just flying there, you know? -and, umm... you're all welcome to come along with me, if you want...?"

Shane considers, "I may stay on Coblyn. I've been away for quite a while." He doesn't seem entirely sure on that.

Josie rumbles, "Well, I have to go." Her eyes light up at the thought of flying, though!

Spice hmms, "I'm not sure. I mean, maybe I should stay back on Coblyn, be home base for us...?"

Cinnamon feels an unexpected internal pang -- what, no Shane or Spice?! She hesitates, thinking quickly... then says slowly, "Well... um, well, Shane... why not just check if there's been any problems while we've been away? We'll be there for a day before leaving, after all, right? -and, um, and if everything's calm, uhmm... m-maybe you could come along?"

Shane smiles thoughtfully, "Truth be told, I would like to see what Texas is like. I haven't been. Most of my travels were in the Isles, before I went to Coblyn with Aisling."

Cinnamon giggles as she guesses, "Hot, flat, and full of cows eating cactus?" She has no idea how large Texas is, of course... and thus also does not realize there are multiple biomes in the state!

Thorn blinks, and realizes he hasn't yet made any plans for going to Texas! Mindful that Athala wanted him to go to the next council meeting, he half-raises his hand, "Um, Cinnamon? If I could fly with you, I'd really appreciate it!"

Cinnamon beams at Thorn, nodding happily -- then carefully asks, "What, um... what's a home base like, please, Spice? Like... c-could we maybe... get it done during the day we'll be in Boston?" She glances inquiringly at Aisling and Jaeger as well -- she's happy to carry everyone that wants to come, after all. Plus she has a great deal of unrealized respect for both of the elders.

Both Aisling and Jaeger accept the offer graciously; Aisling looks grateful as she wryly murmurs, "I usually drive or have someone drive me and spend a day iron-sick."

Jaeger smiles courteously, "I shan't be going, as Marcus is the councilor. But I shall be keeping abreast of the goings-on."

Cinnamon grins wryly at Aisling, "Yeah, umm... I'm going to guess Air Red Dragon would be a lot more fun than that!" She giggles, then smiles at Jaeger, "Well, we'll miss you!"

On the second day of sailing, Cinnamon starts learning Hawaiian, which makes her happy. It's a lovely, lilting tongue, and a surprisingly warm and generous culture. Of course, part of that pleasure might also be due to her happy realization: no seasickness this time! Further, the Havvarger are cheerful about being back out to sea and the weather looks to be holding fine.

On the third day, as Cinnamon is crossing the deck, there's some conversation in the rigging above her, between Rafe and Fraser. They're discussing not being able to find some particular tool, and Rafe is sounding a little irritated because it's apparently something that keeps getting misplaced. Fraser is trying to jolly him out of his irritation, saying something about getting another made that Rafe can keep in his own tools.

Cinnamon wonders absently if she's seen the tool in question, as she's pattering along the deck. She does a quick mental review... where did she see it last? -and when? Then she laughs quietly, calling out towards the men, "It's right there, guys -- on top of the crate!" She doesn't stop her quick patter across the deck, though -- she's had an exciting idea! After all, they're really far out into the Atlantic by now, so there shouldn't be any ships nearby. Consequently, the little dragon wants to ask Captain Arvid if it would be all right for her to practice flying around the Valkyrie!

When she calls out, there's laughter from above her -- and seconds later, Fraser slides down a rope to fetch the tool. He stops Cinnamon on his way back with it, eyes twinkling, "And when were you going to tell us you'd picked up the ship's tongue, lass?"

Cinnamon blinks startledly at Fraser, pushing her glasses up and smiling uncertainly, "Uhmm... I don't know it?" She pauses, then adds, "You mean that ancient Germanic one, right?"

Fraser laughs and nods, putting an arm around Cinnamon's shoulder, "Ja, that one." He calls up to Rafe, "What language are we speaking?" He's giving Cinnamon a moment to remember something: Fraser doesn't speak French.

Cinnamon gives Fraser a puzzled look, then blinks up at Rafe -- and then it hits her: Rafe doesn't know English! She makes a small, startled squeak, "Oh!" then blushes hotly, "Oh, I'm so sorry, guys! I didn't mean to learn... wait, that sounds dumb -- er, I, I..." She blinks again, then adds in a mix of puzzlement and pleasure, "I... I learned a new language... just by listening?! That's... wow, how cool!" She beams delightedly at both men, "Thank you both so much!"

Fraser laughs and ruffles Cinnamon's hair before he gives her a wink. Were she someone different, she might have gotten a pat on the bottom for squeaking so cutely -- but Fraser has learned the little dragon isn't one to tease quite that way. He just swings back up into the rigging to take the tool to his crewmate. The little dragon laughs and waves to them both... then patters on her way again, still nearly glowing with excitement!

Cinnamon is delighted when Arvid gives her permission to practice flight around his ship -- though he suggests she wait perhaps two more days to make sure they're well away from land and other ships... and he amusedly notes that ships float very poorly when crashed into by large, heavy objects! That gives Cinnamon the giggles, and she thanks the captain happily before taking those two days to finish learning Hawaiian. After that, at breakfast on the morning of the fifth day, Cinnamon excitedly lets her friends know what she's planning to do!

Cinnamon first plans for changing back, since she knows she's not that good at that yet -- she makes sure there's a sheet or something that Josie is willing to hold for her, that she can duck behind while trying to shift back to human form. After that, the little dragon takes a deep breath, reminding herself that Olga had faith in her -- and Olga was right about her flying! Then she makes sure she's in a clear and open part of the deck before taking another deep breath -- and shifts into her pretty young red dragon form! In the brilliant natural sunlight, she almost shimmers with gorgeously iridescent color, while the strong wind plucks urgently at her wing veils -- time to fly!

When word gets out that Cinnamon is going to be practicing flying around the ship, there's something of an audience. The Havvarger have to keep the ship moving, of course, so Arvid shows her navigationally which direction they're headed, so that she can keep them in sight while she's practicing. She's already proven she can keep clear of the masts and rigging in bad weather, so he's not worried about her getting caught in them -- not in beautiful weather like this! Thorn too comes on deck to watch Cinnamon's flying. He's eager to see how much she improves with practice -- since... well, he's never seen a dragon before Cinnamon! And, of course... seeing a dragon fly!

Some of the crew actually climb up into the rigging to watch -- it's a much better view up there! Shane joins them, and there's cheering and encouragement for Cinnamon, from her friends, as she changes into the beautiful red dragon form. Cinnamon grins happily around herself at the little cheer -- that's so sweet! She takes a deep breath, then adds, "Okay, here I goooo!" She hops carefully over to the railing, then bounds over it -- and up into the air!

That first day of flying, Cinnamon just makes sure she can handle the fickle wind changes that nearly tipped her on her flight over the English Channel. She swoops and dives, rolling from side to side as she teaches herself through simple muscle experience. It's astonishingly euphoric to the young dragon -- she finds she really loves flying! As she practices, she also works out a simple to-do list: today is just learning how to cope with wind changes. Tomorrow she'll try the more acrobatic flight movements -- things like barrel rolls, flying upside down, loop-de-loops, and buzzing the crows nest!

On the ship, people watch closely. Josie whines every now and then if it looks like Cinnamon is having trouble with something, and Spice smiles and gently pets the big wolf shifter every time. Once it's clear that Cinnamon is mastering this easily, however, Josie wags happily, howling and yipping encouragement! There are many shouts and much laughter at how happy the "little" dragon is. Thorn cheers with everyone else at Cinnamon's flying, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

Cinnamon giggles at the enthusiastic encouragement, and can't resist a wing-waggle or two in thanks! In fact, she only returns to the ship after several hours of flight. She lands as slowly and carefully as she can, folding her wings before she tangles with anything, and letting her own inertia plonk her down onto the deck -- then shedding inertia with a few galloping steps that swiftly slow into a trot, then a walk. After that she laughs exuberantly, her tail lashing with happiness, "Oh, that was so! Much! Fun!!"

Cinnamon beams as she adds to Josie, "I think tomorrow I'll try the flight maneuvers I've read about -- you know, like barrel rolls and stuff? But for now... 'm starvin'! JoJo, can you help me with the change, please?" Josie holds the sheet, wagging and chattering happily to Cinnamon as the dragon works on getting back to her human shape with her clothes on. Naturally, it would therefore seem, Cinnamon is so excitedly flustered at her success in flight... that it takes her many tries to get her shift correct! It's hard for folks near enough to hear (even though they're politely staying away and don't see) to not laugh as Cinnamon's difficulties are... expressed with some annoyance! "Whoops!" followed by, "Eek!" and "Drat," and "Oh, crab cakes!" and then "Grrr!" and "Arrgh! Okay, this is the last try -- after this I'll just stay in dragon shape, darnit!" Fortunately, the next thing heard is a fervent, "Oh, thank goodness! Josie, thanks for your patience... and can we eat now, maybe?!"

Fortunately people have figured out by now that dragoning makes Cinnamon hungry! -- so there's a very large meal awaiting her in the galley. Cinnamon beams at sight of the bountiful spread, and warmly thanks everyone who was involved in preparing it! Between hungrily devouring the food, she chatters excitedly about how much fun the flying was, and her plans for tomorrow's flying! There's much cheer and congratulations. Spice shows Cinnamon the footage she got of the flying practice too, so the little dragon can study it later, if she wants. Spice also assures her bosslady that the footage is very well encrypted and isn't going anywhere. Cinnamon's eyes widen with excitement at that! She'd not thought to try filming, but what an excellent means of critiquing and improving herself! She and Spice have a very enjoyable time in reviewing the footage later, both once through for the fun of it, and more slowly later, as Cinnamon takes copious notes.

For the second day of flight practice, Cinnamon is feeling a bit more confident! She tries a different takeoff, as a consequence: she hops off the railing and shifts as she's falling towards the water. There's a bit of splashing as her tail and wingtips hit the ocean, but she lifts easily into the air -- in fact, there's a gleeful, "Woohooooo!" as she rockets upwards! There's a moment where Spice says a few swearwords -- some of them are even in English -- before Cinnamon completes her transformation and then there's more laughter and cheering. Shane quietly makes sure Thorn has his medical supplies ready, "She's very tough and she's good at this, but let's make sure we've got all bases covered, yeah?"

Thorn too cheers Cinnamon's jump, then nods to Shane, smiling, "All set for any emergency, promise."

After that slightly splashy start, the happy young dragon practices all the odd flying tricks she'd been able to read up on: barrel rolls, plunges, flying upside down, and more! She's still careful, of course -- she tries each one first at some distance from the Valkyrie, and makes sure she has it down pat before she does anything any closer to the graceful ship. Once she's figured out how to do each of the tricks, however, she greatly enjoys performing them close enough to the Valkyrie that everyone can easily watch and enjoy, if they wish! By the time she's on her third or fourth trick, in fact, she starts weaving them together, two at a time -- buzzing the ship accompanied by a barrel roll, or flying upside down once she finishes a loop-the-loop.

When she's sure she's learned all the tricks she knows, Cinnamon combines them all into a sort of short, aerial show for her companions -- complete with an exuberant burst of fire at the top of her plunge! It's probably noteworthy that the sound of a gleefully giggling dragon sounds really odd... as it drifts on the wind to the big ship. She's panting happily by the time she's done, and once she's landed she exuberantly hugs anyone that runs up to her, "Oh my gosh I just love flying, you guys!" There are several folks who want to give congratulatory hugs, or offer her pets, before the enthusiastic little dragon changes back!

Fortunately for Cinnamon's peace of mind -- and her growling stomach! -- it only takes her three tries to successfully shift back to human form, this time. Josie giggles and suspects that it's Cinnamon's excitement and happiness that makes it hard to concentrate on getting back into her human form and clothed after. The two of them are laughing together as they return to everyone else, and Cinnamon cheerfully notes, "Well, at least it's nice and warm and windy today -- instead of a freezing, driving rain, like the huge storm last time I couldn't change easily!" She beams and rehugs anyone who even looks like they might want one, too -- she's in such a good mood!-- then cheerfully adds, "I'm thinking... maybe one more day of flight practice, just to be sure? What do you guys think?" Then she brightens, "Ooh! Also, Spice, did you get any film this time too, maybe?"

Spice nods, looking pleased, "I got Shane to take some from another angle, too!"

The half-beansidhe grins and holds up his phone, "They're no good for actually making calls out here, but the camera works!"

Cinnamon beams excitedly, once again devouring the food which the crew of the Valkyrie were kind enough to put out for her, "Oh, wow, this is so exciting -- okay! We can review it later, and make notes again!"

That evening is full of gasps, laughter, awe, and delight -- as all the film is reviewed, and Cinnamon takes many more notes. Thorn is extremely pleased with how Cinnamon's flying went, and is further pleased that his services weren't needed!Cinnamon too is incredibly happy with how things are going, as far as learning to fly. She's almost glowing with pleasure as she very sincerely thanks Spice and Shane for all the film -- and Josie for her patience with the changing sheet, afterwards! She's also grateful that the crew doesn't mind how hungry she gets after being a dragon... although, as she cheerfully announces, tomorrow will be her last learning/practicing day, so her appetite should calm down after that! Naturally, she still has absolutely no idea just how pretty she looks when she's this happy -- let alone just how much innuendo she's just opened herself up to! Of course, she also has no idea that there have been a couple of folks very quietly letting people know that teasing Cinnamon is OK... but some types of teasing are likely to be taken wrong and upset her. Consequently, the innuendo isn't picked up and tossed around too much.

The next day, Shane grins and asks Cinnamon, "So... feel like you could take a passenger? I mean, if you're going to be offering to transport all of us to Texas, you'll need the practice?"

Cinnamon brightens, "Ooh, okay!" She beams as she happily adds, "That'll be fun!" She shifts to dragon form on the ship, then grins over her shoulder as Shane swarms easily up her harness and swings over to settle into place and buckle himself if. She laughs, then adds, "Please double-check you're really secure, okay? I'm going to try some of the tricks as well -- at least, if you're okay with that! Just shout if you want me to stop something, though, okay?"

Shane grins and makes sure he's very secure. Then he pats her on the shoulder, leaning down almost flat against her body to make sure she can hear him, "All set, acushla!" Cinnamon laughs happily, feeling unaccountably gleeful as she heads for the railing -- she's almost prancing in place with excitement! She leaps easily into the air with a, "Wheeeee!" -- and they're airborne!

This third day of flight practice is, in some ways, less dramatic -- in that Cinnamon is both keenly aware of her rider -- and working on polishing all the things she's learned to do while flying. Her barrel rolls are tidier so she doesn't give poor Shane (or herself) whiplash, and she pulls more easily up out of the plunge... her loop-the-loops are precise and without wobbles, and her upside down flight is neat and crisp, so Shane is comfortable during the seconds while sky and ocean momentarily swap. Even buzzing the crow's nest goes more smoothly, as the little dragon keeps all four limbs neatly tucked up while whizzing past! When simply gliding through the air, the young dragon curls her neck back much like a stork, so it's easier for her to talk to Shane. She's beaming almost goofily from the ecstasy of flight and her company, as she calls back, "Having fun?!"

Shane laughs and whoops as they fly around the Valkyrie -- it would seem he doesn't get motion sick! Perhaps it's that he's got good balance; perhaps it's just that being on a ship for days has helped that? Or maybe it's just Shane. Whatever it is, he's clearly enjoying himself tremendously! He also gets his camera out a couple of times to take some footage, and at one point he yells something about a GoPro. Cinnamon giggles and cheerfully calls back, "Okay! Let me know when we have one!"

Cinnamon is quite possibly even more exuberant when she lands this time -- having a happy passenger is fun! She doesn't consciously realize it, but having that passenger be Shane makes it even better, of course! She beams toothily as Shane dismounts, cheerfully assuring Aisling and Thorn, "Don't worry -- we won't be flying like that on the way to Texas!"

Thorn laughs at Cinnamon's comment! "I don't know... it looked kind of fun?" That makes her giggle delightedly!

Shane is grinning and a little windblown -- though he braided his hair, some of it still got loose during the dragon-ride, "Yeah, probably best to be a little more stealthy."

Cinnamon laughs! "That, and fly at night!"

The little dragon must be getting better at concentration, as well -- since it only takes Cinnamon two tries this time to change back to her human shape! She crows excitedly at that, hugging Josie happily -- and then throwing her arms just as exuberantly about Shane as she nearly burbles, "Wasn't that so fun did you enjoy wanna do it again sometime?!"

Shane grins down at Cinnamon and kisses the top of her head, "Yeah. I'd love to do it again sometime."

Cinnamon is almost squeaking with excitement as she nearly bounces all the way to the mess hall, still gleeing about getting to fly so much! It won't hit her until after eating, later that night, in fact -- while they're processing the various bits of film -- that Shane kissed her... again! She blushes hotly, glad that the room is a bit dark due to watching film, then beams dreamily as she remembers that lovely moment -- Shane wants to go flying again with her, eeeee! ...and consequently she completely misses a few moments of the video!

The Valkyrie is skimming along the waves on a clear blue day that seems like it's going to pass with sweet peace. There's the normal call and response, and laughter and cheerfulness, of a day on the sea. There's the crack of the sails in the wind. It's only a week before they make port in Boston. Cinnamon is working on learning Greek for today and the next two days... but right now she's taking a lunchbreak. She's standing at the railing, enjoying the wind lifting and gently tugging at her hair, and the lovely warmth of the sun across her shoulders... it's a really gorgeous day! She sighs contentedly, shifting her lazily relaxed gaze from the distant, almost foggy horizon, to look down into the clear blue ocean.

As Cinnamon is watching the waves she sees something moving along in the opposite direction of the ship. The passengers of the Valkyrie have seen dolphins a few times, but this is moving way too fast for that -- and it looks... larger? Cinnamon blinks curiously at it, pushing her glasses up and leaning over the railing a bit to try and see more clearly. What is that thing? She frowns as she realizes it's going to pass rather close to the Valkyrie too, at this rate! She glances up to see who (if anyone) is in the crow's nest -- maybe they can see better what this oncoming thingie is?

There are several people in the rigging, and it's Rafe in the crow's nest at the moment -- but Cinnamon has misjudged the sheer speed of the thing coming at them. Just as she's starting to turn so as to glance up -- it reaches them and surges up and out of the water! Cinnamon jerks back around in surprise, staring -- what the heck is it?!

The motion that had just started as Cinnamon began to turn away, finishes as she turns back -- and the thing that comes rushing up out of the water is something out of pure nightmare. It makes the iconic special effects shark in Jaws look like a minnow! The rows -- yes, rows! -- of teeth are jagged -- entirely too large, and set into mandibles that look like they could snap Cinnamon's dragon form in half! Or maybe that feeling is just due to being so very close to the monster! Ocean water splashes over the deck as the creature arches partially over the railing -- and Cinnamon screams, reflexively throwing herself backwards and stumbling so much that she falls on her rump!

Thorn turns just in time to see what Cinnamon is staring at in horror. He blinks in disbelief towards the side of the ship, muttering, "What th...?" Then the great creature breaches -- and Thorn's jaw drops! "What the crap?!" he shouts, staggering back.

It's a good thing Cinnamon trips over her own feet -- because the massive jaws snap sharply closed right where her head would have been! There's no roar, though; most creatures living beneath the sea don't make a lot of noise when out of the water. The enormous beast doesn't beach itself on the ship either. Instead it splashes back into the sea beside the Valkyrie, making the big ship actually rock with the force of the wave! There's shouting and confusion from those that didn't see -- and shouting and swearing from those that did!

Cinnamon just stares in open-mouthed shock for a few heartbeats, braced on her hands behind her. Her face is very pale, and her eyes are currently huge! Thorn too is staring at where the thing had been, his eye twitching a little. He ends up repeating himself, "That... it... what the crap?!"

There is a sudden rush of movement even during the many yells of surprise. Arvid shouts orders, in the ship's tongue, for people to get away from the rails. Cinnamon feels arms hooking under her armpits and dragging her hastily across the deck and well away from the rail -- in fact, if the deck were less well-maintained, she might have gotten a crop of splinters in her backside! She is almost limp with shock, unprotesting as she's grabbed -- she's still staring dazedly at the railing. Once Cinnamon is several feet back from the railing, she's hauled to her feet by a wide-eyed Willem, "You OK?!"

Cinnamon blinks slowly up at Willem, her voice halting, "Dih... d-did you see...?" She blinks again, her gaze returning to the railing as she adds with a hint of indignation, "Th-that, it... it tried to eat me!" Pushing up her glasses, she turns back to Willem, "What was that thing?!" Cinnamon is, quite frankly, still scared! So she sort of swallows the fear in anger, "What a nasty person!" Something that unnaturally big, to her, simply must be a supernatural, after all.

Thorn scrambles to the middle of the deck, gulping, "Some... some kind of megalodon? But they're extinct!" He realizes as soon as he says it that he's wrong -- the oceans are vast and there's no telling what hides in the depths.

Arvid's voice is grim, "If it were about one-half that size, I'd say it were a great white, but those are only about twenty feet long..."

Bjarke's voice is, if anything, grimmer still, "And usually closer in to shore..." Then he calls out strongly, "Did anyone get a closer look at the coloring or anything?" There's a general agreement that mostly all anyone saw was teeth. Cinnamon closes her eyes for a moment, trying to replay the horrifying flash of action in her eidetic memory... what does she recall?

Cinnamon says slowly, as she thinks hard, "The color was more... bluish rather than white or gray? Um... also, the... the nose or snout or -- or front-endy bits? -- er, w-was... more square-ish, actually, than pointy -- oh! Also, there were teeth in several rows! And, um... yeah, I th-think it was at least about 40' long?" She opens her eyes, and worriedly adds, "D-does that help?" as she pushes her glasses up again. Thorn blinks worriedly. It certainly sounds like Cinnamon is describing a shark -- but one that's twice as big as the biggest sharks alive today!

Fraser's blue eyes flash and he can't help but grin at Thorn, "Oh, aye? And werewolves are imaginary creatures." He laughs, but it's got that edge of someone who laughs because danger makes them laugh. Spice has come running upstairs at all the commotion.

Arvid growls worriedly, "I've not seen anything like it, but there's more known about the moon than about the ocean. They keep saying things are extinct and then finding them again." The Havvarger are moving warily around the deck, arming themselves with spearguns. Arvid considers Cinnamon's words, then nods, "Well, it sounds like several species of shark, but bigger than any of them."

Cinnamon nods silently at that... then brightens at sight of Spice. The young woman gets a heartfelt hug from Cinnamon, "Ohmygosh, Spice, you would not believe what just tried to eat me!" As she speaks, the water around the Valkyrie starts that same rushing boil -- and then the ship rock as if something just rammed it from the port side -- the opposite side from where Cinnamon was originally. The little dragon squeaks and staggers slightly, then calls out anxiously, "Th-that, er -- that sort of rushing water sound? It was doing that before! C-could it... damage the ship by ramming it?"

Thorn too staggers a little with the impact, calling out, "Could it be hungry and thinks we're some sort of whale or such?"

There is, again, much swearing at the ship's lurching, and Arvid glances around with a grim expression. He firmly sends Spice back below, much to her profane protestations. Jaeger and Shane, however, both come up from belowdecks carrying their weapons, and Josie too is soon on deck as well. Aisling stays belowdecks, but Jaeger explains it's because Aisling says she doesn't have her weaponry with her and doesn't know how to handle what the Valkyrie has aboard. Cinnamon wraps her arms nervously around herself, trying to stay towards the center of the deck. She hopes Arvid has someone check the inside of the ship on the perhaps-rammed side!

Arvid shakes his head, "I don't think it could damage her. We're too well armored for that. Not by ramming us... I'd be more concerned if it tried t-" Even as he's speaking there's another rush of water -- and another shocking leap as the creature arches madly over the side, huge jaws snapping audibly at the railing!

Cinnamon shrieks startledly, "Look out!" As it vanishes into the ocean again, she's gasping with shock and clinging to one of the ropes about one of the masts.

Arvid growls, "Unless it tries something like that. Holy fuck..." Willem runs belowdecks to check the hull for just in case. Seconds later it's Arvid whose mind picks up on something Cinnamon said earlier, "Did you say 'person'?! You think it might be sentient?" Then, to Thorn, he dryly adds, "Hungry...? Yes, I'm fairly certain it's hungry."

Cinnamon blinks almost blankly at Arvid... then her brain kicks into gear as she pushes her glasses up and thinks hard. Finally she quavers, "I, uhh... w-well, I guess I... sorta assumed? Like, it seemed something that big would have to be supernatural, and I d-don't know of any non-sapient s-supernaturals?" She pauses and hastily reviews her memory of the most recent flash of the great monster -- was there anything new she unwittingly spotted? Anything that might... well, mark it as... as decorated or something? That's a thing sapients do, after all, right?

Cinnamon didn't see any decorations, but she did see that it only has one good eye -- the other is scarred and blinded in what looks like a very old wound. In fact, all down one side of the body are some very old wounds... and what might have looked like tattoos if it were humanoid. But it's hard to tell, under scars. Cinnamon blinks as that registers... then her head jerks around to stare out at the ocean. Has it been attacking just on one side of the ship -- so that it can actually see what it's attacking? It rammed the port side, after all, but both times it has leaped out of the water have been starboard.

Cinnamon calls out strongly, "It, uh -- it only has one good eye! Th-the right eye is scarred over and looks blind!" She hesitates, then adds less certainly, "And it... it sort of... there m-might be... tattoos? -m-maybe? Under the, er... the scars?"

Willem says, "If it's hungry, we've got more than enough rations to throw one of the beeves overboard for it..." He's looking more than a little wide-eyed.

Thorn frowns, "Tattoos? Could it... could it be a shapechanger?"

Cinnamon glances nervously at Thorn -- is he safely holding onto something in the middle of the ship too? "Th-thorny, be careful!" Thorn looks around, then dives for an available handhold amidships, realizing what Cinnamon is warning him about! Two of the Havvarger head belowdecks while the ship is relatively steady. There are actually three entire cows in the chiller in the galley. Tossing one overboard for a starving possible-sentient is not that large a sacrifice.

Cinnamon frowns as she thinks hard, trying to remember anything about aquatic life -- if only she'd read more about it! As far as she can remember, though, only sharks have that odd sort of replacement teeth always growing, that makes it look like there are rows of teeth. "So... this must be some kind of -- of really old shark?" She looks up at Arvid, her voice uncertain, "Are there, er... supernatural sharks?"

Arvid says, "I mean... there are shark deities in some ocean nations, but those are all in the other ocean!"

Shane snorts, "We're in the twenty-first century! People travel!"

Cinnamon blinks at Shane, thinking about what he said... and then a startled giggle is surprised out of her! After that she sighs consideringly, glancing around as she muses aloud, "So... so it charged us because it thought we were a nice, big, edible whale, then?"

Fraser sounds grim, "Or it thought we were humans that would be easy to knock off a boat." About that time, there's another rush from port and the bang against the side o the boat. Willem and Rafe are dragging up enormous pieces of bloody meat from the galley. They manage to grab handholds and not be knocked off their feet, and they report no hull damage. In the calm before the creature can make it around to starboard, the two Havvarger manage to throw the equivalent of a ton of beef over the side of the ship -- then make it back to amidships and get hold of something steady.

Cinnamon shudders at Fraser's comment -- but then frowns, "If it did that, though... why aren't there reports of it? Unless..." she blinks worriedly, her eyes widening, "unless it, er... rams the ships until they... until they sink...?" She hastily shifts so she can grab a different rope that will allow her to stare over the side and keep an eye on the bloody side of beef. She wants to see what the big monster does with it!

Thorn says, "Unless it knows it can't damage steel-hull ships by ramming them. Which means it still has some level of intelligence." He glances at the huge pieces of meat, and wonders if the ancients who sacrificed to the 'gods of the sea' weren't at least in some ways right in what they were doing.

Arvid nods solemnly, "Wooden ships go down sometimes... and the Coast Guards of various nations don't always find them."

There's the rush, but... the leap doesn't completely happen. The creature's snout surfaces and takes two large chunks of the cow in a snap before diving below the surface again... and, yes -- those were tattoos. Or if they weren't tattoos, they were the most startling-looking natural markings any of the travelers have ever seen! The marks are only on one side -- and they look like waves.

Cinnamon gasps excitedly, passing the information on to the others even as she leans to try to keep watching. It must have some sort of language -- oh, if only she could talk to it! She braces herself carefully, still clinging tightly to a rope, and makes sure she has one hand free... so she can wave and yell... something -- a greeting, maybe? -- at the huge monster when it surfaces again. That's... better than nothing, she supposes? But what language to try greeting in? Hmm, maybe... Melanesian pidgin? ...and Hawaiian, yeah! Perhaps it knows one of those? Especially with that tattooed wave pattern! Actually... isn't there, like, a shark that's a deity? ...in the Hawaiian pantheon, maybe? She's not sure about that, but... can't hurt to try! Then she blinks at another thought: if Thorn can heal a scar that's as old as her... just how old a scar can he heal?! She grins excitedly, thinking about the scar-blinded eye... then shakes her head sharply. Focus! Gotta be ready to yell!

There's one more large hunk of beef left floating... and the creature breaches to grab it! Cinnamon instantly leans out as far as she dares, shouting, "Hello!" first in Hawaiian, and then in the Oceania pidgin. She also hastily prepares the next thing to shout, if it turns towards them -- either 'we're friendly!' or 'please don't eat us!'

The sea is very quiet for a while. There's some quiet talk between Arvid and the Havvarger about if there's any more thawed meat, and Shane asks Thorn, "Did she say scars?"

Cinnamon nods absently without looking away from the ocean, calling to Shane, "I did! Lots of them -- all down one side and obliterating its right eye!"

Thorn nods to Shane. "She did indeed!" he confirms.

The next time the water is disturbed, what comes above the water is not a shark... but a dark-haired human head! Anyone that's seen any movie with a stereotypical Samoan man in the last thirty years would think 'Samoan' upon seeing this person. Cinnamon blinks startledly -- a man?! Weren't the female sharks the larger sized ones? She nevertheless checks the man's face carefully for scarring over the right eye, even as she waves a bit hesitantly and calls again in both languages, "Hello? We're friendly and please don't eat us?"

The face is extensively scarred, as is that side of his neck, and down over his shoulder and his chest. He looks up at her suspiciously, "How a white girl know dat?" She can now see that not only does he have the waves tattoos, but also a tattoo on his back that she missed -- a shark. However, that may have been below the water, before.

Cinnamon looks a bit puzzled, "Know what? That you were probably a supernatural?" She grins excitedly, "First I saw how big you were... and the second time you surfaced I saw your tattoos!" A bit less enthusiastically she adds, "I'm sorry about whatever attacked you, though. If the captain says it's okay, want to come aboard and have our healer check you over?" She's faintly surprised he's speaking English now... but also pleased -- this means everyone can understand! She glances over her shoulder, calling, "Captain Arvid! Can the, er... shark man come aboard, please?"

The man calls up, "How you know Hawaiian, white girl? Dat what I mean!" He snorts and doesn't seem worried that he's floating there or that he tried to eat her less than half an hour ago.

Cinnamon beams nervously, "Oh! I learned it from a computer course -- because I'm supposed to be their Councilor!"

Arvid comes to the side of the ship and looks down, glowering, "He can as long as he knows I won't hesitate to use force if he tries to harm me or mine again."

Cinnamon glances at Arvid and smiles, then looks back at the man, "Can you come aboard? Do you need a ladder or something?"

The man eyes her and grunts, "Why aren't you scared of me?"

Cinnamon grins uncertainly, "Um, I am? B-but I'm trying to be nice?"

Fraser and Shane both come up on either side of Cinnamon. The bo'sun casually aims a harpoon gun at the man, while Shane says grimly, "Because you're behaving yourself right now, and there are things you don't know as well. She asked: do you want to come aboard? We have more food and medical care if you need it." He seems rather grumpy with the shark-man.

Cinnamon blinks at Shane, wondering why he sounds so cranky... then wryly chastises herself: [Duh! The guy was trying to eat us!] So she smiles at her friends flanking her, "Maybe we could just ask him to promise to be nice?"

The man nods, "Throw me a rope." One is thrown, and he's hauled aboard. He's nude, but Bjarke has a spare pair of pants that fit him.

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Last modified: 2019-Jun-12 19:53:32

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