Goblin Town -- Logs

At the Infirmary, Thorn comes in from the back -- and stops short, blinking at Shane. He glances to Cinnamon, then back to the half-beansidhe. "Uh... what hit you, Shane?" he asks warily.

Cinnamon turns pink again! "M-me!" She blushes even more at the not-quite-ultrasonic squeak, then mutters, "Ohmygosh this is so embarrassing everyone is going to know I'm even more clumsy than they thought Shaney -- I'm still really sorry even if you don't seem to mind!" She takes a deep breath after that word-blurt, then gives Thorn unwitting sad-puppydog-eyes, "Please, Thorny, can Shane have just a smidge of healing please? I... er, I, um, would be happy to buy you lunch too?"

Shane finally tips his head back down so Thorn can see the swelling, though he's turned a bit away from Cinnamon, "Big package, tiny dragon..." He holds his hand at the top of the package, then at the top of Cinnamon's head, demonstrating the height difference. "It created a blind spot and I was being... a beansidhe? We move like the shadows... oooOOoooo..." That makes him grin at his own corniness -- though, if Shane said it... it may actually be something more than a joke? Cinnamon blinks startledly -- and then can't help the giggle-snort!

Thorn laughs softly, stepping up to take a look, "I think that's doable." He uses a little bit of healing magic to visualize Shane's impending shiner into not be so blatant. However, as Thorn tries to push the healing into Shane, he can feel something's just... not right -- it's not working... which is strange. In fact, Thorn feels it... bounce, his fingertips reddening slightly. Cinnamon watches a bit anxiously, her head tilted to one side. Thorn blinks, then tries again... then stops when he feels it not working. He looks at his hands, seeing the reddening, "This is... odd. I'm not able to heal you, Shane, I'm sorry. It's... bouncing."

Cinnamon looks shocked, then horrified, "He... you... oh, no! Did I -- oh, this is all my fault!"

Thorn smiles gently, "I doubt that, Cinnamon. Likely it's just been a long day for me. Come on in, both of you, and have a seat. We'll treat it the old-fashioned way."

Shane shakes his head and squeezes Thorn's shoulder, looking concerned at the reddened fingers, "It's okay, dude. I don't think it's broken... or at least not badly. I'll just look like I got whacked -- which is fine!"

Cinnamon looks horribly guilty, but nods to Thorn -- then indignantly replies to Shane, "You being whacked is definitely not fine, Shaney!"

Shane looks down at her and smiles, "I was being vewwy, vewwy quiet." He actually looks abashed as he looks at Thorn, flushing, "Lorcan was trying to be suave and I think he misunderstood something my acushla said to him... and I wanted to see the look on his face when he realized she wasn't flirting with him."

Cinnamon blinks at that, glancing between Shane and Thorn, "Wait... what? Who was flirting with Lorcan?"

Thorn blinks as well, "I... think I see? Basically you sneaked up, Cinnamon turned, and... what she was carrying intersected with you? What was it?"

Cinnamon still looks confused, but obligingly holds up the (easily) 2' x 3' package, "This!"

Shane leans over and kisses the top of Cinnamon's head, "No one was. But I think he thought you were. Did you ask him something about experimenting?"

"I haven't had a chance to open it yet but, um..." Cinnamon blinks... then beams at the kiss, unwittingly giving a small, happy squeak! A moment later she blinks again, "I... wait, what?! Ohmygosh, did I -- did he -- but Lorcan -- b-but... but I was just talking...!" She cuts off, thinking for a second... then sighs in wry resignation, "Well, crabcakes... and flirtation is just talking, right -- Aisling and Quinn taught me that." She sighs again, giving Shane a wry glance, "Should I apologize to Lorcan for... well, for, umm... er, what do you call it when it's not really flirting but it sounds like it?"

Shane shakes his head and smiles, "Nah. He pivoted just fine... which is what I was waiting for. Lorcan's good people." He slides an arm around Cinnamon and actually groans in relief when Thorn's assistance seems to relieve some of the pressure.

Cinnamon sighs remorsefully, even as she tries to support Shane a bit, "Oh, Shaney! Why didn't you say it was hurting so?! I'd've run faster here if I'd known!"

Shane takes Cinnamon's shoulders in his hands and smiles gently at her, "My love, I'm a guardian. I'm gonna get hurt sometimes. Accidents happen. It's minor. I'm not upset and it was kinda my own fault."

Cinnamon still looks worried and apprehensive, "W-well, yeah, but... b-but it shouldn't be me hurting you, milse�n!"

Shane shakes his head and hugs her tight, "People accidently bump and trip and thump people sometimes, acushla. It happens. I'm amused at myself being all sneaky-sneaky when I should have said something. That's why I normally call people's names when I'm walking up to them."

Cinnamon hugs back tightly, then sighs in relief once it's all completed, her small smile still rueful, "Well, I still feel dumb... and thank goodness it wasn't worse! So, Thorny, want to come to Currier's Hall with us? Lorcan said he'd let us test some oakwood with him! I wish Hilde or Marcus were here, though -- I know they're both really curious about this too, after all. Oh, and afterwards, we can do lunch -- is Bunch o' Grapes okay with you guys?"

Shane nods, "I think having a medic there would be a good idea."

Thorn blinks and nods, "Yes, I think it'd be a good idea for me to be there, just in case!"

"Cool! Let's go, then -- don't wanna make Lorcan wait!" As she patters out of the infirmary, Cinnamon whispers to Shane, "Hey, Shaney? Do you, um... I mean, I know you have, er... distressed jeans since I've seen them, but... ummm, do you have any of those shirts like the one Lorcan was wearing today?" She turns a little pink as she asks!

Shane blinks and arches a brow, managing to keep the grin off his face, "Henleys? Yeah, I think I have one or two somewhere. Why do you ask?" He knows exactly why she asks, of course -- but he loves how pink she gets! Plus, he wants her to be comfortable asking for what she wants.

Cinnamon abruptly turns bright red! She mutters a nervous, "N-n-nuh-nothing!" as she speeds up a little... but then sighs as she realizes: she likely just hurt her poor sweetheart again -- darnit! She waits for him to catch up, her gaze determinedly on the street ahead of her -- and not glancing at all guiltily up at her Shaney not at all nopenope! -- and whispers, "Lorcan, umm... h-he, ah, his, uh... um, like... his departure? -w-was, er, was... uh, I, I th-think... Aisling would've liked it?" She slaps both hands over her mouth, realizing she's both starting to babble -- and getting squeaky!

Shane murmurs, "You mean his ass looked good in the jeans? And you'd kinda like to see me in jeans and a Henley, a ghr�?" His voice is low and playful, like it gets when they're alone -- and right up against her ear. He's clearly teasing a little bit! "I'd be happy to wear that for you, acushla."

Cinnamon squeaks in spite of herself, and her face feels like she could light a fire with it! She blinks a bit nervously up at Shane... but he actually... doesn't seem disapproving at all? He's even... smiling at her? Her return smile is a little hesitant, "You -- y-you... don't mind? It's... okay?" She nervously nibbles her lower lip -- but then bravely decides to go for it! "'C-cause if not? Uhh, I... I -- y-yeah? Please? Maybe?" She takes a deep, courageous breath... then nervously squeaks, "A lot?!"

Shane winks, though it makes him wince the tiniest bit, "I'll dig them out and wear them for you sometime soon. All you gotta do is ask. I want you to like looking at me as much as I like looking at you." By then, they've reached Currier's Hall, and he's grinning -- he's proud of her for asking!

Cinnamon stares in astonishment at Shane for a few seconds as she patters along next to him. Wow, that -- that was the nicest thing for him to say! She blinks, refocusing as they head on into Currier's, though her brain is going a million miles a minute: does this mean... does he maybe actually really like looking at her?! What a truly lovely thing, if so! A heartbeat later she glances around reflexively -- then waves, "Lorcan! There you are -- c'mon! Let's go experiment -- oh! Also, is Bunch o' Grapes okay for lunch for you?" She patters for the rented room, then carefully sets down her bulky package to find the key in her bag, "Also, we brought Thorny along! He wanted to observe, and be present in case of any emergencies or stuff, okay?"

Lorcan pushes off the wall he was leaning against, smiling. Hilde is with him; she's got a large tote full of... things. It's hard to tell what, though it's lumpy. Marcus is also there, dressed down a bit. Lorcan smiles and nods, "I'm good with almost anything if I'm not buying my own lunch." That dimple appears again, but then disappears.

Cinnamon brightens, "Oh, awesome, Lorcan -- thanks for finding Hilde and Marcus too!" She laughs at his comment, happily heading into the room and chattering about setting things up -- and completely missing the lovely innuendo! "Okay, let me get the steel ready and the wood but we're not going to tell you which is which okay so to make it more objective?" She wonders suddenly if Marcus has gotten his mail yet today -- eek! No, wait... even if he has, it's okay... Ingrid won't tell on her about the affirmation note thank-you! She's thinking about that, so it doesn't register at all that Lorcan has never seen her display her strength -- so she just lifts up the sheet of steel and leans it against the wall, then sets the stack of wood nearby. Once she has everything set up, she turns back to the others, dusting her hands off, "Okay! Everyone ready?"

Hilde moves toward Cinnamon, as the guys move to help the little dragon get the wooden layers ready, and murmurs, "Have you ever seen Lorcan out of uniform before?"

Cinnamon glances at Hilde, her eyes wide as she whispers, "No! Doesn't he have a nice, um... behind?" She giggles as she adds, "I bet Aisling would love it!" Her eyes sparkle with delight as she happily adds, "Plus, guess guess guess what I found out?!" She glances around to make sure no one else is near -- then whispers excitedly, "Shaney has Henleys and jeans like that too -- and he said he'd wear some for me, eeee!"

Hilde grins and nods, "I was tempted to head right back out the door and get her over here. He does fill those jeans out rather nicely!" The lj�s�lf laughs softly and murmurs, "Good for you asking your man to wear the pretty clothes!" She gently bumps Cinnamon with her shoulder and winks, lowering her voice, "Now to get you asking him to wear just jeans, half unzipped."

Cinnamon squeaks in shock at that last suggestion, her hands flying up to her mouth and her face flaming red again! That's about when Marcus wanders over and asks, "And what has the pair of you grinning like Cheshire cats?"

The little dragon is so flustered at Marcus abruptly (to her) turning up just then, that she can't even verbalize properly, "N-nuh-nothing! Er, I, I, n-no, it umm -- oh, crabcakes! Wh-what, again, please?" Yikes, this is not working! So Cinnamon hastily changes the subject, "Oh! Oh, also -- Marcus, if you wanna come along to lunch feel free I'm gonna open my package!" The she beams at Hilde, internally praying that her face isn't going to turn permanently flame-red, at this point, "It's really cool it's my new instrumentation wanna come see too?!"

Hilde smiles sweetly as she asks, "Marcus, do you own any jeans at all?"

He looks a bit confused, "Only a few old pairs from when I stayed in the trod a bit. They're good and sturdy. I think I even have a couple of thermal undershirts and flannels as well." He tips his head in perplexity, "Why?" Then he smiles at Cinnamon, "That's sweet of you to ask. I would like that very much."

A heartbeat later, both elves agree they'd like to see the new instrumentation. Cinnamon sighs in relief: successful subject change! "Awesome! Uhhh -- right! Right, okay -- l-let's go see if Lorcan's ready, right!" Moments later, Cinnamon picks up the first layer of wood, placing it between the steel and the rest of the room, "Okay, Lorcan! Come as close as you comfortably can -- then stop and tells us!" She's almost desperately trying to not think of Marcus and Shane there... both in distressed jeans and Henleys! It's not helping tremendously that Lorcan keeps reminding her of that mental image, alas!

Lorcan watches Cinnamon easily hefting around things that have to weigh well over 100 pounds! He quietly asks Shane, "Is this... normal for her?"

Shane just smiles and murmurs, "Dragon."

Lorcan raises a quietly impressed eyebrow! At Cinnamon's invitation to begin, he eyes the steel sheet and starts slowly walking toward it, "The wood is oak, right?"

Cinnamon grins excitedly, "Don't know yet! We're trying to do this without influencing you, remember? So it's most accurate? So stop as soon as you're uncomfortable -- we don't want to hurt you, after all." She knows, after all, that the group used magic marker to identify the wood types on the back... so once Lorcan stops, she can tell him.

Lorcan nods and mutters, "Now to see if I psych myself out." He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, "Gonna do it this way. Literal blind test." He's sidhe, so he doesn't veer off-course -- just walks... to within about two feet of it -- at which point he winces, hurriedly stepping back a couple of feet, "Nope." He opens his eyes to see how close he got, sounding surprised, "Damn... closer than I thought."

Cinnamon nods interestedly, "Close! But not leaning against it, so... I'm gonna guess this isn't oak. Let's check -- er, once you back up a bit more, please? Don't want you hurt from me moving the wood... okay, thanks!" Lorcan quite easily moves out of the way; he doesn't want to get hurt either, after all! Once he's back across the room, the little dragon tilts the wood forward, reading, "It's ash! Okay, next type..." She shifts planks around, then grins hopefully at Lorcan, "When you're ready?" She adds to Hilde, "Who's taking the notes today, please?"

The gealsidhe repeats what he did last time: closed eyes and walking unerringly toward it. He gets a little closer this time, but then shakes his head and takes a step back, "I'm gonna need bread and honey after this... but not much."

Cinnamon looks relieved, "No problem -- Bunch o' Grapes has both bread and honey, and baklava, if you'd rather!" She curiously adds, as she's shifting the planks, "This one's mahogany. Can I ask how old you are, Lorcan -- if it's not rude? Or... maybe it'd be politer to ask if you're over a century, I guess?" Cinnamon is guessing he is, since he's clearly much stronger than Marcus... but she figures she should check. Maybe guards are toughened up or something, for all she knows! She glances over and grins at Marcus, at that silly thought... and her grin unwittingly warms a bit as it registers: he looks nice when he's calm and in less formal clothes!

Hilde holds up the notebook she's jotting things down in, including how close Lorcan is getting each time and how uncomfortable he is on each iteration. Lorcan replies, "I'm two hundred and thirteen years old. Why do you ask? It's not rude to ask, just rude to insist if I don't want to answer."

Cinnamon nods and thanks Hilde, then grins at Lorcan as she waits for him to advance on the next set of planks, "I was asking because your reactions are different from Marcus's, and his are different from his father's, so I guessed age was possibly an indicator of strength?"

Lorcan nods as he starts walking forward again. The pine has him stopping short a lot further from the steel, though. He wrinkles his nose, "Is that a softwood of some kind?"

"Umm..." Cinnamon leans back to check the wood type, then curiously asks, "Is pine a soft wood?"

Shane nods, brows going up, "Yeah. It's almost the definition of softwood."

"Okay! Didn't know that -- thanks!" Cinnamon waits until Lorcan steps back again, then changes the wood paneling again, "Ready!"

This time, Lorcan walks right up to the wood until his hand bumps into it. He blinks his eyes open, muttering, "Stars and stones!" Tipping his head, he adds, "I can still feel it there, but it's... that's so strange..."

Cinnamon beams excitedly, bouncing slightly on her toes, "Awesomesauce! Can you lean on it, like Marcus did?" Lorcan shrugs, turns around, and leans back against the oak plank, crossing his ankles and his arms. Cinnamon laughs delightedly, clapping her hands, "Yay! How much you guys want to bet it's oak?!"

Shane is sitting on a table near Hilde; he grins. He first murmurs to Hilde, "That's a modeling pose. Think he's doing it on purpose?" Then he calls to Cinnamon, "I don't take sucker bets!"

Cinnamon laughs and nods to Shane, then grins at Marcus, "Just like with you -- isn't this cool information?!" She's propping up the second to last set of wood paneling and waiting for Lorcan to move... and so she pretty much misses the intended impact of the 'modeling pose.' As it turns out, Lorcan didn't actually realize he was looking like man candy; he stands and moves away. Cinnamon checks when she swaps the paneling -- then beams at Lorcan and her friends, "Oak! Okay, only two to go!"

Strangely, Lorcan gets closer to Elm than the others, but not as close as Oak. Cinnamon nods interestedly at that, checking with the two sidhe as she shifts the last panel into place, "So are elm and oak both... what, hardwoods or something?"

Marcus nods, "Elm is considered a soft hardwood." He tips his head and asks Lorcan, "What's your ancestry? Oak all the way back?"

Lorcan flashes a smile, "Great grandmother on my mother's side was Elm."

Cinnamon blinks interestedly at Lorcan as she pushes up her glasses, "Really? That's so cool -- so it sounds like this really is a trod-connection sort of thing!" She grins as she adds, "Last one! Want me to tell you what it is, or just walk first?"

Lorcan shakes his head, "Let me just try it out." He does the walk again, and gets about as close as he did for the ash.

Cinnamon grins excitedly once they're all done, and she's covered the steel and neatly stacked the wooden panels again, "That was willow -- and thank you so much, Lorcan, for helping out like this!" She patters over to give him a quick hug, if he doesn't seem to mind, as she adds, "Now: lunchtime!" Lorcan blinks in surprise, obviously not having expected the hug -- but he happily hugs back. Sidhe are physical people after all, and he gives good hugs. When she steps back again, Cinnamon beams at all her friends, "This was so cool! Marcus, if I remember your reactions correctly, I'm guessing your ancestry is all Elm, right?"

Marcus nods, "Indeed. Both sides going back as far as anyone remembers."

Cinnamon flashes a cheerful grin at him as she moves to link arms with Shane, "Very cool! C'mon, everyone -- let's go eat! I'm starving."

Everything gets tidied away and Shane puts an arm around Cinnamon's shoulder, leaning down to give her a warm, lingering kiss, "Food. Food is good."

Cinnamon mmms blissfully, her face still upturned and her eyes still closed for a few seconds... then she blinks and grins shyly up at Shane, "Okay!" She scoops up her package on the way out, happily adding, "This is gonna be so pretty, if Frazey was right about this artisan -- can't wait to show you all!"

Once everyone is seated at the Bunch o' Grapes, and orders have been made -- and Cinnamon has verified she's paying for both Thorn and Lorcan, please! -- the little dragon excitedly opens the package. Cinnamon also makes sure as quickly as possible, of course, that there's a basket of fresh bread and a pot of honey on the table -- and she thanks the server when it arrives as they're giving their orders. She squeals delightedly when she sees the new harness part, carefully removing it from the packing materials and laying it out across the table, "Look, look, peeps -- isn't it beautiful?!" The leather backing is a rich mahogany shade, and clearly has some sort of stiffening material within it, as it's got a gentle curve so it will lay smoothly across Cinnamon's draconic shoulders. The motif appears to be somewhat steampunky, with a number of instruments laid out in a useful dashboard-sort of layout. Cinnamon trails her fingertips with gentle appreciation across them all as she explains.

"Eeee, this is so cool and beautiful! Look, isn't this nice?! Here's the magnetic compass and a gyroscopic heading indicator, for cross-referencing each other... this is the astrolabe and sextant for day or night navigation if needed... over here is some basic smart stuff to have, like an altimeter, a regular mechanical clock, and a speedometer... ah! Look, this is really helpful -- the barometric pressure thingie will warn us if a storm is building! What else... ah, there's also these other gyroscopic instruments, see? This is the attitude indicator, which tells if I'm tilting off level with the horizon -- and the vertical speed indicator says if I'm rising or descending without realizing it."

Cinnamon beams, tapping the last item, "And this is just a darned useful thing that the crafter suggested to me -- a large pocket for a logbook or other stuff, with flaps that unfold for laying out laminated maps or astronomical charts while I'm flying!" She sighs happily, "This is so awesome! I should send something nice to the artisan... cookies or a present or something!" She picks up the astrolabe -- then blinks... then brightens, "Oh, wow -- look, guys! Best of all: all these things are either firmly pegged down onto the leather backing -- or have very light chains fastening them to it, where they belong!" She grins exuberantly at her friends, "Now we'll be able to fly more safely, over longer distances!"

Thorn looks impressed, "Oh, that's great, Cinnamon! Uh... do they make a dragon-sized sextant?"

Cinnamon laughs! "Oh, it's not for me to use -- see how this is all sized?" She holds up the sextant, "This is for whomever is coming along with me to use!"

Shane grins and says, "Whoever's in the seat on the harness behind this will be reading the sextant."

Thorn smiles, "Oh, I see! Heh... we'll have to get more lessons from the Havvarger."

Cinnamon nearly glows with happiness at Shane, her grin still somehow slightly shy, "Will you, umm... help me out with this, asthore?"

Shane rests his hand over Cinnamon's as he nods, "Of course, acushla."

Cinnamon nearly gleeees at Shane, entangling her fingers with his! A moment later she remembers herself, and grins a bit sheepishly at her other friends, "Oh! Also, important cool thing? It's all touchable even by sidhe or werewolves -- the guy covered any steel bits completely, and there's no silver at all!"

Thorn hmms, "That'll make repairs tricky, but better they're safe for all than that. That's cool! This should be really helpful!"

Lorcan leans over to examine the instruments, asking Cinnamon, "May I touch?"

Cinnamon nods cheerfully, "Please do! If anything, um... stings? -- I wanna know, since I want this to be safe for just about everyone!" Then she gives Thorn a curious glance, "Why would repairs be tricky, Thorny?"

Thorn replies, "Oh, if all the steel parts are completely covered, they'd have to be uncovered in order to get at them, that's all."

Cinnamon thinks about that... then smiles and shakes her head, "I think I'd just send it to the original artificer, actually? That way I'd be sure it was still in excellent shape."

Lorcan smiles almost roguishly at Cinnamon, then runs his fingers over the instruments as he examines them, "My cousin was a bit of a sailor before it got difficult to disguise oneself, and most ships became giant hunks of iron. These are amazing." His brows furrow, "I can feel the iron slightly... but only slightly -- not enough to even really cause discomfort. More the way you can tell there's a fire on the other side of a thick wall that has a fireplace on the other side."

Thorn says, "Oh, that's good to hear! Cinnamon, I think you have a winner here!"

The little dragon nodnods happily at Thorn as she watches Lorcan, with a delighted grin, "Yay! That means it's really working well, then! Thanks, Lorcan." As she's carefully folding away the lovely thing, she grins at Hilde, "So what's in that lumpy bag you brought, Hilde?" She brightens at another thought, and turns excitedly to Marcus as well, "Oh! Also, how's your traveling box coming along, Marcus? -and do you know when you and your father can talk to the prisoner?" Then adds to Thorn, "I'm really hoping they don't mind me being there, so I can learn more about negotiating. Do you wanna come along then too, if Marcus and Jaeger don't mind?"

Thorn has to think for a moment before he nods, "Yes, just in case, if I may?"

Lorcan leans back and smiles at Thorn, "I'd say having a healer at any type of interrogation is a good move."

Hilde laughs quietly and sets the bag on the table, "Stuff and things. But some stuff and things I wanted to give to you folks." She starts taking out packages wrapped in cloth, "Torben sent some stuff from the trod."

Marcus blinks at Cinnamon, then shakes his head as if he'd been distracted, "Oh... we actually thought we'd wait until one or both of his brothers were brought in."

Cinnamon blinks interestedly at Hilde, "Really? How sweet of him! Do you still want to do a dinner with hi- oh! Oh, Hilde! Would he maybe like to come to our weekly dinner get-togethers, night after tomorrow?" She laughs, bouncing slightly in place with excitement as she adds, "I'm planning on trying Steak au Poivre, with honey roasted asparagus and a blue cheese and bacon wedge salad -- would he maybe like that too?" Shen grins hopefully at Marcus, "Cool! We're just waiting on Spice to break the code, and Baird to come up with his plan, before we go after them too -- well, really, just call them in -- and what about your box? Any news?" She thoughtfully adds, without missing a breath, "Though maybe a slightly more savory veggie would work better? The steak's gonna be really creamy, after all, and the blue cheese salad dressing is really rich... hm... yeah, I'll have to check the recipe book for that!"

Hilde laughs quietly, "Is it food? Torben will love it. Do you know what his name means?"

Marcus smiles at the little dragon's enthusiasm, replying, "The box is coming along. It's going to be bulky, and definitely no one with claustrophobia will want to travel in it. I think the thought is to thin down some of the layers of foam, perhaps."

Cinnamon tilts her head interestedly at Hilde, "He said... it meant Thor's bear?" Shane, for once, didn't immediately provide the meaning of a name. The little dragon adds worriedly to Marcus, "Will that lessen its insulation abilities, though? Oh! Also, can it be collapsed, or is that too much to ask for in such a short timeframe?" Then she grins back at Hilde, "Then he should definitely come, okay? So, what'd he send you?"

Hilde laughs and nods, "Thor's Bear or Thunder Bear. Part of the reason Bear is in his name is because of his various appetites." She starts handing out packages -- one to Thorn, one to Shane, one to Cinnamon... even one to Marcus, "Presents!"

"Awww! That's so sweet of him!" Cinnamon beams at Hilde as she starts carefully unwrapping her present, "He didn't have to do that! Is he just being nice, or did I miss an Icelandic holiday?" Being who she is, of course... Cinnamon entirely missed the lovely potential innuendo regarding Torben's 'various appetites'!

Thorn blinks in surprise at the package Hilde hands to him, "Oh! Thank you! I'll have to thank him as well! What's the occasion?"

Hilde mms and her expression softens, "I think he's buttering people up, honestly."

Cinnamon giggles as she adds, "He better have remembered a present for you too, Hilde -- or we'll all be both shocked and disappointed in him!"

At Cinnamon's teasing, Hilde's smile goes positively impish and her eyes gleam, "Oh, I got several presents -- as I said, buttering people up. He really is quite a darling..."

As they unwrap the presents, each person finds they have intricately-carved stone Thor's hammers which look as if they're meant to hang on a wall or a door as some sort of ward. Cinnamon ooohs excitedly as she holds hers up, "How pretty! Are they home protection wards?" Then she blinks curiously at Hilde, "Buttering us up? Does he need something?" She grins bemusedly as she adds, "Why doesn't he just ask for help, if so?"

Hilde blinks as she sees what's being revealed from the packages, mouth hanging open in surprise for a moment before she remembers to add, "He's also quite a talented stone-worker... and if I'm not mistaken, he made those. Uhm... yes, they're meant to hang either on your door itself or on the wall you see immediately upon opening the door."

Thorn smiles, "Oh, wonderful! I think it would go well in my room at the infirmary. He does beautiful stonework."

Marcus' brows also go up and he starts to grin even more impishly than Hilde, "Ahhh. I see..." He looks to Cinnamon, "What she thought she meant was she thought Torben was trying to make friends. But what she means now is that Torben seems to be courting her... by offering personal, powerful, and valuable gifts to people he perceives to be important in her life -- people who are non-blood family -- because family is not defined by birth in their culture." Lorcan puts his elbow on the table and his chin on his fist, eyes bright and interested as he looks around the table -- as if this is the most fascinating stage play in the world! Shane's amber eyes are dancing as the normally quick-on-the-draw Hilde looks stunned and speechless for a moment.

Cinnamon beams at Hilde, "Well, if he's courting you, then I'll definitely have to thank him when he comes over for dinner!" She's delighted with the lovely, intricate carvings, her fingertips delicately tracing the intertwined cats, dragon, and eagle winding-beasts which extend over the entire piece, "It's carved citrine quartz -- nice chatoyancy! -- with... amber for the eyes, and inlaid detailing... there's red-gold scales and... platinum? -beak and claws... eee, so beautiful!" Thorn arches a brow amusedly, glancing to Hilde... then looks to Cinnamon as she notes the metals used. The little dragon beams at Hilde again as she adds, "Do you love him? He seems... at the very least, extremely fond of you?" She carefully tucks the lovely Thor's Hammer into her bag -- it's going up on the wall directly across from her front door as soon as she gets home again!

Hilde's mouth moves a couple of times before she shakes her head and finally speaks -- it may be the first time anyone at the entire table has seen her without a ready word or snappy comeback, "Platinum?! -and amber? Wh-what?" She shakes her head again -- not in answer to the question, but to clear her head, "He's... wonderful. I just..." Her blue eyes are wide as saucers... and then she narrows them at Marcus, "Did you...?"

Marcus tips his head, still grinning, "Did I what? Are you accusing me of telling Torben that you might be available to be wooed? Why would I do something like that? I barely know the man." Hilde almost glares at Marcus, nostrils flaring -- then closes her eyes and rubs her temples. If she outright accuses Marcus of meddling, it would sound a bit ridiculous now... because it's true: Marcus has barely interacted with Torben. But she's quite sure he's had a hand in this... and she's frustrated because this whole situation is making her blush.

Shane bites his tongue -- because Marcus asked three questions and made one truthful statement, thereby not outright denying having done what Hilde hasn't yet outright accused him of! The half beansidhe leans in very close to Cinnamon to whisper in her ear, "That, sweet acushla, is exactly how sidhe manage to get away a lot of their tricksy talk."

Cinnamon grins at Shane, her own voice a soft whisper as well, "That's really nice of both of them, then!" Then she giggles at Hilde's rather gobsmacked expression! "Hilde, you're gorgeous! You're smart and funny and... I don't know the words for it -- you... know what to do no matter what life hits you with? Why would Torben not want to court you? You're awesome!"

Hilde actually smiles shyly at Cinnamon when she opens her eyes again, "He's just... Torben's just way above my pay grade, you know?"

Cinnamon looks curious, "Why would yo-" The conversation is cut short as Spice comes nearly skidding into the room. Cinnamon blinks, then grins, "Spicy! Er, wait... is everything okay?" She takes in the young woman's breathless, disheveled look -- either she ran all the way here, or she had a tumble with Josie that didn't get cleaned up later! The little dragon grins at that thought, quickly offering a glass of water to her dear friend.

Spice's eyes are bright and she's grinning like a loon, "We cracked it! The fuckin' code is my bitch! Baird says he even has a voice modulator we might be able to use to make someone sound like the bigoted asswipe in the dungeon!"

Cinnamon blinks in astonishment, "You did? That's fantastic! Can we grab them ASAP now?!"

"The guys? Or Baird and his miracle doohickey?" Spice grins fiercely, "I mean, we can do the Secret Squirrel shit, but it'll take a day or so for the dudes to be in a grabbing place, probably." She's bouncing like a six-year-old on Christmas morning.

"The brothers!" Cinnamon excitedly adds, "What do you and Baird need me to do, Spicy, to move this forward? The sooner we can catch these goobers, the better, after all -- and if we can do it in the next, oh... two or three days? -then I can help, before heading off to Nusantara to help the volcano folks!"

Spice grins, "I think you might be transport!" Her dark eyes gleam, "Also maybe shock and awe? These douchecanoes need to understand they've fucked with the wrong people! I already called Sparrow to let him know what's up, so he's headed this way."

Lorcan shakes his head with a laugh, "Are you certain you lot aren't still cursed? I mean, not all of this sounds horrible -- but isn't there some sort of saying about 'may you live an interesting life'?"

Cinnamon blinks curiously at Lorcan, "Cursed? Why would having an interesting life be a curse?" She flashes a quick grin at her friends, "Especially if you get to have that life with really good folks?" She laughs, adding to Spice, "Happy to! Just tell Baird to let me know what he needs, and if he wants Thorn and Shane too he should invite them as well!" She tilts her head thoughtfully, adding, "Was there anything... interesting or useful in the stuff he wrote, though? Or was it mostly just a whole lotta ranting and raving again?

Spice rolls her eyes, "The same stupid, willfully ignorant, scared little boy, small dick energy bullshit most bigots come with -- misogynistic, xenophobic, racist... huh, what do you call anti-supernatural? Is that literally xenophobic...?" Then she abruptly shakes her head, "Anyway! So, their funding seems to come from like three or four rich guys -- I'm assuming guys here; women aren't usually this fucked up -- not some goddamn world-wide Illuminati shit!"

Cinnamon sighs deeply, in enormous relief! "Oh, thank goodness! Okay, we can take down the rich meanies later -- let's just stop the brothers first, for now." Thorn shakes his head in disgust. He knows the Oath is to 'do no harm,' but he doesn't want to get in a position where he's evaluating just what 'harm' is... but these bigots aren't making it easy.

Marcus's brows go up, "The actual Illuminati are..." -- but then he shakes his head and raises a hand, "Never mind. Not a discussion for now. Go on."

Spice nods, "So, yeah. Wanted to let you know before we pull the trigger on operation Racist Roundup." Shane snorts at the name of the sting they're pulling!

Thorn glances wryly at Marcus. He opens his mouth to ask a question, then closes it. He's right, not a discussion for now. Cinnamon too gives Marcus a curious glance -- but then nods in agreement: best not to get derailed right now! She grins at Spice, "Do it! Once we can get the financials from the research brother, we can maybe track down the doofus sponsors next... and I'm thinking we should do our best to fleece them of everything we can, and give it to the family of the folks they murdered!"

Spice beams almost maniacally, "Gonna do this from the place where we did that thing that time!" -- and then she's... gone...

Shane blinks and looks after her, "I don't know if that's a Hackers reference or if she means an actual place...?"

Cinnamon thinks a moment, then grins, "Well, it's either the Hackers quote -- which was awesome! -- or she's off to either my office or my home!" She laughs, adding, "My office is where we stopped the guy ripping off the mangroves NGA, after all... and we did all our hacking about Qadan's treason in my cottage. So I'm thinking Hackers!"

Hilde laughs, "So... both a Hackers reference and an actual place?"

Shane chuckles, "You know, you're right. I'm going to guess the cottage. It's more comfortable."

Cinnamon blushes and nods to Shane, "Yeah, I gave her the key back after, er... the, um... m-my, uhh... d-downtime?" She's too embarrassed to say 'my huge depression when I inaccurately thought you'd left me,' after all!

Shane nods, eyes softening at Cinnamon's stammering, "Of course, acushla. Giving her and Josie a key is a good idea. I'm sure they'd just get someone to pick the lock if they were truly worried." He puts his arm around her and tugs her close, causing her to beam as she snuggles up!

Lorcan too laughs, pushing to his feet, "This has been the most entertaining day I've had in months! But I do actually have errands to run." He offers his hand to almost everyone, then kisses Hilde on the cheek, "Please, feel free to ask me any time you need someone to experiment on." He winks at Cinnamon and saunters away.

Cinnamon beams at Lorcan, "Thanks so much for the help! Here, have the baklava to go!" She watches happily as he's sauntering out... then glances at Hilde and giggles conspiratorially, when she notices the lj�s�lf is also admiring that nicely wrapped derriere!

Marcus follows the admiring glances of the two women and smirks. Then he leans in to Hilde and murmurs, "Ah. Yes. Jeans. I do have a couple pair. Think she'd watch my arse that attentively if I wore them?"

Hilde manages to bite her tongue on her laugh and arches a brow, "I think you're getting close to redeeming yourself, but I don't know if you're backside-ogling close yet."

Shane looks at Marcus, "Okay... now that Tropical Storm Spice has left: the 'actual Illuminati'...?" Cinnamon giggles! Thorn too stifles a laugh at 'Tropical Storm Spice.' Then Cinnamon sighs happily and leans into Shane's warm side, as she smiles inquiringly at Marcus.

Marcus chuckles at the description of Spice, then nods, "Ah. Yes. They're supernatural-aware humans -- and they aren't a global conspiracy. They began a handful of centuries ago as a society to spread truth and debunk and disprove superstition. They were also anti-religion as part of superstition." He chuckles, "They started in Bavaria. The only issue with them being very thorough and having some very intelligent humans amongst their members was..." he shrugs elegantly, "they found the things they were trying to disprove the existence of."

Cinnamon laughs! "How awkward for them! What'd they do?!"

Thorn too laughs softly, "Whoops!"

Marcus grins, "Became fascinated, mostly! Realized that most of humanity -- superstitious and closed-minded as they are -- would be better off not knowing about us." He smiles wryly, "Apparently we supernaturals started to think they were wrong." He shakes his head with a sigh, "Thank you all for helping me pull my head out of my... the sand."

Cinnamon smiles warmly at Marcus, "Oh, don't feel bad about it, Marcus. It's hard to change your mind -- I should know!"

Shane nods as he watches Marcus curiously, "Ideas actually change the pathways in the brain. Creating new ones is difficult, and can be actually uncomfortable." He's leaning back a bit and nursing his drink.

Cinnamon blinks interestedly up at Shane, "Really? Wow, that's cool!" She grins as she adds to everyone else, "I learned in college that it was smarter to not identify yourself with your beliefs! That way, learning new things and changing your mind isn't as scary."

Shane nods, "Mmm, Mum learned it on one of her psych rotations in nursing school. One of their exercises was to close your eyes and think of when you go shopping." He flashes a grin at the elf and the lj�s�lf, "In a human supermarket. Different than here, but... it might be close. Think of the path you take through the store. Most people take the same one every time. Like, they go right, through the produce. Or, I guess, in a street market: you start at one end and with a specific stall..." Both Marcus and Hilde nod slowly. Shane nods back, "Okay, now imagine going to the other end or other side to start your marketing..." Hilde wrinkles her brow, and Marcus' brows go up, at how oddly uncomfortable the thought is. Shane nods, "Actual physical links in your brain are doing that."

Marcus considers, then looks thoughtfully at Cinnamon, "Explain, please?"

Cinnamon giggles at Shane, her eyes dancing, "What a cool idea! I'll have to try that at some point!" She grins at Marcus, "What, the thing I learned in college? Oh, well... see, there's lots of things that are, um... like, really polarizing ideas for humans? Like... women's rights to healthcare and abortions... or gun laws." She smiles and shrugs wryly, "The problem is when someone is so closely identified with their beliefs that they can't change any more! Like, say you believe in gun rights, okay? But you're starting to realize that a lot of children have died because of that... so that would ordinarily mean that maybe unrestricted gun rights are a bad idea, right? But... if you admit that when you've so closely identified with that belief, then... doesn't that mean that if unrestricted gun rights are bad -- then that means you're bad too?" She shrugs a bit sadly, "I mean, obviously you're not -- it's the belief that's bad -- but it's really scary to... to sort of divorce yourself from something that was so, um, so integral to your entire worldview, y'know?"

Marcus smirks a little -- it's obviously a self-directed expression, "Or, I bought into the idea that because we're longer-lived and have abilities beyond the human, that we're better than they are. When the actual truth is that we're simply different... and some of those differences actually make us quite vulnerable." Hilde manages to do a good job of not staring in amazement at Marcus as he speaks!

Cinnamon nods earnestly, "Right?!" then grins happily, "I'm so glad we can talk about it now, instead!"

The elf shrugs and rubs at the spot on his head that took the blow Thorn helped heal. It's a habit he's picked up: the wound may be healed, but there's some lingering ghost pain, "If Tre and Navin hadn't found me, I'd have been taken to a human hospital... and from what Tre tells me, there's a great deal of steel and iron all over the place there. They may not have known what I am, but they would have known what I'm not." He doesn't mention he's had nightmares about that.

Cinnamon nods gravely to Marcus, "There is a ton of steel, yes... because it's easily cleaned and sterilized, and that's important in a hospital." She smiles encouragingly as she adds, "But first: you didn't end up there! -and second, even if you had? They truly would have done their best to help you." The little dragon still believes in the inherent good nature of those in authority, not having had much exposure to them. She continues, "Fortunately... Tre and Navin found you first, and after a while we stumbled across you all -- and now you're back!" Cinnamon has the oddest urge to lean forward and gently squeeze Marcus' hand reassuringly... but she catches herself before she does something that would doubtless make him feel awkward!

Shane can't help wincing at Cinnamon's insistence that human doctors would have done their best to help Marcus. He's of the opinion that what would have actually happened is more like ET: hospital lockdown and Marcus taken away to some sort of supernatural Area 51. The half-beansidhe stays quiet about it, however. Marcus catches Cinnamon's half-hearted motion and smiles, but doesn't reach back -- he knows that'd be the opposite of 'just be there.' Hilde pushes to her feet, "My friends, I need to go do... a thing..." She still seems a bit off-center.

Cinnamon blinks up at Hilde, "Okay... um, are you okay, Hilde?" Thorn tilts his head to the side, looking up at Hilde at Cinnamon's question.

Hilde laughs and -- since Shane is present -- replies, "I'm a little... knocked for a loop! I'm going to go ponder this whole 'Torben might be trying to court me' thing." She shrugs and smiles, "I don't like being caught off-guard... even if it's a pleasant thing."

Cinnamon looks puzzled, "But Hilde... why would you think he's above your pay grade? You're an awesome person! Everyone knows you're going to marry just for love, too! So... well... do you need anything we can help with?"

Hilde clears her throat, "Because Torben is..." she makes a vague waving gesture, "Torben." She laughs a bit, actually blushing -- and Marcus' grin widens as he watches. Hilde is almost never like this! She continues, "Torben is quite a bit older than he seems. I've known him since always." She shrugs again, "And I'm not usually unaware of someone being romantically or sexually interested in me."

Cinnamon looks confused even as she nods encouragingly, "He is that, yes! Umm... though... well, I'm not the most, um... perceptive person when it comes to romantic stuff, but... I mean, it was clear he was interested at you at the Samhain Ball, wasn't it? Or... was I totally wrong there?" She thinks a moment... then nods slowly, "Ooh... you want someone closer to your own age? Is that it? Or... is it that you don't love him?" She smiles at Marcus as she adds, "I think it's very, um... courageous? -of you to be willing to marry just for politics -- I don't think I could do that, unfortunately. But I also think it was really nice of you to realize Hilde wasn't in love with you too... and break the engagement for her!"

Shane leans in and murmurs, "Acushla, I think she's saying she didn't realize just how interested Torben was. She thought he just wanted to be friends that sometimes have fun in bed together. Like Aisling enjoys doing with some of her male friends..."

"Ooh! I think... um... maybe I get it?" Cinnamon smiles apologetically at Hilde, "I'm sorry, Hilde. I don't mean to be dense. I'll hush now."

Hilde saw Shane lean in and murmur, so she just chuckles and smiles, "It's okay. I just need to go sit with this a bit and then talk to him and clear things up." She bites her lip, looking her actual age for once, "It's certainly an interesting thought." Then she grins and slips out.

Cinnamon watches thoughtfully... then huhs quietly. She's silent for a moment before she finally perplexedly asks, "Is Hilde really surprised... that someone might fall in love with her? Or... oh, does she think Torben's interested in her for, um, some political gain? Though... is he... even political?"

Thorn purses his lips, "I think that's what she's trying to figure out. Well, I think she's trying to figure out a lot of things about this. She never expected Torben to be interested in her romantically, I think."

Cinnamon considers that for a few moments... then shakes her head bemusedly at Thorn, "But... she's gorgeous, she's funny and smart, she's a councilor... she's not like me, for example! Like, what's not to like, you know?" She is -- unsurprisingly -- completely un-ironic in all her statements.

Marcus bites his tongue for a moment, then replies, "I believe the issue is that Hilde has had a crush on Torben since she was approximately nine years old, and therefore sees him as somewhat out of range for her. Things like the bet they had at the Samhain Ball are dismissed as the playful sort of thing he always did to indulge her... except he hadn't seen her for a good five years." He leans back in his chair -- this is definitely unlike Marcus used to be! "She was still seeing herself as the little girl who the important, handsome man doted on and indulged. He has finally seen her as... well... as she is."

"Oh!" Cinnamon grins ruefully, "Okay, that... actually makes more sense to me now." She beams excitedly, "That's fantabulous, though! Maybe we'll have a wedding sometime this year! Or wait... it's handfasting here, right?" She laughs, clapping her hands and bouncing slightly in her seat, "How cool! This'll be the first handfasting ceremony I've ever seen!"

Shane smiles down at Cinnamon's excitement; he's hopeful they two will have one of those of their own, at some point! "Well, some folk do weddings, but it's mostly handfasting, yes. Since none of it is registered with the human authorities, what matters is what's meaningful to the people involved. I still don't know the vows Quinn and Mum made to one another. They both say that was just for them and all anyone else needs to know is that they're as in love today as they were then -- and neither of them thought any stupid obedience or monogamy promises were needed." Cinnamon nods thoughtfully at that.

Marcus nods, "My parents' handfasting was in front of their entire trod because Vater is an Elder. They made some vows publicly, but some were done privately." He smiles quietly, "They handfasted for love. I intend to do the same if I'm ever lucky enough to be given that honor."

Cinnamon blinks in surprise at Marcus, "You do? But... why did you wait so long to break your engagement with Hilde, then... if you weren't in love with her?"

Marcus smiles quietly, "Because it took me a while to make that decision -- up until rather recently, I was of a different mindset -- and one doesn't lightly break something like that. Especially if one does have truly affectionate feelings of any sort for the other party. Hilde's a friend."

Cinnamon nods slowly as she considers that, "Okay, I... can see that, yeah." She's at first surprised, then pleased, when a runner comes dashing in at that moment, with a note for her: Himeko has managed to arrange a Chinese tea ceremony for Cinnamon for tomorrow! She explains Aoi was willing because a) the Chinese tea ceremony is much more informal than the Japanese one, and b) Cinnamon was sincerely asking for any assistance or wisdom regarding the Nusantarans. After that, the little group relaxedly finish lunch together... and then Cinnamon asks Shane to help her remove her dragon-harness for the leather-worker. That entails leaping up onto the roof of Currier's Hall, since the main circle is quite busy currently with normal daily traffic. Eventually, though, both it and the beautiful new instrument panel have been given to the leatherworker within the palace, to be neatly fastened together as quickly and beautifully as possible.

Elsewhere and earlier...

When Marcus receives the note in his daily mail, he arches a brow at it. A neatly calligraphed 'Thank you!' -- with no signature, no letterhead, no clues at all? True, it might not be Cinnamon... but Marcus strongly suspects this indeed is her response to his affirmation for her! So this time he thinks for a moment... then grins and sits at his desk to write something a bit more substantial: 'No thanks are needed when someone states a simple truth. Your smile is dazzling, and the fire of your hair nearly as bright.'

Consequently, when Cinnamon and Shane return to her cottage after the lunch with Lorcan, the little dragon finds the note tucked into her doorframe. She smiles uncertainly at it as she reads, with Shane curiously reading over her shoulder as well, as she holds the note so they can both see. To Cinnamon, this seems to have gotten... a little formal? Sort of like poetry, where you use extravagant metaphors to describe things, she thinks -- which would explain why such lovely words are being used to describe something so mundane as herself.

As a consequence, the little dragon is a bit uncertain as to how to properly reply! Hmm... maybe while she's packing her bag and heading up to her office for the afternoon, she'll ask Shane a bit more about how to penpal. She knows Quinn apparently writes highly inflammatory notes to Shaney's mom, Janet -- or at least that's how Aisling's cheery assertion of: "he writes her love letters that would make your head explode in parts," translated in Cinnamon's head. Further, the little dragon herself writes cheerful, friendly -- and calm -- letters to Janet as well. This, however... hm. Probably needs to be safely somewhere in the middle of those two extremes? She giggles softly to herself at the thought, as she heads on into the cottage with Shane.

It's as she's walking towards her office with Shane, though, that the brilliant idea hits Cinnamon: why not use poetry to reply?! As she excitedly explains to her beloved, "Jalil said to me once that when a poet or poem really speaks to you, it's 'cause they're saying the things you want to say but don't know how -- which is because they're being a beautiful window onto your own soul, right?! So if I want to reply but don't know how, then doesn't it make sense, asthore, that I should try checking to see if poetry can say it best for me?" She beams at Shane, adding, "I think I've narrowed it down to a handful of poems by Emily Dickinson! Now I'm just trying to determine -- do I want to reply about hope? Or gratitude? Or more ambiguously?"

Once she's in her office, Cinnamon mutters happily to herself as she scribbles notes and flips through windows on her little laptop, her lips moving silently as she reads and re-reads the lovely, well-known and -beloved lines. Finally she (unwittingly) frowns with determination, "Okay! This is Marcus, after all. Hilde said he was just trying to be nice and get me to smile, so... I think we're going to go with an entire poem, rather than just part of one -- and we're going to see if he assumes it's all about him, or realizes this is just... sorta the first steps towards friendship with me." The little dragon grins up at Shane with very nervous excitement, adding, "Wish me luck -- that he's not just being a goober!"

Cinnamon doesn't realize it consciously... but she's actually a bit emotionally afraid of Marcus right now. She's always had strong feelings for both Shane and Marcus because of how beautiful they looked on the outside... but Shane was always more special to her because as far as she could tell, his emotional insides matched his outsides. Now that Marcus is slowly, visibly starting to change in the same manner? Cinnamon's a little scared of how... how lovely he feels to her! So she's unwittingly slightly distancing herself by using poetry to reply. Not only does it allow her to claim he's reading more into it than she meant, if things get ugly again... but also, she's actually terrified of receiving yet another shatteringly excruciating emotional heartbreak.

Plus... if he doesn't hurt her this time around... she can surely always slowly allow herself to be a bit more personal later, right? So the little dragon nervously, happily dips her beautiful new pen in her inkwell, takes a deep breath -- okay, this is gonna work this time, right? -- and begins her careful, neat calligraphy:

Gratitude� is not the mention
Of a Tenderness,
But it's still appreciation
Out of Plumb of Speech.

When the Sea return no Answer
By the Line and Lead
Prove it there's no Sea, or rather
A remoter Bed?

by Emily Dickenson

The poem is on the back of the paper Marcus just sent to Cinnamon... just as he did with her affirmation. That too makes Cinnamon smile, before she takes yet another deep, nervous breath... and then sends it off via runner.

The next time Cinnamon sees Marcus is at staves practice that afternoon. It's a good one, as Baird and Shane are patient and thorough teachers. Interestingly, two more people from Coblyn come in and ask to join... and Cinnamon has to cover the giggle when they both blink and do a doubletake at seeing Marcus there, working out just as hard as everyone else! Only once the hour is up, and everyone has thanked their teachers and headed off, does Cinnamon turn to Shane and Thorn to bemusedly ask, "Is it just me... or is Marcus turning up all over the place recently?"

Shane arches his brow, "I... hadn't actually noticed? I haven't seen him more than normal."

Cinnamon tilts her head thoughtfully at Shane, and mentally reviews the times she's been out and about with her lovely asthore. Hmm... "Huh! Actually... I think you may be right, Shaney! He usually seems to appear here, and when I'm with Jalil, now that I think about it." She grins uncertainly at Thorn, "What do you think?"

Thorn blinks a bit, "I... maybe? He's certainly not brooding... he actually comes off as very pleasant. Definitely not how he was when I first met him....?"

Cinnamon nods several times, "Right?! It's so weird -- he's being so... so nice!" She giggles, adding, "It's like he's a pod person but nice, you know?"

Shane cuts his eyes toward Thorn and grins, "So... when you examined him. You're sure it was him, right? Not a pod person or a bug in a Marcus suit?" Cinnamon giggles again at that!

Thorn arches a brow. "Most definitely not a pod person," he says wryly. "Nor an insect in a Marcus suit. No, he's not showing any sign of being anyone other than he is... so the only thing I can think of is that little time with him being lost with the unhoused people... did him a world of good!"

Shane nods slowly... then groans, rubbing a hand over his face, "So basically we've got a reformed Marcus. I'm honestly not sure how to deal with this." Cinnamon laughs again!

Thorn shrugs -- not unsympathetically -- and smiles, "Deal with it just like it sounds. If he's indeed reformed, he'll be a pleasure to have around. In my experience, someone can't 'fake' being reformed for long. At some point the truth will out."

Shane nods and sighs, "It's hard to fake being reformed around someone that can hear when you're bullshitting." He's befuddled enough not to censor his language... but then he smiles at Cinnamon, "Though I'm pleased he's not giving me reason to break his nose again, acushla."

Cinnamon blinks at Shane as she pushes her glasses up... then smiles uncertainly, "Oh, well, umm, p-please don't feel -- I mean, not on my account... or anything... umm... okay?"

Very early the next day, Baird sends a message to the group, through Spice, that the 'grab' for the Bigot Brothers will be that night, well after dark. Cinnamon sends back confirmation that she can make it -- but then realizes: that means tomorrow evening may be full of dealing with the prisoners! So she sends out messages to all her usual weekly dinner participants, explaining her issue and inviting them to please come have dinner with her tonight, pre-mission, instead. She also specifically invites Hilde to bring Torben as well!

As it turns out, Tre and Navin are booked this early evening, so they send their regrets -- maybe next time! Thorn too sends his regrets, since he's booked for late afternoon -- but maybe he can make it in time for dessert? Shane, of course, will be there, and messages agreeing to the change in time arrive as well from Josie and Spice, and Hilde... though she doesn't mention if Torben will be there or not! That makes Cinnamon laugh, though she's not worried -- she routinely cooks for almost double the number of folks expected, since she likes being able to accommodate walk-ins... and she loves having delicious leftovers for her and Shane, for later!

Meanwhile, Marcus has been taking his father's subtle advice to just be there for Cinnamon. After all, that's how most courtships start out! At the moment, it's nearing evening and he's putting a couple of finishing touches (including a small posy of flowers and a small chapbook of poetry by an obscure German poet) on a basket of goodies supposedly from the Residence chef. Marcus took careful note of Cinnamon's favorites from the tea party, and has sweet-talked the kitchen-proud chef into making each of them for the lovely little dragon. He also charmed -- the normal and not knack-based sort -- the recipes out of Chef and has tucked copies of them into the basket. The Germanic elf is feeling quite cheerful as he makes his way down the street toward the cottage next to the bakery. It's late enough that Uta has shut down for the day, but there's still some lovely scents as Marcus draws close. There's also the muffled sound of cheerful conversation and laughter.

Inside her cozy little cottage, and just before the salad course is to begin, Cinnamon is excitedly showing off her new little tea pets that she bought today: "-and this one was a gift from Himeko -- see? It's a little fire dragon! She called it a qilin, or lion dragon, and Aoi said it should be placed facing the door or a window when it's on the tea table!" She blushes as she adds, "It, umm... Himeko told me the qilin is a symbol of kindness and good luck, and that Chinese people use qilin to refer t-to, umm... to outstanding and noble p-people... so it -- it s-suited me?" She hastily adds, to cover her slight quaver of uncertainty at actually being noble or outstanding, "Oh! Uh, a-and according to legend it only appears in peaceful times, so it also represents peace and longevity!" She's still blushing as she taps the tiny head of a small, grumpy looking tiger, "I also got a tiger to go with my little elephant. I figured if the elephant is symbolic of water and wealth, then having a nice tiger too will help me w-with... with getting better at courage and will-power, you know?" She laughs again, blushing as she adds, "I did not get a pee-pee boy tea pet, though -- those were a little, um... too graphic?"

Cinnamon grins ruefully, "It was so hard to just pick two! I'm glad Himeko gave me the little fire qilin, since that was totally on my list to get -- so I was able to get two others as well!" She doesn't mention the little pig tea pet Himeko had almost given her. The kind-hearted Japanese woman had noticed Cinnamon's small, unwitting flinch at being presented with a pig, and shifted to offering the qilin instead. Cinnamon, after all, had forgotten that pigs represented good fortune and wealth to the Chinese, and was only remembering unkind name-calling she'd gotten as a child.

Outside, Marcus takes a deep breath and knocks on the door, head tipped to see if he can sort out the voices inside the house. Cinnamon brightens at the knock, "Oh, yay! Maybe Thorny was able to come early!" She grins at Torben quietly watching Hilde, as the young woman giggles over the cute little tiger with Spice and a wagging Josie... and her happiness blooms even more brightly within her as she sees Shane smiling fondly as he strokes a gentle finger along the tiny fire qilin! She bounces to her feet, feeling warm with pleasure at all her friends having such a nice time, and chirps, "Right back!" Trotting over to the door, she's still beaming as she swings it open, "Hi the- oh! Marcus!" She laughs, "Not who I was expecting, sorry! So what's up, dude?"

Marcus starts to open his mouth to say hello -- and is struck temporarily dumb -- because Cinnamon is simply glowing. Her hair is picking up glints from the setting sun that are adding gold to the crimson, and he wonders for a moment if she realizes there's no more brown left. The glint of the sun still pales in comparison to the light in her eyes and the curve of happiness on those luscious lips, though. His eyes get stuck there for a moment, remembering being lucky enough to have tasted them at one time -- then he hastily jerks his gaze back up to her eyes with a smile, "I brought you some treats... I didn't realize you had so much company." His fingers twitch, but he stops himself from either brushing her hair behind her ear or -- stars and stones forbid! -- sliding his fingers into it and leaning down to kiss her.

Cinnamon blinks curiously, that delighted grin still curving her lips, "Treats? Oh... kaaay..." She laughs, adding, "It's not really the season for having to do tricks for them, though, is it?" She's too polite to simply reach for the basket on Marcus' arm... but she is beginning to wonder a bit bemusedly at how he seems... almost a bit disoriented? Well, no worries -- she can be patient, as long as he's nice!

Marcus doesn't quite shake his head to clear his mind, but he does a couple of quick blinks and smiles, his own lips warm and his cheeks flushed, "No. Not that time of year yet, and not quite Yule -- but just-because gifts are even more lovely." He holds the basket out, "I can see you have company."

Cinnamon grins cheerfully at Marcus as she accepts the basket, "Thank you! So... why just-because treats?" She gently opens the contents, folding back the cloth... then squeaking an excited, "Oh, wow! It's some of those yummy savories we had at the tea at your place -- yay!" She blinks as she brings out the little posy of flowers, "Oh, how pretty! Mmm, smell good too-" she giggles as she grins almost mischievously at Marcus, "Do the flowers have meaning, or are they just to make everything smell nice?" She giggles again as Marcus gets that slightly... distracted look? -- again, though the little dragon would probably blush hotly and reflexively slam the door out of sheer fright, if she knew what was going through Marcus' mind as she raised the flowers towards her lips, for a sniff! Instead she smiles and leans against the door-jamb, thinking for a moment. Hmm... yeah, she's got plenty of food! ...and he seems like he's being nice...? Though... better she check, first. Turning her head a little so she can still see Marcus, but can also call over her shoulder to Shane, Cinnamon shifts to Irish Gaelic, "Hey, my treasure? Could you check if anyone would be at all uncomfortable if I invited Ma- aaah, the son of Elm -- to have dinner with us tonight?"

Marcus clears his throat, "All flowers have meanings." The posy is honeysuckle, cornflower, and yellow pansies. "They're three of my favorite blossoms, and made me think of you. They're sweet, after all... and yes, I remembered you liked some of those... sav... or... ies..." He trails off as Cinnamon calls over her shoulder. He knows a bit of Irish after having been around the Celtic beansidhe for a while, but not enough to pick up everything she's saying.

Cinnamon blinks as she waits for Shane's reply, and glances back at the little posy. Is that flower... oh, wait -- Western meanings, right! Still, she thinks remembers some of these? Let's see... yellow pansies are 'thinking of you,' right... and those gorgeous, wispy, almost fairy-like blossoms are honeysuckle! That means, umm... whoa! Cinnamon blinks in surprise -- don't they mean 'devoted affection'?! ...no, that can't be right -- why on earth would Marcus tell her that? She'll have to go back and check her books again -- oh! Wait, that must be it: he just got pretty flowers that look nice together! She smiles again, her eyes warming at the lovely colors: gold and ivory and that lovely indigo sunburst effect of the cornflower!

Shane asks around quietly -- then snorts at Spice's reply in specific! He calls back cheerfully, also speaking in Irish, "Everyone says sure, but Spice says only as long as he's not a... 'fornicating internal-water-rinse coracle!'" His eyes twinkle as he passes that on. Marcus listens uncomprehendingly, eyes moving back and forth between Shane and Cinnamon -- he's checking for reluctance (or even animosity) on Shane's part. There... isn't any -- and it makes Marcus's jaw drop a bit. His eyes slide back to Cinnamon as she studies the flowers; he really hopes she doesn't say the meanings aloud... or not in front of so many people, at least -- they were meant to be private. Cinnamon blinks again at Shane's reply, distracted from the flowers as she tries to figure out what that last comment means... but then she remembers one of Spice's favorite references to Marcus, when he'd just dumped Cinnamon: 'fucking douche-canoe'! That abrupt realization makes her squeak in shock -- then almost splutter embarrassed laughter!

Marcus shakes his head and smiles, "Should I be worried about the giggling?"

Cinnamon laughs again, her eyes alight with a mix of happy embarrassment! She reaches for Marcus' arm, "Nono, don't worry -- come in! Would you like some dinner? Have you eaten yet?" Coaxingly she adds, "We're having steak au poivre with honey roasted asparagus and a bacon and blue cheese wedge salad -- and we were just about to start! Want some?"

Marcus' eyes light up, "That all sounds wonderful! I suppose the savories should be tucked away, then?" His gaze moves around the room and he tries not to flush at being tugged along by Cinnamon, "Well, hello, everyone."

Cinnamon cheerfully exclaims, "Hey, everyone, Marcus is gonna join us for dinner, okay?" She has no idea her voluntarily touching him makes him want to blush -- instead she directs him to the main room, where folks are scattered relaxedly around on colorful beanbags, brightly-patterned ottomans, and the futon couch. As she happily adds, "He brought over some of my favorite savories and stuff have a seat wherever Marcus what'cha want to drink?" she leaves him there, heading into the kitchen with the basket, and does her happy little whirlwind-dragon thingie in the kitchen as she carefully packs the savories away -- leaving one out to munch on as she works -- finishes prepping the wedge salads, exclaims with delight over the recipes she finds in the basket as well, "Ooh, that is awesome we'll have to all have a tea sometime thank you so much Marcus and please tell your amazing cook thanks as well!"

Moments later she's handing off the tray of salad plates to Shane, who shuttles them over to the low table between everyone in the sort-of living room. Cinnamon is meanwhile making distractingly delicious smells in the kitchen as she and Josie swiftly cook, plate, and serve the steak au poivre, with Spice adding a heaping pile of the honey-roasted asparagus which she just pulled out of the oven. It's all very informal and cheerful, as people hand out napkins and utensils; or help themselves to more of the remaining asparagus once it too is set on the table; or pour more of the pan sauce of peppercorn-and-steak fond, cognac, and heavy cream over their medium rare filets... it's a far, far cry from a formal, sit-down dinner, but somehow it's still delicious, warmly friendly, and filling -- both emotionally and physically. Cinnamon even puts the little posy of flowers into a small bowl of water, happily setting it on the center of the low table for a sweet-smelling decoration.

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Last modified: 2025-Feb-25 17:51:49

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