#anywhere

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"You can't go ditching, you've only been here what two weeks? You could get yourself in trouble. Don't you want a family?"

"Won't get in trouble if somebody doesn't squeal." Gruff, glare.

She backs up, "See, this is why you don't have friends, let alone family" But she heads up the steps rather than to where the fosters would be

No rejoinder, no talk back. She heads for her room, jerking the door open with more force than necessary and slamming it closed.

"Everything okay up there? " An adult voice

"FINE!"

Inside 'her' room - there's little sign of Sam there. Dainty pink-and-white furniture is set primly against pale pink walls, with a little mirror vanity and a rocking chair full of stuffed animals - bears with tutus, bunnies, kittens.

A black plastic garbage bag is shoved beneath said vanity, spilling out with rumpled t-shirts and jeans and a few tattered comic books.

There's nothing there that's worth..

tack

tack

is something hitting her window?

She sets the backpack on the bed, unzipping it to retrieve the two cinnamon rolls. The sticky sugar has oozed into the napkins, but she handles them with loving care.

A frown, and she goes to check the window.

Yup. Small pebbles

She yanks the curtain shut and turns away. Opening the bottom vanity drawer reveals a small stash - a jar of peanut butter, half a bag of potato chips, a can of spaghettios, a handful of mints from the italian place...

And now, two cinnamon rolls.

Tak? "hey?" A voice

A scowl, and back to the window. She peers through the glass, looking for the speaker.

It's..Zane? Wearing a backpack and other things

"Go. Away." She makes a shooing gesture.

He pulls out her homework assignments and waves them, "Hey. Trying to help do my part. Cut me some slack?"

A split second decision and she puts a finger to her lips. Miming now - point to herself, and fingers walking down stairs.

He nods and shushes

She thunders down the stairs, and is out the back door in a stitch.

And zane looks around, "Okay, good. Here's your homework. Always happy to help the thin blue line"

"You can't make noise like that." She takes the papers. "And... thanks, I guess. I got the primer, I guess. The rules."

"I made noise? Did you hear the slamming you did? " Then he shrugs and smiles, "No problem. Rivervale's good to us. Living proof that more commoner kith shold be elevated to the nobility."

"Uh.. I guess? I thought..." A wary look around, checking. "I thought Brekke was a baroness?"

"Sure. But she wasn't always. " He says, "The sidhe can be decent rulers, but they risk stagnation and lack lateral thinking in sociological requirements for today's Autumn world."

"The elf ones. So all the elves are... nobility? I haven't met one yet."

"They can be cool. And they're always gorgeous. You won't forget one when yo use them. But they have their downsides to say the least." he says "My dad's a satyr, his passion is academics so he writes 'fore kithain books only discussing it. Chieftain Brekke is one of his favorite subjects. Mom jokes he wants in her pants, but my kith's rep aside, that's not really it. "

"Your dad? Is that... is that how this happens? Like, genetics?"

"Only for the lucky ones." he says "In truth, it can skip whole generations. Heck, take a look at Eden. She's Korean American, has this really religioous family, and boom! She turns into a pooka in a house full of norms. Not jjust any pooka, a snake pooka. I think it's giving her issues"

"Oh, cause the devil... in Eden... jeez, that's messed up!"

"yup. Add to that and Pooka can never tell the whole truth, and boom. You could be worse off."

He smiles, "But there might be troll in your blood on one side or another. Frankly, I think the DeBukes must have something in their water. Might be okay, but 'ugh' farming"

"Yeah. Well. Doubt it's my mom."

"Maybe not... no worries though, like I said, it skips. My sister? not a satyr."

"Gotcha. Are you... a faerie foster too?"

"Nh, my dad's got it, like I said, so In the.. oh you mean fostering? No, though even I had to wait the year and a day thing for the training and the saining. Doesn't matter who your folks are, they really need you to learn that stuff. "

She crosses her arms. "Well. We'll see."

"We'll see?" He raises a brow "you worried you're not smart enough?"

A glare and an impulsive shove.

He shoves back, "Hey, what the hell was that for?"

Then he stops when she odesn't GO anywhere

"Wow. You're strong"

"Troll, right. I'm not stupid."

"No I mean, " Then he pauses, "Okay, what was your shove for? "