Acorn stopped biting, but only because she broke off, squealed "Doll!" and snatched for it.

Morgana, whose tolerance only extended so far, took the doll, put it in her daughter's hand, and told her, "Now shush." She looked to Maalech. "Just into the village for the news. An he's not back yet, that means there likely was some." She looked a little worried.

Marcello gave the little girl a bounce, then put her down to the floor, giving Meg a wary glance. "Is there a reason we should be worried that it's bad news?" he asked.

Maalech let Acorn snatch the doll back, but made a little show that he really wanted to keep it. He thought she liked to steal things from him, so he might as well let her do that. But his attention was fixed on Meg now.

"No news is good news. I think all news seems to be bad news." he had a look on his face that clearly told that he had just been waiting for something bad to happen.

Morgana scrubbed the top of Maalech's head to break up the dark look. "No," she told Marcello, "but it's going into the start of season so there's likely going to be some small madness starting. Ne'er anything bad," she added in a more reassuring tone. "People getting into fights, getting kicked out of the house, that sort of thing."

Marcello raised an eyebrow. "Samhain?" he asked cautiously. "It really does that?" He looked over what was available in the kitchen. "I need some rosemary," he told them, heading for the door. "I'll be right back."

"Oooh, season?" Maalech asked. "Is that the whole mating thing? Like with the bulls?"

"Yes, something like that," she said to Maalech. Acorn wandered off to sit in the shadow under the table, which she was now calling her house since her old house was out of doors and too cold to play in.

Maalech made sure that Marcello had left the room, before confessing in a quiet tone. "I think he's worried. About the Countess. I think he figured that he'd hear from her by now." He sounded worried, which was a bit of a new for him.

He had never let people close enough to be worried about them before.

"I thought so too," Morgana admitted, also quietly. "I had hoped she would send word ages ago. And if she waits 'til past winter, there's a chance we won't hear from her again after the snow starts." She carefully swapped the last of the eggs from the basket to the bowl, then handed Maalech the basket to hang up.

Maalech hung up the basket, looking a little forlorn as he did so. "Love is stupid" he finally declared. "I don't want him to be sad." It made him feel angry and helpless, that was one reason why he had such a hard time with people, he couldn't make them feel what he wanted.

He didn't understand them. Except just maybe in this case.

"I don't think she's gonna write. If she wanted to, she would have already. I think she's just waiting and hoping he'll get fed up and go away so she won't have to be the one to tell him to."