Much to be thankful for
Courtney dresses up on Thanksgiving day, wearing a sparkly lilac velour dress with a skirt that reaches her knees. She gets coaxed into wearing dress flats by her mother, but balks at makeup. She doesn't have to help cook much, her mother taking care of most of it, but she does put on an apron and help with the hors d'oeuvres.
Aloysius avoids the kitchen but for his morning tea, and shuffles about the study upstairs in his dressing gown, as usual. Unlike most days, however, he wears shoes instead of slippers and his suit coat hangs on the back of the door to be changed into later. By early afternoon he is napping on the sofa by a low fire, resting up for the evening.
Thorn arrives and knocks awkwardly at the door, carrying a large plate of cookies he has made himself. He has tried his one suit, only to find the sleeves and pants come up short. Instead, he wears a nice high-collared Asian-style shirt, slacks, and thin gloves. The absence of jeans and a hoodie leaves him feeling vulnerable.
Arlen does not understand what the holiday is about but he's been warned there is one. He puts on his least shabby clothes and only spends a little while in the lab. Then he comes back and offers clumsily to help. With anything.
Courtney rushes to open the door for Thorn and looks pleased. "Aw, you look nice!" She shrugs off her apron. "Come in! D'you want a drink? I'm allowed to offer you wine."
Courtney's mother seems pleasantly surprised by Arlen's offer. "Oh! I'm all right on my own for the cooking. Most of it just has to be heated up. You could set the table though, if you want."
"yes ma'am." Arlen nods politely and starts to set the table up very formally. He knows where all the utensils go and uses the best he finds but he can't carry much to the table at a time.
Courtney's father sits in the living room, watching the parade on mute so as not to disturb Aloysius. The buzzsaw of the old warlock's snoring makes an almost musical background noise, drifting through the house.
Thorn blushes, offering Courtney the plate of cookies. "Um, orright, wouldn't mind just milk though. Ye look beautiful." Cheeks burning, he leans in to give her a peck on the cheek.
Courtney accepts the plate and leans over to give him easier access to kiss her, grinning. "Mm. Thank you. Let's take these to the kitchen and I'll get you a drink. The mushrooms are almost ready, too."
They pass Arlen as they go through the dining room. "Oh, hey Arlen. Thanks. D'you want a drink?"
Thorn grins, and follows Courtney with his ears red. He has come to feel slightly more welcome in her home since working with Arlen and, by extension, her uncle.
"Yes, thank you. Is there anything I've missed? I am not familiar with your holiday." Arlen frowns at the table.
"Looks fine to me." Courtney studies the table. "We have wine, or I can make tea or coffee, or there's juice..." She sets the cookies on the sideboard between a pecan and a pumpkin pie.
"'S this your first too, Mr Arkenstone?" It's about bein' grateful. Courtney's allus brought me leftovers before." Thorn eyes the pies with interest. His appetite is not what it once was, but he still appreciates good food.
"Wine please. I am grateful for the generosity of my hosts." He nods formally to Courtney.
She smiles and shrugs. "You're welcome. Why don't you two go into the living room and I'll bring you stuff." She ducks into the kitchen and opens the toaster oven to check on her stuffed mushroom caps.
"Um. Guess the Professor is busy...?" Thorn still finds Courtney's uncle intimidating.
Arlen straightens a fork and leads the way to the living room where he will probably sit around looking awkward.
Courtney's father glances up and smiles, nodding in greeting. He has a glass of tomato juice on a coaster on the coffee table. He greeted Arlen earlier, but murmurs a hello to Thorn.
A few moments after they are settled, Courtney appears with a large tray. She has wine for Arlen and milk for Thorn, as well as the mushrooms and a few cut vegetables. "Is Uncle A still asleep?"
The snoring has died down, and it's possible Thorn's arrival through the wards has begun to rouse him.
"Those look amazing." Thorn eyes the mushrooms.
"He seems to be quieter..." Arlen shrugs and his bone fingers click on the wine glass.
Courtney sits on the arm of Thorn's chair, leaving the tray on the coffee table. "Help yourselves. I made 'em from scratch." She sounds proud.
Darryl takes a mushroom and glances at Aloysius. He doesn't want to be the one to wake him fully. "They look good, Courtney." He says softly.
The warlock snorts and grunts, stirring lethargically.
Thorn bites his lip, equally afraid of rousing the old man. He does take a mushroom, however, and very tentatively slides an arm around Courtney's waist since it's at the perfect level.
"Thank you. You have such a wealth of good food." Arlen takes one delicately.
Courtney slips her arm around Thorn's shoulder. "We do. I'm reminded of that now and again in the Nexus. We're a wealthy country in a rich world."
Darryl blinks, then smiles weakly. "One more thing to be grateful for, I guess."
"'M grateful for lots." Thorn nods, blushing. "Don't even feel like the same beggar-thief first came to the Nexus."
"I have come to assume it is my world that is below the common standards."
Courtney pets Thorn's hair, but addresses Arlen, "Maybe, but not necessarily. There are a lot of war-torn dimensions out there."
“More people din’t ‘ave much than did, in my world.” Thorn adds.
“Mggh…” Aloysius rolls over on his side, blinking around blearily.
“Hello Professor Crumrin.” Arlen sips his wine. “We have not had a war in my memory, at least.”
Courtney rests her hand on Thorn’s shoulder. “Hey Uncle A. Do you want a drink?”
Darryl turns off the television as the parade draws to a close. All this talk of other worlds confuses him.
“…Tea?” He pulls himself to sit up and rubs his eyes, groggy and slightly grumpy. “Why didn’t anyone wake me?”
Thorn looks sheepish, cowering slightly.
“But evidently we did.” Arlen is calm and logical like always.
Courtney grins and gets up to go make tea.
“…Happy Thanksgiving, Uncle Al,” Says Darryl.
“Mmh. Happy Thanksgiving. Are we it?” He waves a gnarled hand in the general direction of Arlen and Thorn.
“’Appy Thanksgiving sir.” Thorn nods, smiling weakly.
‘To the best of my knowledge, yes.” Arlen knows how many people because he set the table.
“Unless Courtney hasn’t told us something,” Darryl smirks faintly. “She does like to surprise us.”
“Who what?” Courtney returns with hot tea for herself and Aloysius, fixed the way he likes it.
Aloysius smirks faintly, accepting his cup. ‘Your father just wants to know if you’re going to surprise us with any unexpected guests.”
Thorn blushes and fidgets with his milk glass. “’Ope I wosn’t?”
Arlen just looks between them and tries to look more comfortable.
“Should I have?” Her eyes twinkle. “I could have invited The Shadow.”
“No, Thorn, we expected you.” Darryl takes another mushroom.
“The house isn’t big enough for the both of us.” The nap seems to have ultimately done him good.
Thorn takes another mushroom as well. “Wosn’t sure. Uhm. Only Miss Leela doesn’t ‘ave the ‘oliday.”
“I do not believe I know either of them…” Arlen is lost.
"He asks after your health sometimes." Courtney reports to Aloysius, then sits next to Thorn again, sipping her tea. "Leela doesn't spend much time in the Nexus anymore," She tells Arlen, "but you might run into The Shadow sometime. Dresses in black, with a red scarf. Older man. Sharp nose."
"I'm fine." Aloysius shrugs, but gives a brief frowning glance around the room that dares anyone to contest it. There is no denying his health is in a slow decline, just from looking at him, but the hope of a new heart has him hanging on with genuine optimism.
"No, but neither do I really." Thorn shrugs, because working for Arlen keeps him busy. He hasn't missed the main Nexus much.
"I will keep an eye out for him. He is... a friend?"
Courtney meets Aloysius' gaze briefly, but addresses Arlen, "Yeah, he's more or less a friend. He's not the most cheery-social person I know, but he's definitely an ally."
Aloysius' gaze slides away guiltily, and he sips his tea without further comment.
Thorn puts a reassuring arm around Courtney again, biting his lip. "'E sounded good..." He's heard about the demon incident.
Arlen raises an eyebrow. "I'm not good at cheery or social either."
"He's all right." She smiles down at Thorn, then shrugs to Arlen. "Well, neither am I normally. Although I guess I've gotten better."
"He's trustworthy. That's what's important." Aloysius adds.
"I am hoping to improve." Arlen nods.
Thorn squirms subtly, pleased but awkward being so openly affectionate in front of her father and uncle. "Um... 's your mum orright cooking alone?"
"I think she's just watching the turkey right now, but she'll want help with the dishes later."
"I can 'elp with that." Thorn nods, anxious to somehow repay their hospitality.
Arlen already helped by setting the table and dishes wouldn't be easy on his hands.
"Better you than me." Courtney teases, smiling at Thorn. "In the meantime, dinner won't be ready for a couple hours. Anyone want to go for a walk?"
"If ye like." Thorn finishes his milk in a gulp and sets his glass down.
"...No, but enjoy yourselves." Aloysius does not look prepared to leave his seat for a bit yet, lingering over his tea.
Arlen looks interested, but then hesitates because they are a couple, and may not want company along.
Courtney glances at Arlen. She'd be happy to walk with just Thorn, but she hates to leave him out. "You coming, Arlen?"
"Ye spend too much time in the lab, Mr. Arkenstone."
"I would not want to be a third wheel, but... I am used to a lot of walking." He feels a little cooped up in the lab sometimes.
"C'mon," Courtney coaxes. "It'll be nice."
Thorn nods and stands, helping Courtney up like a gentleman.
Arlen gets up too and tries to smile a little. "Thank you. I have not seen much of your world."
"That's true... maybe we can all take a day trip sometime, to a zoo or a garden or something." She squeezes Thorn's hand as he helps her up.
"Uh, be careful out there." Darryl suggests, not sure he wants the neighbors to spot them.
"Never been to a zoo!" Thorn looks terribly interested, but her father's comment reminds him to pull up his hood. With the white hair concealed, at a distance he can pass for a perfectly modern teenager with terrible acne.
Arlen watches and nods, and goes to the stairs. "I will fetch my gloves and join you." It is very cold out there, and he hates cold, but he's restless too.
"Thanks." Darryl has the grace to look slightly apologetic.
Courtney nods at Thorn, ignoring her father. "There are a couple nice ones nearby. One's more of a wildlife rehabilitation center."
Thorn gives her father a respectful half-bow before following Courtney. "Do they 'ave 'edgepigs?"
Arlen can be quick, but the stairs always creak when he goes up and down them.
"No, hedgehogs aren't native here. It's only native animals at the one place. I don't think the other place has them, either, but they have tigers." She smiles at Arlen as he returns, and heads out the front door.
Arlen has gloves, but he is wishing for a scarf and a warmer coat as soon as the door is open.
"It's not as if the neighbors haven't thought of this house as a strange one for the past fifty years..." Aloysius mutters once they're out of the room.
Darryl blinks at Aloysius, then laughs weakly. "Are you saying you're strange, Uncle Al?"
"Even by a warlock's standard, and that's saying something." The old man smirks, a twinkle in his ice blue eyes.
Darryl refreshes Aloysius' tea and helps his wife in the kitchen a little, waiting for the little group's return.
Aloysius is content to nurse his tea, and eventually make the trip upstairs to change into his formal suit jacket for dinner. He expects to be seated at the head of the table, of course, although the job of carving the turkey will probably fall to Darryl.
Courtney leads them out of the yard and through a deer trail in the woods, and up the small commercial district nearby, pointing out closed shops.
Thorn is conversational in the woods. He's excited by the idea of a zoo, and opens up about childhood experiences sleeping in the stable and working with a handful of ornery livestock. There's also reference to a number of hunting birds for the court of the castle. It's a rare glimpse of his early life.
Arlen is quieter and huddles in his threadbare suit and looks cold, but he is interested in the conversation. He says they did not have many animals left in his world but in the cities people kept chickens.
Courtney is fascinated, encouraging Thorn to talk about his youth as much as he is comfortable with. She points out the pet shop for the benefit of both men. There are bunnies dozing in the window.
As they approach up the driveway, they catch a glimpse of Butterbug in the yard, and Courtney pauses to introduce them. She tells the little goblin he can visit later for leftovers.
(Still in progress copying from notebook)