JUSTIN: * Shane spends just about every day at the site, despite how little his presence is realistically needed. The more things begin to take shape, however, the more work he finds for himself, helping to plan and execute the more complicated aspects of his design. Time passes quickly for him, and one day he finds himself standing before a nearly completed dwelling. With most of the landscaping already taken care of, he can see where he plans to keep his garden, and the pen for the pecos. "Just a few more days..."

JENNA: * Jo tilts her head, glancing sideways at Shane as she walks up from another trip to the beach. "But we can move in? Even though it's not finished?" She peers at the front door, still feeling a sense of unreality at the house's near-completion. Even more unreal to her is the sense that it is her house -- well, hers and Shane's. Just having a room to herself in the Guild was peculiar enough.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns Jo a brief glance, only half aware of what she said for the first few seconds. He smiles in satisfaction, finally facing her after he's done appraising the building ahead of them. "Of course. As long as you don't mind the sound of carpentry during the day, as there's still work to do in the loft." He steps over and runs his fingers through her wet hair, grinning. "I made sure the kitchen and the bedroom got finished early." His eyes steal back to the house, fondly admiring the work. "A little paint, some finishing touches here and there, and furnishings, and it'll really be home."

JENNA: * Jo glances at him again and shakes her head, shouldering her pack. "Well, you can keep on admiring it as long as you like -- I'm going in." She starts up to the door, feeling oddly like she's trespassing, even if the building is supposed to be her property -- hers and Shane's. She pauses at the door, hesitating before she turns the handle.

JUSTIN: * Shane snorts, giving the outside one last look before following after her. "Should be open. Not much need for locks out here, right?" He puts an arm around her waist and continues forward, reaching for the doorknob and giving it a turn. With a slight push it opens, easily and silently on its new hinges, to reveal the inside. At the same time spacious yet humble, once it's been properly furnished it should be as comfortable as they could ever want. He takes a slow step forward, followed by another, and stops just inside. "I guess... we're home."

JENNA: * Jo follows him silently, looking around with a wary eye before letting her pack slide to the floor. "I haven't unpacked my bags in a long time," she says after a moment, then bends to catch one of the straps, half-dragging it farther in as she looks around. "Guess we don't have much to fill the shelves right now."

JUSTIN: "I guess it'll be a bit empty for a while." Shane walks through a wide arch into the nearby kitchen -- at least twice the size as his old one, sparing no expense -- and sets his pack down on the countertop. "But that'll change." He looks around, gliding his hand along the smooth surface of the counter as he walks, and finally heads back into the entranceway. "What do you think? I'm... I'm not much of an architect, but I tried to keep you in mind when I was drawing up my design ideas. I hope that compensates."

JENNA: * Jo gives him a sincerely puzzled look, unsure why he's asking, as she hasn't even seen most of the house. "It's nice," she offers warily, peering at him when he reenters the room. "I haven't really been in many houses ..." Except, perhaps, to steal. She forces her mind to veer away from casing her own house for a burglary.

JUSTIN: * Shane tilts his head to the side, not sure whether he should take that as a sincere answer or not. "Nice?" He glances around the room again, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Well... I suppose I should wait until everything is finished before I ask, huh?" Thus satisfied, he smiles again and heads off down the hall, stretching his arms over his head with a pleased sigh. "Want to see the bedroom?"

JENNA: "Sure." Jo follows him, still dragging the pack. Most of her worldly possessions include clothing, and she assumes the bedroom's the proper place for that. "The bath's near there too, right?" she asks, suddenly remembering one of the few things she actually did request. "Is it ready for use?"

JUSTIN: * Shane laughs, turning her a look over his shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll be ready soon. The plumbing still needs some finishing, but I can have them concentrate on it today, if you'd like." He opens the door to the bedroom and steps through, revealing a modest-sized room, slightly more furnished the empty living area. "The bed is just a stand-in, until we get the real one moved in." He walks over and seats himself on it. "The real one is bigger, sturdier." He points to an armoire against the opposite wall. "And we can put our clothing in there for the time being."

JENNA: * Jo nods again, following him to the bed and sitting down, looking at her pack a moment before slinging it up beside her and flipping it open. "Well.. all right." She starts sifting slowly through her belongings, tugging out clothes and piling them in one place on the bed while various other knicknacks -- she notes she's accumulated a surprising amount -- go in another pile. Food gets its own place as well, though she supposes it's better off in the kitchen.

JUSTIN: * Shane watches her sorting through her things in silence for a few minutes, lingering doubts about the entire affair bubbling threateningly in the depths of his mind. He quickly silences them, putting a hand against Jo's back and leaning over to kiss the side of her head. He nuzzles her hair for a second, then pulls back and gets to his feet. "I'll go make us something to eat. I had some food put away already." Scooping up the pile of travel rations that she's left, he starts for the kitchen.

JENNA: "All right," Jo says, voice vague as she continues to sort through her things. It doesn't take her very long to empty the pack, laying her belongings out neatly around her, and she takes a last look inside to make sure she didn't miss anything. Seeing what remains within, crumpled down at the bottom, she freezes in place for a moment before looking up sharply to see that Shane has disappeared from the room entirely. She lets out a soft breath, relieved, and slowly lifts the dancing dress she received at the caravan from her bag.

JUSTIN: * Shane, oblivious of her rediscovery, busies himself with preparing a pair of sandwiches to appease their stomachs for the time being. He goes over a list of things he needs to finish up during the day, and some of the items (big and small) that still need to be ordered. The house might be about finished being built, but there's still quite a bit of work left before he can consider it complete. Finishing the meal, he sets the plates down on the small, makeshift table -- to be replaced in the near future as well -- and pulls over a pair of stools sitting lonely in the corner. His eyes catch sight of his pack from the corner of his eye, and he picks it up from the counter to start back toward the room. "I'm going to unpack my things, you can go ahead and eat if you want." He calls ahead of him down the hall.

JENNA: * Jo startles at the sound of his voice, quickly hiding the dress down in the pack once again -- for some reason staring at the outfit all this time. For a moment, she isn't sure why she did it, but as she folds the pack closed, a plan begins to materialize in the back of her mind. "It's all right," she says as he approaches. "I hadn't really gotten much done. So I'll stay and finish, too."

JUSTIN: "All right." Shane strolls into the room, none the wiser, and drops back onto the bed with a sigh, flipping his pack open. "I'd like to say I could have a nice meal to commemorate our first night in the house, but I'm afraid it will have to wait until I get some more supplies." He smiles in a resigned way, knowing he's in no position to complain about anything. He tosses his pack to the side and starts pulling out tightly packed clothes.

JENNA: * Jo nods, scooping up the pack and folding it again at the bottom of the wardrobe, then gets her clothes and begins to hang them, hesitantly. It has been a while since she's needed to do so. "It's no worse than what we've been eating." She looks at her other belongings, the knives and the cards and the knicknacks, and scratches her head, unsure what to do with them.

JUSTIN: * Shane glances over at her and snorts, chuckling shortly. "That's the point entirely. It's no better, either." He starts to fold his clothes before he bothers to sift through the rest of his various belongings, many of which he's never even found a use for -- courtesy of his shopping spree in Alberta so many months ago. "What's the point in having your own kitchen if you're only going to eat sandwiches and fire-roasted rabbits?"

JENNA: * Jo shrugs and shovels the lot onto a nearby table, deciding to worry about it later. "You said it's only a few more days," she says, rolling her eyes briefly. "I'm sure you'll survive on sandwiches and roasted rabbits for another week." She pauses, then sits on the bed again. "And jerky."

JUSTIN: "Surviving isn't living, my dear." Shane leans over and kisses her cheek, then promptly returns to his work, fishing random jumbles of objects from the untouched depths of his pack. "And once you've tasted some of my cooking -- my /real/ cooking -- you'll wonder how you got along without it."

JENNA: * Jo makes a dismissive noise. "Food is food." As finished with the unpacking as she's going to get for now, she starts for the bedroom door. "I'm going to go eat," she says. "I'm pretty sure a sandwich is a sandwich, however you slice it." She slouches lazily as she ambles up the hall, shaking her head.

JUSTIN: * Shane snorts, getting to his feet and carrying his clothes over to the wardrobe to put away. "If that's the way you see it, I'll start feeding you ground-up bugs for dinner." He calls up the hall in a teasing voice. After a minute arranging the rest of his things next to Jo's pile on the small workbench of a table, he follows her into the kitchen to partake of the meager meal he's prepared.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't answer him, seating herself at the table and waiting for Shane to at least enter the room before she scoops up the sandwich and takes a bite. She chews thoughtfully, considering the flavor before swallowing. "My point is it's just for another week," she says finally. "If you can stand it that long." She takes another bite, shaking her head.

JUSTIN: * Shane takes off his coat as he enters, laying it across the table beside where their dishes are set before he seats himself. "I know what your point was, Jo." The amusement is drained from his face, finding it obvious that his humor is unwelcome. He thinks better of arguing the matter or lecturing, and simply starts on his meal.

JENNA: * Jo shakes her head, eating in silence for a while and feeling unaccountably weary. There is probably no way for her to explain precisely how she feels, so she doesn't bother, eating her sandwich slowly, bite by bite. It comes as something of a surprise when she reaches the end of it, and she pops the last piece into her mouth with a sigh.

JUSTIN: * Shane sees fit to let her have her peace, mildly conflicted about how he should think or feel about the entire matter. He decides he wants to get back to work as soon as he can and hopefully forget about it completely -- let her work her problem out on her own. Finishing his sandwich far quicker than is usual for him, he gets to his feet and collects both plates, carrying them to the sink and leaving them there for now. "Workers will be here soon. I'll probably be busy the rest of the day."

JENNA: * Jo nods, looking at him sideways and deciding she doesn't really feel like pursing a conversation that will end in a fight. More important things to worry about now. She casts a glance back toward the bedroom, feeling an odd twinge of unease at the thought of her "plan" and wondering if it will even work. "All right," she says belatedly. "Have fun," she adds vaguely, mind still occupied elsewhere.

JUSTIN: * Shane leans against the counter and stares out the window ahead of him, where the ocean waters can be seen through the trees. "I'll try." He's not sure what else to tell her, and despite the nagging feeling, he continues to resist the urge to probe her peculiar attitude. "I guess I'll wait for them outside. You can look around the house... if you want to, anyway." He turns and starts toward the front door, grabbing his coat from the table as he passes.

JENNA: * Jo shakes her head, getting to her feet shortly after he's gone and making her way back to the bedroom. Certain she's alone, she pulls the dress out of its hiding place and spreads it on the bed, inspecting it for damage. Aside from being badly rumpled, it doesn't seem bad off -- which relieves her somewhat, though she's at a loss for a good place to hide it that will help its condition. After a long debate, she settles for putting it away again, as the fabric seems to straighten on its own with a little time.

JUSTIN: * Once outside, Shane slips into his coat and takes a deep breath, calming his frustrations and nerves. It's a slightly chill morning, bearing testimony of winter's approach. Still, it isn't uncomfortable, and he's certain that once he's worked up a sweat he'll be shedding the coat again anyway. As expected, the hired help arrives shortly from the village, and work gets started straight away. Getting the carts and wagons bearing their furniture to the property is a feat in itself, which required turning a small, natural path into a fully unnatural, but much more manageable one along the thinner edge of the forest, close to the coast. Having done that part of the work in days prior, the cargo running goes by without a hitch, and it isn't long before they're carrying various pieces of new furniture into the house.

JENNA: * In the days that follow, Jo vanishes, as is her habit, for large periods of time, though she always returns in time for meals. She doesn't mention what she's been up to, flatly refusing to answer when questioned. Secrecy, she feels, is vital to the plan's success, and besides that, it would be embarrassing to admit she's out practicing a dance she barely remembers the steps to.

JUSTIN: * Busy as he is, Shane doesn't have much time to worry about Jo's secret disappearances, at least at first. As he promised, the last of the work takes only a few days, and by then a good deal of the furniture has been delivered and arranged, the plumbing is working with running water -- really all that remains is some decorative touches. With the village workers gone for good, it's then, all alone in his new house on a sunny afternoon, that he becomes very accutely aware that Jo is missing yet again.

JENNA: * In spite of what she thinks is all necessary caution, Jo doesn't realize that the workers left in the middle of the day while she was practicing her steps for the last time. She is surprised by the lack of activity upon her return, poking her head in the front door curiously and looking around for Shane. Not spotting him immediately, she continues inside, stopping to sit down at the table and lean her head against it, a little tired after the workout.

JUSTIN: * Shane is upstairs in the loft at the top of the house, arranging pillows and furniture for the room he designed especially for Jo. As it happens, he doesn't hear her return, and when he comes trotting down the stairs and rounds the corner, he nearly jumps at the unexpected sight. "J-Jo! You're back early from... well, where ever you've been going."

JENNA: * Jo's shoulders jerk, and she sits upright, staring around at him blearily and pushing her hair back from her face. "Ah, yeah ... I wasn't expecting everyone to be gone ..." She hesitates, looking at him warily. "Are they coming back tomorrow?" She pushes to her feet, still offering no explanation for her disappearance.

JUSTIN: * Shane stands in the archway, staring at Jo with an expression that's not quite suspicion, not quite worry, and not quite disappointement. For a moment he forgets to answer her question, but he startles out of his thoughts with a blink and a shake of his head. "N-no, everything is finished. Why do you ask?"

JENNA: * Jo arches an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by his response. "I just wanted to know if everything was finished ..." His answer actually makes her somewhat jittery -- if the house is completely done, that means it's just about time to put her plan into action. "It's all ours, then?" She grins, trying not to let any of her unease come through in her voice.

JUSTIN: * Shane rubs at the back of his neck, trying hard to ignore the weird vibe he's getting from this conversation, and Jo's mysterious daily trips to who-knows-where. He forces a smile -- not that he's not happy about the house, but he's feeling awfully distracted. "I suppose it is, isn't it?" He takes his eyes off of her reluctantly and pretends to look around at the room, even though he's been looking at it all day. "Yeah, just... a little paint, some decoration..."

JENNA: * Jo shrugs and grins again, ambling over to set her arms gently around his waist. "Did you want to make something for dinner, or are you tired after all that work?" She arches an eyebrow, unable to think of anything else that would set his mind at ease. She's certainly not going to tell him what she was doing, as that likely wouldn't help at all -- even if it's exactly what he wants to know.

JUSTIN: * Shane snaps his gaze back from his pretend appraisal when he feels Jo's arms around him, feeling oddly like he's been caught in the act of something. "Oh, I can cook... It's not that bad." He smiles slightly, cheeks hinting at a blush. "I'm just a little sore, but I've felt worse." He hesitates for a moment, for reasons he can't be sure of, then wraps his arms around her in return.

JENNA: "Good." Jo reaches up to kiss him, lingering a moment before she pulls away. "Then surprise me." She tightens her arms around him for a moment, then releases him with a smile, starting back for the table. "I'm a little tired, so I'll just sit out here, unless you want some help." She lifts her shoulders in a slight shrug, looking at him questioningly.

JUSTIN: * Shane ambles toward the far end of his spacious and well-equipped kitchen, rolling his sleeves up as he goes -- he already shed his coat hours earlier in the day -- and starts to dig out some pots and pans. "If you want to, I wouldn't mind the company." He sets his armload down on the counter and turns toward her, smiling a bit more genuinely. "But the bath is working now, too, so... I'm not sure if it's much of a competition."

JENNA: "I don't mind," Jo says, getting to her feet and slipping after him. She leans against the counter upon entry, arching a brow. "Do you want me to do anything, or just be decorative?" She grins, turning her back to the counter and leaning back on her elbows.

JUSTIN: * Shane matches her arched brow with one of his own, moving to the sink and turning on the water. "If you say you want to help, then I'll expect you to help. I think you know enough that I shouldn't need to worry about you ruining anything." He grins slightly, turning his attention to the running water to wash his hands. "There should be towels hanging in the bathroom already, unless I forgot to put them out... otherwise they'll be in the bedroom."

JENNA: * Jo rolls her eyes, straightening and folding her arms. "I said I'd help, didn't I? I can take a bath later." She joins him at the sink to wash her hands, wrinkling her nose at him. "I'm hungry too, you know." She turns her attention to getting her hands clean, hoping he doesn't see fit to argue with her about it.

JUSTIN: "All right, all right -- if you insist." Shane towels his hands off quickly, draping it over Jo's head when he's finished and moving across the room to gather some of the food for preparation. "Not like you to pass up a bath, especially not when it means food would be waiting for you when you get out." He casts her a glance over his shoulder. "If you can't make it through the entire ordeal before giving in, I'll understand."

JENNA: * Jo snorts, removing the towel and drying her hands in silent before she turns to Shane, awaiting orders. "I'm pretty sure I've had to wait longer for a bath in my life," she says drily, tossing the towel aside and folding her arms. "What do you want me to do?"

JUSTIN: * Shane walks back toward Jo and sets a few things down on the counter, snagging a cutting board and dragging it over. "You can start..." He opens up one of the paper packages and tosses two rather large fish onto the board. "By cutting these into sections. Not too thin, though." The fish are quite a bit bigger than what they're used to, but that shouldn't be surprising considering he bought them in town: sea fish, not river or lake fish.

JENNA: "As you wish." Jo fishes around for a knife and isn't long in finding one, and she sets to work cleaning and cutting the fish as ordered. She hums as she works, appearing fairly upbeat as she works. It seems, at least from her perspective, that things are going pretty much according to plan.

JUSTIN: * Shane sets a hand to Jo's head and gives her hair a gentle ruffle, then sets to work himself, getting some of the other parts of the meal organized and the oven preheated. "Ingredients are still a bit limited until I can get a proper shipment of things from out of town, but I think we should do all right as is." He sets a pot full of water on the stove to boil and starts to grease the pan. "This fish tastes different than what we usually have, just to warn you, though."

JENNA: "As long as it isn't poisonous," Jo says absently, finishing with her assigned task and disposing of the messy remains. She continues to provide assistance as she's ordered until the meal is complete, at which point she washes her hands and starts carrying food and utensils out to the table. Once everything's in place, she plops down in her seat and waits for Shane to join her.

JUSTIN: * Shane arrives shortly, carrying the rest of the meal with him and arranging everything on the table. "Well, it doesn't smell burnt, so I think we're in the clear..." He smiles, sitting down in the chair opposite Jo (the previous makeshift table and stools have been given a new home in the cellar) to begin serving. "It's nice to know you can function in the kitchen just as well as you can with a campfire. Now if I'm ever feeling especially lazy, I can just let you do the cooking."

JENNA: * Jo shrugs. "Never said I couldn't. My menu's still pretty limited, though," she says, reaching over to serve herself some of the food. Once served, she begins to eat thoughtfully. "Not bad," she says after a few bites, then continues eating. She tries to sound sufficiently enthusiastic, but her mind is, understandably busy elsewhere.

JUSTIN: * Shane finishes piling food onto his plate and turns her a wary look, eyebrow arching slightly. "That's all?" He shrugs his shoulders lightly, and picks up knife and fork to begin slicing his fish into eatable portions. "Not that I was expecting a shower of praise, but I was hoping you'd at least enjoy it." He keeps his eyes on her, smiling crookedly.

JENNA: * Jo arches a brow, somewhat annoyed at his apparent disappointment. "I am. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be eating it." She turns back to the food, eating with her usual speed and enthusiasm. She glances up at him once or twice as she eats, thinking about how to go through with the next step of her plan -- which admittedly wasn't very well-formed, aside from its final stages.

JUSTIN: "'Food is food', after all." Shane flicks a piece of rice across the table at her, smirking. "I guess I shouldn't expect enthusiasm." He wipes at his mouth with a napkin and gets to his feet, rubbing at his face as he steps over to the sink to fill a glass with cold water. "Something to drink, or are you fine?"

JENNA: "I'm fine," she says lazily, poking her food around her plate, still lost in thought. She looks up at him finally, arching a brow. "I'll probably be taking a really long bath, so you might want to go first," she suggests, then finishes what's left of her meal and reaches over for seconds on a few choice bits.

JUSTIN: "If you say so." Shane takes a long sip from his glass before returning to the table, and he sits down to quietly continue eating. After a moment he sits back, wiping his mouth again and giving a brief stretch. "I'll try to leave you plenty of hot water. That bathtub is pretty spacious." He grins a bit, then leans forward against the table, resting his chin in his hand. "I think the men who installed it think we're crazy."

JENNA: "Just as well, they aren't the ones using it." Jo finishes off her second helping in a remarkable amount of time, her nerves apparently pushing her usual eating speed even farther. She looks up at Shane and cracks a smile, pushing her plate away. "It'll be a great disappointment if I can't have plenty of hot water my first time using the bathtub."

JUSTIN: * Shane finishes up his food and swallows down the rest of his water to wash it all down, then sighs fitfully and stretches. "Mmm, I wouldn't dream of depriving you, Jocasta." He gives her a wink and hops to his feet, collecting dishes with practiced speed. "If you'd like something to do while you wait, feel free to give the pots and pans a scrub. I assure you I won't mind."

JENNA: "Not a problem," Jo remarks, shrugging. "I'll start now." She grabs what's left on the table and starts into the kitchen, sighing mentally. Sneaking into the bedroom while he's bathing shouldn't be a problem, at least. "Mom used to make me do the dishes, anyway." Not that she's actually done them in several years.

JUSTIN: * Shane chuckles lightly, stopping her with an arm on her way into the kitchen and placing a kiss against her cheek. "I was only kidding, but if they're done when I get out of the bath, maybe I'll do something special for you in return, hm?" He moves his lips up to kiss her temple and then lets her go, continuing on his way toward the bedroom. "But I won't be very long, so don't dawdle."

JENNA: * Jo makes a noncommittal noise, forcing herself to squash an entirely too enthusiastic laugh at his words. "I'll be quick," she says with a faint smile, unloading her burden in the sink and starting the water running. She starts washing immediately, forcing herself to wait until she's sure he's in the bathroom before making any moves in that direction.

JUSTIN: * Shane, having nothing to fear as far as he knows, makes straight for the bathroom, collecting a clean change of clothes before he disappears inside. He hums quietly to himself as he starts the water in the bath, making sure to keep the temperature only moderately warm -- saving the rest of the heat for Jo's use. Stopping the water when it's reached a reasonable level, he strips down to partake, quite enjoying it after the last few days of work.

JENNA: * Once she's certain he's settled in, Jo wipes her hands off and slips around to the bedroom, retrieving her dress and folding it carefully into her share of the towels. Piling the lot over on her table, she returns to the kitchen to finish washing the dishes. She spends some time afterward figuring out where they all go, and she's feeling distinctly weary once she makes her way back to the bedroom to see if Shane's finished.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't take long, as promised, and he's soon out of the tub and drying himself off, feeling refreshed and relaxed. A quick glance out the window and he judges it too late to do any further work, but too early for bed. Perfect time to lay around and be lazy. Thus he turns his scrutiny to the clothing he brought to change into -- travel gear -- and shakes his head. "Won't do at all." He pulls on the clean underwear and collects old and new clothing alike, carrying them out into the bedroom.

JENNA: * Jo glances up when he enters, relieve flicking momentarily across her face. "Finished already?" she says with a dry grin, scooping her towels up as inconspicuously as she can. "I'll be as quick as I can, but I'm not making any promises ... don't fall asleep on me." She grins on this last, in spite of being perfectly serious.

JUSTIN: "Too early for sleep, Jo." Shane smirks, pausing near the doorway and catching her before she can get by. "I plan to be lazy, if you must know." He hugs her against him with one arm, tilting his head as if in thought. "Maybe read a book. Maybe pester you relentlessly." He pokes at her back a few times and grins down at her, leaning in for a brief kiss.

JENNA: * Jo returns the kiss fondly, not trusting herself to answer his suggestions with banter. She also resists the impulse to linger, pulling away with a grin. "You do that," she says, slipping out of his grip and into the bathroom to shut the door behind her. For a moment, she leans heavily on the door, then she unfolds the towels, draping the dress over one of the counters before she strips down and starts running water for her bath.

JUSTIN: * Shane shakes his head and gives a mighty stretch before heading to the bed with a light, contented sigh. He flops onto it and rolls onto his back to stare at the ceiling. The stand-in bed was moved to a guest bedroom down the hall (doesn't hurt to be prepared), and the new one is bigger, more comfortable, and everything he could have wanted. For the moment he decides to forego reading and just relax, expecting that once Jo returns he is likely to engage in other activities anyway.