#anywhere

"No man is an Islan, but a woman is..." Harper smiles

"OH" Dow says "Sure.. follow me, I can show you her room"

He grins! "Yes, please. But first, Thane Jane promised I could have a rose from the bushes. She said it was one each. So... Brogan, and Lane, they get one each too. That's fair, right?"

Lanne beams

"If she said so" Dow says

Dow gets up to lead him back to the bush, and then to the room Islan stays in

"Thanks!" He grins. Tail wagging, and he holds the flower behind his back.

And to a room they go. Ivy designs.

A polite rap at the door!

"Father, I'm a bit busy I..." A pause "Wait, that's not.." She opens the door and looks down "Squire Connor?"

His tail wags! "Hello, Ms. Thane." He gives her a proper squire bow!

"We're visiting from Rivervale!"

"Are you now?" She arches a brow "Fair distance. How did you get here?"

"Over the river and through the woods, up and down and yonder. I brought you a gift, and cannot say who it is from. But someone from Rivervale wishes you well!"

He brings forth the rose!

She takes it, and looks surprised

"I.. did not expect a flower" She admits "You were sent here to deliver a flower?"

His ears perk, then twitch. "I can neither confirm, nor deny that."

"A flower is a good present for someone, isn't it?"

"I see" She sighs "Yes, squire, it is. But kindly tell Thane Tig that while it obvious he has been thinking of me, I have rather than dwell on duties focused on my duties, annd sugest he do the same. I am not playing hard to get, in that I am not playing. " She hands tthe flower back "His scoundrel ways and bad boy reputation will not win him over even if mixed with small romantic gestures"

Wide eyed. "Tig isn't bad. He works hard and protects the Barony!"

"If he was bad, he wouldn't annoy me so much and would be easier to.." She looks flustered "to dismiss him. Rather he's just efficent and valorous enough to tempt and I do not need temptation"

Connor considers this, and says, "No one needs temptation. If you could just have whatever it was, it wouldn't be tempting. It would just be yours!"

"I..." Isla tilts her head seeming to process this, then a bit cooly "I do not think of myself as a temptress in return, Squire, but trust me, if I wanted him, I could have him. The problem is I am very sure if I grew attached I couldn't KEEP him, nor does he want to be kept. He's a brave dedicated thane, who has rode beside leends more than once, but his personnal life, while his own, shows little.. maturity. I am not planning on being his, or any man's 'Wednesday night delight'"

She seemed cool before, now she seems just a bit irked at some thought

what she has against Wednesdays? who can say

"A Wedneday night delight sounds like a treat you can only have once a week." Reasoning this out aloud. "Why, though? ...well, maybe it's not good for you. Some people tell me I'm not mature." A flick of his ears, clearly a travesty. "And that someday I'll learn better and know what's best for me. But how will anyone be better... if they get shut down when they try to be better?"

He leans in and whispers, "Me? I think you're nice enough for EVERY NIGHT." She seems fun to talk to, after all! Maybe they could go to the movies.

She sputters thenn says "My.. apologies, Squire. I.. shouldn't have this conversation with a child. You're right, you'r not mature enough for this conversation. Frankly, Tig shouldn' have used you as a middle man" But she looks troubled by more than that "Well, he can be better with some other woman"

A bit of a wobble with his bottom lip. "You're not going to be friends with him? Teaneck and Rivervale are friends, and so should our thanes be. He must have done something awful."

"I..." She looks away "Connor, it's not what he's done, it's...there are expecations men like him never met."

"So... you expect him to be bad, so he doesn't get a chance?" Not accusatory, no... but... trying to make sense of it.

"I.. " She frowns "I don't OWE any man a chance, you know that right? No woman does. We're allowed to be unfair"

But while there's truth to it, she also looks like she could have better way to word that

His brow furrows. "I suppose not. But if I never gave Lily a chance to be my friend? Even though people say sluagh are creepy... and she is, she smells weird, and says things about wanting to put my organs in jars when I perish? Then I'd never have had such a good friend, neither. It would have been sad for me if I missed out."

He bows again, the proper little squire. "We should be getting home."

"I.." She sighs thenn akes the flower back "Squire, I'll return this myself. I SHOULD talk to him. Chiefly about using Childlinggs like this. You go on home. Do you have a ride?"

"Oh, yes." He nods. "But Lane needs to get dropped off at home. Maybe you can drop us off there? We can walk home from there after we escort her. It's only proper, cuz Brogie and me are Squires. She's not a fledge any more, but it's still polite."

"Lane? Oh dearr. I'll get my coat" She does so and says "Where is she?"

"She was just right out here..." He checks to see if Brogan and Lane are still around.

They are with the other kids, no doubt. Probably teaching the others the Shadowpaw Pledge!

A good outing! Information gathered, SP branch office established, and a FRIENDSHIP SAVED... surely!

Now, to find Jack and Lily and see how THEIR trip went!

but that's an adventure for... another day?

Indeed! And they get to ride in a mini van with a DVD player in the back seat!

They watch Lady and the Tramp!

"I wonder if we can have sketti!" He sighs happily during the bella notte scene. He'd fall in love with someone who shared their meatballs, for SURE.

Brogan says "I'll cook us some when we get home"

"Golly Brogan, you sure treat a gal nice."

BIG grin.

Lane giggles. Brogan groans

Isla laughs BUT only for a second "ahem "

And she drrops them off at Rivervale, offering to loann them the DVD if they wish to watch it fully at their house. She has a thane to seek out