Goblin Town -- Logs

The Madrigal Banquet is the winter equivalent of the Samhain Masquerade Ball. It's the social event of the season... except invitations to the Madrigal are a bit harder to come by than for the ball. There's more room for people at the Masque, for one thing, since it's a ball and not a sit-down dinner like the Banquet. Also, Caradog uses the Banquet as an excuse to show off his wealth and good taste, so he often invites luminaries from other catchment areas and trods. Marcus receiving a personal invitation shows he is definitely moving up the social ladder, since not even all the councilors are always invited. Sparrow, for instance, is rarely extended an invitation... not that Sparrow cares.

It also means Marcus has something special, beautiful, and exclusive to invite Cinnamon to -- an event that's fun and bright; something exciting and unique -- somewhere Shane will absolutely, positively, and without doubt not be present. Not that Marcus would admit to Shane's absence being one of his motives for choosing this particular venue... even if it does mean Marcus won't have to compete for Cinnamon's attention or deal with the half-beansidhe glowering at him!

Marcus chuckles quietly. Watching Shane be jealous has been interesting... or at least Marcus has been interpreting it as jealousy, because he can't quite grok that in reality, it's Shane being protective. He's not yet taken in that Shane doesn't have the same reaction to Fraser or Sparrow, or even Shane's own charming and roguish father, flirting with or showing interest in the little dragon. It's Marcus alone that's on the receiving end of Shane's glowering.

Accordingly, Marcus is very particular about his clothing for the event. The suit he chooses is one that almost exactly matches the blue of his eyes. He may be a little blind in the Shane-motivations department, but he is absolutely not blind to the fact that Cinnamon has repeatedly reacted quite favorably to him in this shade of blue. The ascot is a deeper shade with small gold elm leaves embroidered on it, while the shirt is a deep, rich ivory; white shirts may gleam, but ivory is a much more inviting color. The cufflinks are likewise elm leaves, though in platinum. Normally, he'd wear his hair braided or in a neatly-combed queue, but for the Banquet he intends to wear it down -- since that's another thing he's noticed the adorable little dragon likes. He smiles a bit at himself. It took quite a while to realize just how much more there was to her than meets the eye -- to get struck by that smile. Oh, stars and stones -- that smile!

He's hoping that smile makes an appearance when she sees the final result of the dress -- the doubtless magnificent dress he's gifted her for the night so they could match. He didn't choose the dress, though -- he knows better than to choose a lady's clothing for her. Instead, he went to the dressmaker that created that magnificent Cygnet costume Cinnamon wore to the Samhain Ball, and spoke discreetly to the woman. He showed her the colors and jewelry he'd be wearing. He also told her that under no circumstances was Cinnamon to have any indication as to how much the dress cost -- no matter the fabrics or embellishments the little dragon chose! After all, any cost was to be covered by Marcus.

And the other gift? Well, that would be a surprise.

Elsewhere, Cinnamon is excited at the thought of a banquet -- she's never been to one before! Before leaving for Hawaii, she and the dressmaker had worked together, crafting a design that lies between Renaissance and Victorian. There's a small bustle -- the little dragon loves how well those compliment her shape! -- and there's also long sleeves. She'd been a bit nervous about the off-the-shoulder bodice, but trusted the dressmaker when she assured Cinnamon that it was perfectly appropriate, and looked lovely on her. Further, the froth of pale blue lace at the scooped neck hints at a lovely bosom without actually showing said bosom.

There's also a sleeveless underdress in a deep, navy-blue velvet, which puffs out over layers of satiny-soft crinoline, giving the skirt a bell-like shape that is almost princess-y. On top of that is the long-sleeved overdress, which is in a lovely, rich brocade that Cinnamon just fell in love with! The background color is the same warm ivory of Marcus' shirt, with an intricately twining floral pattern in gleaming cobalt. It's the inverse, in fact, of Marcus' waistcoat -- though the little dragon has yet to discover this. There's a lighter corset included as well, and the overdress cross-laces in the front to create a very similar... boosting effect. The sleeves bell at her wrists with trim of the same delicate blue lace as at the bodice.

The two women had carefully selected shades of blue (one of Cinnamon's favorite colors) which don't clash with the lovely auburn of Cinnamon's hair. Consequently the dress simply shimmers with rich fabrics! For the underskirt, the dressmaker told Cinnamon velvet would be most appropriate. She'd not specified that the underskirt was in fact silk velvet, or the lining on the removable overdress was silk satin. Nor had she mentioned that some of the beautiful glitter in the ivory of the brocade was due to subtle hints provided by gold thread -- and, true to her word, she refused to tell Cinnamon the cost. She did, however, stay within the (quite generous) budget set by Marcus.

With a bit of help from Ingrid, Marcus plans ahead, checking on what a lady might need to prepare for a social event, and then hiring a makeup artist and hairdresser. He couldn't ask Aisling, even though she helped Cinnamon with the Cygnet costume, because she is firmly, solidly, and absolutely unequivocally Team Shane. Equally, he believes Hilde is... not the right person to ask for this information -- but he still wants someone to help Cinnamon get into the intricate dress, get properly laced and fitted... and also have her lovely hair done into a graceful twist, with curls coming down around her neck to brush her shoulders. He informs the makeup artist as well that the effect should be just enough to accent her eyes and lips -- and that thought makes Marcus grin mischievously to himself.

It's a Madrigal Banquet after all... there will almost definitely be mistletoe!

At her little cottage, Cinnamon is practically glowing with excitement when Marcus arrives to escort her to the Banquet! When she opens the door she beams up at him, eyes sparkling with delight, "Hi, Marcus! Thank you so much for the gorgeous dress!" Her eyes widen even more, and she inadvertently squeaks with delight, at sight of the elegant horse-drawn carriage waiting for them!

Marcus catches his breath: that smile! The little dragon grabs her wrap just as Marcus pulls himself back together -- then blushes slightly as Marcus gently takes the wrap and helps her into it... and not-so-accidentally brushes his fingers over Cinnamon's bare shoulders as he does so. "You look absolutely ravishing, Cinnamon. Thank you for agreeing to come with me. I think we'll have an amazing time tonight."

The little dragon securely locks up her little house, then turns to beam exuberantly up at Marcus, "Gosh, you're making me feel like a princess, Marcus!" She giggles and happily patters along with him as he holds onto one of her hands while helping her into the carriage. Cinnamon stares around the inside of the carriage with delight as she settles into it, her small, "Ooooh," almost inaudible as she smoothes a hand appreciatively along the rich cloth of the bench seat.

Once they're settled and the carriage is moving, Marcus produces something from the inner pocket of his jacket: a velvet-covered box approximately eight inches long and three wide, "I have something else for you tonight."

Cinnamon blinks interestedly, pushing up her glasses and smiling uncertainly, "A gift? Oh, Marcus, you didn't have to do that! Um... and I, um, I d-don't have anything for you...?"

Marcus smiles, "Gifts aren't a transaction, Cinnamon. They aren't truly gifts if you expect something in return." He shifts, moving closer to her on the seat of the carriage, "Please. It's to go with the dress."

Cinnamon awwws, her smile softening -- how sweet of Marcus! She grins shyly as she accepts the box, "Well, then... thank you so much, Marcus! This is really nice of you!" She takes a deep, excited breath -- she's really not used to getting presents, let alone presents from such a pretty guy! -- then opens the box, her eyes bright with anticipation. Inside the box, resting on more black velvet and suspended by a silver chain, is a pendant. The centerpiece is a blue sapphire the size of a nickel, with facets which make it glitter gorgeously. It's set into a mandorla-shaped filigree with a small river pearl at each apex. The chain is long enough that the top tip of the pendant will rest just below Cinnamon's collarbones, while the bottom end will rest above the froth of lace at her bodice.

Cinnamon's eyes widen as she breathes an awed, "Oh my gosh, Marcus... this is gorgeous!" She blinks up at him, still a bit bemused -- does he know how much she likes him, and this is...? But no, it couldn't be -- why would he give her something so beautiful if he didn't actually really like her? She checks a bit bemusedly, "This... is for me?!" -- then blushes slightly at the squeak at the end of her query!

Marcus watches Cinnamon's face as it lights up at the gift... then smiles and nods, reaching to lift the necklace out of the box, "It is. A dress like that looks even better with a good necklace. Here, let me put it on for you." He motions for her to turn around a bit.

Cinnamon's eyes are huge with amazement! She slowly nods once, then shifts around to put her back to the gealsidhe. She has to take a few deep breaths before she can whisper, "Thank... th-thank you so much, Marcus -- it's beautiful!" She can tell the sapphire is a very nice one! The setting and chain are silver too, so Marcus bought her something really beautiful -- possibly even somewhat expensive, what with the quality of the gem -- but, she reassures herself, not too overly extravagant, right?

Marcus reaches around Cinnamon with the necklace, so as to fasten it about her throat... and allowing his fingers to brush her soft, warm skin entirely more than they really need to. Once he's done he leans forward, his breath warm on the skin just behind her ear, "It looks amazing on you." One thumb brushes the back of her shoulder, and... did his lips brush her ear when he was speaking?

Cinnamon unwittingly both squeaks and shivers! She turns even more pink at that, and takes a moment ostensibly to smooth the beautiful necklace into place... mostly so she can catch her breath and give her thumping heart a moment to slow down -- what an amazing beginning to this night! She kind of hopes it continues so marvelously, even though a small part of her is worried at how wonderful things are... is this the build-up to something awful happening later tonight? A few moments later she takes a deep breath and scolds herself: it's going to be fine! Marcus is just being really sweet... so all she has to do is make sure she doesn't, like... oh, run away at midnight and lose a shoe -- or trip and prick her finger and fall asleep for a century! Those thoughts make her grin shyly, so she turns around and, very daringly, leans forward just enough to give Marcus a tiny, nervous peck on the cheek! Marcus shifts his head juuuust enough that it lands at the corner of his mouth --but it's just the corner, so Cinnamon figures that's all right! When she sits back, the little dragon is glowing with happiness again, "It's really breathtaking, Marcus -- thank you again!"

Marcus' eyes are warm and inviting as he takes one of her hands, holding it in both of his and resting it on top of his thigh as he murmurs, "It really does suit you. I'm pleased you like it." As the carriage rumbles and gently jounces along the length of Coblyn, he adds, "There will be food and entertainment tonight. There is sometimes dancing, but it's not like the Masque." He smiles warmly, "I know you can be shy, so we can leave whenever you like..." then leans in slightly to add, "but I do hope you'll stay with me." That last sentence is... rather ambiguous.

Cinnamon grins excitedly, feeling both nervous and delighted as she almost bounces in place, "Oooh, dancing too? Awesome! I'd love to dance with you, Marcus! Also, what kind of entertainment is there? What makes it a madrigal banquet? Are there madrigal songs sung, or what?"

Marcus smiles, "There are indeed songs sung, as well as performers of other sorts, and amazing food. When we arrive there will be hors d'oeuvre and wassail while we wait for all the attendees to arrive... and then we'll all be taken in to be seated." Almost offhandedly he adds, "The banquet itself is usually quite lavish."

Cinnamon looks fascinated, "Wow, Winter Solstice is really celebrated beautifully here!" Marcus agrees that the local Solstice celebration is indeed beautiful and enthusiastic. He explains further: many of the denizens of the various enclaves and catchments belong to cultures which revere Winter Solstice as the point in the year which heralds the return of the sun, also known as the return of Light and awakening life.

When the carriage arrives at the front of the palace, Marcus descends first, turning to offer his hand to Cinnamon as she descends as well. The elf certainly seems to be handling her as if she is made of the finest porcelain tonight! The guards at the door look different for the Solstice as well, their livery more ornate than usual and their spears gleaming with polish. Marcus offers his invitation to a page at the door, and moments later the lovely couple are admitted, shown to an antechamber where people are gathering. As Marcus noted earlier, trays of dainty nibbles are being circulated, along with mugs of something steaming hot and smelling of oranges, cinnamon, and cardamom. Marcus leans down to speak close to Cinnamon's ear again, "Be careful of the wassail. It's made with mead and apples... and if you're not used to alcohol, it can go to your head quite quickly!"

Cinnamon shivers in spite of herself -- Marcus' lips definitely brushed her ear that time. "Oh-okay...!" She blushes again -- darned squeak! -- then takes a deep, firm breath. She is fine! Marcus surely doesn't mean anything by the touch, so she shouldn't read anything into it! She'll just pass on more than a sip or two of her drink too, no matter how wonderful it smells... and have these, um... wow, surprisingly delicious nibblies instead! She has no idea, of course, what deep breaths like that do for her, ahh... decolletage. Instead she blinks after a moment of looking around, leaning to whisper back to Marcus, "Who are all these people, Marcus? I don't think I've ever met some of them...?"

Marcus rests a hand on the small of Cinnamon's back to guide her around the room, head tipped down to speak quietly with her, "Some of them are from other enclaves, so you won't have met them yet. The Madrigal Banquet is part showing off, part summit meeting. While the council makes universal decisions, the leaders of the various enclaves still like to make sure their rules are somewhat in-line." His blue eyes glide around the room and he nods toward a tall, noble-looking beansidhe with broad shoulders. The man's black hair flows loose down to the back of his knees, and he's dressed in shades of gray and silver ranging from darkest charcoal to something almost-but-not-quite-white. Marcus murmurs, "That is Oisin," which Cinnamon thinks sounds like O'Sheen. "He's the leader of the enclave in Brooklyn. He's Holly."

Cinnamon whispers back in awe to Marcus, "Wow! He looks... amazing! Is he likely to be upset about Holly in Ireland?" She grins shyly as she adds, "Would it... er, is it okay to... t-to meet everyone?" She privately thinks -- and carefully does not say -- that Oisin's monochromatic attire absolutely strikingly sets off the one spray of holly he's wearing... to the point that the scarlet berries almost look like blood! She tchs at herself at that thought, reminding herself that just because one trod is sick doesn't mean all of that tree are -- look at Oak, after all! Oisin may be a perfectly lovely (if also a bit scary-looking) person!

Aoi is there in the crowd, as is Aisling. Marcus nods toward a handsome blond with short-cropped, nicely-styled hair, who wears shades of green, gold, and ivory. His companion is an equally lovely woman with greenish skin, no hair at all, and gracefully pointed ears, "That's Olav. Ljosalf. He's the ruler of the Chicago enclave." He smiles warmly down at her, "I'd be honored to introduce you to anyone I know." He adds in answer to Cinnamon's earlier query, "If he's angry at all about Holly, it will be at that trod. The trod's leader went rogue; that brings shame upon the spirit of the tree."

Cinnamon brightens as she whispers, "Oh, look, Marcus -- Aoi is here! Thank goodness she's all healed up. I was starting to worry a little about her!" She beams excitedly up at the Germanic elf, "Oh, would you please?! How exciting -- I want to meet everyone I can... and whew! That's a relief to hear about Mr. Oi- wait, no... it's Elder Oisin then, right?" She beams and gives a small, shy wave at Aisling when the beansidhe glances their way, murmuring softly to Marcus, "Aisling's here too -- awesome!" After a moment of thought she adds, "Hey, Marcus... do you think Elder Oisin might be helpful for Niamh's healing? They're both Holly, after all... does that kind of thing help?" She adds apologetically, "If that's a dumb idea, just let me know, okay? I'm still learning all about trees and trods and stuff, after all!" The little dragon is excited enough that she's not realized she's not really waiting for answers, as she continues to whisper, "Ooh, what species is the beautiful woman with, umm... what's Olav's title, do you know? Is he a king and she's a queen, like with Caradog, or what?"

Marcus smiles, "Just Oisin. Just as Caradog is just Caradog. I think Oisin is a bit more like Quinn, in any case -- more Chieftain than King. As for helping with Niamh's healing... I'm afraid I don't know. Olav's companion is, if I'm not mistaken, a nixie... and he uses Thane, I believe. Ljosalf and all that."

Cinnamon beams, eyes shining as she slowly studies the glittering room of beautiful people, "Wow, this is so cool, Marcus -- thank you so much for inviting me!" She nods firmly as she gets answers, sometimes half-whispering them under her breath to herself, to help herself remember... and then she beams with eager brightness up at Marcus, "Can we, umm... mingle? Is that the right word -- mingle and meet everyone we can?!"

The little dragon finds herself feeling oddly confident tonight -- at least in her sartorial choices! She knows her gown is gorgeous, and apparently Marcus decided to make his clothes look like hers too -- which says to her that she made good choices, because everyone knows Marcus is a total clotheshorse, so he absolutely wouldn't bother dressing to match her if he didn't approve, right? She's beaming exuberantly as she looks around, very much enjoying how sparklingly beautiful the evening is so far. Maybe things get all stuffy and boring later, but right now she still thinks this is an absolutely delightful time! She softly adds to Marcus, "I wonder if Athala or your dad will be here too... oh, or anyone from outside the US, maybe? That'd be exciting too!"

Marcus nods and gently steers Cinnamon through the room with that hand on the small of her back. Since she seemed interested in Olav and his companion, he moves them both in that direction. They reach the pair from Chicago as they're ending a conversation with someone else. Marcus murmurs, "I doubt Caradog would invite more than one couple from the exact same trod. Perhaps other Elmtrod folk, but not Father or Athala." He smiles and speaks at a more normal level, "Olav, hello."

Olav glances over, then smiles broadly, "Tadaaki! It has been a long while!" He has a distinct Nordic accent, and he opens his arms as if to hug Marcus.

Cinnamon beams up at Olav -- what a nice-seeming man! She wishes absently she spoke Icelandic... maybe later! For now, she mentally tots up the various councilors as she tries to figure out which might be present tonight... then grins as she looks around searchingly. Did Jalil or Nasteexo and Dejiyo come, maybe?

Marcus chuckles softly, "Please. I use Marcus now. I haven't gone by that name in ten years or more."

Olav too chuckles, "Ah. Of course. Many of us leave our childhood nicknames behind." He turns to Cinnamon and his brows go up, "And who is this lovely morsel you have brought to meet me?" He reaches for the little dragon's hand.

Cinnamon blinks up at Olav... then giggles! She curtseys politely as he bows over her hand, then smiles almost impishly up at the ljosalf, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir -- and I think Tadaaki is a lovely name too!"

Marcus' mouth tips up on one side, "This is Cinnamon. She's one of the newest global councilors. She stepped forward to take her grandsire's seat after Liam's tragic loss." He leans in close to Cinnamon to murmur, "It means Moon. It's the same as Killa's name meaning. I think I shall stick with Marcus for the moment." His voice is teasing.

Olav takes the opportunity of bowing over Cinnamon's hand to kiss her knuckles, then straightens, "Ah. Liam was a wonderful man. I met him several times." He ushers his companion forward, "Loren, these are Marcus and Cinnamon. Marcus is the councilor for a large part of Europe, and also the son of my longtime friend Jaeger. His mother was my very distant cousin Teiran. Marcus, Cinnamon, please let me introduce Loren. She has agreed to put up with me for the trip here and back, patient and generous woman that she is."

Loren laughs -- a musical and somehow watery sound, "It's my pleasure. Olav acts as if he's not one of the best traveling companions in the world."

Cinnamon beams happily at Loren, "It's a pleasure to meet you too, ma'am! Um... I'm... kinda new to supernaturals, so... if it's not rude to ask, is a nixie a water entity, please?"

Loren smiles and nods, "It is not rude to ask. It is only rude to not accept a non-answer. I am a water sprite, yes. I live in Lake Michigan."

Cinnamon's eyes widen, "Oh, wow, in the lake?! How awesome!" She pauses, realizing there's likely also a ton of garbage there... then decides not to mention that. Instead she beams up at the slender woman, "Thank you for answering me, too. I like learning new things."

Loren smiles and slides an arm around Olav's waist, "You're welcome. In my human glamour, I lead an initiative to clean up the lake. It's sadly polluted."

Cinnamon nods gravely as she pushes up her glasses, "I totally get that. I'm supposed to represent the Pacifica folks, and garbage in the ocean is a huge deal for them too." She considers for a moment, then adds hopefully, "If you find a, um, a technique that works really well to get folks to help with clean-up, could I ask you to tell me about it? I'd be happy to do the same for you too, of course?" Then she blinks again as something registers, "Oh, wow, you can do a human glamour? That is really amazing! How do you do that -- is it a shapeshift, or something else?"

Loren smiles, "It's not a shapeshift, it's an illusion." She blinks her eyes -- and where a lovely green-skinned woman stood, there's now a golden-skinned, dark-haired human with a scattering of freckles across her nose. The illusion only lasts for a moment before Loren stands there again.

Cinnamon tilts her head thoughtfully... then grins, "Still awesome! I know that's a real issue for the sidhe, after all -- that they don't do glamour like that. Cool!"

Marcus nods and chuckles wryly, "Indeed. These..." he tucks his hair behind one ear and taps the tip of it, "give us away quite a bit. It's one reason many of us wear our hair so long." He nods at Olav, adding, "You, my friend, are very brave to wear yours cropped so short." Cinnamon thinks, but doesn't say, that she prefers long hair anyways! Very short-cropped hair on very large men makes them seem a little intimidating... at least to her!

Cinnamon and Marcus chat amiably with the Chicago catchment couple, and eventually they part ways to talk with others as well. As they move away, Cinnamon grins and whispers to Marcus, "I know you prefer Marcus -- totally get wanting to use a different name! But still, I think Tadaaki is a pretty name... much prettier than my original name which I'm trying to completely forget." She pats him reassuringly on the arm, then happily adds, "So, who shall we meet next?" then curiously adds, "Where did you first meet Olav? Or does he travel a lot?"

Marcus smiles down at Cinnamon, "Tadaaki isn't even my birth name. But thank you; my mother would be pleased to hear you like it. Olav and my father knew one another in Europe -- as he said, he and Mother were distant cousins. So I've known him essentially all my life. Would you like to meet Oisin?"

Cinnamon nods excitedly, "Oh, yes, please!" She thinks a moment... 'mother' was mentioned in the past tense, so... maybe now isn't the best time to ask about her! Instead the little dragon simply murmurs, "Teiran is a pretty name too. What does it mean?" A heartbeat later, she freezes abruptly at an unsettling thought, her voice tense, "Wait. Is he -- M-Marcus, will Oisin care that, um, th-that I... er, I mean... w-well, it was m-me that, um... that... I k-k-ki- -- er, flamed the -- the p-previous, um, H-holly... ummm...?"

Marcus laughs quietly, "Teiran means 'strong willed.' In other words, Mother named herself 'stubborn.' Father always said it was very apt." He steers Cinnamon over towards Oisin -- but when she freezes, he pauses and looks down at her. At her query he brushes a lock of hair off her forehead, voice gentle, "No. No. All the Holly trods will know by now what happened... and they will know what dishonor the rogues brought to their tree! He will not be angry."

Cinnamon stares silently up at Marcus... and he can pretty much see the change in her expression when she decides to trust him. She closes her eyes for a heartbeat and sighs in relief, relaxing and leaning slightly against him, "Okay. Thank you, Marcus. I just... well, I don't w-want to hurt anyone's feelings, you know?" Nevertheless, she stands right next to Marcus, brushing slightly against him with remaining nervousness, as he introduces her.

Marcus' voice is gentle, "I'll be right there with you, lovely. You'll be fine." This time, instead of simply putting his hand on her back, he slides it around her waist as he murmurs, "Oisin?"

When the beansidhe turns toward the query, he initially looks rather intimidating to Cinnamon, with his brow furrowed so -- but it smooths out when he recognizes the elf, "Ah, hello, Marcus." His voice is rich and rolling, deeper than most beansidhe Cinnamon has met, "It has been some time." He turns to Cinnamon and inclines his head, "And who is this lovely lady?"

Marcus smiles broadly, "This is Cinnamon, Liam's granddaughter. She took over his seat."

Oisin's eyes brighten with recognition, "Ah! It is you I have to thank for rooting out the blight in the Galway trod!"

Cinnamon blinks a bit nervously as Oisin starts speaking, and Marcus can feel her starting to lean back a bit... but then she sighs and relaxes again as the Holly elder finishes his sentence. Her smile is still a bit shaky, but she replies very politely, "I w-wish I could have done it, um... d-differently? B-but I... er, I think maybe they all -- the trod, I mean? -- were a little happier b-by the time we left...?" She curtseys very properly as she adds, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She doesn't say anything about it, of course... but she's really glad Marcus is there too! The elf pulls her lightly against his side as she leans towards him... he's very, very glad Shane is not here tonight!

Oisin nods and sighs slightly, "I am only sorry, from the stories I heard, that they gave you little choice. I know Quinn of old, and Branigan was a friend when I was young. When the messages got to me..." He shakes his head in quiet emphasis, "That is not the way of Holly. We may be dark at times, but we are not cruel."

Cinnamon nods as she gazes up at Oisin, "I, um, gathered that from the trod's elders -- they were good folks, I thought. I'm so sorry it happened, but... I'm glad if I helped at all?" She hesitates, then asks almost diffidently, "So, umm... if someone from Holly is... like, ill? Or something? Does, ahh... does having another Holly person there help at all?"

Oisin's eyebrow rises slightly, "It depends. We tend to share a connection. It's why we can find our own trods so easily. If I were near another Holly trod, I would be able to find it... just as young Marcus here would be able to find an Elm trod."

Cinnamon nods slowly, excitement starting to light up her eyes, "Really? Okay, then, umm... d-did you know that Niamh, Killian's daughter, is being held in Caradog's mansion? Apparently she's, um... like, she sort of... 'woke up' shortly after her dad's death, and is... I've been told she's still recovering? Sooo... is it okay to ask you if you can help her any?" She looks hopeful, "I'd go myself but... I'm worried that once she knew who I was, I'd just... well, set her back, maybe... but maybe you could help...? I mean, not tonight, of course! But... maybe later?"

Oisin nods quietly, "I knew of her captivity here, though I've not yet seen her -- I'd thought to wait until after the banquet. I will keep this in mind, though. It is not a thing I had thought of. Would you like to come with me?"

Cinnamon hesitates, nibbling a bit anxiously on her lower lip... then takes a deep breath and nods once. Meeting Oisin's eyes again, she replies, "If -- if y-you think it would help, I... then I couldn't do any less, right? So... so sure!"

Oisin nods gravely, "Any kin of Liam's is sure to be quite formidable." Then... he smiles. It's devastating.

Cinnamon blinks slowly, frozen in place by that smile... then blinks again, breaking eye contact. Yeesh, what was that?! Wait... no, she doesn't want to scare Niamh! "Um... w-well, I, ahh... I'd be going to try to help Niamh, right? Not... not be formidable at her?"

Oisin's face settles back into his stoic expression, and Marcus blinks -- he's never actually seen Oisin truly smile! He's seen the man's lips turn up into something that could be termed a smile, but not that. He'd never previously realized just how... how little of his light the man ever showed anyone. The elf turns toward Cinnamon for a moment, even more stunned as the realization hits him: she's the same! The little dragon has been gracing him... with that inner light she hides from the rest of the world! The thought makes Marcus' chest ache inside... and he impulsively leans down to kiss her cheek in a way that probably seems somewhat out of the blue to her. Indeed, Cinnamon blinks in surprise at Marcus -- then blushes and grins shyly at him. That was... nice! She's not sure why he did that, but... wow! Very nice!

Oisin rumbles, "Formidable is an oft-misused word. It doesn't necessarily mean scary or overbearing. It can instead mean amazing; a force to be reckoned with -- and not all forces are to be feared."

Cinnamon thinks about that for a moment... then smiles shyly up at Oisin, "Then I'd be honored to accompany you to visit your, umm... tree-kin?" Her grin gets apologetic, "Sorry -- I'm still learning terms and things!" She hastily whispers to Marcus, "What's the right word, please?!"

Oisin nods gravely, "My trod-mate." He takes her hand, then lays his other hand over it, "Thank you." About then, a silvery bell begins to ring, causing Oisin to look up and add, "Ah. We're being called to the banquet."

Cinnamon nods and smiles her thanks to him -- then brightens and beams at Marcus, "Oh, wonderful! Shall we?" She tucks her hand into his arm, if he lets her -- she's feeling very happy and sort of touchy right now! She's shyly delighted again when he holds her chair for her, to seat her.

The meal is nothing short of magnificent -- four courses, starting with dainty little amuse bouches, or small savory bites, of various sorts. Marcus murmurs what most of them are to Cinnamon, since they are largely traditional... or at least are served each year at Caradog's particular Winter Solstice banquet. There is a soup course of a delicate, delicious broth with some sort of white fish in herbs and vegetables, which is served with fragrant fresh bread. After that is the main course -- when the servers come out carrying platters so large that they're hefted like sedan chairs! On each platter is a whole, decorated, roasted animal: a fierce boar, an entire ox (or is it a cow?), an antlered stag. Sweet relishes, jellies, and gravies arrive with the meat. Accompanying them are a multitude of smaller dishes of chicken, goose, and turkey... along with roasted and/or mashed potatoes, various other vegetable dishes, rice, and more of the delicious bread.

The meal and its presentation is nothing short of decadent; Cinnamon is awed -- this is truly amazing to the little dragon! Her initial shock rapidly melts into delight, as she eagerly admires each new dish, savors each startlingly delicious known or new flavor... and happily shares with Marcus as well, if he seems to enjoy that. She'll offer a bit of food on her fork, "Mmm, this one's amazing, Marcus! Here, try a bite!" -- or interestedly ask, "What's that stripey bit, there? How's it taste?" -- or laughingly declare, "I don't know how they did it... but this piece of meat tastes like peaches to me! What do you think?" To her, the meal is a true sensory pleasure -- a culinary adventure like she's never before experienced!

Marcus is quite happy to share nibbles and bites with Cinnamon -- even though he's quite certain she doesn't realize just how intimate sharing bites from one another's utensils is considered to be! He carefully keeps eye contact each time he takes a bite off her fork, or whenever he offers her a bite off his... and finds that he receives a great deal of pleasure at getting to share in her immense pleasure. As the meal itself continues, there's plenty of entertainment: singers and musicians, as well as dancers and tumblers.

Cinnamon pauses to watch and appreciate the entertainers -- she knows how difficult performing in public is, so she feels the least she can do is pay proper attention to them! Plus... she's been told she has both a compelling, and a nice voice. Maybe she should try some voice training? She laughs and applauds enthusiastically for the comedic parts, and is quietly impressed by everyone's performance -- it's really amazing to her! That too she happily shares with Marcus, quietly commenting on how skilled everyone seems to be. It doesn't occur to her that a sort of disinterested amusement is sufficient for nobility, when watching entertainers... mostly because she wouldn't do that even if she knew. These people have trained hard, she can tell -- they deserve her applause, she believes!

Marcus laughs and applauds and appreciates the entertainment as well. He's relaxed and... charming. When the last of the singers take their bows, another silver bell is rung... and Marcus explains: they won't have dessert at the table, but rather will enjoy the pastries and cakes and such which are all arrayed in another room. He stands and pulls her chair out for her. Cinnamon beams as she sets down her napkin, then rises to her feet, "Sounds lovely! Why's it in another room, do you know?" She happily takes the hand Marcus offers her, adding, "This was just an awesome meal, too!"

Marcus grins down at her, mischief in his eyes; he's got his hand resting on the small of her back again, as he guides her toward the other room. He thinks the timing could not have worked out better! His eyes flick upward, "I think that is the reason it's in another room..." He smiles as he directs her gaze toward the apex of the wide arch through which the guests currently meander.

Cinnamon looks up at the archway, her voice curious, "What is? Is there something painted on the ceiling?" She doesn't see anything painted there, though. Instead, hung with scarlet velvet ribbons and cloved oranges, at the very apex of the arch, she spots a large, vibrant bunch of mistletoe complete with pale, waxy berries... and she and Marcus stand directly beneath!

Marcus watches the curiosity on Cinnamon's face... and that impish grin doesn't fade. Every other person here would have immediately spotted the mistletoe, instead of wondering what it was he was directing their attention toward. Since he knows it's there, his own attention is on the little dragon's mouth... and the fact that he's wanted to do this since Samhain. There's no hesitation in him; no hint of nerves -- Marcus has never been nervous when he's decided what he wants. He cups Cinnamon's cheek with one hand and leans down, angling his head just enough to fit his mouth against hers as he murmurs in a warm, intimate voice, "Happy Solstice." The words brush softly as a breath against her lips... and then his own lips press against hers, firm and careful but carrying a hint of banked heat.

Cinnamon notices the mistletoe right about when Marcus cups her cheek -- and that very lovely feeling sort of shorts out her brain... so it's not until he tips his head that it registers for her: he's going to kiss her! Her eyes widen, and she only has time to mentally stutter, [Ohmygosh Marcus wants to kiss m-m-me?!] ...and then there's an even more lovely and sensual feeling -- such that she sort of emotionally whites-out in the sheer, unexpected, overwhelming exhilaration of the moment!

Marcus gently brushes a thumb over her cheekbone, raising his head an inch or so from hers to sigh warmly, his tongue flickering over his lips before he murmurs, "Very, very happy Solstice." At her tiny, shocked squeak he briefly brushes his lips over hers again, thinking that squeak was absolutely adorable! ...then raises his head further from hers as he waits for her to open her eyes.

For a heartbeat Cinnamon's eyes remain closed, her face still upturned to Marcus and her soft lips still slightly parted. Her hand has risen to gently cup Marcus' hand on her cheek... and finally her eyes slowly open. Shane would instantly recognize their slightly surprised, dreamy expression -- he privately thinks of them as her bedroom eyes. Unfortunately that lasts for only a second or two -- and then dismay floods through Cinnamon like an unwanted burst of adrenaline.

Her thoughts roar through her head in a chaotic mess: this is the second time a guy she's really really crushing on has wanted to kiss her -- what is she doing wrong?! Has she gotten more boring or something, that they so rapidly seem to get to the beginning of the end of any relationship with her?! For a fraction of an instant she almost feels like crying with frustration -- but then pragmatism kicks back in. She just needs to distract Marcus -- that's what worked with Shane, after all! But what -- where -- ...as her frantic glance flashes around the room, relief floods her: Aisling! Aisling is safe -- and close -- and will talk to her!

Cinnamon grabs Marcus' hand, practically babbling from tension as she nearly lunges towards the unsuspecting beansidhe woman, "Oh! Look, there's Aisling let's go talk to her-" In her head, Cinnamon worries frantically: what is she going to talk about to Aisling?! "-doesn't she look lovely toni- hi there Aisling how nice to see you here tonight isn't it a lovely party?!" She has to take a breath then -- and at that point, fortunately, everything clicks neatly into place in her head: she knows what to say now! She sighs and relaxes a bit as she smiles and adds, "I wanted Marcus to tell you his dressmaker -- because isn't this a lovely dress he gifted me? So sweet! -and Marcus says it's always good to know good places for excellent attire, so I thought you might like to know this dressmaker!" She pauses, considering... then adds with a small, wry smile, "Of course, I guess you might already know her... considering you know almost everyone on Coblyn already, right? But... can't hurt to tell you, hopefully?"

When Cinnamon cups his hand and gives him that dreamy, delicious look, Marcus has an instant of almost smugness in thinking she's accepting his kisses -- he even thinks about leaning in for a third... and then she's suddenly babbling and dragging him through the room. He's too graceful to actually stumble, but he's moving a lot less smoothly than normal. Unbeknownst to him, he's having a very shocked moment quite similar to Shane on Samhain, of 'What did I do wrong?!' -- and then he's dragged directly to the exact same person Shane was dragged to. Marcus smiles wryly to himself: apparently Aisling is Cinnamon's safe person. The elf is somewhat glad Caradog set aside his usual weirdness about familial ties tonight.

Aisling is holding a goblet of something warm and spicy-scented when Cinnamon barrels up to her with Marcus in tow. The beansidhe missed the kiss under the mistletoe, but the little dragon is obviously frantic over something. Golden eyes go from the panicking Cinnamon to the bemused Marcus, and the beansidhe's lips quirk, "Mmm... it is a lovely frock. I'm guessing... Tara?"

Aisling's conversational partner glances between the breathless little dragon and Marcus... then discreetly excuses himself. Cinnamon doesn't really notice, though -- she just blinks up at Aisling, then laughs, "Oh, you already know her, then? Oh, well!" Her laugh is still a bit tight from tension, and she pushes up her glasses and breathlessly tries to sound calm and relaxed, "Oh, and thank you!" She beams up at Marcus, adding, "And you too!"

Marcus mms and nods to Cinnamon as he extracts his hand from her's -- but only so he can slide it along her shoulders, rubbing in gentle circles to try and loosen some of the tension he's sensing. To Aisling he nods, "Yes, Tara. She does amazing work. She also made my suit for tonight."

He's still a bit bemused as Aisling takes a sip of her cider, finishing it and hiding a smile behind her goblet as she murmurs, "Marcus, would you be a dearling and bring some more of this mulled cider? I think Cinnamon would adore some as well." She is, of course, trying to gently shoo off the elf so she can find out what's got Cinnamon looking frantic. She's got some idea, but she wants to verify.

Cinnamon unfortunately has no idea of Aisling's gentle machinations! She blinks again, still a bit tense, "Is it, um, r-really alcoholic?" Wryly she adds, "I... like totally should avoid alcohol tonight, I think..."

Marcus shakes his head, "The cider's nonalcoholic." His brows are still a bit furrowed in confusion as he courteously adds, "I'll make sure to get it rather than the wine..." He moves off, leaving the two women alone.

Cinnamon calls, "Thank you!" after him, then turns to Aisling and sighs softly, "Whew! Thank you too, Aisling." After a heartbeat she adds a little sheepishly, "I... I'm sorry I kind of ran up and interrupted you."

Aisling watches Marcus walk away with her head slightly tipped, and murmurs, "He does look just lovely from all angles, doesn't he?" Cinnamon blushes, momentarily tongue-tied -- Marcus really does look, um... quite nice from behind! Then Aisling turns back to Cinnamon, "Now, just why did you come scurrying over like someone had bitten you?" Her eyes narrow, "Did he do something horrid?"

The little dragon blinks at Aisling's questions, then blushes even more hotly as she simultaneously emphatically shakes her head -- she doesn't want to get Marcus into trouble with Aisling, after all... not when he was just trying to be nice, by his lights! The little dragon stares down at her fingers as she twists them nervously together, and whispers, "No, he... h-he... kissed me..."

Aisling watches the blush and the squirming, relaxing at Cinnamon's words... though her brows go up again at the comment about kissing. She's able -- thanks to literally centuries of practice at diplomacy -- to not grin impishly as she thinks that Shane would be happy to hear Cinnamon did her rabbit impression after Marcus kissing her as well. It's not that the little dragon is opposed to being kissed by Shane -- it's that she apparently reacts that way to kissing in general! So Aisling maintains a gentle demeanor as she softly asks, "Did you not want him to? Did he... push himself on you?"

Cinnamon shakes her head again, making herself answer even though she can't quite bring herself to meet Aisling's golden-eyed gaze, "No, he... it... was nice." She thinks a moment, then nods more confidently, "It was... very unexpected! -but still... nice. But... but I'm just starting to really like him as a friend, you know? I... I don't want to lose that?"

Aisling ahs softly, her smile gentle. This is much the same issue Cinnamon seemed to have with Shane's kisses. The beansidhe's eyes flick to where Marcus is having to wait to get the cider, due to their being quite a few people at the drinks table... good. Aisling's voice is soft, "Why do you think you would lose him as a friend? I have had lovely kisses with friends before... especially on nights like the Madrigal Banquet. Or Samhain."

Cinnamon sighs and shakes her head, "I'm not surprised, honestly... you're beautiful, Aisling. Lots and lots of guys like you -- probably far more than I've seen. It's not the same for me." She tilts her head thoughtfully, wondering if that's part of it: Aisling is friendly with all the guys, and able to -- what's the term, to love 'em and leave 'em? But Cinnamon knows that's not what she wants -- nor what she's ever likely to get. She's just happy to have a tiny handful of people who, strangely enough, seem to consider her a friend. She doesn't want to lose any of them to their getting bored with her after sex, the way her sister Candi always does... and the way any guy that's spent any time around Cinnamon herself always did. Well... pre-dragoning, she supposes. She smiles quietly to herself, her eyes softening: post-dragoning, there's Shane. He's... different -- in a class all his own, at least to her.

Aisling reaches up to brush a wisp of Cinnamon's hair off her face and asks with sincere and gentle concern, "Why not? I know you believe for some reason that no man could find you lovely. Even when they keep showing you that they do. Even when it's Shane."

Cinnamon suspects that's one of the reasons she's never had any interest in having sex with any of the boys or men she'd met, pre-dragoning -- she knew they were all leaving soon. Wait, Aisling's speaking -- pay attention! She blinks distractedly at the beansidhe, "I'm sorry? Why not what?"

Aisling smiles warmly, "Why is it not the same for you? Why would your friends not find you lovely and want to share something sweet like a kiss with you?"

Cinnamon smiles ruefully and shakes her head. She doesn't have words to explain the invisibility of ugliness to someone so lovely. To be polite, though, she tries... reaching fumblingly for a way to share her consistent life experience: "It's not... they're not, umm... lasting? It's -- it's the beginning of the end, you know? -well... maybe you don't. Maybe it's never happened to you. But... but for me, for the folks I've watched, that's how it's always, always been -- that they leave. Lose interest. After the kisses." Cinnamon sighs softly, looking down at her clasped hands, and internally prays very fervently that Marcus returns soon! She feels incredibly stupid and... fat and stumpy and boring... plain and dull, suddenly... standing next to this beautiful woman who never has to worry about guys leaving her.

Aisling's soft voice is sincere, and for a moment her eyes hold a hint of an old heartache, "I have had to watch someone walk away and feel my heart ache to let them go. But I have one question: do you really, in your heart, think our sweet Shane would do that -- kiss you and then leave? I think perhaps you still look at the world through a warped lens. But if you don't wish to be kissed and you want to hold onto the friendship, that is your choice. What makes your soul sing is what you should do for yourself." The beansidhe glances over Cinnamon's shoulder, then smiles at her again, "Marcus is coming back with our cider. I think if you let him know you liked the kiss but you aren't ready for them, he'll listen. He may sometimes be cocky, but I don't think he's an entirely irredeemable blackguard."

Cinnamon blinks silently as she continues to stare at her hands, feeling the sting of tears at the back of her eyes and desperately scolding herself: don't cry! Don't! After a few heartbeats of concentration she can swallow back the lump in her throat, and she takes a breath as she tries to wrap her head around Aisling's confusing statements -- but then the lovely beansidhe mentions Marcus, and Cinnamon's head jerks up. She can't look sad and weepy! Got to look fine, right... don't want either Aisling or Marcus to think the other hurt her or something. Her smile at Aisling is a little shaky, but she manages a fairly steady, "Th-thank you, Aisling." As she starts to turn to glance towards Marcus, though, the intriguing thought occurs to her: might telling both her beautiful crushes Aisling's suggestion... maybe work, so she won't lose either of them?

Aisling smiles and nods... though sometimes she thinks Cinnamon hears her but something inside cannot quite absorb the words. "Of course, sweetling."

Marcus returns with three goblets of cider, handing the first to Aisling. Next he offers one to Cinnamon, smiling warmly at her, "I had them add an additional stick of your namesake to yours."

Cinnamon blinks at the drink as she automatically reaches out for it... and that little kindness almost undoes her again. She has to blink away tears before she can smile shakily at Marcus, and her voice is husky, "That -- that's so sweet, Marcus -- thank you!" She carefully focuses on her drink as she takes a slow sip -- but then sighs and relaxes a bit. The slightly sharp-sweet flavor on her tongue is pleasant and oddly grounding... and as she swallows, her smile is a little more confident; a little less shaky, "This is good!" The stray thought floats through her head: her soul would be singing euphoric hosannas if she could be here with both Marcus and Shane -- and no worrying about kisses! That makes her grin quietly to herself, and decide (as nervously/courageously as she can) that she's... she's going to do it! She's going to take Aisling's advice and -- and tell both lovely men... umm, what... what Aisling said!

Marcus smiles and nods, "It is. It's a specialty of Caradog's chef. He won't tell anyone the exact spices or amounts he uses." He glances at Aisling and starts to say something, only to have the beansidhe quietly excuse herself... though not before resting a hand gently on Cinnamon's shoulder in encouragement. After she's departed, Marcus looks back to the little dragon. He's regained something of his own equanimity, though he's still not sure how to address what happened.

Cinnamon takes a deep breath -- completely unaware of what that does for her decolletage -- and does her best to speak clearly and calmly. Admittedly, her voice trembles a tiny bit, and she's flushed with embarrassment, but she manages to get out, "M-Marcus, I... um, I w-want to say something please that's hard for me so wait -- er, I mean j-just listen for a bit please, okay?" Marcus starts to say that of course she can say whatever she needs... but then closes his mouth when she says she needs him to listen. She takes another deep breath -- then a quick, reassuring gulp of the very tasty cider -- then stares at the goblet held tightly in her hands as she blurts out, "Th-the k-k-kisses were very nice thank you s-so much but I b-but I, I... d-don't think I'm ready for them just yet please I hope you understand c-can we j-just work on being friends first p-please?!"

Cinnamon runs out of air and ends on a bit of a breathless squeak -- then blushes even more hotly at the silly noise. Crab cakes, why does that keep happening to her?! She glumly wonders if Marcus is going to laugh at her for how silly she must sound... then has another gulp of her cider, wryly relieved that it's not alcoholic. She'd likely be falling-down tipsy by now, if it was!

As he listens, the expression on Marcus' face is serious, even... could that be nerves? In fact, the elf is starting to worry that he's about to be verbally smacked down for daring to kiss her. He's got a cold weight in the pit of his stomach as he also wonders if perhaps there's more to her relationship with Shane than he's seen... though as she speaks, the dread melts. She enjoyed them? But... she's just not ready? 'Not ready' he can work with! Not ready means she's not angry... means Shane hasn't stolen her heart and affections so completely that Marcus doesn't have a chance! He keeps his voice even despite a small twinge of disappointment, "I'm sorry if I pushed you, then. I enjoyed the kisses too." He can't help the little bit of sensual heat in his voice on the next two words, "Very much..." -- but then his tone settles back to gentility, "But of course we can just be friends. I don't want to make you uncomfortable with me."

Cinnamon sighs in relief; her shy smile up at him glows with her profound gratitude at his understanding. It's just for a few heartbeats -- and then her gaze drops and she gently, cautiously leans a tiny bit against him... but he can still see the curve of her cheek, where her lips curl up at one corner. Marcus blinks; his heart gives a small lurch at that smile, and he barely stops himself from putting a hand over his chest! Instead, he slides his arm around her again, rubbing those soft circles along the top of her back. There's just a very little bit of gentle teasing in his soft voice as he adds, "Other than that... are you enjoying yourself? I thought this might be something new and lovely for you."

Cinnamon's head raises at that, and she beams at him again -- this time with complete sincerity, "Oh, yes -- it's been so beautiful! I've never seen or done anything like this before!" She's still glowing happily as she glances around at the bright, colorful, musical, decorated surroundings... and without realizing it, one hand strokes slowly along the soft, rich velvet of her skirt, while the tip of her tongue slides softly along her lips as she remembers all the delicious flavors and textures and scents and sights of that truly remarkable banquet.

Marcus is still watching that amazing smile -- so when her tongue flickers along her lips, he thinks wryly, [...and she just asked me not to kiss her again! If I didn't know better, I'd think she was teasing me...] He takes a very deep breath instead, sliding his arm about her shoulders, "Then let's find you something sweet and lovely to nibble."

Cinnamon blinks startledly up at Marcus, flushing hotly -- was that flirting?! Wait, wait -- flirting is, like, just talking, right -- and then understanding crashes over her, and she blushes again even as she laughs, "Oh, of course -- dessert!"

Naturally, Marcus is indeed flirting -- but he's trying to do so in such a way as to be subtle, and not embarrass Cinnamon too much. He can't help but smile at the blush, however, and he leans down enough to bring his lips very close to her ear and murmur quietly, "I promise the only nibbling tonight will be food. I gave my word, after all!" Cinnamon laughs at that, still pink but relaxing slightly now she's not worried about kisses leading inevitably to friendship loss.

The rest of the night is delightful, and Marcus keeps his word about the kisses -- despite the fact he'd had a couple more planned, including a goodnight kiss when the carriage took them home. Instead, he talks with her about the different Madrigals he's been to in his youth, and about the sweet little dessert nibblies. At one point, as her thoughts swiftly travel along the path of Elm trod and the many different Madrigals, Cinnamon curiously asks Marcus, "So... does the mansion on Coblyn 'call' to you the same way that your home trod does, then? Like... that, um, like, conservatory room with the special water that you described to me, that's so nice to sit in... does that pull you home too?"

Marcus smiles and rubs a thumb along his bottom lip as he thinks, "Well, it has a call, yes. When I'm on Coblyn itself, it's very strong. When off Coblyn, it's different." He takes a drink of his wine, then adds, "You know Coblyn is obfuscated in several ways, yes? GPS can't find it. Satellites don't see it. Elm trod members can feel the atrium at the Residence like a somewhat weak trod, though only within about five miles of Coblyn itself. But since Boston is only about forty-nine square miles, that means I can feel it almost anywhere in the city. Outside that, the closest trod is a stronger pull." He adds, "It can't be used to find Coblyn if you haven't already been there, though. Apparently it's somewhat disconcerting and upsetting... like hearing voices when you know you're alone."

Cinnamon shivers a bit, her expression wry -- she's uncomfortably familiar with that disconcerting sense of upset! Still, it turned out okay... pretty darned wonderful, in fact! Her face softens in a quietly happy smile... and then she curiously adds, "Is there an Elm trod that's closer to here than your home trod, then?" She looks intrigued as she adds, "So... you couldn't, like, direct me straight here from, say... from Sparrow's rez, right?"

Marcus shakes his head, "I couldn't get you directly here, no... because there are Elm trods between the rez and here, and those would pull at me on the way." He sees that uncomfortable expression on her face, and reaches to take her hand, turning it over to rub his thumb over the inside of her wrist, "There's an Elm trod not far from the city that's closer than my home trod, but it's not as large... and it's newer. Many of the elm trees on this continent died out in the 1800s."

Cinnamon blinks at the touch... but then stills when it feels nice. She tilts her head thoughtfully at Marcus, nodding as she replies, "I remember reading about that -- Dutch elm disease, wasn't it? Though... what happens to trods when all the similar trees outside it die?" She blinks, looking suddenly worried, "The disease... oh, no! Diseases can't get into trods, can they?"

Marcus sighs softly, "They can, sometimes -- a couple of trods did die." He rubs his thumb slowly along her wrist as he thinks, then continues, "Trods die. Enclaves die. My home trod in New York is an exceptionally strong one, but the one closer to here is small, and had to be re-established. The wards failed and it died out. But we transplanted some of the trees from surviving trods, and revived it."

Cinnamon's eyes widen, "Oh, no... the poor things! Does that happen often, or is it rare?"

Marcus muses, "For a trod to die? It's rare unless something happens so all the trod members leave. Same for enclaves."

Cinnamon nods and thinks about that with some fascination. It's sad, to her, that trods die, though she can understand why it happens -- and also, how very cool that they can be revived again! As is common with the little dragon, her thoughts continue to swiftly wander... until she finds herself remembering how Qadan both had Jaeger crippled, and intended to sacrifice Marcus as well -- despite the elf's loyalty to the cause of revealing to the humans! Cinnamon murmurs a little sadly, "Poor Jaeger, when he was unwittingly crippled by Qadan, and even the trod's waters couldn't heal him!" She thinks about that for a moment... then sympathetically lays one hand lightly on Marcus' forearm as she adds, "Poor you, too! I mean, yeah, you didn't show anything on your face -- but I bet you felt really hurt to discover Qadan planned to... um, to d-dispose of you even though you were loyal, right?"

Marcus has a decent poker face when he needs to, but the smile she sees is ironic, "To say I felt hurt is like saying the ocean is a little wet. I was, in a word, horrified. Being a councilor means that you are in danger from time to time -- most of us, anyway. You are less vulnerable than most of us. But the rest of us have known weaknesses... but one does tend to think other councilors will be, at the very least, honorable in their dealings with you... and hold to alliances." His hand tightens a bit as he talks; she watches him take a deep breath, then, and loosen his grip, "Looking one's mortality in the eye when one believes they would be living for several more centuries is more than a little disconcerting."

Cinnamon nods gravely to the elf, gently patting his hand, "I totally get that, yeah! I'm so sorry, Marke- er, Marcus." Good gravy, she almost called him 'Marky'! Can't do that -- he might not like it! Better to ask later, maybe, if he's still so nice to her. So instead she hastily adds, "It, er, I -- I know it's a terrible feeling when someone you trust betrays you!" She smiles warmly as she adds, "Hopefully we'll both of us not have to worry about that for a good, long time, though!" She pauses thoughtfully, then curiously adds, "So how do you feel about revealing, now? Er, if, um... if it's not rude to ask, that is?"

Marcus chuckles and sighs, "I still think that it needs to happen, but I don't know that it should be sudden. I believe that if it could happen right, we would actually lose fewer trods... and perhaps things like the dead enclave in Detroit wouldn't have happened."

Cinnamon nods thoughtfully, "I... yeah, that -- I h-heard about Detroit... and both Nasteexo and Jalil believe that too, I think -- that going slow is the best way to make it happen, you know?" She smiles a bit shyly as she adds, "I, um... I really liked how Jalil described it, too -- that we'd be helping humans to find the light again; to remember all the joy they were given!" Marcus smiles at that, which means the little dragon is happy to chat with him about nicer things and better times -- she doesn't want to focus on sad things on such a gorgeous evening, after all! At her continued delight in the evening, and in Solstice in general, the elf also invites Cinnamon to attend Winter Solstice Market with him on the day after tomorrow. He assures her that it's much, much more casual; just something fun to do together. Cinnamon happily agrees to the invite -- maybe she can find a few more pretty little presents for her friends... or some lovely decorations for her little cottage!

At the end of the night Marcus walks her from the carriage to her door, where he tells her quite truthfully that he'd had a lovely night. Internally, he's quietly considering just what he can do to woo her. He understands a bit better now that his usual seduction techniques won't work, but he remains undeterred in his ultimate desire. Thus, instead of trying for another of the same sort of kisses under the mistletoe, he does what he's seen other friends of hers do: he kisses Cinnamon's cheek before standing by to make sure she gets safely into her home. Cinnamon beams shyly up at Marcus as she assures him that she too had a truly wonderful night! Then she slips into her little cottage and securely locks up, like usual... and then (once the carriage has rumbled off) she laughs delightedly as she hugs herself, swirling around in a frothy whirl of skirts and joyful giggles -- what a fantastic night she had!

Marcus thanks the driver once he's dropped off at his residence, tipping a small gold coin which garners him much thanks from the man. As the elf enters, he's greeted in one of the small parlors by his father, and two of his childhood friends who are on Coblyn for both the Solstice Market, and the Winter Solstice dinner party which is always thrown at the Elm Residence this time of year. Marcus looks quite pleased with himself as he assures his father than he got Cinnamon home safely and they had a lovely time. His blue eyes glint impishly as he laughs at his friends trying to get him to kiss-and-tell -- especially since that's something he's never done before and refuses to do now! He just grins and replies demurely, "She's a friend... quite extraordinary. Perhaps you'll meet her at the Market! She's agreed to go with me." That makes Jaeger have to cover his smile -- he's quite happy to hear that.

The next morning, Hilde arrives back on Coblyn and knocks on her draconic friend's door to invite her out to lunch at the little tea shop. Cinnamon blinks a bit bemusedly at Hilde... then grins, "Okay! Lunch would be lovely. Let me get my stuff!" As they're strolling along the street a few minutes later, an odd thought occurs to Cinnamon. She turns and curiously asks Hilde, "Who did you go to the Banquet with, Hilde? I didn't see you there, but I must've just missed you."

Hilde blinks, "The Madrigal Banquet? I didn't go this year. No one asked and I didn't get an invitation. I've been other years, though. Oh! Did Marcus take you? I know he mentioned it."

Cinnamon stops abruptly, horror flaring through her, "What?! Oh, no! Oh, Hilde, I -- I'm so sorry! I didn't realize -- I absolutely would've told Marcus right away that I couldn't go, if I'd known you didn't have an invite!" She feels her stomach drop -- was the entire gloriously beautiful evening really just Marcus getting back at Hilde for some imagined slight?!

Hilde arches a brow, then grins, "Why? I wasn't particularly invested in attending Madrigal this year. I prefer Samhain Masque -- it's more fun, and there's more room for mischief! Besides," her eyes gleam mischievously as she grins, "...I sort of nudged Marcus to take you." She settles them at a table near the street, then happily orders a plate of watercress sandwiches for herself along with whatever the day's specials are.

Cinnamon reflexively follows Hilde, seating herself and blinking confusedly, "You... you did? But... why?"

Hilde smiles, "Because I didn't want to go, and he promised to take you somewhere nice... and because it's fun to nudge him to get him to do things, and make him think it was his idea all along." Her blue eyes dance merrily as she admits that.

"But..." Cinnamon finds herself struggling for words just as she did with Aisling, though for very different reasons. "But it's beautiful -- you're beautiful! Why wouldn't you... I mean, you're so much more suitable a partner for... for something like that..." Her voice trails off in confusion as she adds a bit helplessly, "...you know?"

Hilde shakes her head, still smiling and with her eyes still twinkling, "Cinnamon, I don't want to be with Marcus, remember? I let him sweet-talk me into bed sometimes because he's quite good there, and he's got... hmm... a very good way with words. But you are not in my way, and you are a wonderfully suited partner to anyone who wants to take you somewhere -- you're amazing! Did you have fun?"

Cinnamon blinks bemusedly, "Um... uh, yeah, it was awesome! But... what do you mean, please?" Confusedly she adds, "What are you saying I'm wonderfully suited to?"

Hilde reaches across the table to squeeze her friend's hand, "I mean you're an amazing person! Of course Marcus wants to take you somewhere nice -- you're fun to be with, and company is more often about real connection, you know? Oh, and beauty is absolutely in the eye of the beholder! Besides, I didn't want to go! I'd rather go to the Elm Solstice dinner -- and even that is just because their chef is a genius!"

Cinnamon is very confused -- why would the beautiful girl not want to be seen with the beautiful boy at the beautiful dinner? But Hilde seems quite sure of herself here, so... despite not completely understanding, the little dragon nods slowly, "Oh... kay... well, um... if you say so?"

As the two women are talking, Shane happens by. Of course, Shane walking past has a fairly high likelihood of happening on any given day, since he stays busy most of the time. Plus he miiiight possibly have already stopped by Cinnamon's little cottage to see if she wanted to have lunch with him later! After all, he knows she was with Marcus at the Madrigal last night and he's a bit... anxious about that. At the little table, Cinnamon blinks again as she spots Shane, her expression brightening, "Oh! Look, there's Shaney! I wonder if -- wait." She thinks swiftly: Hilde invited her out to lunch, so there may be something Hilde wants to say privately. But Cinnamon has something she really wants to say to Shane too, actually... ah! She's got the perfect answer: she'll give Shane one of these tasty sweet scones or roll thingies, and whisper it to him real quick. She really wants to tell him right away, after all -- both because it really seemed to make things easier with Marcus, and because maybe... maybe this will make Shane happy too?

Shane hears Cinnamon call his name, and feels a surge of relief -- he'd been having a few unusually dismal and unlikely thoughts. Aisling's recent comments about Marcus being seductive had sneaked into his subconscious, leaving him with a cold core of worry in his stomach... that maybe the reason Cinnamon wasn't home was possibly because she'd stayed the night at the Elm Residence. Consequently, finding her here and simply having a peaceful lunch with Hilde sends several conflicting emotions rushing through him: relief at being wrong, chagrin that he'd thought it possible, and irritation at himself for being upset at it even being a possibility. After all, he'd meant it when he told Aisling he'd be happy for Cinnamon as long as she herself was happy. His true worry has always been Marcus hurting her, after all.

All that balances out to Shane beaming and calling back, "Acushla! Good morning!" as she comes pattering over. He wraps her in a big, warm, snuggly hug, adding (though he wishes he didn't have to), "I can't stay long -- I'm running an errand for Vanya -- but it's good to see you this morning!" Despite him firmly reminding himself that Cinnamon gets to make her own decisions, his brain still supplies: [...and to not see you still with Marcus after last night!]

Cinnamon beams delightedly, returning the hug with great pleasure -- although also taking care not to squish the sweet scone she's wrapped up in a napkin for him! She sighs happily, feeling inordinately secure here while leaning against Shane... but then smiles up at him, her voice soft, "Shaney, can I tell you something, please? It, um... well, I needed a bit of help from Aisling to get the words right, but... well, she's very smart!"

Shane rests his cheek atop of Cinnamon's head for a moment, closing his eyes and just soaking up the contact -- he loves having her up snuggled against him like he's a safe haven! When she leans back and smiles up at him (and stars and stones, the way that smile always hits him straight in the chest!), he can't help but smile back, "Of course, acushla. You can talk to me about anything, any time you need to. I'll always listen." He tries to stop the anxious, hopelessly-in-love part of himself from going back to those fretful thoughts that she's going to tell him something changed last night, and she wants to be with Marcus... because even if she did, Shane knows he'd still adore her, and be there whenever she needed.

Cinnamon takes a deep breath -- then laughs and hands him the napkin-wrapped scone, "Oh, also: this is for you! Just a nibble so you don't get hungry while you're working... and, umm..."

Shane smiles as he accepts the scone, "This'll be appreciated."

Cinnamon flushes hotly, though her eyes are still bright, and her smile glows with hopeful excitement, "Okay, real fast so I d-don't... don't chicken out: I really-really-really liked the kisses on Samhain but it's a little scary too and so please can we um, uh, I -- I m-mean I don't think I'm quite ready for that I'm sorry but so can we m-maybe go a little slower please?" She has to take another deep, gasping breath before she bites her lower lip, then adds just as softly, "Um... m-maybe?"

Shane centers himself and really listens, concentrating so he actually hears what she's saying. When she tells him she truly enjoyed the kisses, but was also scared by them, he can hear the crystal-clear ring of truth in her words. Even through his dizzying surge of relief, he can't quite understand why she seems scared of how he feels about her... but she enjoyed him kissing her! [-and so did I! -and... I shouldn't think about that too much right now -- listen! Concentrate on the moment.] His heart feels like it's soaring for a moment; he's almost giddy with happiness as he thinks, [She didn't say stop! She said slow down! Just slow down! I can work with 'slow down' -- I can do patient!] He might be shocked to discover just how similar his thoughts are to Marcus's, last night!

For now, though, the half-beansidhe takes a deep breath and quirks a playful smile at Cinnamon, his amber-brown eyes warm and full of the bone-deep affection he has for her. He rests his hands on her shoulders, his voice full of his normal sincerity, "Beautiful, as long as I wasn't completely out of line and you don't want to tell me to boot off, I'm happy to back up and go as slowly as you need me to. You feeling safe and-" [loved- no! Don't say it that way; don't want to spook her...] "-comfortable is what's important. You're one of the dearest people in the world to me." His heart is racing, and he feels a bit giddy with happiness -- this is the first real acknowledgement or encouragement of his feelings that he's gotten from her.

Cinnamon half giggles/half sighs in deep relief, leaning her forehead against Shane's shoulder for a moment, "Okay... whew. Thank you so much, Shaney!" Then she smiles up at him a bit tremulously, "Thanks for not being mad or anything too." She gives him a quick, fierce hug before she hastily adds, "Okay, I -- I don't want to make you late for anything, so... so I'll get out of your way now, um, o-okay?" She steps back and waves as he too smiles and waves at both women, then heads off to finish up his errands, humming to himself and feeling like all is well in the world. Once he's off and away, Cinnamon sighs gustily in relief as she turns and goes to reseat herself with Hilde. Thank goodness it worked -- with both her crushes! Admittedly, someday she's likely going to have to figure out how to tell them she'd rather have their friendship than their kisses, since she doesn't want to lose them... but that can wait for later, she thinks.

The two young women chat happily together over their tea and sandwiches, sharing stories and bonding about simple things -- other banquets and Samhain balls, fun things to do in Boston as well as on Coblyn, who the likely protagonists are of some of the slightly more... lurid sounding broadsheet stories or personals... it's just a pleasant, friendly time together. At one point, as they're talking, Marcus strolls up, bidding both young women a pleasant afternoon. Cinnamon beams at him, thanking him profusely again for a truly lovely Madrigal Banquet! -- which quietly pleases Marcus tremendously, though he doesn't harp on it.

After that, Hilde has some things she wants to talk about with Marcus too. Cinnamon offers to leave, if they'd like? Both elves smile and assure her that's not necessary... and so the little dragon gets to watch silently as Marcus and Hilde have a discussion... apparently about something Marcus agreed to do... or Hilde thought he had? ...or... something? Cinnamon's not sure exactly. The ljosalf ends up laughing and telling Marcus to just forget about it if he doesn't remember talking to her about it earlier -- at which point the Germanic elf rather touchily insists he remembers quite well, thank you very much -- he'd just thought to make it a surprise for her! With that, he ends up marching off a bit huffily to go do the opposite of what Hilde said to do -- which (the slightly bemused Cinnamon thinks) is actually what Hilde apparently wanted him to do in the first place!

As Marcus is heading away, Cinnamon glances thoughtfully at Hilde -- and catches a wickedly mischievous grin on the ljosalf's face! The little dragon blinks, pushing her glasses up, and waits until Marcus is out of earshot to murmur quietly, "That, umm... did I just see... er, d-did you just, um... m-manipulate Marcus?!"

Hilde smiles sweetly, "Well... maybe just a little bit. Marcus likes to think things are his own idea." Her blue eyes twinkle, "Besides, he's kind of cute when he marches off in a huff. Especially in those pants." Cinnamon blushes hotly -- but has to absolutely agree that Marcus has, er... an excellent tailor -- especially on the departure!

Hilde, of course, is no fool -- she can see Marcus and Cinnamon are becoming interested! To the ljosalf, that also means Cinnamon needs to learn how to handle Marcus. So Hilde sips her tea and explains, "Sometimes, too, what's important isn't what you say, but what you imply. Learning how his mind works is important... but you also have to be careful with that. If there are things you absolutely want to be clear about, you have to say them outright." She smiles at her little friend, "You'll need to know that when you're setting boundaries with him. But if you want to tease him? Implication is totally the way to go. Tell him juuu-ust a little -- and then let him draw his own conclusions." There's a quiet laugh, "Order something innocent like socks from Madame Ilyana, and have it delivered. All of her deliveries are done in those lovely frilly boxes, and she makes such lovely lingerie. Leave the box sitting round. Let his mind fill in blanks with the wrong answers."

Cinnamon grins shyly, "I, umm... I'd probably blush every time I walked by a box from Madame Ilyana's!"

Hilde's grin warms, "The blush would just sell it even more! Because it would imply you were thinking about whatever naughty, lacy little thing you'd bought!"

Cinnamon struggles to stifle her giggles! A moment later, though, she blinks and considers that for a few moments... then giggles again in spite of herself, "Oh! Like -- th-this is like the time when Fraser-wolf and I were in the soundproofed room at your holt in Iceland, right? But... no one actually said who I was there with?"

Hilde bites her tongue and then admits with a mischievous grin, "I... might have nudged him a little on that one. I never outright said you were going to be in there with a certain tall, dark, and handsome someone. But when he asked later, you were standing near that someone and I just... glanced that way for a few seconds."

Cinnamon gasps in delighted shock at Hilde, turning pink, "Y-y-you -- th-that, er -- oh! I'd wondered why he'd think that -- especially since he was on the Valkyrie that time when Fraser-wuffie simply would not shut up!" She laughs nervously, "I, er, I -- I thought he was teasing me when he asked about it, s-so I didn't explain -- I just said he already knew the answer! Oh my gosh, what must he have thought?!"

Hilde grins with wicked delight, "He must have thought the two of you were going to be having a wonderful time... and likely wondering which of you is the loud one."

Cinnamon turns bright red at that, ducking her head and covering her cheeks with her hands, "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohthatis so embarrassing!" There's laughter in her voice, though -- she can certainly see the humor in this, as well as the embarrassment!

Hilde giggles, "The thing about Marcus is... he has a wonderfully... inventive and playful mind, when given the chance and when he puts it to use. So when it comes time for that, you're in for a treat." She is aware, of course, that Cinnamon is interested in Marcus -- the ljosalf recognizes the signs she's been seeing. She just thinks things are farther along than they actually are... as in, Cinnamon doesn't know to translate 'when it comes time for that' into 'when you two finally start having sex.' The little dragon is actually embarrassedly wondering how she'll know what the time is... and for what!

Marcus sends a note to invite Cinnamon to come by Elm mansion in the morning on the day they're going to the Winter Solstice Gift Market. As he explains in the note, the supernaturals tend to dress in 'costume' -- both to add a decorative element to the Market (which is a money-maker off of the humans, for the supernatural community), and so they're easily identifiable to each other. It's his intention to make sure Cinnamon has a nice costume to borrow, so she too is appropriately dressed when they visit the Market.

There are quite a few folks visiting the Elm mansion at this time of year, for the famous Elm Winter Solstice feast which Jaeger, and later Marcus as well, hold each year. Amongst those attending folks are two childhood friends of Marcus: Frieda and Albrecht. They're both a bit older than he, though of different Elm trods, and they've known Marcus since he was a mere sprout. They remember him as a slightly lonely boy who gladly tagged along after them in creating mischief, which meant all three of them had a lot of fun while growing up together -- both platonic and otherwise. Consequently, when they hear he's planning to take a new girl to the Winter Solstice Market, they easily persuade him to bring her along, and go to the Gift Market with them. Neither of them have seen Marcus quite so... taken with someone, like this, since Hilde -- and they both very much like Hilde, so clearly this new woman must be something quite special! Consequently they're very curious about this Cinnamon person, figuring she must be of an age with him -- which means she too should be fun to play with, just like he is!

The two trodkin hatch a simple plan when they find out she's coming over in the morning to borrow a costume: get into the hot tub in the morning with Marcus so they're all nice and relaxed -- and help him lose track of time. That way, when the girl arrives, she'll be shown into the hot tub room... and naturally (as would occur with the vast majority of supernaturals) she'll be happy to get into the tub with them, and they can get to know her too -- maybe even have some fun, relaxing sex together before a day spent being careful around metal!

Cinnamon is excited to go see a lovely holiday bazaar -- maybe she'll find some pretty little decorations to add to her cottage! Better yet, maybe she'll find some more nice little gifties for her dear friends! So she's happily humming Christmas carols under her breath as she pulls on Elm's peculiar knocker, and she greets Butler with genuine pleasure, "Mr. Butler! A very merry Solstice to you! Is Marcus in? He invited me over to get a costume for the Solstice Market!"

Butler lets Cinnamon know, in his silent manner, that he's pleased to see her too. Marcus is running a bit late, but Butler can take her in to see him and his companions, while the butler and Ingrid get the costume pieces ready for her. Cinnamon happily thanks Butler and patters along after him as he leads her through the manor. Her voice is admiring as she adds, "Wow, you all have absolutely gorgeous Winter Solstice decorations up!" Butler is pleased, explaining how many of the Christmas traditions which humans have taken up were originally both Germanic and pagan -- which is why the Elm trod uses many of those same symbols in their decoration. The little dragon is happily fascinated as the butler leads her through the conservatory, with its lush plant life and water features, as he continues communicating with her... and on into a little enclosed area she's never been to before. Of course, being who and what he is, it does not occur to Butler that there would be body shyness involved. Instead, he simply opens the door and announces Cinnamon's arrival in his usual silent manner.

Inside the little room is a large and luxurious tub -- large enough to hold at least a dozen people. The hot water filling it steams gently, making the entire room feel quite sultry and damp -- enough to immediately fog up Cinnamon's glasses. She steps through with a smile, wondering a bit at how much more heat and moisture there is in the air -- maybe this is the hothouse part of the conservatory? Before she can really see anything, though, her glasses fog up entirely! She mutters a soft, "Darnit!" as she pulls them off and carefully wipes them clean on the edge of her shirt.

Marcus is a bit startled when Butler arrives with Cinnamon -- the mischievous distractions of his friends did their job quite effectively! However, his manners cause him to stand in greeting to the little dragon. It's likely good the tub is a large one, though... because the edge comes up to mid-hip, hiding anything that wouldn't be exposed by a pair of low-slung pants... or a towel around one's hips. "Cinnamon! You're early! Or... perhaps I lost track of time." He chuckles, sounding pleased in either instance, "Let me introduce you to some friends of mine who'll be joining us."

Cinnamon hears Marcus' cheerful welcome, and is beaming herself as she straightens up, replacing her glasses on her face. The first thing that hits her is that there are three figures in the tub: two male and one female, all of the slender, fair-haired, blue-eyed gealsidhe/elf phenotype. Marcus is half-turned-away, motioning toward Frieda and Albrecht; the male elf is a bit broader through the shoulders than Marcus, with more defined musculature. His hair is longer as well, though his features are just as fine-boned. Frieda has her golden hair gathered atop her hair in what would be called a messy bun if it didn't look so darned elegant. She's sitting just high enough in the tub that the top curves of her breasts are exposed, but not much more.

Both of the strangers look somewhat surprised at sight of Cinnamon, glancing first at each other, then back again at the little dragon. This is the supposedly amazing woman Marcus has been chattering on about? Albrecht arches a brow at Frieda... and the pair of them smile at each other as they realize they're united in purpose: this just won't do! The girl is just... well, so short fat and... well, dumpy, really... and so plain! Marcus can do so much better than this!

Cinnamon blinks slowly as it registers: that woman is... wow, is she wearing anything in that hot tub? And the man has no shirt on, just like Marcus -- and yikes, she totally shouldn't be noticing this, but Marcus really does have kind of a nice back, with the water dripping slowly down and off his, er... his (really nicely shaped!) n-naked -- holy CARP! Marcus isn't just shirtless -- he's bottomless too! With a horrified squeak of embarrassment, and a hot flush that Cinnamon is sure goes right down to her very toes, the little dragon whirls and nearly rockets out of the room! She barely has enough presence of mind to drag her fingers enough to ensure the door slams behind her -- so it's a shock when she slams face-first into a rather solid wooden form!

Cinnamon gasps as she staggers back a bit, straightening her glasses, "Oh! I am so so sorry, Mr. Butler -- are you okay?! I d-didn't mean to be so c-clumsy..." She glances a bit frantically back over her shoulder, then responds reflexively to his concerned mental query, "F-fine! I'm, uh... j-just fine..." She takes a deep breath... then adds a bit plaintively, "Though, umm... w-would it be okay if I, uh, if... if I could maybe please have a drink of water or... or a cuppa tea maybe? T-to help... calm down?" Butler is silently charmed by her sincere concern for him despite her deep embarrassment! He lets her know that of course there is some tea for her, and they've doubtless gotten the costume pieces ready for her as well... if she'll just follow him, please? He ushers her toward the room they've set aside for the costuming, and has Ingrid bring her tea. He's quick and efficient, which means by the time Marcus opens the door... both Butler and Cinnamon have vanished from the hallway.

Marcus is still half-turned toward his friends when the door slams. He blinks, then chuckles as he realizes Cinnamon has scampered off, "Ah. I apologize. She's a bit schuchtern. For a dragon, she makes a remarkably good Kaninchen! I'll be right back." He boosts himself up and out of the tub, reaching for a towel as he prepares to follow after her. He returns a moment later from checking the hallway outside the door, and chuckles, "Got away quicker than I expected."

Albrecht smirks and chuckles, "I'm surprised myself, given her shape."

Marcus' brows draw together -- and Frieda laughs her bright, warm laugh, "Oh, don't look like that, liebling! He's just teasing you. We're just surprised! She's not your normal type, is all."

Albrecht grins as well, "And obviously not much fun if she jets away at the sight of a little skin!" Marcus blinks again. He agreed to go slowly with Cinnamon, but now he's starting to feel a little conflicted. Or a little irritated -- he's not sure which. These are two of his oldest friends, after all. Surely they mean well...? After a few moments, Marcus and his friends get out of the tub and go get dressed themselves. During the time Albrecht and Frieda are alone in their borrowed room, the twosome decide they definitely need to pry Marcus away from this woman! She's obviously not the right sort for him... especially since she's clearly making him far less fun than he used to be!

Butler has called a carriage to take the four young supernaturals to the Solstice Market, since it's quite cold in Boston at this time of year. Marcus is charmingly gallant as he hands Cinnamon into the carriage, spreading lap robes over them both and smilingly telling her he thinks she'll enjoy the Market. Across the carriage from them, his friends murmur quietly and chuckle together.

Cinnamon is feeling a bit uncertain already, since none of the more beautiful, gorgeously embroidered clothing had fit her. She and Ingrid had finally found a plain long skirt (fortunately in a lovely warm cinnamon shade which nicely compliments her hair), an extra large and blousy men's 'poet shirt,' and a cincher in three parts (when let out to the fullest) that worked for her. Ingrid had stoutly assured the nervous little dragon that she looked a treat, she did... and young Master Marcus would certainly agree! Cinnamon herself had been nervous but quietly pleased as well -- until she realized: all three of the elves were elegantly attired in precisely the style of beautifully embroidered she'd not been able to fit into! Yikes, she doesn't fit... but nevertheless, she's clearly happy to see Marcus -- which he can tell when she shyly beams at him and whispers an apology for her hasty departure earlier. The little dragon smiles in greeting at the other two elves as well, but... there's something about them -- she can't quite put her finger on it, but... they make her feel just a little bit... uncomfortable?

Marcus leans in, his lips brushing softly against her hair, to whisper back, "It's fine, Kaninchen! We startled you." Cinnamon giggles at being called a bunny -- that sounds cute to her! He smiles back; the little dragon's smiles push back some of his friends' quietly insidious sniping. But across from them in the carriage there's more soft whispers, and occasional snickering from Albrecht and Frieda as well. It should seem like they're doing the same friendly, cozy murmuring as Marcus is with Cinnamon... except there really is something just a little... off about their behavior. The little dragon starts getting quiet as she realizes the other two are watching them and whispering together -- that brings up some really unpleasant memories of school!

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

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