#bergen_county

"If you want, yeah. You can pay me in lessons. I don't think I've met a nocker before?"

"For real? Shit ..we're actually a pretty spawning kith compared to some... though we do like our workshops. Nockers are dreams of craft, creation, and some times, furk it, frustration. We're one of the youngest of the main kiths... some say THE Youngest though it doesn't much matter... we're discovery, we're hammer to anvil and figuring how how to improve the horse shoe, we're the guys who see a pegasus flying to the sky, and instead of wanting to be a pegasus, or catch it, we look at it and go 'I can build a better option' and suddenly we got furiking heavy metal dirigible coming up through the thunderclouds that even the GODS won't ride through... and between the clashes of thunder you can hear a nocker's voice yelling 'HIGHER , you pissants, HIGHER!"" he says

"Yeah?" Adam drives but he is interested. "How come you guys aren't, like, in charge then?"

"Well, in House Dougal, we actually have some oomph.. and then there's Goblintown.. so it's not like we don't have our bases of power and our politicos, but the furking truth of it is we ain't socially skilled to most folks liking" He says "I mean.. we judge things pretty harsh. We look for flaws in things so we can improve them, get them better... which is fine for OBJECTS .. .but we also make suggestions to people like.. oh I don't know... some lady asks if this hair cut works for her and wee're like "Only if you lose a half pound in each of those cheecks there charliebrown' ..and they take it personal lilke"

"Oh shit. Dude. Yeah."

"It comes out..." He shrugs "But we're damn good at what we do... we can never make perfect, but we we make great every day" A pause "And Impossible if you're not too iffy on the deadline. "

A needle grin "But impossible costs SOOOO much"

Adam drives a bit, thinking. Then he says "But.... in dross? I mean, impossible costs dross?"

"We charge in all sorts of way... dross is just one. The old stories still have their truths after all... I knew one guy who actually crafted something in exchange for seven years of service from a troll... that troll was like his personal foot soldier, butler, and fork lift for SEVEN years. I also saw someone make a sword for no more price than three drops of blood and a lock of hair... what has value to us isn't always a matter of practical, or sane. We're fae spirits.. not human souls but bound WITH human souls. You have to be a complete nobhead to assume we're 'sane' by human standards. We're every dream that scares you and every night mare you wish you were, we changelings. And my advice to you? Never assume ANY Kithain sees the world like a human being does. Even the 'nice' kith will fuck you up in ways worthy of a story book...and we all know nothing sells a story like overdramatic overkill and excess."

A hint of warning there, for the kinian.

Adam drives quietly for a while.

"Why, you wanting something impossible?" He asks

"Yeah." soft, lost "But it can't be built, I don't think."

"Wow... you really don't know nockers do you?" A snort "Listen, Clayborn, 'it can't be built' is almost fighting words to my house AND my kith. "

"Nah." Sadly. "It has to be .... it has to come from inside me."

"Wait, you being literal?" The guy adapts his odd half mask with those moonstone gems and stares

A shrug.

"Well shove Archemdies Lever up my ass and move my world" Wudlig says stunned by what he sees "You're a sidhe!"

"Nope." Adam grips his steering wheel.

"But it's in you..I mean, you're enchanted... you should be booming like the 4th of July Fucking New Years Eve while the Mannheim Steamroller pops peyote and plays the serenade! There's .. it's in you but not coming out? What the hell, you some sort of constipatation there in your soul sphincter?"

Adam pulls over, stops. He pauses, then pulls out again. "Ok, I can't take you to the Lodge. Ride's free. I can wait till you get a ride, see you safe. Someone else will pick you up."

"Wait, what?"

"You can't take me to the lodge? Why not?" Confused

"I.... sorry. I can take you to the parking lot but I can't wait."

"Hokay.. we're talking around each other here. It sounds like you're saying you can drive me TO the lodge, but you can't wait there. is that right?"

"Yep."

"Well... okaay.. that seems abrupt. but it's your business." he says "Yeah, to the lodge's parkling lot. They mean to you there or something? don't let you in?"

"Nevermind." Adam drives.

"OKay okay... but I got to say you're the oddest duck "

Adam turns right, up the drive.... into the gravel parking lot. "Ok. There you go, up the path and.... you'll see the Lodge."

"Okay. Paid you in knowledge, now I'm the one with questions but sux to be me. Can I call you to pick me up later?"

"Use the app, sure."

He gives a thumbs up and goes to the lodge ..exit nocker

Adam drives home. Screw fares.

He heads home, strides in

He drops onto his bed unless stopped.

A knock at the door!

And then, the door opens, and Piper is there, "Hey, sorry, I heard your voices..." And pauses, unsure about the tension.

Slightly sweaty, curls held back with a bandana rolled into a headband, and wearing cute little jogging shorts and a T that shows a bit of dampness from the hot day, looks like she jogged over, hadphones around her neck.

"Oh, man. Timing. I am... uh... so sorry...."

Piper takes a step back, hearing the voice. "I'm sorry Mrs. Thomas. Are you alright? I'll go, but maybe... a few deep breaths, before you burn the place down? I know you're still new, but your temper is practically flammable right now. And you can still whomp Adam when you've found your center, and have better aim, if he deserves it."

(The Voice being the MOM Voice)

She actually does give that a moment's thought, and answers truthfully, "Probably the same way that "You can have a friend, translated to the party I threw where the birdbath got broken and the vacuum cleaner stolen, so I couldn't even clean up and hide the evidence. You were 15 once, I'm sure..."

A glance to Adam, and she mouths, please? "Mrs. Thomas, can I grab you a cold drink? And either help talk it out, or take to my hooves, it's your home."

"Mrs. T... with wizards and body theifs running around... I don't blame him for being on edge. Maybe Adam needs some... I dunno, yoga to chill and deescalate and pick a middle point between on guard and beating someone up, but it's his home too and he found a stranger... me, I'd have ran my ass off to the lodge before stopping to think of anyone else in the house. Your son went protective, if harsh - but he's being trained by a whole buncha trolls, so it rubs off maybe?"