Elysium's Gate (A Cars/Planes roleplay)

[ShadowWolfCelica]

Shadow + Rod
Tagging: Sally, Dusty

The Celica appreciated the plane leaping to try and reassure her of her position, but she wasn't going to be swayed easily on the fact that the agents were gonna ship her in. "I can't speak for if they see you as gullible or an idiot... they probably just want to get their job done, in all honesty, regardless of others... which includes my imprisonment" She said now, frowning a little. She glanced up again, a gentle smile on her face. "Hero you say huh? I very much doubt they'll see me that way. I'm part of the very problem they're trying to get rid of, but.... " She paused as she realized he'd mentioned that he would testify her character, glancing up to him. "You would? But... you barely know me!" She said here, turning to him a little more. "Why would you risk your reputation for something like that?" She asked quietly, looking around slightly, though felt somewhat... touched.

She settled more in place as he began to tell her the story he knew, gently smiling as he seemed to get really into it, looking to her seriously as he spoke. She had to admit, he was dragging her in, shivering just a little as he finished. "Jeez.... yeah, way too creepy. I hope it's not true... children sacrifices? That's just one step above my family" She half muttered the end part, but quickly veered on with her talking. ""When is the anniversary said to be? Maybe we'll see some ghost cars..." She said with a slightly lower tone, nudging him a little. "It'll be like that show... Ghost Adventures!" She smirked, before laughing a little. "Maybe we'll see a little child ghost and it'll lead us to the cure...." She said in a spooky voice, though seemed to exhale slightly. "Well...... I'm not sure how I feel about meeting ghosts of sacrifices and lost villages" She said now in a slightly more serious tone, but glancing up again to smile at him.

Sally's look toward Shadow confirmed to the Celica that she had perhaps put two and two together, giving her another smirk, half closing one of her eyes for a moment to acknowledge the connection. Shadow wasn't about to lie to herself... Dusty was a good looking plane. He held a charm about him that captivated her, though being so far out of the dating game, she was closer to probably having an arranged marriage that her mother insisted upon than actually finding someone herself.
"Yeahhh I mean.... cars have nice engines... can also look rather sleek, but a plane has more muscle than a car could ever have... no one would mess with you if you had a plane to protect and love you" She said here, thinking on it a little more. "Plus they can fly, how cool must that be?" She finished, stealing a small glance to Dusty as she finished, noting he was possibly leaning in... though couldn't tell from her position. She watched Rod pull up, and instantly Sally seemed to fall to pieces, something that Shadow found very amusing.

"Oh don't worry, we really weren't..." Shadow shot a look to Rod, and a moment seemed to pass between them, perhaps of tension, though Rod seemed to let his defense down a little, laughing back at the Celica. "Sure... whatever you say" He responded, before looking to Sally again, who seemed once more too flustered to speak.

She sniggered as Sally nudged back at her, before moving forward and leaning her tire on Sally's hood, another smirk on her face.
"Well Rod, you like dessert don't you? You know, that sweet dessert that you mainly have after the main course BUT sometimes it doesn't come in the shape of foooood" She said now, her other tire making small circle motions as she looked to the ceiling, appearing innocent. She seemed more comfortable now, with both Sally and Dusty around, finding that teasing Sally was more entertaining than she originally thought. Shadow had never grown up with friends, never been allowed to socialize... so this felt nice. It was as if she was catching up on what she had missed all these years.... feeling accepted.

The Deringer seemed to raise a brow at the Celica as she leaned on Sally and started speaking of the most random subject, though catching Sally's blush and the way she was behaving, he knew he had rolled into something now. Deciding to play along, he leaned on his back tires, pretending to think now, his calm smile still present.
"Ohhh well now you mention it.... Dessert IS my favourite meal" He said, raising his tire, before deliberately running it across Sally's fender to get her attention. "What about you then eh? We're talking about food here..." He said with a smirk, before seeing that she had perhaps attempted to say something, leaning his hood close to hers.

"Yes, Redneck?"

[Dusty Crophopper]

Doc

Doc smiled slightly, and nodded. "Yeah... sure. Glad I could be of some assistance. So... uh... anything else you need? I'd rather hammer out the cosmetic damage when you're under anesthetic, but anything else ailing you?" he inquired, raising a brow and looking back in Wren's direction, frowning thoughtfully as he moved his gaze back to Chase.

Glancing back to the communications console, he caught Speed's nervous, uncertain look. "Hey Speed... what's wrong?" he called over to him. "It'll be OK. You need to talk?"

Skipper

"heh... I'd chew him up and spit him out." Skipper mumbled back to his wife, narrowing his eyes. "Always been wanting to give him a piece of my mind, just like Finn... except Finn's more easily accessible, and Piers is not so much." He sighed. He had to suppress a loud chortle as he caught Dusty attempting to eavesdrop, snorting so that his cowling flared a bit as he tried to stifle his expression. "Yeah heheh... guy's got a pair on him though! You can't fault him for that!" he exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly, but not loud enough the entire plane could hear.

"Heh... yeah well... I won't let anyone consider me soft...not if I can help it!" he challenged back, smirking. "And well... I got a soft spot for the kid, sure." he nodded now, looking to Dusty once more. He considered what Wren said next, and nodded. "Yeah... well I think that's true. I should tell Finn he's been fully trained and certified... no reason NOT to let him know about that after all. He's been trained in emergency response, firefighting, lifesaving techniques... we can work with that. I might go and do that in a bit." he commented next. He raised a brow back at her at her next statements.

"Heh... I'm not looking to gain her to our side... I'm looking to FORCE her to do as we say... she's a prisoner after all." he stated disdainfully in regards to Shadow. "And a murderer... and criminal... and a... oh whatever!" he finally relented now. "And yeah... I'm gonna have a word with Finn, and tell him about Dusty's training. The others well... yes at some point, but I'm not exactly going to make a loud announcement of it." he pointed out.

"Anyway yeah... think I may talk to Finn soon. If you like the plan, that's good." He nodded here. "Meets your approval?"

Dusty

"Yeah." Dusty commented, looking to her. "Heh it's... it's probably true. They want to do their job and shove everyone else aside... I just... ugh..." He paused here, hearing her out. He gave her a warm smile and shook his front. "No... no... it's fine! My reputation won't be damaged... at least not much." he shrugged his ailerons here. "Because... I believe EVERYONE deserves another chance... especially those earnest to change." he told her now sincerely. "If you help us... it's the LEAST I could do for you in return." he said now, dipping on his pontoons a bit.

"Heh yeah... totally creepy, but I think the parents didn't go into jumping for joy at having their twins kill one another." he said now. "But then again... I can't really say..." he trailed off as she mentioned it was one step above her family, pursing his lips. "As for the anniversary... I don't know." he confessed here. "I... wish I could tell you but... I'm uncertain as to that. The legend has different dates and I'd need to look it up." Dusty admitted. "Hah yeah! Except well... it's an entire village instead of a building!" he responded to her Ghost Adventures quip. He'd seen a lot of those episodes on that show! "Hahah! Yeah... maybe!" he smiled widely, liking how she was getting into it. "Yeah... me neither... they could be quite deadly and vengeful after all." he speculated, nodding as he thought of how the ghosts would behave. "Anyway, glad you liked the legend! It'd be uh... well interesting if we were spirited away there!"

Dusty smirked a little as he caught Shadow's conversation with Sally... planes had more muscle... yes... yes they did! He tried to look behind him a little, attempting to flex his ailerons a little, and show off his (what he thought was a) toned underside. He did become strong working on his farm and from his firefighting and training for his racing as well as lifesaving. He HAD featured in a firefighter calendar last year after all too! He finally burst out laughing though as Shadow called Sally dessert, and seemed to be trying to entice Rod to her, unable to stifle his laughter. Still... it was cute how the two were interacting... he was clearly flirting wit her, and she was going to pieces over him... unable to get it together it seemed. He sighed happily... if only he could find that someday...

[MustangRio]

Chase tagging Doc

"Yeah... sure. Glad I could be of some assistance. So... uh... anything else you need? I'd rather hammer out the cosmetic damage when you're under anesthetic, but anything else ailing you?" Doctor Hudson asked Chase. Chase was still waiting for the pain to subside. The thought of having dents be pulled out was not thrilling to say the least.

"Let's just wait until after we're done with this mission. I'd rather not be knocked out more than necessary," he replied trying to add humor, still stretching a little. "Thank you though," he said before returning to his seat. The pain indeed subsided after a few quiet moments and Chase was left to think about the mission at hand. He could hear the chatter from the others; plans of attack, ghost stories, which is hotter cars or plane...wait...what? He shot a glance over to Sally and the Carlisle and saw the conversational body language they both possessed. Chase looked down at the floor and sighed...what would mom and dad do? he thought to himself.

His parents were quick thinkers and were always on top of the case. He remembered stories about their drug busts and them ending gang wars. They've been gone for almost seven years now...an accident while they were on vacation...or at least that was what he was told. Alexis was raised with the same story, but Chase never believed it was only a mere accident. Too many things didn't add up in their case. He sighed and stared out the window, watching the clouds roll by without a care. If only he had that luxury.

Speed tagging Doc

Speed had resigned himself to a corner and just waited out the trip. He was never one to barge into conversations he wasn't invited into. He watched Shadow, Dusty, and Sally talk about things, though he couldn't hear specifics. He saw the two Corsairs talking to the Deringer and then Doc taking care of the silver mustang. He chuckled at the mustang's response to his treatment, remembering one rodeo where things didn't go so well. He felt homesick suddenly, and the regret for coming was strong. But no...he wouldn't quit, quitting was not in his vocabulary. They needed him, even if they didn't say it directly, they would have shooed him away otherwise...right?

"Hey Speed... what's wrong?" Doc asked Speed. "It'll be OK. You need to talk?"

"I'll be okay. I guess I'm just a nervous flier..." he said with a small shrug. "It's hard picturing something you know nothing about. All my knowledge of crime and spies and stuff come from movies," he added.

"

[Arctic-Poppy]

Wren:
Tagging: Skipper, Chase, Shadow, Dusty, kinda Sally

Wren smiled back at her husband's remark “and you think I don't?” she grinned knowingly “you should have been a fly on the wall for our last budget meeting… he tried to cut the medical side… tried” she snorted looking out over the occupants of the plane “the day you give Piers a piece of your mind is the day I will end up being forced to quit and become an obedient housewife” she smirked giving him a sideways look. Chase had taken up his seat, Wren raised a suspicious brow at his expression, he was watching the girls chatting with an air of disapproval about himself.
Wren followed suit and looked at the small gathering of vehicles. Making reference to Dusty and his flexing she laughed in her throat “and in which lesson does the flight school cover that?” she smirked drawing Skipper’s attention to what was happening under his nose.

Turning back to the work in hand Wren sighed “Yes the plan meets my approval, I know she's a prisoner and a rather unscrupulous character… but unfortunately we are entering into a situation on her terms, this is her turf… besides” Wren smiled tracing a wingtip under the older corsairs chin as she passed him to leave “you catch more bugs with honey Checkers”

Wren made her way around the other passengers and busied herself in a cupboard for a moment, not actually needing anything she just wanted a vantage point behind the Celica in question, the better to plan her approach. She seemed happy between Dusty and Sally… wouldn't be wise to cut between them it might put her on edge, at the very least it was sure to irritate her… didn't seem fair to squeeze in between Sally and Redline either she smirked to herself at the level of flirt happening.
Plan of attack decided Wren settled for squeezing in next to Dusty. The super corsair circled the group, mindful of her size and cleared her throat as she settled into the vacant spot beside the racer.

“I hope I’m not interrupting” she smiled pleasantly directing the statement more at Dusty than anyone. Better to work up to her questions slowly, barrelling in and throwing her weight around wouldn't get her the response she was hoping for from the Celica. She would probably see right through it, but better to do the polite dance rather than target Shadow head on.

[Wario-Girl]

Sally:-
Tagging: Rod, Shadow

"Well Rod, you like dessert, don't you?" The Toyota began, and Sally had never felt herself glare at another car so hard in her life. But despite the glare, Shadow continued, steamrolling on, pushing Sally to the nearest junkyard where she would bury her own grave. "You know, that sweet dessert that you mainly have after the main course BUT sometimes it doesn't come in the shape of foooood,"

'I swear to Chrysler...' If Sally wasn't so nice and shy, she would have easily done something to stop the Toyota from saying any more. But powerless against her own shyness, she lapsed into a struggling silence as the Toyota and DeRinger engaged in a conversation Sally thought she would never had the displeasure of being involved in. She was shaking now. Her eyes tried to beg Shadow to stop, but she was finding it far too entertaining. But she was smiling...she seemed genuinely happy, and she couldn't stop it. And Sally felt compelled to keep her smiling. It was such a nice smile, and even if she was being humiliated in the process, she didn't want Shadow to stop smiling. Her gaze fell.

"Ohhh well now you mention it.... Dessert IS my favourite meal," The American Muscle-Car responded, in the same playful tone of voice Sally recognized instantly. 'Don't you betray me now, Hot-Shot-!' She found herself squirming. She felt her engine rumble awkwardly as she listened to the conversation, stuck between the middle of it, rather literally.

A light brush across her fenders caught her attention, and she looked up, only to regret it to see Rod staring back at her. She can feel Shadow's smirk burning at the back of her spoiler. She was stuck in purgatory now! All this exchange of flirts, knowing looks and double-meanings was going far too quickly!

"What about you, then eh? We're talking about food here..." Rod was asking her now, and leaned over closer, halting the words in her throat."Yes, Redneck?"

The way he spoke to her was positively blissful. She hated the way he spoke in such a low, deep voice. It was as if he knew she adored it when his voice ripples like that. The warmth from his engine and the way his deep, stormy-blue eyes looked at her with such a calming yet knowing look. He knew her, far too well, and it appeared that Shadow knew her too well also.

In a mixture of frantic shyness and flustered panic, she responded back, rather quickly.

"Great Scott, Mr. Redline, you should try some Crumpets! Yes! They are wonderful!"

...what in DeLorean's name was that?!

[ShadowWolfCelica]

((I think Finn died XD Also Sally's response is amazing, i nearly cried XD ))

Shadow + Rod

The Celica found herself smiling a little more to Dusty, appreciating that he would put his reptutation on the line... or not, so it seemed to him. But she knew this game, and was sure that it wouldn't look good on him. A wave a uncertainty crossed her. What was she even doing? What was the purpose to her bargaining this? Sure, it could get her out of jail, but what was the actual realistic thing that was gonna happen here? No doubt Finn would sling her in the nearest cell. The two outcomes were wrestling in her mind, and for a moment, it plunged her back to the guarded and reserved Shadow, that did what she had to to get through.
"I'll do my best to help" She answered with a low voice, a slight frown on her face as she concentrated on the floor ahead of her. Uncertainty seemed to be her new emotion.

Though this frame of mind didn't seem to last too long, as he picked the conversation back up, causing her hood to rise a little to look back toward him. The threatening fog lifted once more, and she once again didn't feel too bad about things... though it was only a matter of time before she knew the inevitable.
"Well... you never know! Some parents are kinda twisted... though you can safely guess that the parents were probably normal... ish" She managed a smile, trying to think of it. "Nothing's normal mind you when it comes to sacrifice"
She half smirked as he continued, glad he knew the program. "True, true, but they did graveyards and stuff too sooooo not so far off when you think of it... tell you what, if we find this village, we'll have to explore it for a bit" She smiled, before nodding to his last statement. "Spirited away you say... like the film? THAT would be creepy, I can't remember how she gets back... I think it just happens" She said now, trying to remember, tapping her tire a little.

Sally's conversation with her seemed to have sparked a slight reaction in Dusty, the Celica catching the movement out the corner of her eyes. She could see him move his ailerons, in at first what she presumed was a stretch, only he seemed to continue, telling the car it was something else entirely. She made a point to turn and look at him some more, raising a brow as she regarded the plane.
"Cramp?" She asked now, knowing full well it wasn't, though her smirk probably gave away her real question.
"I think you have enough screaming fans to know how women see you, don't you think?" She added here, looking him up and down for a few moments. It was the closest she could get to fully checking out the plane without letting on, no matter how obvious the eye movements were.

Rod was only spurred on by Sally's silence, knowing that between him and Shadow, she was trapped like a deer in headlights. The blushes and small movements she gave off told her exactly what he needed to know about her thoughts and feelings. He was used to interrogating enemies, getting the truth out of all those he spoke to, and he fully intended to get the truth from her too. Problem was, he could hardly use torture to do so. Well..... maybe not that kind.

"Has Stripes gone all shy?" Shadow chimed now, lowering her hood and tilting it to the side to try and meet the Mustangs gaze, before chuckling again. Rod seemed to echo the laughter, tapping Sally's side.

"Nah.... she's just thinking about it, aren't you Redneck?" He said now, though her outburst caused both Rod and Shadow to pause, flicking their gazes to one another as her words sunk in.

Seconds later and Shadow burst into laughter, unable to beleive what had been said. Rod felt him bite the back side of his lip, deliberately coughing to hide the sniggers that rolled from his chassis.
"Uhum... Crumpets you say?" He asked now with a grin, eyes dancing as he held back the laughter.

"I must say, flirting at it's finest" Shadow managed between giggles, her mind replaying the sentence over and over again in her mind like a tape recorder.

[Dusty Crophopper]

Doc - Tagging: Speed, Chase

Doc gave Chase a warm smile and nodded once. "Sure... no problem... though hopefully none of us will really go with being "knocked out" after all, heheh." he chuckled here, winking as his patient now moved away and back to his seat. The Hornet noted the car seemed to be doing better pain wise, and that was a good thing.

Hudson then drove over to Speed, wanting to engage him in conversation for the moment. "Heh yeah... to be honest... first time I've ever flown myself... it's a weird feeling... but... I guess in the end it's OK. I always relied on trucks to get me from race to race back in the day... now... being here... in a plane... it's kind of surreal. Never thought in my life that I'd fly... but well... I guess in the end I can check it off my list." he murmured, looking about the interior of the plane studiously now.

His vision then shifted to Speed, and he nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah well... I'm no spy myself... all I know how to do is drive fast, pass others cleanly, and help and heal others. Saving lives sure... I guess it makes me valuable to the team but believe me... I feel guilt ridden over what I've done in developing that drug, and also well... in over my head with these others. They know how to kill, they're professionals... what's a civilian like me go to offer?" he asked, flicking his eyes about from his hood to Speed. "Anyway... I think we can contribute in our own ways... we all have talents. Like you for example... what do you do really well that others can't?" he asked, looking the truck over now.

Skipper - Tags: Wren

"Heh..." He grinned almost evilly at his wife's statement now. "Obedient housewife... I like the sound of that! You better not stoke my fantasies!" he teased her here, moving in to her side to blow hotly onto her fuselage. But his wife's calling of his attention over to Dusty cause the Corsair to shift his gaze... and then smirk at the younger plane's antics. "Seriously? I can't believe he's going all... mushy over that car!" he said, suppressing a laugh, though a rollicking chuckle did at least escape. "I dunno whether to be furious or just amused at what he's doing because believe me... I didn't teach him THAT!" he exclaimed now, smacking his lips.

He turned to his wife more fully as she explained the situation, and nodded. "Yeah... plus Dusty's falling all over himself to impress her... we're already at a disadvantage." he murmured, then smiled again as she traced her wing tip under his chin, watching her move off. "Heheh... I've never found that to be true!" he called after her, grinning as she headed away.

Dusty - Tags: Shadow, Wren, sort of Sally and Rod

"Uh... yeah... sure..." Dusty responded, hesitating as he noticed the change come over Shadow. What was eating her? Still conflicted? She seemed to be doing so well earlier. But then she seemed to recover, and he cocked his body sideways, curious as to her words. "Yeah... probably." he smiled again, relieved she seemed to be doing better.

"And yeah... I think they were normalish." he said, nodding. "But yeah... must've been heartbreaking... knowing you had to have one twin kill the other to prevent the darkness from overtaking your village... though I suppose that begs the question... why not just move?" he asked now. "I mean if you live in a place of darkness... just move away." he snorted. "That always seems to be the problem with these legends... they don't take the easy way out." he rolled his eyes now. He perked up a bit at the mention of exploring it.

"Well... yeah that would be... cool! Heheh... but yeah uh... would NOT want to be spirited away into another dimension where we're trapped in the village." he chuckled again, eyes flashing. "And yeah... I haven't seen that movie yet... but I want to! It does sound good!" he commented.

He froze though as she noticed him... showing off? Was that what he had been doing? "Uh... I was just... yeah!" he smiled nervously now, catching her smirk. "I..." He remained frozen on the spot, noting she was really... checking him out now. He flexed just slightly more as he returned to his normal position, doing it in one solid motion. "I was just... heh... and actually I don't know! I don't tend to pay too much attention to that in all honesty!" he said here. "Just you know... not really a fast plane type... racer." he looked up now with some embarrassment, his white paint flushing, though it was harder to see on the red bits.

But then Sally literally let loose with the most bizarre, humorous and random thing ever, and Dusty turned to regard her, wide eyed, before he burst out laughing with Shadow. "Hahahah! Yeah RIGHT?" he asked, nudging Shadow playfully here, and winking at her. "Tea and crumpets! My word!" he said, trying to sound like Bulldog now. "You sound just like another racer I know! Great Scott!" he exclaimed, blinking here and trying to look all upper class now.

[MustangRio]

Speed- tagging Doc


"Flying's not so bad I guess...just strange..." Speed replied, watching a few clouds pass under the jet. He was a land vehicle and yet he was 30,000 feet in the air. He thought about Doc's words about being guilty.

"You did what you needed to do...I guess sometimes you need to cross certain lines for the greater good," he said, glancing over at Doc. He couldn't imagine having a whole town's fate resting in his tires, the pressure to make a choice to break an oath that he would have spent years working toward, or to let innocents die

"What do you do really well that others can't?" Doc asked. Speed looked around at the various vehicles.

"Well compared to this group I can rope and brand tractors...heh, I'm just a simple country boy," he replied tapping his bumper in thought. He didn't like talking about himself, though he knew Doc was striking conversation. "I guess I could always haul whatever we're getting..." Something in him triggered and a minor panic attack was setting in. They were going to a place known in Speed's area for its ghost stories. The Bermuda Triangle seemed tame compared to this forest, and some of those were simply folklore. He drew in a shaky breath. "Some day off huh?" he asked in an attempt at a joke.

[Arctic-Poppy]

((OMG Sally's flirting is legendary! I cant breathe XD also yes, Finn is ded... Wren poisoned his tea HAHAHA))

Wren
Tagging: Shadow, Dusty, Sally

Wren sat patiently watching the conversation go back and forth between Dusty and Shadow, it all seemed very amicable. Dusty was of more use than anyone realised she mused to herself, he had already managed to inspire some level of trust…
The super corsair was trying to collect her thoughts and best organise herself, not wanting to put a wing in it and word something wrong when Sally’s statement threw her for a loop.

"Great Scott, Mr. Redline, you should try some Crumpets! Yes! They are wonderful!"

Wren sat unable to hide the sheer look of confoundment on her face. English not being her first language she couldn't be truly confident enough to say anything, but she was proficient enough to be sure in her mind that Sally had just uttered pure drivel… poor girl she really had it bad.

Wren managed to pull herself away from watching Sally and Rod in time to hear the last few snippets of Shadow and Dusty's conversation, what she caught rattled her somewhat. Talk of exploring villages and graveyards… Wren felt a cold shiver creep up her back, entering this forest in the first place went against everything her father had ever taught her, deeply superstitious to the point that he didn't sweep the floor on new years for fear of sweeping away the good luck he would be adamant that this job was a bad idea… before she could stop herself she found herself joining in “never mind the Village, it's the ghosts trying to lure you from the path you should worry about”
Inwardly she scolded herself, Skipper always found her superstitions amusing… which was why she went to such lengths to hide them. She could only hope that Shadow and Dusty wouldn't fixate on what she said…

[Wario-Girl]

[[Gah, balls. I did it again. DX Sorry for the wait up guys, been bogged down in a lot of stuff <3 Sally's not exactly an expert in this sort of jazz XD]]

Sally:
Tagging: Rod, Shadow

Sally suddenly wanted to hide away somewhere, but locked onto a plane and stuck between Rod and Shadow was more dangerous than she realised. But things seem to be getting along smoothly than before, despite what Shadow represented. The Mustang was never really good with flirting face-to-face. She noticed this when she had those calls with Rod, and how easily the words came out. Now, she was just a blubbering little school-girl that forgot how to English.

She glared hotly at Rod, spying the snicker he was holding back. She must admit, his expression was quite adorable, something vastly unique compared to his usual dark composure.

"W-Well, crumpets are nice!" Sally stated, her hood flaring hotly from the embarrassing outburst. Tapping her tire on the floor, she took a deep breath to calm the raging shame. She was trying to recover herself, but she was already in the pit she dug herself in. "Maybe someday Dreamboat should try them," She added, narrowing her eyes at Rod playfully, though it did nothing to hide the shyness from her features. Shadow was still laughing beside her, and it caught Sally to laugh with her, her laugh somewhat contagious. "You should know, Shadow...unless you haven't had them?"

Yes, this was a perfect distraction from her situation. Crumpets are the best!