Jin smiled widely as she ate, his grin expanding when she realized just how delicious the buns were any why he had insisted on returned to this location just so he could share in that experience. It was godly! He wasn't a religious man, but when it came to good food it was like he was experiencing the divine and believed, if only for a moment, that some giant sticky-bun in the sky was smiling down upon them.

The family that made these must be made up of prophets sent to spread the word of the great lord Bun.

"Good, yeah? More than good! That'll sure make Lord Bun proud of our worship no matter how you shake it." His grin got even wider, "It'll put hair on your chest! But the good kind! The kind that's covered in cinnamon and sugary goodness."

Oh blessed Bun he was glad to see her smile.

"Hey." He sat down at the table and leaned eagerly on his elbow while looking straight at her with a kind of innocence you just didn't see in people these days – and it was sincerely. Jin was exactly the person people saw. He was completely and unapologetically him.

"I have a question for you, but I don't want to be all rude like." He leaned forward a little more and took a big slurp of frosting off his finger before continuing.

"Is your name really Necklace? Seems like a right odd name to me – no offense! You seem like a really nice lady and you can't choose your parents or what nonsense they decide to name you!" then he thought for a moment and bit his lip, "And if you named yourself then it's real pretty." He added as a quick afterthought.

Yeah, that about covered it!

Snarg didn't even blink when the man decided to start shouting. He knew this kind of person. He worked with and against his kind nearly every day on every job he took and was so comfortable with being yelled at he didn't even flinch when bits of spittle landed on his face. If anything, it just made him more tired and caused his pounding head to threaten to split open at any given moment. Snarg might be a dog, but this man was a gnat; annoying but easy to ignore and easier to squash.

There were a dozen was he would be able to bring him down without killing him, and at least two dozen ways he could die. It would be so easy to snake an arm up and squeeze his throat until his neck snapped, or he could throw his blade directly into his eye...Snarg was good at killing. Killing is what brought him to this particular reality and was the only skill he had left anymore.

He was a monster.

And yet he just sat there, unmoving, barely giving the man any attention other than his initial comments which had only fueled his vitriol.

Obvious. This man was so unoriginal. He would die forgotten.

And then....the sound of soft plops in the sand brought Snarg's attention back to the situation at hand and he looked down to his right to see a number of sausages. No...not sausages, fingers.

He raised an eyebrow as the screaming began and spent just enough energy to raise his head an look at Kiri who now stood.

Huh. Well, that was unexpected.

But what had he expected? He didn't know this woman or her tendencies towards....whatever this was. Was she protecting him or was she just looking for someone to maim?

"I'd run, if I were you." He murmured softly, still staying seated in the exact spot where he was before with his blades undrawn.

Dao blinked and cocked his head. The little piece of wood now had a more obvious shape to it than the splintered lump he had been widdling. His smiled, of course, Dao was always smiling, but before he could say something a simple, small ring on his finger began to pulse with a soft red light.

Dao looked towards the light a moment, lightly touching the ring, and the pulsing light had stopped. Then he went back to examining this swan.

"I dunno.. " he went on, rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. "Looks more like a gourd to me."
He shrugged and smiled, returning his gaze to Saoirse.

"We still have some time to kill.. want to see how many drinks it takes for us to get drunk?"

Theo blushed slightly and hid a giggle behind trying to cough and eat at the same time. "Later," he signed while nodding at the rest Fletcher was saying. "It would make me feel better knowing my bodyguard is well-prepared for trouble instead of nursing an empty stomach—"

His teeth clicked shut with a sudden snap as his current wife-to-be pushed past Fletcher to get to him. "Here you are dearest! I've been looking all over for you, even checked the library. Had I known you'd been out here I would have snuck away to be with you sooner," Edwina twittered. Her arms came around his waist suddenly as she leaned in close and rocked against him with loud giggles.

"You really don't like these parties do you? I had heard you didn't but thought it might be you were shy around all the ladies like me." She clung to him and twirled them about in a circle before resting her head on his chest and nuzzling in, completely oblivious to the way his eyes bulged and threatened to leap right out of his head. 

"...I find all of the people and vibrations very overwhelming, yes. I'm sorry for abandoning you for a bit of cool air and respite—"

"Oh no, no my dearest you needn't worry," she cooed cupping his cheek and leaning up on her tiptoes. "Once were we'd there will be no need for you to attend any of these. You can hide away in your study for all I care. Perhaps you'll even let me join you.~"

Edwina leaned further in as if to kiss him even as Theodore leaned further back over the rail to avoid it. "I don't think this is appropriate right now, Lady Obower. People will see and Mr. Daw is present—"

"Oh," the woman giggled again while persisting, "he can join if he so wishes. I don't mind." She peeked over her shoulder at the other man even as Theodore cast a completely horrified look towards his own lover. 

"You didn't, no. But I am struggling and need to be strong. I can come undone at home where it's safe. Here is a pit of vipers. It's dangerous."

Theo grinned softly and tilted his head slightly, looking at Fletcher with such deep warmth and affection where only the man could see. "Is it so wrong to want to see that my boyfriend is equally cared for, simply because I care for him? You take care of me so much. It goes both ways."

He made a point to exaggeratedly pick up another bite of food and eat.

"I'm not fussed. I didn't say any of that." Fletch grimaced again and began to look rather sheepish. "I...didn't. What, I take care of you and you turn it around on me? Eat your damned food, Theo. I'll do the same when I've got a minute."

Theo picked at the food but wisely chose to keep his protests to himself. If Fletcher didn't want to admit he was being a burden to the other man then Theo wasn't going to push it right now. He added it to the list of things they still needed to discuss together.

"Yes. I mean you have no idea the extent to which I hate these balls. And I mean if I had a reason to want to stay like this was something you enjoyed and wanted then I could endure but my dislike of them is fairly well known at this point. I often got in trouble with Father for hiding in the host's library to read the night away. Apparently this is in appropriate behavior befitting a man. Who'd have known? Apparently wandering garden in the dark with a young lady is far better despite the scandalous nature of it. Makes no sense," he grumbled while popping another bite in his mouth to chew sullenly.

"No, you're right," he continued also switching to sign albeit sluggishly. "I'm sorry for putting you more on alert and stressing you. I'll do better. I don't know what came over me. I just need another minute and then I'll go back out and play the part—do you—did you get to eat anything?"

"What's there to be sorry for?" Fletch replied, genuinely confused by the apology. "Just eat it. Then you can get pissed." He set the drink down and crossed his arms, hunching against the chill. The next look he gave the man bordered on concern. He grimaced. "Maybe you're joking, but...if we weren't aiming for certain...outcomes, is disappearing still what you'd do? Lov—Theo — you've a fiancée in there. She shouldn't see you getting cold feet already." He shook his head at how he'd said even that much aloud and switched to sign again. "She certainly shouldn't see you preferring the company of a guard. None of them should. Just hang in there. Stick to it. You'll be out of the worst of it before you know it. But please don't give your dad any reason to make this worse on you."

He offered a small smile in return before settling more into the shadows leaning against the rail. He look he gave Fletcher upon the man's return was soft and only for his eyes.

"You're taking care of me again. I'm sorry," he murmured, accepting the plate without protest even as his eyes lingered on the drink instead.

"How rambunctious are they getting out there? Think we can manage to disappear before main course is even served?"