Caius and Shayna Mae
"I feel underdressed," Shayna Mae admitted with a short laugh as she reached for one of the clear bottles. The decorations were over the top and very colorful and not at all what Shayna Mae would chose for a party of her own, but they were also very-Zania and it seemed to fit her personality perfectly. Shayna Mae reached into her shoulder bag that was resting across her chest for a small jar of herbs that she brought with her. It enhanced the alcohol in a natural way, helping her to relax and... well, feel really good. Pot in a pint, she called it. It took her forever to develop it safely with her magic. Shayna Mae sprinkled a couple into her cup before she offered it to Caius with a raised brow. "It's natural," she said, just in case. He probably wouldn't want it, which was fine, but it never hurt to offer, especially to another witch... especially to a witch like Caius D'Onofrio.
Caius gave a wan chuckle. “I think we’re all underdressed but the twins,” he murmured, watching as Shayna Mae added something extra to her drink. It sparked his curiosity even more when she offered it out to him. He took the small glass jar, careful not to touch Shayna Mae’s fingers, and lifted it toward his face for a small sniff. He couldn’t immediately identify the herb mixture, but that didn’t worry him. Plants weren’t exactly his specialty, but they were hers, rather famously. “Why not, right?” Caius pinched a bit out of the jar and sprinkled it into his drink just as she had done, then offered the jar back. “Thank you ... happy holidays.” He gave a small toast gesture with his glass and then took a sip. He did have to drive them home later, Caius already knew Reagan wouldn’t sober up, but he had an elixir for that. “Surprised to see you out,” he said, dark eyes on Shayna Mae’s face. “How’s the family?”
Shayna Mae watched as Caius took the jar, considered and then took some of the mixture. She smiled, pleased with herself. There was no part of her that wanted to impress him, or any of the other magical families in town, but she knew the herbs would make him feel good for the rest of the night, and that was because of her. She was damn good at what she did, and she liked to spread the love every now and then. Hopefully his wife would benefit from it later. She capped the jar and slipped it back into her bag before bringing her cup up to toast him back. Shayna Mae took a drink, the mixture having already dissolved into the alcohol. She licked her lips, not overly surprised by the comment. She remembered telling Knox that she felt like she ought to come out of the woods with branches in her hair and dirt all over her body someday. That's how she supposed so many people imagined her living. "I occasionally venture out of my nest," she said with a smile. "My family is well, thanks." Max was in prison still, but that was par for the course. "Feeling nicely separated from town, given what's probably coming. What about you? How's your dad?" Shayna Mae didn't know much about Caius's mom or sister, only that they weren't witches, so she paid them very little mind.
Caius didn’t know much about how the O’Reillys lived, only that they were out in the woods in one big old house and a self-sustaining garden, like Deliverance hill folk. He didn’t have much reason to think that besides the stories he’d always heard about them and the occasional unpleasant run-in with Shayna Mae’s older brother. He hadn’t had much direct contact with her, but she looked normal enough at the moment, and women were generally more well-behaved, so he didn’t mind chatting with her for the moment. “He’s indomitable, as always,” he said mildly, taking another sip of his drink. The herbs added an interesting spice to it, he was finding. Caius quirked a brow at her slightly, more interested in the other thing she said. “What do you think is coming?” Caius had had some very unsettling feelings in recent days, and he wondered now if that wasn’t just him and all of the trash fires in his life.