#kc_necropolis

"LONG time since I've been here," KElby looks about Firnost as they enter "Thanks for this, Sylvi. I know you're in a rush"

"No, it's cool. This is important." She also scans around, giving a sentimental grin for memories of when she would sneak here as a childling.

New faces she doesn't recognize, plus some sidhe at a table ... but there are the gauntlets, and the jukebox

The latter of which starts to play some music 'Hey hey the gang's all here'

She waves to the gloves and smiles at the jukebox. Then she says to Kelby, "Hang on a sec..." She goes to where the statue of Brekke stands, and does a quick tidy-up of the area, murmuring, "There you go, Chieftain."

KElby snickers

"She deserves better than to be a coat rack," Sylvi says defiantly. Then, "How do you want to do this?"

"Well I know where he lives, so I have time to brace myself and..."

cominn up from the basement, cursing "Darn workshop there still have tripwires, is someone replacing those? How am I supposed ta furkingg work" The accent, Southernn and Cajun mixed

It would appear Bertrand is HERE, for that is his voice

Sylvi grabs Kelby's hand and pulls her into the alcove where the statue is. "Wait here. You'll give him a heart attack."

Then she steps forward. "Hey, Bertrand!" SMILE!

"Hey, Sylvi. " He is surprised "Rivervale send you down, or are you playin hookey on your own?"

He smiles at the last

"Oh, I've got a friend with me. She's around here somewhere. So...how've you been?"

"Great actually, business is glass is doing darn well despite the down turn of Covid. .. for awhile I got special orders for separators, new windows, and gglass barriers... that died down but by then I divesified got me some more tools and branched out...still all glass, of course, but my glass tablets are considered snazzy. Got a lordling in Earth Runes had me help make a whole PC set up console out of Chimerical glass ..runs like a charm and he paid me enough in dross and cash that I my family is going to have a very nice yule. Heck, I've even started datting again" A blush "She likes my glass roses"

"You did?" Sylvi's tone might sound a little conflicted. "That's great!" she musters on courageously. "I'm really happy for you, Bertram. Um...I actually came here looking for you. I've got some news."

"Yeah? You folks in Rivervale need somehing down? Or you want a gift for Colton?"

"Oh, uh, no. It's, uh, something that I thought you would have already been told about by now, but I don't think you have. Um. C'mere, sit down." She chooses a table still closed to the alcove, sitting so that Bertram will have to take a seat facing away from the alcove.

"You're acting awful funny" He sits down though "Tell me about? Wait, Colton ain't hurt is he?" That IS a friend and it would make sense "But it's been awhile since I checked with him"

"No, nothing like that. Colton's doing fine," she assures him, smiling. "Okay, so...remember back around Yule, that weird Yule star? And how the centaurs came back after that?"

"Yeah, sure, they had a whole passle of em in Brightwinds I hear. Few in Rivervale if scuttlebut be true. You folks must be delighted to be in on that"

"Well, there was some trouble about them, but that's another story. So, the centaurs came back on a weird trod. It was golden instead of silver. And...they're not the only ones who came back."

"Rusalka, right?" He nods

She nods also. "Them, too. But, um, also...somebody I wasn't expecting. I figured you'd have heard by now, and I just realized you haven't. Um..." She wavers a moment, then sighs. "I don't know how else to do this," she says apologetically, then she looks past Bertrand and waves Kelby to come out.

Kelby comes out "Hey, .. don't panic I..."

"ZOMBIE!" The boy draws an ink pen that turns into a sawed off glass shot gun, the words etched on the side 'Tap Twice to Be Polite''

"NO!" Sylvi jumps up and grabs Bert's hand, forcing it to point down at the floor. "Not a zombie! It's her!"

"It's me you chowdered brained Cajun!" Kelby puts her hands on her hip "I swear you Zana boys ain't got a lick of sense some days!"

Fortunately Sylvi getting in the way did cause Bert to stop firing before he could start, annd he seems to remember the no weapons rule in her and blushes, then as Kelby fusses at him ... like she used to, he breaks into a grin "It IS you"

Sylvi doesn't let go until she's certain he's processed the information.

When she sees the grin, she relaxes. Oh, thank goodness.

"Hey, " Kelby says and moves to him, taking his hands after he's put the gun back into pen form.

"You look.. you look great" He rises, "I swear I... I ain't sue how his possible, Still hard tto beleve you're real"

"VERY real" And Kelby kisses him, intently, swept away by joy that he remembers her

Trolls do not often give innto urges

not publically like that

"Yeah, I...." she starts to agree with Bert, but then shuts up when she kisses him. Uh oh.

He returns it, then blinks and swallows "Kelby ... I'm seeing another girl... we ainnn't fixed at the hip but i... "

Annd Kelby turns the bright reddish purple of a girl who realizes she has laid herself bare and vulnerable when she should not have "She's.. you love her?"

"I..don't know, I care about her though, and ... " he takes a breath "Took me al ong time to get over you... it hurt. It's embarrassing how bad I got about it. I..."

"You're over me, and now this is embarrassing?" Kelby's red flush grows "I see." hands let go of hands

"Kelby, stop," Sylvi says quietly. "You didn't see. Bert really struggled. It was...it wasn't good." Troll understatement.

"You were gone a long time. He had every right to let you go, and to start new."

Bertrannd's turn to blush, with shame over his actions "I need to talk to... well... "

"This girl even have a name?" Kelby asks, a bit hard, but trying to calm

"She does" he says "But ... I donn't think telling it wise now. I don'tt assume that... you're jus htere for me to grab... and I don't want you to assume..."

"Kelby." Sylvi frowns.

"Okay, look...." Sylvi steps literally between them. "Look...Bertand, you had to know. I figured it wasn't going to be easy news one way or another. But...I think we'd better go so you both get a little time to think about stuff."

"Well ,yes, I need to go tell Ragnulf it's a date" Kelby says "You and whoever have a nice life" Coldly Furious, hurt, and... well, petty about it, Kelby heads for the trods