Chill out and cool down - popsicle social

[Morgan]

The cream-colored samoyed let his tongue hang out in a smile as a few others finally joined him.

"I'm glad you like it,"

he told Bex, happy that someone appreciated his work. He really did put a lot of love into the frozen treats, even if they were a little inappropriate for the chill weather.

One of the other auras was more familiar than the rest; it raised his spirits even further, a wave of relief washing over him.

"Venus?"

he whispered, recognizing the presence. Venus had not been in Tanglewood for a very long time, but there was no mistaking the unique aura even after so much time.

"You're alive..."

It seemed like he was gaining hope every day then, as he continued to find more and more former Tanglers who he'd previously thought were lost forever.

"Good to see you."

Noting the former Tangler's inflection, he responded, [div style="text-shadow: 0 0 1px black; display: inline"]"Yeah, we've got a farm. We haven't really been able to take care of it recently because of the ghosts, but otherwise we've got a lot of different fruits and vegetables growing there."

As Marina spoke next, he nodded with a slightly more worried look.

"We really would appreciate it. The only problem is that I don't know if we'll ever get our land back. See, the world of the dead - I saw it called 'The Abyss' in some books - has grown across Tanglewood. It isn't just that those spirits are invading; their world has overtaken part of ours. That's why we had to leave, since otherwise we'd just bless the whole town with sage and salt."

Indeed, the state of Tanglewood was one of complete disrepair. The land was hardly recognizable, and it wasn't certain whether the Abyss would ever return to whence it came.

In any case, Morgan returned to his usual smile before long.

"Anyway, I'm just really grateful you let us stay here. I thought this was the least I could do in return. Besides, for me it only takes a second to make these once I've made the fruit juice mixture. All I have to do is make the juice, get a nice stick, and..."

He levitated an ice pop out of the freezer, then converted it to a liquid and back.

"I can change it like this. Please, feel free to have one if you want. It's no trouble for me."

The General had one last thing to discuss with Marina.

"I don't want to get too serious, but the Pitt's kidnapped several Tanglers recently. I guess... would you all be able to help us if we officially became enemies with them? Like you were saying, Tanglewood still needs to rebuild itself, so we might need backup in case they attack us while we're getting back on our paws."

The samoyed took a bite out of the ice pop he had refrozen, looking down at the ground next. A bit of guilt hit him; Sunhaven had already done plenty to help him and his group, so asking for more felt wrong.

"I'm not trying to guilt you into this, but I thought now would be as good a time as any to ask. We do have another ally in the Rosebloods, so don't feel obligated to help."

He took another bite, nearly finishing the rest of his treat. The strawberry flavor made him smile despite the slightly tense situation, but he didn't mind. He looked back up and nodded, adding,

"I'm sorry I turned this into a political thing. I understand if you don't want to commit to something like this."