#earthrunes

Things keep going wrong for most folks

Soufles fall flat. Clothes in the laundry wrinkle.

Delightful, nu?

The internet is spotty! One can hear the Dougal wail

but for Zara, things just seem to be going delightfully right!

Apparently the spare fridge's power went out the other day, meaning a whole cake has gotten bad (Or by sluagh standards, quite good!)

"Nay, Dolores, discard it not! I have some candles yet in the library, if I may take it off your hands..."

"Well, if you're sure" Delores wrinkles her nose at the waft of corruption scenting from the cake, "I swear, everything's off today"

She turns the cake over carefully

"Tis the thirteenth!" She chirps in a happy little whisper.

"Everything is going perfectly" Squire Velvet gushes from the door way "Oh, Miss Zara. Someone dropped a radio, a nocker tried to fix it, but... oh it's too wonderful... it plays all incoming music in minor keys"

She holds the radio like it's a treasure "He wanted to dispose of it, can you belive it?'

Delores observes both sluagh and sighs "Yes, the thirteenth. Shall i get you some tea?"

A soft tsk. "No appreciation for the finer things. A fortuitous find, Miss Velvet."

"Oh, aye, tea would be lovely Delores."

The Steward gets the stuff from the quality tea area that Zara raids anyway, but it is the thought that matters and it's clearly a kindness intended.

Boggan-senses can tell that the sluagh is nearly bubbling over with delight. At least someone is having a good day.

Indeed, she does give a smile at that. The Steawrd has grown fond. she has prepared the tea for Zara and Velvet...

and nearly steps on a childling "my goodness, Lily. I almost tripped on you"

Lily looks up with hopeful eyes "I heard there was cake?"

"It just now got.. how did you .. oh I give up" the boggan sighs and looks at Zara, "Miss Zara, I leave cake and tea to you to distrubiute in whatever way pleases you kind sluagh the most"

She lightly claps her fingertips together. "Aye, steward. I shall tend to this matter. Many thanks!"

Delores wishes them well "Well, blessed or cursed 13th as it suits" A head bob and off to her duties she goes

Lily turns to her elders "Miss Zara, squire velvet, is Friday the 13th a sluagh holiday? It should be"

"It should be."

"I would suggest, if it be not too presumptive, that in Earth Runes and surrounding area? Tis " Squire Velvet says "Why mr. Gluminski told me that he has a new trove of antiques thanks to the untimely death of a maga influencer"

"Oh! Why, a'times that plague is doubly beneficial..."

"Twould see his grandmother's house is now on sale, and Mr. Gluminski got the antiques that were hers. There's this lovely quilt JUST moth bitten enough to have character"

"Twould be a lovely addition for they dorm room, nu? Come, you must needs update us on thy studies..."

"Oh yes" Tea is set up, and the candles put on the cake. Oh!

Lily, being a childling, may talk a bit too freely of her studies, but the others are curious "Well, for a time, I had infiltrated the White Orchid program where one could learn to be an agent of certain forces, but then I got pulled back into public school so I have to settle for tormenting Roger.'

"It is good to focus on a subject to refine techniques, but be mindful - many may benefit from sluaghish education."

"Ah, you feel I show favorites in my tormenting?" She ponders this

"Tis no crime to have favorites. However, one mustn't risk becoming complacent."

"Or closed to opportunities" Squire Velvet adds

"Precisely!"

Lily thinks this over "Well, Wendy Dowser has been rather smug lately about her spelling bee prowess. This is fine, but her nose lifts a bit TOO high at some who struggle"

"See?" Gentle encouragement.

"Yes. I suppose I could have words appearing and vanishing out of the corner of her eye... maybe I could have spider webs saying 'humility'?" Hopeful

"Perhaps plague her with homonyms?"

"Oh, yes, I shall thrust her upon the bank of despair, and she can bank on that" Lily observes, then... asks "That's a homonym right?"

"Aye"

She looks smug "I knew it was"

"Still, report back?"

"I shall. Any other advice?"

"I think you have excellent instincts. Do not fear following them."

"Fear is a wise guide if you let it" She says quoting someone then adds "Better to feed it someone else than get munched yourself" Possibly a Symon quote?

Velvet looks amused "Oh fear can be pleasant to experience"

"True, a shiver up thy spine..."

"That is Nice" The girl admits, then blushes "I'm sorry. How have your fearmongering plans gone, Miss Zara? Squire?"