#anywhere

Hume coughs "Oh uhm.. " A nervous look,, those fangs seeming to retract

Delores however nods to Vince, then says "Baron.. perhaps another form of green interest? Even our hold produces a great deal of trash"

Vince tilts his head, listening.

Hume looks at the thanes nearby, as if gauging the chances Rollo and Oswald have against this guy, then says "Well, there you go. Redcaps can eat anything. Steward, if you and two of the thanes would show Snortbellow to our trash, once he has eaten the Hawg's equivalent weight in trash and refuse, he gets the Hawg back. He can come in once a day to eat the goal if he can't get it done in one due to the risk of glamour loss. OR .. you can do without your Hawg for 3 months, mister redcap"

"THREE MONTHS?" Oddly, eating trash doesn't seem to be the part that bothers him

"You heard him, Woeflower" Rollo says

"Fine, Fine. I'll eat the trash" A grumble

"I'll eat the trash, your LORDSHIP" Steward Delores says

Vince beams. "That's how it's done!"

"oh, give him the non recyclables first, please?" The Lord adds

"Your lordship" The cap mutters

Delores smiles, and curtseys, "Right away. This way, Mister Woeflower"

"WoeBRINGER" The cap protests but follows

"Yes dear, whatever you say" And off theey go. A thane going with them

One the cap is out of sight, Hume shrinks VISIBLY in the great chair "Whew"

"Well spoken, young Lord. Now, for the next eight hours, and then just 4 more days. I am so glad you have come to give our Lioness a break, and are duly prepared to hold high the crown-ed head."

"FOUR MORE DAYS?" His eyes bug out

"Well, yes. A five day workweek IS customary, is it not? Although, should all cases take this long, we may well go into overtime."

"Do not despair, dearest Delores will bring a boxed lunch."

"I need an aglorhytm to decode pooka" He sighs "Can't be impossible can it?"

"Nothing is impossible, but many things are improbable." Vince offers as clarification.

"Well, it's easier for Fiona, they're fearless" he says

Innish coughs "It helps, but even the baroness blanches a bit at this at times" and he turns over paper work "You need to review these missives"

"Snail mail?" He looks horrorfied

"Afraid so. " Innish says Oh dear lord, the old baron crapped bigger than this boy

He sighs and starts to read.

Nelson pipes up from the corner "The prisoner would like to request ice cream"

Hume puts the papers down and looks over "Fine . Time out is over. A thane will go with you and make sure you get your ice cream. Do not attempt to escape, don't nose around too much, just.. don't. "

"Ice cream? Oh, that sounds lovely. Wait, why are we imprisoning the boy again?"

"Is it a crime of passion? Of fashion? A murder or a robbery?"

"He does not seem the dastard, but looks are ever deceiving."

Innish says "The boy smuggled himself into the hold, hit the baroness and Baron with some odd powder, and our lieges vanished. He abducted them"

"I did not" The boy says "I adventured them, and I was supposed to go too!" Nelson croses his arms

"Where to, young master of Ice Cream?"

"Uhm.. see, for every secret there is a cost" Nelson explains

"I am NOT finding a winged fae steed for you to ride" Hume says "Even if one exists currently whiuch I doubt"

"Oh come on" the little squire protests

"Well, if you would like ice cream, the cost for that may be some of these answers."

"And we DO have the most marvelous flavors."

Nelson appraises "Alabaster hollow.. I sent them there. it's in danger"

"Alabaster? Now, isn't that whence from my own dear Liam and our Librarian both sprung forth, fully formed from that Hold's forehead?"

"How MUCH ice cream are we talking here?" Nelson says

"Yes, he did. They told me" Hume says

"That was Baron August's alamatter"