#anywhere

Sylvi has had some interesting violent times... but it is on high summer she finds herself missing her family. "Pranksgiving" is more of a pooka thing, but sometimes she would enchant a mortal with mom or dad's approval, one who was a friend, and get to tell them the truth. that she was magical, the world was magical, and so much better than they knew.

it was theo ne time of the year she might bend the Escheat... and even then, it was enchantment.

She tries not to mope, but....

She doesn't know many mortals here. The Baron's, well, he's great, but his concern is for the fae, and their kinain, inabout that order. He's a hard working Gwydion. And it's hard to treat him like he's just bossing others around. She can see he's..well, it's made her reconsider some opinions on Sidhe nobles. But now? She just wishes she ...well...

The hold is full of music and food and laughter. Which might be why she's gone to take a walk outside. How cans he feel alone in a crowded room?

She does have Flopsy. He helps. But... "Well, I guess everybody gets homesick sometimes," she says to nobody in particular.

And she hears something, a song, it's...beautiful. She doesn't know the words, what they mean, but it's so full of loneliness and ache and beauty.

"Ohh..." She stands very still for a moment, then tries to follow the sound of the singing.

Sylvi finds herself walking towards where water slaps against a rocky patch. She's heard good singers Spencer was wonderful but lightly trained. Tove and her dad are experts. this voice is purer still.

And she finds herself appraoching a girl she thinks? It's hard to tell, long stringy hair, the girl is cross legged, wearing what looks to be tattered garments like one might find in a good will if you look at mortal form. But her voile takes on one of the tribal looks

She has been drawn here...but she hesitates here. She feels as though going closer would...would violate something perfect and pure. She stands still and watches, listens.

How can someone sing two different notes at once and sustain them both? the girl turns, still singing. Sylvi feels the music was over her, until the singer stops. And sylvi snaps out of it a bit...and sees the singer , really sees her this time, The girl's flesh is grayish and desiccated — what skin remains is stretched tight over her bones. Her nose is decayed holes, and her lips have peeled back, exposing yellowed and chipped teeth. Her eyes are pus-filled, runny, and appear to be decaying in their sockets.

Her eyes go wide, and she takes a step back. Some kind of...ice sluagh?

She's never seen a sluagh this ugly.

"Hello," the thing says in a rather lovely voice.

Sylvi swallows. There's nowhere to look at this creature that isn't nauseating...but she does her best. "H-Hello. I did not mean to intrude."

"It's not your fault, it's the magic of my voice," It sounds almost oddly vain only not "You're not running now that you can." That's surprise, "Uhmm.. most folks run by now."

"I'd be lying if I said I weren't considering it." She tries to smile, but it comes out a grimace. May I ask...who and what you are?"

"Well, how about I tell you who and what I am, and then you tell me who and what you are? I..don't meet many people so I don't really know. you are..TALL."

She looks up, and Sylvi realizes that while this girl looks gross to her, it's possible she herself looks rather odd in return.

A slow nod. She doesn't step any closer, and while she doesn't have her blade in hand, her hand isn't far from its hilt.

"Oh," the singer says " I'm Dika-Hannah" She offers a corpse like hand "I know , Native parents right? Get on the pride kick and then next thing you know you have a hyphenated first name. " then "oh, I'm a Pu’gwi...some would ccall me a Bukwan? We're... we're a 'tribe' of Nunehi...though we usually end up being a tribe of one"

Another swallow. Knowing that she's a Nunnehi actually helps...the Baron warned her about the truly hideous ones. She braces herself and steps forward, taking her hand for a careful shake. "I am Sylvi. I'm a troll, from Rivervale Lodge in the Kingdom of Apples. I'm an emissary here for the summer."

"Apples, oh that's the other side of the , well, not the world, the continent i guess, but it's like meeting someone from the the other side of the turtle. Have..have you ever been to New York City? I hear it's amazing... My people are country drawn but I would like to see a Central park, green in the stone... like beauty hidden away. Have you been to the statue of liberty's torch and gazed out on the world there? You'r a troll, the strong ones, the steadfast, I've heard stories. I..sorry, rambling . i ..don't get to talk to many folks."

the hand FEELS almost as bad as it looks, but it doesn't tear off or anything and the grip is dainty, almost demure

She tries to release the hand without communicating disgust. "I have been to both Central Park and the Statue of Liberty, yes. There's lots of other places to go there, too...lots of museums. And...yes, the steadfast...well, I try, anyway."

She notices the discomfort, "You.. you don't have to look straight at my face if it helps," Lowering her lashes, hair falling to obscure a bit, "I suppose it's best I don't go where.. where pretty people go. But I would like to see that sometime." She rises and gestures to the water, her corpse hand elabrate "Before I return to the place of my people. Not that my people want me." She steps onto the water and floats,she's standing on water! "Do you want me to leave? I.. don't mind, but I do like the company."

"No, I...I just need to get used to...well, I must look weird to you, right? Besides, you were here first, and your voice...." She smiles. "I've heard a lot of amazing singers, but nothing like your voice." A pause. "Why don't your people want you?"

"you look weird, but beautiful," She assures with a smile, "And thank you, the voice is...part of us. I hear westernkith have some with musical gifts too. Satyrs? Ours are different but... when we sing, folks are drawn to us, and I know another song, one that can wipe memories...it's..considered a kindness." She walks along the water "Most nunneh are born among tribes of the first nations and stay with tehir people, like you might among school friends back in bergen I'm guessing? But, our tribesman, their legends are wrong they think we lure them away to kill them an eat them. they think we're monsters but...we're not, not That way. Besides? Have you eatten Alaskan? That's a lot of fat, I don't care what color yo uare, you grow up a few generations here you get insulated" A wink that lookss like the cryptkeeper is about to lose an eyeball,but is mean to denote humor "So those that stick around? The..their fae meins aren't seen, but they still get uglier... some of them are driven out, or...'helped' by institutteions that bring the cold to our hearts... then we're ugly AND forgotten ourselves.' She walks rather gracefully on the water "You caan join me on the water if you want. I magiced it"

Dika-Hannah continues "It's not like it was. Though. I have libraries for the internet sometiems, and sometimes watch TV. It's...not as lonely in some ways. And I help the animals. I release game that is caught cruelly, and clear rot from trees beforei t's entirely consumed. I will never be pretty, but I can make things around me prettier, yes? Help the trees and the young beasts"

"I...I can?" Sylvi is used to having to be careful in some non-troll places about whether or not the floor will support her easily. The notion of being able to walk on water is.... "I don't think I'm ready to do that yet," she smiles. "I like the idea of making the world a bit more beautiful. My mother would like that idea, too."

"Well, around me you can, it's medicine.. uhm.. you could call it a cantrip I think?"

"And...your mom sounds nice. Is she aware of your true nature? I mean, you can talk to her? tell her and even if she can't understand she can hold you and tell you she's there and that you are strong and you will make it? That ..that would be nice"

A mutter "Did I just say Nice like that that often? oh wow.. way to impress, Dika-Hannah"

Sylvi smiles. "It's okay. I get stupid-mouth a lot, too. But yeah, my mom's a troll, too. So's my dad. I got really, really lucky, a lot luckier than most fae. I've been raised pretty much in a Freehold, surrounded by fae like me. And...yeah, it is nice."

"It sounds it" She says "I have a million questionss about yur world but that's probably rude. Let me ask about you. Uhm you're an emissary, why does this place need an emissary? Is there like an alliance? Are you being put in an arranged marriage?" Suddenly interested "is the guy cute? or guys? do they have to achieve a quest or pass tests you set for them?"

Sylvi laughs a bit. "No arranged marriage! I'm just...my lodge's Chieftain decided that her Barony would benefit from contacts in other parts of the world, and so I'm helping to make those contacts and learn more about what life is like in other places. And...I'm curious about Nunnehi. I've never met any before coming here, and I'm learning a lot. I never even knew about the...um...Pu'gwi? Am I saying that right?"

"yes! Oh... well, even other Nunehi don't like being around us. We're.. uhm.. well, I mean, you can tell yourself you'll get used to the way I look but trust me, you won't" Shes sitting on the water "But that's okay. You try and I appreciate it. You've come to the right place. This..this is the remnant of the great bridge you know? Not everyone came here by ccrossing it, but so many did. SOme sailed, but during the great cold thousands walked, and they spread south and split and forked like a river breaking into streams... It's from the North that all Nunnehi are chiefly born, no matter what south landers might say " A grin that is..hideous to behold "Imagine, in way I am related to a nanehi, they're so vain they'd freak"

"Wow..." Sylvi looks out across the water, trying to imagine the huge frozen expanse of the ancient land bridge. Then she smiles, "Yeah, my kind-of-cousin is in Tijuana...that's south, in Mexico...and I bet the Nunnehi there wouldn't agree with everything coming from the north. What's a Nanehi?"

"Cherokee related mostly, they are so vain they get caught by their own reflections" She rolls her horrible eyes "So I gues maybe a bit of a grudge there." A pause "Oh, Mexico? the old Empire dreams... skinflayers and more I hear. Pretty gruesome, and I mean in what they did rather than how they look"

A slow nod. "From what I hear, they're pretty violent, yes. But that might not be all of them, but only the ones that Jessica's seen."

"Well, even some of the wises tribes around here, I think you've met them, know to go under the signs of peace. They have to respect some things after all. It was a binding in the last great meeting of the wheel"

A blink. "I don't understand that last part. 'A binding in...?' "

"We have medicine, including Peace Medicine, that all agree to abide to. When Western Kithain took our lands, seized our glades...we were still fighitng each other a great deal. It's why we were easily seized I am told. Thank goodness the sidhe came."

A slightly furrowed brow. "Why? What did the sidhe do?"

"You haven't heard of King Greyhawk? He was the big one, but others helped to. Many of the sidhe had alliances with us in the before times. WHen they came back to what you call conccordia, they took glades back from the western Kithain who had seized them from us. and returned it to us, their allies. That's why so many Nunnehi, weell, 'so many' of those of us left, fought on the sidhe's side. They helped us against the usurpers... I mean. I don't much care myself, it was befoer my time, but I can see why so many nunnehi were grateful when the sidhe came back. we had lost our lands and places of power"

"Oh." Sylvi's quiet a minute. "I never really thought of it that way. I mean...I did...but mostly in terms of the mortal native tribes, not the Nunnehi....." she trails off, thinking.

"We are bound to our tribes, perhaps even more than you are to ..well, not all trolls are scandinavian are they? Not anymore"

"No, though a lot are. But yeah, we're not so connected to the places where our stories were first told...which is why claiming someplace to put down roots was so important. Not always fair...but kind of desperate."

A shrug "I can see that. It's... all so cold now isn't it? and I don't mean the temprature"