#earthrunes

Not many would find the January river beautiful. The water is the color of steel, reflecting the dreary sky. The grass is mostly brown and dead, and the trees reach bare limbs overhead.

And yet, the Rusalka admires it

Zara takes off her shoes. Veronica may note that the sluagh has verrryyyy long toes.

She sits on the shore, to dangle her feet in the frigid water.

The Rusalka's own toes may not be as long but the webbing between is.. definiely there

and she also dangles her now bare feet

"Let us see what goodies Delores found..." There is plenty of room for Velvet to join them.

Velvet does.

Three separate containers, onne purple, one in Liam Blue, and the last in Red.

"Ah, this must be yours, Velvet." Blue to the younger sluagh, red to the Rusalka.

The purple one, Zara's, has a decayed New York style kosher Pastrami and a Black and White Cookie for dessert.

"Thank you, Miss Zara" She takes her own and opens it, delighted at the sushi so aged.

"I fear sluagh dining is not for the weak of stomach."

"My own is... well, more typical, but it smells delcious' Veronica says

"I remember being very fond of rare meat..."

"I think the Rusalka, as the sluagh, are of the nightmare persuasion. Not all kiths will understand you."

"Yes, " She is enjoying her lightly cooked meat.

"The redcaps are fierce, and bloodthirsty, and brutes... but yet, we understand them, and them, us."

"I was told that Redcaps are Stephen King at his most brutal, Sluagh are Poe at his most sublime" Veronica says between bites "Is that right?"

"Poetic. Not wrong."

"Thank you for confirming. Sir Earl has a way with words I think" Veronica admits

"Given that Sir Earl's favorite writer is Poe, that's high praise " Velvet gives her kith sister a sly side glance

Zara pinks!

"Earl has a way of flattery."

"He says he is not ..typical of trolls. " Veronica says "That he is not the best example of his kith, others are better trolls"

"Feh. He is the best of trolls. But he is... not typical, no."

Veronica notices the pinking and then the defense "Ah, forgive. Your suitor's words, not mine"

"He is a poet. An artist and a poet, and courts most fiercely."

"I begin to see where he excells over most of his own kith then" Veronica says after a moment

"Most trolls are more stoic."

"They are... solid. Reliable. Stubborn."

"Giants..."

"Giants."

"Trolls - even unseelie trolls - follow codes. They are rarely creatures of chaos. Once you learn their code, you can oft predict them."

Velvet nods "The Code of Dagda, one we should be grateful they follow I think"

"True."

"In addition, individual trolls may have their own quirks. And if they give their word, it is good."

"Curious," A nod "Yes, I need to learn more of each kith, how THEY See Justice"

"Well then. Is there one in particular you wish to start with?"

"I.. mmm the boggans seem everywhere. what do you know of them?"

"Boggans are everywhere, and they often pride themselves on how they run the freeholds. In truth - they are not wrong in their assessment."

Velvet sighs "And they're SO fussy" she dates one. She knows

"Few of them are fighters, their doling of justice is oft social. To be shunned by one boggan usually means to be shunned by all. You will find cold comfort, and colder meals."

"They cannot turn away true need. But it is rude to take advantage of this."

Veronica, by now, knows that "rude" is one of the worst failings one could commit.

Veronica does knnow this and nods "I see. They control the..infrastructure"

She nods.

"They are inveterate gossips. They come close to sluagh information networks, especially if one is concerned with romance and such.

"they read a crowd like few do... this and the gossip makes them the second best sources of changeling information" Velvet adds

"What's the best one?" Veronica asks