#earthrunes

"Peege porridge hot. Peege porridge cold, soul goes into empty shell before it gets OLD!"

A spider.

And another.

WATCHING

This could be bad.

Glamour flows and starts to pour into the scales

Lily feels a chill!

"...what art thou doing?"

And the spell breaks apart, Lily scraambles as if trying to gather the threads of glamour "no no no no..."

but they scatter, the cantrip lost it's focus.

She turns and hisses, which is NOT lady like behavior, before she even realizes who it is

Hiss away. The pale figure's black eyes are unblinking.

Then she blushes and covers her mouth, "Pardon me, it's just I was so hoping to put a friend's mortal soul into a chimerical shell. Peege was fun"

She lifts a brow. "Peege?"

"She was only a year older than me, a mortal girl. She died of Covid last year. I brought some of her grave soil and a candle from her church, and her drawings."

She shows one, "See, this is what made me think of it."

Zara nods slowly. "Does she have a shade?"

"Well no, but I thought I could make her shade show up, I felt something, and I tried to use dream craft... "

And Zara, partly thanks to her own recent body exchange, realizes that the little girl might fill something of Peege into the husk, but it wouldn't be her spirit, rather her dreams

A mix of Peege's own glamour left over on the dross, and Lily's hopes

Gently. "That would not be your Peege... a bit of your memories, aye. Some of her glamour. Some of your hopes. But if there is no shade, her spirit has moved beyond - the grand adventure, to that which we cannot know."

And Lily sniffs, "Are you sure? I ... I'm sorry," She says with little girl pride, "A lady shouldn't cry, should she? Not make a fuss?"

"Tears cleanse the eyes and balance the humors. Mayhaps they might also sweeten tea? Perhaps I could bring thee a cup, and we may experiment."

"That would be nice," She says "I do apologize for my boorish behavior. I just didn't... don't have many mortal friends. You would have liked Peege. Autumn was her favorite season"

"Aye? Would you tell me of her?" She guides Lily to a (lesser) wingback, and quietly prepares the tea.

Lily takes the tea and talks, of the girl who , while mortal thought Maleficent was perfectly in her rights to be offended by a lack of invitation, and that before she saw the live action take. A girl who , when she heard another girl saying how she could eat Chinese every day, responded that if one has to be a cannibal, one shouldn't limit themselves to just one country. Of such things was a friend ship made

Zara listens attentively, and encourages the stories.

Zara is also sure the young lady was onto something. She's seen enough nocker infusions to know that that molt IS prime for filling with a dream, it might even be possible to create another dragon ling, though, woudl it be a sister bookwyrm?

Meanwile, Lily goes on about Peege, "her name was Penny Emma Jackson.. so she took her abbreivations and made Pej Peege"

"Aye? A good nickname, then, for it stands on its own..."

"yes, but now she's gone, and I shan't see her again, for I shall be reborn, at least a part of me, and she will go that great adventure"

"Perhaps part of you shall join her? Isn't that a comforting thought - at least part of us may die, forever!"

at that ,she does smile toothlessly, "That's true isn't it? Squire Velvet says that's why wer'e never really the same person twice."

"Aye! Memories and influence - but you, Human Lily, shalt be dead, and thy soul free to carry forth."

"Then, Lily that is sluagh goes onto the next fae life, the Lily that is human goes to that adventure." her eyes glisten with dark delight born of a loss turned a win, "I shall have it all"

"Aye!"

She sips her tea, "Thank you, Miss Zara. You are very wise. If only you were a proper crone." She pats the wilder's hand

A sigh. "Oh, may that day be soon."

"Mm."

"Lily, I know you are not yet a wilder..."

"Oh no. I am but a filthy urchin upsetting the gentry folk as I stare at them through their glass windows of plenty," She says sounding content

"But you fear it not, nu?"

"i suppose no, tis a shame Connor won't go wilder as I do, he is cursed, you see? Not as cursed as before, not enough to stop being interesting, but I hoped we might join a motley as wilders. He might grow to be my baskerville hound as I played the pale lady on the shadowed hill"

"Still, I suppose that means one day I shall be HIS crone friend," Pleased at that, she sips

"Mmm." Agreement.

"However, when I become a wilder, I do hope you and Miss Velvet warn me of foolish notions and advise me how to mask my swooning so the Fiona sidhe don't smile knowingly while the boggans gossip pleased like hens hatching an egg." oh yes, Lily has seen how the Fiona and boggans here work

"Oh, aye - one must be cunning."

"I would have you visit on a Monday. I believe we may expect Miss Lizbet then."

"I shall be there. It must be very trying for her. Of course, we have Sir Sergei, but he recluses himself and does not rule the entire barony"