#fenixtj

Phoebe looks shy and demure "i.. hello?"

"Hey, Phoebe. I'm Adam." He introduces.

"This is Piper, and, uh, this is.... well, you know the kids. And, I just met Neema."

Salma nods with a frown as well. She does not approve of the name calling.

"Pleasure, Phoebe. And may the best musician win!" A smile from Piper.

"Hi, Adam. Another Kinian I.. this is a very nice place isn't it?" Then a smile to Piper "I worry that won't be me but I hope to try. Did you get a tattoo?" wryly

Adam kind of steps back near Piper.

She spins around, skin showing - bare arms and a sundress. "Nope, still just what I was born with. Did you?"

Adam blinks and brightens with her spin.

"I did, I wimped out" she sighs and then laughs "But one nice thing about my skin it will probably hide it eventually."

Whatever seemed to bother Piper earlier has faded - but satyrs are mercurial like that, aren't they?

"You don't need one, your skin makes it's own art. " She says, admiringly.

"Well, I did get told what he thought Jessica liked" She shows hers. A crying moon and stars

"Is the decision solely the Countess's? Or does her court get a vote?" Grinning to the little countess and friends. "Oh, that's lovely."

"Oh, pretty..."

"I think Jessica will listen to her people. She cares very much about making everyone happy."

"Yes, he's talented" Phobe admits

"I didn't know he was going to extort tattoos, though..."

Still admiring the moon and stars. "Adam, you want a tattoo?" A grin.

"Sure!" Brightly. "Yeah......." More thoughtfully. "Yeah, I could be down with that."

"he didn't extort, he traded," Phoebe says

"Damn it's gonna be hard," A male voice... and a troll comes in "Hazard's a hard one to beat"

Spencer DeBuke dresses a bit more snazily than many of his farming kin. More Broadway fan than country folk today , particularly a Newsies look

"Spencer!" Piper calls over, waving.

"Hey.." He says "Looking good, Piper. I heard you were here! I was like 'well, my odds' went down"

"What's a hazard, now?"

"Elias Hazard he's... well, he's practicing now.. check out your competition" A surprised look "He makes his OWN instruments and.. nockers it up?"

Ellie looks up (and up) at the new troll.

Adam gives him a chin-up greeting. "Hey."

If piper or anyone else trots out to see, they'll find the said nocker pracitcing not with one instrument, but several nearby to use.. an Electronical harp, a keyboard with whistles... and even a cowbell thermin

Spencer, mean while, grins "Hey, Ariel. Who are your friends." Chin nod to Adam.

Ariel says "Thisare my BEST Friends. Ellie and Salma! Ellie's heir and Salma's teaching us Spanish, well not just her but she's smart and like a whole YEAR old er"

"This is Spencer, he's not really a cousin but he's kind of a cousin? He's got a golden voice and lots of wilder girls fall in love with him when he sings so cootie shots" Ariel advises

"I'm the adult here." Salma comments, ears perked.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Spencer DeBuke."

"Wait he GIVES cooties with cootie shots?" Wary.

Piper is distracted watching Elias out the window, and trying to make sense of his instrumental contraptions...

(Or through the door, or... whatever)

"No" Ariel laughs "Just saying you might want to take some.. should be safe though.. it's wilder girls he wows"

Spencer smiles down at Ellie and Salma, and his voice IS golden "Any friend of Ariel's is a friend of mine. It's an honor. And she exaggerates. there have been plenty of girls my age I've reached for, but like a star, I could get a hold onto her. My loss... I try to use it to help my music" To Adam 'Long time no see since the last gloaming for you and Piper."

Adam sighs. "Yeah. SUCKS."

"Oh, you wait and see." She pats his hand, reassuring. "When things seem darkest, that's when stars come out."

"Oh this is Phoebe," Ariel says "She's gonna kick your ass, cuz"

Phoebe's eyes widen "ARIEL"

A snicker.

"SO difficult..."

"Of course, I wonder if the Barons might want their own troubadours, too?"

Neema says "That's what I hear, that the Countess here gets first pick... so to speak... and then we maybe approached by others." She looks at Piper and Spencer "neither of you wishing to move to this area, just here for the prizes?"

"Maybe this is a sort of audition in other ways, too. After all, if you make a good play, but don't win the job here, others may invite you."

"And there ARE prizes."