#elsewhere

" 'es. Rian can do." The lad is a little shy, but willing to help - and the plates that Marigold pointed out are not the delicate china, but more sturdy, and he carefully pats at one of them, nudging it into place.

Marigold laughs. "Makeovers? Now that sounds like a fun time for the the girls - Gwen or Bluebell, or even Flo perhaps? And I've seen Julius pluck his brows when no one is watching, he has a bit of vanity himself. I'd suggest Willy, but oh, the dear is bound to take it the wrong way."

She moves to put on water for drinks. "Now, what brings you here, Bridge Sylvi? Business, or just hanging out with Nadeen? I am sure that there are horses that would love a spring jaunt if that's your pleasure."

Nadeen lets Sylvi handle 'the pitch' ready to back her up

“Oh, it’s true, I haven’t been riding in a bit,” she admits. “But partially I came to see Nadeen’s digs. That room is nice.”

"It's nice to see some of the quarters opened back up. This place has so much room and potential, but other than housing occassional guests, most of the wings are closed up. I really should get to airing them out at least a bit for Spring..." A sigh - though she smiles to Nadeen. "Flo can help with that, I suppose."

"Oh yes, she's eager to help in fact," A thought "mm Spring airing. Sometimes it's helpful to let a bit of spring in, yes"

“Flo is a seriously hard worker,” Sylvi says with a nod, not mentioning any other opinions she may have about Flo. “You work really hard, too, Marigold. My mom’s a Hearth, so I kind of get how much work you’ve got to do...and this place is a lot more fancy than the Lodge.”

A grin at Nadeen, then to Rian, “Spring, spring, spring!” As she bounces him on her hip.

"Sylvi helps keep my inner tyrant in check" Tongue in cheek "But she's not always wrong' So helpful

“It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta,” Sylvi grins back.

"Well, from what I hear, you have a larger barony back at your homestead, Sylvi. Is it okay if I just call you Sylvi, or do you prefer the title? There's always something to do here, but what is a boggan for if not to do what needs doing? Idle hands are the devil's playthings, they say, and even if I don't brook with that superstition, well, work needs doing in any case."

“Oh, just Sylvi is fine for us, Marigold. I might expect some others around her to use the title, but...not you.” A pause. “Listen, I have a favor to ask you, if you’d let me. You could really help me out a lot.”

Nadeen entertains Rien with wiggling finggers to distract. Jazz hands, ooo magic

Marigold brushes her hands off on her apron and turns to Sylvi. "Why, of course. How can I help you, dear?"

The boy watches, though he is more shyly sneaking glances at the pretty sidhe then her fingers.

Nadeen smiles at that "Such a charmer already"

“Well...Nadeen said some of the stuff I do, but one of the arts I’ve been studying is Spring. I’ve especially been doing a lot to help people who are feeling down or who have some aches and pains or whatever. But mostly I’ve worked on other trolls, and sometimes sidhe, and a redcap once. I haven’t practiced a lot with boggans. I guess...what I’m asking is if you wouldn’t mind playing guinea pig?”

And it’s a good thing Marigold isn’t Gwydion, because Sylvi sure has worked on boggans before.

“It would really help me out, so I could be ready to help others better.”

Her foot taps, and she shoots a glance over at Nadeen. "Is that so, eh? It would help you out? Now, granted, I hadn't heard of the different physiological differences between the kiths. Now, maybe if you'd said you specialized in pooka? Because it feels like perhaps I'm being pooked. Nadeen, please, what is this about?"

Sylvi maintains an earnest and innocent expression as she looks at Nadeen.

"Beg your pardon?" Nadeen looks up "Oh goodness, Marigold. I've told you how it's wall to wall trolls over at that lodge. Which is fine, but Silver Wolf does have more variety. Can't blame her for hoping to learn from that"

“It really does seem to matter,” Sylvi says. “The more experience I have with a kith, the more success I seem to have on subsequent castings.”

"I've noticed glamour does have a different feel through differet kiths" Nadeen ponders

A sigh. "You don't get to as many decades as I do without knowing when someone is pulling the wool over on you, even if wee Shawn isn't here." Mentioning the sheepish pooka boy who visited on Carnival. "This is about my blasted hip, isn't it?"

“You’ve got issues with your hip?”

Sylvi looks genuinely intrigued.

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag" Nadeen says looking at Marigold as if surprised she mentioned it, then she looks back to Sylvi "yes, yes she does. Acts up "

“I mean, I was just going to do a general feeling-uplifted kind of thing, but if you’ve got actual hip issues...I can totally work with that...”

She has a bit of a stubborn look, but then sighs. "I'm a grump, dear. Even as much time as I've spent in the hold, age catches up with all of us. Yes, my hip aches a bit from time to time, but it's nothing I can't handle." It's Marigold's turn to be glad there is no Gwydion present.

“Well, sure. Stewards are like Hearths, which means they’re generally tough as heck. But I mean...if I can do something, and it’s helping us both out, then why not?”

"Well, she's got it handled, so no harm in trying " Nadeen points out logically to both

“Oh, poop.” Sylvi says with a pout. An endearing pout. A pout well-practice and very good at getting her what she wants...and what she wants is to do spring magicks on Marigold, apparently.

Hands on her hips. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being 'handled', here?" Turning to Sylvi. "It's my left hip, you see. And this is not to leave this kitchen. At first it was just an ache, old bones, I figured. But lately it threatens to give out if I spend too much time on my feet." She sounds troubled. "I... fear that I'm too old to deal with a hospital and the banality that would be involved with a stay to get the operation that they say would help, for a hip replacement. But what good is a lame boggan to the hold?"

"I think you would have plenty of value regardless. But it can't be very pleasant at all to have to deal with that, either. So...I'd really like to try. I could have just done it without your permission, but I don't work that way. So...please say okay?"

"Not when you have Miss Nadeen here to sneak you in under my nose, eh?" But she doesn't sound too upset at the bit of trickery. "What all is needed?"

"And I can tell you, Heatherbalm hasn't helped much. It can help if I've pulled a muscle, or so it seems, but my dang hip itself is just worn out."

"It's not Heatherbalm." She thinks for a moment. "Is there a place where we could all sit outside with our drinks? It's just warm enough and sunny enough for that to be nice for a little while."

"There's the porch... no, that wouldn't do. The training ring, but that's half mud. The gardens haven't been tended yet this spring, but we can dust off the chairs a bit?"

"I'll get a cloth to wipe them" She says, still keeping an eye on Rian

"The gardens sound perfect."

The boy is fidgeting, he has been very well behaved, but the plum cakes are not on the plates.

"Hey, Rian, we're going to do something fun. And then some plum cakes. Okay?"

"In fact...let me get a tray together...." And the Hearth's daughter takes over the kitchen for a moment, gathering the plates and cakes and cups and spoons and teapot...and the kettle is just boiling....

"Then cakes." A nod from the boy!

With Sylvi's help, it takes just a few moments to put together a basket - perhaps Marigold could move faster if they weren't watching, but even so, she knows where everything is and the troll lass's assistance is efficient enough to almost make up for the stiff movement.

"This way..." Marigold leads them down a hallway and out to one of the side courtyards, and around a corner to find a rather overgrown courtyard garden. It's not a secret garden, not quite, but perhaps a bit forgotten, out of the main thoroughfare. Woody rose bushes are starting to turn green, Saplings that perhaps were not meant to fall where they are spring up, and the grass is dappled with early clover and dandelions, along with escapee tulips and dafodils that have enterprisingly spread their buds beynd their beds.

"Oh, it's a right mess out here. A bit of pretty color, but all in disarray. What would the lady have said..." Marigold tsks just a bit, to herself.

"Oh, I like this!" She carries the tray as Nadeen wrangles Rian.

Nadeen looks at it curiously "I wonder if I can borrow Jack Flap sometime"

"What's that, dear? Perhaps for breakfast..."

A delicate wrought metal seating set with chairs and a table - still dusty from fall and winter's work. "There are cushions for these, but they're away in a shed somewhere... and once we had hammocks to hang, and over there, that was a fountain." Said fountain is now overgrown with brown vines of ivy from previous years.

"Oh, he's a satyr in Rivervale. And maybe he'd be interested...." She hedges a bit, not sure she wants Jack Flap involved up here, yet. "Now, Marigold, this is perfect. I'm going to ask you to get ready to pour us some tea, but don't start yet. Now...Rian, do you know 'Here We Go Round the Mullberry Bush'?"

A giggle from the boy. "Monkey chased th' weasel!"