#anywhere

"Oh me sing?" Buce says "OH I never..."

Solemnly, "If you make a worried face, I will have to sing Hakuna Matata. And for that we'll need Tonto and his voice. And THEN we will have to have a contest to find which is closest to a warthog, bisonte or burra. I do not wish to hurt his feelings, after all." She chatters, trying to liven the mood.

THen he belts "Back about eighteen and twenty-five
I left Tennessee very much alive
I never would have made it through the Arkansas mud
If I hadn't been riding on the Tennessee Stud
Had some trouble with my sweetheart's pa
One of her brothers was a bad outlaw
I wrote a letter to my Uncle Fud
And I rode away on the Tennessee Stud

The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun and his eyes were green
He had the nerve and he had the blood
There never was a horse like the Tennessee Stud

Drifted on down into no man's land
I crossed the river called the Rio Grande
I raced my horse with the Spaniards bold
'Til I got me a skinful of silver and gold
Me and a gambler, we couldn't agree
We got in a fight over Tennessee
We pulled our guns, he fell with a thud
And I rode away on the Tennessee Stud

The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun and his eyes were green
He had the nerve and he had the blood
There never was a horse like the Tennessee Stud

I rode right back across Arkansas
And I whipped her brother and I whipped her pa
I found that girl with the golden hair
And she was riding on a Tennessee mare
Pretty little baby on the cabin floor
A little horse colt playing 'round the door
I love the girl with the golden hair
And the Tennessee Stud loves the Tennessee Mare

The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun and his eyes were green
He had the nerve and he had the blood
There never was a horse like the Tennessee Stud!"

She can't help but giggle to the silly lyrics.

Well, THAT gets Ellie distracted for a bit.

His voice isn't bad. It's NOT..Troubadour worthy. But he sings it with volume and passion

Ariel giggles

And Ash says, after it's done "Got it out of your system, Sir Buce?"

Buce blushes and admits "I have a condition"

"Right, come on girls, let's all go talk to Phoebe" A smile and she guides them just so

PHoebe, of course, will be happy to sing that song for them...

(End Scene)

****************************************************************
Meanwhile, having dropped Piper off at home, Adam returns to his own domicile.

Nab greets him with a hug "Heeeey I missed you"

"Hey....." He hugs her back, gives her a peck on the cheek.

"I thought of you."

"You did?" She says "Sweet. Good thoughts?"

"Yeah. Missed you too."

"Thanks." She touches her cheek curiously, "How did Piper do?"

"OH!" Adam enthusiastically tells how Piper did, praising her voice and selection of music.

"Made bank.. sounds like she was on her A game. The Chief will be pleased I bet ..."

"Probably. Piper's pretty stoked..... she was....."

"yeah? good. Hey, coudln't help but notice... something" Nabuni says

"What?"

"A kiss on the cheek? " A brow "Piper wear you out eh?" A grin

"Oh....." He draws her closer and kisses her lips, more attentively.

She returns it hotly, then parts "No worries. Just let me know if ..well, if you're going steady and I need to back off"

"Well........ c'mon, let's head up? We can talk."

"SUre..." She heads up with him

Up in his room, Adam dumps his bag and flops onto the bed. "So... Piper and I -did- talk."

"Yeah?" she flops next to him and looks at him, her tail swaying

"Yeah." Even as he speaks, his eyes show admiration for the view. "Nab, she .... it's a little confusing? But she .... if she and I are somewhere together, she wants it to be just-us together." A little sigh "Unless she changes her mind I guess? Or maybe that was just because of Beltaine, I don't know. But.... well, I figured it was like you've said before, that I need a flesh-and-blood someone? If she's going to be it, she wants.... well, not that we're exclusive? I think? But that we.... I guess that we respect that we're together when we're together?"

Nab ponders this, "My first thought is 'darn it'.. my second? " A pause "Good for her" And a nod "And for you too"

"Darn it?"

"I Like three ways now and then" she winks

"BUt... I'm more glad!" she assures

"Well... that's part of the confusing part. She was fine with hooking up with you, before, and Ramona on Beltaine."

"Did you talk to her much about it?"

"I didn't want to upset her. More, I mean. So I figured I'd say yes, 'cause she's important to me, and watch to see where she was leading and then figure it out from there."

"Still, it's showing a lot of maturity" she says

"What is?"

"You know... taking her feelings into account and trying something more..intimate. Putting each other first"

"I'm not a jerk, Nab. At least, not if I can help it. I love her, she wants this, why not try?"

"What I'm saying..." A kiss on the lips, a peck herself really, "Is that you're helping it better"

"Mm."

"But, she knows about us, obviously, and she's cool with it. You being here, and all. But I might have to, you know, stick with her if the three of us are out?" He sighs. "Unless she decides that it's the three of us and not the two of us."

" i can work with that. I always want to be your friend, but if you don't need me, then.. it's cool." She says

"No it's not. It hurt you, last time. I just didn't understand then."

"I'm different now.. since the wish.. stronger I think but I'm not a creature built for love no" A smile "i'm glad you've got piper using you as her favorite flesh flute"

"You think that's all it is?" Quietly, standing and moving away.