”Thanks Sundance, and no. Things been poisoned. I’ll be burning it later. I don’t want anything else eating it.” he sighed

Sam walked over to the cabin and unlocked the door allowing the kids to run in. Smart to keep the girls and boys separated. The Boy’s area would be a bit too crowded for the icemancer. Though he had enough blankets and cots for whoever wanted to sleep on the floor. Thick wool ones. He already had one of those with his name on it. He’d probably stay outside though.

”Basement is off limits.” he added as the kids entered and he was stuck holding the door. The basement itself wasn’t much. Mainly storage, it had a hidden safe room though. One with loaded weapons, rations and a few different bug out bags with different passports. The kids didn’t need to know about that though. This was supposed to be an educational trip not a scary one.

He nodded agreeing with Xavier, though he might have intended a little more scaring before dropping the offenders off. He wouldn’t have been mad at just poaching for a meal. He knew that some of the people in the area relied on hunting to feed them and their families. However, the rat poison on the bolt and leaving the caribou a slow and painful death didn’t sit right with Sam.

”Was thinking something a little more aggressive Xavier but, yeah. Hoping they will get some jail time. Now if they just wanted it for food that’s one thing. Bolt hit the spine, and they added some thing to it.” he walked over to the indoor wood burner and got to work starting the fire so they’d have heat for the evening.

He was speaking out loud now to whoever was listening, ”Anyone who needs to use the restroom it’s outside in the outhouse. If that’s a problem you’re going to have a long weekend.” the wood next to the burner was dry, it lit quickly. Pulling his hand out of the burner he closed the door and walked over to the kitchen area noticing a ‘creaking’ sound when he stepped on a floor board. He’d have to fix that.

”Cots and Blankets are in the loft as well, I got enough for everyone. It’s cold at night and I don’t want Doc to get on my case if anyone gets sick got it?” his thermal sense picked up on a squirrel running across the roof top. ”Hyiori, shouldn’t be any mice in here but if you see any it’s open season.” he offered, ”Unless Sundance stops ya.”

Elizabeth picked up her bags and brought them inside with her. Several of them she left in the living room / common area - those bags contained additional supplies for the weekend’s activities, including food. Fortunately, with how cold it had been outside, even if the food hadn’t been packed away in temperature-controlled packaging, it still wouldn’t have gone bad.

Liz set down her personal belongings (appreciating the lack of dust clouds that erupted when she flopped her bags onto a chair, unlike last time) and went above stowing the food away, along with some of the other useful and emergency items they hadn’t prestocked when she and Sam had come up there earlier in the season with Cora. She figured it was a good idea to get everything important stored away first, if only so it didn’t get lost later with all the expected foot traffic through the room. Not to mention it could give Hiyori and Lillian a little chance to bond and have non-teacher time.

So far the students were impressing her. Granted, they’d only been there an hour, but other than a few complaints from Jasper the kids were fairly amiable. She wasn’t seeing early signs of problems, which was great because undoubtedly some would develop over the weekend, as tended to happen when a group of people were stuck together for an extended period of time. One reason she had planned so many activities (one could even say overplanned) was to fill up time or separate the students as needed. Even the fire-making had been one of her plans, albeit not one she’d planned until that evening.

She’d also have to remember to thank Xavier for working with Rowan. It could be horrible trying to fit in sometimes, especially when the other people generally knew everyone else, but seeing Xavier go out of his way to make Rowan welcome just made Liz keep smiling.

Then Liz caught sight of the sky through a window. She glanced at her watch. Crud. She’d forgotten that night was going to fall even faster this far north. “Damien, Xavier, could one of you take my bags to the room Hiyori and Lilian picked out?,” she smiled. “And let Hiyori know that if she does find any mice and chooses to kill them, to please give me a warning so I can block out their panic and terror before it reaches me. Thank you!”

The blonde turned and found Sam. “Get the kids settled, okay? I didn’t realize how fast we’re losing daylight so I’m going to go patrol now before the ravens are blinded. If I’m not back in about twenty, bring me back inside, okay? And try to keep the kids inside?” Liz made sure he heard her and then made her way outside again.

One of the many drawbacks of her abilities was her range. To actually possess an animal and transfer her mind into it, she had to be very close to it, and touching was the best bet. Which meant in order to patrol, she had to start from outside and leave her body behind while she did so. It left her extremely vulnerable and it wasn’t something she freely shared with people - one of the many things from her past she was still fighting to keep in the past. It never sounded good to tell people you possessed things, so she mostly just described her empathic abilities.

Besides, she didn’t want anyone to freak out over her essentially-comatose body.

Liz whistled in two short, sharp bursts. A cahawwing came from a nearby tree and a couple of dark shapes slid through the air toward her. Liz greeted the ravens with open arms and a psychic hug, not to mention some dried meat. Just a bit though. “We have a mission, my friends,” she said as they landed on her gloved hands and began pecking at the meat. She walked around the side of the cabin until she was by the woodpile. She sat down and put her back against it, where she’d be out of most of the elements yet well within Sam’s radius of awareness. She knew he’d be able to tell if or when the cold got to her.

“Let’s go,” she said and her mind slid into Muninn’s. Seconds later the birds leaped into the sky and began flying north.

"Lillian! Lillian! Look how soft the pillow is!"

Hiyori reared back and then shoved both her paws elbow deep into her pillow, on the bed she had claimed. It snapped out in fluffy fullness on either side of her, and she leaned forward to bury her whole head in it.

"Pillows were not this fluffy back home! How does anyone sleep on it?"

Lillian giggled, a tad bit nervously as she sat on the edge of her bed and plucked at the frayed edges of her sleeves from where her power had eaten away at the fabric. "I dunno, Hiyori... That's just normal here. I sleep on them just fine..m-most of the time."

The small cat pulled her upper body back out of the pillow and blinked owlishly at her classmate. Her mouth opened a bit wider than it normally did when she spoke, because she was rather excited. "Have you been camping like this before? I have not. I have camped... I guess, but never with people."

Lillian watched the cat's antics, relaxed a little in Hiyori's presence. It was... easier, being around her. She acted more like a cat than a person and didn't seem to judge her whenever she slipped up a little bit and had an accident. Lillian looked at the bare palms of her hands, where some of the many visible sweat glands were that the fluids she could create came out of. They were dry currently, so she didn't need to focus on keeping herself calm. She was happy that she had remembered to bring plenty of spare clothes, though.

"I have, a few times. When I was y-younger. I stopped going when my powers kicked in."

"Oh."

Lillian looked up because Hiyori's voice had come from above her. Higher than it had any right to be. She spotted the cat hanging from her claws from the curtains on one side of the window, looking at her upside down with large yellow eyes.

The snort!laugh that came out of her could be heard from down the hall.

"Well, it is good that you came on this trip, then. You can help me learn what to do!" The cat had made it all the way up and was balanced precariously on the metal bar holding the curtains up, reaching out with one paw to swat at a bit of cobweb that was hanging from the wooden ceiling.

The lavender haired girl couldn't help but smile. "Of course I will! I'd love to help!" That... felt nice. Being needed like that. Having a use. She so often felt out of the loop... like an outcast because her powers were just so useless and destructive in one go.... At least to her, it was.

Hiyori went to reply but was immediately distracted by the sound of something alive scurrying across the room. She wiggled for balanced and launched herself off, landing on all fours and then racing out of the room in order to get outside and give chase.

She paused when Johnson Sensei spoke up, was elated that he gave her full permission to mouse hunt, and then immediately has that joy dashed when she was reminded of Sundance Sensei. Oh, right. She would have to-

The scrabbling sounded up again, this time from a different corner of the roof, and she was immediately distracted from her own thoughts. She still had her little coat and backpack on, and made for the door. Which was closed.

She plopped her butt down and waited, reaching a paw out to scratch at the door and then craning her head around to look at whoever was near. She hadn't noticed that Sundance Sensei had left already.

Rowan had never gone camping! Xavier smiled brightly. "Wow! So we have to give you the whole experience! OH! I can teach you how to light a fire! That's fun. Oh, and Smores! Bird watching..." His eyes suddenly went wide with excitement as he looked over to Rowan. "Friendship bracelets!" Did he have supplies to make friendship bracelets? OF COURSE HE DID.

They were pulled away from that conversation, but not before he became determined to get to friendship bracelet levels of pal with Rowan.

CS had mentioned that the caribou had been poisoned. He frowned again. What a waste of meat... Why kill a poor, defenseless animal in way where you couldn't get sustainance from it?

They made their way inside. CS warned them to stay away from the basement, he made a mental note to keep any other kids from snooping down there. He made his way on over to get a look at the boys sleeping area so that he could make sure everyone got proper accomodations.

He had just started when he heard the call out from Miss S. for help with her bags! He looked to Damien for a half second, who didn't look like he was going to volunteer. "I will!" Yessssss! He flew back into the central area to skip on up and start ferrying luggage. He froze in place when she mentioned the panic and terror. "Oh. I will- yes, I can do that, Miss S!"

Hesitantly he skittered off to the room, sheepishly poking a head in and stating. "Hey, Hiyori, if you, uh... You know, if you hunt anything, could you let Miss S know, because, she can... um... Feel the panic and terror." He paled a bit, before putting on a smile. "Okay, that was all!" He dropped off the luggage and sped off.

The tall blonde got back to figuring out their sleeping arrangement, unfortunately missing an opportunity to open a door for a cat girl, as he was in another room.

"Hey, Damien, do you mind if I scoot down your cot a little bit so I can fit mine in sideways? I think that will make it so we can all fit!"

The corners of Rowan's mouth twitched slightly, struggling not to smile. Xavier seemed...nice. Rowan was surprised that the older student was so...willing to 'teach' him about camping. In his experience cheery people tended to stay away from Rowan, his grumpy timidness dampening their mood. For a moment Rowan worried that Xavier had been asked, or worse, paid, by the teacher's to be friendly with him. He decided to put this worry aside. From what he'd seen Xavier was just...friendly.

The mention of friendship bracelets did make Rowan huff and blush. He was a big tough boy! And big tough boys didn't wear bracelets!

Eventually Mr. Johnson got the door open and began to let the students inside. He also explained the rules. Rowan wanted to ask about the off limits basement, but decided to keep his questions to himself. His mind immediately assumed the basement was one of two things. It was either a torture chamber or it had beer in it.

The shifter took a moment to wipe his shoes on the doormat, not wanting to drag snow and mud inside. As he was doing this Jasper blocked him in the doorway.

"Hey wolfboy! I know you have a rock in your pocket. Lemme see it!"

Rowan puffed up slightly, glaring up at the taller student, stuffing his hands in his pockets to protect the rock he found. He snarled slightly, displaying sharp teeth.

"Shove off! You don't get to see it! It's not for you!"

Jasper laughed slightly at this aggressive display, holding up his hands in a 'hey take it easy' sort of gesture. But it was enough for him to leave Rowan alone, the older boy moving into the cabin.

Rowan hung back as the other students scurried off to find their sleeping arrangements. The two girls hurried to pick their room first, with Xavier zooming all around the cabin to help carry gear. Rowan was the smallest of the guys present, and probably the youngest, which didn't fair well for him in the pecking order.

He eventually followed the rest of the boys to their room, claiming a cot once the others had selected theirs. Rowan tossed his bag on his claimed cot, sitting down next to it with a slight sigh. It was pretty chilly in the cabin, but he was sure it would warm up soon. Rowan and the cold didn't mix too well. Without much prompting Rowan got up and helped the other boys move the cots around, so they could all sleep comfortably. It wasn't because he cared or anything! He just wanted to make sure he got his own space.

The icemancer gave Liz a mock salute and then gave a thumbs up. ”This place will be in ship shape by the time you return.” he said confidently. He was a teacher after all. This many kids should be cake walk for him. He was a trained assassin. Babysitting couldn’t be that hard right?

”Just be careful. I know you don’t have to worry about the animals, but I’m not worried about them.” He folded his arms and waited for her to go before turning to the kids that were around.

”Now, who can tell me the three things you need to make a fire?” he asked out loud but still focusing on Sundance for a moment. The air outside was cold. When Liz sat down a wall of ice grew to block the wind for her so she could focus on her tracking instead of trying to prevent a cold. He also didn’t want to hear her complain if she got sick.

Sam ignored Jasper’s comment at first figuring Rowan didn’t need him to come to the rescue, Sam wanted him to get more confidence in himself and his abilities and if Sam stepped that wouldn’t happen. The icemancer was happy when he saw Rowan’s name on the sign up. With his abilities he might feel a bit more relaxed then when he was at the mansion surrounded by people.

The icemancer’s abilities stopped short at the bedrooms just like when he was in the mansion. Everyone liked their privacy so he made sure they got it when they needed it. Otherwise he’d be yelling at Hyiori to stop climbing the curtains. Sam didn’t feel like replacing them.

Speaking of Hyori he turned and found her at the door scratching it the way his cat did back home. He rolled his eye, ”Can’t open it with your powers?” he asked reaching for the handle. ”Keep an eye out for Sundance, she’s looking into some stuff for me so don’t distract her too much. Also, look out for the birds. Last time I was here there was a pretty big eagle looking for a place to nest around here.”

”Any requests for dinner?” he asked aloud now that the wood burner started generating a little heat. ”Any of you know how to fish?”

Elizabeth and the ravens spiraled into the sky. <<Stay close to Muninn,>> she said to Huninn, lacing her thoughts with images of Muninn from both a human and a raven’s point of view as well as a desire to remain in short proximity. Liz wanted to be able to utilize both birds in her search - after all, three heads were better than one.

The trio noted the ice wall that was now protecting Elizabeth’s body and then the zoopath directed them onward. Time to leave all of that behind. Keeping track of a second raven, integrating its senses into her own and Huninn’s and keeping four eyes out for the slightest trace of hunters was going to be difficult enough without the extra worry.

Elizaraven and Huninn winged their way in a quick loop around the cabin, paying close attention to places with snow or mud in case there were footprints or tire tracks. And in several cases she found tracks, just none of humans. She paid careful attention to the wolf tracks she spotted nearby and made a note of them, but once she was satisfied the immediate area was secure, she took off toward the jet, to secure that location as well.

Minutes began passing swiftly as Elizabeth’s Unkindness swept back and forth in ever-increasing circles in classic search patterns. The darkness was coming rapidly. <<Just a bit longer,>> she told the ravens, knowing they probably didn’t understand her. Time was a trickier concept to explain to animals, even the smarter ones like corvids. She was already beginning to broadcast excitement and curiosity to both of her allies to offset the burgeoning tiredness and inclination to find a roost.

And then she saw it.

As the sun was beginning to descend and portions of it were dropping below the horizon, she caught a twinkling, a flashing, a shiny. She kawed in excitement and flashed an image of the twinkling over to Huninn who zeroed in on it with predatory precision. Few things glinted like that in the wild, and Liz knew there was nobody else around for miles. Or at least, nobody was supposed to be.

The unkindness moved to investigate.


------------------------------


It was dark by the time they returned. The birds were tired and their mindset was infectious. As they returned to the cabin, Huninn peeled off to perch by the stovepipe emerging from the roof. Elizabeth piloted Muninn down back to her body and with a quick touch, slipped back into her rightful self.

The blonde gave Muninn more jerky and thanked both the birds before pulling herself to her feet and groaning. Sitting that long...gosh, it had been longer than she’d expected...and in the cold did not feel good, but she’d deal with that later. She needed to let Sam know what she’d found.

The teacher came in out of the ice and snow and immediately started sighed in luxury. “Well, you all’ve gotten this place wonderfully toasty! Good job, everyone!” she beamed. “Be right back.” She found the room the girls had chosen and noted her stuff was there. The room was empty so she locked the door quickly and started to change out of the wet and cold clothes into stuff dry and warm. She also took the time to text Sam her report - she had realized on the flight back that there wouldn’t be a way she could guarantee Hiyori or possibly Rowan wouldn’t be able to overhear any private conversation.

And some things just weren’t meant for the kids to know.

Emerging from the room and now dressed and dry, Liz addressed the nearest students. “So what were you all up to while I was gone?”

Johnson Sensei was free enough to open the door for her, even with a humorous comment about her ability to open it herself. The small cat with her little furry coat just tilted her head back so she could look at him and offered a small, toothy grin with wide yellow eyes.

Then she looked out into the cold, and fully contemplated not even going outside at all, all while he held the door open for her.

What ultimately changed her mind was him giving her a task... sorta.

"Hai!"

She bounced excitedly back outside, barely hearing something about fishing as the door closed behind her.

Huh. Eagles and poisoned dead animals. Sounds there like there was a mystery afoot!

The wee cat paused beside the walled-in body of her other teacher, sniffing at it from outside. She seemed to be fine... if unresponsive. Hiyori wasn't sure how humans managed out in the cold without fur, though. Even with fur sometimes it was too much for her!

After investigating for a moment, she turned tails and ran off around the side of the house to another task she had given to herself.

... Fishing!

She was gone for quite a bit but ultimately returned before Sundance Sensei woke up again.

Hiyori returned in human form; black bob of hair and black fuzzy ears on top. She had a sharpened branch balanced on one shoulder filled with dead, speared fish. They were all medium to small in size, perfect for someone of her size to catch. Another, larger fish was hooked under her other arm. She'd never seen the types she caught before especially the long-mouthed one with teeth. One of her tails still hurt from being nibbled on by that one!

She let herself in like a normal person, stomped off any snow from her feet, and headed for the fire Johnson Sensei had made.

"Sensei... why kind of fish are these?" She propped up the branch with a dozen fish on the floor and blinked curiously, trying to get it to lean against the wall so that she could run away with her other catch.

As soon as her hands were free she dispelled her human body, returning to the wee form of a cat, and sank her claws and teeth into the body of the fish that was easily bigger than her.

She dragged it out of the walkway a little and kept an eye on anyone who got close. She was not above angry flooding, hissing, and growling when it came to delicious fish. Newly emerged Sundance Sensei included.

"Oh! For a fire, you need Fuel, such as wood, Oxygen, and an ignition source! Accelerants can also be helpful, but are not necessary!" Mr. Cold Steel had asked a question! Oh, wait, he was in the middle of a conversation wasn't he?

Right, Damien didn't want to move where he was set, he'd already started to set up his cot. "Okay, well, that's fine... We can make it work! Let's just-" He reshuffled things around and... Hah! Perfect! And he was next to his new friend Rowan, too!

Once they finally got everything settled, Hiyori was back with the fish! "Oh wow, you caught a pike! Nice job Hiyori!" He said about the long mouthed fish she'd dragged in.

"Do we have any other supplies? I could throw something pretty great together... Maybe some Rice Pilaf, Oh! And green beans?" Where did he get that apron he was tying on? Was that... Oh god, it was Cold Steel Themed. He'd left his reversible Maya/Gawain one at home. Let's be honest, he had the whole collection.

Oh! Liz was back! She hurried off to get changed, but was back soon enough. "Welcome back Ms. S! I think we were just about to make dinner! I think Hiyori is starting without us." He replied, smiling widely, apron and all.

If he was allowed to cook, it would become readily apparent that he knew his way around a kitchen quite quickly. Quality would rely on the supplies this place was stocked with, or with what was brought. The fish was a great start, though!

Rowan tried not to make a face when Mr. Johnson mentioned fish. He wasn't a big fan of fish. Fish was slimy and...fishy. Rowan would have rather taken his chances with the dead, weird smelling, deer outside. Sadly it seemed Hiyori was a fan. Oh well...he'd survive.

The boys took the time to finish setting up their room, moving and re-moving beds like it was a puzzle game. Eventually everyone seemed to fit and be comfortable, with Xavier setting up right next to his bed.

The shifter spent his time, waiting for Hiyori and Ms. Sundance to return, sitting near the stove, trying to warm himself up. While he much rather would have preferred to hide in the boys room until forced to participate in something, it was much warmer closer to the stove. Plus, he wasn't sure how this trip was being graded, maybe socializing would give him some more points.

Before he knew it the door was opening. Rowan glanced up, not immediately recognizing this new form as Hiyori, until he spotted the cat ears on the top of her head. He noticed the large catch of fish she had with her, as well as the incredibly strong smell of fish that came with it. It was a rough time to have both a sensitive sense of smell and a general disliking of fish. The shifter boy's lip curled back, unable to contain his feeling of disgust, sharp teeth jutting out.

Soon the door was opening again, this time making Ms. Sundance's return. Rowan quickly tried to hide his sour face, not wanting the adult to think he was having a bad time. He gave her a little wave, but didn't really answer her question. There were plenty more...chatty students. He hadn't realized how dark it was getting outside.

Speaking of chattier students Xavier was quick to change into an...interesting cooking apron, and suggest the group start cooking soon. Rowan frowned, but kept quiet. His cooking skills were almost nonexistent, and he wasn't sure if he could handle being that close to a raw fish. Oh well, he'd probably get stuck doing dishes.

”Excellent Xavier! Ten points from someone!” he just watched the movie. How did he already forget who he was supposed to give or take points from. Oh well, it was a franchise. He’d probably pick it up from another one of the twelve movies.

Inspecting his cupboards for some sides for dinner he stopped and looked over to Xavier, something blue caught his eye. It was... Sam themed or rather Cold Steel themed. Or Rime. All depended who you asked now. He sighed and wondered if that was another marketing ploy of a company he’d never see a cent of. Maybe the mansion was finally cashing in. Was it official merchandise? If so would the mansion finally let him buy the helicopter he was eyeing for the place? ”….Nice Apron.” he gave a thumbs up. ”Very cool. Make sure you show Sundance.”

”Rowan, come check out the this cool apron.” he said across the room. Most of the kids were interacting with each other. Some formed groups. Xavier he wasn’t worried about and the fish that were dragged in and dropped on the floor meant he didn’t need to worry about Hyiori either. ”Clean up or cooking detail. You don’t help with one you’re doing the other.” he raised his voice, ”Goes for everyone here!”

Sam nodded his head in agreement and reaching into a drawer pulling out a sharpened fillet knife. Sam inspected the blade and turned to the fish that Hyiori returned with. ”He’s right. That one’s a Pike and the rest are variation of Trout. One of the reasons I picked this place.” he said with a smirk. ”Plenty of food sources. the Icemancer turned to Xavier and gave him another thumbs up, ”Excellent Xavier. Any chance you know how to clean ‘em?” he asked curiously as he started to sharpen the knife to get any additional knicks out of it.

”Not the fullest kitchen but I got some supplies.” Sam said opening up two of the other cupboards. Walls of canned goods and containers that were critter proof created a wall. It was clear Sam was prepared to be there for a long haul but that wasn’t even the majority of it. The basement had even more. ”Help yourself, just make sure you make enough for everyone.” before he could fillet the fish Liz entered.

The icemancer raised his eye to her and waited for a tell of some kind. ”Thank Rowan,” he said lying. ”He’s been keeping an eye on it since you left.” Sam shot Rowan a thumbs up before scooping up the fish and giving them a little rinse so they weren’t covered in dirt and slime.

His phone vibrated. It was either a report from Liz or from Cora whishing him a fun time. He looked down at his hand where the invisible tether was and wondered if he could see the thread if she willed it into existence. Maybe before bed. Now he had to focus on cleaning the fish. Thankfully the fish that were caught were relatively quick to clean. Some bones might be left more in the trout more than anything but that was the nature of the fish. If they were bigger, they would have been spotless. With each single blade strike he followed the path of the spine and altered his angle when he came to the ribs. He slowed so if anyone wanted to watch they could learn something. It was clear he had been doing this for years.

Each chunk of meat was cleaned off and before he salted them and threw some pepper on he looked over to Hiyori, ”You want it cooked or raw?” he asked wondering what one the cat girl would prefer.

Pretty uneventful. Found my new fishing buddy though.” he said nodding his head to Hiyori. ”Beats sitting around waiting for the fish to bite.” looking over his shoulder, ”What about you? What did my raven’s find?” he said knowing they didn’t care much for him.

Elizabeth matched Xavier’s smile with one of her own and she waved at Rowan. “Excellent! I’m rather a bit hungry myself,” she said, glancing over at Hiyori’s contributions. “Good job, Hiyori!” she praised the girl before shooting a teasing wink at Xavier. “Nice apron, by the way. Too bad you couldn’t have picked one of the cool X-Men.” Another wink and then she was whirling away.

“Perfect,” Liz said cheerily as Sam gave a succinct report. “They found what looks like an active campsite a bit north of here. Didn’t actually see anyone, but there had recently been a fireplace there and still a lot of equipment. Also noticed several traces of wolf activity in the area.” She turned to the students in general. “That means stay close to the cabin at all times unless Mr. Johnson or I are with you,” she told them. “Probably nothing, but we don’t want to take any chances.”

There were far more details in her text, but she didn’t think there was caue to potentially worry the kids.

It looked like Sam was already working on getting dinner prepped, having deputized Xavier as well. Hiyori seemed to be fine on her own, though, and Lillian, Jasper, and Damien were in their respective rooms. Elizabeth’s eyes fell on Rowan and she approached with intent. “Hey Rowan! Great job with warming the place up!” she said, chucking finger guns his way. “Why don’t you help me set the table?”

She’d let the other students get off easy for now, but after dinner she’d make sure they were doing all the clean-up. But for now, Liz wanted to encourage Rowan’s involvement in activities. She knew his past left him somewhat prone to isolation and she was determined to get those walls around him to fall. “Cutlery is in one of the drawers near the sink. Dishware are in the cabinets above it,” she said. At least that’s where she thought they were. She hadn’t exactly memorized the kitchen's layout the last time she was here.

Liz shuffled herself off to the rectangular table, which had ample room for six people, but would be a mite cramped for eight. She snagged a rag and began wiping the table and chairs off.