#goldfinchfreehold

****TIME AND SPACE BEND

Piper has a messy folder of papers under her arm, and seeks Sylvi. Perhaps Etsi would do, but the elder is off doing who knows what. She got places to be!

Sylvi is hanging out in the freehold itself, petting Mic and soaking up some glamour.

“Sylvi! I was worried you were off already.”

"Not yet. Soon. Just sorta bulking up," she gestures to the balefire "before I have to be away from it for a while."

“Is it hard? To leave the freehold your holder of?”

She looks to the balefire and takes a deep breath. "I'm not leaving. I'll just be a little further away."

"But yeah..."

“I had a couple things I needed to ask you about… it a bad time?”

"No! Not at all! C'mon..." she indicates a seat. "Cop a squat. What's up?"

She plops down.

“Well, two things. First, I may have made a purchase and tentative job offer that I'm not sure Goldfinch can support.

And that brings me to the second thing. I’m not exactly sure WHAT we can afford. The bills and expenses are getting complicated, and I think we need an accountant. Fae, or one that can do “creative” accounting to account for freehold expenses so we don't get AUDITED.

Sally May has been helping, but she has so much on her plate already.”

"Audited? Geez, that's a chilly word. Yeah, I really don't know about the finances too well. I mean, I've done some minor accounting with my profits off the YouTube sponsors, but that's not the same. So...maybe SallyMae knows somebody? From when she was in college?"

“That’s a good idea.” She nods. “But mainly- is it OK if I check into that? I mean.. I’m glad to handle what I can, Studio wise, but where do you want to draw the line? I'd rather find out in advance then after I'm a mile over.”

A confused blink. "Draw what line?"

“YOU are the freeholder. This is your place… it's like… you know?”

A blink. "Piper. I'm the freeholder...but you're the studio owner. I want to support the studio part as much as I can, and yeah, that includes financially and stuff, but you did me a favor when you agreed to let us house the new balefire here. What you choose to do with the studio...I'm happy to collaborate, but I'm sure not going to tell you 'no' about something unless I see it bringing real harm in."

Piper gazes at her for a moment, expression mixed, then she's giving Sylvi an impromptu hug!

A startled sound, and then a hug back. "Um...okay? I said something hug-worthy?"

“It doesn't take a lot.” She says, then laughs, and clarifies, “I mean, it's like- I HOPED that was where we were, I don't know… like, I just had to hear it said, and I was worried you'd be mad that I didn't want to take on any of the freehold-touching stuff, and it all just had me in knots.”

"Oh! Piper!" She hugs her harder, but not so hard to snap ribs. "I really didn't know you were getting stressed about this! Girl, I've been trying to position you that way since the start! Remember how I put our seats together at the first meeting? You looked like I was calling you to the guillotine! But I totally see you as being in charge of the studio!"

“And here I thought… well, never mind. But oh, I feel better now.”

"Nuh-uh...you thought what?

“I guess I thought you'd be mad at me for turning down the freeholder pro tem spot. Or that once you got the freehold REALLY running, you'd want control over the studio, too… just all the “probably nots” but “what ifs”, you know how that goes?”

"Oh, geez. Piper, I'm sorry. I really never meant for you to feel that way. Wow...okay, glad that's out in the open and sorted out!"

A weak chuckle, “I guess I don't have the best track record trusting people in positions of authority or power. I should have trusted you though.”

"Hey, trust but verify, right? I totally don't mind you checking in on what's what. I sure need to do that sometimes with some things."

She nods! “I'll handle the studio.. but I'll still keep you in the LOOP!”

"And the freehold needs to support the studio, because they're intertwined. Estie knows that, too, for sure."

She nods. “Now let me tell you about this fellow I met at a flea market…”

(Pause)