She frowns, seeing her point but still not trusting her.

Leanansidhe paused, and nothing could be heard except the faint skittering of things unseen in the pressing darkness. "If Summer and Winter go to war, and the Iron fey attack, there will be nothing left. If the Iron fey win, the Nevernever will become uninhabitable. I dont know what that will do to the Between, but Im sure it will be quite fatal for me. So you see, darling," Leanansidhe said, taking a sip of wine, "it would be advantageous for me to help you. And since I have eyes and ears everywhere within the mortal realm, it would be prudent of you to accept."

Ironhorse spoke. To his credit, he tried to keep his voice down, but even then it echoed around the room. "YOUR OFFER IS APPRECIATED," he rumbled, "BUT WE ALREADY KNOW WHERE THE SCEPTER IS LOCATED."

"Do you now?" Leanansidhe shot him a vicious smile. "Where?"

"SILICON VALLEY."

"Lovely. Where in Silicon Valley, pet?"

A pause. "I DO NOT--"

"And how do you plan on getting to the scepter once you find it, darling? Walk in the front door?"

Ironhorse glowered at her. "I WILL FIND A WAY."

"What do you suggest we do?" She asks.

"Well, let me tell you what I know about Silicon Valley, pet, so the princess has an idea of what shes up against. Its the gremlins spawning ground. You know, those nasty little things that crawl out of computers and other machines. There are literally thousands of them down there, perhaps hundreds of thousands, as well as some very powerful Iron fey who would turn you into bloody strips as soon as look at you. You go down there without a plan, darling, and youre walking into a death trap. Besides, youre already too late." Leanansidhe snapped her fingers, holding out her glass for more wine. "Ive been keeping tabs on the scepters movements ever since I heard it was stolen. It was being held in a large office building in San Jose, but my spies tell me its been moved. Apparently, someone already tried to get in and steal it back, but didnt quite succeed. Now, the building has been cleared out, and the scepter is gone." Ash. He must've been the one who tried to get it back.

She leans back in her chair, glaring at the table.

"What do you suggest, Lea?" asked Puck.

"Let my people search the valley. I know a sluah who is simply fabulous at finding things that dont want to be found. Ive sent for him today. In the meantime, I have all my minions scouring the streets, keeping their heads down and their ears to the ground. Theyll turn up something, eventually."

"How soon is eventually?" She mutters, still glaring at the table.

Leanansidhe smiled and blew her a smoke rabbit. "I suggest you get comfortable, darling."

It wasnt a request. They'd be waiting. For a while.

She sighs, running a hand down her face. "So be it."

To make things worse, there were no clocks anywhere in the mansion and, even weirder, no windows to see the outside world. Also, as most faeries did, Leanansidhe hated technology, so that of course meant no television, computers, phones, video games, anything to make time pass more quickly. Not even a radio, although the crazy humans wandering the mansion would often spontaneously burst into song, or start playing some kind of instrument, so the house was never without noise. The few exiled fey Claire saw either fled her presence or nervously told her that she was not to be bothered, Leanansidhes orders.