#earthrunes

Coradel herself feels a bit vulnerable as is her fire.

She doesn't like that feeling. It makes her want to react by going out and fighting something at the borders.

But that won't help in this case. Will it?

Alas, unless a Jehovah Witness knocks on the door at a convenient time pushing the Watchtower, she has no target!

And as it's the middle of the night when this ritual is occurring, the chances of that kind of solicitation are pretty low.

Without a legitimate target, she starts getting irritable, snapping a people over minor missteps.

"How much longer will this take?!"

Charity the boggan bows, "I don't know, Baroness. I'm changing linens. Should I stop?"

With an annoyed sound, Coradel waves Charity back to work.

Charity retreats! Err goes back to work.

Wise boggan.

Shallimar comes in close, wearing his jester motley and waving a small white flag "I come in peace, don't shoot."

"What is it, Shallimar?" she says sharply.

"I'm looking for the Court JEster. It's his job to ease tension and help the ruler when she's feeling stressed. I wonder what poor bastard they stuck with THAT job," He tuts heavily.

A brief huff of not-quite-amusement. "I assure you, all is well in hand."

He looks at Coradel's hands, one of which is tensing in a fist without her noticing, at first, then he taps it, "Maybe a looser grip then?" More sincerely he looks up at her, "Father didn't enjoy these moments either, made him growl like a bear whose stockings were too tight."

She looks at her fist for a moment, then exhales and will it open. It's not exactly relaxed yet, but better. "When did he have to do something like this?"

The polecat fool says "Before your thyme, and other spices. A great binding, like the world's largest ball of twine. Eiluned hate magic but this one had him nervous. He had to loan the keys to another ...and for a moment, for a brief moment, he was naked and exposed and not in the fun way." A weak smile "Father took it with all the grace you'd expect. You remember what he was like."

That gets a faint hint of a grin. "I do. You remember far more, though, since you knew him far longer. I imagine he was full of dignity and gravitas?"

"That day? it was glowertoss, and we didn't want to catch."

A smile

"Mm, yes, I can see that, too." Shallimar is clever...the wave of nostalgia has distracted her, at least for the moment. "All went well at that time?"

"In the end, the beast was put at bay, the danger passed. Oh, the ritual worked also." The Jester says.

"And this fierce beast, what was it called?"

"There are some who called him father but he answered to the Baron."

"You. Are terrible."

"What was being bound, then, in that ritual?"

"I was Ivan in a past life," He agrees. then says "A great chimera that threatened us. It could not be slain by any weapon dreamed of, it could not be harmed by any cantrip, and there was only way to defeat it. Father found that way, but to do it... he had to risk all." The pooka now speaks the truth with effort, or so it seems, "It had to be let in, then fed to the fire. But to do that, the fire was open. Imagine how he felt, tied to the flame thus? But he refused to truly part from it even when it was risking him as well and..." A sigh "It made him sour."

Coradel recognizes the strain that true words put on Shallimar. She touches his cheek, then leans to press a kiss to his forehead. "Is it necessary to remove my stress by adding to your own that way? You didn't have to do that."

Shallimar chuckles fondly at the kiss on the forehead, "A Fool's bears many burdens and maybe burdens many bears, but would you tell a knight he need not raise his shield? A scribe that he can use comic sans because it is easier?"

"Fair points." She takes a deep breath and lets it go, standing tall again. "Thank you, dear Fool."

He salutes with his white flag, and smiles, "Anything for Job security... and for one dear."

She nods, then looks again to the 'Fire and the ritual in progress. Her brow knits delicately with concern, but she's at least a little less angry. For now.

(Pause)