#baronyofthesilverwolf

The smoke is pink. Appropriate.

"Hey?" She calls out as she approaches the shop "Thistle? What's with all the extra chiming? Is there trouble?"

Gwen gets buzzed by curious Nevers.

"Trouble? NAH!"

Gwen actually pats one never on the head "Well, these guys were going like firebells"

"I think they're disappointed. It ain't candy, you idjits." Thistle emerges, wearing her goggles down. The lenses make her eyes look extra large.

"Oh for the love of the Earth Mother " GLadiola looks at the Nevers "You goofs had me worried." Then she looks back at Thistle "is the clay any good?"

"It changes color!"

"Uh... that's what I've got so far."

"Okay. Are you having fun with it?" She looks about to see the works in progress or finished

"Um... just, you know, testing it." There's a half dozen things-in-progress, in varying degrees of identifiability.

A stoic nod "Definitely gotta test it" Best not to act too enthusitastic, don't want her to feel like there's pressure to make this or that. The important thing her friend is having fun "I talked to the baron about the DeBuke hounds and set up"

"Yeah? We getting more dogs?" Muppet is at her ankles, Thistle doesn't comment on him.

"More like we're looking long term at developing the breed" She says trying to restrain untrollish excitement "Strengthening the line while preventing inbreeding. THough, the time is almost up for the pups... they're getting SO big now"

Indeed, the training program for SIlverwolf has been religiously applied

"Mmph."

Muppet yawns, as if talk of moving HIM would be foolish

"I know, Dote's gonna be bummed. She's like a second mother to the guys. Smaller than they are now and they still treat her like that aunt you don't upset"

Muppet sneezes once move, and presses a nose against one of Thistle's trailing hands. HE is still here! At least, at the moment.

She absently scritches his ears.

"Well, yeah. Terriers are small but bossy."

"The big dogs seem mostly chill."

The Baron's request for Frankie to be brought to the freehold to meet and bring home a dog bubbles forth, unbidden, in Thistle's memory. He can be a patient man, but there might be limits.

"Well, they're well trained"

A frown flickers across her features, with spirals briefly shifting green.

"Well, sure."

"Everyhing okay?" She says and pets Muppet while she asks

"Huh? Yeah."

"Okay. Just for a moment you frowned. We trolls are so expressive that we'ree sensitive to that" Dryly

Snort.

"Nah, I'm fine." She scoops up the terrier in her arms.

"Oh, you shown Willy the clay yet?" She asks. Muppet of course, is happy to be held

"She's been busy." Shrug.

Another sneeze, much louder than Muppet's, from inside where Art had stolen in unbidden - apparently to stick his face right into the cloud to sniff curiously. "ACHOO! CHOO! CHOO! WHEW! This is some fancy mud, isn't it?"

"Super fancy! Don't suppose you want a barbie pink tasseography cup, though."

"Art, hey" Gwen nods a hello

"I do not see why not! Pink is a powerful color, masculine yet gentle - it represents, according to some books on prophecy, friendship, emotion, and intention..."

Another sneeze!

"Ah, not considered masculine at our school, just a fair warning." She says

"Well, not gonna do magic at school, either... Art, you okay?"

"Rose has a place in many heraldric coats of arms - I would like to see whomever disdains it - CHOO! ...explain as much to the duchy of golden sheaves. They're in Belarus... Lady Nadeen was telling me about them. I think, in case I end up being Varich? Or maybe just for general geographica- ACHOO!"

Maybe if he'd stop putting his head back into the smoky haze to sniff it...

"Arty, stop snorting the smoke. " Gwen says. Protective instincts starting to kick in

"But it smells interesting! It's like sugar, but with a hint of... well, it tingles!"

"Well, you don't know what it does to sniff it too much... besides make you sneeze so best not to treat it like a new coke habit" Gwen cautions

"Do you think you could use some of this clay for the art contest?" Art asks towards Thistle. There was a delay in submissions as a bout of COVID ransacked the school, and a number of teachers and staff were out sick - but the extended deadline is coming up soon.

Yellow spirals. "Uh."

"the contest..." She recalls

"I don't... don't think they'd be... ready.."

Art nods to Gwen. "Yes, it's coming together. Even if Ted and Randy keep butting heads over the paint mediums."

"They're gonna be fine."