| Logs |
2025 April 06
| Goblin Town |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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| Realms: Goblin Town Logs |
Strong & Mighty Preparation As For War
Once the little group has finished up the Nusantaran accounting, Cinnamon gives Marcus (and Jaeger, if he's present then) a thank you hug, and heads out with everyone else. She wants to swing by Sparrow's place to talk to him about a possible visit up in the arctic north... and she also wants to find out if he wants to bring up the supernatural-assassin brothers at the Council meeting. Should she see Josie or Merial on the way, she'll chat with them too -- though Spice has promised to talk to Josie as well, if they don't see her. However, while they don't run into Josie or Merial on the way to Sparrow's place, Sparrow himself answers the door... wearing a pair of zipped-but-unbuttoned jeans -- and that's it. He looks comfortable and very Sparrow-ish.
Thorn is more amused than anything by Sparrow's state of dress. The healer seriously believes that if it would make peoples' brains clash gears, Sparrow would wear a Pink Panther onesie. Sparrow does have some sense of dignity, though.... Cinnamon, however, blinks a bit startledly, leaning back enough that she bumps into Shane's front... which she finds oddly comforting! She stutters a bit before she can get out, "I, uh, y-you, umm, l-like... errrr... is th-this a... a bad time for y-you?" Shane chuckles and wraps his arms around his startled acushla. He himself has answered the door in similar states of semi-dishabille because he was just hanging around the house and didn't want to get fully dressed.
Sparrow gives a coyote-ish grin, eyes twinkling as he catches Cinnamon's reaction. His jeans hide everything that would be naughty, and his hair is neatly braided, so it doesn't look like he's been rolling around with someone, "Not a bit, darling'. Y'all want to come in?"
Cinnamon blinks uncertainly, "Ummm... uh, a-as long as... as we're not, uh... int-terrupting anything?"
Sparrow looks over his shoulder, then arches a brow as he looks back at Cinnamon, "Well, I am on chapter 34 of a very riveting romance novel..." His eyes twinkle, "It's one that had Kestrel swooning, so I thought I'd read it to see if I could give them a little surprise or two next time I see them, but it's not exactly fine literature." He steps out of the doorway, making an ushering gesture.
Shane just shakes his head with a wry smile at the Trickster. He knows Sparrow is teasing Cinnamon a little bit because the little dragon is implying they may have caught Sparrow in flagrante delicto. He puts a hand in the middle of Cinnamon's back and gently steers her inside, letting her know he's there and solidly with her. Cinnamon blinks uncertainly -- is Sparrow saying Kestrel is there? If so, the little dragon certainly doesn't want to interrupt their limited together-time! But then he seems to imply otherwise... and so, even if a bit hesitantly... Cinnamon reaches back to grab Shane's hand for reassurance, and then steps inside Sparrow's little apartment. She looks around curiously as they all walk inside, wondering how -- or even if -- the Trickster has decorated. Admittedly, she knows he only uses this apartment while he's here, and otherwise he uses his little drop trailer... but she's still curious as to what the rooms will say about Sparrow!
The apartment is one large room. There's a large, cozy, and rumpled bed in one corner covered in a plethora of brightly colored blankets and multiple pillows. It's set off from the rest of the room by a large, full bookshelf crammed with not only books but knick-knacks. Another section is an open kitchenette area with a little two-seater table. The rest of the room is a cozy seating area with beanbags and floor pillows around a low, round table. The walls are covered with artwork, pictures, and examples of things such as mandalas, dream catchers, and other indigenous art forms. All in all, the whole place feels very welcoming and home-like for somewhere that's only used occasionally. In fact... it almost feels like a yurt. Cinnamon blinks as she turns a slow, fascinated circle to see everything... then grins and relaxes a bit. This isn't so bad! It's actually... kind of nice!
Sparrow ambles toward the kitchen area, asking over his shoulder if anyone would like something to drink, and Shane replies that he'd love a root beer if Sparrow has one? The half-beansidhe knows it's polite to accept such things when offered. Cinnamon decides the seating area is safest, so she patters over to pick the biggest beanbag there, if she can, in the hopes that Shane will settle with her, and Thorn will be nearby too. "Umm... do you have any diet drinks? If not, a root beer is fine for me too?" As she does so, she glances around curiously again, wondering what romance book Sparrow's reading... and if she knows the author. It doesn't occur to her that the Trickster might have just been teasing her! There is, indeed, a novel sitting on one of the floor pillows. It's face-down with a bookmark in it, but the author's name is Sam Hall and the title is Cross to Bear. Cinnamon hms as she studies the book... she doesn't know that author!
Thorn looks around interestedly, liking the comfortable closeness of the studio flat, "Oh, root beer for me as well, please?"
Sparrow nods to acknowledge he heard everyone, and it doesn't take him long to come back with four easily balanced bottles. He passes around three root beers, then settles in with his own bottle, which is a slightly different color than the others. He sets aside the book, then settles on the pillow where it had been, "What brings y'all to my door today?"
The little dragon glances up as Sparrow returns, thanking him for the drink and having a sip before she cheerfully replies, "I wanna take you to go meet the Aleut brothers you know, so folks have a chance to meet us both and know I'm not just like dumping them on you or anything... same as I want to take JoJo to Greenland to meet the nice shaman there that I know!"
Sparrow leans back on an elbow and his brow arches, "That's a really excellent idea, darlin'... an' they'd be able to take you to meet their elders. Those two are a bit wild, but they're respectful of their tribal elders. But they're youngsters, so bein' slightly wild is to be expected."
Cinnamon beams, "Oh, yay! Okay, are you up for a trip before the next Council meeting in three weeks? Oh! -and also: do you want to bring up the supernatural-assassin brothers at the Council meeting, or what? I mean, I think someone should, and we caught them on your land, right?" She has another sip before she adds, "Also, have your people ever used wind energy? I was thinking about solar panels and how they're not really in the price range of a lot of the folks I know of who could use some help, and what about winter too, you know? Not much sunshine... but then I wondered about windmills -- and having them here on Coblyn too to see if that'd help with the hydroponics that Jiajun is gonna talk to you and Kestrel and the Akoesdi and Svnoyi elders about!" The little dragon has a lot of thoughts and planning running through her head currently: [Let's see, the website said Phoenix Arizona had on average wind speeds of about seven miles per hour so it should definitely work well here in Boston because our average wind speed is over twelve to easily augment lack of winter sun need to do more research and talk to Jiajun...] -- and it hasn't quite registered yet to her that not everyone has multiple trains of thought going almost all the time in their heads!
Sparrow laces his hands together behind his head and thinks aloud, "I know some folks way back on the rezzes have used small windmills to run a few things. Windmills of the big, powerful variety are expensive as fuck, but maybe small wind-farms might work..." He grins, "I'd be fine to bring up those assholes. After all, it was my people's land they were found on... and they're terrified of us both at this point, I think." He adds about the trip, "I'm always up for travel -- and I figure the better prepared we are before the next meeting, the better."
Cinnamon brightens, "Oh, cool! Okay, maybe Jiajun would be interested in hearing about that from you too!" She smiles a bit ruefully, adding, "I d-don't really like those guys, honestly... oh, and you might want to talk to Brynn too, to see how that's going, with them?" Then she nods ruefully again, "Yeah... I have a whole ton of receipts from Nusantara, and even though I've prepped as best I can for that presentation... well, big numbers tend to draw lots of objections, in my experience, and it takes time to answer them all. So... if someone else can talk about other stuff, that'd mean it doesn't seem like I'm bringing all the disasters or anything, y'know?
Sparrow leans over to gently pat Cinnamon on the knee, "I'll deal with the murdering assholes; you deal with the numbers. Sounds like an even split to me, and more suited to each of our personalities. I'll have a chat with Brynn. He and I tend to get along really well most of the time, for being a prey species and a predator. I think it's because goats understand mischief."
Cinnamon blinks... then giggles a bit nervously, "But you... y-you don't... er, I mean... wait, does it really matter that much? The species, I mean?"
Sparrow laughs quietly, "I don't hunt other sentients, darlin', no. But sometimes people whose inner creatures are prey species get nervous around me for some reason."
Cinnamon tilts her head thoughtfully, "Maybe... m-maybe they're more like me? 'Cause... I, um, d-don't think dragons are a prey species?"
Sparrow says, "No, they aren't. You're just young and not sure of yourself." He leans over and pats Cinnamon on the knee again as he adds, "-but you're strong."
Cinnamon glances down at Sparrow's hand, her small mutter wry, "Well, got that part right...!" She's completely missed the bit about being strong, unfortunately! Instead she takes a deep breath, then smiles a bit nervously at Sparrow, "So, um, can you find out from your friends when we can come visit, and I'm happy to fly us all up there then?"
Sparrow nods, "I can get that set up in no time, darlin'."
Cinnamon thanks Sparrow, and then the three young people head on out... and the little dragon does a happy hop-skip as they walk together, "Yay! Things are coming along fabulously, don't you all think? At this rate, we may be able to have handed over all the North American arctic indigenous by the next council meeting, wheeee!"
Shane wraps his arm around Cinnamon's shoulders and grins, "You're rocking this, a ghrį! See? Like Sparrow said, you're strong." The little dragon beams up at Shane, feeling unaccountably warmed by his approval!
Thorn nods thoughtfully, "And we'll be addressing the 'assassin' jerks, too. Hopefully quickly, though I imagine each Councilor will want to deal with them in their own way." He finds himself not all that sympathetic to any that Killa might find. "And yes, Sparrow is right. You're strong, Cinnamon, and you're handling all this great!"
Cinnamon blinks at both men, "He did? I, er... uhmm, w-wow, guys -- thanks?" Shane mms and smiles as they all stroll down the street. They split up to go their separate ways naturally, and the goodbyes are easy and friendly. Cinnamon hugs Shane when he peels off to help someone out, cheerfully telling him she'll have something for him to eat tonight even if he comes in late! She hugs Thorn too, when he has to head off to the Infirmary... and then she patters off towards Currier's Hall, for her office hours. She's a little later than usual, but it should be okay, since folks know to leave messages with Llewellyn if they need her.
Cinnamon is panting a little as she comes up the stairs, and pauses for a moment to catch her breath before she heads down the hallway to Llew's office. Oh, neat! It looks like both Marcus and Hilde are there too! She's a bit surprised, as this is well after lunch, and usually a very slow time for Llew. Still, two of her friends -- yay! Maybe she can chat with Marcus some... er, and Hilde too, certainly! As she comes pattering down the hall, the little dragon wonders a bit at how still the two are standing in the doorway. Marcus has one hand on the doorframe he's standing in, and Hilde has a hand resting on his back as she looks past him. Huh... weird that they're not looking at or talking to each other too... though it does look like someone else is in the office with Llew, so maybe they're just politely waiting their turn? ...though... gosh, it's a busy afternoon for the leprechaun if so... wait, is she getting... is that adrenaline she's taste/smelling? -but why would anyone be furiously angry here at Llew's office...?
By this point in her mental meanderings, Cinnamon has reached the door, so she ducks enough under Marcus' arm, where his hand rests on the doorframe, to see inside as she curiously inquires, "Hi, everyone, wha..." -- and that's when Cinnamon gets caught in the spell. It feels immediately like she's been gripped all around by something sticky and almost... porous? It also becomes obvious, this close up, that the adrenaline smell is from Marcus and Hilde as they fight against this spell -- which feels like being held by marshmallow or... or... eww... maybe spiderwebs? Cinnamon blinks confusedly, automatically trying to reach up to adjust her glasses -- whoops! Okay, can't seem to move her hand at all. Fortunately, her glasses aren't sliding either... hmm. Okay, time to test things!
First what she can see... ooooh, that's it: the person moving inside the office, that she'd barely glimpsed past Marcus and Hilde, appears to be... a dark-clad, masked... hmm, smells like a male? He's somehow mentally forcing a 'visibly struggling but still puppeted' Llew to put paperwork into a bag for him. The little dragon frowns: this is Not Good! A bit of wiggling around -- or at least trying to -- rapidly shows her that she can't straighten or move at all. Fortunately, even though she's off-balance from when she ducked to see under Marcus' arm, it appears the spell is holding her in place so she doesn't fall over. What else... oh, good: she can also breathe just fine! Hm, can't make any noise though. Well, what to experiment with next... strength, definitely! Cinnamon tries to force one hand forward through the gluey-feeling spell to try and grab at the thief. Unfortunately, not only can she not move at all -- but also she can feel the spell actually tightening around her! Uh-oh... that sounded like Marcus and Hilde are affected too -- their breathing sped up noticeably! Okay, that's bad -- don't do that. Well... what else can she do...
When the answer occurs to her, Cinnamon would laugh if she could! She checks first -- and sure enough, she can breathe as deeply as she wants, although she can't expel her breath in a shout. But she can expel her breath... in a long, slow gout of flame that torches the thief's black-clad ass!
The thief hadn't been paying attention to the door, too confident in his own spell for the moment to feel like he needed to. He shrieks in shock and pain as the gout of flame scorches him -- and with his concentration broken, several spells pop! dramatically -- and all at once everyone can move freely again!
Since Cinnamon was so intent on being precise with her flames, in the paper-filled room, she immediately starts to tip over and fall, from being caught so off-balance. Fortunately Marcus is faster: he swivels with the preternatural grace of the elvenvolk and catches her before she face-plants. Behind him there's a snarl of rage, and Hilde throws something through the door -- that wraps the man in entangling bands of energy. Even as that's happening, Llewellyn shouts something -- and there's an eye-searingly dramatic result! It leaves everyone (especially Cinnamon, with her specialized sight) momentarily blinded... the little dragon blinks confusedly, starting to reach up to rub her tearing eyes -- then registers: ooooh! Marcus grabbed her so she didn't fall -- and he's holding her against his chest right now eeeeee! She tilts her head so her forehead is resting against Marcus' chest, so he can't see the silly/giggly grin on her face... but wow does it feel really nice here! It's almost as nice as when her beautiful asthore holds her!
Marcus had been worried to start with, and is now both startled and relieved by the rapidity with which things changed! He's hugging Cinnamon rather tightly, nuzzling his face into her scarlet hair. The little dragon surreptitiously rubs her watering eyes with her free hand. The other is resting on Marcus' chest and wowsarooties he sure feels warm and nice and she can feel the shift of his muscles under her hand and she has the most embarrassing urge to just sorta... rub up against him [oh crabcakes girl don't you dare! -though... yyyyeah, it sure would be kinda superawe- wait wait wait focus here ohmygosh this is so wonderful feeling but also so super-embarrassing!] Marcus rubs Cinnamon's back in slow circles, breathing in her hair as Hilde continues swearing in something that isn't her normal tongue, stepping past the pair of them to snap, "Llew, what's going on in here?!"
Cinnamon whispers to Marcus, "Are you okay, Daki-chan? Thanks for making sure I didn't face-plant there!" She's unconsciously being quiet so no one pays attention to them... because being held like this is almost shockingly lovely-feeling! It hasn't hit her yet that she changed her nickname for Marcus... or that she's absently stroking his chest as well.
Marcus' voice is somewhat muffled in Cinnamon's hair, "I'm well..." He pauses before he can use some sort of term of endearment with her, "It's nothing anyone else wouldn't have done, of course." But he's glad it's him... and he's still quietly petting her back.
Hilde glances over her shoulder, ready to bark at someone to get the guards -- but then she sees what's going on! She hastily amends, saying instead, "I'm going to call for the guards." Cinnamon nods a bit blankly at Hilde -- the little dragon is still in a sort of delicious sense-overwhelm! Later she'll be embarrassed at how useless she (believes she) was there, and hope no one noticed... but for right now? Golly, it sure is awesome to be held so warm and close by an admiring Marcus! The thief is still bound, with a glowering Llew standing over him.
It's not long before there's the thunder of feet on the stairs; Marcus doesn't jump away from Cinnamon, but he does reluctantly let her go when the guards arrive, so he can explain what happened: he and Hilde both arrived and found the thief in the process of puppeteering Llew... and then got caught in the spiderweb spell. The thief is still struggling against his bonds and muttering muffledly. Cinnamon feels a bit disappointed the guards appeared so quickly -- but she also tries not to look too rumpled and... whatever it is when people in the movies are caught together! She's a bit flushed, but tidy, when she's asked to explain what she did, and she grins a bit sheepishly when she notices one of the guards is trying hard not to laugh as she relates her stratagem!
The guard is one Cinnamon has seen before but not formally met: a Fomorian with an eagle's head. He grins at her, "Excellent job!" The guards have to nearly drag the man out, with the other guard muttering at the prisoner to shut up! They'll take him to the infirmary before he's put in a cell.
Cinnamon shyly replies, "Thank you!" As the guy is being dragged out, she curiously asks, "So... has he been searched for any, um... magic thingies, or artifacts? That was kind of a lot of magic he was doing, wasn't it? -and... he's still, er... huh, is he chanting?" She has no idea what casting a magic spell looks like, past what Thorn does... but she knows there are different kinds of magic, so it'd make sense there are different ways of casting. It worries her a little -- she doesn't want to see the guards, or anyone else, hurt!
The thief is struggling and getting louder, mumbling muffledly. The Fomorian looks down at the man and growls, "You're just getting yourself in more trouble."
Cinnamon tilts her head as she watches the guy... then glances up at Hilde, "Um... is this some kind of magic casting or something? Do you know?" As far as the little dragon is aware, Hilde's the only magic caster here, after all.
Hilde smirks, "No. That's a gagged asshole trying to bitch about getting caught."
Cinnamon sighs and relaxes a bit, "You're sure? Oh, good!" She hesitates as she glances at the entity... then adds almost defiantly, "I'm not sorry I toasted your bottom either, dude!" Marcus and Hilde actually look proudly at Cinnamon, who blushes at that! -but is also strangely pleased they seem to approve.
The next morning, a runner brings Cinnamon an invitation from Marcus, at the Residence, which reads: I was impressed by your quick thinking in rescuing Llewellyn. As a thank you, I would love to invite you to visit for a charming lunch in our rooftop garden. Cinnamon brightens at that -- how cool! She'd been wondering how to politely ask again to see the fishpond on the roof -- especially since it seems almost impossible to have a fishpond there! So she returns a cheerful RSVP, dresses up nicely, and heads on over for lunch. She also has a new 'affirmation' for Marcus, tucked into her bag so she can surreptitiously hand it off to Ingrid!
Cinnamon had actually agonized quite a bit over this particular affirmation! She'd initially wanted to compliment Marcus' lovely blue eyes... but had gotten abruptly nervous about it when she imagined him staring down at her -- even if it was a friendly stare! So then she'd wanted to mention how beautiful and gleaming gold his skin had turned, during the Nusantara trip -- but hastily decided not to when she realized she was starting to feel a bit... tingly in places she felt like she shouldn't, when thinking about stroking his skin! So she'd played it safe, and admired his hair, carefully calligraphing: Your hair ripples like the molten gold of the setting sun over the ocean! That, she figured, meant she could stare mostly at his back -- much safer than having him staring back at her! She'd wrapped the pretty little folded note in a glossy blue hair ribbon -- one that exactly matches the color of his eyes, though she isn't admitting even to herself just how long she's spent surreptitiously studying that lovely, glimmering blue, in order to get the right shade for the ribbon! It's just a short, simple ribbon too, since she's still very shy of acknowledging her feelings.
Butler answers the door and Cinnamon is happy to feel how pleased he is to see her! He ushers her in and lets her know Marcus is waiting for her upstairs. However, when they pass Ingrid on the way toward the stairs that will take them to the roof, Cinnamon whispers to Butler, "Just a moment, please?" The two young women giggle almost conspiratorially together when the little dragon carefully slips the little piece of nicely-folded and -textured paper to Ingrid, who makes it vanish into the pocket of her apron, then giggles happily and whispers that she'll make sure Marcus finds it! Cinnamon gleefully hugs Ingrid, then grins up at Butler, "Okay!" Butler waits patiently -- even indulgently -- since, being who and what he is, he knows what's going on... though he doesn't let it be known how amused he is.
Butler escorts Cinnamon up a set of stairs that opens into a small, enclosed, pagoda-shaped shelter on the roof. When the entity opens the outside door in the faux-pagoda, Cinnamon finds herself in another lovely garden, but crafted in the Japanese style. There's a winding pebble path that leads through the greenery, and Butler lets her know he can guide her to Marcus, or she can simply follow the path to Marcus herself. "Oh, how lovely!" Cinnamon glances around, then beams up at Butler, "I'm good! I'll just follow the path and admire, okay?" Butler nods and excuses himself.
Cinnamon knows Japanese gardens are set up for contemplation and appreciation... so she takes the time to properly admire this lovely and unexpected -- and surprising! -- little oasis. She's feeling quietly full, in a way, of happiness today! This morning with her beautiful asthore had been just as delicious as she's beginning to get used to having every morning... to the point that she's actually started very delicately mentally entertaining the thought of... perhaps? ...a bit, um... maybe some more types of sex? Like... well, she knows there's something called 'missionary,' though she's not entirely sure why or what that entails -- but she thinks... she might like to try it? Poor Cinnamon doesn't have the words yet, but she's starting to feel like trying penetrative sex -- though she has no idea how to bring it up, considering she can't even bring herself to say the word 'penetrate' without a terrible case of blushing and stuttering, just yet!
The path through the garden wends its way around the outside before swirling in toward the center. As Cinnamon moves closer to the middle of the garden, she starts to hear the peaceful splashing of water and some quiet strains of music. Cinnamon brightens -- that water sound must be the fishpond! She giggles softly to herself, wondering how big it is... is there a little arching Japanese bridge? Are there big, veil-finned, colorful koi? Ooh, maybe it has flowers around it too?
Moving around one last little bend in the path, the little dragon finds it opens up into a small, intimate clearing. The pond itself is almost barbell-shaped, though from a distance it's hard to see if there are koi. Over the tiny pond's center is a very small, arching bridge of perhaps three steps in length -- obviously more for aesthetics than heavy use. At the pond's grassy edge a pretty cloth is spread, holding various attractive ceramic bowls and platters of small nibblies -- all in the Japanese style -- along with some pitchers of cool drinks. Marcus is initially seated there, but at sight of Cinnamon, he stands with a smile to greet her.
Cinnamon's face lights up with delight -- how lovely! She beams at Marcus as she patters forward, "Daki-chan, it's beautiful!" She pauses in the middle of the tiny bridge so she can lean over it and see into the water, "Ohmygosh, are there koi too?!" She can see there is a small waterfall feature at the end of the pond, while in the water swim several lovely golden-orange and white fish with delicate, ruffly-fins... swirling around amongst pristine ivory water lilies. Some of the fish are more pale white than orange, while others have only a few splotches of white amongst their shimmering gold scales.
Marcus smiles as he steps up beside Cinnamon, looking down at the fish with her, "Yes, there are." He watches her face as she fascinatedly studies the koi.
Since she's focused on the lovely fish, Cinnamon doesn't see the enchantment in Marcus' expression. Instead the little dragon gasps happily, pointing, "Oh, look, look! There they ar- oh, and over there -- and there too, eee -- even more! Ohmygosh they're so beautiful just like in Fantasia I always loved that dancing musical bit with the goldfish!" She watches and occasionally exclaims delightedly for several minutes -- the fish really are lovely, and their environment has been cleverly designed to highlight their glittering, jeweled beauty amongst the calm ivory lilies. When she finally sighs with pleasure and straightens again, she has no idea her earlier, joyful smile really set Marcus back on his heels for a few seconds! She just beams excitedly again, "Thank you so much for inviting me this is so beautiful I had no idea it was here and it's really like a fairy tale I don't even know how you got the willow to grow so big on a roof!"
Marcus reaches to tuck a drifting scarlet wisp of hair behind Cinnamon's ear and smiles, "Rooftop gardens are fairly common in some built-up cities. Our little willow is carefully tended, and the roots are gently directed not to dig into the structure of the roof. Also, the pond has been carefully built up, with the water feature worked neatly into the plumbing of the Residence." He smiles again, "Think of it as being a swimming pool for the fish."
Cinnamon blinks and tries not to blush at the little happy tingle she gets from Marcus touching her hair... then grins uncertainly, "It, uhh... oh! But not... it's n-not a people pool, is it?" She glances curiously back at the pond again... hm, no, she'd think it too small to be more than... a sort of big bathtub for a humanoid? Well, unless the bottom is magically a lot deeper than it looks!
Marcus laughs quietly and shakes his head, "No. It's not a people pool. We do have a hot tub for people inside, but this one is just big enough for the fish." He rests a hand on her shoulder, taking any chance he can to touch her, "Are you hungry? I didn't want to serve a large amount of any one thing, so we've got a lot of small dishes."
Cinnamon blinks and goes still for a few heartbeats -- from extremely conflicting emotions! The hot tub: uuuuugh! That's where she first met that nasty couple that were so horrible to her! But... eeeee Marcus is touching her this is so nice! She has to take a few deep, slow breaths before she manages to reply without squealing or squeaking with excitement, "Ahhhh... oh! Ah, yes -- I mean, that -- uh, that'd be lovely yes thank you so much!"
Marcus's hand slides down to the small of back and guides her toward the blanket and the spread of food laid out on it, "I really am pleased you could come visit with me. Hilde and I were both frustrated at not being able to get past that barrier. You were brilliant."
Cinnamon giggles shyly, "Oh! W-well, that, ummm... er, I mean... it, uh, was the only thing I could think of to do?" She settles down on the blanket, pushing up her glasses and smiling curiously at Marcus, "Did they figure out who it was, and who or what he was trying to get all the information for?"
Marcus considers, "I don't think he's given a name yet? -but he wanted the information because he was trying to get the true names of some of the higher-ranking people on the street, to blackmail them." He shivers a little, adding, "That would have allowed him to do many... very unpleasant things! Llew even has the information on Caradog, after all."
Cinnamon looks worried at that, "Oh, crabcakes, that'd be awful!" She frowns consideringly before asking, "So this guy isn't from Coblyn then, right? Oh, and... is Llew getting some better protections, I hope? I mean, if I were Caradog I'd totally want to help with that!" She adds a bit confusedly, "Though... I'm still not entirely sure how one knows their true name. I mean, the name on my birth certificate? Never felt at all 'true' to me, y'know?"
Marcus nods and takes a deep breath, "Llew, as you saw, has some ways of defending himself, but he got taken by surprise. I think there's talk of putting a lot of his archives under deeper protection... and also getting him some amulets to reflect malignant magic." As he's talking, he starting to fill a plate with dainty, delicious looking tidbits, "That may be the case, yes, but your birth name has power."
Cinnamon realizes it's okay to start helping herself, so she does so... but at Marcus' last comment she pauses her happy perusal of the delicious looking Japanese dainties and mutters glumly, "Power of depression, maybe..." She pauses, considers that for a moment... then lifts her chin: nope! She's not sad little Mary Brown -- and she won't ever be again either, darnit!
Marcus pauses, since he was filling the plate to give to Cinnamon... but then he smiles and goes back to putting food on it to eat for himself, "Indeed, it does have power... and, if you remember, there's also a bit of you -- blood or hair or both -- stored with it and your sigil."
Cinnamon nods thoughtfully, "Yeah, that would worry me more, honestly. My bi- er... what's that phrase?" She thinks... then remembers and brightens, "Oh, right: dead name! My dead name isn't just awful -- it's all tied up in memory with the worst times of my life, so I'm happy to reject it entirely. But the blood and hair thing? If I understand that correctly, that'd be the thing to worry about." Since it would never occur to her that someone would want to serve her (she's still even a bit bemused when someone simply serves tea to her, after all), she has no idea of what Marcus was doing. She's just being careful not to take too much of any one thing, so she's not being greedy and/or depriving her host of his delicious repast.
Once Marcus realizes she's skimping a little, though, he starts calmly adding things to her plate -- which means he has to lean in close to do so! "Oh, you really need to try this -- Chef outdid himself! Ah, and this? You definitely need more than a bite or two -- it's absolutely succulent. Here, this one is my favorite, too -- I'd be remiss if I didn't encourage you to have more."
Cinnamon gives a small, surprised squeak at the first addition to her plate... but then just watches, blinking a little, as Marcus adds even more. Wow, this is so... so nice of him! Though... worriedly she checks, "Oh, but, uhmm... wait, are you going to have enough too, Daki-chan?"
Marcus smiles, "I'll have plenty. Don't worry about me. I want to make sure you enjoy as much as you want." He adds, after a moment of thought, "I used to dislike my birth name more than I do. But those that know it... I find that I like hearing it on their lips." He looks almost shy as he adds, "I enjoy it when you say it."
Cinnamon blushes a bit at his admission, and completely squeaks again, "Oh! I -- I, I'm sor-" No, wait -- he said he liked it, right? "-er, I m-mean... uhm... o-okay? Uh, as long as, umm... as y-you don't mind?" She nibbles on her lower lip, glancing shyly sideways at him as she considers... then blurts out hastily, "I -- I, I... reallylikeityournameImeanitbothsoundsandmeanssomethinglovely!" The little dragon is bright red by now, and hastily fixates on her plate of food. That piece right there yep that one omnomnomnom yep just as tasty as she thought it would be yes indeedy this sure is darned good food nope she's not looking past the sheltering curtain of her hair at all just yet!
Marcus watches her eat, with a soft smile on his face as he murmurs, "Thank you. I like the name you chose for yourself. It fits you so wonderfully well."
Cinnamon blushes even more hotly, ducking her head as she murmur-squeaks, "Th-thenkyoo!" -- then hastily having another bite to eat so she doesn't have to talk more! Holy crabcakes, her head is going to combust at this rate breathe gotta keep breathing deep breaths whoooboy oh wait right slow as well that's it deep slow breaths...! The little dragon manages not to either get dizzy or implode from embarrassment mostly because Marcus is kind and gives her a moment to recover -- read: a moment to happily admire while she's not aware of it! Consequently, after that, the little lunch turns into something rather wonderful for Cinnamon: she gets to spend lovely quality time in a beautiful place, with someone very pretty that she very much likes, who seems almost to like her too! The two of them just chat together, comparing appreciative notes on the variety of delicious foods, or sharing the story of how this little glade came to be and what all the various elements of it are... even just being quiet for a bit, enjoying the feeling of the sunlight dappling through the green-leaved branches, and the light breeze drifting over them all.
By the time Cinnamon heads off for the afternoon, she's feeling full again -- of food, of warm happiness, and of a lovely connecting feeling with Marcus! She's completely forgotten her affirmation for him. However, once she's gone and Marcus has returned to his quarters, the elf finds the carefully folded little card laying on his pillow. He smiles as he picks it up and gently opens it. They're never signed, but since they sort of match the things he leaves for Cinnamon, he's quite sure he knows where they come from. When he reads the note, he can't help but reach up and touch his own hair with a sigh, remembering brushing his fingers through Cinnamon's earlier in the day. Things seem to be heading in the right direction! He hopes. He prays.