#dreaming

"I kind of like the gold streak" he teases, easy for him to do, now that he's restored. "Should we test out keeping it, say 'fer shure' a few times ?"

Before she can tap her toes and give him 'a look' he says "Zara the forgiving"

And the gold vanishes

A kiss!

"Very forgiving" He kisses her back, "And beautiful. Plastic is for soda bottles" He strokes her and they head on

"Not even that." She snakes her hand into his.

It's a good thing she does, for he is staring at her restored almost skeletal form with new appreciation.

And he might walk off the trod if not for her guiding

A gentle tut when he strays.

"Sorry, just.. don't want to take you for granted"

"Best hope not!" A gentle hip-check.

An adoring smile, and they step into a garden of paint...

"Wait, where.."

She pokes at a painted leaf, curious if it is still wet.

No, but so fresh as to almost be... they are in a painted garden, a green house done by brush stroke. Earl gasps

A voice speaks in Danish, Zara doesn't speak it, but she recognizes the language

and a troll thane approaches

Even as they step out of the rath and into the hold

"Denmark?"

"Oh, Concordians are you?" SHe says in accented English "Jutland, ja," She says "Welcome, to our lodge"

"Concordians, aye. Jutland... well, now we know. Thank you, and greetings."

Earl steps out, "Skaggen museum. I know this place.. I never knew it was a lodge"

"oh ja," The lady smiles, "This trod is new though, but you are velcome here... it has been a lodge for a long time. We shielded the artists and human royalty in this area for.. so long. All commoners are velcome here. The aesin king of Jutland even allows a parliament, so fear no tyrants here. Please, let me show you, we are proud... but the whole town has wonders, glass works and antiques, the docks are popular with sluagh kind, but rarely do they go to sea themselves."

"We prefer rivers, as a rule. Oh, this is quite the trod..." her dark eyes scan, taking it all in.

"It must be, I look forward to climbing it myself. Oh, I am Thane Marna, daughter to the Hearth"

Zara bows, hand splayed over her chest. "Thane."

Earl bows too

"It is good to meet you, but, have they no names in Concordia?" Curious

"None or many, a'times. You may call me Raven."

"Oh, an honorable name indeed in these lands," The Thane says and shows them a place of wonder. It is a lodge, but while the governing system is that of a lodge, many other kith are here... including, yes sluagh. They have claimed a shady parlor, exquisite Danish designs

All manners are observed with her foreign kithmates!

Oh Earl may lose her for a bit, because there is some serious tea and info trading to go on here. They're as eager for Concordian news as she is for news of Grand Ole Europe. Why, the local sluagh even follow some of the old ways of scaring bad children! Very big around the holidays "one must keep them mannerly, but not push too hard" and other agrees "A delicate touch. I like to hang near the teddy bear mueseum, and pretend to be stalking them.. but if they are good , I make it seem as if the teddy bear has 'scared the monster away'"

And why yes, they know trods that go to Prague

Have they been to Prague?

The sluagh have.

They do warn the trod that goes there is only open on the 13th hour for an hour

Perfect! She is very attentive to Prague stories!

Of course, they do encourage her to check out the many wonders of Jutland, local pride even among sluagh

Why the little mermaid statue has a chimera with bleeding feet!

But that's in Copenhagen

She takes notes.

But yes, they do relate Prague tales.. apparently the sluagh do consider it something of a mecca. They have mused many there through out the centuries.

And Copenhagen, too - much musing over favorite stories. Zara's, it seems, is the Little Match Girl.

Oh, while every sluagh adores victorians, the fairie tales are best in their older forms.

and the little match girl will be seen no doubt this year in more than one city

It is a perfectly beautiful and perfectly sad thing.

"Hans Christian Anderson's influence is strong... and there is one abbey that does hand scripting of his stories... if you are lucky, perhaps you would get one of that very tale?"

This is, after all, an artistic community

"Truly? Oh, I would love such a thing dearly, I could place it in my Library..."

"Well, perhaps..' Oh wheedling begins, in the most civilized of ways