#baronyofthesilverwolf

"Well," Nadeen says while shopping, "One should always bring or at least offer more than one gift"

It feels wrong, working for sluagh, they're horrible creatures who robbed her of her albity to truly declare her love before all fae kind. It is possible she'll never really love as much as another sidhe woman could. Thanks to their ancient treachery.

And yet, it IS ancient. And Lizbet has done a good turn to the hold.

Or at least, members of it.

And more importantly, the girl is HER subject, and has the full rights of one. Ideal? No, but pride holds a Varich too.

Perhaps even more than old enmity between House and Kith, Nadeen muses.

"How much..." She asks looking at the thing "For this?"

A purchase is soon made. They do love spiders. I hope she likes it, and if she doesn't well, she has a boon coming

*************

Thistle is back, with Muppet and a gaggle of Nevers in tow. It is the latter, of course, that probably alerts the freehold that she's home. Chime!

((Perc + Alertness for Thistle!))

She almost doesn't notice, so stealthy is Art being, but Citrine taps her on her shoulder, uncharacteristically discrete, and points out the lad sneaking out of one of the side doors of the manor.

"Chi?"

"Art!"

He startles and straightens up so quickly that he bangs his head. "D'oh!"

Art realizes who it is, and holds a finger in front of his mouth! Shh!

Schipp and Madder pop out of the nearby woods and zip over to spin circles around Thistle, and then sit on her shoulders, chiming in complaint. They WERE watching over Art, but he slipped out of their view!

"...Are you hiding?"

"No." He says, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just.. not drawing attention. I am persona non grata. I do not wish to anger the Baron further, but I wanted to check on Fornax."

"How is Fornax? And I think I have a solution to your problem."

He straightens up. "Fornax is well." He shares with Thistle which books the draconet has been read from lately. "Have you found something to sweeten the Baron's mood? A lost treasure of Ailil, perhaps?"

"No - see, when I get sained, I get a boon - right?"

"So I'll ask that he sains you. Easy-peasy."

BLINK.

"What?"

"But... I'm not ready. Lord Aiden said so himself. And there would need to be a fior..."

Snort.

"You thought you were plenty ready before ONE mistake."

"If that's all it takes, no way I should be allowed. Name one thing I touch I haven't messed up."

"The best I can hope for is to keep my original sain date. It's only a few weeks away. But I've done nothing to warrant the honor of an early saining."

Scowl.

"This isn't an honor, Art. This is because of the baby."

"We don't have the time to wait until everything is proper, because of bullshit about blood claims and weird old fae laws and magic broo-ha-ha."

"He is already angry with me. I worry that if you ask this of him, he will become wroth with you as well, where you currently are in his good graces. He needn't GRANT the boon, either. If you ask him for something he has already said must be denied... he'll be angry. I don't think we've really SEEN him angry, not furious. He cursed a woman to turn into a dove. His own sister in law.

Wouldn't it be better to ask a boon that will help you on your journey? Or to smooth the way in your new life?"

She frowns. "I don't.... we were supposed to do this together."

"I don't even know how I'm gonna get down to the islands, or... any of this. I don't know how to do this."

"You could ask him for plane tickets to the Caribbean. Or to hire a personal Rover to escort you through the correct trods, or commission a sailing ship to take you where you need to go..."

"And fucking this up ain't like fucking up a lump of ceramics."

"We were supposed to go in together." Peevish.

"He could hire a Nocker Airship..."

"Though, you might need to parachute in, and hope you reach the right island..."

"I don't want to go in on an airship." She mumbles.

"I'm just saying, think of your options. I have a Contact for you as well. Someone in the islands who can guide you." He has an old leather notebook that he holds up, and it's inside a plastic zip-lock bag. "I'd like to have a waterproof oilskin cover, but those things take time to make... but this should keep it dry."

"You don't?"

Shrug.

"But what about all the diagrams we've looked at? It's the next closest step to the stars!"

SHRUG.

"No airship then. We'll just have to build our own someday." Chin up.

The nevers all chime excitedly. They don't quite understand, but flying is FUN.