#anywhere

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"I am not of Widderwind. Even a Gwydion would attest to thus. But... pray.. why so fond of order? It is a right thing, surely, but not the only one. What of dust and decay and entropy? Of things past, of long telling and secret histories? The past is rarely orderly..." the wall whispers, soft and gentle.

A pause, "in my dreams, in my dreams, the past has long arms, and just as i think i am walking away from it, something bumps me, too bright to make out, and i fall back, and the past takes me...and i can't breathe and...there's no time to enjoy the past, because it plucks and tears."

"The Bright Thing? Yessss. I saw this. The past is a far country, a delightful one... but others... they understand not how the light hurts our eyes, or their chattering hurts our ears...."

"yes," she lowers her eyes, "there's a boggan here. she says sluagh are dirty. i don't like her. she smells like antiseptic, like she wants the dirt gone so much she gets rid of the soil.. Sir Bellamy says without dirt, without soil, nothing can grow. that i shouldn't listen to her words. "

"Sir Bellamy is right. Dirt brings life. Are we not beings made from earth? And to earth we return - dust to dust, and the worms will feed upon our bodies while our soul flies anew."

she smiles at the mention of worms eating bodies

From her hidey hole, she kens the child - searching for lingering enchantments.

it seems the last of the potion is fading from her but...

Suddenly footsteps... but damn, she heard it too late to....

She goes quiet - she is, after all, still squirmed within the space between the studs...

Sir Bellamy enters, hair flowing and concern in his sparkling eyes "Oh thank the Dreaming..." He moves to the girl and bows, "Lady Sadie. Have you seen or noticed anything unusual?"

the girl is still a slaugh, "you always call me that."

Bellamy again. A little head tilt, something... something bears watching.

"Good manners," Bellamy says not unkindly, "Few ever got in trouble in using the wrong title on someone as long as it was in an upward direction... I... you avoided my question." He grins.

sadie blushes "..i was trying to buy time on how to answer it."

She can tell he seems almost proud of the little girl. and yes, that concern was for her safety.

Quiet and still. Watching, watching... and perhaps, a small hope.

"you're not supposed to admit that part," he laughs softly, then sobers, "fine, secret for a secret."

" i love that game" her eyes light up.

"my secret is this. Someone has released a curse in this house. I felt it."

Her eyes widen, then she says "who was it on who ca.." She catches herself, "My secret is i have not seen any 'thing' unusual"

Bellamy smiles, "Any THING eh?" A nod, then he says "My secret is the curse is not on you, but it is powerful enough that i worry you might get caught in it's wake."

"What about you?" she says with concern.

"Ahem...not my turn to give a secret."

She huffs, then whispers, "my secret is the session ended early today. I am not sure why."

"Yes, I wondered," He says then adds, "My secret is I am not the target either." A smile, "better?"

A grey smile behind the wall, unseen.

"yes, thank you," she smooths her gown, "my secret is I..." Her eyes drift to the wall, then snap back, "my secret is there's no sluagh of widderwind here."

He starts a bit at that, and his eyes look towards Zara's direction, "Of widderwind... " A deep breath, "my secret is that ..."

She tenses. holding her breath.

"... my secret is that I want to talk to this non widerwind sluagh, now, or i will have to work to undo the magics because i can't risk you being harmed by fall out or mission being spoiled."

A soft hiss from the wall "My secret is the secret of all sluagh - we are kin. Harm the hair of one, and bid farewell to sleep."

"i..." Sadie looks confused, "i've never played the game with three before."

"secrets are hard to keep with three," The Eiluned says looking at the wall, "an honor to meet one so potent, lady. i thought 'i' was good"

"It is fine, bubbelah. Sir Bellamy is correct, they are hard enough with two."

"....and surely you are, to have read the winds. I wish no harm to those who mean no ill."

"some eiluned are blessed with a knack for reading the winds, others for creating them so strongly few can resist. I'm of the former" he says " still, you are certain no fall out from that working will hurt Sadie?"

Stress on Certain

"I.... think, mayhaps, some hurts are inevitable. I think if a certain truth is revealed, it may hurt. But... I think that may be a necessary sting."

His sparkling eyes simmer for a moment then he takes a cleansing breath, "lady, can I ask you to undo it. Sadie is but one part of why i ask."

"If he deals no harm, it will not strike him."

"Surely, you know the secret truth of which I speak. And you can see how it would hit like a knife?"

"She ..she wants to hurt father?" a pause, " I mean, his lordship"

that from the girl

"no. she's not here to hurt your father. i promise you that much" the Eiluned says

and then he looks to the wall, "soon sadie's play time will be over. A thane will approach. may we continue this conversation either here or elsewhere?"

"I would, aye."

"good." He nods.