#debukefarmhold

"I.. I would like a divorce" She says

Sylvi bites her lip but doesn't speak.

Part of her realizes she's holding her breath. Another part of her says that's totally appropriate.

"How long has THIS been going on?" He glares eyes now on the troll "You know he's back to a sluagh soon, to a not troll, a whisperer?"

For a moment she shrinks, then she says "I know, and I hope so. "

Poor DeVere the troll looks ready to BURST with the truth, then he looks surprised

Sylvi tries to be surreptitious as she gathers up a few summer wildflowers that have already started to go to seed. She collects the seeds in the palm of her hand as the others speak.

"How long?" Herb says

"Far too long to be fair to either ofus" She says

"I think you need to tell him all of it, Eloise," Sylvi says gently, apologetically.

"DeVere and I have been lovers for a long time, never in our house, never in our bed. " She says "He was kind to me when you were cold. He loved me. I didn't. The love came before the lovemaking.. and I know what this means. I have broken our vow. Worse. I have betrayed both of you. I am not asking you to take blame, Herb. I am not asking for forgiveness . I am asking to be released . "

Herb looks over at the troll that was sluagh, and then her "Earl's not mine, is he?"

"Not of your blood, no" She says then flinches

Sylvi steps a little closer at that, wary of Herb's reaction.

Anger flashes in Herb's eyes. he wouldn't be humor if it diddn't, then he punches... a nearby tree trunk. A good thunk! he might have hurt his knuckles "Worse thing is, I'm not surprised"

DeVere had stepped to intercept only to find, much to his relief, that his beloved was not the target

Sylvi stepped forward too, and is now similarly relieved. "Herb...can you grant Eloise what she asks for? It would release you, as well."

"Seeing DeVere, scrawny, tall and blue I see now what's what... you put the cuckold's horns on me, Eloise. Made me raise a boy wasn't my own, and now my shame is sure to be known by all... worse, I'm a failure as a man, and a DeBuke. I've given nothing to this farm , nothing that lasts." He looks to Sylvi "You can't understand, Chief. Earl wasn't much of a troll, but I brought him into this world I thought, it was SOMETHING. I did my part... even if he wasn't a very GOOD troll, he was a troll. Now I find he's NONE of mine"

DeVere's eyes darken.

But he's not the one who loses temper

Eloise's hand lashes out SLAPPING Herb "Don't you DARE say one word about Earl!"

Sylvi's about to speak, but she didn't see that coming. She grabs Eloise's wrist and gets between them.

"You're going to have this conversation, and you're going to have it without hitting each other," she says firmly.

Eloise forgets her cool "That boy spent years BEGGING you to love him! And you were as cold as a wet Christmas! Blame me! Blame DeVere, but don't you dare blame that boy! You never saw anything good in him but there's SO much and you.. worse, you wouldn't let me give him what you wouldn't! DeVere tended to him in the shadows... he was more a father than you EVER Were and it's not because of his blood, and Earl's a better man than many here! Different yes, but he's not confused honor and duty with bitterness and GODS forgive he be a dreamer ... he's not weak. You and I, we were the weak ones Herb"

Eloise finds DeVere pulling her back "Easy love, easy"

Sylvi slips a few of the seeds into Eloise's pocket, along with the glamour they carry.

Then she turns to Herb. "Herb, I know this is difficult and awful...but can you grant her what she asks? Or will you keep the two of you locked together where there's obviously not a lot of love on either side."

"I ought to keep her on" he says "Make her as miserable as I am, both of them. If it's going to get out anyway, why not?"

"What point would that serve?" She approaches him. "What harvest would that yield?"

"Repaying all debts.." He snorts

"Seems to me you've both hurt and been hurt. It's even." She steps beside him and lowers her voice. "Please think...this is an opportunity for both of you to start a new, second life." As speaking, she sprinkles the remaining seeds on his back.

And there's a wash of spring...nothing forced, nothing pushed... but..an awakening that fills them all

And ..he breaks down crying

Not something Eloise expected

Nor DeVere

Nor Sylvi!

She puts a hand on his shoulder to comfort. "Herb...."

"I .. my whole life wasted and I can't do anything but wreck the lives of others... and now I ... I don't know what to do. but I.. I think.." he says "I Mean. I had dreams. I'm not a dream killer. I had to give up my own but I never meant to.."

She puts a hand on his shoulder to comfort. "Herb...."

"Of course you didn't," she says quietly. "And...it's not too late for new dreams."

"Sorry, Chief. Not very trollish OR Manly is it?" He straightens "Heres how it's going to go down if you two will let it be so?" He says to his wife and the man who she loves "Eloise... you love this farm more than I do. So we're going to divorce, quick and quiet as you like. And I'm going to leave for a bit.. travel I think.. don't know where"

"you know where" DeVere says "The rockies. You loved your visit there. It's one of the few things that excited you. Mountains... not the sort that cast spells You denied yourself that all your life"

Sylvi smiles a bit. "I didn't know you liked to travel."

"I had work to do... things to do here. Can't go running off normally I... " A pause "mostly the Rockies. Iowa isn't as flat as folks joke, but compared to there we might be. I took Eloise on our 10th Anniversery there... Earl behind and... well..."

Eloise says "No shame in admitting , he loved the mountains" She says to Sylvi

Sylvi nods. "And you've been wishing for them ever since?"

"Just.. I.." He pauses "yes"

"Then I think this makes sense, don't you?"