PC: CALEB

[headmt]

Comments

[headmt]

Maybe! I've never done it before.

[He's gonna break his tail. Just grinning widely when it's his Teen NPC nemesis there, already starting to cower when he sees this fucking purple alcoholic again with the ID that says he's two years old.]

Okay, fuck this, I'm just going to--

[Just? Hopping the counter and looking over at Caleb?]

What do you want? Beer? Wine?

[The teen is just ... staring at him.]

[katzepaw]

We are going out in the cold, yes?

[So, to the concession teen - ]

We will have, uhm, hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps.

[headmt]

[Molly who is already behind the counter and trying to steal, just grabs the peppermint schnapps bottle and gestures for the teen to get cocoa. No one is really trying to stop him. Hopping back over the counter again.]

Fancy.

[katzepaw]

This is not fancy. This is what you drink with a hot drink. This or perhaps brandy. Where I grew up, it was always freezing cold in the winter.

[Don't accuse him of being fancy? But he will pour a generous helping in their hot cocoa for each of them.]

[headmt]

[Holding it up for a cheers? Starting to head for the door at the same time.]

It's a little fancy. A tiny bit. Fancier than drinking piss right out of the bottle. [Teasing, mostly.] That so? You seem a little more suited for cold than me, I'm afraid. Only really had the one winter I remember, and I do not care for it.

[katzepaw]

Sure, anything is fancier than that.

[Walking with him, bumping his drink against his, and then just a little bumping his shoulder against his.]

You might learn to like it. So long as there are warm drinks and somewhere warm to get to after, it isn't so bad.

[headmt]

Prost.

[He probably says it wrong but he's doing his best.]

I'll get used to it, probably. But maybe next adventure we head for somewhere beachy still. That seems like fun.

[Wow! Future assumptions. Bold.]

[katzepaw]

Prost.

[A little smile.]

It does seem like fun.

[headmt]

[Sipping at his drink, not really in any rush to get anywhere. Just grinning back at him.]

Beauregard started suggesting I'd fuck off to parts unknown after we get back, which-- I'm sure she meant it in that way where obviously she's suggesting I stick around, but it's funny. Not like I've got anywhere else to go. What else would I do? Find a new circus? You lot have already got the three rings thing down I think.

[katzepaw]

[He smiles a little at that, though.]

. . . What did she say, exactly? I think you may have misunderstood her. Ah. . . I think it may be more that she is worried it would be dangerous for you, to be with us if we are still dealing with Lucien.

[headmt]

[No, she was being tsundere.]

No, I don't think so. She said I could stay with the group or go run off forever with Claude if I wanted, I guess.

[katzepaw]

With Claude?

[There's kind of an amused question there.]

Well, Beauregard is Beauregard, and I suppose if you did decide to leave here with Claude we wouldn't have any right to stop you. But that isn't what she said to me.

[headmt]

A joke. Because it would be a silly option.

[An amused response.]

... What did she say to you then? And I suppose I don't know the specifics, but you'd think if I was around, by definition your Lucien problem might be taken care of.

[katzepaw]

I have no fucking idea how it will work. [He shrugs.] She was just talking about finding a safe place for you.

But. . . [He realizes after a moment.] She doesn't know that there aren't any, anymore. I've ruined that for us.

[headmt]

[Well by now they've probably made it to the center of campus, so Molly just goes to lean over the edge to the ice skating rink, arms on it, nursing his drink now. Tilting his head a bit.]

What do you mean?

[katzepaw]

[Just running his hand through his hair as he remembers this, as he remembers he had that whole conversation with Beau and she didn't know this.]

Ah. . . we made someone quite powerful very angry with us. Uhm. He followed us to Nicodranas, to Jester's mother and Veth's family.

There's still. . . there's still the Gentleman, and Caduceus' home, but we do not have an amulet for you, but I suppose that won't matter, he won't know your face.

[headmt]

[Well a lot of that is news - Nott slash Veth has a familiar? He'd heard the name Caduceus, but he's got no fucking clue what his home has to do with anything. Just reaching over to put a hand on his shoulder, patting him.]

Don't worry about me. Sure there's probably something to be done about all of that, too. We'll, ah-- Figure something out. Might even get something useful here? Seems like a powerful place.

[katzepaw]

Ja, probably.

[He shakes his head, like he's trying to shake off some of these bad thoughts, and instead goes and picks up an ice skate.]

These are a little different than I'm used to.

[headmt]

[Honestly just looking to Caleb for guidance, because he's never done this before. Looking at it, poking the blade.]

What're you used to?

[katzepaw]

These are a little nicer. When I was a boy we would just fasten something with a bit of an edge to our shoes and go slide around.

[He starts putting on a pair, smiling at Molly toying with it.]

Be careful, or you will make your own ice.

[headmt]

[Grinning at him, but he doesn't touch the blade more, just copying him - taking his thigh-highs off and setting them to the side and shoving the skates on.]

Who knows, maybe it'll be one of those things I'm naturally good at.

[Looking at Lucien's past, this seems doubtful.]

[katzepaw]

You are more graceful than me by a long mile.

[Taking him by the hands before stepping out onto the ice? Anyway, hey, Shady Creek is cold.]

[headmt]

[That's true, it is. And to his credit, he doesn't immediately fall on his ass - perfectly pleased to be led out by the hands onto the ice and dragged along, only scrambling a little bit on his feet before he finds his balance. High dex is actually useful here.]

... You look ridiculous in those glasses. Should keep them all the time.

[katzepaw]

I do like them.

[He smiles a little, aware he can probably let go of his hands now because Molly is doing just fine. But he doesn't just yet.]

It's as I feared, you are a natural.

[headmt]

[Molly seems to have no intention of letting go of any hands? He does a little exaggerated scramble like he's gonna fall, but it's like. Pretty clearly faking it.]

A blessing and a curse. Sometimes I shock myself too.