#anywhere

"Go home, don't tell them what you saw in the soup, but do tell them what I told you . "

"The soup. Right." And then, she can't help but ask, "I heard that where the... where Zane's bomb went off, that a tree grew there..."

"It did" Emmit says "Naturally we're all clutching our little blue pearls about it."

Deadpan

She tries not to let a grin slip as she thinks, from what i've heard, those pearls are not what I'd call "little"... A cough. "Well. We've taken enough of your time. Thank you, Mountain Emmit."

And a pause to see if Adam had anything more to add.

Adam is frowning a thinking frown, bit shakes his head. Nothing to add.

"If you're hungry or thirsty, feel free to stop by the Hearth"

A nod, and she looks to Adam - her forehead wrinkles, trying to remember if she met the Hearth here. "I know the Chieftain is Clem, and Sallie Mae helps out over at Rivervale - can't remember if I've met the Hearth. Have you?"

Emmit smiles, "Farm house, Hearth Agnes is not easy to miss."

"None of y'all are, if you don't mind me saying so." And a grin, meaning it as a compliment. "Ready, Adam?"

"Yeah, uh, yes." He offers Emmit a bow
"Thank you, sir."

A wince, "No bowing here, lad, we're not nobles. But you're welcome"

"Oh. Sorry, sir."

"It's all right, we're modernists.." He waves them off

She nods and waves, starting towards where she remembers the main building being, and then she draws Adam aside, heading towards a particular pathway she remembers. "See that field over there? That's where I threw Zane's bomb. You should have seen those raiders going at it..." Giving the juicy details as she heads that way.

Adam looks at the tree there now. "Is that the tree you mentioned?"

The tree in question has a small fence around it and an old woman with a chimerical shot gun on a bench nearby.

Adam seems to be considering going for it.

The old woman who does not seem to feel the cold, eyes Adam.

"Just move on, young man. The pomengranites are off limits"

"Yes, ma'am." Adam knows when he's lost the element of surprise. He moves on to the kitchen with Piper.

And into the farmhouse they go... the balefire here makes the one at the lodge seem small, it roars in the Franklin stove. And a troll of vernerable years looks over from her knitting in the otherwise empty room, "Welcome. I'm Hearth Agnes. "

Adam starts to Bow, remembers, and it becomes and arrested head duck.

"Thank you, young man. Adam, right? Been told about you. " IT's nice and warm in here "You two youngsters here for food and drink, help with some clothing, advice, or do you find your hands too idle?"

She gives a smile to the Hearth. "Pleasure meeting you, Hearth. Mountain Emmit sent us your way. Something to drink would be awful nice. If you're busy and don't mind, I can grab a glass of water if you point the way." Not wanting to put the old lady out of her comfortable spot by the fire.

"No trouble young woman, just water then? Well, it's best for you" She rises despite Piper's intent to spare her that, "let me show you where the indoor pump is. " And she gets a glass, which to a troll would be a smaller glass, but clear isn't for satyrs "And yourself, Adam?"

"Both, ma'am. That is, a drink of water.... and some idle time."

"Not just this minute but.... sometimes."

She leads them to the pump, and shows them how it works. Oddly, there's a kitchen sink, but she uses the indoor pump, "Idle time gets solved around here at my whim, far warning. " She pumps and shows them each a glass of some of the purest seeming water they've ever noticed. It FEELS pure.

"I'm not afraid." He drinks "Wow, this is really good!"

"Well water, cradled by the very grounds of this farm," The hearth says proudly, "You won't likely find water this good in many places."

She looks to Piper, "How are you doing, Piper?"

She accepts the glass and takes a sip, and then a longer drink. "That IS good water. Bottle it up and it would rival anything on the market. ...I'm doing... better than before we talked to the Mountain. I'm still worried about Zane, but in a different way. I think he can handle himself on a Quest, which is less scary that just "My cousin ran off to join the merchant marines" or whatever he thought would tick his dad off the most."

"I never did hear... what WERE those raiders after when they tried to sneak in during the dragon attack? No offense, but even as tasty as the water is, I doubt they were here for that. Crops, maybe?" But she sounds doubtful.

"Seizing the balefire if they could." She says "Steal some treasures at the least. We're obliged young woman"

And a snort "Emmit's apprentices get into danger, usually of their own, but he's like a mother hen about it, clucking in his nest while they think he doesn't know"

A scowl. "I hope you spun them around until they couldn't even see straight then dragged them by their toes back to whatever hole they came from."

"And then seal them up in it with concrete if they've not learned by then."

"After we hosed them off you mean?" A brow "Though I do like your suggestions"

A laugh! "Oh, that wasn't punishment. Not really, as I see it." A sly grin.

"If Zane bottled that energy up, he could sell it as instant party juice."

Adam has a wide grin on his face. He CONTROLS himself however, drinking his water.

"In a sense he has," The older woman shakes her head, "Got to guard the pomegranates."

"Um... Is there any chance I could get one of those?" Adding, "For personal use only, of course." Hopeful!

"If it were up to me, young lady, I'd have the tree chopped down and turned into kindling but Freya only knows what the smoke would do"

Looking alarmed. "Oh, don't do that! It's like... a wonder of the dreaming! Just because it's not to your flavor... Maybe it could be transplanted? I bet there are places that would love such a thing. Maybe a Fiona hold?"

"I could ask Siv to ask her mentors..." Her cheeks pink a little at the mention of the trolless.

Then quickly adds, "Not that I'd tell anyone to come here. I know you keep the Farmhold on the downlow."

Making the motion of locking lips with a key, and tucking it in a pocket.