1191/A Renter's Morning Routine ft. Inga and Harry

A Renter's Morning Routine ft. Inga and Harry
Date of Scene:	22 December 2014
Location:	Dresden's Apartment
Synopsis:	Harry and Inga talk relationships and clothing ahead of their Yule celebrations
Cast of Characters:	206, Inga

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Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    The Laudromat is in fact not that crowded this morning. Just Harry and the lady from the house across the street. The smell of fabric softener and hot dyers fills the room, and Harry is quietly talking into his radio, trying to not... well, whatever it is he feels like doing to Stark and Bob.
    That said there is laundry going in the washers, and a pretty cashmere sweater tossed out flat on top of one of the ones Harry's watching.

Inga has posed:
Inga arrives, looking rather worried. She hurries in, hand outstretched...

To touch the cashmere sweater. "Oh good, you're alright," she says to the wool. She'd been rathered alarmed to hear Harry was doing her laundry! He'd shrink her precious cashmere sweaters!

Inga turns to Harry then, moving over to press a kiss of greeting to his lips. "I hope it is almost done. I had hopes of you opening your gifts today. It is Yule now," she informs him. None of this Christmas nonsense. She won't hear it.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry sighs at the greeting to the sweater but mmmmhs to the kiss, returning it for a moment with a little flit of stubble. He does smile though and mmmh. "Yule presents are good, yeah, shouldn't be long now. Spin cycles almost done and we can get them home to hang." 'Home' always had a new meaning lately.
    Hands rub at Inga's waist, and Harry murmurs. "You didn't tell me you got new outfits. Or did i just... uh... spoil a surprise?"

Inga has posed:
Inga shakes her head, laughing slightly. She settles onto his lap. The only other lady in the laundry mat is giving them wide eyes. Inga doesn't seem to notice. Or car. "No surprise, you've been too busy to notice I suppose," she says. Well, /something/ is a surprise, but it isn't in the laundry.

"Riva took me to...Macy's..." she can't say this without a shudder. It was a bit of a scary experience. But, she did get cashmere and some lovely jewels out of the deal. She just had to let Riva dress her up. It wasn't as terrible as she'd imagined at least.

"I thought...after we open gifts, could we perhaps go somewhere? I need to see trees. Not just the park. Somewhere where I can hold a sacrifice and have a bonfire?" she asks.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Mr. Dresden has a girlfriend? The Lady blinks a bit, and then snickers and moves to fold her laundry.

    Harry's hand slides up and into Inga's hair and he mmmmhs. "Sacrifice sounds a bit... we'd need to get up farther north into some woods for that, yeah." Hmmmmh.
    He does smiles though at Macy's. "I don't like that place either. I'm a Sears and Roebuck man myself. Catalogs are great." A kiss on her nose, as the first of the washers bzzzzz with completion.

Inga has posed:
"Mmm...is it possible? Do you know where we could go? It is...very important to me," she says, looking troubled. Indeed, Inga has been feeling rather down as of late. Her first Yule away from Uppsala, and no one in the multiverse seems to celebrate it. Not like she does. Not even Thor likely does. That is just...a tragedy.

Inga rests her head on Harry's shoulder. She doesn't know what he's talking about. Sears? Catalogue?

The washer buzzes and she jumps.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry nods and smiles. "Yeah. There's some state parks we can go to, though... we might want to do that at night and not... uh, in front of people. That's... not something most people do these days."
    But then he's carefully slipping Inga off his lap, and picking up the laundry basket. "Okay, so..." The lid comes open, and he starts piling the slightly damp clothes into the basket. Just sort of in a lump. "Presants, and then finding nice campsite. I think I can handle that."

Inga has posed:
Inga nods, smiling...though it begins to fade as he says it isn't something people do anymore. She turns her face away so he won't see her spirits fall.

Placed back on her feet, she rights her cloak around her shoulders (she has a jacket, but her cloak is still warmer and more comfortable). She wonders what Uppsala looks like these days, if anyone still celebrates in any way that is familiar to her. Should she go there? Or would it only depress her further?

Presents. Well, at least there is that to look forward to. She turns back toward Harry, holding the door open for him and the laundry basket full of clothes.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    And with that slightly ominous statement over the radio, Harry leads Inga back home, idly hip bumping and keeping contact where he can with his hands full.
    "Look at it this way, love. It's been many years and people get scared with death, especially death in the manner of 'spilling blood all over'. That's why there's an entire industry devoted to doing that to animals and delivering just meat to people so they don't have to see their tasty meat dying." He shrugs and sighs.
    The door to the apartment is locked, and...
    Harry smiles, and fishes around in his pocket for something. He comes out... with a spare set of keys, which he hands to Inga. "Here, now you properly live here. Sorry I hadn't gotten them to you before."

Inga has posed:
Hopefully he doesn't hip bump her too hard, she's likely to fall over! She smiles to him though, a little forlornly. "Mmm...That is very strange to me still. But it is not just this. It is...people are so...I don't know. No one worships as I do anymore. No one seems to believe as I do. I just feel..." she shakes her head. Alone? She isn't alone of course, but that doesn't make it all better. Homesickness. Timesickness.

As they arrive, Inga helps hold up the laundry as Harry digs for keys. Blinking, she takes them. The keys. She flushes a bright pink for reasons he will likely not understand. Inga clears her throat and opens the door. "Th-thank you Harry..." she says.

While he was gone doing laundry, Inga had done some more decorated. The apartment is festive with evergreen sprigs, mistletoe and holly hung about. She'd baked cakes, and had lamb roasting in the oven. The little tree is hung with apples and oranges stuck with cloves and any other ornaments Harry had. "Will it just be the two of us..? Do you...go anywhere for the holidays?" she asks. Perhaps the Carpenters invite him by? "Do you see your brother?" she asks. Who she still hasn't met!

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry smiles at the decorations, and the smell of lamb and... he leans up against the wall. "Today is the first day of winter, isn't it?" A little shake of his head and he presses a kiss to Inga's cheek as he starts heading for the utility room to hang up laundry. "Anyways, uh, not much. The Carpenters... once or twice but probably not this year. My brother isn't really... I mean I'm sure he celebrate the secular version of Christmas, but he's... he's not really big on the White God either."
    He pokes his head out and smiles at Inga. "So... you and me and whoever we invite over. To our place." He liked the pink cheeks.

Inga has posed:
Inga places the keys on her belt, blush persisting. "Well, you should invite him for Yule Harry. I would like to meet him," now especially so. He's not a Christian! Yay! They can bond over what heathens they are perhaps!?

"Sit," she says, then goes to the stove where there's hot mulled wine waiting. She pours a few cups, adds raisins and slivered almonds, then brings them over and has a seat by the tree. "First day of winter? Hmm. Maybe here. We thought of it as mid-winter. The day when the light begins to return. Oh Harry, you should see the festivities at Uppsala. There would be feasting for days on end, games, dancing, music...the sacrifices would hang from the trees, nine of all animals..." she says, dreamy eyed. She shakes her head then, and passes Harry a wrapped package. "Begin with this one," she says. Inside, what appears to be a handmade sweater in a stormy grey color. Harry would notice little bits of embroidery on the inside of the sleeves and chest. Spells, woven in.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry snort. "Maybe, though... We'll see." He does smile at both her description of home and... the sweater with the spells inside. He holds it up, gingerly poking at it with his senses, attempting to puzzle out the magic, but... it's still Inga's foriegn rune weaving, which he's still figuring out.
    He does shuffle it over his head though, and wears it proudly. A flex of muscles even, before he gets up to kiss his maiden on the cheek. "Next." He shuffles around behind her and then places a box in front of her from behind. "Yours." Harry appears to have wrapped all of his presents in the funny pages of the Tribune.

Inga has posed:
Inga looks at the paper, tilts her head slightly...she looks up at him, nodding at the fit of the sweater. Its a good warm wool, but soft. "It looks very nice on you," she says, watching the flex with a laugh. Funny, he's only just put it on and she's contemplating taking it off...

Right, present! Inga opens it, her expression curious.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    The box is a used U-haul box, and inside...
    It's a careved wooden box with real runes. Legible even to Inga. The markings of a Seer's Craft. Inside are a set of meticulously carved bones, covered in runes that shine a dull blue inside the dark oak case. Harry smiles a bit behind Inga and murmurs. "I uh... I had help out Miss Gard with a job to get these."

Inga has posed:
Inga opens the box. She has no idea what U-haul is and wonders if she is even reading it right. Likely not. Besides, it is what is inside that is the gift...

She pulls out the carven wooden box, gasping softly as she lifts it up, feeling the magic that courses through it. She opens it to find the carved rune bones inside, her eyes widening.

Her head snaps up as he mentions Gard. "Oh, Harry..." she breathes, looking down to lift a few with a fingers, reveretly. "These are incredibly beautiful," she continues, tears rising.

She places the bones down, closing her eyes as if it will stop the flood of visions.

She then springs forward to hug him tightly.

"I have more things for you...here," she says, reaching for more gifts. There are a few bottles of Mac's ale, then a smaller box. Inside, there is a silver ring in a braided design. This too, resonates magic. "This ring holds a charm of concealment," she explains. "You can sort of...inform it of the word to activate the charm is "occultum," she says to him, a wry smile appearing. "I know how fond you are of latin," she adds.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    THe Wizard smiles at the reaction, murmuring. "The bones... ah, Gard says they're an alternate way to augur, if you don't want to go all the way into visions. I know those hurt sometimes, so I figured you could use some breaks." A smile as the Wizard sits back down again next to Inga, the bottles of beer getting a smile... as well as the ring.
    He lifts it up, murmuring something about 'Nine Rings of Men' as he runs his thumb around the inside of the piece. A little smile over at Inga, and he leans again. "It's gorgeous. I'm... uh. I'm pretty shitty with veils so that would help. What's the style of concealment?"

Inga has posed:
Inga leans in and kisses him with vigor. "Thank you Harry. They're beautiful. Heh...yes, I do use the runes to augur as well. They can be less trying. The visions are always there, on the edge..." she says, shaking her head. "Ah well, not to worry about that hmm? I love them. And help from GARD, by Odin..." she's extremely impressed, obviously. They're a gift unlike anything she could ever hope for.

Inga takes the ring and slides it on his finger. Of course, it fits. She'd probably measured his finger in his sleep. "Ah..the only style I know? When you speak the word it will conceal you from those who would do you harm. They're eyes will slide away from you. You will be as part of the background. You cannot use it for battle, but you can use it to stay out of one," she informs him with a grin. She knows him. "The charm lasts about thirty minutes. Then you shall need to rechange it," she informs him.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry... grins. The hand holds still for Inga, the ring slipping up next to that Ring of Force he'd made. "So it makes me Someone Else's Problem. I've always liked that version of doing it." A little chuckle, and he plants one last kiss on Inga's cheek, coming out with his last box for her. A smaller one than last time. Garfield being lazy features front and center.

Inga has posed:
Inga settles in his lap now, perfectly comfortable there. She examines the paper and the fat orange cat with a smile before opening the box...

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Harry's present opens up, and this time it's a plain package... with a knife inside. A proper chef's knife, even, in a protective sheathe. Single body construction with a proper grip and handle to it.
    "I figure you could use proper tools for a proper job. I got the rest of the set down in the basement waiting." A kiss on her cheek. "Since I know all of my kitchen stuff is awful and crap."

Inga has posed:
Inga opens the chefs knife, lips pursing to form a small o. She tests the edge against her finger, easily drawing blood. "Excellent! Thank you Harry," she says, leaning in to kiss him. Er, after she's put the knife away. This is a woman who is extremely happy to get bones and knives for Yule.

"I have something else for you...but it will have to wait until later," she says. "I am glad your sweater fits. Now you will not be eaten by the Yule cat," she informs him with a grin before standing and moving to check on the lamb.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Wait for later. Harry's eyes narrow a bit, but he shakes his head. "Well it's good to see you like it. I would have gotten you a new atheme, but I'm not sure that's... uh quite the gift I need to get you yet." A grin. "More time together maybe. Maybe for your birthday." A kiss on her cheek as she gets up.
    "Though, I have to admit I haven't had lamb in a while. Like... uh. The last time one of Marcone's lieutenants was trying to wine and dine me and I took the free meal before getting the cops in to arrest him."

Inga has posed:
Inga raised an eyebrow at his comments about a new knife for magical purposes. Was that a very serious gift to give? More time together? Inga can't help but giggle, reaching down to jingle the keys at her belt. "In my culture, when a man gives a women keys...he do so at their wedding," she informs him, grinning as she plates the lamb.

She'll give him a few minutes to choke about that.

Then, she frowns at this story. "That's very poor behavior for a guest to his host Harry," she chides.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    Wha buh bah now it's Harry's turn to turn pinkish. He grumbles and mutters and also gets chided for his rude behavior. Though there's meat. "Well, uh. I... Okay, I suppose that's a thing yes but I... you."
    He sighs. "Culture shock all over, okay. Also that guy was a prick and he was plannign on killing me anyways so maybe there wasn't quite so much Hospitality going on in general." He takes a bit of lamb and mmmmhs. "Oh man that's good."

Inga has posed:
Inga has herself a good laugh at that blush. "It's alright Harry, I gathered you were not aware of this custom," she replies, handing him his plate. She shakes her head, snickers. Inga has already relaxed her standards, really. In the past, she wouldn't have lived with a man who wasn't her husband. Well..probably not. Expectations of her were also relaxed, due to her position.

A smile as she sits to eat. "I'm glad you like it. We'll want full bellies if we're to go out into the woods. Do you have a tent?" she asks. "Oh, and Kotone is interested to see this ritual. I am alright with her attending," she adds with a shrug.

Harry Dresden (206) has posed:
    "Sure, we'll bring her out. Actually, we might make a thing of it for the Union, if they want." Harry takes another bite of lunch, before smiling over at Inga.
    "And.. uh, Marriage is sort of... uh. A thing." He coughs and murmurs. "I think we've been tripping over that one a lot."