xp_logs | Nathan and Alison, Monday afternoon

Nathan is ~~pacing~~ practicing walking. Alison catches him at it and manages to distract him quite nicely.

He was practicing walking. Yeah, that was the ticket. If anyone asked, that was what he was doing. Not pacing. Him? He didn't pace. Nathan smirked, continuing down the hall, the cane clicking on the hardwood floor.

"You know, I've heard that cane thump by my door about five times now?" Leaning in the doorway to the room she now shared with Haroun, Alison grinned at Nathan impudently. "Working out, huh?"

Nathan rolled his eyes at her, but smiled. "Need to be able to dance, come the fourteenth. I don't think that's going to be feasible unless I can walk like something other than a lurching drunk by then."

"Uh huh," she replied cheerfully, closing the door behind her to join him in the hallway. "So, shall we pace, sorry, ahem, I mean walk together then?" She spared him the mention that a Scottish wedding would likely provide its own lurching drunks no matter what he did anyway.

"Join me," he said with a grandiose wave of his free arm. "We can lurch together, and you can help me figure out how to nicely ask all my mercenary friends to please not carry concealed weapons at the wedding. I know the Pack will behave, but I'm not absolutely sure about some of the others..."

"Tell them Moira will get very upset. D'uh." Alison rolled her eyes at him but followed nonetheless, without even a pretend lurch in the process. Talking him into keeping his friends from bringing concealed weapons along would be good. Very good. And then some. Her blood pressure could only take so much.

"Worse comes to worse, we can always have David make a five-second pass." He snorted, unable to help a grin. "I remember the time he disarmed close to a hundred Syrian soldiers in just under ten."

A faint snort greeted that, Alison rolling her eyes again. "Speaking of guests. Any idea if Lien managed to get Bridge to wear a kilt?" It was entirely amusing as a notion and she felt no guilt in getting Bridge in that amount of trouble. Not one bit.

"Not yet. I emailed her about it after you suggested it. The phrase she used was 'Oooh, fun.' So," Nathan said wryly, "I'm not really betting on his chances of escape. She promised she'd get back to me."

Oh, look, they were at the corner again. How many times was this? Nathan grumbled to himself. "I have all kinds of things I probably should be doing. Writing exams. Reading RSVPs."

"Not pacing," Alison added blithely, turning around so she could follow him pacing towards the other end of the hallway. "But hey, walking is good. You need to be ready for the dancing! And the kilt wearing! And stuff! By the way, did Lorna tell you guys about those enormous phone bill she's racking up talking to the folks in Scotland?" Of course Lorna hadn't. Lorna who did not have the wherewithal to cover those bills easily, at that.

Nathan gave her a quick sideways look, raising an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Well, easily enough looked after." It was good to have people who mentioned little details like that to you, when the people who should have had refrained, for whatever reason.

"Sneak it up on her and don't let her know the bill's actually paid until after?" Alison batter her eyes at him, then gave in to an evil grin. "She'll sputter and wave her arms and stuff. Betcha anything she will!"

"And who am I to deprive myself of that singular pleasure?" Nathan bantered. "I'll sneak it past her. Doing that with a few things, actually..."

"Ooooh?" They were near the mid point of the hallway now, Alison absently keeping count. "Mind sharing? Mischief is fun. I could even help," she nodded wisely at that, fully aware she'd already ratted Lorna out at least.

"Well, that poor, long-suffering florist is getting a hefty bonus. She was trying to convince us she would do it at cost, because it was Moira. But we're having none of that, of course..."

"Ha!" grinning widely, Alison contemplated the options. "You could give her the contract for the mansion's next party too, but I bet you if it's with the same crowd of ruffians you hang out with she may turn you down. All the heavy artillery and stuff." A wise nod accompnied that statement.

"I wouldn't inflict that on her," Nathan said wryly. "But something appropriate, yes. And there are a few other minor things... plus gifts for the bridal party and other helpful people." He gave her an innocent look.

A grin answered that, both appreciation and amusement. "Am I helpful then?" she asked innocently, before waving off any comment cheerfully. "I won't tell the bridal party. Even if it is traditional, betcha a few of them won't be expecting it in the least."

"Well, the 'girls' are all getting jewelry, to start off with. Moira had a traditional moment." He flashed her the image of the delicate silver knotwork necklaces. "Pretty, don't you think?"

"Oooh. That is pretty!" Alison favored gold, but most scottish jewelry seemed to hold to a silver theme, from what she remembered seeing in the village. Her fingertips rested on the small golden pendant she always wore, a brief smile lingering before she focused on the topic at hand once more. "You giving all the 'boys' kilts?"

"Flasks." Nathan flashed her another image, this one of silver flasks with a very similar knotwork pattern on them. "Tradition, again, although I know Haroun won't have much use for one." He smiled.

"I wonder how mint tea keeps when cold?" was all Alison replied, thinking that over idly. "Doesn't matter. Used or not, it's something given at a special time." And Haroun already kept so few things. It was what had prompted her, on part, to redo the living room. To make it less like Haroun moving into her room and make it more about it being their room. He practically haunted the living room at times, now.

"There are more substantial gifts for the members of the bridal party, too, but those are secrets. Like yours," Nathan said with a self-satisfied little smile. He was rather proud of what he'd picked out for Alison. "It should be ready by the time we get there, so you can take it back home with you."

He looked like a little boy with a secret. Something she got see fairly often, though it usually involved Miles spilling his guts within the next ten minutes. Most of the time anyway. "I'm not asking," she replied with perfect equanimity. "I like surprised and I'll probably have forgotten all about it by then. Don't tell Moira but I asked Rahne to help me with my accent." It would make Nathan happy to know now, and to anticipate the look on Moira's face on the wedding day, which meant telling was definitely the thing to do.

Nathan's smile grew. "I bet she was delighted to do it," he said. "She's going to look so pretty in that bridesmaid dress. My little redhead..." He paused, coloring a little. "Well," he admitted humorously, "not mine. That just sort of slipped out."

"A bit bemused by the intensity with which I dragooned her into helping, but entirely willing to help, yeah." She shot Nathan a highly amused look at that, snickering slightly. "Bet it did. So the dresses are green, huh? Means I have to pick another color. Hrm, what to go with... "

"Dark green," Nathan confirmed. "Very pretty. The redheads are going to look particularly nice, although it should suit all of them." He snorted. "You should have seen the way Dom fussed. She and Moira ran out for her fitting when she was here to get Ani and Ian."

"Heh." Alison grinned at that, then revised her decision on the green. "I was thinking light green for mine. I could still do that, if I don't go for blue. Though either would work well." It would be almost odd to wear something so much more... demure. She usually went for at least a touch of the flamboyant or daring in what she usually wore, but had settled on demure for the wedding. "Taking Lorna out soon for a raid on the stores. Just the two of us, like old times."

"I'm sure you'll look lovely, whatever you pick," Nathan said gallantly, then laughed at himself. "Listen to me. As if you needed the reassurance."

Giving him a pensive look, Alison smiled slightly. "It's always good to hear, Nathan. But looks are hardly a guarantee to anything," she added in a lower town, shrugging slightly. And then looked up to stare at a flat wall she'd almost walked right into. "Right. About turn!"

"I'd like to point out that you were the one who nearly walked into the wall there," Nathan said, turning. "Not me. And here I'm the one pacing and fretting."

"Did not!" She huffed it him at that, lifting her nose up in the air, the very picture of royal haughtiness. "And you forgot to fret while I was cunningly distracting you by ratting out Lorna's bad paying huge phone bills habits! ha!"

"I'm silly to fret," Nathan said wryly as they walked. "I know that. But I haven't met most of Moira's relatives on her father's sides, and I'm a little nervous, based on the RSVPs... plus, you know, general worries, too. Will it all go off without a hitch, etc, etc..."

Well, it would if she and the rest of those on security detail had any say in it. "It'll go fine." It was so ironic, that the marriage phobic woman was reassuring the about to get married man on things like that. "And I think Moira's relatives will be wise enough to figure out respecting her choice is the healthiest thing to do." A pause. " I think they'll like you too." Said far too casually, Alison shooting Nathan an impish look after. "Cane and drunken lurching too."