Beach Birthday Party

[curiously_cora]

Coraline had hung paper chains all the way from the Compound to the Beach; they decorated every available tree along the main path and brightened up area. She’d have to take them down later of course but for now they looked beautiful hanging in the sky. She’d spent weeks planning this party, worrying that no one would turn up and trying to get as

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[heartliketin]

Cain was there with gifts and Glitch in tow, but he wasn't in the middle of any it, just sticking to the outside edges of the party. He didn't have his hat that day, but still wore his long duster over his vest and pants, arms crossed over his torso as he hovered at the edge of the party, just keeping a watchful eye on both Coraline and Jonas, but along with that, all the other people he'd come to feel protective over as time went on.

[heartliketin]

"There is not a bald spot," Cain patiently replied, twisting her so that he was carrying her under his arm before setting her down on her feet. "I'm glad I'm still invited, seeing as I'm not other children. And your gift is waiting on the table over there by your cakes."

[curiously_cora]

Coraline stretched out her arms as if she was flying and waited patiently to be put down. Coralined smoothed her hair and fixed her ribbon before sitting down on one of the blankets.

"The invitation was very everybody but I did make special ones for special people, Wednesday's was black because she's a very serious girl." Coraline said, peering over at the presents. "Can I open it now?"

[heartliketin]

Cain nodded, giving her a careful smile. "You wait here, I'll bring it over." It wasn't wrapped in much more than some shawls he'd picked up and he set it down carefully before Coraline, settling himself down on the ground with a relieved sigh at getting off his feet.

"Glitch has his own gift for you, but I'm not allowed to say what it is," he offered.

[curiously_cora]

Coraline nodded her head and smoothed her dress out as she sat down properly on the blanket. Coraline waited very patiently as he set it at her feet. "I won't ask then if you're not allowed to say," Coraline said, as she started to unwrap the shawls from around it. "You could hint though."

[heartliketin]

"I don't even know what it is," he said very truthfully as he watched her carefully, reaching over to rest a palm lightly against her cheek. "Go on, open it. I hope you like it just as much as I thought you might."

[curiously_cora]

"I know I will, unless it's buttons and then I'm going to have to be very cross with you, after I've pretended to like it." Coraline said seriously, her face trying not to smile at the very paternal touch. Coraline finished unwrapping and her smile brightened. "Oh! It's wonderful."

Coraline rather wanted to hug her present but settled for hugging Cain instead. "I think you might have to help Adam carry it back though."

[heartliketin]

Cain hugged her back tightly, glancing at the present to check out the size of it and he gave an assured nod. "Course I will," he promised. "It's the least I can do after I gave it to you, right? So, you do really like it. I wasn't sure if you'd want a saloon set or something else."

[curiously_cora]

"I really do, I can put all my books on it and it'll look after them and I can make-" Coraline looked for the right word. Jaye had taught her a lot of words and she intended on using them. "-fucking whores for the saloon."

She said this of course with all the innocence a child can have when using a bad word, she didn't understand it but she knew it meant someone who worked in places like Saloons or on street corners.

[heartliketin]

Cain shot Coraline an extremely dirty look, picking up the whole shelf and set and taking it out of her reach. "Excuse me?" he said sharply, his tone icy and a bit curt.

[curiously_cora]

"It means barmaids or maybe traffic wardens, I don't know Jaye didn't tell me what they meant." Coraline said making a face as he moved the shelf away from her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

[heartliketin]

"You're not using that kind of language, Coraline," Cain scolded, a bit sharp (about as sharp as he'd gotten when Jeb had picked up some Central slang when he was a child and hanging around Cain's offices). "It's not polite, neither of those words are."

[curiously_cora]

Oh this was about Bad Words. Adam had Opinions on Bad Words. She felt it was rather unfair of them to be cross with her though, she didn't even know how to spell sausasges or how to stop spelling banana. It wasn't like people told her the Bad Words and then told her not to use them. They just told her them.

"How am I supposed to know they're not polite if no one tells me? And other people use them, Coraline argued stubbornly. "Is this a Grown-Up thing?"

[heartliketin]

"It's a decency thing," Cain argued back patiently. "I don't use those words at all because it isn't polite to talk about anyone like that. Even women who sell their bodies like that." Central had been overrun with them after he'd gotten out. And not just the usuals, but good women, he suspected, who had nowhere else to turn. "And you can ask Adam or me."

[curiously_cora]

"If I ask you or Adam then you're going to tell me off again for using Bad Words." Coraline said, trying to pull her present back closer. He wasn't allowed to take it back, it was a gift. "You should tell the adults who tell me them off first, I think that's only fair."

Coraline didn't understand the selling their bodies bit, she thought perhaps it had something to do with organs. Like Igors. Igors always needed body parts and lightning.

[heartliketin]

"If you ask about them, I won't tell you off," Cain answered patiently. "But when you just slip the words into casual use, then I don't approve in the least," he said, voice a bit cold. "I don't like hearing that kind of language, at all. Especially not from people like you."