Let's Play!

The edge of the man's mouth turned up slightly.



"I do like to read, but not always. I do many things. The castle does not stay clean and maintained on its own. I play the piano some nights. And sometimes..." He trailed off.

Marina looked him over, prodding him gently to keep going. She was merely curious, she didn't care what he did, just wanted to know.

Ephriam's washed out eyes lingered over hers. He knew that this was going to sound creepy, but what could he do? He had painted himself into a corner.



"I like to watch you." He had been doing it from the very beginning, after all.

Marina looked him over slowly, smiling slightly and kissing him gently.



" That's a bit odd, and kind of sweet... but alright."



She said softly, kissing him.

Ephriam gave a rueful smile as he pulled away after.



"I told you there was no threat of danger." His eyes shifted away and then he forced a laugh.



"Now. To bed with you."

"If your going to watch me, than at least lay with me?"



She asked softly, simply liking to cuddle up.

Ephriam laughed softly and took her hand, kissing the knuckles.



"If it pleases you, M'lady."

Marina smiled and took his hand, wondering to surprisingly one of the guest rooms ( Mainly because she'd never told him she liked this bed better cause it was softer), Climbing up onto it slowly, tugging him in with her, nestling down beside him.

Ephriam sat down on the bed, leaning up against the headboard. He looked away for a minute before settling his gaze on the Marina. The man hesitated for a minute and then reached out to stroke her lovely hair.

Sleeping with extreme ease, Marina smiled when she woke up the following day, looking up at him slowly, blinking.

Ephriam raised one brow, looking at Marina as she woke up. He hadn't moved a single inch all day, not that it was really surprising. Slowly he gave a slight smile.



"Greetings from the land of the living."

" Odd choice of greater."



She purred, moving to kiss him lightly.

Ephriam placed a hand over his heart and inclined his head as though accepting a valuable compliment.



"Thank you, we believe in consistency."

Smiling, she giggled softly, stretching.



" so, today I shop."

Ephriam chuckled softly, sliding out of the bed. He smoothed out the little wrinkle he had left in the bed, thinking to himself about how he needed to go through and replace the sheets in the house.



"What could you not find before?"

" Things I don't shop for when i have a man in tow."



She replied honestly, smiling.

Ephriam furrowed his brow. That didn't make sense to him. He bought tampons and everything. Well... He hadn't bought a pregnancy test, but that didn't seem necessary.



"You are not allowing me to come?"

" Nope. I'm gonna be fine, and if I need you, I'll call."



she replied softly, smiling as she walked down the hall to her room get something clean to wear.

Ephriam just stood there in the room. He wasn't sure that he was comfortable with this, but... there was only so much he could do. Besides, it was probably better this way. Or at least that was what he was telling himself. He just... Ugh.

Soon dressed, she smiled and waived, walking out and off to the market.

Ephriam was very tempted to follow her, but then he held himself back. There was that whole thing that made him feel like he was on thin ice. If he got caught violating her trust (not that he thought he would), then he didn't even want to know how far apart his body parts would be scattered. Instead, he decided that this would be a good time for him to slip out for himself.

Within an hour before sun rise ( so, all night), Marina returned, carrying a million more bags, and lugging them directly up to the wing she'd barred off from him, with huge " NO EPH" Signs... ( Jethro's Idea), as she slowly went about moving things.

Ephriam had noticed the signs, but had mostly respected them. He had turned one upside down, so it read 'Hd3 ON' - which kind of looked like a misspelling of 'head on'. No, the man was in his room at the moment, and his slender fingers danced across the keys. It was an interesting song to say the least, something that really sang.

Marina was neither seen or heard from for the following 48 hours straight, aside from the random vacuum or dust flying about as she worked on the west wing.

Ephriam at one point had tried to find the girl, but had been greeted by an environment he wasn't sure how to function in. He was forced to give it up though, not entirely by his own choice. It was kind of strange. Ever since Jethro had come over claiming that he was having problems and needed to crash at the castle for a few days... well... The sink had sprung a leak. A door had fallen over from its hinges rotting out of the frame. The middle west wing's broom closet had caught fire. Oh! And there had been a very interesting ferret infestation. Ephriam was suspicious, but he had to take care of the problem before he could address a possible source.

About six more days later, entire west wing locked abd blocked off, and sparkling with all the work she'd put into it, she wondered downstairs towards her room, stretching slowly.



" JETHRO!"

Jethro had no sooner materialized than did Ephriam walk into the room. Jethro looked at him with a look of taunting reproach.



"She called me, not you." Ephriam crossed his arms, his mouth not holding even the faintest glimmer of a smile.



"I want to know what you two are doing. I know that there is some sort of scheming going on here." Jethro frowned.



"So? If there is, then obviously we don't want you to know about it." Jethro was edging closer to Marina as though they were buddy-buddy. Ephriam raised his arms animatedly.



"I live here for the sake of the beheaded!" Jethro seemed to consider this and then looked at Marina.



"He does have a point." The man stepped forward a pace, flippantly spewing out words. "Okay, Marina here has her little humany-girl crush thing on you. Besides, you know how much girls like interaction. Anyhow, she has decided to throw the biggest, most complex bash for you. Me, first being your best friend and second knowing your birthday isn't too far away, I was the first to leap at the idea of helping her. Oh! And I know how much it would bug you to have a lot of people back in the ol' abode again, so we have been planning it here. All the while, I've been trying to keep it hidden directly under your nose and have been feeding her what she needed for the subtle trickery that is also involved." Ephriam's face didn't budge.



"Great. Now what is truly going on?"

Marina smiled bashfully now, looking to Jethro with one of those 'school girl' kind of looks. Now it came into play. She had been, and still was a flawless actress, now to put it to use.



Without hesitation she slipped into Jethro's arms, and snuggled up tight to him.



" well...."



Protect Secret. At All Costs.

Jethro wasn't (nor had he ever been) an actor. However, he had the sort of personality that just let him roll with the punches. The man wrapped one arm around the woman, giving Ephriam an apologetic smile. The man looked between both of them, his brows scrunching together.



"Pardon me, but... Honestly?"

Marina nodded slowly, drawing a small circle with her toe on the floor, appearing to feel slightly guilty, looking up at Jethro with a light flush and nuzzling into his neck, placing a light kiss on his cheek.



Shrugging and remaining completely bashful, obviously seeming to be like a young woman coming clean to her father, or perhaps a male best friend ( Or even a brother.), remaining cuddled to Jethro.

Jethro cast a glance down at her as though to say 'not now'. In reality his thoughts were more along the lines of... Holy loli pops! Eph is going to murder me! Ephriam in fact, was standing there with a disbelieving appearance. At least for the first minute or so. But then his jaw snapped together and his throat flushed. And he was gone. He didn't even use the door this time.

Marina slid from him without thought, turning on her heel and dragging Jethro with her, smiling softly.



" It is in two days, the invitations were sent three or so days ago, everyone has RSVPed?"



She asked, still dragging him with her, headed towards the west wing, and soon having him on a stand, measuering him here there and everywhere, fitting him up for his suit.

This, however was something that Jethro was quite accustomed to. There once had been a time when people couldn't just go to the store and buy clothes. Jethro had been lucky enough to have been fitted for new ones instead of dealing with hand-me-downs. He stood there with his arms out casually.



"Everyone except Durinda. I suspect that she's too hung over to do much of anything, though. Didn't have high hopes for her. Great at a party if you can ever get her sober enough to come, though."

" Good enough, my dress should be back by the end of tonight. I'm estatic.... Are you planning on bringing Sarah, or someone else?"

Jethro sighed with a slight exasperation.



"Until Sarah and I part ways, I have no one else to bring." When was she going to understand this 'womanizer' thing?

" Like I would know how you work, now, do you have a mask?"

Lot looked down at her, cocking up a brow.



"You mean my face isn't dashing enough?" He laughed but then frowned as a pin poked him in the calf.



"Ephriam isn't the only one with leftover relics, you know..."

" True, but I wasn't going for completely authentic.... For a reason, as they tend to be clearly dated........ It's a bt different if it's a recreation... Now, do you, or don't you?"



She asked as she heard a knock at the door, leaving him standing there, returning about three minutes later with a box nearly the same size as her.

Jethro's exasperation increased slightly.



"Yes. I have a mask. Marina, I've been around for a very long time and I go to parties all the time. I have to know how this works or I would have one heck of a time keeping my identity to myself." He watched her lug in a box.



"For example, if this were that era, I would be appalled by you carrying that. How improper and unladylike." He rolled his eyes. "But it's not. So I don't care... Kind of wondering how you are lifting it, but not caring." Jethro stepped down.



"By the way, you haven't seen Eph, have you? I'm kind of concerned about him."

Marina glanced back at him, shaking her head slowly, clear concern evident as she looked to Jethro.



" It's not heavy, merely bulky... so you at the party."



she purred, smiling.



(( However, he later showed up, cause I'm doing jumpy))





Sighing, Marina looked over her make-up laying across her vanity, and then slipped into her dress, placing her mask upon her face carefully, and pickiing up a small wrapped box as she soon was headed down the hall towards Ephriam's room.



It's taken alot of work on her part to get him to agree to go put his suit on... ALOT, however, he was currently putting it on,..... Now, all she had to do was watch him catch on as he entered the west wing.... as that was his instructions.... Get his suit on, and meet her at the top of the stairs that headed into the west wing... If he stood her up....