#fenixtj

"Oh yeah, they're mushy eyed...." Ariel nods "But yeah, it's like trolls don't know you need a place where the echoes of your hooves are juuust right"

"Oh, yes, they make moon eyes at each other. And Constance doesn't know he's planning a big surprise for Midsummer..."

And indeed, Piper tilts her head, listening to the reverb of hooves on stone, and the tap of Ellie's quieter shoes...

"This corner of halls ...see.. everyone thinks the throne room has the best, but nope, it's this corner... you can tell why if you try it"

She steps over, and gives a whistle, pausing to listen, then a trap-tap-tap of a hoof...

The echoes don't clash with each ohter, rather the sound carries like ripples!

Ellie tilts her head, trying to hear it too!

"Oh, I see..." She grins, and pulls out her guitar - she sits, cross-legged, and sets the guitar on her lap. Thoughtful for a moment.

She carefully adjusts the tuning pegs, and gives it a test strum, the notes carrying well. Seeing the look on Ellie's face, she grins. "Do you ever sing in the shower?"

"Doesn't EVERYONE?" Ariel says appalled anyone would pass that up, she looks at Ellie

Ellie nods!

"Have you noticed that it sounds just lovely when you do, but sometimes when you're in another room, it doesn't sound the same? See, the bathroom and the tub, they amplifiy - they take the sound of your voice, and echo it back, and make it sound nicer. That's the same sort of effect I wanted to find... but without asking the Countess to bring her court into the bathroom with me." A grin!

"Oh!"

"Ariel doesn't need the shower to sound good."

Ariel preens and blushes at the same time

"Well Ariel, do you have a favorite Princess song? You asked after all - maybe we can do a duet!"

"Ariel likes mermaids." Ellie 'helps.'

Ariel's eyes widen "Oh so many"

She grins, and then strums a note - it doesn't sound like a song from The Little Mermaid, though..

Ariel tilts her head to listen and try to pick it up

And after a moment, remembering the tune... simplified, perhaps, but she picks up the slack with her voice, as she sings a soft tune...

Between the here, between the now
Between the North, between the South
Between the West, between the East
Between the time, between the place...

From the shell
The song of the sea
Neither quiet nor calm
Searching for love again...

Ellie leans forward, big eyes. New song!

Ariel doesn't know it, so she... intones, ,choral, wordless but supporting as she picks up the tune. Not an easy thing for a little girl to do

Piper's eyes widen, and she gives an encouraging smile - repeating a previous chorus again, so that Ariel can join in this time.

Between the winds, between the waves
Between the sands, between the shores

From the shell
The song of the sea
Neither quiet nor calm
Searching for love again

Between the stones, between the storms
Between belief, between the seas...

"aaa aaaa aaaa" Ariel times...

A third verse, and it winds down. "You've heard that one before, I see?"

"Noooo, but it is very mermaidish."

"No.. never" A gasp "it's lovely"

"You should play it for Neema, she's a selkie."

Tears flowing... but happy tears! Satyrs cry like no body's biz. "Sorry..it always worries the trolls when I cry but they don't understand it's okay"

"You picked that up as though you'd heard it! You have a good ear, Ariel. And Ellie - you're right. It IS a Selkie-song. From a lovely little cartoon I watched when I was smaller." And she reaches out to give Ariel an impulsive hug. "Oh, I've been living with Trolls too, I hear you hun."

"Oh!" She hugs Ariel.

Then she dips her head to the sidhe girl. "Oh, um. Sorry. Countess. Should I call you Countess?" A little unsure, at odds between the noble bearing and that she's... well, just a LITTLE little girl!

Ellie gets hugged back "Rally, it's good tears. For a good song. Thank you, Piper, but I GOT to learn the words"

"Well... it's not court here. So you may call me Ellie."

Got to. Or she'll DIE

A smile to the girl. "I will call you Ellie then. You're a good friend to Ariel. You know, us Satyrs, we're filled with big feelings all the time. Ever heard the term "big mood"? Well imagine if practically every mood you had was big, and that's a bit like it. So promise you'll give her lots of those hugs, and I bet I can find you a copy of Song of the Sea."

"Oh she already gives me lots of hugs. She even hugs Salma who sometimes fusses but actually likes it" A conspirtoral tone as she reveals Salma's weakness

"Oh, yes please!"

"You should come visit Rivervale, they have all sorts of songs there that you probably haven't heard. They're Nordic-themed, you know, and Tove - that's the lady that your Constance mentioned - she's a Skald, which is like a bard or a troubadour, but for Vikings. Or Trolls. She has an amazing talent."

"She would probably be here to represent them, but she JUST had a baby, and isn't going anywhere for a bit yet."

"We want to..."

"Oh.. yeah, babies complicate things" A nod of sage demeanor "And yes we want to visit. "

"We want to see Connor again, and he said there are ponies..."

"They have horses, yep - big ones, but they are pretty even just to watch. And a monkey, which - don't ask me to explain THAT, but she's nice, too."

"Well, you were kind enough to have me 'n' Adam over, so I'm sure we could host you for a visit?" She blinks a bit, realizing that she said we. "That is, the Lodge. I can't imagine they would say no, after all."

"A MONKEY?"

"Well, I'm not allowed to leave the hold without permission and a knight."

"The farm doesn't have a monkey" YUp. Ariel is feeling the pang of critter envy

"A grown-up knight, at that."