#brightwindsbarony

"Well. You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't it be lonely, though? I know all the other childlings."

A head tilt, and he pauses a moment before answering. "Lonely suits us. Most of us."

"I guess. But lonely can be dangerous, too. When you are all alone and forget."

The cook nods. "We tend to look out for each other. Sluagh do."

"Well, that's good!"

"We think so." he agrees.

"This is good, by the way." Half the pudding disappeared between questions.

"Glad you like it."

"If I encounter Sluagh childlings, I will let them know you are interested in meeting them." polietly.

"That's really nice of you, thank you! I bet Felicity would like sluagh, she's an Eiluned. And Stu likes books, so maybe they would like the library too?"

"Maybe. I prefer knowledge that lives, but books have their place."

"Oh, that's a nice phrase. 'Knowledge that lives' sounds mysterious."

An amused look

"Irene? You ready to go?" Her mom comes out

The sluagh glances over at the woman, back at Irene.

"Yes Mom! Coming!"

"I gotta go, thank you for the pudding."

"Welcome."

((assume she paid?))

((she did!))

She bounces off to meet her mom. "Look, it's special fancy pudding. You want a bite?"

"Oh Irene, you'll ruin your dinner. oh well" She does take a bit

"But it's from a truck so it's special."

"Oh my.. it's actually pretty good"

The wiry-thin guy in the truck leans against the counter, waiting for his next vic..... customer.

"Uh-huh." A wave to Cliff as they head off.

Cliff glances around to see if the other sluagh is still there, or has slipped away.

He is there, politely waitin, but he moves forward to Cliff "I shall leave you to your business unless there is anything else?"

"Know any sluagh childling in the area?"

And Irene goes home with her mom. Unware the sluagh's cursed food will take it's toll

okay, it's not cursed

But it does spoil her dinner!

"afraid not," Wen says "we smuggled one out, but I doubt the kid is coming back"

Cliff nods. "Not the first or the last." he says fatalisticly.

"Mm hopefully the last forced to flee in this barony"

A grunt, and head nod agreeing.

"I'll go now, if you wander the desert, watch out for the landsharks."

Cliff nods. "Say. If I have information for you.... how do I reach you?"

"there's an antique store at " he names the location "I frequent it, even when it's closed"

He nods. "One of us run it?"

"Kinain" He says

He nods. "I'll remember."

And he turns to go. As the new crowd for the food truck approaches

And Cliff gets to work; tamales and tacos, mostly....