#earthrunes

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Ivanka, only a kinian is at Jack's bar of all places. How gouche, she knows, but she wanted something a little extra in her tea

"You don't come here often" Jack says "Care for a drink?"

"Tea...sir, but.. if you please a dash of .. character" She can' ask for whiskey or rum in it, that wouldn't be lady like, not proper.

Thank all the powers of grim and noir Jack's been around long enough to understand. He nods and.. very discretely, pours a touch of clear liquid into her steaming tea "Of course. I've served sluagh before"

"But I'm not sluagh sir. I .. feel the urges, I enjoy much of what they do but I am miserably mortal" She sighs and sips "Ah, thank you"

"You're kinian, that's fine. LIams around here would explode if you were treated badly, and Miss Zara would go to bat for you in a heartbeat and... " then he blinks as he sees the reaction

At the words 'miss zara', Ivanka's hands fret with each other and the tea cup.

"Everytthing okay?"

"A proper servant does not discuss situations involving her betters, sir" She says primly

"Are you kidding me? " He says "The boggans swoop down here every sunday at ten and have a bitch fest you wouldn't believe. It's the working Joe or jane's right to bitch about their 'betters'"

"the flaws in this case, are mine, sir"

Adam wanders in, eyes on the floor searchingly. "Mr. Jack? You're open early, aren't you? Have you seen a set of car keys?"

"Hold on a sec, let me check the lost and found" Jack says "Yeah, open a bit early today. Adam."

"Th..... anks." the pause comes when he looks up "Sorry, Miss, didn't see you."

Ivanka, a human, aglow with glamour , pale and forlorn and in her maid outfit sips her tea

Then she looks over, she does not whisper, but she is quiet, "That's probably as it should be, lord. I'm just a maid. I must remember that"

"A maid?" he wanders closer.

She wears a maid's outfit "Yes, lord. I am sluagh blooded ,but not true changeling. The Steward was kind enough to give me an opportunity here. And Miss Zara was ever so kind

"

"The Librarian is pretty cool." Adam agrees. "I even understood some of the books she recommended."

"I was mortal too. Sidhe blooded." he adds, probably unnecessarily.

"Thou art legend, sir. you beat the laws of dream as we knew them" She says "Congratulations on this" Cautious "If I may presume tto say so"

A shadow of devestation crosses his expression and it takes him a moment to respond.

"I don't feel like a legend. Or very victorious. I appreciate the sentiment, though."

"Anyway. There's a lot to be said for being Kinain, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

"It is .. kind of you to offer encouragemen, but it not my kith or lack of it that I have failed in. it is my position. As a personal maid I had opportunity to please, to anticipate what she who I was serving wanted, how to best make things proper for her. My insight is.. failing me"

"How do you mean?" curious, he takes a seat next to her.

"I speak too freely as it is, but she is miserable, and not the proper pining and soul weary type of misery that any young lady is expected to engage in as she peeks among the moors. Nay. This is the sort of misery I should know how to alleviate, to counnnter through diligence . I . I need to stop talking to you, Lord. She would not wish to be talked aobut like this ,even if I do not name her"

"Misery?" perplexed "Didn't she just get married? She's not happy??"

"I can speak no too more. You clearly know who I speak of, and I will not do further damge to her by speaking so openly" She holds up her hand in a blocking motion "I should not have said any such thing .. no wonder I am failing her"

"Well, no, I mean...... hey, my sister is sluagh. I get it, we're cool."

He drums his fingers softly on the bar top.

"I mean.... well no. If someone could magic themselves anywhere they wanted, a honeymoon could happen whenever and wherever, right?" almost to himself.

"Ah yes, young lily. lovely girl, sir. she shall grow up to be a real terror" a pause "it is true changelings have more means to cross great distances. Trods, flicker flash and such"

"Right, so it's not like they couldn't get away if they wanted to."

"that is not what troubles her, sir. " A sigh as she finishes her tea

Adam sits, jogging his knee and -not- asking.

She looks a bit ttrapped "Please, Lord. Don't ask me to say more than I have"

"I won't! I won't."

"I thank thee" She says

"Refill, Ivanka?" Jack offers

"Nay nay, thank you sir. The tea was excellent," Ivanka says "I wish to work wonders for her, to transform what is to what she desires but .. the more I speak of it, tthe more she frets. I.. do not know what to do"

"Quit talking about it?" Adam offers "I mean, if it ain't broke don't fix it."

"There've been folks I love that I wanted to help, but they had to figure it out on thier own, you know?"

"it cannot be as simple..." Ivanka stops "If it is not broke.. do not fix it? I.. oh.." realization "I have only added to her stress! Of course. I am a fool. Lord Adam it maybe I am in thy debt. "She rises "I must go and call off any decorators... I shall threaten them with evil eyes and sterlity if need be." And she plucks up her skirt edges just a bit and breaks into a run

Jack watches her go, "Odd girl"

"Im not a Lord.....!" Adam protests as the sluagh kin jets off.

"Ivanka, you said?" he asks Jack while still watching where she went.

"ivanka, sluagh kinian, strong blood. She's been bating a thousand with some of the sluagh in the area, got a permanent job and more. I think maybe she's not used to failing them. It really bugs her. You might have just helped. Nice"