#anywhere

Bertrand looks up at the much MUCH taller woman, "I appreciate you coming all this way, Miss Clem but shoot, weren't that long since Kelby passed and.." The boy looks away

"I know, I know, it hurts " Clem says "But Bert, we're trolls or at least troll blooded 9 out of 10, and whiel we have boggans nearby, and dreaming help us a small clatch of redcaps we have to step on nwo and then, we don't have hardly any nockers. Mara's a DeBuke, and we take care of our own- THAT won't change" Firm "But part of taking care is making sure they get what they need. And she needs a few nockers to talk to, learn from."

"She's older than me," Bert reminds "Might be odd me telling her what's what"

"Well, you've been a nocker longer so in that way you're her senior, and I don't expect you to mentor her long per se, but maybe help her out? Let her get a feel?" Clem says

"What's her craft?" The boy asks

"Well, after she fixed the tractor, we got her to work on the truck. Now the dishwasher seems less interesting to her ..." Clem starts to state.

Bert stares at her, "You're telling her dream is to be the furking maytag repairman???"

Clem blinks "Beg your pardon? NO. Bert, we all chip in at the farm. Each provide something."

"That aint' how it works with nockers, least not most of us... what we do is we find what we love, what we can't help but be... then we get to be the best at itk, and folks NEED us even if they didn't know it. Now some nockers are jack of all trade types but even they have to feel inspired, interested.. you can't just tell a nocker 'today you'll be creative about dishwashers'...grinds our gears!"

"Well, trolls are often told who they need to guard or what they need to lift so it seems..." Clem says, feeling odd arguing with a boy so young...

"Seems nothing" Bert explains, "Miss Clem, My brother's into computers... Me? I'm into glass blowing.. not exactly similar animals! I got an uncle who mines and says he's been to the Hollow Earth of the Dreaming where he rode a triceritops named Binky. You try to make HIM into a tractor repair man, he'd make a mole machine and dig his way to freedom he would. And my parents, if they tried to get me to stop working glass? Well, I'd love em, but I'd walk... become a lost boy type changeling and make my way. Only way to stay true to my dreams and my honor"

"How is it honorable to haul off from your family? Just because you have different dreams doesn't mean that..." She pauses... and thinks of her favorite cousin, one who wouldn't visit the farm nearly as much if it wasn't to protect the woman he loves "Oh lord. She's like Earl."

"She does creepy arse drawin'?" Bert says confused

"No I mean..." Clem sighs "WE ..did not always understand Earl...."

"Well, who does?" the boy says

Clem continues rather than answer that Zara did and does "And pert near drove him off. He's a good man. But we tried to make him something he wasn't, and ... well, it nearly cost us him. Sounds like you're saying we might do the same to Mara."

"Well, yeah," The young man says "Aint' fair to keep a nocker from his..well, her calling. You got to let her find out what it is, then support her, or she'll never be happy."

"Seems tro be when she's nockering she curses and kicks and spits a lot at what she's working on.." Clem says dubiously

"Oh then she was happy" He assures "Happiness is the sting of your boot getting your genius done!"

"Someone should write up a t shirt" She says at his comment, then "Thank you, Bert, and please think about coming over as our guest. I know it's selfish, but we surely could use the help."

"You ought to take her to Fenix" the boy says.

"What? I have kin there but he's no nocker" She says.

He sighs "The Co-op? The Reinieasance Consortium of TInkers, thinkers, and wrenchwenches? Why it's already come to be near legend. They got this device what makes a man milk.... gives me the shivers but..."

Clem blinks "I know of it. I was there .. .Tweak.. oh wow. I.. " A wince "Not sure that's an influence I'm ready for on her"

"Well it is the deep end of the pool," The boy says "Not sayign she needs to live there, but I'm saying you seem to be going to Kabul when Mecca is THAT way"

"Well, Bert. invite stays open, but thank you regardless. You've given me a lot to ponder" Clem says and shakes his hand.

"No problem, miss Clem." he shakes her large mit. "Hope it all works out regardless for her."

"me too," Clem says "Me too"

................