#anywhere

"What beach?"

"Oh sorry, that's just what some of us Call Virginia Beach. Clumsy slang. He's at Virginia beach , working at the PP&P"

"Virginia Beach is about 221 miles as the crow flies" She says

Other kithain come in "Pardon me, got more folks to serve" She moves along "Hello mister hollister, how are yo uthis fine day?"

A grimace.

It does seem a few more kithain have come in. An Eshu trucker, a redcap good ole boy (Not that good), and a Piskey lady.

And Virginia tends to each of them

Dagmar studies the eshu, considering something.

To mortal eyes he looks like a tall Africain American male with graying temples. Naturally to fae ones, his true nature is obvious. His trucker hat has turned into a turban, his already elaborate tattoo in real life now turns golden and writhes like a flame trail along his left arm, no, a comet tail! His eyes are like dark onyx but they glimmer with the light of dusk, or is it dawn? His clothes are far fancier to enchanted vision, yet suited to travel

Piper is practically vibrating with withheld excitement. She might... literally... pop

"Piper?"

Is she upset? About to burst into tears?

"Piper, we can get to the beach I bet. The eshu looks like a traveler..."

She grabs Dagmar's arm and squeals "DID. YOU. HEAR?! A SINGER!"

"Oh! Oh yeah! That's great!" A smile.

"We just need to find a way to the beach. We're already in Virginia, it can't..." Blink. "Did she say, two HUNDRED?"

"Yeah. So - if anybody knows how to get somewhere, that'd be an eshu."

"How to get there, sure, but not necessarily a safe route..." She whispers to Dagmar, so as not to offend by being overheard.

"Can't know if we don't ask."

"Sure, I'll see if I can swing an introduction."

"Maybe he knows wayfare. Or if there's a bus. Or, hell, has a car."

"Right!" Piper wipes her mouth and fingers on a napkin, then moves over, sliding onto a barstool next to the Eshu. "Hi!" She says, with a smile. "Mind if I buy you a drink? Er, a soft drink, that is."

The Eshu is eating, and talking and story telling "... blocking traffic... I swear it was the size of a bull moose and.." He turns and sees PIper, "Well, hello young lady. " A brow "You're buying me a drink? This is different."

"Oh he's too old for you, honey" THe lady piskey says from a corner

Dagmar watches, wide-eyed.

"I'm old ER, not dead" THe Eshu says, "But I admit to being surprised "

Virgina says "AH, this is Piper, she's from Goldfinch in Jersey. PIper, this is Marco Hollister"

"What, can't a girl buy someone a drink without an ulterior motive? Sorry I interrupted your tale, Marco. Pleased to meet you!" She offers her hand.

How does she make it look so EASY?

"Nice to meet you" The Eshu grins and shakes the hand "And you don't have to have an ultier motive, but in some of my stories, tales that begin with a too friendly stranger lead to a man losing his shirt on the side of the road" A grin "But please, you and your friend are free to join me if you wish"

Dagmar continues to work on her dinner, but Piper navigating the ask-the-eshu-quest is fascinating.

Piper turns and waves to Dagmar! Come over here! The gesture exclaims.

A pat at the tabletop You can bring your plate!

She hesitates, purpling a bit before she stands - with her dinner.

"More, I wanted to ask you a question, which may turn into a request, though I don't ask for anything for free, that would be rude. Since I'm taking your time, I might as well whet the whistle I would listen to."

There's an awkward moment as she figures out how to balance it all on one arm before she offers out a blocky blue hand to the eshu. "Hi."

He shakes the much bigger hand "Hello. Please, call me Marco. Have a seat"

"But first, let's hear what happened with the Moose! Oh, this is Dagmar, my friend and quest companion. " Piper moves to give Dagmar space at the table.

A shy smile, and she takes the empty seat. She holds her shoulders as if she's worried about taking up too much room.

"A quest?" Marco grins "Excellent. Quest while you are wilders, dear girls. It is time when the fire in your blood burns hotest"

"Well, our fire is hot, but our trail has gone cold. Our previous escort, one of the finest Rovers know to the silver, had to leave us here - and we just found out that the trail picks up in Virginia beach..."

Nod-nod-nod in agreement!

"Alas, if only there was one to help guide our steps." Her eyes twinkle, "Though perhaps I need to look for wilders, in case any grumps here abouts are only dimmed coals?" A gentle jest, or perhaps a hint of a challenge!

"Oh, Virginia Beach, once you get away from the beach the city, despite its size becomes overly suburban in style for my taste. But it has some moments. Go there all the time I do.. but, it was not a moose, no, it was the size of one. " His eyes sparkle, and he begins to tell an enagaging long winded tail of a wounded hippogriff and his effors to round it up so he could get it medical attention, and how he almost got a DUI because, of course, the police officer who pulled up could not see it. THe story gets weirder as he describes passing all the tests, then did them backwards... while the HIpogriff observed looking more and more impressed

"A hippogriff would be awesome..."

Ah yes, Dagmar hasn't met an animal she doesn't like.

"A magnificent creature, I believe this dream was shaped somewhat by the harry potter films in looks, buckbeak? But credit there, it gave the creature strength. "

The troll makes appropriately impressed noises.

She listens! "I heard a song about a hippogriff, once. I think it was actually inspired by the same dream."

"Now, the officer could not accuse me of being drunk...not after passing the test and then some, but he did look for something to try me on. He searched my rig, and I was used to this. I had nothing to hide. >But as he leaned over, to my surprise, the Hippogriff decided he did not like the officer, and used it's plume head to shove the cop forward into my vehicle!" the story gets wilder... and wilder with the police officer ready to lose his shit as weird stuff happens, and folks start to stop on the road to peek at the officer ranting like a madman... until it ends "And that's how the Officer got a DUI from a passing Sheriff who actually had jurisdiciton .. And I got a hippogriff to safety where it could get the healing it needed." A grin

"Rig? Like a semi?"