#bergen_county

Symon nudges Dagmar slightly, and whispers, “Let’s hear this out.”

Brekke pauses and rests a hand on Dagmar's shoulder, and says quietly, "It is your choice, but I would wish you to be here, if you are willing. They may need help."

And then she departs, not waiting for Dagmar's answer.

When the door closes behind them, Sylvi says to Piper, "Lock it, quick. Everybody, follow me. We have to do this now."

The Raccoon shoots ahead going in

Piper stifles a laugh at Rikki, and locks the door.

She turns on her heel and leads the way towards the stairs at the back of the building, and then downward to the floor below.

Piper gestures for everyone to follow, taking up the rear herself. “C’mon, c’mon!”

Her pace has taken on some urgency now that she has the lantern in hand.

Siv blinks "I can't believe this is.. oh my" And she goes in "Come on, Dagmar, we're still wilders"

Dagmar shakes her head and gets behind Piper - apparently taking rear guard, with halberd in hand.

“You can’t see it now, but there are these studios, and the best recording space upstairs, and… well, you’ll see!” She says in a muted squeal. She gives Dagmar a little surprised glance - then skips forward, back to Jonas and Siv.

Jonas says "So this is what you've beenn up to? Extraordinary"

“I started it… but Sylvi n them, they took things to an entirely different LEVEL.”

As they reach the lower floor, they discover an entire nightclub set up, lush in dark red curtains and complete with a little stage area at the front and tables and chairs arranged around.

Dag stays at the fringes, by the stairwell.

Sylvi goes directly to the far end of the floor, and pulls back a heavy drape to reveal an alcove...and this is where she turns to look at the following group of fae. "Everybody...this is ours. But only if we can hold it, and keep it alive. I know this is sudden, or it seems like it, but...we're making a mews. Will you help me feed our fire?"

Symon whispers, but is likely only heard by Dagmar, “Alms for the poor?”

She looks around the group, her expression both determined and anxious. She wants them very much to agree.

Zane says "Hell to the yes"

Piper raises her hand! “I volunteer as tribute!!”

A relieved grin to Zane. Then a laugh at Piper!

"You heard em, let's sacrifice Piper annd Zanne to the fire " Dirk grins wickedly

Dag fidgets, almost frowning.

"S'for you Symon. You and everybody else."

Piper grins and looks out over the crowd. “Rikki, I SAW you sneak in. This? I think it’s going to be a place for all of us. Not a Lodge, not a Noble’s place. You want in on the ground floor?”

Another laugh at Dirk. "I don't think that's quite the flavor we want to start with. Okay..." She kneels by the alcove and opens the lantern.

Rikki is now bipedal "This place needs a drop of December deligghtt..." She makes as if she were donnatinng blood, showing her forearm

She glances up at Dagmar. "It's for you, too. Like Firnost," she insists. "For everybody who keeps it alive."

Symon scowls up at Dagmar - though the scowl isn’t directed at her. He watches the first few people approaching, and listens to Sylvi.

She purples. SHe hadn't meant for Sylvi to hear that.

Piper, if she is able, is first in line! But she waits while Sylvi talks to Dagmar.

She swirls her hand over the floor of the alcove, making a circle in the light coating of dust there. Then again, and a third time. "We're bringing you home, little flame. And we're going to make you strong." She tips the lantern and very, very gently slips the ember into the center of the circle.

It's a dim, flickering little thing. Puny.

Siv says "Dagmar, we're knights, but that's not all we are..and I get the feeling titles , nnoble ones won't mean as mu..." She shushes as Sylvi whirls

“What do we do, Sylvi?” Piper half-whispers.

"Piper...a steady beat?" she requests, staring at the fire, knocking on the floor to demonstrate the rhythm she wants.

She obliges, moving to a spot nearby where she KNOWS the sound will resonate just so.

Dagmar is Guarding. She knows that the ember is still weak, still vulnerable. So... she can do that.

And music joins in, from Linwood tapping along. Damn stairs were a painn and he needs space over 'there' but yeah

Piper gives Linwood a thumbs up, and starts singing.

_“How can you see into my eyes, like open doors
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb…”_

the fire wiggles..?

well the ember

Sylvi nods to Piper, and she leans low and breathes three breaths onto the ember, as if coaxing a mortal ember to flame, letting a bit of her glamour flow into it. Then she stands and encourages somebody else to do the same.

Piper takes a breath.

“Without a soul
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home…

Wake me up!”

She breaths onto the fire, letting a bit of her glamour stream forth, and then steps back to continue the song.

Sylvi helps keep the beat, and the beckons each person who waits in line to follow suit as Piper continues to sing.

If any look hesitant, Sylvi says, "No shame if you don't want to, but it does need help."

Symon whispers up to Dagmar, “Does an oath to one freehold mean you can’t support another? Sylvi’s your friend… our friend. And she’s asking for help. It’s not what I would have done, but I made my choice when I gave the spark away, I guess.”

He pauses, thinking, watching.

“But just because it’s not my idea, doesn’t mean I want it to fail.” His mouth twists a bit, pondering.

Others can surely see him whispering, but out of earshot…