He rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, tell them. Or I will, unless I'm not supposed to know." Although he realised that the alternative to him not knowing would be being clubbed over the head and loaded into a crate. "Don't be surprised if this turns out to be some sort of mission after all," he warned. "They're not known for their altruism."

"You were supposed to know" Gioia pointed out. "I mean I told her I would ask you after all. And..." She smiled a little and gave one of his books a poke. "So what if it turns out to be a mission? You've been second guessing everybody here anyway, about the sinister plans that might be afoot and what is expected of you. At least this time you get to be paranoid somewhere new." Not that she minded his paranoia, it quite often turned out to be right in the end.

"The only people I trust in this place are you and, if you can believe it, Queen Fiona," Neely said. "And I'm only at around fifty percent on the queen, and most of that because I believe that someone who cringes away from company that much is too concerned with staying hidden to come out in public and scheme."

"Why, thank you" Gioia smiled. "And there's a difference between trust, and suspecting people of outright malice. I don't mind a little callous indifference as long as people don't come after me with pitchforks in the dark." She gave him a serious look. "They have. It wasn't pleasant."

But, it was a discussion they'd been through more times than one, so she shifted gears and asked "So. these Samhain festivities, what can I expect?"

He gave her a slightly smug look and crossed his arms. "A very lot of people trying to get into your pants. Mine too. Hopefully not the same people."

"Ooooh" she said with interest, obviously not too put off by this revelation. "See, this is another good reason for going, then nobody will have to stick around the people that are dumped afterwards." Gioia smiled a little at Neely, still lamenting the fact that he liked men, because that smug look made her just want to do indescribable things to him. But, instead she pondered out loud "I wonder if Morgan will show up. I'm never sure how he manages to find out about all these things, but this looks like a party he would not pass over."

"As long as he goes masked and everyone's drunk enough to remember the rangy pale tallfolk, there's no reason why he shouldn't show up. By the second night everyone's too bombed out of their heads to remember gate-crashers unless they do something flashy and idiotic." He shrugged. "Or knock up someone important."

"Oh, Morgan might do all three, that is sort of what he does. All his children seems to be from knocking up the women he weren't supposed to." Gioia grimaced a little, sure she understood why Morgan lived with Alynealin since she was the mother of his children, but that didn't mean it didn't sting a bit. Of course she had only herself to blame since she had told him off when he wanted to start a family with her, but that was one thing she could never have. Still, she was selfish at times.

"It really do sound like the best of holidays though" she sighed.

"It's more the flashy and idiotic part that troubles me. And even then, it depends on how flashy and how idiotic." He looked Gioia over with something akin to sympathy.

"He can take care of himself" Gioia said, pushing back any nostalgic thoughts. "That's what I like about him. And stop giving me that look Neely, I am over him. Sure, it is nice to have a bit of fun now and again, but that's all it is. Fun." Because she could never let it be much more, could she?

Oh well, at least that also saved her from the work of actually having a long lasting relationship, it was easier to forgive someone when you never asked too much of them.