#bergen_county

"Thanks for meeting me at our home, Sylvi, " Siv says as she cares for her kids feeding them some frank and beans, "Not the sort of thing I wanted to text in detail."

Sylvi easily commandeers one of the forks and helps with getting one of them fed. "I appreciate that. I'm guessing you've got some info?"

Franki and Valr are enjoying their meal in the kitchenette table, while their Mor wanders about with wearing an apron that says 'In this house I'm Chief'; Siv takes a moment to break from them, "Sure do. Did you want to know who the Baron has spying on Goldfinch? And do you want me to stop them? They'll probably be replaced in a week if I out them officially."

"Well...how confident are you about the info? I don't want you to name somebody and then I get all sad about it when the person didn't actually do it."

"Oh ye of little faith," Siv tuts, "How about I say two I am sures, and one very likely?"

Her eyes widen. A quiet moment, and then she nods. "Tell me." Siv can tell that Sylvi's bracing for bad news.

"Well, the goodnews is it isn't one of your die hards. Apparently they DID try to hire Rikki but she just ran up their credit card with donations to Amnesty International and the Innocence Project and got herself a pizza." An amused look.

"Oh, man. Classic Rikki," she says with admiration.

"She might get a pick up one day as a lesson," Siv observes "No violence, but sometimes you get dropped off in an area far from any trod as a reminder it's not nice to 'steal'" The Fiona chuckles "it's part of what makes the game so interesting. The imbalance of the powers involved. Ah, but I suppose I should get you to the one that will surprise you. Lydia Wayburton is spying on you, only she doesn't know it," A sigh, "Fallen for a honeypot trap."

"Well, I can't fault her for that. Who's the honey?"

"He told her his name is Tyson, though that's just a guise. Tyson is an Eshu so it makes sense he 'wanders', but he's a true kithian and to a KInain girl who often feels left out, well, he knows how to woo, that's for sure. She's head over hills and doesn't realize he's using her for all the info in Goldfinch and to some degree Rivervale Under Chief Kerri. Tyson's just doing his job, but knowing how your mom feels about playing with people's hearts I imagine if she found out she'd want his guts for garters period."

While Sylvi might have seen a new Eshu in the last few months here and there, she never got to talk to him. He's a wilder Lydia's age though.

"Hmm. I mean, it's a dirty thing to do to Lydia, yeah. And if he breaks her heart, he's going to have to answer to a LOT of angry kith and kin...but I'm not sure I want to sic my mom on him just yet. Murder between baronies might be a problem."

"Does Tyson go to school with her?"

Siv arches a brow "Murder? Mmm I always thought Aunt Kerri was more creative than that," good humor "I can lean on him if you need me too. Fiona often do use seduction in their spying, at least our Unseelie do, but I'm not crazy about this either. And no, he did not. He whips up exciting stories about the places he's seen and keeps her hooked as a 'man of the world'." Wistful "Eshu fellows are good at that."

Sylvi takes a few moments to think. "Do you think you could find some dirt on Tyson? If we can find a way to help Lydia discover something scandalous or awful about him, maybe she can do the breaking up and feel morally superior for it."

"I mean, dirt other than being a honeypot."

"Oh easily, I can leave clues to the other girls he's wining and dining behind her back," an offer, "Fellow's a bit of a player."

"Maybe 'accidentally' invite all of them to a date with him at the same time...and then invite him, too."

"It would still hurt, but it would hurt her less than being dumped, I think."

Siv grins "Seeing as i have their contact info, can be arranged," Siv grins clearly approving, she hears a sound, "Excuse me, I think Franki is trying to shiv her brother with a spoon again, going to have to multi task." She darts to the table with the kids and calls out "Now, another spy you've already seen is Siniy, the Russian Blue Cat Pooka?" Oh her, She's only been around the last month at most, taking Piano lessons from Linwood and others, she's got an exaggerated and fake Russian accent but seemed sweet and supportive, hardly did any pranks at all. Which now that one considers it MIGHT be a sign to be suspicious. "Now she carries a recording device on that fancy collar/choker of hers. Standard Issue at Teaneck, that's how she got on my radar."

"Standard issue? I didn't realize Baron Kealan was that extreme. Everybody wears them?"

"Ha, no no, she's not, but for pooka, they're SOO Good at getting info, but terrible at sharing it because they get the truth out of others, then lie to their boss. SO... they're more likely to have a recording device on them. Sinly's my replacement, a bit of a rookie, but she's doing well. I almost want to encourage her and say she's good at this, but well..." A shrug.

Sylvi nods, considering this info. "And the third?"

"A sluagh named Sneed. He prefers to watch from outside and see who goes in and out, because well, music is loud. I've worked with Sneed before. I can feed him some false info if you like pretty easily."

"I don't want you to ruin your currency with him if you get caught in feeding lies...but maybe that would be helpful. Maybe I could ask Linwood to do the same with Sinly." She sighs. "Any idea what juicy gossip they think they already have?"

"give me the spoon, spoon privilege revoked" Siv can be heard to say.

Sylvi grins and gives up trying to help. Lunch with twins is clearly an art form of its own.

"I don't have to lie to him as meself, Sylvi. I can look like a total stranger. Sluagh can pierce Chicanery, Metamporphissis though? That they are as vulnerable to as any of us."

"Oh! Good point. By the way, I really hope you never do that to me. I don't want to have to be pissed with you."

"I value your friendship too much to let you catch me at it," Siv assures with the same gravitas her mother invokes at times in a way to make folks wonder, and lets her kids down one by one.

Sylvi rolls her eyes but accepts that's about as good as she's going to get.

"Not sure you should have LInwood play counter spy, not that he knows of anyway. He's a shy gentle soul and might botch it," Siv says "Or you could lie to him, then he'll pass the lie on thinking it's a truth."

"I could. Only if it's a relatively harmless lie. But...I dunno, that doesn't feel right."

"Anyway, about my question? What info they already have about Goldfinch?"

"Oh sorry, got distracted," Siv says "Mostly harmless, but they do have the names and details of your thanes and guardians. They know the lay out of the hold, and her defenses. THey're working on finding your dreamers, and I think I should put a stop to that. I don't think they'd mean malice, but still, boundaries and all."

"Boundaries, yeah. But..." a pause "...maybe we need to formalize an alliance, so we can get a little more reassurance that they'll use that information for us rather than against us. Gah! I hate that stuff."

"Heavy is the head that wears the democratic leader lapel," Siv observes, "Sylvi, Etsie will tell them to kiss off, and god forbid you let Rikki be a diplomat." She does not volunteer her wife Piper for the job "So it needs to be you. My best suggestion? Pick a spy you like , and inform the Baron you know about them, and this is the one you'll keep, but the others need to go."

A blink. "Huh. Okay. Just...straightforward like that." She thinks about it a moment. "I can do that. I can also tell him that playing romance games to get info is Not An Option. Especially not with kinain."

"The Fiona agrees," Siv says "My house plays that game, but on Kinian? It's a definitely unfair power gap.. And yes, straightforward awhere you give him a concession works nicely. NOW, the question is do you want something in turn? Such as that spy acting as extra eyes watching out for other threats? Reasonable."

"Mayyyyybe. Let me think on that. It seems like a good idea, but it also feels like it could backfire on me somehow."

"Fair. Take your time, just... let me put these two down for a nap and we'll just talk two adults about adult things. I don't want to be so deprived of social interaction that I end up resenting Bluey."

Sylvi takes care of some of the dishes so Siv doesn't have to. And she quietly defends Bluey, who never meant Siv any harm.

The kids are put to naps, and actually DO sleep, and Siv gets Sylvi her favorite drinks... Siv assures she loves Bluey too, but she'd like to KEEP loving her rather than risk burn out. Gossip, like the Spice of Dune, flows!

(end Scene)