~Marcus, at dinner with everyone~<br/><br/>The brief touch to his hand by Nicci had surprised him and he turned, flashing a teasing grin her way.  He had not expected it at all but the gesture was welcomed nonetheless and had warmed his soul just enough to allow him to push the nervous butterflies out of his system and settle into their meal.  The food smelled delicious and it was a shame to let it go to waste, especially when his stomach was demanding that he fill it.  Angus and the staff would never forgive him if he didn’t partake of their wondrous offering either and he couldn’t let them down.  As he glanced at his silverware, smiling at the proper set up that he knew must be Angus’s doing, he picked the right spoon and dug into his soup.<br/><br/>His eyes closed briefly as the blissful flavor of the liquid flowed over his tongue sending his taste buds dancing a dance of ecstasy.  So enraptured by the taste was he, that he almost missed hearing Tool’s revelations about himself.  Opening his eyes, he turned his gaze to the man and listened carefully, smiling in knowing awareness.  It was clear that Tool was not used to speaking about himself and his shyness shown through but like a true trooper, he pressed on and what he said told a lot about him.  This was a man that Marcus could appreciate for his humor and his light hearted outlook on life, someone that would keep them all honest and at ease.<br/><br/>Bo went next and his words of a military upbringing and his career in the Navy spoke volumes about the kind of man that he was and also explained some of his mannerisms that they’d seen so far.  Marcus understood his comments about brotherhood more now, knowing that what he’d experienced in the military was probably similar in a general sense to what he experienced on the field.  He could only imagine the horrors that he might have seen during his career though and that elevated Marcus’s level of respect in his mind considerably.<br/><br/>Dinner came next, brought out by Cathy, and the aroma soon filled the room and left his hands a little shake for want of eating more.  As he cut into the mushroom stuffed chicken and took his first bite, the ladies began to talk about cooking and for the first time, Marcus began to realize that this experiment had a very good chance of succeeding.  The thought brought a smile to his face as he looked around the table, gauging each person’s reaction to what had transpired so far and he liked what he saw.  There was looseness, camaraderie, and a certain amount of candor that was happening and those were all good signs.  The banter between Tool and Nicci about toads in milk caught his eye, particularly Nicci’s comment, and he glanced over at her, unable to resist.  “If you have a toad in your hole, Nicci, I think us men will have a grand time trying to rescue it…and perhaps a lady or two.”  He knew the humor was crude in a way but he sensed these people would enjoy it for what it was – an attempt to bond them together that much more.<br/>