Goblin Town -- Logs

The morning after the celebratory dinner at the Elm residence, Cinnamon and Shane sleep late. It has been a long, difficult, physically demanding, emotionally rewarding, frustrating, amazing, and wonderful month for the little dragon! She's tired... so when she wakes up she gives a shocked squeak at the time and almost bounces out of bed! As she breathlessly explains to Shane (who, honestly, already knows -- but he doesn't mind his little acushla re-explaining in order to organize herself mentally), she's invited the folks who actually worked on Nusantara to a noon get-together at her office -- what she's calling a Pushpin Party. During that time they can all, one by one, take down the still-present pushpins on her map of Nusantara up on the office wall, that denote places and issues that needed taking care of. As Cinnamon notes with pride, now they're all taken care of, they can all come down!

Shane looks sort of adorably frowsled as he smiles at Cinnamon's squeaky scrambling. He yawns and sits up, nodding, "I remember, a ghr�. I'll be meeting you there after I do a couple of things this morning."

Cinnamon takes a hasty shower, and is swiftly preparing a huge smorgasbord of nibblies and drinks to take up to her office, noting with relief, "Thank goodness Tre said he could help carry it all there!" She pauses at one point, staring into her little refrigerator, and adds musingly, "I wonder... I wonder if I could get Caradog to grant me... maybe a little basement or something? I could put a big box freezer maybe, and a pantry down there, and really be able to cook instead of having to constantly run to the market..." She blinks at Shane, then nods, "Sure, asthore, that's fine. Um, I think Thorn said he might stop by beforehand... so maybe he can help with carting things up there!" She blinks again as something occurs to her -- so before she can chicken out, she hastily adds, "Also, is it, ummmm... is... is it rude of me, Shaney, to... t-to do a return affirmation to Marcus even though he's not my sweetie I really-really don't wanna hurt your feelings so no is absolutely okay right and I, I, I... s-so... wh-what do you think?!" She winces slightly as her voice nervously goes up at the end of her sentence... almost to ultrasonic squeak values!

Shane smiles, "It's fairly common to shop every second or third day and cook with fresh ingredients, acushla. It's not like out in the human world, with deep freezes and such. That's why people set up their stalls all throughout the week. Now, having a big pantry and a cold room? That's different. But a freezer? Not as likely." He's brushing his hair out as she asks about the affirmation and he smiles gently, "It's absolutely okay, my little love. It won't hurt my feelings." It surprised him a bit, at first, to be able to say that truthfully.

Cinnamon sighs in relief... then whirls and darts over to Shane, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug! Her voice is a bit muffled, "Y-you -- you! I am so, so, so... thank you so much, mo st�r geal... for being so much you!" Her feelings are welling up strongly inside her, and she feels almost tearful with joy -- which means her words come out slower than her thoughts!

Shane gently strokes his little beloved's hair and kisses the top of her head, smiling softly, "I was raised by my mom, and then I spent the first few years of my adulthood in the trod. Jealousy is... something I have a hard time wrapping my head around. I'm yours. You're mine. I'm good with that."

Outside on Coblyn Street, Baird has gotten so used to being there that he now walks the street just as confidently as he does those in the human world. He's even made a few acquaintances to whom he raises a hand in greeting, as he makes his way to meet Cinnamon. Thorn runs into Baird on the way -- not literally, of course, but he does spot the mer- the contractor fairly readily, as he's on his way to Cinnamon's cottage. Baird nods to Thorn as the pair of them converge at Cinnamon's door, smiling, "Good to see you, lad."

Inside the little cottage, when there's a firm knock on the door, Cinnamon laughs a bit shakily and eases up on tightly hugging her amazing sweetheart, "C-can you get that, please, asthore? I've got stuff in the oven I better check!"

Baird smiles at Shane when the half-beansidhe opens the door, "And hello to you, too."

Shane arches a brow, chuckling, "Aren't you chipper this morning." He looks over his shoulder, sees how close Cinnamon is, and decides against making a bawdy joke about what could make the merc so happy so early, "Come on in, you two."

Cinnamon looks up with interest, "Bairdy? -and Thorny! Hi, you two -- c'mon in! I'm not quite finished with the foods for the Pushpin Party, but if you want you can do some taste testing or help pack or just sit and have a drink?"

Thorn nods, "I'll be glad to carry stuff."

Baird betrays only the very slightest flinch at the cutesy nickname -- and then he smiles, "I'll happily be beast of burden and help get things packed up."

Cinnamon laughs at that! "Well, for now you can have a seat and a drink -- I'm just finishing up the last bits of cooking!" She smiles curiously at the Scotsman as she adds, "I didn't expect to see you so early, and without Keiko -- she is coming, right?" The little dragon is swiftly working in the kitchen as she speaks: getting already-prepared snacks out of the fridge, setting out drinks for the three men present, whipping the hors d'oeuvres that need last-minute cooking into the oven, setting up the insulated boxes and bags that will be loaded up with food and drink and carted up by everyone to Currier's Hall... she moves with a sort of gleeful but self-contained cheer, and it's clear she really enjoys sharing food with friends!

Baird heads over to help with the actual packing of the food that's already prepared, moving like he's had to do this sort of thing before. Of course, he's had to pack provisions for missions, so he has, in a way. It's as he's working that he asks casually, "So, lass, what exactly are your powers?"

Cinnamon blinks with surprise at Baird, "Uhh... powers? Oh, you mean like turning into a dra- oh, wait... oh, oh! Right, I remember now -- you wanted to know what else I could do, right?"

Baird nods as he rewords, "I knew you could breathe fire out. Finding out you could inhale it was a bit of a surprise."

Cinnamon giggles! She's currently feeling briskly happy, due to being in her nice, familiar, warm, cozy little kitchen with dear friends and her beloved... so she's not spooked at all, like she was on the mission when Iliya got upset with her for not recognizing a shoulder-mounted missile. She laughs and shrugs a bit, "Well, um... I think you know most of them? I can turn into a dragon, I can fly faster than a commercial jet -- though I don't think I've ever heard a sonic boom when I fly, so... though again, do you hear the boom when you're the one making it? Or is it just the folks on the ground that hear... umm..." Cinnamon turns a bit pink as she realizes she's nearly babbling, and hastily adds, "Actually, right, I guess that doesn't really matter -- oh! Right, I can eat fire, I, umm, what else... oh, right, heat and cold don't seem to be a problem, though I don't know how good that is. I... let's see, I've walked through lava, and I was cozy to sleep next to during a blizzard -- remember that, guys?" She glances at Thorn and Shane, adding a bit bemusedly, "Have I forgotten any- oh!" She beams at Baird, "I'm a good swimmer and a good fisher too! I can hold my breath for like an hour -- Shaney timed me while we were in Nusantara!"

Baird arches a brow at Shane, with a smirk at the comment about holding her breath... only to get an eye roll from Shane as he replies, "She stayed underwater long enough that I definitely got worried, but it was pretty amazing. There's also the whole bulletproof thing."

Cinnamon is not used to metaphorically tooting her own horn, so she isn't sure what else to say. Hesitantly she adds, "I... I'm a darned good accountant, and my cooking isn't too shabby...?"

Thorn interjects wryly, "An excellent, forensic accountant, really."

Cinnamon beams at that! "W-wow... thanks, guys!"

Shane smiles, "She's... hmm... immune to poison. She's got infrared and ultraviolet vision. That IR is how we caught Russell, in fact. She was able to catch the very small bits of body heat -- and lack of it -- that betrayed him in the desert... and her scent-tracking is better than I've seen anything but maybe Sparrow as a bear do."

Cinnamon blushes a bit, "Oh, I -- th-that... er, right! Sorry, right -- I forgot!" She adds in explanation to Baird, "He was in a, um, what's it called... an insulated tent so no heat got out? So... that stood out, in the early morning desert!" She blushes a bit more as she remembers nearly landing on the poor man trying to relieve himself -- and hastily adds, "I, er, ahhh -- quarterstaff! Yes, that's right -- I, um, I'm learning quarterstaff too?"

Baird nods, "I was asking more about the supernatural abilities, but it's good you can fight with a weapon too." He chuckles, "Then there's that whole 'I can tell you're armed because I sense all the metal' thing you did when we didn't know one another so well."

Cinnamon nods earnestly at Baird, "Oh, right, yes! Oh, and, um... languages? I'm... oka- er, pretty good, actually, at -- at learning them?" She hastily corrects herself in midsentence, not wishing to give Shane a wince due to her being shy about what feels very much like bragging, to her... even though she's been specifically asked about it!

Shane kisses the top of her head, "By which she means almost instantaneous... and she's got an eidetic memory." Cinnamon grins shyly up at Shane, flushing bright red with happiness! She knows she should check and think what else she can do, for Baird's query... but she's feeling a bit tongue-tied at how awesome -- and warmly close, eeeee! -- her beloved asthore is!

Thorn adds, "And she knows good first-aid as well!" He's kind of enjoying seeing Baird getting a little overwhelmed with everything Cinnamon can do.

Cinnamon grins shyly, "W-well... well, because you taught it to me, Thorny!" She's starting to get a bit overwhelmed herself at so much focused attention -- which means she hastily adds, "Also, Bairdy, did you know Thorny actually does magic?! It's not just magic healing -- I've seen him pull poison out of people, for example -- multiple times! And, umm... oh, and he doesn't do it much but we talked once about the, er... the things most folks consider psionics? Like moving things with your mind, you know?" She grins shyly at Thorn as she adds, "Thank you again, too, for teaching me first aid!"

Baird looks from Cinnamon to Thorn, "You can do telekinetics?"

"Nono, he uses magic to do it!" Cinnamon blinks, then adds uncertainly, "Actually, I... think that's how it works? Thorny, do you know?"

Thorn smiles at Cinnamon, "You're very welcome!" He looks back to Baird, "Somewhat. I've not focused on it as much as healing, but...." He looks around the table, and tries to use his magic to visualize the spoon to rise up out of his tea....

Cinnamon smiles at Thorn when nothing happens, her voice getting calm and soothing -- almost reassuring! "Hang on, Thorny! Remember, you have to visualize first, right? Like with the poison?" Thorn's brow furrows -- he usually has better focus than this. He nods to Cinnamon, and tries to visualize more clearly the spoon rising from the tea, still damp and dripping a bit.

Baird looks at Shane, "Are you able to make blades come out of yer hands or shoot bloody laser beams out of your eyes?"

Shane laughs and shakes his head, nudging Baird with his shoulder, "They're amazing, but we aren't the X-Men."

Cinnamon winces at that, "Eeew! No, that'd be messy!" A heartbeat later she blinks -- then blushes and apologizes, "Oh, Thorny, I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean to interrupt your concentration. Um, tell you what... want to try again, and I'll focus with you?"

Shane laughs and hugs Cinnamon, "He's referring to Wolverine, a ghr�. The man's also got super-accelerated healing, so it's not messy at all."

Cinnamon grins shyly at Shane and nods, "I know, dath�il, but... I always thought that'd hurt!" She takes a deep breath, then smiles at Thorn, her voice going calm and encouraging again, "Okay, Thorny, you can do this -- I know you can! So, imagine... let's visualize your hand, okay? Don't actually move your hands, but see your hand reaching out to... to your teaspoon, right? Now, you don't want to make a mess, so close your fingers gently around the handle and... then slowly turn it a tiny bit so the tea runs out of the spoon bowl..." She continues talking with Thorn, completely focused on helping him... and completely unaware that her voice is far more... persuasive, more beautifully compelling, than she realizes.

Indeed, if Cinnamon's voice wasn't so persuasive and compelling, Thorn would definitely have noticed the different voice she was using... as odd as that sounds. He notices, but can't notice -- because it's working her magic on him, letting him focus and visualize the teaspoon in even more clarity. The little spoon trembles, making small waves in the tea... and this time it slips from the dark brown tea and rises into the air. A single drop of tea falls from it to plop into the cup... and then a second. Cinnamon nearly glows with excitement, her eyes sparkling -- though she remains quiet until Thorn carefully replaces the teaspoon. Only then does she throw her arms around Thorn and delightedly squeak, "Yay, Thorny -- you did it!" Thorn lets out a breath, blinking. He's actually not quite sure how he did it, sans the visualization... but he managed it! He should practice that as well, a bit more. He smiles to Cinnamon, hugging her back, and then grins to Baird.

Baird nods, "Interesting... and useful if you're able to train it." He taps his chin, "Too bad we don't have Cyclops or Wolverine."

Shane snorts, "I'd say that the whole breathing fire thing is a little better than Cyclops, and I'd rather have my blades outside than in."

Cinnamon blinks, her voice heartfelt, "Me too!" She adds a bit puzzledly, "Plus, neither of them are bulletproof, right? Doesn't that count?" She considers, before adding doubtfully, "Unless... what you're really talking about is the military training? That, I don't have, true."

Baird smiles at Cinnamon, "I'd say bulletproof is better than all of that, yes."

"Here: let me show you someone...." Thorn slips some redcurrant jam onto Baird's tea dish, then calls out quietly, "Erin! Your favorite!" Baird leans back and waits to see what's happening here... and Cinnamon giggles, watching to see how he reacts to the only-partially corporeal bird/familiar. Indeed, the iridescent, there-not-there magpie flits down from the rafters with such speed it could be mistaken for teleportation. She was not one to mind when the humans ate... but when invited -- and when redcurrant is on the line -- devour it happily, she certainly will! -and does, in fact -- perching on the rim of Baird's teacup as she bobs her head while pecking up the redcurrants quick as one-two-three.

Cinnamon giggles again, "Hi, Erin!"

Baird startles and then whistles slowly, "Her name's Erin? Like Erin Go Bragh?"

Thorn smiles and shakes his head, "Sorry; Erin, short for Erinnerung."

Cinnamon grins, glancing at Thorn, "To match her twin Nachdenken, right?" She adds in explanation to Baird, "Thorn's sponsor is Germanic, not Irish." She beams as she very gently scritches Erin's feathers under the bird's chin -- though only if the magpie wishes, of course! "This one is memory; the other is thought!" She croons cheerfully to the blissfully half-closed-eyes bird, "Aren't you the cleverest of girls? Yes you are, pretty Erin -- you knew right away when people wanted to attack the council!" Then she grins excitedly at Thorn, "I bet having a familiar is really awesome, right?"

Baird leans back a little more and his brows go up, "Thought and Memory... as in..."

Shane grins, "No. Gods, no! Thorn's sponsor is a very mischievous and very gorgeous elvenvolk lady with a wicked sense of humor. Not Odin." Cinnamon laughs and nods!

"She really is," Thorn says of Cinnamon's crooning. "She's saved us a couple of times now." Then he smiles to Shane, "Yes, very much so!" The healer chuckles softly at Baird's sudden wariness, "Yes, Erin is... I suppose 'familiar' is the right term. She's a connection to my sponsor, but my sponsor is not Wotan. That would be... awkward. At best."

Baird murmurs "At very best, indeed." He leans close, hand raising -- then stops, "May I touch her?"

Thorn's smile is lopsided, "You can try! She's a bit incorporeal -- and willful." By now Erin has finished the redcurrant, and is looking up at Baird as if she's certain he's hiding some more.

Baird looks at Thorn and murmurs, "Do you have more of those redcurrants? She looks as she might peck my eyes out if I don't hand some over..."

Thorn grins and passes the jar of redcurrant jam over, "She won't dive headfirst into the jar, don't worry. She's too dignified to do that!"

Cinnamon giggles, "Hey, she's nice!" As Thorn hands over the redcurrant jam, the little dragon grins and adds, "So, Bairdy, does that answer all your questions?" She glances around, making sure everything is properly packed... and goes still for a moment as she studies her little second floor. Could she... somehow get a king-sized futon up there -- one the size of her futon sofa downstairs? She grins a bit excitedly, her eyes sparkling -- maybe her lovely asthore would like that! Plus it'd mean no chance of Spicy walking in on them by accident -- eek! Yeah, that'd be utterly mortifying... ooooooh, there's a truly marvelous thought: if there's a more private bed, might Shaney be willing to... t-to maybe... actually (*gasp*!) m-m-move in... w-with her?! Though he'd likely want a bigger place, maybe... oh! Oh, excellent idea! Maybe when she asks Caradog for a basement for her cold pantry, she can ask for a nice big room for Shaney too! She blinks, pushing up her glasses as she leans to whisper to Shane, "Hey, dath�il? Have you ever wanted a, umm... a man-hole room?" Hm, that's not precisely the right word, she knows... was it a vault or a cave inste- oh! "Er, m-man-cave room, I mean?" Hopefully that'd please him! He can have it to do... er... man things in it! Or... whatever it is men do in rooms like those?

Shane blinks a bit at being asked if he wants a man-hole room. Manholes are actually access hatches in the street, but somehow it seems rather suggestive, said the way Cinnamon just did! -- and then she corrects herself. He smiles, managing -- just -- not to chuckle, "Never felt the need for one. If I need time for myself, I'd rather just go outside and find something out there to do, rather than hole up in a cave."

Cinnamon thinks about that, whispering back, "So even if it's raining or snowing, you'd rather do your exercise practicing outside then?" Huh! Not what she expected, but... she grins, "Okay, that's fine if so!"

Shane smiles, "If it's raining and I want to do some sort of workout, I do Tai-Chi or some of the Aikido kata that don't require much space. I'll show you some day." He leans down and murmurs, teasing a little, "I usually only wear my gi pants, though." Cinnamon gives a small, shocked squeak at that yummy/lovely visual -- then flushes hotly! Fortunately (she believes), Baird and Thorn are still focused on Erin!

While Shane and Cinnamon are distractedly flirting, Baird leans toward Thorn. The merc knows empirically that Cinnamon isn't lying because Shane is here, but he has to ask, "What did she mean about walking over lava? Is it like a firewalk? Like they do over coals? It actually cools from the sweat on your feet or something?"

Thorn shakes his head cheerfully, "No, not at all! It's actual 'walking on lava' that she did. She seems to be magically all but immune to fire -- that, or she can control fire and heat. It might be both." He continues: "See, there was a rising tide of lava and it was an emergency -- she couldn't take us in groups; it had to be all in one go. She shielded us with her wings as she breathed in the heat, and walked across the rolling lava to get everyone out. I think taking in that much heat made her fire-breath much, much hotter too -- closer to a plasma torch than a flamethrower."

Baird does a couple slow-blinks, "Plasma... torch." He knows what those look like! He's used one a time or three in his exfil and infil jobs, "Holeee.... I have truly fallen in with the incredible." He chuckles and shakes his head, "I wonder if it would have burned her if it had been just her? It sounds like perhaps not, since she shielded you all."

Thorn smiles and shakes his head, "No, if it was just her I think she'd have been fine. As it was, she shielded us with her wings."

Baird considers that as he sets out a small treat for Erin, watching the bird carefully -- and deciding that touching is probably not in the cards! Erin studies the redcurrants, then nibbles on them equally quickly. With another suspicious look at Baird, she shimmers -- then hops directly onto his hand to study this new person up close... very up close! Baird goes still and mutters something about just hoping he comes out of this with both eyes. Cinnamon giggles as she watches the bold little magpie! The little dragon is not going to be surprised at all if Baird later discovers he's missing something shiny that had previously been on his person!

Just about that time, there's a jaunty little knock on the door accompanied with some sort of jingling. Cinnamon laughs as she glances up from watching Erin intimidate Baird, "Oh! That's gotta be Tre -- moment!" She jumps up and patters over to the door, welcoming the ipotane in.

It is indeed Tre at the door; he beams, "Hullo!" The young man is wearing some lovely bells around his ankles that look quite a lot like the sorts belly-dancers wear. They jingle musically against his hooves.

Cinnamon laughs as she hugs Tre, then giggles as he comes into the little cottage -- because the young man is almost prancing! "That's adorbs, Tre! Thorny, Baird: Tre's here! Let's load up the food and drinks and go celebrate!"

Tre is also wearing a longish kilt -- a utilikilt rather than a traditional one, with lots of pockets. He moves to pick up some of the heavy things, "Thank you! The bells on the rickshaw didn't always ring much, but the ones on my feet do... and they always ring in rhythm! -and I can change up the rhythm by how I walk or trot!" He waves to everyone in the room.

Thorn beams, standing, "Hello, Tre!" He too starts to help loading things up.

Cinnamon giggles again at Tre's explanation, "That's awesome!" Tre chats happily to Thorn as he helps gather things together; the shy young man that first came to Coblyn is nowhere to be found. The various bags, boxes, and other containers of nibblies, hot and cold drinks, and utensils are soon all neatly and securely packed into the rickshaw... and then Tre picks up the crossbeam, ready to roll. Shane gives Cinnamon a kiss, then heads off swiftly to fulfill his errands, so he can get to Currier's Hall for the party as well. Cinnamon gets a truly sappy grin on her face after that! A moment later she blushes, pulls herself together and checks her bag for all her things, secures her little cottage once Baird and Thorn too have exited... and then, with the cheery accompaniment of the chiming little bells, the group heads off towards Currier's Hall. Cinnamon and Tre have fun on the way, singing together while Tre keeps the beat with his bells. The little dragon also checks with Baird: Keiko is coming too, right? She keeps an eye out for Ingrid as well, on the way. It turns out Tre can even do little dance steps while also keeping the rickshaw moving at an even walk with everyone else! Nothing super-fancy, but it makes people traveling along the sidewalks smile and wave. Cinnamon giggles a lot -- she loves seeing Tre blossom into someone so happy!

Baird smiles, "Keiko will be with us later. She's very much looking forward to it." Ingrid, however, doesn't appear until they're almost to Currier's Hall -- and she's red-faced and smiling.

Cinnamon bounces a bit at Baird's reply, "Yay! I brought some saki and a warmer, because I knew she'd be there!" When she spots Ingrid, Cinnamon squeaks excitedly, darting over to hug the young woman and grab her hands. The little dragon's voice is low, but her eyes are shining, "Ingrid! I'm so glad to see you! Can I ask another hugenormous favor? I have another affirmation for Marcus, if you're okay with dropping it in his mail again?!"

Ingrid giggles, eyes sparkling, "Of course!" She and Butler have been secretly rooting for this relationship! They see no harm in it, as neither of them sees it as potentially breaking up Cinnamon and Shane -- they simply assume it'll be a triad.

Cinnamon nearly glows with excitement as she impulsively hugs Ingrid again, then turns slightly pink and hastily rootles through her bag, "Thank you so much, Ingrid! Here's the note!" It's on nice paper -- thick and pleasantly textured to the touch, and a lovely shade of indigo. The writing is in silver ink -- it's clear Cinnamon has really enjoyed playing with the office-warming gift Marcus and his father gave her! Cinnamon has carefully written, in her newly-learned and thus still slightly shaky calligraphy: When you're relaxed and happy, you have such a beautiful smile! -- and then neatly folded the paper so the message isn't immediately visible. As she hands it to Ingrid, Cinnamon blushes and whispers, "I hope... I mean, umm... d-does he seem to like these? Do you know? I, er, I r-really don't want to be a pest or anything, after all... right?"

Ingrid looks around, then leans in to whisper, "He almost glows when he reads them -- he keeps them beside his bed!"

Cinnamon squeaks in a mix of genuine delight and hugely self-conscious embarrassment, her hands flying up to her flushed cheeks, "OhmygoshohmygoshthatIth-thatohwowthankyousomuchIngrideekIgottagofolksarewaitingonme!" Ingrid giggles! -then scampers off herself, as well. She's sometimes almost squirrel-like, despite seeming almost completely human in appearance.

The little group arrives at Currier's Hall just moments after that, and find Marcus himself waiting for them there. Cinnamon beams excitedly at Marcus, her cheeks still flushed, "Hihi, Marcus! Wanna help carry stuff upstairs?" She glances up at the two-story building, then adds in explanation to her companions, "We're on the fourth floor, so it's a bit of a hike!"

Baird looks up at the tall old building, "That far?"

Shane comes trotting up just then, panting slightly from having hurried so much. He grins and slaps his friend on the back, "That far, but the staircases are sturdy and have good, wide steps." His amber eyes twinkle.

Marcus adds just as amusedly, "Or you can risk the wooden-and-brass elevator that was installed sometime in the early 1900s."

Cinnamon blinks interestedly at Marcus, "There's an elevator?! Ooh, awesome! Though... why 'risk'? Is it not well maintained?"

Marcus smiles, "It's fairly well-maintained, as I understand it. It's just well over 100 years old, and spooks some people for some reason. It was put in for those who have some issues with mobility."

Shane adds, "Or issues with navigating stairs due to body-shape too, from what I heard." He motions for Cinnamon to follow, "We can show you where it is."

Cinnamon squeaks excitedly at sight of Shane, and hugs him tightly, "Yay! Sure that's fine I'm so glad you made it on time is everyone happy about your erranding?!" A moment later she grabs several items -- almost overloading her arms to the point that she can't see over them -- then turns to patter hastily after Shane, "Okay awesomesauce let's do it!"

Marcus smiles as he takes a couple of things off the top of Cinnamon's pile, murmuring, "Let's keep your vision clear, Hase..."

Cinnamon giggles and blushes a bit at Marcus, "Danke!" She follows Marcus and Shane as they lead folks down a nearly unnoticeable hallway toward the back of Currier's. The elevator they discover there is almost more like a freight elevator than a normal one, being clearly designed for large-bodied or oddly-shaped beings. There's plenty of room for the entire party and everything they brought. It's completely made of wood and brass or bronze, too -- nothing on it would harm a sidhe or any other supernatural, as far as Cinnamon can tell. Once inside the elevator, she looks around with a bit of awe, "Wowsers, this would work great to get, like, someone like Iason or Fionn at the Vault upstairs without crowding!"

Thorn too hasn't seen this elevator before, but he marvels quietly at its construction. As 'hypoallergenic' as possible for supernaturals, it looks like it could accommodate almost any person -- no matter their size or shape. The machine is operated by a lever, much like the elevators one sees in old movies, where fancy hotels or office buildings have an elevator operator. Cinnamon grins at the creaks and squeaks and groans the ancient but well-maintained machinery makes, as it starts up towards the fourth floor, "Okay, I can see how some folks might be a bit worried by this... but it seems really nice to me!" She also curiously checks the keypad, wondering if there's currently a basement, or more than four floors, on Currier's Hall. The markings indicate only four floors -- but also a basement! The elevator apparently doesn't access the roof, though, which makes sense -- such an access point would have been very evident on the roof. Cinnamon grins and turns to ask her companions, "So, who knows what's in the basement?!" She figures Marcus likely doesn't know, due to it not being a posh place to be... but Shane might know?

Thorn perks a bit, "There's a basement?" Basements usually have all sorts of fascinating things!

Tre moves to the back of the slat-sided elevator and peeks out at the machinery, "It's belt driven! So no chains that would need to be taken care of, because soft metals would wear out." He seems happily fascinated.

Marcus speaks up at the little dragon's question, "Storage, mostly. Records. The council table and chairs when they aren't in use."

"Huh! I'm almost surprised that..." Cinnamon pauses, considering... then shakes her head, "No, actually, that makes perfect sense. After hundreds of years I bet even Llewellyn might feel his office was overcrowded and more storage would be needed!" She giggles.

When there are a couple of looks of surprise at Marcus' reply, he flushes and adds, "Used to play hide and seek down there when Father brought me to the street. It's a positive maze of boxes and crates and furniture down there. Hilde and I, along with a couple others, used to know it like the backs of our hands."

Cinnamon laughs delightedly, "Oh, that's awesome, Marc-y!" A heartbeat later, of course, she realizes what she said -- and almost ducks behind the food containers she's carrying. Crabcakes, she really-really hopes he doesn't get mad at her! She's almost the first to exit the elevator when it wheezes to a halt and the doors slide smoothly open, and she nearly scampers down the hallway for her office as quickly as she can. She feels like her face may spontaneously combust, at this rate! She calms down a bit, however, in the hustle and bustle of opening the office, rearranging furniture, carefully sealing the blinds, arranging food, and so on.

The Pushpin Party is, for Cinnamon, precisely the sort of celebration she'd always wished her corporate job would have had. Instead of a metaphorical pat on the head for those who'd sometimes created miracles in the accounting jobs, and raises and bonuses for their managers -- and at best a stilted, boring, not very tasty formal dinner of official recognition -- Cinnamon does what she's always wanted to celebrate those invaluable folks who helped make the Nusantara trip such a success.

At the party, the office door is left open -- both so the party can spill out into the hallway if folks want, and also so the occasional passerby can come see what's going on, and be cheerfully welcomed in! Cinnamon figures, since her office is on the corner of the fourth floor, that should be all right... as it's highly unlikely to be as thickly trafficked an area as the main hallways or lower floors usually are. The little dragon has specifically invited Shane, Marcus, and Thorn, as well as Spice, Hilde, Lorcan, Tre, Baird and Keiko, Sparrow, and Elias -- and then she told them to please also invite anyone they'd like to bring along! Spice and Hilde, in fact, are both asked to specifically bring Josie and Torben at minimum, and Tre knows to bring Navin if the half-ghul would like to attend... while Cinnamon hopefully checks with Sparrow to see if Kestrel's currently on the street, as well.

Within the office there's light, bouncy, cheerful ethnic music playing quietly on the room's speakers. A huge variety of nibbly foods suitable for a wide variety of tastes and eating capabilities (as well as the requisite eating utensils) are all laid out in tempting display, along with a variety of tasty beverages -- Cinnamon even sweet-talked one of Elias' special bottles out of the nice lady who runs Cafe Prague! Cushions, chairs, the desk, and other sittable surfaces are pushed back towards the sides of the room so folks can eat their nibblies while they wander around, dance, chat and mingle, share stories... whatever they'd like to do.

The party is more than well-attended! Everyone who passes through has fun. Even Elias shows up, settling in at a spot where people can chat with him, but he'll be out of the way... and so Cinnamon, Thorn, Shane, and Marcus will garner the most attention. Admittedly, Thorn is surprised he's garnering any attention! The healer doesn't feel like he did much other than help to generate a few interesting and amusing stories during their time at Nusantara. Cinnamon, however, is delighted with how many turn up! Once everyone's had plenty of time to arrive, have a bite and a drink, and relax a bit, she calls out, "Okay, peeps -- now we get to celebrate! -with a silly and hopefully fun little game!" She waves to the big Nusantaran map stuck up on the office wall, explaining, "We're going to take down each pushpin on the map, one at a time, and read off what the problem was... and then the folks who helped can tell anything they want about it -- difficulties, or funny things, or any memories they want to share -- and then I get to publicly thank and appreciate all of you for your amazing assistance in fixing that problem!" She beams delightedly, her eyes sparkling as she adds, "Also, once they're all down, we can have a hurray cheer! -and then eat, chat, dance, relax... just have a nice time together!"

As an example, Cinnamon relates her incorrect guess regarding fish -- as well as her enthusiasm about the star of the movie Footloose -- for Kyesha's guessing game in order to establish Shane as a truthseer. She's blushing hotly by the time she's done, of course, but also laughing... as she asserts, "But he is cute -- and Kyesha thinks so too, 'cause she's got all his movies!"

Marcus tells the story about the poor vulcanologist and how she somehow mistook him for some kind of male model. Of course, he'd left this part out when he was explaining what happened to the party, at the time. Cinnamon laughs and applauds, along with everyone else, after Marcus' tale! Thorn tells the story of the man who didn't want his nephew healed, out of some sort of misplaced pride... but got a black eye from the mother (one of his sisters) who held strongly different opinions on the matter! So Thorn healed the nephew, and offered to heal the uncle... but it was huffily refused. That gets a laugh from everyone -- including Nikos, who stopped by to see what was happening. Cinnamon happily offers food to every unexpected visitor! If she knows they're associated with someone else -- like Nikos is with Iason -- she also sends something tasty along to them as well.

Cinnamon also very much enjoys herself as well, as the various pushpins are each ceremonially removed, stories are told and laughed with, the food and drink is shared, and a very nice, relaxing time is had by all. The little dragon is waiting hopefully for a story from Shane, however -- she's crossing her fingers that maybe she can steal an actual public smooch at that point! She is nervous about being public, but Shane has repeatedly assured her, after all, that he thinks it's absolutely fine with him if everyone knows! Eventually Shane smiles and talks about getting to swim with Cinnamon in her dragon form, and how lovely and graceful she was underwater. "Sea serpents are likely very dangerous, but this particular one?" He looks at her with adoration, "Was amazing."

Cinnamon squeaks and turns hot pink! When he finishes, she blushes even more hotly, hugging him tightly with her face against his chest -- she's feeling very self-conscious! But also weirdly... floaty? Like... like her heart is too big for her chest and might just fly away without her! It takes her a few moments, in fact, for the crowd's clapping and affectionate laughter to calm down enough for Cinnamon to remember: she was going to try kissing Shane, right! Of course, just as she tilts her head back, Spice whistles and calls out, "Kiss! Kiss th' girl!" Before she can squeak and hide again, though, Shane gently tips her chin up with his fingers, eyes shining as he dips his head down to kiss her warmly and briefly... warmly because he's in love; briefly because he doesn't want to cause her to do her rabbit impression at her own party! Indeed, Cinnamon is giggling a bit nervously and hiding her face against Shane again after the kiss... but she's also absolutely, glowingly, incredibly happy right now! As far as she's concerned (in her rather limited life experience), life doesn't get any better than this!

After the delightfully, triumphantly silly party, the clean-up afterwards, and then staying at the office for a while in order to catch up on everything -- then walking home again! -- by then, it's a bit late... and Cinnamon is happily tired. She invites Shane (when he arrives) to have supper with her, and then maybe to watch a movie and stay the night if he'd like? She perks up quite a bit after some food, and the movie is a sweetly romantic one, which means that afterwards (even if a bit nervously) the little dragon is delighted to engage in some snuggling, kissing, and petting with her beautiful asthore!

This time, however, isn't quite the same as the time or three they managed to sneak some private snuggling together in Nusantara. There, she'd been extremely pleased to be able to give her gorgeous sweetie the same lovely feelings he'd had when she'd (almost accidentally) given him an orgasm that one night! This time, though... well, it's almost a little scary -- in that he seems to keep wanting to touch her! That keeps her busy enough in ensuring he doesn't accidentally put a hand where he shouldn't, that she can't quite focus properly on giving him the good feelings again!

"Acushla," Shane's voice is breathless and husky, "I know you're anxious and skittish, but I need to know what the big worry is." He tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear, slowly urging her to lay back so he can lean over her just a bit. He lets his hand rub up and down the outside of her arm. He's been unable to get her to say exactly what's wrong, so he gently asks questions, starting with the one that worries him the most. He licks his lips and swallows, though the young half-beansidhe isn't usually self-conscious, "Does my touch not... is it unpleasant?" Admittedly, he's fairly certain that's not it. She's happy to snuggle up with him and seems to love sleeping cuddled up against him. Hell, she's even gotten quite enthusiastic about the kissing, and seems to enjoy touching him. Still, any time he's tried to do more than stroke her hair or her back or hold her hands, she's pulled away or redirected. She's even frozen up completely a couple of times, and they ended up sliding into snuggling up like they did before they admitted their feelings for one another... but Shane has reached the point of wanting desperately to give Cinnamon as much pleasure as she's been giving him -- rather than having her react like the bunny Marcus calls her. Or... well, maybe she acts more like a turtle with Shane, since she at least stays? She just retreats into her shell.

Cinnamon blinks at the question, and her immediate reply is so startled and shocked -- even a bit indignant -- that Shane can feel her honesty even without his knack, "What?! No! Oh my gosh, Shaney, did someone tell you that?! They're wrong, if so!" She blushes at her instant, almost protective vehemence, adding a bit more quietly (and with shy honesty), "I -- I r-really like your touch, asthore... bunches!" She's still learning to remember Shane's ability to hear truth, and so the urge to protect him from someone trying to deceive him (much the way she was, by Albrecht and Frieda) flares up very strongly!

Shane lets out a soft, relieved breath. That, he knows, is true... and the first part is completely so. The second part, about liking his touch, is true... mostly -- so he leans in to kiss the tip of Cinnamon's nose as he lets his hand shift, slipping down to her side. The tips of his fingers just barely sneak beneath the hem of her shirt as he caresses her. He knows what's likely to happen the moment fingertips touch skin, but this is a conversation they need to have, "That's good. Because I like touching you."

Cinnamon grins shyly up at Shane, feeling that delighted little thrill of warmth she gets every time he touches her skin -- he just feels so darned good! Admittedly, she's a bit nervous too... but also still okay with this, since his head is up here with hers. Even if he accidentally pulls up her shirt a bit, he still shouldn't be able to see any of her ugly flab, right? The little dragon told nothing but the truth when she said she likes his touch -- she's actually getting to deeply love it, in fact! But she's still terrified of what she learned, both through personal experience and through observation, during her pre-supernatural life. She hasn't really internalized yet that her opinions on herself -- as in her complete lack of either beauty or lovableness -- were learned from people who ignored, despised, or mocked her, after all... or that they certainly weren't modeling healthy relationships. Consequently she's still convinced she's disgusting when naked... which means she's also terrified of allowing Shane to touch her too much. She knows, after all, one of two things will happen if he does: either he'll lose interest because he's gotten what he wants, and he'll leave... or he'll see her partially naked, be horrified at how awful she looks in reality... and leave.

Shane nuzzles into Cinnamon's neck, taking a deep breath when she doesn't immediately freak out. He lets his fingertips trail up her side, deeper under the shirt and slowly around towards the front of her body. He's giving her time, telegraphing his intent... and he can feel her slowly stiffening up with tension as his hand slides around to her front. By the time his hand reaches her stomach area she's leaning back a bit, and she giggles nervously, "Tickles!" She hastily tugs her shirt down a bit, worrying: did he feel how awful and flabby she is, from touching her? It hasn't quite registered that she's twitchy more from nerves than from ticklishness.

Shane raises his head and looks down at her, eyes soft and a little tight around the corners from the partial lie, "No, acushla. It's not ticklish. So what's really wrong?" He's letting his hand still rest on her skin, but he doesn't stop her from tugging the cloth back down over it. "You like me touching you. It's not ticklish. So what is it?"

Cinnamon winces nervously -- crabcakes, did she lie?! Argh... looks like she did. Botheration! Uh-oh -- is Shane mad at her?! She gives him a tense sideways glance, trying to tell... even as she forces a nervous smile, "I... s-sorry, I di- I mean, it wasn't, um, that... it's just... uhhh... y-you know?" She winces again -- crabcakes, that was a really blithering idiot kind of response! The poor girl is drawing a huge mental blank, though, on what to actually tell Shane -- emphatically without lying -- without just... well, without accidentally driving him off with the unvarnished truth. It doesn't help any that she tends to get immensely... well, all wonderfully happy and tingly feeling! -- when Shane kisses her and stuff -- it's like her brain just... just turns off, sometimes, and she's got no words!

Shane doesn't move his hand as he shakes his head, figuring the quiet, extended contact will serve to help get her used to it, "No, acushla... I don't know. If I knew, I wouldn't have to ask." He strokes his thumb over her ribs, voice gentle as he keeps talking, and rests his forehead against hers, "You don't have to hide things from me. I'm going nowhere."

Cinnamon hastily grabs Shane's hand -- that's waywayway too close to her flabbiness! A moment later she closes her eyes, feeling a sudden upwelling of despair. Does he really feel he's going nowhere with her? Though... is he right? Is she effectively... well, wasting his time? It's not like she knows what to do here... and if they keep doing these wonderful, amazing, tingly, touching things, then eventually Shane's going to see her -- with everything (ensuingly horrible) which that means! A little desperately she wonders: if they turned off all the lights, and only touched at night... maybe that would work? Though... he's half-beansidhe! That means he can see pretty well in the dark, darnit! So not that, but... but goshdarnit, she has to do something! She so desperately doesn't want him to leave!

Just for a moment, it's all too much for Cinnamon... and without meaning to, tears start slipping through her eyelashes and sliding down her cheeks. She sniffles as discreetly as she can, so Shane can't tell she's crying, and abruptly hugs him tightly. He's so amazing! She's not sure she can keep him from seeing her... because honestly? She wants to do all the lovely touching/caressing/snuggling with him -- but that means he'll leave, in the end. Darn-... no, dammit! She's going to cry for weeks when he goes! The little dragon just takes a moment, trying to feel and savor every sensation of how lovely Shane feels... so she can remember her asthore clearly when she's alone again. That thought forces a choked sob from her, which she tries to hastily muffle against his chest, so he won't pull away.

Shane raises his head and lets his hand slip from beneath her shirt so he can cup her cheek, "A ghr�? What's wrong?! I... I told you, I'm not leaving. I'm always going to be right here, no matter what." He hugs her back tightly and nuzzles into her hair, letting the tears soak into his shirt. He knows this has to do with some more of the fucked-up thinking pounded into her head, but he can't help her through it if he doesn't know what it is!

Cinnamon clings to Shane's shirt as she sobs again into it, her voice a muffled wail, "I -- I'm gonna miss you so much, asthore!" She really appreciates him trying to be so nice and reassuring to her... but she also knows people can say -- even truly mean -- one thing... and then, over time, opinions or circumstances change... and what was originally truth isn't, anymore.

Shane's brows draw together, "Acushla, why... I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here. For as long as you need me to convince you how beautiful you are."

Cinnamon sniffles, sitting up and turning to reach for some Kleenex. After wiping her eyes and blowing her nose, she gives Shane a small, slightly tremulous smile, "You're so... so awesomely nice, Shaney! I... don't really know why you're here, sometimes... even though it's so incredibly wonderful that you are." She wads up and tosses the used, first Kleenex and pulls another -- she doesn't want to get all snorfly while Shane's trying to talk to her -- and as she speaks she turns her face nervously away. Her unwitting anxiety is so bad that her hands are slowly shredding the new Kleenex to pieces, and her voice is shaking a little, "I, I, I'm sorry! I, I really do try not to lie at all w-with you, you know? I d-don't want to hurt you -- ever! B-but sometimes... I... d-don't know what to say?"

Shane just keeps holding her, "But you're scared." He just holds her, letting her muddle through whatever's going on in her head, "Love, I've tried to just... let you work through this, but something's eating at you... and I don't want to go on wondering why you freeze up or flee when all I want to do is show you how wonderful you are."

Cinnamon nods mutely -- she doesn't know how to articulate it, but she's truly, absolutely terrified of how devastating it will be when Shane leaves! Being dumped by Marcus the first time really broke her heart... and now she's more... invested? Connected? ...might as well admit it: she's really-truly-madly in love with Shane by now. She's... kind of hoping his leaving doesn't somehow shatter her, in fact -- she wants to delay that moment of departure for as long as she possibly can. She worries mentally at her current issue for a moment, though, so she doesn't have to think about Shane being... so permanently, horribly gone: if she tells him what's going on -- why she's freezing up with him -- will he want to leave sooner? Or will that delay the inevitable? She frowns, absently nibbling on her lower lip as she thinks.

"I can almost hear you thinking," Shane's voice is gentle.

Cinnamon gets a small, shaky grin at that -- her asthore is the first person who's actually cared and watched her enough to realize she was pondering something! She sighs tiredly, leaning her head against his shoulder and relaxing a little against him. He really does feel amazing... like coming home, in a way. Her voice is small, tentative, as she sort of feels her way forward in this very scary and new (for her) situation of sharing thoughts with someone who is actually interested. "I... I don't want you to go, Shaney... I'm... a little afraid I..." she hesitates, not sure what words to use, "...care too much? -- and... something inside me will... like... crack? When you do?" She sighs again, tiredly closing her eyes and hoping she doesn't sound like either a complete moron, or just downright creepy, "Does that... make any sense at all? I... I d-don't really know how to say all this stuff... sorry?"

If Shane were anyone else, Cinnamon's continued insistence that he's going to leave, despite him repeatedly assuring her he's not going to, might make him angry. As it is, he thinks it's getting filtered through all the fucked up, distorted lenses she sees through... just like the ones they had to adjust the first night she got brave enough to explore his body. He takes a deep breath, "Cinnamon, you've been sure I'm going to leave several times. Have I?"

The little dragon shakes her head, "No!" She studies her hands as she smiles with quiet happiness for a heartbeat... then sighs and adds softly, "But I... haven't gotten naked yet either, Shaney, and... and we've just started." She thinks for a moment, wondering: it usually took Candi, what... a month? -maybe... six, max -- no, wait, that's not fair. There was the time she wanted to go to a particular dance with a particular guy. They stayed together, umm... not quite a year? Of course, shortly after that she split up with him too. Okay, then... how long has she-Cinnamon actually been... er... touchy-ing with Shane? Hmm... less than a month? Okay, good -- still probably got time left. She gives Shane a small, uncertain smile as she fervently adds, "I'm really-truly glad you're still here, asthore."

Shane takes Cinnamon's chin in his hand, voice gentle, "No, you haven't. And believe me, as much as I sincerely would love to get you naked, we don't have to go that fast." His lips quirk, "I haven't even gotten naked myself because you get anxious -- adorable but anxious -- when I'm only half-naked." He nuzzles at her ear and whispers next to it, "Part of the reason I make sure I'm the one to help you change is because I don't want the others to see my acushla bare and beautiful before I do."

Cinnamon both blushes hotly and shivers happily at the lovely phrase 'bare and beautiful' whispered right against her very ear holy cannelloni does he know how tingly that is?! It's like her entire brain just derails for a bit when he does that -- it feels so freaking good! Wow! -- uhhh, wait... w-what was she going to say...? She tries to remember... oh! Right: nakedness. She sighs and smiles worriedly, "W-well, I figure it's not really fair to, um, t-to ask you to get... get n-n-naked!" She takes a deep breath, then continues, "-when I, umm... w-when I'm afraid to." She blinks -- then blushes hotly with pleasure at the comment about Shane wanting to see her first: Shane seems to kinda want her all to himself! That is incredibly reassuring to the tense young woman, and she sighs happily and snuggles up against him a bit more.

Shane continues murmuring, "But what I really, very much want is to make you feel as wonderful, loved, ecstatic, and breathless as you make me feel. And if that means we need to turn out every single light and climb under the blankets while we learn about how to do that? I'm good with that. Because, acushla, I love you."

Cinnamon sighs softly, her voice tiny as she admits, "I... IloveloveyousososomuchtooasthorereallyreallyIdo!" She ends on a nervous squeak -- she said it! She said 'I love you' and -- and he didn't flinch away! She sighs again -- this time with relief -- then worries at this new thought: would it be okay to get naked... if Shane can't see her at all? Or... will he be able to feel how disgustingly flabby she is? She nervously admits to herself that she actually really does someday want to see Shane all... all n-naked all over, eeek! ...just 'cause he's so darned beautiful... oh, wait. Will this speed up his leaving-time? Uuugh! She turns her head to bury her face against Shane's chest, wondering exasperatedly how on earth one is supposed to balance out all these conflicting urges!

Shane keeps telling her he's not leaving... but she seems so convinced! He strokes her hair and whispers softly, trying his best to keep the pain out of his voice, "Why are you so sure I'm leaving? I keep telling you I'm not. You know I don't lie." He runs his fingers through her hair and lets her hide against him.

Cinnamon sighs softly, turning her face just enough so she's not mumbling into Shane's shirt -- though she remains leaning against him, since it really does feel like... home, and safety, and all good things to her. "Because that's how it always goes, dath�il... unfortunately. In stories sometimes it's all happy-ever-after... but not in real life. From what I've seen, every single time in real life... one of them has to go, or they fall out of love, or... or something sad happens, you know? ...and... and I don't ever want you to feel you can't leave if you want to, because... 'cause from what I've seen? That makes folks feel trapped and they get upset and it destroys everything... and anyways, I don't know how you can trap someone if you really love them, and still not have that ruin things... you know?" She pauses, reviewing her words... then sighs again, though this time it's rueful, "Does that, like... answer your question, asthore? I'm sorry if I'm awful at this talking and communicating thingie. I've never had to do it before, y'know? -'cause, like, no one was really that interested in what I had to say." She considers again, then adds, "Well... except for numbers, of course... like in accounting stuff and financial malfeasance things...."

Shane listens quietly to her explanation, face serious... then replies, "But, acushla... sadness may happen because we aren't immortal, but I have at least two examples for you." He nuzzles into her hair, "Me mum and da... who only parted temporarily. Liam and Rebecca, who were together until someone took him from her. They were together for decades and decades and very much in love... and look around you closely! Josie and Spice -- those two are never going to part. Even Sparrow and Kestrel. They love one another madly, even if their relationship is non-traditional. It doesn't always end in someone leaving, acushla."

Cinnamon shudders slightly, her fingers tightening a bit on Shane's shirt as he mentions his parents. She listens silently... then sighs and drops her hands and her gaze to her lap. There's almost a note of... shame, perhaps, in her voice as she murmurs softly, "All due respect, Shaney? ...your mom is so, so much braver than me! If someone I adored said they had to leave like that, I think... my heart would have broken right then and there. I absolutely would have wanted to know why -- and I think I'd have cried for weeks!" She shakes her head slightly as she adds even more quietly, "Sparrow and Kestrel are constantly parting and being with others and then coming back again. I don't... truly, I honestly d-don't... understand... how they... do... it...? -how you can be in love and yet... and still do it like... that?" She sighs again, letting her head droop sideways against Shane's chest... being worried all the time is so exhausting! But if that's all she has to do to get to spend time with Shane... she's absolutely sure it is completely worth it.

Shane murmurs, "Cinnamon, acushla, you're ignoring the other two here. Liam and Rebecca. Josie and Spice." His voice is gentle, and he takes a deep breath, "You work with numbers and logic, yes? You're working on confirmation bias here, a ghr�. You're cherry-picking the worst things. You're letting the bias of how your parents are, and I'm betting your bi... bint of a sister, color the world."

Cinnamon shakes her head, her voice tiredly flat, "No, I'm not. I just don't think it's happened yet with Spice and JoJo, and I don't mention it around them because I don't want to ruin the happiness they're feeling right now... and I can't really speak to Liam and Rebecca because I didn't see them together. But if we're talking logic and statistics, then I'm actually doing really well -- because I don't know of any cases at all where the relationships stayed all in lovey-dovey-like feelings for decades, y'know?" She smiles faintly up at Shane, her eyes bright with unshed tears, "I mean, it took me ages to work up the courage to even tell you how I felt, asthore... because I really don't want to ever lose you as a friend, and I know that's the first step. But... b-but I... I d-didn't mean... I d-didn't expect to... to f-fall... fallinlovewithyou and... and feel like th-there's a hole in my, in m-my heart when you're not around...? S-so yeah, I'm still scared most of the time, but... b-but I, I... want to at least have tried with you... y-you know?" She sighs and looks down at her inter-tangled fingers as she mumbles, "'M sorry I'm s-so... stupid about stuff sometimes..."

Shane brings her hand to his mouth for a gentle kiss, then replies, "But, acushla, it's the same for me. I'm in love with you... and there'd be a hole in my soul if I ever lost you. So I'm not leaving." He tips his head, "Do you actually know what acushla means?"

The little dragon thinks for a moment, then says hesitantly, "I know it means 'darling,' but... doesn't it... like, translate literally as 'my pulse' or... or 'my vein'?"

Shane nods, "Right. My pulse. My heartbeat." He takes both her hands in his as he looks at her, "I have never, ever called anyone else that. It means you're in my heart; you're in my blood. You are a part of me. I could not live without you because I would only be a part of myself." He looks directly into her eyes, "I. Am. Not. Leaving. You are not tying me down. You are not making me feel obligated. I am not giving up anything I don't want to give up to be with you. I am sitting beside the person who gives me life. You are my pulse."

Cinnamon blinks up at Shane as she pushes her glasses up -- then she drops her gaze and thinks for a long, silent moment. She knows -- she's absolutely sure -- Shane is currently telling the truth as he knows it. However -- and unfortunately -- she also knows her relating the fears which she feels she's basing on truth as well... are hurting him. Okay, she absolutely does not wish to hurt Shane. So... hmm, that... kind of makes things easier -- in a way? ...because not talking about something isn't lying about it, is it? She takes a deep breath, letting her fingers tentatively curl around his as she softly replies, "Well... okay. Will you, umm... m-make a deal with me? I'll... I'll hush up about leaving, and you can just... j-just show me how, uhh... how w-wrong I am?"

Shane smiles and rests his forehead against hers, "That's how it goes, a ghr�. You stay. One day at a time... and it becomes forever."

Cinnamon nods tensely -- just a tiny motion, so she doesn't dislodge his closeness with her -- and takes another deep breath before she says anything else. Her muscles are so tightly clenched that they're shaking, though she doesn't realize it, and her throat is almost locked up with terror... but now she also knows she prefers to yank the Band-Aid off -- as opposed to a constant, low-level agony. So... so if her heart is going to leave, then... then she's going to face it as courageously and honestly as she can, darnit -- as much as... as Shane faces danger! Yes, that's it... she takes another deep breath, then shakily replies, "Th-th-then-n-n... th-then I, I, okay -- w-we can... g-g-get n-naked!" She doesn't even hear the squeak in her voice, she's so tense with fear -- and she can't help the sudden flash of terror, [Is this the absolute stupidest thing I have ever done, or what?! I could have stayed months with Shaney if I hadn't pushed this!] Her fingers are uncomfortably tight around Shane's, and she's shaking all over... but she's doggedly clinging to her initial thought: she's going to be as brave as her beloved, even if it ruins everything! -- because it's the honest thing to do. It's the Shane thing to do! Or so she hopes, at least.

Shane murmurs, hearing the anxiety there, "Let's... mmm..." He nuzzles softly against her shoulder, and then her neck, "Let's take it a little slower. We don't have to be naked. In fact... give me a moment." He slides gracefully out of the bed, shedding his shirt as he goes but leaving on the kilt. The blanket gets tugged up, and he kisses Cinnamon's nose with an almost impish smile before turning his back, letting her see the breadth of his shoulders and the sweep of his hair down his bare back as he moves around the room, turning out lights and pulling shades and curtains. The little dragon can't help peering wide-eyed over the covers, though -- unwittingly looking rather like 'Kilroy was here' as she admires that gorgeous back and swoosh of glorious hair oh wow!Shane's beansidhe sight easily gets him back to the bed and sliding beneath the blanket with Cinnamon, once he's done. The young paladin's voice is a bit husky as he whispers, his hair brushing against her face and shoulders, "Now...you've been getting to explore. It's my turn."

He waits a moment or two, letting Cinnamon realize she doesn't have to be bare or exposed... and then he starts kissing her -- but not just her lips. Soft brushes of his mouth move over her ears, her throat, along her shoulder... he sighs softly, the sound obviously full of appreciation as he starts to kiss down along her arm, pausing to flick his tongue against the inner crook of her elbow, "Your skin is so lovely and soft, acushla." Cinnamon blinks a bit bemusedly. This is... wow! Really nice! She shivers a bit, and giggles as it hits her: it's kinda really lovely and tingly in places too! Shane smiles at the giggles, keeping his eyes half-closed and thinking to himself: his cara mia... his acushla. He's not about to make the silly Addams Family joke, but he's so glad she's giggling in a good way.

With his hair down, it's not just Shane's hands and lips sliding against Cinnamon's skin -- it's all that rich, silky wealth of raven-black hair. The trail of kisses and caresses continues, moving down the tender inside of her forearm until Shane can press a kiss into her palm... then gently flicking his tongue against each fingertip. He pauses after the first to see how she reacts, moving slowly and murmuring soft words of praise and adoration the whole way, telling her how brave she is for exploring this with him; how grateful he is to be the person she's sharing this with for the first time. His voice is husky with arousal, just as much as it gets when Cinnamon's been exploring and playing with him, and when he shifts to lean over her and take her other hand to kiss that palm, the press of his erection against her hip stands as evidence he's very much enjoying himself. The second hand gets similar treatment, but this time the fingertip kisses are followed by slow, sensual drags of his teeth over the pads of her fingers. Not bites, really... just teases of teeth to bring the nerve endings to life.

He's noticed she seems to be incredibly twitchy and tense about him touching her stomach, so he slides his hands up over her arms and bypasses her (frankly adorable, to him) tummy, to slide his palms over her shoulders. Shane's mouth hovers over hers and his lips almost brush hers as he murmurs, "Can I touch these lovely, soft, tempting breasts, acushla?" His voice is almost hoarse with need, but he's holding himself in check. She gave permission, but he's going to check again before the big steps. His mother taught him consent is key; Aisling taught him it's also sexy.

Cinnamon startles nervously at the unique (to her) sensation of teeth! Nothing bad happens, though -- actually, this is surprisingly nice! -- so she shivers again... then squeaks nervously as Shane's words register. Her shirt! He'll have to take off her shirt to reach her... r-reach her... oh, g-golly! She opens her mouth to say no -- but realizes with a sense of shock that she instead just squeaked a tiny, "Okay!" -- holy crabcakes, what is she doing?! She gasps, taking a deep breath and keeping her eyes tightly closed, bracing herself as if for something shocking... mostly because she has no real idea what to expect. Her hands are tightly clenched on the blanket now... though more for security than to keep it from sliding down.

Shane's voice is almost a purr, "Thank you, a ghr�," and he murmurs, "You can pull the blanket up if you want." Even as he's saying it, he's ducking down beneath the covers, having anticipated her reaction. Without opening her eyes, Cinnamon gasps, "Ohgood!" and nearly flips the blanket up over both of them! At that, agile hands move to tug Cinnamon's shirt up over her breasts -- which causes her to squeak again, grabbing at her shirt to hold it in place -- but then realizing what she's doing and pause... and then, very slowly... she moves her trembling hands back up to the blanket. She doesn't realize it, but her entire body is shaking from an acute case of terrified anxiety.

Shane stops breathing for a moment at that! He can actually see even under the blanket, but he's not going to make a big deal of it. He takes a deep breath and murmurs, "Breathe with me, acushla... you're doing so well." The way he speaks makes the praise into a low-voiced purr, not just simple encouragement. There's a slow wheeze as Cinnamon forces herself to breathe... and then she's no longer holding her breath... though her panting breathing is unwittingly still a little shallow and panicky. Shane's hands move slowly, carefully cupping the undersides of her breasts as he lowers his head to brush kisses over their upper slopes. He's listening to her breathing, hearing the nerves there, knowing that sometimes the panic can move to excitement -- but ready to stop cold if it doesn't. Warm lips travel down and inward until heated breath brushes over one of the little dragon's nipples... and then there's a warm, wet brush of Shane's tongue -- a flickering swirl -- and then a pause.

Cinnamon yelps and almost convulses with shock -- holy flying pogocakes on a flaming rubber crabstick what the heck that felt AWESOOOME!! She stares down at Shane, her eyes hugely dilated under the covers, and manages to sort of pant-squeak, "Wha-wha-what was that?!"

Shane manages not to give Cinnamon his full-on wicked beansidhe grin, but he does give her unwitting bedroom eyes as he murmurs, "That, acushla, is one of many reasons that breasts are worshipped 'round the world." His head dips again and he repeats the move before closing his lips around that same nipple to apply gentle nips and suckling, testing her reaction to each sensation. Initially she tends to squeak or yelp startledly, and clutch at him... but slowly, as the sensations become less shocking to her, her vocalizations kind of ease off into simply surprised and happy sounds... and then into more whimpery and happy-sighing reactions. As if moving of its own accord, Shane's hand cups the other breast, thumb just brushing the tip. The half-beansidhe is in no hurry, so both breasts are paid equal homage before he starts to wriggle his way downward beneath the covers.

As he starts moving, Cinnamon shivers happily and softly sighs, "That was... sooo... nice!" His hands again bypass the panic-zone of her belly, brushing over her hips and to her knees to tug them upward and apart, so he can nestle his torso into the cradle of her thighs and kiss along their inner surfaces, "Mmm... I'm glad you liked." He sounds almost intoxicated, and it belatedly occurs to the little dragon: shouldn't she, um... be worried about... where this... his hands feel so warm! ...wow, there's more lovely tingly places down, er... down there? She squeaks softly, then sighs again as she wriggles a bit with happiness. This... isn't anything like what she thought sex was like! Or... well, hang on... is this sex? Her thoughts are a little blurry with pleasure as the question sort of slowly percolates through her brain... maybe it's just like massage? That'd be... that'd be safe, right?

Shane nudges her skirt up slowly, fingers climbing with it... and then he pauses, "A ghr�, can I take your panties off?" His voice is downright hoarse as he asks and he ducks his head, brushing the tip of his nose along the crease where her thigh meets her body, right along the edge of her sex. "No is okay -- I can still do all kinds of lovely things with them on -- but..." -and then he does something that may well short-circuit his acushla's brain -- and presses the flat of his tongue over her folds through the fabric, dragging it from the point where her labia meet all the way up to the top where her clitoris is hiding, adding a little extra pressure right there -- which drags an incoherent but rising moan from Cinnamon. She'd meant to say something, but the feelings just sort of overwhelmed her ability to speak! Shane grins as he continues, "...it's nicer without all the fabric in the way."

Cinnamon pants for a few seconds -- good golly on toast, if this trend of increasing sensation continues, her head may explode! She manages to gasp out, "Hoh-h- huuuh-huh...?!" -- but that's about all the verbalization she can handle just now.

There's another of those almost purrs as Shane helps Cinnamon wriggle out of her panties... then groans at the scent and sensation of slippery, warm skin, "Oh, acushla..." His hands cup her thighs and his thumbs brush over her outer petals again, from bottom to top, "I love how wet and warm and ready you are." The pressure of his thumbs opens her a little, and the next drag of his tongue is almost identical to the first -- except this one is against bare, sensitive skin, and ends with a curling flick of his tongue against the no-longer hidden pearl of her clitoris. Cinnamon jerks and yelps startledly again -- but then sighs out a soft, shuddery -- and surprised! -- moan.

After that, Shane quite simply sets about worshipping his beloved. There's no penetration because he honestly doesn't think she's ready for that, but there are all kinds of other touches and caresses with fingers and tongue, even closing his mouth around that exquisitely sensitive bundle of nerves and suckling as he flickers his tongue over it. He listens and pays attention to her reactions, gently and inexorably pushing Cinnamon higher, helping her ride the sensations and chase her own pleasure. If her hands tangle in his hair, it just makes him groan and have to grind his own hips against the bed. He keeps his shoulders under her thighs, supporting them and encouraging her to let her feet rest on his back. The half-beansidhe wouldn't even mind if she ended up squeezing his head, but he has a feeling she's still too shy for that.

Cinnamon is already feeling delightfully and shockingly overwhelmed... all those lovely, tingly feelings building up inside her! ...but the things her asthore is doing now are making her feel almost like she's both not in her body, and at the same time more completely in her skin than she's ever been before. There's this weirdwonderfulwarmtinglyshivery pressure that keeps getting stronger and stronger and she tries to sort of shed some of it, so the niceness doesn't stop, by curling her toes and grabbing onto Shane's hair and even squirming -- she doesn't even realize the noises she's making. Then- something... happens...? -starting at the base of her spine but also right underneath where her beloved asthore's mouth is concentrating on that really sensitive spot and it feels like it's sucking all the air out of the room. She vaguely realizes her hips are almost moving on their own and then her whole body suddenly convulses and arches and she practically sings out a wordless, rising mewl of need and relief and ecstatic stars exploding behind her eyes in her mind fireworks going off all around her a bursting wave of this weird new deliciousamazingohmygooooosh pulsing-bursting through her whole body but also centered right down into the very deepest core of her where she's never been before where sh- and her mind seems to completely white out for a moment in what feels like the single most physically mindblowingpleasurableshocking thing to have ever happen to her...!

Time just... goes away... for a bit, but eventually weight and physical feeling seem to come drifting back where... Shane is now just gently kissing. As those white-out sensations slowly ebb, Cinnamon lies there trembling, her legs a little wobbly and her heart racing... but it doesn't feel like panic? Her head is still swimmy, though -- she feels almost stunned with amazing sensation! The groggy-pleasurable thought drifts through her head: what in the world was that? ...and... why has she been fighting so hard to prevent it? As Cinnamon's body relaxes and unwinds from that incredibly delicious tension, Shane rests with his head on one of her thighs, gently stroking the other and smiling like the cat that ate the canary. He thinks he may need to thank Aisling, later, for suggesting the gentle lead up with non-sexual caresses... because this? Was definitely worth it. Getting to feel and hear and see and taste his beloved acushla fall apart at his touch and under his tongue was well worth the patience and gentle coaxing. For now, he just waits and pets and lets her come down from what seemed like a rather explosive high....

There are no showers in the Trod of the Elm.
Well, no normal showers. There are a couple of solar showers in amongst the trod's communal equipment for when the guardians go on distant patrol, but none inside the trod itself.
Instead, bathing is done in the "just the essentials" way -- with washstands, or in old-fashioned tubs with hand-hauled water. There are a couple of pumps inside the trod, but there are none in the various bed chambers -- not even Quinn or Saoirse have running water in their quarters. Eirich has a pump in the kitchen because he has a constant need for water, and there's one in the storehouse as well... but that's it.
Water for baths normally comes from the kitchen because it needs to be heated if you don't want to have a cold soak -- and a cold soak is the very last thing Shane wants today. He's been training with Quinn. Even though the young man has been doing martial arts for years now, his father is running him ragged. Shane is learning the difference between being a good martial artist -- even a good martial artist who can apply his skills in practical situations -- and being a warrior. He's learning weapons skills, as well as the kind of fighting that will not just put an enemy down for the count, but down for good... if necessary.
His first day in the sparring ring, he'd been quite sure he'd get his ass handed to him. Quinn had told him this was a test and they needed to understand his skill- and strength-level when it came to true combat. They'd be starting him out sparring with some of the younger folk, but he shouldn't expect to be coddled... so Shane had been quite sure he'd come out of that day beaten all to hell. The first of the trod's guardians they'd put him up against was a fair match for Shane in speed and weight, and was only about eighty years old -- young by trod standards. The warrior had only been a guardian for about fifteen years, so he was more skilled in true combat and had seemed to have the advantage. But Shane was patient and worked the defense until he saw a gap -- then stepped in with one strong, sharp uppercut.
The man had instantly gone down, causing the entire room to go quiet for an instant -- followed by some awed chatter, and Quinn's delighted laughter. He'd stepped forward and clapped his son on the shoulder with a broad grin, "Oh, lad, Brannigan would ha'e been so bloody proud a' ye! Not a warrior in this trod would go toe-to-toe in a bare-knuckle boxing match wi' me da' wi'out him promisin' tae pull his punches a wee bit. Seems ye take after him!"
After that, no one had gone easy on Shane. No one was trying to break bones or injure him, but he worked just as hard as any other guardian. Today he felt like one big bruise, so definitely a hot bath... and maybe some liniment and willowbark tea, after.
He'd just poured the last pail of steaming water into the tub and lowered his aching body into it with a groan of relief, head dropping back against the edge and arms drooping over the sides. "Fuckin' heavenly..." he mutters to himself. No scrubbing yet... just soaking to ease the aches.
From the room's doorway an amused feminine voice murmurs, "Oh, my... yes, quite."
Shane yelps at the unexpected sound, bolting upright and splashing some of the water over the side of the tub as he grabs for a towel, to try to drape it over the top of the tub. He's not precisely bashful, since Janet brought him up with no real body-shyness. However, he's also a couple years away from truly being comfortable with casual nudity. Especially casual nudity around a woman -- and that was definitely a woman's voice! Aisling's voice.
"Jesus Christ, Ash! Don't you know how to knock?" Shane snaps, making sure the towel is draped enough to hide all the relevant bits -- and not being silly enough to stand up. Aisling has been flirting quite a lot with him lately and, well... there's only so much an 18-year-old young man can be expected to do to be gentlemanly when a gorgeous woman is teasing him!
"Why, yes. Yes, I do." Aisling's voice is mischievous as she curls one hand into a fist and raps lightly on the doorframe, adding, "It's just that I chose not to... and you didn't actually get the door completely closed when you brought that last pail of water in." Her golden eyes twinkle, "So I thought perhaps you wouldn't actually mind company."
Shane's a little too rattled to be listening closely, so he's not actually sure if what Aisling is saying is true. It might be. He was distracted and exhausted. It also might not be. Ash will sometimes bend the truth if she thinks it's harmless and she's being impish. She is, after all, a beansidhe -- mischief is part of her nature. He rubs a hand over his face and groans, "You saw me bring the water in. You knew I was going to be having a bath. Of course I wanted privacy."
Aisling closes the door behind herself and actually latches it as she moves across the room. When she perches on the edge of the tub, Shane's eyes widen -- then he hastily pulls the towel right down into the water! Her eyes flicker down, clucking her tongue again as she realizes everything is well-covered, "If you always want privacy in the bath, Shane-lad, you're the first male in the history of the world that does." She reaches over and brushes a lock of his long, dark hair off his forehead, still smiling, "But actually, I wanted to have a frank discussion with you, since apparently I've been being a bit too subtle..." Her eyes slide down his body appreciatively. He might have a year or two more filling out to do, but Shane is already quite handsome and lovely to look at. One fingertip follows the path of her gaze from Shane's chin down his chest, and he catches her wrist before it dips below the level of the water.
Shane closes his eyes and counts to five, hoping his voice comes out even as he asks, "Frank discussion? About?" [Oh, stars and stones and all the gods above and below. I'm not a complete innocent, but there's no way in hell she's actually thinking what I think she's thinking... she's gorgeous -- and I'm just a freakin' kid!]
Aisling laughs at Shane's very serious expression and careful tone of voice, "Shane, I know you're not that naive. But I shall lay it out for you. You're a very bonny lad." She uses the good luck of him having his eyes closed to take in as much of him as she can with true and happy pleasure, "And I quite appreciate the male form. Normally I'd try to be a little more subtle, but you've been either trying to let me down easily, or you're missing my cues. So I'll simply ask."
Shane swallows with a groan, "Aisling, c'mon... I'm not... I mean you... you're beautiful and you could have any man in the trod." He tries to carefully put her hand aside, "And you deserve someone that, uhm..." He takes a deep breath and rubs his hands over his face... because he's going to be honest here -- like he's honest everywhere else, "That knows what the hell he's doing. I mean, I know how it all works but..."
Taking his hand off her wrist and covering his face was the wrong move if he was trying to dissuade her from touching him! It gives Aisling room to slip a hand into the water and beneath the towel, fingers sliding along his length quite intimately. When she discovers that he's very interested despite his very sweet and even chivalrous protests, she purrs, "Oh, lad, that's what I've been trying to explain..."
Shane stops breathing completely for a moment and freezes, caught between 'don't grab at a woman even though you got caught off-guard and grabbed at her once' and 'holy fuck, what the hell, she's got her hand on my cock, this is way out of my control...!' His voice is strained, "Then... can you explain without..." he motions toward his hips, "that? It's ha-... difficult to concentrate." [Because that feels really good and I expected this to be happening with someone my own age who'd be learning at the same time I am and I'm absolutely sure I'm going to disappoint this amazing woman...] But he doesn't say any of that part aloud. He's been learning in the trod to say as little as possible to get his point across.
Aisling's hand moves off him immediately because he asked her to stop, "I can absolutely stop while I explain, even though you're rather delectable when you're distracted. Shane, what I'm saying is that I know you're young, and I know you likely haven't had much experience, but you're very lovely to look at... and you're a wonderful young man here..." she taps his chest, "and here." She gently taps his forehead, then adds, "I would very much like to help you learn about some of the wonderful, amazing, quite delicious things two people can do to enjoy one another." Her eyes glint playfully, "Because you're going to make someone -- possibly several someones -- a wonderful partner someday." Her tongue tip touches the middle of her upper lip, "And part of that ought to be being able to make that person very, very happy in bed. Or wherever else you might find yourself wanting to play." Her eyes twinkle, "Like in a bathtub, for instance."
Shane opens his eyes again, licking his own lips, "You... what?"
Aisling smiles, "I want to teach you how to be a good lover, sweet lad. I suspect you're going to be quite good just on instinct because you pay attention to how people react, but I want to teach you how to be more than just quite good. I think with a little practice... and I would love to be your practice partner... you could be amazing."
Shane blinks slowly and thinks carefully before repeating, "You... you want to teach me..."
Aisling laughs warmly and leans in, head tipping slightly, "Oh, don't get me wrong, lad. It's not completely altruistic. As I said, you are rather lovely to look at. But yes, I would love to teach you a thing or to. Consider it a gift to any future lovers of yours." She slips a hand behind his head and murmurs, "Lesson one... kissing."
Shane quirks a smile, his own eyes finally showing amusement as he lets himself relax. This... this could be nice... and if there's no pressure... "This part I know about." He lets his own head tip and meets her lips with his....

Somewhat over a decade after Aisling first cheerfully seduced a willing Shane... a rumpled, still-flushed, wide-eyed Cinnamon looks down to where Shane's head is pillowed on her thigh, his fingers tracing lazily over her other leg. He's looking rather dreamy, with a satisfied smile curving his lips. The little dragon herself feels rather floaty and astonished still... and her brilliant, shyly delighted smile has Shane's heart feeling like it's going to burst. He makes a silent mental note to thank Ash later... and another note to absolutely forbid her to say anything to Cinnamon about him thanking her! Because the beansidhe woman was right all those years ago: Shane is very, very happy he's able to make his beloved feel wonderful and beautiful in this and all the other ways.

It takes the panting Cinnamon a bit to recover, of course... and a few more minutes to gather up her courage to breathlessly -- and very shyly -- ask Shane a personally-rather-important question: "Sh-Shaney? Asthore, w-whuu... umm, wh-what was that! ...p-please? Er... and m-maybe... c-could we maybe, er, someday, umm... d-do it again...?"

Shane's eyes shine as he raises his head and grins -- a very warm, promising, and heated grin. That is a very good response; not at all the possible panicking and fleeing that could have happened after something so very intense. He slides up along the bed, pushing up on both hands so his hair falls around his and Cinnamon's faces in a warm curtain. His voice is low and sweet and a little hoarse, and he lets his weight rest very, very lightly between her thighs and against her probably still-sensitive sex as he replies, "Acushla, I think the 'that' that you're asking about is an orgasm. As for doing it again? We don't have to wait for someday..." His grin goes playfully wicked, "I would be more than happy to introduce you to the wonderful realities of female physiology." He lowers his lips to her ear and whispers, "Did you know that women can have several of those, back-to-back?" When Cinnamon breathlessly squeaks, and he can almost feel her blushing, he grins to himself. Oh, he absolutely needs to thank Aisling later! However, sensing the still-stunned-looking little dragon may perhaps currently be somewhat overwhelmed, Shane opts to simply snuggle up with his beloved, murmuring, "But we can save that for another time." He kisses her temple and strokes her hair, feeling as if he might actually be glowing. The amount of trust she had to give him for this is immense -- and it makes his heart feel like it might burst out of his chest for joy.

Cinnamon wriggles a bit, pushing her rumpled clothing into more comfortable positions... then sighs and nearly drapes herself across Shane, if he doesn't seem to mind. She mumbles contentedly, "Mm'kay..." and nuzzles up... then simply snuggles blissfully. It's several minutes, in fact, before a worrying thought occurs to her: this is her first boyfriend, right? -and she's a proper girlfriend now, too! So... so what exactly should she be doing, as a good girlfriend? Not one like Candi, but rather a real one? Though... hmm. Shane has seemed pretty open to... well, to her not knowing stuff, and just asking -- maybe he can tell her? She dithers for a bit, but finally mumbles a bit sheepishly, "Shaney, asthore, umm... is it... can I, um... can I ask you some questions, p-please?"

Shane happily plays the role of basking rock for his adorable little dragon, stroking her hair and back and making random soothing sounds. When she finally asks if she can ask questions, he answers in a lazy, sexually-replete voice, "You can always ask me anything... and I'll always answer if I can. If I can't, I'll simply say I can't answer, a ghr�."

"Okay." Cinnamon takes a deep, encouraging breath, then hesitates, "Are we, ahh... er, I mean, like -- no pressure or anything, okay? Right? But, um, I w-was wondering -- I mean, I want to do it right, after all, right? So, like, umm... are we d-doing... I mean, sh-should we, er... is this the right, umm... like, right s-stuff that b-b-boy- and -- a-and girl-friends do?" She's blushing hotly by the time she's stuttered that out, feeling uncommonly dumb for not already knowing this... but what the heck -- in for a penny, in for a pound! "-and um... w-what else sh-should I be doing to, er, t-to... beagoodgirlfriendplease?!" She takes in a big, nervous gasp of air, then adds in a smaller, uncertain voice, "Uh, j-just if... we actually still are boyfriend and girlfriends...?"

Shane smiles down at her, eyes heavy-lidded and lips curling up softly, "Beloved, it's certainly one of the things boyfriends and girlfriends do, and if that's the word you want to use, you can. I certainly consider myself your buachaill, your beau... I'm all yours. You're my one and only because I know that's what you need in someone that you're romantically involved with, and because making you happy is everything to me... and to be a good girlfriend to me, all you have to do is be yourself. Because that's who and what I fell in love with."

Cinnamon sighs happily, nuzzling up against Shane and cuddling a bit more... but after a few more seconds of thought she frowns consideringly, "Umm, that... that's not... quite what I'm asking? P-please? I mean... w-well, I've, er, n-never done this before, so... so, like, let's see. Does this mean we don't, uhh... don't talk to anyone of the opposite sex? Is that how one is a, um, a... one and only? Or wait, that's... not really feasible, is it -- should I not be talking to any guys my age, then? A-and, um, s-s-sex!" She squeaks out the last word -- then blushes hotly and mutters, "Darnit!" before continuing, "D-do we... it, umm... er, how often are we supposed t-to... do it? And, uh, d-do I need to... isn't there, like, um... stuff for not having babies or something? And, umm... are we supposed to keep it a secret, or... or what, p-please?" She hesitates, then adds in a tiny voice, "I'm s-sorry I'm so d-dumb about all this, Shaney... I d-didn't know where to, like, research it first, y'know? Sorry...?"

Shane blinks slowly, "Acushla, I am about the furthest thing from a jealous asshole that there is. The only person that's ever made me bristle is Marcus because, well... I was afraid he'd hurt you." He smiles wryly, then smiles again -- his normal smile, "So you can talk to and be friends with whoever you want, and I would hope that you trust me to be friends with whoever I want. The only things that are exclusive between us are the kissing and caressing and the sexual things. Those intimate things that make us both breathe faster and tingle and... well..." He nuzzles in against her throat, "and all those things that give you those beautiful blushes and make you make those amazing sounds of pleasure? Those I want for me. As for how often? That's different for every set of lovers. The right answer is: as often as both of us -- yes, both of us -- want to. It's got to be enthusiastic and mutual desire or I don't want it, a ghr�. There's no magic number. Three times a day? Once a month? Twice a year? However often we find ourselves unable to keep our hands off each other, that's how often we should be doing it.

"If you want, once we start doing the things that will actually make babbies, I can bring condoms along, or you can talk to someone like Spice about getting on birth control. I'm not sure how fertile I actually am or you might be, so we should likely use some kind of protection until you're ready to have babbies. Me? I'd happily give you a dozen bairns if you want them, but sidhe are notorious for having a hard time breeding. As for keeping it secret? I don't care who knows that we're lovers. I'm not one to kiss and tell the details, but if you want to talk to friends and ask questions of other women, I'm not going to tell you not to. After all, I don't have the same body parts. Spice, Josie, Ash, Hilde... any of them would likely be happy to talk to you about that sort of thing. Even me mum. She's a nurse, after all." He quietly thinks Ash would be tickled to death to know Cinnamon is finally discovering the joys of intimacy... but he doesn't say that aloud.

Cinnamon squeaks nervously, "N-noooo! Oh nonononono I w-wouldn't dare m-mention to your m-m-mom that we -- that, uhh... what we, er..." She feels like her cheeks must be almost incandescent by now, even under the covers! "Umm'kaynoworriesthat'sfinethanks!" She nearly buries her face against Shane's chest, mortified at how easily she gets squeaky and nervous still... then sighs softly a few minutes later, "I guess I should, umm... refuse to s-see Marcus any m-more, then, right? 'Cause sometimes he, er... I mean, I d-don't think he means to -- it's my fault! -b-but he -- I, er... l-like, just t-talking s-sometimes? He -- I, umm -- it's... k-kinda tingly? Y-you know?" A few heartbeats later, though, she frowns worriedly while mentally reviewing, "Oh, crabcakes... okay, wait, this is... a bit confusing, I think...? 'Cause sometimes, listening to music w-with Jalil? It's just -- it's so beautiful, like I could almost cry, you know? -and... that's kind of tingly too?" She sighs in frustrated worry, adding, "Girlfriend-stuff is harder than I thought it'd be!"

Shane listens, then smiles softly, his voice gentle, "Cinnamon, my love, I honestly am not worried about who you speak with or spend time with or how they make you feel. It's okay to get turned on by other people. Almost every species ever is wired to feel arousal by more than one person. That's not any kind of betrayal. I know plenty of people who just take that and channel it into having a lovely time with their mate later." He tucks her hair behind her ear, still keeping his voice soft, "And if you decided that you want to have other partners? You could if you wanted to. I am not going to. You are going to be my only lover, okay? Because that's my choice and I want you to feel secure in me. What's most important to me is you being happy and feeling beautiful and powerful and loved."

Cinnamon blinks confusedly -- then objects, "W-wait, that -- that's not fair! W-why would you have to have more, um... more restrictions than me? That -- th-that's, like, Candi-like acting! ...er, isn't it?"

Shane smiles and shakes his head, "Only if I resented it. I don't. I'm perfectly happy and don't feel like it's a restriction. It's something I'm offering you as a gift." He kisses her gently and strokes her hair, "A token to assure you that your heart is safe with me. To continue showing you that I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours... and I trust that you're mine. I know my beautiful dragon will always fly home to my arms, hm?"

Cinnamon nibbles worriedly on her lower lip -- all her life she's considered the unequal arrangements her sister often had to be dreadfully unfair, and likely an important element in why none of them ever lasted. To be now faced with doing something similar... rather scares her, since she really wants this... this scary-wonderful-amazing-frightening new... relationship? Are they in an actual 'relationship'? That's what it's called, though, isn't it? Oh, golly, focus, girl! Ughhh! She... she really wants this thingie, whatever it's called, to last as long as she can make it! S-so... sooo shouldn't it start out fair, first thing? The little dragon's voice is uncertain -- this is so new to her that she's literally checking how this feels as she speaks: "I... uh, if I d-don't have to, umm... t-to be... m-mo-monogamous? Is that the right word? -if I don't have to, then I d-don't think you should have to either, Shaney? S-so... oh! -and also, asthore, I... I w-want you to b-be here with m-me, yes -- b-but only because you want to be, you know? So... so I, um, I... I don't want to f-force you t-to mogon- n-no, m-mono-n-nonogamy either?" Her voice is trembling with a mix of nervous tension and absolutely sincere conviction! She knows her heart will likely break if/when Shane leaves... but she also knows an awful lot of the guys Candi separated from felt trapped by all Candi's restrictions. Cinnamon never ever wants Shane to feel trapped by her!

Shane gently studies his lover's face; he can see the tightly-reined-in panic, so he smiles softly, "Then we'll do this the way you want to. I'll hold you only as tightly as you want to be held, and you hold me only as tightly as I want to be held. Does that work for you?" That, he figures, leaves room for enough interpretation... because right now, the only person he wants to be with truly is her. He has no intentions of taking any other lovers or bedmates until he can tell his nervous little beloved is so confident in him that she can be happy for him.

Cinnamon takes a couple of deep breaths as she sort of mulls over Shane's suggestion, checking for how it feels or fits or... whatever... except... abruptly she sighs gustily, almost going limp with relief as she sort of flops on him again, "Wow, asthore, that -- th-that sounds, like... really-really awesome to me! Is that really truly okay with you too?" If it is, it's going to be a tremendous relief to her -- she won't be constantly worrying he'll feel trapped or stifled or embarrassed by her... or upset because she does something wrong due to not really knowing yet how to be a good girlfriend... or want to leave due to that 'forbidden fruit syndrome'-thingie, or -- or anything like that!

Shane nods and leans in to kiss her lips gently, having forgotten he tastes like, well... her. "Mmm. It's absolutely okay with me." After all, he's got no real need for her to be monogamous -- he was raised by a woman who truly believed love is love, and he then spent the next chunk of his life first in a beansidhe trod, and then immersed in a very polyamory-friendly culture. If she's happy, he will be too.

Later that night, well after the party has ended and been cleaned up and everyone has gone home... Marcus gets his correspondence -- and finds the indigo note. He smiles broadly and pauses right in the middle of the hall to read it... and the smile widens further, becoming the one Cinnamon writes about in her note. One deep breath, and he tucks the note into his inside pocket. Later it will go in the drawer beside his bed, tied together with the other notes and affirmations he's been keeping. He muses thoughtfully... his next one to her will need to be something special. He also chuckles to himself about her adding the -y sound to the end of his name. 'Marcussy' isn't... his favorite nickname, but it's a nickname. It means she's forgiving him. So that's actually a very good sign.

[Previous Log] [Index] [Next Log]

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

All material on this site is
Copyright © 2019-2024 Reality Fault
unless specifically indicated on each document.
All Rights Reserved.
Administrated by Reality Fault Webmaster