#bergen_county

"I mean, old Sam would totally think I'm a square."

"Well, Sam was a muggle and what do THEY know?"

"Heh."

"And you don't? I mean, I'm pretty seelie AND troll-blunt AND a Gwydion..."

He shrugs. "You're also a gamer, and a cook even if it ain't shit I'd eat, and you carve those cool things, and you can fight like a mother-fucker. And you're my friend. I don't like it when people diss on my friends." An amused smirk.

"Well, I saved some cookies. Maybe you'll like'm in a month? That's what Tove does. You have a drawer."

She perks up. "Did you see Tove won?"

"My mom kicked ass."

"Yeah! She's really something. Do you think she could make something out of casu marzu?"

"Isn't that the one with maggots?"

His grin wiiiidens. "Aw, I was hoping to get you to google it unknown. Maybe I can still catch Sylvi."

"Ha, it is! Yeah, try Sylvi."

"You won't trick Kerri, but, like, Kerri might also do it. Anne Marie sure would."

"You think? I mean, Mom might, but I think Kerri would draw the line on ACTIVE maggots in her kitchen. I was wondering if they'd let me get someone out to dig a deeper pit under the root cellar... or maybe I could steal a bit of land to put in a... not a bunker, but an underground storage area? I have more carcasses now, and they'll keep underground in the winter out here. But we don't have the space at home for that, or a way to explain to my dad. He drew the line on one mini freezer."

"Well, like, we have a lot of property back into the trees..."

"Maybe I can bargain for a slug-hole."

"Worth a shot."

"Did you like what I did with the skull? I tried for something macabre but not too gory, pandering to the crowds here."

"I liked it! It turned out real nice. Maybe I should get it for Gerd - or tell her boyfriend over there to get it. Dunno, nocker, he probably wants to make something himself."

Pause. "Oh, Vali!"

"Eh?"

"That nocker that makes the puzzle boxes? Actually, I was going to talk to him. I bet he could hide something inside a taxidermied piece. Like, twist a paw and a secret compartment opens. Maybe do something if you stick a finger in an eye socket for a skull..."

A little squint.

"Gross but potentially cool?"

"I was reading about a sluagh spy during the wars... you know how some spies used to have poison capsules hidden in a tooth so that if they were interrogated they could off themselves rather than give up the secrets? This guy, he hid stuff up his NOSE - found a way to smuggle messages in tiny capsules that he lodged in his sinus cavity. Must have stung like a bitch, but no one ever looked there..."

"Gross!"

"Hey, Torin was saying there are, like, sluagh who have GIANT noses... or there used to be?"

He grins. "Yeah, they're just memories now - either they died out, or they got like... mooshed into the idea of what sluagh are today and now there's just one kind. But they were COOL - imagine if you got up in the middle of the night for a snack and there was this creature on your counter, just shoving your leftovers into a giant nostril...." Painting a grotesque picture with his words.

A little laugh. "SO gross. Sorry, but, like.."

"It's like that movie we watched? With Jeff Goldblum?"

"Ha! The BRUNDLE FLY...." and makes some truly disgusting slurping noises.

"Ahhhg. Yes!"

A glance over at the resting Troll and pooka. "Uh, sorry. Should we let them sleep? Did they get hurt?"

A moment, and he says matter-of-factly, "When do you think we should tell them about Vali getting disemboweled in the chase? I mean, he's still walking, but they were saying he might need to pee through a tube. Is that worth waking her up, or tell her later?"

"... what!?"

There is a wink from the sluagh and a finger to his lips. "Yeah, I guess he pressed his luck too far." Leaning against a post and watching Gerd.

"He's what?" Gerd sits up right, rolling her pooka bro to the side onto the cot and starggering to get up "Why isn't he HERE with the healers? That idiot!"

her night shift covers everything, but it's not the sort of thing one walks out into the grounds with, parituclarly with bare feet

Brow.

When she opens her eyes, she sees Symon clearly watching her in anticipation, and with a small smirk. "Teach you to try to eavesdrop on a slug."

After a moment, "He's fine, by the way."

Gerd gives him a look "You jerk. Sure, I deserved that, but still. Jerk"

He smirks more, owning it.

She staggers again, as if the effort took something out of her

Frown.

"C'mon, sit back down. Do you need anything? Should eat or whatever."

"I'm good" She steadies, then chuckles "Oh Symon, you should have seen Connor... my little brother was so amazing. He saved me. I better get him something good for Yule." Then a look at Dagmar "You're... frowning. "

"You're hurt."

He narrows his eyes, kenning and appraising her condition.

"Mostly low on glamour, the healers got the worst of it. Also.. I wanted to make Symon feel guilty for getting me and get a bit of my own back and make him fuss. Which he did" A grin at Symon "I can be a jerk too even when you don't deserve it. " True "I'll be fine Sorry to worry you, Dagmar"