Yule in Port of Pearls [Private]

[wickedlittlecritta]

Cathal let Tom snuggle him up under his arm, feeling very cozy and loved there. He scrunched up happily and said, "Oh, well. I'll allow it then."

 

[theunearthlyfool]

Molly stuck her tongue out at her sister and promptly turned her back on them. She smiled consolingly at Tuesday, but biting her lip as internally she felt bad for confusing him yet again. “Ah, you’re so sweet! And always so very handsome, yourself. But I hate to take your crown away!”

Pulling the hat and crown on it off her head, she slipped the hat out of the crown and put it back down over her hair. Then she stood on her tiptoes and put her colorful hat on Tuesday’s head. “Nicola was teasing me earlier that I looked like a robin in my red coat,” she said with a grin. “If that means you could find me easier though, all the better!”

Nicola was in fact glad for the distraction, however, as this meant Molly wouldn’t force her to try ice skating. She carefully walked back to the edge of the rink and the packed snow once more, calling over her shoulder, “I suppose so. No matter what though it would still be wet, and I don’t want to be wet whether it’s warm or cold.” Then she paused, thinking over Tom’s suggestion. “Ooh, but I do kind of want to try it now, just to see.”

Their show of affection for each other pulled her from her mental calculating, and a bit of color came into her pale face as she smiled. “Well, thank you kindly for your permission, Mister McKay.” Winking, she pulled her scarf back up over her nose. “It’s a treat to hear the good wizard here entertaining such notions once again.”

 

[CelticSol]

Jacqueline "Jackie" Sapienti​

Cradling an alcoholic cider in her leather gloved hand, Jackie saunters up to the group around the fountain. She looks ill-equipped for the weather, but comfortable nonetheless; decked in black head to toe, with a black leather jacket lined with fur, matching gloves, pants, and her typical boots. Throwing an arm around Nicola's shoulder with casual friendliness, she grins, "I'm glad you're amenable to ice skating, Nikki, because I was going to just drag you onto the ice. I'm a dope fuckin' skater, so if you want me to drag you around, I can."

 

[theunearthlyfool]

“Jackie!” Nicola smiled at her friend. “That’s so kind of you to offer! Too bad you will never, ever get me on ice skates.” The smile vanished as she looked at Jackie with a raised eyebrow. “What in the world gave you the idea that I’m amenable to being towed around a frozen fountain with knives strapped to my feet? Cathal’s fallen down twice already. I’m good, thanks.” She hesitated. "Not that I don't think you're a dope ice skater, because I'm sure you are. I'm just not... the sporty type."

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

"Hey now, the second time I fell was because of the snowball," Cathal protested. "You can't hold rogue fae against the sport."

 

[theunearthlyfool]

“Okay, maybe so,” Nicola agreed reluctantly. “But that doesn’t make falling down hurt any less, now, does it?”

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

"It only hurts for a minute! If you never did anything that might get you hurt, you'd never do anything fun at all," Cathal said. "And what sort of life is that?" He made an inelegant half circle around Tom.

 

[theunearthlyfool]

She squinted. “That’s cute, but you underestimate how much fun I can have in a nice, safe library, my friend. I’m only outside right now because she-” Nicola hitched a thumb at Molly, “-dragged me out here. Although it is of course nice to see you all.”

 

[CelticSol]

Jacqueline "Jackie" Sapienti​

Jackie holds a hand to her chest, feigning grave insult, "Nicola, I would never let you fall. That would be rude of me, and you always get on my ass about how bad my attitude is. Also, that's why we're holding hands."

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

Cathal sighed and looked at Tom. "I'm so glad you never only wanted to stay inside with books," he said. He wiggled his hands in his lumpy stripped mittens and added, "Let's go! You can drop me on my ass again, but only if it's funny."

 

[TrashRabbit]

Tuesday crinkled his nose as Molly recoronated him with her hat. He tugged it down over his ears and laughed. "you would make for a tremendous Robin." And then leaned down to kiss her cheek.

 

[theunearthlyfool]

“Aw, I’m not saying you would let me fall, dear. Just that I’m a disaster and it would happen anyway. But it’s very considerate of you to-” Jackie’s words caught up with her. “Hold hands? Oh. Well… that’s all right, then.”

Molly was beaming to light up the entire market at Tuesday’s compliment. “Aww.” As he bent towards her, at the last second she turned her face and caught his kiss on the lips instead. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Couldn’t help it. Hope that’s okay.”

“Goddamnit, why can’t I whistle?” Nicola peered over at them. “Somebody whistle at them for me.”

 

[TrashRabbit]

"Oh-" Tom said, having learned he could do the obnoxiously loud two finger whistle a few days ago obliged. The whistle rang out in the cold air just as Tuesday realized that things have gone awry- In so much that he had just kissed his lady love. Couple with the whistle he startled like the wild thing he was and was momentarily something other than plain Tuesday; for a moment he was a creature of feathers and finery, then a flurry of feathers and gone- as the Mischief Magpies roosted on the inn roof took flight towards the forest.

"Oh. fuck...oops." Tom Said as he the fae lord absconded.

 

[theunearthlyfool]

Just as quickly as he'd appeared, one sharp whistle and Tuesday was gone. "Tuesday, wait-!" Molly cried to the flurry of feathers, but he had vanished.

She turned to the others, anger and sadness fighting for control of her face. "Thanks a fucking lot, guys. What the hell was that?"

Nicola had never felt more immediately awful for anything in her entire life. She stepped forward. "I'm so, so sorry, Molly. That was me, that was my fault. I told him to whistle, I just thought it would be funny-"

"It wasn't."

"...I know."

Molly stared at her sorrowfully for a moment, started to walk away, but stopped. "You all ought to be nicer to him," she said to the group at large. With that, she spun on her heel, wobbling in the snow a bit, then hobbled off in the general direction the magpies had gone.

"Molly, I'm sorry!" Nicola shouted after her, but didn't follow. She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Well, there goes a perfectly lovely day." Without looking at them, her face burning with shame, she gestured at the ice rink. "Carry on about your business, all. Don't mind Lady Fuck-Up over here."

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

“I thought it was funny,” Cathal said, sotto voce, because he certainly didn’t want Molly to hear.

 

[CelticSol]

Jacqueline “Jackie” Sapienti​

Jackie rolls her eyes at the dramatics, “It was funny, and done with no harmful intention. For a fairy that constantly stirs trouble and needles at Tom and Cathal, he’s awful sensitive about a little bit of ribbing. Nikki, you’re fine,” Jackie says, ducking her head down to lay her cheek against Nicola’s shoulder.

 

[theunearthlyfool]

Another sigh. "You're right, although I don't know how much it was 'sensitive at being teased' so much as 'sudden loud noise frightened the wild animal'."

She found the one hand of Jackie's not occupied by a drink and gave it a squeeze. "I still feel like I should've known better, but I suppose these things happen when your sister's dating a literal bird." Nicola rolled her eyes. "Thanks, love."

 

[TrashRabbit]

"He wont stay away for long," Said Tom to the group at large. And this was true mostly. If whistles and windchimes could keep the corvid fae away they wouldn't have to ward the tower.

 

[theunearthlyfool]

"That's true too, I suppose." Nicola was quietly thoughtful for a moment, then groaned. "In the meantime, though, I suppose I'd better make it up to her. What do you say, Jackie? Teach me how to ice skate? It'll make Molly happy, I think." She winced. "If I don't manage to break something in the process."

 

[TrashRabbit]

Tom's attention wandered back to Cathal, and ass some one with a violin was playing some where in the square Tom make the very Tom-like descion to try and dance Cathal around on the ice. Carefull not to put the ginger on his ass again. That had happened enough already.

"What are we having for dinner- I'm sure you've planned something."

 

[theunearthlyfool]

While her sister and their friends had this conversation, Molly had done the best she could to keep up with the magpies, but to no avail. By the time she reached the edge of the woods she’d been out of sight of them for several minutes already; and though she shuffled around in the snow for some time, no form of her Tuesday reappeared.

She’d been walking on clouds earlier, but now her mood was spoiled. Not wanting to go back to the others and ruin their fun as well by being a grump, Molly found a tree stump to dust off. Switching to fingerless gloves, pulling her guitar off her back, she made herself comfortable, pleasantly surprised how Tuesday's paper crown kept her ears as warm as her hat did. This returned a little smile to her face, and with a deep breath of snowy air, Molly did the thing that always made her feel better: she sang.

 

[TrashRabbit]

Molly was about mid way through her song when the first magpie hopped down to the snowy field and began investigating an by time three arrived so had Tuesday and the end of the song. He sat a bit aways with the other attentive covids, cross legged in the snow still wearing her hat. He clapped quietly when she was done- though the magpies who accompanied him seemed to be dubious of the clapping.

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

Cathal giggled and let Tom waltz him around on the ice, doing his best not to drag them both down. "I have," he admitted. "I'm making roast boar with a garlic rosemary sauce, with morel and matsutake mushrooms," he said. "And roast potatoes and carrots and turnips to go with it. And a rosemary sourdough bread. And an apple-quince pie for dessert." He let Tom spin him once, and then asked, "How does that sound?"

 

[TrashRabbit]

"I have no idea what a Quince is but I trust you implicitly," he said.

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

Cathal laughed. "It's like an apple, but you have to cook it to eat it," he said. "Tastes like apple, but more."