#bergen_county

***Meanwhile, elsewhere in the space time continium

Adam gets a text at school

from Olgar??

TXT: Need you around here after school if work allows

Txt I will be there, Mr. Davidson.

TXT: Good. Thanks

And that's that.

And Adam arrives at the Lodge.

***And off to RV

*** and back in space time***

Tove stares at the Starfish in amazement "And it exchanges songs with you?" She asks Piper.

In point of fact, it seems to be wanting to leave piper. They've learned a lot, and it's now seeming to slide , float, slowly towards Tove.

Piper crams her English test into the bottom of her school bag. The red lettering at the top (and throughout) cannot affect her if she doesn't look at it. She speaks AND sings English fluently. Just because she can't point out the prepositional phrase in a sentence? That will never be useful. Now, useful? Getting Tove's opinion on this Starfish chimera!

...

"It wanted to cling on tight earlier - I almost freaked out thinking it was gonna eat my fingers or something. But now it seems to want to visit you..." Watching it drift with evident reluctance.

Tove looks left, looks right, then motions to it "Don't tell Jaymes or Dagmar I'm doing this while pregnant"

"I don't think Music could possibly hurt you or your little belly-bean. But my zips are lipped."

And it latches onto her hand "ooo, bit of a pinch"

And then Tove blinks and begins to sing

Piper scootches closer so that she can help pry the star loose if needed, but then listens intently as Tove starts to sing.

She sings Closing Time by Semisonic....bobbing her head

A small smile, and a guess, "Eager for Mr. King to get home from work?"

A blush "Hormones.. also, nice song. Never heard that one before."

"Oh, that's a good one. I like those oldies from the 90's."

"It's that what it's from? Seems to be fond of some older stuff too.." She ponders

"oh more tunes, and it's listening to the ones in my head.." She gasps "Look at it glow"

Indeed the star fish is quite the display

"Ooooh." Her guitar is in her hands, and she is lightly strumming another 90's tune in the background as she watches it glow.

"late at night when all the world is sleeping
i stay up and think of you
and i wish on a star that somewhere you are
thinking of me too

cause i'm dreaming of you tonight
till tomorrow i'll be holding you tight.
and there's nowhere in the world i'd rather be
than here in my room dreaming about you and me." She sings, and hugs herself a bit.

She listens, not recognizing the tune, but modulating soft chords to go along as support to Tove's lovely voice.

"How do you think this little guy came to be in the band room?"

"Oh she was probably dreamed up. She's actually on the fragile side I think.. poor dear. She'd eventually pop I fear. Shame, she's actually something of a musical archive. I'm catching up on a lot of songs from the last 20 years."

"She?" A small smile. "Well, maybe she'll last a bit longer here than there. Some of the screeches I hear from the beginning brass section could break glass."

"I was wondering if you shouldn't let her wander the traggo" Tove says stroking the gluttonous chimera as it flickers.. she looks distant "After a few hours, of course. And maybe its a he? Or an it.. but it feels wrong calling such an amazing creature it"

"It's funny that my first impulse was to bring i - her here. But, Zane might want to analyze her for her magical composition, and Uncle Neely's debates might send it running." A grin.

"Ha" Tove says "Tell you what, I think Twinkle here will eventually get all the songs she wants from me, and I'll get a fair trade from her , and eventually she'll move on. I might introduce her to dad, but if I can keep her around here just drop by sometime and then take her to Etsie or someone. Etsie's amazing, but I do feel like such a ...is 'square' still appropriate slang?"

A laugh! "Where is that ol' goat staying these days?"

"An apartment complex that some other satyr invested in?" SHe's not sure on the last part "Bottom Floor so she doesn't have to climb a lot of stairs. She heads out to other locations to jam on that guitar..pardon 'axe' and it's amazing the sounds that come out of it. " A blush "She has it do this one sound she calls 'the Angel's orgasm' .. I can't say she's wrong."

"That's a good idea though. I bet if we keep moving.. Twinkle?" An amused shake of her head. "Twinkle on to new folk when she looks tapped, she might stick around."

"Well, she is a little star" Tove says "And good plan"

"Do you want to hang onto her for a while longer and pass her on to your pops? I'm not sure if the new kid at the lodge would be into it, he seems a bit wary to play."

"I'll be happy to. Thanks for bringing her by." A pause "Jack is wary of music?"

A frown, and she thinks over the conversation they had the other night. "It sounds like he was used pretty hard by his last motley, if you could even call it that. His Gift was used to distract marks for larceny. Sounds more like he should have been called Oliver rather than Jackflap, if you catch my drift."

"That poor boy . Connor tried to tell me about some of it, but ..well, my pooka is rusty" She's alarmed then frustreated "Every seems to be treating me like an invalid of late so I wouldn't be surprised if they left me out for my own good" Irked

"Well, making you worry and go stir crazy certainly isn't good for your health." She offers logically. "But you are a troll, married to a troll, mother of a Troll and living in a Troll lodge. If they try to protect you, well, you kinda signed up for it." A grin.

"Oh sure, bring facts into play" Hurmph then a thought "Oh, can I get you something to eat or drink? My manners"

"Sure! Some juice would be great. Music is thirsty work. If you are feeling stir crazy, you could maybe pop by the lodge to visit Jack. It's a small change of scenery, but close enough, and the bale is right there so it's like, how could anyone fuss? He could do with more positive musical elements in his life, I worry that he might shut it down otherwise and repression is good for no one, children less and Satyrs least of all."

She gets up "Orange juice, can't promise it's not from florida" But she talks as she gets it "I was wondering. I mean, somethings are just banal for some kiths. It's like a troll refusing to ever use her strength for fear of hurting everything.. it can undo you"

"Music might not be his passion," She admits, "but it sounds like he likes it, he's just afraid something bad might happen. Again. Poor kiddo."

"Oh.. I'll see what I can do to bring Jack around. Maybe from a non satyr he'll drop his guard?" She brings the juice over to Piper "how's your music going by the way? Clearly you and Twinke exchanged tunes. Find anything you like?"

"Yeah, some stuff by this guy called Voltaire? Like, not the old Russian dude, but a modern musician who does like... goth... cabaret?"

"Interesting..goth Cabaret is not a term I think I would have imagined. Gerd would probably like it"