#anywhere

He smiles at the word 'kiddo' "Well..then .. we can be together, at least some. You gonna visit weekly? Or more? " Hopeful

"I don't know, it.. depends, aye? On the trods, mostly. If I can get there."

"Aye" He says then "I'm sorry I was ..trouble there."

"Maybe... oh, maybe near Earth Runes... "

"Not trouble, no..."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong, not once."

"it doesn't feel like it" a ssigh "But thank you"

"Well, you didn't. And I've never had a little brother before, so I'll have to learn how."

"I might make mistakes, and so might you, but..." A shrug. "That doesn't make either one of us bad, nu?"

"No, I guess not" He says

Then nods "It doesn't make us bad at all" Firmer now

"Just.. messed up and a little broken."

"Sluagh like a little broken... and we can clean the mess " He assures and takes her hand then "Earl seems cooll his paintings are super awesome. Why didn't you tell me he was interesting?"

"Because that's my secret. I like to keep him in my pocket."

"oh. I won't tell" he says VERY sincerely. Unsained or not, he has a sluagh's instincts

"I like how I got to know all about him. And I look forward to learning about you."

"Well, you realize if he breaks your heart, mom's gonna put him in a threshing machine, right?"

"Aye."

"So long as you know" her brother says

"Well, I will try to talk her down."

She draws her knees up to her chest. "I love her so much. I looked so hard for her."

"Like you both looked for me. You're like a hero witch or something"

"I am a witch, yes." A smile.

"can I be a wizard?"

"Aye, with practice."

"Neat. Wizards are cooler than witches"

"Pbbt. Are not."

"So totally.. Merlin? Dubmbledore, Gandalf... all the best magic users are wizards"

the seven year old say "And witches get tiny huts... wizards get cool tall crooked towers"

"Wrong. Galadriel. Elphaba. Polgara."

"Baba Yaga."

"Who is Polgara and Baba Yaga?" He says

"And Elphaba went down with water" Finger snap..that is surprisingly quiet. "I can't even make my finger snaps loud now?"

"Who is Baba Yaga? Oh! Grandmother! The Great Witch of the Urals, the firebird-tamer, the mortar-rider, she of the hut on fowl's legs - who is Baba Yaga, says he?"

"Well, it sounds like a silly name" he says TRYING not to be impressed

"Baba Yaga is the oldest old thing. Baba Yaga could pluck out your heart and eat it with turnips."

He pauses, "yeah well, so could a ..what're they called, redcaps"

"Oh, even redcaps fear Baba Yaga!"

"Fear and respect!"

"Well.. she still only has a hut and not a tower. I heard you said so"

"A magical one, that walks on fifty foot legs!"

"Wel... okay.. I GUESS she's 'okay' " He makes a gesture of middlin

"Feh. 'Okay,' says he. O-kay."

"Well, she's no Merlin" he says

"Merlin was defeated by Nimue."

"...a witch."

"...."

Sour face

She pets his hair. "It's alright."

"Feh" it would appear that's a word he'll be adopting.