A Birth day

Ruby listened and then shook her head "I'm going for a run in the gym for a bit, I need to run off something. Marcus you're welcome to join me if you want." she said then heard them talk about the boys and girls " Im with Edward if they needed us they would find a way to let us know" she said with a smile" and your all welcome, I'll be back for that weeding after supper though" she said and headed back to Simone " please look after Caprice while I run" she said and changed her clothes to her work out clothing.

Heading into the house she went straight down to the gym and began to run, she ran as fast as she could and then moved to the punch bag balling her fist she began hitting it as hard as she could untill she felt the seems on the bag split and she stopped. But she still felt like she wanted to hit some thing or some one. Taking a deep breath she refocused and calmed herself knowing that getting angry was not going to help and now her anger towards the woman was now used up she sat on a bench and took deep breaths in.

Angus kept working, and Marcus took it upon himself to take a break from the weeding and go inside to place an order to Sparks for supper. Lizzie told him they had a special on an American style supper--barbequed chicken a sweet Kansas City style barbeque sauce, with some American style grilled corn on the cob, potato salad, cole slaw, and for dessert, cowboy cookie ice cream sandwiches. She was sending it with a huge jug of Texas style limeaid.

"Supper will be here in about thirty minutes," Marcus said. "Lizzie has an American Summer Supper special that I ordered for all of us--barbeque chicken with a Kansas city barbeque sauce, grilled corn on the cob, potato salad, cole slaw, and for dessert, they have ice cream sandwiches made with cowboy cookies. Oh, and Texas limeaid."

"Okay, so translate that, please," Simone laughed.

"Not a clue," Marcus laughed.

"Barbeque chicken is grilled on a charcoal grill, and its basted with sauce while its grillilng. Kansas city sauce is a tomato based sauce that is sweet and tangy and smoky," Angus said. "The corn is sweet corn that is left on the cob, put on the charcoal grill to cook. It gets some nice grill marks, and those grill marks on the corn bring out the natural sugars in the corn, so it gets smoky and sweet. And then they spread butter on the corn and salt it, and you eat it right off the cob while its hot. You know about potato salad and cole slaw, I think. Cowboy cookies are chocolate chip cookies with other things added to the dough before cooking--chopped pecans, coconut, oats, cinnamon--they're loaded with things. So it sounds like everyone will get two cowboy cookies with ice cream sandwiched between them. Texas limeaid is basically a standard lemonade recipe but made with limes instead of lemons. It's actually really good. For Americans who live where it's really hot, that would be a perfect supper recipe because the ice cream sandwiches would be made in advance and then the rest of it would all be cooked outside on the grill. so there would be no heating up a hot oven when it's already intolerably hot."

"Thank you," Simone said, as Caprice started to fuss suddenly. "I like to know what I'm eating. It sounds tasty." She picked the baby up from her hanging cradle.

"It is," Angus said. "You want me to take her?"

"Not a chance," Simone teased. "She just needs a dry diaper and a bite of supper. It won't take us half a tick." She went in the house with her.

"I wonder if I should have ordered for Tiggy and Beau," Marcus said.

"No, I'm sure Robert has already added them to the list of people eating at the main building," Angus said. "I'm sure he'll come over shortly to collect them both."

Ruby now feeling less tense showered in the gym and changed into some clothes returned to the floer garden " looking good " she said and smiled a relaxed smile to Angus before leaning over and kissing him gently. Moving to sit down she looked around " Simone take Caprice inside?" she asked having a feeling she did since it was nearly caprices supper time.

" Thats s good gym Robert has , but they might need a new punch bag though" she said and brushed her thumb over her knuckles that were slightly pink. " oh thanks for ordering supper Marcus" she said " it sounds perfect"

"Yeah," Angus said. "I offered, but Simone enjoys it." He listened to her talking about the gym. "Well, we end up having to replace that bag every few years anyway. I've been looking for a new equipment supplier because the last two or three bags I bought just haven't held up. When we have our big guys punching on them, they wear out sooner. The last three I bought had lifetime warranties and they didn't last more than about a year and a half before they just gave out. I'd rather find some heavy duty ones that lasted us at least three years. I'll order a new one tomorrow. Not to worry."

A crackling sound alerted Angus that someone was porting in. He looked to see Beau arriving back and he had an older black woman with him. She was stocky, but Angus could tell immediately that she was a woman who knew folk medicine forwards and backwards. She had an air about her that radiated power. She was clearly very wise. She was dressed in a broomstick skirt, an embroidered peasant top, sandals, a turban, and layers of beads and bracelets. Beau was carrying a brightly colored carpet bag, and the woman was using a tall staff set with a large clear, crystal in the top and all sorts of other colored stones inset all around the large crystal.

Angus stood up and walked towards them.

"I hope it is alright that I brought someone," Beau said. "Mama Iya, I'd like you to meet..."

"You are Angus," she said with a thick Jamaican accent. "I am Mama Iya, and you need my help. She has marked you, but we can undo that if you are not afraid of a fight."

"Then I'll fight," Angus replied. She smiled and reached up and patted his cheek. She looked at Beau.

"He is worth the fight," she told Beau. "Give him the coin." Beau reached in his pocket and handed him the coin, which was now on a copper chain. "Put it on," she told Angus. "Do not take it off unless I tell you to. I have improved it. It weakens the hold she wants to have on you."

"Thank you," Angus said.

"Don't thank me yet. We haven't even begun to fight. It will not be easy, and it will be dangerous. Are you afraid to face dangers you have not seen?"

"Not enough to surrender," he told her. She laughed out loud.

"I like you, Piti," she smiled. "Good. This is good."

"Let me take you to meet Robert," Beau said, as Iya walked over to the garden to check the magical herbs that were planted there. "I'll. tell you more about her later," Beau told Angus quietly. "She is the real deal voodoo queen, not an imposter. She also happens to be my grandmother. And, so you know, Piti is a term of endearment. For her, it means Little One, or Little Boy. She rarely takes any cases anymore and it is even more rare for her to use that sort of term, but she already likes you, so that definitely helps."

"Thank you for asking her. I appreciate it," Angus said.

"My pleasure," Beau said. He walked over to Iya, and then escorted her over to the main house.

"What do you think of her?" Angus asked Edward.

"I think she's probably a pistol. I don't think she takes any sort of crap from anybody," Edward laughed.

Ruby listened to Angus and nodded "Yeah we really do need a decent supplier" she said then stood up and looked at the sound of porting. She stood with her arms folded as she saw Beau waking with an older woman. Ruby walked beside Angus standing close to him as the woman walked over to him and touched his face. She stayed by his side as they spoke and glanced at Beau then back to Angus seeing he trusted her she did too.

Once Beau and Iya headed to the main house she looked to Angus finding Edward talking to him. " she does have an air about her, something radiate and powerful, I hope more then the other...Witch" she said and saw the coin around his neck. " another coin?" she said with a smirk " your almost looking like a Niffler with all that shinny on you."

"I agree. She certainly has a lot of power," Edward said. "I have learned that it is the older witch or wizard who has the real power. They've had a long, long time to develop it. I think Iya has the real voodoo power, and this other woman more than likely is a witch who knows some voodoo spells. I won't go so far as to say we should disregard her, because i think she probably is powerful. Angus generally has a good instinct with those things, but I don't think she'll overpower Iya."

Angus laughed at Ruby's joke about the coin. "Well, I sure would like to know how the woman at Jeffrey's knew to send this coin, that's for sure. She sent it before we knew any of this was going to happen."

"Sounds like Jeffrey's patient is a seer," Edward said.

"But I'm a total stranger to her," Angus said.

"I don't think all seers care about that. Some seers just see themselves as messengers for whatever message they're given.

"Ding dong!" Someone shouted. Edward turned to see a young man from Sparks walking across the yard with two big takeout delivery bags. Edward laughed.

"I was going to say nobody home, but I see you bring food," Edward said. "Bring that straight over here. How much do we owe you?"

"Not a thing. Mr. Belby already paid for it," the young man said. Edward took the bags and deposited some galleons in his hand for a tip. "Thanks!" the man said. "Oh, Lizzie would like some feedback about what you think about tonight's meal."

"We'll send her our honest reviews," Edward nodded.

"I'll tell her," the man replied. He drew his wand and was gone.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to share this, won't I?" Edward teased. Shall we eat out here on the deck, or out in the gazebo in the tea garden, or inside?"

Ruby nodded to Edward as he spoke of Iya and nodded " like with regular wizards too the longer they study magic the more knowledge they gain and what it they say, knowledge is power." she said smiling "Definitely in this case" she then saw the man from sparks walking over to them with a bag and talk to Edward "I think the gazebo sounds good, plus the fresh air will do some good" she said moving to send plates and cutlery to the table. while heading into the kitchen to fetch some soda for every one to drink.

Now with the table set she sat down " you want me to fetch Simone?" she asked as she stood at the back door and looked out at the now weeded flower bed. " oh I also put another pot of exspresso on." she said to Angus.

"That is definitely true," Edward said. "Knowledge is indeed power. I think this could prove a rather interesting affair where we perhaps could learn a thing about a different kind of magic or at least make some friends. I don't think you'll have to get Simone. I'm sure she'll come back outside when she gets the baby fed and changed."

Angus took the bags to the gazebo and started setting out the supper on the table. The chicken smelled incredible. He could smell the muscovado sugar, the spices, the mustard, the vinegar, the tomato, and smoky aroma from the charcoal fire that had cooked it. He saw the beautifully charred corn on the cob and the butter sauce that had come separate for it. He set out the potato salad and the cole slaw and saw some American style cornbread muffins. Then he found the jug of limeade and set it out too, and left the ice cream sandwiches in the cooler with ice to keep them frozen.

Simone came back out, and she put a baby blanket on the ground with some toys for Caprice and put the baby down on the blanket to play while the adults ate.

"That smells wonderful," she said. "And I'm starving. So how does one eat this chicken in America?"

"Over there, one eats the chicken and the corn with one's fingers," Angus said. "This is one meal when getting messy is part of the experience. And then, it is perfectly proper, if one feels so inclined to lick one's fingers if the barbeque sauce was tasty."

"Really?" she frowned.

"Absolutely," Angus laughed.

"Heathens," she teased.

"Come sit and help yourself, Everyone," Angus said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Edward trying to reach for Caprice, but he heard Edward sigh, just a tiny frustrated.

"What?" Angus asked.

"I was a second too late. She has just eaten her first ant," Edward said, getting up, He checked Caprice's mouth. "Yep. All gone."

"Ewww," Angus replied, wrinkling his nose.

Ruby looked at Angus and nodded and moved to sit with Angus as he dished out the food seeing Simone appear she smiled as she watched her lace Caprice down on a blanket. As she dished up she watched Edward and then heard what he said "Oops that's my family, jesslie loved worms and ants" she said with a chuckle just as Jessie walked past.

"yeah and yours was bugs, she loved to jar up bugs then let them go in the house." he called back to her laughing as he and Chris walked to the cabin. Juby chuckled and looked at them around the table.

"I did say I loved the outdoors" she admitted smiling then she looked at Caprice and Edward "Won't harm her any," she said smiling "Just, no more" She looked to Angus " she has to find out what she can eat and what she can't..right?" she asked as she sat down and began to tuck into the food, licking her fingers as she ate.

"There are some places where you can actually buy chocolate covered ants. Or lollipops with real scorpions in them. That sort of thing," Angus said. "Never was tempted to try them, myself." Marcus joined them and fixed his plate. "Thank you for supper, Marcus," Angus said.

"My pleasure," Marcus said, tucking into his chicken. "I could like this a lot. The sauce is really great. Tastes authentic to me." Angus tasted his chicken.

"I agree. It's quite good. Lizzie has every right to be proud."

"Is it true that there is more than one kind of barbeque in the states?"

"Definitely. North and South Carolina have a tangy sauce because it is a vinegar based sauce. Texas uses a dry rub to barbeque and doesn't use a wet sauce. Alabama has a white barbeque sauce that is mayonnaise based. And the list goes on and on. Every region is proud of its barbeque tradition, and, frankly, I like it all."

"Now, how does one eat the corn again?" Edward asked. Angus spread some of the butter on an ear of corn, sprinkled salt on it, and then picked up the ear of corn and started to simply bite the corn off the cob and eat it. "So, you really do have to eat it with your fingers, then."

"Unless you want to take the trouble to cut the corn off the cob but there's no fun in that. Just pick it up and eat it," Angus said.

"I never thought about grilling corn but its absolutely delicious," Simone said.

"And in Mexico, they have a crumbly white cheese called cotija cheese--its similar to feta. They add that too to their grilled corn, with the butter and the salt. That's really good too," Marcus said.

"We might need to start traveling again, Edward, to go experience some of these things."

"Or just get Angus to cook more often," Edward teased. He got up quickly and picked up Caprice in a hurry and forced open her fingers and took something out. "Nope, nope, nope. You do not get to eat that. We do feed you, so I know you can't be that hungry. Naughty."

"What did she have?" Simone asked.

"Grasshopper," Edward said, chucking the squished grasshopper away out of her reach.

"I can go get her something to eat," Angus said.

"She isn't hungry. She ate til she was stuffed. She just thinks everything she picks up goes in her mouth," Simone said. "It's a phase. She'll quit--eventually."

"Before or after she eats all the bugs in the garden?" Edward teased. Angus took her from Edward and put her on his lap so that the others could eat. He picked what he could get off his chicken and ate his potato salad and his cole slaw but he left his corn since he couldn't hold it with one hand. He wasn't all that hungry anyway. He set out a cornbread muffin and let her have a bite of it at a time, but she squished more of it and let it fall out of her fists on the ground than she actually tried to eat.

"Don't forget there's dessert," Angus said.

"I'll take her as soon as I finish," Simone said.

"Take your time. She's alright," Angus said. "I'll hose off the gazebo when we're finished. And then I guess I'll hose her off too."