Let's Play!

Ephriam looked at her and a thought occurred to him.



"Are you subtly asking me to go get him? Right now?"

" No, you could, but no. I'm saying I can't get him when I need him, the way you can."

Ephriam ruffled his hand through his hair, giving a half-hearted smile.



"You could always yell?"

" ... Like that's going to work everytime."



Marina replied dryly, moving to kiss him gently.

Ephriam sighed slightly. Apparently she was upset, but... there was very little to be done about it.



"It might."

Marina ignored his words for a moment as she kissed him again lightly before looking him over, thinking hard.



" Your just making this more challenging."

Ephriam ran his fingers through her beautiful blonde hair.



"How so? I thought I was being rather compliant."

" I can tell you don't like the phone. I also know, Jethro is not one to be easy to get ahold of..."



Grrrrrr



" All more complicated... All I wanted to do was something fun "

Ephriam sighed.



"I think that perhaps you are complicating the situation. Just go, do, and be. You need Jethro? Watch." Ephriam mentally hoped that Jethro wasn't... busy. The man stood up and sucked in a breath.



"JETHRO RANIEN ASBLAMOVICH! GET YOUR SORRY UNDEAD BUTT HERE OR I WILL PUT IT BACK IN THE GRAVE FOR YOU!" After a few seconds, the dripping wet man in a towel appeared, an expression of vague amusement on his face.

Marina, however, smiled and giggled and ran over and hugged him, simply out of principle.



" SO, come on, let's go work on things."



Marina purred, not seeming to care he was soaked, or that she was now, or that he was making a mess as she dragged him along in a towel.

Jethro's expression changed exponentially as Marina dragged him away. If he only would have known...



"Wait... What? Huh?"



Ephriam almost smiled, like an internal sort of laugh. He let the two of them go, having the presence of mind to quite intentionally not grab a pair of pants for Jethro. Instead he grabbed his package and slipped away to his room.

" we're planning a party, without Ephriam knowing... Right in his own house, so, your the perfect person to help with it."



Marina reasoned, smiling.

Jethro blinked a few times as he tugged on his towel, tightening it around his waist as he brushed the long, dripping wet hair away from his face.



"A party? ...In the castle?" Jethro looked at her with a sort of rusty-cogs-turning expression. Slowly, an almost evil grin spread across his face.



"Why? And what do you need?"

" I wanna do one of those old fashioned renaissance costume bell like parties.... and I know w few guests he will want, but I'll need help with the rest. the main thing I need help with, is keeping Ephriam from catching on."

Jethro looked at her, the grin not fading even one iota. Perhaps it even spread a little bit.



"Well, then we should go ahead and come up with a cover story. Eph is a little stiff, but he's quick as a whip. If you don't have an answer immediately, he might start getting suspicious."



"Renaissance..." He wiped a bit of water dripping down his face as he mused.



"You know... you could always clean out one of the rooms on the third floor in the... east wing? I think that where he keeps all of the stuff from that era."

" Thanks, already have something in the mix for myself, thank you."



Marina purred softly, not pointing out she'd already been through that stuff and was having something altered to look a bit more current, and fit her more accurately, and glossing over to the party cover at hand.



" And ideas on a cover? Other then like... I'm having a fling with you, cause that won't work >.< "

Jethro's eyes drifted to her.



"No, you misunderstand. 'Cleaning' out that area would explain why you would have all of that sort of stuff floating around. I don't need an excuse to be around. In case you haven't noticed, I come and go as I please." Jethro gestured to the towel as though it proved some point.

" You didn't have too much choice with this time, but I see your point...."



marina purred, nodding with a smile.



" So, you'll be easy to get ahold of?"

"Always am, Cupcake." Jethro gave her a wink. That is, before his eyes wandered to the kitchen. Raiding Eph's food again sounded like a good idea right about now.

" Wanna stay for dinner?"



Marina asked, following his gaze.

Jethro looked at her with a surprised expression.



"You're actually welcoming me to stay for dinner?! I'm so underdressed for the occasion!"



Ephriam was working away on replacing his F string.

" Don't get too use to it... Your simply helping me, so I'll help your stomach."

Jethro flashed a grin, raising his eyebrows as he walked into the kitchen. As he sat down on one of the bar stools, it was probably a good thing that he wasn't still pouring water everywhere.



"So what day did you have in mind?"



Ephriam, meanwhile, had his head stuck in the piano, tightening certain pins. Every so often he would step out and strike a note or two before returning to the tune-up.

"Next week, if we're lucky?"

Jethro nodded, playing with the edge of his towel absently.



"Okay. I'll invite some friends. Dinner?"

" I'll get that covered, you just mind helping with what I need help with when I ask, merely keep Ephriam off my back, hum?"

Jethro just nodded.



"Fine, fine. Now. Dinner?"

" Get some clothes from Ephriam, while I work on it."



Marina replied with an eye roll, moving from the counter.

Jethro slowly raised one brow with a half smile.



"I do have my own room here, you know. Eph got tired of me 'mooching', or at least that was the excuse he gave. Besides... I really don't think any of the clothes that fit his scrawny ass would quite cover mine." Jethro flexed his left bicep as he stood up to go.

" Ick.... Your not much to look at, thanks, and go on, or no dinner."

"ranahbabblesassafrassyjozanabble..." Jethro murmured grudgingly under his breath as he stalked off to find some clothes.



It was probably fifteen minutes later that Ephriam came in. He had high grade wood polish on his shirt and greasing him from the elbows down. His eyes bounced around the room.



"How did you scare him off that fast? I have been trying to get rid of him for years."

" tell him he's not attractive."



She purred softly, smiling lightly, looking at Ephriam.

Ephriam didn't say anything for a moment, as though considering this. Then, with a perfectly straight face, he responded.



"I think he would be more disturbed if I told him that I thought he was."

Marina giggled and shook her ehad slowly, moving to kiss her charming man.



" Love, if you said that, I'd have your eyes removed and checked."

Ephriam's arms wrapped around her waist and he lifted her up slightly, laughing.



"But I love the way you look now! I would hate to alter it!"

Marina smiled at him slightly more, kissing him again.



" well, I like you like how I look, but if you said Jethro was attractive... I'd have to have your eyes examined none the less."

Ephriam smiled at her.



"I'll make sure not to say it then."



"Say what?" Jethro turned around the corner, drying the last bit of water out of his ear. He looked between the two of them and his eyebrows shot up. "Am I interrupting something?" On the bright side he was wearing clothes.

" Yes, we were in the middle of getting ready to have the most passionate love making session of your life... The only thing stopping us was that Ephriam couldn't stop talking about how much he wished it was you, rather then me."



Marina purred, rolling her eyes and wondering off to the kitchen to check dinner.

Ephriam watched her go and Jethro turned to him with a look of frustration.



"Damn it, man! I know that I'm nice to look at, but come on!" He waved in Marina's direction and then made the exaggerated hourglass motion. "How can you not want some of that?!" Ephriam blinked.



"I see why she thinks that you're a womanizer." Jethro's expression turned into a flat line as he walked into the kitchen behind his friend.

Serving up the places at the table, Marina looked at Jethro with one of those ' I know something' kind of looks, having heard his comments about her as she'd left the room, one simple word faling from her mouth.



" Womanizer."



as she served him, looking to Ephriam, slipping into his lap, merely for effect as she kissed him.