#debukefarmhold

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It's cooler in Iowa than in New Jersey right now, but not by much. At least it's past the worst of the afternoon heat. Sylvi steps off the footbridge and greets whoever's guarding it today.

Murray the storm grunts "Sylvi."

"Hi, Storm Murray. Is everything good here?"

"More or less.. had to hunt down a jabberwock. Pain the ass..but it's clear now"

She shudders slightly. "The pictures I've seen always make me think of a giant flying staple-remover."

"Yeah.. they're stupid looking but hard to kill without the right blade. You looking for someone or just want to check on Lanark?"

"I...um...well, I guess I'd like to see if Hearth Agnes has some time. Do you know if she's busy?"

"She usually keeps herself busy. Head to the kitchen, you usually find her there. Careful, she may put you to work"

Sylvi smiles. "Yeah, but that's okay. Thanks, Storm Murray. Oh, and congrats on getting the Jabberwock." With that she heads off to the kitchen, waving to folks she sees on the way.

A grunt from him. She's off... / She sees Kourtney, Kelby's sister. who while still sad, seems to be doing better ... and waves. Onward she goes... and weaves into the kitchen, fortunately between meals. Hearth Agnes is workiing with two childlings to help but when she sees Sylvi, she nods, "Young Sylvi, welcome back. How's you and yours?"

"Pretty good, Hearth Agnes, thanks. Need help?" She looks at whatever the childlings are working on.

The kids are sighing as they work the okra. Okra, ..Dagmar's kryptonite.

Sylvi's not really a fan, either, and the fact might flicker across her expression after she makes the offer.

"Oh I've got help with Norton and Nola. But if you need to talk I can send them out and you take over."

"Um...sure!" She tries for bright and helpful, but it may come off as a bit less than enthusiastic. Still, if this is the price of admission.... She offers to take over from the childlings.

"Thanks!" both pipe and start to slip away only for the Hearth to say

"Now go help with the chickens"

They sigh. Play time is precious and they have to earn it.

"Inhale like that again I think you'll need work to help the lungs" She says

They don't sigh, and just go.

Sylvi gets to work on the dreaded okra. "Storm Murray told me he killed a jabberwock."

"He did. Had a bit of help from a redcap what visits. She likes to hunt to." Her tone indicates that's the nicest thing she'll say about said redcap.

The texture of okra is to textures what the smell of urine is to the nostrils as far as some of the youth are concerned, though even grosser comparisons have been made.

While Sylvi knows and likes some redcaps, she's not going to tone-police an elder.

She tries not to make faces as she works with the stuff. After a few moments, she says, "You probably won't be surprised that I'm going to say I could use some advice."

"Was thinking this was an odd time to develop an interest in Okra." She admits. "Well, you're a DeBuke. I'm Hearth here. So my ear is yours as long as your hands are busy."

Some folks think Sylvi's mom is strict, but Hearth Agnes will work you for it.

"Yes'm." She works a few more moments before continuing. "I guess...well...two summers ago, I was here, and I did a lot of work here and had my togail here and...well...grew up some, y'know? And then last year...being emissary to StarBear? Well, I did a lot of good work, and I think I grew up even more. But...I think this year I just decided to do summer....and I feel like that might have been a mistake."

"Idleness not suiting you then?" The woman works rolling dough while the okra is finishing

"I guess not. And it's made me start thinking a lot about what I'm supposed to be when I get older, and what I'm going to do with my fae life as well as my mortal life. I mean...here, you kind of have it easy, because your fae and mortal lives are so close to each other. You don't have to really lead two lives, y'know?"

Agnes raises a brow "is that what you think? Easy. Mmm"

"I don't mean it as an insult, Hearth. And easy isn't the right word. Just...less confusing? Less conflicting?" A sigh. "Either way...I'm having trouble figuring out what to do with either of my lives, let alone both."

"Well, by mortal years you're young yet. Seems to me, what most folks will tell you is to find what makes you happy. Not sure that always works- Village idiot can be happy, not a life goal I suggest. Still, what makes you happy? Ifn' you know?"

"Well...I feel kind of awful saying it, but...sometimes I'm absolutely dead certain that something makes me happy one day...but then, like, three days later I'm not into it anymore. So it's kind of hard to say what makes me happy. I mean...there's stuff I'm good at, and I feel good being good at it, but...not sure that's the same as 'happy.' "

"No one is happy all the time" she says "But way I hear it... to find out what you do for your life, it's best to ask yourself some questions. Maybe that will help you find the answers. One of is "What makes me happy to do?" but along with it is 'What do I stand for and where do I draw lines?' 'What am I good at?' 'What sort of day would I like to have regular?' and finally 'whats it gonna take to get to where I want to go, and will I enjoy the trip?'" The old woman says "Word em however you like, but thats the big ones. You best be sure where your ethics lay if you can before yo ucommit to any job have you doing things you think is wrong. Nobody's going to pay you for work you're not good at even if it makes you happy. If you imagine sleeping late as a great way to live, thats fine but farming for example is out... and work, hard work is coming... effort and discipline. So if work is a journey, you want to wander the grass land or enjoy the woods? Might make the home you settle on in your future all the better for how you got to it. Pardon the metaphors"

Sylvi chews on that for a while. But she doesn't chew on the okra. Nope.

"I...sort of have a notion...but I don't know if it makes sense. And I don't know if my folks will approve. I mean...it means not going to college, and I think they were kind of expecting me to."

"mmm" she frowns "Maybe you should talk to your folk, but if you don't mind sharing, what is this college free notion?"

She winces. "I do need to talk to my folks, but ...if I can run it past you first, it would help. "I'm thinking...well...I like doing make-up and hair and stuff. So I'm kind of wondering if I could go into cosmetology. And I figure, since I kind of want to be able to still travel and be an emissary sometimes....or more than just sometimes...that's the kind of job that I could move around with, as long as I have my license to do it. I think."

"mmm ever see the movie grease?" She says

"No...I've heard some of the tunes, I think, but never seen the movie."

"You might want to watch it. " She says "Sylvi, aint 'for me to tell you what's best...and a skill like that alwayys will be in demand. But there's a risk of some banal living there too. And you might have the licence, but folks who own the places would be calling the shots, and the clients would be telling you how they want it. Good be a good way to muse and help doing what you like, could be a bad way to make you hate what you like...and are you so sure you'd get time off for the emmisary bit? " A tilt of her head

"Not time off, really. Just...like...if I'm going to be an emissary in, say, Missouri for a couple of months, I could pick up work there, too, temporarily. And this is what I mean about how the farm is kind of easier...you all support yourselves, make your own food and so on. You own your home. I'm not going to be able to live in the Lodge forever, I think. I shouldn't, anyway. And that means I'll need to have a job that makes a real income. Like Jaymes works at a convenience store."

"mmm yes. I can see that" she agrees, then "May I ask you something? "

"Of course, Ma'am."

"Why do you keep coming back to this emissary talk, if you're not going to be living at your lodge anyway who would you be representing? and why?"

A blink. "I..." Another blink. "Huh."

"Seems to me you must be going back to it for a reason. Why do you think that is?"

"I...I liked doing it. It felt important. But...but being an emissary means I'd be representing the Lodge, but away from the Lodge a lot. Like, an ambassador to another country lives away from their home."