The best laid plans

[Faith Augustin]

12th Ymiden, 717
Following the arrival of Grandpad & Tootsie

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It would be fine, Faith knew, catering for four people instead of two. She just needed to get organised so, when she first woke that morning she had slipped out of bed quietly and made her way downstairs. It was somewhat regretfully that she did that, she was growing used to dozing there with him but there was too much to do. What that meant, though, was that the three of them had woken to the smell of breakfast cooking. When Padraig had come downstairs, Faith had lingered in a kiss to the point that she'd risked things burning, but Katie and Cyrus' arrival heralded a minimum distance of a foot between her and Padraig at all times.

Katie, already dressed, made up and with her hair perfect had arrived downstairs first. It transpired that her means of greeting people in the morning was to kiss them soundly on first one cheek, then another. Faith considered that Padraig's future step-grandmother must have magic lipstick as she looked at the two perfect kiss-marks on his cheeks and wiped the same off hers. Yet still, the lipstick was on the lips too. They'd eaten breakfast together, the four of them and it became apparent that the meal of the night before wasn't a one-off. Katie could talk.

Oh, and she was a hugger. A definite hugger. The night before, for the first time Faith had asked Padraig if he wanted a whiskey when she got one for Cyrus. As Katie and Cyrus insisted on taking out the dishes from breakfast, which made her really uncomfortable and she wished they wouldn't, Faith thought that it was probably too early to suggest he might want a glass now.

"Well, beautiful boy, you didn't tell us that she was such a good cook, too. Aren't you a lucky one?" Katie beamed at Padraig as they all moved into the living room. Faith couldn't help but wonder why he was getting the praise when it was her doing the cooking. That morning, Katie had brought down a box with her when she came downstairs first thing. She had put it in the living room and left it there.

"Now then, you two, I want you to stop worrying." Faith glanced at Padraig and raised an eyebrow. Had they been worrying? Had he written in the letter that they were worried? She hadn't been such, she realised, but now she was worried about what she was supposed to be worrying about. That was odd. "Katie understands entirely, that you probably have little to no idea what planning a wedding takes. When my Cy said to me that you were getting married, well I said that we have to come and help you, didn't I darling?"

One of the great things about Katie, Faith considered, was that she really didn't wait for Cyrus to answer her question. It was a strange sight, really, Faith supposed. There was she, trying to maintain a distance from Padraig in front of his grandfather, yet Katie was all over said grandfather like a rash.

"So, I've collected up information and a little book of ideas. The man on the boat told me about the Faldrass resort, it sounds wonderful. Cy and I might go there for a few trials once we're settled in." Somehow, as she planted a kiss on Cyrus' cheek, the lipstick didn't come off. Faith considered that wholly unfair.

"So, tell Katie then. What have you decided? " From across the room, Faith glanced at Padraig and lifted her shoulders. "Ummm. We're going to make a box. That's traditional here, I have a book. Yes, that one." This woman was a demon, Faith decided, as Katie pulled her own copy of the book on wedding traditions from said box. "Rather than one box each, we thought we'd make one box with two compartments." Had they decided anything else? "Oh, and the date."

"And that's a long way away! Gives us oodles of time. So, that's good, little doll. What else?"

Faith looked at Padraig and there was a very clear appeal for help in her eyes.

[Padraig]

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They'd been there several trials already, Katherine and Cyrus, but Padraig still wasn't convinced that the woman who was barely older than himself hadn't done something to his grandfather, and that the man who was here under their roof wasn't Cyrus Augustin at all. But instead, some sort of doppleganger who looked the same, but was in other ways unrecognizable.

He'd been raised by the man after all. The man who hadn't been a hugger, not one to tolerate others up close or draped over him. And not a man who had much patience for chatter. What was it about this woman then that seemed to have bewitched him, Padraig had wondered. He sort of thought he might know, but if he did, he didn't want to think about it.

There was that, and the fact that since they'd arrived, the only time the house was quiet, relatively, and he and Faith had a bit alone, was when Katherine was sleeping. Faith was doing too much and would never complain, and though he'd promised not to, Padraig was still tempted to have a word with Cyrus about it. But he wanted his grandfather here and she came with the package. It was exhausting though and so far the woman didn't show any signs of slowing down.

He only wished she'd stop calling him by those ridiculous pet names, and he had to be careful when he went to the university, to wipe the lipstick stains from his cheeks. "Morning Katherine," he said when, there she was. Had he been worried, Padraig wondered? Was he supposed to be worried, his expression aimed Faith's way seemed to ask? And there Cyrus sat, a book opened in front of his nose, a deadpan expression on his face and when his companion tossed a question his way, without missing a beat the older man, never looking up, never flinching and as dry as ever, uttered "Mmmhmm."

So that's how he did it, Padraig realized, and he leveled a suspicious look his grandfather's way. He unheard it, or had already developed a knack for filtering out what was noise and what required some sort of response. And to top it all off, the book that Cyrus appeared to be reading was one in advanced chemistry, something he didn't care a whit for and was as good as a foreign language to anyone not schooled in the subject.

Could he get away with that, Padraig wondered, barely registering much of what Katherine said. No, probably not. Thinking back, it had always been Cyrus's way. He'd only replaced a scrap of shoe leather with a book on chemistry in the here and now. He had arcs and arcs of practice already. "A box, ropes and ribbons, a date," he uttered belatedly, and with a smile. "We know who we'll invite, and I've asked a friend to stand with me. A best maid, if you will," he explained.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith's look of confusion over how worried they should be was mirrored by Padraig's and she could not help but smile at the look on his face. He was as confused as she was and had she been where she would normally be, right next to him, her hand would have squeezed his but instead she contented herself with a wry smile to him.

"He thinks I don't know he's pretending to read, you know." Katie said to Padraig as she saw the look he gave his grandfather. "I do, though. Katie always knows these things. He's only doing it because he wants attention. Don't you?" With which Katie moved and sat on the arm of the chair Cyrus was on, squeezing herself as close to him as possible. "Advanced chemistry? Were you feeling that lonely, my little love bug?"

Faith blinked and looked at Padraig, thoughtfully. Should she call him names like that, she wondered? Would he like to be her 'love bug'? There had been a lot of cute little names flung around since they arrived, although she was consistently 'little doll'. It was the sort of term of endearment that people used, she knew, and she tried to imagine calling Padraig something like a love bug. It was a clear image to her, the look of utter confusion on his face should those words ever escape her.

Good job, she thought with a brief smile in his direction. She couldn't bring herself to utter them, she didn't think. Professor would have to do as far as terms of endearment went. All in all, she considered, it was a good job he wasn't an undertaker. Job titles were only sometimes good nicknames.

"Oh! And we've asked our friend Kura to officiate the ceremony." Faith sounded delighted that they'd made that arrangement too.

"And what about attendants for you, little doll?"

Well, Faith considered, that was more complicated. Oh well, all in and all that. "Kura has a ghost who is her companion. This mark on my wrist shows me as blessed by Famula. The fingernails as blessed by Vri." They probably knew enough and didn't need to be told about who those Immortals were. She opened her hands, showing the leaves there. "These, Moseke. But these," Faith motioned to the glowing that was feint but obviously there around both her arm and his. "Padraig is blessed by Qylios. The reason I say that is that we will probably want to have mention of those Immortals in the ceremony and because my attendant is a ghost. But I can see her and talk to her."

Katie's eyebrows had more or less hit her hairline during that. "Well, little doll, I've never known you speak so much." Faith smiled, her gaze lowering to her hands as she considered that was probably true, and that at least part of the reason for that was that she wouldn't want to interrupt the woman here. "But a ghost? Well, if she's your friend, it's your wedding." Katie smiled at Faith encouragingly. "Maybe you'd like more than one?"

If there was one thing that Faith hated more than anything, it was conflict of any kind. Given her way, she would be a peacemaker between people and would give in to what other people wanted over her own wishes and desires. However, one thing over rode that desire to give in, and that was loyalty. "She was nineteen arcs old when she died and has been dead over thirty arcs. This will be the first time she's been part of something, not just observing it, but part of it since she died. She's the only one."

The expression on Katie's face softened and her smile was one of pride. Faith had to admit to being surprised, but the slightly older woman nodded. "I'll make sure to talk to her when your friend comes. Did you know they had all these Immortals in their life, Cy? You two make quite the impressive pair." Katie turned her attention to the wedding, which seemed to be something she was quite invested in. "I think the first thing you two need to do is to decide your venue. Once you've done that, then you can decide your dress, the flowers, the colour scheme, the catering, that sort of thing. Think about who will do your hair and make up."

Faith shot a glance at Padraig and raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to do all those things, I thought." It made sense to her, "I've always arranged my own hair, I see no reason why that trial would be different. I used to work as a seamstress, I'm a chef. I thought I'd make both our clothes. Would you like me to make something for you?"

Katie glanced at Padraig, for once she was quiet as she looked between the two of them. Faith, though, completely missing that glance looked at Padraig and said, somewhat resignedly, "I suppose we could go to Faldrass and look?"

[Padraig]

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Cyrus grunted when Katie sat down beside him, wriggled her way closer to him but never lifted his eyes from a book that to his way of seeing, was full of nonsensical writings, diagrams and symbols. Something about his posture changed though and his features softened somewhat if one was watching closer. It was the closest his grandfather came to a smile, Padraig thought idly.

He still didn't like it. He wasn't sure he trusted her motives. This woman was half his grandfather's age. But plainly by all appearances, and it would take a practiced eye to see it, Cyrus was happy. And even had Padraig objected, it wouldn't have gone well.

But as if he could read exactly what she was thinking in her face, in her smile, Padraig looked across at Faith with a frown that she could easily interpret as a grin instead. No. She should not adopt any of those pet names for him.

It was only when Faith spoke about Callie, and then the Immortals she worshiped and the one that Padraig was marked by, that Cyrus looked up over the top of his book. The man wore a frown though a thoughtful one. None of that had been in the letter, not at all. In answer to Katie's question, he directed his comments elsewhere instead.

"A best maid? Never heard of such a thing." Padraig frowned and shrugged. "She's a friend, Grandfather. A good one. A Tunawa." And for Katie's benefit, he grinned a little and added. "Her, I've actually carried round in my pocket."

"I never knew you to worship the Immortals," Cyrus added. "In fact you never seemed to give them a second thought. Science, not worship." Padraig shrugged, as good as admitting that his grandfather was right. And in some ways that hadn't change. "It's a long story. But I'm grateful for the gifts I've been given."

As for the food, Faith's hair and the rest? He couldn't have missed the look Katie gave him. Or for that matter, his grandfather's scrutiny either. "Maybe this is an opportunity for you to be spoiled a little more than usual," he suggested to Faith. "What better time than our wedding?" As for Faldrass, they could certainly look. At the least it might be a good place to arrange accommodations for their guests.

[Faith Augustin]

Katie planted a kiss on Cyrus' head and leaned her head against his. As she did, she smiled and was quiet for a moment. Just a moment, but she rested against him and seemed more relaxed than she had been since she got there. "You're not really reading that are you, monkey-chops?" Another kiss to his forehead and then she turned her attention back to the conversation.

Padraig's expression prompted a grin from Faith and later that night, when they tumbled into bed, Faith's first words would be to ask him whether he would prefer to be called 'monkey chops' or 'love bug'. She couldn't quite resist once they were alone, but in the moment she said nothing.

"A Tunawa?" Katie looked between the two of them and she smiled, her hand absently trailing around on Cyrus' chest, apparently without really thinking about it. "A Tunawa and a ghost? Those are your attendants? I can see where my Cy gets his rebellious devil-may-care attitude." That, she sounded proud of though Faith had to wonder just how 'devil may care' a shoemaker in Venora got to be. But then, she didn't know the man or his life, so it was not hers to judge.

Was Cyrus disapproving of Padraig's mark, Faith wondered? She didn't think so, but she had to resist the urge to jump to his defense. She wanted to, but she bit it back, aware that she would be defending against what wasn't an attack. Yet, Padraig didn't say anything about why the Immortal had marked him. Again, though, that was his choice and so she kept her own counsel, as difficult as that was. She smiled in delight at Padraig when he said that he had carried Niv in his pocket. "I am reassured that at least one person in this wedding is shorter than me." Her deadpan delivery was getting better by the trial, in fairness.

At Padraig's suggestion, though, Katie nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, that's a nice idea! To be spoiled on your wedding trial, little doll, that will be wonderful." Katie gushed, in support of Padraig's point and Faith frowned slightly. Not in displeasure, but more in complete incomprehension.

"I am spoiled every trial, with things I could not even have dreamed of an arc ago. What sort of thing do you mean?" Faith asked, confusion on her face and Katie jumped in, quick to do what she saw as peacemaking.

"Oh, Paddy didn't mean anything by that, little doll. Just that you work very hard and maybe you could let other people do those things? Let someone else make your dress, maybe?"

Comprehension dawned on Faith's face and she smiled, shaking her head. "I want to make it. I will get pleasure from every stitch and I will know that I am getting exactly what I want. It is not work, it's a pleasure." Surely, she thought as she glanced at Padraig, he knew that? "The only thing I work at on a normal trial, in fairness, is my studies. Everything else is a privilege and pleasure and I don't want anyone else to do those things. I want the perfect dress, so I will make it. No one else will do it well enough." Why was everyone talking about getting prepared for their wedding like it was a chore, Faith wondered?

"I don't know how other people do it, maybe they do it differently. I want to do it our way." That was the bottom line for her and there was an element of firm in that which Padraig would certainly recognise. It seemed, however, that Katie did, also, and so she changed tactic.

"Well, if you two little snuggle-bears are going to go to Faldrass, I thought we could have some questions. What sort of ceremony do you want? There's the vows, of course, but do you want speeches or readings? My Cy could do a reading for you he has the most wonderful voice. You'll have to tell all the women there he's taken, though, they'll be falling at his feet." Cy undoubtedly recognized the signs, and he might well have dipped his head back to his book in that moment. "What time of the trial, how long will it last? Then there's questions about seating and who sits where? Flowers, decorations, do you want singing in there or some other kind of music?"

As if the barrage of questions, one after another, wasn't enough Katie sat up and added, "Oh! And a honeymoon! A tradition, a holiday together after you've been married, somewhere exotic." Somewhere quiet, Faith thought uncharitably. "Usually, the hope is that you get married and are pregnant by the time you get back. Where will you go?" Katie sighed, slightly, "Really, you might want to move the date so it's a little closer, you know. You're missing all the warm weather."

Faith turned to look at Padraig and raised an eyebrow, expectantly

[Padraig]

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Padraig eyed his grandfather there with the much younger woman on his lap, and raised a brow, wore a deep frown when she referred to him as...monkey-chops? From all appearances Cyrus seemed to make nothing of it, and only pulled her closer to him in response. In fact if he'd been anyone else, Padraig might have assumed he hadn't even heard her. But he knew better.

This was not the man who raised him. Either that or she'd performed some sort of ritual or witch's work on him. Faith's grin in response didn't pass him by and he leveled her a stern look, just in case she was thinking of following suit. He winked though, in a flash, in order to tease her.

"A Tunawa, yes," he told Katie. "She's a good friend. Her name is Niv." Devil may care however, well it wasn't exactly the man Padraig remembered growing up. But if he and his grandfather categorically agreed on anything, it was the wisdom of not setting oneself in the middle of a debate between women. Besides, Faith was clear enough. What she wanted to do for herself, for their wedding, she would and no one would convince her otherwise. Or him either really, this was their wedding after all.

But a list? Whose list, he wondered. For the first time in several bits, Cyrus raised his eyes from his book at the sound of his name. He smiled at Katie, but was otherwise firm. "I'm sure they've got someone to oversee the ceremony. Readings ought be better left to them." Clearly, he didn't often tell her know. But not unlike his own grandson, the man knew when and where to pick his battles.

"A list," Padraig agreed. "I guess that wouldn't hurt." He worried though, if giving her just that inch would encourage her to grab a mile and run with it. Faith's look his way spoke volumes though, and just when the tricky subject of children came up. Figured, and he looked back at her, feigning ignorance in hopes of waiting her out. Eventually though he yielded and proceeded carefully. "We haven't really considered children yet, Katie." They had of course, but neither was it a lie. So far as when, if and so on from here onward they hadn't.

And then? Padraig glanced out the window into the garden and started a little. "I hate to leave you all mid scheme here," he said as he stood up from his seat. "But I've a class to teach and really should get going." With a glance Faith's way in case she wanted to accompany him and see him off, he made his apologies, grabbed his satchel and headed out the front door.

"Actually," he said to her once they were outside and he'd closed the door behind him. "I was thinking that I might go see the Dean this morning." He'd been putting it off, thinking about it, but had come to the conclusion that at least his physics professor had reached before him. "I think I've taken on too much at once considering my desire to focus on earning my physic's charter. I'm going to tell him that I'll be delaying the pursuit of my chemistry diploma and would prefer to teach just physics for now."

Of course he wasn't at all sure how the dean would take that or if it was an arrangement he was willing to accept. After all, he'd offered the position believing that Padraig would teach both subjects. But Padraig had agreed without realizing just how time consuming and in truth, exhausting it would be.

[Faith Augustin]

When Cyrus told her that no, she shouldn't be getting herself involved in who did readings and so on, Katie looked at him and beamed. "See? I knew you were listening. You're right of course, Katie was just getting over excited." Katie then leaned over and planted a lingering kiss on Cyrus' lips. Still, no lipstick transfer. Faith was starting to obsess. "Now, Cyrus will tell you, I'm being quite serious. I know, I get excited and I'll make a gazillion suggestions and rush around. I'm hard to stop aren't I, Cy?" She didn't really need him to answer, which was good considering she didn't pause long enough for him to. "But this is your wedding. Don't either of you ever say yes to anything you don't want. I just want to help."

It had to be said, Faith felt more than a little bit bad at that point because her concern when Padraig agreed to the list had been that Katie would be taking over. "We know you do, Katie." Faith said, softly and she looked to both Katie and Cyrus when she spoke. "I can't tell you how much it means to us that you've come here, that you want to be involved and help. It's exciting and it's good to share it with you both. With family."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Faith knew it had been a mistake; Katie more or less launched herself at the former slave. As Katie wrapped her in a hug, there was nothing to do but to go with it, reciprocate the gesture and wipe the lipstick off her cheeks later. In fairness, Faith didn't put up any resistance, but she also hadn't quite foreseen the inevitable next move which was a similar gesture to Padraig, where Katie enveloped him in a hug. There were a few trills of clutching him to her (more than) ample bosom before she deposited some more lipstick on him, then more or less skipped back to Cyrus' lap as Padraig realised the time.

"I'll walk with you." Faith said and stood, "I have some things to do at the library. Are you both..." she got no further as Katie waved away her concern.

"Get on with your trial, both of you. We can keep each other quite entertained, can't we monkey?"

It had to be said, Faith breathed out as he closed the door and was quite content to walk together, nestled against him and her arm around his waist. They weren't quiet long and she knew they wouldn't be. He had something on his mind, Faith could tell. So, as he spoke about what it was, she just listened until he'd said it all and was quiet for a few trills after.

"If you go to the Dean and leave there having somehow agreed that you will teach alchemy too and study philosophy because it sounds like fun, then I am completely on board." Faith was doing something which she didn't do often with him; she was choosing her words carefully and she knew she was. That wasn't her way with him, but she needed him to know that what she said was true.

Serious silver eyes turned to him, "I want to support your dreams, Padraig, empower them." If it was what they needed, then they would just get on. "But I miss you. I miss us. It feels unbalanced right now." If stopping her own studies would help, then she would, but she didn't think it would have an impact. She'd thought that working together would help, but it was just another place where moments were snatched rather than them having time, alone, together. "And while we're talking about it, which we aren't, I don't know what the etiquette is for being in a room with your fiance's grandfather. I don't want to be three chairs and a footstool away from you, but I hate the idea of embarrassing you."

Turning her gaze to him, she tried to explain so that it made sense. "I just don't know the rules, Padraig. I need to know them so that I can decide whether it is acceptable to break them or whether I want to do so." Her expression was intense and she was really trying to communicate as best as she could. "And I need to know if I should call you monkey chops or love bug or whether I am expected to come up with my own name for you. Are there standards?" For all the discipline and careful control of her emotions, Faith's lips twitched.

[Padraig]

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Katie? Hard to stop? Indeed she was, Padraig had thought with the slightest of smiles, even while feeling just a little bit guilty for some of the thoughts that had passed through his mind. She reminded him of a tsunami, rushing towards the shore and feeding upon itself as it neared. However, Faith's sentiments were also his and he'd said so, before he'd grabbed his satchel and made his excuses.

Besides, for as much as he had his misgivings about this...arrangement or whatever it was between his grandfather and this much younger woman, Cyrus seemed to be happy. Hard to tell sometimes, with that dry, blunt tough outer shell of the man who'd raised him. But somehow Katie had figured out how to crack the nut and he'd give her credit for that.

Of course there was more lipstick to wipe off his cheek before he arrived to his first class of the trial. But it was a small price, it appeared that at least they'd come to an understanding. For as long as it lasted, that was. He was happy though for Faith to walk with him, though he wondered how much she really needed to do at the library. "Convenient, I think," he'd told her with a grin. "But I wouldn't put it past the dean to try." Offer to add classes in alchemy, he meant, to what he'd already been expected to take on. It was too much already.

"I miss you too," he said as they walked, wrapped an arm round her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "It seems when I'm not studying, I'm teaching or grading or heading to places in between. Even when I sleep it's going round in my head and there's no time for us. And when there is I'm exhausted." Added to that, he told her, he'd come to feel that he couldn't do justice to his studies in physics, or the students he taught when his focus was split. It wouldn't be fair to his chemistry students once that started.

So he'd speak with the dean then and hope the man understood and was prepared to have him teach just physics. As for rules and his grandfather? Padraig laughed and shrugged. "You know if you had mentioned that before he got here, I would have wondered myself. But I don't think he's going to twitch an eye if we were to simply maintain our own, usual way of being. Have you seen the way she drapes herself all over him. Stuck to him like a fly like sticky paper. I doubt anyone will be shocked to find us kissing in the kitchen."

Besides, it was their home, he told her. And she ought to know by now that she couldn't embarrass him if she tried, and he wasn't prepared to put space between them for anyone, even were they to care. "You need to be you, and I will be me," he added and gave her shoulder a squeeze as they arrived at the library where they'd head off in different directions. But call him monkey chops or love bug, then they'd need a revision to the rules, he warned before kissing her and heading off to his first class of the trial.

[Djinn]

Guess who, nerds...

Oh my God, I laughed so much in this thread. Just rest assured that "monkey-chops" is my new pet-name for my significant other. She will be less than amused. Katherine is completely insufferable, and were I Faith, I'd've hit her with a broom. Overall, really great thread. I like the contrast of Padraig's relationship with Cyrus, and Katherine's weird lovey-dovey stuff. Booyah.

Faith

XP Awarded: 11

Etiquette: Behaviour when around the in laws
Logistics: Organising meals for a full household
Negotiation: State the non-negotiables
Negotiation: Giving in gracefully
Socialization: Chatting in a group
Socialization: Conversing with someone who is never quiet
Socialization: Answering questions

Padraig

XP Awarded: 11

Detection: noticing how others behave
Detection: miniscule facial expressions
Etiquette: Managing house guests
Negotiation: Give a little
Persuasion: There is strength in numbers
Persuasion: Explain your reasons
Socialization: Observations of group behaviour can aid understanding of dynamic