#baronyofthesilverwolf

"How could I forget? I was the one who had to clean up all the cards after the table was flipped." Laughing at the memory.

"Oh, my dear. I loved Madigan, yes. But I loved you before I knew you were her. Even if something in you spoke to me deep down? It's been Gwen that I've had the pleasure and joy of knowing for the past year. Here... I was going to wait, but.."

She shuffles over to go through a drawer, and brings back some paperwork. Gwen recognizes Julius's folios and careful handwriting, though it's Marigold's mortal name printed on the forms. Marie Georgette Fournier, it says there, and Gwen Locklear it says there, very official looking, State of New York Adoption Certificate?

"I wanted to ask you... well. Ahem."

"I didn't yet know if you were planning to stay in Carthage, and I didn't want to lock you into anything that may conflict with your destiny, but if you are our lost Knight, then, perhaps there's no reason for you to have to go, and I would so very much like it if you WOULD stay, not just as part of Silverwolf, but..."

A deep chuckle at the memory despite her insecurities. Then reassurance as she's told yes, Marigold loves HER, Gwen not just for who she was.

"Ask me?" Coaxing

"Well, if it's okay with you." The normally chatterbox boggan is being uncharacteristically shy. "Heavens, look at me. Gwen, I would like to adopt you. Mortally, as my daughter. We've checked the paperwork and moved it through, and I know you're practically grown and an adult already, but, well..." She brushes her hands against her skirt as if to dust off flour, even though she is currently immaculate. "It would mean the world to me, to call you my own."

Gwen came very close to crying more than oncee last night, but held it back each time. Now, ,NOW she does cry, "I would love that. More than anything"

And Gwen moves to her and gives the shorter lady a hug

Possibly getting tears on her shoulder "Sorrry, I'm getting you all wet... "

Marigold might be sniffling a bit too.

"Kee-rist, who DIED?" Briar asks, interrupting the tender moment.

"Marigold's gonna be my mom" Gwen boasts "I'm gonna have the best mom in the world"

Briar ROLLS her eyes. But then, "Are you going to have a party about it? Like, with cake 'n stuff?"

"Well, it's up to Marigold.. ah.. mom..."A glance to Marigold "but I think so... and I think maybe, I'll take her out to a nice restaurant where someone can serve HER dinner.." A sly glance "maybe reserve a party area and have an all you can eat set up? for us and our guests"

Briar scowls at this, for a moment, then considers. "Wait, I'm a guest, right?"

"Hence the 'all you can eat' angle..." A look to Marigold "It'll be fun to watch their panic. Yes, I know, I'm terrible"

"Fams are overrated. They're just the ones that popped you out, and that means shit. I mean, it's cool and all that you picked Marigold, but someday? -I'm- gonna have a Corby. That is, I'm gonna RUN it. And only people who can fight their way in can be part of it, and we'll hunt monsters." Boasting.

"Did you hear that I caught a BEAR yesterday?"

The smaller girl doesn't sound jealous, but more, eager to share HER idea, which is obviously superiour.

"Maybe you should call your Corby the Bad News Bears?" She says UTTERLY serious but pretty sure Briar won't get the reference

Briar gives this some thought. "Maybe the Bad News Bear-Beaters, since I beat up that bear."

"Still don't know why they had to let it go. It was MY prey." A grumble, and she goes to hunt the croissants instead.

Marigold beams at Gwen. "I'll have Julius file the paperwork right away. Just think, my daughter, the Knight!"

Bursting with pride.

A blush "I.. I hope I earn it in THIS Life too"

"Gwen, just you are enough. Anything else, that's, well, frosting on the cake."

Well the blush doesn't die down there, then "But you will allow me a chance to buy you dinner at a restaurant while you get to sit down and enjoy for once right? Think of Briar, poor starving Briar who wants to test what 'all you can eat' really means?"

"Oh, you girls. Of course."

"Good. I'm owed a prize for finding Arthur... and..well, I should have noticed the other LONG ago" A slight frown, but it rallies "But I can't think of a better way to use that prize than to have a big blow out for our family here at Silverwolf"

"No one can fault you for not finding them." Marigold reassures. "Chrysalids are buried deep, else we'd have a watch over every one out there already, don't you know. It sounds like that poor Nocker had a hard time of things, and the help you gave her may have been the tipping point of if she ever made it to us. There are those who don't, you know. Buried so deep that their souls never emerge, and a life spent longing for something they cannot name."

"I thought Katrina was a dreamer, I totally misread her" She is not letting herself off so easily

"May I remind you that you were but a fledge yourself." Marigold isn't letting go easily herself!

"Perhaps you are still not wrong. There are those among us who can create their own glamour through art. It's rare, but treasured."

"I.. ... " For a second troll stubborness comes into play but then a delighted though. I'm having an arguement with my mom. Never thought I'd say that again then with exaggerated put uponness "Yes, Mother"

"Oh." Marigold's cheeks color brightly and she presses her hands to them. Gwen gets the feeling she can get away with a lot just with that one word...

Tempting, really tempting! Besides, she likes the word too and ..gives a squeeze back gentle "I think everything's been so crazy, but Katrina seems really, it's like that horrible teacher tore the heart out of her.. did you see the gray spirals? Who goes gray after a dream dance?"

A worried frown. "Perhaps a little extra hospitality may help her out." A fond smile, and she straightens Gwen's new tabard.

Gwen straightens as well to show pride in it "She really seems to think her work is shit. How do we get rid of an Autumn person?"

"It is generally safest to avoid them. Even when you are aware of their nature, they are dangerous."

"But he's in the school, he's killing art class.. it's how he traumatized Katrina. She loves art."

"I'd say to seek another venue for her, but if he's in your school, he's going to be affecting far more than just one poor dreamer." Marigold sighs.

Briar says through a mouthful of her 4th croissant, "Can we jusht kill'm?"

"Don't tempt me" Gwen mutters, then sighs "Probably not. "

Marigold looks a bit uncomfortable, but does not answer the question.

"Perhaps a way to remove him from his position around children, at the very least?"

"What, we tell him he won a vacation to the bahamas?"

"And we feed 'em to a shark!" Briar adds, excited!

Marigold can't help but smile a little at that. "Not quite. See, if he goes on vacation, he will come back. Ideally you might find a way to get him discredited or disallowed from teaching?"

"Yeah, but. soon as he gets to talk won't he undo whoever was in on it?"

"I mean, planting drugs in his stuff might work but..." A frown "Not sure"

"No one would ever believe that an art teacher would partake in such substances..." Marigold says at an attempt of levity. "Perhaps Sergeant Danica may advise?"

"how.. how are they? I mean... Dancia tried to kill the baroness? And Linnae saved her. Lin's way feels more right, but Dancia was trying to protect the bale as she saw it and was dictumed. I don't know who..." A frown "I don't know who was right"

"And.. it feels weird approaching them now" It troubles her. She's heard. They FOUGHT...two women she learned what being a troll was about from, and they split so hard it makes her head spin

"Your people have great strength, but they have also the potential for great rage. My understanding is that Danica felt that Linnea betrayed her oath, and it triggered her badly. She may regret her actions now, but... oh, it's so hard to tell with Trolls sometimes, even for me."

She sighs. "The Baron and Baroness have forgiven both their transgressions, and accepted new oaths. I can do no less than accept them at their words that they wish to move on."