#scarsdale

Passover... and Earl finds himself a guest of a community he has grown to see as rich, full of faith, wonder, and pride- and very very loud at times.

Apples has been hit much harder than the Midwest - and the Hollow is more densely packed with people than Rivervale, making it harder for the fae to move around without notice.

Which means, of course, that the Uncles have Grievances.

And boy does Earl hear them. He reminds himself that the accucastory tone they have is directed at those hemming them in, or, contrary wise, OTHERS who ignore instructions from those other folks . He finds himself wondering if there's a way to come out of a conversation without being forced to talk a side "yes, the police don't have a clue on how some have it covered" "Now I didn't say the 'brave boys in blue' were idiots just that... " "No, that wasn't support for authoritarnism I.. pardon me... I think I was on my way to refresh Aaron's drink" retreat

As much as one can retreat in this house however nice it is.

Luckily, it is a large house... but still.

Earl might peek in to offer to help the ladies, but he knows that there are times the kitchen is considered no man's land

Now, is this sexism... or a long-cultivated excuse to avoid the ranting?

It probably does not help if Miriam is present; she has Grievances too.

Aaron has a special gift for reading his newspaper and ignoring the cacophony.

Earl decides to hover near Aaron, see if he can learn this wise man's ways.

TWO mothers in the kitchen!

Zara does her best to pay court to both.

Feh. Jacob survives on ramen, anyway.

Miriam is not much of a cook, TBH.

Jacob looks for hidey holes and places to take off stiff clothing you can barely squirm from

Oh look, the dryer vent! It is tradition.

And there is, about the land itself, some sort of miasma , as if the near dreaming itself isn't feeling well.

And Jacob probably thinks HE discovered the dryer vent

Rather fitting, given the holiday...

Oh, Zara needs a cup of tea.

That, and a local liege still recovering according to gossip

Earl makes the mistake of reading the wrong part of a paper, the SPORTS Section, as one of the Uncles Might see an article that says Coronavirus Gods way of saying the METS don't deserve to play this year?

It's not the one Earl is reading, but it is in sight

Miriam smirks.

Zara might have just a wonderful time between two mothers as the magic of tradition and custom, ever a balm to sluagh souls, warms her.

And Miriam has been to so few Passovers... Zara must needs show her how to make the coconut macroons, how to lay out the special china...

Salty and crusty as a pretzel, but Miriam does seem to accept this with a kind of gentleness.

Zara adores Miriam, salt and all - even if sometimes they make the sluagh shy away and retreat.

Earl might be heard in the main room... some how he got dragged into a debate he didn't want "how can this be a yankee conspiracy? They're not playing either?"

Miriam smirks widely as the Discussion is underway, and headed towards 'Tiff.'

"No, I'm not a yankee fan... Mets all the way, but fair is fair..." Ack

Zara does NOT chime in. Miriam has many virtues... but oh, oh, one terrible flaw...

Out there, somewhere, there is a knight, some ardent suitor, facing a monster in the Dreaming to prove his love to his bashful beloved. He is risking his very life against a creature that has slain numerous warriors- all to prove his love for his lady. Son of a Bitch has no idea how easy he has it as Earl must instead face the uncles explaining to him how he's doing life wrong.

"AND ANOTHER THING, MISTER......."

"Ohhhh..."

Yep. 'Tiff' on schedule.

"oh for the love of... look, the mechanisms on that painting, that I did a year ago, don't have to make sense, it's a nightmare sequence of someone feeling crushed in the cogs of wage slave dom"

TEA.

"Drek!!"

"What would you go after the melted watches too?"

"Melted watches have been done!"

"My Point, I didn't do them, but my cogs in that painting make at least as much sense, because 'sense' isn't the point of that style. you know crafts, I know art"

"FEH."

And things seem to simmer, until Earl comments "Have you thought about more curvature in your own patterns, or at least the appearance of? I mean, stripes are fine but ..."

Could it be he's now deciding to poke a bit back? Repay all debts? or is he honestly trying to help?

"RAAWWRRHH!!!" And the Uncles launch.

In for a penny, in for a drachma or whatever "Just saying the 21st century isn't always bad if you care to visit"

Aaron may or may not smile behind his paper as a page flips

The Uncles go apoplectic.