#debukefarmhold

"Aye. A bit. He's grown a great deal."

"Yeah," A snort "Damn it."

"It took a good deal of courage for him to face you. After all, 'Uncle Emmitt knows everything'" Even with a whisper, she does a decent imitation.

"Wonder who put THAT fool notion in their head"

Eyebrow. "Indeed. I wonder."

"I suppose you think I should just spare you the time of snooping around and tell you how it went down?" A raised brow

"Well, you could."

"I did grant you the privacy to speak to her. I did not scry."

A pause. "She is VERY sensitive to it."

"She's good" he says "Talented... got her kenning to a fine edge. And ..m mm let's just say I seem to have more than one student who is going places."

"She is considering the Mountain role, then?"

"She's the best qualified," A touch of pride, "We..talked. I told her the truth. She slapped me and called me a coward for trying to pass my crime onto a dead man." mmph

"Well..." A shrug.

"That seems understandable. She's no Gwydion."

"Do you have any idea how hard troll women can slap?" BROW

"I imagine it hurt."

"But you spoke?"

"Yes, and I kept speaking, pointed out evidence, much as I had... and more. LEt her draw her own conclusions about her mother's cantrip maybe going wrong."

Gently. "It was a tragedy."

"It still is, and I just dug it up again," A huff "The stink is no better for that. "

"Infections stink."

"But need cleaned out eh?" PUFF PUFF PIPE

"Well, despite my predilections... aye. Or they cannot heal."

"Twenty years is a long time to fester."

"Yeah, well, she got thoughtful after yelling at me...asked what did I want in exchange for this.. knoweldge IF it was true. I told her... I'd just as soon not trash a dead man's memory. She'l.. THINK about it"

A shrug. "Her right."

"Yup" A puff "Then I bumped into that damn 'Chieftain' over there. He asked her if 'I' was bothering her. "

"Dougal are distressingly blunt."

"I don't like nobles" Sour look

"Mayhaps. But that hold is a difficult needle to thread. Seems quite a few would claim it."

"Mmm Yep. With my luck, she'll decide to take after her mother and join a House.. then the only commoner in the group will be Marselles"

"She's had all this time to join a house."

"Yeah well..." A sour look "Maybe I'm just an old man wanting to complain about something"

"There is a cloud to yell at." She nods at the sky.

BROW, PUFF... "Seems to me there was a time young wilders respect their greybeard mentors"

"Oh? Did the Wildheart doff his glasses and bow his head?"

"Never bowed to anyone in my life" hmmph

"But I 'not bowed' with respect" firm nod

An amused chuff.

"Fine, maybe I sassed a little, but only when it was important" PUff

"Don't ask Agnes about my youth, her memory isn't what it used to be" He adds

"Oh, aye..."

"She seems to think I was some sort of neerdowell troublemaker..." He tisks

Oh, hell - she giggles.

Softly.

"Neerdowell, it's a legitimate word" Mild protest

"It is."

"Well, I think part of me is still fool enough to hope it would somehow... fix everything ..and she'd move on"

"I think the truth.. well, it might not 'fix everything,' no... but it helps to know."

"When I was younger... the Uncles, they hid Miriam from me. Told me not her name, nothing of my past. I was adopted, I knew that..."