#elsewhere

"If I've got a Fae soul in here, then it's Fiona, right? I'm not scared of stuff. I get confused sometimes but..... and if I don't, then there's no danger, right?"

"If it would ease thy worry, forever!"

And an arm is thrown companionably around Adam's shoulders, a squeeze. "Thou and I against the world, Adam and Vince, the two amigos!"

"Oh, we have Bachdion, who is already my brother-wife. Three! We have three amigos! Fate has willed it." An irascible grin,

"Banality isn't fear, fear would atl east be SOMETHING Banalikty is...well.. it's a void "

"Adam.." She says shrinking, and fluttering her wings "You take help, or at least a bacik up crew in waiting." To Vince she blows a kiss "I'm going to leave so you two can discuss it. But I'm going to take this amigos thing as a given" mmph

and she flies off

Adam watches her go, worried. "She's upset."

He starts to pull himself up out of the water. "I should go check on her."

“Is that what she wants? Or what you want?” He ponders, dipping a toe on the water.

Adam sits on the edge in his underwear. "I.... well, yeah, -I- to to make sure she's ok. I mean.... Sir Bachdion isn't going to send me into a can't-win situation, is he? And I've done some stuff, you know? I'm not even Fae....."

“Do you think he would? From what you know of your mentor so far?” Not leading, not accusatory.

"No! He wouldn't."

"I mean, ok, he might test me sure. I expect that. Kinda looking forward to it. But, like, straight out send me to die? No."

“Well, there we have it!” Pleased. “When do we depart?”

Adam flaps his arms. "When the Dame is rested and Sir Bachdion says it's time?"

“Ahhh.” He dips both feet in to soak. “Then we must energize.” And pillows his head on his arms. “Not as good as a sunbeam...”

"Would you rather go somewhere else?"

It's an honest offer; it seems the boy is at loose ends.

That's when Honoria enters in 'Oh.. hi" Dame Honoria blushes

"Dame......" Adam stands up. "I want to apologize to you. My behavior was... an embarrassment. I didn't know what to trust; I've been tricked like that before and.... well, I'm sorry. I'll try to conduct myself better in the future." resigned "I mean, it'll probably happen again."

"But not to you!" He insists.

"Actually, Adam. I wanted to..well, I thank you for your apology. It's accepted. But I mostly wanted to make sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Dame." abashed. "I'm fine. I was just confused and.... I wasn't sure I could trust what I was seeing. I don't have very good kenning or much magic and.... I'm fine."

"I'm glad. I felt bad for you" She says "Shalimar's powerful in Chicanery. I hope you forgive him too. He's been on the dumps lately I think" A nose wrinkle

"I'm.... trying to remember and use Sir Bachdion's advice. To make a friend of him. Shalimar, I mean." says the boy in damp underwear.

She looks him over and blushes "I can see the sidhe in you now"

"You can?" He looks down at himself.

"I mean, your features and so on."

"Oh." a half-grin "Thank you, Dame. That's nice to hear."

A blush

"Uh, can I ask a question, Dame?"

A sigh "Is it about the Heart?"

"N... no. I was wondering what your, uh, your line is? I mean, what you build, your craft?"

"Oh!" Her eyes light up "I make flying vehicles, though normally in the form classic medieval. I have a griffin made of metals and with steam"

"Oh! I think... maybe, did I see that?" His eyes light with excitement.

"Steamfeather is my magnum opus. I can also make Zepplins and Digribles"

"My suitemate likes to blow stuff up."

"Betty.. she's good on the siege engines... more knockign things over, but yes, sometimes EXPLOSIVE Siege engines"

"Nockers seem, uh, kind of single-minded. All she wants to do is work."

"All they want to do is invent and improve" She corrects "It's why you don't find ones eager to work Fast Food"

"I guess I just don't get it." a puzzled frown.

"it's hard for them to explain, House Dougal are craftsmen so we get them better than most but even we don't always grasp their inner nature. Think of it like..everywhere a nocker looks ,she can see how it could be better. How things could go faster, stronger, sturdier... and then they close one eye and nope, it's still just a world of half assing it and coming up short. It's like... imagine if you were playing basketball, and someone told you that the average lay up attempt was fine. Don't try to be faster or leap higher. Just ..settle. how would you feel?"

"I'd go for it anyway. What the hell do -they- know? And how did you know I play b-ball?" a cocky grin.

"Zane told me." She says "Been working on a levitating hoop so someone can play basket ball anywhere, but no backboard changes the game"

"Yeah, it sure does. How do you know Zane?"

"He's visited a lot" She says

"I don't know him well, but he seems nice" She smiles

"He's an -awesome- guy." sincerely "Probably my best friend."

"Why can't you make the backboard part of the levitating thing?"