Just Like Magic

Martin Alvaro Ambrosius || He/Him

[geehosaphat]

MARTIN ALVARO AMBROSIUS

"the world gives you so much pain and here you are making gold out of it”

there is nothing purer than that — rupi kaur

Nicknames: None Pronouns: He/Him Birthday: May 1st, 1994 Magick Status: Mundus (Publicly Known as an Animation Specialty Sorcerer) Nationality: English Ethnicity: Latino Accent: RP English Height: 5′10″ Build: Secretly Athletic Complexion: Tan Eye Color: Brown Hair Color/Length/Style: Brown/Short/Just Does Whatever (Combs it) Tattoos: None Piercings: None Daily Jewelry: This enchanted watch from Mim as well as various enchanted bracelets/amulets/necklaces/worry stones to fake the way that Perception works for sorcerers so they can’t clock him for being a Mundus who is pretending.

What would you find if you Googled them? Articles about his father’s political work in London, articles about Archimedes’ (his talking owl familiar) political work in Swynlake, an article about the opening of the Swynlake Rock Shoppe, a few essays he’s written about Magick History and his BA, MA, & PhD that he’s collected.

What natives would know about them: He has lived here for about a decade and has mostly kept to himself until recently. He now runs the Rock Shoppe here in Swynlake. Married to Ren Ambrosius. He is awkward and shy, doesn’t like showing off his magic despite his history, but that’s fine!

Other: Unknown is that he was a part of the Knights of the Round Table as Merlin’s descendent and helped immensely to save the town from the Blackwell debacle (though for some reason the Board took credit for that).

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[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

At Your Service || Open

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Wow-- that was easy!

Jack smiled even brighter and slapped his hands together, rubbing his callused palms together. Then he stepped away from the plot so this sweetheart could take his place.

And hey, was it so bad to ask for help? Jack didn't think so. As long as the work got done, wasn't that what mattered?

"Oh, not that deep! Like six inches? Something like that. Enough to nestle these plants into the soil and pat 'em down. Simple, easy stuff," said Jack, then made sure to wince-- "if you don't have a bad wrist."

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

"Got it. Shouldn't take long."

Martin didn't think anything of the fact this guy was asking for his help, really. He'd been asked to do much harder things before for much less noble reasons than helping a guy with the bum wrist. So Martin shrugged and pushed the shovel into the dirt. There was obviously some resistance but he didn't find it nearly as difficult as he would have a few years prior.

"Name's Martin, by the way. Martin Ambrosius. I'm the Rock Shoppe owner here in town. Nice to meet you."

@the-pumpkin-king-lament

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman || Mighty

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

"I do like the tan," they remarked, although they would have liked him without it as well, but it was somewhat like the fact that Martin was deceptively fit because of all his works with the knights previously and his continuing on with those workouts the same way he often gravitated to any pattern and kept it; not necessary but Ren certainly wasn't going to argue it suited him well.

Or stop pointing out to everyone all the details of how attractive Martin was; but they could do that for decades! Maybe by the time Martin was older town wouldn't be so negative about some of the Fae and their ageless appearance wouldn't been seen as strange at all in comparison to Martin.

Future things Ren was hardly concerned over at the time.

"Of course you wouldn't say it," Ren countered humorously, "and you don't like anyone else saying it either." It wasn't really an argument though; there was usually no swaying Martin away from being busy for most people. Ren of course managed it just fine when they decided he was far too overworked; they knew all the ways to drag him away from his endless to-do list.

Ren was rather pleased with themselves, yes, and of course that deserved the answer to the question they wanted. "That seems like a very obvious answer," they reasoned while they reached to toy with the short hair at the back of Martin's neck.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

Ren always seemed pleased with Martin's appearance. Didn't matter how covered or uncovered he was, didn't matter if he'd fixed his hair or if he was still rocking his bedhead. Martin didn't understand Ren's view of him sometimes, could feel his own doubts and insecurities creep in around the corners of his mind, but if there was one thing he could trust was that Ren physically could not lie and Ren had no reason to twist around the truth either.

Martin might not see all of the value in himself, but he could trust in Ren's assessment of him.

"I don't like it, no. Because if I accept that I've overworked myself then I have to actually fix that... And I'm happy with the level of activity I get." He was joking, knew that Ren had and would stop him if he really needed to be stopped, but there was always some truth to that. Part of Martin's self-worth was intrinsically tied to his output and he didn't always know how to separate the two.

"Mmmn.. And what sort of reward would my dear spouse want from me?"

@ambereyed-mountain-prince

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

At Your Service || Open

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Now that was the right attitude! Jack didn't even have to spiel or lie. The guy just went ahead and offered.

This was the kind of friendly Jack had expected out of his magick-friendly town.

Jack grinned. "I'm so glad you asked! I need help with this plot. Gotta make sure it's in tip-top shape for the upcoming tourist season, and unfortunately-- I sprained my wrist." Jack winced dramatically. "Could you help me finish digging these holes? I'd owe you a drink!"

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

Martin looked over at the spot that needed digging and then back at the fellow asking for assistance. Now, Martin wasn't going to refuse because he didn't want to be unkind but he did find it rather amusing to be asked at all. He knew that, a few years back, he'd never have been asked to do any amount of manual labor.

The workouts his spouse loved so much were a blessing and a curse.

"Well, how am I to refuse that?" He smiled, reaching for the shovel. "How deep are we digging these?"

@the-pumpkin-king-lament

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

At Your Service || Open

[the-pumpkin-king-lament]

Jack was dying.

No, really, this time. His brain was oozing out of his ears, and soon the rest of him would follow, until he was a giant smear on the ground that people would walk over and slip on.

That was how goddamn bored he was.

But community service hours marched on! Jack had been doing the bare minimum over the past few months but the goddamn police had reminded him that if he didn't finish by June, he'd neg on his plea deal. Could even end up in jail.

So, crunch time. He groaned as though someone had kicked him in the spleen as he poured a little more fertilizer over the little garden bed he was working on-- making the park look pretty for all the Swynlakers.

Then he leaned back on his heels and let out a loud groan. He couldn't do this anymore! He looked around with a desperate, wild gleam in his eye until he spotted someone--

"Hey, you! Yeah, c'mere!"

[geehosaphat]

Martin had needed to get some park time in. Really it was that he needed some sunshine and fresh air. He'd been cooped up in the Rock Shoppe all day focusing all of his energy on inventory. Now that that was completed he bee-lined to a sun-soaked bench and pulled out his newest book. It was the newest installment in the Rogue solo run that he'd picked up from the Comic Barn. He had fallen behind on X-Men runs but he was trying to get back into them.

He hadn't noticed the other man working nearby, he tried not to stare at people as they did their tasks in public, but he couldn't ignore the obvious call for his attention. He glanced up, placing his finger upon the panel he'd stopped on. "Uh.. Alright? How can I help?"

@the-pumpkin-king-lament

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman || Mighty

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

"It's a nice color," Ren countered, "you'll look like those sorcerers in books." Which weren't very accurate, Ren knew, but neither were mortal depictions of monsters in stories either. And it was rare to see age like that among Unseelie; it was something unique that Ren did find curious.

Besides, grey hair was not going to change how attractive Martin was, only add to it.

"Maybe, but I think that's just a convenient excuse because you like deadlines and overworking yourself." They pointed out because, really, did Martin think it wasn't just terribly obvious how he couldn't stand to be idle? Most of the time Ren didn't try to sway him too much, unless it was obvious he was wearing out and needed a break or a morning with the phones off and not leaving the house.

Luckily Ren's absolute need for attention meant Martin couldn't be busy all the time because they would only take being told to wait for so long before it meant more determined efforts to distract him.

Which weren't working too well at the time, unfortunately.

"Blue?" Ren complained, because that was definitely going to be a hard one to accomplish. Well, technically with their glamour their eyes were blue; Ren rarely used it at home but wasn't above exploiting a loophole. "Does that count?" They pressed, blinking away the golden hues.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

"You might as well tell me I'm the spitting image of Merlin himself," Martin laughed. It was loud, the sound filling the garden they had claimed for themselves along with the rest of the house. "Those old Welsh genes are sticking out more than I thought, hm? Guess I really do need to spend some more time outside after all so I don't lose my tan."

"I would not say I like overworking myself," though the emphasis was purposeful. He did, Ren was not incorrect, but he wasn't going to admit that. Martin never knew how to not be busy, his whole life had been a packed schedule. Even if he found himself enjoying more downtime these days, even those quieter moments were filled with his loving and demanding spouse. Really, Martin never had a moment's rest and he thanked the gods for it.

Martin's heart fluttered whenever Ren used their glamor in such specific ways. Though, he did prefer the golden eyes to the fake blue. Ren's unglamored form had always been his favorite, ever since he first saw them unfiltered like that, but he'd take Ren however he could get them.

"Clever fox," Martin teased, abandoning his task to pull his spouse in close. "I can't decide if I should reward you for that.."

@ambereyed-mountain-prince

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman || Mighty

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

"Oh please, I don't look that young." Ren scoffed, finding it amusing but also very difficult to believe. Their kind barely aged over the decades though, it was true; they'd likely never look older than they currently did during Martin's lifetime. "We're practically the same age, comparatively. My version of thirty is just..." Ren trailed off, rolling their eyes, "it's not my fault mortals age so fast. I think it's interesting, actually."

They didn't mention it often because mortals were also usually very sensitive about their ages, but it was true.

"I think you all age so fast because the amount of energy you put into everything is so intense," Ren speculated, "you accomplish things in a single lifetime that would take centuries to change in Elfhame, if they ever did."

It was that insistent fire to mortals that Ren found enchanting about them; when they decided to change anything at all they simply found the way to do it.

"Those are for other people," Ren replied, "I don't need pictures to see you." And it was mostly the truth, but there would be that unfortunate day when photos would be what remained, at least so far as the things that Ren could hold on to. The things that were shapeless, formless, things that really only resided in the deep well of their chest and the crystalline chambers of their heart were not those they would ever need reminders of.

Martin was only going to look better with age, Ren had no doubt. They certainly didn't fear time; doing that took too much away from the moments as they were being lived.

They looked over their work again, debating on if it looked passable enough.

Martin had them at a bit of an impasse, because on the one hand if they argued it was like arguing that they weren't strong but if they didn't argue it meant staying outside longer. He was sneaky like that; it was one of the most attractive things about him really.

"Is that a risk you really want to take?" Ren countered, grinning as they turned and leaned up to toss their arms around Martin's neck, oversized sleeves and all because the duster was a hint too large but that was hardly their fault; even with their glamour there was a bit more of an angular build to their mortal form that didn't always quite fit exactly what mortal clothing was meant to. They liked that; it was also more dramatic.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

"You're still very youthful in comparison to myself," Martin half-joked. "I'm practically going grey!" He had spotted quite a few grey hairs splattered across his head and had voiced the potential to color over them. He had a feeling Ren might bite him if he did, though. Ren always seemed to like seeing the changes in Martin as they said. Martin held back the joke that he sometimes felt like a very well cared-for lab rat.

"We've gotta complete things quickly," he countered. "If we didn't we'd have accomplished nothing. Limited time is a great motivator, y'know. Why do you think I set so many arbitrary deadlines?" Martin always felt like he'd performed well under pressure (real or imaginary) but also he knew that he'd been doing well with stepping back from most of that since the wedding.

Ren could speak confidently about not needing photographs but Martin knew that someday he'd need to leave something behind that Ren could hold onto with their own two hands. He had no doubt Ren would live a long and wondrous life after his own passing but it was still a concern to make it as easy for them as he could.

"If you start turning blue I'll whisk you inside and will refuse to hear any other argument," Martin promised with a smirk. "But until then... I'm not so sure.."

@ambereyed-mountain-prince

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman || Mighty

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

"Like that's going to matter," Ren countered, because of course the real weight of Martin being mortal was the way time would change him so quickly; a frame of time almost unfathomable to someone nearly immortal.

The occasional sign of it already lingered in the occasional discolored hair or early morning complaint about tired bones, but Ren didn't shy away from those things. Martin would change, watching it would be an experience very few like themself would have and it would feel unfair in degrees but only because their time didn't align and not because Martin would be any less perfect to them no matter how the years took their toil.

It could have been frightening, infuriating or even depressing, but Ren only valued it all more; it was a shorter version of forever they had to hold tightly to.

"You're not going to be that different to me," Ren pointed out, because Martin never would. They appreciated the alluring image of his physics but it was hardly just their eyes they saw him with.

"I might! I'm not from the Icelands," Ren complained, and it was hardly that bad, but it was the principal of the matter once they'd started on the tangent.

Besides, the mild threat sounded more like a goal than a negative, and nearly reason enough for Ren to abandon the snow entirely. They debated it, but stubborness won out; they'd just have to finish that snow...mess a bit more quickly.

"It's very cold," they added, offering a truly pained, if not rather exaggerated, look.

Fun? Of course they were having fun; they just wanted to make sure their complaints led to a different sort of fun afterwards. There were a lot of possibilities in that house and, despite determination, they certainly hadn't exhausted all of them quite yet.

"I suppose," Ren adjusted the stick again, moving on to what was, presumably, trying to smash more snow into the smaller lump to build a face.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

"You know, most people think I'm the cradle-robber in this relationship when you're much older than myself. That thought is only going to become much more prevalent as I age." Martin laughed, not upset about it in the slightest. He knew his reputation would eventually be the rich & eccentric old man who runs the Rock Shoppe married to that pretty young thing. He found the whole premise appealing, really.

"You'll only notice I look different when you work on your scrapbooks," Martin teased. "Photographs will tell the story that your eyes do not." He leaned over to press a kiss to Ren's nose, amused by the whole idea of it.

Ren was being dramatic, as was their whole brand really, and Martin couldn't help but feel fond about the whole thing. "It's cold, yes, but you're also one of the strongest beings I've the pleasure of knowing. I've been blessed with claiming your hand in marriage and I would be devastated if I lost you to building a snowman, my love."

@ambereyed-mountain-prince

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman || Mighty

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

"Repetitive is boring," Ren complained, exaggerating the problem entirely of course.

"And what's wrong with my classes; you're much better at it now than you used to be. I'm assuming because you have better motivation than the people at the gym," Ren pointed out with an amused huff; mortals were unfortunately a bit inflexible in comparison but they managed well enough. Martin happened to manage quite well, if Ren we're giving their opinion on the matter.

The thought had momentarily distracted Ren from the task at hand because some things were far more interesting than snow, even if it was a stubborn matter of principle currently. Even more when Martin spoke and Ren was rather pleased at the comment.

They simply had to devise a way to get everything they wanted.

"It's cold," Ren actually stood practically no chance of feeling cold in the ridiculously thick, trailing duster that looked more suited to standing dramatically on a balcony in a blizzard than trudging through the snow but the weather was cold. "What if I freeze before we finish this?" They emphasized to words by piling more snow on the head of their frozen monstrosity.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

"Is it boring when you do the same yoga routine multiple times a day?" Martin teased, rolling his eyes. He knew there were different classes for different levels of difficulty but he was trying to make a point here. He scoffed with a smirk at the jab toward himself. "Yes, well, I had to work on my flexibility if I've any chance of keeping up with you. Someday I'll be a rickety old man and you'll still look like you drink directly from the fountain of youth." He was pretty proud of himself for improving, though. Ren was a good teacher in many ways.

"You? Freeze?" Martin raised a brow, pausing his own activities. He knew this was his spouse feigning inability, feigning inadequacy, but one thing about Martin was he would only let such behaviors fly occasionally. Ren was not allowed to belittle themself in front of their husband. He simply refused to entertain it.

"My love, if you were to freeze before we've finished I do promise to do everything in my power to warm you back up. There are a plethora of tools available to me within our beautiful home and I shan't let any horrible fate befall you." Ren wasn't the only one with a flair for the dramatics these days. "But really, are you not having fun?"

@ambereyed-mountain-prince

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman || Mighty

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Ren would not have necessarily considered it calming, but that was probably because they had been arguing to snow for practically an hour at that point. Which, coincidentally, arguing with snow I really didn't convince it to do anything.

Cael seemed to have no intention of moving from his spot clinging like a particularly stubborn bat to Ren's shoulder, tail swaying just barely. Was it a nuisance? Yes. It was also a nuisance Ren was accustomed to dealing with.

They were too busy trying to stab a stick into the pile of snow to worry much about what Cael was doing, which really only left them with a pile of snow with a pointy piece sticking out of it that they started squishing snow up around after.

"I'm not sure relaxing is the word I'd use," Ren reflected, adjusting the stick again before continuing the messy attempt. People did this sort of thing for fun, but it wouldn't have been the only thing mortals did for fun that sometimes truly baffled Ren. Their determination, however, was not going to back down easily.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

Martin eyed his spouse curiously as they seemed to fiddle with each detail. "It's almost.. meditative for me," he admitted. "I think it's the repetitiveness of the task that makes it that way and I find it far easier to partake in this than yoga." He was teasing, of course. His flexibility had only improved by Ren's teachings at home and at the gym, though the home lessons were far less informative than his other lessons.

Once he was happy with his structure, Martin began to carve out a face into the snow creature so he could place the details into it flush with the rest of the features.

"I like yours," he pointed out, not wanting Ren to become discouraged when they weren't perfect at it straight away.

@ambereyed-mountain-prince

[stellabfly]

🦊Mighty Aesthetic💎

When I wake up in the morning, love And the sunlight hurts my eyes And something without warning, love Bears heavy on my mind Then I look at you And the world's alright with me Just one look at you And I know it's gonna be A lovely day - Lovely Day, Bill Withers

@ambereyed-mountain-prince @geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

Treemendous Christmas || Owlets

[madmagicmim]

Mim slowed in her scanning of different shelves, looking over at Martin. For a moment she wondered if she should say something. If she should apologize or give him a hug or do something to acknowledge the way her flippant statement had clearly sunk in.

But in a strange way, it made her feel awkward to think about it so she let it fade away. This was just supposed to be an easy day of Christmas decoration shopping (which was making her feel weird enough on its own). She didn't want to deal with some kind of personal internal crisis on top of that. Martin's or her own.

Carelessly, she grabbed something bright with too many sparkles and added it to her own car, just to fill out what she had and make the house look a little less empty.

After a moment she did smile. "Damn, was that that Christmas? I definitely remember the earmuffs. I wore those all the time until I outgrew them. I was so mad when I couldn't wear them anymore."

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

Martin was sadly fond of those memories, of those moments soaked in mild tragedy and neglect. He supposed that was what happened when your whole upbringing was coated in it, making nostalgia almost reliant upon the tint. Martin didn't want to pretend that it hadn't been fucked up, but he still needed to find some of the light and joy in it as well.

It wasn't always easy, no. He was angry much of the time for what had occurred, mostly for Mim, but he was able to take that and make himself and his future better for his family ahead and Mim at his side.

"I still have the photos of you running through the house with them somewhere. I had been worried you'd think the gift boring," he laughed, fondness seeping in.

He reached over to a nearby shelf, his eye caught by a garland of dried orange slices. "Why not just make this?" He asked aloud, rolling his eyes. "It's so easy to just bake the oranges yourself and tie them together. I'll never understand this!"

@madmagicmim

[geehosaphat]

Treemendous Christmas || Owlets

[madmagicmim]

"I didn't say you disliked it. Just that you didn't really like it. That's different." Because it was something she had learned is the time they'd lived together. Quiet had been safe in the same way pretending to be straight had been safe and he'd used them as tools. He'd only really started to live when he gave both those things up. When Ren had opened that door.

She'd never pretended in the same way, but she couldn't help wondering what that would be like. Finding someone who just made the world open up and feel like living.

Mim sniffed dismissively at the mention of their dad. "Of course he didn't. That would imply he'd care about something as trivial as decorations for the house." He probably blamed Mum for that as well since maintaining the home was supposed to be her purview. Bastard.

"I don't remember that Christmas that much. I think I spent most of it grounded."

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

"Fair, you did make that distinction. I suppose it's.. still something I struggle to recognize all of the time." He still hadn't unpacked all of the parts that were held back by his upbringing. It was daunting to think just how much of his personality and behaviors weren't truly Martin and more a reflection of who their father had turned him into.

He had made himself, Mim, and Ren all a promise that he would work toward being Martin. It may not have been in those exact words but it was shown through deeds. Martin didn't want Marvin to have that power over his future.

"Mum apologized when I asked her about it and helped send some of the replacements with me. Things she'd taken out of the rotation years prior that she knew no one would miss." It was a mess, for sure, but Martin had found ways to make it all work and eventually added more tasteful additions to the pile.

Martin did remember Mim being grounded that trip. He'd been told that she was meant to be spending some time alone 'reflecting' upon her behavior. "Do you remember what I got you that year, though? The charmed earmuffs?" He'd commissioned them from some sorceress' apprentice he'd met at Pride U, not realizing that the meeting for coffee to discuss the commission had been her idea of a date. "And the mountain of sweets?"

@madmagicmim

[geehosaphat]

Treemendous Christmas || Owlets

[madmagicmim]

Mim only grinned back as Martin swatted at her, feeling inordinately pleased with herself. She was right of course. She was right about basically everything if people would only listen to her. But alas, they often had to discover that for themselves the slow way.

Anyway, back to decorating!

Martin's choices weren't terrible even if she thought the white were boring and could be upgraded to any other color possible. But she supposed that was part of his 'vintage' thing and going more 'classic'. She'd see how long they lasted in the face of Niamh if nothing else. Or Mandy. Actually it would be funny to see how Mandy reacted to all the lights.

"I mean, you've never actually liked quiet. You just cultivated it because it was easier considering the alternatives to that we had growing up," she tossed off as she started to look at the next row with all the brightly colored beads and picked up a few random ones to toss in.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

Martin sighed, an almost defeated sound, as Mim called him out for not liking quiet. "I wouldn't.. necessarily got that far," he tried to argue. "I would say that quiet has always been the comfortable norm, yes, but that wouldn't make me dislike it." He reached out and grabbed a light decoration that was made to cling to a window of a Christmas tree. He wasn't sure where Ren would want to hang it but he knew his spouse would.

He followed his sister closely, eyeing the beaded garlands with a calculating look. "I've honestly never really thought about garland like this. The one I've got was given to me in a box of Mum's old decorations she had no more use for. The ones that were left in the house were almost disintegrating because Dad didn't seal them properly before returning to London all those years ago."

His first year alone in the house Swynlake had been odd. He had gone home, of course, to spend the holidays themselves with his parents, sister, and the Coven of Owls but it had felt so wrong not to try and spruce his space up with some holiday cheer, even if he and Medes were the only ones to really see the decorations properly.

"Medes was more than happy to go back to London for Christmas to escape the cheap decor I'd found in NTO back then."

@madmagicmim

[handweavers]

there is something erotic about watching someone be extraordinarily competent at something especially if they're also really passionate about it

[geehosaphat]

❤️ 782 likes ambrosiaberries: Think they're sick of my shit yet? 🧡💚 @.slightlyaskew

@ambereyed-mountain-prince

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman || Mighty

[ambereyed-mountain-prince]

The only snow back home was the practically inhospitable areas of the Icelands, a neighbor to the Mountainlands and where their cousin ruled but Ren didn't venture there much. And when they had the cold had been almost unbearable; the mortal realm was so tempered in the seasons they barely felt like seasons most of the time.

But that also meant the snow wasn't overly cooperative.

"The ear keeps falling off," Ren noted and one of the lumps on the head did indeed slide down and tumble to the ground. "Maybe if I put a stick in it," Ren reasoned, glancing around for one that might be useful. If the snow wasn't going to stay put they'd just stick it together.

"I'm going to get this done," they confirmed, stubbornly and Cael rolled his eyes. "But I might watch how you do this too," they added, because if Martin had some trick for this while snowman idea Ren was going to watch him build one to figure it out.

@geehosaphat

[geehosaphat]

Martin smiled as he watched Ren problem-solving the craft they'd decided upon. "Stick might help," Martin agreed conversationally. He didn't want to correct Ren's technique given their stubborn demeanor. They would figure it out on their own, of course, and Martin was just here to enjoy his spouse's company.

"You'll need to get off me for this," Martin pointed out to Niamh who whined at him. She didn't want to touch the snow! It was cold and wet and unpleasant! She looked to Cael for help but figured he would not be much assistance.

"Please hold me!" She pleaded only for Martin to tut at her gently.

"My dear, I won't be able to move as I need to with you fussing on my shoulder. Besides, the snow is not that bad." He plucked her off his shoulder and set her upon the ground. "I assure you, you'll live."

Martin then got to work. First with a small snowball pressed into his hands and then rolled around the garden. Martin took the time to pat the snow together, making sure it was compact enough to stand on its own before starting another and another for each limb.

"I've always found this activity quite calming."

@ambereyed-mountain-prince