#fenixtj

"Announcing BUCK the CENTAUR, and Chieftain CLEM DEBUKE, troll!" Jessica hears it as she closes

"Hey, Clem!" she smiles as she comes in, fresh and clean "Good to see you. Fawn, you could have said it was Clem....."

"Well, I didn't know" Fawn admits "I just knew the BUck half of things"

"The lesser half to be sure" Buck grins

"Now stop making a fuss, Buck" Clem fusses and moves to Jessica "Hey, Westward, how goes the high living?"

Clem looks relaxed and happy, and yet at the same time a bit like she's worried she's making a fuss

Jess gives her a quick hug. "Good. Less sticky, at least. Welcome."

"Less sticky?" Clem asks after the hug "Bit of trouble?"

Buck's horse side must be a draft horse, or even a heavy war horse as big as he is. Heck, he towers over most trolls

"Hello, Buck, nice to meet you. Welcome to Fenix." then she answers Clem "Not really; chimera pinata filled with custard. I just got cleaned up."

"Come on in, let's get you something to eat and drink, not that Hearth Agnes would let you go without......."

"Nice to meet you," Buck returns with an easy going smile, "ANd I never said no to food"

"Darn shame i can't cook" Clem says wryly

They do follow her

She makes sure they get full plates and glasses before they are settled in. Thanks to Fawn, the hold is already set up to feed centaurs.

"Oh, this is nice. I don't even have to kneel down" Buck says

Clem takes a seat and blushing says "Jessica, we were hoping to have 3 nights of room and boarding as a kind of Valentine's day thing"

Jess looks back and forth and puts two and two together. "Oh. Um, sure. Of course!"

Clem says with dignity "Ah, Buck is my suitor."

"IE the luckiest man alive" Buck smiles

"Well, congratulations." She offers them a toast.

"Much obliged" Clem says "Truth is, I was awful stubborn about it. Sent him on a quest to find a better girl for him"

A SNORT from Buck, "better girl"

Clem pokes his shoulder with a finger "Idiot actually took up the quest despite repeated chances to NOT endanger himself. " SHe looks at him, "Shovel headed lumux"

her eyes dance a bit though

"Guilty as accused" Buck admits, then says "Clem's a shy one, so I'm trying to keep myself from crowing about it too much. Apologies if I slip, Countess. Or do you prefer Jessica? Or Westward?"

"Oh, Jessica's fine." she says "I'm glad the two of you worked it out."

"Now, " Clem says "How are things with you and your people here? Place looks fancy as ever."

A smile. "Thank you. Good, things have been really good." she brags just a little about tentative successes with the Nunnehi and so on.

"Well shoot, Westward," Clem cheers her on "That's some serious progress, by anyone's standards. Tell you what, if your Nunnehi friends ever want some free squash for their village, let me know. Ain't no trouble, we always end up with mroe than we need of that"

She chuckles. "I'll ask! How's your family?"

"Big, but you knew that" Clem says, then more soberly "Over all, good. Waite's a Wilder now, you probably don't remember him, Spencer is touring, can you believe it? A regular at Rome New york's muscial theatre... Uncle Emmit's infamous now as a namer... but he survived the assassination attempt. I'm afraid Great Aunt Agnes is, well, I don't know if she'll be here by Beltaine. It's her time. Cold is getting too much"

She goes grave at that last. "I'm sorry, Clem. How is she? How are -you-?"

"Conflicted... I'm happy because of.." She glances at Buck, "But sad because of what has come for her.. I feel guilty for being happy which I realize is ... not helpful"

"I think she'd be the first to tell you to be happy, Clem." Jessica observes gently.

"Actually her words when Bucck and I got together were more like 'about time' "

"There you go."

"Oh don't you start too, Jess" Clem squirms "Feel like my whole love life is out there for everyone to comment on"

"Ahem, not the whole thing" Buck smiles wickedly "Can I tell her about how you used to-"

"No. No you may not" Clem mmphs

Buck makes a zip lip motion

"I'm not commenting on your love life, Clem; anything but. I meant, Agnes would be the first to tell you to be happy - whatever that is to you."

"I know" Clem says "She's... surprisingly supportive. I mean no disrespect but Buck isn't the sort of fellow she'd normally..."

"I'm not a troll" Buck nods "It's okay"

"Mm." Jess nods.

"Yes. I'm actually proud she's being so open minded, which.. well, I can't say it that way for fear of patronizing her, but it's a relief. Course, there are the Katherine the Great jokes.." She sighs

Buck raises a brow "Someone throwing THAT in your face?" A frown "Me I don't care but you shouldn't have to..."

Clem takes his hand "Don't worry. I can hold my own against teasing"

Jessica frowns. "That's .... low."

"Bound ot happen, mostly it's not family, it's local kithain that come to us. They'll get bored with it in time" Clem shrugs "I confess, I don't like it, but I AM a troll. I'll put up with it so long, then they may come to regret going to far, if they do"