#bergen_county

"Um, Uncle C? Did I take a wrong turn on the trods and end up in a children's book? Because I swear, someone is sleeping in my bed..."

"Oh? " The professor says turning from his desk

"Oh, PIper, you're back"

She is! And she has a touch of sunburn, a somewhat tired yet not displeased look, and a viking helmet under one arm that gleams of dross.

"GOod lord, that helmet is way too big for your head" He rises "Oh, Basil is here"

Basil? The name might ring a bell

"Basil... Basil. Oh! Mama Viola's nephew? The one who used to call me Pepper." She grins. "What brings him around?"

"A black lives matter protest, bad directions, and a neo nazi ambush. And how was YOUR trip?" The grump says with humor "Did you do well ? Did you enjoy the contest?"

"Nazis? In BERGEN? I would think that our blue protectors - the real ones, not the cops - would put a REAL QUICK kibosh on that." She looks startled at the thought of them in her new town.

"Well, it was... eventful? I got scammed or conned by some... best guess is a tourist con for Fae folk in Tijuana, ran into an old Ex and nearly started a fight at court, and tied for last-place in the competition." A beat, and she adds, "So, par for the course I think? But I -did- have fun, overall."

"Last place? They're mental" He protests "Your music is wonderful. Your aunt may buy a ticket, go down there and raise hell. Tied for last place"

"I think maybe I'm not to Countess King's style. She ended up going super-traditional with a Gwydion lady. I included the Ode to Rivervale, but maybe she's not the nostalgic sort. I still made pretty decent bank just on tips and tribute, so I can't be too upset. I placed alongside Spencer who has the voice of an angel... Cupid was an angel, right?... so if that doesn't move her, maybe pop music is just not her type."

"Well, to use you are a returning hero triumphant," He says. "And yes, neo nazis...Dagmar and Dirk and Symon protected your cousin and his frields from Cali. They're at a motel."

"I'm almost sad I missed out on watching that. You know I try for the peace-loving hippie vibe, but I can mule-kick with the best of them. Is Basil staying long? With my new dosh I think I can get a decent start on enough to sit and sleep on from GregsList or a cheap store, and be out of your hair." A smile.

"Out of our hair.. what a thing to say."

"And not long.. I don't imagine" He says

A grin at that. "You know what I mean. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so think of how much more you'll love your favorite niece when she's not hogging the tub for 3 hours a night. I hope I can catch up with him before he goes, we haven't had a proper spice squad meetup in ages."

"Heey," A yawn "That Piper?" Basil's voice

"Looks like you get your chance"

A grin and she turns to meet up with Basil - and UP. A frown/pout! "When did you get so tall? Or is it just that I stopped growing too soon?"

"Wait, you saying you done?" he looks down and breaks into a grin.

A small hoofstomp. Or sneakerfootstomp. "Well, you should visit some of my new friends around here, you'll feel positively puny."

"Already met Sam" Basil says "She's one tall lady, and I owe her. That dirk guy ain't small either . So I get you. Come here, looking you over here. Ah, free of the bangs I see. "

She grins and tosses her head a bit to let the curls bounce. "Yeah, they didn't work out so well, and before you set in, Zane has said it, I've heard it. And yeah, Sam's good people. I need to make it out by her place and talk to her mom in fact."

"Well, let me get out of your room. I think I can swing a motel for the last night"

"I won't hear of it!" She says firmly. "You're a guest! And I'm actually working on moving to a studio, so you're lighting a good fire under my tail to get moving on that."

"Wait, you got your own place? Why am I hassling THESE good people when I could crash and eat your food?"

Light tease

And ..she feels the glamour flowing in him.. not enchanting him.. but .. the seed of it

And she realizes he's a chrysliad, one unhatched!

"Well, to start, I cook about as well as a dog can spell, and..." She pauses, head tilting to one side, and a faint smile plays on her face. A glance over to the Professor, brow raised in unasked question?

"Mmm?" Her Uncle says

"Fortune favors the bold..." She says with a cheeky grin, and fishes something out of her viking hat. "Hey, Baz - catch!" And tosses a scrap of paper over to him - a bit of Union poster board emblazoned with a call to fight the power...

Basil catches "You testing my reflexes? I.." He catches it

She watches with anticipation as the dross hands in his hand...

"Okay, what is.."

The wave of it nearly bowls poor Piper over and she was ready for it.

"Oof!" She stumbles, but satyr hooves are steady and she keeps her feet. Rubbing at her eyes still filled with stars at the flash, and squints to see who now stands before her...

It's quite the glamour storm. Images cascade making it hard to guess what his passion is or will be because it's a mix of them all... music reverbs and bounces...

Images of attractive women wriggling and writhing...some celebrity look alikes, others likely girls he knew or know spill over

Passionate speeches from Churchill , MLK, and more might be the odd one... as it ends up sounding like a historical mixed tape

Her head is practically spinning trying to keep up with all of that - and she almost DOES a full double-take at a particularly lovely female figure that wriggles past - focus!

smell of booze fills the air...

Will the new fae be Lothario, Luther or Lush... or some combination of the three?!

a good question and...before her stands her transformed cousin, his horns springing up from his brow his hooves having that new shine, his wooly goat legs revealed by new voile.

"Is my black ass covered in FUR?" HE asks alarmed

She can't help it, a yell that is half cheer, half shriek of delight, and throws herself over to give her cousin - and cousin! A hug!

"Hey!" Basil hugs her, "It's.. it's you! You have horns too? And... Uncle C?"

"Guilty" The professor says "Welcome to the Dreaming World my boy. Before you assume this is 'just' a dream, think on it. It feels rather natural right? Right even?"

"You're gonna have FUN here, I know it..."