#baronyofthesilverwolf

Art waits (im)patiently close at hand, trying not to fidget too much.

"M'sorry, Art."

She's trying glyph patterns out on a scrap of paper, never making it to a third in a sequence before angrily scratching them out.

"I can't... this language is a lifetime of work, I can't properly code it..."

"Please just don't kill people' is all I really want to say."

"How the fuck I do it in pictograms? And even then that seems just... inadequate."

"Near as I can tell, it isn't sentient."

"Not like Citrine, and I don't know how I did her or the gnomes, not exactly..."

She huffs.

Art considers. “Try asking it?”

“If Willow Whisper can work on a rock…”

"I can't willow whisper. We shoulda brought Wudlig."

She twists the ball of her thumb into a spot above an eyebrow. "Like, I know, this needs like three big, bold glyphs."

"Three's a good number, it's right."

"And, see, you have glyphs that work individual - like this'un..." pointing. "That'd be light, that's how we got the tunnels illuminated and all that. BUT."

“but?”

"But, see, you put 'light' next to... oh, I dunno, 'knowledge,' right, you should change it. Make it... truth, or insight, something different than both."

BLINK. “That’s… brilliant.” Honest. “Beyond me.”

"It's... that's why it has to be the RIGHT three. Like.. like... like a chord. In harmony."

Chime! Citrine chimes in, melodically.

That pulls a smile out of a face which had been tangled up in doubt and frustration.

"Yeah. Chime."

“Peace? I mean, maybe it’s too obvious- but literally the opposite of war. But how would you glyph that? Is that a verb? Glyph?” Pondering BOTH questions now.

"I don't know."

A pause.

"Love. It needs love."

"From love, better actions spring. Right?"

"Love conquers all."

“I’m sure I saw a reference to “soft” in one of those notes. I think it was about stone resistance, but maybe that’s a start? Soft.. like gentle?”

He stops his pondering, and beams at Thistle.

"And it's a heart."

"I.. like... like, if you get that right, the rest should follow." She flushes. "I know, it sounds kinda.. sentimental..."

"But everything I've ever done right, that was because I needed to, for the sake of love." Her spirals glow coral and she fidgets with her pencil, not looking at the sidhe.

“I know that’s why I’m here.” He responds softly. Then, the blush evident in his voice, ear tips turning red, he fumbles adding, “Why we all are, right?”

She swallows hard, cheeks still burning. "I guess, yeah."

“It worked in the Caribbean!” He adds brightly

"It did." She nods. "Maybe it... it... if there's three symbols that make one. That... synthesizes, transmutes..."

“What says love to you? To some it might be, “protection”. A smile towards where Gwen is leaning back up the tunnel to dusk to David

She shakes her head. "It's... you protect what you love, sure. But loving something is like coming alive."

"That feeling where you're just connected."

"And it's... like, loving my work or loving Frankie are different, but not?"

"Or loving my friends..."

“Devotion- like the sun following the moon, and the moon forever following the sun?” He suggests

"But when you love something, you want it to burn so bright, and you're warmer, just by bein' there."

“Or maybe… fire, for passion, and earth for steadiness?” Thinking of some of the symbology he’s seen in the past.

"And the sky and stars. You need the stars to have love. Love makes you fly."

“It all keeps reminding me of how you mentioned light. Light is… Inspiration, it’s fire, it’s the sun, it’s warmth.”

“It’s stars.”

“Fireworks.”

Her eyes dart up at that, stealing a look at him.

He has a goofy expression, and looks down a bit shyly as she meets his gaze.