Who: Everyone
When: Late Evening
Where: Town Hall
What: A town meeting to cover the generators, Vice Council positions, and the All Hallow's Eve preparations.

Theora waited for the gathered crowd at Town Hall to settle down before she approached the podium. The priestess cleared her throat, a subtle way to quiet the crowd, and smiled at everyone when the talking finally died down. She took her place in front of the citizens, a calm radiance coming from her being. “Thank you all for attending our meeting this evening,” she began. “We have many things to discuss tonight, all of which are very pertinent to you, the citizens.”

( There were a couple of things that would not be mentioned... )

Who: Emily and Malcolm
When: mid-afternoon
Where: the Fix-It Shop
What: Emily stops by for a visit and talking about costumes.

Once Malcolm had his shop set up, Emily finally gathered enough courage to head over there to visit him. She disliked the idea of disturbing him at work unless it was very important. This was an exception; All Hallow's Eve was fast approaching and she wanted to know if he would be interested in wearing themed costumes together. It had been a while since they'd seen each other and now Emily was unsure if he would be as happy to see her as he had in the past. No, she felt nervous in general as she left her forest cottage and approached the shop after a while of walking.

She was right in front of the door and paused with her fingertips on the handle. Her desire to see him soon overwhelmed her nerves, so she entered the building and looked for Malcolm. "Hi," she said when she met his gaze and smiled shyly. So far, so good, right? She waited near the doorway with her arms moving to cross her stomach, just as something to do with them. "I'm sorry for disturbing you here, but..." She needed to see him, she had to say. "I wanted to visit you." Maybe now she had to throw caution away.

So she did. Emily stepped towards him so that there was little space between them and rested a gentle hand on his chest. Anyone could walk in and disturb them or look through the window, but that was what made it thrilling. She gave him a kiss then, figuring talk about costumes was to happen later, because now she had urges to fulfill. She had been spending too much time thinking and it made her antsy.

Who: Malcolm and Adam
When: Morning
Where: Helicharis
What: Finishing up generators and looking for Simon

Malcolm had arrived early at the storage unit to work on the generators. They were just about finished. He and Simon had been spending the last few days setting up the wind generators around Helicharis. It would only take another day or two before they were able to start getting power for the various electronic devices still left. It was a good thing too. Malcolm had other projects he had to move onto. Also, he wanted to spend some more time with Maddy, Idehr and Emily.

But he enjoyed working with Simon. It had been a lot of fun getting to know the young man while they worked on the generators. Malcolm was thinking about asking him to continuing working with him on his upcoming projects.

When Malcolm arrived at the storage unit, he found Simon to be missing. Usually, Simon was there when Malcolm got in. Morning was busy, getting Maddy ready for the day. Yet Simon wasn't there yet.

Figuring Simon was running late, Malcolm got to work on the finishing touches on the generators. He finished the last bits of the magical generator and then looked at his pocketwatch. Simon was more than an hour late now.

"Huh." Rubbing the back of his neck, Malcolm got up. He quickly locked up the storage unit and decided to walk into town, in hopes of finding someone who might know where his work partner was.

Who: Malcolm, Idehr and Maddy
Where: Their cottage
When: Mid-afternoon
What: Fretful foster fathers taking care of their sick little girl

Malcolm worriedly rushed around kitchen. He had stayed home today from his job, doing the final touches on the generators, to take care of Maddy. She had fallen ill and Malcolm could not focus on anything until she was feeling better.

Carefully, Malcolm stirred the broth he had on the stove. Satisfied that it was ready, he laddled it into a bowl and set it upon a tray with the dry toast and juice that was already prepared. He picked up the tray and carried it up the stairs to Maddy's room.

"Lunchtime," Malcolm said quietly. He didn't know if Maddy had fallen asleep or not in the short time he had been downstairs making her food.

"Mm," Maddy murmured, hugging her teddy bear. She was awake, but didn't look all that alert. "Not hungry."

Malcolm set the tray down next to Maddy's bed before sitting on the edge of the bed. He brought a hand to her forehead to stroke her hair gently. "Maddy, I know you don't feel good, but you should eat something. You need to get your strength up."

Maddy pouted at Malcolm and he felt his heart break. He was not used to seeing Maddy look so miserable. He wondered when Idehr would be getting back home. If anyone could get Maddy to eat, it was Ide.

Who: Everyone!
Where: Just outside of Helicharis at the Festival Grounds
When: 6 PM till ??
What: Autumnal Equinox Festival - It's the first day of Autumn!

ooc: To join in on the festivities, simply comment to the main post. Your entry can be a narrative or open to others. If you are replying to someone else reply to their comment and not to the main post. All activities are open for participation, it is up to your discretion what your character will do.

The past week had been nothing but preparations for the coming equinox that would herald the new season. It was a happy time for the forest creatures as they were the ones that spent hours on end setting up the grounds for the joyous celebration. Wooden lamp posts lit with orange flames bordered the area as well as throughout the entire festival grounds. Each attendee was greeted with a flower garland for their head, neck, or wrist if they desired one.

Fairies had decided to attend this festival as well because of the bright colors that had attracted their attention. There were bonfires all throughout the festival as well and they added warmth to the cool night air. The fiery glow that came from each pyre added a comforting feel to the entire atmosphere, and there were many fauns and fae dancing around each one in a happy manner. They were singing songs and laughing joyously as they pulled passers-by into their happy circle.

Musical fauns played their instruments as they marched through the festival. Fae and fairies flew around the traveling group, singing and humming to the music that resonated in the air. A large stage was set up for those who wished to perform in front of a large crowd be it with singing or acting or any other sort of talent they possessed. There were shows held as well, particularly by those who possessed magic and wished to entertain the crowd for an hour or tow.

Food and drink tables were set up nearby to feed the many attendees with whatever they could think to eat. And wine, they couldn't forget about the wine! There were scantily clad fae handing out the intoxicating liquid to everyone with a free hand. The wine this year was extremely potent and anyone with a weak constitution would no doubt get inebriated with just one cup.

The southern part of the festival held the games geared toward the young or simply the young at heart. Barrels were available for those who wished to roll down hills, piles of leaves were created for those who wanted nothing more than to jump and play in them. Colored sparklers were handed out freely and there were even pegasus rides for anyone who wanted to soar through the skies. There were contests here as well, simple ones that had participants bobbing for apples and fruits and curious prizes, searching for toys in piles of hay, and even pinning horns on a wooden faun.

Contests were set up again as they were just a month earlier. Archery contests and wrestling matches, potato sack and three-legged races. There were various game booths set up as well, such as knife throwing and ring tossing. There was even an area set up for pie eating contests and a Dwarven ale contest where participants could try to out-drink a dwarf.

Fireworks exploded periodically throughout the night and the gleeful sounds of the festival echoed all around. Elysium was a joyful place tonight as citizens celebrated the equinox beneath the near-full moon.

Who: Malcolm, Idehr and Maddy
When: Afternoon
Where: Their cottage
What: Family trouble

Malcolm was sitting at the kitchen table, going over his blueprints for the generators. He hadn't gone down to the storage unit today, wanting to spend some time going over the plans once again. It seemed some his ideas were coming out as well as he thought and he needed to rethink his strategy. Besides, he wanted to stay with Maddy.

Maddy was just finishing up her lunch, which was a rather pathetic looking sandwich from Malcolm. Ide was normally the one to take care of meals, but he had been hiding in his room all day.

"All done!" Maddy announced, smiling broadly. "Thank you, Malcolm." She got up to run off.

"Hey," Malcolm said gently, looking up from his work. "What are you supposed to do now?" While Malcolm did spoil Maddy rotten, he wanted to make sure she knew some responsibility.

"Oh..." Maddy nodded and went back to the table. She picked up her plate and took it to the sink. She stood on her tip-toes so she could wash it off and put it away to dry.

"Much better," Malcolm said with a large smile. "So what are you going to do now?"

Who: Malcolm and Simon
When: Afternoon
Where: Storage Building
What: Generator Work

Malcolm jogged up to the storage unit. He took the key out of one of his many pockets and went inside. He fondly pat one of the generators-- the wind-powered one-- and smile. "Sorry I haven't been around the last few days, old girl." He smiled. "I had to look for Echo. But she's safe now and I can start working on you again."

He went to his toolbox and got out a screwdriver. He began to go to work. "I finally finished that Pac Man machine I was working on last night." He frowned slightly. "Oh, don't be jealous... I can't spend all my time working on you. It was just something I've been tinkering with before I went to bed. Was thinking I might give it to Echo and the Jungs. It seems a bit too mature for Maddy."

He paused, moving the screwdriver away from the generator. "Oi! I am not working too hard to impress Emily!"

His words to the generator seemed completely natural, as if he spoke to it all the time. In fact, he did. Malcolm often found himself conversing with his machines.

Of course, he was wondering where Simon was. It was always much better talking to someone who could actually talk back. And he could use a hand.

Who: Malcolm and Emily
When: Late Morning, after Emily send her message to the Council
Where: The Storage Facility
What: Calming nerves and forming search parties

After dropping the note off for the Head Council and her meeting with Amada, the next item on her agenda was to find more people to help her look for her daughter. Fortunately, she was near the storage building where Malcolm worked and figured that he wouldn't mind a quick break from his work. She opened the door to the building and slipped inside, looking around to see where he was working. It didn't take long to spot him and she increased her pace until she was right next to him. "Hi, Malcolm," she said. "Do you have a moment? I really need to talk to you."

Malcolm heard the door open and immediately turned to look to see who it was. He initially smiled when he saw it was Emily, thinking she was dropping by to persuade him to take a break. But the smile quickly faded when he saw the anxiety in her face. He got to his feet, eyes widening behind his glasses. "What's the matter?" He brought a hand up to her cheek to cradle it gently. "Has something happened?"

( Echo is missing )

Who: Malcolm and Emily
Where: The Planck-Jung cottage
When: Afternoon
What: Flaily jealousy

Malcolm felt horribly guilty. He hadn't seen Emily in a while. He had been so busy with Maddy and the generators, he hadn't had time to see her. He also had to admit, he was feeling incredibly bashful around her. Now that he had admitted his feelings for her and she had reciprocated, he didn't really know what to do. He knew what he wanted. And he knew what certainly parts of him wanted (things he would certainly not be doing yet!). But he wanted to do this right. His only relationship had essentially been an arranged engagement. He had no idea what he was supposed to do in a real, proper relationship with a woman he had real, proper feelings for. But he knew that avoiding her wasn't the proper way to go about things. In fact, that was the last thing he should be doing. He was a bit dim when it came to women, but he wasn't that stupid.

So when he came to see her, he came bearing flowers. Or what passed for flowers with him. They were weeds he had picked, but he had thought they were pretty and... Well, it was the thought that counted, wasn't it?

He knocked quietly on the door before opening it and peeking his head in. "Hello?" He called out. "Emily? Echo? It's Malcolm."

Who: Malcolm, Maddy and Simon
When: Afternoon
Where: Outside the Storage Facility
What: Working on the generators and surrogate father/daughter bonding!

Malcolm was kneeling on the ground, wrench in hand. His hand a screwdriver between his teeth. He carefully tightened a bolt, making sure there wasn't too much pressure on the piece of metal it was holding in place.

"What's that for?" Maddy asked innocent. She was seated on top of the generator Malcolm was currently not working on, swinging her legs idly. She cocked her head, looking down at her foster father curiously.

"Mmmfttt...." Malcolm tried to speak, before remembering to spit out the screwdriver he had in his mouth. "It's a cover plate, so that the electricity the generator stores doesn't shock anyone." He held out his hand to her. "Can you hand me the bolts?"

Maddy picked up the glass jar of various bolts and screws and held it out to Malcolm. He accepted it with a smile.

"Am I helping?" Maddy asked innocently.

"Very much," Malcolm assured her. "It's good to have another set of hands around here." He set the bolts down and gave her a big hug. "And it's good to have company."

Maddy beamed and hugged Malcolm back. She had easily become a fixture in the lives of Malcolm and Idehr. Malcolm couldn't imagine what it would be like if Maddy weren't around now.

"What's left to do?" Maddy asked eagerly.

Malcolm knelt back down. "Just a few more thing..." He went into the jar of bolts and found one, securing it in place. He flipped a few switches and then picked up an ancient looking book and began to read from it. He held out his hand over the generator. His ring began to glow and the gauges on the machine started to show signs of life.

"Is it working?" Maddy asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure yet," Malcolm said. "We have to test it out." Malcolm grabbed his testing object-- a CD player he had found in the storage facility. He plugged it in and pressed play.

All of the sudden, at full volume, the high-pitched vocals of young Michael Jackson singing "ABC" came out of the stereo. Surprised, Malcolm tumbled over, landing flat on his back.

Who: Malcolm, Idehr, Logan and Maddy
When: midday Tuesday?
Where: Helicharis & around it
What: Pegasus riding, hopefully!

Once they received the clothes from Emily (and Idehr could say that he met her now), Maddy dressed in Malcolm and Ide's cottage before they headed to Helicharis to pick up Logan. They had to see if Logan wanted to come along to see the pegasi first, but Ide had no idea how it was possible not to refuse a request like that, more so if Maddy was making it. Now that she'd started to settle in their cottage, he could already see how decisive she was. As they walked, for instance, she had to be in the middle so one of them didn't feel lonely and she wanted to know the names of as many flora as possible. Ide didn't know the actual names of nearly all of them so he left that bit to Malcolm, but he was responsible for pointing out to her which plants were happy and to tell them hello for her.

"Do plants remember you?" Maddy wanted to know. "They don't have brains so it'd be strange if they did." This question was important to her and she gazed at Ide with large, curious eyes. She never met an orc before now and she wanted to know all about Ide and what he could do. It fascinated her that he was green and had tusks (which she'd only seen late at night, when he tucked her in bed). He was tall and strong, but really gentle.

Ide had never wondered about that; he only paid attention to plants when he was gardening and made sure that they were satisfied then. He preferred talking to animals, truth be told. "I don't think they remember me. They like anyone who doesn't hurt them," he said with a shrug. "You know, trees actually like being hugged." He shot a grin at Malcolm. "Don't let that slip, though, because we don't want to see everyone hugging every tree they meet now. The trees don't need bigger egos than they already have. I make the air you breathe, I provide fruit, ungrateful moving thing, they say to me. That tree over there - " Ide pointed to a somewhat large tree, "- thinks you'd make a cute tree, Malcolm. He's not interested in seeding with you!" he called, jokingly.

( ''Trees also have slang. It's awful.'' )

Who: Malcolm, Idehr and Maddy
When Morning, Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Where: Their cottage
What: Breakfast time with the new family

Malcolm woke up with a huge grin on his face. He couldn't help it. He was madly, crazily in love with Emily and she reciprocated! Never in his wildest dreams did he thinks that was actually going to come true!

He bounded out of bed, got dressed and raced down the stairs. He went outside to see what the weather was like, throwing open the door and....

...Nearly trodded on the basket that was there. He bent frown, frowning curiously at the basket. He opened the note and read it. His grin grew larger. Emily! He was going to be giddy all day, wasn't he? How sweet of her, giving them muffins. He would have to thank her later.

Malcolm checked the sky-- of course, a day like today could be nothing but beautiful in Malcolm's eyes. He then went back inside to the kitchen, which was crowded with things taken out to make room for Maddy. "Good morning!" He called out cheerfully to the other inhabitants of the house. "Emily left us a basket of muffins."

Who: Emily and Malcolm
When: very late at night
Where: Around forest cottages
What: Emily needs a walk with a friend.

Emily did not know why she was standing next to Malcolm and Idehr's cottage at two o'clock in the morning, but she was. This whole evening had been confusing and sleep refused to come to her, so she needed a different source of comfort. It was about time for her to stop feeling sorry for herself and get over it. So Mathias was back, big deal. She could rise above this... soon. Right now, she just needed to talk to Malcolm, though it meant waking him from his sleep. There was plenty of time for guilt in a bit.

She picked up a pebble from the ground and hoped that she was aiming at the right window. If their cottage was exactly the same as hers, then she should be aiming at someone's bedroom. Praying it wasn't Idehr's room, Emily tossed the pebble to have it clink against the window. Was this enough to wake him? Emily tried with another pebble and hoped that this would do the trick. There was a slight breeze that bit through her nightdress and chilled her skin, but she didn't pay much attention to it as she waited anxiously. What if he was angry with her for waking him? That was possible, though she couldn't imagine what him angry. Frustrated, maybe.

Emily folded her arms over her stomach and held her elbows as she bit her lip. Damn her feminine insecurity! She didn't know what she wanted anymore, didn't even feel like talking. There was no doubt that she was being immature about this whole thing, if she had to be truly honest, but she grew up so quickly... she thought that she had a right to be. Emily wanted a selfish moment or two, darn it!

Who: Dylan and ... [Anyone involved!]
Where: Town Hall
When: Afternoon
What: Finding the orphans homes.

**Note: To join, begin a subthread with the names of those involved in the subject of your comment. I'm not sure who and all is participating!

All of the orphans had been brought to the Town Hall today. Although Dylan had no children himself, he knew how to act with them due to spending time with the youth of his clan back home. He arrived at the medical pavilion dressed in very simple human clothes today: a t-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap. It was not the djinn's usual style of clothing, but it made him more approachable to the other residents of Elysium. Often, he seemed quite imposing with his size and extremely professional demeanor.

Dylan picked up the orphans from the medical pavilion and took them to Town Hall. The smallest sat on his shoulders and two of the others held his hands as they all walked into the building together, laughing and talking along the way.

Once they were inside, Dylan brought the children to one of the rooms set aside for them with supervisors as he met with the prospective foster parents today. He remained in his choice of clothing, deciding not to switch out for a suit or robes. Dylan found the human clothes to be rather comfortable, though he was not sure he liked the jeans very much. For someone used to loose-fitting fabrics with fluidity, jeans felt rather restrictive. He hoped his appearance would be okay for those coming by today.

Who: Malcolm and Radu
When: Afternoon
Where: Outside the Storage Facility
What: Fixing Generators

It was beginning to rain. That suited Malcolm just fine. He knew the weather was going to be turning wet and had spent the afternoon setting up a complicated device that would be using the power of the rain and wind. He hoped to harness the energy collected to juice up the generators.

The wind turbine was spinning wildly as a gust of wind hit it. Malcolm tapped the energy gauge, waiting for the arrow to begin to show signs of movement. "Come on..." He murmured. "Come on, old girl. Giving you all I got!"

He looked up to the sky, bouncing around excitedly. "Come on!" He shouted to the clouds overhead. "Give me some of that sweet, sweet...."

Suddenly, rain began to fall from the sky. Malcolm held out his arms, letting the rain slide down his face. "Right on time!" He called out. He looked to the other generator he had set up, the large, complicated apparatus he had set up beginning to turn and move as the rain collected in its basin.

The gauge on the wind-powered generator began to show signs of life. Malcolm yet out a whoop of triumph.

Who: Constance and Malcolm
Where: Town Hall, and then a nearby storage building
When: 11 AM
What: Talk about the generators!

If there was ever going to be something to take down Constance, this would be it. A heat wave. Having lived in Alaska all of her life, the air was cold up there and snow was abundant and experiencing heat was about as common as coming across an alligator in the water. Alaska wasn’t Florida, plain to say. Constance prepared herself for sweltering weather as much as she prepared herself for erupting into song and dance. All she owned were long-sleeved blouses and sweaters, dress pants, long skirts, and an abundance of clothing suited for fall or winter weather. This wasn’t fall or winter weather, though. This was Armageddon, and Constance was sweating up a storm and trying to fan herself off as best as she could with just her hand.

However, she stood just outside of the entrance at Town Hall, waiting for a young man by the name of Malcolm Gray. Theora had planned to meet with him, but the elven priestess found herself caught up in other business and asked Constance to do it. Constance agreed right away. It was simple, quick, and a meeting wouldn’t take very long. By now, she was beginning to regret agreeing to meet him. The heat was unbearable. The keys to the storage facility laid in her pocket, which meant it was too late to turn back now and leave a very confused sorcerer standing in front of Town Hall. That wouldn’t be very professional of her, now would it?

Sighing loudly as she fanned air onto herself, Constance shielded her eyes with her other hand and looked around for anyone on the horizon. An approaching body came into view soon enough, and Constance stood up from the steps. “Thank you!” she said aloud to herself. “Let me get this over with before I melt like the Wicked Witch of the West,” she muttered.

Who: Open to anyone who wants to go to the funeral
When: Evening
Where: Town Hall
What: Raidon Nagamori's Funeral


Giving to Mitsuko's rogue-like nature, most would not believe her to be a spiritual person. While it was true, she would most likely wade through the serpent-infested water when it was her time to cross Sanzu-no-kawa, the rites and rituals of her upbringing were ingrained deeply within her.

Her father would have shared these beliefs. He was raised in the same skulk as her. He would have wanted a proper funeral.

She had wore black. For the other funerals she had gone to, she'd worn white. The skulk of Midori was pretty old-school. But she had lost her white kimono ages ago. So she chosen her dark black kimono, with a black obi, decorated white small, white flowers. Her hair was pinned up in a bun. It was a very different look from her normal, skimpy fashionista wear.

Mitsuko looked around the assemblage. None of them knew her father, save for Logan. But she supposed that was fitting.... After all, she didn't know him.

Logan. He was... Pretty much an adult. She hadn't expected that when Theora had asked her to care for him. But there he was, seventeen years old. A man. But he was a man scarred, broken.

He was unable to speak. Struck mute by the horrors he had seen. So it was up to Mitsuko to lead the service.

Slowly, Mitsuko walked to the casket Idehr had made. She opened it, looking down at the white fox inside. Her hand trembling, she reached inside and touched a hand to Raidon's head. His fur was soft beneath her fingers. He was lying on a pile of clothes.

Carefully, Mitsuko pulled the hakama around her father's fox body, folding right side under the left.

She picked up the small bowl of water next to the casket. She dipped two fingers into it, placing it against Raidon's mouth, moistening it with the water.

Mitsuko reached into her kimono and pulled out a small bag. Opening it, she produced six coins. She placed them next to the body.

"For your trip, father," MItsuko whispered in Japanese.

She heard the snap of a lighter and looked to her side. Logan was beside her, lighting incense. He met her eyes briefly, but quickly lowered his head and continued his work.

Mitsuko went to the podium, where the Head Council made their announcements. She took a deep breath.

"I didn't know my father," she admitted. "My mother left him before I was born. But... I know he cared for me. That I remained in his thoughts always."

Mitsuko felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned to Logan. He held out a picture to her. She accepted it from him. It was a photo of Raidon Nagamori with a beautiful woman. They were getting married. The car they were running towards had a sign on it reading Congratulations Raidon and Ceridwen.

"He was married," Mitsuko said. "To a woman named Ceridwen. And then had a son, Logan." Mitsuko looked at the hurt expression on Logan's face. "And Logan loved them very much. They died trying to get him to safety. And they succeeded. They brought him to me." She looked at him very seriously. "And I promise I will not let them down."

Who: Malcolm and Emily, joined by Echo and Mitsuko from the previous thread.
When: early afternoonish
Where: Outside their forest cottages.
What: Talking and who knows.

That was it. Emily did not want to be troubled anymore with silly infatuations for the day. The last time she'd acted this strange around a man was with a single father she happened to have known and started to befriend It was only because he was attractive and she was desperately lonely that she found herself in bed with them. Granted that had only been once and said time was six years ago. She thought she learned from that experience, but apparently not. From now on, she'd think even more about what she said before she said it and surely that would not lead her astray.

The problem was with being a mother and having mental conflicts was that she still had to do work, in particular, the laundry. She began to wash the colored clothes and carried them outside in a basket when that was finished. The weather wasn't bad, sufficient enough to dry the laundry without problem. She had a long piece of twine that she tied to a branch of one tree and stretched it out to another branch far enough away for the line to be taut. Grabbing a couple of clothespins, she hung up one of Echo's shirts and continued with her daughter's clothing.

She normally liked to let her mind wander as she did the washing, but today, she attended to the task as dutifully as she was able. A gentle breeze brushed against her, throwing strands of hair past her shoulders and taunting as they waved in front of her face. Emily tossed back her hair and returned to pinning clothes to the line with an unconscious pensive expression. This was terribly unexciting - what she wouldn't do for a distraction. Emily raised her gaze to the sky. Something uncomplicated would be nice, Lord, she thought.

Who: Malcolm and Kaiya
When: Morning, Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
Where: Helicharis
What: Shopping

Malcolm strolled down the pathway towards Helicharis. He suspected Ide would be home soon and after spending the last two days out searching for survivors, he should have fresh food in the house. Malcolm wouldn't cook for him-- that would be a terrible homecoming indeed-- he would at the very least have some good food in the house.

He also hoped he would perhaps run into Emily on the way to town. Oh, Malcolm was incredibly pathetic, wasn't he? He was walking all the way to town on the off-chance of seeing his neighbor, who he was actually able to go and visit any time he liked!

Food, focus on the food, Malcolm chastised himself. Perhaps while he was in town he would take the time to look for some new gears.

Who: Echo, Emily and Malcolm
When: midday
Where: forest cottages leading to the freshwater lake
What: Swimming fun.

Emily smoothed down her skirt for the last time and checked to see if she had everything they needed for a proper picnic lunch. There, all the food was there and now she glanced at her newly long-haired daughter. Echo carried the towels and the blanket they needed to sit on to eat their picnic, eyes sparkling cheerfully as she almost bounced on her heels. The teenager was all too excited to have long hair, Emily knew, but she hoped meeting Malcolm would also be intriguing as well.

The Plancks exited their cottage and Emily shut the door behind them to lock it. "I think you'll like Malcolm. He's really sweet and seems intelligent. I think you'll learn lots of science from him," she remarked. Echo made a face, but Emily tsked at her. "Come now, you can learn all about biology and the different types of plants found around here. Won't it be interesting to learn more about our new home?" Damn, why was her headache still raging? Hangovers really weren't fair, she decided and stepped up the path to Malcolm and Ide's cottage.

After she knocked on the door, Emily waited, trying not to fidget too much before she saw Malcolm again. Oh no, was her hair all right? She was sure that her eyes were bloodshot and she looked worse for the wear. Maybe he wouldn't notice, if she was lucky. She glanced at her daughter, standing next to her being unusually quiet. Echo was too adorable and a surge of motherly love overwhelmed Emily, causing her to reach out to touch her shoulder. The door opened then and Emily smiled - it'd only been a night, but it was good seeing him again. "Hello, Mr. Gray," she said. "A very good morning to you."