#brightwindsbarony

"And that," Bix says "Is spring magic" As the plant blooms and grows under his touch "See, Nessa, I'm better with machines than nature, but awakening a frozen seed is the gateway ot Spring for many and i bet youlll be better than me"

She dips her hands into the soil in the pot in front of her, just feeling the rich earth. "That's amazing. I'm not sure I understand about bunks, though? You know how to do the magic spells... but the bunk is like, a ritual to make it work? But it's not the same ritual every time..." She puzzles over this.

"Donn't over think it. It's improv, it's going with the feeling.. to mortal, bunk means hokem, nonsense... that's their definition unless you're talking about beds or the like. Only a few mortals really grasped how wonderful nonsense is, how just going with a feeling and acting on it works. Children know and forget I suppose. THink o the effect you want sure... but then think of how that FEELS to you. What does it make you imagine? Some changelings imagine what a spell would be like if it had a theme song, others think of the smells of cerain foods. there's no wrong way except to make it too rigid, too repetitive. "

Nessa thinks about this, then realizes, she might be over thinking it. Cupping her hands around the single seed she has tucked into the potting soil, she leans in and whispers in a sing song voice,

"You say either and I say ether,
You say neither and I say nether,
Either, ether, neither, nyther,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like potato and I like potahto,
You like tomato and I like tomahto,
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
Let's call the whole thing off!"

Thinking as she does about the taste of tomatoes, not the bland hot-house varieties or the unripe, hard grocery store offerings. No, a garden fresh tomato, that smells of growing green vines and tastes of summer sun. And hopes that the little seed might grow...

And a little seed breaks through the soil, a live and active!

It's such a small thing, yet SHE Did it!

"Oh... oh! Bix! Look!"

"I see it" he grins at her

A big smile! "I believed that you could do it, but I wasn't really sure that I could. It's hard to believe... I did it. I really did. Magic."

"Belief is he core of who we are and what we do, but yes, you did and are magic" The troll nods "you probably, and this is just a guess, have an affinity for nature, there are different realms you see.. the actors among us, a slang term for mortal humans, props.. mortal things be they a an ashtray or a car .. Scene, the area itself. As you probably notice, we tend to use theatrical terms but it's not a die hard rule there either"

Carefully Nessa slides her hands out of the pot, letting the seed - no, the seedling SPROUT! nestle into the soil. "I could see that. I doubt I'll have as much luck with people. I've never been much good with crowds, or making friends in a new place. That is, except here, but you all are the exception. I don't think I could have avoided being befriended here even if I'd tried."

"Try being a gay guy on a farm where 90% of the guys there are family, the ugly banjo jokes write themselves" He says "But I get you."

"That sounds awkward!" She commisserates. "Are you living in Brightwinds permanently now? I understand several folk were just here on loan to help Sparrow get things settled..."

"Actually, I'm sticking around, not in any official capacity, because I don't buy the whole feudal system, but I like the area. It's got good conservative traditional values."

She looks a bit confused by that. "You mean like, Republican?"

"Well , not MAGA hat level stuff" He says "More McCain ... and yes, I realize I just flashed my gay card THEN mentioned a mindset that some time has trouble with that. What can I Say, I don't like Broadway and Cher is over rated. One size does not fit all"

A smile. "I just asked because I know there's normal politics, and then court politics, and fae politics... it's enough to make my head spin."

"I live in Texas, believe me, I understand the conservative mindset."

"Oh yeah I bet you do" He blushes "Sorry, didn't mean to act like a know it all. Back to what I do know.." he says "Spring bunks vary like any bunks, but if you're looking for a trend... some folks find effective work by using or reference nature, animals, circles, and sometimes sexuality but that last is more satyrs and Fiona I think. I once did a spring bunk by telling a pig the story of the three little pigs"

"Did you huff and puff?" A grin.

"oh yeah, you have to do the sound effects"

"Is it just Spring that you focus on, or do you have other magics, too?"

"Oh sure, " he says "I've received training from TWO Mountains. Mountain Frank tends to dowplay his ablities but trust me, he's got power and lore to spare. Mountain Emmit sent me to him for good reason. I know some Primal, Soothsay and Wayfare now thanks to them. Not as well as I know Spring but I can get you the basics. "

"...Mountains? Is that like the Animated rocks Dame Otha was telling me about? No.. that's not quite it. Unanimated."

"Ooh sorry, " he says "Mountain, in this case, is a title. It's kind of a shaman"

She chuckles. "That's... a bit reassuring. Starting talking about mountains talking, I'd worry that the Sleeping Lion would sit up some day and complain about us walking on him."

"It probably does, just not in the Autumn world" Bix explainss " The mortal lands reflect the Dreaming, or vice versa depending on your view. that means, when you're sained and stable enough, you will be able to visit the Lion Mountain in the Dreaming. For that matter, it's possible to willow whisper and ask questions of natural formations... maybe evenn a whole mountain though that's apowerful test of your scene and nature affinities. I do advise caution on casting Awaken on a mounntain if it was formerly volcanic. I'm sure you can guess why"

"Oh, sweet lord, no." Shaking her head. "That sounds like a dang fool idea. Has that actually happened?!"

"There are rumors and stories, but nothing confirmed. Arts are fun, and there's an element of fun to cantrips, but they are also power so you've got to learn how to reign your urges in"

"Soothsay, that's fortune telling, and Wayfare is travel?"

"Yeah.. soothsay has levels, Omen doesn't tell you so much what will happen, despite the name, but of the inner nature of something, maybei t's place in Da'an.. but over time, beyond that, you can bend fate. It's possibly the most indirectly dangerous magic since Naming. Wayfare is travel... and POPULAR. It starts with a hop that makes an Olympian look envious, then works onto adding speed of motion and reaction, then making doors into solid walls, then flight, and finally... true teleporation we call flicker flash"

"I wonder if my Da will look into Soothsay. He seems to be embracing a role as a proper wizard, for all that he's been pretty coy about what sort of magic he might do... now, Flight spells, is that what Sparrow uses to fly?" Curious!

"No, SParrow's flight is in her wings, but as her wings are Chimerical.. that is morals do not grasp them, she must be careful using them aroundn her. It's like your back hooves.. those are real, but not to unenchanted"

"That sounds tricky. Lucky that there's so much open land out here."

"I don't think it's coincidence that Centaurs have appeared in areas like his" He nods

"I can't imagine living anywhere else." She says, looking out the window at the landscape view. "I love it here."

Bix grins "I think Otha would agree.. and maybe Sparrow too"

"I certainly HOPE Sparrow would agree!" She gives Bix a worried look. "You think she might leave?"

"Oh not for a second" he says "I meant more like she was a fan of nnatural beauty .. even if she wans't though her sense of duty would keep her here. Mountain Frank was a mentor to her too, though on the Sir Frank Liam side. He speaks well of her for a reason"

"She certainly has the natural beauty part." Nessa says fondly, then her cheeks color when she realizes it was aloud. "I mean, you know! Sidhe, and all. They all have that, um, grandeur..."

"They do" he says "I's a dangerous kind of beauty and normally I'd warn you not to be lulled, but like I said, Sparrow has been vouched by more than one person I trust as a decent woman beauitful on the inside too." A grin "You got a bit of a crush on her?"

"Oh, it's not like that. You know. It's just, there was this Cupid, and it hasn't worn off yet..."

"Ah, by now it should have" he says pondering, and kenning

Nessa's cheeks flush a bit, and she busies herself with sweeping up the stray potting soil...

Bix simply says "mmm" And leaves it at that "We'll take a walk outside, help some of the plants growing wild awaken , okahy for them, good practice for you. Okay?"

And off they go.. the troll backing off the crush talk.

(End scene)

FOr Sparrow, St. Patty's day was a different beast. So much green along the dreamers, an Irish cast. the odd thing, her town doesn' even have THAT many Irish Americans.. I mean sure they've got their share, but it's not like boston percentages or the like

But then, as a redhead...

A green-eyed redhead, at that...