Goblin Town -- Logs

Marcus does not look back as he marches off into the palace with his father, following the page... but his thoughts are an emotional, tumbling mess -- and all about the [incredibly ador- no -- inappropriate! Incredibly inappropriate, yes] woman behind him... and the people she surrounds herself with too, dammit. Despite himself, memories are flashing through his head, and his expression is unwittingly grim, as he remembers The Fateful Night...

After having his nose reset, Marcus returned to the Elm residence with Albrecht... though the young elf thinks he might as well not have attended the Elm Solstice party for how few were willing to talk with him! He'd ended up accompanying his two extremely upset friends to the palace, due to feeling somewhat at fault regarding his father throwing them out. They'd been settled into a suite and he'd ended up sitting and scowling and drinking wine late into the night with them, listening to his friends whine and moan about his verdammt father, how drab and small the (actually quite pleasant) suite was, the cruelty of Hilde and Iason and Shane... and the nerve of that dumpy fat girl -- siccing Shane on poor Marcus like that!
Marcus wasn't sure why he was getting more and more irritated with his childhood friends, so he'd not said anything. He'd simply continued drinking on his empty stomach... until eventually, at being goaded yet again to contribute something to their bitch-fest, he'd snapped, "She didn't sic him on me! He told me he'd break my nose if I hurt her -- and you idiots convinced me to be a jackass to her, so he made good on his promise!"
That, as it turned out, was the wrong thing to say, as both Albrecht and Frieda got incredibly huffy at him! They'd blathered incessantly at him after that -- inanities like they were just trying to help him, and how could he be so ungrateful, and it was hardly their fault that Shane and Jaeger were fixated on this totally unsuitable girl, and how Marcus should be pleased with how well things will work out now, what with the dumpy slow girl doubtless ending up with the commoner thug, Hilde revealing her true colors before Marcus made a mistake with her too, and Marcus now free to find someone else to handfast -- someone actually pretty and well-born! Marcus actually found himself rolling his eyes about Hilde revealing her true colors. It had been weeks or longer since he'd had even the vaguest thought about Hilde, beyond council business. Further, if they thought her putting Frieda in her place was uncharacteristic, they didn't know the ljosaelf in the first place!
Marcus had finally wearily left for his own bed at the residence... and a splitting headache the wine didn't help. His head felt like it was whirling with all the snarling and whining and yelling he'd put up with tonight! He was willing to admit Shane punching him was his own fault, but by that point of the night he was drunk, tired, and in enough pain that it was just easier to blame Cinnamon for how awful everything felt in the moment...

The injured, unhappy elf spent a few days isolated and refusing to leave the Residence, supposedly so he could heal -- though part of it was due to his vanity, since he knew he looked quite the mess, and another part was his need to recover from the horrible shock of Cinnamon returning all his gifts to her. He'd really meant those, dammit! Unfortunately, that wasn't the worst of it, either -- wait, don't want to remember that...

-and instantly, without his wanting it to do so, his brain immediately and helpfully provides yet more memories he doesn't really want to review again...

The first time it happens, Marcus has just stepped outside the Elm mansion, pausing only to ensure his clothing is perfect. His face might be a mess -- er, might be still healing, rather -- but that's no reason to go out looking like a vagabond! ...and he hears her giggle -- that same lovely, musical giggle he remembers, mixed with the laughter of others as well. His head jerks up unwittingly to scan the street. He easily spots her, of course -- there she is, walking with Josie and Josie's mate Spice. Once, Marcus might not have deigned to remember a human's name, but Spice is important to Cinnamon, so he's remembered it -- despite him finding Spice irritating at times.
Cinnamon grins up at Josie -- she's not yet noticed Marcus -- and her eyes sparkle as she continues her story, "So the next time she saw them, she didn't just walk up quietly behind them -- instead, about ten feet away as she walked up, she started going, 'Beep beep beep hi guys!'" Both Spice and Josie burst out laughing again, with Cinnamon joining in.
The little dragon looks so... bright and alive, so... so happy -- that without consciously thinking about it, Marcus starts heading that way. They spot him quickly enough, of course, and the reaction is startling -- to him, at least. All pleasure is swiftly wiped from the faces of all three women, and Spice growls to the other two, "There's that fuckin' little douchecanoe. Want me to give 'im a piece of my mind, bosslady?" Josie tilts back her ears in clear warning at Marcus. If she were alone, she might speak with him civilly because they're both councilors -- but while she's with Cinnamon it's a different matter -- she will absolutely protect her friend from being upset by him! Cinnamon just shakes her head once, her expression tight as she firmly looks away from him... and the three of them walk swiftly on past without a second glance his way. They turn into Caf� Prague, and his keen hearing picks up the sound of their cheerful voices again -- when he's no longer visible.
Well! He knows when he's not wanted! He was going to visit with his real friends Albrecht and Frieda as it is (though his conscience squirms a bit -- are they really his friends, if this painful isolation is the result?) -- since his father has been so adamant and high-handed and banished them from the Elm Residence. So, since he's clearly not welcome with the three women, he firmly turns the other way, nearly marching towards the palace with his head held high... and an unexplainable ache inside him.
The visit with his friends doesn't go well... to the point that, as he heads home again hours later, he finds himself wondering: were Albrecht and Frieda always that... that entitled? -that single-mindedly complaining; that... well, whiny? He's tiredly contemplating that question as he rounds a corner, stopping abruptly when he spots Cinnamon a bit further along the street. She's wearing earphones, bouncing and almost dancing in place as she travels slowly along Coblyn Street! People are grinning as they watch, because her sheer, effervescent delight is contagious... and gives Marcus a curiously painful/pleasant feeling in his gut. He steps back out of sight, watching silently and wondering: she's alone now, right? So... maybe try apologizing now...? After all, even during that time on the Valkyrie she'd eventually forgiven him. That means she'll likely forgive him for this time too if he apologizes, right? Someday, at least...? Shane's condition was simply giving a sincere apology. Marcus can be sincere, he thinks... and it would stop this ridiculous ache in his stomach.
Unfortunately, that's when Marcus also spots Shane, and hastily thinks, [Scheisse! This... might not be the most opportune time...] When he sees the other man's eyes brighten at sight of Cinnamon, he sighs, [Scheisse again! This day just keeps getting worse.] The half-beansidhe doesn't notice Marcus, due to his being busy moving around so the little dragon can see him before he reaches out to touch her, so she's not startled or shocked. She beams brilliantly up at him when he does touch her, removing one earphone, and he grins as he asks, "What're you listening to, acushla?" She giggles and pulls her headphone plug out of her little phone so Shane can hear too... and the bouncy, upbeat song on her cellphone radio belts out clearly: '-lways have to steal my kisses from you! Always have to steal my kisses from you!'
Cinnamon laughs excitedly, abruptly grabbing both Shane's hands and continuing to dance as she draws the laughing, athletic young man along with her -- and Marcus grinds his teeth again, stuck with having to watch bloody fucking Shane get to receive that amazing smile, and dance with her, and touch her with permission, and -- G�tterverdammt, probably kisses too, if that song is anything to go by -- and all the other wonderful things with Cinnamon that bloody fucking Shane is denying him...! The angry, upset young elf had no way of knowing Shane was, in fact, at that very moment amusedly thinking, [Okay, I know she doesn't realize what she's 'saying' here... but I kinda wish I could try what the song suggests!] Nor had Marcus realized the slightly frenetic edge to Cinnamon's giggle, as she worked very hard at staying upbeat, rather than falling into depression....
It's only the next day -- not even 24 hours after the Solstice party he wasn't invited to! -- that Marcus is walking past Cinnamon's little house. The elf is unenthusiastically headed for the palace to visit with his friends yet again -- mostly due to his father's subtle suggestion that he not go, so that he contrarily would! Jaeger, after all, can see quite well what a poor impression Albrecht and Frieda are currently making on Marcus. The Germanic elf stops in spite of himself to listen, when he hears the little dragon's sweetly melodious voice trailing wistfully from the open door, as she sweeps out her little cottage:
...keep me up with your silence,
Take me down with your quiet.
Of all the weapons you fight with
Your silence is the most violent...

Tell me how to feel about you now?
Tell me how to feel about you now?
Oh, let me know...
Do I suffocate or let go?
Her voice entrances him... at least until the lyrics hit him like a gut-punch. He hastens on by through the snow, not entirely sure why he's struggling with a sudden urge to weep -- he hasn't cried since his mother died!

Curiously enough, for the next several days Marcus remembers feeling rather annoyed at how often he seems to keep stumbling over Cinnamon. Josie clearly doesn't want anything to do with Marcus whenever she's with Cinnamon... and the young elf is half convinced Shane is calling out deliberately to the little dragon on the street, in order to rub Marcus' nose in the fact that Shane gets to hug and talk and lunch with Cinnamon any time he wants -- while Marcus can't even approach! Further, Jalil and she seem to delight in walking past the Elm Residence just as Marcus is leaving or departing -- and how do they know when that will be, when sometimes he himself doesn't know?! The aggrieved young elf doesn't realize Jalil is far more subtle and clever than he ordinarily shows, of course... while Cinnamon has no idea of what the ancient fire djinn is doing. She's just glad he seems to still enjoy her company! In Marcus' memories, though... well, the entire event is completely exasperating!

Early morning, crisp and cold and snowy along the bustling street. Marcus decides to pause for a delicious hot drink and pastry at Uta's, after dropping off some shoes for repair at the cobbler's. The outside tables are snow-covered, of course, but the glass windows are invitingly steamy from the warmth inside, and there's a delicious hint of cinnamon [argh! Must everything remind me of her?!] and other spices drifting out to the street.
The Germanic elf nods politely to Jalil, also seated in the little bakery for something tasty, and moves to the counter to make his order. Uta seems a bit slower than usual today at responding to the bell on the front counter, but the elf remains calmly patient... and shortly after he orders, he's seated at a table and enjoying his little snack. Though... hmm. Rather a lot of messy tables in here! Really, what is up with Uta? The Germanic elf stares around himself, frowning. This is not at all what he's used to -- and it's irritating when he was trying to find something soothing.
His train of thought is abruptly derailed at the musical door-bell-jingle of someone pattering swiftly into the little storefront; ah, it's Cinnamon! Maybe he'd hoped for that -- a little? -- but he firmly reminds himself that he hadn't really expected to see her. It's not like he's, oh, haunting her or anything! He blinks as she calls a cheerful greeting to Uta in the back, though -- what, er... dramatic boots she's wearing! The beanie and big sweater are obviously of Icelandic make, but those boots...? Thigh-high and of some white furred leather, and at the top: big decorative bands of... it looks like lace, then embroidered flowers, and lower down... some sort of woven pattern? Studying the overall effect, Marcus has to admit to himself: Cinnamon looks warm and cozy, huggably happy, and... well, downright adorable, with her short scarlet pigtails framing her face!
As Cinnamon waits for Uta to come to the counter, she turns with a grin to exchange cheerful greetings with Jalil. Fortunately for Marcus' curiosity, Jalil inquires: where did Cinnamon get such marvelous boots? The little dragon beams excitedly, explaining they were a gift from some of the people she represents, when she went out to help them -- wasn't that nice of them? They even gave a lovely gift to her companions at the time too -- Shane and Thorn! Then she enthuses happily to Jalil about how comfortable, warm, and sure-footed the boots are. As they both chat about environmentally-appropriate boots they've owned, the little dragon just as happily enthuses about the much smaller but equally beautiful (in a different way) embroidered Mongolian felt indoor boots she was gifted by Snow! When Jalil asks, she reminds him: those were the pretty, beaded boots she was wearing at her little Solstice get-together! He laughs and agrees they were indeed lovely.
Marcus blinks slowly as he almost mechanically sips his tea. When was the last time his people asked him for help -- let alone gave him gifts? He... can't recall, actually. He went to help the so-called rogues of Ezkurratrod mostly because... was it Cinnamon who told his father about them, and wanted to come along? Before that... hmm, there was the time in Greece -- argh, no, wait -- that one ended with the entire southern European supernatural community turning to Liam for representation! Marcus sighs and closes his eyes for a moment, feeling... well, somewhat uncomfortable with how he's been doing his job as councilor....
When he opens his eyes a moment later, he sees Cinnamon blinking perplexedly, her gaze slowly sweeping around the little bakery. The Germanic elf feels a small internal thrill of vindication -- ha, he was right about this -- the place is indeed messier than usual! She's noticed the disarray here, too... which means she'll let Uta know this isn't right -- and as her neighbor, Uta will probably accept it better from Cinnamon than from him. Really, though... how difficult is it to clean up some tables?! His train of thought is cut off at Cinnamon's slow, perplexed query, "Uta, is everything... okay?" He's unsurprised at the huldra's reflexive, breathless response that everything's fine, of course! Still, considering how much everyone seems to like Cinnamon, he decides to listen carefully and learn from how she dispenses correction.
There's a quick bit of chatter between the two women: Cinnamon would love some hot chocolate and a croissant, please, and was the early morning rush bigger than expected? Uta replies with a bit of embarrassment as she swiftly pulls together Cinnamon's order: no, no, everything's fine and as expected... it's just that Marga, her usual helper, is down with the flu! Marcus nods approvingly to himself -- that 'getting an admission' from the help was smoothly done! Now the gentle chastisement... the elf has no idea that his thoughts are almost telegraphed on his face currently -- or that Jalil is covering a very amused grin behind his coffee mug! The djinn has a far better idea of what to expect from Cinnamon, right now, than does Marcus.
Indeed, Marcus' astonishment is, for a heartbeat, plain to see... when Cinnamon cheerfully informs Uta that that's no problem at all -- as she steps behind the counter and picks up a table-bussing tub! The little dragon almost affectionately dismisses Uta's half-hearted protests, swiftly bussing the tables as she explains she's on her midmorning break -- so getting to do something more than just walk around is a big win in her book! Marcus is so startled at Cinnamon's behavior that he misses the look of real relief on the overworked huldra's face -- but both Jalil and the little dragon notice! Cinnamon pauses by Jalil's table to pleasantly ask if he'd like her to take anything? He smiles and gives her his empty snack plate... but might he have a refill on coffee, please?
Marcus is baffled: why would Cinnamon do this? Why is she acting like a servant -- fetching a coffee refill, putting the tub of dirty dishes in the back, wiping down the tables, then sweeping out the shop -- and then even going outside to clear the snow off all the tables out there? Slowly it dawns on him: Cinnamon doesn't seem to see this as beneath her -- but nor does she seem to feel at all... well, servile? She seems happy, in fact, to be helping out: assuring Uta that she needn't worry about the front counter -- such that the huldra heads with relief into the back to continue baking -- and then either chatting happily with Jalil, or singing quietly to herself as she works... or cheerfully filling orders as best she can for the small handful of stragglers who come in at the end of the morning rush!
Marcus is fascinated enough by this... well, rather revelatory behavior! -- that he completely misses that he's still being grayrocked. It's only when Cinnamon opens the swinging door to the back to ask Uta if there's anything else left to do, that it registers -- because Cinnamon also turns to ask Jalil if it's okay if they go shopping together just a little bit later than usual, please? Jalil smiles and agrees, causing Cinnamon to delightedly give the djinn one of her amazing smiles in thanks... which draws a small, depressed sigh from Marcus. He watches as Cinnamon grabs the last of her croissant and hot chocolate, and heads into the back to... actually wash dishes. Helping do a little clearing away is one thing -- but doing that kind of hot, thankless work... stars and stones!
When the door swings closed again behind Cinnamon, Marcus discovers he can clearly hear tones of voice, even if he can't quite make out precise words. There's Uta sounding apologetic... Cinnamon laughing and sounding reassuringly cheerful over the sound of running water... gods above, are the two women now singing together? How does that girl manage to be so happy all the time -- and make everyone around her happy too, now that he thinks about it?!
Just then there's the jingle of the bell on the door as another customer comes in, and a moment later Cinnamon comes out. She's calling over her shoulder, "-ust keep baking, Uta, and I'll dry the dishes as soon as I've finished washing them, okay?" In the same breath she turns her head back to beam warmly at the (slightly dazzled) customer and say, "Hi happy holidays what can I get you?!"
The customer is swiftly and easily dealt with, and Cinnamon heads back to her... stars above, she really is scrubbing dishes! Marcus sits and muses perplexedly over that as he continues sipping his tea... until the Great Idea hits him! He slowly straightens in his chair, his eyes lighting up: what if he went back there and... and actually offered to dry dishes with her?! He can use it as an excuse to apologize (graciously and sincerely, of course!)... and she wouldn't want to leave Uta in the lurch, so she won't just leave, so he'd have time to actually talk to her and show how pleasant he can be... and best of all, Shane's nowhere nearby to glare daggers at him... oh, this is just a perfect way to get back into her good graces!
Marcus metaphorically pats himself on the back -- he can't wait for her to like him again! He straightens his coat, preparatory to rising from his chair and striding around the counter and into the back like... like a knight, come to the rescue! He's not consciously thinking how he's comparing himself to the way people so often casually refer to Shane as a paladin. Unfortunately, it's only then he notices Jalil has already risen and placed his utensils in the tub behind the counter. Stars and stones, what's the djinn doing? Jalil's mischievous grin isn't visible to Marcus... and he's not about to admit to the elf just how clearly Marcus was telegraphing his thoughts on his face, a moment ago! Instead, the djinn swings the inner door open with a flashing smile to the women within, "Ladies! Such industry... I cannot resist! Please, I insist: allow me to help by drying?"

In retrospect, Marcus isn't sure how he kept from exploding with frustration at that moment. Things haven't gotten much better since then either. Spotting Cinnamon at all these holiday events on Coblyn Street is also frustrating, as Marcus can't make up his mind whether to courteously approach, or give her the cold shoulder... especially since she doesn't seem to even notice him sometimes! It's difficult to properly socially cut someone when you can't quite arrange a face-to-face meeting with them, after all. Fortunately for Cinnamon, her friends are quite adroit at maneuvering so she doesn't even see Marcus, or realize he's present -- which means she can fully enjoy the various concert performances, or street mummers' plays, or open mike poetry readings, or other lovely events she's gallantly escorted to. Marcus, meanwhile, finds himself almost obsessively glancing around to make sure Cinnamon isn't there, every time he goes out... and way too often (to his perspective) she is there -- having way too much fun and ruining his enjoyment of the event as a result!

Marcus is, in fact, starting to feel a bit put-upon. When he just wants to have a nice, relaxing tea at Lily's -- there she is, laughing with Hilde! How can she be so... so indifferent to his presence?! He's pretty sure Hilde no longer likes him, too, despite that promise of fidelity she gave him, inscribed on the gold bracelet -- though... he finds himself a bit perplexed to realize just how little that disturbs him now. Further, should he feel like having a quiet dinner at Caf� Prague... well, he certainly won't get it while she's there with Elias and Shane! Trying to get some paperwork at Currier's Hall? Guess who's there with Aisling, chatting and laughing with Llewellyn! He stumbles over her reading peacefully and sipping tea at Astrid's, or giggling over a snowman-thingie with Muriel in the pocket park, or her lovely singing voice trailing out of her house's windows again, or... or -- well, it's simply not reasonable to expect him to now avoid both the cobbler's and Uta's bakery -- simply because Cinnamon lives next door to them! But... he's uncomfortably aware he can't really ask her to move -- that would be ludicrous, of course; yes, absolutely... wait. Stars and stones, there she is again!

Of course, Marcus cannot see the real struggle Cinnamon is having with herself; doing the best she can to remain upbeat and outgoing. He isn't privy to her crying into her pillow at night, or the mornings she has to follow Brynn's advice and firmly repeat affirmations to herself just to get out of bed, or the frequent tight hugs she is deeply relieved to receive from her closest friends... nor is he aware of how much she aches inside over being pointed at and/or whispered about -- though fortunately for the little dragon, people are generally kind. Marcus also doesn't realize just how lucky he is that she's pretty much quietly refused to talk about him at all... even though there are quite a few folks who'd be more than willing to get worked up about what Marcus did to her. All the unhappy, aching elf sees is the pleasant, apparently happy public face she's trying very hard to keep in place.

Also, though Marcus doesn't realize it, Jaeger is quite aware of his son's growing consternation -- and is deeply amused by it! The ancient elf somewhat understands what Marcus is going through, though to a much lesser degree... since he too went through something somewhat similar, long ago upon meeting Teiran, Marcus' mother. He can see his son too is infuriated, of course, as was he so long ago -- but what he can also see (which Marcus so far cannot) is just how intriguing it is as well, to the young elf.

Lucia watches Jaeger and Marcus follow the palace page down the hallway... then looks up at Shane and cackles again! "Eet a verr' good t'eeng you no can lay de malochio, giovanotto! Dat boy be dead eef you can!" She pats him on the arm, still chuckling, "We go eat now. You all weell help me cook, s�?"

Cinnamon blushes hotly again, for poor Shane! However, she rapidly heads out with her friends, both old and new, chattering with Lucia to hide her embarrassment at Shane getting teased because of her, "-and so Elias is teaching me French cooking with the help of the cookbook, but even though I speak Italian I don't know anything about Italian cooking -- so thank you very much for letting us help!" They haven't gotten far down the street before they pass someone pulling down an old broadsheet and putting up a new one. The little dragon blinks, pausing and doing a double-take at the new broadsheet... did she catch her name there?! Or no, wait... the broadsheets rarely use names, right. So... what pinged her brain like that? There must've been something that made her unconscious brain think she should look... maybe?

As she searches the broadsheet, Cinnamon sighs internally... she absolutely adores how nice Shane is to her, but... wow, poor Marcus' face looked really bad! A small part of herself hopes he's doing okay -- even as the still-wounded part of her hopes he hurts at least as much as she did when he dumped her! Her quick scan of the broadsheet reveals the usual, expected news and advertisements: jobs offered, things for sale, actual news... and, of course, gossip. Today there's what they used to call a 'blind item' that reads:

There was quite a stir at one of Coblyn's most-anticipated Solstice parties last week! Word on the street has it that one of the enclave's most eligible, fair-faced, fair-haired young men somehow stirred the ire of a certain handsome, dark-haired protector. The protective young man spoke in quiet and heated tones, and made his displeasure quite physically known! The object of his displeasure was later seen entering the infirmary with a friend. Neither man has spoken of what sparked the altercation, but at least one party guest distinctly heard the words, "I've told you several times..." Is this a long-term tiff between the two?

Cinnamon's eyes widen in dawning horror, her hands coming up to her flushed cheeks as she reads -- this has got to be about... about Shane and Marcus! Oh, crab cakes! ...and this article, it... it makes it sound as though she was... was a thing they were, like, passing back and forth like -- like a football, or -- or fighting over -- or something?! Even worse -- this makes it sound almost like Shane has a... like, a grudge against Marcus?! Dear heavens -- is she actually... bad for poor Shane's reputation?!

Shane steps up behind Cinnamon's shoulder to read as well, since he regularly uses the broadsheets to check for jobs and people who might need assistance. The way broadsheets do gossip has always reminded him of 1930s newspapers, and it usually amuses him. But when he finds the description of his confrontation with Marcus, he groans, "Oh, for fuuu..." He sighs, wrapping his arms around Cinnamon from behind and leaning down to murmur against her ear, "Acushla, it's okay. I to-"

That's as far as he gets, though... because unfortunately, Cinnamon's peripheral vision isn't great at the best of times -- and right now she feels almost out of her body with horror! She whispers an aghast, "Oh, no!" as her eyes flick swiftly back and forth across the broadsheet article, reading it again to make sure she got it right -- then she shrieks in shock, jumping forward in a panic as someone grabs her from behind! A moment later she gasps, whirling to defend herself from -- from whatever -- oh, wait, it's Shane! She gasps again, one hand to her pounding heart, "Oh my gosh, Shaney, don't sneak up on a girl like that -- you'll give me a heart attack!" A heartbeat later she blinks, pushing up her glasses and realizing with dismay: everyone is staring at her! Her face flushes hotly with embarrassment again, and she mutters a bit incoherently, "I gotta -- that, I hafta, uhh -- I d-don't -- uh, g-gotta go!" She whirls and patters hastily down the street, feeling much as exposed as she did when poor Hilde first told her of what happened at the Elm Solstice dinner!

Shane sighs when Cinnamon can no longer hear him, "I'm... gonna go check on her. Thorn, Oisin, Lucia, I'll try to bring her by for dinner." He trots off after the little dragon, thinking to himself that he's going to need to explain again that no one's blaming her for this mess.

It doesn't take Shane long to find Cinnamon, of course. She's only gone as far as around the next corner -- at which point she stopped to lean against a wall and bury her hot-with-humiliation face in her mittened hands. Shane can hear her mumbling softly to herself, "Nonononono-ooo...!"

Shane doesn't touch her when she can't see him again -- he's already startled her that way once. Instead, he gets closer and speaks softly, "A ghr�?"

Cinnamon gasps in shock, jerking her head up -- and spots Shane. A heartbeat later she nearly launches herself at him, hugging him tightly and pressing her forehead against his chest as she nearly babbles, "I'm sorry so so sorry Shaney really truly I didn't mean to get you into trouble I don't want to be bad for your rep-p-putation I'm sorry!" She keeps pouring out words, as if it's all been bottled up too long, "-and I, I, I d-don't want to be l-like a football you and M-Marcus are arguing over even if they got the shape right I j-just wanted to hide away in a hole or something b-but you all convinced me you and J-Josie and Spice and Th-thorny I mean that I shouldn't hide b-but I wouldn'ta come out if I'd known you were gonna hit Marcus I don't wanna be the cause of, of c-contention between you all and now they'll all be p-pointing and whispering at you and, and -- and it's all my fault!"

The little dragon's voice trails off into a wail and she hiccups as the tears start flowing. She desperately hopes Shane doesn't hate her for her having (however unwittingly) caused him to become the butt of the avid stares and mocking whispers she'd so loathed all through her childhood!

Shane wraps his arms tightly around Cinnamon, kissing the top of her head and then resting his cheek against it. He's just letting her pour out all her feelings, and not trying to shush her -- she needs to say them before he can talk. Once the tide of words starts to trickle off, he takes a deep breath but doesn't let go of her, "A ghr�, no one's upset with me, and I'm not in trouble, and my reputation hasn't been harmed."

The half-beansidhe softly rubs one hand up and down Cinnamon's back, "I told you before: my reputation is that if I tell someone if they hurt someone, I will visit consequences upon them, I will do so. That broadsheet? It's old news. It's trying to be catty. Marcus was being an asshole. He hurt you. He apparently doesn't understand emotional hurt right now, so he needed different consequences. He is not worth your upset, my l... my last desire is that you feel like you need to hide. If anyone's upset at anyone, they're pissed at Marcus for treating you shabbily. NO one's pitying you. No one's giving me the stink-eye."

Despite her horror of public humiliation, Cinnamon stays leaning against Shane as much as he seems willing to put up with her. If he might end up being disgusted with her due to her... well, let's be honest: her gullibility -- then she's going to enjoy this warm, cozy, safe feeling here against him for as long as he'll let her! She sniffles a few times, rubbing the back of her mitten over her cheeks before she murmurs, "How c-can you say that, though, Shaney... wh-when they're doing that horrible n-nudge-nudge-wink-wink thingie -- in the broadsheets, even! -- ab-bout you 'n M-m- uhhh, that doodyhead -- a-an' it's all my fault because I'm so -- so gullible?"

Shane rubs his cheek against the top of Cinnamon's head and sighs, "They do that with everything." He has a little bit of a smile in his voice as he continues, "When I first got here? I came with Aisling. I was sort of doing bodyguard duty because we had to fly -- a cross-Atlantic journey with a beansidhe in a plane. She was ironsick for days! There were blind items for days, too, about the 'mysterious dark-haired young man' being 'dotingly solicitous' with 'a certain ravishingly beautiful and raven-haired lady.' It was absolutely ridiculous -- I was spending my time holding Ash's hair back while she alternated between puking and eating honey and bread. It certainly wasn't romantic."

Cinnamon considers that for a moment -- and then a small giggle is startled out of her! She finds it hard to even imagine lovely, graceful, always kind and perfect Aisling... needing to have her hair held while throwing up. The little dragon sighs softly, distracted by how incredibly nice Shane feels like this... then straightens in sudden horror, "Oh! Oh my gosh, Shaney, what must the others be thinking?! I -- I just ran off like -- l-like a stupid little bunny or something! Oh, crabcakes, they're not -- not, like, waiting on us or anything, are they?!"

Shane lets her straighten, and smiles, "Maybe? Probably not, knowing Lucia. She'll just expect us to come along at our own pace... and she'll shove a glass of something highly alcoholic yet sweet into your hand and insist you drink it to calm your nerves." He grins, figuring Cinnamon will understand, "She reminds me of Granny Weatherwax, actually."

Cinnamon blinks up at Shane, adjusting her glasses -- then giggles again in spite of herself! Wryly she murmurs, "I... better not drink anything alcoholic -- I have like zero tolerance for it and I end up humiliating myself by being all giggly and chatty! -- and no one wants to hear that..." She sighs gustily, glancing around them both... good, no one's staring... then gives Shane a small, slightly tremulous smile, "Well then... w-well, I... I guess we gotta get going, r-right?" She hesitates... then slowly, cautiously reaches out with one mittened hand to take his, "But, umm... if... if y-you feel like, um... like I'm... h-hurting your nice reputation or anything, Shaney?" She nibbles a bit worriedly on her lower lip... then blurts out before she scares herself out of saying anything more, "Y-you'dtellmerightsoIcouldfixitfirst?"

Shane takes Cinnamon's hand and grins, "Acushla, I have a solid reputation. It would take me doing something seriously out of character to ruin it. I'd have to start stealing candy from babies and pushing old women into mud puddles. I promise -- and of course I'd tell you if you did something to upset me or hurt me! Cross my heart." He leans down a little and murmurs, "Also, I love your giggle, and like it when you chat. All your friends do."

Cinnamon blushes hotly and grins up at Shane -- he doesn't mind! He's taking her hand, eeeeee! She's not entirely sure what else he said, but it... sounded sorta... approving? She self-consciously turns her head to push her glasses up with her free hand, mumbling, "Oh... k-kay!" -- and happily follows along with him as he leads the way to Lucia's place. Really, the little dragon decides to herself, she needs to do this more... if she can find a way to do it safely. Spending time with Shane always feels so nice! Maybe... maybe she can arrange more, um... more group things to do? Hopefully that way Shane won't feel at all pressured or anything... oh! -and also, she gets to learn some Italian cooking today too!

Once they reach Lucia's, Shane's prediction that Cinnamon would be handed something sweet and alcoholic is proven true. The sweetness comes from rich hot chocolate which has been liberally laced with whiskey. Apparently the strega doesn't feel constrained to Italian liquors. Cinnamon tries to demur even though she suspects it won't work, from what Shane's said... and sure enough, Granny Weatherwax is quite firm -- in a kindly sort of way! Cinnamon wrinkles up her nose at the slight scent/tang of alcohol, but does her best to take a sip... then blinks and realizes: this actually tastes kinda good! She drinks it down and politely thanks her hostess, then tries to help in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, her prediction to Shane is quite accurate! -- especially since she's not eaten for several hours... and by the end of the meal, everyone knows that a slightly tipsy Cinnamon is given to humming happily, giggling at even the worst of jokes, and cheerfully singing along at the slightest excuse! It might even be a bit surprising to realize just how strong her internal editors are... in that she's happy, friendly, excited to learn, chattery, and very huggy when she's not worried about how she'll be seen.

Shane is also right in that everyone is quite delighted with tipsy Cinnamon! Lucia offers her opinion that the little dragon should drink more because alcohol is good for warming the blood. She looks quite significantly at Shane when she says this, and the beansidhe actually blushes. Cinnamon giggles at that, completely missing the innuendo as she cheerfully replies, "Oh, I'm already lots warm inside -- that's where my fire is!"

Lucia mms and nods, "I am certain you are, but de blood... it warms in different way, hm?" She pats Cinnamon on the shoulder, "Anyway! Cooking is not just filling, it is medicine for the soul and body!" Cinnamon giggles again... and again completely misses the innuendo. Lucia must be telling Shane he needs to dress more warmly for winter... maybe?

The following day, Cinnamon, Shane, and Thorn have a truly lovely Christmas Day with Rebecca! The little dragon spends the day before with Elias, cooking a wonderful Christmas Day meal with him, which is carefully packed up to take to Rebecca's. Elias also sends along a sweet (and much appreciated!) gift for the elderly woman, while Cinnamon cheerfully tells her dear friends they can all be part of the gift-giving she has -- a pretty, colorful Icelandic lopapeysa sweater, with matching mittens, beanie, and socks! Rebecca is still quite active, of course. She sends her greetings to Elias, seeming somewhat disappointed that he didn't come -- but then, Liam's widow and Elias get along wonderfully.

Thorn enjoys the Christmas celebration, restful and relaxing as it is, and he feels warm and comfortable here with his friends. He does take a little time -- somewhat spur of the moment, but sparked by the holiday cheer -- to compose (another) message to his ancestress, Modron, keeping her up to date and in touch.

The day is spent with decorating Rebecca's little house inside and out, singing cheerful carols with Shane on pennywhistle and Rebecca on piano, and feasting on a delicious meal together. Cinnamon also brings a copy of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' for them to watch, explaining how much she loves it -- it's the only Christmas animated story she knows of that emphasizes the sharing and love of the holiday, rather than, say, successfully getting a bunch of loot! She also grins and blushes when the others notice her quiet sniffling and happy tears at the dramatic moment where the Grinch's heart grows due to his realizing the true meaning of Christmas -- as she sheepishly admits, that's her favorite moment in the story! Cinnamon's step-grandmother thinks that's charming! She shares her favorite Christmas story as well, though as she notes, it isn't actually a story... or even technically about Christmas! "It's the song, Good King Wenceslas. Well, I suppose it is a story about Christmas, but not as we celebrate it now. It's on the Feast of Stephen, which is Boxing Day."

Cinnamon brightens, "Oh, I know that one! Here, we can sing it now if you'll play for us, please, Rebecca?" She too likes the carol, and she's happy to sing it with everyone else.

Shane's singing voice turns out to be a surprisingly rich baritone. Rachel beams at him and says, "I would have thought you'd be a tenor like that dreamy Tony Bennett..."

Shane seems to enjoy himself, and is helpful as always. As he tells his friends later, he called Janet early because she's with Quinn and they're five hours ahead. She's pagan, but since her family isn't, he grew up celebrating Christmas. At one point he hugs each of them and chuckles, "It's nice to be doing this."

Cinnamon beams delightedly as she hugs Shane warmly back, "Yay! I'm so glad you came with us, too!" She giggles, adding mischievously, "So, is your mom having a wonderful time with Quinn, too?"

Shane's eyes twinkle mischievously, "She is. I asked her again if I was going to get a baby brother for my birthday this year. She laughed and told me the odds of that are exceptionally low."

Rebecca curiously asks, "Weren't the odds of you being born exceptionally low as well, though?"

Shane nods, "Oh, yeah. Me mum was 22 when I was conceived, though, and I'll be 29, my birthday. Her exact words were: 'Shane! I know I told you how all this works when you were ten years old! I'm three-quarters of the way through menopause. If you get a baby sibling, it'll be a half-sibling through your da!' -- and then I heard Quinn in the background: 'Not bloody likely! Even sidhe know how to use a condom, me love!'"

Rebecca rocks back in her chair, laughter in her eyes and a hand on her chest, "Oh, I think I like your parents!"

Cinnamon's eyes widen at Shane's story, and her laughter is half shock, half amusement! She grins (admittedly, a bit nervously) as she tells Rebecca, "I've not spent much time with his mother, but Shane's father is actually pretty nice -- he put up with me being incredibly twitchy-nervous, and was really kind about it, when we first met!"

Thorn laughs quietly, "I'm sure they're having a lovely Yuletide together." He lets out a breath, smiling, "This is... very, very good. Thank you, Rebecca and Cinnamon."

Shane hugs Cinnamon and grins over at Thorn, "I think she's still convinced Quinn thinks she's skittish. He actually thinks she's pretty amazing."

Cinnamon beams at Thorn while returning Shane's hug, "I'm so glad you like it too, Thorny!" She laughs at Shane's assertion, since she's not sure he's right... but hey, as long as Quinn doesn't think she's a complete ninny, she's okay with it!

Rebecca insists on doing all the kitchen clean-up herself, no matter how many times Shane tries to help out, insisting that they brought all the food and that it feels nice to have visitors to take care of! Cinnamon quietly slips into the kitchen to help too... and is happy to sing Christmas carols with everyone as a distraction as she helps put things away, or wipes down counters, or dries dishes, or whatever needs doing! Thorn is also kind of stymied when trying to help with clean-up, but knows enough to surrender to the inevitable. He's actually amusedly jealous of Cinnamon as she manages to sneak in assistance!

Two days later, everyone that's going to explore Coblyn Street's underground tunnels is gathered together with Diarmaid at the ladder downwards. Jaeger is there because (Cinnamon suspects) he loves an adventure! One representative each of the new species are present as well, as are Thorn (for just in case), Shane, Cinnamon, and Josie as this area's councilor. This is probably the first time Cinnamon and Thorn have seen Diarmaid not in some form of livery. Instead, he's wearing sturdy jeans and a close-fitting shirt of some kind of stretchy material. It shows him to be barrel-chested and about as powerful as you would expect. In fact, he's built a bit like Bjarke, only somewhat smaller. He's got several hanks of climbing rope, red-filtered headlamps, and a lot of other safety equipment. He rumbles, "I didn't figure we'd need any cave diving equipment. If we find any water-tunnels, we'll just go around."

Thorn is wearing a sturdy pair of jeans and shoes, and a tough, worn jacket. Starhair and Brightscale are somewhat wary of one another, but they're both excited to see their new home. Jaeger looks impressed at Diarmaid's level of preparedness -- while Josie is, unsurprisingly, excited, "Where'd you get all this stuff?"

Diarmaid shrugs, "I go spelunking when I can get somewhere safely and unseen."

Cinnamon just stares in fascination -- though she pushes her glasses up and interestedly inquires, "What's, er... spuh-lunk-ing, please?" She's wearing an old T-shirt, jeans, and her oldest sneakers, since she figured they'd be getting dirty... but now she's here with Shane -- and everyone else too, of course -- she's... kind of wishing she looked marvelous and impressive too! Jaeger and Shane and Diarmaid all look so... wow, so incredibly prepared and... and kind of hunky and... well, y-yummy!

Shane smiles, "He explores caves, acushla. Climbs around in the muck and the dark for fun." The half-beansidhe's eyes are twinkling, since he knows most beansidhe trods are underground. Cinnamon nods silently to Shane, still fascinated -- and, truth be told, a bit tongue-tied at all this unexpected, ummm... male pulchritude? The thought makes her giggle softly to herself.

Diarmaid snorts, "Go ahead, make fun. Who d' you think dug out all those cozy trods you willowy bastards live in, hm?" There's no ill-will in his words; it's more like a well-practiced non-argument. He starts passing out coils of rope, "We probably won't need any of this -- likely going to be more like walking along tunnels -- but preparation is key."

Cinnamon grins uncertainly between Diarmaid and Shane -- she knows they're quite likely teasing! She's just still a bit uncertain on how to tell for sure every time. So instead she accepts a coil of rope... though she then looks around to see what everyone else is doing with their coil. If they were on the Valkyrie she'd know what to do with it -- but here? Um... do they want some knots in it, or what? While all this is going on, Brightscale is quietly running her clawed hands along the wall and humming softly, occasionally laying the side of her head against it. Cinnamon blinks a bit puzzledly at the lizard-like being, pushing her glasses up and wondering: is this how Brightscale knows where to, um... to open a hole, maybe? Thorn too watches Brightscale curiously, intrigued by her attention to the stone. He also is wondering if this is how she'll open a hole in stone.

Diarmaid shows Cinnamon how to attach the rope to a carabineer and then hook it to a belt loop, if she doesn't want to simply loop it around her body. The rest of the equipment is loaded into backpacks and distributed. Cinnamon brightens a bit with relief at the gentle guidance, and promptly follows Diarmaid's directions before beaming at him, "Thank you!" She'll also cheerfully take the largest backpack she can get away with. She figures as one of the (likely) strongest folks there, it's only polite to do so. Thorn knows Cinnamon is probably the strongest there, but seeing tiny-her with the oversized, relatively huge backpack does make him internally giggle. Diarmaid doesn't argue, even though he's likely second only to Cinnamon in strength.

As people look on, Brightscale's humming shifts and moves up and down a scale... and the walls seem to resonate. Diarmaid watches Brightscale curiously, but then tenses -- usually when cave walls start trembling, something bad is about to happen! A heartbeat later, though, his jaw drops... as the substance of the bricks blocking off the entrance seem to almost flow into one another -- like the molecules of one are sliding through the molecules of the other. Cinnamon ooohs softly as she watches -- this is incredibly cool, to her! She knows there are no volcanoes nearby, and that's the only experience she's had with the danger signal of trembling terrain... so she completely misses Diarmaid's momentary concern. Instead she cheerfully applauds, calling, "Wow, Brightscale, that is totally awesome!"

Brightscale smiles. The expression might look strange to someone not used to reptilian smiles -- but then almost everyone here is used to a beaming dragon! "There's a lot of empty space in rocks and dirt, really. You just have to convince the empty spaces to kinda move around one another."

Cinnamon grins happily back at Brightscale -- then peers through the hole, "So what's in there, then?"

Brightscale leans her head through and her tongue flickers curiously, "It's mostly dry. It tastes a little... sooty? But that's old. There's not a lot of fresh air, but I don't think we'll smother."

Diarmaid rumbles, "We shouldn't. I think there's still some ventilation, though nothing big enough for anyone to slip through."

Cinnamon blinks as she remembers she can do that tongue-thing too! She leans in and flickers her tongue as well, getting much the same information... then adds over her shoulder to the others, "Dry is good, right? But any idea why it'd taste sooty?" She steps through, blinking her eyes to see if there are any heat sources or other anomalies visible to her unusual optic abilities.

Shane says, "Well, according to some of the plans I read, there were trains down here at some point. Maybe that?"

Diarmaid rumbles, "Or there may have been people living down here at some point that built fires. I suspect it's more along Shane's guess, though." Starhair looks excited, but remains very quiet. Thorn stands back a little, curious as to what Cinnamon and Brightscale are sensing within the hole, and giving them room. He's unconsciously mirroring Starhair at the moment.

Cinnamon is also picking up very faint traces of iron and oil. She nods slowly at Shane's comment, murmuring, "Yeah... getting faint traces of iron and oil..." She looks back over her shoulder at Jaeger, concern in her voice, "You're wearing really good gloves and boots and sturdy stuff, right?"

Jaeger nods and shows her his long sleeves and heavy gloves, "I suspected there might be traces of iron down here. A lot of these tunnels might have been trains, so there would be rails."

Cinnamon smiles in relief at him, pushing up her glasses, "Okay! Let's go find out, then -- let's see what's down here!" She steps carefully through the hole, then straightens and looks around slowly, "Mostly... just a concrete tube so far?" Unless anyone gives her directions to the contrary, the little dragon will start slowly walking along the tunnel, visually examining everything around her with curiosity. Diarmaid steps into the tunnel with Cinnamon; there's a low, red glow beside her as he does. He stays about a half-step behind her, though, letting her take the lead. He's got more experience spelunking, but she's actually the sturdier person. Cinnamon grins over her shoulder at Diarmaid, "Really cool how you get your eyes to do that glowing thingie!" She continues padding forward until she reaches some blockage, intersection, or other unusual discovery.

The two new species representatives are behind the Fomorian. Shane looks at Thorn, Jaeger, and Josie, "I'm going to take van. You all figure out where you want to be in the marching order ahead of me."

Thorn nods, "I'd like to be in the middle, so I can reach anyone who's injured." Jaeger opts, along with Thorn, to be in the middle of the pack.

Up ahead, Diarmaid blinks at Cinnamon and chuckles, "It's not something I get them to do -- it just happens. I suspect it's an evolutionary thing meant not only to help us see, but to scare the ever-loving fuck out of people." That makes Josie, back in the vanguard with Shane, giggle -- as does Cinnamon! She chats with Diarmaid as they walk, sharing what and how she sees, and asking him as well: does he see in the infrared or ultraviolet? Does he have some other way of seeing, or other senses that are really good? Diarmaid seems to see into the infrared and shares that he also has hearing into the infrasonic range. Both Starhair and Brightscale seem interested in that -- and unsurprisingly, neither of them seem to have any issues with seeing around themselves. Diarmaid explains, "Fomorians... we're... we're an old race. A very old race... and elemental. My element is earth. I spelunk because I feel at home in caves, and I'm safe in them. I see easily in them and I have a good idea which ones are stable because I've got a good feeling about how steady they are, and my hearing..."

Cinnamon nods interestedly as she pads along with the big Fomorian -- she's fascinated by how different the various supernatural species are! Then, abruptly, almost as if mentioning his hearing was a challenge, Diarmaid mutters, "Fuck!" and puts a powerfully muscled arm out as if to stop Cinnamon's forward progress. Simultaneously, Brightscale makes a squeak that's almost avian, and darts forward between the two of them -- making the Fomorian swear again.

Cinnamon stops, glancing towards Diarmaid -- then blinks at Brightscale, calling, "Wait, please!" She glances at the Fomorian, "Want me to go after her?"

Diarmaid nods, "Please." She walks forward as he turns around and rumbles, "Folks, I think something-" -- and before he can finish saying anything, Cinnamon steps beneath an almost gothic-looking arch... right as it collapses, bringing down a large section of ceiling with it!

Cinnamon yelps startledly, throwing her arms up to protect her glasses and head -- then just waits for the big, awkwardly shaped rocks to quit falling, hitting her, and trying to bounce her around! She slowly straightens a few seconds later, shaking rock dust off herself and looking around from the side of a heap of shattered rock that's taller than she. In fact, when everything's said and done, Cinnamon is on one side of a jumbled wall of masonry and stone that fills the entire width of the tunnel, with a jagged hole leading up into darkness. The little dragon calls anxiously, "Is everyone okay? Brightscale, where are you? Please come back?"

Cinnamon brushes off her hands, then takes off her glasses and blows the dust off them. Once they're back on, she squints upwards -- hmm... looks like a big section of ceiling came down too! Then she hears a little whimper nearby. That galvanizes her into action -- she calls out, "Brightscale! Is that you? Can you make some sounds for me, to help find you, please?" She starts carefully pulling herself out of the heap of rock that wants to trap her in place -- or at least that's what it feels like when they keep shifting and dropping on her instead of neatly moving to one side like she'd like them to! At the same time, she shifts back and forth between infrared and ultraviolet vision, searching respectively for a heat source -- or (which she fervently hopes not to see) the bright gleam of blood.

Cinnamon hears another whimper and Brightscale hisses softly, "Y-yes... I was... I was going to try to shore it up..." The little dragon finally spots the small reptilian, wincing and with her leg trapped under a large rock.

Cinnamon gasps in shock, calling, "Hold on, I'm coming!" She wriggles free of the last entrapping rocks, then nearly scampers over to where the little lizard-folk woman is trapped. Dropping to her knees next to Brightscale, she puts her hands on the rock -- then pauses. She can't roll the rock away, since that might crush some other part of the poor, trapped woman. Okay then! She's going to have to carefully lift it -- surely she can do that! She adds quietly, "Give me just a sec, okay?" as she stretches her arms out to wrap around the rock. A moment to huff a deep breath, then another... and then she does her best to lift directly up! She'll twist to turn away from Brightscale before putting the rock down again.

Brightscale whimpers, then pants, "I can't... concentrate enough to move it..." Her entire body is shaking, huge eyes squinted, from the pain. She moans as Cinnamon lifts the rock away from her -- then flops back, panting in relief. The leg is most definitely not looking good... though fortunately Brightscale isn't bleeding badly.

Cinnamon sets down the rock, then turns back to reassure Brightscale, "It's okay, you don't need to move it! Just stay still until we get our healer to you, okay?" She calls a bit louder towards the rock fall, in the hopes of being heard by her companions, "We're alive! Can you get Thorn here, though?" She studies the cave-in for a moment... then looks around for a safer place for Brightscale to lie, "Here, is it okay if I move you back to the wall? That way we can move rocks without risking you too. Let me help..." She does her best to shift the lizard-folk, but without jarring the damaged leg. Shortly after that the little dragon sighs in relief, straightening once Brightscale is safely off to the side and somewhat protected behind a boulder, "Okay! Let me do a quick first-aid check on your leg -- and once that's stabilized, I'll go see if I can tunnel us back to our friends, okay? Just call me if you need anything!" She's relieved there's no massive bleeding... but she doesn't like how tight the lizard-woman's face is from pain. Must get Thorny here soon!

Back a short distance, and just as the masonry is collapsing, a shout chokes in Thorn's throat before he realizes Cinnamon will be all right. A little architecture falling on her won't harm her! But he's concerned that Brightscale sped on ahead -- she may be hurt. He knows enough not to charge ahead into falling stones, however, so he holds back behind Diarmaid and (on the other side of the rock fall) Cinnamon. The Fomorian steps back sharply, waiting for the collapse to conclude. When it's finally just dust and gravel falling, he growls, "I think that's the only unstable place -- I'm not hearing anything else -- but let's give it a few minutes." He tips his head, listening.

Thorn doesn't want to set off another cave-in, so after a moment he asks Diarmaid, "Is it safe to go in?" before rushing forward.

Diarmaid is muttering under his breath as he touches various parts of the rock fall, but eventually he replies, "Yeah. We can get to her, but it's going to take some time."

Starhair looks nervous, her enormous eyes even wider as she tensely rubs her hands together. She points up near the top, speaking in Cherokee, "There's... there's a hole up there. I think if we can move that rock, someone can get through?"

Josie translates for Starhair, and Shane nods, "I think I can get up there. Diarmaid, I apologize, but you're... a tank."

Diarmaid snorts, "I'm a beast. That's too precarious."

Shane grins tensely, then slowly and cautiously climbs up the jumble of rocks, following Starhair's directions. Eventually he finds the rock she indicates, and calls down -- so as to get the rest of the party to move, "I think I can push this, but it's going to fall!"

Diarmaid looks up at Shane and calls back, "By 'fall,' do you mean it's going to tumble down here? Or do you think it's going to cause another collapse?"

Shane answers, "I mean it's going to come tumbling down toward all of you -- so you might want to move to one side so you don't get pancaked!"

On the other side of the rock collapse, Cinnamon gently pats Brightscale's clawed hand after finishing bandaging the poor woman's leg... then goes to see if she can shift the rocks -- wait! That was Shane's voice! She trots hastily over and calls up, "Hello? Shaney, is that you?"

Shane calls through the opening, "Hey, acushla! Starhair saw an opening." He flashes the red-filtered light so she can see where he is, "We're going to try to clear a path for Thorn!"

Cinnamon sighs in relief, "Awesome! Hang on, I'll see if I can reach you too!" She's left the big backpack by Brightscale, so she simply starts clambering up the pile of randomly scattered rocks and concrete chunks. Maybe she can help some, up there at the top!

Shane calls to Cinnamon, once he spots her, "We're going to try to open up a way wide enough for Thorn to get through. Diarmaid says he thinks it's stable enough for now."

Cinnamon grins through the dusty air at Shane, "Okay! Want me to give it a push?"

Shane considers, then nods, "Yeah. I think you might have better leverage for it."

"Okay!" Cinnamon glances around herself, making sure she's firmly braced... then she checks where Shane is, so she doesn't accidentally hit him with the boulder... and then she mutters, "Okay! Here we go!" She leans her shoulder into the boulder that Shane points out to her, shoving hard against it over and over, in an attempt to shake it free... and when she feels it start to shift, she calls out, "It's coming down soon -- watch out below!" Shane gets well out of the way, but stays at the top of the rockfall so he can keep an eye on any shifting. Diarmaid has his head tipped, listening for any hints of instability. A few more hearty pushes... and then, when the boulder abruptly starts to teeter over, the little dragon yelps and hastily catches her balance, then calls, "Here it comes -- duck, everyone!"

The boulder rumbles and smashes down the rocky slope, causing a smaller, rattling landslide of loose gravel, dust, and littler boulders. It takes a few seconds for everything to settle down again -- just as with the first rockfall. Once it's quiet once more, Cinnamon calls hopefully, "Can Thorny come up now? Brightscale could sure use a bit of healing, please?" She glances up curiously as it hits her -- isn't the hole in the ceiling right up above her? Where does it lead to? Looks like it leads to some kind of ducting that would take someone very small to fit into it.

Thorn clambers up the slope -- taking his steps carefully -- and through the little hole that's up there. He's extremely aware of any shifting rock or movement or the sound of rock shifting. Cinnamon tilts her head curiously as she studies the ducting... then (while Thorn is scrambling up the rocky slope) she calls down to Diarmaid, "Does the ducting here still work? Like, is it still hooked up?" Then she smiles at Thorn, offering him a hand through the jagged little hole, "Thanks so much for helping Brightscale, Thorny!"

Thorn smiles back as he takes Cinnamon's (unsurprisingly) strong grip, "It's the least I can do. Where are they?"

Cinnamon helps Thorn carefully down the dusty scree, "This way!" She leads him around a sheltering boulder, then smiles down at Brightscale, "Here's Thorn! He'll get you all fixed up." Looking back at Thorn, she added, "Do you need some light to see, Thorny? Or did Diarmaid give you one of those red-light head lamps too?"

Brightscale smiles at Thorn, the expression somewhat strained, "I was going to try to shore up the wall..."

Thorn nods, pulling the headlamp out and tapping it on, "Yes, he did." He smiles to Brightscale as he crouches beside her, adding, "I heard. It's all right. Just take a few deep breaths and we'll get you all taken care of." He takes a slow breath as well, then places a hand on Brightscale's arm, trying to visualize Brightscale's body and what injuries she has sustained.

Cinnamon glances over her shoulder towards the hole at the top of the fallen debris and worries a tiny bit -- hopefully Shane didn't think she looked too grubby? Just then, Diarmaid calls back, "All topside entrances were blocked off. Even the ducting."

Cinnamon huhs quietly to herself... so they'll have to clear all the ducting too? Okay... this is becoming a much larger job than she'd realized! She calls back, "Okay, thank you!" Then she looks back at Brightscale and Thorn, watching and waiting to see if her help is needed.

Thorn lets out a breath, "You're in luck, Brightscale. Your femur is unbroken, and there are only greenstick fractures in your tibia and fibula. I'd normally splint it and recommend bedrest, but we're in the middle of a cave system and I'm not comfortable inhibiting your movement here. So: please take a few more breaths, and just try to relax." He tries to take his own advice, focusing on the injuries Brightscale suffered, and visualizing the tibia and fibula knitting themselves back into solid bones.

Brightscale closes her eyes and reaches out, whimpering a little and clearly looking to hold onto Cinnamon's hand. It's obvious the idea of broken bones holds fear for her. Of course, the lizard folk have been living where medical care other than chirurgery hasn't really been available. Cinnamon settles down next to Brightscale, leaning forward a little as she takes the little lizard-woman's hand -- and hopefully at least slightly blocking view of Thorn, so he doesn't inadvertently spook the poor woman. The little dragon's voice is soft, confident and reassuring, "Don't worry, Brightscale! It won't hurt at all as Thorn heals you -- he's very skilled, and he uses magic!"

The little lizard woman relaxes and breathes slowly... and then her eyes pop open as the bones begin to knit themselves closed, and bruised flesh begins to heal. If someone weren't used to reading reptilian features, they probably couldn't read the awe there. Cinnamon smiles and pats the little clawed hand, "See? Told you he's awesome!"

Thorn lets out a breath when it's done, and smiles to Brightscale, "There you go. How are you feeling?"

Brightscale seems happily shocked as she moves her legs, murmuring something softly in a language Cinnamon doesn't know. Then she looks up at Thorn with a smile, "I feel very good!" A heartbeat later she frowns at the rockfall, "This is going to be in the way!"

Cinnamon laughs at that, then sits back and beams at Thorn, "Yay, Thorny! Thanks so much, guy!" She grins at Brightscale as she adds, "Can you, um... sort of part it, or whatever? Or should I just try to push some of it out of the way?"

Thorn says gently, "Take care of yourself, okay? When you get out of here, drink plenty of fluids and take it easy for at least a couple of days. You're healed, but your body needs to be reminded that it's healed."

Brightscale nods to Thorn, then carefully clambers to the top of the rockpile, where the opening is. She examines the rockfall thoroughly, then calls down for everyone to stand a little clear -- and then she starts to concentrate. Once everyone below is safely out of the way, the tiny lizard woman begins her humming and rocking. It seems she took Cinnamon's comment about 'parting' it seriously -- because, starting at the little opening at the top of the pile, the rockfall opens -- much like the images one sometimes sees of Moses with the Red Sea.

Thorn blinks, looking up at the stones. That is impressive to him! Moving stone like water would be amazing to the outside world. Heck, it's even powerful in the areas of supernaturals that he knows of! Cinnamon beams as she watches... then remembers something Thorn said. She hastily pulls a bottle of water out of the backpack, reshoulders it, then waits until Brightscale climbs down again to hand the bottle to her, "It's just water -- and it'll help you stay hydrated, like Thorn said to!"

Brightscale nods and takes the water, drinking it thirstily before giving Cinnamon a tired smile, "That was a difficult one. The rocks were all jumbledy. They did not want to slide nicely."

Cinnamon nods interestedly, watching... then curiously asks, "Any idea why the roof fell down? Like, it was natural, right? Not, um... not a man-made rockfall? 'Cause, I mean, if it happened because, say, a heavy wagon went by overhead... well, that'd mean this place needs some serious shoring up and stuff, right?" She waves happily as the rest of the group come stepping cautiously through, "Hi, peeps! We're all good here!"

Thorn nods to Cinnamon, "If something like that can cause a serious cave-in like that, then... yeah, there'll need to be a lot of work done here!

Cinnamon nods to Thorn, "Yeah. Hope it was just natural, myself." Her smile at Shane is a little uncertain, as she brushes her hair back behind one ear and hopes she doesn't look too much of a ragamuffin! Then she blinks at a sudden thought, "Oh! No, I get it -- it can't be from heavy wagons... or there'd be rockfalls all along this way!" She beams, nodding more confidently, "We'll be able to tell easily -- just look for rockfall. Lots of rockfall means lots of shoring up needed! So, hopefully there'll be no more!"

Brightscale replies, "It was made that way on purpose."

Shane comes striding up to the group and wraps his arms tightly around Cinnamon, burying his face in her hair. The little dragon's small, startled squeak is a bit muffled against Shane's chest... but then she sighs happily and relaxes, hugging Shane back. Wow, this is really nice! Shane must not like being underground very much... which means she's happy to offer whatever comfort a hug can bring him! It takes her a few moments before Brightscale's words register, in fact, since she's kind of lost in savoring how warm and cozy Shane feels. Jaeger and Diarmaid watch with silent amusement as Shane hugs the little dragon as if she might have gotten hurt -- and Josie outright giggles when Cinnamon nestles in! The wolf shifter can't help it -- she thinks it's adorable how clueless the two of them are sometimes. She knows what that scent means! Whey doesn't her friend, by now?

Eventually, however, Cinnamon turns her head enough to utter a confusedly inarticulate, "Huh?"

Diarmaid frowns at Brightscale, expanding upon Cinnamon's query when he asks, "On purpose? That arch is mean to be reinforced."

Brightscale shakes her head and points to a spot near Josie's foot, "I didn't see it before. Wasn't looking. Trap."

Cinnamon gasps at that, straightening and worriedly staring around, "A trap?! Oh, no! Or wait... was it a really old one?" She frowns as she adds, "We'll have to be more careful, going forward. Brightscale, what should I be looking for, please? I should be okay if I miss a trap, after all -- but I sure don't want anyone else hurt again!"

Brightscale nods, "Very old! Should not have triggered, just walking near it!"

Starhair creeps up close and says quietly, "I think I can spot those now." Diarmaid looks curious -- almost intrigued.

Cinnamon blinks fascinatedly at the little moon-eyed woman, shifting to Cherokee, "You can? Great goodness! If you point them out to us, then... Brightscale, can you defuse them?"

Thorn blinks. "Traps?" he asks. "But... who would have put them here?"

Cinnamon tilts her head at Thorn, shifting back to English, "Someone who lived down here a very long time ago, maybe?"

Brightscale thinks as she looks at Thorn... then says, "How old is the first wall?" Cinnamon glances curiously at Diarmaid for the answer.

Starhair nods to Cinnamon, "Yes. They... the color is different than the other rocks?"

Diarmaid thinks, then rumbles, "They closed the tunnels up in the early 1900s."

Brightscale considers, then replies, "Older than that by a little. Someone down here wanted to keep something safe. Like maybe this was their territory."

Cinnamon breathes a soft, "Wow! So if anyone's still down here, they've been hidden here for... maybe over a century?" She grins excitedly, whirling to look down the tunnel, "Let's go find out!"

Starhair and Brightscale talk rapidly together, discussing what to look for. Finally Brightscale looks back at Diarmaid, "They should walk in one line, like they are hatchlings. We want no one to step on the wrong thing."

Cinnamon smiles as she says to the two women, "Where do you want me? I most likely won't get hurt, after all?" The two small women put Cinnamon right between them, each of them reaching to hold onto a belt loop. She giggles quietly to herself -- she absolutely loves feeling useful! "Okay! Lead the way, then, and I'll go where you direct!" She's also inordinately pleased to see the two women, whose species were at war, are working together so well!

It doesn't seem to occur to Brightscale that calling a bunch of grown people 'hatchlings' might be offensive. Admittedly, Thorn isn't offended at all -- he might as well be a hatchling, for all he knows of living underground! Cinnamon already knows she is a hatchling to her draconic family member, so offense doesn't occur to her either. Diarmaid's chuckle at being bossed around by two women that barely come up to his waist is a deep rumble. He turns and looks at the people he's been told to treat like hatchlings: a seven-foot-tall wolf shifter, two ancient elven thanes, a human (as far as Diarmaid knows) who can heal with a touch, and a deadly half-beansidhe warrior. He clears his throat and rumbles, "Well, you heard the lady!"

Cinnamon giggles again, at that! Shane laughs as well and falls all the way back to be rear guard. Josie stays near him, while Jaeger and Oisin go in front of her. They figure Thorn will probably go in front of them, leaving Diarmaid just behind Cinnamon and the two small women. After all, he can apparently hear rockfalls about to happen, and the three women are guiding. Brightscale and Starhair chatter quietly together, in Cherokee, about things they see. These tunnels have clearly been modified in some ways too... which is visible when Starhair looks up and exclaims, "Someone has made a fort here!"

Cinnamon passes that information back to Diarmaid, then grins down at Starhair, "Is it trapped, or can we walk up to it? Or... do you think we should call out to it first?"

Starhair's already-wide eyes are even wider, "There's no one here still, but there are gates!" She points upward.

Cinnamon looks up to what Starhair is pointing at. How curious! How much 'up' can there be, after all... when the group only climbed down about 15 feet or so? The gate Starhair points at looks like a garage door or roll-top desk, in a way... and right now it is mostly retracted into a nearly-invisible slot in the ceiling, though it is still partially pulled down. Cinnamon brightens, "Ooh, interesting! Are there any traps on it, or can we go in?" Thorn frowns as he studies the gate. He's heard of the underground worlds of New York and Seattle, where in some places there are still storefronts and building entrances below ground, but this... this is something else altogether. Cinnamon studies the fort as she slowly adds, "Diarmaid, was this... added after the tunnel closure? Or was it here originally too?"

Diarmaid walks forward and looks up, head tipped, "I... can't tell exactly." He looks around, rumbling, "Huh. Looks like it's counter weighted, but I'm not seeing how to grab hold of it..."

Cinnamon glances down at the two women -- she's not about to step forward until they tell her there are no traps! She doesn't want to bring rocks down on anyone else, after all. Starhair looks around as Brightscale watches her. Eventually the Moon-Eyed woman says, "I don't see any of the wrong-colored rocks. But you need to be careful about ten feet past the door. I think there's a trip-wire."

Cinnamon translates for her friends, then nods to Starhair, "Okay. You two want to wait out here, then? Or peek in the door, so you can tell me how to undo the tripwire?"

Starhair replies, "I'll creep in. Do one of your friends know how to undo traps?"

Cinnamon blinks, "Huh, I don't know!" She calls over her shoulder, "Hey, does anyone here know how to undo traps?" She wonders if... maybe Oisin might? Hopefully they can direct her on what to do, as well! "I'm happy to do it for you, if you'll tell me what to do?" Thorn blinks. Traps?! There are traps there? He shakes his head -- he has no experience with traps!

Shane walks carefully forward, "Define traps?" His brows are drawn together, "I know how to unhook snares and disable a few simple things."

Jaeger is also carefully stepping forward, "I heard 'tripwire.' I can possibly help, but we'll need two sets of hands. You usually have to keep tension to disable one."

Cinnamon nods to the two men, then translates for Starhair, adding, "Is that what you need?" Starhair nods and motions the two men forward. Jaeger and Shane walk carefully; Jaeger is fairly well night-sighted, but the red headlamp helps. Cinnamon watches silently... then examines the garage-style door. She wonders if its size gives any indication of the size of the entity or entities that used to live here... and what happened to them, she wonders?

The tripwire is quite low to the ground -- low enough that anyone looking for something ankle-high might miss it. Diarmaid frowns when this is relayed to him, "Is it meant to trip you or are you meant to step on it?" Starhair shows Jaeger and Shane how to unhook the trip/stomp wire. Interestingly, Diarmaid can't reach the wooden roller door from where he stands. In fact, he'd probably have to have someone stand on his shoulders to do so. He rumbles, "I think there's something here to fit a hook into to pull it down..."

Cinnamon blinks at how tall the doorway is -- even partway down, it's too tall for Diarmaid?! "Good golly, how tall were the folks hiding here?" She steps carefully, in Diarmaid's footsteps, over to him, then asks, "Do we want to close it?"

Diarmaid is still examining it as he muses, "I don't know that we want to..." -- and right then Shane's voice snaps, "Fuck!" -- and the door slither-slides down with a heavy SLAM! between the two groups -- and there are sharp sounds like clamps snapping into place. Jaeger, Shane, Brightscale, and Starhair are now on the far side of the heavy door.

Josie yelps and almost scampers forward -- she scampers really well for someone her size. Thorn takes a sudden step forward -- but then holds himself in place, mindful that he just saw a trap being triggered. Cinnamon blinks -- then growls a little under her breath. Shane is on the other side of that door! She grimly looks back and forth for a place where she can dig her fingers in on the door, "We need to get that door back up!"

Josie sniffs at the door along the edges, where they're fitted into the wall in slots. The bottom of the door is sunk into the bottommost slot by a foot or so. Diarmaid crouches and studies the door as well, knocking his knuckles along it as if he's looking for hollow places. He snorts as he does so, "Wasn't a trap... huh." He seems oddly calm -- which gets him a little growl from Josie.

Unfortunately there really aren't any good fingerholds where Cinnamon could get her hands in, along the bottom. The little dragon frowns with determination, muttering to herself, "Okay... if there aren't any handholds... then I'll just have to make some! I can tear off a padlock, after all, so this... is not going to stop me!" She looks at Diarmaid, her voice almost as calm as his, "Where's the best place for me to punch a hole into it?" Thorn blinks at Cinnamon's turn of attitude -- and makes sure he's well clear of the door!

Diarmaid looks at Cinnamon incredulously, "What? Break it? This thing is amazing! I'm trying to find the doorknob! You've got infrared?"

Josie looks confused too, "What did you mean it's not a trap?"

Cinnamon narrows her eyes in confusion at Diarmaid, then shakes her head once, "What do you mean? Of course I have infrared -- we talked about it on the way in." She turns her head to study the door, using her various types of vision to check it out -- what is the Fomorian talking about?

Diarmaid rumbles, "I think if the metal parts of this thing haven't moved in a while, you can get their heat signature..." He points up toward the corners, then down along the sides, "I heard something snap into place. If you see heat along one of these walls, there might be a panel to press... or, hell, to pry out and dismantle."

Cinnamon nods firmly and starts scanning carefully at one upper corner, down along the side of the sliding door. As she does so, she calls out, "Can you guys on the other side hear us?"

There's a sharp rap at one side of the door, followed by Shane's voice, muffled but there, "Yeah. I can hear you." He sounds relieved, muttering, "Fuckin' wire snapped..." He must be really irritated to be swearing like that in mixed company, "There's some kind of clamp here."

Indeed, right where Cinnamon heard the rap: there's a faint heat signature. She brightens, "Ah, thank you! Hmm... okay, let me see if I can get through to it. Step back a bit, please?" She glances at Diarmaid, adding, "Unless you tell me a better way to do it, guy, I'm gonna try to punch my hand through and pry up the clamp, like you suggested... okay?"

Diarmaid rumbles, "Wait -- the stone by where the clamp is -- punch there."

Cinnamon nods again, "Okay." She touches the stone with a finger, "Here, right?" At his nod she steps back, shrugs out of the backpack, then steps forward again. Okay... she's seen Shane give a punch, and she's been shown how to punch with the butt end of a staff. She sinks slightly into a not-too-shabby martial arts stance, scowls at the stone as she makes a fist... then takes a deep breath. After that she performs her training as precisely as she can: a sharp, fierce kiai! -- and her fist snapping forward as hard and sharp and fast as she can!

The stone Diarmaid pointed out doesn't shatter, but it does sink into the wall by six inches or so, with a rusty screech. There's a muffled whoop on the other side of the door, and a pleased, "The latch opened!"

Oisin murmurs to Thorn, "That's... impressive."

Cinnamon beams at that, "Yay!" She grins as she calls back, "Where's the next latch, please?" She glances with her IR vision at the matching opposite side of the door, guessing there's another latch there... is she right?

Shane's voice is still muffled, "It's higher than I can reach..." Diarmaid comes over and, without asking, simply picks Cinnamon up like she weighs nothing. He rumbles, "Can you see another heat signature? If you can, do the same thing there, aye?"

Cinnamon gives a startled squeak -- then laughs! "Okay, sure -- you can brace real steady, right, Diarmaid?" She scans for the heat signature, satisfaction in her voice when she announces, "Found it! Hmmm... okay, here we go!" She shifts as best she can, within Diarmaid's grasp, to brace herself really firmly -- then repeats her previous 'fist, breath, punch-kiai!' methodology as best she can. Then she tilts her head, listening for a reaction from those inside once she's done.

There's another screech-click! and another whoop from the other side. Another cheer joins with Shane's -- and Jaeger's voice calls from what might be the other edge of the door, "There are matching clamps over here! Then we can try the handles on the insides of the door."

Cinnamon beams, calling back, "Okay!" She grins down at Diarmaid, "Can you hold me up to the clamp on the top-other side, please?" She tries punching with the other fist on this side -- she remembers Jaeger lecturing her on balance and teaching oneself to be as ambidextrous as possible with the staff, after all. First the one on top, with Diarmaid's kind assistance... and then, once she's squirmed to be let down, she tackles the last one, at the bottom.

Once the clamps are undone there's a, "One! Two! Three!" from the other side -- and the door rises -- surprisingly fast, actually, once Jaeger and Shane get it in motion! The elder elf actually stumbles slightly, with a surprised curse -- and Shane steadies him with a quiet chuckle. Thorn lets out a relieved breath... then frowns. Who puts a trap that closes the front door after the trespassers are already inside?

Cinnamon sighs in relief, rushing in under the door to fiercely hug both Shane and Jaeger, "You're all right! You scared us -- don't do that again, please!" She sighs a few moments later, deeply relieved... then frowns at Diarmaid, "So if this wasn't a trap... was it supposed to be a defense against outside attackers?" She considers for a moment, then nods slowly, "That's why they didn't want to trip -- it's where they were, right! They just wanted to stomp on the wire to slam the door shut, yeah?"

Diarmaid nods, "Exactly. Not a trap -- a panic button."

"I get it now! Okay, so..." Cinnamon looks around curiously, "this is what... their safehouse?" A slow grin crosses her face, "Oooh, I wonder what's in here! Maybe we can figure out what happened to them from the things they left behind?"

Both Starhair and Brightscale are chattering about the door, while Oisin and Shane have moved to examine the clamps. Diarmaid rumbles, "There's got to be a mechanism for unlocking this door from the inside too. I just didn't know how to figure it out from in here." He looks curiously around the place. The chamber they're in spreads out into a large, circular area. For the night-sighted who can see a bit further, there's some detritus here as well -- what looks like the remains of furniture, perhaps. Cinnamon starts pattering around to curiously examine the possible furniture bits. Maybe they'll help her figure out how big these folks are, or what shape they were?

It would seem the people here were shortish-human height. There are what look to be a couple of bunks which would be just about perfect for Cinnamon. There are a few utensils, though nothing much left there seems to be made of metal. Thorn follows the group in, trying to gather as much information as he can from just looking around warily. He keeps his red-hued lamp pointed at the ground so as to not spoil the dark-vision of the members of the group.

Cinnamon huhs quietly to herself, thinking. If there's no metal left behind, that'd say it's more -- or rather, was -- more precious, or difficult to find, maybe, than wood? Which she thinks is really interesting since she'd have thought wood would be harder to find underground. On the other hand... if this is from about a century ago, maybe wood actually was easier to find. If the city was small enough, and/or had a lot of parks or greenery surrounding it...? She continues searching interestedly -- including for doors or other rooms. She giggles quietly to herself as she thinks, [...but the third bed was juuuuu-ust right!]

Just as Cinnamon is thinking that, Shane mutters, "Do we need to be looking for glass coffins and poisoned apples?" Cinnamon giggles at Shane! She's still grinning as she keeps searching, and slowly following along with the two smaller women, Brightscale and Starhair, who are both chattering about how homey and nice this chamber is. They both make happy noises as they scamper toward the back and find an enormous hearth. The two smaller women point upward as they study the chimney, and Brightscale says to Cinnamon, "The chimney is closed off!"

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

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