#baronyofthesilverwolf

"mmph. Say, Vespa? Do you like squab?"

Bright eyes blink. Kestrels can, and have, taken doves and pigeons. Brave as ever, ready to tackle prey twice her size at her lady's command.

"HEY NADEEN!" A shout comes from Briar, approaching. The young redcap looks disgruntled... not that she often looks gruntled.

"Tempting.." Then she turns "Briar... how are you, young nightmare?"

"Annoyed." She grunts. "What's going on? And don't tell me NUTHIN because I've been told NUTHIN already and that's a pile of dog dung bigger'n what the kennels make in a month! Where's Gwen? SHE'd tell me what's what."

"Gwen was with Mischka... at Rivervale and hasn't been here either" nadeen answers "Somethings have happened though yes. Not nothing. " Mmm A look over her "Not sure if you're woman enough to do what needs to be done yet with the knowlege"

"Are you calling me a girl?" Briar asks, uncertain if she's being insulted or not, and not quite sure if she dislikes it.

"I'm saying that sometimes children don't have the raw steel needed to do what they need to do, though ther'es nothing wrong with being a girl, or a woman, but different expectations. Can you do something that's REALLY going to be difficult ? Can you fight off an urge for the sake of someone else? Besides hunger. I know you already work hard to restrain that for our sake"

"Do you want me to bite someone? I can do that." She puffs up. "I'm not a KID. Not like Blossom." She says with a bit of a sneer. "I want to go shopping! Where's my SPARKLY hair thing? Calanthe is sooooo pretty. Eveyone look at meeee."

"I'm tough. I didn't even sock her ONCE and we were in the car for HOURS."

"Huh.. for hours? Okay.. you're tough enough to do this." She leans forward "You know how both you and I wanted to kick Dame Calanthe in the ass?"

Wary, in case this is a trick. "Yeah?"

"Well, she won't be returning for at least a year and a day, maybe longer.," Nadeen tells her, "Now what I want to do is whoop and holler about that..."

Briar's eyes go wide. "Did she die in the fire?!" Hopeful!

"Did a tree fall on her?!"

"Sadly no" She admits "And barring an incident with turning on a spit, I don't think she's going to, but she IS gone for at least a year and a day"

"Did she fall out of a tree and break her neck? And She's in traction?"

Briar is very gleeful at any of these scenarios.

"I'll tell you the whole story later, but here's the hard part, ready?"

"And she fell off a cliff, and a crow ate her liver... ...huh? Yeah, what?"

"We have to remember, whether Calanthe deserved it or not, there are folks here who admired her or even love her. So we can't make jokes about her, or talk about how glad we are she's gone, and hope she never comes back where Marigold or Blossom can hear it. You don't want to hurt Marigold, do you?"

Briar looks offended. "No more'n I'd kick my own puppy. But Blossom is a snot."

"Snot or not, she's part of the hold that I'll be co ruling and I have more important tasks for our only badass nightmare kith than snot taunting. Besides, you know how she is. You make her cry, who will she cry to? Either the baron, or.. marigold. So either way it can get back to Marigold and make her give us that look .. you know the one"

Briar raises a brow at 'co-ruling', but before she can ask about that, she has to complain. "So you're gonna say I gotta let her be a snot to me and not even say boo back, AND you're giving me more work?!"

"i'm a tyrant... " She admits "And I just said you can't tease her about Calanthe and that you shouldn't enjoy Calanthe's removal where she can see and hear you do it. Pro tip: Pay attention to the specifics and keep the obstacles against you small. I said I had more important tasks for you than snot taunting. How much does that really limit you from tormenting anyone while DOING tasks or after them? Not much I'd say. Not that you won't get in trouble if you push your luck, but the only thing I'm asking you not to tormnet her with is regarding Calanthe. See the difference?"

This is all a bit much for Briar to take in, but she nods dubiously. "So whatcha want then?"

"Mmm " She ponders "Besides NOT taking joy in Calanthe's departure where Marigold and Blossom can hear it? Not much right now. Maybe later I'll mention those tasks in detail. That said, if you're on your own I can't blame you for cheering where no one can hear it. I know I have. There, now you know 'SOmething' instead of having folks say 'nothing' Better?"

“Where’d she go, and how’s you know she ain’t coming back, and angry too?”

"See, that's not something, that's everything." A pause "but it is a pretty cool story. It involves nightmares gone mad, hubris leading to doom, intrigues and... at least one attempted homicide. I know she's not coming back for at least a year and a day because I saw Calanthe's punishment. A punishment given by the Baron himself"

“BITCHIN. It’s about time.”

"Yes.. the Baron remembers his son, really does. So hopefully we'll see Connor again more often. Do you remember Connor well?"

“Yeah, I remember dogface. He ain’t that bad.”

A nod "Good to know. " Nadeen is pleased, then a look at Briar curious "So, Briar, changes are coming here. Change is often good.. or so we unseelie believe. What kind of change are you hoping for?"

She looks stumped. People don't generally ask that kind of thing to redcaps.

“Y’know, we got all these hunting dogs but we just raise ‘em up and ship ‘em out. Boss tells everyone about how good they are ‘n shit. Maybe we can actually go hunt some stuff our own selves. SHE never wanted no one to go anywhere or have fun.”

“Miz Marigold says Silverwolf used to be known for the best hunts. No one comes here now though.”

"Did it?" A consideration, "Yes. I think I can see that. No need to be cruel, not just for sport. We do it for meat. Right?"

“Meat ‘n monsters!” She agrees.

“To catch a monster you gotta think like a monster. I think I'd be great at it. Like, if a dragon or a blood-thirsty griffon or a black unicorn that stabs people with its horn showed up…”

"As a point of fact, Redcaps are some of the preimere monster hunters in all of kith kind. In the old times, lords of Varich would pay them the monster's weight in gold and make a banquet for them to pay them for slaying linnorms and the like"

“F’reals? You’re not funnin’ me are you?”

“It makes sense you know, about the banquet. Because just gold won't cut it, I'd just eat the monster.”

"For reals" She crosses her heart, because it's true "Mind you those were in the glory days when magic was more strong. Now a days it would be more like a nice check and some ribs i imagine but you could push for the banquet. In truth, a few redcaps, well, that's how some got their moat monsters. A noble wanted a monster for their moat, but didn't have one. He'd hire some redcaps to bring back a sea serpent alive. It was the alive part that was the challenge. Mind you, it was very dangerous work. Monster Do fight back after all"

“Wow.” Eyes bright… Briar May have a new career Path in mind.

"Oh dear, I'm putting ideas in your head" Her eyes shine like ice but not unfriendly "Now, if you're no longer annoyed? Why don't you seek out Gwen? Like you, she's going to be very confused"

“I guess. She’s gonna want to know why though. She asks them annoying questions.”

Never mind that it was Briar just asking the same.

"Yeah... some trolls are buttinskis. You can barely have a world shattering event without them sticking their noses in, but .. they're alright" a smile

And yes, she's hiding any smile because franikly she's aware that if Sylvi and Dagmar HADN't butted in, she'd be shot, or possibly possessed or the like

"Just tell her you don't know the details , which you don't. "

"Yeah, yeah." Briar runs off without a thanks. But then again, one doesn't often get pleasantries from redcaps, even small ones.

Where to now? There's the mews to see to, and she hasn't spoken to Marigold. Lavender and Gwen are sure to have questions - perhaps MORE questions, after Briar. The other childlings, Willy... does Willy have any idea? Would she even notice, or care?! Eventually she'll have time for her Lord himself.

It's her lord she's trying to get to, so, she steps on and see who she runs into first while looking for Aiden.. if they can catch her on the way, they can talk to her