A Stable Relationship

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GlytchMeister
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by GlytchMeister »

Ah, it seems someone's earned a lesson in subtlety. :P I bet Al will get a kick out of this...
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by DinkyInky »

GlytchMeister wrote:Ah, it seems someone's earned a lesson in subtlety. :P I bet Al will get a kick out of this...
And never let him live it down... :lol:
Yanno how some people have Angels/Devils for a conscience? I have a Dark Elf ShadowKnight and a Half Elf Ranger for mine. The really bad part is when they agree on something.

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Just Old Al
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Just Old Al »

DinkyInky wrote:
GlytchMeister wrote:Ah, it seems someone's earned a lesson in subtlety. :P I bet Al will get a kick out of this...
And never let him live it down... :lol:
Sublety?

Sarge?

Really?

There is a reason Neil put Al in charge when the troupe went out after the Yuan Ti. Remember, Sarge's idea of subtle was to carry the .338 Laputa...an engine of destruction that can blow holes in early Soviet armor in civilian form.

Subtle...no. :) Effective...yes. VERY effective.
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Warrl
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

I have another segment of this done, but there's something not quite right about it and I'm having a hard time figuring out how to fix it.

Meanwhile, I have yet another segment partly written and three or four more running around in my head.
Last edited by Warrl on Sat May 21, 2016 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by FreeFlier »

An anonymous ficcer wrote:Why do I fic? . . . To make the voices talk to somebody else!
So true.

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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

Saturday, July 30 - early afternoon

"That was wonderful," Dawn said. "There are no restaurants like this in Hyde Park. Or in Montpelier, for that matter. Where do they get recipes like that?"

"Mostly from Nepal, I think." Rowdy held the door of Namaste, then followed his lady - he liked to think of her that way, although it was probably a bit premature - out into the parking lot. "We have a couple hours until the concert - "

"Hmm?" Dawn said, startled, opening her purse. Inside, her phone was playing Werewolves of London. "He knows I am on a date!"

"Who?"

"Florian Ambrose. One of the guys moving into the apartment next to mine. Their old apartment was burned out from under them, so they have to replace a lot of stuff, and I offered to help with hauling. But they have pushed right up to the edge of abusing the privilege, and I also told them NOT TODAY." He had opened the passenger door of the Land Rover for her. "It might be an emergency; I should answer it."

By the time she got in and the door was closed, her phone had stopped ringing. She called Florian back, and when he answered she immediately said "Make it good, Flo, or I shall be rather annoyed."

"I'm already annoyed. But I'm in a jam and need help."

"What happened?"

"We went out shopping, all three of us. We got quite a lot of stuff - all small stuff, but as much as we could carry. Then Peter's mother popped up and demanded that he and Henry go off with her - in this little tiny car, I don't know how all three got in."

"So now you alone have to haul a full load for three people. And your brilliant idea was to call me when you knew I am busy?"

"You're the sixth person I called. The fifth was a taxi company, but they want cash and I'm down to a couple bucks until Monday."

"I suppose that counts as a good try. Where are you?"

"The WalMart in Roseville. Garden entrance."

"Hang on." Lowering the phone, she looked at Rowdy and asked "Can we stop by a cash machine, and then swing by the WalMart in Roseville? I will give him money for taxi fare."

"Fifteen minutes there, less than that back to your place. We have time to give him a ride. I didn't have anything specific planned for right now; did you?"

"No, not really. Are you sure you do not mind? I should mention that he tries to flirt with me - but I think he knows that will lead nowhere."

"I'll bare my teeth at him."

"I doubt he will be impressed. They are werewolves." She picked up the phone, told Florian "We will be there in about fifteen minutes to give you a ride home, but you owe me," and hung up.

As they arrived at the store, Dawn spotted Florian standing with three grocery carts mounded over with bags. It appeared that at least some of them contained food. She pointed him out to Rowdy, who parked with the back of the Land Rover conveniently positioned near the carts.

Florian saw her emerge from the vehicle and said "Oh thank you, and I'm really sorry about this." Then he suddenly stiffened as he saw Rowdy come around the back of the truck from the far side and begin opening the rear doors. "If you'll haul this stuff for me, I'll take a bus home," he glowered.

"WHAT?" Dawn looked at Rowdy and saw complete confusion on his face. "Florian, that will not work. What do you think we should do with this stuff - leave it stacked in front of your door? Sit around for a half hour waiting for you to get there on the bus?"

"Can you lend me taxi fare?"

She looked down at the werewolf, and spoke quietly but angrily. "Florian, you are already getting his help just by me being here. If you accept his help, we can load up and get going. If not, we can leave and you can try calling someone else. Your choice."

"But - "

"Your ride is here. Do you want it, or not?"

He broke away from her glare, and nodded. She stepped aside, and he looked at Rowdy. "Mr. Alexander, I apologize. You came to help me. Let's get this stuff loaded. And, thank you." He pushed the nearest cart over to the corner of the truck.

Rowdy pulled another cart to the far side. "Apology accepted, and some day I'd like to find out what about me bothers you so much. But not today." The two men transferred bags from carts to truck while Dawn emptied the third cart into the Land Rover's rear seat.

All three were silent on the drive back to the apartment building and through the unloading process, during which Rowdy carried bags from the truck to the door for the other two to take inside and down the stairs.

"Well, that was... interesting," Rowdy said as they drove away.

"I have no clue what that was about. I just met Florian a couple weeks ago, but I certainly did not expect that out of him."

"He thinks there's a reason - but I have no idea what it is. Now, how do we make this a nice day again?"

"Sno-cones, I think. And a playground full of kids."

"I know just the place."
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by FreeFlier »

Hmmm . . .

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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

Some searching and a plea for help on another forum led to this:

Image

which isn't QUITE right - the white spot on the hip needs to be larger and/or more numerous - but it's really close.

It's a Lambert Morgan. Both the Morgan breed and the Lambert family within it take their names from Vermont horse-breeders.

So that's roughly what Dawn looks like when full-feral, and also how her Ford Bronco is painted.
Last edited by Warrl on Sat May 21, 2016 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Warrl wrote:Some searching and a plea for help on another forum led to this:

Image

which isn't QUITE right - the white spot on the hip needs to be larger and/or more numerous - but it's really close.

It's a Lambert Morgan. Both the Morgan breed and the Lambert family within it take their names from Vermont horse-breeders.

So that's roughly what Dawn looks like when full-feral, and also how her Ford Bronco is painted.
Yup... that's about what I had in mind...
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

August 25, early evening

"Welcome to Minneapolis, annoying little brother."

"Thanks, stupid big sister."

Dawn laughed and reached out to hug Durango; he set his carry-on bag on the floor and embraced her.

"Now to pick up your checked bags."

"There aren't any. UPS will deliver my stuff on Monday, and is cheaper than checked bags and boxes."

They started toward the parking garage. "So, you were kind of terse on the phone. Why did you decide to come a week early?"

"Basically, I could. And Mom was starting to get a bit clingy."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Liar. She has been seriously clingy for at least a month, right? She went slightly nuts about Dusk and I leaving for college - when she still had you around! But now you have to stay with me for more than a week before the dorms open up, in an apartment smaller than Mom's living room. And I am going to put you to work."

"I expected that. You've never let the grass grow under your hooves. Thanks for letting me stay with you. I hope it isn't a problem?"

"We were together for fifteen years, and yet you still live - I suppose I can restrain myself for another ten days."

Durango grinned at their traditional exchanges of affection. "What work did you have planned for me?"

"Two things. Since I got here I made more furniture than I intended; I need to sell some. There is a street fair in Saint Paul this weekend and I lucked into a space. I want help loading and unloading, and a second person manning the space so I can get a break now and then. The other thing - there is some bad blood between my neighbor Florian and my boyfriend. Franklin has no clue why and Florian refuses to talk to me about it. If you can get him to tell you anything at all, it would be appreciated."

"I'll try." They climbed into Dawn's Lambert-Morgan-painted Bronco. "Furniture I can manage - the other, that's chancy, but maybe. And of course you'll stick me with some household chores."

"Your cooking is more like Mom's than mine is. Okay, the drive home is about half an hour and I am not used to this city's traffic yet so please let me concentrate on that."

"No problem. I like my body without randomly-inserted bits of glass and metal."
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

"And here she is. Hey sis, this fine lady has been ogling your drawers for a while, and asking questions I don't know how to answer."

The fine lady referred to looked up, startled, at the way Durango had described her actions. Hearing her husband laugh, she smiled, turned the wooden drawer she was holding right-side-up, and reinserted it into the dresser. It went in quite smoothly.

"Thanks, Randy, for putting that so nicely. Your turn for a lunch break. Half an hour?" Dawn noticed that Rowdy had stepped back and around a corner, presumably to avoid intruding on discussions with a potential customer.

"About that. See ya."

"Madam, my brother has attempted to make furniture... but his interests and talents are elsewhere. What were you asking him?"

After ten minutes of conversation with the woman and her husband Dawn shook their hands and took a check from the man. They wandered off to look at the rest of the street fair and Rowdy rejoined her as she hung numbered "sold" tags on four pieces of furniture.

"How are sales going?"

"Quite well. Better than I expected." She sat down and picked up a notebook to write down the details of what the couple had purchased and where it was to be delivered. "At this rate it might all sell before we close - Randall and I made two deliveries last night."

"So what's suddenly bothering you?"

"That last couple - the gentleman is one of the professors at the medical school. I was concerned I might have little free time or energy once school starts. He says I will have less than that. Rowdy, med school is something I want to do and have to do, to be who I am. But Doctor Fitzsimmons says it will take everything I have. Now I found something else that I think I want in my life, and if I have no time or energy I fear I will lose my chance at it."

"What's this other thing you want?"

She looked up at him without raising her head from the notebook, and whispered her answer. "You."
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

That segment had a really long dialog in it that I just couldn't get right... I stepped back for a couple days and realized that the story doesn't need the dialog and two of the characters in it don't need to be that prominent. Everything important that I had in it is covered in the little bit that is left.

I didn't realize the segment is THAT short until I posted it. But it's okay - it's the length it needs to be.
Last edited by Warrl on Sat May 21, 2016 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Just Old Al »

Warrl, the characters say what they need to say when they need to say it. This is the nature of properly written fiction.

Lovely scene, and I can see it on my mind's screen with little difficulty. Don't mess with what works!
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Warrl wrote:That segment had a really long dialog in it that I just couldn't get right... I stepped back for a couple days and realized that the story doesn't need the dialog and two of the characters in it don't need to be that prominent. Everything important that I had in it is covered in the little bit that is left.

I didn't realize the segment is THAT short until I posted it. But it's okay - it's the length it needs to be.
Sometimes it happens that way- stow that conversation in another place, you never know when it might come in handy
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by FreeFlier »

Sgt. Howard wrote:
Warrl wrote:That segment had a really long dialog in it that I just couldn't get right... I stepped back for a couple days and realized that the story doesn't need the dialog and two of the characters in it don't need to be that prominent. Everything important that I had in it is covered in the little bit that is left.

I didn't realize the segment is THAT short until I posted it. But it's okay - it's the length it needs to be.
Sometimes it happens that way- stow that conversation in another place, you never know when it might come in handy
It may inspire something else, too.

Thought it's always hard to take out a nice piece of writing, even if it isn't working.

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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

Darnit. I JUST found some information about the schedule at UofM Medical School, and I should have had Dawn in classes since early August. In 2015 it was 8:15 AM August 3.

Oh well. I am fudging that. Her classes will start on September 6 like her brother's. The undergraduate schedule was a LOT easier to find - in fact the med school apparently doesn't HAVE a schedule online that lays out the academic year; I have to browse the current year's schedule week by week and adjust for next year. (Which gives the advantage of telling just what Dawn will be studying week by week. Yeah I'm gonna use that!)

(And that dialog I took out? The main thing wrong with it was that it was quite unnecessary. Aside from that it wasn't bad - it just felt like it wasn't right for the story, and it took me a while to figure out why.)
Last edited by Warrl on Sat May 21, 2016 2:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Just Old Al »

DOn't obsess over the details...it's a story. In the best oral traditions stories changed constantly, as the only things storytellers worked off were plot cues built into the narrative.
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

November 8, 2016, evening

"Rowdy, thank you. I really needed to get out... some decent cooking and a handsome young stallion certainly don't hurt. One would think that this campus's cafeterias would have vegetarian options that are more than an afterthought."

"Well," the young stallion replied as Dawn scooped another spoonful of mango curry, "according to my omnivore friends, the cooks there have a talent for turning everything they touch to mud, so maybe it's better that they don't do much with vegetarian dishes. On the other hand, you're comparing them to Namaste. Which is hardly fair."

"They make my cooking look gourmet. And that is truly a great feat of culinary inadequacy."

"My cooking is usually edible - I make no greater claim. Friday is Veteran's Day. Are you free?"

"I have a four-hour midterm in the morning. Fourteen hours of exams this week. The good news is there are no afternoon classes this week, so I will get more rest than usual and even be able to take a few laps on the track every day. I should be back to the apartment by 1:00 Friday. And I may be able to stay awake this time. I am very sorry about that - but you are a most comfortable pillow."

"Your medical school is a lot more demanding than business school was. I could never have slept through the 1812 Overture -"

"You jest!"

"You did. This Saturday and Sunday I'm busy helping a couple charities get ready for Thanksgiving events, and the same next weekend, so Friday is all I definitely have free; I'll pick you up about 1:30. What does your schedule look like Thanksgiving week?"

"Normal schedule through 5:30 Wednesday evening. Thursday through Sunday are clear, although I will need to spend some time studying. Then back to the usual 14-hour days of classes and study for three weeks, followed by another week of exams." She finished her dinner and moved the bowl aside.

"I would like to attempt to make some arrangements and take over all four days, if you'll allow it. I don't know if I can do what I want - the place is nearing the end (we hope) of some major construction work. But if it works you'll get space designed for us, excellent food you don't have to cook, and plenty of room to run." As he said the latter, Rowdy tapped four widespread fingers on the table.

She stared wide-eyed at his hand. "That... would be... wonderful. Please, find a way to make it happen."

"I can't promise it, but I'll try. The hazard is that you'll also meet my whole family."

The waiter inquired about dessert, and they both ordered carrot creme brulées. The waiter left with the emptied dishes.

"I thought I met them all at the funeral."

"That would barely count - nobody was quite themselves - but no that wasn't all. My brother is married and they have two adopted children, and my mother remarried last Christmas. Also our chosen family is a large and strangely mixed crowd, and at least half a dozen will be by sometime over the weekend. And some of the staff have been with us as long as I can remember."

"Well, I am accustomed to having lots of relatives around. Speaking of family. Durango found out what set my neighbor Florian off that one day. Some sort of family thing - he had to promise not to tell me. He convinced Florian that it is probably false, I have no idea how, but Flo will not just accept that without talking to the family members involved. So I still have no idea what is going on, but there appears to be progress."

"Sounds reasonable. For now I think it's best to allow what your brother set in motion to proceed. Thank him for me."

They thanked the waiter for delivering the desserts, and dipped into them. "Oh wow," Dawn said. "This is perfect after that curry. Sri Lankan and French - what a combination."

A few minutes later they had finished their desserts, paid, and exited the restaurant. "How would you like to spend the evening?" Rowdy asked.

"I would like to spend it lying on the grass beside you, looking at the stars, and talking about everything and nothing. Sadly, let me be still in a dark quiet place for five minutes and I will fall asleep again. Perhaps my place for tea, if you have no other idea."
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

Thanks to Al for some major work on the dialog in this one.


"Mom," Rowdy said over breakfast the next morning, "I need to ask permission for something and also talk about whether it's feasible."

"I'm sure whatever it is will be just fine - this is your home, too. Feasible?"

"May I invite a houseguest for Thanksgiving weekend? Wednesday night through Sunday afternoon or Monday morning? And, with the rebuilding still not finished, can we accommodate her?"

"Her? Would this be the filly you've been dating? Dawn Hazelton, I believe you said?" Daisy winked at her son.

Several people looked up quizzically at the surname. The memories associated with it were not pleasant - although that was not the fault of any of the the Hazeltons. Cindy in particular looked ready to explode with questions.

"Yes, it is. And yes, Cinnamon, you met her in Vermont. She's here attending medical school - and she really needs to get away from it for a few days. I told you she fell asleep at that concert I took her to last month. I don't think I mentioned that she slept through the 1812 Overture."

Most of the people at the table looked stunned. "Sleeping through classical music is normal, isn't it?" Cindy asked, feigning an air of innocence.

"Cinnamon," Al said sternly, "The 1812 Overture is the one that the Boston Pops plays every year in concert with the Massachusetts National Guard - with 105-millimeter recoilless rifles. Even without, you will not sleep through it."

"OOOH! That girl needs help! Mom, say yes!"

"I'm inclined to. And I think we can handle it. If nothing else, Buck or I can clear out a stall in the centaur quarters. Al, do you see any problems?"

"For a centaur guest I doubt space will be an issue - we're not at capacity by any measure.This does bring up the matter of contingency space, however. It being a holiday we're likely to have a few unscheduled overnight guests during the weekend, even though we've warned everyone that half the house is still under construction. I'd rather not put them on couches. Edward?"

The butler, in the process of refilling coffee cups, paused for a moment before replying. "There is a room next to the kitchen that Rosalita and I share as storage space. I will speak with her about clearing it out for a few days. Al, shall I inquire with the construction crews about having a few rooms ready early?"

"Yes, Edward, capital idea - but please make it clear that getting everything finished is paramount. We would want the rooms no later than midafternoon Wednesday, so furnishings can be brought in, and can give them back Monday morning at the latest. Two or three bedrooms and a bath, on the ground floor if possible, should be adequate."

"Very good. And I will advise them that unpainted is preferred over extremely-fresh paint. As I recall some of the visitors are sensitive to chemical odors."

"Then," Daisy said, "That's settled. We can work out the details but we know we can make it work. Rowdy, go ahead and invite her."
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Re: A Stable Relationship

Post by Warrl »

November 23, 2016, early evening

Even the day before Thanksgiving, Dawn's classes weren't supposed to end until 5:30. However, the embryology instructor was ill so she was back to her apartment before 5 o'clock - having called Rowdy during the walk to let him know she would be earlier than expected. Without even bothering to go inside she climbed into her Bronco and had a brief fingertip conversation with her GPS to activate the route Rowdy had set up.

He had asked her to pick up an order at a coffee shop along the way. As the streets of the commercial area were rapidly emptying, she found a parking place not far from the front door of Mucho Mocha.

As she entered, the black-haired barista looked up. "Hello, you must be here for the Alexander order. Yowza, and you really need a cup of your tea. That stuff with the Chinese name that sounds so bad in English. With almond milk, sugar, and light cinnamon." She sniffed at a tea ball. "Nope, new leaves." She discarded the contents of the tea ball, rinsed it, reloaded it with a small black brick, and dropped it in a cup. Which she then three-fourths-filled with hot water from the espresso machine, and set aside to steep.

"How," Dawn asked, "do you know what sort of drink I want?"

"I read auras. And I know you're here for the Alexander order because Al told me a centaur filly I don't know, named Pauline, would be picking it up about now." Noting the startled look on Dawn's face she added "Oh, don't worry, the only non-para in the shop right now is my boyfriend. Also Rowdy mentioned that his girlfriend Pauline stocks instant coffee" (she shuddered) "and twelve kinds of tea. I'm Tina." She put an almond roll on a plate and set the finished tea on the counter next to it. "Get that inside you, and I'll finish the coffees you're taking with you. Oh, and talk to Atsali. Hey Atsali!" The teen siren at the corner table looked up at her. "Do you need a ride home? Pauline here's going your way." The siren nodded, waved, and went back to her conversation with several other teenage girls - all paras.

"And who is Al?"

"Oh, you haven't met him yet? Girl, you're in for a great weekend! He's a hoot! He's Rowdy's stepfather. But don't call him 'sir"."

Dawn took her tea and almond roll, and looked around the shop as she walked to a vacant table. The man sitting alone at the table nearest the counter, presumably the barista's boyfriend, saluted her with his cup. Four women a bit older than herself sat at another table, a short busty Latina leading the conversation. Near the door sat a police officer and a gentleman who looked so stereotypically FBI she was sure he wasn't; a twenty-ish young man carrying two cups stood chatting with them. And of course the barista Tina herself. Not a nonhuman among them, other than the gaggle of teen girls in the corner.

Although there was something about Tina's eyes... if she hadn't effectively claimed to be paranormal, Dawn would have thought she wore fancy contacts.

Still... the barista vouched for them all. Recognized Dawn as a centaur. Knew what she wanted to drink, without being told. And, sipping the tea, Dawn realized that Tina had made it absolutely perfectly, a perfection Dawn herself rarely achieved, the pu-erh's deep rich earthiness resolved into several soil types, each distinct yet beautifully blended. She forgot her doubts and surrendered to the religious experience of such a cup.

Several minutes later the door opened and two women entered the shop. The tall one Dawn thought she recognized from fashion-magazine covers. The other was another short busty Latina. The tall one called out "Monica! Look what I found on the sidewalk down the street!"

"Yana! ¿Que pasa?" The first Latina jumped up from her chair and ran across the room to hug the second. "Why didn't you tell us you're in town?" With the two that close together it was apparent that, in spite of their rather similar builds, there was not even a hint of a family resemblance.

Setting another cup of tea in front of Dawn, Tina spoke softly to her. "Non-para friends. The short one's pretty new to all this." Amazingly, the second cup was just as perfect as the first.

"I just got here," Yana answered Monica's question. "The job starts Friday. I don't fly on Thanksgiving if I can help it. People are even more crazy than usual."

"But, family - ah, maybe not. What'll you do tomorrow?"

"Nada. Sit in my hotel room. Perhaps some friends are free and could make the day more interesting?"

"Be careful what you ask for - you might get it. I told you Wonderland is out there. Want to dive head-first down the rabbit-hole?"

"Coming from you, that's frightening. Of course I will!"

"Let me go make a phone call."

As Monica disappeared into the restroom hallway, the siren walked up to Dawn's table. "Tina really shouldn't have volunteered you like that without asking. Will you give me a ride home? If not, it only means I'll be a little late." Behind her, the other teenagers filed out the door and turned toward a nearby bus stop; on her way past, an ursamorph stroked the siren's back and they exchanged hand-squeezes.

"Atsali, right? Where is your home?"

"The Alexander estate."

Tina came up with a pair of fully loaded cup-carriers atop two large pastry boxes. "Here you go. Al paid for the whole load, including yours."

Dawn took another sip of tea and realized she had finished the second cup. "We should be going, then." She stood up and took the pile from Tina. "Thank you, Tina. How did you get the tea that perfect twice in a row? I rarely manage it twice a year."

"Sorry, knowing my secret wouldn't help." She grinned and returned to her counter.

"Drat. Atsali, can you get that almond roll for me? Thanks." And they left the shop.
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