#odyssey

"I'm fine. My morning started before sunrise. As did Muirghein's." A smile.

"That kid is gonna curse my name when she's gotta spell it at Starbucks." A grin.

Her smile fades a touch.

"You know, Moira Gwen might work as a good subsitute for that... just came to me" faux innocent look

Thistle frowns. "No, we gotta work things out, yes."

Saoirse regrets not getting a mug of coffee now - it would give her something to do with her hands rather than twine them.

"There are no Starbucks on the island here. But perhaps... you will stay? Your family, Greg, and you as well, Thistle. You would be welcomed. Your fresh way of thinking might help us move on. I had not realized how many of my people, not just the youth, were suffering for the safety we sought."

Art coughs, he was halfway through a sip of juice.

"I... my mom... and Silverwolf...."

Gwen sobers up a bit at this subject

"I can't leave home, not yet. But..." She frowns. "It isn't that long until college. Maybe then..."

"There's gotta be a way to split time. It doesn't have to be perfect to work. I gotta - that's the thing, that's what can get your thoughts stuck in a grind, right?"

Art BLINKS. "Snowbirds."

Saoirse glances his way for a moment, looking puzzled.

"SNOW birds" realization "Every winter... Art, you're brilliant"

"Snowbirds!"

"...birds?" Saoirse looks confused.

"Sorry, Chieftess, Snowbirds are kind of a term for folks who tour south during the winter months. We didn't get that many in Oklhahoma, I mean, who goes to Oklahoma for a vakay" She leans against the 4th wall causually "But I see lots of folks in the New York State area who, if they have means, often head to warmer climes Late November till early March"

"And Dad's job is half remote since Covid, anyways... so if we get wifi here..."

"Like migratory birds... I see it." She nods slowly! To Thistle, "Would it be a hardship on you, to have them here for the season?"

She shrugs. "It's not perfect. But it'd be worth it, for everybody to get family."

"Hell, maybe that means I get to spend part of winter break on the beach."

A grin at Thistle "You sneak. We'll miss you if you do but totally get it"

"Wi-fi." Saoirse muses. "Travel, and opening up the island. It is a lot of change."

"No victory without sacrifice" Gwen says "I don't know if I always agree with that, but it does sometimes ring true"

"Wifi also means Dayana could go to college, and then you'll have a real engineer in the clan - think of what she'd be able to do?"

"Omario wished to strengthen the Redfin by conquest." She shakes her head. "Perhaps we need to expand our horizons instead. Look at the resources we have here, that are going underutilized and could grow - safely, but grow- instead of reaching outward to try to take."

"And with opening up, I mean, there's other clans in the area - we found a map..."

"Oh yeah , we did" A nod

"A map? Maps we have."

Art smirks a little. "Maybe not like these."

"We'd gladly turn them over to you if it helps"

"Probably should do something about the boat we found. Well, that the dolphins found."

"Unless we can find out who it was and who his or her heirs were. Yeah" A nod

"There should be a VIN number somewhere on it, for mortal purposes. But if it's as rough as I heard, salvage rights belong to who found her."

"If I can get a basic router that connects to sattelites without breaking the veil, we can start there, and work with the computer-ish nockers for a more robust network... if it's, like, a pinpoint up.... and if it.. below the Veil... if it..."

Muttering now. She starts looking for a writing utensil and paper.

Art is watching her muttering and thinking, with a small smile on his face. He may not be aware of it.

"We could give it to Luis but if we don't charge him, he'd never respect us"

Now she's sketching on the back of what appears to be a receipt.

Art grins and passes her - not paper, but a napkin, a cereal box, and a newspaper with some space on the margins.

Saoirse takes a step out, and gestures for Gwen.

Gwen rises and follows the Chieftess

Art doesn't seem to notice, he has a bit of his stargazer expression on.

Saoirse speaks to Gladiola quietly in the next room over. "The boy - I understand he is not sained?"

"Thanks, Art. Look, see... you could run ONE link up, anchor it, and then build out like so...."

Scribble-sketch-point...

"He is not" Gwen nods "It was to be soon. In fact, overdue by a day or two. Though I intend to speak of this as his Fior in part to my lieges. Not sure if they'll agree"

Squint. "Maybe specialized veiling on th'pinpoint... just in case..."

"OH! What if..." Scribble!!