#bergen_county

Maybe small towns are a bit okay, when it's an October afternoon and the sun is out and the trees rustle and Amity's feet can lead her down dappled paths in the woods.

The leaves at least chimerically, are looking gorgeous.

This would be amazing with a bike. But Amity knows better than to say anything. Things are going good, she's not going to upset the apple cart. She can fly, after all. But for now, she plays guerrilla hopscotch - skipping a careful path between fallen leaves, not allowing her feet to touch a one.

The leaves are lava, well, not quite, even chimerically they're not going to give her the hotfoot, but it's fun.

"One, two, buckle my shoe, three, four, who buckles shoes anymore?"

A voice rumbles from a distance, "That's an interesting riddle. Who buckles shoes anymore? " A beat, then the rumbling deep voice say "A stag in sneakers could 'Buck'le his shoes if anyone could. I think that's my answer, did I get it right?"

She giggles. "Buck-le. Nice!"

"Thank you, Little one. Now I have a riddle for you. What gets wetter the more it dries?" The voice asks.

She squints.

To the left, more woods, to the right, more Woods at a huge Rock, some kind of boulder. Wait, that's a dude. He just looks kind of rock like.

"Hi!"

She comes closer, eyes wide. "Is it a towel?"

"A TOWEL!" The Rock Man says as if he was looking for an answer and not just testing her, "THANK you, that's been driving me mad for a week. I don't normally use those." She can see he is no kith, but rather a slower heavier dream, one of stone and earth. She reminds him a little of a statue she got shooed off with in a park, but less refined. A Glome!

She creeps a little closer, stubby wings lifted in curiosity. "One of my many specialities, riddles."

"Oh that must be nice," The Glome says in that slow deep cadence of his , "I am just me. I don't specialize so much as.. am. I am Klump."

"Oh, funny! I am ALSO me!" She lets out a happy warble, all birdsong.

"Hello, Alsome, I'm Klump," The Big rocky humanoid says in a very somber expression, then, putting a stoney hand to the side of his face, he stage whispers "See, that was supposed to be funny, or at least intended in humor. I have found if you can make the soft folk like yourself smile, it sets them at ease. I do not TRULY think your name is Alsome." There, that explained so he does not risk insult, Klump nods.

She does, in fact, grin quite brightly. And laugh. "Some folks find me Amicable, and thence call me Amity. Isn't thence a fine word? It sounds Anne-like. And it's October, so I would be Anne-with-an-E in October, and Am-it-EE and Anne-with-an-E basically rhyme, so that'd be the same, right?"

"My, you are as bright as a firefly," He observes, "But I take your word on it and it makes sense." a deep chuckle, "And yes, it is October. The Unseelie feel of the land will grow but that is not so bad, just different. Chief Kerri is tied to the land here, and it will be interesting indeed to see but she looks after all her people. Ah, but Amity, I ramble. How do you like Rivervale so far? There are kind folk here."

She bites on her lip, considering. "Kerri's awful dour and stingy, yeah. And.... Siv's kinda cold and aloof... and...yeah, everyone's been mean."

Having dealt with Pooka before, Klump is grateful that opposite speak is in use. He's found they often use it to 'go easy on you' so he appreciates it though he knows some pooka get bored when they have to use it too much, "Ah, I should visit them both. I like Siv. I do, but she enamoured of the water, and it can be treacherous at times. She herself is not mind you, but we don't always have much to talk about. I have another friend, she is Little Thunder... Dame Dagmar. She visits me sometimes and she seems more like a 'rock person' to me. I suspect the sky is your playground, winged one. A pigeon? I have brothers who would live in fear of you." Gentle humor there.

"Oh, no! No! Noble perches, the statues and fountains!"

"Indeed," Somber nod, "Let their be a truce between you and I then. I shall allow you to perch upon me, but you leave me and my anchor, should you find it, relatively clean?"

She bobs her head, and then spits on her palm before offering it out for a shake - gestures, not words, for sincerity's sake!

He spits a bit of dust onto his own finger tips, then offerrs them to shake, as big as he is, he dare not use his whole hand, she's vanish in it.

A satisfied trill.

Perhaps the glome, while stone, is well-acquainted with the sounds of wild things. Amity finds this pleases her.

"Are you old?"

"By my people's standards I'm merely in my prime, but yes, In fact, I am older than the mortal country we are in, at least it's government, by ..." His brow knits "I forget the year, but I'm older than that."

"Wow! I'm not ten."

A nod, somber, and as he knows childlings, and how important it can be, he adds, "Certainly not. You're at LEAST ten years and a moon!"

Delight! "You get it!"

"I have had good teachers," He acredits, "Thence... a very important word I am told, I get it."

She hops up to sit beside Klump. "Impressive. Hip to the jargon of the youth."

THat gets a chuckle, "If by youth you mean being born in the last fifty years, then yes, I am the epitome of 'hip', at least compared to some Glomes. I have a peer far from here who still speaks in 'thees' and 'thous'. He'd like Thence. He would like it a lot."

"You may share it! Call it an October Surprise."

"I shall then," He says somberly, "Are you hungry little one?"

"Snacks? Ooo."

"Did Miss Kerri tell you the secret to a pooka's loyalty?"

"Heh, Miss Kerri knows how to cook to get almost anyone's loyalty," The Glome admits, "Normally I offer a bird seed, but perhaps you would like to a pretzel vendor? I know a good one."

"....Sunflower?" A hopeful chirrup.

"Humm.. you will enjoy this indeed," He says as he takes her, his husk looking 'human' enough under his many clothes to order from a vendor, and she gets to see ...well, a Pretzel with sunflower seeds

Or any other variation.

"Oh! Oh, Les will be SO jealous." She chortles, as she tears off bits of pretzel. "You're the worst, Klump. We'll never be friends."

A chuckle, "I am glad to hear it, featherwhirl. Forgive me, but I am taking us back to the forest. The town is too ..." A pause "Peopley?"

"Well, you aren't a people." She nods.

"I'm a semi-people."

"BUT we're both persons and that matters."

"There's a wisdom to pooka I like," He admits, "I do not always understand it, but I like it. " They are striding back to the trees.