#earthrunes

August notes his squires went from confusion, to worry, to interest and they seem to be dedicated to a quest, even if WHICH quest is still being considered.

And that is as it should be.

"Baron, sir?" Benny the page speaks up now that the squires are gone

The kinain boy has brought a small plate of food for the baron

"Thank you, Benny." He takes the food.

"You're welcome. Steward Delores worried you would miss lunch" A pause "Uhm.. your lordship? You STILL need a page right? I mean, I just started this job. And I like it"

August smiles. "I need you, Benny. You are welcome here."

"WHEW! " He plops onto the chair next to the Baron "Thanks, sir. II was gettin worried. I really like it here! The other day, Isis and I were playing Musical tea... when the music stops you have to sit down and drinnnk from whatever cup you got. It was kind of fun"

Ajgust chuckles gently. "It sounds fun." He agrees. "Everyone wins."

"Yes. And Enri and I later played 'Revolution' wherre I got to behead him with our guillitoine..." He adds "The Warder won't let the kids play with REAL Sharp objects. "

"I think that is for the best, dont you?"

"Ah. Where did you get a guillotine?"

"Cardboard box for deliveries.. they were just ggoing to throw it away" he says agahst "After Isis confirmed she could fit in it, we made a hole and pretended it was a guiltotine"

He nods. "Very good."

"Benny, ypu find it pleasant here? The others treat you well?"

"Yup. Well, Isis can be snooty, but that's just her way, and Enri can be nervous, but that's jus his way too. Lily is creepy... but..well, that's her way. I really like Poppy.. lots of pooka kids here and that's fine"

"I am glad to hear it. I am not the best at understanding pooka. I am glad youre getting along well."

"I am" he nods "Learning important things from the pooka. Like with most nobles you should bow like this, but if you meet an Empress, you have to throw yourself on the ground and expose your belly"

"Nooo...." the baron says slowly "Let me get you some reading on rank and etiquette.

"OH! " A pause annd a worried look "You don't have to expose your butt instead do you?" Blush

"Under no circumstances. Here." And he gets an easy primer on the subject, sitting down with Benny to read and review.

Benny goes over and reads and has questions "So would be the BEST Count be a 'Most Excellency'?" "Can a Dame order a River to stay back?" "now that he's a knigght, should Sir Earl change his first name to avoid confusion?"

August answers as best he can. "....and that is up to Sir Earl."

Benny takes all this in with the serious consideration only a young boy can, then nods "Thank, Baron. I'm glad. now I won't have to wash my belly so much since no one is going to see it anyway"

"Well, no, cleanliness is a vital part to nobility."

"but i'm just a page. Not noble at all" Happy to have an excuse for less bath time

"Please do bathe regularly."

"Oh" A sigh "Okay, you sounnd like Miss Ludmilla"

"I think her voice is just a bit higher."

Benny considers "Well, yes, of course it's higher.. she's like taller than you."

"By quite a bit." Augist agrees, and makes a mental note to find more varied playmates for Benny. The pooka seem to be affecting his speech.

Indeed. Three pooka kids are a powerful force

Lily as a sluagh, well, just as likely to be hiding

August continues to review with Benny. No Emperesses, not acknowledged as such in Concordia.... so on.

A knock at the door, it's Ludmilla, one of the warders who cares for the childlings

"Dame." August stands.

"Pardonn, Baron" the warder says "I was going to tell the page it's time for math lessons. Just because summer is here doesn't mean school is really over, not at freeholds."

"Learning should be a lifelong endeavour."August agrees.

Benny sighs "Do I GOTTA miss Ludmilla?"

"Yes, you have to," She says "Pages need to keep up with their education so they can serve...and because it's good for them too"

Benny rises and bows to the baron "Thank you for the lessons on ranks and titles, Baron"

"Most welcome, Benny. Dame, I'll send along a npte witj some observations if may?"

"Just warder, please, Baron, and yes, of course that's fine"

"Thank you."

Soon enough August is alone.

Or as alone as one can get in the library.

This is true, spiders sometimes are seen crawling hither and yon

There's a head peeking in the door, wilder girl...peeking from the side of the library frame.

August must be on alert of some kind, rather than buried nose-deep in a book. He glances over. "Hello."

The woman's hair is wild, and she stares at him for a bit "Your hair does this..weird thing.." She motionsn to where his spitcurl is "I kind of want to make it behave, I kind of dont" Then she snaps out of it "I'm Daria. Is the librarian here?"