#earthrunes

"You sought death? " A surprised brow, "Yours is melancholy house by nature as it is."

"And I am prone to it, yes. I'm not proud of that inclination. It's a voice that doesn't go away, not entirely. The one that knows you best, and knows every flaw, every mistake."

"Ah, yes, that voice, or rather , something like it, speaks to me too," A frown, "And the boon tells me it speaks true."

"As I understand... I am not Gwydion, so forgive me if I am wrong - the boon tells you if the speaker believes it."

"So, see - you deserve happiness. You are an asset to the hold. I respect your commitment to duty and steadfastness through a time of great chaos."

"you are in the minority i think," she says, "I am a relic. I have preached forting up, but now is a time for reaching out. I have preached tradition, and traditions are questioned. I am a grump in a wilder's skin it seems"

"Coradel is a Fiona." She shrugs. "And traditions might be questioned - but there's often a reason they became traditions in the first place. They have value. You don't toss out the old just because it's old. Change for the sake of change is not good."

OOC: is the boon picking up any lies? 🙂

((nope))

BIC: A thin smile, "Kind of you to share this with me. I admit, I have been, despondent and feeling rather sorrowful for myself"

"Well, this has been a hard time here. I am a newcomer still, but I know some of it. But I know that the old Baron kept his people safe, and held off the enemy for years through caution and tradition."

"I'm sorry that you have been feeling alone. I.. well.. I've not been entirely sure how to approach you. Liam."

"while some might find us high handed, Gwydion has ever been among Liam's most ardent defenders and even advocates' She says 'If anything, I am impressed how you and Sir August have overcome challenges."

A shy smile. "I like most of the Gwydion I've met, yes. But... it's... well, I am what I am. And I know that not everyone.... I won't hide it, it took me a long time to... be at peace with it, to accept all it meant."

"August, Frank.... they helped me a lot."

"Sir Frank is rightly honored, though some do joke that he stole a Gwydion under the House's nose. I am sure Baroness Brekkke would not appreciate the humor"

"Probably not." A sigh. "She's... amazing. I wish I could be more like her."

"Does she know of your idolization?"

She blushes. "Probably some of it. She doesn't want to be 'The Shacklebreaker,' y'know? So I try not to be... gushing?"

Brekke is here? We're gonna need a bigger coffee mug

"Ha. The lodge is deceptively full of heroes," A nod, "Some I never had the honor of meeting. Vegard Hornshield, their former mountain, more than once allowed egress of rebel forces. Some Gwydions respected him even as they resented him. "

"I heard a bit about him."

"For a Gwydion hold, it's also very... what's the word?'

"Shamanistic?"

"That too. Not... independent, but close to that."

"I mean, they honor the Count of Bergen. She is a Baroness.. but.. it feels outside the noble structure, anyways?"

"Ah, yes, it's not truly autonomous, but the Count has granted it much free reign, and wisely so." A nod, "It has shown the non sidhe of the land a flexibility our House is not always known for. Of course, she won that trust ten times over."

"True that."

"And they gave me... shelter, when I desperately needed it. I will always owe them for that, even though it's not a place I could be..."

"Ah, to be born a troll eh?" A look at her, "You would not be the first noble who secretly envied a different life. I once wondered what it would be like to be a Selkie. odd, as I've rarely been near an ocean."

"They seem so free..."

"Yes, pull the skin over, and leave the shore behind, take the skin off, and joyously embrace the land again. Nothing can hold them really save their need for the shore"

"I'm sure the grass is always greener, though. I'm sure there's plenty who think we don't have worries or cares. And that pooka never feel down... or eshu tire of wandering..."

"And that trolls never know doubt, yes" A nod, "A sidhe I will stay, obviously, and I doubt what troubles me would fade were I not. I do sometimes think my only purpose here now is a glorified lie detector. Useful, to be sure, but it not all I am, nor all I offer."

She nods. "It is not. So - how do we make sure you don't get lost in the shuffle?"

"I don't know" she admits, "I feel as if I have lost any purpose or use beyond the standard. I see love or at least play blooming all about me, and think on how I was played" A stiffening, "I hear voices cry for transition and realize I do not know where we are going. this is not your problem, Baroness. Nor is it the Freeholder's. it is mine."

"There's.. a lot of emphasis on romance, and I don't think the Truthbranch freight train of drama helps that much."

"I can think of one place where you are needed, though that is, yes, in part because of house."

"Go on"

"You've met Caitir, yes?"

"Yes, she already has two warders, Baroness." A raised brow

"Sure. They can teach her civics and english and macaroni art and read her bedtime stories."

"But I think I know this about you - you know that sidhe have a duty. An obligation to serve. And you, more than I, understand what it is to be Gwydion."

"the girl will be fine and I do not wish to be a nursemaid" A frown "I am not good with children"

She holds up her hands, palms out, conceding. "Of course. She's a smart girl, doing well. It was an idea."

"Apologies, my...mood is perhaps not the best for hearing ideas that far afield, but far afield is all that is left."

"Well. We still have enemies. I have been doing some patrols here, in the city, but not as much as I'd like. Nor as much in Kansas City..." A frown. "Not enough time to be everywhere, you know?"

"ah, Yes, well, perhaps I can expand my patrol. Is there a place you would like me to check out?"

"A few - I like to get near the bars and the like. Look out for mortals in distress..."

"Give me a list of some and I'll try. Dreamers should be protected, and I believe it is a Liam addage 'in every mortal shell, a dreamer sleeps ready to be shown their wonder'. Did I get that right?"