#fenixtj

She hugs the book to her chest. "I read the tale of the river that ran without ending, and the knights who helped stem the tide of battle and save the day. It was nearly a tragedy, but good wins out in the end." A bow, and she inches the book back over to the pixies. "Por favor, the shelf is too high."

They grab it, one tosses it up, the other catches it. They LIFT, Brah! And put it in the right place

"River without ending.. that's not the River wtihout ending part of the library.." Constance comes to look her over

"I think I hear the Princesca calling for me. I will be sorely punished if I am late!"

Making for the door...

"All right" Constance lets her go. DUBIOUS look but she lets it slide

A pause - quick curtsy! Cannot forget... the Pixies may brag later that THEY got a deeper one... and she escapes to the hallway, and freedom!

Constance eyes the two "Bring me the book she was reading"

They oblige.

"First aid?" her eyes widen a bit. Then she makes a note to talk to the boggans.

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"Eleanor, come with me please," Dame Ash says to her quietly. "We need to talk"

"Yes, Dame Ash?"

"Thank you," She motions her to follow and the meet in a small side room where both can sit down

Ellie sits, and fusses with the laces on her scabbard.

"I see you have fireheart by your side. Are you still scared?"

"I'm not scared!" Proud little chin.

"Then why the need to carry the sword when we have knights and guards about?"

"Because I should be ready."

"Have you ever heard of burn out? Of being on guard so long, tense so long, that the stress makes you actually less good?"

"I'm not burned out."

"No, but I don't want you to risk becoming so" She says and she slides something forward, a piece of paper "Please read that out loud."

A little eyebrow crease, and she takes it.

If she can readi t, it's a sample from Little House in the Big Woods

"Out loud, please"

Ellie nods. If she's nervous, she hides it. A long look, then - "Once upon a time..." a brief pause. "Sssixty years A... ago." Pause. "A little girl lived in the woods of..."

Lips move.

"Why...wiss...con..sin."

"in a little g-gray hoo-house madd-made of logs."

Ash doesn't make any negative expressions or say anything.

"The greet dark trees of the big woods stood all around the house..." that time, she got it! "And...be..bay..."

"Bay-oond..."

A smile when she does 'get it'.

"BEYOND them weer more trees."

WHen she's done with the paragraph or two written on the page. Ash holds up a hand. "Okay. I need you to be honest with you. On a scale of one to ten, how hard was that to read?"

It's the words that are being judged, not her.

"I can do it!"

"Obviously, you just did" she nods "But that's not what I asked"

"I like picture books better."

"A legitimate opinion, but also what I asked" Ash says

"I don't know. A seven?"

"Thanks" She pulls out something "Solve these two math problems please" She sets down another sheet. "Top problem first"

The first is a relatively simple math problem, numbers.

A little moment, and she answers.

The second problem is a math problem... only a word problem.

"I don't know that one."

"Try." She asks gently

Lips move. Pencil taps.

"I don't know it."

"okay." she nods "What's the hard part for you?"