#fenixtj

"This is my home as Princesca's compañera. If she sends us, why would they need a Salma? I am not an heir." She grins as though this is a funny joke. "Can you imagine, a Condesa Pooquena?"

"They need a Salma because Salma is smart and sweet and funny."

A nod to Ellie. "That was before my ears came, and they took me to be servant to my first lady."

"But you aren't my servant."

"And that is why this is a very nice place." A sigh. "And I wish you would not send me away." She straights her dress, very busy adjusting the folds suddenly. "But I am strong and will not mind."

Not meeting her eyes, or looking to Ariel.

"Why would I send you away? I don't want you to go away. You're my friend..."

"Amigas, si?"

Ariel says loud "SI! Amigas!" She might be juuust a bit riled up at this talk of folks sending other folks off forever.

"I do not know, Princesca!' SHe says, her voice finally breaking a bit from the calm, soft burra tone she keeps. "You said, though! You said you would send us away! "

"If the Bad People came! You would have to run and hide and be safe!"

"Not... not leave forever!"

"Told you it was a dumb idea" Ariel remembers the same and is NOT mature enough not to do an i tole you so.

"Do you want to protect us? Or do you want to protect yourself from worrying about us?"A fat tear rolls down and drips past the rim of her glasses. "You say you are not my lady to send me here and there, but then you say, "Salma, go?" And why would I leave you? If we are not there, we cannot HELP you."

Distress.

"You don't understand. They... they're very... they wouldn't... they would kill you. I'm not good enough to stop them."

"But you have HER Brains!" She points to Salma, then adds "And MY bow!"

A hiccup.

"if you are not good enough, then you need MORE compañeras. Not LESS."

"Princesca, I am going to learn, and be wise and brave like Sir Buce, and not a silly culo. And then you will let me stay with you?"

She twists the hem of her pretty dress in her hands.

Ariel looks torn, she's MAD at Ellie for trying to send them away and worrying Salma, but she now wants to hug her friend because she's clearly upset. Gently setting the Calico down, she mashes her two friends into a hug huddle. "We're Amigas Trio...One for Three, three for one... we're gonna be peachy. We will"

"Tres amigas." Softly, somewhere between forlorn and resigned.

She reaches out and hugs them both tightly. A MEH! of protest, the gray is back in her lap! "Oh, you silly donkey."

"right, what i said, Tres Amigas" Hey, say it fast enough it rewrites history.

Sniffle. "Si."

"We will do the finger promise? I have seen it." And she shyly holds up a pinkie.

"Friends forever?" A pinkie.

A pinkie "Forever"

"A promesa de meñique. I never had one to do this to before. Sorry, donquito - you have no thumbs." And offers a pinkie to Ariel and Ellie. "Por siempre y más. Forever and more."

"Por see-emp-ray ee mas." Hooking fingers.

"Ditto!" Hooked finger

A sniffle. "I cannot read like this, I will smear up all the ink. Can we go wash up with Fontaine? If we area already all soggy it will not matter." And adds, "Maybe Miss Neema wants the water, too. You don't need paper to sing a story to someone..."

"Oh, swimming is good!"

"Sure!" Ariel kisses the Calico on the top of the head

And the girls go off to get dressed for the pool!

Salma is quick - she doesn't fuss with her hair, and just pulls on the swimsuit and hurries over. A tap tap at the doorway - sometimes there are not pants, she was warned.

Ellie and Ariel do fall behind, fussing with braids.

Slama finds Fontaine smiling ..and with Pants as he comes by "Sometimes company is worth the hassle of pants" He says sagely "Come in"

She gives him a little smile and steps in, sitting and dipping a foot into the water, testing the temperature. "Your water is very nice. How do you make it stay so warm? Is there a furnace?"

"Well, there are waters under the hold... feeding the forge of the workshop ... but there's also the balefire's energy into it... so a bit of mortal waters, a bit of dreaming fire... and just a bit of ... well, me I guess" He smiles "There's a lot of healing magic in it...renewel and restoration. It's the Dream of Fenix"

She blinks, thinking, and pulls off a bandaid, one with googly eyes. And she dips the finger into the water, watching the ripples intently... "Healing, really? Si?"

"Si," He says "see?" Finger is more healed than before, it's SUPER healed.

She could feel the rippling glamour

"I see, si!" She crooks the finger up and down, even the stiffness from not wanting to bend it and mess up the Googly bandage is gone! "Senor Fontaine, por favor... you can teach me your secrets? I promise I am not King Midas, I will never tell if you say so."

"Oh, SLivers aren't cantrips... but.. I can help you a little..."He waves his hands through the waves

well, through the surface to make tiny waves "But I can share with you what the waters tell me. Life is strong you know? Even if one flower goes down, a dozen may grow all around because of that first one. Death ..everyone likes to say death can't be escaped, but it can be bested."

"Please do. I have to be strong enough to stay by the Princesca. And I am not a warrior, but maybe I can.. help keep them strong enough."

She lightly waves a hand through the waters, watching the trails.

"I tried to find answers in a book, and it was good... but slow. Too slow." A sigh.

"The ghosts of trees do things at their own pace" he nods "the heart teaches faster, but sometime it teaches the wrong things. You'll probably want a mix. Always cover the deep AND shallow end if you can."