#earthrunes

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Winter... colder... urge to hibernate, growing strong

Emma solves this by curling up in a "nest" of brightly colored quilts, sipping hot cocoa, and dozing by the fire.

A troll thane walks by and tries to sneak marshemllows into her coco when she sets it down

Happy-whiskers!

He smiles as he sees her happiness.

"Thane, a word" She overhears

The Steward wants to talk to Oswald

And the poooka, hidden under her blankets overhears "but I don't want a vacation..."

"You need to visit your family, oswald ...they keep calling. I'm running out of excuses."

Two tattered ears pop out of the blankets.

"Oswald, I know they are mortal, but if they're not too banal you should stay in touch and visit. you've turned them down three Christmas in a row, and haven't even seen their baby. Your sister is making me crazy and I don't need mortals threatening to track you down here. Right of ignorance must be preserved, so you need to visit family."

"But my duties here? I'm uh.. nearly indispensable?"

"Not so much that you can'tr be gone for a few days."

'They think I'm a bum" He says

"FIFF!"

He turns at the sound then blushes

"FOLDEROL!"

"See, our Healer knows it's not so, and YOU know it's not so, so be secure and last it out"

"Mumbnle ...say mean things about me" mumble

"The scoundrels! Let me at them, cher!"

"That's an idea, ask them if you can bring a friend, maybe Emma would like to go with you?" she says

"Oh Emma, you don't want to meet them, they're, they don't even like Star wars' A whisper of shame

"Pobody's nerfect." Sagely.

He smiles at that

"Call, ask, if she's volunteering to stick it by you, then let her."

"Well.." He looks at Emma "Would you be willing to come by?"

"Do they like gumbo?"

"I don't think they've ever had it" he answers honestly "But I don't think they have any bias against Lousianas"

A sharp-toothed grin. "Well then!"

"Thanks, Emma" He says "I'll make it up to you" He promises

"Oh stop acting like you're sending her to the gallows" The steward says

"I could do a cakewalk, oui? Oh when the saints..." She sings.

He claps along

"I have work to do." The steward says "Enjoy your vacation"

She wiggles, but does not leave her blanket cocoon. It's cold out there!

And then, she has a big troll sitting next to her, but not on her (That would be crushy). He provides heat!

She very helpfully wraps him up in the blankets with her!

"So! A sister!?"

How kind

"Yup, mortal, not really much fae blood in her at all. You know it can skip around a lot? Well, it just didn't go into her"

"And niblings? Are the nibble-able?"

"They have a baby, well, had a baby, been years. I almost always have an excuse to get out."

"Ooo, a baby! We could eat it up."

"Ha, might be too many calories by now" He smiles though

"Well, we could just play fetch until it falls down..."

"I am good with that" he says "But don't worry, I wont' leave you stuck with babysitting"

"Oui. I shall also be butterflying about. Why, I am a moth of many colors..."

"And cold toes" he adds

"The toes will NEVER leave this blanket!"