Serendipity looked at his hand as if she had no idea why he had held it out in her general direction. She adjusted Pozzletot on her shoulder. "Thank you for contemplating my work, Mr.."
"Cane, Cornelius Cane. But, please, call me Corey. All of my friends do," he smiled, his hand still waiting for hers.
"Mr. Cane," Serendipity continued, "but I assure you I am not right for your team. And while I appreciate your consideration, I have neither the desire nor the ability to join you in the North Pole. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have much work to do."
"But that's the beauty of joining us," Corey prodded, finally withdrawing his hand, glancing at it as if he were the one with some sort of unsightly stain before resting it on his hip. "There will be hundreds of elves assigned to your shop, Ms
