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

[summerdude]

"Oh? Mimir came here and telepathically told you to give him the stew?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"I thought that's what you meant."

[summerdude]

Magnus laughs. "I think I've lost the plot."

[onthewillowsthere]

"I've lost the stew." The thing about just saying words is that it's not lying! Also, that might get a laugh out of Magnus.

[summerdude]

Magnus does laugh. "Do you think it sprouted legs and walked away?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Here?"

[summerdude]

"Dude, weird shit happens sometimes. Walking stew would be par for the course." Magnus sets the tupperware on the counter. He wants to keep playing whatever game this is, but he's also managed to work past the bulk of his anxiousness about his current project, and he wants to put it out there before he has time to, once again, second-guess his efforts. So he blurts, "Hey, you know how you hate surprises?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes." Galahad slips out of teasing mode immediately, a change that Magnus will definitely pick up on.

[summerdude]

"I've been working on something for you. Not a surprise." Technically? It only counts as a surprise if he finishes it without Galahad knowing about it, right?

He crosses over to stand next to Galahad so he can start drying the dishes Galahad has washed. "Just something I've been, like, picking at." Daily, for considerable time every day, but sure. Picking at it. "I'd like to show you and get your, like, input of whatever so I know what else it needs."

[onthewillowsthere]

He blinks. It's not as if they haven't each worked on things for each other -- of everyone here, Galahad is the least likely to be surprised by a gift from Magnus, since it feels like they're always exchanging them. Food, ideas, books, things to look forward to in the morning. It's more of a surprise to see that Magnus is self-conscious about giving him something than that he has.

"Would you like to go now?"

[summerdude]

"Sure! It's out by the oak tree. You know, the big one by my camp?" Magnus wipes his hands dry on his jeans and goes to swing the fridge open, looking for the stew. "Huh. I thought the soup would have walked its way in here."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Why would soup walk? It's where I put it."

[summerdude]

"Oho! So you put it somewhere and immediately forgot about it," Magnus says, with exaggerated suspicion. "Wanna play hot and cold about it?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"It's hot," blankly.

[summerdude]

Obviously Galahad is still teasing him, but also since he doesn't know how old the game has been around: "Hot and cold is where you tell me that I'm getting warmer or cooler based on how close I am to it," Magnus explains.

[onthewillowsthere]

Not that long! "Thank you. You are cold."

[summerdude]

"Okay. So what about... now?" Magnus asks, walking toward the stove.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Less cold."

[summerdude]

He turns and takes two steps toward Galahad, then pauses, raising his eyebrows.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad, who is still standing in front of the cabinet where he put the pot, says, "Less cold," again.

[summerdude]

Another two steps towards Galahad, then!

[onthewillowsthere]

He may have miscalculated, he realizes. He shrugs. "Yes."

[summerdude]

"Yes, I'm warmer?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes." He's resigned to not being able to lie.

[summerdude]

"What about now?" Magnus is standing directly in front of Galahad.