#earthrunes

She shrugs. 'Baptists."

"I..." A shrug "My old knight was Leanhaun. They make Fiona look tame....in all their entertainments. "

"I haven't the pleasure of meeting one, but, oh, even in my old age, I still have a life or two ahead of me. Far from nine yet."

She reaches out, placing a hand on COlton's shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

He asks, gently, "What was your Knight's name?"

"Doesn't matter, he's dead to me now," A thought, he"He let me go when I lost a fight with a redcap my age." He raises his glass arm, "A fight he ordered, for entertainment. I think I like Fiona better."

"Ah! May I?" He reaches out, to admire the arm if allowed.

THe arm is a masterwork , a prosthetic to mortal eyes, to Fae almost seamless glass but strong as steel.

"Bertrand LeRoy made it. He's a genius. Trolls of Rivervale, and My Liege here, all helped cchip in to pay for it."

"You know, you may pass as Dougal if some don't know better. A marvel. If you polished it juuust so..." He turns, adjusting the angle from which he peers at the glass. "There we go!" And adjusts his hair in the reflection. A grin. "Or rather, the better to see anyone creeping up behind, in case they are trying to muss your coiffure again."

She shakes her head, but smiles.

"I have never been to Rivervale, but to hear of it, it sounds -Marvelous-. An entire holding where I won't bonk my head on door frames? Ah, I dream of it."

"Thank you, Vince," A smile, "But I don't craft."

"Not at all? Have you ever tried pottery?"

"Once, in class. It uhm..flopped."

A sympathetic wince, no man likes to hear that. "Well, if you aren't of a mind to mold a pot from the clay of the earth, I bet you can still find something suitable in the stores. Hmmm. Maybe if you spy Delores, I wonder if there is a touch of Spring she may help put on it, to help these buds to an early bloom?" A thoughtful expression.

"You said you were doing okay in shop, though?"

"Maybe, Delores is awful busy though. And she's really eager to prove herself."

Then to his Liege, "Oh yeah, doing fine. I guess that's kind of craft. I don't do anything really CREATIVE though. I just fix things."

"Well, that's important, too. And sometimes you have to get comfortable with something before you can be creative. Ohhh, speaking of...." she snags her bag and starts rooting around it.

He looks curious.

"What sort of things?" Showing interest as he hunkers down, lounging with his head on his propped elbows. "TVs, wobbly table legs, broken hearts?"

She offers out a trade paperback - Black Panther. "The library had a copy."

"Oh wow!" He says "By Priest? He's good. Thank you! I heard about thsi run but ever since the movie it's been hard to get." He hugs her.

"Well, Mr. Wheaton knows about you and superheroes...." A laugh, and she returns the hug. "Maybe you could swing by sometime and thank him?"

"I will, I promise I will"

An amused smile at Colton's enthusiastic glee at the comic. "See, now that's a book more my style. Not too many words to put me to sleep."

"And a big cat-man..."

He purrs at Sparrow. "Just so! A triumph of the written word."

"You ought to read some yourself, Vince. Sequencial Art is fancy these days"

"Ah, he always was after me to read more... " He runs a hand through his mussed hair, thoughtful. Then, a hint of mischief. "Though if someone were to add illustrations, many a book might be improved. Where are my pens..."

"I'm sure you have it... oof, I might need to crash."

"Don't touch the library, I heard Shalimar got in real trouble"

"Oh, yes, I was there to see it. You would be doing a kindness to spread the word, good Squire, that one mustn't meddle with the sluagh lass's Ayn Rand collection. Poor stripetail got quite a shock."

"don't even know what an Ayn Rand is or why someone would need more than one."

A soft draw of breath. "Messing with a sluagh's library? Bold prank."

"I don't think he knew there was a sluagh involved."

He spreads his hands in a universal gesture of unknown. "That's sluagh for you. Incomprehensible. And this one, guarded by three hydra, and a manticore."

then he seems to realize something, "Baroness? If you're tired you should sleep. I can escort you."

"Oh, I can be up a little bit longer..."

"Stopped a ravager today, I think. I can enjoy the garden."

He also sits up. "Lady, you cannot be abed yet. What about my painting?"

And a surprised blink. "Someone tried to ravage you? I fear for the poor fool."

"No. The librarian. Jennette saw it coming, Beaumayn do..."

"Beaumayn are...strange. "

"A little. But Jennette, she's okay."

"She really likes you"

"Pardon me for saying so."

"Why pardon? Mrrr. Birds of a feather. I'd love to meet this Beaumayn some day."

"She's.... really nice." A happy sigh.