Katarina squinted her eyes in her distance to try and get a better look of Expressions of Hope. Even from her walking distance, she could tell that Johnny had put effort back into the store since his arrival. The windows held a certain gleam and a stranger walked out of the store looking relatively pleased. Taking a deep breath, she adjusted the thick, bright red belt that stood out against her white shirt dress. She wasn't sure if she was truly ready to reach out again, but she wouldn't know unless she gave it a shot. With the comfort of food in a bag, she opted for a positive result.

Hair was haphazardly brushed out of her face as before she pushed the door open and gave the store a quick glance around, "Jo?"

Johnny hadn?t looked up when the door to the shop had opened; he finished locking the small safe underneath the counter before he looked over at Katarina and grinned wide. ?Katie-kat! Ain? seen ya in ferever ? ya been hidin? or too busy goin? travellin??? He couldn?t resist it, and emerald eyes were bright with the tease about her recent trip to meet Locke?s family.

"I squeezin' ya 'n ta mah busy schedule righ' now, ain' I?" She brushed off that tease with a large grin, "Ain' mah faul' he was quicka ta git me plans fer th' weekend." She held up the bags of food teasingly, "I dun suppose an' apology an' some food's gonna make up fer it?"

?Waallll?.? Johnny drawled out the word, pretending to consider her offer. ?I s?pose so, though I shouldn? le? ya off th? hook tha? easy. Better be a lo? of food there, though.? With a chuckle, Johnny finally rounded the counter to head toward the door with a ?Closed for Lunch? sign in one hand. As he passed Katie, he caught her for a quick one-armed hug.

She smirked, "I think 've brough' ya 'nough food bafore ta know tha' ya'd clean me dry 'n a week." She returned the hug, finding that it was just exactly what she needed, "Thanks fer lettin' me crash 'n by. 've missed ya."

?Wha?m I goin? ta do, turn away m? favorite cousin? Especially when she?s bringin? food? Ya know me better?n tha?, Snowflake. Pull up one?a th? seats ta th? counter.? With the sign in place, Johnny re-crossed the room and dragged over one of the tall seats that customers used when they were consulting about their wishes. He sank into it with a sigh. ?Tha?s better. Ya take a break from practicin? or are ya off t?day??

She placed the bags of drinks and food on the table, before mirroring his movement in pulling up a chair to sit on, "Nah, I go' practice lata tonigh'. Wantin' da be doin' dress rehearsals an' thin's fer th' show." She pulled out a sandwich at random, as well as a water bottle, before handing it over to Johnny.

Leaning over to take both sandwich and water, Johnny paused a moment. ?Yeah ? tha? remin?s me, go? ta stop by th? kiosk an? ge? th? ticke?s fer tha?. When?s openin?? An? I take i? yer bringin? Locke again ? goin? ta ge? him backstage again?? With sandwich in hand, he put the water bottle on the counter for the moment. ?Or di? his family scare ya runnin? away??

"It opens nex' Friday, Jo. Duncha look a' th' posters floatin' 'round?" She raised a blond brow before mulling over the rest of his question. She took her time getting her own water and half a sandwich before taking a disguised breath, "Ya, he's goin'. Nah backstage, a' leas' th' firs' nigh'. I go' ya'll tickets sittin' togetha. An' his family didn' scare me off. They were nice, if a li'l reserved. An' even if they had, it dun matta." Anything dramatic had always suited Katarina best, "I love him." It was said with a straight face and her eyes sharply on her cousin before taking a bite of her sandwich.

About to reply with a laughing remark about the posters, or a tease about Locke?s family, Johnny was left stunned by Katarina?s last statement. His mouth ? already opened in anticipation of speech ? hung for a moment before he shut it with a snap. ?Wai? ? back up an? say tha? one again. Ain? sure I?m hearin? ya righ?.? He wasn?t teasing her; he was shocked. After Cal, Katie had wrapped herself up in a cheerful demeanor and used that to keep people at arm?s-length. Johnny knew she was very fond of Locke, but, ?Love??

"Yeah, ya heard me righ'. Love." She repeated it for his stunned benefit. Watching him carefully, she took another bite of her sandwich, and continued to talk like they were discussing simple matters, "Bu' it does help tha' his family didn' boot me ou' o' th' door."

?Well, yeah, tha?s always a goo? thin?.? Johnny?s answer was almost distracted. ?Snowflake ? feelin? mutual? An? he know wha? yer tellin? me?? Two simple but very critical questions so that he could decide how to respond. At the moment, he still looked very much as if someone had applied a 2? x 4? to the back of his skull.

"Yes ta th' firs' question, an' nah ta th' second, bu' 'm sure he's go' a pretty good guess. Yer mah family, Jo. An' hav' been mah closest friend tha' been 'round all mah life." She drummed her fingers on top of her sandwich, "I dun wan' ta keep secrets no more, yeah? I need support, an' so does he. Where else am I gonna find it?"

Breath whooshed out, and then he looked over at her and grinned. ?Can think?a a whole peck?a people, bu? sure as I?m one?a them. Ya know ya ain? even go? ta ask fer suppor? ? I jus? wanted ta make sure I wasn? goin? ta have ta whale on Locke until he came ta his senses abou? ya. Like th? guy, ya know?? He winked one emerald eye at her and grinned around a large bite of his sandwich. Chewing hastily, he swallowed before he added, ?Speakin? a suppor?, had an idea. Nee? ta talk ta ya an? him t?gether abou? it.?

Her calculated look to him eased and relaxed. She hadn't really anticipated any other kind of answer, but it didn't take away from the depths of his words. "Ya, 've seen wha' ya've done ta Perry." She mumbled with a grin that was almost lopsided, before she gave him a mildly surprised look, "Yeah, an' wha's tha'?"

"A prototype, if you will." Locke nodded to Johnny, then looked over to Katarina to see her reaction.

Johnny nodded agreement to Locke's words, another bite of sandwich keeping him from a verbal reply.

"Tha's righ'. Said it wasn' a real shiny contract." She shook her head as the memory showed up clear, if for only a few seconds. She was silent as she thought, her face blank. "Okay, so I'd need jist th' basics, er whateva. How much o' it changed yer lifestyle? Like," she gestured to his food, "how much food ya need now. Mah body's may career."

Locke chimed in with a question of his own, between sips of water. "And who all received these mods? Was it mostly human blokes and birds such as yourself?"

At the questions, Johnny frowned a bit and then shrugged one shoulder. ?Sure, hav?ta ea? more now ? bu? tha?s ?cause i? ge?s burned off ? mostly by th? metal-work. Energy ta power th? mods comes from ya. So, yeah, imagine if?n ya were keepin? yerself col? all th? time ya?d have ta ea? a lo? more. If?n ya only did i? when ya needed to, prolly no? as much. An? like I sai? ? ain? like ya?d be puttin? on weigh?. Fact, ya coul? prolly add some?a th? same bone an? tendon reinforcemen?s I go? on m? wrists an? arms ta yer legs an? ankles.? Taking a breath, he thought about Locke?s question and then went on more slowly.

?Goo? question, bro ? far?s I know, th? mods I go? have only ever been trie? on humans. If?n ya were worried abou? kids, they can add a twis? ta pass on thin?s ta them, bu? since ya ain? human they?d prolly wan? ta run some tests on ya alon? with th? go?roun? tha? Katie would nee?.?

"Kids." The word brought a clouded expression to Locke's face, and he found himself reaching for a sandwich to stuff into his mouth to hide it. Once he was done chewing, he shook his head slowly, looking at Katarina mostly with his lip curled up into a half-grin, half-grimace. "This is my cross to bear, mate."

She blinked several times as Johnny went leaps and bounds ahead of her thoughts. She shook her head slightly to clear the thoughts. "Hol' 'n, Jo." She held a finger for Locke, and gave a reassuring smile, before looking back to Johnny. "We ain't discussed it, bu' let's jist hypothetically talk 'bout kids. All o' Locke is cold. So... wha', I'd need mods all ova me? Even then, 'm nah sure..." she trailed off, finding that once again she was facing a subject she never ever wanted to cross with her cousin. Now it was her turn to turn her attention to her sandwich.

Again Johnny shrugged casually. He?d obviously followed that particular train of thought all the way to its conclusion before he brought it up. ?Yeah, ?course it would be all over. Ain? like it?d show or anythin? ? only reason I go? th? visible par?s is for actually shapin? wha? I work with. Temperature?s all done a? th? sub-surface level.?

Locke looked back and forth between the pair. "Have we exhausted this train of thought? Because if we have, I may have another for us to jump on."

She shook her head once more, quite certain Johnny had not fully understood her implications. However, Locke's announcement brought her out of her frown to raise a brow, "Yeah?"

"Sure, bro - jump away."

He sent a knowing look Johnny's way, before (hopefully) reminding him with two words of a long forgotten plan. "The rings."

"Th' rings?" Her face blanked for several moments, before realization came, "*Tha's* wha' ya had 'n yer pocket a' th' inn those weeks ago."

Johnny blinked at Locke ? he hadn?t forgotten those rings, but having heard no mention of them in so long, ?I though? they din? work ?r somethin?. Made those fer ya ages ago, bro ? figgered when ya din? say anythin? more abou? them tha? they weren? righ? ?r somethin?.?

"I never even put it on my longer, mate. Never had the chance." He devoured the remainder of his sandwich. "It was only recently that I was able to get back the second one," he said, with a nod in Katarina's direction to confirm her realization. "And I still have not been able to lay my ivories on the third one. Chase managed to do something to it, made herself blue for a spell, but...it never progressed much farther than that." The words were tinged with a bit of regret.

Now Johnny frowned with puzzlement and thought. ?D?ya nee? all three? An? wha?s th? deal, ya jus? pu? them on an? they work ta do wha?ever they do, or d?y?all have ta do anythin? else?? When he had made the rings, Johnny didn?t know Locke well enough to ask what the purpose of those rings was, exactly, or what it would take to ?finish? them.

She fought the urge to rub her temples, her mind still trying to wrap around the possibility of any sort of modifications on any part of her, much less almost everything. "Bu' i's a possibility, nonetheless." She set down her half-finished sandwich, and finished the remainder of her water. With all of Johnny's questions mirroring her own, she simply looked over to Locke for the answers.

?Anytime, Snowflake, ya know tha?.? Johnny said it with a smile as he returned Katie?s hug. ?An? thanks fer bringin? by lunch.?

"It certainly couldn't hurt. I need all the bloody help I can get. I hate to hog your time, mate, but do you think I could borrow you for a touch longer? I have a couple pieces of business to discuss with you." He looked over to Katarina expectantly, once she had said her goodbyes to Johnny.

With a rather puzzled nod, Johnny agreed to Locke?s request. ?Sure thin?, bro. Nice thin? abou? ownin? this place is I can keep i? shu? fer lunch long as I wan?.?

"Anytime." She gave Locke an interested look, but at his expectant look, she grinned and walked over to give him a more lingering hug, "I'll come bah lata, yeah?"

"Sounds aces," he murmured, returning the hug with a soft pat to her back before pulling away. "Tenna' telwan, Katarina."*

"Tenna' san'."** She broke the hug and gave him a quick squeeze to his closest shoulder. Giving them both one last smile, she quietly exited herself from the shop.

Once Katarina had left the shop, Johnny looked back at Locke with interest. ?So wha? business di? ya have tha? ya din? wan? her aroun? fer??

There was a dreamy, far-off look to his eye when she left, and it took him a little longer than might have been expected to finally respond. Which was why he jumped a little in his seat when Johnny addressed him. "Oh! Two pieces of business. One business business, the other personal. Take your pick which you would like to discuss first." Locke held up his hand again, knuckles facing Johnny, as if holding up a hand of cards for the silversmith to select for a magic trick.

There was just the faintest baritone rumble of a chuckle from Johnny as he watched Locke?s far-off look. Once the ice elf had regathered his composure, Johnny grinned. A silver-meshed finger pointed to one of the imaginary cards. ?Star? with th? real business an? then we can talk personal. Figger th? business business will be done quicker?n th? personal an? then we can take our time on th? importan? stuff.?

He pantomimed tossing a card at Johnny, grinning before pulling his hand back closer to his body. "I'm starting to work on designing another collection, for September, for Spring. I would like to enlist your assistance in making some accessories for it. Tie clips, collar pins, cuff links, things like that. Interested?"

It didn?t take much thought at all before Johnny grinned. ?Sure am. Figger can? help bu? be some goo? exposure fer th? shop, an? things like tha? ain? har? ta make. Ya go? any particular themes in min?, thin?s ya wan? ta see or don? wan? tha would fi? with wha? yer doin??? He was clearly enthusiastic about the idea.

Locke answered simply and silently, by tapping the dangling snowflake earrings on each ear.

Another chuckle rumbled through the shop. ?Sure, tha? makes sense. Ya wan? jus? like those, make i? a trademark thin?, or variations on th? theme??

As an afterthought, he added, ?An? ya?ll hav?ta le? me know how much?a each thin? ya wan?.?

"Well, you know what they say..." He trailed off into his own laughter, before continuing. "Every snowflake is unique. But also...ice elves actually have two distinct languages. A spoken version, which is mostly similar enough to the common elvish spoken by most elves in these parts, and a written version. The written version is similar to calligraphy, only they use snowflakes to stand in for letters, words, and concepts. Savvy?"

?Yeah ? ain? th? weirdes? thin? I?ve hear? of, bu? ain? common either.? Johnny nodded his understanding of the concept. ?So ya go? specific letters, words, such-like tha? ya wan? me usin???

"I will have to search my memory banks, and possibly talk to mum and see if she knows any words. The average losedhil didn't have much reason to learn the language, from what little my mum has told me. I only know a handful of words myself. My name being one of them. But yeah, that would seem to be the best way to go. As for the amount..." He paused to scratch his head, then his chin. "We would probably only need a handful at first. Just enough to put on the runway models. Ideally, Gerard would let me start selling them in store, but I won't know if he will sign off on that idea until the show is finished."

?Tha? makes sense. All righ?, I?ll make ? say ten each of cuff links, collar pins, tie clips an? tacks an? such once ya give me th? designs ya wan?. When?s yer show?? Johnny had managed to pull a piece of paper and a pen from beneath the counter, and now he was taking down scrawled notes on the deal. ?Since i?s really goin? ta be an advertisin? thin? fer th? shop, ain? goin? ta charge ya anythin? for i?, so I jus? nee? ta know th? deadline.?

"Middle of September, if my sources are correct. Though the spring shows are a little less hard and fast in terms of when they go off compared to the fall shows. It's a little more informal, and not quite as important. I can let you know when the details are more firmly set in stone."

?Sure, tha?s plenty ?a time. All righ?, tha?s business ou?a th? way ? wha?s th? personal, bro?? Johnny grinned over at Locke. Business was one thing, but family was another ? and if Locke wanted to talk to him about something personal, it was just as likely to be about family.

Locke hopped off his stool and walked over to stand in front of Johnny. He looked the silversmith dead in the eye, before speaking slowly and measuredly. "Before I talk about my business, I wanted to double-check on yours. How are you and Sianna faring?"

At that question, Johnny made a bit of a face before he shrugged ? but he had no hesitation in meeting Locke?s gaze, or in his answer. ?Mendin? thin?s is goin? slow, bu? goin?. Sometimes i? feels like two steps forwar?, one step back, ya know? Bu? tha?s still makin? progress in th? righ? direction.? He thought over his words for a moment and then nodded, as if to say that it was an accurate statement.

"That is good to hear, mate." Locke suddenly and impulsively moved closer, to place his hands on Johnny's shoulders. "You know I look up to you, right, mate? And not just because you are taller than I am. You're a shining bloody example to me, of how a relationship should be. If-if you and Sianna could not work things out, well, what chance would I have? So-so you have to succeed. Not just for your sakes, but for mine too. And for everyone else who is counting on you. Savvy?" Suddenly realizing how close he had gotten to the silversmith, Locke removed his hands and took a few steps back, glancing off to the side with embarassment. "Sorry, mate."


*Until later
**Until then