#anywhere

(At TJ Fenix)

"Okay. so... the knights... are doing sneaky stuff, on our watch" Ariel says. "But how do we find out? "

"Well, we sneak too and see what they're up to."

"Mm could be hard, we're not sluagh..." She ponders "But I did overhear things at the farm"

"I don't suppose you can ORDER them to tell you their business?"

"I could, but that's very rude."

"Besides, we're small. We can hide better than grown ups."

"Huh...what if we grab toys and pretend we're playing where they are?"

"Well... bring toys, and be ready to play if we might get caught."

"Jacks are good..you just throw them down right then and there with a little ball"

"Oh yeah..." She hunts through the toybox for the set.

"I might be a sluagh, in a very clever costume. See, you never even guessed, that's how clever it is."

"I could also be a distracción? She tugs at an ear. "Poor helpless me, needs assistance."

A smile at Salma from Ariel "Sneaky"

"Clever... so. We set up... oh, maybe we pretend it is hide n seek?"

"So... we hide and LISTEN, then... whoever... they go all 'ready or not, here I come!' and we run like crazy for home..."

"Clever!" A grin from the pooka.

"Let's go!" She hugs her two friends.

Then, the little countess takes their hands to haul them off for some Spying!

And the spying goes well...

"The locals adore her," MacTyre says to his friend as they spar in what they thought would be a less active area "I've checked"

The Eiluned Sidhe says "The adored him" His own blade whirls.

"Gelach, how long have we traveled together? I'm not just asking random questions, I use the boon prudently and..." he turns

His eyes fall on a childling's shadow in the hallway

The shadow bounces a ball and sweeps up some jacks!

Mmmm the Gwydion raises a brow "Having fun out there?"

"Hello?"

"Oh, Sir MacTyre! Yes, having fun! Do you play jacks?"

"Not for a very long time I..." His head gets thumped with the flat of Gelach's blade.

From behind.

The Gwydion looks annoyed but sighs "I have my own playmate, and he gets treacherous if ignored"

A flicker of a smile from the Eiluned

"You better go back to dueling then. Maybe we can play later. Ariel, what number is it?"

"Oh, threesies"

And the two men go back to fighting. Quieting for a time

The girls play, apparently quite occupied!

Surely, they're paying no attention to the pair at all... jacks is a fierce game!

And it works.. after a time, Gelach says "you hope too much, my friend. And look too far to the past, there is the here and now..and perhaps tomorrow. Let yesterday go."

It's the most they've heard the Eiluned say

"Letting go of glory is not easy for my kind, my friend. I only did it to hold onto honor" the Gwydion frowns

The girls are not as versed in fighting with swords but it is impressive. The Gwydion is a blur of speed, the Eiluned more hammer and tongs, and yet they both show prowess in their respective styles.

Speed has been what Eleanor was taught - appropriate for her size.

In that case, she realizes that MacTyre is faster and better even than her tutors

Well, these are dangerous men.

Increasingly she is sure they are...

"you say I'm the one trapped in the past, Gelach, but " Clash whirl "I know you still smile at the thought of Brightplume"

And a smile breaks free from the Eiluned "Does not."

She files things away, for later.

The two work up a sweat. Sometimes quieting down when the girls dawdle... but the conversation does drift back "Houseless... very odd but who are we to judge given our own disaffilation?"

"Mmh..we're sidhe. " His Eiluned friend says.