#goldfinchfreehold

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After everything's settled at the Lodge (more or less), Sylvi ventures back to Goldfinch to check in on Siv and Piper...but they seem to have gone. There is, however, a scroll. She looks it over, kenns it, and opens it very cautiously, revealing only the first line...

When she sees it's for her, she opens the scroll fully and continues reading.

A frown. Her dad often makes comments like that about the dangerous reality of what he does. He's got a 100% record for coming home (eventually) so far...but that doesn't mean she likes to think about hte possibility.

Then a grin at the grilling tips.

THere are hoof steps, slower than a wilder's easy trot.

She reads it again, then rolls it up and puts it away safe.

((in the hold or outside?))

In the hold. Etsie calls out "Where's the band?" A chuckle

"Hey, Etsie! I'm here!" She goes to where she heard the hoofbeats. "How's it going?"

"Oh for me or the hold?" A smile "For me? My damn joints are screaming like bad reverb lately, but I get by. The hold? Oh she's a rocker to be sure. We're both glad to have you back"

"It's good to be back," she says with a grin. "Listen, if you want, I can work up a Spring cantrip to try to ease up some of that pain?"

"HEy, would you? Normally I'd give a 'oh no don't trouble yourself' or a huff about having my pride or toughing it out, but to hell with that. Give m the good stuff, kid" A wink "Need a joint to bunk?"

A blink. "Believe it or not, I haven't smoked that before." She considers. "Maybe...if I cantripped the weed, and then you roll the joint and smoke it, that would be good."

"Sounds good, and don't worry Kid, this isn't one of those 'beware of strangers offering you free drugs', just a bit of the medcinal for me. I'll even take it outside if you like after"

"Oh, I'm not worried. And no, keep it inside, it's fine."

"You're a sweetie." She says offering the weed over "The secret is to never let a balloon ride become a crutch"

A grin. "Noted. Good secret." She takes the weed and puts it on a piece of blank sheet music paper (lines and staff, but no notes). She puts the weed on it in a little pile, and then arranges it in more of a circle. She traces her finger around and around and around that circle until it makes a fairly neat ring, humming a random cheerful tune all the while, and focusing the Spring magics into the dried leaves.

Etsie sings a snippet of a song to help "I get by, with a little help from my friends. I get high, with a little help from my friends"

A grin, and Sylvi joins in on the selected song.

When the cantrip's complete, she carefully offers the weed back to the satyr. "See what you think."

She gives it a sniff, then hip bumps the troll, "I think you got it" And lights it up.

Sylvi grins and watches for the results.

As she does, there is that infamous aroma that Sylvi has smelled before... at least whifs here and there. Girls room at school, parties in dark corners... and on beach fronts after midnight.

And with ease and appreciation, the old goat takes lazy practiced drags

She's certainly no stranger to the smell, but hasn't really been interested. This time, she takes an inhale from what's in the room herself. It's heady.

And, it's magical, the spring energies she herself infused, plus the fact it's a satyr perhaps, mean that there's almost a gandalf like effect. The expelled smoke takes shapes, almost scenes of past concerts... and events...

"Ohhh, nice..." she says, watching the smoke shapes.

One construct takes the classic leaf shape, and then spreads over them and they can see figures dancing slow, sharing a common haze tinged with an attempt to share something positive, while escaping the negative. Mellow and hopeful, trying to keep desperation at bay. And the spring magic seems to ease the old satyr's joints visibly as well as her features ease. The little pains the old grump has to hold onto as the status quo granted blessed reprieve

A rather lazy grin from Sylvi. "Better?"

"So much, thank you, Sylvi, this old bird needed that. " A chuckle "I was never soley in the stoner rock niches, but I did step onto cloud 9 enough times to know what I'm doing. Second hand is a thing so careful, or you're gonna get the munchies. " more chuckles "Once I hate a bag of cracker jack mixed with some jolly ranchers I had shaken together. Why? Seemed like an idea at the time"

Sylvi laughs. "Sounds like that would cement your teeth together!

"Between you and me, kid? That's what stopped me from being able to have the second joint" A grin "Had to go off looking for a glass of water to unhinge"

"Ha! Life lessons from Etsie."

"Oh hell kid, I'm a walking collection of life lessons, most old folks are. Sadly a lot of times it's 'Don't do what I did' ... I ever show you the 'mistake tatoo'?"

A blink. "Noooooo?" Clearly interested.

"Don't worry, won't show no nip so if anyone walks in, it's still rated PG 13, sides, at my age, the old girls don't bother to fight gravity much" She pulls her top down a bit. Over her heart is an intricate butterfly breaking free of a thorny patch. "Nice work eh? It's a cover over an older tattoo, that one is the mistake tattoo"

Sylvi takes a closer look. "That's really nice. What was it before?"

"It said Morgan's Always" A sigh"Lovely flowing script. My body might wander, I told myself but my heart belonged to him." She covers up with her free hand "Oh for a full month it seemed so"

"Oh, wow. Ugh. Satyr passion moment, huh?"

"Oh I dare say my daughter of eve part had some of the blame" She says "We started as partners, but eventually I became less and less 'his partner on the band' to 'his woman'... I lost my own dreams to chase his entirely. It was where I learned that even a life of rock and roll could be chilled to one of mundane banality. I forgot who I was in more ways than a few"

Eyes wide. "That's awful. How did you get out of it?"

"Right of rescue is a good damned idea, and honestly? When you've lost yourself, when you're in the hole so deep you forget what daylight was, sometimes that's when you find out who your real friends are. Actually, it was a troll who saved me. Gawd I was such a bitch to her. I thought she was a self righteous stuck up ice princess prude. She was also the one who risked herself to get a little bit of glamour to me. Enough that I came to my senses and got the hell out. I was a mess, but she and some other old friends helped me break free of the last of Morgan. I didn't play music for nearly a season, and when I did take it up again? So much grief was in every strum, every note. I was not much fun to be around but they let me heal. I would strip before a mirror and see 'Morgan's Always' reversed in front of me. And break into tears again."

"Wow. Yeah, I guess you couldn't have done that on your own. I'm so sorry that happened to you, Etsie."

"In the end, it helped shape who I was. I found my music again, started making it for ME again," A smile "Had another friend who suggested I get a pro to cover over the old tattoo and embrace the new wiser but still beautiful me. Hence the butterfly escaping the trapping thorns. I don't show it to Piper, she's got a thing about butterflies poor gal"

"And I get it now, the butterfly and thorns. Really good symbolism."

"Yeah, Piper's got a few things going on, but she's so up most of the time, it's easy to forget."

"Yeah, she's a bundle of bubbles and rainbows, that one" A smile "I like her."

"Me too. She's got drama sometimes, sure, but I really like her. She and Siv and Jonas make a great family." Then a pause and a bit of a blush as she realizes the accidental double-entendre there.

"Yeah, hey, you seen her lately? I knew she was here earlier but when I asked one of the boys they did the equvilient of farting and telling me it was lemon pledge"