#anywhere

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At the Farm...

Sylvi is in the kitchen, preparing a cup of tea for Agnes...with a little Spring thrown in. It won't do much but make things...a bit easier, for while she is here.

Agnes looks about "All this fuss. Back in my day they let you fall over and feed the fire in peace.... waste of our resources this is. All this fuss"

(Why are there So Many apple cakes?)

Loads and LOADS of Apple cakes

"Doesn't seem like it's a fuss." She offers the tea over carefully. "Careful, it might still be pretty hot."

She takes it, and blows on it weakly "You're a good girl, Sylvi"

"I have had a lot of good role models, Ma'am."

"Yes yes you did. " She sips "mm see what you meant. Still, heat in these old bones feels fine"

"Do you think you could eat a bit of apple cake? There's...a lot."

"Oh, that's Zara's doing... you can smell the new york in it, but it's not a bad thing .. I'll try a piece" She looks tired but will give it a go

"Whether it's a bad thing is debatable; you're talking to a Jersey Girl, remember." Sylvi cuts a very small piece and passes it to her.

"Mm mm yes, I do recall. You're all yankees to us, but I won't hold that against you" She looks at the fire not so far "Spent too much time in my life building up scales on my eyes. Even hate. Hard to find that balance tween caution and bigotry the older you git it feels ..." her fingers fumble and the pie slice starts to fall

Sylvi is close by and manages to catch and support her plate. "I don't want to insult you, but can I feed you a bit?"

"I'm not insulted. I'm ashamed. Getting to be a damn invalid"

Sylvi carefully feeds her a bit. "I kind of have a theory about that, if you don't mind me sharing?"

"Getting your mountain on?" She asks between bites

"Oh, heck, no. Just some stuff I've been thinking about. I mean, it's hard to figure out why life has to work this way, with the whole weakening before passing. But maybe that's how Da'an teaches us about how to be compassionate? Like, if nobody was ever weak, nobody else would learn how to be kind?"

"You might be right. Trolls use of strength is drilled in us all our life, dealing with weakness is another challenge"

"So no more feeling ashamed. You're in battle, and you're a badass warrior."

"Ain't no storm, young lady, but your'e right that Hearth aren't to be tangled with. Look after Kourney now and then will you? I don't know if she's ready, but... then.. neither was I" She looks thoughtful "World didn't care we were young, didn't much care we didn't know half what we thought. It came at us anyway. Time of want, then time of war, and we tried to turn it into a time of growth. I... gave everything I had to this place I thought, but, well, there's one thing left to give. Still, I don't cotton to being weak. Better to end it on my own terms I think"

Sylvi is quiet a moment as she gives Agnes another small piece of apple cake. Then she says, "You're sure there's no other good way? I respect this if it's what you want, but I think we're all being selfish in thinking that we'd prefer if you didn't have to go."

The old woman grows stony "I have to set the right example. We've lost so many of our ways. Need to hold onto a few. Sides, it'll strengthen the bale. It always does"

The bale is powerful , blazing strong. One of the biggest she's seen

She frowns. "I never asked...how many DeBukes have fed the Flame?"

"Total of ..." She focuses ... "I..."

a frown then fihnally with effort "Four"

"Four. And the last one no time recently. And the Fire is, well, intense. I gotta ask, did you ever check with the Fire if this is what it wants? What it needs? Maybe it is, but...it's not a time of famine now."

For a moment the old woman looks stunned, and then she shakes her head "no no... if I ask it of others in the future, what kind of two face would it be to run now?"

"Check with the Fire," she urges.

"You still have some connection, don't you?"

"Or, ask the Chieftain. Or I can, so it doesn't look like it's coming from you?"

"Course I do... I... " She frowns "Young lady, I'm dying soon anyway. I'm walking away from the fire light and forgetting myself. Onlything keeping me from not needing a wheel chair is troll strength... "

Sylvi shrugs as she prepares another small forkful of cake. "Well, if you're afraid of what the Fire might say, I guess I can understand not wanting to know...." She offers the bite of cake.

She bites it, then gives a look "What's next, you double dog dare me? Don't try to play my pride against me. I was Hearth Guilt tripping afore your MAMA was a gleam in her father's eye"

"I was more trying to prick your curiosity, but if pride works, sure." Another shrug. She doesn't seem particularly intimidated, but she does add, "...Ma'am."

"Mmmph if I wanted curiosity I'd take lessons from Zara" Said oddly fondly "She's Earl's wife you know? She don't call it that... but " confidentally "She's still a DeBuke now. Only fair, she corrupted us first"

Sylvi grins. "I like her. Creepy sometimes, but in a kind of classy way, y'know? I wouldn't want to make her mad."

"I first met her at Firnost, back when I was still a childling. Not long before I came to the Farm that summer."

"Gerd adores her, and Siv considers her a friend. They also call her 'the troll whisperer'.. or maybe that's that Symon boy"

"Symon's great. Between you and me, he's done a lot of great stuff that he doesn't want the credit for. He wants to stay unnoticed as much as possible. But he's been pretty heroic."

"Well, if it helps him, I'll pretend I don't notice his halo" a bit of humor

"That's kind of you," Sylvi says with a bit of laughter. Then she leans close and whisper, "Talk to the Fire. Ask what it wants."

"I should grab you by a horn and twist"

"Yes'm," she says, not at all contrite. "More cake?"

"yes, please"

And she feeds Agnes another small bite. ((And her player eventually remembers to hit "enter"))

"mm girl knows her applework"

"It's funny to think of a sluagh being so good at cooking fresh food. When I think sluagh-food, I think the stuff my mom keeps aside in a cabinet to age for sluagh guests."