Realistic or Modern Spellbound

[xrakkax]

“We don’t need to get too fancy. They brought a lot of easy hand-held food last time. Why not get something they may not have tried?” Molly suggested. “That was the first time they had strawberry shortcake. Let’s see what else they haven’t had.” The fact that they seemed far removed from even the popular films like The Lion King meant they had the possibility of impressing them quite easily. “Stars, I wonder if they’ve had a burger at this point!”

Molly also talked about bringing some games. Like frisbee or a football. Chances are, from seeing everyone just chillin’ on the blanket last time, they hadn’t been exposed to these common American past-times.

 

[Soliloquy]

It felt downright impossible for anyone to be in the states for more than five seconds without having a burger. There were fast food joints out the wazoo and Texas was definitely no exception. "Hmm, maybe. I remember we had an exchange student at Baylor who was from Russia and she said they didn't have peanut butter there," she remarked. "Maybe we could get some sort of snack with them? Oh, like ants on a log would be easy!"

They'd chat for a bit longer before before coming to a semi agreement on what to grab at the last second. Eventually, Willow found herself yawning and a glance at the time told her exactly why. Bidding Molly a goodnight for a few hours, she quickly readied for bed, unable to contain a bounce in her step. Admittedly, she might have been quietly humming 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' while she was brushing her teeth and still while slipping back to bed. The last thing she did was remove the Jade bracelet, carefully setting it on the nightstand, her gaze still on it while falling asleep.

 

[xrakkax]

In the end Molly agreed with Willow about ‘Ants-on-a-log’. It was easy, delicious, and refreshing. Molly also decided to bring a frisbee. The next day they drove to the same park, to the same spot, and the family was just setting up. Bear happily greeted them again. Theo and Micha welcomed them to the blankets. Grandpa walked with Granya, who wore her trench coat again, down to the shore, but he did wave at them. The animals from last time were there again, but Bandit had also come that day. She delighted in slinking in around Willow’s arms and hands.

This time Theo had the unlimited ability to show his affection to the woman he courted. They sat on the blankets. Willow in his arms. The shared bites of their food, they laced fingers, they occasionally exchanged light pecks on the cheek, and it all felt like nothing new. As if this is only how it should have been the whole time. The family didn’t blink an eye.

When the snacks the girls took to the park were handed out all but Lyov liked them. Grandpa Lyov had a hard time digesting peanuts and this affected his palate. Micha praised how the snack worked well-- dry from the peanut-butter, but moist from the celery, and of course, the bit of raisin brought a touch of sweetness to it. Granya liked the snack, but she picked off the raisins, ate half of the celery stick, and licked up the rest of the peanut butter.

Molly showed them the frisbee and the game changed dramatically. All the cousins got in on a game with Willow and Molly. But by the end of it Granya still wanted to play. So she had Amalia throw it for her almost non-stop. Avril wrapped her body around the wicker baskets in the center so Amalia could do so. Granya had competition from Bear over being the one who catches it. At one point she and Bear wrestled over the frisbee for dominance. But when people doing nothing but talking amongst themselves were coming down the way, Granya abandoned the frisbee and went to sit by Jovan, using him to block their view of her. When they left she decided to just hang out on the blanket.

At the end, when dinner came around, Theo invited the girls to spend it with them. Since Willow was now his paramour, he felt confident to imply she would always be welcome and probably expected now. Molly, though, was still undeclared. Micha could only offer to her. As much as she loved that family Molly declined. She needed to catch up on housework and the like. So she bade them farewell.

Dinner was, of course, at the Old Bear. They had a wonderful time eating and chatting and Theo especially talked about his excitement over October twenty-fifth. The true beginning of his career! That brought up the issue of needing another person around the pub. They discussed maybe putting up flyers for another worker. In the end Jovan said it would be best. Someone flexible. Micha said he’d get that set up by next week, since they would be going Moon-Fishing. The family-centered event of the month. Theo made no moves to invite Willow.

Dinner ended, Theo took Willow home, and they spent a good five minutes saying goodnight in a most affectionate way. Then he sped off on his motorcycle to get ready for bed.

The next day felt strange. It felt like riding a rollercoaster that shot off at eighty-miles-per hour, and normally lasted a week, suddenly stopping dead in its tracks by the end of the day when you realized you weren’t coming in the next morning. The pay didn’t disappoint though. Molly thought she’d never get tired of stuffing her purse with wads of cash. Theo began the tradition of taking Willow home. So Molly said her goodbyes and left the love-birds to hop on that metal horse when they were done fawning over each other. Molly exaggerated, of course. The fawning was common, but it evened out as time ironed the wrinkles made by initial excitement into comfortable, smooth fabric.

Wednesday came and went for Molly. She caught up on sleep by being unconscious almost the entire time the sun was up, and the moon of Wednesday night too. Thursday morning she had all the energy in the world to straighten out her house, shop for needs, drop by Willows to say hello, talk about life, and then Molly went to a doctors appointment for a check-up. Friday she worked out with Willow a time they could go to the Mall again. A closer one, and this time it had been more for a leisurely window-shopping walk. If they happened to see something useful, or Willow thought Theo or the family would like something, they checked it out. But for the most part they got ice cream and chatted. Molly mentioned she felt like she missed them. Even if they were only gone for three days. And figured it’d be worse for poor Willow. Molly comforted her friend and spent the night at her house.

Come Saturday the girls were eager to see the Russian family again. Molly set her eyes on Micha and a small part of her lit up. A part she hadn’t noticed before that point. Molly didn’t want it to ruin her unibrow plans, so she found that light and put it in a lamp, and then put that lamp in a closet for later. If all worked out.

Theo sneaked up from behind Willow and pulled her into his arms, going, “Aha!” And laughing as he turned in circles with her. He did put her down and silenced any possible agitation with a few kisses and murmurs of, “Oh how I missed you. My Красивый.”

They fell into step with their routine. By the end of the night it felt like those three days were a distant memory. Sunday felt no different as well. The only possible difference being that Theo had no qualms about whispering “Hey Красивый.” even in front of Jovan, who did not disapprove. And the Babushka’s were all happy to see Theo rest a gentle hand on Willow’s shoulder, or wrap around her waist. And at the end of the day Theo would sit with Willow in his arms in one of the large leather recliners. After work Molly insisted they go out to a movie. Micha invited himself. Molly feigned agitation-- but only Willow would know. At the end of Sunday Theo gave them the address to his house and told them to come at eleven.

Monday dawned and Molly got ready. She had been practicing sleeping at reasonable times so she didn’t feel drained like before. It partly worked. A shower helped to wake her more and a quick breakfast did the trick. She gathered stuff to bring in a tote bag and drove off to pick up Willow at about ten-forty-five.

HONK! HONK!

“Girl, you read?” Molly called out, chuckling.

 

[Soliloquy]

The world felt right every moment she had stayed at Theo's side. It didn't feel like their first week of being together, either, but rather that it was a pattern they had done all along. Their second day at the park and following day at work were a whirlwind in the moment and felt even faster looking back. Three whole days of not seeing people who had become such a huge part of her life was a daunting thought as Theo sped off, leaving her for most of her week.

Molly, bless her heart, did help provide some distraction, but Wednesday Willow was all but lost with herself as she woke up far too early with nothing planned. The apartment was too small to clean for long, even going the extra step to pull out everything she could find to re-organize and declutter. A good chunk of her day was spent picking out just what she'd play come October 13th. Yes, she had a song picked out but now it just didn't feel like enough to perform, not with everything that had gone out. After that there were a few hours of practicing broken up by her first chance to read in awhile. Thursday after as spent going through her storage closet and rounding up any craft-related items she could find, that was until the surprise visit from Molly. It felt so good to talk to another person and she had to admit she missed them horribly. A day apart had already felt like an eternity, even trying to distract herself. Friday venture out of the apartment were much needed, only adding to the gratitude she had for her friend.

By Saturday, Theo could have surprised her with Avril around her neck and she wouldn't have cared, so long as it meant being in his arms once more. She had no fears in expressing just how much she had missed him, finding any excuse she could to be near or especially a light graze of a palm on his arm or glance in his direction. The weekend was over before it began, or so it felt, leaving the pub early Sunday afternoon. There was so much to get ready for the next day and the moment she was home, Willow was diving ring into it.

Coming down the car, she was juggling a large blue tote with some difficulty, unable to walk as fast as she wanted to the Accord before finally wrestling it into the trunk. Sliding into the passenger seat, she brushed off Molly's eagerness, too absorbed in her own. "It is heavier than it looks," she complained, buckling up and taking a chance to look at herself in the flip-down mirror. She hadn't done much of anything with make-up which normally might have concerned her, but it also didn't feel necessary. Molly was right about one thing, Theo did light up the moment she appeared rain or shine, no matter what she wore.

 

[xrakkax]

Molly began the drive without scolding for Willow’s slothful movements. After all, it was likely the tote could be the only thing to slow her down. Probably full of craft stuff. They were both eager to get going. Molly tapped into her phone the address Theo gave her. 1107 Shorewood dr, Seabrook TX. It wouldn’t be too long to get there. Maybe 15 minutes if they didn’t drive fast. But of course, this was Molly.

The road took them into a lovely, green neighborhood. A simple suburban collection of houses that reminded you of black and white movies, or the oldy but goody songs. To match the mood Molly played ‘Ain't no mountain high’ by Marvin Gaye. The song neared its end by the time they pulled up to Theo’s house.

“Stars, look at that!” Molly smiled, opening her door. “So pretty.”

A grey maine coon sat in the middle of the driveway. His soft hair shifted in the breeze. The aged feline blinked once and turned towards the house. Above the girls, in the boughs of the trees, were two large raves as black as night. What light hit their feathers made visible the undertones of green and purple. A third avian creature came swooping into view. Finna alighted on the branch lowest to them. He cocked his head and caw’d, “Hello.” Then he took off again, flying behind the house.

“Well hello.” Molly chuckled. “Stars, birds are fascinating.” She murmured as they shuffled with their stuff to the front door.

Before they reached it Theo came out, arms wide and welcoming. He had flour on his cheek and he wore a goofy apron that read ‘I cook as good as I look’. “Heey, Красивый! Myshka! Welcome here!” He took the bag for Willow and gave her a short peck on the forehead, “Ride ok?”

“Yeah, it was fine.” Molly said. Her tote wasn’t nearly as big as Willows. She insisted on taking it in herself. “You have a beautiful home!”

“Da, is very nice.” Theo agreed. They walked in through the door and the first thing they noticed were the TV’s set up in the livingroom for their game day on the right. To their left, the dinning table was set up for crafts. There were several organized caddies with markers, pens, ribbons, glue, cutting mats, and so forth waiting for them. Ahead, to their slight left, was the kitchen. The smell of familiar food waft over to them.

(I can't find the layout of the house I found, but for now we can just say this is it)

“I am making lunch.” Theo smiled, arm still around Willow.

“Where’s Lyov?” Molly asked.

“Sleeping.” Theo said, and before she had to ask, he said, “Granya is telling friends she is going to be gone for the day. Come, sit, have drink while we wait.” He urged. “Set up what you need.” Theo placed the tote on the table and went to the kitchen to finish up. From where he stood, they could still see and talk to him just fine.

 

[Soliloquy]

Willow was just as impressed as Molly was while they rolled up, frankly in love with the little house right off the bat. The entire neighborhood was quite cozy, the sort she wouldn't mind living in herself, should circumstances find her so fortunate. That only increased tenfold as she spotted Theo, unable to disagree with the apron he was wearing, at least not until she could test it out. She didn't argue when he took the tote from her, nodding to his interesting apparel choice. "I will say, I would have expected that to be something that Micha wore," she remarked, likely earning her a hearty laugh as they all shuffled inside.

It seemed like their household had been looking forward to October 9th just as much as she had! She wasted little time in making herself at home, tucking her shoes away by the door before moving over to the large table that was waiting for craft time. The tote was slipped on to a chair so she could look into it easier before she began pulling out a slightly embarrassing amount of supplies. A long white rectangle with a green underside was set on the edge of the table, a $200 investment she knew she hadn't used in at least 2 years if not more. Her laptop, which was still used frequently, balanced beside it, just in case inspiration struck to fire up the cricut. Stacks of vinyl, paper, felt, just about anything that you could imagine were piled up and plopped near it. An entire toolbox of buttons, stickers stamps, paint, fun scissors and more was next out. The tote still contained bundles of yarn, a few abandoned projects and a small sewing machine when she moved it out of the way, only snatching the shining silver box from it, complete with a white bow.

Straightening up, she looked down at the table with a broad grin. "I haven't done crafts in so long," she admitted in a slightly reminiscent tone, "Especially not without a glass of wine. We had a monthly night back in college, but that feels like eons ago."

 

[xrakkax]

Indeed, they laughed at the comment about the apron. Theo said, “Da, this was his. They come by, him and Bear, sometimes for beers and cards.”

Molly saw the large dog collar with the name ‘Bear’ written on the tag, beside a leash hanging on a spoke of the wall coat rack. “Aw, that’s fun.” She set her tote down below the hooks. What she brought would be for gaming. But she did bring out a little something for the hosting house. A box of various chips for snacking. “Where can I put this?”

“Oh, in that cabinet.” Theo pointed, getting behind the counter to finish his task. There were makings for perogi. A casual friend of Natalia’s who keeps bringing in a sick hampster told them about the dish.

The box of chips just fit snug beside a rolled-up back of dog treats and a few packets of kibble-buddy bags; little pouches of wet food for a fun addition to the dry nuggets. Along with those were Gatorade bottles, and half bag of pig ears.

Granya came out about here, trench coat and all, and smiled wide to see Willow, “Willow, hi!” then she noticed all the craft supplies. Her hands pressed to her chest. “Oh, felt!” She padded over with restrained excitement. Too early in her relationship with Willow to feel comfortable just pawing through her things. “And buttons!” She looked to Willow for permission before sifting through the supplies.

“Stars, Granya, we can craft instead of game if you want.” Molly laughed.

“No, it’s ok. I do want to play games too.” Granya couldn’t help but touch. Her hands, normally tucked in pockets, were happy to roam about in the pile of D.I.Y dreams. “Glad you guys came.” Granya smiled.

 

[Soliloquy]

Willow had folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to keep herself from going about exploring. She wanted to be seen as a good house guest and not a snoopy one, less they decide not to invite her back for more visits. Thankfully, before she could be tempted to wander off, she was kept busy with everything about them. It was clear that sense of family wasn't only meshed together at the pub, also all a part of each others lives rather constantly.

Feeding off of Granya's excitement, she ushered the younger girl toward the supplies. "Of course, have at it, please!" She encouraged Granya's curiosity, delighted to see that all those things that had been simply gathering dust were finally going to be put to some use. Reaching over, she tapped the silver wrapped box with her index finger twice, this her own bridled joy hard to mask. "And this is for you."

The gift that had been sitting in her living room for the past couple of weeks after her Sunday shopping trip. Inside was a leather-cased scrapbook with an imprinted design of a world map complete a Columbus era boat in the 'ocean' of the map. In the bottom corner was 'Explore new hope' in cursive writing. Willow hoped that this was going to be something they'd like, holding her breath in anticipation. She'd been on the fence about putting a message inside, not certain if Granya would take well to her being personal so early on. Along with the scrapbook there were several pages to be inserted and used with a variety of designs as well as a good stack of new sticker packs, hopefully to help her on her scrapbooking journey.

 

[xrakkax]

Pleasantly surprised to be given a gift, she picked it up and unwrapped with delicate curiosity. As soon as the purpose of the item became clear the pretty covering quickly went to shreds to release the scrapbook faster. “Ух ты! Дядя посмотри, она достала мне книжку с картинками!” Granya spoke too excitedly and too fast to remember to speak in English, telling her uncle that Willow got her a scrapbook. “Мы можем записать наши любимые воспоминания о путешествиях.” They certainly had many travel memories. Some are not as great, but yes, Granya would probably put all of her favorite ones in the book.

“That’s wonderful.” Theo beamed, tossing little dough pockets filled with potato and cheese into a pan of oil. “What do you say?”

Granya held the book to her chest, “Thank you, Willow.”

“Aww, so sweet.” Molly had gotten a bag of chips for herself and sat on one of the chairs, just watching all of this adorableness. “You sure you don’t want to just craft?”

Granya placed the gift gently on the table. “Scared, Myshka?” She grinned.

Molly sat straighter, “Excuse me, honey?” She got up from her chair. “Uh uh, let’s go.” Molly walked over to the set up of two T.V.s “There are just two here. You scared, Shchenok?”

“Feh!” Granya went to her room and returned with a gaming laptop. She walked over to a couch and plopped down. “Choose a TV, Myshka.” Then she smiled over at Willow. “You too.” They would play on the Skyrim server that she and her friends rigged up. “We can play vanilla, or do a modded run.”

Vanilla meant each of them would begin the game as anyone might who bought it off Steam with no modifications. Alone, with no other players. Then when the option to merge would pop up as soon as the character reached Riverwood. Or, if they did a modded run, they would begin by going through some custom start options and enter the world together, skipping the cinematic intros and the tutorial.

 

[Soliloquy]

Willow couldn't have been more pleased with the reaction she earned from Granya. It appeared all that time on her feet and annoying retail workers had paid off and she was gradually building that connection with her. Thankfully she was animated enough with her reaction that Willow didn't need to know Russian to see that she was happy with the gift. "You are very, very welcome, Granya," she answered with a grin.

The crafting marathon would have to wait, though, the other two already engaged in talking smack before they had even started. Abandoning the table, she scooted over to the couch where the other two were. She opted to take the smaller television that was at an angle, giving Molly the centered one. "Let's go with a modded run, yeah? I think we both know enough to skip past all those damn cut scenes and start playing," she offered.

Cross-legged on the corner cushion, she took hold of the controller and was quick to slip into a comfortable position. Willow admittedly took a bit longer than necessary to try and make her character mod look similar to herself, or as much as the graphics allowed. Before long they were all set up and into the game, each immersed in their virtually shared world.

 

[xrakkax]

Granya talked Molly and Willow through the passwords to get to their server and to access the world ‘T-1’. Character creation took some time. For one, the modded interface for tweaking the appearance of the character was a little tricky for the controler. Granya helped them through and by the end of it Willow’s character practically looked like she had been scanned into the video game. Molly was about to craft an elvish maiden with blazing red hair and dainty hands (unlike her own larger, knuckle ones), but when she saw Willow’s and thought that the idea of adventuring with her friend as herself would be fun too. With the exception that she would still be an elvish maid! She wasn’t going to name her character ‘Molly’. But she did end up calling her character ‘Myshka’ for goofs.

Granya had them start in one of the many ‘beginning’ areas for new characters and/or new users. The entrance chosen this time was the carriage. What Willow and Molly saw first was a black screen, and then the inside of the carriage. The sight blacked out and reappeared twice, as if their characters had been sleeping and just woke up. ‘Myshka’ and Willow’s character ‘Persephone’ could look around and even stand in the carriage. As soon as it stopped wobbling around they heard their coachman call out “We’ve reached Whiterun!”

Molly had Myshka go out first, opening the door to the sight of a Nordic climate and a hill whereupon a village and Keep were built. “Stars, ya’ll did this yourselves?”

“Da.” Granya smiled proudly. “You see me? I am waving.”

Adjusting the camera, Molly saw an approaching figure with their raised arm swaying.

[Will get pic of Granya's character later]

“Nice!” Molly chuckled. “What should we do first?”

“Steepfall Burrows. You two are really low level. You need to beef up.” Granya procured them horses for the trip south. “Then we have the real fun.”

They traveled near Riverwood, where at the top of a mountain resided a cold, ancient tomb the size of a castle. They sneaked past bandits until they got caught. They chased a thief through the tunnels of the burrow. They burnt cobwebs, fought massive spiders, solved a gate puzzle, and defeated the animated corpse’s called the draug. At the end of it Granya had Willow and Molly position their characters in front of the ‘Word Wall’.

“Do you want to be a descendant of the ‘Dragonborn’?” Granya asked.

“Oh uh, I thought there is only one.” Molly said, munching on snacks.

“For vanilla, yes, but this is modded. We can have more.”

“Oh well in that case, yes!” Molly said, accepting the option. A rush of whispering words flowed over her and a song of runic triumph played. “I feel so epic.

 

[Soliloquy]

Their village and everything Willow noticed in the mod was pretty impressive, especially considering it was a bunch of teenagers messing around. She was quite certain it was far beyond her own capabilities, which were far better suited for something like the Sims. But if it was something they enjoyed doing together, than she'd definitely support it.

It quickly became apparent that Willow was not the quiet gaming type. She might have been in awe at what they had created, but the moment they were under attack that calmness had vanished. She was jumpy at any sort of small scare and the first time sh e came face to face with a giant spider, she may or may not have screamed. Slightly. Leaving the tomb couldn't happen fast enough and once while they were gathered at the Word Wall kept looking around quickly, just in case anything else was going to launch itself at her.

"Yes, please," she agreed to being marked as a descendant, only less enthusiastic than Molly as she was still trying not to make a fool of herself. It did feel magical, she would have to agree, even if the arachnids weren't a size she liked.

 

[xrakkax]

They had good fun teasing Willow about her responses. Thankfully none of them died. Granya was a great help there. Her character would have capped at 100 in Legendary mode, but because she and her friends had been playing so long, they rigged it to bump them higher. To keep it challenging the monsters leveled up with them. For this run, though, Granya turned hers off so the new players weren’t bogged by level 210 spiders.

Once Willow accepted the role as Dragonborn, Granya led them out of the cave. They had a clear path toward Riverwood. When they made it out they saw another player. An Orc with a beard and long black hair. Granya snapped her eyes up and saw Theo had gotten his computer out and sat down on the couch after setting down a pile of perogi for a quick hand-held lunch in the livingroom. “Oh yay, Дядя, you’re playing too!” She smiled, and then snorted. “Look at his stats, they are so low. See? You don’t play enough.”

“I play some.” Theo scrunched his nose in playful argument.

Molly said, “He’s a few levels above us.” She looked over at Granya. “Do you have player-vs-player fights?”

“Mhm. In the Pit at Windhelm. Another mod.” Granya said.

Molly whipped her head back at the screen, “You guys wanna throw it down?”

Granya laughed, “Maybe later. You still so puny! Aidoneus will kick your butt.”

“Aidoneus?”

“My character.” Theo chimed in, “Willow, maybe you want to travel with me?”

“Hey, don’t break up the group to wander to romantic places!” Granya protested. “You can do that later with her if you want. Today is my day, Дядя.”

“Alright, alright.” Theo laughed. “What now?”

“We go to kill a dragon. Take his soul. Then we make our way to High Hrothgar.” Granya said. “Off to Whiterun!”

The four of them made their way back to the city they arrived at. Here they slayed a dragon by the tower and heard a earth-quaking voice calling them upon the wind. Theo kept by Willow’s side. Both figuratively and literally. At one point he handed her a blue mountain flower. Thanks to their mods the character Persephone could put it in her hair. Theo also disrupted a trip to a destination by racing with their horses.

Then their tummies started rumbling while they were going up the mountainside. “Oof, can we take a food break?” Molly said.

“Da.” Granya agreed. “I’m hungry. Perogi all gone.”

Theo paused his character. That meant Aidoneus would be safe from attack while he was away from the keyboard. He stood up and went to the kitchen to prepare something. Willow was welcomed to help him. Here he took his chances to give occasional cheek kisses and also have her taste some of the food he had made. Soon the table was made ready for food by scooting the crafts aside.

Grandpa Lyov came shuffling out to eat. Grandpa Lyov smiled, “So glad to see you all.” He said, and looked around to see Shale, the grey cat, come silently into the house and to the kitchen for his lunch. Lyov took his seat without help. Easier to sit down on chairs then to get up from them.

Granya peered around, “Finn!”

The high window over the sink was actually a flap. Finn came in through it and landed on a fancy perch made to look like a tree branch. Granya tapped her shoulder and he came to sit there to eat with her.

The food Theo made did not have the complexity of Micha or Amalia’s meals. If the meal was anything special it was probably because of Willow helping. “Sorry, not the best cook.” He chuckled.

“Oh it’s fine.” Molly went in on her food. "So what's next Granya?"

"Crafts." Granya smiled, glancing at the treasure trove. "Дядя, you do it too."

Theo smiled, "Alright, I will, Shchenok." He gave Willow a wink. Maybe he'd make something with her. Or for her.

 

[Soliloquy]

Willow was pleased when attention was taken off of how easily she was startled and instead turned to Theo and his puny character, as Granya so lovingly put it. Her own character that she had made into a Breton healer was inching along cautiously as their party grew. At talk of of his name she couldn't help but grin, shooting a glance over at him now seated by her on the couch. Her own knowledge of Greek mythology was far greater than it needed to be, thanks to the History of Greek Theater her junior year so she didn't miss the connection. Whether it was chance or he had made the character after hers, she'd have to pry that information out of him later, maybe cooking.

Their adventures were significantly more enjoyable, both from Theo joining and the spiders leaving. He earned a bashful smile at his blue mountain flower gift, although the remainder of their party wasn't as fond of their side antics. The decision to break for food was well received and Willow was quick on her feet to join him in the kitchen. Along with giving her fair share of soft kisses, she also added a bit of her own hand to the dishes. Although they weren't ones she had seen, she did her best to add spices to try and mimic the taste that the cousins always managed. They might not be chefs by any means, but between the two of them they'd be able to survive, daresay even provide for a couple other smaller bodies if needed.

Everyone seemed to know it was time for dinner without it being announced, the table filling quite quickly. Just as they would at the pub, she made sure to pick a seat beside Theo, also on one side of Lyov to help him as needed. The talk of crafts perked her up and she cheered at the prospect of Theo joining them. "Any idea what we'll make today?" she asked Granya in particular.

 

[xrakkax]

“Da, I want to paste as much as I can of my favorite memories.” Granya said, taking the rarer cuts of meat onto her plate. “Maybe you can help me find some pictures, Дядя.”

Theo nodded, swallowing his food before saying, “Of course. I think we have album.”

“In basement.” Grandpa Lyov told him.

“And my favorite people and fam--” Granya suddenly coughed, a blush of color on her cheeks. “Sorry, ha ha.” She drank some water. “Uh, of my favorite familiar faces.”

“Maybe pluck a feather off Finn.” Grandpa offered to save the moment.

“Yeah.” Granya’s cheeks kept a faint red for a minute. “Anyway, we can make things too. Like the wallet.” She mentioned, recalling the park day and her conversation with Willow. “What would you guys want to make?”

Molly hummed, “Mmm, actually the wallet would be fun.”

 

[Soliloquy]

Willow was happily filling up her empty stomach as the others around her chatted. She was happy to see how eager Granya was to get into the crafts, excited they'd be able to share a hobby where there was a much lower chance of a spider launching at her. When her chipper talk dropped suddenly, she glanced over at Granya with concern, not missing when her voice caught and conversation was bumpy. "The feather is a great idea," she agreed with Lyov.

Asking just what she would want to make, she popped up and grinned, deciding to go with the flow of a light, bouncing response. "Oh, I know what I'll make today," she said, wiping her hands and moving to her tote to pull out a small jar of seashells. "I picked these at the beach yesterday. I was thinking of making some earrings, like you had suggested."

 

[xrakkax]

The only one not looking forward to Grandpa Lyov’s suggestion was Finn, whose body slicked smooth in anxiety. Granya patted his head to ease his worry. Although he didn’t buff his feathers, he did seem to relax some.

Impressed with Willows idea, Theo expressed a noise of approval. His mouth too full to talk. Granya lit up, shoveling the last of her red meat in her mouth and wordlessly taking her plate to the sink. Molly laughed, not rushing to finish. But she did scoot so that Granya could start pulling out the jewelry kit from one of those caddies.

“Slow, slow.” Theo cautioned. Though he didn’t hurry, he did take in consideration that the table would need to be used in a minute.

Granpa Lyov, thankfully, had already finished. He had a small appetite in his old age. In fact, he was becoming tired. So with Theo’s help Granpa Lyov went back to his room where he did his puzzles and listened to music. Theo set Lyov up with a blanket on his lap. Then he made sure his waterbottle had the appropriate medicines mixed inside.

Upon return, Theo saw the table was already cleaned and Granya was going over the shells with Willow. He took a moment to lean against the hallway wall, enjoying the sight of what he hoped was a glimpse into the future. But this time the one Willow was interacting with looked a lot like smaller versions of the two of them.

“Eh, don’t forget me.” Theo chuckled, sitting down at the table.

“You guys craft, Imma level up.” Molly said, escaping to the world of Skyrim. She may or may not have checked if Micha had a character and if she could level up higher than him in the time she was still there.

“Дядя, we will make hair clips for you.” Granya grinned impishly.

“Oh, no, no.” Theo placed a hand on his chest.

“Da! Da, da!” Granya chuckled sinisterly. Her uncle didn’t fight her though, despite his complaining. Granya even matched shells to his complexion. “What do you think Willow?”

 

[Soliloquy]

While Theo was taking Lyov back to his room, Willow cleaned the rest of the table, neatly stacking dishes in the sink to be done later. It was impressive to think that just Micha and Amalia were able to handle all the cooking for the pubs many patrons as well as tackle dishes at the same time. Come to think of it, she hadn't ever ran into a moment where there was any sort of storage. They must have just been lucky like that!

She cheerfully let Granya tug her into a jewelry chat, laying out many of the shells and pointing out the ones that were similar enough to be pairs. They lost Molly's interest but seemed to have kept Theo's somehow. Perhaps because he was an overly dedicated uncle who would do just about anything for hie niece.

"Oh no, I completely agree that his hair needs something," she smirked looking at a brownish scallop shell in her hand and then holding it up so it could be imagined in his hair. "But he does have a lot of hair, don't you think? I feel like he's going to need a crown or some sort of headband to keep all that hair out of his face. Wouldn't stand to make him into a mermaid who can't properly see."

 

[xrakkax]

Awaiting his fate, Theo looked from one girl to the other with the slight worry that Granya or Willow could really take this past his limit. And much afraid he’d let them. “Crown? No, no I think not.” He shook his head, causing that black mane of his to shift.

Granya wordlessly turned Willow with her, so their backs were blocking Theo’s view. The Rogue drummed his fingers on the table. Occasionally he would lean this or that way to sneak a peek, but the girls would scold him. He heard whispering, giggles, and occasionally the clink and clatter of shells and pins. Theo felt his heart skip when Willow turned to glance at him. But it was now accompanied by a tremor of nervousness. He smiled hesitantly, feeling his collar a bit too tight.

To distract himself, Theo looked over at Molly, exhaling a comforting sigh, “How does it go?” He asked her.

Molly had hunkered into a slouched position of determination. Her shoulders were practically squished against her head. “I found Micha’s character! He’s a level twenty. I think I can surpass that before we leave.” Molly’s knuckle hands were moving too fast for Theo to guess what she was doing. “Look, he has this little shack here by the river down-- wha. . .what’s this?” Molly’s character Myshka saw a woman coming from the small hunting cottage. One of Micha’s prefered spots to track deer. The girl walking out from behind the house wearing the traditional armor of a Foresworn. The female version resembled more of a fur bikini. And she looked identical to Molly!

Theo chuckled, “Oh right. Micha made his spouse in Skyrim look like you.” He noticed those fingers of hers halt in their swiveling and tapping. “Even got voice alterations done with mod.”

When Molly-Look-Alike saw Myshka she walked over, sashaying in a way that did not come from vanilla Skyrim. Micha’s in-game wife popped a brow in question. The kind of thing Molly would do when she silently demanded to know what was up. “Well, honey? Who the hell are you?”

The whole ordeal had been a surprise. Molly didn’t know whether to be flattered or angry. But when the NPC got sassy with her, she burst out in a laugh. “Oh my god!” She would have called Willow over, but her besty was busy. So she got into a conversation with this NPC.

Micha named her Mollyshka. This rendition of Molly was a Nord. She specialized in light armor, one-handed, archery, sneak, pickpocket, lock picking, speechcraft, alchemy, and restoration. Also level twenty. And if Molly had to guess, Mollyshka probably leveled with him. She had a bow slung on her back and a glowing dagger on her belt. While Micha could have fashioned Mollyshka’s hair any way available, he chose the style she wore most often for summertime-- messy bun. Molly had a feeling it would change as the weather got colder and she began to wear her hair down.

Apparently, her husband ‘Michasonova’ had met Mollyshka during a Foresworn quest. It was a good guess that, at the time, the NPC did not look or sound as she did now, and probably had a different name. They married at the Temple of Mara shortly thereafter and have been together for about two Skyrim years.

Once Molly had finished talking, Mollyshka went about her business of collecting hides and meat. It appeared as if they ran some kind of hunting shop. The NPC kept an eye on Myshka. Occasionally Mollyshka would say, “You’re welcome to have a meal if you need it. Skyrim’s a rough place. Stars, don’t I know it.” and “Can’t stay here forever, you know. You’ll have to go on and git before I leave.” and “Hope you don’t take this the wrong way, honey, but I don’t take kindly to lingerin’ strangers.”

“Well I’ll be damned.” Molly chuckled.

At first Molly had wanted to spar with Mollyshka. Maybe even kill the NPC to spite the presumptuous, almost pervy fantasy, version of herself, but the lad had put so much thought into it that it took the edge off the weirdness of it. That, and Molly had to admit she liked Micha-- inwardly, without saying it to anyone. So she let it slide. Molly went on her way with her original goal of surpassing Micha’s character’s level.

Theo could no longer engage elsewhere, sensing the girls had finished. He waited with baited breath as they turned around to show him the hair accessory they made. Granya and Willow both worked on their own pieces, supporting each other in the other’s endeavour to craft for Theo. His niece held a simple hair pin with a red scallop. All this time and this tiny thing? Theo was both relieved, and knew his niece had turned for so long just to trick him and to vex him. That had him scoff, spoff, and sigh. But of course, he followed it up with a smile. Now to see what Willow put together!

 

[Soliloquy]

While Molly was over on the couch having quite the revelation, Willow's fingers were hard at work, fumbling slightly but getting good direction from Granya. Jewelry and accessories in general hadn't been her forte, but she had learned early on that with most craft projects the most important part was simply to enjoy yourself and let creativity flow. Theo had objected to a crown, so she would spare him...for that day.

Her own project was tucked behind her back as Granya offered up her hair clip. It was simple and still stylish, something she could see herself even wearing. "Cute," Willow praised, giving Theo a final glance before she produced her own work. Rather than a clip, she had taken two elastic hair ties and managed to weave them about a series of shells, mostly small conches. "Something for you silky hair that can't stay up."

 

[xrakkax]

Theo, unexpectedly impressed and relieved, bowed his lower lip and nodded in admitted approval. “Not bad.” Not too bad, considering what could have happened! Theo graciously, even if in some jest, accepted the tokens of their affection and said, “I will wear sometime.”

Granya laughed, “You don’t have to, Дядя.”

“Is okay, I wear.” Theo put both of them in his silky hair. They didn’t look bad to Granya. And she was happy to see that the red she chose complimented her uncles dark green eyes. “And I tell them who made, Da? Maybe they come to get business from the two of you.”

That amused his niece, who pulled over her scrapbook. “Enough about jewelry. I want to work on my book.” She set up some initial supplies and then headed off to the basement for those photos they talked about.

Theo reached over and took Willows hand in his, “What you think? Do I look like model?” He wiggled his brows.

 

[Soliloquy]

Pleased that he didn't reject their hard work, Willow folded her arms across her chest, nodding expectantly. He didn't disappoint though, slipping them both in his hair and earning grins from both of them. "Not bad at all," she agreed moving aside to give Granya better range around the scrapbooking supplies.

They were left mostly alone, with just Molly smashing buttons on the other side of the television. She smirked at his ridiculous eyebrows, keeping hold of his hand while giving him a somber look-over. "Hmm, maybe a model, but a mermaid model," she teased him lightly. "A mermaid model who's going to use his ocean magic to either seduce me or get me to buy seashell accessories. Either way, I think it looks very becoming on you." She confirmed her words, up on her toes to place a brief kiss on his cheek.

Coming back down to a flat-footed stance, her face dropped from the cheerful grin to a pained grimace. Habitually she tried to re-angle her torso in an attempt to lessen the discomfort while trying to go back to normal. Her free hand rested on the inner side of her waist, offering him a moderately forced smile. "Anything else planned for the day? Am I supposed to chase down Finn and trade him a joke for a feather?"

 

[xrakkax]

Satisfied with the observation Theo accepted the kiss readily. “Maybe we get matching set.” He chuckled. The idea of them both wearing these hair accessories amused him. Probably more funny if they went to the beach with them.

While Theo pondered this he made his own observation. The movement Willow made reminded him of the children in the waiting room. There was only one thing that meant where he worked; someone needed to potty. Of course, it could also be ‘that time’ for Willow. Theo only knew if it was so for Granya when she grumpily slammed doors, talked back, and hoarded peanut butter, cheese, jerky, and apples in her room, where he occasionally heard crying during movies. Theo loved his niece, but he learned quickly not to open that door and ask if she’s alright. Never again. He had to rely on Finn to know when to interact with her.

First Theo answered her, though his attention didn’t stick to her inquiry long, “No not really-- You okay?” Theo couldn't tell how to navigate Willow on 'her time'. So he treaded carefully.

 

[Soliloquy]

You would have thought that after getting a degree in acting and countless hours of theater would have helped her put on a better facade than she was portraying now. It wasn't as if she was the first woman on the planet to have cramps and certainly not her first rodeo. Still, it was that first good stab in the side that always caught her off guard.

"What? Oh, no no, I'm fine. Perfectly fine!" She dismissed it bit more aggressively than she meant to, but she did not want to scare him off with her womanly problems. She'd long since been scolded into keep them to herself, and especially from letting men in particular know that she experienced pain. It was definitely a pet peeve of her mother's that she couldn't understand. Fear of what generally accompanied the excruciating pain along with the fact that she was completely unprepared had her trying not to fidget and failing horribly.

 

[xrakkax]

Oh Theo caught on real quick. At least Willow probably won’t throw a washi tape roll at his head. To be safe, he side stepped between her and the craft tools, beaming a hopefully pleasant smile to appease her. “ Oh, okay.” He nodded, clearly not convinced. Just about then, they heard the humming of a familiar Russian lullaby from his niece on her way back up from the basement. “You know, sometimes Granya feel ‘perfectly fine’ too. Maybe if you want to feel even better, you can ask her for something.” Theo grinned hesitantly.