[crow]

Elliot eyed it uncertainly. It wasn't a trade he was particularly enthusiastic about, and he hadn't meant to share with everyone, but his sister had always warned him that if he shared with one person, he might as well expect to share with the rest. “Okay,” he said, with only a little reluctance, and took off another corner of chocolate for Suvi. “Just one trade though,” he added quickly.

“Deal!” said Suvi. Like Skitter before, she immediately ate the chocolate, chewing it hurriedly before swallowing it down. Elliot sighed a little as he watched. He was the slow nibbler type, eating a little chunk at a time and letting it melt on his tongue. It might have had something to do with the fact that he didn't often get to have it. Belatedly, Suvi remembered her half of the deal, and held her lollipop out dutifully for Elliot. The cold had frozen over the thin coating of spit, but that didn't really make it any more appealing for him.

[Candy Stand: 121]

[crow]

Well... He didn't want to be rude. He gave it one light lick, which was good enough as far as Suvi was concerned. If he didn't want to eat her lollipop, it wasn't as if she wanted to give it away either, so that suited her just fine. She crammed it back into her mouth immediately. It tasted rather more sour after the chocolate, but candy was candy. Besides, it was still sort of sweet, which was all that mattered.

Elliot snuck a glance toward the bakery. He had been putting it off for long enough--- he had to go back. If Charlie had already come back, he was sure she'd be very worried. “I need to go back to the bakery,” he said quietly. “My sister told me to wait for her there. She might be looking for me by now.”

Rhodes tutted. “You should have said so earlier. We must go at once. Did she tell you when she was coming?”

“I don't think they'll let us in a second time,” Suvi said. “Wasn't it one visit per person?”

[Candy Stand: 122]

[crow]

“I don't know,” said Elliot, but his face clouded with worry. “Even if it isn't, I guess they might not want us back. Dante did eat a lot...”

Dante looked a little embarrassed at his words. “I can stay outside if you need me to,” he offered quickly. It was a free bakery anyway, and he already felt sort of bad for using it to sate his hunger. He had justified it at the time by telling himself that was what it was for, but they probably hadn't been counting on people like himself.

Rhodes said a little sardonically, “I doubt she will be looking inside. There is quite a line to get in. I'm sure she just meant to meet you outside.”

“Right,” said Elliot, who knew better but didn't want to argue. Charlie had told him just enough about her power for him to sort of understand how it worked, and she could have gotten in any time she wanted. Still, if he waited outside the bake shop away from the line, he didn't think he would be too hard to find. More to the point, that way he could wait with his friends. It would be much less boring and lonely that way.

[Candy Stand: 123]

[crow]

... That is, if they wanted to come with him anyway. “I need to go... but you guys can come with me if you like. It's not going to be very exciting, but...”

Dante, sensing some of his concerns, stepped forward in the direction of the bakery. “Sure, we'll wait with you,” he said, giving Elliot a smile. “It's not like we have anything better to do, right?”

“Maybe you don't,” said Suvi. Still, she fell into step with them immediately. “Come on, we can have a snowball fight or something. We can, right? You guys will snowball fight with me? Sivvy and Rhodes are too boring to do it, and Rhodes is a big cheater anyway.” She vividly remembered his assault on her two years prior. Levitating all those snowballs at once had been a cheap and dirty move, and she wasn't going to let him forget about it.

Rhodes rolled his eyes. “I did try to warn you, young mistress. You insisted. I am not responsible for the consequences of your ill-advised decision.”

[Candy Stand: 124]

[crow]

Suvi, who had nothing eloquent to say in reply to this, simply stuck her tongue out at him. “Cheater!” she said, and turned to grab the two boys to drag along with her as she ran ahead. Skitter, not wanting to be left behind or left out of any snowball fighting, ran after them. This time, Rhodes brought up the rear by himself. Ah, the energy of youth... Frequently he thought that it was more trouble than it was worth, but seeing them bright and smiling reminded him fondly of his mistress.

Looking up at the darkening sky, he breathed a long sigh. “I wonder what you would think of this place, Miss Melisandre,” he said. Tell him to be more jolly, in all likelihood. She had always had a soft spot for the holidays, even if her idea of a good time had more to do with a good book in front of a fire.

It had been a long time since her passing--- much too long now for him not to have come to terms with it, even if she had died before her time. No matter how much time passed, however, he still missed her. She had been his first master, the one whose magic was responsible for his current state. They had often bickered, but nevertheless her dearly, and knew that she looked after him as best he could.

[Candy Stand: 125]

[crow]

But if anything, she would have told him to stop moping over a dead witch and get on with his life. So Rhodes walked slowly after the others, picking his way through the snow. A domestic cat's short legs were not suited to the trek, but somehow he made do. If he lent himself a hand with a few magic tricks, well, who was counting, really? Suvi was right; he was probably a cheater, but a cat needed a few cheats to level the playing field. He didn't, after all, have size or hands on his side.

Charlie was waiting for them when they arrived at the bakery. Elliot's expression immediately became guilty, and he twisted his hands together in front of him. Dante nudged him forward slightly when he froze. He looked back at the older boy, who motioned for him to go on. “C'mon, it'll be better if you get it over with sooner. Trust me.” He understood a little the trepidation Elliot must have been feeling. He didn't know Elliot's sister, but he had often had what he thought were similar sentiments when he had been out too long and had to come home at last to a worried Blue.

[Bakery: 126]

[crow]

“Alright,” said Elliot, taking a deep breath and steeling himself. He took one step forward, and found the next was easier. Before he knew it, he was running toward his sister. “Charlie!” he said. She turned immediately at the sound of his voice. He was worried that she was going to be angry, but the only thing he found in her face was relief.

“Hey kiddo,” she said, greeting him with a hug and ruffling his hair affectionately. “Where did you go? I was looking all over for you.”

“Oh,” said Elliot, feeling the guilt rise up again. “I ran into Suvi... You met her last year, remember?” He looked to where the others were waiting, a respectful distance from the two of them, ostensibly waiting to be introduced to.

Charlie followed his gaze. “Oh, yeah. I remember her. Where's her... brother...?”

“Sivvy?” said Elliot, using Suvi's nickname for her guardian. “I don't know. I think she ran off from them to do her own thing, but their accountant is here.”

[Bakery: 127]

[crow]

A funny expression settled over Charlie's features. “That was... the cat, wasn't it?” Elliot nodded solemnly. The funny expression on Charlie's face scrunched up a little more. “Right... Well, who are the other two?” she said, moving to another topic. No matter how many times she heard that whole bit about the cat, she was never going to get her head around it. She had met him in person, but she still didn't quite believe it. Best to just... let that go, and deal with what she could deal with.

“That's Dante,” said Elliot, pointing to the other boy. “And that's his friend Skitter. They...” He remembered Dante's story about how he ran away from his mentor, and had to think fast. “They're war scouts from the army. They're on vacation leave.” That was sort of true, anyway. Dante did say he had worked for the army's special search commission or something like that.

“Huh,” said Charlie. Elliot certainly did have a talent for running into unusual characters at this holiday gather. Every year he came out with some strange friends. “He looks a bit young to be from the army,” she said.

[Bakery: 128]

[crow]

“He's older than he looks,” Elliot said. He had said it because he had to explain his cover story, but unbeknownst to him, his excuse was in fact right on the money. What he couldn't have imagined was just how right he was about that. Suddenly remembering where his sister had gone, he looked up at her. “Where's your friend?”

Charlie blinked. “Faber, you mean? Oh, he, uh... That's a good question, actually,” Charlie said, glancing around as if she expected him to materialize out of nowhere. With Faber, that was less farfetched a notion than it sounded. Elliot took this to mean that Faber had come back with her, anyway. “I think he went off to get something to eat... Yep, there he is,” she said, pointing at one of the bakery windows. Peering in, the two of them could see him filling his plate from the array of sweets. It was probably a good thing Elliot didn't know how long they had been back, or else he might have gotten curious as to how he had managed to skip in line. “He'll be out in a minute. We'll probably have to go home soon, actually.”

[Bakery: 129]

[crow]

At Elliot's crestfallen expression, she sighed. “Come on, kiddo, it's getting dark and you know it. But I'll tell you what--- it looks like he's gonna be a while. In the meantime, you can get one more game in with your friends. How's that sound?”

“Okay,” said Elliot. He couldn't help sounding a bit glum about it. He had been having a good time, even if a lot of strange things had happened. He didn't have many friends at school, so being able to spend time like this with other kids was a lot more precious to him than it otherwise might be. But he was also a good responsible kid; he knew what Charlie said was right, and at least he was getting time to say goodbye. “Do you think we'll have enough time to have snowball fight?” he asked, remembering Suvi's request.

[Bakery: 130]

[crow]

“You can go find out,” she said. Elliot needed no further encouragement. He ran off to join his friends while Charlie watched on. It had been a tiring day--- still no sign of Akala, but things were starting to get real weird on their search in a way she didn't like. However, all her burdens melted away for a moment as she watched her brother play. She found herself smiling despite her fatigue. She had felt bad about not having as much time to spend with him lately, so it was good to see him enjoying himself like this.

Rhodes, who had noticed her as soon as he came upon the gathered children, made his way to stand by her side. The two made an odd image, a teenage girl and a small black cat standing side by side. “Miss Charlie, yes? I hope this year finds you well?” he asked. She had a whiff of strange magic on her that he couldn't remember having detected last year, and she looked weary, but he knew it wasn't his place to ask.

[Bakery: 131]

[crow]

She didn't look at him, but sighed. “Tiring, mostly. But sure, I'm fine. What about you?” She had never been much for small talk, but she supposed it was polite. Tiredness too, inverse to what it did in most people, also made Charlie more agreeable sometimes. Being stubborn and rude really took it out of you after a while if you did it to prove a point.

“Very well,” said Rhodes. “I have been busy, but that is nothing new.” She hadn't volunteered any details about the curious things he had noted, so he had to satisfy himself with not knowing. It might well have been better that way. He had enough people to worry about as it was; he hardly needed to add her to the list. She nodded along, but he could tell her thoughts were elsewhere. She hadn't been lying about being tired.

[Bakery: 132]

[crow]

It was at that moment that Faber walked out from behind the cover of some trees, taking Rhodes by surprise. The cat's shock was at least half because he hadn't thought he could be surprised at all anymore. His senses, both natural and magical, were very sharp. It had been ages since someone was last able to sneak up on him. Charlie didn't startle, though Rhodes thought he could see her twitch. Still, when she greeted the boy--- for Rhodes could not think of him as anything but a boy, even half grown as he was--- it was casually. “You're here, huh?” she said.

The boy smiled at her. He smelled of the same strange magic that Rhodes had detected before, and more strongly at that. The cat's eyes narrowed at that, his suspicions rising with his hackles. Admittedly, however, aside from that, he looked... harmless. He was tall, but only in a gangly sort of way, and hunched slightly over as if constantly apologetic for his height. His clothes and hair were both rumpled as if from sleep, but the shadows in his face were haunted, and especially deep beneath his eyes. If Rhodes didn't know better, he would have thought he was looking at a scarecrow.

[Bakery: 133]

[crow]

“It took a bit longer than I thought it would. Do you want some?” he said, handing a plate over to Charlie. It was kind of a familiar sight, watching him hold so many plates of sweets. If his curls were just a bit darker, Rhodes might have thought he was some grown version of Dante. Charlie, as it was, shook her head no, but seemed to think better of it a moment later. She took a cookie, biting off a big mouthful all at once. Nothing at all like the dainty manners of her brother, she gulped the food down as if she was afraid to lose it. When she was finished, she straighened, and looked on as if nothing had happened.

The boy sat down right there on the ground, in the snow, to start on his. Rhodes had been trying to ignore him, not wanting to say anything about his entrance, but now he found himself staring once more. “Beg pardon, but are you not cold?” he asked incredulously. This time it was the boy's turn to stare. Too late, Rhodes realized his mistake. This one hadn't yet been introduced to him.

[Bakery: 134]

[crow]

However, contrary to Rhodes' expectations, the boy took it in stride. His grin returned, and he shook his head, his wild tumble of curls bobbing as he did. “I don't mind the cold,” he said. The sweet in his hand had already cooled, but he blew on it a couple of times just for good measure. Rhodes watched him a little longer, flabbergasted, but in the end he turned away with a sigh. Kids these days. He was getting too old for this, probably. That was all this was.

“Hurry it up,” Charlie was saying, “we're going home as soon as you're done eating.”

“What's the rush?” said the boy. “I can just---”

“No. We're not... no.” She cut him off sharply, and he snuck a guilty glance at Rhodes when she did. They certainly weren't making it easy not to be curious. Rhodes eyed them sidelong, thinking the talking cat thing should have given it away that he knew not everyone was as they seemed. They weren't offering to tell him anything though, and he wasn't about to pry. Really, he wasn't.

[Bakery: 135]

I know this and any subsequent posts aren't going to be counted because they're past the time limit, but I just wanted to wrap up the RP since it's winding down anyway