Goblin Town -- Logs

There's some smaller discussion which remains to be covered in the council meeting. Eventually new business is concluded, which means -- probably to no one's surprise -- it's Sparrow who motions to dismiss the meeting. Aisling seconds, the motion passes unanimously, and the councilors rise to leave -- some moving into small groups to chat, some simply heading out of the chamber to their quarters or to get food. Cinnamon thinks food sounds lovely! But first she wants to speak to Daniella. She patters quietly over to the woman, shyly waving a hand to attract Daniella's attention, "Hello? Um, do you... have just a second, please?"

Up in the audience, Thorn nods as the meeting is adjourned, and smiles to Amka and Yuka, "Let's go down there, and we'll introduce you to her." Shane also stands to escort the two young women, starting to guide Thorn and the girls down toward the floor to meet Cinnamon.

Daniella is gathering up her things -- mostly notes she took during the meeting. She smiles at Cinnamon despite her irritated body language, "Yes, of course."

Cinnamon smiles in relief -- good, Daniella's not furious with her, at least! Shyly she asks, "I just wanted to check, um... w-why you looked so upset at Jalil's suggestion? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but none of Killa's territories were suggested in the trades, right? So... did I miss something?"

Daniella takes a deep breath, "I was angry that this would be brought before the council when my lord is not here to see it -- and that the... situation between himself and Sparrow was not brought up as well. If we are to redraw territories, I think that too should be considered. My lord is still upset that Sparrow claims Mexico for himself."

Cinnamon nods at that, "Okay, good -- we can make sure that Killa can be here for the vote, of course." She considers for a moment, then adds wryly, "I... honestly don't know what to suggest to calm things between Sparrow and Killa, though, so... I should probably stay out of that one." She smiles up at the taller woman as she adds, "But I'm glad we could fix at least one part of what bothered you." Her smile becomes a grin as she adds, "Plus... I hope you like the woolen clothing -- it's very cozy!"

Daniella can't help another smile, "I do very much appreciate that. My lord would be almost in torpor were he here for this meeting. But now, I should go. I want to rest and to touch base back home."

Cinnamon nods cheerfully, "Of course! Take care, and I hope he and Jes�s both are healing up nicely!" She waits until Daniella's headed off, quietly happy things are okay there... now to thank Bright Wings. She glances around, starting to head towards where he and Himeko are standing and text-talking to some others. The little dragon wonders idly, as she goes -- will anyone try to chat with her in order to persuade her to take/not take the suggested lands?

As Shane, Thorn, and the two Greenlandic girls step down the stairs to the council floor, Cinnamon makes it to Bright Wings and Himeko, who are getting themselves ready to go back to their rooms. The little dragon grins and cheerfully calls, "Hi, Himeko! Can I say something quick to Bright Wings before you go, please?"

Himeko gives a short, friendly bow, "Of course. What can we do for you?"

Cinnamon thanks Himeko, then bows politely to Bright Wings, telling him in Japanese, "Thank you, honored one, for your wisdom in delaying the vote on the potential land and responsibility transfers! Being young, I was initially overwhelmed with the possibly immediate responsibility... yet upon your wise reflection, I have to agree that so momentous an event deserves careful consideration and widespread agreement to prevent it becoming a point of contention between friends and colleagues." She grins shyly at both entities as she adds, "So once again: thank you for your patient wisdom!" Then she whews internally -- that comment had required careful planning-out, previous to her speaking with Bright Wings! She's glad she said it correctly, without any nervous bobbles... because honestly, it's true. Cinnamon really doesn't want to end up in a constant sniping battle with Aoi -- like the way Sparrow and Killa are with each other -- over this land transfer stuff. The little dragon may believe (but will never say) that Aoi's got more than she can or wants to handle... but that's something Aoi's going to have to figure out for herself. She's certainly never going to listen to one enthusiastic little girl telling her so! Cinnamon honestly wonders sometimes why Aoi bothers to talk to even Marcus, considering his youth. Perhaps the ancient phoenix considers him merely a suitable mouthpiece? Though that too is something Cinnamon would never say to either of them!

Both of the Japanese beings bow and Bright Wings taps out: It is better my lady make this choice for herself, because I do not believe it is something I should say yes or no to. It is too momentous. I am pleased it also gives you solace. Cinnamon nods in agreement! She thanks them both again, then hugs Himeko and asks her to let Cinnamon know when Aoi is feeling well enough to teach the little dragon a tea ceremony -- Cinnamon is very excited by that! After that, though, she waves as they both leave -- she doesn't want to keep them if they're tired.

Before Cinnamon can get to any of the other 'reveal' faction folks, they've mostly cleared out of the room. Still, most folks will be at the holding for at least a few more days. Cinnamon looks around thoughtfully, checking for friends... where's Shane, Marcus, and Thorn? She's already thanked Jalil, Snow, and Nasteexo, good... hm, better make sure Garaitz Acorntrod is okay -- oh, and Spice! There she is with Josie... excellent! Cinnamon collects her little laptop bag and strolls towards the exit as she looks around. She grins and waves at Hilde as she walks up, "Hi there! So, when are you planning the volcano trip for?" Elsewhere, Shane steers the two girls and Thorn on an intercept course with Cinnamon, assuring the girls that Cinnamon is very nice and won't be upset at all.

Hilde grins, "I thought in the morning, so everyone can be well-rested and we have plenty of time to explore."

Cinnamon nods cheerfully at that, "Sounds fun! Is everyone going? I know Jalil sounded quite interested... possibly for some of the same reasons I am!"

Hilde beams, "I think there's going to be quite a few people coming along -- it's going to be fun!" Approaching the twosome, Shane is doing his very best to radiate calm, since Amka and Yuka are getting perhaps a little nervous. After all, this is a very important mission they've been sent on! Thorn edges closer to Cinnamon, hoping to get into her peripheral vision so that as soon as she's done -- ah, there's an opening. He approaches Cinnamon, waiting for her to finish talking with Hilde.

Cinnamon also beams at Hilde's reply, "Awesome!" She sees Shane, Thorn, and some strange but beautifully dressed women approaching, and cheerfully calls, "Hey, guys, are you coming on the volcano tour?" A moment later she adds a sincerely awed, "Wow, what beautiful clothes you two have!" to the two women.

One of the girls seems a little nervous, the other seems almost... cocky? Triumphant? But both of them perk up at being complimented on the clothes. Immediately, one of them looks at Thorn and asks in a low voice, "You're certain this is her?"

Cinnamon tilts her head curiously at that question, pushing her glasses up as she watches. Thorn blinks, replying to Cinnamon, "That sounds like it's a sight to see. Sure, I'd love to! Cinnamon, this is Amka and Yuka, from Greenland. Amka, Yuka, this is Cinnamon. They're here to ask for your help." He says in a quiet voice to the one who spoke, knowing Cinnamon heard her, "Absolutely certain. Go ahead and talk to her, and show her the picture."

Cinnamon brightens a bit, "Oh, you're Greenlandics asking for help? Sure, happy to -- what do you need, please? Also, would you rather speak English or Greenlandic?"

Amka asks worriedly, "Do other people here speak Greenlandic? I thought these two..." she motions at the two men standing with them, "seemed only to speak English, so... I thought it might be rude to speak in a language they don't understand?" Yuka is still glancing back and forth from the drawing to Cinnamon, and trying not to look skeptical.

Cinnamon smiles relaxedly, "As far as I know, only you two and I speak Greenlandic here. If what you need to talk about is private, we can use Greenlandic, but if you aren't worried about that, we can stick to English. Whatever works best for you!" She keeps strolling along towards the door as she adds, "Let's go get a bite to eat while we talk, okay?" She hopes her stomach doesn't growl embarrassingly as they go! Curiously she adds, "What's the drawing of? Is that part of what you need?"

Shane murmurs, "I think it's supposed to be you, acushla." Cinnamon gives Shane a puzzled glance as Amka blushes again and goes on to explain why they're there -- starting with what's going on with the food animals, and how usually all that's needed is brushing out the tangles in Sedna's hair. "But grandfather hasn't been able to do that, and he had a vision that we needed to find... well... a person that would get him the right comb to clean out the tangles. He told us to come here, and described her." She goes on to relate the description, and Shane adds his suspicion, "There are no reptiles there. I think he'd have no reference for a dragon being a reptile, so..."

Thorn nods in agreement with Shane's commentary, "It took us a bit, but we're reasonably sure that they were talking about you."

Cinnamon listens carefully as she walks with her friends to the meal room. Still listening, she goes through the buffet line with them all, and once she sits down she studies the drawing with interest. She grins at Shane's comment, nodding, "I think I can see how it happened, yeah!" She has a few bites as she listens... and once everyone's done talking she smiles at the two young women, "I can understand you not thinking I'm the right person -- I know I look pretty plain like this! But... well, have you seen dragons yet?"

Amka and Yuka both seem puzzled that Cinnamon thinks she's plain. "But you have such pretty hair!" Yuka insists -- which causes Cinnamon to blush slightly with pleasure. Both young women agree they've not seen dragons, but they are sure if one is as striking as Yuka's drawing, they must be impressive! Amka asks nervously, "Are you bigger than a polar bear when you are a dragon?" Thorn thinks 'bigger than a polar bear' is... understating things!

Cinnamon giggles at that question, then pulls out her cell phone, flipping through her photos until she gets to one of the videos that Shane was nice enough to take of her, back on the Valkyrie. She grins as she holds it out, "Look... my head is a bit, umm... sort of horse-like? Got the wavy tail, too, and clawed feet -- though I have four rather than two feet in this shape. See how the wings fold up, too?" She grins excitedly at the two Greenlandic women once the video ends, "How's that? Does it seem possible that my dragon form might have been what your Grandfather Shaman saw?"

Amka's eyes are huge as she watches the video -- that creature is absolutely bigger than a polar bear! "Oh! Oh! I -- I assumed there were just two feet, instead of four! Grandfather was saying person, so... two..." Her cheeks are rather red by now! Yuka looks from her own drawing to the video, and frowns. She doesn't think she did too badly, given the information she had... but that dragon-thing really isn't much like what she drew. Amka nervously adds, "I... yes, I think that is what he saw. You are very, very large in that form! Thorn and Shane say that many people on this council change their shapes..."

Cinnamon grins and nods to Amka, "I absolutely get how you could get that! Believe me, when I first learned I was a dragon, I didn't have any idea it would be like this!" She nods cheerfully again after another bite, "Oh, yeah -- more than half of us do. It's really a ton easier to get around in human shape, after all. Can you imagine what it'd be like, having to live constantly in a body that large?!" Then she adds shyly to the other young woman, "I really like your drawing, Yuka! Would you be willing to let me buy it from you?" Cinnamon thinks it's a really nice piece of art that'll remind her of her second official request for help as a Councilor! -- and will also remind her to be mentally flexible.

Yuka considers that request, then says, "No. But I will give it to you." She hands the drawing to Cinnamon. Amka nods, "It would be very difficult, I think. What... is it rude to ask what the others become?"

Cinnamon blinks at that -- then nearly lights up with delight, "Oh! Thank you so much, Yuka -- this is so kind of you!" She accepts the artwork, carefully tucking it into her laptop bag... then grins at Amka, "Well, it's kind of personal for some folks, so I probably shouldn't say. But you can absolutely ask them yourselves? That's what I did."

Shane nods, "It's not rude to ask. It's rude to press if they don't answer." Cinnamon beams as she's eating, nodding at Shane's comment! Thorn sits with the group, listening fascinatedly. He finds it wonderful that more people are being introduced to the esoteric world, and even more so that people under Cinnamon's representation are approaching her with issues. He knows Cinnamon will do the best she can for them, of course. He does wonder what 'untangling Sedna's hair' could mean, though.

Cinnamon checks her calendar, for when she next has some time open. To the two young women she says, "I have some stuff I've promised to do in the next, um... oh, let's say a week. But after that I can certainly come see your Grandfather Shaman! Can you tell me if there's a large open space near where he is, that I could land in, if I fly over there? Also, do you happen to have the longitude and latitude of that space?" She pauses, considering what else she'll need... hm, if the shaman needs help in untangling Sedna's hair, then doesn't that mean mythically that there's not enough food? She adds thoughtfully, "Would it be okay if I brought some food to share with you all, too?"

The two girls consult. They don't have longitude and latitude, but they have very good landmarks they can give her! If there is a good map, they can show her where on the general map to start looking for the landmarks, too. It makes Shane smile a bit, remembering Nasteexo telling Cinnamon to look for 'rock, trees' when the little dragon was looking for Spearhead Bluff in Sparrow's demesne. Fortunately, folk that say they know good landmarks usually know very good landmarks. Cinnamon hms thoughtfully to herself -- looks like the three full moon nights are coming up too! The first night is the third night from now... she grins and bets to herself that Hilde and Arvid have set something up already to allow the Valkyrie wolfpack to roam freely in the Icelandic hinterlands for at least one of those nights! Hilde's nice that way.

Amka says, "If you brought food... it would be a blessing. It is very badly needed." Cinnamon nods at that, and pulls out her laptop. Shortly thereafter they're playing with google's maps feature, plotting out where a dragon might land at night. The two young women also share phone numbers with Cinnamon, and promise to have some sort of lighting out for her, so she can land precisely where she's least noticeable for the more mundane folks in the area. Shane also helpfully explains how Sparrow's people set up a landing spot to look like a target, so it couldn't be mistaken for a road or a landing strip by anything else flying around nearby.

Cinnamon gets everything arranged, then glances over hopefully at Thorn and Shane, "After we've dropped off Elias at Coblyn again, would you two be willing to come along and be my hands, and maybe help out anyone that needs it, at Amka and Yuka's home, guys?"

Thorn nods, "Certainly! I'll be glad to!"

The half-beansidhe nods, "Of course, acushla. I don't have any pressing engagements at that point. I'll take care of anything else before then." He smiles crookedly, "I do have to make a living somehow."

Cinnamon beams in relief, "Thanks so much, peeps!" She turns back to the two Greenlandic women, adding cheerfully, "Thorny here is an awesome medical guy... and Shane's just generally awesome to have around!" Yuka leans over and whispers something in Greenlandic to Amka, which makes the other young girl giggle and flush a little. It's very quiet, and only Cinnamon speaks Greenlandic... which means only she understands that the bolder of the two girls just said that the two young men were not only useful but quite pretty as well, even if they were a little pale!

Cinnamon frowns thoughtfully at Shane's comment about making a living -- good point! She's been taking Shane away from the street a lot recently... and Thorn too! A bit hesitantly she says, "W-well... could, um... maybe could the Council hire you both to help me out like this?" She's not exactly sure why, but a small voice in her head warns her not to tell Shane she'd like to personally hire him! Maybe... maybe he'd take that wrong? She'd really rather have a different relationship with him, after all! She pauses, overhearing the whispered commentary -- then turns rather pink as her brain immediately helpfully provides her with a visual of Shane's entire front above the towel, still damp from the shower! "Oh! Uh, y-yeah, I'll, um... I'll look right into that! Er, ah, a-anything else we should cover here?!"

Shane arches a brow at that thought, "Do you think they would, though? I mean... what exactly would my job... are you okay, acushla?" As far as he knows, no one has said anything startling in the last two minutes. Thorn too blinks at Cinnamon, wondering why she's suddenly so tongue-tied.

Cinnamon nearly babbles, "Oh, nothing! Nothing! Uh, crabcakes -- darnit, I -- I mean yes!" She sighs, shaking her head at herself, then wryly adds, "Okay, let me try that over again..." Still a bit flushed, she verifies the landing plan with the two women, then smiles and nods to them, "Excellent. Okay then! We'll be leaving here in about two nights, unless the Valkyrie's crew wants me to hang around while their cursed wolf shifts over the full moon nights... in which case we'll be leaving three nights later. Will that give you all time enough to get home and set things up?" Amka and Yuka talk together quietly, and agree that this gives them time to get home and set everything up for Cinnamon's arrival. The little dragon is glad to hear it! She prays internally -- while already knowing the unlikelihood of it happening -- that one of the Valkyrie's crew will walk up just as the two young women are walking away. She just has got to learn how to not do stuff like this to herself, such that she turns so beet-red!

Thorn ponders Cinnamon's sentence: 'Unless the Valkyrie's crew wants me to hang around while their cursed wolf shifts over for the full moon nights....' The fact that neither Amka nor Yuka seem to think it odd that a cursed wolf exists, or that someone might need to help him, might speak to how deep in myth these young women live!

Cinnamon talks to Amka and Yuka just a bit more before they depart, making sure she knows what kind of food would be best to bring. After that she makes the appropriate notes in her little notebook: must check with Arvid re Fraser's full moon nights, must figure out how to quickly get a ton of the requisite good, non-perishable food at Coblyn -- as well as how to pack it securely onto her harness -- and must check with the Council about hiring Shane and Thorn. Okay! After that she's fairly sure her cheeks have cooled! She looks up at Shane and smiles, "Well, Jaeger said it was okay for the Council to hire Sarai for translation, which helps Josie help her people... so surely the Council hiring someone to help me, say, fly to the right place, and help unload my backpack once I've arrived, in order to help my people... shouldn't be too unreasonable? Um... what do you think, guys?"

Thorn blinks, wondering why Cinnamon still has a blush -- but nods, "That shouldn't be a problem. Iason and I talked about it. He has me as a 'roving healer.' As long as while I'm outside Coblyn, if I check in with the places we go, bring back information or help people who need help, and seek out new medicinal herbs and such... he's satisfied I'm doing my job."

Cinnamon brightens at that, "Oh, excellent! Okay, that's covered then -- thanks, Thorny!" She looks hopefully at Shane, "So, umm... can you like... let's see, how would this work. Okay, how's this: you give me the invoice for your time, and I'll present it to the Council for payment. Does that sound right?" Shane thinks carefully about this. He can still do what needs doing on Coblyn when he's there, and work as Cinnamon's... what? Master-at-arms? -when he's with her. Of course, Veles somewhat sees himself as that, but he's been in Bulgaria for a while. Still, Shane agrees. Once that's done, Cinnamon hugs both Shane and Thorn in thanks, then tells them she has to find both Arvid and Elias next. After that, things break up into the normal type of evening at gatherings of the Council.

Some time elsewhere, Cinnamon checks in first with Arvid, "Hi, Captain! I just wanted to check: did you want me to hang around for the upcoming full moon nights, or no?"

Arvid considers, "I know Fraser would like it, but... only if you wish. It would be nice, but getting him accustomed to having you there could make things worse when you aren't at times."

Cinnamon listens carefully as Arvid speaks, nodding or shaking her head at his words, as seems appropriate -- but then she ends up just looking confused. She grins ruefully as she pushes her glasses up, "Okay, so is that a 'you'd like it if I did' or a 'it's not really necessary,' please?"

Arvid smiles, "I am saying it is nicer when you do but do not feel obligated."

Cinnamon nods more decisively at that -- that, she understands! "Okay! Happy to." Curiously she adds, "Did you and Hilde arrange a night for the pack to run here, too? -and if so, what night is it, please? -and will you be staying on land for the other nights, and should I talk to Hilde to arrange this or what, please?" All her questions tend to run together after a bit, as she gets them all out as concisely as possible!

Arvid listens and ahhs, "Yes. Hilde and Torben and the others arranged that. They have assigned a couple of their trod's warriors as outriders with us to make sure things do not go awry. As in Ireland, Bjarke will be paired with Fraser on that night. They tell us there is not a great deal of game to hunt, but just the running will be wonderful. We will stay on land all three days. I think it does make him easier to deal with if he can have some fun."

Cinnamon nods in cheerful agreement, "Makes sense to me, yeah! Okay, I'll go ask Hilde to make sure I'm in a room during the nights where we can barricade Fraser-wolf in with me, right? That's the best way to handle things, maybe?"

Arvid nods and wraps Cinnamon in a hug, "That would be lovely. Once we have run, we will bring him to be barricaded in with you. For some reason this trod does have a room with a reinforced door we can put him in. They tell me it is because they had to have stricter discipline due to, uhm, cabin fever? The long, long night apparently can cause people to behave very badly." Apparently the ljosalfar really do play their immunity to steel close to the chest. Cinnamon is surprised and delighted that the captain likes her enough to hug her! She happily hugs him warmly back, then grins and waves as she patters off to find Hilde.

Hilde is talking with Marcus and Torben, discussing some of the things Torben has been doing and will continue to do between Iceland, the Scandinavian countries, and North America. The ljosalf is quite happy to find out about Valkyrie, though he hasn't traveled on her yet. Cinnamon patters up with a shy wave at everyone, waiting politely for a lull in the conversation before she cheerfully says, "Hilde, could I please have the room with the lockable door for the next four or so nights?"

Hilde has already talked with the Havvarger, and so she knows why the lockable, iron-reinforced door is needed. Not only is it a heavy-duty door that's the next best thing to a cell, but it also will not be able to be scratched through by Fraser, since its reinforcement isn't just straps across it, but also bands between thick layers of wood. So Hilde looks up and smiles as Cinnamon pads up, replying with a smile, "Oh! Absolutely. Torben can get you the key, I'm sure. It's also well-soundproofed -- I know things are likely to get loud in there." There are two other things Hilde knows, after all: this is going to go far and above Cinnamon's head... and Marcus will absolutely not take it in the way it is actually meant!

Cinnamon brightens at that, "Oh, excellent! Thanks so much to both of you -- I really appreciate your kindness!" She arranges a later time to get a key from Torben, then patters off again with another cheerful wave over her shoulder. She's already mentally consulting her to-do list... Elias next!

Torben, unaware of the machinations that are ongoing, is nonchalant because he has no reason not to be. Hilde is nonchalant because she's amazing at it -- she manages to keep her smile friendly as she turns back to the two men. Marcus, however, blinks slowly as he watches Cinnamon walk away, and remembers... remembers seeing Shane kissing Cinnamon at the Samhain ball, Shane doing a lot of whispering and snuggling with Cinnamon, and Cinnamon giggling a lot around Shane. Consequently the Germanic elf draws some very, very erroneous conclusions! He licks his lips and clears his throat, "Well! She's, uhmm... she's certainly turning out to be something incredible."

Hilde grins, "She was always something incredible, Marcus. It's just taken you longer than anyone else to see it." Her blue eyes are twinkling -- she, after all, isn't blind!

Iceland doesn't exactly have a constant polar night, but at this time of year daylight is greatly decreased. This means the councilors -- including Elias, who has agreed to stay a couple of extra days -- can all take the planned extended tour to the volcano. Cinnamon is quite excited! Not only does she look forward to seeing a volcano -- Jalil has assured her they are quite remarkable! -- but she's also really hoping to see the Northern Lights as well. Torben told her, while giving her the room key, that there's a small hut partway up the volcano where they'll pause on the tour in order to have hot chocolate. The little dragon can't help but feel this is a rather... well, maybe a little bit romantic? -- thing to do with Shane... even if everyone else is around too!

The transport up the volcano turns out to be a fusion of old and new. A few decades ago the trod would have used some of the shaggy Icelandic ponies and sleighs, or even dogs and dogsleds, but they don't want to risk the animals -- so now they compromise. Tonight, Shane and Dejiyo -- as two people not bothered by steel -- have volunteered to pilot the two heavy-duty snowmobiles. Those will pull a couple of sleighs carrying the rest of the folk coming on the expedition -- along with their supplies of food, blankets, and hot chocolate and cider. There are also emergency supplies, should there be injuries which are too small for Thorn to need to call on his magic.

Cinnamon squeaks with excitement at sight of the sleighs, "Eee, I've never ridden in anything like these cute little sleighs before -- they're just so perfect!" She happily trudges through the snow -- unwittingly breaking trail for everyone else -- as she heads for the sleigh pulled by the snowmobile Shane is driving. The little dragon is wearing all her wonderful new purchases, as well -- her pretty lopapeysa, the matching beanie and mittens -- though the socks aren't visible under her also-pretty, new, mukluk-style snowboots. Her scarlet hair flows out from under the beanie, in two simple braids, making her look like she's barely out of teenhood. She's so well wrapped up that she looks sort of like an adorably knitted ball of wool!

Thorn discreetly offers to do the driving instead of Shane, so the beansidhe can ride in the sleigh with Cinnamon. Shane considers turning that down... and then, for once, goes with the selfish option! Thorn smiles and nods, and spends a few minutes familiarizing himself with the snowmobile. He figures as long as the snowmobile has automatic transmission, he can deal with it... and hopefully the path will be straight and wide enough. The sleighs are big enough to carry ten people apiece, plus their equipment. Josie and Spice join Cinnamon and Shane in their chosen sleigh... along with Hilde, Marcus, Torben, Jalil, Nasteexo, and Elias. In the other sleigh Daniella, Bright Wings, Snow, Aisling, Jarek, Himeko, and Sparrow are comfortably settled in. The rest of the space is filled with extra gear. Shane swings up into the sleigh and settles in under the lap-robe with Cinnamon, grinning at her, "Hey, acushla. Ready to go see where the floor really is lava?"

Cinnamon giggles excitedly, "Can't wait! Veles' old dragon said I should go to Iceland, so I'm guessing it's something about either lava or ice that he thought I should see!" Her cheeks are flushed from the cold and her eyes sparkle with excitement, "This is gonna be such fun!" She is, of course, in the very front row -- she's too excited to sit any further back! She grins over her shoulder at Hilde, seated next to Marcus in the row behind hers, "Thanks so much, Hilde, for setting this up -- this is so cool!" It doesn't occur to her that Marcus' momentarily slightly sour expression could be due to Shane having slid in next to Cinnamon before the Germanic elf could -- instead she wonders if he's warm enough. Well, Hilde can make sure he's got enough warm things on! Naturally, the potential naughtiness of that statement flies cheerfully over Cinnamon's warmly-beanied head!

Hilde nestles in with Marcus and amusedly whispers to him, "Relax. I'll keep you warm this time. There's always the ride back down... or you could invite her to find a soundproof room with you when you get back to Coblyn."

Cinnamon happily (and obliviously) adds, "Tomorrow during the day, if it's okay, Hilde? -- it might be fun for a bunch of us to go outside and maybe play in the snow? Like maybe make a snowman and snow angels and stuff like that?" As a child, Cinnamon's family had been more competitive -- she's sick to death of snowball fights! They did unfortunately tend to interrupt her attempts at simply playing or building in the snow... but maybe here she can do so without a ganging-up snowball fight breaking out around -- or all over -- her.

The ljosaelf smiles at Cinnamon's enthusiasm, "It depends on the temperature. It's supposed to be dangerously cold for most of us tomorrow."

Cinnamon awws in disappointment, "Even during the sunlight hours?" She thinks about that for a moment... then smiles and shrugs, "Well, maybe some other time!"

Hilde grins, "Cold snap. Even during the daylight hours -- but I'm sure you can get at least a few folks to come out and play with you."

Cinnamon brightens at that, "Ooh, good point -- maybe especially if we arrange for some hot soup or hot chocolate for when we come back inside!" She's almost bouncy with excitement as she laughs and teases her friends, "So, will you three come out and play with me in the snow then?" Alas, all the lovely innuendo is completely lost on her!

Shane smiles down at her, "Anytime you like, acushla." Hilde grins and says, "If they don't steal me away to be all responsible, I would adore that." Marcus chuckles, realizing Cinnamon isn't meaning it, but can't resist saying, "Who could resist playing with you?"

Cinnamon giggles excitedly, "Yay! This'll be fun!" She turns back around, however, once the big, growly snowmobiles start up... though she's still bright-eyed and delighted as she looks around. Over the engine roar she shout-says to Shane, "Hopefully we'll get to see the Northern Lights tonight too!"

Shane nestles in with Cinnamon under the fur lap robe and smiles, "I'm sure we will." He (rather daringly) pats her knee before sliding an arm around her shoulder and cuddling her close. Cinnamon leans happily against Shane and simply enjoys the ride. She's feeling very warm and cozy -- it's almost surprising to her how tremendously nice everything has been so far! She grins and mentally crosses her fingers that Fraser-wolf won't be a tremendous pill due to the very long, 18-hour nights... but after that she simply settles in and nearly blissfully savors how lovely the refreshing cold and the warm cuddles and the gorgeous night are! After a while she realizes she's quietly singing to herself too -- it's Jingle Bells, due to being in a one-'cat open sleigh... which makes her giggle! As they all ride, Marcus occasionally glances at the back of Shane's and Cinnamon's heads, when the half-beansidhe leans in to say something quietly to the little dragon. Shane's obviously teasing her, or pointing out something he thinks she'd like to see... and Marcus can't help wondering: which of them is the soundproofing for?

The ride up the caldera goes fairly smoothly, and the temperature gets almost balmy -- for being in a snowfield. The group makes sure the snowmobiles are secured, and the sleighs also are stable, before unpacking provisions into the little cabin/hut that's set up there for warming up. The hike up to the edge of the caldera is actually going to be fairly easy. Cinnamon is very pleased that so far, at least, the temperature doesn't seem to be an issue for her at all! She happily helps unpack, pattering back and forth from sleigh to hut with her arms loaded up with what might seem an impossible amount of stuff. Her main problem isn't the weight, however -- but rather that she often can't see where she's going once she's picked up a bunch of stuff! That makes her laugh, and she gets the giggles even more when other folks cheerfully steer her in the right direction so nothing gets dropped. She doesn't say anything about it, but she gets a gleeful little thrill in her middle when it's Shane doing so, too!

Fortunately her sweater and jacket are thick enough that Sparrow's teasing threat to tickle her isn't really effective... and the little dragon beams when Marcus helps her re-balance her load, after her reflexive squeak and twitch away from Sparrow! Between all the willing hands, all the gear is quickly stowed... at which point Torben and Hilde start guiding people up the path to the caldera's edge. Hilde, of course, is absolutely storing up a lot of what Marcus is doing -- to gleefully relate back to Jaeger later! She knows the elder elf has been -- quite benevolently -- underhandedly trying to get his son to actually pay attention to what's right in front of him. Hilde herself just wants Cinnamon to realize she's desirable.

Cinnamon is very excited as she patters along. Some of the time she's staring hopefully upwards for the Northern Lights to appear... though her footing is unsure enough that she mostly has to focus on staying on the path and not tripping anyone else! Of course, Shane makes sure he's right there to help with Cinnamon's footing -- his balance is frighteningly good. Their first cruise aboard Valkyrie, he was the first one to gain his sea legs, and the first one to be comfortable back on land. In fact, the first time the little dragon glances up and slides on the snow, he wraps his arms around her and chuckles, murmuring teasingly, "I'm happy to sweep you off your feet, acushla, but I'd rather have it be on purpose, you know?" Cinnamon laughs distractedly up at the charming whisper -- right after she finishes squeaking in alarm and grabbing onto the helpful arms around her!

The Northern Lights are visible about halfway up the trail and there's even a sort of little viewing area that's been cleared. Cinnamon gasps when she looks up and finally spots the emerging Northern Lights -- then bounces in place, excitedly waving her arms, "Look, look, everyone! There it is -- the aurora borealis! Oh my gosh, isn't it gorgeous?!" People turn and look, those that have never been this far north making sounds of appreciation and awe. Even those that have are beaming and looking dreamily upwards as well. Shane wraps his arms around Cinnamon from behind, looking up with her and sharing the moment with her. Up here, the sky is even clearer and more full of beauty than can be seen out where most of the trods are. Cinnamon sighs happily, leaning back against the person behind her -- she's sure it's Shane! -- and her voice is dreamy as she murmurs, "Isn't it wonderful? I always wanted to see the aurora borealis someday, but never thought I would... and now I have!"

Marcus has moved up beside Shane and Cinnamon; he murmurs, "There's a matching aurora that you can see from Australia and New Zealand, you know. The aurora Australis." He smiles down at her, "The southern lights. I believe those are your demesne, yes? Perhaps you can host a meeting there and show those to us?" He reaches to straighten her beanie hat -- complete superfluously -- then starts to move off when Hilde calls, to show him something.

Cinnamon grins up at Marcus when he moves up next to her... then laughs! "I doubt anyone wants to have a council meeting in Antarctica, though, right?"

Marcus pauses as he moves off, smiling, "But that isn't where you see them. You see them from Australia and New Zealand."

Cinnamon blinks interestedly, her voice thoughtful, "Really..." She stares upwards again, sighing happily as Marcus moves off... then tilts her head back enough that she can grin up at Shane, "Think that'd be fun? A council meeting in, say, Australia or New Zealand?" Her voice is intrigued again as she adds, "I read that New Zealand is really beautiful... I wonder if any of the folks I represent will ever contact me to host a meeting?" She considers for a moment... then shyly doesn't mention her next thought -- of how proud she'd be if some group she represents trusted her enough to invite her to host a meeting with them!

Shane looks down at Cinnamon and kisses her temple, "I think it would be wonderful... and I'm certain they will, acushla. They're just still getting to know who you are. You've been running around putting out fires; you haven't had a chance to visit any of them yet. But you will soon."

Cinnamon squeaks startledly at the kiss -- for a shocking heartbeat she'd thought he was going to kiss her on the lips! That'd be so amazing- wait, no! No, it wouldn't be -- can't do that! Don't want to lose Shane... but wow his lips feel nice -- okay, enough of that! Gotta focus -- don't want to either stumble and fall, or blurt out something she shouldn't! She grins a bit shakily at Shane, then continues trudging carefully through the snow with everyone else. Eventually she's once again beaming with delight up at the gorgeously, colorfully lit, flickering sky -- this is such a magnificent night! She chatters happily with Shane, wondering what the caldera is like and if they can actually see the lava emerging, or if it's too dangerous to get close, and will the heat make it harder to see the aurora, and can Shane see in UV because the aurora is really gorgeous that way, and, and, and...! Shane smiles as he listens to Cinnamon chatter -- he loves that she's so enthusiastic, when she used to be so very nervous! He lets her know that he cannot see in UV or IR. He just sees really well at night -- though not as well as the full-blood elven races. "I think we can get up to a point to see the lava, but not too close..." -- and just about that time, they come over a rise and see down... into the active part of the caldera.

Cinnamon gasps again at the sight, "Oh my gosh, that is incredible!" She stares down at the caldera one peak over from where they stand, enjoying the warm brush of heat rising from it, and studying the beautiful, almost alien looking striations where ice and lava mingle and flow through each other. In the darkness, the sullen orange and scarlet glow is particularly bright.

Torben walks up, "It is truly beautiful. Iceland is one of the few places in the world that new land is still being made. Iceland and Hawaii, I believe." He smiles at Cinnamon as Jalil comes up. The djinn is actually stripping out of his clothes as he grins brightly. "I am going to go for a dip!" he says, in the way that someone might mention hopping into a swimming pool -- and with just as cheerful an expression. "I have been cold since we got here!" In one moment, he drops the very last bit of his clothing -- and in the next he is a whirlwind of fire making his way down to the lake of lava.

Cinnamon nods fascinatedly to Torben -- then squeaks in alarm, hastily whirling so she doesn't see Jalil naked! She turns back when she hears the crackle of fire, sighing in relief... then simply stares wide-eyed as the fiery whirlwind nearly dances over the fresh lava streams as easily as over the cracked and buckled old lava! Once he's disappeared, she pushes up her glasses, murmuring, "I am so lucky... to get to see such amazing stuff like this!" She grins excitedly up at Shane and Torben a moment later, "I never, ever thought I'd even leave home much, before I knew I was a dragon... and now look where I am! This is totally awesomesauce!"

Shane bites his tongue to keep from laughing when Cinnamon hides her face against his chest, to keep from seeing the naked djinn. He has a moment of wondering if she's ever going to not have that reaction to the naked male form... and then she's turning back around. He smiles, "It's amazing... you know... you could probably go down closer in dragon form, alainn."

Cinnamon pauses, looking down at the discarded clothes... then grins and tidily gathers them up, folding them into a neat pile as she cheerfully replies to Shane, "Maybe later! Right now I get to see both the volcano and the aurora borealis -- and I get to do it with all my friends!" She isn't about to say it aloud... but she doesn't want to leave Shane just yet either! He's been really cozy and friendly and cuddly tonight, after all, and she's really enjoying it... even though it's kinda scary as well as kinda wonderful. She looks around consideringly at another thought, murmuring, "Also, I wonder what Veles' dragon expects me to learn here? I'm, um... not really sure what to look for...?"

Several of the others have made it up close by now, and are having similarly awed reactions. There are even giggles as folks notice Jalil swimming in the lava as if it were a pleasantly warm spa. Hilde shakes her head and laughs as she calls down to the frolicking djinn, "You know, we could probably find a Jacuzzi -- people here like to loll about in them in the snow -- and they aren't filled with fire!" Cinnamon giggles at that, then tilts her head... maybe she will try being a dragon here at some point! Just... not when there's so many folks around. She really enjoys being with friends. For the moment, therefore, she's simply deep in the joy of being out on a splendid night, with people she really likes -- including Shane, eeeee! -- that seem to like her too... and being almost overwhelmed by the stunning drama of the volcano, backed by the glorious, dancing northern lights.

Josie bounces and giggles, "I'm going to go make some hot chocolate now -- Spice brought marshmallows for ours!" She's wearing clothes that allow her tail to be out, so she's free to wag as they head back to the little hut where water has been heating.

Cinnamon beams at that, "Ooh, yummy!" She looks hopefully at Shane, wondering if he'll want to go share some hot chocolate and marshmallows too. Or maybe Marcus will come too? Especially if he was cold in the sleigh... she laughs out of sheer happiness. What a lovely night!

Marcus is actually starting to shiver; he says, "That sounds like an amazing idea," and starts in that direction as well. Shane nods, "I'm all for the hot chocolate. Marshmallows included." Cinnamon beams at that! An almost reckless excitement seizes her as she grabs a gloved hand in each of her mittened ones -- one of Shane's and one of Marcus's -- and says with a giggle, "Race you there!" She's quite well aware, of course, that both young men are far more lithe and agile than she... it just seems like the fun thing to do on this peculiarly wonderful night!

Shane and Marcus both actually laugh and go with her! Of course, both of them are indeed more agile and lightfooted than she is, and Shane is, atop that, an accomplished aikidoka. There are times where Cinnamon might have gone for a tumble, but that she finds her momentum redirected in a way that actually stops any of them from falling. There are a few more of those catches on the way up to the hut, with at least one where it's Marcus doing the steadying. He grins down at her, "Whups-a-daisy! Tumbling over could be fun, but it would be cold and damp as well!" That gets him something of a glower over the top of Cinnamon's head... but since it also probably went over her head too, the glower is short-lived.

Cinnamon is delightedly laughing and breathless by the time they reach the hut, and her enjoyment is such that she excitedly hugs both young men before heading inside, "That was fun! Thank you both so much!" She giggles, pushing up her glasses as she adds, "-and now: hot chocolate and marshmallows -- yummm!" Both the young men hug back as well, though Marcus doesn't seem to hug quite the same way as Shane. There's something of a different... vibe to his? Even better, the hot chocolate isn't the sort that comes in packets. It's made from melted chocolate and cream and vanilla, and the marshmallows are lovely and fresh and melt wonderfully in the hot mugs! Cinnamon is simply awed by how marvelous the chocolate tastes, earnestly complimenting Spice on the deliciousness of the concoctions she's making. The little dragon is almost glowing with happiness by this point!

Sparrow has been watching this little... competition between the elf and the half-beansidhe since the Samhain ball! He hasn't been stirring shit simply because the potential for chaos is just so very rife all on its own. When Aisling notices him chuckling at Cinnamon's starry-eyed snuggling against Shane, she murmurs quietly to him, "If you do something to blow that, I will absolutely put stinging nettles in your bed, Sparrow." He looks at her with a brow raised, "Now why would I do that, sugar? I'm gonna stand right over here an' watch as Cinnamon eventually, slowly goes back over ever-damn-thang those two have said to her in the last six months -- and realizes what some of it meant. I'm wonderin' if Marcus is gonna get slapped or kissed for some of it! Shane's much more gentlemanly, so he's gonna get kissed, I'm pretty sure."

Aisling rolls her eyes, "Oh, he's a gentleman, definitely. The truly blush-inducing things don't come out until he's quite sure you want to hear them, so he won't get slapped." She looks sideways at Sparrow then, and her eyes twinkle, "You know... you're right! That's going to be fun to watch."

Cinnamon is having a truly wonderful time! It feels almost like she can't stop beaming -- though she has no idea just how attractive her cold-flushed cheeks, sparkling eyes, and happy grin truly are. She giggles at Josie and Spice making hot chocolate together; she beams as Nasteexo and Dejiyo cuddle together... she nods happily as Torben explains something about volcanoes, and she beams again as Sparrow tells a slightly off-color joke -- though she doesn't tell him that she didn't quite get it... and she grins as Daniella sighs and finally relaxes next to the hot fire. Yep, this is a really wonderful night! Best of all, from her perspective... is that Shane and Marcus both seem to be inexplicably happy to stand really close to her! It's kinda... well, tingly feeling!

As people are relaxing, there's something that starts out sounding like thunder... except that thunder isn't usually followed by something that feels like the earth shaking under you -- especially not the earth shaking hard enough to knock things off shelves. Cinnamon blinks as she looks around -- then brightens, "Oh! Torben, Hilde -- does this mean the volcano's erupting more? Let's go see -- I bet it's even more amazing!" Not having grown up in either earthquake or volcano country, the idea that this might actually be dangerous hasn't yet occurred to the little dragon. So instead she has a big gulp of hot chocolate (so she won't accidentally spill any) before she heads for the door, mug in one mittened hand.

Torben and Hilde both glance worried at one another, as Torben replies, "It's... possible. But it's not exactly something we want to rush to go see, Cinnamon. Seismic activity is actually unpredictable. Luckily, this volcano's eruptions are usually in a specific area..." Hilde is already getting her outdoor clothing on and heading out to check what's up. Spice adds wryly, "Bosslady, earthquakes are, uhm... muy no bueno! They can cause structural damage to stuff underground."

Cinnamon blinks at Spice, "But... well, wait. Is this really... hmm. Yeah, I guess a volcano is a type of quake in the earth?" She curiously follows Hilde outside, where (since she doesn't really know what she's looking at) her reaction is a quiet, "Ooh... pretty!" at the bright stream of new lava.

Hilde nods, looking concerned, "Yes, they are. They're bringing up molten rock from the inner earth. That is a very..." she makes a back and forth hand motion, "it's violent? -but it's a good violence... like the pain of birth. It happens along the fault lines. So, yes: seismic." She's moving quickly and with great agility, eyes scanning the caldera as she paces -- but then she turns and looks down the slope -- and her breath catches.

Cinnamon smiles at Hilde's quiet gasp, misinterpreting it, "Isn't it lovely?"

Hilde mutters, "Faen. Herregud. Faenfaenfaen. This is not good." She takes a deep breath, "There was an eruption... the issue is..." she points down the slope, "it's between us and the way down. It pushed its way through a weak place in the side of the mountain." She takes a deep breath before saying as calmly as she can, "In other words, we're cut off."

Cinnamon blinks once at Hilde, her face going still... then she nods once. Turning to lean into the hut, she calls calmly, "Hey, everyone? Put your outside clothes on, please, and come out at once. We may have a bit of a problem, and we all need to be ready to leave in an instant." Then she steps back to Hilde and nods again, "Okay. What do you ordinarily do in situations like this, please? Can I help at all?" She has enormous faith in Hilde's competence -- after all, she's never seen the ljosalf truly upset.

Hilde's voice is a little tight, "It's been a while since we've had a situation like this. This volcano -- for being an active one -- is pretty stable." She smiles crookedly, "I'm wondering if Jalil has been a little too enthusiastic." She hurries on to assure Cinnamon, "I'm not blaming him -- it's a volcano, after all! The problem is... if we were humans, we'd call for an air rescue. But we aren't, and so we can't... and the lava... well, look at it." She motions to show Cinnamon: it's actually rising up the mountainside!

Cinnamon frowns and nods slowly as she examines the lava, "Hmm... okay." She glances around as worried, anxious people start to hastily exit the hut, pulling on gloves and jackets as they come, all chattering together and asking what's wrong. Torben will likely know better than she how to reassure them... so Cinnamon turns her attention back to the lava, "Okay, let's see... that looks like the narrowest spot, there where it's flowing around that boulder... though it looks like the boulder won't last much longer. The flow is too far to jump -- at least for most of us, I think -- but... I can kind of swallow the heat of fires, and that puts them out. I don't know if I can do that with lava, but... want me to try? Maybe you all could follow me through while I do that?" She adds a bit grimly, "There's too many of us for me to safely fly us all over, after all -- and I'm not sure I have time to go back and forth multiple times!"

Shane steps forward and volunteers to try following Cinnamon as she heat-swallows -- though unfortunately it's only seconds into that effort that he steps back, calling to Cinnamon, "It's too much, acushla -- I'm sorry!" Cinnamon pauses, a few steps in front of him, looking disappointed -- and Hilde calls out, "Don't feel bad, Shane! Temperatures at fresh lava flows can end up in the 9000 degree range!" Cinnamon and Shane return to the group, and there's a moment of uneasy murmuring as folks glance around worriedly at the rising lava flow. Then, after several heartbeats of furious thought, Cinnamon brightens, "Oh! How's this, Hilde: I'll just change into a dragon, and carry everyone out at a quick walk! We can strap in six of the most fragile folks, and everyone else can hang on tight to my harness... and I'll keep my wings around you all to try and keep you all safe, and breath up the fire!" She looks hopeful, "Do you all want to try?" She's mentally crossing her fingers that she actually can do this -- but if she doesn't at least try it, then her dear friends are going to be badly hurt -- maybe killed!

The general consensus seems to be that they trust Cinnamon -- and it's already clear that things are getting very dangerous, very quickly! Plus, equipment can be replaced -- people cannot! Cinnamon sighs in relief, hastily changing form and then flopping flat onto the ground, "Okay, hop on quick! Let's have all the humans buckle in -- oh, and Elias too! He's really susceptible to fire, right? Everyone else, grab on tight... and everyone please keep a close eye on each other? That way, if anyone starts to faint or slide, you can all grab each other and keep safe... because I'm afraid my focus is going to have to be on sucking up the heat and walking as smoothly as I can, okay? I'm sorry... but I don't want to stumble at all!"

Spice (under protest that Josie firmly quashes), Himeko, Thorn, Elias, and Daniella are buckled in... and then Nasteexo (as the physically smallest person present) is also harnessed into place. People actually get Elias into the most elevated position, and Spice and Thorn are right next to, and behind, him. After that Josie, Hilde, Jarek, Marcus, Torben, Dejiyo, Snow, Aisling, and Shane all swarm onto Cinnamon's back as well, organizing getting into the less secure positions by who is most or least hardy. The ones that can -- Sparrow and Bright Wings -- change shape to fly scout for the dragon and her crew. Cinnamon is slightly relieved -- two flyers mean two less riders to worry about! She watches as the two birds soar towards the lava flow -- then both abruptly wheel back with cries of dismay, beating their wings to rise much, much higher before attempting to cross again. The scarlet dragon rises carefully to her clawed feet and gives a small shake -- which instantly shows a few places where folks need to grab on more tightly! After corrections are made, and Cinnamon cants her wings at a carefully protective angle, Shane calls a go-ahead and Cinnamon takes a deep breath... then starts walking steadily towards the still-rising lava!

Cinnamon does a final glance over her shoulder -- everything looks good, excellent -- then lowers her head again. Breathing in heat, she starts pacing across the lava as smoothly and swiftly as she can. She's initially hugely relieved -- it doesn't hurt! -- but then turns her focus back to the job at hand. Eat heat! Move quickly! Don't jostle her friends! People are holding on tightly and trying not to distract her... but even with Cinnamon being as careful as she can, people can still feel some of the heat rising around them. Far above them, Bright Wings stays as high as he can, while Sparrow circles on the enormous thermals in the form of a Swainson's hawk, though no one immediately registers which species he's chosen. Still, he's doing a good job as high overwatch.

It feels to Cinnamon like she's been sucking in heat for ages -- maybe an hour?! -- but she can't slow, she can't lose focus... no screams or wails from behind her, good -- keep moving, keep breathing! Aim for the boulder, keep pacing quickly, one foot after the other... she hears a raptor's scream from far ahead of her, and instinctively heads that way -- if there's any easier path, she trusts Sparrow to find it! Still feeling good, though -- no pain, still breathing in the heat... and though she doesn't know it, she's leaving a darkened trail behind her of abruptly cooler and crackled lava. Sparrow and Bright Wings can see everything is going well -- Cinnamon's nearly through the lava field! They can't get close enough to let her know, but Sparrow gives that cry again, and Cinnamon keeps on doggedly following the call... until finally the nearly hyperventilating dragon realizes there's something pale just a short ways in front of her -- is that the boulder? Is that snow past it? She's almost there!

The little dragon does her best to keep moving as smoothly as she can, even while putting on a small burst of speed... and a handful of heartbeats later: she's out! They made it! She keeps moving for a few more steps, until she's sure that's definitely snow she's pacing through -- and then the tired dragon nearly bellyflops into the snow! There's a huge hissing noise as it steams away from her overheated underside... and a few seconds later she smoothly skids a few feet through the snow. She gives a startled chirp, digging her toes in to stop herself... then laughs with tired happiness, "Yay, we made it! Is everyone okay?"

There's relieved cheers and applause, and hugs of relief. Sparrow alights and shimmers back into his shape as a two-footer, as does Bright Wings. Shane slides off his place on Cinnamon and hugs her head, kissing the center of her nose pad, "You did wonderful, acushla! We're all safe!" Cinnamon's tufted ears fold back in shy delight at Shane's pleasure with her -- how wonderful! She beams over her shoulder at the burst of happy, relieved chattering from her back, inadvertently startling a few of her crew upon their noticing just how... toothy she is! Once everyone is sure they're still fine (except for Jalil, who is apparently still up in the volcano), Sparrow snorts, "Think either me 'r Cinnamon here'll have to go up an' retrieve him in a bit!" Eventually folks notice Cinnamon's belly is still startlingly hot, swiftly melting the ice-covered snow around her into slippery, icy water -- which makes for an amazing, gleeful, giant dragon-shaped toboggan-ride back down the mountain! There's cheerful singing and laughter the whole way back amongst them all -- a shared joy likely due to knowing they're all still safe and happy to be alive!

Cinnamon ends up sliding swiftly and smoothly enough that she has to slew herself slightly sideways for a bit once she gets to Drangurinn -- she doesn't know how to better shed her speed! But everyone alights safely, and there's much relief -- hugs and laughter, sincere thanks and the happy relaxation of knowing they're safe and sound. Shane and Sparrow, however, immediately and specifically check on Cinnamon. The heat has the Trickster concerned, while her lack of damage from it has him curious. Shane is just... Shane. He's checking on the others as well -- but first the little dragon.

Cinnamon happily gives Shane one of her light, affectionate, warm and dry tongue-flickers as he's checking her... then grins as Sparrow nudges her to shift so he can check her belly scutes. After raising the appropriate limb so he can see, the Trickster too gets an affectionate tongue-flicker! Sparrow chuckles and looks up at Cinnamon, "Thank you, darlin'. I'm just lookin' because some snakes and lizards in captivity will lay on a heatin' pad and burn themselves without knowin' it because they're cold-blooded. Don't wan'cha hurtin' yourself and not realizin'. Ol' long, tall, and noble over there'd never forgive himself if that happened."

There are, however, a couple of folks who are a little shaky once they're truly safe. Cinnamon reaches out to gently brace poor Himeko -- the little shopkeeper is understandably a bit wobbly, considering this was never in her job purview! A bit anxiously the scarlet dragon asks, "Do you need to sit down for a bit, Himeko? Maybe someone can help walk in with you?" The moment it's mentioned someone might need to help Himeko, Shane is there, offering an arm and murmuring with her in Japanese.

Thorn hears Sparrow's comments, and moves to stand beside him. "Her belly's hot?" he asks. "Cinnamon, may I check you over before and after you shift?"

Cinnamon looks relieved as Shane helps Himeko... then blinks down at Sparrow, "Really? Whoa, I've never heard of that!" She checks over her shoulder that everyone has dismounted, then sits up on her hind legs and wing-points, canting her head around at a tight angle so she can look underneath herself... and unwittingly looking rather hilariously pretzel-like as she does so! Her voice is absent, "Did you guys see anythi- er, what, Thorny?" She pulls her head back around so she can look down at her friends, "Sure, dude! So, Sparrow, did I miss a damage spot or something?"

Sparrow hmms and carefully checks if he can get close enough to touch Cinnamon's scutes -- or if they're still too hot to get near, "I'm not seein' anything, sugar. But once you shift, might oughta let the sawbones check you out."

Cinnamon blinks startledly as she suddenly registers Sparrow's phrase: 'long, tall, and noble' -- eek! Now she can't stop thinking of Shane's- er, no! Don't go there... now she's got mental images of Shane's- ack! Nopenopenope stop right there! Uhhh... pink elephants! Right, think of pink elephants! She sighs in relief as Sparrow starts talking again, focusing on him, "Uh, okay! Sure... though I don't really feel hot? Er... at least, to me, I don't?"

Thorn smiles to Cinnamon, "Thanks. Just want to make sure you're all right!" He places a hand upon her side, closing his eyes and trying to visualize Cinnamon's dragon form -- in particular, her recently very, very warm belly scales... a moment later Thorn blinks as he pulls his hand back, "Whoa. You're fine, Cinnamon, nothing appears to be wrong... but it seems like you absorbed a lot of heat! If you were to breathe fire, um... my guess is it'd be very, very, very hot!"

Cinnamon blinks interestedly down at Thorn... then grins, "Really? Awesomesauce -- let's check!" She tilts her head way back so her nose is pointing upward into the sky, then blows a careful little poof! of flame. When she does so, instead of the normal red and orange, her fire is an actinic blue and white! Further, the scorching heat can be felt quite a ways out from her -- the flames are indeed burning at a far hotter blaze than normal. Cinnamon squeaks startledly, which cuts off the little gout of flame -- but then she swings her head around to gasp excitedly at Sparrow and Thorn, "Ohmygosh, you guys, did you see that?! How cool was that?!" She laughs excitedly, bouncing from clawed foot to foot, "Wowsers, maybe that means I really coulda gone into the volcano with Jalil, too! How neat!"

Thorn yelps and ducks a bit at the welding-torch power of Cinnamon's current flames -- that's really hot! He's glad Cinnamon's all right, but wow -- that sizzling flame could cut through a glacier! Then he curiously wonders if Cinnamon's belly scales are noticeably cooler now... so he puts his hand there to check. Sparrow just grins, "Well, hell -- if that don't beat all! Sorta fueled you up, huh?" Shane has returned after making sure folks got back into the trod safely, "Power up, hm?"

Cinnamon giggles and nodnods excitedly to Shane, "I don't get hurt by heat, Shaney! Isn't it cool did you see me breath fire did you see it was all white hot isn't that awesomesauce, asthore?!"

Shane grins, "I did see the fire, acushla." He does a really good job of hiding the way his heart does a little flip at the pet name! He'd called her that once or twice when she didn't know what it meant. But now she does -- and she used it for him! He takes a deep breath, suspecting she doesn't realize what she said, "It's pretty amazing! It's something to keep in mind. I wonder if that would have happened if you'd tried flaming something after breathing in the phosphorous?" He steps up close and strokes her nose pad softly.

Cinnamon's tail is lashing back and forth as she almost bounces in place, though a moment later she remembers herself, and holds still for more petting -- it's very nice! "Oh! Also, um... c-could I ask you to... maybe borrow a sheet or something from Hilde or Torben, please? So I can change back?"

Shane holds up his sheet-draped arm, and grins, "Already done." Marcus (who had gone in with the others to both check in, and let folks know everyone was safe) has also returned. He watches this interaction carefully, head tipped.

Cinnamon beams in relief, "Awesomesauce again, then! Okay, moment-" She turns her big, triangular head to smile at Thorn and Sparrow, "Got any other questions or anything before I change, guys?"

Thorn shakes his head. "No, nothing more from me! You seem healthy!"

Cinnamon grins happily, "Thank you! Sparrow?"

Sparrow shakes his head, "I'm good. I just wanted to make sure you were OK. If Jalil ain't back in the next hour, I'm gonna fly up and let him know what happened. I think once he figures it out, he'll be back. We might want to have some clothes waiting for him, just in case his didn't survive. Once the lava flow cools, we can go back and see if our equipment survived."

Cinnamon grins shyly, "Well, um... his clothes are actually in my backpack? I picked them up... let me change and I can give them to you, okay?" Then she grins then at Shane, "Okay, let's do this!" Shane holds the sheet up so it's a little higher than his own head, giving Cinnamon privacy. His own body and the fabric block her from anyone else. Marcus watches and considers the trust the little dragon is clearly putting in the beansidhe. She steps around so Shane is between her and everyone else, then takes a deep breath and shifts shape -- and everyone hears her squeak startledly and instantly re-appear in dragon form! She mutters under her breath as she tries again, and there's an annoyed, "Darnit!" as the dragon reappears... but on the next try there's a sigh of relief, "Got it!" She trudges through the snow, around the sheet, to give Shane a hug, "Thanks again, Shaney! Okay, Thorny, what did you want to check?" She blinks then, looking down at herself, "Oh! Did I, uhh... did I feel hot or anything, Shane?"

Shane puts his lips to her forehead and looks thoughtful, "Hmm... no moreso than normal." He smiles crookedly and is able to say truthfully -- even though there's another reason for his action, "That's how my mom used to see if I was running a temperature. If I felt overwarm, she'd get out the thermometer, of course -- she's a nurse -- but... she says the lips have more nerve endings and can tell better than a hand, if someone's over-warm." He shrugs as he puts an arm around Cinnamon.

Sparrow grins at the comment about Jalil's clothes, "Then I really oughta warn him." The Trickster shimmers into the form of a giant condor, then takes off... and disappears into the night with only a few flaps of his huge wingspan.

Cinnamon blinks up at the departing Sparrow-condor, "Uhh, b-but..." She blinks again as she pushes her glasses up and puzzledly asks Shane, "Didn't he want Jalil's clothes, though?"

Thorn says wryly, "He's a trickster. I'm sure he knows exactly what he's doing."

Cinnamon glances over at Thorn and laughs! With a smile, she adds, "So what did you want to check, Thorny?" She grins and waves at spotting Marcus, calling, "I think we're all good now!"

Shane says, "I think he's just going to warn Jalil that his clothes aren't there." His lips twitch, "He's Sparrow... what Thorn said." Cinnamon giggles at Shane, her eyes sparkling with amusement!

Marcus comes over, bundled up and wearing the knitted beanie which Cinnamon gave him, "Hilde and Torben let everyone inside know what was up. They're going to make sure everyone stays here for a while. They pointed out that the seismic activity will probably be picked up by the vulcanologists that keep an eye on the volcano, so we might want to stay clear... so hopefully Sparrow and Jalil will come back quickly."

Cinnamon nods slowly, thinking about that, "Hmm... so they don't want me to go pick up the snowmobiles yet? Okay, that's fine. I can go back later to see if they're still there. For now..." she beams happily at her friends, "can we go in and finish our interrupted hot chocolates maybe?"

Marcus smiles, "They mentioned you may want to wait on that, especially since the vulcanologists won't be able to get too close because of the heat... which means they won't be able to get to where the snowmobiles are, so you can maybe go back tonight. The cooks are making up cocoa and cider, so yes!"

Cinnamon gives a quiet cheer as she grabs Shane's and Thorn's gloved hands and heads for Marcus and the entrance, "Awesooo-ome! Let's go have some yummies -- I'm hungry again!" She giggles self-consciously, sheepishly adding, "Sorry!"

Once inside, where it's nice and toasty, Thorn checks Cinnamon again -- just to make sure there's no overheating in her human form -- since that would likely be worse than absorbing all that heat in her dragon form! A moment later he breathes a sigh of relief, "You seem healthy and hale, Cinnamon -- not at all overheated or, um, whatever it was that happened on the mountain! I was worried that the heat would carry over to your human form... but you'd probably be able to weather that as well."

Cinnamon beams and impulsively hugs Thorn, "Yay! Thanks so much, Thorny -- it's nice to know for sure that I'm fine!" She giggles as she steps back and accepts a mug of hot chocolate from Shane, murmuring, "Thank you!" before she excitedly adds, "Now I want to go experiment, later, to see how I react to cold too!"

Cinnamon has been enjoying herself tremendously this evening! Not only were the northern lights and the volcano utterly gorgeous... but she got to discover something new and amazing about herself! Also, she nearly glows with happiness when people come up to her and congratulate her on her quick thinking, or thank her for her efforts on their behalf -- the little dragon simply adores being considered useful and nice to have around! Though she doesn't realize it consciously, this evening is turning out to be a marvelous counterweight to her blood family's hurtful accusations of how useless and annoying she was. Admittedly, it's also tremendously nice when Shane stands next to her, or puts an arm about her shoulders too!

Marcus spends quite a lot of time in the main hall talking with people. When he's not too wound up, he really is quite charming, and he does have some diplomatic skill. Among other subjects, he discusses the proposed territory changes with Hilde and Snow, trying to feel things out... so he's understandably a little distracted, later that night, as he makes his way toward his room.

The little dragon is humming happily to herself as she patters along the hallway some hours after her lovely evening. She's in her warmest flannel nightie, with her robe belted securely on over that, and she's wearing her lovely new knitted socks inside her favorite unicorn plushie-slippers. Her pillow is hugged to her middle, and she's still beaming with happiness as she heads for the lockable room, where (hopefully) Fraser and a handful of other folks await her... and maybe Fraser-wolf will be well behaved tonight too? That'd be lovely!

Marcus nearly physically bumps into Cinnamon as he rounds the corner. He'd noticed both she and Shane had left earlier, and he's still absently musing on that comment about the room locking and being... ahh. He stops and manages not to actually physically impact Cinnamon -- though he does smile, since her outfit reminds him somewhat of the adorable dragon costume from Samhain -- the slippers, especially, "Cinnamon, good evening." He looks around, wondering why she's wandering the halls in her paja... ah. Her room is elsewhere and... he tips his head and can't resist asking, "You look cheerful tonight. May I ask a... possibly somewhat personal question?"

Cinnamon squeaks startledly as she almost impacts poor Marcus, "Whoops -- sorry! Umm..." She grins in (of course) cheerful curiosity, "Sure! You can ask!"

The Germanic elf considers how to ask without sounding crude, but then decides to just blurt it out, "The reinforced room... all the walls here are fairly thick. Why exactly..." he can't help a slightly impish little smile, "does it need specifically to be soundproof?"

Cinnamon blinks uncertainly at Marcus as she pushes her glasses up. He was on the Valkyrie that night when Fraser-wolf simply would not shut up! So... why is Marcus asking this question? A heartbeat later, however, she figures it out -- he's teasing her! This is like... what did Quinn call it -- oh, right: talking as flirting! She giggles in spite of herself -- how nice of Marcus! -- and teases him right back, "You're such a silly! You already know the answer to that question, Marcus!" She laughs, patting his arm lightly as she adds, "Gotta go -- don't want to be late! Sleep well!" With that, she turns and patters off again, still humming cheerfully to herself. She'd laugh if anyone pointed out to her that the tune was Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Bad Moon Rising.'

Marcus arches a considering brow as he half-turns to watch Cinnamon heading down the hallway. He suspects he already has a very, very good idea! ...even if he doesn't realize it's completely wrong -- since he's actually wondering if it's her or Shane who is so loud.

When Cinnamon arrives at the soundproofed cell, she finds Arvid, Rafe, Fraser, and Shane waiting outside. Thorn is waiting there as well, just to make sure his services are not needed. But he's also curious about Fraser's transformation, when the nights are 18 hours long. Fraser-wolf is, of course, pacing. He's been kept well away from the trod members and the councilors, since the Havvarger want the councilors to feel safe using the Valkyrie for transport. Having Fraser be pure Id at them is likely not the best way to do that, however! -- or, at least, not until they've gotten to know the pack a little better. Shane grins at Cinnamon's arrival -- he's seen her night clothes before, and thinks they're adorable! Fraser-wolf's tongue-lolling grin is a little more wicked -- but Arvid literally growls at him, sounding more lupine than human -- which makes the Scots werewolf snort. Rafe just rolls his eyes, then wags at Cinnamon.

Cinnamon beams and waves cheerfully to the folks waiting for her, "Hi, guys! I'm ready... oh! Is Rafe staying with us too?"

Rafe tiredly flumps onto the floor as Arvid rumbles, "That is up to you. I know sometimes having him helps Fraser stay calm. If not, he will stay with one of us. We were out running today -- the rest of us hoped it would help tire out our mischievous packmate."

Cinnamon giggles as she pauses by Rafe, crouching next to him and gently patting one of his paws. She knows he's not precisely sapient in this form... but he is really smart, so she murmurs in the ship's tongue, "Hi, Rafael! Do you want to stay with Fraser-wolf and me tonight? It may get really loud... oh! Or maybe you could stay with Thorny, if you want?" She looks up at Thorn, shifting to English as she grins, "Hey, Thorny! If Rafe wants, can he sleep with you?"

"Oh, sure," Thorn says, "that won't be a problem if he wants."

Cinnamon beams cheerfully at Thorn, "Thanks!" then looks back at the tired, smaller wolf. Shifting back to ship's tongue, she asks, "What would you like, Rafey?" The smaller wolf's tail thumps -- he quite likes Thorn! He gets to his paws, to pad over and lean against the healer's leg. Even if things get hectic, his hearing should pick it up, and he can alert Thorn. The healer smiles at Rafe, laying a companionable hand on the wolf's ruff.

Cinnamon grins as she straightens, "Okay! Sounds good to me." She takes a moment to hug everyone goodnight, then goes to gently tug on Fraser's ruff, "C'mon, Fraser-wuffie! Let's go sleep, okay?" The big red wolf eyes the little cell and grumbles... it's not quite a growl. He doesn't want to go into the locked room, even if it's with Cinnamon. He spent the day running! Why does he have to be locked up? He's dragging his paws a little bit. Cinnamon grins wryly as the big red wolf growls very quietly and pulls back against her tug. She takes a better grip on his ruff and says sternly, "Fraser-wuff, I expect you to behave yourself tonight. If you don't, well... you're gonna end up as Spanky Wuffie instead of Stinker Wuff! Now... you get yourself quietly into this room with me, okay?"

Shane laughs quietly and shakes his head. He and Arvid are both aware of the 'S' meaning 'Stinker.' The fact that Cinnamon is sheltered and sweet enough to use such terms, instead of simply swearing, is just... cute! Thorn smiles a little, and shakes his head -- looks like Fraser is as obstinate as ever. Cinnamon sighs softly in relief as the big curse-wolf grumblingly trudges into the room with her. She turns and waves, beaming, "Night, you guys! Sleep well!" then closes the door. Shane checks to make sure he's got the spare key to the room -- Hilde has the main one. He locks it from the outside, since it's one of the old sort that can be locked from either direction, and drops the key into his sporran.

Inside the room, Cinnamon drops her robe on the chair, and tucks her slippers into the little carved wooden chest that also functions as a side table. After that she leaves her glasses on its top, then climbs into bed and pats the covers, so Fraser-wolf knows he's welcome to hop up and sleep there too. She's tired and sleepy!

The nights are long in Iceland, in November. The sun set shortly after 4:00 pm yesterday, and Shane knows it won't rise until around 10:00-ish, this morning. He also knows technically that Fraser-wolf can't physically harm Cinnamon... but the quiet paladin still worries a bit for her -- which is why he's standing outside the soundproofed door with Arvid, Thorn, and Hilde by 9:30 am, to unlock the room and release the folks inside. Besides, if there's anyone else around that might be able to knock Fraser down, it's Shane. Folks have had very little chance to see him actually go toe-to-toe with anyone, but at least Cinnamon and Thorn saw him have to apologize for not pulling a punch once.

Hilde and Thorn cautiously stand a bit behind Arvid, as Shane turns the key and the door starts to open -- and the sound of raised voices comes flooding out! Fraser-wolf is yelping and howling and snarling, and there's a sort of heavy thwacking or thumping noise that accompanies Cinnamon's angry voice yelling, "-are a bad, bad spanky-wolf, mister! You do this again, and so help me, I'm going to help take everything out of this room and make you spend your remaining nights alone in a cold empty stone cell! -- and no one will care if you howl your fool head off, you jerkface -- because it's soundproofed, so there!"

Hilde's eyes are dancing with amusement, while Arvid is clearly trying not to smile as Shane lets the door swing silently open. Thorn's head rises slowly to the side of Shane's shoulder as he too takes in the scene within the previously-soundproof room. It's almost surreal, to those who know Fraser-wolf well. Cinnamon is wearing just her flannel nightie and her plushie slippers -- her robe lies in tatters on the floor nearby. She has one hand firmly closed on the big wolf's tail, and the other is smacking him repeatedly on the rump as she yells at him -- causing him to yelp and thrash about madly, in his attempts to escape! She finally releases, panting slightly as he leaps away and whirls to face both her and the door -- and his ruff starts to bristle, his teeth baring as he glares at the people framed in the doorway. Before anyone can say anything, though, Cinnamon (who has her back to the door) puts her hands on her hips and snaps, "Oh, no you don't -- I'm not going to fall for that 'knock me down when I turn to see who's there' trick a second time, buster!"

Shane clears his throat and says -- managing to keep most of the amusement out of his voice, "But acushla, there really are people here."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Cinnamon misses what Shane says -- because at the first sound of an unexpected voice behind her, she jumps and shrieks in startlement! Whirling to face the door with one hand on her chest, the panting little dragon nearly wheezes, "Good golly don't sneak up on a girl like that!" Of course, it's only a heartbeat or two later that she looks down at herself, squeaks in horror, and darts over to the bed! She yanks the top quilt off, whirling it around herself in place of her robe, and pulling it up in a sort of hood over her head. Her face is bright red as she squeakily adds, "Sorry! S-sorry... Fraser-wuffie t-tore up my robe!" She blinks then as she pushes her glasses up... then turns and glares at the big red wolf, "He is a very bad boy, and I am going in to town before the sun rises so I can get another robe before tonight!"

The little dragon raises her chin with determination and stomps towards the door... though the effect is slightly ruined by how small and cute she looks with the quilt trailing along the floor behind her! With all the dignity she can muster, however, Cinnamon adds to Hilde, "If you want to let folks know that, and anyone wants to go to town, I'm happy to take a few with me... though we'll have to return by car if we come back before sunset at four. Otherwise I can wait until dark again."

Shane calls after the retreating Cinnamon, "Acushla, if you want, I can go grab my dressing gown for you so you don't have to drag the blanket to your room and then back!"

It's likely a good thing that Cinnamon's back is to everyone, as she heads down the hallway... because the sudden thought of wearing Shane's robe -- all nice and warm and smells like him and cuddly and him not wearing anything else at all under it EEEEEEEK! -- causes the little dragon's face to abruptly turn a bright, flaming red! She hastens her steps, as if she didn't hear due to the blanket pulled up over her head like an impromptu hood, and determinedly reminds herself: she is absolutely, totally furious with Fraser-wolf right now -- uh-huh, that's it, nothing else!

Shortly thereafter, Cinnamon is almost stomping along the holding's underground hallway, returning to her room to change before heading on into town. In place of her robe, she's completely swathed in a blanket -- and by her expression, she's still steaming mad! She's indignant enough that she misses Marcus strolling quietly along a corridor that forms a T with the one she's in... but he sure doesn't miss her! The Germanic elf slips silently up to the T, staring in astonishment after the incensed little dragon. Stars and stones, what did Shane do last night, to piss her off so much?! ...and... can he-Marcus turn this to some benefit regarding their budding relationship, maybe?

It's about an hour later that Cinnamon has eaten, cleaned up, and is now ready to head into town. She checks with Hilde to see if anyone else wants a ride as well. The ljosaelf smiles, "I think Shane wanted to go with you. I think he wants to have someone with you in town that looks big and male." Her eyes are twinkling. After all, Marcus had tried to be subtle in asking her if she'd seen Shane or Cinnamon this morning and if Shane had seemed OK.

Cinnamon looks puzzled, "I... hadn't gotten the impression that Reykjavik was that, er, dangerous? Even if it isn't yet sunrise?"

Hilde leans in and murmurs, "I think he just wants to go shopping with you... and he's old-fashioned. He doesn't think a lady should go unescorted." She leans back, "Though Marcus also wanted to go, so you wouldn't be."

Cinnamon is a bit puzzled still -- what's wrong with being unescorted? It's pretty much how she's lived her life so far...? But she just nods and smiles, "That's fine! Anyone else want to go?" Hilde, with absolute lack of remorse, tells Cinnamon that no one else has expressed interest. Of course, she's not mentioned it to anyone else! Cinnamon huhs, a bit surprised, "No one? Weird... woulda thought Spice and Josie would've wanted to come along." She thinks about it a bit, then smiles and shrugs, "Well, okay! Do you have anything you want me to bring back? Oh!" She brightens and gives Hilde a quick hug, "Also, thank you so much, Hilde -- both for the wonderful advice about Iceland and Reykjavik -- and for making sure Garaitz is having a nice time! I think knowing that the majority of the councilors are just simply nice people has helped a lot, for the Acorns."

Hilde beams, "We want everyone to feel comfortable here, and Acorn... they need to feel they have a home and a say in the world! People have been eager to learn about what it was like to be a mobile trod, too. They had to learn to put up and take down wards quickly; most trods have really hard to set wards." Realizing she may have outsmarted herself with not asking Josie and Spice, Hilde adds, "Oh! I hadn't seen Josie and Spice; they might want to go with you. I think they're in the dining room?"

Cinnamon beams and nods -- she's very grateful to Hilde for effectively taking Garaitz under her wing during this council meeting! She thinks a moment, then says, "Well, if Shane and Marcus are going to meet me out here, I should wait for them. Could I ask a huge favor, please, if you're not too busy? Could I ask you to ask Josie and Spice if they want to come along?"

Hilde agrees cheerfully! She takes a moment to scamper inside and find Josie and Spice and half-breathlessly explain Cinnamon is going shopping and was asking if people wanted to go, but... maybe folks could give the dragon and the guys a little time alone? It's Spice who suspiciously asks just which guys -- and snorts in amusement when Hilde explains, commenting, "That's gonna either be a fuckin' disaster, or goddamned hilarious!"

Josie looks a little thoughtful... then shrugs, "Well, Shane will be there -- so he'll keep Marcus in line." Spice and Hilde grin at one another -- and manage not to laugh at Josie's sweet naivet�!

Hilde's eyes twinkle, "I think it'll be fun, no matter how it plays out. Besides, it should let Cinnamon see how different they are."

Not long after Hilde leaves Cinnamon, Shane and Marcus both arrive within minutes of one another. Cinnamon cheerfully pulls on her mukluk-style boots, along with her pretty new knitted mittens and beanie that go with her lopapeysa. She's already packed her laptop in her backpack, so she pulls on her jacket... then straightens and beams as Shane walks in. He leans down to kiss her on the cheek, and smile, "Hey, acushla. Ready to go shopping? I'm sorry your robe got destroyed. I really would have let you borrow mine."

Shane's words make Cinnamon turn bright red again! "Oh! Uh, th-that, uh, n-nonono that's -- I w-wouldn't want t-to, uhh..." She puts both mittened hands over her mouth and sighs, realizing just how moronic she's sounding! Okay, think first, and then reply! Umm... "Thank you so much but you d-don't, uhh... don't have to do that!" Whew! That should be okay...? As Marcus enters the mudroom, he hears Shane's comment about robes, and offering his own. That, of course, fits in with the elf's incorrect inner narrative: Shane managed to... destroy her clothes? Marcus blinks slowly. Well, he's always known the half-beansidhe was a ruffian! Marcus is a bit confused, though, that Cinnamon seems... embarrassed rather than pissed off?

Cinnamon blinks again, whipping her mittened hands down from her mouth as she spots Marcus entering the room, "Oh! Hi, Marcus! So, are you both ready to go?" As she shoulders her capacious handbag, she adds, "I want to buy a new robe, and hit a bookstore to do some research -- hopefully they'll have some English books too? If not, I'll do my research on-line, and just download a bunch of info to read later." She grins cheerfully up at the two young men as she adds, "Maybe we could have a nice lunch too, before we head home again?" Thorn happens to come by at about that moment, spotting the group getting ready to depart. It's a sudden whim that makes him ask if he can come along, as well. Cinnamon waves cheerfully to him, "Sure! We're just going to be shopping and maybe lunching in Reykjavik -- we should be back a little after four, once the sun's set! There's plenty of room!"

Marcus wonders whether Shane is actually making Cinnamon purposely feel bad about him ruining her clothes. She's turning so very red about it, after all...? Consequently, he's scowling as Thorn arrives, and Shane is starting to warily eye Marcus in return. However, the beansidhe relaxes when Thorn asks to come along -- a buffer is good! Thorn is just in time to see the two men sort of trying to decide what the other one was trying to pull, while Cinnamon completely misses the staring contest going on over her head, as she waves to Thorn. She turns and exits the holding, heading outside... where she shifts into draconic form and beams over her shoulder at her friends, "Hop on, everyone!"

Thorn hops on, as instructed, and helps the others on as well, as Shane and Marcus are both strapping themselves in. The healer is a bit surprised Shane and Marcus are both there, but he's glad to be around -- in case someone needs some sort of medical attention, that is! Shane takes his normal place, right at the base of Cinnamon's neck, and strokes her smooth scales. The moment he's in harness he grins and calls out, "All set, beautiful!"

Cinnamon laughs happily -- she's finding she really loves flying! She checks visually that everyone is strapped in, then rises to her clawed feet and does her usual testing shimmy-shake to make sure nothing's loose. After that she cheerfully carols, "Alright, here we gooo-o! Next stop: just outside Reykjavik!" With that, she takes a few relaxed bounding steps, her wings flashing down in powerful beats -- and in seconds she's airborne, circling to orient herself by the stars and the city-glow on the horizon! She's happily singing to herself as she goes, even though she knows it will take less than 5 minutes to arrive. Shane starts singing along with Cinnamon, his singing voice deeper than expected, compared to his speaking voice. Marcus listens -- and by now is thoroughly confused! From what he saw this morning, Cinnamon was at least irritated and possibly downright furious with Shane... and now they're singing together? The ruffian destroyed her clothing, and she's still happy to let him call her beautiful? This seems... very odd! Shane, of course, has no bloody idea what's going on in Marcus' mind, having been absolutely in the dark about Hilde's machinations.

Well, I like taking off
Don't like burning out
Every time you turn it on
Makes me want to shout!

...We won't know where we might go
'Til we make it all the way...! O-oooh...

Take me for a ride
Take me all the way
Take me where I've never been
Someplace I can stay...

The little dragon cuts off to cheerfully add, "Here we are, peeps! I'm going to set down near that road there, where the bus stop is -- Hilde told me it'll be easy for us to get into town that way!"

Marcus -- in a surprisingly thoughtful gesture, in Shane's opinion -- smiles and offers Cinnamon some jerky when she changes back, "I've noticed you often need protein after a change. I know it's not a steak, but it's concentrated protein... and it might help stave off the hunger a little?" That makes Shane look slightly askance at the Germanic elf. Marcus? Being thoughtful?

Cinnamon brightens at that, "Oh! Thank you so much, Marcus -- what a great idea!" She happily devours three or four pieces as they walk along, and beams at the elf as she adds, "This is really smart -- and delicious! I think I'm going to start carrying jerky in my purse too." Shane doesn't say anything, but he does kind of kick himself mentally at not thinking of the jerky himself -- it makes sense, after all! Further, isn't Marcus more the city boy? So why was it he who thought of the jerky? Shane has forgotten just how easily Marcus disappeared into the forest with his father, in the Basque country. Marcus may be a city boy now, but he's still a type of gealsidhe -- and was raised in a woodland trod.

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

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