#bergen_county

Egon is having the time of his life! A centaur has room! He can run, he can gallop! He has a big yard! Adn he can whoop and make loud noises. He likes doing that best where his sister has to hear it, or so it seems. It is possible he whoops 20% louder when a sibling has to hear it.

Les has browbeat, and so it's easier to whoop and annoy Egon's big sister, Amity.

Amity is happiest up a tree. And FROM said tree she can drop things on Egon's head. So.

"OW!" The boy says as a stick, (Not too sharp of one) bounces on his head, "Jerk!" / Miss MicGillicudy is across the street ,"In MY day children had manners" / "In your day TV lacked color," Egon calls back. This was a private sibling squabble. If he wanted an adult he'd go narc to mom and dad.

"unprepossessing child!" McGilicudy huffs.

Egon scuffs a hoof, "Nobody insults my sister but me," Ingoring that was probably directed at him, "And Les, but I'm not tangling with less, and they really don't insult my sister with big words that I don't understand...."

A voice calls out from the sidewalk, "You leave that boy alone, Miss M., or so help me I'll give him a drum set." The satyress who is walking up may be tiny, but her voice is strong and clear and the threat is real.

The boy's ire fades as a nicre satyr lady comes to the rescue!

She hangs down from a sturdy-ish limb by her knees, upside down, to get a look at the newcomer.

"YOU! You're probably the one who gave that trouble making girl a kazzoo! It's a nightmare!" Miss McGilliciddy huffs, "Fine.... down with Bohemia!" And she goes into her own house with a slamming front door.

Piper did not give anyone a kazoo, recently, but that is just the sort of thing that would drive that old bag nuts so power to whoever that did.

Piper laughs and continues on. "Mind if I come in, laddy buck?" Looking past him, and noticing the pooka. "And this must be the lady of the house."

🎼 QUACK!!! 🎶

"That's a fine mirliton you have there." Waiting by the gate politely.

Listen, SHE didn't bring up the kazoo, but it was in her pocket anyways...

"Hi!" Still hanging upside down from the tree. "Who are you?"

"I'm Piper Hale-King ni McCormick, and I came by to say hi to the new neighbors."

"Ooo, we have new neighbors?"

"I' m Egon," Egon says, "And you can come in, you got hooves." The centaur boy is younger than his sister, "It's the feathered folks you gotta watch out for."

She snorts and blows a raspberry at the centaur.

Oh, wait - kazoo!

Egon huffs "Sisters. Always got to get the last honk in."

Piper puts a hand on the gate and vaults over easily. "I did NOT bring any treats, I'm afraid, but trust me, it's safer that way. Less risk of poisoning. And kinda," to Amity, "I live in that big apartment building down off Main."

"Ohhh. With the pool."

She looks at Amity again, and gives a curious little trill - say! She sounds almost exactly like a pigeon! "You must be Robin. Or is it Lark? Nightengale?" Repeating with each of the birdsongs.

She responds with the distinctive coo of a rock dove.

"The pool we're not supposed to use but totally do because it's not guarded well," The boy agrees.

"EGON! Shhhh! ZIP IT."

"Oh, you know it!" She gives him a careful look, then says, "You better watch out, there's a vicious raccoon that guards the best lounge seats."

Egon crosses his arms about his chest muttering "you're not the boss of me" but he did quiet a bit.

She spins around so she can dangle at full arms-length from the branch, before dropping down to the grass.

Piper leans against the fence. "I'll never turn you into the fuzz. Anti-authoritarianism is kinda my jam. And when I jam, I jam hard."

"Etsie mentioned you came by the studio, and I thought I'd see if I could make a bargain with your parents. Do they like to haggle, do you know?"

"I dunno, are trolls tall?"

"Oh, yes they are." A bit of a wicked smile there. "That's so they can throw you over their shoulder and drag you back to... er... the pool."

She revises hastily.

"I'm Page." She offers out a hand.

"Her name's Amity, like the horror movie," Egon says smugly.

She shakes the hand. "Now now, kid, if she says her name is Page, I'm sure she means it. But the problem is, I already know 3 pages."

Apologetically to Amity, "So do you MIND if I call you Amity for short?"

"I get tired of reading after about five myself, "Egon nods.

"And you're Ghost-busted." Pout.

"I guess I don't mind a nickname or two."

"And I don't like horror movies, but your sister is cute as a button, so I doubt there's a connection there."

Egon hurumphs "Egon is a family name. I'm bonified."

"Nice to meetcha, Bones."

"Well, firstly, I heard that a young pooka and her intrepid brother might be in the market for music classes. And I'm asking you first ON purpose. Because trust me, I've been there and done that, and trying to teach a lesson to someone who isn't interested is like …like trying to put knickers on a cat. The cat doesn’t appreciate it, you won’t appreciate it, and everyone involved is going to end up scratched and reconsidering their life choices.”

Egon was going to protest his sister's cleverness, but laughs as Piper rattles on about the cat, then says "You could teach me music?"