#scarsdale

"August's Trueheart. His wife. The baroness at Earth Runes."

"You're damn right we would!" From Ratchet. Hannah hovers.

"Oy, that one got married?" Ok, she hovers curiously.

"Aye. Another sidhe."

"Baroness Coradel Truthbranch ap FIona... a headstrong redhead who sometimes forgets how far her domain reaches but is a good sort overall."

"A -Fiona-?!?! We're talking the goyem, right?" Both uncles seem astonished.

"Yes. August. 'Goy Boy,' as you would say." Flat again.

A roll of his eyes Wonder if I'd get kicked out for saying 'once you go Goy, you get carnal joy'?

"Hiriam, you remember, rumor was he resigned to go live at Firnost, or something?"

"Yeah, but -him-??"

"Please don't." Softly.

Hannah tries an approach again. "Zara, honey, look.... you know I can hear what's not being said, right? So there's a lot you're not saying now, Bubalah, and .... and well.... " helpless.

"Mama, I'm fine." Trying to reassure.

Hannah clearly does -not- believe this is the truth. She sighs. "Fine, fine..... Hiriam, how long until Miriam gets here?"

Hiriam grumbles. "She says she doesn't know any close-by ways to get here faster so she says maybe an hour, hour and a half, unless there's traffic."

"I'm working on a trod from Poughkeepsie..."

"Can't make one from scratch, but you can... cultivate them, aye?"

"Encourage."

"You can? Hannah is curious again.

"It is rumored Shakespeare gardens are attracted to one another. Vassar has one on grounds..."

"You'll like it there, nu?"

"Ok, so.... Hiriam, Rachamim... come into the kitchen. Zara, see if you can get that frozen food back on him." Hannah bustles out, the Uncles trailing after reluctantly.

"Aye..."

"Oh not with the frozen food again..."

"What you get for hiding it..." She picks up the duct tape and waggles it at him.

"I didn't want anyone to worry" he spreads his hands haplessly

"Feh."

"It would be a shanda?" He tries another tact "No need to make a fuss?"

A lame look at the frozen peas and more.

"Just... sit, and be iced."

He sits with a bit of a flumph and pouts.

She sits in a chair, watching him. "Forgive my melancholy."

"I don't want to forgive it, I want to help you be free of it" He admits "And I know, I know, I'm doing the guy thing where I want to FIX when ... you're not a TV set I can tinker with and get the right channel on. YOu feel how you feel and you have a right to."

"I don't know how I feel. "

"Well, you've ..acted like you're miserable, numb at best, but..miserable and.. I don't want you to HIDe how you feel but... I guess. I thought when Paler was no longer a threat, it would be over, we could move on with our lives. I'm selfish I guess"

"You aren't selfish."

"Oh yes i am, I'm very selfish. I want to take you away dancing, I want your soft chuffs of laughter in my ear. I want to steal you away from your family often to take to far away locations or even quests"

"A quest would be nice. I miss those." She draws up her knees.

"I want to see the Library."

"I better bring some rations, you'll be in there for days" Only half joking

"Oh, likely. I've heard... I've heard some never leave."

"I'll probably find you nose so deep in some dark grimoire I have to get the jaws of life" Fondly

"We would never get Bronte out... "

"Oh is she coming with us?"

"It would probably be unwise... but then.. mayhaps.. would it be denying her? I don't know."

"We have time to plan, but who knows..maybe we can placate her with some new books"

"Speaking of selfishness..."

"Speaking of?" He shivers a bit

"Well, I selfishly adore that little dragon."

"I would be sad to lose her."