#debukefarmhold

"We?" She pushes up from the mattress to see who else is there.

"Well, me and sis... oh do you think sis would annoy her juuust a little?" Hopeful "not too much, but she'll want sister, and I'll go 'sis' and she'll be 'sigh' and I'm be 'ha' and you'll tell us to cut it out"

Miroam blinks at him. "That'd probably do it, yeah." Nonplussed. "Where.... where is Zara?"

"hard to tell" he sighs "She's better at hiding than I am. " A thought "She might be kissy face with earl." a nod most solemn. WHen he is older, he will learn more discretion as befits his kith, and use terms like 'in consultation' instead, but hey, he's 7, sluagh or not.

"Yeah, could be." She sighs. "Good for her. So... so tell me abput yerself?" A gruff invitation and she climbs up the side of the bed to balance on the edge.

"well, you know most of it" He says, then, daring, clambers onto the bed, hefts himself up (It's a troll bed and up high) and sits next to her "Evil angels and all. I guess it's hard to say much about myself since... y'know, I only recently became myself."

"Yeah, but.... how'd you Chrysalis? What do you remember?"

"Oh." he says

A deep breath, wheezy

"It's kind of a blur..even before.. it felt right to hide... even if it didn't help get adopted. sometimes folks would talk too loud." then "but one day I was in a place, and no one could find me... I saw another kid and I didn't like her, she was mean... and I ..made noises... and strange voices ...she got spooked." he grins toothlessly "I even put red glitter specks on her doll's eyes"

A faint grin as she listens.

"zara says that we sluagh were punishers of people, the wicked and kind of wicked... maybe that's what caused me to slip... after that, it was like I was shedding off this fake skin... too dry to wear anymore... and the real me popped free " he ponders

"she was such a whiney butt.. so mean, such a bully... but when it was something she couldn't hurt, when she had no power, she got scared."

"And she deserved to be" He nods

"An... what about th'.... evil angels?"

"They came after... not sure how... but they ..said I'd be a good assasin, that i belonged to them... " he looks over at her "because my mother did"

Her face shatters, then freezes over. "Not like that I didn't, Kid." Expressionless face but there is no hiding the pain in her voice.

"i didn't like them, and they were liars. well, more like they lied to themselves. i was confused and didn't know much- but I learned in school slavery was bad."

"Yeah. It is."

"So.... ok, what do you want, kid?"

"Lots of things. I'm seven and a quarter" as if that explains it. Then "what do you want?"

"I wanna get rid of the guy that started this." A grunt. "Zara's got a problem with that."

"oh. you sure, she doesn't seem to like him much either."

"Nope. He took her away from me. Maybe you too."

"Guess most'a my morals got burnt away by now." Quietly.

"But she's still there" he says "We both are." His brow knits

"I mean, yes we lost each other, but it's okay now. " He pats her hand, "You both found each other then me. "

The grump sighs. "Yeah. Guess I... 'm angry they took time away from me. An' you're kinda a shock."

She chuffs. "Two sluagh. Gotta wonder what my ancestors were up to...."

"it's okay to be angry as long as it doesn't take more time away still" he says "now. I want you and sis around. I need sis to pick on sometimes, and you to drive crazy. I've seen a lot of shows and read books on this. I'd like my own bedroom but if hafta share it's okay if I can have a top bunk or sleep under the bottom bunk. Oh. I might want a spider for a pet." then he adds, "and if you want, I can learn to speak nocker. I just can't do it loud"

She looks dazed. ".... th' whole.... white picket fence?"

"I was thinking more like moldy wood fence, or rusty chain... but I'll slip through it either way... but that's me. if you want white, sure" he compromises

"But....." helplessly. "If... then I can't... they get away w...."

"the ..the balor get away?" He says brow knit

"Gonna make 'em pay...." weakly.

"But... they took us from you... you got us back... don't you lose us again if you go away? I don't understan" he gets an intent look on his face trying to mus this out

She huffs. "It's... look, Zara freakin' rescued -me-, right? An' ... an' she's got family, she don't -need- me but... shit. You do." She faces it. "I can't... I been livin' to stop 'em, t'get revenge but....I can't."

"so.. i'm .. " a swallow "I'm in your way"

Miriam is quiet a long moment with internal struggle. "Nah." Finally. "Nah. Not... guess I gotta change my way. So you c'n be part of it."

the boy looks up at her and then... hugs her. He is cool and clammy to the touch, but there's warmth in the action "don't worry. i'll study how to how to scare balor too so when i'm big enough i can help you and zara. i'll make it okay"

Miriam doesn't seem to know what to do, but eventually hugs him back stiffly. "I suck as a mom, kid."

"sluagh like broken old things." he assures her "They got more character"

She surprises both of them by laughing and sobbing at the same time.

(End scene)

----------

"Do you want to invite your mother to Carnivale?" Earl says, trying to coax Zara. "I know, she leaves tomorrow according to her plan, but... well, you've been looking forward to it"

Zara is curled up in a tight pretzel, watching rain hit the window. "Nuh-uh. She's leaving. She didn't even want the Uncles to come here."

"Well..." Earl says "I told you I'd stop telling you what I think about it. so.. okay" He says "Are you in the mood to go at all? I want you to have fun"

She shakes her head. "It'll be loud and crowded. You can go. Should."

"Maybe watch Vashti? Dunno."