Ruin: Light Hearts, Heavy Minds

<zykrinnox> Cain: Hearing students around, he slunk to the main area before taking a seat with some hot cocoa out of the way. He stirred it with a candy cane, contemplatively.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: There is a loud thud coming from the kitchen, and people turn their attention the door. There is another thud, followed by 4 more thuds; the last one forcing the door open. Crispin steps out with a very, very large bowl of mashed potatoes in his arms and another one balancing on his top hat. He looks around the room "KANDI! OVER HERE! DO YOU WANT SOME? POTATOES? I HAVE PLENTY! NO?" Crispin shrugs and goes to sit by Kandi.
<zykrinnox> Cain: He jerked his head toward the kitchen in alarm before relaxing. "Ah, Professor Crispin. Yes, do sit," he said, as if nothing was amiss. He took a drink. "More potatoes, I see."
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Looking all different kinds of agitated, Rufus came out of the kitchen shortly after. His hair was all over the place, and he had an aggressive look on his face he had to physically wipe away as he pinched the bridge of his nose and dragged a gloved hand down his face. "He broke in." He sighed loudly in explanation as he walked up behind Crispin, standing in front of him and Cain.
<zykrinnox> Cain: His shoulders slumped. "Professor... Do you not have keys?" He stood up hurriedly and nervously walked over to Rufus, placing an uneasy hand on his shoulder. "Gentlemen, what do you say we relocate to my office for some hot cocoa?"
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "I used to... But Prudence thought it would be better if i didn't have them" Crispin looks down "she says i have a problem..."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, WHEATY?"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: _{You're MY problem..."} He muttered into his bandanna, having tucked his chin into it. Raising his head again, he grinned pleasantly at Cain as he fixed his hair. "I would LOVE some hot cocoa right about now, old bean!"
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: Throws a mug of Hot Cocoa at Rufus "THERE YOU GO, BREAKFAST-OF-CHAMPIONS! this one's on the house"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: "I AM LOOKING AT A MASHED POTATO BANDIT, SIR!" Rufus shouted back at him, snapping his fingers in Crispin's face.
<zykrinnox> Cain: He shouldered his way between them quickly and raised his hands defensively. "Let's relocate, come now, come now, gentlemen." He glared at Crispin for a moment before gently nudging Rufus down the hallway. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Cornelius... He's particularly..... you know... .today."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: Looks over to Kandi "what is with this guy?" looks back at Rufus "Hey. Hey. Hey... Back up"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Grumbling, he reluctantly put more space between them. He shoved his arms into his sleeves and folded them over his chest. "It's fine." He said bitterly, looking up at the ceiling instead.
<zykrinnox> Cain: He put a reassuring arm around Rufus and gestured for Crispin to follow them. "No it's not. I'm sorry. Your aura is extremely unpleasant, not that it's your fault."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: Sits down to eat his potatoes and says through a mouthful "rrabba- flabbs.... rufus... rabba labba"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He sighed and went over to Crispin, grabbed his arm and jerked him over to the hallway. "Come on, Professor. Hot cocoa. My office."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "but. but. MY POTATOES! I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU, MY STARCHY FRIENDS!" crispin said, his voice trailing down the hall
<zykrinnox> Cain: He facepalmed.
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Contemplating what to do about his own aura - a thing he could neither see nor feel, but knew affected his dear friend Cain, as well as another certain empath within the school. He drew in a long breath before letting it go, relaxing his shoulders.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: Throws another cup of cocoa "HA! TAKE ONE FOR THE ROAD!"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He made a mental note to keep hot cocoa away from him unless he was certain he would be drinking it. "Professor," he said cautiously. "Would it change your mind on coming quietly if I said there were mashed potatoes in my office?" There were, in fact. As there always were.
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Forcibly holding one of his sleeves so it was still covering his hand, he made a very rude gesture at Crispin no one could see thanks to his coat. But he was sure Crispin would still understand.
<ProfessorOaky> Cirspin: completely forgetting about Rufus at the mention of potatoes picked up his stride and led the way to Kandi's office
<zykrinnox> Cain: He breathed a sigh of relief and put an arm around Rufus again. "I'm so sorry," he felt the need to repeat. "My office is close and he's... normally..... better.... in there."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: Inhales the potatoes at record breaking speeds. His face turns blue and he face plants in the potato bowl
<zykrinnox> Cain: He sighed and picked his colleague up, performed the Heimlich maneuver and walked away. "So, Mr. Cornelius. How has your night been? Other than.... " he cleared his throat. "Good, I hope?"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: "It has been swell, Cain." He grinned, and clapped him on the shoulder. "What about you? It seems like it's been ages since I saw your wrinkled face!" He teased good-naturedly.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "Kandi! You saved me! From potatoes... Thats it! I'm done with potatoes!" he pushed the bowl aside, licked his lips then grabbed the potatoes again
<zykrinnox> Cain: Ignoring the professor, he waved a hand and said a vague "Yes, you're welcome, good luck," before turning back to Rufus. "I've been fine, my friend! Wrinkled?" he asked teasingly. "You're older than me by many years, my friend, even going by your 'human equivalent,' or whatever it may be." He laughed. "I've been very well! Wedding preparations and all that. We're going to start building the house soon! Though, my sweet Aven may need to take a leave of absence for... " he hesitated, "various reasons. She's fine, of course," he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "She just needs... a little while. I was meaning to talk to you about that, actually."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "But-" he swallowed "He's not older than i am" he took another bite "i have seniority"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: "Ah yes, 'fine'." He did air quotes, raising an eyebrow as he grinned devilishly. "Is that what the kids call it these days?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, ignoring Crispin. He didn't feel like arguing the age game with him again...
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "Don't you talk down to be, 'Triticum Aestivum'"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He went completely red from head to toe, rivaling the red on his shirt and pants. "I.. I can't say I kn-kn-kn-ow what you're t-t-t-t-talking about." He straightened and tried to regain his composure. "P-preparations for... the w-wedding and such." He cleared his throat. "Nothing more, nothing less."
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: "Then don't talk down to me either, Solanum tuberosum!"
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: #I-AINT-EVEN-MAD Crispin leans back in his chair and puts his hand behind his head
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Looking at Cain with an exasperated expression again, he did a gesture towards Crispin that clearly asked 'Why not #banned?'
<zykrinnox> Cain: "YES, well, Candidus Canere thinks we should all enjoy ourselves," he said much too loudly, getting out of his previously flustered self to get between them. "Please. Sit. Drink cocoa." He flicked his hands and the usual three mugs and plates floated to the table and the three chairs were replaced with their usual three armchairs. "Please."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: he leans forward in his chair and puts an exaggerated seriousness on his face "You have a point, my friend." he stands up quickly puts his arms in the air "WE WILL ENJOY OURSELVES"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He planted himself between them, fighting back the idea that they were children as he did so. "Thank you," he said, much more relaxed now that he had cocoa in front of him and he was able to take a gingersnap off of his plate.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: He sits down in his chair and spill his cocoa all over himself "D'AWW! COME ON!"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Holding his sleeve in front of his mouth, he attempted not to snicker and failed utterly, sounding like a rat as he did.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: stands up "WHAT WAS THAT, HAY FARM?"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He flicked his finger and a napkin (or two, or twelve or fifteen) flew over to Crispin. He looked at Rufus out of the corner of his eye with a frown. "No use crying over spilt cocoa," he remarked as he bit into a gingersnap.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "That's ridiculous! it was so hot... and so good" he looked down at his cocoa-stained lap
<zykrinnox> Cain: He snapped his fingers and his mug refilled. "There you are."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: He stoops his chair and starts sipping his cocoa
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: "Do you need a sippy cup, just to be safe?"
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "WHAT IF I DO, HUH? WHAT IF I DO? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, KERNAL WHEAT GERM?"
<zykrinnox> Cain: Standing, he pointed to the door, facing Crispin. "Please leave for a moment."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "But-" Crispin looked down and walked out of the room.
<zykrinnox> Cain: Sighing, he turned to Rufus and immediately looked downcast. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cornelius. But I really need your help."
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Calling after Crispin, he asked "Do you want the Baby Vampire themed sippy cup, or the cartoon corn themed one?"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He sat down in his chair and put his head in his hands. "Nevermind," he said dejectedly, tossing the candy cane from his pocket to the table.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: Looked at Rufus with a grumpy cat face and said "Cartoon Corn would be nice!"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Actually jumping, he rubbed a hand over Cain's back before sliding an arm around his sides and forcing him out of his chair and back standing. "No, Mister Christmas! You of all people can't be blue!" Picking up one of the mugs of hot chocolate, he held it in front of Cain's face temptingly. "Tell Triticum aestivum whatever's the matter."
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: "hey! you're not talking about friend stuff are you? that's my job!"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He throws his hands in the air and walks through the door, with a face that looked like #43808304% done.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: Looks over at Rufus "I feel bad now, I can't help but feel like we caused this"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: "Hashtag same." He sighed, and looked down at the floor guiltily. "Should we momentarily form a pact?"
<zykrinnox> Cain: He shook his head as he grabbed his cane and coat and exited the building.
<zykrinnox> Cain: #left the building
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: He took off his hat and looked at Stephen "What do you think?" Crispin put his hat back on and looked at Rufus "It's for the better"
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Holding out his hand to shake, he nodded. "An agreed upon truce for now. Then we go make sure Cain is alright."
<zykrinnox> Cain: He picked up a hammer at the site of his new house being built and began building. His uncle always said that when angry, you should focus on creating, not destroying. And this house made him feel better about things, anyway, since he knew he would be happy there.
<ProfessorOaky> Crispin: He shook Rufus' hand and bolted out the door, his shoes squeaking occasionally as he ran
<CommanderStarseed> Rufus: Surprised at his speed, he started to take off after him before remembering it would be much faster of him to just open the window. Doing so, he hoisted himself outside, and when his feet hit the grass, he closed his eyes and asked it where Cain would be. When he opened them, he was standing in a section of forest he didn't recognize. But he DID recognize the sound of hammering... he headed in the direction of the noise, until he spotted Cain... building a house? "What in blazes are you doing?" He asked, sounding clearly impressed.
<zykrinnox> Cain: He jumped and nearly hit himself with the hammer he was holding before realizing it was Rufus. "Mr. Cornelius! You frightened me. Do you often go wandering around in forests?" He sighed and sat on a stump before wiping his brow. "This is the house Aven and I are going to live in." He looked over at it and admitted quietly, "I'm worried about her."

Rufus: Knitting his eyebrows together in worry, he took a moment to look the house over and took a few steps closer to the other man. He stood slightly behind him, eyes still on the house.

"What gives you reason to worry, my friend?" He asked quietly.

Cain: He let out a loud, exasperated sigh before speaking, "I don't know!" he admitted before tossing the hammer and putting his head in his hands. "I've been worrying about everything lately-- Aven, The Wedding, The Factory, Professor Crispin, Mr. Grimm replacing Kijonaia, You and Miss White, The University starting up, What we're going to do about Aven's classes and what I'm going to do without Ashley as my assistant, running the school, losing students who once helped keep me sane, my future dau--" He caught himself on this last word and slumped his shoulders.

He'd never felt so burdened by his life before, not even when he found out he couldn't be Santa Claus. Of course he could keep a happy appearance a vast majority of the time, because his heart was so happy and carefree in response to his life as a whole (as it should have been)! But his mind was burdened and he felt as if the only people he could really confide in spent their days doing nothing but bickering, not that he could blame them. The Professor had changed since last year-- and not for the better. He was difficult to be around-- so different from the Professor he had known and gone to for advice about Aven (he went to Rufus shortly afterward, but the conversation with Crispin helped him see the humorous side of everything if nothing else).

Even for Cain, the stress was getting to be a bit too much.

"You don't know, hm?" Rufus said, as he put an arm around Cain's shoulders and hugged him around the neck. "That certainly sounds like a great deal of stress to me, and I'm not even the guidance counsellor!"

Rooting around in one of his pockets, he pulled out a still-wrapped candy cane, and offered it to Cain. Rufus may or may not have taken to keeping a few on his person, just in case of such occasions. (He could only imagine how Cain managed to put up with Crispin and himself at each other's throats almost constantly.)

"While I can only offer to help with most of the topics, if I am even able to do so, it might give you a bit of relief to hear the professor and I have agreed to a truce for the time being for the sake of your sanity."

Pulling a maple candy out of a different pocket, he unwrapped it before popping it into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"I apologize for my behaviour earlier. It was... entirely unprofessional of me." Reluctantly, he hunched his shoulders and stared guiltily at his boots like a child. "And before you say it, I know I should also be apologizing to Crispin. I'll get to that later. Right now, I'd like to help you in any way that I can. You are always there for me, when I need it."

Using his magic to shift the stump Cain was sitting on into an impressive looking chair instead, Rufus sat on the arm of it and leaned slightly into Cain's side.

"If you're comfortable with it, why don't you break any one of those issues down into smaller points? It's rather hard to know where to start offering advice when the topic is as broad as 'Aven'."

Cain: Sighing again, he rubbed his forehead with his palm. "That and another point go together actually," he admitted. "We weren't going to tell anyone, but I suppose you've basically figured it out already. Aven's pregnant," even through his slight embarrassment, he couldn't help but smile, "with a baby girl. I know pregnancies seldom go awry in this day and age, but I all but forced her to take a leave of absence. She didn't want to. You know how she is, she just can't stop moving." He said this not with a tone of annoyance, but a tone of familiarity and friendship. "She eventually agreed, but mostly for my sake." He ran his fingers through his hair, attracting attention to the increasing number of silver strands.

He looked up at the house and rested his head in his hand. "I'm just afraid I'm doing everything wrong."

Rufus: The harvest lord nodded his head, a pleased grin gracing his features. "I thought as much." He purred. "Congratulations, my good man! I hope you're aware, I'm going to ambush you with celebratory champagne as soon as I am able." He promised, giving one of Cain's shoulders a quick, reassuring squeeze.

"I think most everyone would feel that way with all these 'firsts' happening at once, Cain." He contemplated, thinking what he would if it were him. "I'd be yanking my hair out at the roots, if it were me. Can you imagine arguing with Prudence over such a thing...?"

He caught himself staring up at the sky, and realized he had gotten a little off topic. He shook his head at himself.

"It sounds like you are doing nothing wrong to me, my friend. You are merely concerned for the lights of your life. I'm sure she understands, your insistence is born out of nothing but love."

Cain: He chuckled. "I can imagine you two arguing over that, actually."

He looked down at his feet, feeling like he was 12 years old again and his classmates were teasing him over his hopes and dreams even though this wasn't like that. He felt just as hopeless, but he knew Rufus was right.

"You're probably right," he admitted. "It's just hard."

Rufus: A little red in the cheeks at the suggestion, he chuckled as well but didn't say out loud that he agreed.

With his hand still on Cain's shoulder, he gave it a little shake to try to get his friend to stop staring so morosely at his own feet.

"I know, but such is love." He laughed. If there was one thing Rufus was sure Cain would understand, it was that Rufus was experienced when it came to the difficulties of being in love with someone. "As for some of your other concerns..." He took a deep breath, preparing himself to say a lot of things at once.

"Though... enthusiastic," Rufus recalled how Mr. Grimm had already required a replacement door, "I see no reason to be worrying about our newest member of staff. He came highly recommended from the founder himself, after all!" He left out the part where Jack seemed more desperate to get rid of Haar.

"And please, Aramis, you need not worry so much about my beloved and I. I know I can be..." He tried to think of a word that wasn't too insulting to himself, looking a little sheepish as he did, "rather dramatic, but I know in my heart we will always be alright, as long as we're together."

Tucking the two stubborn pieces of wheat on the sides of his head behind his ears, he rested his head on top of Cain's in a pacifying gesture.

"As for the rest of it, a lot of it just sounds like added stress to me you need not be so concerned with. The university shall sink or float on its own terms, you have always done a magnificent job of running this school, and I'm surprised the loss of Ashley would even affect much besides how burnt some of the edges of your papers are." He laughed partially into the other man's hair, though he was using mental power to try to come up with a solution.

"You know... there is a young girl at the university that I was debating trying to find a way to take on as my own assistant. She is always spending time with a resident of Christmas Town that might be of some use to you, in regards to your assistant dilemma."

Cain: Though he did feel better, he couldn't help but allow his brow to furrow. There was something deep lying behind Miss White and Mr. Cornelius's relationship, but other than an aura of a gilded guilt, he wasn't sure about anything. He had dealt with repressed emotion from repressed memories very seldom, but he was sure there was something more that even Mr. Cornelius didn't know. He hoped he was wrong.

"You're probably right," he said finally with a sigh. He then angled his thoughts more on the last thing he said. "Another assistant? Students from the University?"

He pondered this for a moment, a smile widening on his face. "That sounds like a splendid idea! What are their names?"

Rufus: Glad to see his friend seeing the light of day about some of his worries, Rufus straightened up slightly so he wasn't completely draped over Cain. He was also admittedly bursting a little with excitement that Cain so far was approving of his idea concerning the new assistants.

"For myself, I was considering a young lady named Bernadette Purser. She's a marvel with table setting, you know!" He gushed, even though it was likely Cain would be much more excited when Rufus described his own potential assistant. "For you, I was referring to a - would you believe it? - robotic sir called Persi. He claims to be programmed to be the perfect Christmas assistant, but I'll admit I'm not too familiar with his abilities thus far."

Cain: In spite of himself, he started laughing loudly before slapping his knee. "Oh, he's the perfect assistant alright!" he said through laughter that sounded vaguely like a bell. "He's also my great-nephew!" He straightened his back and clapped loudly. "That would be perfect! I haven't seen young Persi in years! As for Miss Purser, it makes sense why Persi would be friends with someone whose name means 'bear,'" he started laughing again, not even bothering to explain himself.

Rufus: Dumb-founded at Cain's reaction, he could only hover behind him and stare in surprise.

"Your great-nephew?" Rufus repeated, beginning to laugh as well. "Well, that explains quite a bit then..."

It certainly didn't explain Cain's hilarity with the 'bear' thing, but Rufus supposed he would learn in time.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say you approve already, then?" He chuckled, propping his chin on his hand as he remained perched on the arm of wooden chair he had created for Cain.

Cain: Being careful not to jostle his friend, he stood up immediately from the seat. "Absolutely! I approve with no reservations!" He picked up his suit jacket that he had hung on a tree branch and grabbed his cane as he put it on. "I feel much better, thank you Mr. Cornelius!" He bowed slightly before using his cane to help him leap over a fallen tree.

He stopped. "This means I'm going to have an assistant who actually does work, doesn't it?" he wondered aloud. "That will be... different. We must go get acquainted with the two as soon as possible! I do hope they'll accept the invitation." He was ready to go right then, but he knew he should probably converse with Mr. Dyn before kicking down the University door in his haste. Something told him Persi most definitely wouldn't reject his invitation, though.

Rufus: "You're so very welcome, Mr. Kandi!" He said exuberantly, standing up and jumping after the other man. He was so relieved to see Cain acting more like his usual self again. He didn't quite know how dreadful it was to imagine an unhappy Cain until he had to deal with one, and now he would prefer if he rarely had to ever again.

"Yes, yes it does." He laughed, and clapped Cain on the back. "What are you going to do with all the new free time on your hands with that happening?" He walked ahead of Cain now, turning backwards as he continued to speak with him. He was fairly confident he wouldn't trip as he did so.

Cain: Grinning, he said, "Well, first, I'll be telling my closest friend," he bowed deeply at Rufus as he said this, "that calling me 'Cain' is perfectly acceptable." He swung his cane around his arm at this and began making his way to the Academy. "Second, I'll be working on the house and taking care of Aven, but third, I'll likely be helping said closest friend perhaps consider preparing for an extravagant celebration of sorts?" he said questioningly. Rufus's feelings for Prudence had somehow grown stronger since he first started picking up the feelings around a year prior (it was a surprise, really, because Rufus's feelings were quite strong to begin with) and the counselor's were as well. It wasn't like him to intrude, but he felt as if the time was coming-- every time Rufus talked about her his aura filled the room as if illuminating a gold light on everything surrounding him.

"Unless that's premature?" he added, still smiling knowingly as he often did. He turned to face Rufus as he said this and pushed his glasses up his nose (though still leaving them low enough so he could look over them. He didn't actually need them, after all).

Rufus: With a laugh and a bow in return, Rufus pointed out, "Then I must insist my closest friend can only do the same to me, Cain!"

Following after him, Rufus stumbled in his steps at what Cain was suggesting. Though he wasn't... far off track, it had been a thought that popped in the harvest lord's head with more frequency in recent weeks. But something always caused him to push the thought away, insisting for some reason it would be unwise of him to do so. Biting his lip but unable to fend off his wide smile, he was sure he looked utterly ridiculous as he stared at Cain.

"I would ask how you knew, but I oft seem to forget you just know these things." He felt his cheeks beginning to burn and laughed quietly at himself again. "So I suppose instead I must ask you how I ended up with such a friend as gracious as you?"

Cain: Shamelessly acting like a teenager, he punched the air with a tightly-gripped fist. "So I wasn't far off, then?" he asked brightly. "I could tell. The air is always so thick with affection when you speak of her." Glancing over at him before continuing, he said, "As it is when she speaks of you, but I'm sure you're aware."

He chuckled. "Not to toot my own horn, but I am gifted with a good sense of observation and deduction. Learned from the best." His smile turned into more of a nervous one now.

"So... have you thought about how or when?"

Rufus: "I-I was not..." He admitted quietly, blushing bright red and smiling to himself like a small boy being told his crush checked 'yes' on his note that asked whether or not she liked him.

"But your own horn deserves all of the tooting!" He cheered back at his friend once he had gotten over himself, wrapping his arm around Cain's neck and yanking him into slightly. This made him miss the change in Cain's expression though, and when he lifted his arm off of Cain, he walked forward slightly with a whoop and threw his arms up into the air.

"Too much!" He declared, looking up at the sky. "And I have not come to a single decision on any of them! I have thought of maybe doing it in private, or in public. I have thought about what time of day, right down to the second. I have thought about setting up the environment just so. Even arranging the books in the library. Not in such a way she could tell I did, but just... Moving them. I don't even know if I'm making sense."

Lowering his arms, he rubbed them into his eyes before turning to Cain in a whirl of his coat and putting his hands on his hips.

"But I have you. And you're brilliant. And I think you might be able to help me with these kind of decisions." He smiled hopefully, holding out his hand to Cain as though inviting him to dance.

Cain: Beaming at this point, he hooked his cane on his arm and clasped Rufus's larger, tougher hand in both of his thinner, less worn hands firmly.

"My dear friend. I'm very happy you're thinking about making a step in your life that will surely lead to much happiness-- for not only you, but Prudence as well. I'm sure you remember when I was sorting through my own thoughts about when and where to propose! What a difficult decision!" Turning Rufus so that they were facing the school, small in the distance, but bright enough with the orange glowing windows and steeples for them to see it clearly even from far away, he put his arm around his broad shoulders and directed his attention to it with a wide, sweeping motion of his free hand.

"I chose the Academy because it was where we met and where we were able to discard the chains of our past lives and start fresh in our new one. It was where we were able to put aside our troubles and really see-- not only each other, but ourselves." He tilted his head and smiled softly, reminiscing on the moment in such startling detail that he was sure Rufus would have been able to see it in motion-picture format in his eyes.

He thought back to what Rufus had told him already about how and when they met. "The Academy on the night of a full moon-- that was when it was, if I'm not mistaken?" he asked, switching the topic to Rufus and Prudence at that point. He didn't elaborate any further, hoping that Rufus would come to his own idea in time. "You've thought about that already, I'm sure. Just keep it in mind when deciding-- I'm positive she remembers every detail as vividly as you do."

With a couple friendly pats on Rufus's shoulder, Cain offered his arm out to him, still beaming. "You needn't make the decision now, necessarily. How about while you're pondering what to do about it we get a drink and play a card game or a board game or something of the like? I'm sure we could bully some other faculty members into joining us," he said jokingly.