#scarsdale

"She WHAT?!!?!"

"A.... satyr's treasure..."

"He what satyr who!?!?!" Hirim sputters.

"I believe he uses magic to increase his appeal. Of... of that nature, as his kith is inclined. I observed others respond to his... aura. And it is... it is distracting, aye, to be too close to him for long... f-for a lady, at least..."

A sigh, and she rakes back her bangs. "I believe him to be a half-sibling. One of my... one of his other children."

Both sets of cutlery are set down, with a bit of clang, and they look at each other again, a flow of ideas and information between them.

"Hannah hired him." Hirim asks to clarify, clearly.

"I have spied upon him. I sent Mama and Papa away, nu? I cannot... I cannot allow him to continue to have contact with her, I fear his intent is ill. Mama hired him, aye. He came by, asking for work - but she is his only client. He has no friends, does naught but... pleasure himself, and sleep, and then come round to tend the lawn."

"I went to fire him on Tuesday, but he refused, since I was not the one to hire him. He accused me of doing harm by my parents, because I would not tell him their business or where they were."

"Goats are all shiftless anyway; strangest thing is that he found work."

"Hehe, please."

"He needs not the work - his... physical performance... can have all his needs met."

"No. He was sent to cause trouble, to sow dissent... to hurt my family. Mama and Papa are off limits!"

"They are kinain, the are ignorant and innocent of all of this..."

Both nockers are nodding agreement. Then Hirim narrows his eyes. "Zara.... how long has he been cutting the grass there?"

"Since Beltane. So... a month."

"I have kept Mama from him, after the second visit. I.. the first, I worried it was just me overreacting..."

"A month." He looks at Ratchet, who rolls his eyes and then closes them.

"The second, I cast omens upon his da'an. I... I saw a darkness above and behind him, grasping and reaching, tied to him like a puppetmaster. Centered on his... treasure... a... it's a tattoo, that Rudy - the satyr - says was a reward."

"How many visits?" Ratchet asks.

"And despite my discouragement, he is still in town. He... it seems there is another 'reward,' one he hopes to gain... and he plans to try again to get at Mama."

"Three."

"No.. four, pardon."

"I think others may also try? If Paler has put out a call to his children..."

"Golnaz kidnapped Earl, and... came closer than I would care to me, twice."

Now Hirim rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Zara." Ratchet speaks carefully. "You could maybe have told us after the first visit? When did Hannah invite him in?"

"I thought I was overreacting... and I didn't want to cause a ruckus, nu?"

"She brought him in for food on Beltane, aye. A month ago."

Hirim puts his face in his hands. "So first visit. And she fed him. Oy."

"Of course Mama fed him."

"It's Mama."

"What's wrong? You can't reset the ward?"

"Yes, yes, yes. We can... well, rebuild it. Reset, no."

A soft sound of distress. "I would protect them. They're not part of this."

"Protect? Too much time with the boychik." Hirim scoffs. "You should maybe keep -yourself- safe. Parents put themselves in danger for children, not the other way around, you think Hannah and Aaron would appreciate you putting yourself at risk??"

"Hirim, shutup." Ratchet intervenes. "Zara, You should have come to us first. We can help."

"And how safe would I be, if he got to them?"

"I was trying to handle it..."

Both men sigh, deeply.

Her lower lip sticks out a bit as she frowns. "I didn't want to have... have you explode, and have it turn into a month of imprisonment..."

"IMPRI... Imprisonment!??!!?"

Hirim starts to explode, but sucks it back; it is possible he'll turn into a black hole.

"And I wasn't sure, at first, if he was a threat, or just... I don't know, wild oats that Mama was responding to..."

"I think... I fear... that tattoo.. I fear it will do real harm to any partner of his."

"So what, we should just let you go out in danger??"

"If he's a goat, then most of the people in Scarsdale could be harmed be now." Ratchet says dryly. "It's been at least a month."

"He goes to the city, to a flophouse. He... services people... there."

"And aye, some danger. I am not going to live in a prison because of them!"

"I will not let them win by taking away my life!" Her darks eye blaze. "Watching Golnaz fume because I was enjoying myself? Aye, worth it. The machashaifeh!"