#earthrunes

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Lord Hume taps away on his tablet

And sips his monster drink as Jack works the barr

He might not pay attention the comings and goings of others who visit Jack's domain, but the Baroness's voice is unmistakable: "Hello, Jack! A bee-sting, if you please?"

"You got it, Coradel. Great Imbolc by the way." Jack serves it up

Hume looks up, and swallows nervosly

"It was, wasn't it!" Not a question.

For her part, Coradel doesn't wait for her drink at the bar. No, she heads directly for Hume's table and helps herself to an empty seat. "Hello, Lord Hume," she says with a smile.

He rises and bows "Ah, Baroness. H.. how are you?"

She waves him back to his seat. "Fine, thank you. Very well, in fact. Yourself?"

"A.. bit worried you're upset at me?" He says honestly "I think I did the right thing. But I know we ..don't always agree."

"Well, at first sight I was furious with you," and there's a residual flash of temper as she remembers that moment. "I come home to discover that most of my warriors and friends are off on a rescue mission, and summoned there by you, leaving me so understaffed that I personally cannot be spared to partake of the adventure? Oh, I was livid. Oh, thank you, Jack," she says brightly as he delivers her drink.

"no problem" Jack says

"I.. well, I should have thought it through before I asked for voluneers. I ..didnn't realize how many would"

"In a Fiona hold? A dangerous rescue mission in the Dreaming, for the purposes of rescuing the Firebrands mere days before Imbolc? Who could possibly resist?!"

"I tried to" he jokes (?)

She sips, and then seem to ignore his comment. "Now...I've heard the tale from a few angles, but I'd like to hear how it happened from your perspective." She looks at him, and he has her full attention.

"Well, Baron Aiden called..." he relates the call, and how the Baron at firs just wanted tto borrow their own Russian Bear Dog and Sir Sergei... "But I realized that it might reflect on us if we did the bare minimum so I told him I'd get some more help.. he thanked me..."

She nods thoughtfully. "Only sending the dog and the hunt master would have seemed thin assistance from a Fiona hold, I agree." She nods for him to go on.

"So I asked for volunteers, ad, well, what you said dangerous rescue mission in the Dreaming, Firebrands at risk, et, and I expected two or three... instead like six swarmed for it.... and I sent them off. Leave it tto the pros? But Daria... Well" He admits "She said that asking for otherrs to take the risk without going as well was... well, cowardly. I.. sometimes worry I am a coward, but.. it was more than that. I was worried I'd be a hindrance during an important mission... but then.. I realized that I hadn't assigned a leader among the volunteers. I may not be the best leader, but it was better than chaos and... I was hurting them by NOT being there too. So I sucked it up, and rode Daria outt there tto help. herr speed let us catch up"

A wry grin. "Leadership as an afterthought is, in this case, better than not leading at all, I suppose." A sip. "You're right...you could have been a liability...but that doesn't seem to have been the case...?" she prompts him to say more.

"Oh, well, " he blushes "memories are a mess, so I trust the other versions, but I mostly .. reversed the petrification... see, I hacked the magic"

She tilts her head at him, half-understanding. "You...hacked it."

"think of it as if the hacking were an incantation .. a bunk by any other name? "

"I...don't think I quite follow. But as it seems to have worked, and you understand why and how it worked, then that's good enough." She regards him with an expression that suggests she is both confused and impressed.

"In this case it was kinnd of a counterweave plus dictum I guess. honestly , it's a bit of a blur. I don't think I could have done it if we weren't far in the Dreaming"

"That was going to be my next question -- whether you thought you might be able to do it again here. That would be a perilously powerful ability."

"Almost certain I can't.. as I am now anyway. Maybe with practice, develop the arts?" He ponders

"A goal to strive towards," she agrees. "Hume, it was courageous for you to go, and reckless to leave the hold so understaffed -- I mean, I came back to find Baron August guarding the entryway -- and as as a Fiona, I can respect both. It was also resourceful, and it worked. And all of EarthRunes' people came back to tell their versions of the tale." A pause, and she lifts her glass in toast. "Well done, Lord Hume."

"I.." he is surprised ,then "Thank you. " A pause "I .. do rremember one more thing. When I needed to inspire them, to hold tthe line? to buy me time? It was your name i used. It's you they wanted to make proud"

That brings a warm smile. She considers her drink for a moment, then nods. "They have, indeed, made me proud. As have you," she adds. Another sip. "I shall have to make sure they know it, come Carnivale," she muses.

"Are you worried about Carnivale? I mean, you have to be the butt of everryone's joke"

"Worried?" She gives him a surprised look, and then laughs. "Oh, I adore Carnivale! It's not always easy, but it's such a fun challenge!"

"For me it's nightmare fuel" he admits "I knnow Fiona are fearless, but... how do you .. how is it funn?"

"I'm giving pleasure to my people. How is that not fun?"

"You're.. you're a kindheart"

"Well, thank you. I try. Mostly, though, I just do what I like to do." A shrug. "I'm not," she points out, "particularly kind when it comes to thallain."

"No arguement there" He says "I can't say I'm a fan"

"No?" She regards him. "Perhaps you should get your feet wet this year."

"Feet wet?" Cautious note "with thallian?"

"Ah! I thought you meant Carnivale!" A silvery laugh.

"Oh.. not a fan of it eitther... I'm justt not social"

"Oh, but I'm going to have to insist, Hume. After all, you've been their leader. You'll need to make a sustained appearance."

"OH come on" A plead

"I don't like crowds"

A thought. "Hm! Perhaps I should have a robotic costume of some sort. Not actual robotics, but...the notion of a robot servant. Coradel-Siri...."

"Oh that's manipulative"

"Hmmm?" An innocent blink.

"You 're trying to make the idea of a costume interesttinng o mee"

A pause, then, "I could zip around the room on a Segway...."