The Marketplace had shed its holiday decorations and was now covered in dirty snow piles and dagger-like icicles. Riley shivered violently and pulled her coat tighter around herself. "Somewhere warm, eh?" She was, of course, referring to the Mystery Honeymoon Place in a ham-handed attempt to get David to reveal the location. "Is it north or south of the equator? Wait, maybe I should ask if it's on Earth first, huh?"
David glanced over at her and flashed a little grin. "It's on Earth," he confirmed, but that was all he said about it. He wasn't about to give away any more details, or risk ruining the surprise.
"Hmmm," she said, steering them towards the cheerfully-warm looking book/bake shop. "North or south of the equator?"
He hadn't been to Teas'n Tomes in a while. Not since he last talked to the figure skater, in fact. He wondered how she was doing. He'd invited her to come have dinner with them after the holidays, but hadn't seen her since. He nodded. "North or south of the equator."
She stomped a Christian Louboutin encased foot and pouted. "Daviiiiid," she whined. "Which is it? Unless..." Her eyes flashed. "Does it stradle the equator? Ooh!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands gleefully. "It's the Galapagos, isn't it!"
He snickered at her little whine. Most people wouldn't even believe she knew how to whine, let alone actually did so. "Where the giant tortoises are?" He paused for a second, wondering if he should answer her, or stick with the 'I can neither confirm nor deny' schtick. He shrugged. "No, not there."
She frowned and went slowly, thoughtfully up the steps and tugged open the shop's door to the peals of tiny silver bells. A sharp inhalation brought to her the scent of coffee, cinnamon, caramel, blueberries, cranberries, pecans. "You know what?" she said to David as she looked around for Aurelia.
"What's that?" he asked as he followed her inside. It always smelled so good in here, it was hard not to smile when you walked in.
She spotted Aurelia Dupuis and waved to her, frowning slightly at the unexpected presence of the man with her. Then she turned back to David, a little smirk on her lips. "I wanna move in here," she said in a hushed voice and winked at him.
He snorted. "I think the owner might have something to say about that."
Gesturing to the pair to join them, Aurelia smiled her calm, confident smile, glancing warmly to Matthias as Riley's eyes flickered to him. "Please try to be patient with them. They will be more resistant than Rhys was."
"Mum's the word until they ask for assistance," He smiled reassuringly. "I will be on my best behavior."
"Feh," Riley said decisively in response to David's comment, and then made her way between the stacks to the small table where the witch was standing. She gave Aurelia a smile and stuck out her hand. "Bon soir, Mademoiselle. Comment ca va?" Any day Riley got to bust out the French was a good day in her opinion.
Aurelia's smile lit up in delight at Riley's greeting. "Ah, bon soir, Mademoiselle O'Rourke," she said happily. "Oui, tres bein, merci. Et vous?" Switching back to English for the benefit of David, whom she was uncertain knew French as well as she did herself, she continued, "I hope you do not mind; we have taken the liberty of having tea brought to the table already."
"I'm doing well, thank you." Riley smiled at the tea service and nodded. "That's fine; thank you." She glanced sidelong at David and then took a seat at the table, directly across from Aurelia.
While Riley was talking to Aurelia, David offered his hand to the unfamiliar man with her. "I'm David," he said. "I don't think we've met."
"I'm Matthias," he smiled warmly and shook the man's hand. "I don't believe we have. The pleasure's mine." He nodded then and pulled his hand back gracefully to tuck it and the other behind himself.
Riley nodded to Matthias and gave him a smile. "So you're Matthias. It's nice to meet you." See? Riley could be polite and nice. Despite rumours to the contrary, she had impeccable manners
"It's very nice to meet you, too, Ms. O'Rourke." He bowed his head politely then turned his attention to Aurelia.
Lowering to sit down as well, Aurelia glanced once to Matthias before resuming her focus upon the couple who had joined them. "How may we help you, Miss O'Rourke?"
Once the ladies were seated, Matthias lowered his tall frame into the chair he'd been occupying previously. As promised, he was on his best behavior. As they spoke, he began to pour the tea into the delicate porcelain cups.
David seated himself next to Riley, resting his arms on the table. He'd let her do most of the talking for this part; she had a better idea of what they needed.
Riley took a deep breath, glanced at David again for a moment, and then plunged in with both feet. "Well... Uh... God, this sounds utterly ridiculous, but... I need to know what you told Rhys. Rhys Bristol, that is. He's... He's labouring under the impression that he's an angel?" The doubt and disbelief were heavy in her voice. Indeed, her tone was dancing precariously on the edge of accusing them both of planting that ludicrous idea in Rhys's head.
Matthias' head bounced in a "well, he is" kind of way, but he refrained from speaking. A glance to David. "One lump or two?" The tea kettle was sat into it's cozy and he picked up the sugar bowl and tongs.
Aurelia nodded slowly, her expression nothing if not open and accepting. "I see," she said softly. "And is it his belief in his angelic status, your disbelief in it, or your uncertainty as to the true existence of heaven and hell that is causing you pains, mademoiselle?" The question was put with no accusation or discomfort, merely a genuine curiosity.
David glanced over at her and flashed a little grin. "It's on Earth," he confirmed, but that was all he said about it. He wasn't about to give away any more details, or risk ruining the surprise.
"Hmmm," she said, steering them towards the cheerfully-warm looking book/bake shop. "North or south of the equator?"
He hadn't been to Teas'n Tomes in a while. Not since he last talked to the figure skater, in fact. He wondered how she was doing. He'd invited her to come have dinner with them after the holidays, but hadn't seen her since. He nodded. "North or south of the equator."
She stomped a Christian Louboutin encased foot and pouted. "Daviiiiid," she whined. "Which is it? Unless..." Her eyes flashed. "Does it stradle the equator? Ooh!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands gleefully. "It's the Galapagos, isn't it!"
He snickered at her little whine. Most people wouldn't even believe she knew how to whine, let alone actually did so. "Where the giant tortoises are?" He paused for a second, wondering if he should answer her, or stick with the 'I can neither confirm nor deny' schtick. He shrugged. "No, not there."
She frowned and went slowly, thoughtfully up the steps and tugged open the shop's door to the peals of tiny silver bells. A sharp inhalation brought to her the scent of coffee, cinnamon, caramel, blueberries, cranberries, pecans. "You know what?" she said to David as she looked around for Aurelia.
"What's that?" he asked as he followed her inside. It always smelled so good in here, it was hard not to smile when you walked in.
She spotted Aurelia Dupuis and waved to her, frowning slightly at the unexpected presence of the man with her. Then she turned back to David, a little smirk on her lips. "I wanna move in here," she said in a hushed voice and winked at him.
He snorted. "I think the owner might have something to say about that."
Gesturing to the pair to join them, Aurelia smiled her calm, confident smile, glancing warmly to Matthias as Riley's eyes flickered to him. "Please try to be patient with them. They will be more resistant than Rhys was."
"Mum's the word until they ask for assistance," He smiled reassuringly. "I will be on my best behavior."
"Feh," Riley said decisively in response to David's comment, and then made her way between the stacks to the small table where the witch was standing. She gave Aurelia a smile and stuck out her hand. "Bon soir, Mademoiselle. Comment ca va?" Any day Riley got to bust out the French was a good day in her opinion.
Aurelia's smile lit up in delight at Riley's greeting. "Ah, bon soir, Mademoiselle O'Rourke," she said happily. "Oui, tres bein, merci. Et vous?" Switching back to English for the benefit of David, whom she was uncertain knew French as well as she did herself, she continued, "I hope you do not mind; we have taken the liberty of having tea brought to the table already."
"I'm doing well, thank you." Riley smiled at the tea service and nodded. "That's fine; thank you." She glanced sidelong at David and then took a seat at the table, directly across from Aurelia.
While Riley was talking to Aurelia, David offered his hand to the unfamiliar man with her. "I'm David," he said. "I don't think we've met."
"I'm Matthias," he smiled warmly and shook the man's hand. "I don't believe we have. The pleasure's mine." He nodded then and pulled his hand back gracefully to tuck it and the other behind himself.
Riley nodded to Matthias and gave him a smile. "So you're Matthias. It's nice to meet you." See? Riley could be polite and nice. Despite rumours to the contrary, she had impeccable manners
"It's very nice to meet you, too, Ms. O'Rourke." He bowed his head politely then turned his attention to Aurelia.
Lowering to sit down as well, Aurelia glanced once to Matthias before resuming her focus upon the couple who had joined them. "How may we help you, Miss O'Rourke?"
Once the ladies were seated, Matthias lowered his tall frame into the chair he'd been occupying previously. As promised, he was on his best behavior. As they spoke, he began to pour the tea into the delicate porcelain cups.
David seated himself next to Riley, resting his arms on the table. He'd let her do most of the talking for this part; she had a better idea of what they needed.
Riley took a deep breath, glanced at David again for a moment, and then plunged in with both feet. "Well... Uh... God, this sounds utterly ridiculous, but... I need to know what you told Rhys. Rhys Bristol, that is. He's... He's labouring under the impression that he's an angel?" The doubt and disbelief were heavy in her voice. Indeed, her tone was dancing precariously on the edge of accusing them both of planting that ludicrous idea in Rhys's head.
Matthias' head bounced in a "well, he is" kind of way, but he refrained from speaking. A glance to David. "One lump or two?" The tea kettle was sat into it's cozy and he picked up the sugar bowl and tongs.
Aurelia nodded slowly, her expression nothing if not open and accepting. "I see," she said softly. "And is it his belief in his angelic status, your disbelief in it, or your uncertainty as to the true existence of heaven and hell that is causing you pains, mademoiselle?" The question was put with no accusation or discomfort, merely a genuine curiosity.