#fenixtj

"Ok. But after 6 months, we -are- going to renegotiate."

"Sure, have you machine call my machine" He then says "Now, you gonna give your damn god daughter a hug or leave her hanging?"

"God daughter?" Some surprise, but she writes it off to being a pooka. She does take Shuri for a hug.

Shuri sighs at her father, her little eyes rolling at her dad, then she beams as she gets a hug "Dad blah blah blah. Love"

Yup. The kid smells like honey suckle and gives good hugs

"Love you too, Shuri." A smile.

"I pick her up at 8" Her dad days from down the hallway, leaving the woman to babysit

"Hey, Necropsis! I'm not......." She follows him. "Fine, but I'm charging you!!"

"GOod luck collecting..." Gone.

Shuri snickers

Jessica glares after him. "It's not you, Shuri, I just have a lot to get done."

SHe makes a 'fff' gesture, as if to assure she's fine. Just let her wander around.

"My liege?" A voice she's only heard a few times. A 12 or so year old voice. Possibly babysitter age

Jessica turns to see.....

Dame Dil Hillwalker, the girl she's really met only once at the tatto parlor before sending her here.

"Oh, Dame. You've settled in?"

"More or less, yes. I'm still a bit unsure about my duties.. but I am eager for a chance to prove myself, Countess"

"I understand." She shifts Shuri to the other side. "I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to sit down and talk, but.... do you have time now?"

"Yes" She looks, "Is..the toddler yours?"

"This is Shuri, and no. She's belongs to Tweak, who's now the leader at Albedo, and Necropsis, her Trueheart."

"Oh. uhm. Hello Shuri" Dil says

Shuri beams "Hi!"

"Come on....." Jessica leads the way to the Balefire, which she greets, and then they all sit down together.

Dil follows and sits.. "You have a mission for me?" Hopeful

"Well, we really only met at the tattoo parlor. Tell me about yourself."

"Well, you may recall I came of my own accord, and have no House. I Guess what matters most is I want to prove that I can take my life and do good with it, not just good , but if I"m lucky and work hard enough, do great"

Jessica nods. "Ok That's a good start. I came to Tijuana a couple years ago for a similar reason. I wanted to make a name for myself, and I heard there were pooka enslaved by a Baroness of House Balor here, so I came down and got involved. And, got Fenix and Renaissance. Before that I'd worked in the Peace Corp. My troll parents live in the Kingdom of Apples; my human family is in Pacifica." She thinks. "I graduated high school, got a little college. I work driving costumes across the border. I have an apartment here in Tijuana; it's not much, but it serves. Most of my time is spent here, though, of course."

"Wow" Her eyes are huge, "I mean... you probably.. you must have a powerful Da'an"

"Maybe? I mean.... I've never asked anyone to look."

"Well, I don't always like the idea of Da'an.. not just by itself right? Otherwise heroism isn't such a big deal. If everything is fated, then nothing is special"

Jessica nods. "Agreed. Tell me more about your background."

"Oh, I don't like to dwell on the past" She shrugs, "I'm all about the now and the future, right?"

Jessica eyes the younger girl.

"You know that sounds like someone who's hiding their past?"

"WHAAAAAAAT?" The girl says "That's silly .." A cough "I mean, I'm not a criminal or anything, honest!"

"Who knighted you?" Not an interrogation, but a direct question certainly.

"Queen Aeron of Pacifica" A sigh

An eyebrow. "The queen herself?"

"She was drunk at the time" Dil says with a blush. Queen Aeron is said to be driven unseelie and now a symbol of Fiona hedonism "She handed it out to me because.. well, nevermind , I didn't do anything great. I'm... starting in the hole. I have to show him that.. I mean I'll prove myself"

"Dame, won't this go easier if we're honest with each other? I mean... I respect wanting to keep private matters private, believe me. But if you're evasive while trying to establish trust..... it makes it a lot more difficult."

"I'm being honest, I am. I just.. don't wnat you to define me by my.. by anything but myself. And i i tell you everything I'm worried you might. You don't know what it's like to live in the shadow of someone so great that you can't ever fit... and you can't shake it, and everyone expects you to be just like that someone... or just as good. It's... I can't be ME up there. I can only be ..." she sighs "You can't understand."

"My mother is Baroness Brekke Dierkes, called the Grimhand, called Shacklebreaker, Chieftain and Storm of Rivervale. My father is Sir Frank King, Mountain of Rivervale." dryly.

Check yourself before ya Brekke yourself

"Oh..shit. " She covers her mouth

"I understand."

"But, look. Ok. I get it. If you want to keep your background private, do. I hope someday you'll share with me but as long as it's your business, it's your business. If it has to become my business...... there -will- be a talk."

"I understand" she says

"Ok."

"What kind of work are you interested in doing?"

"And, thank you. You won't regret it. I just want to..earn what I've got, you know? To ...find ..." A thought "I'd like to help people, you know? Like you did. Fight the good fight, stomp the bad, help the good stand up, protect the week. "