In The War Of The Pranks, You Ball Or You Die [closed post]

[summerdude]

Magnus has had an incredibly busy morning. The winter feels less oppressive in the wake of that totally insane blizzard the other day, so he spends the first few hours digging out camp with Alex (which does take some time, because they do take a couple of breaks for snow fights, make-out sessions, and snacks), and then digging out Galahad's church. In the process of tracking down a shovel to do said digging, he learns that the Mansion is making things again (thank gods), so he also takes advantage of that, once his home has been unearthed, to find another outdoor fireplace, a few candles and tiki torches, and a weird wooden chest thing filled with paper and markers. Plus some bells.

He takes all of these things back to the church, and works in earnest to continue setting it up. He writes TABERNACLE GOES HERE? on one of the papers, which he wedges in one of the slats of the box, demonstratively, and places it on his former reading branch, urging the branch to grow around the box a little more snugly. He threads bells through smaller branches, and then moves the branches like vines, securing them in place above the cross. The outdoor fireplace he puts next to the place where he imagines Galahad might sit or kneel or whatever, so he can stay warm; he places the candles on top of it, and then drags Dro's perch to the other side of the kneeling/sitting space. Finally, he shoves the torches into the frozen ground in a line leading up to the space.

Then, he decides, he can't do anything else without some sort of direction from Galahad. So he goes back to camp, gives Alex another big old kiss, and shoves his notebook into his backpack. "I'll be back by dinner," he promises her, "with dinner," and trots off to the Mansion to find Galahad.

Comments

[onthewillowsthere]

"No. I meant for the wedding."

[summerdude]

"Oh." That makes a lot more sense. "The last wedding I went to, Sif put me in a gold-and-white tuxedo lined with chain mail and a bowtie woven from her hair, so I'd prefer, like... not that? If that's okay?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"I want you to wear something you like."

[summerdude]

"No bright yellow, then."

[onthewillowsthere]

"No. Why don't you like yellow?"

[summerdude]

Magnus looks surprised as he hovers to tip the vegetables into the soup. "Like, it's fine, I like yellow flowers, but.... Did I never tell you about the boat my dad gave me? The Big Banana?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes." He looks at Magnus. "Are you exaggerating because it's funny?"

[summerdude]

"Kinda. I would prefer not to wear something super bright, unless you really want me to."

[onthewillowsthere]

That's fine, Galahad has been learning about exaggerating for comedic effect from romance novels, he understands now. "No. You can wear beige."

[summerdude]

Magnus laughs. "Perfect," he says. "Beige Guy. That's me."

[onthewillowsthere]

"I showed Kade what I wanted and he asked to make it for me."

[summerdude]

"Yeah, he does a lot of sewing stuff, doesn't he?" Magnus says. "I keep telling Alex she should go hang out with him." Alex doesn't sew, but he does have a lot of opinions about clothes.

[onthewillowsthere]

"He likes talking. And stories."

[summerdude]

"I noticed," Magnus laughs. "I taught him a little bit of sign a few weeks ago." Until Alex got here and he got distracted, he realizes, guiltily.

[onthewillowsthere]

"I think I have a crush on him," he admits.

[summerdude]

"Whoa," Magnus says, looking up from the soup and twisting to face Galahad. "Really?" He pauses, then adds, thoughtfully, "I guess he is pretty hot, huh."

[onthewillowsthere]

"He said a crush is when you are squirmy about being around someone, and become tongue-tied, and want them to notice and like you, and do silly things to get their attention. Is he hot?"

[summerdude]

"Isn't he?" Did Magnus get that wrong? He's pretty sure Kade is beautiful, even though he doesn't hold a candle to Alex.

[onthewillowsthere]

"I can't tell," a bit apologetic. "I know Claudius is beautiful, but I look at him all the time."

[summerdude]

Magnus grins. "That's how I feel about Alex," he says.

[onthewillowsthere]

"There are some people I see so much that I recognize them. Like you."

[summerdude]

"Oh, right," Magnus remembers. "The face stuff. Well, I think probably a lot of people think Kade is hot, but I've been told that I'm notably slow on the uptake on that front, so."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Really?"

[summerdude]

Magnus shrugs. "Only according to Alex. And Hearthstone. And Blitzen. And Samirah. And Mallory and TJ and Halfborn and-- well. You get the picture."

[onthewillowsthere]

Another little tilt of his head. "Am I hot?"