The afternoon is pleasantly Buddish, if a bit overly breezy. The wind carries slightly distracted humming from near the water's edge, where Serendipity sits cross-legged on a wide, flat stone that protrudes a foot or so into the water. There's a small lump of fabric by him, and he seems to be concentrating on doing something a bit tricky.

A tiny model of the Turtletop scuds past Ren, then turns in a broad, windblown circle and hovers by his hands. It pops a hatch, and a laser beam from within the model writes in glowing letters on Ren's leg: PLEASE JUMP UP AND DOWN.

Serendipity starts slightly at being interrupted, and looks the little model over. He reaches to brush at the letters on his pants, and half-grins, crookedly. "I would, but I'd hafta get up. Anyway, you oughta ask a chick. They'd be more fun t' watch," he informs the thing, continuing to examine it, and extends a finger as if to pet its prow.

The ship backs out of Ren's reach like a shy cat. CHICKS DO NOT HAVE LONG HAIR, it says.

"Some of 'em do," Ren replies, and considers a moment, pulling his hand back. "Granted, no one I can think of in town, really. Safi, but I haven't seen her 'round in weeks... Kismet, she's got long hair. You get =her= t' jump up and down, give me a heads up first, okay?" A full grin, then, and he unfolds his legs, stretching them out. "I might be persuaded t' jump for you. Might even undo the ponytail, if y'want. Whatcha got t' offer in return?"

SAFI AND KISMET ARE HUMANS, the ship objects. I WANT ONE SET OF READINGS WITH YOUR HAIR IN A PONYTAIL, ONE SET WITH YOUR HAIR IN A BRAID, AND ONE SET WITH YOUR HAIR LOOSE. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TRADE FOR?

Serendipity laughs. "Yeah, they're humans, ish, but they're chicks, too. In the sense of, y'know, girls. Women." He re-crosses his legs, and tilts his head a little as he looks at the ship, trying to see how it stays up. "I s'pose we could do three readings. You got a name? What are you, anyway, a li'l computer? And as for what I want... like I said, whatcha got to offer?"

THE YOUNG OF CHICKENS ARE GIRLS AND WOMEN, the ship says. I AM--a long string of Chinese characters follows this announcement. THAT IS ALSO MY NAME. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER.

Serendipity looks distinctly amused, and hesitates a moment before deciding it's funnier to leave the misunderstanding alone, at this point. "Mmm. Well, lessee. What can you do?" he inquires. "...c'n see you can fly. How high? Can you carry stuff?"

I HAVE NO HANDS, the long-string-of-Chinese-characters says. I CAN HOLD A HANDKERCHIEF OH MY PROW, BUT THEN I CANNOT SEE. I CAN FLY VERY HIGH BUT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO.

"Too bad," Ren replies, and reclines a bit on the rock to consider this further. "That woulda been useful. ...what's your purpose? I mean, who made you 'n' what for? That might help."

I WAS MADE BY--and another string of Chinese characters spills out, a whole scrolling column of them. Dropped into the column at random are the names "Alchemy Touchstone" and "Robin Longfellow." I WAS MADE TO BECOME INTELLIGENT, AND IN SO DOING, TO ANNOY BIOSENTIENTS MORE DEEPLY AND THOROUGHLY THAN ANY PREVIOUS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. DOES THIS HELP?

Several paces behind Ren, a soft snicker is muffled in a sleeve.

Serendipity snickers himself, unmuffled. "And they say technology ain't after our jobs anymore," he replies conversationally, and glances back over his shoulder toward the muffled laugh.

WHO IS THEY? the ship asks.

Robin sits crosslegged in the grass, dressed top-to-toe in black. He lowers his hand and says, "Qinuhai will be so happy to finally find a willing research subject."

Serendipity grins at the sight of Robin, the clothing motif notwithstanding. "Heya, handsome. Haven't seen you 'round much in a while," he remarks. "...anyway, it's not like I've got any deep-seated bias =against= jumpin' up and down." He look back to Qinuhai, "...what kinda readings d'you plan t' take, anyhow?"

"Been busy," Robin says, then turns his attention back to Qinuhai. The little ship says, I REQUIRE A STATISTICALLY USEFUL SET OF READINGS UNDER DIFFERENT CLIMACTIC CONDITIONS.

Serendipity is seated crosslegged on a flat, broad rock at the water's edge, extending slightly into the lake, and has a small lump of fabric, like a handkerchief, on the stone beside him. He's talking to Robin's little ship. "Useful for what, and which conditions?" he asks, just a touch warily.

USEFUL FOR ME, UNDER THE CLIMACTIC CONDITIONS THAT HAIR IS LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER. The ship drops to hover by the lump of fabric, taking it in from this angle and that. Robin sits crosslegged several paces from the two, watching with amusement. His clothing is a most unseasonable solid black.

Aurelia can be seen amidst the underbrush as she meanders toward the lake from a copse of trees. The blue of her dress doesn't exactly blend in well with the earthen tones of brown and green. She's also not stealth incarnate as her approach is heralded by the snap of a branch and a viciously muttered, "Damn it, dirty rotten son of a..." She pauses briefly to inspect a newly acquired scratch on her arm.

Serendipity arches a brow at the ship. "Y'sound like me when I'm not answering," he accuses it mildly, and then gets distracted. Against all reasonable logic, the venomous muttered cursing appears to cause him to brighten a bit, and he scoops the fabric up from beside him, shoving the little parcel into his pocket and keeping half an eye expectantly on the direction from which the blue and the annoyance seem to be approaching.

I AM ANSWERING, the ship replies placidly. It follows Ren's line of sight to Aurelia, whom it zooms up to with a cheery flap of its sales. ARE YOU THE YOUNG OF A CHICKEN? it writes on Aurelia's skirt in laser-red letters.

Robin also turns, and his eyebrows go up at Qinuhai's idea of a polite introduction.

Aurelia lets out a startled yelp and scrambles back a bit from the little ship, eyeing the letters with wide-eyed alarm. Then they register as letters, and she tilts her head slightly to read the introduction off her skirt. Dark brows furrow as she glances back to the ship uncertainly. "No," she snaps. "I ain't. I'm a big nasty monster that eats, uh, whatever you are, so you'd better watch yourself." The fierce monster then carefully picks her way around a patch of bramble, carefully giving the ship a wide berth and keeping her eye on it with an intensity born of deep paranoia.

Serendipity pops up to his feet, but remains on the rock, though standing. His hands find their way to his pockets. "Hey, beautiful!" he calls happily, a particularly wide grin escaping, "I think the flyin' thing's harmless. C'mere, you met Robin yet?"

The ship retreats hurriedly for a quiet conference with Robin, then approaches Aurelia at a more cautious pace. HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF YOU EAT ME IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT I AM? it says.

Robin unfolds and stands slowly, dusting off the remnants of last year's grass. "My apologies," he says. "She's a science experiment of sorts."

Aurelia spares a brief glance toward Ren, but her focus returns quickly to the ship. She moves out of the copse cautiously as the thing confers with Robin, moving slowly toward Ren in an arc that seems intent on putting him between her and that... thing. "I'm adventurous," she tells it in reply. Toward Robin, she says, "Never met, heard of. Charmed."

Serendipity waits for her on the rock, at first, then takes a few steps off and toward her. "Rae, this's Robin," he informs her rather unnecessarily, "...he useta be a girl. Neat trick, yeah? Robin, this's Aurelia. And that's," he nods to the ship, "Qinuhai, I guess. It wants me t' jump up an' down for it."

Robin brightens. "Ah! Aurelia of the fennel sword. Pleased to meet you."

Qinuhai says, I ALSO WANT YOU TO JUMP UP AND DOWN. EATING ME WOULD IMPEDE MY STUDY.

Aurelia insinuates herself just behind Ren, using him as a convenient shield as she peeks around his arm to continue to eye Qinuhai warily. "What's stoppin' you?" she asks Ren. Then jabs him in the ribs with her finger without warning. "Yer probably all gristle," she tells the ship, then turns her twitchy gaze to Robin. "I reckon you musta heard about my night job. I've heard good things about you, so well met."

Serendipity squeaks at the poke, and =almost= jumps a little, but catches it just in time. Alas. He catches Aurelia's hand, too, taking hold of it and its partner and drawing them around his waist from either side, to meet in the front, then glances back over his shoulder to grin down at her. "I was tryin' t' make a deal with it. Only it hasn't come up with any offers yet. ...you wanna jump with me?"

Qinuhai scuds behind Aurelia to examine the ends of her braids, narrowly missing Robin's grab. Robin straightens with an apologetic smile. "Well met indeed. Danny told me a little about your job, but not being a dreamwalker myself, I'm not clear on it. What do you do?"

There's something far too mobile to be a floating log moving around out in the lake water, coming from the direction of the dock. It makes a few circles and draws closer to the shoreline, eventually proving itself to be a dark horse's head.

Aurelia grumbles as Ren captures her hands, but she reins in her protests to merely biting him on the arm. Then she rests her cheek against said arm and twitches as Qinuhai inspects her braids. "I fight things that ain't very nice," she explains. Things that'll use people's dreams to get power over 'em. I go lookin' for 'em and when I find 'em, I stab 'em." Her attention flits toward the lake, and she sets aside her paranoia long enough to watch the horse swimming. "That boy's nuttier than a fruitcake," she observes.

"Ow," Ren remarks, without sounding particularly pained, and agrees, "...I gotta say I've known more stable guys, yeah. He's a'ight, though. 'cept, touchy." Which isn't necessarily saying much, from a Coyote-kin, but. He bends his free arm -- the one not lightly keeping Aurelia's hands captive -- and brushes the hand down over her hair, all the way to the end of the braid, between it and the shiplet. "Back off, Qinuhai. I'll give you a braid t' look at later if y'need one."

Robin glances at the horsehead. "Pooka," she says.

I NEED A BROAD CROSS-SELECTION OF BRAIDS FOR THE STUDY, Qinuhai says, dodging back and forth behind Aurelia. The words shiver on the grass. ANY GIVEN BRAID COULD HAVE UNIQUE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. PLEASE RELEASE THE NEW BRAIDS'.

Can-swim-can-swim. Thundersnow gradually reaches the shallows and climbs out of the lake, his tail and mane shedding water in huge sheets for several seconds. Once they're down to just heavy drips, he trots out a few steps and shakes, flinging more water about wildly. The lake is thawed. We can swim now. This is such an accomplishment he feels it necessary to trot over to everyone and convince them to go swimming. It should be noted, despite the vigorous shake, he's still soaking wet.

Aurelia eyes Qinuhai over her shoulder, then squirms to free her hands so that she can put Ren between herself and the ship once more. "I hain't cuttin' off my braids," she warns. Upon seeing Thundersnow approach, she suddenly lays off the twitching in favor of smugness as she says, "A ha. Where are your magic dream pants now, mister?"

Serendipity doesn't let Aurelia go, but he does turn to put himself more between them as she seems to be aiming for. "Back off," he repeats quietly to the ship, "or I'm not gonna jump for you, an' that'll be the nicest of it. Leave th' lady alone; go back t' Robin for now." He gives Thundersnow a quick, distracted 'hey' and smile of greeting, but mainly watches the ship, looking quite uncharacteristically serious. After a couple second, his brow furrows, and he glances back at Aurelia, "...magic dream pants?"

Robin says a word in Chinese, and Qinuhai obediently floats to her side. THE NEW PERSON HAS TWO BRAIDS, she says. THIS IS AN EXCITING AND IMPORTANT VARIATION.

"The new person is leery of you," Robin replies. "Stay away or her protector will do unspecified damage to you. ...Dream pants, Danny?"

Thundersnow turns a dark eye on Aurelia. No leg-things for this shape. If you want to see the leg-things again you must go back and dream more. Those leg-things are only there. He slows in his approach and comes around to nibble at Aurelia's hair, then side-steps towards Robin and her ship. Flying-ship-hair-loving-thing. It likes the hair that bounces.

Aurelia frowns faintly and eyes Ren. "You're actin' weird," she observes. Then with the same air of solemnity confirms, "Magic dream pants." She punctuates this with a grave nod. As Qinuhai floats to Robin's side, Aurelia relaxes a little, then says hesitantly, "I don't mind it lookin' but I don't want it touchin' and it better not start cuttin'." It seems Thundersnow nipping at her braids doesn't cause the same level of paranoia, and she tries to squirm a hand free to scratch his ears. "Oh, I see how you are," she says, then wrinkles her nose. "Soaking wet. Yer nuts, Danny-o. It's freezin'."

Serendipity gives Robin a nod of thanks, then grudgingly releases one of Aurelia's hands for scritching purposes and sticks his tongue out at the girl. "I'm not either actin' weird. What're magic dream pants?" This, apparently, is addressed to both Aurelia and the horse.

I CANNOT TOUCH AND I CANNOT CUT BECAUSE I HAVE NO HANDS, Qinuhai says. THIS FRUSTRATES ME IMMENSELY. I COULD DO SO MANY THINGS IF I HAD HANDS. MY INTELLECT IS BEING STIFLED. THE HAIR PHYSICS PROJECT WOULD BE COMPLETE BY NOW IF I HAD HANDS. IF I HAD HANDS, I COULD--

"Enough," Robin says, plucking Qinuhai from the air. Her sails flap in protest. "I'll look into getting you hands when Kem gets back. All right?"

I ALSO WANT AN EXTERNAL VOICE, Qinuhai says.

"...Don't push. Danny, what /are/ dream pants?"

This is not cold. I have been in much more cold. Buried-under-cold-for-long-time. Ice and rocks, cold, buried. Thundersnow lowers his head to make access to his ears easier, and his soaking wet mane nearly drags the ground. Leg-things. No strutting. Must wear the leg-things.

Aurelia, she-devil that she is, directs her fingernails to the key scratching spots behind Thundersnow's ears, digging in thoroughly. "They're pants," she explains. "Magical in their ability to shield his unmentionables from the eyes of impressionable young girls." She pauses, then explains, "Cos he took a bath." Another pause, then, "Cos I told him he smelled bad."

Serendipity snirks. "Bet you were real gentle about it, too," he remarks dryly. "Dunno that's so magical, though. I mean, my pants're completely magicless, an' they're shielding a good portiona me from your impressionable eyes even now."

Robin waits politely to hear Aurelia's opinion of Ren's mundane reality pants.

It was *my* dream, Thundersnow informs Aurelia. The ear-scratching has him thoroughly mollified, however, and he can't work up the will to be embarrassed or annoyed.

Aurelia keeps up with the scratching, mumbling, "Wet horse," under her breath. She eyes Ren sidelong, then casts a glance toward the pants in question, and her lips twitch at a smile that doesn't quite manifest. "Honey, that they stay on you at all implies magic beyond mortal ken."

"Mm. Prolly some kinda curse," Ren agrees with mock solemnity, and adds rather more cheekily, "It =is= a good portiona me, though. I got references." He grins and finally lets her other hand go free, despite the danger he's undoubtedly just put himself in, so that he can rummage in his pocket for something.

Qinuhai leaves her post at Robin's shoulder to investigate these interestingly accursed pants. Robin misses his grab again, and rather than make another grab at a less decorous range, he coughs meaningfully. "/Back,/ Qing-Qing. We should probably go," he adds to the rest of the group. "I'd like to talk to you again sometime on a quieter day, Aurelia."

Thundersnow rests one foot and shifts his weight, and he turns his head to nose at Robin lightly (trying to avoid getting him wet). The ship is like a little colt. Want-want-want. It might actually be intended as a compliment.

Aurelia eyes Qinuhai, and she smiles crookedly. For some reason, Qinuhai is just fine so long as it's Ren getting hassled. "Oh, it ain't nothin' I ain't seen before," she tells Ren, then adds, "Unless it is, in which case you just keep them pants on." Aurelia lets her hand move with Thundersnow's head, keeping up the scratchings. To Robin, she says, "I sure would like that. I'm usually around, up in the treehouse or at the diner."

"Neither is a sunset, but that doesn't mean there aren't any real nice ones you just haven't got t' experience yet," Ren retorts cheerfully, not appearing too worried about Qinuhai, especially as the little ship gets called away. Whatever he was looking for in his pocket, he apparently finds, and steps up behind Aurelia, draping his arms very lightly over her shoulders to hold both hands, closed into fists beside each other, palms down, just in front of her, in classic 'pick a hand' position. "...nice seein' you again, Robin."

"I try to think of her as a sort of anti-Buddhist spirit of desire," Robin says wryly to Danny. "Enjoy your swim. Aurelia, I'm around here and there, but if you find yourself up at Roaring Brook, stop in for a cup of tea. I'm in the only cabin inhabited by a /living/ person. And good to see you again, Ren." He raises his hand in farewell and heads off into the forest, trailed by the blinking ship.

Thundersnow whinnies a farewell to Robin and the ship, flipping his tail lightly. Someone's been brushing his winter coat to keep up with the shedding, so it's drying at a reasonable rate, but there's still a ways to go. His head, at least, is brushed clean, and with no extra heavy hair it's drying quickly.

Aurelia waves her non-scratching hand toward the departing Robin as she tells Ren pleasantly, "You gotta sleep sometime, and one of these nights, I'm gonna getcha." Something in her tone implies it's not the kind of 'got' Ren might appreciate. She taps his left hand -- it's closest, as her right hand continues to give Thundersnow shameless ear-scratching bliss.

Serendipity grins, resting his chin gently on top of Aurelia's head. "So d'you," he points out, "...d'you =really= wanna start havin' t' worry 'bout it?" He turns over the left hand, and unfurls it, revealing a small ornament with a little caked on dirt and, otherwise, the kind of clean that implies serious recent scrubbing; it's a ball about two and a half inches across, covered in bits of mirror like a miniature disco ball. Several of the little facets are cracked, but none are actually missing -- though one doesn't look quite the right shape. Or colour.

Thundersnow noses at Aurelia's hand in speculation--there might be a treat for him somewhere, clearly all people exist to carry treats for horses. Needs brushing, coat is a mess. Messy hair all over the house. He eyes the shiny thing in Ren's palm. Bright-shining-bit. Little-cat would play with it a lot.

Aurelia doesn't seem to have any treats today, alas, but she does mention to Thundersnow, "Well, if you ever want a brushin' you just let me know, sugar plum." Then the sparkly catches her eye, and her attention seizes on it. So does her hand as she reaches for it with impressive speed -- the Speed of Yoink. "Ooh," she says quietly. "Where'd you find this?"

Serendipity arches a brow at Danny, remembering his reaction to Justin agreeing to brush Ruth long ago, but gets distracted by the yoink and looks distinctly pleased with himself. "Over that way five-ten miles or so," he replies with a vague gesture in the appropriate direction, "...there's this huge mounda various stuff. A lotta it's pretty nasty, but a couple things kinda caught my eye..."

Thundersnow nibbles at Aurelia's hand and blows out a breath. I have brushes. Farm has brushes. Brush now? His tail is almost dry enough to swish properly, but not quite, so it flips about awkwardly.

Aurelia pauses, looking torn. There's a shiny thing in one hand, but on the other hand, brushing. The odd facet gets studied more closely as she murmurs, "This is real nice. I'm gonna put it where I can look at it when I'm doing my stitchin'." For now though, she slips it into the pocket of her coat. She then gives Ren a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, sugar. You gonna be around later? I'm gonna go give Shaggy here a brushin', but I was gonna bring back dinner."

The closer examination seems to indicate that a facet was, in fact, missing, and someone took a piece of mirror from something else entirely and tried to fit it to the empty spot. It's not a bad job, really, just a little greener than the rest and not =quite= the right shape. Ren looks a touch crestfallen, fleetingly, but hardly long enough to notice before he shrugs agreeably and puts whatever was in his other hand back in his pocket, presumably for later. "...a'ight, I'll be here, I 'spect. Can't leave a horse unbrushed or anything." He slides an arm about her waist and pulls her in a little closer, almost certainly to steal a kiss of his own.

Dinner! There will be dinner soon. Rice and soup and soup. Thundersnow flicks his ears and looks off in the direction of the house.

Aurelia doesn't tear off Ren's arm when it slips around her. She doesn't even seem horrified by the idea of getting a kiss. Maybe she's running a fever. "His hair'll dry all wrong," she agrees, in a tone that implies that if this should happen, surely there would be dire consequences. "Stay out of trouble, if y'can," she advises, parting words to live by.

Serendipity takes the kiss, in no particular hurry to let her go, but he eventually does, stepping back and putting his hands back into his pockets. "Can't let th' hair dry wrong. All the other Perunka'd laugh at him," he agrees gravely, and half-smiles. "...don't do anything I wouldn't do," he adds, giving them both a stern look, as if it wouldn't be difficult to disobey that, and then grins. "See ya in a bit, beautiful."

That one cannot stay out of trouble, Thundersnow reminds Aurelia. That is not his way. He whickers a farewell to Ren and turns in the direction of the house, moving at a leisurely walk.

Aurelia gives Ren a wry grin, then ruffles his hair and steps back, turning to follow after Thundersnow. "I know," she sighs, sounding resigned, but also fond. She plucks the shiny thing out of her pocket so that she can study it thoughtfully, in better detail, along the way, particularly the part that was carefully repaired.