The Gig, Friday [28.11]

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

Rosie - human again and human still, and grateful for it (even if none of the animals thought it was an improvement over the previous three weeks) - was very busy. Very busy, indeed.

She'd swept, cleaned, scrubbed, groomed, picked, washed and generally been a veritable whirlwind of activity since early this morning. Why? One, it was a good way to keep warm, and two, it was a good way to keep the mind occupied.

She hadn't gone to see Minsc on Wednesday. She'd meant to, but then somehow she'd become engrossed with working at the forge and just hadn't made it. If her mind wasn't otherwise occupied, she'd suspect it hadn't been an accident that she'd gotten busy.

With a huff of breath, Rosie dropped to sit on the steps of the smithy, where it was warm from the heat of the forge, and looked around the Gig. Everything from the horses to the cobble path gleamed.

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[cowboy-sailor.livejournal.com]

Tully wasn't in the best of moods today as he limped in. A ride on Mr. Twain often served to fix.

Wow this place was clean. "Spring cleaning already?" he wondered aloud.

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

Rosie eyed him, noting the limp. "Winter cleaning, if anything," she replied lightly form her spot on the stairs. "What have you done to yourself?"

[cowboy-sailor.livejournal.com]

"I stepped off a ladder onto a nail."

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

She winced. "Have you had someone look at it?"

[cowboy-sailor.livejournal.com]

"Yeah I went by the clinic. They pulled it out, cleaned it up and said I should take it easy for a while."

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

"Good," she replied, nodding, knowing exactly how badly a wound like that could end up. "If you need a hand with Twain until it's healed, just let me know."

[cowboy-sailor.livejournal.com]

"Thanks, I appreciate that." Tully smiled. "I can't get into the saddle too easily this way so if you wanted to take him for a ride sometime, that'd be great."

Mr. Twain agreed.

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

She smiled. "I don't ride, but I can take him for a walk around the island, make sure he doesn't get bored."

[cowboy-sailor.livejournal.com]

"Oh, that'll work too. Seems you told me that once already."

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," she said. "Either way, I'll help with Twain and you, you look after your foot."

[cowboy-sailor.livejournal.com]

"I will." he promised. "Did you have a good Thanksgiving?"

[flipped-god-off.livejournal.com]

"Oh god, I hope I don't ever get bored enough to make my fucking apartment look like this," Loki said, having gotten bored with television.

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

"Well," Rosie said, absolutely straightfaced, "I'd have to loan you a horse to really make it look like this, so you're probably safe."

[flipped-god-off.livejournal.com]

"Been there, done that, got the fucking ache in my thighs to prove it," he said. "Not right now but you know. Why the cleaning spree?"

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

She opened her mouth, stopped, and closed it again, shaking her head. I'm not going to ask. "I've been a small red panda for three weeks," she said, well aware she'd have been better off not admitting it. "It seemed the thing to do."

[flipped-god-off.livejournal.com]

To his credit, Loki didn't laugh even if he wanted to.

"A red panda, huh?" he finally said, one corner of his mouth turning up. "What the hell did you take to make that happen?"

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

Entirely against her will, she smiled crookedly. "I was making breakfast. I never did get a chance to eat it. One minute human, the next a small red panda." She paused, then added perversely, amazed he hadn't laughed, "Did I mention I had a tail?"

[flipped-god-off.livejournal.com]

"Should've had someone take pictures so I could see," he said and smiled. "Who doesn't want to see someone who's normally a human looking like a fucking panda?"

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

She pressed her lips together, holding back unexpected laughter. "If it happens again," she said solemnly, "I'll come and find you."

[flipped-god-off.livejournal.com]

"Appreciated," he said and finally laughed. "A fucking panda, of all things. Guess that answers the question of what you've been doing the past weeks. Didja have any exciting adventures?"

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

"Learned to win at Chinese checkers," she said with a faint smile, "and hired someone to work here. I'm not sure what sort of person takes a job from a panda, but I should find out tomorrow." She raised one eyebrow in question. "What of you?"

[flipped-god-off.livejournal.com]

"Put up holiday decorations in the lobby of MHA," he said. "Twinkle twinkle go the lights. It was fun using the staple gun. Went to a party a friend of mine had. Slept in the park. You know, the usual."

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

It was completely different from her usual, but she didn't doubt any of it. She did wonder about the sleeping in the park, though, and that wasn't all. "There's a holiday?"

[flipped-god-off.livejournal.com]

"Few of them," he answered. "One that just passed was called Thanksgiving where everyone eats till they fucking explode and gives thanks for what they have. Another one's in about a month called Christmas where...everyone eats till they explode and gives thanks for what they have. This time, though, there's presents!"

[waytoomanynames.livejournal.com]

She blinked. It didn't sound anything like the holidays at home. "It sounds interesting," she ventured. "Are there any rules about the presents?"