#anywhere

The tea was delicious , and Zara finds herself tended to from her few injuries after a rather intense battles. Battle is noisy and loud and sluagh do not like them, but the piskey family has been wonderful, tending to her few wounds with the most wonder treasure 'Bitterbalm tea'... where did the piskeys get it? It fell off a truck they assure her. "You saved our little girl, least we can do" they state.

Healed and rested, word has hit the duchy that the threat is over. It is time for her to sneak to find August and her sister again.

Which for her will be easy.

...of course, there's also the matter of whoever outed her, and started that slander...

Indeed.

She will need sources for that, and as nice as the Burton Piskey familiy is, they don't know much there

"We're just glad it's all over. Wild Chimera were bad enough, but those automatons were a nightmare" The father says

"Carriages, aye."

"And giant metal guards, not sure where THOSE Came from"

"Nocker work."

"Well, whatever nocker did this I hope he or she gets jail time" The mother huffs "or a geas"

"It's all good now, " The father says "Miss Zara is there anything we can get you?"

"If it were not rude to beg for some of this tea to take... oh, a most excellent service, Mister Burton."

"Really? We always found it too bitter save for emergencies, but of course" They give her a small tea bag of bitter balm, two actually, stored carefully "And most welcome, Miss Zara. You helped our little girl"

"Anyone would. But thank you."

"Anyone Should, not everyone would, but you did" The mother smiles

Zara is bidden fare well, and soon steps out into the streets of Toronto

She makes her way to the shops - time for some work. A black wig to conceal her too-distinctive hair. Appropriately shabby thrifted black clothing.

Small changes, but she quickly becomes a remarkably unremarkable sluagh.

Not hard to do, they are a common kith

The sister is sent off to gather news, to hear rumors at court - 1122 is with August, so that is reassuring.

Indeed, she learns much from the network of spiders.

The love sick nocker and Rathbone, RATHBONE of all creatures, are in custody.

The fellow who dictumed her was a balor

Balor.

By the time she gets into the hold she soon learns more... August saved the heir along with Tziporah

Before she gets to the hold, she takes some time to prepare - finding a secluded place, like the back room of a shuttered shop or the basement of a condemned apartment, to quietly work a runic circle. She inks the runes on a strip of white cloth, wrapping the protective words up her arms and around her torso like tefillin.

She will not be dictumed twice.

And thus armored, she will definitely not be. The humiliation of that moment will not be revisited thusly.

Thus girded and anonymized, she ventures back to court - to lurk and linger in shadows, to listen, to be unseen until she knows the situation.

August and the Eshu - love them, but bless - made it hard to slip into obscurity. But Zara, alone? She has done this for years.

Oh, it's a lovely hold, really. With libraries as well as workshops.

And she learns folks are BAFFLED that she escaped

That earns a tiny, private smile.

It is supposed to be impossible. But the impossible has never been out of reach for a witch like her.

She did have help.

And, hopefully, that debt will be addressed. It is summer, after all.

(Perception plus Empathy)

/roll 5

She soon gets a lay of the nature of the people here... and what they think of things

1. August is a hero, despite being a lowly Liam, he has saved the city AND Cauly the heir

2. Tziporah is also a heroine, though her story is less known even to them.

3. The Duke is furious, mostly at himself, for being fooled , and for believing lies.

4. Zara is seen as an innocent wrongfully accused. They're looking for herl.

Zara is not ready to be found.

She saw how quickly they turned on the "witch."

She also hears a heart has broken, one fellow here speaks of a blonde beauty who wooed him.

"And she promised to dance the seven veils for me" He sighs

An amused (but silent) snort.