TRP: Goro, Hansel, and Sam (Expert Advice)

[Setting: Day 475, the castle.]

Goro was working on the grounds in front of the castle, raking up the latest dump of fall leaves. Hansel had said he was gonna get around to it in the next day or two, but it was stupid for one person to be responsible for raking a whole castle, so Goro figured he'd help out where he could.

Fuckin' tiring shit, though. Once he'd got a couple good piles together he paused, taking a break to lean on the railing of the bridge. Nice, crisp day out -- might be too cold if he weren't warm from the work. As it was, it felt perfect.

IZZY

Sam skulked around on the other side of the bridge from the castle, on the edge of the woods he'd come hiking through, looking awkward.

LINA

Goro caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned. "Sam!" He raised a hand.

IZZY

Sam raised his hand back, still looking very awkward. He had his staff in his other hand, fidgeting with it a bit.

LINA

"Whatcha doin'?"

IZZY

"Uh, noth ... nothin'." It was a very poor lie. Sam hesitated and started wandering closer. "So ... you talked to Pride the other night, huh."

LINA

Goro's face fell. "Uh. Uh huh."

IZZY

"I, uh. It's ..." He looked like he was thinking very carefully before he said anything, and let go of his staff as he stepped up on the bridge. It dissipated into the air. "It's okay," he said slowly. "I'm trying to not -- he says I shouldn't say that I'm overreacting. Just ... reacting. So I'm trying to not react, uh ... so much." He cleared his throat. "Anyway. It's okay. That you worry about shit. I wanted to say that."

LINA

"Oh." Goro frowned, totally fucking confused by now.

IZZY

Sam opened his arms, looking unsure.

LINA

Goro scuttled over to him and opened his arms, equally unsure.

IZZY

Sam leaned in to hug him, letting out a breath. "All right. Cool."

LINA

Goro squeezed him. "Did you come here just to say that? I mean, it's fine."

IZZY

"Nah, no, I just wanted to, uh, say it first. Because I felt fucking weird. I guess." He paused. "That's pretty much how I always feel, to be fair. Anyway." He let go and leaned against the railing. "I actually sort of wanted to ask for, uh. I don't know. Advice, maybe."

LINA

Goro scrunched up his face and ran a hand through his hair. "From me?"

IZZY

Sam squinted back at him. "Yeah."

LINA

"Happy to help, if I can." He shrugged. He wasn't usually the kind of person people sought advice from, unless it was Luci asking about cleric shit.

IZZY

"Yeah. I mean, it's just, you're married," he said. "So you must know how it works, or whatever. Right?"

He rolled a strand of hair between his fingertips.

LINA

"Oh. Yeah." Goro nodded eagerly. "I mean, kind of. I only did it once."

IZZY

"Oh. Does that matter? You think I should ask Hansel? 'Cause he's ..." He held up two fingers.

LINA

"Hansel don't got a clue. I know 'cause I kept asking him how it works and he said he didn't know, he just did what he wanted."

IZZY

Sam squinted. "That can't be how that works."

LINA

"That's what I thought. Try telling that to Hansel, though. Most stubborn motherfucker there is."

IZZY

"All right. Okay. So -- you do know what the fuck you're talking about, though?"

LINA

"Well, I did a lot of reading, and thinking, and shit, and asking people. 'Cause I wanted to make sure I did it right."

IZZY

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That. See, I thought you'd, you know. Get it." He winced. "I think Aziz sort of ... I don't know, he and Nissa were married, and I think he kind of forgets it didn't, like, fucking carry over. It's mortal shit. He cares, he just doesn't understand. But I want it to be ... right."

LINA

"Yeah. Yeah." Goro pointed at him. "You're right. Just 'cause he married Nissa doesn't mean--" Gah, and that was even assuming Sam was Nissa. Stakes were even higher that way. "You guys gotta do it again. Sometimes Hansel and I even talking about getting married again, just 'cause. He and Mishka had a vow renewal and shit. It's important for people to do that kinda thing. Renew their commitments, and shit. He's gotta know most people don't keep every contract."

IZZY

Sam nodded along, then frowned. "The fuck is a vow renewal? Is that important? Should I know what that is?"

LINA

"It's like, y'know, making sure they're still fresh. Reminding each other how you feel, but doing it in a ceremony so it's all formal and people can watch." Goro paused awkwardly. "Also Hansel and Mishka were kinda divorced for a while, so they were, y'know, undoing that."

IZZY

"Oh. Well." He squinted. "Maybe that's what we should do, since I was, uh. Not alive for a while. Or something. Or -- fuck, I don't know." He waved a hand around. "Just married. I just want to be married. And -- we can do a renewal thing, maybe, later, 'cause --" he blushed a little -- "we're going to have plenty of time, so."

LINA

Goro nodded. "Yeah. Either way. I mean a vow renewal's basically just like a wedding, just that it ain't your first. So if you have a wedding it might feel like the first one for you but a renewal for Aziz. Fine, either way. So you need a how-to?"

IZZY

"Yeah. I, uh, you know, kind of ... from the beginning, because I haven't really ... proposed. Or anything. I mean," he said quickly, "it's not like I think he'd fucking say no, because he basically thinks we're married already, but I still want it to be ..." He gestured vaguely, looking frustrated. "You know?"

LINA

"What, you wanna do it right?"

IZZY

"Yeah. You know?"

LINA

Goro nodded. He did. "Well, usually, you get a ring. Don't gotta be a ring, though. That's traditional. But you wanna have some kinda token. And you get down on one knee, like this." Goro demonstrated and pretended to hold a ring out.

IZZY

Sam frowned and held his hand up. "Like ... another ring?"

LINA

"Yeah. Well. You can have as many as you want." Goro stood up again and showed Sam his left hand. "The braided one's what Hansel used to propose. And the rose is what he gave me at our wedding ceremony."

IZZY

"Oh." He frowned more and started toying with his ring nervously. "That ... that seems like a lot. Maybe that's too many things. I don't know if I can do that."

LINA

"You don't gotta." Guiltily, Goro started to realize for the first time why Hansel was always telling him they could do whatever they wanted. "The ring's just traditional, but it ain't what makes you married."

IZZY

"Yeah, but ..." He kept twisting the ring on his finger. "I want it to be ... real. Like ...." He hesitated. "Like we're just people. And it's not fuckin' weird. I want it to be normal."

LINA

"You could wear a ring on a necklace, maybe. Then it's still traditional but it ain't too much touching your hands."

IZZY

"Yeah? People do that?" He perked up. "I can do that. Necklaces are fine. But --." Then he winced again. "But I'd have to find a ring, still, right? And I'd have to ask him to find one. Or ... make one, maybe, I don't know. Maybe he can still do some of that once he's here."

LINA

"Yeah. Won't lie, it took me fucking forever to get the right rings for Hansel. I about lost my mind over it. Was worth it, though." Goro's chest felt warm, thinking about it. He rubbed at it idly.

IZZY

"Mmm." He frowned. "How'd you decide?"

LINA

"Well, the wedding band was easy to pick, 'cause it was my dad's ring. Just had to jump through all these hoops 'cause my birth mom had it. The engagement ring, eh. I looked at like, ten different ones. And I asked Lark and Raef to help me pick. They both liked different ones and I decided I didn't like neither of theirs. Then I got fed up and got one custom-ordered from a guy who did pretty good work." Goro paused a beat, then waved his hands in the air. "You don't gotta do all that, though."

IZZY

Sam only looked more overwhelmed as Goro talked. "I don't have a family ring or anything."

LINA

"I didn't know I did at first. Was just kinda a lucky discovery." Goro shrugged. "The one I had custom done, for the engagement ring. I wanted a pretty simple design 'cause Hansel don't wear fancy shit. And I wanted it to look okay next to his other wedding ring, from Mishka. So I told the jeweler all that, and had him engrave a sun on it. 'Cause Hansel calls me his shemesh. Which means sun in Orcish." He felt himself turn pink.

IZZY

Sam twisted his ring. "I could ... get him ... a knife ...?" he said hesitantly. "That's ... what he calls me."

LINA

Goro lit up. "Yeah. Yeah! That's a real good idea. A special knife."

IZZY

"You think so? Is that something people do?"

LINA

"Probably." Goro frowned, scratching his head. "Mishka and Hansel got each other stuff that wasn't rings for their vow renewal."

IZZY

"Okay," he said slowly. "Okay. I can do knives. I get knives. That's -- that's really helpful." He let out a breath, relaxing, and leaned in to grab Goro in an overly-warm hug.

LINA

Goro patted his back. "That's the first step. Then you gotta pick a time to propose. It's kinda nice if you can find a special time to do it, but you don't gotta. Hansel proposed to me in a kitchen when we were cooking dinner." Thinking about it made a lump spring into his throat.

IZZY

"Oh. That sounds nice. Like ... fucking domestic."

LINA

"Ah. Honestly, he..." Goro swallowed. "He could've done it anywhere, anytime, and I'd've felt the same. I was real overwhelmed. I just cried."

IZZY

"Oh. Oh no." He pulled back to give Goro a horrified look. "What if I cry? I'm gonna fucking cry. Fuck."

LINA

Goro stared at him blankly. "Ain't he seen you cry before? Doesn't he hug you?"

IZZY

"Yeah, but it'll be fucking embarrassing! And what if I can't even talk well enough to propose because I'm just crying. And he doesn't even know what I'm trying to do."

LINA

"Well, uh." Goro patted his back again. Hansel hadn't said shit at first, but Goro had known exactly what it meant. Pride might not. "Maybe you could plan what you're gonna say and write it down first."

IZZY

"Ehhhn. Maybe." He didn't sound sold. "Maybe it's all a mistake. Maybe I should just ... let things stay how they are."

LINA

"No. You can't. I mean -- I just mean, I can hear how much it means to you, when you talk about it. You gotta. Or it'll always bug you."

IZZY

He ehhhn'd again. "Yeah, but ..."

LINA

"Marrying Hansel's one of the best things I ever did," Goro said firmly. "Maybe the best. I never regretted it once, even when it was hard. I mean, marrying him wasn't hard. Being married to him ain't hard. But the wedding, that was hard, just 'cause... y'know, people looking at me, and shit. But it was also the happiest day of my life."

IZZY

"Weren't you fucking ... terrified, though?" he asked. "Is that -- normal?"

LINA

"I dunno if it's... normal. Maybe it's just how it is for guys like us. I didn't care. I wanted to do it."

IZZY

Sam blinked, nonplussed. "Guys like us?"

LINA

"Who get overwhelmed, and shit. Who have trouble with people."

IZZY

"That's just ... people who grew up on the street."

LINA

"Nuh uh."

IZZY

Sam looked skeptical.

LINA

"I knew people who grew up on the street and were more normal."

IZZY

"Bullshit."

LINA

"It's true! I mean, it makes everyone a little fucked up, yeah. But like, I met some of my dad's family, and none of them grew up on the street, but they got a lot of the same weird problems I got. Too many feelings, and shit."

IZZY

Sam wrinkled his nose. "Fuck. Really? What happened to them?"

LINA

"Nothing. They're just like that. The whole family." Admittedly some bad shit had happened, but Goro didn't think it was relevant. "Maybe it's a wood elf thing. Are you part wood elf?"

IZZY

"Fuck if I know," he said, puzzled. He scratched his beard. "Elves can't do beards, right? So probably not."

LINA

"Sometimes half elves can. I bet quarter elves always can."

IZZY

"Well ... maybe my dad was part wood elf. I don't even know who he was." He narrowed his eyes. "That still fucking sounds weird, though. Your whole family?"

LINA

"Well. I mean, there's only three of 'em."

IZZY

"Oh. Well ... hm." He continued to look skeptical. "Hmm. Maybe that's just a coincidence."

LINA

Goro shrugged. "Ain't really the point, is it? I'm just saying -- yeah, the wedding was scary and all. It was hard. But I wanted to do it. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. 'Cause I always saw lots of weddings -- in the abbey, and shit -- and I saw Raef get married, and Hansel and Mishka renew their vows, and--" He frowned fiercely and waved his hands. "I needed the world to know. That me and Hansel are real like that, too."

IZZY

Sam grimaced a little. "Yeah. Yeah. You said that before, about -- people watching, and it being formal, or whatever. Does it, uh ... Are those things that have to happen? Can't it be more ... private?"

LINA

Goro nodded. "You can have as many people there as you want, or nobody at all. I just wanted family. Plus the Maskarran demarch who married us. That's the officiant. You gotta have one of those, if nothing else."

IZZY

"Oh. Like ... a cleric? Does it have to be a cleric?"

LINA

"Maybe. I dunno. Who else would it be?"

IZZY

"I don't know." He frowned. "It's not like Aziz is going to want to ask for a god's blessing. What's the point of that?"

LINA

Goro scratched his head. "I gotta admit, I dunno how to get married if you ain't religious."

IZZY

Sam worried at his ring some more. "Well, maybe ... I don't know. Maybe that'll be fine anyway. I could ... ask ... you, maybe," he said hesitantly. "It's not like Aziz has any problem with Mask, and I used to, you know, whatever. Before him. It's not like asking fucking Lathander, or something."

LINA

"I'd do it." Goro squinted. "Mask even gave his blessing for me to get involved with the two of you in the first place. I asked first."

IZZY

"Really?"

LINA

"Yeah." Mask had also called Pride a liar in so many words, but Goro didn't wanna share that part.

IZZY

Sam looked relieved and grabbed Goro in another hug.

LINA

Goro grunted in surprise and hugged him back.

IZZY

"I don't have a lot of people I can fucking ask for shit," he said sheepishly. "I know Mishka would help however he can, but Irah's a little ... spooked, still, and I wasn't sure about. Y'know. You."

LINA

Oh. That's what he was talking about. "'Course. I got your back. I always got my friends' backs."

IZZY

"I appreciate that. A lot." He squeezed Goro harder.

LINA

Goro grinned. "Ah. Ain't nothing."

IZZY

"Well. Thanks, still." He let go, looking embarrassed, and immediately started twisting his hair again. "Hey, you know Irah, right?"

LINA

Goro looked off to the side, squinting. It sounded familiar.

IZZY

"He was with us when you and Mishka helped me get the Shroud?" Sam nudged. "You were acting weird that day, and ..." He grimaced.

LINA

Goro blinked a few times, mouth half open. "Uh. Oh yeah."

IZZY

"Kind of tall? Fire magic? Nervous?"

(He could be describing himself, he considered.)

LINA

"Uh huh." Goro was pretty sure he did meet the guy, but he couldn't really picture him, or anything about him.

IZZY

"Uh, anyway, we're living together, down in town." He hooked a finger towards Glimmerton. "It's, um." He blushed a little and quickly shook it off. "Anyway. You're a lot better at people than I am. You know, ordinary mortal people."

LINA

"Oh. Yeah. I got more practice. Uh, you want me to tell him something for you?"

IZZY

"Oh, no, nah, not anything like that. I, uh." He hunched his shoulders up awkwardly. "I want to ... do something nice for him. Like a ... date, maybe? And I don't know what the fuck people do," he mumbled.

LINA

"Oh. Huh." Goro ran a hand through his hair. "Boyfriend?"

IZZY

"I, uh. Mm. Maybe," Sam stammered. "I don't know."

LINA

Goro snickered and grinned. "Cute."

IZZY

"Shut up."

LINA

Goro tried to wipe the smile off his face. "Anyway, uh. I dunno. What kind of shit's he like?"

IZZY

"I don't know," Sam said doubtfully. "Books. He's a nerd. A librarian. I, uh. I thought about this thing Mishka and I did together, but it was this festival in Freeport, and it was loud and there were a lot of people and ... anyway, the opposite of that. Irah likes the opposite of that."

LINA

"Maybe you could take him to a real cool library, or a bookstore."

IZZY

"Is that a date?"

LINA

"Pretty sure a date's just where two people who like each other -- like, like each other -- go out and do something." He shrugged. "Sometimes Hansel and me just like to go on walks and bring a picnic. Or one time we borrowed a boat and went up river a ways. Just... finding nice, pretty spots we can just spend time together in."

IZZY

"Oh." He blinked. "Huh. Really? Huh."

LINA

"A date's about two people enjoying themselves. So you gotta figure out what he'd like doing. Ain't no point going on a date one or both of you don't like. It's real individual."

IZZY

"Okay," he said slowly, relaxing a little. "I, just ... I used to live with these friends, and they were dating, and they made it seem more complicated than that. I guess. Maybe that was just them."

LINA

"Complicated how?"

IZZY

"I don't know, like ..." He squinted, thinking. "Ronan worked at this bar, so he didn't want to hang out there. And they never wanted to spend time just at our house." He paused, then muttered, "I mean, maybe that was just because I was there."

LINA

"Well, nah, nah, you gotta leave the house for a date. Otherwise it's just... y'know, your regular life. A date's gotta be special."

IZZY

"Oh. Okay, but, like. Special how," he insisted. "Just leaving the house isn't special. I've only even had a house for like a month."

LINA

"Can't just be the same thing you do all the time. Now, it's okay if you go on the same date more'n once. There's this one trail through the woods that me and Hansel really like. But it's special 'cause when we go on it it's just the two of us and we bring some lunch or dinner with. And that ain't how we eat lunch and dinner most days. You get it?"

IZZY

He was frowning heavily, but nodded. "Maybe I should write this down."

LINA

Goro gestured like go ahead.

IZZY

"Oh, yeah, I don't ... have anything on me," he said, embarrassed. "Can we ..." He gestured to the castle. "Maybe I can borrow some paper. I was going to come ask Mishka for advice on, uh. Marriage stuff, too. Maybe Raef. Maybe not Hansel."

LINA

Goro nodded and started leading the way. "You sure? Hansel's so good at marriage, he found two separate guys to do it with."

IZZY

"You said he didn't have a clue, though."

LINA

"Well." Shit. Goro had said that. "If I talk to him with you, I can probably get straight answers out of him."

IZZY

Sam gave him a puzzled look. "I mean. Sure, if you think so."

LINA

Goro nodded. "I'll make sure he gets it." They approached the front doors of the castle and Goro stepped inside, beckoning for Sam to follow. "I got lots of paper up in my room."

IZZY

Sam nodded and followed, twisting the end of a lock of hair between his fingertips again.

When they reached the little shared sitting room outside Hansel, Goro, and Mishka's bedrooms, they found Hansel already there -- just padding out of his bedroom in lounge pants and no shirt, damp from a bath and still toweling his hair slightly. He grinned when Goro came in first, starting to say, "Hey, a --."

Then Sam followed Goro, and he immediately looked sheepish, while Sam hurriedly looked away.

"Uh. Hey, Sam."

"Yup."

LINA

Goro went straight to Hansel to give him a hug and kiss his cheek. "Hey. I'm helping Sam."

IZZY

"Aye?" Hansel hugged him back and kissed his head. "Uh. I'll leave y'to it, then."

Sam studied the floor intently.

LINA

"Nah, nah, we were gonna talk to you, too. You busy?" Goro walked to his bedroom to get some paper.

IZZY

"Uhh. Busy puttin' on a shirt," Hansel supplied. He grinned at Sam weakly and backed into his own room again.

Sam managed to look up and smile back again, clearly relieved.

"What're you two doin'?" Hansel called, getting dressed.

"Uh. Marriage ... stuff," Sam said, glancing after Goro.

"Huh."

LINA

"Sam was asking me about marriage and how to do it right," Goro called, fishing some paper and a pen from his desk. He walked back out and handed them to Sam.

IZZY

Sam took them, glanced around, then sat cross-legged on the floor by the coffee table and started scribbling chicken-scratch.

Hansel rejoined them, wearing a soft sweater now and looking nonplussed. He ruffled his hair. "Uh-huh. Right. Y'know, Sam, y'don't have to ..."

Sam looked up at Goro for interference.

LINA

"Don't have to what?" Goro said.

IZZY

"Y'know, do shit a certain kinda way."

LINA

Goro shook his head. "He wants to know how to do it proper."

IZZY

Sam nodded enthusiastically.

Hansel narrowed his eyes, wandering over to plonk himself down on the floor, too. "You two been talkin' about this a while?"

LINA

Goro shrugged. "Little bit." He joined the two of them on the floor. "Anyhow, Sam, just to finish up what I was saying before we came in here. Another example of making it special. If you took Irah to the library he works at, that wouldn't be special, right? He goes there all the time. But if you found some other library that was cool, maybe one he hadn't seen before. Then you take him there and you say, 'I thought you might like this.'"

IZZY

"Okay. Yeah." Sam nodded again, frowning as he kept writing. "Maybe there's ... a nice library in Sienna Springs, or Gentleglen, or something."

"Not Gentleglen," Hansel put in. "Wait, so you're marryin' Irah?"

"No," Sam said, and didn't explain any further.

LINA

"Nah, he's just taking Irah on a date, maybe. He's marrying Pride. Aziz." Goro pointed at Sam's notes. "Once you're done writing that down, we can talk marriage."

IZZY

Hansel nodded solemnly. He glanced at Sam's writing, but it was pretty indecipherable. "You really gotta take notes?" he asked. "It ain't gotta be all that complicated."

"No, I do," Sam insisted, without looking up.

"'Kay. Didn't know you an' Irah were a thing like that," Hansel commented, just making conversation.

Sam hunched his shoulders and scribbled more furiously, blushing and scowling.

Hansel gave Goro an amused look.

LINA

"They might be. He ain't sure," Goro explained.

IZZY

"Aye, gotcha." Hansel nodded. "Y'need help figuring that out?" Then he immediately squinted at the wall. "Shit, not that I can help with that. I don't know shit."

Sam waved it off hurriedly. "No, no, I don't." He paused. "I mean, thanks. But no. Um." He glanced at his notes, then back to Goro. "What were we talking about?"

LINA

"Uh." Goro looked to Hansel. "How do you get married when you ain't religious?"

IZZY

Hansel shrugged. "Dunno. Me an' Mishka got married by Corven. First mate," he put in, for Sam's sake. "When we were pirates. Wasn't much to it. Think she said some stuff about Selune, but y'know, s'pretty generic. Selune watches over relationships, or whatever. An' sailors."

Sam made a face. "I don't know anything about Selune."

LINA

"Oh yeah. Can't ship's captains marry people?" Goro asked Hansel. "And first mates too, I guess."

IZZY

Hansel nodded. "Aye. Cap'ns. First mates, when it's the cap'n gettin' married."

"So ... Mishka's a captain, right?" Sam asked.

"S'pose," Hansel said. They didn't exactly have a ship anymore. Well, an airship. Was kinda Morgan's, though.

LINA

"That's what you could do." Goro jabbed a finger excitedly at Sam. "Then it don't gotta be religious."

IZZY

Sam nodded, brightening. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll ask him." He jotted down a little bit more, then looked back up abruptly, frowning. "I still want you there, though. Is that ... okay?"

LINA

"Yeah, 'course it is." Goro grinned, flushing a little.

IZZY

Sam grinned back. "Cool. Cool. Good. Uh." He looked to Hansel, embarrassed. "You ... you can come, too."

"S'fine if y'don't want me there," Hansel said, amused. "It's your fuckin' wedding, man."

"Oh. Yeah? Okay. Uh. Maybe, then. Maybe not."

LINA

Goro nodded solemnly. "I didn't let my cousin's boyfriend come to my wedding. You gotta be as comfortable as you can." He glanced at Hansel. "Anyway, thought we oughta talk to you to see if you got any advice, since you been married two times."

IZZY

Hansel snorted and poked him playfully. "You didn't fuckin' like my advice, asshole."

LINA

Goro frowned. "What d'you mean? What advice?"

IZZY

"'Bout doin' things however we wanted. Had t'do it right."

LINA

"That ain't advice 'cause it ain't what I was asking for," Goro insisted.

IZZY

"Psshh."

LINA

"Anyway. Sam was thinking he could propose to Aziz with a knife. 'Cause--" Maybe it was private, the fact that Aziz called him Sakincha. "Well, it's a symbolic thing for them. And Aziz already has a ton of rings. What do you think? Is that an okay way to propose?"

IZZY

Hansel shrugged. "Don't see why not."

"He's not helping," Sam complained.

LINA

"Well, hang on. He's just... he's got an open mind. Open to lots of possibilities. Ain't that right?"

IZZY

"Uh, sure," Hansel said, not sure if that was true, but willing to go along with it.

"Okay, but does it -- like, should it be a fucking fancy knife?"

"Ring ain't gotta be fancy," Hansel tried. "So ... nah?"

Sam hmm'd and looked back down at his notes, scribbling.

LINA

"Aziz likes fancy stuff though," Goro pointed out. "Remember you gotta keep in mind what the person likes."

IZZY

"I'm not fancy," Sam said, squinting.

LINA

Goro pondered that. "Maybe the knife oughta represent you, somehow. Yeah."

IZZY

Hansel shifted to reach over and take Goro's hand, pulling it over onto the table -- holding it, but holding it where Sam could see, too, rubbing his thumb over a knuckle. "See -- Goro's rings're like this, 'cause ... I promised I was gonna marry him 'fore I had a ring, so I tied some twine 'round his finger. Then when I got the engagement ring, I got one that looked like twine, aye?"

Sam nodded.

"Then, the rose one -- uh, it was a few different things." He squeezed Goro's hand. "Stuff about how long we been together, the first time we kissed, bein' family, an' shit."

"Oh." Sam blushed a bit. "Uh. That's neat. Um." He fidgeted. "I don't think we have stuff like that," he said, sounding a little agitated. "Because he's not here, so ..."

LINA

Goro squeezed Hansel's hand back, feeling all warm. He frowned at Sam. "You must have something. You've spent years together, ain't ya? Maybe it's just not obvious, but... I bet there's something there."

IZZY

"We can't, like. Do things together," Sam said. "It's not like we can go on ... dates, or whatever. There's nowhere to go. And everything's just always been hard, and work, and when I can sleep and be with him, I'm tired all the time, and ..." He trailed off, worrying the pencil between both hands, looking like he was about to snap it.

LINA

"Maybe..." Goro gestured vaguely. "A knife with stars on it. 'Cause nighttime is when you get to see him, and rest. And he's got all those stars in the sky there and shit."

IZZY

"Maybe." He kept fidgeting with the pencil, and it did snap, clearly startling him. "Fuck. Shit, sorry." He squeezed his hand around the break, fusing it back together magically with a wisp of smoke, then dropped it and let out a breath, closing his eyes. His brow furrowed in concentration.

LINA

"Hey. Hey, it's alright." Goro moved toward him hesitantly, going for a hug. "I know, it's real important, and you wanna do it right."

IZZY

He nodded, frowning, and breathing pointedly. After a couple breaths, he said, "Yeah. Yeah. I think I just ... don't want to think about everything up to this point. Maybe. I just want him to be here, and ... have the future with him." He swallowed and blinked his eyes back open, seeing Goro and turning to accept the hug.

LINA

Goro gave him a good squeeze. "Well... guess you got a couple choices, then. You could wait a while, 'til after you started your life with him here. Or you could just give him something that, I dunno, represents what you hope the future's gonna be like." He paused. "Honestly, whatever the fuck it is, I bet it'll be special. 'Cause it's coming from you. That's the important part."

IZZY

"You think so?" he asked, worried.

LINA

Goro looked to Hansel to back him up.

IZZY

Hansel nodded. "Aye. Fuck, Goro could give me a fuckin bit of dirt an' I'd be happy about it."

"I don't think you count," Sam said weakly.

"Eh."

LINA

"Why not?" Goro said, vaguely offended. "He loves me. He wanted to marry me."

IZZY

"No one's happy to get dirt."

"Gardeners," Hansel pointed out.

Sam squinted at him.

LINA

"It's just a figure of speech," Goro said. "He tried to think of the most useless, valueless thing he could. And since it came from me, that'd give it meaning."

IZZY

"No, I know what he meant," Sam said, embarrassed. "Just ... seems like an exaggeration."

"Psh," Hansel said. He was pretty sure Goro could give him dirt and he'd be happy about it.

LINA

Goro smiled and squeezed Hansel's hand. "Eh, well. Being in love does funny things to a person, yeah? Hansel gave me special rings, stuff that meant something, but... even the sandwiches he makes me taste better than other people's sandwiches." He squirmed a little in place, almost overwhelmed thinking about it. "Don't you think if Aziz gave you any little simple thing, it'd mean a lot?"

IZZY

Sam blushed, and linked his hands together to play with his ring reflexively -- not as a nervous habit this time, it seemed. "Oh. Well. Yeah, that's true. Okay. So -- maybe a knife. That doesn't have to be fancy. Okay. Yeah."

He shook his hands a little and grabbed the pencil back up to jot that down.

LINA

Goro nodded, satisfied, and gave Hansel a pleased look. He was kinda proud of himself, giving good advice and all.

"And remember, you gotta get down on one knee like I showed you," he added.

IZZY

Hansel grinned back at him slyly. Look at him fuckin' go. So good.

Sam nodded, then stopped, and looked up. "If I get down on one knee ..." he said slowly. "He's so fucking tall, though. He won't even be able to reach me."

LINA

Goro wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He still had the image in his mind of Hansel going down on one knee, and even with Hansel being tall as he was, Goro remembered thinking he was too far away.

"When Hansel proposed, I just went down with him," he mumbled, embarrassed. "So I could hug him."

IZZY

Sam ducked his head like he was embarrassed, too. Hansel grinned at both of them. Fuckin' dumbasses.

LINA

"You were all fuckin' shy and awkward about it," Goro reminded Hansel, seeing his smug grin. "Was real sweet."

IZZY

"Psshh," Hansel said. "Was not."

Sam looked between them, squinting.

LINA

"He was scared I was gonna say no," Goro explained to Sam.

IZZY

"Hey," Hansel protested. "Was not." Maybe a little bit.

"Hadn't you already promised, though?" Sam asked, all skeptical. "Twine ring, you said."

"Aye, see? Wouldn't've made any sense for me to be nervous about it."

LINA

Goro shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Sure, sure."

IZZY

Hansel reached over to shove Goro gently.

LINA

"What?"

IZZY

"Dick," he said fondly.

Sam continued to watch them like he was puzzled, but kind of endeared.

LINA

Goro stuck his tongue out. He turned his attention back to Sam. "Uh. What else?"

IZZY

"Uh. I don't know. What else is there? I've got ..." He looked down at his notes. "A ring or a knife ... getting down on one knee ... asking Mishka to do the ceremony thing ..." He looked back up. "How long after I ask should we get married?"

LINA

Goro frowned. "Huh. Dunno about that one." He looked to Hansel. "How long'd you wait the first time?"

IZZY

Hansel squinted. "Dunno. Wasn't long. We didn't do a whole lotta plannin' or anything, either. Just got the rings, next port, got married once we were back out at sea."

LINA

"Me and Hansel waited a while 'cause shit was just so crazy," Goro told Sam. "We didn't want people trying to kill us crashing the wedding, y'know? Had to pick a good time."

IZZY

He nodded, frowning a little. "So it needs to be some time that's safe. Yeah. That makes sense. Maybe after we take care of the Lathandereans." He looked back down to scribble some more, muttering, "We're worried they'll start some shit once they find out he made it here."

LINA

Goro frowned back. "Like that Bee person?"

IZZY

He nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, I guess."

LINA

"You guess?"

IZZY

"Bee's probably ... fine." He kept scribbling, but not writing anymore -- clearly just scratching the pencil back and forth. "Mishka talked to them. He says they lost their paladin powers because they stopped trying to stop me. He says they want to be friends, and they want to help me, now. I don't know." He scribbled a little harder. "I haven't talked to them yet. He thinks they're legit, though."

LINA

Goro narrowed his eyes. "You want me to ask them for you?"

IZZY

He looked up doubtfully. "I don't know. Maybe. You talked to them before, right?"

LINA

"Yeah. They were a dick."

IZZY

"That doesn't sound like Bee," he said, still looking uncertain.

LINA

Goro scoffed. "That's how you know if someone's really a nice person or not. You send me in. I'm a canary in a coal mine, or whatever. No one likes me at first 'less they're real nice."

IZZY

Hansel psshh'd and jostled him reproachfully.

Sam squinted. "I'm not sure that's how things work. Someone would probably act as nice as possible no matter what, if they were secretly a dick."

LINA

Goro frowned, trying to think his way through that.

IZZY

"Anyway." Sam frowned a little. "Maybe you could come with me. I don't ..." He hesitated. "I don't really want to be alone with them. I was going to ask Irah, maybe, but ... I don't know. I don't think they would do anything."

LINA

Goro nodded firmly. "'Course. You need me, I'm there."

IZZY

"I really appreciate that," he said, and smiled a bit, kind of tentatively.

LINA

"Uh huh." Goro rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He wanted to hug Sam, or go around the table to sit on Hansel's lap, but he felt weird. "Oh. Anyway. Then you gotta think about if you want a honeymoon."

IZZY

"A what?"

LINA

Goro glanced at Hansel. "Uh. It's a special vacation you take right after you get married. To celebrate, and get lots of time together without, y'know, daily life getting in the way."

IZZY

Sam squinted, wrinkling his nose. "Oh. Yeah, I guess that's kind of what we were planning on doing once he's here, anyway. But -- that'd be before the wedding, probably."

"Can always do it twice," Hansel put in.

Sam looked at Goro for confirmation, since Hansel wasn't a credible source.

LINA

Goro nodded, then glanced at Hansel, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Then can... can we do it again?"

IZZY

Hansel grinned at him. "Yeah, 'course. Just you name the date, ahuv."

Sam snorted and ducked his head, grinning a little bit, too, like he was embarrassed but charmed.

LINA

Goro chewed his nail and turned his attention back to Sam. "You probably don't got a special place in mind yet, but that's okay. Two of you can explore together. Have a place you make special."

IZZY

"He's already seen everything," Sam considered. "Maybe he knows a nice place. I've traveled around a lot, but I wasn't really paying attention to the sights, or whatever." He frowned in thought. "Where did you go?"

LINA

"This little island between here and Calimport. Real remote. And all warm and tropical, and shit. It's where we kissed the first time." Goro looked away, flushing.

IZZY

Sam ducked his head a bit, blushing a little, too. "That's cute," he mumbled. "Um. Maybe I can think of something like that."

LINA

Goro lit up. "Yeah? Good. The where don't really matter all that much, though. Long as you're together. Spending your days with each other, being happy." He was getting excited just thinking about it, and had to shift into a crouch, hugging his knees. Still made him so damn happy Hansel wanted to be with him at all. "Then that's what the rest of your marriage is like, too."

IZZY

Hansel grinned at Goro slyly. Couldn't help it.

Sam nodded, looking a little dreamy. "It's -- it's definitely gonna be like that. Yeah. Once we're together."

[end]