#bergen_county

"I remember someone showing me their tits as a distraction, destroyed my focus!" The Redcap snaps

"I'll take that as a compliment." She huffs.

"And doesn't that mean you owe me 'tat'?"

Reminded, momentarily, of the tattoo she still has yet to pay for, and makes an odd expression, holding back a snort of laughter and a bit of terror at the idea of Countess Jessica's response if she had offered to pay Duff that way.

"BAH! You don't deserve the prize!"

"We'll see about that. Thank you, my lovelies," To the Trolls - Stepping past to open the door.

And she opens it.

Within is well, junk, a used 10 speed bike that's gotten some rust on it. There's a dust covered accordian. There's a rusty box with a lock on it about the size of a lunch box. And then...

A step back, but curious... "Huh...."

Pottery... bristling with glamour

"Oooh....." But she IS intrigued by the accorddian too. Naturally.

"What do we got?" Siv calls out

"Junk, an instrument, mystery box that might have precious baseball cards in it or an old sandwich, and a buuuunch of glamour in, on, or composed of this cool greek looking vase!"

"Well no wonder you were interested" Siv says "Cool Greek Vase... instrument, and who doesn't love a good sandwhich? I can see why we entered the contest"

A grin. "What do we do with this guy, though?"

"He DID try to kill me, called me out by name, then tried to make a flashy escape..." A gasp. "Do I have a NEMESIS?!"

"You sure as fuck do!" The cap snarls . Then gets a knee in his back from Jonas

She reaches in to pick up the lunchbox, and gives it a careful shake, like testing out a wrapped present before Christmas.

Siv frowns at the Cap "I think maybe something to teach him some manners. One, he loses this noose..chimerical thin strand. I Might give it to Symon. Second. We shrink him"

"Do you think we DID cheat to win?" She sounds a little unsure. "I mean, not that that excuses him, but."

"There was that thing that the driver said about curses. Maybe I'm just being extra careful."

The lunchbox rustles. Paper inside?

"Maybe, that's why I'm not beating the living crap out of him" Siv says

"What if we make a deal? That vase looks Greek, so I'm gonna have to claim it or lose my valid Pan cred. But, just like on that Storage bidding show, we don't know what may or may not be in the box."

She glares down at the Redcap, a hand on her hip. "If you swear to give up any - real or imagined - vendetta against me or my lovely companions -AND they agree - I'll let you have the mystery box. But the rest is ours, and you've forfeited that nasty string you tried to choke me with too."

Looking to Siv and Jonas.

"Fine!" the redcap says

"Siv, Jonas, does that sound fair to you?"

"He tried to kill you. I kind of want to hurt him.. a lot" Siv says

Jonas growls "I tend to agree with Siv. But perhaps neither of us is the right mind to make a determination. He blames you, PIper, it's your call"

"It's agreed then." She lifts a leg, and stomps down her hoof, to attempt to break the lock off the box.

It snaps!

Old rusty lock.

Picking it up, she dumps the contents, sight unseen, into the vase. And then tosses the box over to the redcap to clatter on the floor next to him.

"Here you go. As agreed. One Mystery Box."

"WHAT?YOUCHEATING ##### motherless ..."

She beams at him. "I played you fair and square! I never promised the CONTENTS of the box."

"And I have THREE mothers, two of which are fuckin' SAINTS, so maybe you better watch where you go with that."

Now her eyes flash a bit.

"Yeah, you go after mothers you end up with hooves on your face if you keep it up" Siv says

Jonas says "Shall we?"

"Jonas, I don't think there was anything in that agreement against shrinking. And he DOES have that handy box of his own now."

A serene smile, practically angelic.

"What? NOOOoooo " and then high pitched as Jonas's bunk is a fingers closing gesture . Before he can bite, Siv tosses him in the box

"Anything else you want us to grab?" Siv says

Piper hauls the goods out, even the bike. "We can lock him back in there, it will take Wee Man a little while to chew out of box AND storage unit. Think there's room in the back of the hearse for it all?"

Jonas eyes the ten speed "I have an idea about that ten speed if you allow when we get home. And yes.. We may have to pay extra"

"I'm good for it!" She grins up at him! "And of course. A pirate crew shares booty, after all. Unless you want a mutiny that is." And she reaches up to kiss Siv on the chin. "You're CUTE when you defend my life."

Siv blushes "Well, Fiona troll, what'd you expect?"

And they retreat, leaving a furious TEEENY redcap to chew his way out of a rusty box and a shed.

Only on their way back to the shore does it occur to Piper that she never DID find out what her Nemesis name was