#debukefarmhold

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Earl watches them go, "you realize if the countess sees them, and wants them, there's no much either of us can do about it?" Earl says to Emmit

"Clem didn't go without a few tricks up her sleeves." Emmit says "Some of them mine. She's not going to be foolish enough to challenge a sorceress"

Of course, Zara is right there. Listening

"IF she sees them..."

"I will not let Miriam be imprisoned again."

"I'm not sure Miriam will let Miriam be imprisoned again" Emmit says thoughtfully "She's got passion, your mama. Lot of rage, but not just that"

"Well, Clem finds it easier to sneak around in Sluagh form, but she's no sluagh. Let's see how the two do." Earl says and wipes his brow

"She's allowed to be angry. What happened to her... she.. she's allowed."

"And the sluagh form is ideal for sneaking." A smug little lift of her sharp chin.

Earl's eyes delight at her smug lift "Yes, yes it is."

"Zara, I didn't tell your mother this, but that thing I did to Sir Kaye?" The Mountain says

"Aye? What did you do?"

"Affected his very mein, fae realm so that glamour would be filtered through that lens. Bit of soothsay, a fatefire, touch of naming... but nothing done lightly- and that's what I wanted to tell you. Such things have bit powerful sorcerers in the ass before, when we act on rage- ours, or someone else's. Anywhere in a year and a day to 3 years and three days, Clem is supposed to revisit that punishment and decide if he's had enough. If so, I remove it. I built in a phrase that anyone can say to him to free him from it. "

"Ah..."

She gums on her lower lip, expression thoughtful.

"I... I think I am glad of that. But I don't know if... I am not sure if..."

"I'm not sure I would be able to say the phrase to him, for what..."

"Oh no, you shouldn't" The MOuntain says "Your mother was rightly furious with the man, but we try to rule by justice, not rage. It's not her call, not in this farm. Clem..well, I don't want to say humored her, because she did take it serious like. But the choice and burden IS clem's as chief, and we don't take orders or demands from anyone in our own farm- principle of the thing. We defied nobles and that would set a bad precedent. If we do it, we'll do it on Clem's command or the elder vote"

"Part of me wanted him dead. Part of me wants Paler dead."

"And this... I don't know what to do about him, not really. Ideas, but... "

"Let's hear some of the ideas if you can multitool" Emmit says

"It's multitask, Uncle" Earl corrects

"Meh, potato patatoh" He shrugs

"well, I've nearly... very nearly... gotten Fate Fire. I have unleashed Soothsay before, but that's... unpredictable."

"Aye, random hexing is something nasty but ..mmph...and too easily countered by some fool with the reverse more or less. We can up your training, but assume you did master soothsay, what would you risk trying on him? What ideals?"

"Fate Fire, perhaps guided by Augury... maybe Da'an is smarter than I am. I know no how to stop him outside of killing him..."

"I.. might be able to have Balor handle him, make him a liability..."

"You heard Kay... he's regarded as a nut job, even by the rest of his house."

"Right now they seem to think of him as inconsequential, yes" The mountain nods

"Aye - and balor will defend their own if they see an outsider involved..."

"I mean, little seems beneath them. The slavers seem well-sanctioned by the House. So what would be unacceptable to a Balor?"

"Sliping of House secrets perhaps? " Earl suposes

"Mayhaps. This... this raid, there should be fallout."

"That's true, but we have to make sure it doesn't work to his advantage. Mmmph I hate noble intrigue work" Emmit says "Give me straight forward Troll ways."

"How? This was a failure for them."

"If he pulls it off as a 'see, these folks are the enemies of the house, help me capture or destroy them', for example" The elder troll says "Now, don't take that wrong. We did the right thing following Vashti's lead. Those were trolls..and other kith, out there in the Dreaming, enslaved. None of us should regret going to the aid. But Paler might try to spin it somehow is all I'm saying. Sidhe are slippery bastards"

She nods.

"Vashti... does not yet see how brave she is. Braver than I."

Earl raises a brow

"It is easy to defy him, when I have not been subject to a lifetime of his abuse. He is an outsider, an interloper. She has been at the mercy of his whim for her entire life. Her existence, her very life, hung upon his mercy. "

"Tis one thing to defy a pantomime villain, a'come twirling his moustache... but to defy god and nature and your entire reality? That is brave, aye."

"Mmm well, when you put her that way I almost want to set her up with a DeBuke boy" Emmit says

"She does not present herself so. She shows the doubts he sewed into her soul."

"He clipped her wings so that she would not defy him, and.. I think, a'times,s he mistakes his maiming as her own flaws."

"Maybe she has some insight into how best hurt him then"

"Well, denying him certainly has him upset."

"That is why we talked about posting the happy family photo..." She trails off, frowning.

"I could do a family portrait painting" earl says

"You won't get her to sit for that long. Unless you could make it up, which, well... the photo is a lie, too."