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[rowancrowned]

 

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Satinalia! - A Nug In These Trying Times

[sulahnan]

[ It all starts with a cup of gently steaming tea, staged on the Research Division Head's desk next to a warm butter croissant. How both are still warm when Thranduil finds them is something of a miracle, or a result of perfect planning. But, regardless, the fruity black tea with hints of lavender and citrus is not unlike a blend one might find in a cafe in Val Royeaux, and the croissant is much the same.

The stuffed nug on the chair at that desk doesn't seem to fit with the theme.

But it might be the establishment of a theme, when a terra cotta nug appears on that very same desk, along with a packet of seeds and instructions:

• Soak nug in water for half an hour.
  
• Separately, mix seeds with water to form a paste.
  
• Empty nug of excess water, place on drip tray.
  
• Spread seed mixture on nug evenly. Do not water for two days.
  
• After two days, fill nug with water. Keep full daily.
  
• Watch the nug grow fur!

The culmination of this theme seems to be in the late evening, when a live nug trots past the open office door. Then, Athessa passes the door, clearly in pursuit of the nug.

Moments later, the nug passes by in the opposite direction. Again, followed by Athessa.

This happens a few times until Athessa stops in front of the door, hands on her knees and swearing under her breath. She catches sight of Thranduil with the look of someone caught with their hand in the cookie jar, holds that reaction, then stands up straight. ]

The nug has your last present. [ This said coolly, casually, blithely gesturing to the nug as it once again runs past. Athessa, however, has chosen to ignore it and walks into the office with a shrug. ] Happy Satinalia? I guess.

[rowancrowned]

( the paste-covered nug is currently sitting on the windowsill, and the stuffed one has taken the place of pride on his mantelpiece- formerly occupied by a fen'harel mask, now regulated, face up, to a high shelf- and thranduil placidly watches the back-and-forth until Athessa comes into his office. )

I applaud the ingenuity. Where did you find the nug?

( aka is it domestic. )

[sulahnan]

Bought it off a guy in Lowtown, [ For a very reasonable price, too. ]

Turns out the ferryman doesn't like nugs much, which is fair because nugs don't seem to like him either.

[ The poor ferryman spent half of the ride from Kirkwall sopping wet, thanks to that blasted nug. ]

[rowancrowned]

He is a drunkard and a wastrel, ( thranduil says, still not having forgiven him for the time he had to haul the man out of the water. it was possibly another ferryman. thranduil might be bad at telling them apart.

he softens. smiles, even. )

Thank you.

[sulahnan]

[ She nods and smiles too, perfunctory, her best attempt at polite, and a little bit like she doesn't know how to eject from the conversation--but then she makes a face and repeats a word he used that she doesn't know the meaning of: ]

Wastrel?

[rowancrowned]

A good-for-nothing.

( briefly, the idea occurs to him: get one of the pirates to run the ferry. he dismisses it almost immediately. )

But I suppose I cannot cast stones. It is not my job, to row Riftwatch members back and forth all day.

[sulahnan]

Pretty sure you can cast stones. Probably cast them pretty far, too, considering the height advantage. [ Har-har, stupid joke. ]