#anywhere

"Zane's been hard to pin down. He threw a bash a month ago.. but truth I've not seen him so much" Siv answers

"Now that Basil has been sained, I bet he's raring to go on adventures. Maybe the two of them could buddy up." Viola comments. "And tell Bas that he's always welcome here if travels bring him to the west coast. Zane too, but he should already know that."

"Maybe I'll offer them a lift to vist in the Narwhal?" Siv ponders "Basil's still very big in BLM and other protests."

"Be careful with that," Vera says, half-joking. "You start offering to transport the fam, and next thing you know, you're running a full time goat shuttle. Satyrs are clannish and you'd be surprised how far our 'cousins' stretch." A grin.

"I could charge fare?" Siv flutters her lashes dramatically

"You might get the Knight's Heart union after you." Vera chuckles. "They've spread through San Fran, and let me tell you, it's great to have an option you can trust for transport, definitely beats paying for parking downtown. I heard they're working on a way to fuddle the tolls, too!"

"Good lord, it's here too?" A gasp "Sally Mae must be .." A choke sound "Pardon. I hadn't realized it spread so far"

Jonas looks at Siv "Trouble?"

"Oh, far from it"

"I think it's great that there is a service like this around. Sometimes you need a ride, and you just can't tell what sort of person might be in the front seat of a cab. Sometimes it's a fun eclectic sort, other times, a guy who's been driving 80 hour weeks on Uber and Lyft and still not making ends meet, it can be depressing." Piper nods seriously. "I had though about asking Eden if they needed another driver, but-"

"But you remembered how many times it took you to pass your driving test?" Viola says sweetly?

Piper rolls her eyes, "BUT, I've had a full schedule lately, I was going to say."

"It certainly helps the changeling community" Jonas says, tthen clarifies "I mean the service, not Piper trying to drive"

a twitch of a smile on his face

Piper HUFFS.

Siv fights a snort, then hugs Piper "there there"

And relents into a smile. "Does that mean you're going to let me steer the Narwhal on the way back?"

"Maybe on open water I'll le you turn the Narwhal's wheel" She offers

"So gracious of you." Piper grins.

"Not hurrying back so soon?" Viola says with surprise. Vera adds, "Yes, you only just got here. We have your room all set up just as you left it..."

This is one thing Siv might have set up in advance , the right gesturre from Piper meaning 'help?' and she'll make an excuse, but she's willing to accept then another sign given and Siv's got her back there too

Piper glances to Siv, but after a moment, she responds without asking for backup. "Of course I've missed you, Mom, Mama. But one of the perks of dating a Lady Captain is that she can bring me for a visit practically any time."

"Visits are all well and good, but...." Vera hems. "You're not still feeling anxious about being so near Ardent Harbor, are you?"

Viola adds, "Yes, now that you've settled things and feel more yourself, we're ready for you to come back home. You can't rely on the Wayburton's forever, and you're a Cali girl at heart. Of course, your lovers can visit." She says, as though it's a done deal.

Now Piper's hand tugs nervously at her curls, signallng Siv. Help??

"Oh, Viola, Vera, please," Siv steps forward, "Please you must think me selfish, but Piper has become a part of my life. I hers, and Jonas, three is an odd number to some, but no less... no less meaningful for us" a breath, "I wouldn't want her taken away. Why the three of us have practically moved in together. She's made a home in Rivervale"

"We wouldn't judge her if it was one, two, three, or thirty seven." Vera responds, and Viola says, "Not enough hours in the day, for that." Is that the voice of experience there?!

Vera says, "If Piper is certain.... well, just know your room is always open for you, honey, if anything changes." "...No questions asked, we're here for you." Viola finishes, with the ease of two ladies who have long known each other's minds very well..

Jonas ponders "Perhaps, sometime, when things are less in flux for us, you ladies might want to come to Rivervale and visit your daughter there?"

Piper beams at them both. "Siv is right. I will always love California, but Rivervale has a way or worming into your heart. My home is with Siv and Jonas, and I think they feel the same about RV as I do."

"It's my home port" Siv nods, "But I do understand about family, and we should visit you, or at least drop Piper off now and then mroe often than we have. "

"Having a home port is all well and good," Vera responds, "But you have to understand that she may still be stirred to visit other ports of call. And I don't want her to end up stranded and heart-broken if she does, and finds that there's no longer a ship to take her home again."

Viola tsks, "Vee, you don't have to.. " "I think I do, Vi. Piper's been hurt enough, without her digging herself into a well of future pain." Vera finishes, sitting back from the table.

"Mom!" Piper is red now, with embarassment. "I LOVE Siv and Jonas. It's not LIKE I'm just using them and am going to... to cat around!"

SIV looks slapped

"I don't keep slaves, Miss Vera. I liberate them," Her jaw sets, "Pardon me, I need to use the rest room" She rises

And assuming she's been told where to find it, she heads off

Jonas frowns at Vera, but does not say anything

Vera frowns, but doesn't back down. "That's not what I meant." She looks to Jonas. "Trolls are strong and loyal, no one disputes that. But if you feel your trust is betrayed, a trolls wrath is fearsome. That puts any lover of yours only one night of followed passion away from danger."

"Momma!" Red now with anger - "I told you and I will repeat - I LOVE them-"

Vera retorts, "And you loved that kinain boy, didn't you? And that Fiona lord that you insisted understood you? And do I need to mention Rand and Tris-"

"VERA!" Viola now stands up, and shakes a finger at her. "That is QUITE enough." Her voice raised now.

The country-gal satyr locks eyes with her wife, and then pushes her chair back and disappears into the kitchen. The sound of dishes clattering... and Viola turns back to the others.

"I'm so sorry, Jonas. Vera's heart is in the right place, but... oh, come on now Pippy, she didn't mean that." As Piper is now rubbing at the tears that stream down her cheeks.

Siv is already gone. Jonas however, well, his brow goes up and up as Vera goes on. Finally, he moves to Piper and hugs her, even as he listens to Viola, "Viola, if Siv were as unable to control her 'trollish wrath' when she felt dishonored as your wife thinks, she wouldn't have extracted herself from this situation. " To Piper he says gently, "Hey, it's all right. It's okay. Your mothers love you, and trolls don't have a monopoly on being over protective. Siv knows that, and she'll be back out. And you, you don't owe anyone an apology for what you have now. What WE have now"

Viola reaches over and lightly wipes at Piper's face with a clean napkin. "She's blunt - no, that was straight out uncivil of Vera. But it comes from a place of love. She's worried so much about you. Your momma just doesn't want you to get hurt again."

Piper squeezes Jonas tightly, and whispers to him, "thank you". To Viola, she sniffles and nods. "I know, mama. And I know I can't predict the future, but if I were to avoid everything that might end up getting someone hurt, I'd never live. No one knows that might happen tomorrow, but I love my triad NOW, and that's what matters."

To Jonas, "I think maybe we should go now..."

At that motion, Siv comes out "Miss Vera, I thinnk we should set somethings straight! You can typecast us by kith as much as you want, but you do not get to defie who we are or or what our love is and..." A blink , she looks around "And she's not here anymore?"

Piper shakes her head.

Viola has started tidying up the table, and is wrapping a platter of leftovers. "Here, take some of this, it's much more than we can do justice to ourselves." She offers a bundle to Siv. "I'm sorry about Vera. And I can tell you she'll be sorry too, once she gets her goat back under rein and realizes that she's the one saying things that might hurt our girl." A smile to Siv and Jonas. "It hurts to see that she's not our lil' girl anymore, and she's her own Wilder now and has to make her own mistakes. Not that I think either of you are that."

"Well, now I feel foolish" Siv admits then sighs "Vera means well, Viola, but I have to wonde... when you and she first hooked up, did YOU two have it all figued out?"

"Oh, Good LORD no." Viola laughs. "We thought it was a one night stand until we met up again at the next music festival. It wasn't until the third coincidence that she realized I was cooking the schedule to make it happen, and still from then, we've had our up and downs. Some REAL whoppers."

"Please remind her of that" Siv helps with the platter, but moves to PIper "HeyPiper. I'm sorry I went to the bathroom, but ... I was about to say some very impolite things. You okay?"

"I'm okay." She says, even seems mostly convinced of it. "Momma always does say whatever's on her mind."

Vera adds, dryly, "I used to say that they'd put up a chickenwire cage at the Grand ol Opry if she played there, just to protect her from the crowd if they let her get a few words in edgewise."

Siv raises a brow "You sure it's not to protect the crowd from her?" A sigh "Sorry, not productive. Thank you both for the fine food"

And Siv finds that she's being given a hug by Viola. "Don't let her drive you off, okay? Please come back to visit another time if you can. I'll talk to her."

Siv blinks, then hugs her back "Well, I know she's a good person, because you didnn't make Piper the wonderful person SHE is alone. I'll get over it."

Viola wipes her own eyes a bit and she hugs Jonas next, and finally gives a fierce embrace to Piper. "You call us soon, you hear? And we'll make plans to do something for Thanksgiving, or Yule, promise?" Piper nods. "I promise, Mama."

Jonas returned the hug of course

but both trolls nod as Piper gets her hug, they wait

They are almost out the door - well, actually they are out the door, and about to turn onto the sidewalk, before a voice calls after them, and Vera trots out with a bag. "Hold up there..." and she adds, "Please."

Piper glances to Siv..

Siv nods to Piper. She might be angry with Vera, but she's still a Fiona, and love between family is also sacred

Vera steps forward, and offers out a bag. "Here's some of your CDs, and a few notebooks of music you were working on. And the blanket that your Nana knit for you when you were a baby. I figured you might want to put it up in your new home." To Siv, she offers, "There's an album in there too. Pictures of the fam. Take a few pictures of you three and bring them by when you visit next, we'll add them to our copy."

Siv nods slowly, "That's nice of you, Vera."

Jonas grunt/nods

"Well. Safe travels." She nods shortly and clips back inside. Viola's voice might be heard, "Now, was that so hard?" before the door closes.

Piper stifles a bit of a nervous laugh. "Parents, I guess..." And gives Siv a worried look as they start walking.