#earthrunes

"You'll have to improvise." She nods.

"I'm not a talker, I'm ...a puncher, a scrapper..."

"Oui. Itchy and Scratchy."

"Let the marigold talk."

"What if she laughs at me?"

He's watching his own feet, then the plant he just got handed, then the feet again

"Will you die?"

"I'm not born under such a lucky star"

"Well then, ask Evangeline for luck! She's a generous lady."

"I don't even ... Pooka. " And out he goes carrying the plant to see Thane Rheta.

And hey, she has an apology and a new fern!

Fern gets loving talk and a nice spritz of water to welcome her home!

Fern really seems to like that.. the talking and the spritz. She'll be letting her hair.err self down soon.

Good! It seem Emma's plants are nearly as much her pets as Jean-Pierre (the crawfish).

Who can deny she's a good pet parent? (End Scene)

And just like that, a new scene as...

a new knock

Door opens. "Oui?"

Bertrand says "Ma'am, it's me again."

"Non."

"Well uhm. .I was paid to make you a compact?" He pulls it out.

"Ah!"

"Third gift tonight, I'm a birthday girl!"

"Well, glad you've got it going" He shows the expertly crafted compact, a flower design on one side, hand crafted, near perfection.

She oos and ahhs appropriately.

And if opened... an ectching on the inside of the cover of.. that very picture she showed him

"...oh!" A soft gasp of surprise when she turns it over, eyes misting just a bit.

But the etching moves, slightly. Her mom's hair seems to shift. Her dad's lips curl in a wider smile

and little her? Little her's eyes sparkle

"Oh!" She kisses the nocker's head, right smack on top!

A BLUSH "Oh shoot you aint' even looked in the mirror itself yet"

"Sacre bleu!" She checks the mirror!

The mirror does not do the pinup thing, thank goodness!

"yeah, I'm sorry about it getting the background wrong... but the actual reflection of YOU should be fine."

"Wrong?"

Wait, yes, around her face she sees not her cabin/healer hut, but rather the interior of her old home!

A laugh, delighted.

If she looks again, she sees the reflection shows her as if she were out in the open air of the swamps

"Totally wrong! Perfectly wrong!"

"Yeah, I know it's not accurate but..." then she seems to cheer it on, he perks "You don't mind?"

It flips to places of her past. Only places, but clearer than memory. Its as if she was checking her make up there instead of here.

"Oh, I mind terribly. Oui."

She checks Bert with the mirror, seeing what background the two of them together might get.

It shows her backgrounds. But both are in it.

"Depends on whose holding it" He explains

"Oh, I knew that..."

"Here..." he takes it from her, and.. shows both of their faces , the background looks like a trailer park now

"The swamps of home?"

"One of em" He says "I know folks sneer, but I had some good memories there" A sigh, then he hands it back to her and it shifts again. "I may have put a bit too much Louzanna in it"

"Such a bad thing."