#elsewhere

He sighs "Jefferson Jameson Jones... my rents right? I got a fae name but Triple J or JJJ is stuck. Hey, you whats your name?" a smile "Or what do you wantt to be called? Satyrs are pretty welcome here, and I'll be happy to be your guide"

"T-Js, it's cool." She wonders for a moment if it's worth hiding her name... but she's not even sure where she is, so why hide? "I'm Piper."

"Who runs this joint?"

"Oh, well, Sheriff Sam keeps gettinngg elected, but mostly because we just pretend we 'figured out ' what he was saying and do what we want. " a grin from JJJ "This used to be a noble hold like in the 90s, big fight that wall is all that is left... we decided a kind of democracy is our way. Couple folks want to name it Potheadtopia, others prefer jamvania... but the only thing EVERYONE calls it is 'The Lake'"

Sheriff Sam hmmhs "you're a terrible ifluence, jJJJ..enjoy"

"No offense, you all seem like really chill and nice folk and all, but I kinda had a mind to hit up a rager until I passed out, if it's all the same to you."

"Ah, THAT is tonight, in a few hours.. .hearts and other body parts WILL Be brroken.... they'll lighth the fire like Gondor, and there will be options for our poisons of choice. Shit, Mike's got this Peyote joint mix that's ... probably illegal ... and the nockers here booze that can strip goat hide"

"But if you had any weed, that might not be so bad." She admits. It's been some time since she smoked. "I just... wanna get away for a while, you know?"

"Reggular stufff, that peyote lace, or .." He lists SIX types of Weed

One of which is the Tahoe special

"Wait, Tahoe? We're not in Cali, are we?" Suddenly anxious again.

California is a big place. Chill out. She tells herself, but can't help looking slightly haunted.

"Not quite, nevada side... hey, if you're hunted, you're welcome here, it's a haven see? " JJJ shakes his head "Fuck, we have folks who broke the Escheat... out of desperation usually."

A female voice calls out "Like killing my would be rapist in a panic moment of self defense.. but because he was kithain, i'm the bad guy"

JJJ winces "Yeah, like that.. "

"Not... hunted, really." She admits. "Or not any more. I did my time, but the time stayed with me. I'd say, 'haunted'."

"Oh shit, yeah, hang on," he hands her a joint "Try this one, good for anxiety... and you'll still be able to rage by tonight if you want. I think you came to the right place. Only sidhe that come here now are Scathach, no titles, changeling way types anndn they're sill rare. Mostly satyrs, nockers, a few pooka, and what ever Eshu or piskies are travelinngg through. Population is light"

She accepts it and tries a toke.

THIS is.. good weed. Someone is an artist

He's right, good for anxiety but not so overpowering she'll be out for the night

"Want me to show you around, or just let you Chill until the party?" JJJ offers

"What brought you here, J?"

"Me? that's a story" JJJ says "Not.. one I'm proud of." Nervousnnness, fear of being judged "I... had a friend... he forgot himself... the nobles were 'occupied' and I couldn't get my friennd o a hold. One ravaged asshole later.."A look of shame "And my friend was able ot make to the hold on his own. And I? Let's say I'm not going near a certain barony"

She winces. "At least you had a good reason. Me..." Hesitation, but they said this place was a haven... "My tragos just decided that musing wasn't worth the effort." That's not entirely the truth. She takes another hit off the joint. "No one made me do anything. It might not have been my idea... but I went along with them."

"A bad thing, yeah, " he shrugs "But fuck , some nobles out there would brand you for it"

"When's it done, right?" He has pulled out a joint of his own

"I did time in the Mirror Cells." Inhaling again. The drug allowing her to relax, she hadn't even realized how tightly keyed up she had been. "The rest of my tragos is still in there, as far as I know. Old tragos." She corrects. "I thought I had moved past it... but all it took was one pint-size Liam showing up outside my bedroom door to give me a panic attack."

He nods sympathetically, "For me it's guitarists... the guy I ravaged was a douche, but he played all right. I can't even muse them honestly anymore, I see a non kithain Guitarist and I ... I just want distance" He holds ups his ukulele, "Sad right? I mean, I don't have full blown anxiety, but I keep..well, the guilt and the fear that someone will think I'm up to my 'old tricks' even if that trick was just one moment"

"It's almost worse when they aren't suspicious. The understanding, the nice looks and the 'there there we know you're better now'. They do? I don't. Because it wasn't just a one-time thing. I'm encouraged to hop back in, there you go, have a nice moment with this dreamer, and I feel like I'm out of rehab with a 2 year coin, tossed backstage alone with a eight-ball before a show."

"Shit, that sucks"

"I had to fall for a Knight. Not a sidhe - never... a troll, Fiona. But she just took a Liam squire, and thought the way to tell me about it was to surprise me at home with the elf kid."

"Little brat huh?"

"I dunno. I guess. I normally don't mind kids, but it was the Liam that got me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not especially going to boo someone for breaking an oath, but just the feel of one reminds me of the Count. Like, is he still watching me? Keeping tabs, spying on me?"

An uncomfortable moment, tapered with another hit. "And if he is, is he right? ...but now my girl thinks I'm some monster who hates the kid for who she is."

"Look, this girl, the troll not the kid, she loves you right? She knew about your past when you hooked up?"

"Not at first, no. Otherwise I don't think she would have given me a second look... it was a samhain hookup, first, we'd have forgotten it if we hadn't woken up in a pile. But it came out later."

"Huh, samhain, things get wild... I know it's supposed to be about honoring the dead and the turning of the wheel, but I love mixing in the halloween myself" JJJ puffs then says "Okay, so girlfriend didn't flee when she found out. But why assume she now thinks you're a monster? Maybe she's out of touch, doesn't mean she thinks you're a beast." A shrug "Was pretty stupid of her to spring the kid on you without warning though.. no offense."

"You didn't see the look she gave me. And she wasn't wrong. She's gonna have this little Liam dogging her steps for... I dunno, how long do Squires last? Years? I just can't. I had to get some distance, but I'm not sure now about going back. She NEEDS this, she said. She HAD to go be this Knight and not even the 'holier than thou I can boss you around kind', but the kind that really thinks they need to fulfill the duty, that because some sidhe graced her with a sword bonk that she owes them forever... Whether I agree with that or not aside, SHE believes it."

"Sounds like she's in pretty deep" JJJ nods "Question , is the kid autumn or arcadian?"

"I didn't ask." She inhales. "Does it matter? I guess the one is a bit more of a hypocrite."

"Well, me I find Autumns more like regular kithain, arcadians can be almost.. alien" He shrugs

"When it comes to Liam, it's like asking if it's a smiling or a crying clown. They BOTH freak me out, whatever mask they wear..." She flops back, staring up at the ceiling, or the sky?

"I wonder if she already swore an oath. Maybe I can find someone else who really wants a squire. Then Siv can find another squire if she's gotta, and it doesn't have to be this one..." A sigh, she knows this won't work.

"Tell your dumb bitch of a girlfriend the little shit's not allowed in the apartment for starters" A female nocker comes out. She wears cowboy boots, the words 'Apply to Groin' etched artfully on them

"Dezamon, chill, she's here to hang and vent, let's not SHOVE the dear abby down her throat right?" JJJ offers the nocker a joint too

The nocker takes it

Piper bristles a bit at that, if she wasn't halfway into a pleasant fog, those might have been fighting words. "She's not a bitch, or dumb. She's just... such a damn TROLL about things sometimes."

"Yeah, sotheads are hard wired to duty. Still, you got a right to YOUR haven" Dezamon lights up and takes a drag "Geezus, JJJ, you trying to tranq me?"

JJJ smirks 'You said the last one was, and I quote 'furking weak sauce'"

"Used to be, this sort of fuss wouldn't be worth a second thought over a lay, n'matter how good they are. Maybe this is a wakeup call. Siv and Jonas, they had each other first. I'm the one who squeezed my way in. I need them, they don't need me."

"Well that sounds stupid to me" Dezamon gives her opinion, because, Nocker "You got a little three way right? How do you know one of them doesn't prefer YOU over the other , if you're so sure there are favorites"

JJJ shakes his head "Everything sounds stupid to you, Dezamon"