#debukefarmhold

Salma's cheeks go a dusty rose, a touch embarrassed at the attention. "It's only that you must, if the voices are there."

"Do you know about Ramona?"

"Ramona the Great? YEah, we got all mis Cleary's books"

SOme of the childlings get up and clamber about going into the kitchen and come out setting up food.

"It's a buffet" One hearth assistant girl beams

Ellie is still holding her sash, but no longer twisting it. "She's a little girl, like me. But she gets into trouble, but she's not bad. But traviesa!"

"My kitten, she's named Ramona. Because she's trouble, too."

"Traviesa!" Salma chimes in with a grin!

"My Donquito is a good kitten. He sleeps all day in the sun."

"You know Spanish?" Marion "Emmy" Marion says "Of Course you do... Wis h I were smart so I could learn another language"

"And my cat is named Spot" She laughs "I Know.. dog name but she does have a spot"

"Si, You must learn more languages, because not all books are polite enough to be in the same ones. I had to learn better anglais because not every book is en espanol."

This brings upa discussion about the farm dogs and barn cats and those few pets that are specific to each.

"I am not so good at Spanish, but Salma is a very good teacher."

"Ariel said there might be chickens we could feed. And, pollitos? The little ones. They are at the market sometimes, but we do not have many animals at Fenix. There is not enough room!"

"You know. The... pip pip..." She frowns to Ellie, looking for the word.

Rice Krispy Treats, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ....all sorts of food are out

"Chicks." She supplies.

"Phobos says that roosters fight. Like warriors at the Pit."

"Oh yeah, they will at times.. where's the pitt?"

"We got some chicks NOW..." nother says

and.. more sidhe come in...

"Hello. I'm Cathir of Earth runes. "A girl blinks "I'm told not ot make a fuss of my title but as i'm just a squire..."

ANother boy comes in.. and one troll boy waves "Brogan! sit with me"

The sidhe nods and smiles "I really should help cook"

"Food's already done , Brogan" A sigh. Friends can be so stubborn

"Well, I WAS Of Earth Runes, now it's Brightwind" The first girl says

"If we had pollos, we would have pollitos AND fresh eggs." Salma looks to Caitir, and stands, then pauses, unsure if she should bow.

"You moved? No wonder..."

Catir sees the pooka and remembers what she was told by the Baroness and just offers her hand "Uhm hi"

Salma smiles and takes her hand. "Hola, Catir. I am Salma, and this is mi amiga Ellie."

Ellie offers her hand, palm down, to the squire. "Hello, Caitir of Bright Winds."

Catir puts her hand over "Hello, Ellie, Amiga of Salma" Then a whisper "So many trolls. I feel like I'm looking at navels, but they're okay"

"I am not a Squire, but I am a Librarian, or I will be. I do not know how that ranks compared to caballeros and escuderas. The Library is it's OWN court, and someday I shall rule." A grin.

"Librarians can be meaner.." One kid says "I snuck over to Earth RUnes ones, to see if I could borrow a book that dragon there had been sitting on, boy let me tell you what... Miss Zara snuck some shadows up on me bout straightened my curly hair"

"A dragon in the library?" Salma looks worried. "it might scorch the pages."

"That's becuase you don't BORROW library books, Juniper, you check them out" Geraldine scofffs

Cathir smiles at something "The dragon's name is Bronte. She's a bookwyrm... and the books are her hoard. We used to contest in a battle of fierce wills" a pause "I may have gotten introuble"

"A dragon librarian sounds like a story."

"Well." She seems somewhat placated. "If it is a named Dragon then it is a person and not a beast and may be trusted, perhaps, to not damage the books."

A quiet sidhe boy has slipped in, almost quiet as a slugh, but iti s clear he has been here before

"Harken then," Cathir declares, "And I shall tell of the fierce dragon who guards the books at The hOld of Earth Runes... and how I hunted her, and she hunted me... for three days and three nights..." And Cathir is no Eshu, but she tells a pretty good story which ends up with both her and the bookwyrm passed out in a pile of Tamora Pierce books in the garden reading together because they got too tired to keep up the contest

"And then, I was grounded and had to help clean up the library for three days for taking them out without checking them out properly" Cathir adds "But that's okay. I never claimed to best the lIbrary witch, just the bookwyrm"

"A witch? A bruja!?"

"There was a brujo who visited. He brought us purses."

"Real witch.. a book witch" Juniper nods "She knows EVERYTHING that's in her books wihch is a lot. She's powerful too. She sicced shadows on me once, but Chief Clem heard about it, and she said the Book Witch, Miss Zara that is, could turn me into Seven Notes of music if she wanted"

"I don't think Miss Zara can do that " Cathir says dubiously

"Nice purses! In colors!"

Ariel sighs happily "The prettiest green"

"Witches can do a lot...."