#elsewhere

Deciding to take his word as truth for now.

He looks truly touched. He takes her hand "Piper... if i could turn back time, if I could find a way... " Sounding just like Cher

Siv blinks "Holy crap, he's got his own autotune"

"Do you bellleeeve in life after love." Mickey copies then says "Really it's nothing, any mockingbird can do it, parrots maybe to, but not cockattoos... the swaggering bastards"

"I'm just glad I found you. If not, I'd have spent my life wondering... 'who is he', 'what kind of man made of half of who I am', and all of that. I know, I know, I believe in Nurture vs. Nature, but Nature has a part, too, you know."

"Now I know where my singing voice came from... though my mamas would say it also has a big part in their training and teaching me to appreciate it from a babe."

"Oh now hey here, " He says "You are 46 percent one of your mamas, 44 percent your other mamma, 5 percent me tops, and ten percent all new you. I'm a nice guy, but your mamas, they put in the work, they diapered the changes and boobooed the tenders"

She gazes down at her tea, and asks, "Do you still talk to... I mean, my... you know... my, uh. Lifegiver?"

"I don't need to meet her, or anything, but.... I know she was sick. I hope that she's... I'd like to think she's okay. Or if she's... you know. Gone... maybe I could light a candle or something, to honor her for giving me the best life she could."

Siv puts a gentle hand on Piper supporting

Mickey scratches his chin, then says "The woman who put you on that space pod and sent you to the nice farm family, her world was ending and she knew you had to survive. She sent you to a planet of love where you would have the power to fly.. and maybe she found a ship off too, but i know she lit a candle for you and then when it melted out, she walked away. Best thing you can do for her is live your blessed life. "

Siv whispers to Piper "Sounds like you weren't just sent away, you were sent away with love"

"Well.... yes. I... I know that. But I worry about her? You know?" She reaches out and takes Mickey's hands in her own. "I know it's hard for you to speak clearly... I wish Dagmar was here, she can help interpret... but... do you know about her? I mean, not all men... that is. I'm not casting blame, if you knew and left. But.. did you know she was pregnant? Or was she just someone you knew once, and then wasn't in your life any more?"

A sigh. "Maybe it's too much to try to ask a pooka." Not blaming, but trying to be understanding.

Mickey says "I can speak in ten thousand voices, long as i don't use my own" A breath "your mom had a sandpaper life, and she wanted a satin one for you. She had some hard choices, and had made some bad choices..." he is struggling a bit, or appears to be..a breath "your mother and I were not as close as we should have been, but it was no one knight stand. Even though you came into this world, she and i were not close. But last I heard, and it was a long time ago like a million years since i saw her, she had found her better self"

A bead of sweat on his brow

"Are you okay?" Concerned.

Her expression is conflicted. He did know about me... but... he didn't want me? Piper, NO, you promised it wasn't going to be ABOUT that...

She takes a breath, and lets it out.

at that, he smiles "Bit like asking your friend to be shorter" he notes the breath , "what's all this?" British accent

coaxing her to share her feelings

Siv knows something happened there and keeps an arm around her lover

A small smile. "It's okay. I don't want to... I don't want to sound like I blame you. There's a thousand and one reasons to not be able to raise a child. And even more to simply not want to. They're valid. YOU'RE valid. It doesn't make ME any less valid..."

"Oh, well, if I liked it I would have put a ring on it but.. telling her what to do with her body, her life? I..sorry kid. I was young and stupid and unsure then, not old and stupid and unsure like i am now"

"Can you do me one favor? I know it's a lot to ask... but if you still know where around my mom is... I'd like to send her a letter. She might wonder about me, as much as I wondered about you. I can't ask my mommas to do that, it feels wrong." Piper is certain about this last.

"I know that it is a BIG ask, but you don't even need to go find her - I mean, I'd draw the line at some of my own Ex's that I never want to see again. But maybe you can write down any information you know about her, and I can go from there?"

"If it helps, do like the game, Two Truths and a Lie." She suggests, brightening at the idea. "Like - My name is Piper, I am a Satyr, and I love to eat great big bloody steaks." Holding up two fingers in turn on one hand, then one on the other.

"You're not a satyr??" He gasps

Siv nearly spits up a drink

then looks guilty she laughed at that

Piper reaches up and checks her horns, "Last time I checked." Dryly.

A breath "Hello, my name is Mickey Boyd, I'm not telling you how to track down the woman who birthed you and gave up adoption, and I think the Browns have a real chance next season"

A glance to Siv about the Browns... is that a sports thing? I guess I DID need Dagmar!

Siv mutters "Football team, they suck"

"Oh!" She nods, understanding, then... ".... Oh."

She swallows. "I guess. That's... that's completely up to you."

He looks guilty and tries to explain "I'm sorry I won't, she thought you were better off with a clean break, and my hair loss is a lifestyle choice"

"I just thought... maybe she'd want to know that I.. I turned out okay." She can't help it, she's a satyr, and now she's sniffling.

Siv GLARES at Mickey "Is it that much to ask?"

"I almost didn't, you know. I had a real... real rough time. When I was... when I was someplace else, and had a lot of time to myself to think, I blamed her, and you. I didn't MEAN it, but I was in a bad place mentally, and cursed you both for making me how I was... I know it was wrong!"

She wipes at her face with her napkins... poor girl needs a proper set of hankerchiefs for Yule, no satyr should be without them!

"I'm sorry... 'm sorry..."

"I missed that news cast" he admits "But you know something?" he puts a hand on her and very tenderly says " if you need someone to blame, then I did i t. I forgot to put the life boats on the titanic, I pumped the wrong gas into the hidenberg, and I thought new coke was the way to go. Every rotten thing in your life? It's not on the lady who gave you up, or your mamas, or you, or even society, it was all on me.. okay? please, just .." He looks about and then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a picture of himself "You stab this thing with a pin evertyime things go bad. If it helps, you make it swis cheese"

"I don't want to blame anyone!"

the mocking bird pooka's feather flutter as if caught in a storm "I.. uhm..I'd like to buy a vowel?"

Piper carefully wipes off her face, managing to squish down her upset for now. She reaches for Siv's hand under the table.

"I knew it was a lot to ask when I asked it, I said as much. I can't say I'm not upset... or that I understand, but... I don't know her, you do. If you really think that... if you really, really do think that she'd be happier, not knowing anything about me? I'll try to let it go."

Hard squeeze.

"I don't want to be a... an unhappy reminder of her past, or a nuisance, or anything like that."

Siv hsqueezes

"Oh geeze kid, twist the knife... " he groans "It's been a thousand years since firnost and I... I made promises as a kid"

"And there is nothing wrong with you, you're funny smart and passionate and you're the shortest troll I've met" He extends fingers, one two three

She sniffs, and moves around the table to give Mickey a TIGHT hug. "I'm sorry to have put this on you. You've given me so much. I AM sorry. I won't press it again."

He hugs back "Does this mean I'm now off your Christmas list?'

"Not a chance. "