#goldfinchfreehold

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Her parents give a farewell honk as they drop Sylvi off at Goldfinch. She feels stuffed, and yet a bit faded. This is the most she's been without a hold, so she's been light on using cantrips

And a bird trills and greets her happily

"Hey, you," she says to the bird, smiling. "Keeping an eye on things?" She steps inside. "Luuuu-cy! I'm hoooo-ooome!"

She moves through the quiet studio, glancing in rooms and checking on things as she moves back towards the stairs to the basement.

"So I hear" A familar voice but not what she expected

As Dika Hanna comes out, her cowl low

She stops, trying to place the out-of-place voice, then smiles. "Dika-Hannah! What are you doing here?!"

"Saying hi," A smile "I came to visit you. Well, I came because Gerd and I got into a kerfuffle. She flashed us to Rivervale. And I wanted to meet you at Rutgers because I thought you'd be lonely only to find you were visiting . So I waited here. Etsie was very kind"

Now that's she's returned, Sylvi can feel the energy of her hold embracing her, the unity with it undaunted by the time away. Oh she feels Etsie too, though less than herself.

Sylvi gives her a hug, enjoying both the visit from a friend and the hold's warmth. "It's so good to see you! Wait...what kind of kerfuffle? Here, c'mon down to the freehold part, and tell me."

They head down and the flames give a little surge of formal greeting

The hug returned of course "oh it's very complicated. But in a nut shell we stopped a grave robbery of my people"

"Heyyy..." A fond smile for the balefire, and she opens the flange on the spotlight casement to let the flames glow through even brighter.

And they dance as if feeling fresh air

"Grave robbers? That's grim. Was it another tribe?"

"No, wichtel group, using their gifts to douse what was not theirs"

She pulls forth the same relic she showed the Chief "This"

"Wichtels? I've met one, but I didn't know they were up by you, too." She takes a seat on some of the soft throw pillows and takes the item. "Oh, that's nice..." She looks it over.

"they're not normally" As Sylvi feels it, she has a brief view of her mother ....in the reflection. She's with dad in the car... theree's hapiness and worry and she's saying something

"Wait...what's...?" She looks closer and tries to hear.

'didn't say much about new friends, I hope she's not lonely...' 'she's got Dagmar and symon, and besides by now surely....'

it fades and out. Mom's voice clearer than dad's

"I could hear them...." she murmurs.

"Oh, it works both ways? COOL" Dika says

"Both ways? She didn't say she could see me just then." Confused.

"Oh no, but a mother can use it to spy on her daughter in return "

Dika Hannah beams "How interesting"

"Spy? Wait...Mom was spying on me?!" She bites her lip. That wasn't what she was expecting.

"Oh no, but Brekke started to See Siv. She iddn't knwo it could. she put it away promptly when it started to" Dika-Hannah answers

"Wow. Oh, wow. I wonder what exactly she saw. I mean...I hope Siv wasn't in bed with her partners at that moment!" A bit of a blush. She hands the item back to Dika-Hannah. "That was weird...I didn't just hear her...I kind of felt her. Like...I know she's feeling relieved but concerned at the same time."

"Really? The Chieftain didn't mention that, at least not that I understood. Interesting. I don't thin kshe caught Siv in.. that state"

"That's probably best for both of them." She thinks a moment. "That could be a helpful tool, but it could also be really invasive. Y'know, it could be abused."

"I wouldn't really know, my parents, well," A shrug

She tilts her head. "I don't think you ever told me what the situation is with your parents."

"Oh I suppose I could spy on my mother.. but when I did MY dream dance, as a child, she was caught in it and saw my new face. I was driven from my home at age 8." A sad look

"Oh, wow. She's Nunnehi, right? I mean, it's not like in our families where some are fae and some aren't, right?"

"Oh, no she's mortal too, Native American. She might be fae blooded but she's very much a daughter of eve"

"Oh, man, so she saw it but can't process it. Wow. I am so sorry...that's gotta suck." She glances at the statuette. "I wonder if seeing her would be more comforting or upsetting?"

"i.. don't know" She almost looks afraid of it

A quiet moment. Then she says, "I understand if you don't want to look. You've been away from her for a long time. But...if you want to try, I'm here to support you if you need it."

"I thank you" A pause "Are you here for the weekend? At least till monday?"

"Yeah." She drops back on the throw pillows, letting out a long exhale and looking at the ceiling. "Heading back Monday morning. Early."

"Are you not enjoying it? " A cuirous look

A pause. "I knew it was going to be hard. But...I mean, it's hard. Lots of work. And it's not like high school...I could get away with half-assing stuff sometimes in high school. But this is different. And they assign SO much reading!"

"It sounds like a challenge worthy of Syvi Davidson, who I know to be no sluggard. You willfind your pacing"

"I hope you're right." A pause. "On top of that, though...the stuff that impressed people in high school doesn't impress them so much here."

A thoughtful look "How so?"

Shrug. "Big pond, little fish. These people come from a lot of places, and some of them come from private schools and prep schools and stuff. Saying I do makeup videos or that I was a cheerleader...welll..." A shrug.

"THen, maybe don't wow them with what you did or do, wow them them with you. You're charming, and smart. "