It were in the evening that the call came. Mark rolled it around in his mind several times and then started sending text messages to have folks meet around the camp side. Something were happening. Was it bad, or good? Couldn't have been entirely one or the other, just that campside was starting to buzz with energy.

The stack o' firewood was being eaten into and strapped, wrapped in plastic atop and in the storage of some of the caravans. Mark's text message had gone tha all. It jist said, "See meh for some change o' plans." There was a folded up piece of paper in his back pocket with a pen adjacent. He moved between some of the RVs, nodding and chatting with some of the Barlow crew members but never far from the bonfire.

Levi had enough of bouncing around the camp anyway. His phone was grabbed and when he got the text to meet up in the middle of camp, he wondered what was going on. And the more that others around him were buzzing about, it had to be something huge.

He upnodded Mark with a grin. Couldn't help it since the barber shop incident that left them looking like idiots. "What's up, Mark?" he came to a stop about a half step behind and to the right of Mark to look out at the folks gathering.

That's right where Keirra was, she was sitting by the bonfire, curled up in her chair. Her phone hung out of her hand, and she jumped awake. "Son of a dick..!" she yelped, and looked around.

Dark stubble on the sides of his head, white skin showing and a two inch mohawk of his dark hair. Definitely looking more punky than he were previously. He hadn't any gel or nothin' so it weren't spiked up or anything, but a messy low down mohawk he had to keep fingercombing back.

"Oi!" At the sight of Levi, though he chuckled when he heard Keirra exclaim. One hand was offered tah Levi to take in a hand-shake sorta greeting, "Roots comin' up, wheels a rollin' at dawn."

Levi snickered at Keirra. Even in her sleep she was always coming up with something almost pornographic. He shook Mark's hand and stood there smiling and just kind of rocking on his shoes. And then Mark said the most peculiar thing. Levi turned to look at Mark with a lowered brow. "We're leaving?"

Keirra stretched out, and let her body pop and crackle. "What'd I miss?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes and letting out a yawn.

"I'm leaving, naht you or pregger pants. RVs got wheels on 'em fer a reason," he chuckled and then motioned with a tilt of his head over his shoulder, "There's an opportunity tah get somethings done and call in that favor from Chris for it. Yous goin' tah Kentucky or wherevers, anyhow."

Mark reached down to muss Keirra's hair and then caught sight of someone grabbin' not strapping something down right, "Oi!" He whistled using two fingers and then motioned, "Dun make dat so damn top heavy."

When her hair was messed, she flopped against him. Another yawn escaped her, and she shook her head. "I can't help it, they keep getting bigger..." she said playfully, and nudged Mark.

There was a murmur around the crowd and Levi folded his arms over his chest. He looked physically hurt by the words Mark was saying. "Yeah, but you'll be back here in a few days, right?" This was a sudden decision, it seemed, and Levi felt gut punched.

"Yyyeeaaahhhh?" A look at Keirra from the corner of his eyes. He half grinned, stole a look at her chest and then looked back at Levi, "Few days?" There was hesitation in his gaze, it was the sort that gave Levi the honest answer: he didn't know. His lips froze and then he jist smiled and shoved Levi on the shoulder, "Be back before you even think tah miss meh. Maybe beat yah back from yer trip tah Kentucky."

It was sudden to Levi, maybe to most in camp. But Mark had been sharking for a good opportunity for the last few weeks and it looked like the pieces fer it was finally coming together. Maybe it would work out, maybe naht.

Quinn came up the path at the northside of camp. He was drenched and he was jogging, clearly cooling off from his cardio. There was big group in the middle of camp and those thick brows lowered in curiosity. Something was wrong, he was sure of it from the look on Levi's face and he jogged over to to him and bent in half panting. Hands on his thighs and was trying to catch his breath. "What'd I miss?"

Her boobs did look fantastic, but they were resting on that baby bump which was probably a huge boner kill. She looked up at Mark, and shook her head. "You be safe, Boss..." she said, and then Quinn was jogging up. She seemed to light up when she saw him.

The mask came down and Levi stood there like a rock. His eyes no longer playful and full of laughter. Those eyes shifted to Quinn and then to Mark. "Who are you taking with you?" Levi did know the truth of it and it scared him, even if it wasn't shown. The crowd had grown quiet, wanting the details. Levi did, too.

A bright smile to Ko and since Levi was clearly super worried about something he mouthed What the fuck? to his favorite puff. "Wait wait going where. Where is mark going?" He was confused. He would already not be able to watch out for the human in Kentucky and now he was going even further away. This made the lycan nervous.

"Everybody else," Mark was getting a bit elusive, like he weren't wanting Levi tah know the details cause he might do something about it. Keirra didn't seem worried in the least, he chuckled when she was happily distracted with Quinn's arrival and then looked back tah Levi, "Takin' the rest of camp with me, naht Billie or nothin', and catching Chris and takin' some of his crew. Yah know how it is." Did he, still? Mark gave another reassuring swat tah the outside of his arm and then looked at Quinn, giving him the up nod.

That's when Keirra froze, pushing away from Mark and moving over to Levi. "You're taking everyone away..?" she asked, sinking against Levi and looking up at him. "Is...that why you guys wanted to take me away for Christmas...?"

"Yeah," he nodded solemnly. "I do know how it is." He took a deep breath and blew it out slowlly. "And I'll hold down the fort until you get back. What's left of it that is." Levi was unable to hide the disappointment and hurt in his voice. What about Santa for the kids? And then Keirra piped up and he shook his head. "I had no idea this was coming."

Quinn's features fell and he shook his head to her. A step was taken back away from the group. Quinn wasn't used to this and he sighed. "You guys can go." He nodded between Keirra and Levi. And he meant it. They should go with their family. Hands ran over those basketball shorts and he tugged at the white ribbed tanktop. A smile and upnod to mark and he was peeling off his shirt and heading inside. There was actually no brooding to him for once. Things had to be the way they had to be.

The kids would be with him. Everyone from campside would be with him. He tilted his head as he looked at Levi, "Well, I can't ask yah tah come, can I? Naht with Keirra havin' her husband here and pregnant. Den you Quinn and Kentucky and all dat. Can't look after Billie and get things done on this thin'. So I take everybody else, maybe do some head swappin' at Fort Bonnyswan and when things done we get back here."

Maybe it were surprising to Levi. It wasn't since he was younger than thirteen that he had known the shifting nature of campsides and locations. Moving were like 'oh' when it were something done more often than naht. Mark could tell Levi were hurt, Keirra concerned, and he sighed, naht sure how tah comfort them. "Look, I gots a cellphone, and I like yahs, all of yahs, so how long you figure I stay away?"

Quinn were the unflinching one, which he wasn't sure whether or naht was some kinda show. But Mark knew that they had some kinda plans. His arms opened up, "I'll be back, you guys dun get riddah somebody like me so easy!"

"I'm going to hold you to that, asshole," he grumbled but then the smile came back out to shine. He reached to slug Mark in the arm and then put his other hand behind Quinn's back to rest on the small curve above his butt. "I'll make sure the ladies are taken care of until you get back. And you'd better come back. Your sister's been looking for you." He wanted to punch Mark again, so he did.

The rogue frowned deeply at him, and nodded. "It's not like we have a choice," she said with a distant shrug. She patted Levi's chest gently, and then moved off to get herself a drink.

It'd been a time of settlin' back into things. Rhy'Din had the weird feeling of being like home, but he supposed that had more to do with the company than the place itself. It were like they all just spread out on the cords of a spider's web and now met back in the center point fer something.

After a dinner of burgers with Levi, Quinn, Mason and Keirra, he bid them night and went on to the bonfire which a few of the others were lingering about. A couple needed to know where laundry and stuffs could be got, so he gave the new faces the skinny on it all and it weren't too long before they was goin' tah sleep, too. But he weren't entirely ready for it. He sank into an old lawn chair someone left behind and worked on his beer. With the heat of the bonfire he didn't feel a need tah zip up his jacket.

The circuit was back in town and Gwen had come visiting. Since her camper wasn't in the camp, she'd went from camper to rv to camper, visiting with friends, making new acquaintances and just getting a feel for the new faces. She trusted that Mark wouldn't bring anyone dark into the camp, and he hadn't disappointed.

But as the evening wore on and people were settling back in, Gwen found more than one door closed behind her. Resigned to having to sleep near the campfire, she borrowed a blanket and wandered her way over. Imagine her surprise to find Mark sitting there, all by his onesies!

"Well look what the cat dragged in," she teased with a sideways grin on her face. Settling into a camp chair nearby, she wrapped the blanket around herself. "How you doing, Mark?"

It weren't often that he did, if one was hoping to catch him alone that were usually the time and hour to do it. Snaggin' his attention mid day was a bit like herding cats.

"Oi," he looked up at the greeting and then smiled at her and nodded to the nearby chair tah welcome it to her, though she was already settling into it, "Seems like dey still let me back in here. Been fine, bit tired but things been calm since I got back. Got the usual squabble but nothin' big. You?"

"Been staying at the Inn, waiting for you brats to get back home," she laughed and reached for a beer from the cooler nearby. "I'm glad you're back, Mark." The beer was popped open with a fizz and she took a sip. "But your hair," she giggled. "What on Earth did you do?"

"Ha, well, I think Levi and Quinn beat meh to it. Ko been floatin' around and BB too, I guess." At the sound of her opening her beer he tipped his back for another drink and then smiled at her. His hair? Oh yeah! His left hand went up to finger comb the mohawk. The hair at the sides of his head had gotten to a stubble length, but it were clear he still had one, "Out with Levi and Quinn fer some fun."

"Boys night out," she laughed with a shake of her head. "Suppose if one jumped in the lake all of you would." She took another sip of her beer and then glanced towards the lake. "Umm... Mark." she looked at him again, the smile gone. "I'm sorry about what happened... I mean with Molly and all."

"When they's drinkin' involved... yeaahhh... pretty likely," he said it with a grin, though. The bottom of his beer balanced on his kneecap. He was watching the fire when she spoke to him, when she apologized about Molly. His attention cut back to her and he smiled again, but it was more reserved that go around. The corners of his lips just didn't cut as deep or something and he cleared his throat, "I wish everyone else coulda known her tha way I did."

"I do, too," she replied honestly. "But she didn't want to let anyone too close, except you." She leaned forward, elbows to knees and holding her beer between her hands. "And then she was hateful about that." She looked up with a flick of long lashes and a big eyes. "I shouldn't talk badly about her. I know you loved her."

His free hand scratched the back of his neck and he exhaled. He looked like he wanted to say something but maybe didn't know the right words for it, or just felt kinda uncomfortable with putting the words out there. But there was a nod, a yeah, which agreed with everything she had to say. "Been tryin' tah keep myself focused here, on des things," a motion with the mouth of his beer bottle to the surrounding RVs. His eyes went back to her, "You naht fall fer someone yet? Levi and Ko both got in over their heads, from the look of it."

Gwen curled her legs under herself and pulled the blanket more tightly about her shoulders as Mark looked like he was debating with himself. Tell me what's on your mind. But he didn't. Mark's mind and heart were still well hidden. She sighed softly and chewed her lips. "Oh no," she shook her head and laughed, eyes rolling. "Life's too short to be tied down for too long, hmm?"

"Apparently." He didn't think she was meaning to make the joke, seeing as Molly had passed away and life had been, as she said, too short to be tied down for too long. He took another swallow of his beer and could feel it was getting light. He smiled at her and sank further in his seat, "Bet yah Quinn and Levi got someone in mind fer yah like they did me."

She hadn't realized the enormity of her words until he'd replied. Her eyes went wide and she moved to apologize again. Gwen had a knack for sticking her foot into her mouth. "Levi and Quinn," she snorted with a shake of her head. "I never thought Levi was gay. I know that he and Billie were a mistake but..." she shook her head again. "Eligible men and women are just hard to come by." She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the fire. "I'm just glad you're home, Mark. I missed you."

"Said he'd kinda felt that way a long time. Who knows? He weren't with us after he was thirteen so we weren't around when he was figuring things out." At the time before girls and dating it wasn't always easy tah know that sort of thing about someone. Sometimes folks would say they had always known, but Mark found that was what was only confidently stated in hindsight and not before it were known. Maybe what they meant was that they had thought maybe it was possible.

"I'm glad tah be back, too. The moment away and changing some things up helped a bit. I feel like thin's are goin' forward instead of like I'm stuck in the same time and place, treadin' water and prayin."

"Change is good, and they seem like nice enough folk," she smiled for him and reached to pat his shoulder. "Mrs. Johnson makes the cutest beads, look!" She extended her hand to show off the crystal blue and green bracelet that she'd just purchased. "Quality like that? Make a pretty penny in the market." Gypsies didn't just lie, steal and cheat. Some made a real living. "And her daughter said they'd teach me to belly dance," she laughed. "Imagine me? Super clutz, dancing."

He tilted his head to the side as her hand patted his shoulder and then her wrist twisted to show off the bit o decoration she were wearing. He smiled at it and then gave a small nod like there was approval. "Belly dance? Tah be some old school acrobats, I guess." For a moment he imagined her, lookin' like Jasmine from that cartoon he'd seen a million times and then looked back to her, "Gonna be all Bewitched style?"

"Oh stop," she giggled and reached to push his shoulder. "I'll probably be the one with the drum between my legs. I have rhythm but the sticks and bones of this body just twitch, they don't glide or bump." She cast him an odd look then and brought her arms back under the blanket. "Been itching for some action, Mark. The old diamond ring schtick makes money but now that it's getting colder there's not many to play it on. You coming up with a plan soon?"

"Oi, jist sayin. Tha boys gonna heckle yah and see if they can't get yah to fulfill a few wishes." Tah which he winked at her and then lifted his head up by the chin, "I got somethin, got a few things. Going out and gettin' some new blood were helpful for that." His eyebrows knit together in thought before he continued, "How much you willin' tah put out there? All in?"

"Only one boy I want to fulfill wishes for," she teased right back at him. This time it was her foot, clad in a thick boot, that stuck out from under the blanket to nudge him with. "Of course I'm all in. Haven't had some good action in a long, long time. You always pick my little sister for everything. Was starting to think you had a thing for her."

"I like Keirra, she's a handful but... she's worth it." Mark chuckled and shrugged jist a bit as if that explained it all. He could feel her foot nudge his and to him it felt like tha smallest of invitations. His elbows perched on the armrests of his lawn chair and he let his hands circle about his beer before looking back tah her, "Thin's went a bit sideways with us, didn't think I was in much of a place tah ask fer anythin."

"Mark, honey," she leveled a look at him as if he were talking foolish. And to her, he was. "Regardless of how things go, we're family, right down to the roots. We both did stupid things but that was then. We're fine and you can ask me anything. Alright?"

"Yeah, we fine now but... yah know, timin' is everythin' and it seemed like thin's were in need of some space. But I'll keep yeh in mind, since you're thirsty." He knew what it were like when a woman sized him up and flirted a bit. More importantly, he knew exactly what it were like when she was cause that didn't take any imagination. But she were grey about it, and maybe the bit of flirtation was meant tah reassure him and also tell him thin's were fine, thin's were behind them and what naht. "Tell you whut, thou." Mark cleared his throat and then grinned at her, "Iffin yah able tah lift somethin' off Ko without her knowing I'll put yah up for more handsy jobs. Right now, Ko's queen of it." And even if Gwen did just get lucky about it, there wouldn't be doubt that Ko was deft. But she were also gettin' more and more pregnant and more and more likely tah be mom fer a babe for a bit.

"Pfft," she scoffed at him and retreated within the confines of that blanket. It was warming her way up to toasty. "I've never been one to pick pocket. That's her speciality. You'll get more money out of me by sticking me in the group that pan handles or stands on street corners offering what little they have to offer for the chance of a thrill." She knew her place in the pecking order and it was pretty low. "Though I might catch a fair price if I put some effort into it."

"I wouldn't pan handle, though in Rhy'Din it seems like there be plenty with money that they either wanna give away or jist don't know what to do with." Mark chuckle and leaned back in his seat, the locks of his mohawk hung off to the side, away from her, "Which I dun mind helpin' dem with."

Mark didn't seem to get what she was driving at and she let it go. "Yeah, bunch of rich freaks in this town. Like money grows on trees." She sighed and pulled the blanket up to just under her chin. "So Mark, I don't really have a place to stay. Is it ok to flop in your place for the night?"

"Yeah, I got an extra spot since Billie doesn't stay in mah RV anymore. I sleep where Pops used tah be over the driver's seat and the spot down the way is open. Might have tah push some laundry off it but otherwise it'll do the trick." He judged his hips forward and reached in the front pocket of his pants to pull out his keys. Once they were i hand he finished his beer and set the empty glass on the ground before he leaned forward, examining the metal in the bonfire light fer a minute before he picked and slid off one of the keys and handed it to her, "Der yah go. Til yah on feet again."