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[palmthemoon]

Over the past few months, Karen had got him to do a whole bunch of strange things. Baby-sitting a pygmy horse, for instance, wasn't anything Shadow saw himself doing in life. Same thing about helping do math sums for homework and getting used to tiny cold feet pressing against him when she curled up to him at night

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[goingtodorking]

If you were to listen very, very carefully, you might have heard somebody singing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the Lion King very loudly, from quite a-way away. A few minutes later, Karen trudges into the rec-room, pulling Puss-cat along by her tail with ShorHor in her wake.

"The world at once in peeeeeeeeeerfect harmony wit- Shadow!"

[palmthemoon]

He had just enough time to shuffle papers under other ones when he heard her coming. No way to hide the fact that he had been working on something but the donkey was at least mostly hidden. Except for the rare hoof.

"Karen!" He turned to look at her while resting his elbow on his little art project. Not that he had a chance in hell in pretending he'd been up to something not birthday-related, but he'd do his best. "What are you and ShorHor up to?"

[goingtodorking]

"We've been singing," says Karen, leaning her elbows on Shadow's knees and her chin in her hands. "We've sung all the songs from the Lion King and some from Aladdin. And now we're bored."

She sighs.

"Is there chocolate milk?"

[palmthemoon]

"ShorHor doesn't seem to enjoy singing very much," he pointed out but that was no surprise. Even for a tiny horse, ShorHor had a long face. "Maybe he likes Beauty and the Beast better."

He smiled at her and shrugged as he reached to comb his fingers through her tangles. "I don't think so, but we can check."

Not a word about the day after tomorrow.

[plays_checkers]

There were very few moments in Czernobog's life when he questioned his senses. He had the eyesight of an old eagle, still able to pick rats from a field. His nose smelled strongly, and he could pick up smells of coffee or the Zorya's cooking of pickled animal feet. He heard the clinks and echoes around him, picking up on the nuances of the sound. Even in old age, Czernobog trusted his senses.

Now, however, he stopped and closed his eyes and question what he was seeing. The journey with the big man and Wednesday seemed far off now, like an old life with old friends and old enemies. The caves had a way of distorting time. But here he was: the big man. The man who lost at checkers.

"If you're fucking with me, I'll fucking kill you."

[palmthemoon]

Of course.

Zorya had said that he was here, but though Shadow had kept an eye out for him, he'd never seen him. Then he'd been distracted again by the daily life that he had here and let that engulf him again. Let Czernobog seek him out, if he were really here.

Turned out the crotchety old god seems to finally have done just that.

He straightened his shoulder but didn't turn around just then.

"Afternoon to you too."

[plays_checkers]

Those were manners. Czernobog didn't want manners in a time where he didn't trust his own senses. He stepped forward, a few steps closer to Shadow. He looked down at him, narrowing his eyes and furrowing his furry, old-man brows.

"Who won the game of checkers?"

[palmthemoon]

Shadow looked up and met his gaze steadily with calm gray eyes. If he looked anything at all, he looked patient.

"Depends what game we're talking about. The first one or the second?"

[playingtheenemy]

"Do you think she'd prefer cupcakes or actual cake?" was Ainsley's method of greeting, hair pinned up haphazardly, flour smudged on her cheeks, and a cookbook opened in her hands as she stared at Shadow with an anticipatory look on her face, awaiting the answer.

[palmthemoon]

"Karen would probably prefer one of each, because she's contrary," he said with a smile as he glanced up at her amid gluing bits of yarn to the end of a tail cut-out. This was a fucking elaborate birthday game, Rollie got the easy end of the things with musical chairs. "But I think it'd be more fun to blow out candles with actual cake?"

[playingtheenemy]

"Actual cake it is," Ainsley agreed, flipping the book shut with a 'thump' as she wandered into the room and observed the crafts he had at his disposal, giving them a curious look as she picked one up. "I really hope these are for pin-the-tail on the donkey and not something more disturbing."

[palmthemoon]

Shadow spared just a moment to wonder exactly what disturbing possibilities Ainsley was conjuring up, but instead of asking he just held up the vaguely lopsided donkey.

"Sorry to spoil any hopes of disturbing use of fake tails."

[dumbassbastards]

"Pin the tail on the... antelope?" Rollie suggests, grinning down at the party game. But hell, it's better than he would've done. "Listen, I was thinking, if we're going to be invaded by a bunch of kids, we should have some sort of party favours, right? Or some prizes?"