Goblin Town -- Logs

Later that evening, Cinnamon has cleaned up and pulled on mittens to hide the bruises on her hands -- she knows they'll be healed up by tomorrow, but she's embarrassed at how... livid they look right now! She eats dinner with everyone else, musing on the day's events as well as the upcoming moot... and then realizes: she needs to call Elias! She'll wait until morning, she decides -- it'll be evening on the US east coast then.

Marcus is a bit quiet at dinner, but seems to be doing pretty well. However, after dinner, when most people have cleared away, he approaches Cinnamon to have a quiet word with her, "I have... an idea."

Cinnamon looks worried as she pushes up her glasses, "Umm... okay...?" She hopes he's not belatedly decided he really is angry with her!

Marcus muses aloud, "We want Oak to think we believe them... at least initially, yes?"

Cinnamon nods! "So they'll give their story first, yeah! That way they can't claim they were just misunderstood or anything."

Marcus nods and mms, then points at his face, "This... might actually help out with that. We do have the true story of my abduction. Thorn healed the original marks. I think... I would like you to speak for me. At least partially. You speak more of the languages here, and technically I am one of the parties owed wergild."

Cinnamon blinks at Marcus, considering that idea for a few moments... and a slow smile crosses her face, "Marcus! That's... really clever! They'll just assume on the injuries, I bet. Hmm... oh!" She grins at the elf, "Would you please tell me that, as the translator, you'd like me to speak for you, then? -and also that you think it'd be both proper and most courteous to allow the earlier complaint regarding Acorn to be delivered first? That way I can say that exact phrase... and it'll be true, and Shane can verify that!" Her grin gets a bit self-conscious, "I know I look plain and boring, so there's no way they'll guess that I'm a councilor, after all!"

Marcus nods and says very carefully and precisely, "Cinnamon, as the translator, I'd like you to speak for me. I think it would be proper and most courteous to allow the earlier complaint regarding Acorn to be delivered first."

Cinnamon beams excitedly at Marcus, "Awesome! Thanks so much, Marcus -- this should work great!" She bouncies happily on her toes at the prospect of catching the rogue Oak elders out -- then blinks as she remembers something, "Oh! Oh, also, I, um..." she blushes, but makes herself continue, "I, er, I h-hope I, I d-didn't hit you... t-too hard...?" She's twisting her fingers together worriedly as she speaks.

Marcus touches his bruised face again, "Cinnamon, I have had worse than this. I am woefully out of practice." He sighs, "My father had... words with me about it. He was... is, really... a warrior -- he's fought battles. I have not needed to be a warrior; instead, I am a diplomat, because there have been no wars in my time." He sighs softly, then continues, "But no, you did not hit me too hard. No bones were broken; I do not have a concussion. It is just that I am very pale-skinned, as are almost all gealsidhe. Bruises show up quite startlingly on our skin."

Cinnamon blushes even more hotly, one hand tentatively starting to rise towards his cheek... and then she realizes what she's doing and almost snatches her hand back! "W-well, I... I'm still s-sorry, Marcus -- I... I really don't like hurting people, y'know?" She hastily whirls, feeling as if she's incandescent with embarrassment! As she hustles away, she calls over her shoulder, "I really w-will try harder tomorrow not to be quite so much of a doofus I'm so sorry again g'night Marcus and thank you!"

Marcus doesn't move to stop her touching him; perhaps he's used to people wanting that? He watches her scamper away, and calls in return, "You're welcome!" As she vanishes down the hallway, Cinnamon squeaks in startled surprise -- and, truth be told, a smidge of pleasure too! Marcus really does seem to be -- weirdly! -- not mad at her at all!

Early the next morning, when it will be a few hours after sunset in Boston, Cinnamon calls Elias. She happily greets him, then asks him if he has a moment -- she has quite the story to tell him! She's ensconced in her little room, with the door closed, so even if any of the visiting elders arrive early, she won't accidentally be effectively briefing them early on the moot's subject matter. Elias answers the call with pleasure, "Cinnamon! How is the trip going? Have you been able to find your answers?"

Cinnamon takes a deep breath, then smiles a bit ruefully, "Hopefully we will by tomorrow, Elias! But like I said, I have a story to tell you, and then a question for you, please... okay?" She tells the vampire the entire sad little tale -- from what happened to the group she was part of, to the terrible things related to them by Zurina, and Shane's verification of the Acorn elder's truthfulness -- then pauses for a breath, and to see if Elias has any questions.

Elias listens in the kind of quiet you only get with someone that doesn't actually breathe. Then he says, "They... they said that Liam and I were... oh, dear Heavens! Those poor people. You must understand that in some parts of Europe, people like me are bogeymen even to the supernatural community, dearling... and so are dragons."

Cinnamon's voice is firm, "You may understand it, Elias, and I may kind of get it intellectually... but I am not going to just sit by and do nothing while the good names of two of the nicest Council members are slandered! Marcus said I have a right to wergild, as Liam's lineage -- so I'm going to ask for it! I figure anything I get, I can gift to the Acorn folks, 'cause they need it the most, you know? But this is my question, Elias: can I do the same for you? Can I demand wergild from these horrible people, and give anything we get to the Acorns in your name?"

"I don't mean that you should forgive it, dear -- I mean that I feel horrible for Acorn. They must have been terrified." Elias sighs, then continues, "But yes, you should absolutely claim wergild in your grandfather's name -- and." He clears his throat, then speaks clearly and precisely, "I ask you to claim wergild as my proxy, as I am unable by my nature to travel there and claim it for myself. My name was used as leverage to terrify and attempt to defraud Acorn of freedom and of their livelihoods. This besmirches my honor."

Cinnamon is so pleased, she unwittingly squeaks with excitement! "Oh, thank you, Elias! I -- I wish you were here so I could hug you!" More grimly she adds, "-and we are totally going to let these... these doodyheads know you and Liam are not that kind of person!" After that she happily chatters with Elias for a bit, telling him of the small triumphs the little group has had. Everything has not been all horror, after all, and she's as nervously pleased about trying to learn staff as she's thrilled that she was able to pick up Euskara too!

Elias' smile is audible in his voice. It's a scary smile if you don't know him, but his friends get used to it after a while, "Staves are a good weapon -- very non-lethal most of the time. I think they will be very suitable for you."

Cinnamon's voice is nervously fervent, "I sure hope so! I've accidentally whacked Marcus so many times by now that I feel like I better learn it -- so his pain won't be for nothing!"

Elias chuckles, "Oh, I'm sure his pain will be justified." Cinnamon enjoys chattering happily to Elias, though eventually she has to sign off, since her second staff lesson is upcoming... and she doesn't want to annoy Jaeger by being late!

The second day of staves practice is a little more intensive. Cinnamon is paired off with Zurina at first, while Jaeger steps in to practice with Thorn -- Shane is initially practicing with Fraser. At one point, one of Shane's strikes gets past the werewolf's guard, sharply rapping the big man's forearm -- which causes Fraser to yelp sharply and swear, "Holy hell, Shane! You're sure your heritage is beansidhe and human? You hit like a ton of bricks!" He doesn't sound angry, just shocked -- but Cinnamon still blushes hotly at Fraser's language, even though she's carefully not looking that way!

Shane actually looks almost abashed, "Yup. Human and beansidhe. I try not to go full-force at most people. Apparently it's... ahh... Quinn calls it hybrid vigor. He thinks there's something about the mixture..."

Fraser nods, "Makes sense." He grins, "You'd be a formidable protector. Whoever wins your heart's gonna be a lucky... lady? Fella?"

Shane just grins in return, "Quit fishing, Fraser -- we're sparring!" He prods the werewolf with his staff and goes back to sparring.

A bit later, Fraser and Jaeger pair up for a bit more of a challenge. Shane moves to work with Thorn, while Zurina stays with Cinnamon. Both newbies are pushed a little harder, and put more on the defensive. The lesson is 'Don't be afraid to defend yourself!' as much as it is 'Don't be afraid to hit back!' Neither Shane nor Zurina are going at full speed nor full strength, of course -- Shane, especially, with Thorn. The healer grimaces as he pushes himself a little. This isn't something he's familiar with -- he's used to physical exertion, not fighting. His fingers get rapped something fierce, but he accepts it as part of fighting with staves -- he hopes he'd be careful if he was facing someone with a sword! But there's time enough to think about that later; for now he's focusing on not getting hit. Jaeger is pleased at how hard Thorn is working, encouraging the healer for his efforts at blocking and dodging.

Cinnamon doesn't realize it consciously, but her life's training in being a 'good girl' is keeping her from actually striking. The slow clacking of the staves yesterday was, to her way of seeing it, much like typing, or making a simple percussive music -- not actually 'hitting.' Consequently, when pressed to the point that the familiar slow clacking isn't enough... poor Cinnamon tends to freeze up, hunch up her shoulders and squint her eyes half closed... and hold out the staff in an effort to sort of hide behind it! Zurina is gently encouraging with Cinnamon, though she quickly recognizes what's going on and pauses, lightly tapping Cinnamon's staff with her own, "You are going back to trying to please people." Her voice is very gentle and... motherly. Truly motherly, "You have a good imagination, yes?"

Cinnamon winces away from the light tap, then warily half-opens one eye, "W-what? Uhh... I, um, think so?"

Zurina nods and says softly, "You have people you would protect with your life, yes? People for whom you would step between a spear and them? I know you are a dragon and that your hide is almost impenetrable, but I want you to think about this, please. If you did not know that it could not pierce you, are there people you would still step between the spear and them?"

Cinnamon blinks blearily at Zurina -- without her glasses, everyone is just a (sometimes colorful) blobby blur to Cinnamon right now. She lowers her staff to think about that, rolling her tired shoulders to try and loosen up her aching muscles. Finally she murmurs slowly, "I... I really don't... know, Zurina? I mean... w-well, I never knew anyone I felt that way about until... until after I knew I was a dragon...?"

Zurina mms, "But now? If someone did something that took away your hide? If something made it so that your hide no longer protected you? Would you still step between, oh..." she looks around, "Shane? Shane and a spear? I know he is not your lover, but he is your friend... and I can tell he would definitely step between you and a spear. I can see it in his face."

Cinnamon blushes hotly at that! She hastily brings up the staff again, "Uh -- g-goodness, I should stop stalling, shouldn't I! Let's, um -- right, let's get back to it!"

Zurina taps Cinnamon's staff with her own again, "We are at it. I need you to think about this. You need to hold this staff and work with this staff as if you and this staff are the two things standing between a spear and people you love. Stop being afraid that you are going to displease someone by taking up the space that you are entitled to take up! You are a dragon and a woman! Both are sacred things!" Zurina taps the staff again sharply, then nods her head once and starts to press Cinnamon again.

Cinnamon feels flushed and overheated, exhausted, and slightly guilty -- because there's a small part of her that is sure she's in reality a coward at heart. She doesn't ever want to see harm come to Shane -- or any of her small group of deeply trusted friends -- and the thought that Shane might be hurt because of her... is both terrifying, and makes her almost want to cry! She tries -- she really tries her best! -- but she's convinced that she's slow, clumsy, and stupid in human form... and consequently, her reactions always seem to be a few beats behind Zurina's. Her rapped fingers sting, her body hurts all over, her frustration is growing, and though she knows it's illogical, this entire situation feels desperately unfair to her -- how's she ever supposed to be as good as all these beautiful, graceful, clever, immortal elf people?!

Cinnamon struggles and pants and staggers and trips and feels increasingly ignorant, ugly, and fumbling... until finally it's one sharp crack too many against her fingers around the stick -- and the little dragon's hurt and anger and frustration nearly explode out of her! With a scream of pain at being hit yet again (even though Zurina is being gentle), Cinnamon lashes out wildly with her staff, flailing it madly about so as to make all the confusing, dancing blurs just move away from her -- and leave her alone!

Zurina instantly starts blocking the few blows that actually head her way, causing an occasional hard crack! of wood on wood. Everyone else moves back, giving Cinnamon room to lay about herself until she's gotten all her anger out. She's panting heavily once she finally stops, feeling unaccountably weary -- and warm arms wrap around her, with Shane's voice saying, "Good, acushla! Good!"

Cinnamon yelps startledly at being apparently grabbed from behind -- but before she can react poorly, she recognizes Shane's voice. To her surprise, she also realizes she has tears running down her face! She sniffles, rubbing her face with the back of one forearm as she asks in tired confusion, "How is that good, Shane? Wh-what was good?" Then she stiffens, glancing around with bleary worry, "Oh my gosh, Zurina! Is she okay?! D-did I hurt her?!"

Shane murmurs quietly, "You hit back. That's the first step."

Zurina chuckles, sounding pleased, "I am fine -- I think that's what you want to know? I have bruised knuckles, but that is good! You will be formidable! I think if I were less skilled, I would have just backed away."

Cinnamon goes silent for a long moment, sniffling and wiping away her tears -- and feeling oddly relieved that Shane's hugging her and not mad! Finally she says slowly, "So... so this was... actually... good?" To Zurina, she adds, "This... it really was, uhh... what you wanted?"

Zurina smiles, "Yes. This is somewhat what we wanted. You have been afraid to hit back. I have seen this in women who were very gently-reared. It can be dangerous. They believe they are not meant to protect themselves."

Cinnamon blinks confusedly at Zurina, "Um... but I've protected lots of folks!" She pauses, thinking about that... then murmurs, "...as a dragon. Ohhh. Okay... think I get it." She doesn't particularly want to move at just that moment, however. Not only is she really tired, aching, and sick of this shi... nola -- but Shane's hugging her! Standing still sounds fantastic, actually, right now.

Shane continues hugging Cinnamon tight for a moment, and smiles, "You look pooped... and I think we've got you past that 'Can't hit people' barrier, which I think is as far as we need to go today. Want to go have a sit down on the sidelines for a little while?"

Cinnamon nods tiredly at that, wiping sweat off her face again. She doesn't move until Shane lets go, though... she's even wearily leaning the slightest bit against him, though that hasn't yet consciously registered. Once he shifts at all, though, she'll quickly adjust her weight so it's not apparent just how tired she is -- or so she hopes! She'll trudge over to the sidelines, dropping her stick and collapsing into a tired pile of ache... then groan slightly. She's going to have to get up again to get her stupid glasses, darnit! She glances towards the stick table, wondering hopefully if she can tell who's there by the body language.

As she does so, she tiredly comforts herself with the thought that, despite losing her head and screaming like a madwoman... at least she didn't throw up or anything out of exhaustion! Then she hmms. Is that... Marcus, maybe, at the table? She waves in that direction, tiredly calling, "Excuse me? Could I trouble you to bring over my glasses, please?"

Marcus is indeed who brings over her glasses. He settles down quietly next to her, "That... looked like you had something bottled up."

Cinnamon nods tiredly, "Got tired of being blind and getting hit regardless." To Cinnamon, being effectively 'hit' when 'blind' -- or otherwise attacked in some fashion when she's not able to defend herself -- is so much a standard part of her life (previous to Coblyn) as to not even merit calling out. It isn't unusual to her; it just is, however unfortunate. Just about then she remembers Marcus mentioning, last night, that Jaeger had "had words" with his son regarding... was it about Marcus not being a warrior yet? That thought makes her frown thoughtfully... and as Marcus hands Cinnamon her glasses, the little dragon curiously asks, "So... do you want to be a warrior?" She puts on her glasses, then blinks up at him, "I mean, like... what do you want to be?"

Marcus sighs, "No, honestly; I don't want to be a warrior. In my ideal world warriors would not actually be needed. It is, however, an honorable thing to be... and my father is very, very good at it... and I should be good at it. It's something I need to learn because it's still needed." He leans back on both hands as he adds with slightly more animation, "What I want to be is a diplomat. I wish there was a world that was ruled with a velvet glove that didn't have to be over an iron fist."

Cinnamon nods slowly at that -- she can totally understand not wishing to be a warrior! Thoughtfully she murmurs, "But... isn't he as good at it as he is because he's been able to practice for literally centuries? So, like... isn't it a bit... unreasonable of him to expect you to be good at it when you haven't even reached a quarter of a century yet? Or am I missing something here?"

The expression on Marcus' face isn't quite a smirk, but it is wry, "People keep bringing that up. There also hasn't been a war. I remind him of that occasionally. He's wise, but he's also old -- and people, no matter how wise, tend to forget that their accumulation of years makes a difference."

Cinnamon blinks at Marcus, "Wait, bringing what up?"

"My age." Marcus considers, then adds, "I'm the youngest person on the council, I think."

Cinnamon nods slowly -- but then shakes her head, "No, that's not what's important there, though. I mean more that Jaeger... like, does he help you practice, or have someone that practices with you?" She remembers some of the ghastly gym coaches she's had, and hastily amends, "Someone that's actually a good teacher, I mean?" She waves a hand in the vague direction of where folks are still sparring, "Like Shane -- I think he really enjoys working out, you know? But I also think his dad was a good teacher for him, rather than always being disappointed that Shane wasn't yet as good as him." She shudders slightly as she adds unhappily, "Always having a disapproving teacher is a horrible way to be forced to learn!"

Marcus chuckles, "He's not exactly disappointed... it's hard to explain. He's not angry with me, as there is a generation gap. And I have very good teachers -- Father himself is an excellent teacher -- and my weapon of choice is not the staves. I prefer my knives. Mother's knives, actually."

Cinnamon smiles shyly at that, "They're really lovely, too!" She remembers why she's learning staves, and adds, "But what would you do, then, if you wanted to, um... what's the term... ah, to de-escalate a situation? Wouldn't knives make folks more upset rather than less? Or... oh! Was your thought that you'd just talk your way out of a situation, short of attack? Like a diplomat, right? Did I get that right?" She's quietly surprised, though she doesn't mention it at all, that Marcus mentioned his youth so calmly. Previously, to her knowledge, he'd always emphasized the apparent 'immaturity' of the other young council members, and attempted to act in what he considered an extremely mature manner. This trip really does seem to have caused him to think some things over!

Marcus smiles, "I do usually talk my way out of things. It's part of why I am a good diplomat... and, yes, you got it right." Maybe it's because he's still in the 'training means you are polite and open' mindset... or maybe Cinnamon's right and he's been thinking. There is, of course, no mention by him about what might make him so able to talk his way out of things... especially since both he and Cinnamon are quite aware of how recently his much-vaunted silver tongue didn't get him out of a rather dangerous hostage situation.

Cinnamon grins tiredly! But then she sighs slightly, "I think that's why I'm learning staves, though... because there are people who just don't want to talk, but who I don't want to have to bur- er, t-to breath fire on, you know?"

Marcus nods, "Having less-lethal ways out of predicaments is good. Staves are excellent for that. Knives are not always lethal; they're very good threats -- and some martial arts are excellent at it. I do need more staves practice, however."

Cinnamon tilts her head curiously at Marcus, "Why staves instead of, say, martial arts?" She pauses at another curious thought... then slowly adds, "Also... is it just me, or is misogyny mostly a... well, a human thing?"

Marcus hmms, "I do know a couple of things about unarmed combat... though obviously I should know more." He smiles wryly, obviously thinking about his earlier capture. "Misogyny is a largely human thing, yes. Most of us," he seems to mean the entire supernatural community, "know that females are powerful -- in many cases more powerful than the males of various species. Some species are entirely female."

Cinnamon blinks startledly at Marcus, at that statement! "There are?! Like what?" She's both fascinated, and distracted, at learning this!

Marcus replies readily, "Harpies. Dryads. Huldra. Nymphs. Sirens."

Cinnamon blinks slowly, "Hul... wait. I know huldra can have children with men -- Uta at the bakery is a huldra! Or... oh, are you saying that the huldra themselves, to reproduce another huldra, have to do so parthenogenetically?"

Marcus nods, "I mean that if Uta has a male child, it won't be a huldra. It'll be the same species as his father. Her female children will be huldra, and if I understand correctly, any female children her male children sire have a fifty-fifty chance of being huldra. It becomes a sort of 'toss of the dice' after that."

Cinnamon huhs in fascination, murmuring quietly to herself, "That'd do it, I guess -- to keep men from assuming they're the center of the universe!" She grins tiredly again... but then pushes her glasses up and adds to Marcus, "So if misogyny is a human thing, and we've seen women elders leading trods like it's nothing special, and Zurina herself told me that being a woman or mother is a sacred thing... then why does she have to dress as a man to be an Acorn elder, I wonder?"

"That's..." Marcus hesitates before replying, "Different trees have different traditions. Oak is a very male tree. Willow is very feminine -- almost all Willow elders are female. Elm, we're pretty equal-opportunity. Rowan tends to have this sort of... Chieftains tend to be male and elders to be female."

Cinnamon sighs amusedly, "Oh, I get it. So it's not misogyny so much as... as there's this masculine-feminine mystique built up, right?" Wryly she muses, "Must be hard on the gay and bi and two spirit folks..." She tilts her head thoughtfully as she considers, "Or... or even folks who really aren't interested in sex that much at all, too... right?"

Marcus shakes his head, "Not really. In Willow, if you're born in what people consider a male body, but you're really female, you can be an elder. Same in Oak, but in reverse. Or, like in Zurina's case: she's female, but she's taken on the role of male -- has wives, and dresses in male clothes, so she can be an elder. Gender identity has nothing to do with sexual drive, either."

Cinnamon thinks about that for a while... then slowly nods, "Okay, that makes sense. It sidesteps the issues humans have made about being gay or female or trans entirely, too. Neat."

Marcus nods, "Exactly. You met Kestrel. They're one of the most feminine presenting people I've ever met. They'd be right at home as a Willow elder, and I'm quite sure the body they were born in would be considered male by human standards." He smiles a little and pushes to his feet then, "I should get back to practice."

Cinnamon nods and smiles at Marcus, "Thanks for talking!" then watches silently as he heads off. Frankly, she decides, she's tired enough that she's just going to sit here until someone comes up and drags her off to practice more! She silently hopes, as she sits and cools down a bit, that Zurina and the Acorns find justice... and that Zurina can, once this is all calmed down, take on the gender role she -- they? -- most wants. Who knows? By now Zurina might prefer dressing male... but she does seem... well, almost motherly? -- when explaining things about the staff fighting.

No one pushes Cinnamon to do much more practice that day... or at least no more actual strikes. They do more of the 'kata' positioning practice all together, though. Thorn has been doing... acceptably in hitting people. He's not proficient, and he'll need some time just getting used to swinging the staff. He still holds back on most of his strikes, too... but he's learning.

There's a big dinner that night where it's quietly put around that the Oak elders should likely be there late on the day after tomorrow at latest. Cinnamon nods at that information, then eats hungrily -- exercise is hard work for her, regardless of form! She decides to go to bed soon after dinner, too. She's not really looking forward to it, but she suspects there'll be more staff training tomorrow!

On the third day Fraser is Cinnamon's partner; he grins at her, "I volunteered because I'm the least likely to bruise too much." He knows she's worried about hurting people, and he knows they both know he heals quickly. During the practice there are indeed a few new bruises... and Marcus -- poor Marcus! -- actually gets whacked across the face again, this time by Shane. Worse, it's Marcus' own fault for zigging when he ought to have zagged. He actually backed into Shane's staff while Shane was sparring with Zurina, and Marcus was sparring with his father. "At this point, I look almost as bad as after the abduction!" He sounds almost amused.

Cinnamon winces in sympathy at sight of Marcus' poor face! Her small smile is rueful, "Well... at least this way our plan of making it look like you agree with the rogue Oak elders is going to be really convincing?"

The dinner that night is a little more solemn. The other elders from the three beansidhe trods will all be there by the morning, leaving just the Oak elders to arrive a little later, for the moot tomorrow. Cinnamon quietly makes sure that Zurina, the Elm elders who initially met them, and the entire group from Coblyn all are aware of Marcus' plan for having Cinnamon speak for him... so no one is shocked or startled! It's going to be important that the rogue elders truly believe they're speaking to a sympathetic audience, after all.

After that the little dragon nearly staggers off to bed, to kerflop and sleep like the dead! It's been an exhausting and emotional few days for her. True, she didn't seriously damage Fraser... but she's uncomfortably aware that he's likely to start upping the ante a bit to get her to work harder on her stave practices -- and when she's tired is when she's most likely to strike without appropriate (to her way of seeing things) caution!

The next morning Cinnamon takes extra care with dressing for the day. She wants to look tidy and competent but unremarkable -- because she knows there's no way she'll ever outshine any of the lovely elven folk! But surely even they wouldn't put up with a scruffy-looking retainer... so she's going to be the most competent-looking retainer-type she can be! She smiles quietly to herself as she slowly and carefully plaits her hair into a French braid. Doing so makes her feel more confident, and reminds her of Shane... and that makes her feel very nice, too!

It's once again Shane who knocks on Cinnamon's door, to let her know the elders of the other beansidhe trods have arrived. Cinnamon nods a bit tensely, then gives a small smile, "Okay. Can I, uhh... c-can I have a hug for luck? P-please?" Shane smiles and wraps Cinnamon up warm and close in his arms. He gives good hug; he always has. Hugging Shane makes you feel like hugging you is the single most important thing in the moment. Cinnamon sighs in quiet relief, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder as she hugs him back... and nearly savors how wonderfully nice Shane's hugs feel!

Cinnamon sighs softly again, though with a smile this time, when she finally straightens, "Thanks a ton, Shaney -- you really help me feel like... like I can do it -- whatever it is!" She thinks for a moment, then adds a touch more grimly, "And I am totally going to do it today... for Z- f-for our friend who deserves so much more." She doesn't give a name simply because if Aisling can hear astonishingly well, it's a good bet there are other sidhe with similar knacks. No need to give any warning, even if inadvertently, as to what Cinnamon and all her friends intend for today!

Shane nods, "You can. You're amazing, acushla. Eventually, we're going to get all that old trash your folks filled your head up with out of there." He grins down at her as he adds, "You're going to love the Havvarger 'look' when all togged out in their battle gear. Lots of kilts and embroidered wool." Shane himself is actually wearing a kilt too.

Cinnamon blinks slowly, "The Havvarger... came here?! Wait, then who's guarding Acorn?" She blinks again -- then laughs! "Oh, wait -- you mean Fraser, right?" She grins a bit excitedly as she pushes her glasses up, "Cool! Can't wait to see him! So... when do we start?"

Shane grins and motions for her to follow, "Let's go get breakfast first and give you a chance to meet the other elders."

Cinnamon patters along happily with Shane, "Okay! Food sounds awesome... though will our group be all together, hopefully?" She wryly adds, "Hope breakfast doesn't take too long, too -- I don't want to talk to the folks there at all, for fear I'll give something away! I had to hide myself away before the special council meeting too, remember?"

Shane nods, "Yup, all together. Our friend is together with us, too." Indeed, Zurina is seated between Jaeger and Marcus at the table. She's gealsidhe, so she "blends" well there. Breakfast is short and quite hearty, and there are nine new beansidhe. Six of them are female; three of them are male. The three males look like they're a little more heavily armed than the females. Shane leans his head down close to Cinnamon, "The Chieftains and the Elders came."

Cinnamon whispers back to Shane, between eating, "Guardians are like what your dad does, right? So... these folks must be, um... Yew, Elder, and Rowan?" She glances around, then curiously whispers, "What about Oak? Didn't any of them come?"

Shane nods, "Chieftains are exactly what Da is. The Oaks are expected in the next short bit. The two we're especially interested in are going to be here by lunch and..." Just as he's saying that, four new people arrive -- all gealsidhe. They remind Cinnamon and Thorn, in some vague and not quite describable way, of Caradog of Coblyn. There's just a sense of solidity about them you don't often get around gealsidhe. Thorn is dressed simply but neatly, and has been remaining in the background for the most part. He doesn't want to make himself particularly noteworthy, though he realizes that his body language is impossible to disguise as anything but human. He tries to stay generally out of sight of the envoys and leaders -- all the less that needs to be explained, that way, as to why a human is in the trod. Past that, he sticks close to Fraser, reasoning that if anyone has any suspicions, that way he'll hopefully just look like another werewolf.

Cinnamon smiles faintly as she watches the gealsidhe arrive and be welcomed by Elm's elders. She's unsurprised, now that she thinks about it, that the Guardians have come along -- no one wants to lose all their precious elders! With the rumors about Acorn circulating the way they are, it's a good bet everyone's worried about being attacked. She eats a solid meal very quietly, watching with interest-bright eyes, and whispers to Shane that once she's done, she's going to go hang out in her room. That way she won't do or say anything problematic before the moot actually begins! He nods and agrees with her plan.

It's Shane who comes to get Cinnamon just before lunchtime, tension showing in his shoulders: the two Oak elders they've been expecting have shown up! The moot is soon to begin. Cinnamon nods and smiles, holding up her laptop and a drink, "I'm ready!" She follows Shane as they head for the meeting room.

The meeting hall is capacious, and has one of the circular tables they've seen in such rooms before -- the kind with a fire pit in the middle for these wintry times of year, when it's sufficiently cold that the room won't be warm enough with body heat alone. The elders, chieftains, councilors, and other such individuals are being seated around the table, with this trod's elders being seated furthest from the door, under a beautiful mural that depicts the forest in all seasons, melting from winter into spring into summer into autumn. Those who aren't elders or Guardians/Chieftains are being seated in comfortable spaces around the room.

The two new Oak elders are seated in what would normally be a place of honor at the right of the three native Elm elders. Cinnamon studies them with great interest as she follows Shane in. Hopefully she and the rest of her group will be seated behind Marcus and Jaeger? Or, if the table's large enough, somewhere near them? Then again, she realizes, it would normally be a place of honor... except that Cinnamon can now see that people have been very carefully arranged around them! Fraser and Jaeger are sitting behind the rogue Oak elders. Shane -- after he's seen Cinnamon in -- moves to sit with Fraser and Jaeger. Zurina is just behind those three, hidden a bit by the arrangement of seats and, of course, directly behind the rogue Oak elders, so they cannot see her at all.

To the direct right of one of the rogue Oak elders is the man who was pointed out as being the Guardian/Chieftain of the most local Trod of the Rowan. In fact, now that Cinnamon looks more carefully, everyone within a long lunge of the rogue Oak elders... is either an Elm elder or a warrior! The other, hopefully non-rogue Oak elders are to the left of the three women who are the local Elm trod's elders. The rest of the elders and councilors called to the moot appear to be arranged almost randomly around the table.

Marcus subtly motions for Cinnamon to come sit next to him. He's dressed in pale colors that call attention to the livid bruises on his face. Cinnamon blinks as Shane peels off, but then realizes how things are being arranged. Good! She steps over and politely nods to Marcus, seating herself next to him as directed and placing her laptop on the table before her. She knows there's no dangerous metals in it for sidhe, so she's not worried about doing so... and it probably won't surprise folks here that the youngest councilor has someone working for him who actually knows how to use computers!

Cinnamon takes a moment, once seated, to fascinatedly study the faces of the various elders... especially those of the two rogues. What on earth possessed them to act in such a despicable manner?! Curiously, the two rogues both also have that solidity that seems to be a hallmark of Oak gealsidhe, with the bronze-gold hair of oak leaves in the autumn and the deep blue eyes of a depthless lake. Both (as Cinnamon could have predicted from Marcus' explanation of the different trods' predilections) are male, and both are also quite handsome. But there is something about them... something cold. It's odd: the beansidhe -- who are supposedly meant to be the "evil" sidhe -- often have a more earthy feel to them. It's the gealsidhe who often seem more aloof.

Cinnamon shivers slightly, wishing there were someone she could discreetly whisper with, here. True, she speaks German now, and could whisper with Marcus... but he's not really what she considers a friend -- and further, she has no way of knowing if any of the other elders also speak the language. She'd love to compare perceptions on the two rogue elders, though... with Shane or Thorn or Fraser -- maybe even Jaeger!

Further study shows the two rogues also look disconcertingly alike -- not quite twins (or at least not identical twins), but they do have very similar jawlines and their eyes are shaped very much alike. One has his hair in a long braid; the other wears his loose. They are both dressed in clothes that give the impression of understated wealth. The embroidery shines as if it might be golden thread in the woolen -- or perhaps heavy silk -- fabric. The colors are rich red, brown, and green hues. Cinnamon frowns thoughtfully, then discreetly checks: how are the other elders dressed? Could it be simple greed that caused these rogue elders to sort of... well, effectively lose their minds about both Acorn, and their own level of power?

Actually, it looks like the Elm elders are dressed much less flashily. In fact, no Elm elder Cinnamon has ever met has demonstrated any need to show off their wealth. They've always dressed more in a manner so as to make their beauty obvious. The fabrics have always been lovely and there are sometimes gemstones... but they always seems incidental to the sidhe itself. Even Marcus -- who dresses very well -- doesn't tend to wear a lot of jewelry. It has to do more with what makes him look good, not what screams wealth.

Further, the non-rogue Oak elders have some hints of gold and silver about their persons, but not quite this level of opulence! Caradog at Coblyn shows off, yes, but he's also not got a reputation for greed -- just for foppishness. The elders of the three beansidhe trods are dressed almost solemnly: earthen shades, dark colors. Each of the six has nothing more than perhaps a silver bracelet or torc.

Cinnamon nods very slowly to herself as that difference registers. So that's what caused it -- they wanted more riches! That explains the demand for payment of fealty... and what came after, she suspects, was just a plethora of increasingly horrible efforts to either drive Acorn to pay out of fear... or to cover up the rogues' initial greed. The little dragon flips open her laptop and swiftly types out her observations and conclusion, then adds a question: Does that make sense to you too? She lightly rests a hand on Marcus's forearm so he'll glance at what she's typed.

Marcus glances over, then has to stop his lip curling as he reads the note. It's clear he wants to speak, but instead he leans over and gets his mouth near Cinnamon's ear to whisper as quietly as he can, "I think it's at least eighty percent of it." Cinnamon nods silently, her own expression grim. She may be a dragon... but greed is not something that speaks to her! She'd rather earn her wealth honestly, than steal it dishonestly from those weaker than herself. She clears the typing from her doc file, then leaves the laptop waiting for when it's time to speak.

Once everyone is settled, Ciel calls the moot to order. There's whispering around the room as the words are translated, since Ciel speaks in French. Marcus leans to murmur near Cinnamon's ear again, "This is why they used to have those simultaneous translators in the little booths at the human United Nations..." He sounds almost amused. But maybe he's using humor to break tension.

Cinnamon whispers the translation very quietly back to Marcus, adding, "Sure hope I can get them to let me use English..." She figures she should be 'performing' as the translator, after all! It doesn't occur to her in the least that Marcus might find her warm breath on his ear to be distracting, of course.

Ciel's words are a welcome to everyone; she seems quite solemn, "There has been word of rogue elves, and a delegation of the council came across the ocean to deal with it. One of the delegates is a member of Elm, and was treated quite grievously by the rogue sect of Oak -- Marcus Elmtrod."

Marcus is actually being quite relaxed with Cinnamon. They have to look as if they are very comfortable with one another, if not actually intimate, so the whispering could feel almost flirtatious. The small trick feeds the little threads of mischief in the gealsidhe's soul that none of those traveling with him have actually seen. Upon hearing his name, for example, Cinnamon sees something she has never actually seen -- a flash of Marcus' real, actual impish smile. He's turned toward her and leaning in so closely that his words are just for her as he murmurs in English, "Showtime." Of course, the grin was partially fueled by the feel of warm breath on Marcus' ears. It does feel flirtatious and naughty, after all, and it's a trick -- legerdemain. It's very, very sidhe. The fact that it's justice as well is just gravy.

Cinnamon stands up to bow slightly, then politely asks, "Does everyone here speak English, or have a translator to hand? Councilor Marcus does not speak French, so we would prefer, if possible, to stick to English as the common tongue today." She knows Jaeger is close to Zurina, and can translate for her. What Cinnamon doesn't say, of course, is that she needs to use English in order to stick to the truth while speaking -- because English does not gender its nouns! The little dragon lets her gaze travel around the room, checking for any dissent. She is carefully not admitting to herself -- or even letting herself think about! -- that amazing smile from Marcus. Nopenopenope, that was just him playing a part that's all and she's got other fish to fry right now and there are no butterflies in her stomach because of that amazing, delicious grin not at all!

Thorn too glances around, and also through Erin's eyes, where she's perched in the rafters and worrying over a blackcurrant. He quickly realizes that Erin has actually moved around a bit, shifting to be juuuust above the two rogue Oakentrod elders. It's a very good vantage point! There's murmuring around the room and agreement that English will work. Cinnamon nods gravely when no one objects, and begins, "Good afternoon. Councilor Marcus has asked me, as the translator, to please speak for him today." She pauses for a sympathetic glance towards the badly bruised Marcus -- and to give everyone a moment to realize his terrible (apparent) condition! Clearly this is a man who has been most cruelly abused, and is still struggling to recover.

The two rogue Oak elders look appropriately shocked at the announcement that a councilor was attacked by Acorn. Cinnamon waits for the shocked gasps and dismayed murmurings to die down before she firmly adds to the (by now avidly listening) room, "He wishes to lodge an extremely strong complaint, in regards to the Trod of the Acorn! However, he has been notified that there are other complaints outstanding as well, regarding Acorn. As such, he believes the proper and most courteous thing to do is to ask others who have previous issue with Acorn to please step forward now, so as to lay out the various complaints in order of occurrence. In this way, it is our hope that the most complete picture of this... terrible issue may be developed." She nods politely again, then seats herself and looks expectantly at the two rogue Oak elders.

One of the Oak elders stands, still looking appropriately appalled. When he speaks, his voice is mellifluous, "Acorn has been rogue for decades -- for nearly a century. They split from our trod with thoughts of finding their own territory." He's speaking smoothly, as if this is a story that's well-rehearsed -- something they've practiced. His companion is nodding as he continues, "Trods have traditionally split off when our numbers are too great for a region to easily support us, and that was the original intent..." He spreads his hands and looks down the table at Marcus with apparent remorse, "But we believe the leaders of Acorn at the time were..." He looks almost shamefaced as he glances at his companion, as if this is news they had hoped to never have to tell; a secret they wanted to keep within the trod because it is sad, but not shameful.

Cinnamon watches silently, an appropriately sympathetic expression on her face. Honestly, it's easy for her -- considering her inner sympathy is for how horrible it must be for poor Zurina to listen to this... this unmitigated, slanderous garbage about her beloved family and trod! Jaeger's quiet voice is flat, expressionless, as he translates for Zurina, and Thorn can see he's got a soothing hand on the Acorn elder's arm to keep her in place. He may not be translating directly, however... since Zurina is doing a fantastic job of not simply leaping over the people between her and the council table!

The second of the rogue elders speaks, also standing, "Sometimes people's minds become sick. Their souls darken... and instead of growth and life, they begin to hunger for blood and pain. We believe the elders that were leading Acorn at the time had this heart sickness. My brother and I were invited to a moot with them to try to heal the rift that had formed between them and us. We went and we took some our family's retainers..." One hand goes to his chest, "Only my brother and myself returned... and Acorn has been rogue ever since..."

Thorn reminds himself that Erin is in a great position and... well, probably won't drop anything on the delegates -- but his brows shoot way up when he hears Oak's statement. They have chutzpah to think that even after all this time their lies would still be believed! He's amazed at the confidence they must have. He waits to hear what they say they think Acorn was 'back then.' Nearby, Cinnamon clenches her hands together in her lap, sitting stiffly in her chair and reminding herself: they are here to bring justice to Acorn. They are here to fix things! She must not interrupt these... these incredibly doodyheads! She's going to let them hang themselves, darnit! Around the table, people are watching this... performance... with various expressions. Some look shocked, some furious. One or two are smirking.

Thorn glances over to Shane to see if the guy is getting a migraine from all these lies. Shane had started out by just... staring incredulously... but by a couple of minutes in, he started wincing. By now, his eyes are squinted shut and he's rubbing his temples. He mutters to Thorn, "I am not going to put my fingers in my ears and go 'lalalalala' because I promised to help -- but these two guys are so full of shite that I'm shocked their eyes aren't brown!" His voice is a little hoarse, but the whisper is low enough to keep from carrying -- especially with all the quiet translating going on.

Thorn nods in sympathy, "Would you like some aspirin? I think I have some on me...."

Shane mutters, "Hell, yes!" Thorn wordlessly passes over a small travel-bottle of aspirin, then continues watching attentively. He's wondering just how long these two can keep up the charade.

The rogue elders have no idea that the shocked and furious expressions are at least partially at the unmitigated gall it takes to spew such lies! The first elder, Alrich, takes the tale back up, "We have tried to bring Acorn back into compliance and peace over the years, but they have become guerillas, and as we all know, we are all creatures of the land and of the forest. They are better at it than most... and more vicious..." He turns toward Marcus, "How... how did you survive the attack?"

Cinnamon glances at Marcus inquiringly -- should she answer, or will he? Marcus touches the side of his face at the edge of the largest bruise and says in a pained voice, "I will let the lovely Cinnamon continue to speak for me."

Cinnamon blushes slightly at the compliment, even though she knows it's still just an act! She takes a breath, then turns to the Oak elders and explains, "The councilor hired a pack of werewolves to travel with his party. They are... formidable warriors. But please: is there more we should know?"

Cinnamon and Thorn, since they are watching the rogue elders so closely, catch the very quick flash of hope that crosses their faces. Werewolves? Against Acorn? The first elder says, "Did... did the attackers survive? As you say, werewolves are tr�s formidable et tr�s f�roce."

His brother looks around the room as if trying to find this force of lycanthropes, as he adds, "The last we knew, there were only about a hundred surviving in Acorn. We have... over the years... attempted to bring them peacefully back into the fold, but they have continued to be vicious and they have refused."

Shane snorts and mutters to Thorn, "And those last three words were true."

Cinnamon shakes her head at Alrich's query, her expression grim, "Elders, we will gladly give you all this information, but the councilor does wish to have a clear, ahh... chronological map of this... this terrorism, so that good and fair decisions may be made -- no matter how distasteful. I must again ask, therefore: have you concluded? We do not wish to interrupt your story before you are done." Nearby, Thorn is torn between hoping the Oak elders give themselves more rope, and not wanting to hear that they've been up to even more perfidy!

Alrich sighs, "There have been no large battles. As I say, they are guerillas. Our trod sends occasional raids and forays to try to negotiate, but..." He spreads his hands, his expression seemingly sad, "All is bloodshed and death. The last such battle was five years ago. We lost five of our trod's warriors and they lost... I would say, two of theirs? As I said: vicious, deadly, and good at hiding."

Cinnamon nods gravely again, waiting until the rogue Oak elders are both seated once more before she rises. Her tone is solemn, "These are indeed terrible accusations." She sighs, adding, "I fear... we have equally terrible accusations to levy." She glances down at her laptop, then straightens and takes a deep breath. Her voice is, unbeknownst to her, starting to sound... almost stern, even authoritative, "The councilor feels strongly that we absolutely must unearth the truth in such dreadful situations!" Admittedly, the councilor she's speaking of is herself, but she truly hopes Marcus too would agree.

Cinnamon lets her cool, determined gaze travel slowly around the circle of attentively listening sidhe as she continues, "Consequently, before coming here... yes, there was an attack. Tragically, there were several deaths. After the attack, however, we tracked down the Trod of the Acorn, and we asked their elder to explain themselves. Here is the elder's reply, in their words." She takes a deep breath again, resolved to deliver this information with all the strength and pathos it deserves -- despite knowing that the rogue Oak elders are indubitably going to try and silence her in some manner! "She said: 'The elders of the Oak came to my father and told him that we must pay more fealty and that they would protect us. That otherwise, the council would insist that we disband completely and meld back with Oak. That we would have to give up our own trod and our language and our life and become like them."

"That was seventy-five years ago, when I was still a child. My father went to a meeting with my uncles and my mother and my brothers and my husband. I stayed at the trod because I was pregnant with my first daughter." Cinnamon stares around the room, her voice almost flat as she delivers the terrible next sentence: "None of them came back."

Cinnamon sighs slowly... then continues, "We were told the meeting was with the Oak elders and two of the councilors. Some of the Oak elders died that day as well -- three of the five. The other two were wounded and barely made it back. They came alone, to us. They seemed injured and exhausted so we gave them honey and bread, and our healers saw to them. The surviving elders told us that those responsible for the murders were the dragon and the vampire. The two surviving elders still wanted payment -- they insisted. But we were grieving and told them that we must think before we could make that decision, and with our elders gone... in the end, we did not pay -- we refused. They did not protect us. What good did it do?"

The little dragon continues Zurina's story, "Both of our healers who saw to them mysteriously died. They helped the Oak elders, and the next year one of them was found just outside the perimeter of our old trod -- or rather, most of her was. Her head and half of a leg was missing. A month or two after that, the other... was just gone in the middle of the night. Vanished."

Cinnamon is faintly surprised she got through the entire story uninterrupted -- but she's not going to let that faze her! She's absolutely determined to bring justice to the poor Trod of the Acorn. She stands as tall as she can, and her eyes are unwittingly bright with her anger as she shifts to speaking her own mind, "That is what we were told by the elder of Acorn. Of course, at this point you are all likely asking yourselves: 'who should we believe? One of these stories must be lies!'" She raises her chin proudly, "And you would be right -- one of these stories is a vicious, vile attack on innocent peoples! But we have a way for you to know who is telling the truth... and for that, we must turn to Rowan." She smiles tightly at the elders and guardians of the local Trod of the Rowan, "If I may ask: are any of you familiar with Quinn, the guardian of the Galway Trod of the Rowan? -and if you are, do you know of his knack?"

The two Oak elders look almost relieved to hear that there were Acorn deaths... but then Cinnamon says that they tracked down Acorn's elder, and starts in with Zurina's story. That takes the two rogues by surprise! They whisper furiously together through Cinnamon relating Zurina's story, so it's only now that Alrich surges to his feet, his demeanor one of outrage and offence rather than fear, "Of course Acorn lies in this! Any rogue faction would lie in this!" But as he speaks... Shane is rubbing his temples.

Cinnamon smiles sweetly at the elder, "Really? Excellent -- then you too agree that a truth-seer is precisely what we need to corroborate our stories, right?" She's still smiling as she looks expectantly back at the Rowan elders.

One of the Rowan Chieftains stands and speaks, his voice surprisingly deep for a beansidhe, "I am Simeon. I know Quinn. I know that you need to be careful of your tongue around him or you will wind up telling him things you don't wish him to know."

Cinnamon nods, still smiling, though it's slightly rueful now, "Yes, I've experienced that myself. So, do you also know that he has a son? Or what that son's knack is?"

That makes not just the Rowan Chieftains, but the folk from the other beansidhe trods chuckle, and Simeon smiles. His eyes are almost golden and his smile is razor sharp as he turns it toward the Oak elder, "I believe that Quinn's son -- Sean or Shane or somesuch, oui? -- has a knack for hearing lies... just as his father has a knack for getting you to speak inconvenient truths." The chieftain's eyes begin to scan curiously around the room.

Cinnamon's smile is getting a hard edge to it, "Yes, that's what I was told too... and also that his name is actually Shane." She turns towards Shane, adding, "Isn't that right, Shane?" Thorn can't help but feel... schadenfreude? Satisfaction? A little bit smug? -at watching this play out. This is going to be very, very interesting... and hopefully even more interesting for the rogue Oak elders!

By now Shane has swallowed a couple of the aspirin, so he stands up slowly, making a small show of it, "That is correct. I am called Shane Rowantrod, son of Quinn -- and yes, I can hear truth and lies when they are spoken... and I have been listening as these two..." he pauses, putting a very disgusted twist on the word, "'men' poured out some of the most vile, outright lies I have had the pain of enduring. My knack often requires concentration, for which I am thankful because people tell little social lies to one another and themselves every day just to be polite. But what these two vermin have been spewing drilled into me with such agony that I believe I could have felt it were I dead asleep in the next room."

Cinnamon has to bite her lip to not laugh! The irreverent thought flashes through her head, [No, Shane, please don't hold back so much -- tell us what you really think!] She grins at Shane, her eyes sparkling... then she turns back to the rest of the room, and her voice goes cold once more as she almost thunders, "Trod of the Acorn absolutely deserves a great deal of wergild from the Oak elders who perpetrated this many-years long outrage! In fact, if anyone else knowingly aided them in this..." she pauses to consider, then dryly amends, "-anyone they've not yet murdered, at least, to hide their... their terrorism -- then those co-conspirators too owe wergild to Acorn."

The second rogue Oak elder comes to his feet, shouting at Shane, "How dare you impugn the honor of your betters, whelp!" He's not trying to attack Shane, but he's definitely trying to be loud and indignant in a 'how can you believe this upstart over me?!' kind of way.

Cinnamon adds firmly, over the yelling rogue, "At the very least, I agree with Councilor Marcus that Oak should cede compensatory territory to Acorn, as well as gift them repayment for all the lost, murdered, or stolen people, material resources, and slandered honor and integrity. I'm sure Acorn itself knows best what it needs to spend any monies on." She pauses, thinking a moment -- then angrily adds, "I'd also like to point out that the criminal Oak elders vilely slandered the good names of two genuinely kind, gentle, and generous councilors! Elias and Liam would not dream of doing such horrible behavior as was performed by the Oak elders, and so I absolutely want to see wergild for that nasty piece of viciousness as well!" She turns to the other Oak elders, her voice flat and tight with anger, "Did any of you know anything about this?" She doesn't instantly look at Shane, but crosses her fingers that he's watching carefully -- because this answer is important!

The three elders from the other Oak trod look absolutely horrified! They all swear on their tree that they had nothing to do with this plot. The actual wording one of them uses, in fact, is: "I swear -- on the sacred heart of Oak! -- that I knew nothing of this!"

Shane nods shortly to Cinnamon, to let her know the three elders are telling the truth. Cinnamon sighs in relief when she glances over at Shane's reaction! Then she turns back to the rogue elders, waiting for them to hush... then sighing and looking exasperated as the shouting continues. One of the Yew elders finally amusedly murmurs, "Methinks the gentleman doth protest far, far too much." Her voice is a sort of alto purr as she adds, "Will someone quiet him down? He's beginning to make my head ache too, with the sheer volume."

Cinnamon nods to herself at that -- then takes a breath, tilts her head back... and shouts, "ENOUGH!" Simultaneously, a gout of flame bursts from her mouth! It's short, so no tree or person is in danger... but she suspects it'll also be quite startling!

Both rogue elders instantly stop shouting, going pale and silent with shock! The Yew elder laughs and actually claps her hands happily, "Oh, wonderful... perfect!" She leans forward, goldstone eyes gleaming, "You aren't Marcus' majordomo at all, arrrrre you, hm?"

Cinnamon grins shyly at the Yew elder, "No, ma'am. I'm a councilor too... Cinnamon O'Donnell of House Elgin, and of Liam's lineage. That's why I'm demanding wergild for his good name. Oh... I should do this properly, shouldn't I... because when I called Elias yesterday and told him this story, he asked me to tell you all the following." She clears her throat, then adds in a good approximation of Elias' precise speech as she quotes him, "Elias said to me: I ask you to claim wergild as my proxy as I am unable by my nature to travel there and claim it for myself. My name was used as leverage to terrify and attempt to defraud Acorn of freedom and of their livelihoods. This besmirches my honor."

Cinnamon smiles down at Marcus as she adds, "Marcus had the idea -- that if we acted like he was too hurt to even talk much, we could maybe get the rogue Oak elders to tell their story first... and that way, no one would have to be hurt to find out the truth." Glancing up at said rogues, she adds coldly, "I'm finding I sure don't care if they're hurt now, though." She pauses, considering... then smiles again as she turns, shifting to French, "Elder Zurina of Acorn, have you anything you want to add?" She grins as she catches Fraser's eye, giving him a cheerful wink -- she's feeling pretty good right now! It's looking better and better for poor Acorn, and that makes the little dragon happy.

Zurina stands with quiet dignity and starts to step around Jaeger. However, when the two Oak Elders catch sight of her, there's a rush of movement -- as they both lunge for her! Ciel immediately shouts, "Don't kill them!" Cinnamon doesn't move, though... because she knows Zurina is flanked by Shane, Fraser, and Jaeger! If anything, the little dragon feels a bit sorry for the stupid Oakies.

Fraser is, indeed, right there! The first Oak elder finds himself face-to-face with a snarling wall of Havvarger. Fraser is large. Fraser is fast. Fraser is angry! -and Fraser is armed. One large fist catches hold of the Oak traitor's tunic and the other holds the tip of a bronze dagger just under the shelf of the man's jaw as the werewolf snarls, "I would think very, very carefully about your next move, sir. Ciel said not to kill you, but I could take a lot of your skin off before you died."

Cinnamon grins as she calls, "M'sieu, you asked about the werewolves? May I introduce Fraser, beta of the Valkyrie pack?"

The second Oak elder tries to duck between Thorn and Shane -- and finds himself facing Jaeger. The Germanic elf isn't as large as Fraser... but Jaeger is at least as fast as the werewolf! He is also armed... and so the second Oak elder finds himself with his feet briskly swept out from under himself, and Jaeger's knee on his throat before he can even think to react! The Elm elder murmurs, "That was a very, very foolish thing to try. Did you actually think you would succeed in looking like the wronged party by attacking her?" He actually sounds a bit curious.

Cinnamon grins at Zurina, beckoning her forward as (still in French) she adds, "Come! Now there won't be any interruptions when you speak." As always, of course, the little dragon politely translates for Marcus as well.

The Yew elder that was so amused by Cinnamon's gout of flame is actually laughing, clapping, and bouncing in her seat, "Oh, this is wonderful! I haven't had this much fun in decades!" Cinnamon can't help giggling a bit in spite of herself at the Yew elder's reaction!

Zurina looks coldly down at the elder which Jaeger is pinning, then steps on the man's stomach and over him, with great dignity. She makes her way to Cinnamon and hugs the little dragon tightly, "Translate for me, friend?"

Cinnamon beams as she warmly returns the hug, "It would be an honor!" She's deeply touched -- Zurina called her 'friend'! Maybe this means the Acorn elder too believes justice is finally coming for herself and her poor people.

Zurina lifts her chin and takes a deep breath. She speaks slowly and with great depth of feeling as she tells the story again in her own words. As she speaks, tears begin rolling down her face. The elder goes on to tell what it's like for Acorn now: the hiding and moving, the stress of being rogue... wanting to settle and have their own permanent trod again. The sorrow of losing family. The terror of what happened nearly a century ago. The sadness of finding out what the true betrayal had been. Cinnamon faithfully translates the Euskara to English, so that everyone can understand... though she too eventually is hastily wiping tears off her cheeks, and swallowing hard so she can keep speaking despite getting a bit choked up. Zurina's story is heart-wrenching... and Cinnamon doesn't want to hide her emotion! She wants everyone to hear and feel poor Zurina's pain.

Zurina finishes with, "I claim wergild for my people. We were lied to and forced into rogue status to survive. I believe now that these two may also have slaughtered elders of their own trod to cover their lies and deceit."

Cinnamon nods gravely once she's finished translating Zurina's story, "I'd wondered that too, actually. The elders of this Elm trod told us those elders supposedly died in an avalanche." She glares at the two restrained rogues as she adds, "Was that due to your machinations as well?!" She mutters to Zurina, once she translates that as well, "Not that I expect them to answer..." Both of the traitorous elders are glaring at Zurina and refusing to speak. Cinnamon thinks for a moment, then whispers to the Acorn elder, "Hey, would folks from the other Oak trods be okay to assimilate with your folks?" Then she straightens at a sudden thought, then turns to Shane, "Hey, Shane? Don't let me forget that we have to find out if anyone else in the rogue Oak trod was helping these two doodyheads, okay?"

Shane nods to Cinnamon, "We should ask those questions possibly in private, ac... Cinnamon."

Simeon speaks up, "I will help with the questioning, Shane, if you do not mind. Also I think at least one person from the innocent Oak trod should be there as well." He has the feeling of someone quite solid and dependable.

Zurina replies to Cinnamon -- as well as everyone else there, "We would like to keep our ways; they are dear to us. But if others are willing to assimilate into our culture, we would welcome them. If they wish to learn our language and our ways..." She smiles sadly, "We cannot live by putting up unnecessary roadblocks. We have lost too much."

Cinnamon nods and translates... then checks with Zurina for permission to add to everyone else present, "Please, could you all pass that information on to your people, so anyone who is willing to assimilate knows? Acorn really needs people -- they've lost at least, um..." she calculates hastily, "wow, somewhere between 25 and 75 people just in the past 25 years!" She hugs Zurina then, whispering, "I'm so sorry we contributed to that loss, Zurina, even though we didn't know or want to! Please tell me if there's anything else we can do?"

Zurina hugs Cinnamon back, murmuring, "You only knew that we held your friend. Not why."

Cinnamon nods, still slightly tearful... though she laughs a bit shakily, fumbling a travel pack of Kleenex out of her pocket and offering one to Zurina as well, "Still... I really want to know if there's anything else you need, please? It's just... well, it -- you've had to deal with so much bad stuff for so long! I think you all deserve a bunch of good now, you know?"

Zurina smiles and takes out her own handkerchief to hand it to Cinnamon. She's making no move to wipe away her own tears, "You have done your part to bring recompense."

Cinnamon grins shyly at Zurina, "It was the least I could do... that any of us could do, really!" She glances around as she's wiping her eyes, checking on what's going on. She wonders, too: how do you get wergild from someone who refuses to acknowledge guilt? Then she grins down at the still-seated Marcus, her eyes sparkling with a bit of mischief as she adds, "Did my 'showtime' earn your approval?"

Ciel stands then, "I call the question: since these two elders have been found to be lying by a truth-seer, and have caused death and loss of face, they should owe wergild. All that agree on this, say aye!" There's a unanimous chorus of ayes that almost drowns out Marcus' flash of grin and his quiet answer, "It was worthy of the sidhe!"

Cinnamon laughs delightedly, unthinkingly giving Marcus a warm hug too! -- though she jerks back, apologizing hastily at his slight wince, "Sorry! Sorry, forgot -- I'm sorry!"

Marcus is surprised into hugging back despite the pain -- he even smiles crookedly, "No need to apologize. We made a good team." He winces and starts to stand, "However... I think things here are going to begin to scatter soon, and I would like to see if there is a hot bath to be had..."

Cinnamon grins, internally both startled and quite pleased that Marcus thinks they make a good team! She carefully pats his shoulder, still beaming, "Go feel better, then. Things do seem to be calming down, thank goodness!"

Marcus smiles wryly as he murmurs, "Oh, I think things may heat up again. Those two are going to protest... because their trod will naturally claim the wergild should come from their private wealth."

Cinnamon smiles and shakes her head, her own voice remaining very low-pitched as well, "I'm guessing they won't get far with their protests, though... with beansidhe, right? Though I really do hope the treason was only them."

Marcus chuckles, "Oh, the beansidhe are definitely not going to let them get far. But now... food -- and rest."

Cinnamon nods silently, glancing around thoughtfully. Food definitely sounds good to her! After that... she supposes it depends. She's not sure what good she'd be, at the interrogation. Maybe... maybe a bit more quarterstaff practice? Watching both Jaeger and Fraser effectively defuse the two rogues had been... rather inspiring! She's seen Shane do that sort of thing too, actually. If she too can learn to defuse things before they get ugly, even if it's with a staff, then... all to the good, she thinks!

Indeed, lunch is laid out and the two rogues are taken away. Ciel wrinkles her nose as she declares the real questioning will be after people have eaten, "We need a palate cleanser. Also, Zurina needs to be reunited and welcomed back to the bosom of Oak, I believe." Cinnamon smiles shyly at Zurina -- she's tremendously pleased with how kindly people have been treating the Acorn elder! Thorn too smiles quietly, as he sits to eat with the others. That went much better than he thought it would, and the unanimous demand of wergild is not only fitting, but pleasing to him. He just hopes there's no further perfidy discovered to have been committed by these two. What were they thinking, after all?

Cinnamon heaps up a nice, filling plate of food, then looks around to see who's free. If she can find Fraser or Shane, maybe one of them would be willing to train a bit more with her, later today? Fraser and Shane are there together with the three Chieftains of the beansidhe trods present. Zurina has been swept into a group with the Oak trods, as Ciel suggested she might. The two rogue Oak elders are... nowhere to be seen; neither is Jaeger.

Cinnamon finds a spot to sit, and eats hungrily -- since she's assuming Fraser and Shane have important things to talk about with the elders. It doesn't even occur to her that she could be thought of as 'important' too, however. She muses at the same time: maybe after lunch someone will be free to... or wait. She... actually doesn't have to have someone there, in order to practice -- it's not like she needs permission or anything, right?! She blinks at that astonishing (to her) thought, slightly pleased with how... how positively daring she's been getting! Yeah! She can actually practice on her own -- and do a good job too, maybe!

After a few minutes there's gentle ahem just behind Cinnamon's shoulder. The little dragon startles slightly, still lost in her thoughts -- then glances almost guiltily over her shoulder, "Oh, I'm sorry! Am I in your spot? I can move!"

Shane is standing there, smiling; he's got the three beansidhe Chieftains with him, "Acu... Cinnamon, I'd like you to meet Simeon, Lucien, and Ranier. Gentlemen, I'm honored to introduce you to Cinnamon -- one of the global councilors, and one of my dearest friends."

Cinnamon blinks up at them all, pushing up her glasses... then hastily stands and gives a nervously awkward bow, "I, uh, h-hello! Er, I... it's a pleasure to meet you all?" She winces mentally -- wowsers, does she sound like a dweeb! She really needs to learn how to not be so twitchy, or something, with new folks. She smiles wryly as it occurs to her: at least this time Shane didn't whisper in her ear! He always seems to do that when she least expects it, which means she's either frozen in place so she doesn't squeal and jump and tip over her drink or something... or she's actually squealing, jumping, and drink-dumping... er... yeah, okay, need to focus here! She smiles uncertainly at the elders, adding, "Thank you so much, Mr. Sim- er, uh, elder Simeon, for being willing to talk to me during the meeting...?"

Elsewhere, Fraser settles by Thorn when Shane takes the Chieftains to meet Cinnamon, rumbling quietly, "I'm almost disappointed I didn't have to hand anyone over to you."

Thorn gives a quiet laugh, "I'm not! Though for a while there, I think I would have been disappointed in the same way. It's better this way, though. There'll be wergild, and their trod will probably have something special planned for them -- all taken care of in the family, so to speak."

Fraser tips his chair back slightly, "Mmm... this is true -- anything from banishment to death... though likely some kind of binding and seizure of assets. Banishment is as good as a death sentence for sidhe in the modern world. It's hard to live out in human society, for someone allergic to iron."

Thorn nods soberly to Fraser, "I think binding and seizure would be sufficient. No need to have potential enemies running around the outside world, stirring up trouble." He's seen more than enough movies and other media where the villain always returns in either a few seasons, or in the sequel.

Fraser mms and nods, "Exactly. There is a saying that making an enemy and leaving them alive behind you is a good way to wake up dead." The werewolf smiles, "But yes -- binding and seizure is the more humane way now."

Thorn nods, now a little discomfited, "Though after seeing Cinnamon make enemies into friends...."

Fraser smiles, "Cinnamon has a gift. It's good that she's found her way to this side of things. From what I've pieced together, her family deserve to have their heads knocked together." He rubs the back of his head, "There's this golden-child/scapegoating thing that can happen with narcissists for parents..." then half-grins, "There's a lot of down-time in the middle of the night on quiet voyages. I read some psychology at one point. I think Cinnamon got scapegoated."

Thorn hrmphs and nods to Fraser, "I didn't meet her parents. Fortunately -- for both of us, actually. It really does sound like they're pieces of work, and she's much, much better off without them filling her head with lies and gaslighting her." The healer shakes his head and sighs, "And of course, her sister was the one that got all the accolades and favor from their parents."

Fraser murmurs, "Neither did I, thankfully." He stretches and says, "Still... I thought there might be a fight." He glances sideways at Thorn, "Elm seems to be a very calm trod, though."

Thorn nods soberly, "Very calm. Much calmer than the other trods we've been to." He grimaces, "Then again, nobody's come here to shoot the place up and kill people." [At least,] he thinks, glancing to where the Oak elders had been seated, [that we know of.]

Fraser snorts, "Let's not jinx it." He winks at Thorn.

Thorn laughs quietly, "Amen to that!"

Across the room, Cinnamon notices the three Chieftains she's being introduced to are all of the pale, dark-haired, beansidhe stock. Ranier's eyes are a yellow so pale that they seem almost transparent, while Lucien's look the color of gold. Ranier takes her hand and speaks in gently accented English, "It is a true honor, m'selle!" Then he kisses her hand -- though at the last second his eyes flick up to hers, and he grins mischievously. Releasing her hand, he adds, "You were magnifique!"

Cinnamon blinks again as it finally registers -- oh, wow! Shane called her a dearest friend! She blinks startledly down at Ranier, her eyes still a little starry at how nice Shane is being about her... then blushes hotly -- oh my gosh Ranier is... he's really kissing her hand?! She stutters in a bit of shock, "Oh, I, uhh... oh, um -- th-thank you?!" She pushes up her glasses as she thinks -- her, magnificent?! Wow! Shyly she adds, "M-magnifique... really?" She beams, rather touched -- how nice these guys are being!

Simeon smiles down at Cinnamon, "I am not an elder. I'm the Chieftain of Rowan here, just as Quinn is Rowan's Chieftain near Galway. My job is to keep the peace and knock heads when heads need knocking." He motions toward one of the beansidhe women, "Beatrice is the local elder of Rowan. She's much more level-headed than I am." His eyes are dancing almost playfully as he adds, "Also, I am only eighty-seven years old."

Cinnamon's eyes widen slightly, and she blushes again as she glances between the three men, "Oh! I, um, I -- should I have called you all chieftain or guardian or something, rather than elder? I'm really sorry, if so! I'm s-still learning all this stuff, I'm afraid...?"

Lucien speaks, and he actually seems to have an American accent -- one that would sound at home on a television show set in the Midwest, "No, it's fine. Sidhe society can be odd. Beansidhe trods tend to have a male chieftain, and the elders tend to be female."

Ranier laughs almost playfully, "Because the women make better decisions and are less likely to be ruled by... let us say 'passions,' mm?"

Cinnamon nods a bit bemusedly at Lucien, wondering if he's as old as Jaeger, and came to Europe instead of the other way around -- then blushes slightly at Ranier's comment! At that, she scolds herself a bit, internally: what is up with all this blushing?! The man's just trying to be pleasant, sheesh! She hastily tries to pull herself together, "Oh, um, uh, okay... s-so... let me guess -- you all came to protect your elders, then, right? 'Cause of what we originally thought were rogue Acorn folks?"

Just then, the Yew elder that was so amused by the whole proceeding seems to almost appear out of thin air, her eyes twinkling, "That depends upon the elder, I would say. Some of us have been called whimsical, playful, or even capricious, Ranier, mon ami. I mean, we are called the Unseelie Court, and seen as quite dangerous by the other trods, mmm? I suspect that is why we were invited rather than, say... oh... Apple or Birch or Aspen."

Cinnamon blinks startledly at the new woman appearing so abruptly -- then remembers her manners and smiles uncertainly, "Er, h-hello! I, um, I'm afraid I... d-didn't get your name, earlier?"

The Yew elder smiles and offers her hand, "Sylvie. Elder of Yew -- and eternal thorn in the side of Ranier!"

Simeon laughs warmly, "'Eternal thorn in the side' -- you could have stopped right there, Sylvie!"

That actually makes Sylvie laugh, and she goes on tiptoe to kiss Simeon. It's a warm kiss that seems to skate the line between platonic and non, "I trust I'm not always an irritation?" Cinnamon starts to reflexively reach for Sylvie's hand, but then pauses when the woman moves smoothly to Simeon. Huh... do all the locals know each other well? Is that... maybe a beansidhe thing? She watches, wide-eyed and fascinated. Sylvie turns back and offers her hand again, eyes still twinkling, "I'm sorry; I get distracted easily sometimes. Besides, Simeon is adorable."

Cinnamon blinks a bit startledly at Sylvie, hastily whipping her hand back out from where she'd placed it nervously behind her back, "Uh! Oh, um, he... is?" She sighs at herself at that -- holy Hannah, she couldn't sound more dense if she worked at it! What is up with her today?! She takes a deep breath, then tries to smile as she shakes hands firmly with the Yew elder, "Um, yes... er, I mean he certainly must be!" She glances uncertainly between the men, adding, "...as... are they all...?" She hopes that came out complimentary -- it's what she meant, after all! -or was (clumsily) trying for... Shane senses Cinnamon is getting flustered, so he puts his arm around her shoulder and gives her a little squeeze. She sighs the tiniest amount in relief, relaxing slightly against Shane as she listens to the various beansidhe.

Lucien smiles quietly, watching the way Shane radiates protectiveness around his smaller, younger friend. Simeon chuckles, shaking his head, "Sylvie says I am too stoic, and enjoys trying to 'get my goat,' I think the English saying is."

Sylvie dimples up at him, "You're beansidhe! You are so very serious!"

Ranier laughs quietly, "She is not completely incorrect, however!"

Cinnamon grins shyly at Ranier, "Well, you're all so... so beautiful and graceful and clever and all, that it, um... doesn't seem much of a reach to me that you might all consider each other adorable... sort of? Er, if that makes sense...?"

Ranier laughs warmly and shakes his head, his own eyes twinkling as well, "Oh, believe me, we definitely do not all consider one another adorable!" He uses the French pronunciation, adding, "In fact, we often consider one another to be quite the..." he seems to search for the right word, "irritation!"

His eyes are still dancing playfully, even as Lucien leans in confidentially, "He's trying to be polite and not say we occasionally consider one another to be complete assholes."

Cinnamon glances startledly at Lucien -- then hastily tries to cover the giggle that wants to bubble up, right on the heels of the blush! "Oh, I, uhh... um... s-sorry?" She's starting to feel really out of her depth here, unfortunately! She's not used to being the focus of so much concentrated interest, when she isn't giving some sort of presentation... and since she's not got a presentation to guide her on what to say, she's rapidly running out of ideas! Desperately she wonders if there's a polite way to say 'sorry gotta go you're all way too much for me to handle all at once -- adorable or not!' Her gaze flicks from them to Shane, then back again... and then she brightens hopefully, "Oh! Uh, Sh-shane! I, um, I w-wanted to... to ask you if we could maybe p-practice a bit more with the staffs p-please? Like, um... now? Are you busy? I can, um, finish lunch later... maybe?"

Shane definitely senses that poor Cinnamon is starting to feel like a butterfly under glass by now! He smiles, "We can definitely do that."

Sylvie's eyes brighten, "You fight with staves? I would love to get in some practice! May I tag along?"

Cinnamon glances a bit warily at Sylvie, "Uh... fair warning? I'm, um... like a totally rank beginner, okay?" She pushes her glasses up, adding sheepishly, "Like... three days' training, and I've only just gotten to where I, er, d-don't freeze up so I don't hit anyone...?" She has no idea, since she's never done any martial arts at all, that her eidetic memory will be quite helpful in regards to remembering the kata and where she's been told her hands, feet, body, and staff go. True, the muscle memory isn't there yet, and will take a long time to come -- but the little dragon hasn't forgotten anything she was taught, and has no idea yet that this might be seen as remarkable.

Sylvie beams, "Oh, then I'll be a good person to have around! If you've only been practicing for three days, you've only had a very few opponents. You should have more!" She kisses Ranier on the cheek, "Stay here and be a good representative of the trod. I'm going to go play with the fun people!"

Cinnamon blinks a bit startledly at Sylvie... then glances uncertainly at Shane, mouthing a silent, 'fun?!' She considers a moment, but then grins -- oh! Of course -- Sylvie means Shane! He's awful cute too... the Yew elder probably wants to find out if he's adorable as well! Cinnamon grins at that, slightly flushed as she nods to Sylvie, "Uh, if it's okay with Shane, it's fine with me -- he's the trainer!"

Shane smiles, "She's right, acushla -- having varied opponents is good."

As Cinnamon is pattering off to her room a few minutes later, to change clothes so she can work out in them, the little dragon giggles to herself. She certainly thinks Shane's adorable! But that's totally not something she can tell Sylvie, of course. Behind her, Shane also stops to ask Thorn and Fraser if they want to join.

It only takes a short time to get to the meadow, and Cinnamon emerges there with a new determination burning inside her. She's seen firsthand now how helpful it is to be able to calm things down without resorting to terminal means. By golly, she's going to learn how to do it too! She carefully sets her glasses on the weapons table, then picks up her usual staff and starts the stretching-out exercises while she waits for everyone else. Shane is in his own workout clothes, while Sylvie has changed into trousers and a tunic. She's also barefoot and doing some stretches, though she bounces upright when Cinnamon arrives, beaming, "You look so serious!"

Cinnamon turns from the weapons table and blinks near-sightedly at Sylvie, smiling in spite of herself, "Well... I, um, sort of am? I, er, I've only just recently discovered I'm a dragon, and I don't know how to fight, and I've already had more than one occasion where I wanted to calm things down but all I had handy was fire, you know? So I'm hoping this will be a good, uhh... good intermediate reaction between doing nothing... and, er, b-burning things up?" She sighs ruefully as she looks down at the stick in her hands, "Plus... well, kinda clumsy, right? So, really gotta concentrate to not hurt anyone by accident." She pauses, considering... then blushes, "Well, um... accidentally hurting anyone else any more..."

Sylvie's eyes twinkle, "Ah, I see. I asked around, you know. You're Liam's granddaughter, oui? Also from what I gathered, M'sieu Marcus was not actually still bruised when you arrived." She actually giggles slightly and pats Cinnamon on the shoulder, "It made a very, very good disguise. Come, let's do some kata! It always helps me relax."

Cinnamon nods at mention of Liam -- but then blushes hotly at the mention of Marcus' bruises! She stutters uncertainly as she follows the elder onto the field, "It, uh, oh, h-he -- Marcus thought we might as well use the, er, th-the bruising? -to, um, t-to fool the rogues...?" She blinks and settles into the first position kata as Sylvie does so, cutting off her urge to babble uncertainly. Focus, now! Got to learn this really good!

Sylvie laughs delightedly, "Oh! That's wonderful -- better than trying to use makeup or glamour! Real bruising to give the illusion that it's still from the assault -- tr�s bien!" She moves into position. She's closer in stature to Cinnamon than Zurina. In fact, she's closer in stature to Cinnamon than any sidhe they've met so far... which makes her a whole different sort of opponent. She is, in fact, only two or three inches taller than Cinnamon, "To tell the truth, I have a rather... strained relationship with most Oakies. They're... so... pompous! Most of them have a very regal vibe about them, and they can be pretty to look at... but they have such the inflated sense of their place in the world. I enjoy being able to puncture it in a good cause." Sylvie moves with sharp precision into the kata with Cinnamon.

Cinnamon blinks distractedly at Sylvie... then makes a small, choked noise as she tries not to have a giggle-fit! The sudden mental image of Sylvie unexpectedly -- and delightedly, of course! -- poking Caradog in the bum while he's being serious... is seriously shattering to Cinnamon's concentration! Sylvie grins and gives Cinnamon a gentle nudge in the thigh with the butt of her spear, "You can laugh! You've met a few Oakies! Tell me they don't all walk around like they've got a big old bough shoved up their derrieres!"

Cinnamon tries reflexively to block the nudge -- she's not experienced enough (or currently clear-visioned enough) to realize this isn't a probe. When she correctly and sharply blocks her opponent's staff, Sylvie laughs -- while Shane actually cheers and laughs as well, "Way to go, acushla!"

Cinnamon blinks again, then smiles sheepishly at both Shane and the Yew elder, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude there -- that wasn't an actual attack, right? Uh, though... well, then again, I guess I can try talking at the same time too?"

The petite beansidhe elder grins delightedly, "I wasn't actually trying to get you to block -- I was just trying to nudge you -- but very good! Let's do the kata while we talk. You're from Coblyn? I've never met the Oak King from there. Is he as stuck up as the Oakies here? I mean, if he is, you know what I'm talking about." She laughs warmly again, "I've met the folks from the trod your sweetie hails from. His p�re du p�re was a wonderful fellow."

Cinnamon starts to sink back into position again -- but then blinks and straightens in shock, "Wait, who?! Er, I mean, I... I don't have a sweetie...?" The little dragon hastily wracks her brains, trying to figure out who Sylvie means. Could she think Marcus was Cinnamon's sw- uhh, could possibly be interested in someone like Cinnamon? Uncertainly she adds, "Who, umm... who're you talking about, p-please?" She tilts her head in confusion, "Surely you don't mean Caradog! He's way too pretty -- and knows it! -- to be interested in someone like me?"

Sylvie laughs softly, "Non! I speak of Brannigan! Am I mistaken? I mean, Shane calls you acushla. It's a very sweet pet name. I learned a few words of Gaelic when I was traveling decades and decades ago! Or are you really just dear friends? It's good to have friends like that -- it's really how Ranier and I are. I tease him mercilessly, but I really do care for him." She's moving with Cinnamon slowly in the kata.

Cinnamon blinks uncertainly, unsure how to reply... but then the kata reminds her of why she's here, and she shifts to follow Sylvie's lead. She glances nervously towards where she heard Shane's voice coming from, and hopes he's not horribly insulted at being, er, 'romantically linked' with her! "It, um, I -- I really like having dear friends! I'm really p-proud that Shane thinks of me that way, too... y'know?" She considers how, er... 'friendly' Ranier had been towards her, and wonders: was that maybe flirtation? Admittedly, probably just the 'flirting as in talking' kind rather than the 'flirting as sexually interested' kind, but still... she could see Ranier perhaps being that way towards Sylvie too?

Sylvie smiles and it's clearly audible in her voice, "Oh, I may have misread. But I can tell he is protective. His eyes stray to you." She's keeping her voice low, so hopefully Shane didn't hear due to still being on the sidelines -- even though he's carefully watching the two women move together. Sylvie giggles, "But he seems like the warrior-protector sort. They are always so sweet. Simeon's like that, too. So very serious and protective and dour on the surface. It's why I tease him so! But beneath that? Such fire! Very worth it to get underneath."

Cinnamon blinks puzzledly at Sylvie, "Er... wait, I'm getting confused here. Which one is the Yew guardian again, please?"

Sylvie smiles, "Ranier is the Yew guardian. Simeon is Rowan. But I tease him. I've known him since he came of age. He's very stoic and dour."

Cinnamon ah!s and nods, "Okay, got it! ...er, I think." She grins uncertainly again, wondering if the Rowan elder is stoic and dour too... since Ranier and Sylvie both seem to be rather, um... light-hearted about things? A moment later she chides herself: focus! She's supposed to be learning, here!

As Sylvie and Cinnamon are talking and going through the kata, Ciel appears on the sidelines and talks quietly with Shane, who nods and then calls out, "Ladies! I've been asked to come help with the questioning. Do, ah... do either of you..."

Cinnamon glances over near-sightedly, pausing and straightening to listen... then she tilts her head and asks, "Can I ask you to tell me later, if you find out, just why they did this? I'd really love to know, if so... if that's okay?" She glances around hopefully, "Is Fraser here? Maybe he could, um... manage things here for a bit, if so?" She's happy to do kata with Sylvie, after all -- but she has absolutely no intention whatsoever of causing some sort of horrible diplomatic incident due to her accidentally damaging the Yew elder! She shudders slightly at the thought, wryly wondering if she'd get challenged to a duel or something by Ranier, if so... yikes, no! Definitely just actual sparring with Fraser, right!

Shane calls back that he'll send Fraser to help out and that he'll be back as soon as he can. Sylvie laughs warmly, "Fraser's the werewolf, yes? He's a big one! He smells feral, too." The way she says 'feral' doesn't sound bad. It just sounds like another descriptive word, like if she'd said Fraser has red hair.

Cinnamon beams as she calls back thanks to the blur she's... fairly sure is Shane? She turns and nods to Sylvie, still smiling, "That's him, yeah! Er... what does feral smell like, though, please?" She licks her lips thoughtfully, trying to remember what Fraser smell/tastes like... is that 'feral'? Indeed, there's a 'flavor' to Fraser that just seems like forests and wildness. For lack of a better description, Fraser's essence is the opposite of cities.

There's another of those warm, mischievous laughs, "He smells like he's got a bit of the wild hunt in him." The blur that is the Yew elder taps her nose, lowering her voice, "I've got a very good nose. It's a bit of my ancestry. Several generations back, I am not full beansidhe. Not precisely a knack."

Cinnamon nods thoughtfully, "I... can see that, yeah. He definitely smells nothing like cities, for example." She pauses, then startledly adds, "Wild hunt?! That's a real thing?"

Sylvie sounds surprised in return, "Oui! Or it was. It hasn't ridden in at least a century, that I know of."

Cinnamon blinks interestedly, reflexively reaching up to adjust her glasses before she remembers she's not wearing them, "Cool! What is it exactly, please?"

Sylvie smiles thoughtfully, "It depends on who you ask. The hunt I have seen and heard was chasing down a man that had done- well... the things he had done were horrid, and so he was cursed to the chase. It went on every night for a full cycle of the moon. He thought he was dreaming." She pauses, then adds very seriously, "He was not."

Cinnamon blinks, "Well, I mean, um... like, is it really led by, er, Wodan? Are the hounds really the lost souls of the damned?"

Sylvie shakes her head, "The hounds on that hunt were Gabriel Hounds. They're really very sweet, but they are tireless. The huntsman is not Wotan. For that hunt it was an elder of Willow."

Cinnamon huhs softly, considering... then remembers why she's here, "I, um, would love to talk more about this, since... well, I want to learn everything I can since I'm so new to this, you know? But... I don't -- I mean, I shouldn't be distracted either! Want to continue with the kata?" She grins hopefully as she settles back into position.

Sylvie laughs, "I understand hunger for knowledge, but for now: en garde!" She grins and gets back into stance to work on kata, speeding it up a little.

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Last modified: 2019-Jun-12 19:53:32

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