#anywhere

Tziporah seems fine - but Ruz?

LONG gone.

Rumors are she came here to issue a warning but soon went back out in a fury.

She finds hiding places near the kitchens and laundries - boggan gossip is always invaluable - and takes care about remaining unseen. There had been a sluagh, earlier - the one who she suspects made her, one who is likely in a Balor's employ. Of course, if he's smart, he's already fled.

She doesn't find that one.

But the boggan gossip flows like wine at a festival.

(Anything particular she wants to listen for?)

Balor rumors, in particular.

The BIG news is Rathbone. Apparently she was a tyrant in what is now Fenix before the Flamefree helped end her rule and attempt to butcher pooka. Now shes in a coma of some sort and Darespark was in love with her. Tragic when nobles use a commoner's heart as a pawn

Actual love?

Hard to say, one sided say the boggans

"that horrid woman used that Catcombe.. but no escaping the damage Darespark did to all. Stealing chystalids"

"Darespark wasn't nice herself, very pookaphobic" Another says

The dictuming Balor - the one who had pretended to be a Dougal - he had his lover, but any retainers who might still be at the hold?

The boggans are worried about that... and figure the Duke is already investigating Nathair's apprentice. After all, Dougals often have those.

The apprentice in question IS a childling, an ant pooka.

Pooka? Rather ironic, considering.

Worth investigating further.

They find the boy is under watch, not in a prison, but rather his own small room. He is a suspect who cannot tell the truth. Frustrating for all.

Zara sees a thane troll woman on guard.

Inside the room, the poor little ant boy is building a gallows out of legos.

Zara investigates the containment - seeing if there are magical restraints beyond the obvious thane.

Nope, none. Just a childiling...

who can turn to an insect anytime no one is watching

...sigh.

Best way INTO his room?

Window no doubt. Small but she could slip in easily

So it goes.

And she slips in, and the boy notices her not. His gallows lego is really good

"This doesn't seem much fun."

"Well, the crowd will cheer" the boy says glumly not looking up.

"In Victorian times, they would sell off the gallows-rope by the inch as souvenirs."

"Really?" the boy will look up curiously

"Aye. And a'times, they would make commemorative ceramic figurines of especially infamous murderers."

The boy looks intrigued, "I could be an action figure?"

"Wouldst that please?"

The boy looks troubled "Well, sometimes you can take a bad action figurfe, and pretend it is a good guy, so ... if like an action figure was bad because folks said he worked for a bad guy,, maybe some day someone else could play with him as a good boy..er guy anyway"

"You ever see Transformers?"

"The movies with the giant robots and Optimus Prime is the hero who fights sideby side with the autobots against megatron and the decepticans and they change into cars and plans and stuff? Never heard of it" the pooka beams

"There are cartoons, too. There's one character, named Jetfire. He has an action figure, too, you know."

The boy's little antanae rise "Is he a good guy or a republican?"

"Jetfire, he was lost on Earth for millennia. Long before the civil war on their home planet. He didn't have a side, not at first."

"But when the Autobots and Decepticons came to Earth, it's the Decepticons who found him first. Starscream had even been his friend, before."

"So, when his old friend rescued him from the ice he'd been frozen in, from his many, many years of isolation, of course he became a Decepticon."

GASP

"Right? But how could he know?"

"His telepathy wasn't even on" A nod

She nods.

"But, well, Jetfire grew uncomfortable with what he saw of the Decepticons. He didn't like their behavior or methods."

"Vibes that don't jibe" The boy nods