#debukefarmhold

While they sweep, they might have a chance to talk

Sylvi pauses in the clean up. "You can?"

"Weird, I always sort of thought of that as a freeholder-only thing. Lodge triad by extension."

"Aye? Primal is not my strongest art, but with enough practice in realms, Fires may be reached."

"I mean, it makes sense. I guess I just never thought of using a Whisper that way." She looks over to where the Fire blazes away. "Think it's our question to ask?"

Zara frowns.

"Well - I am not known for being well-nehaved."

Sylvi bites her lip but grins. "After you, then. What does it want for Agnes?"

"That.... well, Clem can't kill me, it'd break the Escheat."

Zara pokes around, and finds a book of matches.

"I bet Clem would forgive you if you shared the information with her." Sylvi watches closely.

"Clem might well hear. She's the Chieftain."

"Oh...oh, good point. Um...should I try to find her, clear it first?"

"I've never been a freeholder - but there is a bond there." She shakes her head. "Oh no, never ask permission."

OUtside, buck appears to be distractacting Earl and Clem both

"I'll keep a lookout, make sure you know if she heads this way."

"Never accomplish anything that way..." She strikes a match.

No doubt, Sylvi, being a GOOD girl, has never kept watch out for elders so younger folk like herself could get away with things

Perish the thought!

so it must be chance that she's good at this, flashing 'look how busy we are in here all taken care of smiles' if anyone does look her way

Zara allows the match to burn, hissing when it scorches her fingertips. She shakes out the flame, and smears the soot over her lips.

Sylvi looks busy and earnest, yes, and not at all suspicious.

"Buck, this isn't the place or time for Earl's somewhat morbid paintings." Clem is saying, then glances over at Sylvi and says "all well?"

Sylvi gives a thumbs-up, then a nod towards Agnes's chair and mimes she's asleep before going back to sweeping.

Zara casts... she wants to know what the bale knows, she breathes with her sooted lips and...

finds something of her pouring into the fire, like her OWN soul is in danger of being given up, she pales, then goes decidedly blue, but still a sluagh

and the fire in the stove now looks to have a face, Zara's face

"Well," Zara's lips move on her body, and her eyes glow over her now blue skin, "This ain't my usual stick of gum"

"Well... this is fercacta."

Says the balefire with Zara's face

(Pause)

Clem can probably feel that SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG. She can see Sylvi turn to look towards the balefire, and then she's out of sight of the window.

Sylvi moves quickly to Zara's side. "Are you...what the heck happened?"

"This is most odd, something has gone quite wrong.... feh... what kind of ward did Emmet put?"

"You tried a spell on me, the wards rebuffed with...side effects" the sluagh says

"I tried to speak to thee."

The glowing eyed balefire in Zara's body looks amused "And how did that work out for ya?"

Sylvi looks back and forth between the Fire with Zara's face and...Blue Zara?

The fire flares!

"I was trying to save a life!"

Zara can feel the farm all around her.... she can feel the corn and wheat and squash through the soil. This is surreal

"Oh, that" the possed zara says

Surreal... and more frightening than she would wish to admit.

"I...I really don't want to interrupt, mostly because I think one of you might accidentally fry me...but..." She looks to Blue Zara. "Are you...the DeBuke balefire?"

"Sure am, how you doing there, Sylvi? "

"Ahhhh...concerned, mostly. Zara?" She looks to the balefire. "You okay in there?"

It's so easy to lose herself in the land, the stream, she can feel it too

The stream, which goes to her grotto, and the secret trod to home... the scarecrow... the trees...

And she feels Clem, and Agnes, and Emmit

and Murray