#earthrunes

"And of course you will. But you see temporary failure as a sign of personal failing....and that's nonsense."

He disagrees, but says nothing.

Good thing, if he doesn't want a fight. "Now...go find Vince, and practice what you've learned." She smiles playfully and dots a kiss on his lips.

He kisses her back and nods, rising to do so. "I might ask around, Fae sources, about the willworkers."

"Do. I will do the same."

"This is not your issue."

"Perhaps not, but you've made me curious. Let us see who finds the treasure of answers first."

She winks and turns to leave the room.

He sighs. He watches her go with a feeling of loss.... and that he's missed something.

And done.

.......

Vince walks... well, flounces.... down the hallway, heading towards the library.

He may notice a box, a large cardboard box a grown man could fit into. It says 'No Lions Aloud!'

He stops. A pause... and he caaaarefully looks to the left, and the right.... then, of course - setting his book aside first - peeks inside!

It's dark, but there's something silvery..a silver circle?

Hard to make out

Curious, he reaches in, groping for the circle.

And then as his face gets just a bit closer so his hand can reach, he realizes that the 'silver ring' is actually the shining edge of a pie with lots of...

SPLAT!

And Shalimar in a ninja outfit (Black jammies) tries to make a break through the other side of the box

Behind him, his tail lashes in distress, and he gives a roar and leaps for Shalimar - though, his vision is rather blurred through whipped cream.

Shalimar, so clever, may have misjudged preparing his egrees to be easy to get through... because while he pushes through, he does not go all the way, and there is that tail, black, white stripped, that even a half blind fellow might grab if he feels it

The tail is grabbed - but he doesn't hold on - NO, that is not a tail for clinging to, the colors blaring a warning of defenses. But, a handful of whipped cream, smeared through Shalimar's glossy glorious plume.

"Ack! My best side!" Shalimar declares!

The box, with two grown men inside of it, flops over, and over again.. perhaps this shouldn't have been put on a hallway with a slight incline

"Scalliwag! Ruffian! Imp! Rapscallion! Varlet!" As they tumble over and and over.

"Knave, Neerdowell! Non com POOP!"

"Rogue! Rascal! Imp! Scoundrel!" A little slower now as he digs through his vocabulary.

"Brute, Barbarian, Bistro!"

Another turn. "Bistro? I'll have you know that I'm as good as a full fine dining experience!"

"Oh very well!" Then "Degenerate, Demon, Dining Car!"

Thump and whump... slip and slide...

"DINING CAR?! Why I oughta-"

Flinging more of the pie at Shalimar, though with the spin action it is pretty much everywhere now.

ANd they finally do hit something... or someone

"What in Rumplestiltskein's loom is going on here?" Says Delores, flat on her back, and with two cream covered pooka on top of her!

"Oh, oh my. Allow me to be the first to explain, that this was absolutely, positively, no way my fault."

"Yes, it's ALL his fault" Shlimar nods

"I'm sure you're both angels" Delores says coolly

"Here I was, minding my own business, and - oh, oh no." His eyes welling up with tears as he examines his arm. "Grievous injury has befallen me."

"I have a broken tail" Shalimar adds

"I'm really tempted to break someone's tail" Delores says "Look at this mess" Indeed, the hallway is a trail of cream crust, with splats on the walls "you two better hope none of this got in the library or I don't know if I could hold Miss Zara off"

"No no, see here - "He shows Shalimar the sleeve, slightly torn. "Italian imported silk, AND I lost a button. Charity is going to SCOLD me so."

"Ooh that is tragic." Shalimar says "I need to get him to the nurse" He says to the Steward

"Get out before I have both of you chained to mops and buckets" Her eyes darken

That would appear to be a good excuse to flee

He bows to Delores, and takes the opportunity. He whispers to Shalimar once just beyond earshot, "A terrible fate for a delightful box, though."

"What is it with your people and boxes?" He asks "By your people, I mean Leos, of course"

and they keep moving

"No offense taken." He says in a magnanimous tone. "Of course, now we simply must find a way to make this up to Fair Steward. Do you know, is she partial to flowers? Sweets? Silks and spicy of far Araby?"