#goldfinchfreehold

"Syyyyyyylviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Piper calls down the stairs into the 'Hold' portion of the Studio.

Listening for a moment for a response, before she'll try another location.

A pause before she calls up, "Yeah? Something wrong?"

"No! Something RIGHT!"

"Cool! Why are we yelling? Come down!"

"Oh." She considers, then clips down the stairs. "It was quicker than walking down?"

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Looking around to see if anyone else is down there with Sylvi

Sylvi's sitting on the edge of the little stage area. Next to her is a notebook, closed, with a pen marking her place. Mic, being the dope that he is, of course makes a bee-line directly for the non-cat-person when she arrives at the bottom of the stairs.

"Nope, just..." A shrug, indicating the notebook. "Thinking. What's up?"

yup, Mic rubs around hooves

She lifts a foot, trying not to step on him, and sidesteps a few paces to the left. "Thinking about what?" Curious.

"Hey, I asked you first," she says with a grin. "What's the gone-right thing?"

She does crane her neck to try to see the notes, alas the notebook is closed. Then she remembers, and beams! "Oh. RIGHT! Yes. I got a name!"

"A...name? Oh! You mean, your bio-dad?"

Nod NOD! "And I hit the lottery. He's fae too. I wasn't sure... but he is! Can you guess the kith? Newsflash, it was a surprise."

"C'mon, no guesses at ALL?"

She gives Piper a measuring look, then says... "Sluagh?"

"Cuz that would be a heck of a surprise!"

She coughs. "Uh. no. Nooooo. That would be, I guess, but..." A pause, and she says, "I know it's not cool, but.... they give me the heeby-jeebies. No, he's a POOKA. Wild, huh??"

"They're supposed to give you the heebie-jeebies. It's cool, I think." Then a grin at the reveal. "Pooka? Y'know...I can so see that! So, do you know where he is?"

"Some hold called Rowi- RoWAN Oak. Ruled by a Fiona Satyr, is the word on the streets. His name is Mickey, Mickey Boyd."

"I'm not sure if it's better or worse than McCormick, not that I'm planning on changing anything - but 'Piper Boyd' - ain't that a LARK?"

Laughing at the absurdity.

"Oh, for the love of...that is So Pooka!" She laughs!

"But seriously, Rowan Oak? That's Count Almond's territory. The Chieftain used to be really close with him, from what I hear."

"Ooooh. Then I should ask her if she knows him, maybe." Piper considers. "I wonder if she's familiar with the common folk around there."

Then, she has a funny expression. "I don't even KNOW if he's common, that is. I assumed, but Pooka can have titles and rank, even if it's sometimes half a joke..."

"Oh, totally. There's plenty of pooka knights, at least. Not sure about higher than that...." she ponders.

"Can't think of any, anyway." A shrug. "So, when are you going to go looking for him?"

A small smile. "Not sure. Just his name gives me, like.." She touches her stomach. "Flutters, like nervous, like I'm about to go on stage, or on a first date. I wanted to see if I could find out anything more about him first. But I'm excited, you know? And Happy. I kinda wasn't even sure he actually existed. More than just a concept."

Sylvi tilts her head, regarding her with a grin. "That's a really cool quest for you."

"Sooo, yeah. That's my news. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, um...." A glance at the notebook, then back at her. "Cop a squat for a moment?"

She hops onto a barstool, gives it a spin, then centers and faces Sylvi. "I'm all ears.

A grin at that, then she absently pets Mic as she starts talking. "There's something we started talking about back when Goldfinch first became a freehold, and then we said we'd figure it out later, and then...we didn't. And we need to. Um." An uncomfortable shifting, but still petting the cat. "About the freeholder spot."

She blinks. "I didn't really think it needed any discussing. I mean, you're Freeholder."

"Yeah. Now. But...do I stay freeholder? I mean...is that how we want this to work? Do you think everybody wants that?"

A confused look. "Are you planning on leaving??

"Well, I mean..." She pauses. "See...if we assume I just stay freeholder, then eventually something's going to happen -- either I give up being freeholder because I can't do it anymore, or somebody else challenges me because they think they can do it better. And either one of those options sounds bad to me. I'm thinking, like, term limits?"

"I mean, I thought... it's HUGE, it's an honor. What would be more important than that? I mean, people literally fight and die to try to gain freeholds."

"But if you're already looking for exist strategies..." She looks a little puzzled.

"That's my point, Piper. I don't want Goldfinch to be something that causes that kind of conflict." She looks troubled.

"I guess I just figured when you took it on, it was, like, for keeps. Who would have a freehold of their own, and give it up?"

A frown. "A person who cares more about the freehold than about being freeholder."

"It's not supposed to be my freehold."

"It's...I've seen what happens when somebody holds onto that kind of power longer than they should. I don't think I've gotten there already, but I don't want that to ever be the kind of thing we have to deal with."

"It's not about exit strategy. It's about transition. And having a plan."

"I don't understand, I guess. What happens? Like, the Chief, hasn't she held the fire for Rivervale for, like... ever?"

"Maybe I just haven't gotten around as much as you. Hell, I know it, no maybe about it, you've been places and done things way out of my experience. But I always figured that freeholder was a lifetime gig."

"Rivervale's a noble hold. It's an appointment from the Count. That's not us. We're a commoner mews. Like...Firnost is kind of a free-for-all now, but back in the day they had a whole, like, election thing. I read about it. It was a mess, but it was an attempt at being not-nobles, y'know?"