2025-01-19 - It Comes Back Around

Arrow, thusly scooped up from work, walks along to the midway with her roomies, a cane in hand. Her gait is steady, if a little uneven. When it's cold, she definitely uses aids more often than not. The little gifts left on the shop sills courtesy of the local corvids do cause a certain, ahem, accidental sprinkling of sunflower seeds alongside the shop in a small green space that serves as a kind of alley to cut down to one of the paths to the hidden spookeasy. All out of pistachios today.

"... And I said to him, sir. This is an occult shop, but I will not curse your ex-wife. There are tiktok witches for that, but you didn't hear it from me. And then I gave him the name of the girl I know who just uses his witch money to buy frostys from Wendys and signs up the curser for erectile dysfunction consultations."

That echoes a bit down here in the tunnels, but no one pops out of any of the office asking for details. Arrow tick steps along with her cane, telling Robin about her day.

Robin walks with his hands inside his pockets. Seeing Arrow's long coat he gives the hem of his coat a flap while hands remain in pockets and it shifts and falls to a long, black walking coat with white paint spattered hem that drips up. It might not make him any warmer but at least he can match theme.

Robin's head tilts with one eyebrow raises and a white ? in a Courier font appears above his head. His brown eyes squint warily bewildered at what the hell the guy was expecting. A wry grin warms as Arrow conveys the mischief hence bringing Robin to pull one hand out of his pocket to sign; Letters type out in front of them as they go. 'Now I want a Frosty. thx. But there is where Mac might be and he points that way looking.

Mac's waiting at the mouth of the tunnels with a tray of hot cocoa or hot coffee, depending on their preferences, one cup for each. She's had a chance to get out of the Spookeasy costume, but her hair's still pinned up in her "Haunted Estate" updo, which is a little at odds with the rest of her much more modern appearance -- black-and-white plaid leggings, her red Doc Martens, and a Ramones hoodie a couple of sizes too large for her.

When she sees the two of them, she waves, squinting to see the words that Robin's just floated up, and she looks down at the hot drinks in her hands, but shrugs, moving their way.

"Fam," she says, holding out the tray -- their names are on their drinks already, with a little arrow next to Arrow's name and a little rough outline of a bird on Robin's. She obviously commandeered the Sharpie from the barista.

"I think the closest we can get is a milkshake," Arrow says, one gloved hand in her pocket, the other wrapped around her cane. Today it's a silver raven topper, which is themely given the recent bird gifts outside Stirring. "Nice coat," she says to Robin, smiling when his illusion puts him in a more goth street style.

"Ooh." Arrow spots Mac, and immediately spots the tray of goodies. "Working with the ghosts today?" She reaches out to take one of the drinks, amused by the Arrow on hers. Hot chocolate, extra mocha drizzle. She sips carefully. "Thank you. You are the best most considerate roommate today."

Robin pauses with one boot hovering a moment above the ground when he spots Mac. His foot is set down without forward momentum instead pivoting to her. Eyebrows lift and lips part to gorm a grin signing a <<thank you thank you>> to her taking the warm bevvy.

Robin looks to Arrow and nods pulling his other had free from his pocket to sign while he drinks letting the letters form. "We were craving a frosty and some fries. We need a Wendy's." he nods and concedes this honour to Mac as he has contributed 0 all day. 'You bring any of the ghosts with you?"

"I look terrible with red hair, so you'll have to accept a Mac instead of Wendy, and not of the Donald variety," Mac says with a chuckle as her two roommates claim each of their drinks, leaving her with her own, also a hot chocolate, hers with a marshmallow-flavored whip.

The tray is dropped into the nearest trash can. "Fries do sound good, but they always sound good," she admits. She's a junk food connoisseur, and if she eats healthy it's usually because someone else cooked for her.

"Yeah, I was on Estate today. I haven't gotten my ghost powers, so all the ghosts I saw were fake, sadly," she adds, waggling her finger at the shadow cast by a bench to form some little ghost-like shapes out of the shadows -- they look a bit like Pac Man ghosts, before they stop moving and recede back into a bench-shape shadow.

Arrow looks wistful at the mention of frostys and fries, but then another sip of her delightfully sugary hot cocoa soothes her cravings. She glances past Mac's shoulder at Robin's question, like she might see a ghost back there. Even if there was one, she wouldn't! Unless it fully manifested or something.

"You could pull off the pigtails, though." She watches the little shadow play with a smile. "I keep hearing rumors there's some real ones in there, but I haven't noticed. The only thing a little weird I saw was an acrobat on the roof of Stirring the other day cleaning the gutters." And that other thing. "And a miniature gargoyle she kept trying to feed random clumps off moss to." There's a pause. "Animate gargoyle. This place is getting weirder."

Robin looks curious and then over to the little shadows making like 'Mac-Man' ghosts. He pulls up his hand to make a chompy Pac-Man the analog way. Pac looks alarmed and does a U-ie away from the ghosts. Well he goes as far as Robin can reach which as the tall roomie is pretty far. As they recede back Pac-Hand waves au revoir.

He gestures to himself, who still has black hair and Arrow with platinum. The free hand, his left, signs away 'It's true- pigtails. Can't go red. It'd ruin the monochrome of the apartment.' Looking to Arrow he signs curious. 'Animated gargoyle? not an employee? More interesting. Any more weird dreams?' he looks between the pair of them and then points: carousel or gamey part of the arcade? Either are a good place for catching up. it's cold and thereby there may be a comfort issue in play.

"I'd look like Wednesday Addams, then," Mac says with a laugh at the pigtails suggestion, and shakes her head vehemently. "I think I'm good. Speaking of."

With that she tugs out the pin holding her hair aloft, and it tumbles down in its dark waves around her face. "Warmer," she signs, rather than saying it. It's not too too cold -- it's chilly by California standards, though, and those are the ones she subscribes to.

She shakes her head at the question of weird dreams. "Not here. I'm talking to some of the other dreamers, though, see what we might be able to figure out." She lifts her brows at the mention of the gargoyles, and adds, "Gargoyle or grotesque? Gargoyles gurgle the water -- rain spouts," she says. "Disney messed us all up."

"No, a very tiny one." Arrow says, holding up her hands to indicate roughly kitten sized, insofar as that's obvious with a cocoa in one hand and a cane in the other. There's about an eight inch gap between items. "Maybe a little bigger. It didn't get close, but it was definitely not a cat with fake wings on it." She sounds sure. "I know sometimes costuming likes to put the bitty bat wings on the mousers in the Boo'ed Walk. This," she shakes her head. "Not that."

"He wasn't spitting water at the time, but I could ask. I saw it mainly in silhouette. You're right, I suppose it was more of a grotesque profile if we're speaking architecturally. Very cute like the television ones. He claimed no fingers for his own, so perhaps a sweet addition to the park."

Robin gestures his hand in the 'I meeeean' gesture as if there and are far far worse things in the world than being a Wednesday. He sips his cocoa and elects to stay out of trouble today. There's a long pause and he looks to Mac and signs 'Going to guess Spork would not be happy if we brought a not-winged-kitten home?' His finger curling around to make the question mark wary of the answer. He might adopt it. Robin does not know.

There's a thoughtful look as Robin starts toward the carousel to take this conversation around and around with the pretty lights. This is easier to drink cocoa with and warm up. He gets up there and leaves his cup in the hand to loop around the pole to see if Arrow want a hand up or not. 'Not biting is good. We don't need more fingers lost to the park. Now I want to know what they get up to all day. We don't get this at the Portals.'

Arrow's answer of 'he wasn't spitting water' draws a snort from Mac, but she looks charmed by the description of the little creature. "How cute," she says, and then shakes her head at Robin.

"That dog doesn't worry about anything but whether he's getting two Milkbones or three after his nap," she says with a laugh, following him to the carousel when he makes the decision for the group, and she realizes she never answered his question. The talk of grotesques (or gargoyles) definitely was distracting.

"I'm game for another tiny roommate, but he might not like it inside. Maybe he can guard our apartment from outside, though?" she says. "They're supposed to keep evil spirits away, right?"

Arrow has a drink in hand, so when it comes to boarding the carousel, she avails herself of tucking her elbow into Robin's hand, and using the leverage to hop up. It's pretty smooth considering. "If they seem friendly and housebroken," Arrow muses, leaving that open-ended.

"If we get one and it turns out to be a menace, we'll gift it to Jack. Performers are made of sterner stuff. And they both have wings. I'm sure the bonding experience would take the edge off any potential friction. I'm very sure he has a shiny trinket hoard for a grotesque to look after." If that's what they even do.

At mention of evil spirits, she nods. "Maybe some soda crackers in the windowsill then. Start slow."

Robin looks back to Mac warily with some concern shaking his head signing back pointing to himself- no. 'I don't want to get spat on.' He stops talking to assist his roomie doesn't spill her drink there. Once back he says "housebroken important. Don't slip and die on floor puddle' This gargoyle situation's got him thinking.

There's a snicker when Arrow talks of sicing the gar-tesque on the piano man if it's a problem. 'Clearly this is the basis of a life long friendship. Pretty certain his shiny hoard is called a tip jar' The carousel has been well loved over the years and tonight Robin hops on the giant running rooster. Tonight the carousel critters stay in their places thankfully.

'If tiny moss went well we can talk to Starlight?' His elbow stays hooked around the pole even though he's got one lanky leg touching down on the platform. The cost of being tall. *x'150So you didn't smudge them off the shop yet. Nice. Ice show had an incident. Heard someone quit it. Things are getting weird. Don't know how I feel about that.' Gesturing between Mac and Arrow he's curious how they are doing with that. He takes a long drink of his cocoa listening.

The pegasus that Mac chooses is stalled in the up position -- sure, there are other animals that are lower to the platform, the ones who had been going down when it came to a stop, but she wants this one. It takes some effort, to get her Doc Marten in the stirrup and throw her other leg over, but she manages it, then reaches out for Arrow's cup if she needs both hands to get herself on a creature.

"It probably won't spit in the apartment. Just when it rains," she says, helpfully, before shaking her head to indicate she doesn't understand what Robin's asking. "Tiny moss? Starlight?" she says, head tipping curiously, before she sighs, "What's that mean?"

"Outdoors is good," Arrow decides, backing up Mac's earlier statement, maybe outside is better. It was the floor puddles that did it. "Tip jar, treasure, same difference. I should see if he likes rolls of quarters." She makes a mental note to do that at a later date. "I did hear there's going to be a jazz night at the Spookeasy soon."

"And a ski trip to the mainland," Arrow says, though it's unlikely she's going on that herself. She seems to be drawing a blank on Starlight's identity, though she's quickly distracted by mention of the ice show. "Someone said something about snowballs?" Which seems like a weird thing to have at a production of swan lake. "Did they do away with the crossbows in production and go full Christmas movie?"

Through the power or roomie teamwork, she makes it onto the carousel, and hands off her cup to Mac long enough to wrangle herself up onto a horse. One thing she can do is swing into a saddle, so once there, she leans in to take her cup back. "Thanks," comes her soft word. Since Mac asked, she doesn't have to pretend she remembers who Starlight is.

Robin blushes terribly embarrassed that he's laughing at Mac's question and the look is apologetic in earnest. He answers, 'She said it had random clumps of moss. Starlight island is where gardens are. I thought moss, plants, garden.' He signs 'sorry' a bunch of times before letting his shoes rest on the floor and leaning his shoulder to the brass bar as they carousel lazily goes around~ whee!

Looking to Arrow he responds to the ski trip "me- broke AF but we can go look at all the hot skiers buried under 14 layers of clothes and be somewhere probably in there.' Shaking his head he admits to them, 'I hears snowballs chased Louis out of a job. I'm certain part of that story is missing.' He can only report on the parts he knows but the look is entertained by this cosmic mayhem.

'Another auction thing coming up. Last one did well. It's peopling though.' this part giving him some concern.

"Ooh," Mac says when Robin explains, and she shakes her head at the talk of the ski trip. "I snowboarded a couple of times, but also poor AF," she says. "I also have to work those days, so no snow getaway for me. It's all right. I don't like to be cold, and it's also peopling."

She's definitely not the most social of employees.

There's also a shake of her head at the talk of Swan Lake, another thing she missed. "It'd probably make it more interesting, though. Not gonna lie. I have mad respect for the musicians and dancers, but you give me all music and no talkies, I'm eventually going to fall asleep. Same with Cirque du Soleil or really long action sequences with no dialogue in action movies. It all becomes white noise, and no matter how pretty it is, I doze off. It's terrible. I know."

"Oh, Starlight moss. Location specific." Arrow tucks her cane through come kind of modified pocket in her coat, one just wide enough that it must have been custom sewn into it, or altered after, so the cane catches and doesn't fall while she's holding onto the horse. It just barely peeks out of the bottom of the coat with its little rubber fitting that keeps it from sliding when she hits slick surfaces.

"If a snowball can get you, maybe this is the wrong place for ya, Louis." Arrow's not without sympathy, but unless the snowballs had a bunch of pointy teeth... part of the story is surely missing. She nods in agreement with Robin.

"Oh, yes, I saw mention of that but didn't read the whole thing. Is it dates this time?" She thinks on that. "I don't... know about that. I mean what if you lose?" Pause. "What if you win?"

She's agreed with her roommates and not going on that skiing trip. Especially after Mac reminds her how many people there will be. "Hot chocolate at home. And naps," she says, laughing at the idea of Mac just sawing logs through Cirque.

Robin's hand wobbles at 'specific location'. 'figured plant found where there's a shit load of plants. Bit poetic.' That part he looks entirely uncertain about but he's also not going to shit talk his own interests or ideas in front of his roommates either. He's working on this. His head wibbles with a grin that substitutes a silent laugh. 'I liked the thought of it.'

As for the auction he squints one eye a little more than the other and he shrugs. Finally he admits 'It is. Was thinking signing Spork up. I can to imagine how awkward that would be to sign up for. I do like the idea of letting him be social for the three of us and tell us what it's like.' he admits openly to them, 'Thought about it but how uncomfortable that would be. I think I'm not past scaring Ari at the diner.'

It's still bothering him, maybe disappointment but he asks 'movie night then? Theme?' he looks to the two of them to figure that out so they can all pick one for the triple feature.

"Oh, date auction?" Mac says, catching on to that thread of conversation, and she shakes her head. "Poor AF again, so I couldn't afford anyone, and not going to sign up for the chance of who might try to bid on me. Either no one does and that's embarrassing, or you earn the least amount of money, or someone awful buys you or... yeah. Too many scenarios for that to not cause me stress."

She tips her head. "Spork can go for us," she agrees with a grin, but frowns a little at Robin's last comment. "You okay? How'd you scare Ari?" She didn't hear this story.

"Do you know how much money Spork would make," Arrow says, eyeing Robin. "With his cuteness?" She smiles and says, "I don't know. It's for a really good cause. But that's a lot of people." A lot of people staring. A lot of people bidding. "What if someone up there gets no bids?" This is not the type of activity that today-Arrow is super down for.

She looks at Mac. "Oh god what if someone awful does buy you?" That's even worse!

She looks over at Robln, studying him for a moment, something about his demeanor at the mention of Ari, even in floaty letters. Maybe it's something in his body language, maybe just a mystery left where, which she's of course gonna follow: "Ari?" She reiterates Mac's question.

Robin sticks one finger in his dimple and gives it a turn twice when Arrow asks about how much moola Spork rould raise <<So cute>>. Looking to Arrow he signs with letters that for a moment start to zoom in on her until he makes them move with the carousel. Oops. ' Then we rescue her. We make a decoy, and run off and hide in the Haunted Estate and haunt it. A truly sensible plan.

When they follow up and ask Robin's weight slumps against the rooster's brass bar as they go around. There are feelings there that are tinted of shame, disappointment, regret, and a lack of a Frosty he is still thinking about. His fingers sign with and around the coffee cup.

'He came into the diner when I was working on teh bulb in December.' that was a lot of weeks right there. He is not mad that project is over for a minute. 'I signed, he didn't. I added subtitles to say hi to him. He looked nice. interesting. Kinda freaked him the fuck out and looked a little horrified? idk. Not his fault. After that I stopped doing this outside work. I don't know if I'd be okay to have another stranger spend money to judge me like that or be like oh, this is going to be difficult. Damn.' There's a small shrug and this has been living in his head for the last four weeks.

'movie night theme. We need one for our home night in. Cannot pick movie for theme with no theme.' There's a small turn of a smile waiting.

"What if someone awful buys Spork!" Mac says, clearly not too worried about how much money a date with the world's cutest bulldog might raise. "But he probably would fetch a bit of cash, yeah. People love dogs. I could put him in a little bowtie." It's something to consider. A doggy date.

But she quiets for the explanation of the story, brows knitting together. "I don't know Ari, but that's, like, the least scary of magics. He must have been new at the time? Hadn't seen the magic in action yet, maybe?' she wonders, glancing over at Arrow for backup, then back to Robin. "Definitely his loss if he didn't get to know you, babe."

The question of a theme finds her squinting off in the distance for a moment. "Two word alliteration movies. Fast and the Furious. Pride and Prejudice. Dumb and Dumber."

"I could definitely pull off a ghost, just need vintage hair and I have the outfit to do it," Arrow says to Robin, at his absolutely reasonable solution for awful person evasion. "We can text out for snacks, get delivery to ride and chuck take aways at strategic locations." How often does a food deliverer get asked to ride a ride and leave the bag by the big tombstone to the right?

She slides a glance over at Robin, then to the floaty subtitles. "Oh, new to the whole... park extras thing. Maybe he's adjusted since." She glances over at Mac and says, "When in doubt, put a ringer in the crowd to bid on Spork. Do any of us have rich friends?"

"Movie night themes like Jeopardy categories. I like it. But I can't think of any more than those three and what a combination." She'll be asleep most of the way through number two anyway. There's a little glance around and then she sips her cocoa. "Oh, did you hear some of the carousel horses walked off of it a couple days ago?" What a great time to mention that!

Robin considers Arrow's stipulations for her double and looks over at one of the swan benches that doesn't move around and creates a secondary decoy Arrow with the vintage hair and like one of the Haunted Estate outfits gone walking dress. His first two fingers 'etch' over the space until the doppleganger comes into view sitting there and he actually looks impressed at the work. There's a glance to his hand before gesturing to the decoy looking to his roomies as if asking 'shall this suffice?'

As for Ari being scared while new there's a small nod though he's still haunted by that disappointment. 'Conclusion I came to. But I don't want to scare a new stranger like that and go through that feeling all over again.' HIs lips press together tilting his attention to his cocoa and giving the remainder a swish in the cup.

Two part alliteration? He squints to Mac trying to figure out if there's any more beyond those and comes up with 'Fright Night, magic Mike, Bad Boys, Batman Begins, Hudson Hawk, King Kong? He can work with this apparently or try to.

Looking back to Arrow there's concern and now he's looking around at the creatures hugging the rooster he's sitting on with his knees. Oh man. Is there hazard pay for those days?

"Smart. We could have a signal. If someone who looks like they hate dogs is trying to buy a night on the town with the Sporkster, we do the signal," Mac says, and does a series of signals that look like she might just be a major league baseball catcher in her spare time, "and they'll bail us out."

"Fright Night's a true rhyme, doesn't count. The others are good. What the heck's Hudson Hawk?" She doesn't know, but adds it to her mental list.

But then she leannnns to tap Robin to get his eyes on her -- even though he can hear her fine, but it's a sign she actually learned her ASL around a deaf person, most likely.

"Their loss," she signs, her hands adamant as silent gestures can be, and her eyes are fierce as she looks into his, before she reaches out to offer him a hand to squeeze, and a smile.

To Arrow, though, she asks, "Did they unionize? Si se puede," she tells the pegasus she's on.

"I didn't even see photographic evidence," Arrow says, of the rumors she heard about the carousel, but it's no weirder that winged critters scuttling over the roof eating moss. She looks over at the reproduction of herself with the vintage hair and ensemble. "See, blends right in." She returns that dark-eyed gaze to Robin and nods. "Yeah, I get it. I keep mine under wraps in front of..." Well everyone. "New people. Not that we should have to, but sometimes the reactions are big. I still get big reactions in the occult shop people people walk in somehow thinking it's just tea."

"I don't think I ever saw the end of Hudson Hawk," she says. "That's in black and white right?" Noooot the right Hudson movie.

"I would, if I was a carousel horse just going around and around all day." She patpats one. "They seem normal right now." None of them are moving of their own accord. "I haven't seen anything moving in the bushes except maybe a cat. No creatures of the unknown type. Maybe it's all just temporary, like some illusions."

Robin is still waiting for the big chicken under him to run away because today would be the day for that. His shoulder is tapped before the dark shadows and Mac is there reiterating her point and given in return a look of concern and uncertainty. Her hand is caught though and squeezed back until tension recedes from his shoulders giving her a small nod in return with one more squeeze then looks to Arrow signing to her 'I'd still dance with you but you're better than I am' the smile warms.

Shaking his head of Hudson hawk there is a pause before he pulls up the Swingin on a Star heist scene to play for them. He waits for the short segment to play out before adding 'Ridiculous. Hist film. Action comedy.' When he signs action and comedy he leans into the miming of it working to pick the last of his mood up a bit as to not drag entirely there.

When suggesting illusions are temporal the facsimile of Arrow gives a little tip of her hand and fades back into the Arrowverse.

Now that her very important message is complete, Mac takes the time to look at the second Arrow and nods her approval. "That's pretty cool. As always, I have power envy," she says with a sigh, then watches the little bit of the movie. Her eyes are narrowed, and she looks confused, and it's clear she's never seen this movie in her life.

"Huh," is all she says to that. "Don't know it, but looks cute. Bruce Willis looks good with hair." Short as it already was so long ago.

She pats the pegasus' neck, then swings herself down from her steed. "This place is weird. I miss out on all the fun stuff," she says with a smirk. "I just get weird dreams. Speaking of which, I am trying to get the fellow dream squad together to see what we can do en masse. Which is only a few of us, so not much mass, really."

Arrow was also slightly braced in case her ride took a runner with her on it, but discussing the previous incidents doesn't seem to set the beasts a wandering. It's not that long into the video that she's humming along with the song. "That looks fun." Carry moonbeams home in a jar~.

She starts to shimmy a little with the music. The attitude, and the style. "I like it."

"I know what you mean," she says to Mac. "Mine aren't... you know useful day to day." That could be because she doesn't activate one and the other one. Well. The other one's for emergencies only. She hasn't discussed the other one at all. "Oh, yeah? So you found some other people who share your, you know. Dream mojo."

Or would you rather be a fish~

"A few is better than no others. You can trade tips and stuff and maybe do something the next time a bunch of people get yanked into a weird nightmare." She clears her throat at that. No one she went into that last one with have commented on her, er, aggro in the dream. So she got off scott free there.

Robin signs back to Mac of Bruce's hair <<Riiiight?>> he didn't even know he was allowed hair in life, but is equally impressed.- no sign needed. He sways with the song. Or would you rather be a mule~

When Mac gets the bite of gift envy he signs back, this time with titles as the context, and Arrow also having all the info, is important. 'It actually helps people. Mine just alleviates my debts I didn't make.' He thinks about it and tacks on 'I meant it with volunteer. I can pass out anywhere. I trust you.' It's a big big trust but Mac and Spork have earned that much.

When the fish is brought into the song his hand wiggles like it's swimming with a wiggle through water- sploosh! Looking to Arrow he grins 'it's a stupid movie and that's what makes it great. This one is going in the pile. Who doesn't like seeing the protagonist break in and steal shit?'

"I guess," Mac says when they say she can help people. "I'd still rather be able to fly."

She smiles though, in commiseration with Arrow, and chuckles as Robin and Arrow shimmy or gesture along with the music. "It's funny how some people get things that make sense for them. Like those." She points to the words fading from Robin's last speech. "That makes sense. Don't know about mine, but I guess it doesn't matter."

After she takes a sip of coffee, she glances down at the paper cup. "Making my coffee magically heat up would be a great use of magic," she decides. "It gets too cold when it's cold out."

"I love a good heist movie," Arrow agrees. "And it has that joie de vivre going for it, which says it's gonna be a comedy. And we like comedy. Adventure. Let's save the safe French film enrichment for like, later." She looks from Robin to Mac. "Yeah, I don't know how the park decides. Robin's is totally artistic and also useful. I guess maybe the touching stuff and getting information is kinda appropriate for somebody who's around a lot of old stuff and antiques." She rarely uses that one, though. Only if the curiosity gets the better of her for something really nice. Like antique lockets, of which she owns a few.

"Man, wouldn't it? Just never a cold cup of tea or anything else." She leans on the pole through her carousel animal, bracing her shoulder. "You haven't... been sucked into anymore nightmares right? And nothing weird has happened around the apartment. Everything normal?"

Robin considers Mac's grief as he drinks the last of his cocoa before sticking the bottom of his paper cup into his pocket as there's nothing left to spill. 'Maybe it's not done yet. We find out what the dream is trying to tell us. Maybe we can help you figure it out. All eggs not hatch same time- it confuses the chicken.' There is a whole pause and his cheeks puff out with air for a moment before a slow exhale admitting. 'Think that's what it means. My mom said it before. Translated. Many chicken anecdotes. Seems reasonable though.'

Curious he considers Mac's official grievance with the weather with his shoulders moving in a mute chuckle. 'I cannot warm you up, only make you think I did. Does anything decide? Are we moving the needle on how magic comes to be or do we just run into it more often in certain ways because of how we interact with world?'

"No, nothing new," Mac assures Arrow. "So far Spork remains magicless, too, which is good. If he learned to fly and I didn't, I'd officially be mad."

Robin's mom's maxim earns a laugh from the ride operator and she shakes her head. "Now I'm an egg?" she says with a scoff. "Just because I'm the youngest." She stomps her foot, but it's with a smile.

"I'm not too cold. But you could give my cocoa an illusory warm up if you like," she says, offering him the cup, but she shakes her head at the questions he poses. "You're hurting my head. Let's get off this boat." It's not a boat.

Arrow laughs. "If Spork learned to fly we'd never be able to keep anything out on the counters." She might love that dog more than most people. (She does.) "No empanada safe." It's not a question of training, really. Arrow's also not one to be trusted with certain unsupervised snacks on the counters. Usually pastry.

"I don't know about chickens with messages, but now I'm thinking about nuggets." She finishes off her hot chocolate, tepid now but no less delicious. She grins and moves to slide to the edge of her horse, swinging a leg over carefully to sit side saddle. That'll make it easier to get down with the ride comes to an and.

Robin is trying not to laugh but the vivid concern and image of Spork flying before any of them- The signing goes quick now, 'He's also got to have the smallest wings ever if that happens like the bread and butterflies from Alice in Wonderland.'

Looking to Mac he assures with a fondness 'We are all eggs. Are you the youngest? I know Arrow is a vampire and that's cheating.' For vampire he uses a sign that is a V and then akin to 'snakebite' because he prefers it. 'Jealous- me. Also can go for nuggets. Ummm how you spell-' he points to Arrow and goes back to empanadas. 'I was trying to tell Doc Julian but I couldn't sign or spell it and it never occurred to me to just make a goddamn pic of one' which he is CLEARLY kicking himself for now.

"Oh God. That's so true. All the counter snacks. The horror." Mac puts her hands to her cheek like Kevin McAllister, because luck has it that Spork is a short doggo, and she doesn't have to worry about counter surfing, only coffee table surfing from the bulldog.

Robin's question gets a quick answer for her as she spells out the word empanada, and adds, "Pan for bread, em for in. Ada is the state of. So like... the state of being inside bread. The best state really for food, si?"

Then, she holds her stomach as it growls at the thought. 'Yeah, let's go get some food. Nuggies and fries sound perfect."