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.
Did someone call for 'tall, dark, and handsome'? Well, dark's fairly well covered, at least. Jet-black hair's pulled into a long, loose tail at the nape of his neck, a few stray strands about the face occasionally drifting into his almost equally dark eyes, the irises of which are a brown deep enough that one needs to look closely to find the pupil. Nut-brown skin that sets off the white of his teeth and eyes -- it could just barely be mistaken for a very deep tan, if one really tried. Tall is a miss; he's still several inches off six feet, and he probably won't ever get there. Handsome... well, not a classic beauty, to be sure, but well-proportioned, with a stunning, frequent grin and deeply expressive features. Slim, but in perfectly good shape.
He's clad in... well, black leather pants. Somewhat faded, well broken in, but nicely cut and really =quite= nicely fitted. A simple cream shirt hangs untucked above them, long sleeved and fastened with a row of small, black stone buttons. Over that, he wears a decidedly well-worn old black trenchcoat, almost too big for him -- the cuffs hang down half-over his hands, when he lets them, and the hem hangs perilously close to his heels. Scuffed black leather boots with worn soles adorn his feet; there's a seemingly random collection of bracelets, all on one wrist, and several piercings along the upper section of each ear -- little silver hoops.
She's a young thing, looking to be in her late teens or early twenties. Not terribly imposing, she stands at about an average height for a woman with a build that's a few meals shy of healthy. Golden-toned skin hints at Latina heritage, a notion reinforced by her sleek, straight black hair, which has been bound into twin braids, each tied off with a length of powder blue ribbon fashioned into a bow. Several strands have fallen free to frame a pretty face with delicate bone structure and soft features. Dark eyes glitter behind the errant locks of her hair, bright and intelligent.
The dress she wears is a little loose on her, but she fills it out well enough to give her a distinctly feminine figure. Like the ribbons in her hair, the dress is powder blue, printed with tiny flowers in white and green. The cut is simple, a scooped neck with short poofy sleeves and a voluminous calf-length skirt. To keep warm, she wears a long coat over the dress, woolen and brown, with broad fleecy cuffs and more fleece lining along the lapel. Over a pair of somewhat faded white stockings, she wears somewhat battered leather boots embroidered on the sides with colorful flowers.
Around her neck, on a leather thong, is a pendant made from what looks to be a piece of glass taken from a chandelier, a faceted teardrop that catches ambient light and reflects it back in prismatic sparkles. She also wears a silver charm bracelet on one wrist and a mismatched pair of silvery clip-on earrings.
Danny stands just under six feet tall and moves with an odd grace that's difficult to categorize. It's not quite the artful manner of a dancer nor the economic movements of a trained warrior, still there's certainly something different in how he carries himself. Fit musculature on a lean frame gives him the look of a runner, and his clean and smooth features suggest a northern European heritage. He has well-defined cheekbones that lend a youthful cast which may bely his true age, while a faint five-o'clock shadow makes his otherwise friendly smile a little disreputable. His eyes are expressive and match colors with his full, wavey, chin-length hair: a deep dark brown that's only just this side of black. His skin in naturally pale, but days working outside have given it the faintest suggestion of a tan.
His clothing is casual but work-oriented, with a light-weight, long-sleeved tunic in off white linen belted at his waist with a black, woven leather belt. A loose pair of dark brown linen pants are tucked into calf-high, black leather boots that look a bit newer than the rest of his apparel, their sides finely tooled with Celtic knots. A stamped silver coin bearing the triune horse symbol of Epona hangs around his neck on a silver snake chain, and there's a sky blue ribbon tied just behind his ear, trailing in and out of his dark hair in a former bow that has apparently come untied.
Danny blinks and sits up, slowly pulling away from Aurelia. He takes her hands, though, and holds them between his. "Killed, while you were awake?" he asks, searching her face.
Aurelia glances aside, attempting with little success to put on a poker-face over a clearly troubled expression. "I didn't mean to," she says dully. "He came at me. I pushed. He fell." She pauses, adding with a sigh, "Off a hay loft and onto some pointy bits from a combine."
"And you think the dreams are a haunting?" Danny guesses, reaching out to gently touch Aurelia's cheek.
Aurelia darts her gaze to Danny, wide-eyed and unhappy. "I don't know," she says. "But I promised I'd spend more time in my own dreams so I don't burn out, but every time I go there, it's always the same. I thought maybe Miki would know if it was somethin' more than a guilty conscience."
Danny pulls Aurelia close and holds her tightly. "You can at least have him check and make sure," he agrees, speaking into her hair. "I wish we could find someone to help you with your dreams."
Aurelia hugs Danny awkwardly, attempting to look annoyed and only partially succeeding as she says glumly, "It ain't a big deal. Just makes it more fun to go huntin' than hanging around listening to some guy complain he's dead."
"You avoiding your own dreams is a big deal. You being tired and worn out and maybe not being strong enough to take all those bastards on is an even bigger deal." Danny smiles ruefully, and adds, "Trust me, I have years of experience in avoiding dreams. It just makes everything worse."
Aurelia lifts her chin and says imperiously, "I can take 'em on." She glances at the teacups on the floor and executes a less than smooth topic shift. "Your tea's gettin' cold. Want me to heat it up some?"
"Mmmm, you being around heats plenty of things up." Danny leans back to give Aurelia a brief kiss, his eyes bright with mischief. "And more tea sounds good." With considerably less leering, he says, "Thanks for getting it. And for dinner. And for just being here."
Aurelia gives Danny a 'look' that might be more bent on discouraging him if her own eyes weren't bright with amusement. She returns the kiss, then slips off his lap to gather up the cups. "Well, my granny always taught me never to let a workin' man go hungry," she says piously as she heads toward the kitchen.
There is, well-timed, a knock on the door -- a soft, almost timid one, and then two firm raps.
Danny watches Aurelia go with a look of his own, indicating her attempts at discouraging him definitely didn't work. He opens his mouth to comment about hunger and any he might still be experiencing, but the comment dies, and he hefts himself out of his chair. His hand stops just as it's reaching for the doorhandle, and he smiles slightly, then opens the door. "Hey," he says to Ren, smiling warmly. "Come on in."
There is a clatter in the kitchen as carefully tended mugs are set on the counter, and Aurelia is at Danny's side quick enough to lend credence to the idea of spontaneous teleportation. "Ren?"
Serendipity looks... well, he looks like he doesn't know enough to come in out of the rain. His hair is still unbound, and hangs damply over his back and shoulders; under his coat, he's wearing a very nice, embroidered linen shirt made for someone =substantially= larger... not just the slight over-length of the hem and cuffs of his coat, but half-way to his knees and with room for a good two, two and a half of him inside. His hands are in his pockets, and his stance is reminiscent of a frightened wild animal; he manages a weak smile for the pair of them, but it only barely touches his eyes. "...evenin', Danny. Evenin', beautiful. Hope it's okay I'm... hope I'm not interruptin' too bad."
"No, it's fine, come in," Danny says, stepping back and opening the door the rest of the way. "It's wet out there, don't keeping standing on the porch."
Aurelia takes one look at Ren, her lips pressed in a thin line, and she steps out to herd him in, immediately in fussing mode. "You're gonna catch yer death," she frets. "Let me put on some tea. You go on into the living room and get warm."
"I'm not stayin' long," Ren says quietly, but he lets himself be herded inside. "I just... I just gotta talk to you, a little. Botha you I guess. But, y'know. Mostly you." It's clear enough that's directed to the Corax.
Danny shuts the door, watching Ren closely. "I can go upstairs, if you'd rather talk privately..." he suggests, his expression uncertain.
Aurelia regards Ren worriedly, drawing away as she wrings her hands and glances toward the teapot in the kitchen. "Why don't you let me get you a cup of tea?" she asks quietly. "You can help me, and maybe tell me what's on your mind?" This toward Ren.
One corner of Ren's mouth quirks just a tiny bit, wryly, and he shakes his head a little. "Not gonna shoo you away in your own house," he replies to Danny. "...anyway, you gotta promise me something. An' you too," he adds, to Aurelia. "...I'm okay without the tea. Honest. Okay's I'm gonna get, anyway." The faint, wry ghost of a tiny smile again. "It's just, I gotta do this now."
Danny nods, giving Ren an even look, and gestures at one of the rocking chairs. "At least have a seat." He disappears into the kitchen briefly, then comes back with a fresh, clean handtowel, which he offers to Ren. "And get yourself dried off some. Inbud's not as warm as it could be."
Aurelia glances between Danny and Ren, and she nods a little, looking somewhat restless. "Okay," she says quietly. She moves toward the living room, to one of the rocking chairs. She doesn't sit though, instead glancing back at the two men, fidgeting her hands nervously.
Serendipity's shirt doesn't appear to be too wet, so it's not as bad as it could be. He takes the towel, though, with a quiet thanks, and dries his hair with it a bit, approaching the chair but not actually sitting in it. Possibly too restless himself. "'s not such a big thing. It's just..." He turns his head to look at the Corax, head slightly bowed, perhaps from drying, perhaps not. "Rae, I gotta go. Away. For... some. Prolly only a few days, maybe a week, 'm gonna help Martin on his trade run and I dunno for sure how long that's gonna take. I just hafta not be here a while an' if I don't go do it on purpose I'm gonna end up too far away t' come back." He pulls the towel away from his hair, and yanks a hand through it roughly, checking whether it's dry enough yet. "...so you gotta promise me while I'm gone, you sleep where Danny is. An' you," he looks over to the Perunka, "gotta promise me you'll watch over her. When she's sleepin'. Okay?"
Danny, who was en route to his chair, stops and stares at Ren, blinking. "Are you sure about that?" He looks askance at Aurelia, worried, then back at Ren. "Of course I'll watch over her, it's just--Ren are you sure you want to go?"
Aurelia's lower lip trembles, and she sniffles. It's a valiant effort, but it doesn't stop the tears, and once a few break free of her lashes to trickle over her cheeks, her shoulders shiver with a small, suppressed sob. Which she utterly ignores as she asks, her voice raspy, "You ever gonna forgive me, Ren?"
Serendipity opens his mouth enough to strongly imply he intended to answer Danny, but then Aurelia sniffles, and there are tears, and his eyes widen, anguished, and there's another one of those potential proofs of teleportation. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her fiercely, almost yelping in distress. "Don't cry! Don't cry, baby, please?" He sounds distinctly like he's about to start himself, and both his eyes and voice imply there may have already been more than enough of that today.
Aurelia waits until she's got a faceful of that nice new shirt Ren's wearing before she starts bawling right into it. Well, it -was- dry. She wraps her arms around him in what would be a deathgrip if she were stronger, and without any grace at all, she wails, thankfully muffled by cloth, "You're gonna leave because I'm an awful friend."
Serendipity whimpers, squeezing her just about as tight and burying his face in her hair. "I'm not, you're not! You're not an awful friend, an' I'm not gonna leave you, I wanna =never= leave you, I just, I hafta, just for a couple..." He trails off, sniffling, and murmurs miserably, "'m sorry, Rae. It just. It just hurts so bad. I hafta do =something=. I dunno anything else t' do. Please don't be sad, not causea me..."
Danny sits down on the edge of his rocking chair and politely looks at the floor, biting his lip in what's probably an effort to stay quiet.
Aurelia sniffles, and then jabs Ren in the ribs, drawing back to give him an indignant look, disgruntled and teary-eyed. "How'm I not s'posed to be sad because of you?" she demands, sniffling every other word. "You're the best friend I got in the world, Ren Jones, and you better come back to me, or I'll come get ya."
Serendipity laughs through the poorly suppressed tears, and releases Aurelia to free his hands and catch her face, give her a fierce but brief kiss on the lips. "Promise?" he asks, pulling his head back an inch or three, with a sad smile.
Aurelia snuffles vehemently and swipes her forearm across her eyes, assuring Ren, "I'll hunt you down and drag you back here by your ear, don't think I won't." Then she steps forward to hug him fiercely, adding in a mumble, "If yer off tradin' I need sewin' needles. And pack some warm socks."
Serendipity returns the hug hard enough to risk a painful degree of compression, reluctant to let her go. "...sewin' needles. Check. ...an' you promise me? That you'll make Danny guard you when you're sleepin', 'til I'm back?"
Danny looks up at Ren and arches an eyebrow. "What makes you think she needs to make me do that?" he asks.
Aurelia glances between Danny and Ren, sniffling again, managing somehow to convey just enough resentment in the sound to carry without making it terribly blatant. "I'll sleep here," she tells Ren severely. To Danny, she translates, "He means don't go sneakin' off thinkin' I'll be fine when I ain't. And I won't. I'll stay here."
Serendipity gives her another squeeze, and nods. "Thank you," he murmurs, and while Aurelia's still slightly incapacitated by hugging, adds aside to Danny, "...I coulda asked you not t' let her not do it, instead, but then she mighta kicked me in th' spleen. An' I got enough t' deal with without internal bleeding, y'know?" He tilts his head down and gives the girl a very soft and tender kiss on the head, then sighs, and lets her go. "...still love you, beautiful. Never doubt that, yeah? An' I promise I'll come back. Soon."
Danny shakes his head, looking puzzled. "...okay," he says, in a tone that indicates he really has no idea what Ren just said. "She's always welcome to stay with me if she wants to, and anything trying to get to her will have to go through me first."
Aurelia sighs, mostly fondly, somewhat sadly, and she gives Ren another quick hug before she steps away and heads toward Danny, explaining, "Ren wants me to stay here, because I told him this morning -- and I promise I was gonna tell you too, tonight -- that the malandanti sometimes strike in the physical world. A dead benandanti can't dream, you see? He just wants to make sure that someone's there when I'm sleepin' even though I don't see how they'd even know where to find me, but better safe than sorry, I reckon."
Serendipity half-smiles, and nods a touch, glancing at Danny. "....thanks," he replies, the Perunka's confusion notwithstanding, and he sighs again, drawing his fingers more gently through his hair. "...when I get back, Rae, I'll come find you. First thing. A'ight?"
"I know, you told me about, that part." Danny reaches out and takes one of her hands, squeezing it briefly. "And like I said, you're welcome to stay here whenever you want to, or need to." He smiles, looking amused about something, and points out, "But trying to make you do anything you don't want to might get me killed." He glances at Ren and nods again.
Aurelia smiles crookedly, despite the teary-eyedness, and gives Danny's hand a squeeze in turn as she says, gently, "Only maimed." To Ren, she says more sternly, "You'd better." Her expression softens, then. "I'll miss you, but you go on and do what you gotta."
Serendipity nods to Danny, and then to Aurelia, with that faint smile again and a briefly longing look. He gets it in hand, glancing away, and nods again at nothing in particular. "...a'ight. Think that's... that's pretty much handled, then. You guys be... stay safe, 'kay? I'll, I c'n see myself out."
"See yourself out, give me a break, Ren," Danny says with a quiet laugh, nodding at the door. "It's not like we can't walk the twenty feet. Do you need anything for the road?"
Aurelia grins a little, with a glance between Ren and Danny. For the first time tonight, she looks fairly comfortable, if not overjoyed. There's a sense of peace about her. "I mean it about the dry socks," she warns. "And you take that good blanket from the tree house. And whatever tea we got, and that mulled cider."
"Martin always seems pretty well set for tea. I'll leave ours for when I get back," Ren replies, smiling a touch, hands sliding into his pockets again. "...but the other stuff, I'll see. Promise about the socks. 'kay?" He shakes his head to Danny, "...thanks. I think road-stuff's okay, though."
"Take care of yourself then," Danny says, leading the way to the door. He tips his head at Aurelia, and adds, "Or she'll track you down and beat you senseless."
Aurelia nods solemnly as she confirms, "I will, you know." She offers Ren a somewhat sad, but utterly genuine smile. "You take care, out there. Don't be gone too long."
"...I'll hold you t' that," Ren replies, trying to return the smile. What there is of it is genuine enough, but it wavers against the sadness it's fighting. "I'll see you when... when I'm back. G'night, Danny. G'night, beautiful..." He slips out the door, then, and away, without looking back.