#anywhere

"Hard job though. Rovers..most guard trods, all guard roads of passage of some sort... and not for noble lords, but all of us. They get a lot of glory that way, but it's dangerous."

"And they have to help everyone, Olgar said."

"How you gonna make a living, that way?"

"I'm not sure he does, but some lords and commoners alike provide dross and other resources for them."

Snorts. "Who wants to live on charity? All that means is people get to lord that over you..."

"Well, think of it more as a protection racket he told me once, only you actually are protecting." She says "Some ROvers are kind of rough. I do hear rumors.."

"Yeah?"

"Well, now I'm not saying anything for sure now, and I think the word of mr. Olgar, but they're supposed to see folks ARRIVE safely, aye?"

"I guess? I don't know."

"Right, so.. I heard a story ... about this sidhe lord, getting all high and mighty on a trip as Rovers protected him. They fought off nightmares, but he ..well, he acted like a real snot...expected them to carry things, they didn't. HE wanted the sluagh that was with him to walk BEHIND him a distance... the Rovers treated both as charges. And all the time, he's carp carp carp..."

"...ok..."

"So they get him off the trod to 'his town' or what not... tell him their job is done. Then? They beat the shit out of him, took his wallet, credit cards, and dross. Split some with the sluagh for their trouble and explained to the battered noble that Rovers aren't his damn porters and if he didn't mind his damn mouth the next time Rovers aided them, he best get used to donating to the 'Knights of the Way Veterens fund' the hard way"

A snort and a grin.

"Yeah the story, and it is just a story I was told, has it so the noble was so humiliated he never spoke ill to a Rover again."

"Well, sounds like the jagoff deserved it."

"He did" SHe nods 'Though it's dangerous , people of power can be vengeful"

"Symon's decent. Weird, but decent. His cat killed the spider thing."

"Oh loveccraft or whatever he calls it?"

"Yeah. Shadow-cat thing. He's in my English class."

"Cool."

A sigh, "I wish I had an English class, with a real teacher"

"Two months? Like, nowhere at all for two months?"

"In the lodge or the lodge grounds. " A pause, "Huh, no, that's just get me in more trouble"

"Oh, no you don't. You'd wanna die. 'Dangling PART-i-ciple!'"

"Dangling sounds fun. Did it from a crow's next once"

"Participles are not fun." Harrumphs.

"Well, I'd like to find out for myself from a real teacher. Not ma or da. I mean, sure, I imagine mom could PRETEND to be a teacher, like a game..wouldn't that be weird, a troll chief pretending to be all learned in Grammar and such? Like fantasy role playing for her... but nah, weird."

"School is a lot of time learning useless junk."

"School is about learning people, not just facts. My folks worry about me in the mortal world, but I'll never learn how to act proper among boys and gals without..." Her head whips around and she smiles at something

"You do sorta talk like a pirate..." She clams up at Siv's movement, one hand going to her halberd even before she's on her feet.

"Hey, " A boy, to mortal seemings swarthy, a leather jacket despite the season, well formed and with long hair and long lashes many a girl would envy but still a masculine smile. He looks older than Siv, but not much older, 18 at the most? His fae mein takes on gypsy voile, with a colorful sash and the jacket has colorful beads.

"Vano" She grins, then to Dagmar, "It's okay, this is Vano. He's the fellow who gave me my leather wrist band."

"Vano, this is Dagmar" SHe says "She's new, but been naught but kind to me."

Vano nods to Dagmar, "Hey.,"

Wary. "Hey."

Siv sighs and moves to Vano, "Oh, are you a sight for sore eyes. "

"Thanks," He looks her over, "Not bad yourself. Want me to show you Firnost?"

A tug of a frown, and she quietly fades back a step.

"Oh more than anyth.." She shakes her head, "No, I'm sorry. I'm grounded."

"What for?"

"Mutiny if you hear my father go on about it' She rolls her eyes and mutters "But I should have told them where I was going, what I was doing. That much is true."

A look to Dagmar, from Siv, "ANyway, I was also going to teach Dagmar how to hopscotch. So.."

"It's cool. Hang out with your boyfriend."

"Oh, we're just friends," Vano says, then smiles at Siv, "But who knows. Not sure why you up with it, Siv. You're a wilder. You can go where you want, right?"

"What's a Firnost?"

Siv bites her lip, "Yes, but at the same time, a resounding no. I scared them. I don't want to do that again. It's not just getting into more trouble it's..." She shrugs, "They're my family. I Love em. SO... I won't disrespect them." A pause "Not on purpose anyway."

Vano looks over at Dagmar, "Firnost is crazy, there's like whole web work of trods there, going all over concordia and further. Eshu use it all the time, but we mostly just pass through. I hear it has free drinks though. Magic gloves."

"So it's... a lodge, too?"

"Freehold, only trolls call them lodges but it's commoners, or suppsoed to be. " The Eshu says

"Right. Freehold."