~ Marcus with the others ~<br/><br/>The light chatter and flirtation was nice to see and Marcus relaxed a little when it occurred.  There had been a brief concern on his part that folks were getting worried about things that hadn’t happened yet and he’d hoped his little speech might set them at ease.  Looking at them though, he had a feeling his words had done nothing and what he was witnessing instead was simply their inner strength coming to the surface.  Mari seemed stronger now, even teasing with him about the poop, and Mila almost glowed with her new found confidence.  Her comment about a trip to the Bahamas after this, followed by Bo’s sincere laugh, made him smile.  Wait until they found out that he had a place there too.  It wasn’t as fancy as the castle but it would be big enough for the six of them.  When Nicci began to clear the table and Mila joined her, he almost applauded; they were tackling their new roles immediately, a decision made to move forward despite the unknown, and he liked that.<br/><br/>As he finished off his coffee, he heard footsteps and turned to see Angus and Donald enter the room.  Marcus and Angus locked gazes for a moment, an unspoken message passing between them the way it does all good friends with a glance, and then Angus was speaking.  His instructions were crisp and clear, telling the men that it was time to get some hands on experience outside, working with the animals and unloading supplies.  Donald added that their gear was waiting in the mud room and they’d meet them there.  When the two staff members had left, Marcus stood and stretched then turned to Bo and David.  “Well, gents, it looks like the outdoor adventure begins.  Personally, I’m looking forward to it.”  With that, he turned and pushed his chair under the table, stole another cookie for a quick snack, and with a wink to the ladies, headed for the mud room.<br/>