#anywhere

He grins, relieved. "It's not as good as the mug. I'll have to keep it here, so it doesn't get broken, or put in the dishwasher, or something..." Turning it over in his hands to see if her name is on the bottom.

Or any inscription, or makers mark?

An inscribed thistle!

"Oh, it can't go in the dishwasher. Or the microwave..."

He rubs his thumb over the mark, smiling. "I'll treat it like a work of art." He promises.

"Sorry. Um. It's real gold? Not a lot, but enough to mess with things..."

"Well, I bet Marigold would let you keep it here for coffee and cocoa..."

"Real gold?? Wow..." Amazes, and he turns to stymy a Never who is trying to tug at the gem on the handle.

"Stop that, okay? I think there are candy canes on the tree..."

The nevers consider, and a couple of them go to check - reconnaissance!

"Shoo..." She waves at the Never.

"Oh, this was from the Baron." He offers a small envelope to Thistle.

"Oh! Cool." She takes it. "He was hard to shop for..." A sidelong glance at the table.

It's tickets, train tickets to NYC, and tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art! They have an event coming up, it seems. With a handwritten note - "Do not deny your potential. I see great things in you, and will expect the same in return. - A"

"Oh..."

Art is trying not to crane and peek.

She shows him. "I've wanted to go, it's... I mean, it's a great museum..."

"Who are you going to go with?" He notices there are two tickets!

"Your mom? I bet that'd be a great trip." He grins. "Or your father, and Janice may watch Frankie."

"...You wanna go?"

He brightens! "I didn't want to assume... but yes, very much so! I would like to see the city, and the museum as well."

She grins. "We can get folding pizza AND a hot dog from a cart!"

"Are those sanitary?" He grins. "I want to try them both!"

"Oh, surely not sanitary. That's the point?"

"Does New York have a library? I know we can't take anything back, but I could look!"

"Oh, a HUGE library! With Lions! There's a TV show about it..."

She bites on her lip as she re-reads the note. Another glance at the table.

"I wonder if the library or the museum might be a freehold? There's so many books and movies with them... oh, did you ever read The Mixed up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler?"

He grins. "Hey, let's go get some cocoa."

"I don't think I know that one..."

"I have it around somewhere, I'll find it. Cocoa sounds good." Hesitation.

"Great. Then let's load up these mugs and get them handed out! That one must be for Dame Lavender..."

He smiles at the purple mug with the lavender pattern.

Yellow spirals! "I.. uh, yeah, I was thinking that maybe, when I made it..."

"Clearly you can't carry them all." He says, reasonably. "Let me help. It'll be fun, to see everyone recognize their own! Like this one, it must be for Blossom." Admiring the smaller mug with the fitting pattern.

Quietly. "Yeah..."

She hesitates again, but then starts putting pieces into a spare box to carry.

"The pie bird sings." She offers. And, later "That pattern is made from putting horsehair on the glaze when it's hot - it burns right up..."

"Really? How did you get the hair without the horses kicking you?" He carefully carries a few himself.

"Got some from Dolph - they shed some when they're combed out." Heading with Art to the kichen. Marigold's realm is a safe haven!

Marigold is in there, taking a steaming tray from oven. "Hello, my little chickies." She greets them cheerfully.

"Happy Yule-mas!"

"Happy to you two, Miss Thistle. Art, be a dear and scooch those pans out of the way?"

He moves to do it. "Do you have a good spot for us to set out some presents Thistle made?"

She quietly fusses, spirals shifting to a nervous yellow again.

Blossom clatters about the presents, eager

There is a PRINCESS mug, in pink, with a TIARA on it

"Oooo" her eyes light up

Marigold blinks, and quickly clears a place near the counter where the hot cocoa fixings are set out. "Here would be nice!"

She bustles politely, peeking at the gifts and cooing over the horse-hair mug. "Now that's SHARP."