#brightwindsbarony

Leaving the two wilders alone in a blur of introduction

Pepper blinks, then offers her hand to Nessi "Hi. I'm Pepper." A beat "What just happened?"

Nessa backpedals a step, then realizes that she's being rude - and reluctantly reaches out a hand. "Uh. Um. I'm sorry? Mom just... she's like that?"

An amused look as something sinks in, Pepper's grip is solid, but , perhaps to her own surprise, Nessa finds her own is firmer than it was too. This added muscle is part of the Centaur now, "Family , can't live with them, can't live without them, folks get fussy if you shoot them. I hear you. My own mother's an UNBELIEVABLE Nag, yours at least seems be willing to give you space." A wincne "When I said nag, I did not mean to pun about... Shit."

It would appear social skills are not the troll's strong point.

Nessa covers her mouth - at first glance it may look like she is shocked or aghast - but then the giggle slips out. "Oh, no worries. I've put my foot in my mouth enough times to know the taste... I suppose, hoof, now?"

"I suppose," Pepper looks relieved she didn't offend, "Glad to have company , For me it's the cursing. I've got a dirty mouth. Got into the habbit when I was younger, wanted to prove how mature I was and rebellious... and now I have to work not to mouth dirty in front of the kids. Didn't expect to be a cook but so far I'm liking it and the thaning." A beat "Oh, I should ask, what food is your favorite? I'm still new to this Tex mex stuff Hope's and Mary Ellen teach me about but if you like it I can bone up"

"I'm pretty easy going, after a week of kraft dinner and cup noodles, anything would be a feast. Not that your food isn't good even when it isn't compared to instant, I just mean - um. Thank you?"

The troll grins again, "I hear you. Been on the Ramen diet once or twice. But let me know if you ever want me to take a swing at one dish or another, if it sucks, at least we all learn a valuable lesson about my limitations." Pepper then asks "So, what's this town like? I've only been out in Fort Davis once or twice. You're a local , got any favorite places?"

"We used to live in the town proper before Da got laid off due to Covid. We only were a little behind on rent, but the landlord didn't care and had our stuff out in boxes. We ended up staying in the RV we used to use when traveling or when he was visiting other ranches. ...but that's just old drama. I'm sure you don't care about that."

"Um... there was a good coffee shop I used to go to, but more often I'd visit the library, until they closed up too. I spent more time out looking at nature than inside staring at a screen. Mom usually had the PC, anyways, when she could find data entry or transcriptions that she could do from home... until we lost internet, and there that went too."

A blush. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like a bummer. I prefer reading, and checking out the trails and sketching... I didn't miss it."

"Shit. No wonder your mom came out a warrior. That landlord sounds like an ASSHOLE," A scowl but not at her, then she ponders "Okay. Want to hit the town?"

She looks uncertain. “You’re sure that no one will see me? The Lady said, but it’s hard to believe...”

"See how tall I am? Notice the blue tint to my skin? And, of course, my delicate feminine horn bumps? While there are exceptions, as a rule, only those with some glamour in them can see us . Come on, I'll show you. You and I can get some fast food that's bad for us, my treat."

She flushes a bit again. "I'm sorry Miss Pepper. That should have been obvious... Sure, I could get some fresh air."

"Shit. How would you know unless folks told you and even then?" She says ""And it's just Pepper, maybe Thane Pepper when I'm on duty. Miss Pepper makes me feel like I've got 12 cats named after Victorian Novelists "

Nessa smiles. "Sure thing, Pepper. If there's a stationary store, I'd love to get another notebook."

"Let's go find one" She says . She gets a large duster for herself, more than enough to bite off any chill in THIS area, and heads out with Nessa , "So Nessa, what do you do with the note books?" She asks as they head towards town.

"I take notes on things that I see, and things I need to remember. I like wild plants... it's almost like a scavenger hunt to see what is out there beyond the trails, and so many growing things that are helpful or edible. I sketch the plants so I will learn best how to find them again, and identify them properly... because the wrong thing might easily sicken instead of heal. When we... when the Yule star came? I had been worried I used something bad in making tea, and we were all on a crazy drug trip. It's been a very LONG one if that was the case." A grin.

"When I did my dream dance? the guy who came to rescue me? I thought he was a monster and I threw a rock at him" She blushes "Also cussed him out. Poor guy. That's cool about the plants and such though. I know a bit about foraging for food but not that level. Oatha's the one who seems to know the wilds."

"Otha... I haven't met them yet... or maybe I have?" Trying to remember. She pulls out one somewhat beat up sketchbook, and going to the last few pages, checks the line drawings of the basic silhouettes of the fae she was able to get a handle of and put to paper.

And the troll sees this and goes "Shit"

She actually pales a bit

Nessa blinks, drawing back a little. "What is it?"

"Uhm.. did anyone warn you about the Right of Ignorance?"

"I.. I don't remember..."

Pepper says "It's okay. Fledges get a lot of slack and for good reason. Everyone makes mistakes" She takes a break and recites "Do not betray the Dreaming to Banality. A Fae must never reveal themselves to humanity because Humanity will hunt them for their wisdom and power, overwhelming the fae with Banality and destroying their sacred places. The more humanity knows the more forcefully it will seek the Fae, draining the world of Glamour and petrifying them with their Basilisk's gaze."

"What I'm saying is that..well, keeping drawings of what we look like to those that can see us, so mortals can see the truth might be .. iffy. Don't share that with non kithain"

She looks stricken and clutches the sketchpad to her chest. "Should.. I should destroy them, then... and I won't draw any more. Oh, but you are all so... marvelous. Who could possibly want to hurt you?"

"Don't destroy it, just, keep those pages in the hold, and mmaybe we can see if Sparrow has Chimerical ink.. think of it as invisible ink to mortals."

She looks at the art work "You're not bad."

She relaxes a bit, but still seems on edge. "There's so much to learn and know... oh, it's just sketches. Not real art, like the Lady Sparrow does."

"It's a fuck lot better than anything I could do"

then they pass by some mortals. An older married couple who glance a them, but do not freak out.

Just the usual grunt some older folk give 'kids aka the younger generation'

Nessa freezes in place, looking like she might flee in panic... but they walk past... and she relaxes just a touch. "They really don't see..." Whispered to Pepper.

"Nope, they don't" Pepper says in a returned whisper "In truth, sometimes, if someone is low on glamour.. or heavy with banality you might not see them either. There's a .. well, kind of a third eye, or maybe it's more like an extra sense we call Kenning. It's a good one to develop. let's you feel glamour more accurately"