#debukefarmhold

"Zara?" Clem is surprised when Zara has shown up "Good of you to visit!"

"Aye, of course... all is well here?"

"Oh Zara, I'm putting out fires left and right" Clem says, "And it all comes down to troll hide bound nature and DeBuke stubbornness"

"What happened?"

"We had a DeBuke come back from the dead.. in the same life"

Eyebrow. "Well, that's fascinating."

"Tell me about it, ever hear of House..Dannan?"

"Ah!"

"The Eshu-led one... very mysterious."

"They recruit the dead? This... oh, my..."

"Sounds like you know about as much as me" She says "Zara? You know how riled the old timers are on this? Her alive is wonderful but feels unnatural, but her sworn to some unseelie house."

"Well... you DeBukes tend to come down harshly at any who don't fit the mold."

"You get so caught up on labels and titles and forget actions. Has she brought harm to the Farm, in doing this? Would she bring danger here?"

"Zara, we can't bend so far we break.. she's welcome to visit here, but she's not going to live here" Clem frowns

She tilts her head. "So - you don't have a DeBuke then."

"Mayhaps she was one, before. Perhaps she would still be so. Perhaps it would be better she had not returned. Less of a shanda."

Clem looks down at Zara "Zara, are you really going to grandmother me about this? We're still downshifting best as we can. I need to adapt others."

"Clementine, do... do you recall, what family means to me?"

"Nay, I cannot understand how you could have any reaction other than joy, to have one lost returned. Oh, there can be pain, too - I know that, and struggle. That what you expected is not what is. But... the gift, of what was lost? How can you reject it?"

"We're not rejecting it, we're just shaking the box she came in a bit first" Clem says

"And she may 'visit."

"Feh."

"Work in progress" Clem rubs her forehead

"You met her with shame, Clementine. This is why you have lost and will lose others."

"I hugged her and fought to..." A breath "Okay.. can we change the subject? I'm regretting mentioning this."

Zara looks flustered. "I did not come here to argue, no."

"I know you didn't, and you're even right on a lot of points. " She concedes "But well, I'm guessing you're here to see Uncle Emmit?"

She nods.

"Yesterday was... busy..."

"Must have been, you dropped off a paralyzed Nocker with Earl sending a text saying 'namer, bad guy'?"

"Ah, yes. Guzrela. I was not about to leave her at the mercies of a noble court... and Earl is trying to cover for me right now."

A brow "So you didn't want nobles handling this?"

"And yet August is still one of my dearest friends, and I am likely alive due to his and Coradel's aid."

"They're good people" She agrees "And it turns out I didn't have much to do with Gurzela.. Emmit said it wasn' a farm thing but a namer thing. Next thing I know, we got four or five visitors "

"Blast. I missed it."

"Did you?" Clem smiles

"I..." She trails off and shakes her head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh I wouldn't" She agrees "The smile is because one of them is still visiting with Emmit at his cabin"

"Aye?"

"Mmm hhmm" Clem says "Need an excuse to barge in?" A ssmile

"Nay.. nay, beg pardon, I would go quietly...."

"I figured, " She gives Zara a hug "And you know, you got a RIGHT to fuss at me about family. You're family too now" She lets go "DO your sneaky thing, have fun"

Zara pinks, but briefly splays a hand over her chest before scuttling off.

She approaches the cabin... and feels them... two namers, the tingle in her spine

...maybe she can't sneak... Damn.

"Come in, Zara" Emmit's voice says . He knows it's HER? A guess.. it must be

Zara hesitates, briefly, before entering. She holds her tension in a knot between her shoulder blades. Who is with him?

She enters, and sees she is not the only sluagh here...

Around the crone's neck, a crystal

Zara places her hand to her chest, dropping low in honor of the crone. "Zayde."