#scarsdale

She skirts away from Hannah. "I don't want..." A frown. "Need we speak of it anymore? It's over."

Hannah stops. She looks at Earl, confused. Both Uncles are still lost.

Earl looks helpless, then "Zara, you say it's over, but you act like it's on your thoughts constantly. Like you think he somehow won just because he smiled at his last looking at your face that you weren't wearing."

"He's dead. Sidhe leave no ghosts."

"Feh. A good thing, too, in this case." Hirim would spit but he's in Hannah's house.

"Aye. A good thing." Flat.

"Yes, he is... but you know who else is here? Vashti.. who is free, and happy thanks to you." Earl says "She's got freedom.. YOU did that. A certain sidhe? Free of his clutches... thanks to you" A reminder

"Miriam, and the little boychik." Ratchet reminds.

"you act like things are worse because of what you did or didn't do... but they're not, Zara... without you, all those and more would be so much worse off"

"Without me, Miriam would be a master upholder, fat and rich from commissions. Without me, Rudy would be alive. Without me, you and August would have never been held captive."

"Zara, honey....." Hannah frets.

"Without my reluctance, my resistance, Paler would have been dead a year ago, maybe two."

"WIthout you, Miriam would have been a slave anyway... without you, Rudy would be breaking couples up for yucks and arranging his father's plans. Without you, I'd be on a farm and dying inside with a growing resentment for my own family and not painting"

"How many people did he hurt in that time?"

"No.. no, she wouldn't've..."

"She woudl have... she had textile knowledge house Balor wanted. She'd have become a slave for life making weapons that killed others all the time. She'd never had destroyed that damn tower by herself. YOU helped make her redemption possible. And she'd tell you so if she were here"

"So maybe we should call her over?" Hirim is on his way to the phone.

"I know, I know, I know!"

Her hands curl into fists and she makes a frustrated noise.

"Miriam? Yes, it's me you putz. Can you come down to Scarsdale? Got news, important news, and Zara's being a nitwit. Ow, Hannah, stop hitting me!"

"And Paler held off House Dougal, made fools of them. He hid from Liam... he hid from Miriam when she was TRYING to kill him... you don't know that your mercy kept him alive.""

"HEll, if we moved too soon he would have been far more polished, far more together, and far more prepared" Earl says "Your defiance didn't 'save him' so much as made stopping him possible"

"Zara, honey, the blue boychik is talking sense." Ratchet says firmly.

"Aye, aye. I know!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"I am happy, fine? Yes?"

"Can't you get here faster?" On the phone, then sotto voce "She's being -weird-."

"No problem. I'm fine. We won."

Earl looks to Hannah "Can I get up from the peas, please? I feel stupid and she's..shutting folks out and I want to help her and I don't mmmuter mumble know what to say to fix this"

"If you can fix this, yes, please."

"Don't... what do you want from me? I said I know."

"Fine, fine, see you then." Hirim returns.

He gets up carefully, moving things "You know, I just wish I could help you believe" A sigh "And I don't want you to lie to me, but I hate when you lie to yourself..when you blame yourself for things..and take it all on your shoulder"

"Too thin." Hannah scolds gently.

"You should sit down. Luftmensch. Going to pull a rib all over again."

"I'd rather lose a handful of ribs than see my heart suffer... and you are my heart. And somehow, in this moment when you're free, you seem trapped and yes hurting"

Yup, he moves to Zara's side. "And.. I'm sorry if you feel telling them about this made a shanda"

"They needed to know."

"Yes, but that may not make it easier"

"It's fine."

"Feh." Hirim folds his arms over his chest.

"-Now- she tells us. All the fun's over."

"I couldn't tell you. You would have run off. I had to protect you."

"Protect -me-??"

"...Aye.."

"We protect our famlilies, especially our elders" earl adds as if it's obvious

"You watch it!" Hiriam wags a finger. "And if that's the case, we got as much business protecting you as you do us!"

"Nope, I think in this case, she protected you.. not from Paler alone either... if you screwed up Coradel's plans, she'd have had you thrown in a dungeon. "

"I know you protected me. Would have done everything you could."

"Who?"