#earthrunes

Adam looks away.

"Baroness," He says then nods "Adam. Have I intruded?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned, Teacher Mine. But I think Adam is uncomfortable. He is very upset. About Minerva."

Adam's expression crumples again.

"I'm sorry, Sir...."

"Teacher-Mine, I'm wondering...Adam is blaming himself for his use of glamour. He thinks he caused the matter to be worse. Is that what you believe?"

"Adam, you didn't do anything wrong. " Bachddion says and pats the young man's shoulder, "I was told you tried to hopscotch Minerva away... if you hadn't, it would have happened one second sooner. But it was not something you could have stopped"

"She......"

Adam looks.... ill.

"She didn't want to go... yes, I pieced that together," Bachdion says with a sigh

The sigh is one of sympathy, "I wish our new sidhe had been gentler... "

"I've spoken with her. I did not get the impression she's aggressive. But...the moment of arrival is a confusing time."

"May I be excused?" quietly.

"That is up to the Baroness, Adam. She rules here. I can tell you we're taking steps to make things easier for Leslie"

"I'm.... sorry. Sir. I'm sorry."

"I didn't know... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Sir Bachdion says "You didn't do this." he straightens "Are you calling me a liar when I tell you it is not your fault?"

Coradel looks puzzled. "Adam...why are you apologizing?"

"I'm not calling you a liar, Sir."

He doesn't answer the Baroness directly.

"Adam...why are you apologizing?" she repeats, more slowly.

"I...."

".... it was my fault."

"Except that it wasn't."

Bachdion stiffens again. He IS still a satyr, though age gives him a cooler head

"You did not force Minerva to take her. That was Minerva's choice."

"I messed up musing, or whatever, and then she was..." He looks ill again.

"SHE'S NOT MINERVA!" the boys is on his feet and forceful.

"Except you didn't" Bachdion says "Adam, you say you're not calling me a liar. Are you then saying I don't know what I'm talking about? I have to say neither is flattering"

Coradel looks somewhat nonplussed, but hardly intimidated.

She puts out a hand towards the satyr. "It's not about us, Bachdion."

"No, I suppose not, but I've dueled for less" the satyr says and forces a breath as his one time student and liege puts a hand on him "Adam, Sir Magnus took the liberty of using Chronos on our new fledge. He can look back at time. That is how we KNOW it was not your fault"

"No?"

"Teacher-Mine, what did Sir Magnus see?"

"Sir Magnus saw them having coffee, and saw that Adam was trying to cheer the girl's spirits.. she was talking of her fan fiction...and then ... well, the sidhe soul came close. Adam, any musing you had done was already done. You didn't poison her or doom her or anything."

"If I hadn't, the other one wouldn't have seen her! Been there! Attacked her!"

"So...you are saying you shouldn't have tried to help her dream?"

"Of course she would have... she wanted a young healthy body... Adam.. if someone stole my car, it wouldn't be because you had washed it. Now this is a girl's body, not a car, but the point remains.. you didn't do this"

"I did it. I got her atten.... I did it."

"I couldn't help her."

"No, you couldn't. You could not have interrupted what was happening."

"Sir Magnus is a skilled investigator, Adam. One of the best"

His expression crunches. "Yeah. I know."

Coradel tilts her head. "Adam...is it that you wish it had happened to somebody else?"

"Huh?"

"Is it that you wish the new sidhe soul had taken a different mortal?"

"NO!"

"Then you need to accept that it was going to happen to somebody. It happened to happen to the person you were with. And it is NOT your fault."

"She was... she started to glow. She was dreaming a little." Adam swallows, tight "I .... "

"The other one was there because I .... I started it."