Wellness Center (open)

[bodyofthesaint]

The holidays had come and gone, an interesting experience truly. He'd gotten into the spirit and gotten a gift for his cousin, a wheatfish that the other man could take home to his son. Andrej may not understand the importance of it but Stanoczk knew, knew it would mean something eventually

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[stildyne]

"Morning," Stildyne said cheerfully, stepping in with a cup of bean tea and a smuggish look on his ruined face. "It's cold out there."

[bodyofthesaint]

"A true statement," he began to rise a smile on his face. "Warm slippers perhaps? I could warm your drinkable if it needs."

[stildyne]

"No thank you. You've got to tell me when you want your Christmas gift. Today, or sometime very soon." Stildyne raised his single brow. "Of course, I ought tell you what it is..."

[bodyofthesaint]

"You should," he agreed. "But if you wish it to remain secret that is fine as well. And I am at your disposal whenever you wish to present me with it whatever it is."

[stildyne]

"I need your feedback for when, is the thing-- because what's going to happen is that you, Cousin, are going to take a day off." Stildyne crossed his arms. "A day to yourself, having massage and rest and whatever else you like."

[bodyofthesaint]

"I like my duties," he began to protest and then shook his head smiling ruefully. "But to protest would be to deny you the gift you asked for wouldn't it. Very shrewd chief."

[stildyne]

"You could deny it, of course." Stildyne shrugged. "But I would like to see it done. It'd only be a day."

[bodyofthesaint]

"The doors are open, the fire lit, I cannot close as if I never meant to welcome people today. Tomorrow perhaps. I shall put up a sign, 'gone fishing'."

[stildyne]

Stildyne nodded, satisfied. "Tomorrow or on the week-end. And hope nobody tells your cousin about the sign." The three of them from Jurisdiction and a few other folk in the village were the only ones who'd know the dirty joke the sign represented.

"What would you like besides massage, perhaps the occasional fishing interlude?" Dolgorukij idiom sounded almost harmless, really. Surprisingly versatile, though.

[bodyofthesaint]

What he wanted was so infrequently at the forefront of his thoughts he had to consider.

"A morning meal of the days catch followed by a sauna and your promised massage." He smiled. "Followed by a fishing trip, and a story.. the epic of Kumitaz if you know it over a snack of sweet-grainy kelats if they can be had."

[stildyne]

"I don't know it. But I've got this book where it's excerpted." Rather a sad little book, by Dolgorukij standards, he was sure. Bits and pieces of things, but no full stories. "All revisionist, I'm afraid. And the author's summary chapter might well do you an injury." Offense or laughing, either way.

"The food, with the village's help, I'll manage."

[bodyofthesaint]

"And the fishing? You would not deny me the pleasure of a large catch."

[stildyne]

"All you like, although one could argue who's giving the gift to who." Stildyne smiled one of his thin-lipped smiles. "Come to think of it, there was a maneuver or two you showed me at Chelatring that you never let me reciprocate. Or, pardon, you didn't show me at Chelatring, because there's no gallery and nothing happened, of course."

[bodyofthesaint]

"Of course," he smiled. "You shall have to enlighten me and perhaps we can fit them in. And if I receive my gift as it was intended why should you not benefit as well?"

[stildyne]

"Hmph. Giving and receiving favors, as if I was Reasonable. It's meant to be a gift," Stildyne grumbled, not entirely seriously.

[bodyofthesaint]

"But to protest implies that I get no pleasure out of you having some as well. When in fact the opposite is true."