#elsewhere

Earl brings the package up, of course "Hey, guess what?"

"Mmm?" An almost catlike noise - unsurprisingly, she's knitting.

Gently, he brings the packages into view of her keen eyes

"Ooo.."

"I believe these are mine, these are yours, and the well wish, well, for both of us. Should I break them out now or put them in the kitchen?"

"The kitchen, for now. Save them for afternoon tea?"

"Of course" he smiles "And, winterbreak very soon. Where do you want to spend it?"

A soft sigh, looking at the stairwell.

"I know not. Scarsdale, for part, of course. And Earth Runes."

"Definitely Earth Runes," He says "You've been champing at the bit to go, so to speak, and besides, you miss August. So do I, a little. You know without us he's wearing himself to a frazzle about this Bannerhouse. You know what a perfectionist he can be about his own efforts"

"Oh... but he has so many, now."

"That loud mouse and the like."

"We're going," Earl says with uncharacteristic firmness, "His new friends will understand the importance of old ones, and besides, the only person to give him good sluagh advice is Velvet, and she's young yet and his squire besides. He'll need your cleverness" A kiss on the lips, "Don't we all?"

"Velvet is quite clev-" Oh, she's kissed!

"I suppose."

"She is, and that's another reason to go. Girl probably hasn't had proper tea in ages if Mr. Gluminski has been swamped with unwelcome gift shoppers. You know those rude customers keep swarming his shop every year about this time despite his best efforts to drive them away"

"The unmitigated gall."

"Just so," Agreement, "I mentioned something about a moat and alligators, but he said city ordinances were 'sadly prohibitive' and he'd feel terrible if the poor things died because they were TOO successful."

A soft chuff, amused.

"So, Scarsdale, and Earth Runes. I suppose I need to go to the farm."

"Likely, aye."

"Mmm , wonder how the Wildheart situation is going?" He mutters as much to himself

"Ohhh..."

"Sorry, I should let it be, I know"

"No. You shouldn't."

"I wonder what she is up to...." She sets the knitting aside.

"Uh oh, want me to get your scrying tools?"

"Aye."

And he fetches them

Mirror, a silver pitcher of pure water, candles... it is a familiar ritual, one that gains power from precision...

Earl offers up some grain from the farm, "If she's a DeBuke, it might help?"

"Aye..."

And having offered them up he disturbs no more.

"Show me Banneath, but show Banneath not I...." Layered cantrips - weaving candle-smoke with her hands, to conceal her art from one proven sensitive to eyes.

"You're out of your damn mind..." the picture comes in.. surprisingly clear, ah, they gaze into Hades' domain

Eyebrow.

"respect" whispering snap, "and i am most certainly not. a new lodge is found, it is in need of a mountain. you qualify." hades says "you have repaid me, because of your insistance not mine..and drawn far too much attention towards me for my liking in doing so. You need a new place to go. Consider it"

"It's loaded De..." A frown, "it's loaded with a certain family I want nothing to do with"

Eyeroll.

"yes yes, do you think I don't know? " the sluagh says, "there are sluagh that know even of the farmhold, who know far more about it than you I dare say."

"Who?" She turns.

He shakes his head "Trolls." Not as an answer, but that plea to the Da'an to give one endurance to put up with a kith that actually expects secrets to be blurted when they should know better

"I will simply say I know of at least two, and where there are two of my kind, always add at least one that even I wouldn't know about," Hades says

This answer is generous by sluagh standards, but the wilder woman doesn't look pleased.

She watches the trolless - why the displeasure, hm? That she lacks knowledge? She chose that distance, and with it, ignorance...

"You could use a namer here," She says "I have that knowledge."

Admission. But Zara knew this. Earl is adept at reading his Hind's expressions - at home, unguarded, her dark eyes and delicate features are quite expressive. A different language than troll-brow and grunt, though just as quiet.

"Pray forgive, I need you like a nation with no army needs a tacticul nuke, which is to say not at all. You would become something to seize, wildheart, drawing more attention than safe. Oh Zeus would protect you, his nature, but Poesiden and I would out vote him and wisely so. I have no power over you, leave and go where you like, but you asked where I would advise you go to. I have advised. That place is a guardianship of soemthing no one wants raised. Where not only is a namer wanted, he or she might be needed less the black gate be too vulnerable. There, nobles, modernists, and so forth would all not only tolerate you, they would be relieved."

"Right, you want me to go to a hold with strong connections, perhaps even alliance, with people I despise, people with out honor, and help them. Does that make sense to you?"

"Not in the slightest to me no," The Sluagh says "But if I were a troll, it would be mandatory. Your naming is a strength, is it not?"