#brightwindsbarony

Grete looks for Sparrow...

Sparrow is up top - she likes the wind and sky and wide views!

Trundling up the stairs, Grete waves to the Baroness from a bit further away from the edge. "Sparrow! I found you."

"Hey Grete!" She beams, and walks closer - away from that oh-so-high edge.

Looking up at the sky. "The rain has mostly soaked in now. Nessa said that there's going to be more flowers this year because of the extra water. Is that why you made it rain?"

"Well, flowers are a bonus. I like flowers. But no - we were worried about fire. Didn't want to have it running wild through town."

"Oh. That makes sense." She thinks about this for a minute, nodding. "Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment. What's up?"

"I wanted you to meet my friend." Holding up something in her hand. Often Grete has brought stones, rocks, or chunks of ore and introduced them thusly.

"New rock? Cool. What is it?" She crouches to get a better look.

"Her name is Neera, and she's not in here right now. I think she went for a walk..." Showing Sparrow the small stone - round and about the size of a quarter, smooth but not faceted. It gleams in the sunlight and sparkles with inner fire. "I've never met an opal like her before." Grete doesn't generally name her rocks.

"Ah..." Blink. "It is a very pretty opal. Where did you find it?" She gently kens the rock.

It glows brightly with glamour!

"I think she mailed herself here. In a shoebox!"

A head tilt. "She... Neera is the rock, but she's not... it... "

"...Neera IS the rock?"

"...an inanimae?"

Nod nod! "I think she came here because we have so much wild area with so many stones..."

"She asked if you would keep her safe. I said I thought you would." A nod. "But if you can't, I told her I would."

"I've never met one. I've read about them..."

"Of course we'll keep her safe." Firmly.

Grete looks relieved. "I was worried I spoke wrong. I didn't want to say you'd do something. But you protect all of us... so... I thought you would?"

She nods. "It's smart not to make promises for others - but you were right, I want to protect people. Even when they're rocks."

"She's not just a rock. Not that that is a bad thing to be. She can walk around, too. "

Curiously, she asks, "What if someone showed up and asked for your protection, and you said ok, and then it turns out that they're a fugitive from the law?" Thinking of the bandit and coal baron play of the other day.

"Giving your word is sacred - so yes, I'd be honor-bound to protect them. It doesn't mean they could do whatever they wanted, but hospitality and guest-right are ancient."

"Even if another barony said you had to give them back to go to jail?" She ponders this. "Would you go to war?"

She frowns, considering. "If I gave my word?"

Grete's brow furrows a bit. "Yeah? But not like, an oath, just, you said?"

"I think not everything with honor has to be an oath."

"I also think... well, the crime matters. And the punishment they face. And... a lot of things."

She nods. "I guess it's good to find out... but you have to not seem too suspicious or rude? You have a hard job."

She nods. "Being a liege - any leader, really - has a lot of demands."

"And sometimes, there aren't any right choices. Just bad and maybe less bad."

"I guess sometimes you can't keep everyone happy." A smile, though. "But you keep pretty much everyone here happy almost all of the time? So that's good?"

"Yeah, that's pretty good. I try. I want people to be happy, but I also need to make sure the Escheat is followed, and that we don't have too much chaos or conflict."

"Some people are made happy by hurting others, so..." She shrugs.

"What if someone new comes to town but they don't want to meet you? Is that a problem? Or only if they make a problem?"

She considers. "Well, it's polite. But not everyone likes nobility. So long as they follow the law - stick to the escheat, no ravaging, no nonsense... I'll admit, though, if Balor or a corby of Caps pop up, I want to know and keep an eye."

"Okay. Pepper and me? We met a sluagh who was selling food. He cooked it... but it was good?"

"And it was from a TRUCK. Not a restaurant!"

"A sluagh food truck? It... fresh food?"

Nod nod! "Seasoned, but not old."

"I.. well, I guess they would need to make food at some point."

"Maybe I will ask Wenceslaus to introduce himself."

"His name is Cliff." She tells the Baroness where the truck was parked. "But I told him he could come say hi to you, but he didn't want to."

"Well, he said 'not now'. So maybe he will. I told him he could look for Mister Wencesles if he needed anyone. Is that right?"

"That is right, yes."

Grete looks relieved. "Good."

"Do you think I can let Neera stay in my room? I don't know if she needs to sleep or needs a place to keep things, but I could keep her stone there. If it's safe enough?"