#anywhere

Somewhere, wherever Siv might be, her phone rings.

"Hello?" Siv checks the number

"Hey, Captain! It's Piper. How's it hanging?"

"Hey, girl, long time no see. Oh, doing okay, got into trouble, got caught, learning my lesson, getting into new trouble. You?"

A pause, and a bit of a laugh. "You know, same here. What's life without a bit of trouble to liven it up? Are they keeping you busy over there?"

"You've no idea... duels, tests, investigations, often with a party to go with it. Fiona do love their parties."

"Oh... well, that's better than being bored out of your tits? Except for the recent craziness, I've been almost bored enough to pull my curls straight."

"You kidding? Piper, you are a gorgeous intelligent warm lass with a pretty bitching figure... I would have thought the party would come to you"

"Except we're not supposed to be out partying, remember?" A slightly petulant tone, though she laughs through it. "Listen, I was wondering if you had a little free time, we could meet up for coffee or something? Could use a little girl chat."

"Where do you want to be?" Siv asks

A soft, "Argh! Meet up for coffee... it's not like coffee is OPEN." A snort. "Sorry, this Brave New World is one I'm still not used to. Umm... where would be a good for you?"

"I don't even especially like coffee. But I do miss Starbucks..."

"You able to travel here to Earth Runes?" A question

A thoughtful pause, mmm. "That's not too far from Firnost, is it? I've been there once."

"Hmm it's all relative I suppose. Tell you what, let me give you some directions. It's a long walk for coffee, but Jack's bar is open and I think a challenge might delight you right now"

"A bar, eh?" She can hear the grin in her tone. "Sure, I'm up for an adventure."

"Good. I'll wait here for you, make it in the next hour, and I buy the first drink" Instructions are given, which trods to take etc, then after that "Ready... set..."

"Go!" A beep as she ends the call. A moment to scrawl a note "Gone to visit Siv - back later, ❤️ - P" That she leaves on her desk, and then she's clipping out the door at all due haste towards the nearest known trod portal!

And off she goes... okay, mistakes were made.

but after the toilet incident, she eventually gets on the right path

(Off to Earth Runes)

....
(From the Lodge...)

She takes Adam's hand, and walks with him, not really paying much attention to their direction. "How have you been? Since... the thing?"

A deep breath. "Ok. Chief came over and made us all sit down and talk. Dad and I aren't settled yet but closer. Mom and I are good. Lily's a pain in the ass. So. Back to normal."

She lifts his hand in hers, and looks at the fingers. A wince at the small rings of scar tissue where they were put back on, and she raises it to kiss lightly. "But how are YOU?"

"Fine." He seems unconcerned. "They wanted me to take the money from Lola and Leya so... I did." A shrug. "Gave it to dad."

She stops her movement and tugs at his hand. "No, not how are them or your family. I'm asking about you. What happened was... crazy! Insane!"

Adam stops as well and looks at her, puzzled. "Says the girl with goat legs?"

"I mean....everything is crazy and insane. I'm just going with the flow. He was a bad dude, and... I didn't like how I felt when we, you know, swapped but.... everything turned out ok, right?"

"Piper... -is- something wrong?"

She drops his hand and turns away, taking a breath and centering for a moment. "He wasn't just a bad dude. He STOLE your body, and could have killed Jack and Torin, and he could have been the cold winter's death of all of us if he killed the balefire, and you... don't think that's something wrong?"

"But he didn't." He follows her; he wants to hold her but doesn't, yet. "And he won't be able to do it, ever. Was he wrong? Bad, evil? Hell yes! But he's -gone-."

She turns back and has tears brimming in her eyes. "Why wouldn't you come back with us? When Zane said we needed you? Why did you make him have to witch you to do it?"

"Piper?" Her tears alarm him, but he answers. "We didn't have a car, and on my best day I couldn't keep up with you guys. And .... that wasn't my best day. I hurt myself getting out of the dumpster. I -tried- to warn everyone."

"You said you had to stay with that... that old lady. The mortal." She shakes her head. "We needed you then... she didn't need you - not like we did..."

"Didi?"

Adam seems at an honest loss. "I... Piper, I called you to warn you, like twice. And my folks too. My dad blew me off and Lily.... never mind. And I called the Lodge, like, three times? I think. And I -talked- to Jack there and he said he'd warn people but I guess he didn't get the chance? And... I promised her I'd take care of her. Didi."

"Seriously, Piper, what can -I- do that you... Fae, you know... can't? Especially to save a Balefire? I was getting confused and forgetting and everything hurt. How the hell was I supposed to help you?" He doesn't sound angry, just... lost.

"Just.. you could have listened." Her shoulders droop. "When WE needed you. I don't... I don't understand."

"Piper, can I hold you?"

She has hesitated for a few moments. "Are you mad? At Zane - for cantripping you?"

"No." blink.

She sighs and looks out into the night. "I'm... I'm sorry Adam. I'm just... shaken up, I think. I don't know how you're so calm about all this."

"Well... it's over. Isn't it? The Balefire's ok, everyone is healed, the bad guy's gone?"

"They should have killed him." She says, softly. A glance up at Adam. "I'm glad they didn't hurt YOU when he was in there, though."

A bright grin. "Me too!"

She sighs. "I don't understand how you are so... cheerful about it all. Sure, we won, but... people were hurt. And what if he gets out again? He's a wizard - who knows how long he'll live? He could come back... decades later, maybe, but holding a grudge against whoever holds the Lodge then. Even Jude doesn't imprison people forever." Her tone bleak. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Piper, how can I make it better? What do you need?"

"A time machine?" She snaps, then shows immediate regret. "Time, I mean. I just need some time."

"Oh.... Ok." Hesitant.

"You know... you should know by now, us satyrs are up and down like the tides." A small smile. "Just... let me settle out, okay?"