you’re on your own, kid

Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights

One of these days, perhaps Noe would manage to procure such an item for herself. It would certainly make her job much easier - though she had to wonder how they worked. Was the bag as heavy as everything it could fit inside, or did the magic make it possible to carry great loads more easily?

But that was a quandary for another time. For now, measurements.

Sending Thorn this way and that, Noe took measurements by memory, hoping and praying that she'd remember them all now that the rain was falling on her again and she didn't dare pull out her journal. Every now and then she'd shout out a number to Thorn. "Remember 36 for me!" or "That was 27!"

When they finally convened again, Noe was soaking wet but triumphant. "Can you do the thing with your magic again?" she asked. "I need to write all this down before I forget."

Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise

Noe

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

Happily bouncing around the boundary of the soon to be home, the courtesan holds whatever she needs and remembers whatever number she needs. Only when they’re done does Thorn reconvene with Noe, both soaking wet and dripping from the rain they’d had to endure in order to get the measurements.

Humming a soft laugh and shooting her a grin, he nods. “Sure can.” Conjuring the air magic again, it whips at the rain above them, blotting out the rainfall as he hovers nearby as well in order to be a bit of a body block for the journal. “At least it wasn’t too bad, yeah?” Despite the rain, of course, the land had been better than anticipated.

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed

Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights

Waiting until Thorn had reconstructed the air bubble that whips the rainfall away from them, Noe struggled to find somewhere dry to wipe her hands off, eventually giving up and pulling out her journal anyway. She was careful only to touch the edges, keeping her hand off the page as she jotted down various numbers and made a rough sketch of the measurements. It meant that the parchment was messier than it would normally have been, but at least it stayed mostly dry.

"Oh, totally," Noe said cheerfully, tucking the journal away again. She reached up to comb her fingers through wet hair, then pulls the damp strands into a braid. "Not bad at all. Completely doable, I think, without major excavations, so now I don't have to blow their budget out of the water." Happy about this turn of events, Noe linked arms with Thorn and turned them back towards Wrenzoak's Refuge. "Wanna go grab some coffee or something?" she suggested. "I could use something warm and somewhere dry after all this rain."

Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise

Noe

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

As the journal gets tucked away, Thorn keeps the magic above them to whisk away the rain from falling directly onto them while Noe swiftly braids her hair. “Which means more options for the fun stuff.” He chimes, brows bouncing playfully as she links her arm with his and they start marching back the way they’d come from. “Ugh yes, I do. So much so.” He nearly groans at the thought of warming up and drying off, even if the leather jacket had taken much of the brunt of the rain.

“There’s a cute lil bakery in the Refuge? Could go ‘n get some pastries too.” He hums with nostalgia for a place he does go to regularly, sure she’d love it just as much as he had if she’d enjoyed his sandwiches he’d made in Flowerbirth when they’d first met. “There’s a cherry turnover that they’ve got goin’ right now. But there’s tons of other options too.”

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed

Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights

Oh, don't worry, Thorn. Noe already had her thoughts settling on some nicer finishes, now that she knew that the building itself wasn't going to be as expensive as she feared. The kitchen, which was important to her clients, was particularly bright in her mind, with nice cabinetry and luxurious counters and an overall vibe worthy of a magazine.

But for now - food, drinks, and good company. "Pastries sound divine," Noe said warmly, a bounce in her step as they made their way back to the Refuge. Whether she selected a cherry turnover or something else, she'd just be happy to get something in her system. "Now, enough about me," she said as they walked. "What have you been up to?"

Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise

Noe

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

“Thought so.” Thorn chimes, already starting to guide them back toward the Refuge. It’s a bit of a walk, but with more of the wind magic overhead, Thorn focuses on trying to keep the worst of the rain away. But it takes its toll on him, growing a little more tired as they walk and some of the larger drops still making it through as the wind magic wanes a touch.

As for what he’s been up to? He shoots her a playful grin and shrugs his shoulders, the leather dripping a little bit of the raindrops off of his body. “Workin’ mostly. Getting’ out on occasion. We’re makin’ a healing river here so I've volunteered t'help.” He explains, a little bit of excitement in his tone as he glances over at Noe to see what her thoughts were on it.

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed

Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights

Wind magic swirled above them as they walked, keeping off the worst of the rain, but Noe noticed that as they walked on, large droplets started to make their way through the barrier to plop on her nose. Unaware of the fact that magic was not, in fact, an endless wellspring of energy and was probably taxing her friend, she simply assumed that perhaps the rain had started to fall more heavily. If she'd realized that the breaks in the wind dome were due to her friend tiring, she would have insisted that he drop his magic immediately.

But instead, her attention was taken up by his words. Working didn't surprise her, nor did getting out on occasion. But the word of a healing river had her raising her brows. "Oh, like the hot springs in Halo or the fountain in Torchline?" she asked, eyes gleaming with interest. "That's so cool! I love the idea of a river." Tilting her head to one side, she continued. "Which god is helping with it? What kinds of tasks do you have to do? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise

Noe

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

He doesn’t mind the magic, even if it tires him out. He works his hardest on trying to keep it up which will only prove to make him starving by the time they get to the café. For now, though, the courtesan is relatively sure he can keep it going until they reach the refuge, where the weather had been a bit better when he’d left it earlier. Still damp but not actively raining.

“Yeah, just like that.” Thorn confirms, shooting her a bright grin. “Frey’s helpin’. We’ve gotta move plants ‘n purify it, relocate some animals, ‘n corral some unicorns over to it which I think’s gonna be the toughest part.” His nose wrinkles with the idea, exhaling a dramatic sigh. “Got any tips t’make a unicorn like ya?” He asks as the border of the refuge finally comes into view and the rain begins to dissipate.

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed

Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights

"Oh, is that all?" Noe asked, falsely bright. "Why not add in digging the river out, while you're at it?" In truth, she supposed it wasn't that bad for such a big project, but gods did it sound like a lot of hard work. Of course, she'd never been one to shy away from hard work, so she simply nudged Thorn's shoulder affectionately with her own, a teasing smile on her face.

The Refuge came into view through the rain and the mist, the droplets slowing as they fell. Noe pursed her lips thoughtfully, trying to remember everything she knew about unicorns and coming up empty. "'Fraid not," she admitted, wrinkling her nose. "Gotta admit, I know very little about them. Do they like apples?" Horses liked apples, right? "Or, uh... carrots! Carrots, right?"

Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise

Noe

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

Thorn winces with Noe’s falsely bright voice, before it breaks into a laugh that ends in a sigh – pure dramatics. “Well… There’s some’ve that too. But I’m not a part’ve that so I’m gladly not countin’ it.” He bounces his brows playfully at her, the nudge received with a playful grin and a bark of a laugh.

The Refuge feels like a godsend, though, especially when the rain starts to sputter out, as people drift throughout the entrance to the buildings within and he’s focusing on the path it’ll take to get to the café in question, lingering far too much on the idea of something warm to drink. “Y’know… That’d make sense, wouldn’t it?” Thorn says, brows pinching before he shrugs with a snort. “Apples ‘n carrots. Got it. I think.. someone in New Haven makes horse snacks, maybe I could convince ‘em to get me a big bag of them.” He mutters, tilting his head as he guides her over toward the café in the distance. It’s a welcoming spot, the building adorned with windows and painted a vibrant pink and green, almost like it’s a flower amongst the grasses. Within the windows you can see quite the variety of bakery items within – from cakes to pastries, cookies to donuts, brownies and everything in between.

And this time he can't really hide the way his stomach rumbles with anticipation, growling. "Sorry!" He says with a laugh, his hand patting his stomach.

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed

Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights

Fortunately for Thorn, he didn't seem to have drawn the short straw with regard to building the healing river that would be coming to King's End - which meant that it was fortunate for Noe, too, who might have felt the need to offer her assistance had he been tasked with something so monumental. Digging out a river, after all, was a much larger thing than charming some unicorns, at least in Noe's mind. She had the utmost confidence in Thorn's abilities either way, but the manpower required for one would be much higher than the other.

In any case, Noe continued to roam alongside her friend as they neared the Refuge and the rain began to slow. "Horse snacks sound like a plan," she said brightly. She may not be a horse trainer, but surely a little bribery would go a long way with the creatures. Who didn't like snacks, after all?

Speaking of which, Thorn's stomach chose that moment to growl. Noe hid a smile behind a hand. "Snacks and drinks!" she declared, steering them into the adorable cafe decked out in pink and green, blending beautifully into the surroundings despite the dreary clouds above. Perusing the selection of pastries, Noe quickly honed in on a chocolate-filled croissant sprinkled with nuts. "Ooooo," she said, mouth already watering. "This is going to be so good."

Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise

Noe

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

“Horse snacks.” Thorn repeats with a snort, lips quirking in amusement as he already starts to plan figuring out what they might prefer. It’s a thought that bolsters him for the rest of their short trip to the café. He catches the way she hides her smile behind her hand as she makes the declaration of snacks and drinks and the courtesan nods his head, wet yet wild hair bouncing with the movement.

Once they reach the interior, the variety of pastries appears alongside the smell of coffee – anything any of them could want. Noe hones in on her own and Thorn seems distracted particularly by a lemon raspberry tart and the scent of coffee blooming in the air. “Whattya want?” He asks, guiding her up to the space to order, resting an arm on the glass display as he shoots a knowing smile to the person taking the order – a familiar face to him, at least. “S’on me.”

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed

Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights

The scent of coffee twirled around the two of them, enticing Noe further into the cafe. She found herself gazing longingly at each new pastry, wishing she could try one of everything - but alas, that was not to be, particularly not if Thorn was determined to buy hers. She could be greedy some other time, on her own coin. "The hazelnut croissant," she decided finally. "And a mocha latte." Was this a lot of chocolate? Yes. Did Noe particularly care? Not in the least.

Still, a part of her rebelled against Thorn buying, and she pursed her lips. "I don't mind getting mine, though," she said, raising her brows at her friend. "Or at least let me buy next time." The person taking the order went to get her croissant and drink as Noe and Thorn debated who would pay; when they returned, food and beverage in hand, Noe took it with a smile and a word of thanks, while whomever had won the debate passed over the money for the snack.

Casting her gaze around, Noe found an empty table and led the way over, settling into a chair by the window to cup her hands around her steaming mug. "You know," she said, gazing out into the murky weather. "I know King's End has the town and the House of Midnight and all, but I guess I never imagined it being so lively." Especially not with the various burial grounds scattered throughout.

Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise

Noe

said i was the best simultaneously the worst

Thorn’s order is similar enough – the lemon raspberry tart with a lavender white mocha – mixing sweeter chocolate alongside the tart raspberry pastry he’s been eyeing since they walked in. And while the waiter goes to grab the items in question and they debate the way they’ll pay, when Thorn shoots her a lopsided smile. “Sounds good to me.” His smile grows a bit sunnier, paying when the person returns with their treats and Thorn quickly pays before snagging his pastry and his coffee.

Trailing after Noe to the empty table, he takes the seat opposite of her by the window enough that he can peer out of it as he lifts the tart to his lips and takes the first bite, trying to sate the way his stomach hasn’t settled down since they’d walked in. “No?” He asks once he’s swallowed the bite, looking back over at Noe with his seafoam gaze. “Might have ghosts but we definitely know how t’party.” He bounces his brows toward her before he laughs lightly. “Have ya gone to the Castaway Exchange? Real lively with all the places t’shop you could want.”

Hawthorn

and best case scenario, i should be cursed