2 - Down at Ellen's place

Pica shrugged lightly. "You know I am not the type to just, sit around and find myself a quiet hobby. I've always lived out there - and being someone who is likely to attract troubles, I'd rather do that in a meaningful way." She smiled again. "You have your clockworks, I have chopping vampire's heads off. To each their own."

"Well, at least mine isn't deadly," Valdy replied with a smile. He eventually smiled, in the end. "Do you plan on chopping some vampire heads tonight or are you finally coming home to sleep?"

Pica smiled brightly. "Nah. Kinda tired of head-chopping for now - I think I'll be happy to sleep at home. You know, for a change." She paused. "It has also been a while since I last saw your niece. How is she doing?"

Valdyr smiled fondly. "Veana is okay. She's been learning to write, lately. She asked a lot about you, but I suppose Leitna told you all about it? She probably was bummed not to see you when you came by this afternoon." He began to walk towards their home, which had been built with a higher roof, to welcome tall friends. Such as Pica.

Pica laughed. "Leitna did... point something out, yes", she answered merrily, following Valdyr. Well, to be fair, the dwarrowdam had mostly gone on saying just how much more grumpy her brother-in-law became when she was not around. For some reason, she felt like that was more important for the elf to know! "Is she still reading a lot?"

"Yes. But she also said she wished to write to be able to write back to you when you go away for a long period of time." Valdyr's voice had grown much softer now that they had mentioned his niece, and that he knew his friend wouldn't leave too soon.

"Aw. Isn't she a cutie", Pica cooed happily. "I'm starting to think she's the one who loves me the most, under this mountain~", she grinned. And grinned even more as she added, "and I am the one she loves the most, maybe!" She was just teasing Valdyr a bit - and she bumped him with her elbow, gently.

Valdyr held back a short laugh. "Yeah, sure. Like you could ever top me," he replied. Even though he didn't express himself on the first matter. He was always very careful about his own feelings, after all.

"I don't have to try - I know I top you in her heart", Pica answered pointedly, smirking at him. "How to blame her. I am pretty cool. And I am glad I can shower her in all my affection, since she's the most precious kid ever!"

Valdyr rolled his eyes. He was about to reply something, but the door of their house suddenly opened, for a little dwarf kid to run out and hug Pica's legs, making an excited noise. So, in the end, he just smiled and said nothing.

Pica let out an equally excited sound, squealing with delight. "Oh my God!! It's my favourite girl in the world!", she gasped, smiling brightly. She kneeled down to better look at her. "Hello Veana! How are you?", she signed to the kid.

Veana smiled brightly and made excited gestures to tell her aunt how happy she was to see her, and asked her about her last trip, and also tried to tell her she had began to learn how to write, and also how long was she staying there!!

"Hold on, hold on," Valdyr chuckled, while he signed for his niece to calm down. "We can barely read you, honey," he indicated her.

Pica chuckled, honestly glad about seeing Veana so genuinely giddy about seeing her and talking to her. "Your uncle is right, sweetie", she cooed, signing to her. "Slow down a bit - did you have dinner already? What about we get inside and we sit, we get a hot chocolate and then I answer all your questions?"

Veana made a face when she was asked to slow down, but then she nodded when she heard about the hot chocolate. She grabbed Pica's hand, to drag her inside the house, all happy.
"Hello again, Pica," Leitna, her mother, commented when she saw the huntress passing by.

"Heyy, Leitna", Pica said, making a small saluting gesture at the dwarrowdam, winking at her. "Seems like I've been kidnapped by your daughter. Again", she added after giving it a thought. It wasn't the first time that it happened! "Can we make some hot chocolate? It's still good before bedtime, right?" She always made it a point to ask Leitna for permission, on that kind of stuff.

Leitna held back a chuckle. "Sure. We'll need milk and honey to get that girl to sleep, now that she's overexcited from seeing you again." She smiled while she began to prepare some hot chocolate, while Veana sat at the table and began to ask Pica about her trip.

"Thank you", Pica said with a bright smile, and as she sat down in front of Veana, she gave her her utmost attention - signing her back some details about her trips, people she had met, some adventures, landscapes - leaving out the gore-y, nightmare-inducing details. She was a skilled story teller, she could work around those!

Veana's eyes twinkled with wonder while she read Pica's signing. She asked many questions, and was so thrilled by her stories she didn't realize right away that the hot, chocolate milk and honey were slowly but surely shutting her eyes closed.

Pica did notice, on the other hand, and smiled at her. "You're tired, little gremlin", she signed, affectionately. "Let's do this: you go to bed, rest like a good kid, and tomorrow I'll still be here, and I'll tell you more things. Do we have a deal?" She very seriously extended a hand to Veana.

Veana hesitated, and rubbed her tiny fists against her eyelids, before she finally nodded and gave in to a big yawn. She climbed down her chair with the help of her uncle, but made a point to try to grab Pica's hand to get to her room.

Pica hid back a smile, and yes, grabbed that tiny hand in hers. She escorted Veana to her small bedroom, careful to bend her head as to not bump it against the doorframe - it was true, the house was built taller, but that part was still a bit... dwarvish. "There", she said gently, helping the small dwarf girl to climb on her bed. "Goodnight, little toad!", she signed to her with a smile. "Sleep well!"

Veana smiled back at Pica, and sleepily signed back, before she yawned again. By the time both her mother and her uncle had bid her a good night, she had already closed her eyes, falling asleep.

Leitna smiled fondly when she saw her little angel asleep. "Well. I'll get to bed myself, I'm exhausted. Valdyr, you'll be kind as to show Pica how I've rearranged some drawers in Pica's room, since the last time she came." She bid them all good night, and went to her own room.

"Well. Guess you still can't get rid of me yet," Valdyr commented with the hint of a smile. "Leitna's exaggerating, though. I just built a new piece of fourniture, and she insisted we filled it wit your stuff right away."

Pica raised a brow at him, a smile stretching her lips. "Wait. You had built it for me and with the purpose of filling it with my stuff, or it was held hostage by Leitna and she decided it's now mine because of reasons?" She seemed to find that idea very funny, to be honest. "Well, show me then! But I still want an answer!"

Valdyr massaged his neck, looking elsewhere. "I just- I thought your room looked a little empty, and could use a new piece of fourniture. And Leitna insisted for you to adopt it right away- I swear I didn't look into your clothes," he told her, before he opened the door to her room. There was indeed a tall wardrobe now, that had been carefully crafted, with precise, elaborated designs engraved in it. He had probably spent days, even months working on it.

Pica offered a rare sight of her being at loss of words. For about five seconds. Then she let out a chuckle, raising a hand to touch the beautifully worked wardrobe. "And I guess you did this in your few scraps of free time, right?", she said, sounding completely incredulous. "It's... amazing. Beautiful. Thank you for thinking about me", she added with a smile.