2022-03-14 - Pi Day

The Summerlands on Oak Avenue. A bit bombastic, Ravn admits to himself as he uploads the blog post to that folklore blog of his which has an average visitor count of about five per month, three of which ended up in the wrong search result. It does not bother him that few people read. In fact, people not reading his blog because they think it's largely a mishmash of genuine folklore studies (the man does have a PhD in the field) and bizarre attempt at fictitious urban fantasy diary might mean it gets to stay up. He's certainly not the first writer in Gray Harbor to try to tell its strange stories, and getting away with presenting the weirdness in a fiction format.

Most editors would object that a story needs to have a plot and a resolution, though. And that's probably why no one reads -- there is no plot, and there is no resolution, there is only surviving another week in a very strange world of overlapping realities, monsters, and cryptids.

He sits with his laptop on the paved area out back of number three, not particularly hard to spot from the road or neighbouring gardens -- comfortable in a t-shirt and jeans because while the rest of the state may have late-winter weather, it's summer here. A pleasant and balmy day, with happy if somewhat confused colibris and bees. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Also, bit too zonked on Tylenol to really care.

Una's been a busy bee of her own accord, so for today: there's laundry (sheets and towels only, though) hanging from a line she's rigged up out the back, drying contentedly in the unseasonable warmth. There's also pi(e); it is, after all, that most notable of days (if you happen to use the ridiculous American date format, which, of course, Una does, being... American), and even if it weren't, who needs an excuse anyway?

It's with aforementioned pie in hand (or rather, on a plate, and anyway, they're hand-pies, so there are a multiples) that the redhead lets herself out of the backdoor of number five and wanders across the verdant lawn to interrupt Ravn and his laptop. She's in a sundress, pastel flowers on black cotton, bare feet curling contentedly in the grass. "Pie?" she offers, as she gets close enough to chat without calling out. "There's cherry. And also apple-blackberry, because I couldn't decide."

A Summer. A wonderful time of the year. Not having to deal with the horrors of the snow and the chill, and all the layers. Besides, who doesn't love the feel of the sun on their shoulders as they lay about in the sun? After the explosion, Ava was forced to take a couple of days off from word to make sure she was 'really okay'. Which really just means that she's bored out of her mind with too much time on her hands.

This also means that it's time to bother the neighbors. On her way to go harass Una, she happens to spot Ravn first, eying him on his front porch. There's a bit of hemming and hawing as she tries to decide whether or not to go in. But then there's Una, already in there as well, which means that she no choice now. Crap. Capris and a light blouse, with stupid stupid flats. The only shoes that will fit with the brace on her ankle that she does her best not to draw attention to as she makes her way over. A hand lifts in greeting.

"Both. Both is good," Ravn declares in an imitation of a meme that has become more famous than the animated movie that spawned it. He lets the laptop rest in his lap and leans back on his quite comfortable armchair -- one of those tiki things made from bamboo or grass or whatever it is, but comfortable enough. "And I'll provide the coffee if either of you can be bothered to actually make it because well --"

He raises his hands and makes a kind of flaily gesture. "I'm actually kind of hurting like hell. They tell me it's just bruising but if I didn't know better, I'd argue it's been a lot more than bruises before a certain someone got to it." A nod to the certain someone sneaking up in her flats. "How's your leg?"

The imitation makes Una crack a smile (a further smile; a bigger smile) as she sets her plate of pies down. "Both is definitely good," she agrees, glancing around to identify-- or perhaps just find-- Ava, and grin at her as well. "Come and have some pie, Ava."

The grin falls, somewhat, at the visual reminder of that ankle brace, and Ravn's own reference to his bruises. "The walking wounded will sit," she decrees. "and the helpful assistant will make coffee with which to revive them. I assume coffee supplies are easy to find in your kitchen, Ravn? No cupboards full of surprise skeletons."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ava says when Ravn looks towards her with his accurate accusation. "Just because you know me pretty well already doesn't mean you're always right, even though you are." She can't help the small smile. "I'd love some pie. Thanks, Una." As Ravn mentions still being in that much pain, the guilt washes through her, and that aura flairs, the healing washing out of her and through him without a thought. It's as intense as the guilt, which means there's raw power behind it. Some of the veins along her arms begin to darken, a trickle of blood coming out of her nose. "Una, take him inside. Quick. Just in case." That was a lot. Last time there was a lot, things exploded.

"Well, not skeletons. Unless Aidan found one in a thrift store somewhere." Ravn chuckles and actually looks a little sheepish. Oak 3 is rapidly entering into Gray Harbor local history as That House -- the one where nothing matches, everything is very colourful, and yet somehow, strangely, everything works perfectly, every time.

He might have wanted to say more. Suddenly there is blood on Ava's face, and fire in his muscles -- the good kind, but, the kind that follows after injury, and he's been injured enough to have learned a certain wariness.

The laptop goes on the little tiki table. "I'm all right, don't --"

Eh, bit too late. Ravn looks around.

Sky is still blue. Up is still up, down is still down. No dinosaurs on the horizon, no meteors. "I think we -- might be fine this time? You didn't try to -- right? Just pain?"

It's hard to miss that wash of power, exiting Ava and entering Ravn. Hard to miss how much there is, and harder still to miss the urgency of Ava's request. There's no hesitation from the redhead, whose arm shoots out with what is likely every intention of grabbing at Ravn-- but before she gets further than beginning the action, Ravn's own words forestall her.

"Are we... sure? We're okay? You didn't break the world again?"

Ava takes a long, slow breath. Her hand presses to her chest as her eyes scan. "I didn't," she promises Ravn. "I wouldn't ever. Not without your explicit permission. It was just normal healing, but it was very intense. I think because I, you know, feel responsible for the state that you're in." She wipes the blood from her ear and glances around. "Okay. You're right. Seems like everything is okay." She glances to Una. "I think we're sure. But if things start to feel weird, be ready to bolt. Take his ass and go. I will distract, you run. Then I'll run once you're clear."

"I'll take my own ass and go." Ravn can't help half-smile. He appreciates the concern. He truly does -- not merely on a superficial level but as someone who has lived on the street, alone, with no one giving a fig about his ass getting in or out of rocks and hard places. But his legs are not injured and (if he has to be entirely honest with himself) he's six foot three of man getting assigned to be rescued by five foot three of tiny redhead and bloody hell, it does actually sting his pride a bit.

He should probably acknowledge that bit of internalised misogyny and feel bad about it. He doesn't. Besides, there's pie -- two kinds of pie. You can't get up and run from the monsters when there are two kinds of pie. At best, invite them to have a slice, too.

Kitchen, right. "Here's to the world not breaking before we've had pie." Ravn gets up after all and goes to help Una find the various things required for coffee production; the coffee is in the purple canister, and the drip filters are in the drawer there, and with a bit of luck we might even find three mugs that --

-- Nah. There's no such things as matching mugs. One is flowering pansies, one is bright green with a Kermit motif, and one says Greetings from Milwaukee.

"Promise," says the redhead, all serious intent.

In retrospect... yes, the prospect of tiny Una manhandling tall Ravn out of trouble is a ludicrous one. Points for trying? 'Try' is probably the operative word here.

After her exhale, there's a laugh. Okay, yes: maybe she's seen the ridiculousness of this now. "What, you wouldn't let me try and feel useful by saving your ass? I'm hurt." At least she grins over her shoulder at Ava as she follows Ravn into the house. "Don't eat all the pie without us."

Una sets the coffee to percolate (at least she can do something to help!) and glances at the mugs-- and laughs. "Your mugs are as odd a collection as ours are. Who buys a tourist mug from Milwaukee?"

"You were just claiming that your arms hurt too much to make coffee. I'm just looking out for you. Better that you have help in an emergency while you are injured." Not that Ava is one to talk with her bandaged up ankle, but it's not remotely as bad as his injuries were. "Hey, if pie is missing, I'm blaming it on the Faeries, and you can't prove otherwise. You don't have pie-cams." Still, Ava's eyes are scanning the area before glancing down at her arms and smoothing over the darkened veins to try to give them back some of their natural color.

It'll fade back in time, she knows. But the doctor has been on edge ever since that evening.

Those veins do earn a second glance. Ravn has seen this kind of thing before -- most people who live here long enough to befriend others with high amounts of power will -- but it's never not unsettling. He remembers Kailey Holt, commanding a dragon, while next to her, cars melted like props in a Salvador Dali painting. He remembers Chief de la Vega bleeding from ears and nose when trying to read the history of objects -- there's a word for that, psychometry, but that doesn't come with the busted eardrum add.

"I honestly have no idea where Aidan finds these," he admits and claims Greetings from Milwaukee for himself -- and because his arms bloody well hurts, he does so in a not very discreet fashion; the mug floats his way and stays there because fuck this, if the Veil takes away Ravn's hands he will move things in other ways. "But if you want another, feel free to go on a treasure hunt in the cabinet. I mean, I once found a Royal Danish Copenhagen in there, and those things are actually pretty expensive."

"Thrift shops are treasure troves of amazing and ridiculous finds," is Una's answer to that, having served out the coffee-- using her hands, thank you very much-- and picked up the remaining two mugs. "These'll do just fine. Right--" A nod towards the door, because while Una may not have said as much, there's still some concern in her expression for Ava, her arms, and the blood that was coming out of her ears. She'll lead the way, even, all the better to present the doctor with one of the mugs, and then eye up the pie plate suspiciously. Just. In Case.

Ava is all smiles by the time the others return, hiding that look of concern she was sporting a moment ago. She accepts the mug wit a look of thanks for Una. "You're the best," she beams before moving to sit down and finally take the weight off of her leg. It takes a little bit of managing, but eventually she seems to figure it out. One leg sticks out ungracefully, however, which seems to bother her a great deal. It's almost funny how much it bugs her.

The pie is unscathed. "You can find some amazing decor items in thrift shops. Or pieces that just need a little love to make them into a real masterpiece."

"Aidan certainly makes an art form of it." Ravn grins slightly. "He's turned it into a game, and one that he plays very well at that."

Heaven knows it's true. The entire house of No 3 is decorated that way, from furniture to coffee mugs. The only thing that looks like it might have been actually made or purchased for this specific house is the large purple Kailey Holt abstract hanging over the fireplace. Which does not mean everything looks bad; just chaotic, in that fun loving kitszchy way that the young man with the Hawaii shirt excels at.

The Milwaukee mug floats unashamedly over to come to rest on the tiki table on the porch as Ravn reclaims his seat. "So, are we ready to talk about The Sims yet?"

A question directed at Una, because presumably, Ava has no idea what that's about.

"Feeding-- and apparently coffee-ing-- people is what I do best," Una tells Ava, as she settles into her own seat. It's a good thing she does so quickly, too, and that her coffee is securely held between two hands, because Ravn's question makes her freeze, if only for a moment.

The coffee gets carefully tucked between her knees, folds of her skirt nestled around it to keep the ceramic from burning her skin. She reaches instead for the pies, picking up one of the individual-sized pastries. Her gaze stays lowered. "I thought we were going to pretend that never happened," is what she says, which is remarkably composed given she is-- of course-- blushing scarlet.

Ava clutches her cup, letting the warmth fill her for a few moments before she finally takes a long sip of that sweet bean juice. Perfection. "You are a treasure, Una. Don't ever let anyone ever tell you otherwise." Spotting the red cheeks and the way the other woman freezes, though, gives her pause. Brows lift as she glances between the two. "The video game?"

"I need to talk about it," Ravn murmurs. "How am I going to make the joke that at least I removed the stick from my arse if I don't?"

He nods at Ava. "It was a weird experience. Basically we were just -- characters in the game. Doing normal things. I mean, normal for the game. Fishing, painting things, getting dragged into weird and awkward flirt routines by the AI. For me, the worst part was coming back with a sea bass in my pants."

As before there was so much talk of thrift shops, Maya is apparently living that life. Dressed in an old looking flannel jacket, skinny jeans faded well beyond the usual, all capped off with a wool cap and canvas sneakers. Maya certainly has a look to her, a very distinct sense of fashion, as she prepares to walk through the early spring chill. She looks across the street and furrows her brows and decides to finally brave the other side of the street, eyes widening at the sudden warmth.

Eventually she comes to where the others are gathered, and she's already sweating considerably before she gets up to them, removing the cap and taking a breath, catching the conversation she looks between them and then with a bit of a pointed glance to Ravn asks "Does that mean I can ask what happened with the fish?" She wonders before she adds. "Sorry uh... We haven't met in person, I'm Maya, the one that got weirdly jealous of Kailey that whole time we were in the Sims..." She says before eyeing Ravn. "So it was in your pants? That's better than the alternative I guess."

Look. It's a good joke, really. And it's enough to break some of Una's tension, anyway, because she laughs, lifting one hand towards her mouth to cover it until she can compose herself again. "Ok," she says. "Ok. Fine. Point made."

"And for me, it was when Ravn propositioned me. What... did you do with the fish? Because I..." Saw where it went? Or at least, had some idea where it went?

Oh, look. Maya. That's not especially helping Una's flush, in the moment when she glances up from her pie and recognises the other woman. "Oh," she says. oh. "Hello. Do you want some pie?"

A lot of that tension that was in Ava's shoulders eases away with a laugh at the thought a sea bass in Ravn's pants. "That is one interesting mental picture," she offers. "As far as Dreams go, that's probably not the worst you could get. The Sims seems like a fun one. Did anyone get to meet the Grim Reaper? Those, I suppose dying in the Sims, might have meant dying here, so that probably would have been great, huh?"

She glances up towards Maya, lifting a hand in the woman's direction. A face she doesn't recognize, but is openly talking about Dreams. So that's a win in her book. "Hi there."

"I woke up with a literal dying sea bass in my pants. Which is not where I prefer to keep my fish. Or anything else that's in the process of choking to death." Ravn makes a face at the memory. "It took me a while to clean the bed. Stains and wet spots everywhere sounds like somebody had a jolly great time, but when the somebody was a dying fish, it's actually more just scales and slime and god-awful."

He raises a gloved hand in a wave to Maya. "Pleased to meet you in the waking world -- Maya, was it? Staying with Kailey Holt and Ev Woods in number six? I'd rather meet you than the Grim Reaper, not going to lie. I know having babies with Grim is kind of the ultimate to-do things in the game but, honestly? I'll pass. If I have to, I'd rather follow the Grilled Cheese aspiration and just sit on the sofa all day writing poetry about cheddar."

"Hello," Maya waves to Ava as she gets her bearings, looking over the others also with a slight flush of her cheeks. "It definitely could've been worse," she says. "It got me to open up about feelings I've kept secret for months and now...?" She doesn't say more but her smile says everything.

"I actually didn't recognize you until I overheard you both. I came over here to see if maybe you knew why it's... So warm across the street from me? Yeah I'm in 6 with Kailey and Ev, I'm sort of the live-in babysitter, still work as a waitress in the diner but now I just pull the busy shifts. It's really helped free up my time."

Una might still argue the case of 'this was a terrible Dream, I don't know what you're talking about', but happily she's too busy biting in to the flaky pastry crust of her cherry pie, and chewing and swallowing will prevent her from offering immediate rejoiner.

When she does speak, it's to admit, "The fish thing sounds gross. I'm... glad it worked out well for you?" That's for Maya, for whom the redhead has a thoughtful, if still pink-cheeked, glance. "I'll be glad not to repeat the experience."

At least Maya's question has an easier, less embarrassing answer: "That's easy. We have Ava, and we have a faerie ring."

Ava chuckles slightly at Una's reaction. "It seems like it was more embarrassing than anything else, huh? Which, I suppose is bad enough in its own right. Some Dreams can be like a ride when you get on them. But not all rides are right for everyone, after all."

At the mention of having an Ava, the doctor raises a hand. "That's me, I'm the Ava that they have. Ava Brennon. Pleasure to meet you. I was not in The Sims with you guys, however. The yards are originally my fault. Them sticking around so long you can blame the faeries for. They like them, so they are keeping them around. Much to our delight.

"Getting feelings out there is a pretty neat side effect," Ravn agrees -- and eyes that cherry pie. It's not going to eat itself after all. "Sometimes, you wake up from one of those things with a broken arm or a meat cleaver stuck in one arm, and sometimes you wake up with a new girlfriend. I mean, if I had to choose? I think even I would prefer the girlfriend option there, and more so if I had had feelings for her for a while."

He laughs softly at Ava's observation. "I think what the faerie like is Una's baking. Bribing cheap labour here with cookies, that's what we are. I should feel bad but, the only ones who aren't winning in this deal are the pixies that are too slow to escape my cat."

"Walking out of a dream with a new girlfriend is by far the best outcome I've had," Maya chuckles with a bit of a pink to her cheeks. "I can understand why you'd both have rather skipped it but for once I'm glad it happened. I'll probably pay for it in a future dream though," she says with a grim smile. Foreshadowing???

"Nice to meet ya, Ava. Nice work then if you managed all this. Faeries though? I mean I guess why not? On top of everything else why not those be real? Better than half of the stuff I encountered since moving to town." She eyes Ravn a moment and blinks slowly. "That sounds absolutely terrifying, I'm glad I'm not a slow pixie."

"I-- well, good for you." Una can be pleased for Maya, at least, though she's already dropping her gaze again so that she can apply herself to her coffee (and pie).

"I like to think the faeries just enjoy making beautiful things. I mean, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but for now? If the cost is a few batches of cookies," a few batches a week, that is, "I'm perfectly willing to pay it. Baking cookies is such a hardship, but I'll do my bit for the sake of being able to sit outside like this in March."

"Sounds like it was a successful Dream for you," Ava laughs, offering Maya a congratulatory nod. "I wish they could all be so kind." Her smile flickers around the edges as she presses the cup to her lips quickly as Ravn talks about broken arms and Dreams. Her eye get a little distracted as she leans towards Una and murmurs to her quietly. "Hey, any chance I can get a slice or two to go? I have to meet a friend later to talk over something I'm working on and I've love to let her try a slice of your baking. I know she'll love it. I should probably be going to get ready for that, anyway." It's going to take a moment for her to get up from this position anyway. Nobody look at her undignified maneuvering. Avert your eyes to her shame!

"Have you met Kailey's pet yet, the Uncat? Mine's like her -- well, they're kind of sisters. Only, mine's the real cat who's just a small black cat. Awful temper, though, and a taste for pixies and other things that look like butterflies." Ravn glances at Maya, and chuckles. "Believe me, I do realise how absurd that sounds."

He helps himself to a slice of the cherry pie at last -- a small, narrow one, which goes to some length to explain why the man seems to be perpetually a few kilos underweight; no one sane should skimp on pie. At least it keeps him from looking at Ava's ankle brace; a strange thing to be self conscious about as far as the Dane is concerned but then -- everyone's got their issues, and he's certainly got plenty of his own.

"You'll still want to maybe drop us a hint sometime, Una -- for the cost, I mean." Ravn chuckles. "The rate these things consume cookies, that's got make a dent in your household budget."

"I guess just enjoy it while you can," Maya offers with a shrug. "I've never dealt with faeries but if they're anything like the stories, mischief is inevitable," Maya muses. "Personally I like colder months so I can live my 90s grunge dream but it's better than freezing at night" she chuckles.

"You mean Flerkin?" She asks Ravn. "Of course, he's a great cuddle partner while watching Netflix late at night," she smiles. "Nothing sounds absurd anymore, I can promise you that... If you told me Flerkin is an actual Flerkin like from the comics, I would have no choice but to believe you."

Una's reply to Ava is an immediate open wave towards the plate of pie: "Help yourself. There's plenty. I overdid it again... too much into the 'pi day' spirit." The redhead doesn't miss a beat, despite Ava's self-consciousness: there's just a bright smile and an encouraging nod.

"Kitty Pryde is plenty enough cat, as far as I'm concerned. I'm a little nervous about this cat of Kailey's I keep hearing about," she contributes to the conversation between Maya and Ravn, scraping pastry crumbs (and cherry) off of her fingers.

"I mean, if you want to pay for a costco run at some point, I won't stop you, but-- it's definitely cheaper than a yard service would be, and I am down with perpetual summer. No grunge for me."

"No such thing as being too into the 'pi day' spirit wen it means there's pie to share." Ava grins. She gives Una a thankful peck on the cheek. "You're the best, thank you. I will bring you back a sparkling clean plate, I promise." Wrangling two of the slices onto her plate, Ava gives a little nod of approval. Perfect. "You should be fine tomorrow. But keep up with the Tylenol if you're still feeling aches. Have Aidan hit you up if you think you need it. If you're having mobility issues let me know immediately, okay?" That part was for Ravn, who she still isn't quite looking in the eye, yet.

"Maya, it was great to meet you. I just moved into One. So stop by anytime!" She gives a wave before heading back towards her place in her stupid stupid flat shoes.

Ravn shakes his head. "The Uncat does not have a name. She's the size of a lynx and all black, with green eyes. And, well, she talks, if she feels like it. She's not a real cat -- she is the Veil's idea of what a cat could be, if a cat had powers like us. Flerkin is -- ginger but just a cat, I think?"

Then he nods, seriously. "Yes, doctor. I know it doesn't sound like it given I choose to stay in this town but -- I actually do want to stay more or less in one piece. I promise to die from lung cancer inevitably, not from, well, that."

Beat. "Damned good pie, though."

Maya waves to the departing Ava. "Oh well it was good meeting you, take care! I'll be sure to see you around, I often take the kiddos on walks around the block, get them some fresh air!" She pauses. "They can't walk so good so I wind up carrying them" she bites her lip and smiles a bit for Una. "Well I guess my look is less grunge than it is 'pretentious indie girl' but I take what I can."

"I guess I haven't met the uncat then," she says. "Kailey hadn't mentioned him, but I guess it hasn't come up... Or I mistook the things she mentioned for something else?"

"Can I try some of the pie?" Maya asks, reaching for a slice given what she's heard so far, but not so fast that her hand can't be slapped away.

Una's bright smile follows after Ava, and is further brightened by Ravn's compliment. Feeding people clearly makes the redhead happy: it draws her shoulders back, enhances her smile, and returns the equanimity that has at times been lacking in her composure. "Help yourself," she encourages Maya. "Some of it is cherry, and some blackberry and apple, because I couldn't decide. Ravn clearly won't eat enough, so I need everyone to help out... though the faeries might help, in the end. I assume faeries eat pie, too."

She kicks off her sandals and reclaims her coffee cup, wrapping both hands around it. "You're probably lucky Ava had to go, Ravn," she tells the Dane. "Or the anti-smoking lecture might come next. And she'd be right, of course. She probably can't cure that, either."

"She would be, and I shouldn't, and I'm still going to. I had this discussion with myself years ago, and it helps me to focus when I'm not doing so great. Some people drink five bottles of Coke a day, some people drive fast cars, and I smoke a couple of cigarettes -- all of which is stupid. At least I don't drive fast cars." Ravn nods good-naturedly. "And I will eat as much as this pie as I possibly can, because it is delicious."

Does he have a look? Of course he does; and it seems to be 'Seattle hipster art director' or possibly, 'Steve Jobs impersonator'. Sometimes, the black leather jacket is swapped for a black blazer; sometimes the t-shirt is a turtleneck, but it's all inevitably black and in case of the jeans, quite well worn. The two-day stubble is probably measured very carefully.

"This place -- you learn to pick your fights. Me? I'm going to die young, I figure, or get lost and end up walking on the other side somewhere I don't find my way back out. So maybe a small vice doesn't matter nearly as much as living life while we've got it, make the most of it." The Dane raises the teaspoon in salute to Maya. "And if a Dream got you what you wanted? Bloody good job, I say."

"A common complaint is that I'm too skinny and need to eat more. Afraid I can't really do that but I'll help myself to a slice, see if I can finish that much!" She offers, taking a bit of the apple pie, taking a bite as she nods along. "I'm sure the fairies will have some, and if not they are missing out! You were not kidding about your cooking" she chuckles, taking another bite.

"That's a... Pragmatic view at least. I'm trying to make the most of what I have. I'm looking for a missing person and until I find her I'm not leaving... Though Kailey has given me a new reason to stay. The dream gave me what I wanted and I'm happy, but I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'll have to keep an eye open."

Una draws her bare toes up onto the edge of her chair, wrapping one arm around her legs and using the other to balance her coffee cup upon her raised knees. "I can't argue with that," she agrees after a moment's consideration. "After all, I'll probably end up in an early grave having failed to balance my cookie intake with enough exercise-- though I did go for an abortive jog earlier in the week-- and, well. We all have vices." The idle way she rubs at her knee may give indication to the nature of the abortifacient of her good intended jog. "So: more pie for everyone."

The compliments about her cooking are definitely not going to astray. She may as well glow.

"You're looking for someone, Maya?"

"I guess I am a bit of a pragmatic. I prefer to think about it as practical, though -- enjoy the present, don't get too hung up about the past." Ravn quirks an eyebrow at Maya. "Heaven knows I have only been in town for a year and a half, thereabout, but you said you are looking for a missing person? Gray Harbor's got a lot of those, unfortunately -- but if we can be of any help? I do know a lot of people around town. Might be something rings a bell."

He pauses. And then steals a thin slice of apple and blackberry pie. "Damn good pie. I will try both if it kills me. After all, if the king of sidhe appears and asks me which one I recommend, I do have to be able to answer, do I not?"

Maya enjoys the pie but there's a tinge of sadness as the inevitable question of the missing person comes up. The sort of sadness one sees from pain felt for so long it becomes a mere fact of life. "Rachel Ember," Maya says the name softly. "I came here with her, I've spent my whole life with her, and I'm not giving up on her. She's been gone for nearly 3 years. I'm trying to move on with my life... But I know she's out there somewhere, I just know it! We were going to spend our lives together. I'm the only one left holding on to any hope. Her parents stopped speaking to me after I refused to come to her funeral. I won't mourne until I know she's gone." A firm line of her mouth forms before she forces a smile. "Sorry, Kailey thinks you might be able to help," she says to Ravn. "She wanted me to speak to you."

She keeps eating and enjoying the pie in spite of herself.

If the king of the sidhe-- or the queen, or any other fae nobility for that matter-- show up, there's likely enough to be pie of both varieties for everyone. Such are the workings of Una's kitchen.

Her little intake of breath has nothing to do with pie, however, and the look of deep, intense sympathy can only, surely, be utterly genuine. "I'm so sorry," she says, low and quiet. "She just vanished one day?" Her questions may not be especially helpful, but she does cast a quick glance towards Ravn, giving a little nod: Kailey's right, apparently.

"I do not know a Rachel Ember," Ravn says earnestly. "But that doesn't mean she hasn't come through Gray Harbor. "I do work at the community centre, and I do talk to a lot of people. We are trying to put together a bit of a missing persons archive -- the kind where if you think you've lost touch with someone, you can go look for them. Or if you have been gone for a bit longer than you thought -- you can go and see if someone's been looking for you. It wouldn't be the first time someone in this town has lost track of time. Once, almost all of us just -- lost twelve weeks, last summer. I know a bloke who went to sleep and when he woke up, eight months were gone. For that matter, he's gone missing again, I think."

He sips his coffee and then gives Maya a long look; those blue-greys are not at all unsympathetic. "I am sorry this happened to you. But don't assume the worst until you find a body or a farewell letter. There are a lot of places in the mist that aren't bad at all, and it's easy to get lost. That's what the faerie tales of old are, after all -- people being lost for a while, but no one says they have to be having a bad time."

"She and I lived here for a time, roommates while we went to college. We wanted to live somewhere small, out of the way. Didn't expect anything like this," Maya says, nodding to Una. "She never came home from work. I made a bit of a name for myself hanging missing person flyers all over town. I still do, though not as... Excessively as before." She explains. "I hope she's having a good time, wherever she is. If she comes back I also hope she's open to the new... Arrangements."

She's said it before, but it bears repeating: "Fuck. I'm so sorry, Maya. I can't imagine... how that would feel."

Nor is Una especially comforted by Ravn's stories of lost time, though that's not new information. "She..." The redhead pauses. "Was-- is!-- like us? The... 'shine', as Ravn puts it?"

Quickly following up her own words, she adds, "I'm sure the fact that you've been looking for her all this time would mean a lot, regardless of what happened next."

"Life goes on." Ravn sips his coffee again; his touch is a little ginger but perhaps that has more to do with his recent injury. Then he nods his agreement with Una. "I don't mean that in a callous or indifferent way. It's just that if I was to walk in through my front door now and back out and find that ten years had passed -- I would be in shock emotionally, no doubt. But once I had calmed, I would know that I did not have a right to expect everyone to put their lives on pause and wait for me. I would be declared dead, maybe? Might even be able to go home and see my own memorial plate in the family chapel. And then I would have to decide what I wanted to do, what pieces I could pick up and which parts to let go of -- but life would have gone on without me, one way or another."

He looks back at Maya again. "I really don't mean to sound like I don't think it's a big deal. It is a big deal. I just want to stress that you do not help your friend by not living your own life. Which is very much not the same as saying that you should stop looking. I certainly hope that if I disappear some day, someone looks for me. While they also go on living their own lives."

"If she's like us, she never told me or she never knew. I didn't know about any of this until after she disappeared," Maya explains. "It's possible though... We both felt drawn to this place, we were here once as kids and always felt like we needed to come back. It would make sense that we... Glow." Maya chuckles softly.

"She and I will figure it all out when she's back. If Kailey can be with Ev and I, no reason Rachel and I can't do the same thing... In the meantime I'll keep looking, but figuring out what I can do has been the biggest challenge. Where is left to look without diving into the veil?"

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think I've heard of anyone who doesn't being specifically drawn here," muses Una, tapping at her lips with one finger as she considers the thought. "One of my roommates-- I'm just next door-- she came to camp here, as a kid, and was drawn back here years and years and years later. She didn't shine, but she does now. Anyway-- I guess the point is that if she did, or does, or whatever, that definitely points more towards it being Veil related. Though..."

She pauses, perhaps catching up with the rest of what Maya has said. "Diving into the Veil seems more likely to end up with both of you lost, probably in different places. I think? I doubt she'd want you to get lost, too."

"Wait for her to come back out," Ravn says gently, once again nodding his agreement with Una. "The Veil is infinite, Maya. Unless you know where to go look for your friend -- it would be like trying to find a specific herring in the entire Atlantic Ocean. It's not difficult -- it's impossible. But you can be here when she finds her way back. And frankly? If anyone can cope with the idea of a complicated relationship, it's Kailey and Everett."

A small laugh flits across the folklorist's face at the thought. "Everett calls me Kailey's boyfriend -- I'm no more her boyfriend than I'm Itzhak Rosencrantz' straight boyfriend, but apparently that joke tends to make the rounds. He threw a plate at me once -- I never did find out whether that was about Kailey, or he thought I was chatting up someone else. I wasn't, but to be fair, I do think she wanted me to. Anyhow. The idea of sharing isn't always an issue to people."

"I'm no expert either, but Kailey has taught me a lot... Plus now I figured out how to do this!" She reaches a hand out and she looks at a one of the mugs out of reach, and it flies towards her at a rapid pace, right at her face. "Oh shi- OW!" She holds a hand to her eye. "Okay I need more practice," she mumbles.

She looks at Ravn with her good eye, disappointment clear. "Just wait? That's all I can do? Is there no way to narrow down where she might be and get to the right place and pull her free? No, no there's gotta be something, I can't just wait around!"

(TXT to Maya) Kailey : Hey! Where did ya go? Ev and my convo divolved into other stuff. Did you go for a walk?

Una casts Ravn an amused glance. "For someone unattached, you get verbally attached to a lot of people, huh?" Clearly, her embarrassment from earlier is long-forgotten, buried beneath concern for others, appreciation from others, and pie. Copious amounts of pie.

She helps herself to another piece of it, tearing off some of the flaky top as she gives Maya another look-- just in time to see that mug take its abortive flight across the lovely, summery lawn. She winces, smiling sympathetically, and bites back any comment she might otherwise have made: the other woman's disappointment is not something she has answer to, as much as it clearly pains her to witness.

(TXT to ) Maya : I went across the street, found Una and Ravn... It's summer across the street for some reason? There's pie!

"Of course there are things to do. Talk to people, keep looking, keep listening, and keep practising." Ravn offers a small smile -- because that talent, at last, is one he has done a fair bit of research about: Moving. After all, just because he doesn't have much talent that he knows of. Doesn't mean others don't. And they do say the longer you stay in town, the more your power grows.

"The really skilled movers can walk in and out between worlds," he muses. "And the ones who are -- slightly less skilled, can look into other worlds. Consider that, Maya. If you can learn to do that -- you can search for Rachel, without actually stepping into the Veil. You will see terrifying things I'm sure, but they will not be able to actually reach you."

Una's comment prompts a laugh -- an earnest laugh from the Dane though. His blue-greys sparkle with amusement behind the coffee cup reading Greetings from Milwaukee. "Truly. At this rate, I'll end up the boyfriend of half this town, and yet the only woman in my bed has four legs and tend to leave dead mice for me as presents."

(TXT to Maya) Kailey : That's probably due to the faerie ring. Be right over!

(TXT to Kailey) Maya : I went across the street, found Una and Ravn... It's summer across the street for some reason? There's pie!

She rubs at her eye, wincing as she removes her hand, but luckily no actual damage, just her pride. "I am going to need a lot more practice" she murmurs, before she looks back at Ravn. "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. It sounds safer than diving in, but how do I know whatever horrifying things I see aren't looking right back at me?" She pauses. "I'll do it anyways, she's worth the risk. Just... Not while I'm home," she says, glancing around, tapping her foot before taking more pie. "Hopefully I stop doing that," she adds, mistakes can after all, be disastrous.

Una has the mug with the judgemental pansies balanced on her knee, though most of the coffee is gone from it now. She takes another sip, then grins at Ravn. "The fish might have been a woman. Did you check?" Yes, she's definitely gotten often her earlier embarrassment.

"Practice is the right thing to do," she tells Maya, grinning. "We're not all super-powered, like... like Kailey, I guess. And Ava. But we're all learning bit by bit. I really do hope you manage to find Rachel, and that she's safe."

For now? Pie. Una eats another bite of hers.

"Well, at the time I was done screaming because I was in bed with a wet, slimy fish in a very intimate place, Kitty Pryde was eating the fish, and honestly, I think I have never in my life been any less aroused. If anything can turn a man into celibacy, that's definitely it." Ravn can't help laugh. Embarrassed? Yes. Over it? Eh, he's been far more humiliated in other dreams. And in waking life, without any supernatural aid whatsoever.

He nods his agreement a third time. "Some of us don't have as much juice as others. But if you can float mugs it's worth finding out how far you can go. After all, if you can learn to open doors, you can always exit, and I don't think there is a greater power than that."

KNOCK KNOCK

Kailey is at the door to Ravn's place. It looks like she has taken a shower recently, wet hair a darker purple and still damp. Being the kind of girl she is, and good friends with Aidan and Ravn, she steps inside 3 Oak with a, "Helloooooo," Following the sounds of voices until...

"Can always exit what?"She asks cheerfully as she b-lines for Maya. Bending down to kiss her soundly on the lips.

"Oh hey Kailey! We were just..." She's cut off with a sudden and apparently very welcome kiss, an involuntary wrapping of her arm around Kailey's shoulder before she seems to remember the audience and leans back, still scooping Kailey's hand into hers. "I take it the talk went well?" She giggles, her cheeks pink.

"We were talking about the veil, how I might find Rachel, and also a warning that I should... Not do it blindly at least," she smiles, gesturing to the pie, three of them! Cherry blueberry and apple. "If I get better with the physical aspect I could always get in and out. Maybe actually find Rachel. And a bunch of other stuff!" She nods to Una. "I'm actually not bad at it... The physical aspect takes a bit of work, but I'm quite good at the mental tricks."

Out in the garden, it's full summer despite the date (and despite the weather literally two houses down, not to mention across the street). Una's got her toes up on the edge of her seat, her sundress sedately covering her knees, with pie and coffee balanced atop the surface she's made for herself.

"... when you put it like that," she laughs. "I'm... glad Kitty Pryde still enjoyed it?" Not a happy threesome, then.

She manages not to flush as Kailey arrives and so soundly kisses Maya, though she does avert her gaze (it's not embarrassment, it's just being polite!). "Hi, Kailey. Have some pi day pie? I don't actually know much of anything about the mental skills," she adds to Maya. "I know they exist, but they don't really... come up. Haven't, at least, so far."

"One of the three was quite delighted," Ravn agrees with Una's mercifully unspoken jest.

He refills his coffee mug and chuckles before waving to Kailey with a gloved hand. "Grab a chair and a slice of pie. We're talking about -- well, Rachel. And the doors in and out of the Veil that some movers can make. And our Sims experience, I suppose. Everything is -- well, you know this town. It's honestly quite terrible but as long as we keep laughing and watch out for one another, it's not as bad as it could be."

"The talk went very well," Kailey tells Maya with a lopsided grin. Her attention is drawn to the pies and she raises a brow at the amount. "Why are there so many pies?" She asks as she settles into a seat. "Oh! Pi day, right. Sure, thanks!" She says as she does, in fact, grab herself a slices of apple.

The topic of talk has her looking a little surprised, but she nods. "I pushed myself to learn how to open and close doors after Mo was born. I didn't want to somehow get trapped there," She says before her smile wavers. "Maya...if Rachel has been over there all this time...there's something you should know," She says as she picks at the pie without actually eating anything. Biting her lip she doesn't leave that worrying phrase hanging. "Those who spend too long on the other side...they can't come back here. Not permanently..." Cue the lower lip being bitten and her looking at Maya guiltily.

"I can manipulate emotions," Maya says. "Or communicate telepathically... Which is handy when I missed my cell phone bill. Or the veil is messing with the reception." Maya grins, nomming her pie. "I mean, the sims adventure wound up working out quite well for us," she smiles sidelong at Kailey. "And your cat as well!" This said to Ravn.

Kailey's last words however cause her to freeze up. "Wait... How long is too long?" She asks. "I've been... Sometimes people come back from longer right? That's what you were saying right Ravn?" She takes a breath and she steadies herself. "We don't know if that's where she's been either, so many other possibilities. We're gonna figure this out right? Even if she's been there there's gotta be... Something!"

Manipulating emotions? Communicating telepathically? Both of these things have Una straightening with interest: skills she's not yet seen in practice (at least to her knowledge).

But any questions she might have on that topic, or indeed comments on any of the other conversational threads, are forestalled by Kailey's words. Una's brows knit, and her attention slides from Kailey back to Maya; the wince is pretty plainly obvious. "Well... you're right we don't know where she is, or what happened. So that's something." But Una can't claim to know anything about this, and by the way her gaze keeps tracking back towards Kailey, she's evidently concluded there's at least a reasonable amount of truth to this.

Awkward.

"Even if Rachel has been somewhere else for too long to return to our world, you might still learn that she is happy where she is. We have to no reason to always assume the worst." Ravn is adamant, quietly so, but unarguably so. "But if she is like most who come and go -- she did not go somewhere else as much as fall out of time for a while. It seems to happen. We have no idea why, or at least I don't."

Ravn smiles a little. "I firmly believe that most people are meant to find happiness in some way. And that the dark things can only get to us when we lose sight of who we are and what we really need. They get in when we fall into despair and fear, envy or self pity. If we can just -- appreciate the present we are in, then there is very little they can do to us. Look at me -- I have been shot, stabbed, shot, stabbed, beaten, drowned, stabbed, and shot a third time in less than two years and I'm still here. They can't really touch us if we don't let them in. We are too strong."

Kailey smiles at Maya and nods her head, first bite of pie filling her mouth, about The Sims. But it fades quickly at the question. Her eyes flick to Ravn and then back. "Well...usually anything over a year turns you a permanent Veil resident," She says honestly, even though she knows it may hurt. "But that doesn't mean they can't visit. And if you can open and close a door..." Kailey is trying to not be a downer and it shows. There is an enthusiastic nod to what Ravn says. "Right, she could be in a good place. There are those out there. Like the Santuary!" She puts on a grin and then her eyes widen as she looks at Ravn. "You know...I've been crushed and electrocuted and nearly drowned...but nothing has managed to shoot me yet. I'm kind of thankful for that."

Suddenly she finger snaps and she points at Maya, "Do you have anything from Rachel that you haven't really touched a lot? I could use that! Or better yet, maybe Itzhak. He is a master of the physical just as I am over the mental. We can touch an object and get information about the owner and such. That could be a place to start. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner..." Kailey cringes and takes another bite of pie.

"There are lots of possibilities... If she's in the veil? I suppose there's nothing for it, it was already too late by the time I met you," she says with a shrug of her shoulders to Kailey. "If she fell out of time, she'll come back eventually, and hopefully be ok with sharing me," a nervous giggle at that thought, not a fun conversation to imagine. "But we should keep looking, it will be better to know at least, as hard as it will be to know she can never come back permanently."

Kailey's other suggestions cause her to tilt her head in a thought. "If I just packed it up into a box it's fine right? I have the boxes of her things I have in the garage," she pauses and runs her hand over the flannel jacket. "This was hers too but I may have ruined the magic of it... How does it work?" She wonders.

"Exploded," Una puts in, evidently to add to Ravn's list. It's half a joke, but the way she's eyeing Kailey and Ravn, those two lists are not especially comforting.

"The worst I've had is a sunburn, and not even a particularly bad one, so I'm currently counting my blessings." And yet there have been so many places where it could have been worse, and perhaps that's what fuels her more hesitant expression when she turns those dark eyes back towards Maya.

"What a great idea. Even if she can never come back... knowing, one way or another, would give some closure, I bet," she says, not much louder than a murmur.

Ravn toys with his spoon; he's eaten -- well, dissected and eaten small bits of -- both his small pie slices, a fact which suggests that somewhere downtown, for no reason that Vyvyan Vydal can possibly fathom, Vyvyan Vydal feels a moment of rage like a man whose coffee cake is clearly not considered equal to home made pie from next door. Sorry, Vyv.

"I think this is not unlike normal life," he tells Maya. "Let's say the two of you were together. Rachel was called away, perhaps because of a family illness, perhaps because she was offered her dream job for two years in Australia. She comes back. She does not expect you to have sat exactly where she left you. Maybe you can get back together. Maybe you can't. But you are still friends, and you'll work out the details, somehow."

Kailey smiles at the flannel and then shakes her head. "That is yours now. It would just tell me about you," Kailey says with a smile. "But the other things...was there anything she might have been doing when she vanished? Those things are the most likely to lead me to her...I haven't really done it a lot," She admits with a thoughtful pursing of lips. "But yes. Let's plan to go through them!" She says with an eager nod to Maya.

Turning to Una she says, "There is a lot of things that can happen here. If you want help getting better at your own abilities...well I'm willing to help. There are a lot of things that can be done. And we're still learning others. Heh...maybe in this I'll learn how to do something new too?" She glances at Maya with a wink before taking another bite.

"Well, I know what you are saying, but usually if somebody takes a dream job in another country, you talk to your girlfriend about it..." She says with a small frown. "If she did just fall out of time it will be difficult. She won't even know where to find me because three years are just gone. Buuuut..." She looks to Kailey and she leans into her side while Kailey eats the pie. "Una, I can show you a few of my tricks. I'm not as good as Kailey but I learned a lot from her. I'll demonstrate when I'm in a better place mentally... Kailey being here is helping though. And later we'll go to the garage and look through Rachel's things, see if something fits!"

Una is probably no happier than Vyvyan is about the horrors being wrought upon her pie: dissecting pie, indeed! Perhaps that's why she never glances in the direction of Ravn's plate, and instead focuses upon the Dane's face (when she looks that way), and those of the two women. Her mouth curves into a pleased smile, if a little hesitant. "Thanks," is quiet, but punctuated with a firm nod. "I'd like that-- both of you. I've been feeling my way through, but I have to assume there are things I'm missing, or just not doing as well as I could."

"I do hope you find her. She's lucky, to have someone who cares enough to still be searching, years later."

"Oh, I didn't mean to say I think she's just gone off to Sidney and forgotten to call." Ravn shakes his head. "I meant, when you do find her --- it will be a bit the same. Rachel will understand that time moved. Time does that. Whether we like it or not. There are ancestors of mine, back home, who are lost. Some of them realise that time has moved on and they are in fact quite dead. Others are just -- going for a walk around the grounds and don't quite realise that they have been doing that for a very long time. But the ones who do realise that time moves -- don't harbour any will at all. At their worst, they are just a little sad, a little disappointed to have missed out on the remainder of their allotted time."

Then he falls quiet, and just nods his agreement with Una. "Any one of us can but hope to have someone who searches. And that the one who searches is not the one we are running from -- I have to say that, because the one I ran from was also the one who searched."

Kailey slips an arm around Maya's shoulders as she leans in. And leans back to kiss her on the cheek with slightly sugary lips. "Yes. Indeed we will. And hopefully I can find something that will help. It may take a few false starts, a few Dreams across the border, but we'll figure this out, beautiful," She says warmly.

As her eyes flick to Una she puts another bite of pie in her mouth. Bit in Una's mind she feels a cheerful presence that somehow is purple, ~Can you speak to another mind? It was one of the first things I learned.~ At the same time Kailey turns to the shadows under the table. "Uncat, want to come say hello? I know you're here...you're always hanging with Kitty Pryde."

And sure enough the shadows beneath the table begin to move. Uncurling with an annoyed sigh before a cat the size of a lynx steps out from the shadows. Her fur is so dark as to absorb light. Where other black cats might show brown or golden in the sun, this feline's fur reflects stars and nebula in the barest glimpses. "Those with a strong enough physical control also can find and bond with a friend from the other side. Right?" Kailey asks the Uncat. Who just looks at her like any cat who is less that amused might.

~I heard there was fish,~ The Uncat doesn't speak but her voice, a deep and purring echo, can be heard clearly. The yellow eyes that seem to hide suns within them turn expectantly to Ravn.

"She was all I had until I met Kailey. Our families are... Not excepting. I didn't want to be alone, but I was. For a year until I found you," she smiles towards Kailey. "And the most chaotic night of my life changed everything. I will never give up on her. She'd do the same for me," Maya takes a bite of the pie and presses into Kailey. "We'll be doing it together, it'll make it all the sweeter."

"Oh!" She exclaims as the uncat finally makes an appearance. "There she is, finally. I've heard so much about you!" She grins and looks her over. "I don't know where you find these... Maybe someday I'll get her a friend."

The only outward indication, from Una, that Kailey's mental door-knock has been heard is the silent furrow of her brow and the draw of her mouth: she's utterly composed. ~Oh!~ comes her reply, less well-formed, but unmistakable. ~I didn't think I could do that! Can I? Or am I just thinking at myself now?~ Excuse her for dropping out of the conversation temporarily.

When, a moment later, she's blinking away those thoughts, it's to stare rather openly at the Uncat-- and blink. "You are... as big as people said.

Kailey may be showing off, but Una? She's buying every bit of it.

"And that is the Uncat. Whom I suppose is not identical to Flerkin." Ravn can't help a laugh -- although it's a tiny bit forced because this creature? This creature may now be a force of good -- or at least of no particular harm -- but before Kailey somehow managed to calm the Uncat's rage, it was the cause of a number of casualties. His gaze glides to Una. "That cat at the murder motel? One of her babies. Well, Kitty Pryde's babies. Technically, they're the same cat -- Kitty's the original and the Uncat is her ghost, except Kitty obviously isn't dead."

He looks at the Uncat. "I think you may have to settle for Una's very good pie. I recommend the blackberry in particular, the apple makes it very good. I think the cherry might be too sweet -- which would feel bland to you, since most cats do not taste sweet. Kitty ate the sea bass, I'm afraid. Goodness, Gray Harbor. You grow used to the most ridiculous things."

He, of course, with not a shred of Mental ability, is not privy to that somewhat more private conversation.

The Uncat turns her golden gaze on Maya. The cat takes a step over and sniffs at her thoughtfully. ~You don't find us. We find you. And if you don't die from the experience a bond is made. I was going to kill Kailey, and that one too,~ The Uncat explains as she settles onto her haunches, beginning to groom her pay and whiskers.

Kailey smiles fondly at the Uncat and reaches out to gently scritch her behind one ear. "Yep. She did. And we defeated her with the power of love," She says with a look at Ravn and happy little smile before turning to beam at Una. ~Yes! You can. It is easier with others who have the ability to sense emotions. And your range is probably small now, but it can grow.~ She encourages the other woman mentally.

Meanwhile Uncat pauses her grooming. Turning those eyes on Ravn again as he deigns to explain what she is. ~Your assessment of my nature is amusing as always. And while in it's most basic form correct, it is also grossly inaccurate,~ She sounds huffy and turns her head away to look up at Kailey. ~And you want to mate with that one?~ Kailey starts to cough on her pie as she turns bright red. ~I like the female better.~

Maya watches Una and Kailey, and though she can't hear what's being said she does get that sense that stuff is being said, so she looks at Una and Kailey. ~It's not that hard once you get the hang of it, you can control who you send it to. It's better than whispering when you really can't afford to be heard!~ she switches to her words as the teapot and a glass rise. The pot tilts and pours before settling back down and the teacup floats to Kailey's outstretched hand, wobbling a little and splashing some of the tea over the rim, but practicality was never the point! Sure she knows about the gray men, but what 23 year old wouldn't frivolously use such powers to mildly flex?

"See, I knew I could do it," she sighs and bites her lip. "It all just takes practice. There's apparently a lot more you can do than just this."

Her eyes cast to the uncat and her jaw drops a bit while she sips her tea, color in her cheeks but at least she doesn't quite cough and sputter. "The female's name is Maya," she says. "Or... Una? Which one of us were you talking about?"

"Oh!" says Una, narrowing her gaze towards the Uncat, though more in the sense of being perplexed than concerned. "I... don't really understand how that works. The ghost of a living thing? But I'm sure it made-- makes-- sense in context. Do you want some pie?" This last is to the Uncat, with a little note of hesitation.

~This is... so weird. I, uh. Ok. Ok.~ So weird-- but also hard to keep track off, because Una's not the best at managing multiple threads of conversation at the best of times, and having two kinds of conversation at the same time? That's infinitely worse.

"Oh no nonono, I'm sure it's definitely you, Maya. Kailey has no designs on me."

"Who... wants more pie?"

Nope. No Mental ability. Ravn did not hear the Uncat's observations about Kailey's intentions or lack of same. He wouldn't hear them if they got spelled out with loudspeakers and subtitles. He really does tend to be remarkably oblivious at times. So all he observes is a quiet, amused, " Some of us do not hear those mental conversations."

Una's comment prompts a soft laugh. "Indeed, I don't think you need to worry, Maya. You two are a pair of adorable love birds and I am fairly certain that neither Una nor I have any intention of getting involved in that way."

Kailey just gives Ravn this look for a second. Before shaking her head and turning to kiss Maya soundly, though briefly. "She means you," She says as she leans back and decides eating more pie is good. Though she does also glance down at Uncat. The Uncat meets her gaze with a slow blink.

~I only eat meat and life energy, but thank you for your hospitality human,~ The Uncat says before she curls up once more in the shadows beneath the table. There is a muttered, ~I thought there would be fish. I expect fish later, Kailey.~ Which makes the purple-haired woman smirk.

"Yes Miss Kitty ma'am," She says. There is a grumbling growl that has no real heart in it. Kailey takes the tea cup then and smiles at Maya. "Nice. We'll work on your finesse some time," She says, before sipping from the cup. Turning her attention on Una again she says, "You can also sense emotions, and eventually manipulate them as was said. I can show you what I mean, if you want? Heh...I don't do it a lot...except when there are asshole tourists watching me work...or Everett when he's in a really bad mood. Like when I first met him. He wore pastels the next day."

The kiss is returned with a small blush and she chuckles. "I didn't think you did, but I don't know how well the uncat understands these things, Una is likeable after all!" She points out, giving the other woman a smile over the table.

"Just gotta work the focus a bit, I feel like I almost had it..." She looks to the shadows where the uncat curled up. "Are we going to need to get some fish after this?" She wonders.

"I can also do a bit of healing and burn stuff, but not particularly well. Just practicing every day that I can!" She sighs, finishing off the pie with a satisfied nod. "Una, you can make me dessert any time you'd like." She chuckles. "Hope the faeries like the rest."

She loops an arm around Kailey and grins. "I'm not worried at all! This is the happiest I've been in years... If anybody wants I can just show you!"

"Definitely not," Una confirms. No intention. None. Not that Maya and Kailey are not lovely people, obviously. "Likeable, maybe," she grins at Maya, "but not a threat. To anyone."

The redhead hesitates, then acknowledges the Uncat's reply with a solemn tip of her head. "Next time, I'll make sure we have fish for you as well," she promises, because it's not as if you don't promise to do nice things for a creature with that much obvious power. (Yikes.)

"There are always cookies at number five," she tells Maya. "And often other things as well. Cinnamon rolls on a Sunday morning, usually. So-- drop on in. Feeding people is my... thing, I guess."

It's only a shake of her head-- a very firm one-- that answers Kailey's last offer: Una looks frankly terrified, and deeply uncomfortable with the idea.

Thanks... but oh god please no thanks.

"I may end up in the same habit of scratching on Una's door as my cat is developing," Ravn observes with some wryness. He may be a nibbler, but if one gets a choice between nibbling on microwaved take-out or Una's baked goods? Well, it's not much of a choice at all, is it. "Although, Ariadne came by with goulash which was absolutely delicious. In fact, I don't think I have been this spoiled in my entire life. Oak Avenue is turning into quite the little women's republic, and there are certainly some perks to that."

Did the sexist bastard just suggest that everyone's cooking and feeding him? Is it sexist if it's true?

Kailey nods her head in agreement of Maya's assessment of Una, turning to smile at her. "You made the pies? The apple is amazing," She says, before taking another bite of her slice. When Una declines she chuckles and nods. "No problem. This is probably all a lot right? I grew up with it...my mother taught me a lot. Some of it I thought was just paranoia till I came here and discovered otherwise,"She says as she leans against Maya.

Shooting Ravn a look she smirks and shakes her head. "You are just set, aren't you mister? Who is Ariadne anyway?" She sips her tea and glances under the table, as if checking to make sure Uncat left. "Yeah...we can go fishing if you like?" She looks at Ravn and looks like she is about to ask something, then just sips her tea.

"Ah yeah I guess this is all a lot... but it can be quite interesting if you're doing it all with people you trust. I mean if you've ever done drugs it's not a lot different really," Maya points out and adds a smile over to Una, her attention returning to Kailey as she says. "It's so amazing that you had a mother that could teach you all about these things and you found your way here. Must've really helped you figure your own abilities out. I just figured out I could make the rich customers feel bad for me and get me a bigger tip. Kailey is the first one to teach me that I can communicate telepathically," she pauses and then a rather wicked smile crosses her lips, eyeing Kailey with an intensity for a few moments, one can probably imagine what's happening before she returns to normal, snug to Kailey's side. "Yes we should go fishing. Get the kids, get everyone some fresh air and make a nice day of it. Is it still a date if the kids are with us?" she wonders. "I've never been on a date with someone I haven't known literally my whole life before."

"So, how is it that you've managed to get half of the town feeding you apparently?" she adds towards Ravn with a laugh. "Not that I'm complaining really, I'm in a house full of great cooks."

Una's pleasure at the compliment to her cooking is undeniable: pleased as pleased can be. For the latter: "It's just... the idea of forcibly changing someone's emotions feels like a real assault to me. I understand it can be weaponised, and there's a point to it, but... for me, emotions are personal. But yeah, it's all a lot. Everything's a lot. I'm not sure that the drug comparison is really helping, either." But maybe Una will grin at Maya anyway.

Ravn's remark, however, has distracted her. She straightens, and looks at the Dane, expression set into something sharp and unhappy. "A 'little women's republic', oooh, Ravn, that is not something you should have said. Watch out, or I'll tell the faeries that the cookies are only for Ava and I, and they should let your yard die. No more cookies for you."

Una is evidently of the opinion that yes, it really is still sexist. Just because she falls into gender stereotypes...

"Ariadne is the new barista at Espresso Yourself. Fresh into town and still trying to come to terms with the weirdness that is Gray Harbor. She heard I was injured in the explosion at the Bauer Building and like any sensible woman who has looked at me for thirty seconds, she came to the quite correct conclusion that I'm a complete disaster in a kitchen -- and even more so when my hands and arms are hurting after recent fractures." Ravn chuckles. "You'll like her, she's sassy as all hell."

Maya's question earns a lopsided grin: "People can tell how utterly inept I am with a can opener, I figure. As for fishing trips? I might be up for going on a communal fishing trip. But I think you should maybe decide in advance whether it's a date. It might be a little annoying to have the rest of us pottering about if you want to get all snuggly under the romantic full moon or something."

And then Una is glaring at him like that, and surprisingly -- not least of all to himself -- Ravn manages to not laugh. "Little as in, Oak Avenue is a very little republic, neighbour. Geography? The fact that almost everyone I seem to be spending time with happens to be of the female persuasion, including every damn neighbour I have on either side and across the street?"

It is pretty clear that Kailey and Maya are having some sort of little mental back and forth. There's a smirk and then Kailey looks horribly devious with a side-eye at Maya. Then she turns to look at Ravn. "Okay, dude, seriously? You are far too pampered. I am going to come over and teach you how to cook. At least the basics like chili, spaighetti sauce. that sort of shit. No more playing the 'Inept' card!" She says firmly. And she probably even means it at the moment. "You should be able to cook things for others too. Bet Aidan would appreciate it," She sniffs a bit and tilts her chin up.

"Everett isn't female! Though he did throw a plate at you. Probably as a formality or something," Kailey corrects him. "And you don't spend a lot of time with him I guess...maybe you should?" There is a pause where she frowns as she imagines this occurrence playing out in her head. "On second thought...maybe not alone. Definitely with a chaperone."

This little mental back and forth between Kailey and Maya continues on for some time, the devious looks returned before ending the silent exchange with a grin, before her expression shifts back to Ravn. "We'll start with teaching how to boil water, then you throw pasta in. If you wanna do sauce the lazy way throw a jar of pre-made stuff in a sauce pan... that's the little pot, and let it simmer. Drain pasta when it's soft and mix it all up and done!" She quirks her lips. "Working in the diner has taught me other tricks. I can show you how to make some perfect eggs and bacon!"

"I'm an utter screw up, if I can figure it out so can you!"

Una's expression holds distinct suspicion: her emotions aren't difficult to read. Does she trust this interpretation of Ravn's words, so different to the one she immediately jumped to? Hm. Hmm.

"Fine," she huffs. "Just consider yourself on notice, Abildgaard. Though..." This time, she laughs. "You're right about that. Aside from... Rosencrantz, I guess? It's Ravn and his platonic harem, as far as the eye can see."

Having resolved this, the redhead glances back at her two female companions. "I have a distinct feeling you're fighting a losing battle here. Good luck?"

"Everett threw a plate at me because he was jealous of -- I'm not even sure, I think he thought I was trying to butter up the ADA. I wasn't." Ravn doesn't comment on Kailey's offer of cooking lessons; for a moment there is something wary in his expression, something almost haunted. "Gabriella in number four did come over to give me a cooking lesson once. I think I disappointed her, though. She hasn't offered since."

He hitches a shoulder lightly. "It's pretty coincidental. Lot of women move in, obviously Aidan and I going to be surrounded by women. It's not like I am surrounded by women begging for my attentions that way. I tend to honestly not think about it a whole lot except that being reminded of Everett and his plate throwing made me wonder what he'd make of this."

Kailey levels a look on Ravn and just smirks. "I am not so easily daunted, as you well know," She tells him confidently. "As for fishing dates...let's do the communal one as a thing it is. We'll have our own little date with the kids...though the kids are a little young to really get it," She chuckles as she leans back. Ravn's quandary about Everett causing her to look thoughtful. "He'd probably just eat pie, glower, and make bad dad jokes," She says after a moment. Speaking of pie, she stabs the last bite, it really is two, and shovels it into her mouth.

"Well I was just talking about Kailey and I with the kids, they might not really get it but we'll find ways for them to enjoy themselves too... but a communal fishing trip also sounds good, I'd love an excuse to just spend more time with both of you. Getting to know more people that actually understand the weirdness of Gray Harbor is just so intensely wonderful," Maya smiles and leans into Kailey kissing her cheek. "Fishing now or would you like to do a few more things first?" she wonders as she eyes Kailey and looks back to Una and Ravn. "It might be a losing battle but I've gone on more hopeless endeavors before. It's hard to dissuade me!"

"Maybe," Una supposes, "women are just more likely to move to a nice suburban street like Oak, or gravitate towards nice, quote-unquote 'safe' men like Ravn." Clearly she's forgiven the Dane, because she grins at home.

"And then we look at how helpless he is, and feed him up. Speaking of which... who wants more pie? The faeries don't need this much, I promise you."

It's pi day. Who's going to say no?