It is only a few paces from the edge of the wilderness to the lake; trees crowd close to the water in every direction. The water at your feet is pristine, shining blue. Gentle ripples ruffle the glossy surface of the water and whisper at the shore. The hump of Katahdin Peak, blue-grey with distance, looms over the trees as they ring the lake. The air smells clean, rich with pine and fish. In the distance you can make out a dock, and other signs of human habitation; but here, only the calls of birds, frogs, and insects disturb the peaceful quiet.
An airship bobs over the lake at the end of long, fine tethers that are fastened here and there around the eastern portion of the lakeshore. An array of ropes and winches dangles from amidships, ending at a small, floating platform with couple of small, neat dinghies moored to it. Occasional sounds emit from the airship: spinning propellers, jets of steam, and voices.
The center of the first floor, this room is large and cozy. The brick fireplace always has a good fire in the cold months, and the sliding glass door that lets onto the backyard is closed to keep the warmth in.
A trio of rocking chairs represents the bulk of the living room's furniture. The stains applied on each varies, from blonde to deep dark brown. The darkest differs from its peers in structure by the presense of a pipe-holder, and all have simple but clean and delicate designs carved in their head rests. There's also a kitchen table and a makeshift bookcase which, sensibly enough, holds several books.
A large mosaic roughly six feet in diameter lies inset in the middle of the floor. The design displays a circumscribed series of triangles arranged as a five-pointed star, and the arrangement of the various pieces forms its own network of patterns and keeps the grain interruption from being too jarring. Great care has been taken to make sure the mosaic is perfectly level with the floor proper, and not a single gap, fastener, or drop of glue can be seen.
There's a new addition to the living room: a couple of pots with wooden frames sunk into them. The frames are laden with lushly blooming honeysuckle, wisteria, and woody nightshade; the flowers fill the room with their fragrance, a heady scent of summer in the dead of winter.
Thundersnow is an elegant and sturdy horse with a mix of traits that could be attributed to various breeds, yet which all integrate seamlessly in his compact form. The slight arch to his neck and his clean lines are reminiscent of an Arab, but his chest and forehead are a bit too wide for a pureblood, and he's also larger, with a broad body and less curviture to his back. His markings are just this side of dark for a classic bay: his winter-heavy coat is dark black-brown, with lighter regions of true brown on his fetlocks and face, and his hair is pure black. A cleanly parted forelock offsets his large, expressive eyes and trim ears, and his mane hangs past his neck in lazy, full waves. His tail is similarly full and silky, and just brushes the ground. His trimmed hooves are shod with dark metal shoes that appear to have designs etched into their sides. In contradiction to his well-groomed form, he bears no brand of claiming nor the marks typical of a horse broken to the saddle.
This slender young man draws the eye, first with his waterfall of perfectly white hair-- not blond, but white and fine as Queen Anne's lace-- carelessly confined with a simple tie at the nape of his neck. His features are delicate and symmetrical to a startling, almost inhuman degree. His skin is pale, nearly translucently so, which reinforces the fragility suggested by the fine lines of his jaw and collarbones; in contrast to this, his eyes are the deep, thoughtful blue of an evening sky.
He is currently wearing a calf-length dark blue cloak or full coat of wool with carved bone buttons and a shoulder cape instead of proper sleeves. Under this, he is wearing black woolen trousers, a white linen shirt with the ties hanging loose around his throat, and a heavy garnet-red woollen sweater.
He wears a simple silver band ring with a dark blue stone-- his only jewelry-- on the middle finger of his right hand.
Over the early-morning lake the air is hushed and still. Even the birds have not greeted the sullen new day yet, and everything glows faintly in tones of silver and charcoal. The only moving thing in the landscape is a dark figure on the surface of the frozen lake, pacing silently along the gray and misty ice. Then, about twenty yards from shore, the quiet is broken by an ominous cracking sound, sharp as a pistol shot. The cloaked figure lurches, shouts, "A fenebe!" and crashes down among the rushes in a cacophony of splintering ice.
In a tree about ten feet away from the lake is a freshly painted (in mottled greens and browns) treehouse. The house itself is nestled in a gap in the tree, where the old, sturdy trunk splits off into two smaller ones, built with care for the safety of the house, and with no damage to the tree. Going down the length of the trunk of the tree is a knotted rope, which leads to a hole in the floor of the house.
The cracking and yell are followed by another round of noise -- the trapdoor of the treehouse thwapping open, and Ren dropping out, swinging down by way of the rope. He apparently wasn't exactly planning to be out, yet -- there's only a couple of his shirt buttons buttoned, and his hair's free -- which makes for a nice cinematic effect what with the swinging down. He heads toward the sound, admirably swiftly, though one might expect him to pay more attention to where the ice might start. "Hey," he calls, "you okay?"
There's a rushing sound among the trees, like something running in the snow, but the weight and size of the runner are impossible to determine, for there seems to be no sound but the crunch of the snow itself. The sound draws ever closer, and suddenly Thundersnow bursts out along the shore, his speed far beyond that of even a race horse's and his steps eerily half-silent, as if he weighed no more than a dog. He skids to a sudden stop, sliding several feet in the process, and pricks his ears forward, sniffing about wildly. He glances at Ren, then gallops towards the rushes at a slower pace, careful where he walks and casting about for Miklos.
"No, I am... well, I am in the shit," says Miki, as he tries to scramble out onto the broken ice. Already he is shivering so much that he can barely speak, although the water where he was standing was not too deep-- only about to his shoulders.
Serendipity glances at the arriving horse, and there's a spark of recognition in his eyes, but nothing more. He picks his way out toward where Miki is, more careful now that it's clear the guy isn't about to drown or anything, and finds a spot to brace himself, kneeling and leaning out to offer a hand or two up. "Well, guess we established you ain't the second coming," he replies wryly.
Thundersnow neighs to Miklos and trots up to the edge of the ice, eyeing it warily. You are very wet and cold. You need to be warm. He waits, his tail swishing this way and that as he watches to make sure Miklos will not sink any further.
Miki grasps Ren's hand and pulls himself onto the shelf of unbroken ice, where he lies gasping and shivering for a moment. "Az Isten fazat," he moans, through chattering teeth, and then attempts to get to his feet. He manages it after a try or two.
Serendipity helps with the standing, without much regard for whether he gets wet, and slips out of his ubiquitous coat, swirling it around and onto Miki's moistened form. "C'mon, beautiful," he advises, "let's get you outta those wet clothes and-" there's a barely perceptible pause, as of a train of thought reaching a junction and changing tracks, "into some dry ones. And by a fire or something. ...what were you doing, anyway, pickup game of hockey?"
Thundersnow snorts, tossing his and stomping. He shifts in a rushing blur, and is only just fully human when he suggests, "We should take him back to the house. We have a fire in the fireplace."
Although Miki uses one hand-- his right-- to hold onto things-- mostly Ren-- to help him get to his feet, his left hand stays shut in a fist. "Yes," he tells Danny, in between chatters, and doesn't even notice that the Coat Which Might Vanish Him is over his shoulders. His water-soaked woolen cloak seems to drag him down, but he manages to walk anyway, concentrating on each step carefully, rather like someone who's taken a wee drop too much. After a moment, Ren's question is processed in his cold-slowed mind, and he says, with careful slowness, "Needed. Something."
"Don't we all," Serendipity mutters, noticing the cloak problem and stopping Miki to get it off from beneath the coat. "You get whatever it was?" He nods to Danny, with a little shrug. "Sounds good. Better'n trying to get him up a rope at the moment."
Danny gives Ren a warning look, a slight narrowing of his eyes and a tightening of his mouth, and steps back, his shape shivering and reforming into the compact stallion with the heavy winter coat. He trots over to a large, heavy log and stands next to it, watching the two men. Up, up, up, he neighs at them.
Miki stumbles over to Thundersnow and just leans on him for a moment, tranced by the warmth coming off the big horse body. He seems completely unable to complete the next logical step; although he does say, "Thank you, Danny, it will be easier than walking," he makes no move to actually mount.
Serendipity gets the message, and follows Miki, trying to keep him upright, and observes the problem for a moment. "A'ight, c'mon, over here..." He guides the slightly smaller man away from the horse's side, up onto the log, and sets his arms up around Thundersnow's neck -- at least, as much as he can reach. "'kay. Step on my leg," he instructs, bracing it and placing his hands on either side of Miki's waist.
Thundersnow swings his head around and nuzzles Miki's hair, his breath warm and smelling faintly of apples. You should not walk on the ice. You do not have a big winter body and hair for it. He straightens his neck, making it easier to hold, and keeps very still. Not even the stallion's ears and tail move as he waits for Ren and Miki to work out a way onto his back.
Miki allows himself to be moved around, but regards Ren's leg for a moment as an insoluble problem. However, he manages to figure it out after a bit, and boosts himself up onto Thundersnow's back with absolutely none of his usual grace. He seems aware of this, and flinches with embarrassment as he goes nose-down over the arch of Danny's neck. "I am sorry," he says though a mouthful of mane.
Serendipity hops up behind Miki, considerably more gracefully, and helps him up to vertical, shifting to get them into a reasonably secure position and making sure the coats wrapped well around the other youth. "A'ight, I think we're good to go," he decides, soon enough.
Thundersnow's head twitches and his ears flatten, but he brings his head around to nose one of Miki's legs. Do not worry. We will make you warm at the house. His back shifts slightly as he adjusts his weight and gets used to the positions of the two men, and he whickers, Hold on tight. I will not run, but do not fall. He steps forward, his gait as smooth and even as a Paso Fino's but no less fast for the care he exercises. At a speed slightly faster than a trot, he angles out to the road and towards the house, which is just visible in the distance after only a minute or two.
Miki rocks a little, but seems able to balance. He shivers even more, his teeth rattling, his shoulders shaking convulsively, as the breeze of their passing flows over them.
Serendipity helps Miki balance, doing pretty well himself, and wraps his arms around the youth, pressed close against his back. And he actually doesn't seem to be taking any particular advantage of it. But he's nice and warm.
As they approach the house, details become clear: a thin trail of smoke climbs skyward from the chimney, and a giant ice unicorn statue looms just off the path to the house. Thundersnow passes under the arching neck and horn as he approaches the house, bringing a maze-like snow fort into view. It has been built between the legs and under the belly of the ice unicorn, with one wall still in need of repairs.
Thundersnow trots up to the porch and stops next to the steps, blowing out a breath. Down down down he singsongs in a nicker, and holds his head slightly lowered so it can be held on to if needed.
[At the Frat House]
Miki slips from Danny's back with the generous help of gravity, and his fall is cushioned by the kindness of snow. He stubbornly pushes himself to his feet again and manages to make it to the door.
Serendipity follows, still holding the water-logged cloak. He could probably use the fireplace himself, at this point.
Danny slips into his homid form and shuts the door behind Ren and Miki, then quickly moves forward to lead the two into the living room. The house is warm even at this early hour, with a handsome fire crackling in the fireplace and the smell of breakfast drifting in from the kitchen. Paraffin lamps are lit in favor of using the electric lights, and blankets are piled generously on the three rocking chairs. "Okay, let me go get you something dry, Miki. Wrap up in these and I'll be right back." He ferries over a blanket to each of them before taking the stairs two at a time and boldly raiding Justin's bedroom for clothing.
Miki wanders over towards the fireplace like someone in a trance. He kneels down in front of the fire and stares at it, his eyes squinted almost shut. He doesn't seem to have the volition to shed his soaked clothing, although he's still shivering in convulsive waves that set his teeth chattering audibly.
Serendipity drops the soaked cloak, but follows Miki, carrying both blankets over. "Hey," he murmurs quietly, kneeling down beside him, and sets them on the ground. He takes the coat off the youth and sets it aside before trying to help get the sodden sweater and shirt peeled off him. If he's imagined removing the guy's clothes before, this probably wasn't quite the situation he had in mind.
There's not much to be had from the mage's wardrobe, but what there is, Danny returns with: a long-sleeved blue shirt and a pair of dark grey pants, and also a pair of heavy, black wool socks. He walks over to Miki and Ren and stands ready to take the soaking wet clothes and trade them for dry ones.
At first, Miki simply lets Ren pull at his clothes; then it seems to occur to him that he can get more of that wonderful heat from the fire when layers of fabric soaked in ice water aren't in the way. Then he starts helping, stripping off his clothing right down to the skin, without even the slightest indication of embarrassment, or any thought other than warmth. He keeps scooting closer to the fireplace, and now it is more than clear the he is not a fire mage. If he were, his body language clearly states, he would be *in there,* among the flames. He stares at them longingly, then turns and accepts the clothing from Danny. He blinks at it. "Thank you," he dredges up, after a moment, and puts the shirt on.
Serendipity stops Miki from putting on the shirt, catching his arms. "Wait," he instructs, firmly, and wraps one of the blankets around him, rubbing the other youth's arms and torso firmly with it, looking surprisingly businesslike. "..a'ight, =now= you can put it on. And stand up. Pants."
Danny takes the wet shirt and drapes it over his arm, then holds out the dry pants.
Miki stares at the shirt for a moment, clutching the blanket around his shoulders. Then he puts it on and ooches a little closer to the fire along the hearth, shooting both of them a pathetic, Do-I-*Have*-To-Stand-Up? look. After all, the fire is over *here.* After a moment, though, he sighs and offers a hand to Danny, clearly asking for aid in standing so he can put the dry pants on.
Serendipity nods approvingly, and removes Miki's remaining wet clothing. Deftly, but still businesslike. Then the blanket returns, with the rubbing and drying. That done, he moves aside and leaves the re-clothing to Danny, moving to dry closer to the fire himself. His shirt is still decidedly damp.
Danny takes Miki's hand in his and steadies himself, slowly pulling Miki to his feet. "Think you're up for some tea? That should help warm you up too."
Miki carefully puts the pants on-- they are rather too long for him. He nods at Danny, perhaps because his teeth are still chattering, although not audibly. Then he sits down on the hearth again, close enough to the fire that his hair starts to gently steam.
Serendipity sits there too, just to one side, and shakes out his hair, getting the ice crystals to melt away. "So you're a'ight, not gonna die now, right?" he inquires.
Danny heads into the kitchen, taking the soaking wet clothes with him, and is in there for a brief spell. He returns with two mugs of tea and Miki's clothes, which have been rung out on hangars, and offers the tea to Ren and Miki. "Rosehip," he tells them, and hangs the clothes near enough to the fire that they can dry out.
Miki considers Ren's question seriously for a long time. "No," he says finally. Then he looks down at his left hand, which is still closed around something. "Oh," he says in mild surprise. "I still have it." He opens his hand to show a white feather, curled in on itself. He accepts the teamug in his other hand and gives Danny a tentative half-smile. "Thank you, I am sorry about all the trouble." His gaze flicks to Ren, including him in the apology.
"Good," Ren replies, and shrugs a little at the apology. "Don't mention it," he replies graciously enough, before thanking Danny for the tea and taking a sip, but he's not grinning. Hell, he's barely smiled all day, really. "So what's with the feather?"
"Not a problem," Danny says mildly. "All this work for a feather?" He leans over to look at it a little more closely, sniffing. "Is it from an owl?"
"Snow goose," says Miki, half closing his fingers around it protectively. "It will be useful, I think, for a place so full of snow." His teeth are no longer chattering, so he drinks some tea and scoots closer to the fire, tucking his feet up and getting drifted woodash on Justin's pants. He hasn't put the socks on yet, and apparently his feet are cold, so he shifts them around to get them closer to the fire.
Serendipity nods a little, and drains the rest of his tea, setting the cup down on the edge of the hearth, and rising again, to claim his coat and check its current state.
Danny sinks into a cross-legged seat on the floor and scratches his chin. "That reminds me, Miki. I wanted to ask...can you call spirits? Summon them? Well not them, just one, but."
Miki looks into his tea mug as though it contains something terribly interesting. "Spirits?" he asks blankly, as though he doesn't know the word at all, then takes a sip of tea. This seems to thaw his brain a little more. "Yes, some of them."
Serendipity apparently deems the coat acceptable, since he slides it on again. Some rummaging in a pocket -- an outer pocket -- elicits a bit of leather, which he uses to pulls his hair back into its usual ponytail.
Danny nods and leans back a little, stretching his back. He glances up at Ren, then back at Miki. "Would you--I mean, can I trade a spirit calling for something? Work, whatever you need, really. If you do that sort of thing, if you don't it's fine."
Miki blinks a few more times and focuses on Danny a bit more. "Yes, of course," he says. "If it is a spirit I *can* call, I will. Do not ask me to call Summer or, or, Lilith, or anything like that, though..." He glances over at Ren, his brows quirked in a faint puzzled frown, then looks back at Danny. "Some of your nice glassware, that would be something I like. If my calling works, of course."
Serendipity adjusts his coat, giving the lapels a gentle tug, and glances over his shoulder at the pair. "Who you gonna call?" he inquires, hands slipping into his pockets.
"Glassware is no problem," Danny says with a relieved smile. "And I'm not looking for anything nearly as complicated as Summer, or Lilith." He looks up at Ren again, and toys with a bit of his shirt. "I don't know yet. I need to think about that some more. I have a list as long as my arm, but..." He bites at his lip, and shakes his head. "I'll let you know as soon as I make a decision," he tells Miki finally.
Miki nods solemnly at Danny, and scoots his bare feet closer to the fire. He sets the mug of tea down, and blinks slowly at Danny and Ren, like a sleepy cat. Indeed, there's something about him which is much, much more relaxed, less defended than usual. He reaches for the slightly-damp blanket and pulls it into a heap in front of him, then collapses forward onto it, folding his arms and resting his chin on his crossed wrists. "I am stupid. Szellmi rovidnadragos," he mentions, with a sigh.
Serendipity picks up the other blanket -- the one meant for him -- and takes the several steps back to the fire, leaning down and taking hold of the cross of Miki's arms, lifting enough to nudge the damp blanket out of the way and replace it with the completely dry one. "Nah," he replies, studying Miki for a few moments, and straightens up again.
"You're not stupid," Danny informs Miki. "But the last time I took a freezing cold water swim I got scolded by a lot of people. So, like they told me, bring a ritual buddy next time." He grins and climbs back to his feet, taking a minute to turn Miki's clothes on the hangers so they can dry more completely, then says, "I have to get a few things done, so if you two need anything, just yell. I'll hear you no problem." He smiles and disappears into the house, towards the front room, and soon the industrial sounds of Someone Working on Something can be heard. He occasionally passes through the living room to get something, but the bulk of his work remains towards the front of the house.
Miki, perhaps uncharacteristically, allows Ren to take his arms and lift him while the blanket-switch is accomplished. He merely looks rather confused. "I did not mean to take a swim," he says, after Danny. "Most of the ice, it is strong enough." He looks back at Ren, as though expecting him to confirm his point of view.
Serendipity hesitates, looking as though he'd been about to leave. There was nothing even mildly flirtatious about the blanket-switching -- actually, there really hasn't been all day. Even the usual terms of address are a little off. "...yeah, mosta the ice's fine. I was skating on parta it the other day. You just got the wrong part." Shrug. "Worked out okay, though, right?"
Miki nods, rolling over onto one elbow so he doesn't crick his neck looking up at Ren. "To you I owe something, for helping," he says, then pauses to scrabble the blanket back up into a better pillow. He looks back down at his hands, thoughtful, relaxed. His face, usually so reserved, shows a little worry, a little puzzlement, but mostly simple pleasure in finally getting warm.
Serendipity shrugs again, and half-smiles. "Don't worry 'bout it," he replies. "Can't letcha die, half the town would off 'emselves. Just warn me ahead of time if you're gonna do that again."
"I did not mean to do it," Miki points out again. "Any way, Anderja would have fetched me if there was any real danger."
"I know. But if it'd happened two minutes earlier more'n the rope woulda been swinging when I came out there," Serendipity replies, with a crooked half-smile. "At least I'd have more time to get my pants on next time. Y'know. If you happened to accidentally fall through, or something." Another shrug, and a stretch.
Miki gifts Ren with a look of slight confusion melting into slightly-amused sarcasm. "I can not decide what time is good for accidents. Perhaps you can, but for me they just happen." He snuggles back down onto the blanket, pulling his bare toes a little further from the fire now (perhaps they're actually too warm, what a lovely thought). "And I am not planning to walk on the ice again, it is not a good idea." He addresses this particularly stunning observation to Ren's knees.
Serendipity shrugs. Yet again. "Fair 'nough," he replies, and turns as if to leave, actually taking a couple steps before he quite suddenly turns back around. "I thought of what you could do t' repay me."
Miki looks up, then rolls over to lean on his elbow again, to make it easier to see Ren. "It was good of you to help, it is a debt," he says, blinking again like a cat. "Tell me what I can do to in return and I will do it," he adds trustfully, reaching out with one arm to stretch his (probably rather sore and stiff) shoulders.
"A'ight," Ren replies, nodding once, hands still in his pockets. "...good. Thanks." He unholsters a hand to brush a strand of hair away from his face. "So tell me what the hell I did."
Miki thumps over onto his back and peers up at Ren with the startled expression of a horse that's accidentally discovered that the fences around the paddock are exactly the same height as the fences on the jumping course. "What you did?" His confusion is utter and entirely genuine.
"You wouldn't tell me," Ren reminds him. "Apparently I said something terrible to offend you or something." He's aiming for matter-of-fact, and getting there most of the way. "Said if I'd forgotten it couldn't be that important?" he reminds. "Anyway. I took your word we were okay. But." He stops, but there's something that feels not quite done. After just long enough a pause to make one feel the need to speak, he nearly blurts, "And you wouldn't eat my apple turnovers!" And he actually sounds kind of hurt.
As Ren speaks, emotions flee transparently over Miki's face: realization, comprehension, a trace of-- something too quick to catch, and then embarrassment, coloring his cheekbones a fine shade of red. "I am sorry," he says, "I..." and then he seems to realize that in general, the world does not take one seriously when one is lying on one's back on the floor. He sits up, pulling the blanket around him as though from a need for comforting. "It was kind of you to make them. I... was upset about the things you said. When." He pauses and the coloring on his face deepens, his expression shifting towards shame and anger. "In the Library," he substitutes for whatever he was going to say.
Serendipity thinks about that a moment, and shows a flash of comprehension himself. He steps over and drops down rather elegantly beside Miki, crosslegged, and nods a little. "Oh. I don't even know what I said, honestly. But I didn't mean any offense." He's sincere, at least.
Miki nods solemnly. But his earlier relaxation, nigh-vulnerability, is gone, replaced by a subtle tension around his shoulders and his usual guarded expression. "I know," he says quietly, and looks over his shoulder at the fire for a moment, staring at the yellow flames.
Serendipity sighs, and looks at the fire himself. "...Look. I like you, okay? I mean, you're about the most beautiful human being I ever saw, but aside from that, I =like= you. You're interesting. You speak Hungarian and summon ghosts and goats and agree to sled down mountains and do things I don't expect. You're =interesting=."
Miki's gaze, until now fixed on the fire, slides sideways towards Ren. Although his mouth doesn't move, the corners of his eyes barely suggest a smile. "Thank you," he replies. "I do not think anyone could say that you are not... interesting. Even Danny, who wants to roll on you. You are very unexpected."
Serendipity smirks slightly at that. "I was just messin' with him. Danny shouldn't dish it out if he can't take it," he replies dryly, and shifts, sprawling out a little. "Anyway. That's my place in life. That's who... hell. That's =what= I am." He grins a little, a strange mixture of sheepish and proud, with a faint shrug.
"You do not ride if you are not asked," replies Miki, looking faintly shocked. "How would you like it if someone did it to you? Think of other... tricks for your place in life," he suggests with a very slight smile.
"I didn't ride," Ren replies. "He jumped at Tristan. I jumped at him. I just didn't =miss=." A little shrug. "And if you jumped on my back? I would laugh." He pushes up to his feet, then leans down and tries, lightning quick, to give Miki a fleeting kiss. "Maybe next time you'll eat my turnovers."
"Next time, I will," replies Miki, making no effort to evade Ren. What he does evade, for some reason, is the other discussion, which he drops like a heated penny. "I am sorry I interrupted your morning."
Serendipity grins a little, and twines a strand of Miki's hair gently through his fingers. "Nah, don't be. It was more interesting than anything I had planned." He lets go, and turns, starting toward the door. "But I'll see you soon, yeah?"
Miki nods. "Oh, I am sure that... I will be around." He looks around the room, at his wet clothes, and sighs a little-- not a particularly unhappy sigh. "Soon," he agrees, and leans back towards the fire again.