Woodland trail
The woods near Stonebarrow aren't always so scary during the day. They're a bit overgrown and mossy, but the sunlight filters through decently this day. It lights up a trail winding through the woods near the witches territory. The calls of wildlife interrupt the silence now and then.

Thank the Angels that the festival is over and the conclave is over. Morgan finds himself finally free from prep work and other duties that came up at the last minute. Unfortunately for him, he's also caught word that a certain lady Eee is hunting him down … and is rather upset.

Unfortunately all that work – and all that lady Eeee! – has made for very little rest for Morgan. Facing the music is something every witch learns to do, but facing it well only comes with practice and age. Of course it's hard to face the music when you're asleep – like Morgan. He leans back against a sunny (which in Sylvania is little removed from gloomy) rock and naps.

Morgan gets to rest for a time without much interruption. Then there's this creaking overhead, and a nut falls, bouncing right off his nosetip.

"Clean it's clean clean clea- what?!" Morgan's eyes snap open and he almost falls off his rock from the sudden disturbance. Then he looks down. "A nut? Oh, out for revenge are you? "We witches don't take kindly to such nonsense."" It sounds like a bad impression of Granny, and the nut promptly gets eaten for its trouble.

And right as the nut goes down, a head swings into view. The nose of the owner comes to rest right against Morgan's. And at last, Morgan finds himself looking into the red eyes of Liliana. The angry red eyes of Liliana. "Beh, though' vou coul' hide from me, eh?" she says, glaring at him from an upsidedown perch.

Morgan suddenly leans back, blinking. "I'm not exactly hiding you know. I am a witch, and we do wander around the forest. It's not like I even had time for that: I've been busy," he offers reasonably.

"Oh, I see. Vou say vou're too importan' to be seen wit' de likes of me, is dat it? Can' be seen dancin' with a gypsy, nooo," Liliana says, looking both angry and hurt.

Morgan looks briefly surprised, then suddenly a little annoyed in a sympathetic way. He frowns, but reaches over and taps Liliana's nose gently anyway. "You mean too good to drag you up to … where I was to sweep for half the evening? Much too important, yes, to bother with dancing when I had to watch guests and cook. I've never seen anyone eat so much burnt food," he says, and it sounds a little no-nonsense. Like being lectured by mom.

The Eeee releases her toe-claws and does a drop-down flip, landing on her feet. "An vou couldn' send a note over to tell me?" she asks, as well as points out. "Or one of vour animal t'ings dat witches are supposed to have attached to dem?"

"Well, you see, I was surrounded by witches. You can't really sneak anything past them. They see everything and know what you're thinking. They can smell a romantic interest a mile away. I couldn't imagine subjecting you to my Elders," he says. The word "Elder" having a special emphasis, sounding a bit like a title.

The Eeee seems to consider this and taps at her chin. "Ah, vell, ves. I migh' bite one, and den dey get mad, and vell, dats jus' no good," she remarks absently. "Ol' people don' like to be bit. Dey whine."

Morgan looks aghast. "Whine? Granny whine? She has a tongue sharp enough to cleave stone, and she's as tall as a mountain!"

"Cleave stone, eh?" Liliana remarks, now sort of hopping around on the trail on one foot. "Bet she a hoot at parties. Hey, vatch gran chop dis wood. whack!"

"A hoot if you like being married before you can blink and reminded of your every failing in as few words as possible, not to mention your lack of sense," Morgan says. He pushes himself to his feet and brushes his dress off idly. "I mean she's bigger than that human with feathers! I used to think she was big just because I met her when I was little, but she really is a mountain."

"Dang, vell, keep her away from de sweets, den," Liliana remarks, smirking.

Liliana suddenly moves and rather fast, too! Morgan finds himself pushed back, then pinned against the rock. Liliana's eyes are narrow, and looking right into Morgan's. "An' so vou know, vour not of de hook, yet … leeetle boy," she remarks, then winks.

Morgan grins widely, falling on his tail – and as anyone can tell you falling on a squirrel tail is the most comfortable tail to fall on. "I don't know if I want to be let off de hook, you vicked voman," he teases.

"Heh. Vou valk dangerous paths, Mr. Squirrel," Liliana notes, her teeth pulling back from her fangs. "Vou owe me a night. A backrub, an plenty of tellin' me how vonderful I am."

Morgan looks quite serious for a moment in a manner that's a little too like a certain band member. "A witch's path is always dangerous," he says solemnly. Then he grins again. "How horrible, I'll have to slave, and maybe use the special cream."

"Vou also haf' to provide dinner," Liliana notes, then pokes his nose. "An, to make t'ings more fun, I won be wearin' anyt'ing. Bet vou blush in under a minute," she teases.

Morgan rubs his chin. "That's not a bet I'll win," he admits. "But okay, I can cook. I've never tried to cook blood before – at least not in any way I can tell you. Witch's business an' all." He winks.

Liliana tsks. "Pfft, I prefer blood fresh," she remarks and gives Morgan a rather creepy look. "I vonder if vou would vhine… "

Morgan gives Liliana a rather deer-caught-in-bear-trap look, with big eyes. "What?" He blinks more. "You want to nibble me? Isn't that, you know … "

Liliana gives Morgan the best predatory grin she can manage. "Vhy, is a vitch afraid of a little bite?" she teases, also giving Morgan a rather closeup look of her fangs.

"Yes," he says clearly. "Yes I am."

Liliana tsks softly. "An vhy is dat, hmm? Oh, listener to vomen's private problems," she continues to tease.

Morgan reaches over and puts a finger on one of Liliana's fangs. "See, if you bit me, I might fall under your vampire spell. I might become a vampire, and I've seen how people new to wings act. That feathered man caught his in the doorway and nearly broke one of our fine pots."

"Do I look undead to vou?" Liliana asks, then smirks. "Or, is dis vour way of tellin' me I smell bad?"

The squirrel man hrmps. "Not all undead look like ugly corpses," he lectures, grins, then adds in a more intimate tone, "I happen to know you are quite warm and alive, like," he lets his hand drop then pulls Liliana in to a hug, "so. See. Very warm. And breathing, annnnd," he puts his nose to Liliana's shoulder and inhales, "smells wonderful."

"Sveet talker," Liliana murmurs and hugs Morgan back. She then leans over and lightly nips his ear, muttering, "But vou're no' off de hook. But no vorry, I be gentle." The Eee then giggles and licks the same ear.

Morgan suddenly giggles, squirming. "Oh help, vampire attack, oh no, I'm under ze spell!" His oversize tail wiggles from beneath him to afford him some privacy.

The Eeee pushes herself off Morgan and stands up. "I do vish vou coul' hav' seen me dance at de faire," she says, sounding honestly more hurt than really upset. "It no' like there was anyone else dere worth dancin' wit'. An plenty of offers."

The Kadie looks up, and looks a little flushed. "Well better late than never. I can't carry a tune in a bucket but I have a fine imagination. That is if if you don't mind dancing with a woman." He winks, then points to his dress.

Liliana laughs. "Vou know, vou wear more ladies clothes den I do," she teases, then winks. She offers him a hand and says, "Come on, I show vou a little of vhat vou missed before vou are my slave for de day." Another wink, then a wide grin.

Morgan stands up with Liliana's help and is once again reminded just how tall most other species are. He looks up. "It's all part of being a witch," he insists. Then he takes Liliana's other hand and looks at her expectantly. "Do you want to lead or should I?"

"Tradition' dictate de man shoul' lead," Liliana notes, amused. She tickles his ear lightly with a clawtip and says, "So, do vou want to be known as more girly den a lady Eeee, or are vou gon' to lead?"

"I think I already am, Miss You-Wear-More-Dresses-Than-I-Do," says Morgan even as he takes the lead. "You might be surprised to hear it but I don't attend many dances. Well, not to dance. I like to keep an eye on things."

"Vou really shoul' let vour hair down more," Liliana notes as she follows the lead. "Vell, no literally, 'cause it already down, of course. Vou are too serious."

"Yes, well, I'm only going to get more serious. My hair will curl into a bun," Morgan half-jokes. Morgan's dance style is simple repetitive motions, unsurprisingly rustic and uncomplicated. "I've sometimes thought about what it would be like to run off, but I really can't, you know?"

"Ech, de old phrase de grass is always greener on de other side isn' true. My life isn' easy. You have it better here den vou would on the road," Liliana notes. She can't help but move herself as close as she can to the Kadie. And really, her one hand sure seems to sit low on his back.

Morgan seems quite fine with snuggling up. His hand rests low on Liliana's back as well, but then again he is rather short. "Oh I know. We all have our daydreams, and I'm wise enough to see through mine. "No nonsense," that's a witch's motto. No nonsense," he replies.

"Bah, you have to have some nonsense in vour lif', tho, or it won' ever be much fun," Liliana remarks, then dips him back and kisses him. So much for Morgan leading. "Vou jus' hav' to find de balance."

Well Morgan's sure lost his balance there. "Va," he agrees, stumbling a little. "It's hard to be fun and a respectable role model."

"Pfft, no it isn'," Liliana remarks as she eases him back up. "It' all balance, Morgan. Vou haf' to know when to relax, and when to be firm, is all. An, not to be so aloof all de time. Don' always talk business wit' people. Instead of askin' about their healt' and all dat, ask about dem. Learn what dey like, dislike, and so on. Learn to relat' to dem, an vou may fin' de be even more willin' to listen to vou." She then winks and whispers, "Old gypsy trick for gainin' confidence righ' before vou get dem to play a rigged game. People like to feel like dey can talk about what dey like, an all. Makes dem at ease."

Morgan pretends to look very shocked. "Is this a rigged game?" He scoots a little closer. "Do I win?" Then he stands on his toes and kisses whatever part of Liliana's head he can reach before saying. "This game is rigged, I win all the time, and you get so little, always having to tell me to be more fun and less serious. Well, okay. No more work talk from me."

Liliana chuckles as the Kadie reaches her chin. "Nah. I jus see more to vou den the image vou want to project," she notes, then releases one hand so she can tickle his ear. "Maybe I be de dark angel of corruption, no?" she jokes.

Morgan raises an eyebrow. "Maybe? Oh you are, I'd have never done this before. You know the whole band patted me on the back when you were at camp and I walked by? They winked!" He laughs.

"Dey jus jealous," Liliana notes with a grin. "But no, I no be de dark angel of corruption, but … " she says, leaning in to whisper, "My parents used to frequen' a place she ran."

The Kadie squints in a suspicious sort of way. "Ohhh?"

Liliana nods firmly. "Dey tol' me stories. Imagine vour mos' naughty dream, an vou coul' find it in Vorms," she whispers. "In fac' I was conceived dere during one of dere, ah, parties. Or so dey claim."

Morgan's ears quirk. "Vorms? I don't know a place named Vorms, but there's quite a lot of old temples and other ruins around here. I should show you some time, some of them are rather pretty. Of course this is between you and me, I did not tell you to visit them." Now Morgan winks. "Conceived at a party though? In the most naughty of places? That's fun, because you're in all my naughtiest dreams."

Liliana leans in, her lips curling back into a smile. "Really, now? Vell, perhaps we can make a few of those into reality, ves?" she teases, then slips back. "An, vell, I shoul' be back to my vagon. I expec' vou to be there at nightfall, ready to give me dat backrub." She then grins very fangily and adds, "An' perhaps a nibble."

"Wellll, okay, maybe a nibble." Morgan smiles. "I'll bring that cream you like too. The fun one. You remember."

"Tsk, tsk," Liliana teases. The Eee slinks off into the woods. Then after a moment, her wings can be heard as she climbs through an opening in the trees and is off into the air.