#anywhere

"I'll have to hide it, I think. I'm not allowed my own phone."

Frank nods. "-Can- you hide it?"

"Sure. I am good at hiding stuff."

"Right." in a dry tone. "Ok, so I'll get you a phone, you'll keep me informed. Deal?"

"Fair enough." Pauses. "Could I use it to talk to Siv or Sylvi?"

"...if they wanted, I mean."

He chuckles. "Could I stop you?"

A wry smile. "Probably not?"

"Right. So, ok. As long as it doesn't cause trouble. And, that's another thing. You might already know this, you might already do this, but just so I've said it and you've heard it.... you have to fly under the radar. No magic outside the Freehold, no using your strength where anyone... -Anyone-.... can see. You don't go back and be Sam. You go back and be invisi-Sam."

"Already invisible..." A mutter. Then, louder. "I broke the medicine cabinet."

"They didn't see, but I broke it."

"What if there's a chimera? Can I fight then?"

"You broke... ok, if you're asked about it, tell them as much of the truth as you can. We keep ourselves hidden, behind our mortal images. You're still Sam to them, and you have to always be Sam to them. Tell them it was an accident, or you were angry and you realize it was wrong and you need better self control, or that you saw a spider and kind of freaked out.... Can you do that?"

She nods.

"If I get mad, I could really hurt someone."

"Yes. You could. Now, as far as Chimera are concerned you can, of course, protect yourself. Be aware of your surroundings. Mortals can't see them, so it'll look like.... performance art, or a dance, or just throwing a fit to them. However, if at all possible, avoid them and contact me. I need know know their size and/or strength, what they are doing, where they are and where they are heading, if you see any kind of marking or uniforms or if they say who they are,when you see them; that's the time and date, and if they have any equipment or weapons."

the eyes vanish

Frank leans forward to speak earnestly. "Dagmar, there's a force moving around you, towards you. I don't know it, but I know something is watching you, seeking to lure you in. Those maggots we fought... they weren't random Chimera. They were sent. They were sent after -you.-"

"Me? But I've only been... it's been days."

"I'll tell you what I remember, though."

Frank nods. "In a bit. I'll take notes. Ok. We'll stay in contact, you'll stay on the down-low, and let me know when you see more Chimera. Now. Before you leave here today, I need to explain the Escheat to you but... is there something I can do for -you-?"

"Brekke told me a bit about it. And you said if I break it, I don't get to be Dagmar anymore..."

Frank nods, "Let me explain that." He picks up the mug, sips, puts it down. "If you break the Escheat, you put at risk not only yourself, but all Fae society. Compared to human-kind, there aren't many of us. Has anyone told you about Banality?"

"I've heard the word a few times, and I know it's bad."

"Right. Banality is .... it's the cold you feel, out there. It's disbelief. It's the mundane. It's the absence of creativity, innovation, the spark of creation quenched. Humans...." a deep breath "Humans can carry a lot of it around. If you break the Escheat, you might show them the world as we see it, and a lot of them can't handle it. Heck, even -you- were freaked out, right? And you're built for it."

"It was - is- pretty weird. Part of me is sort of expecting to wake up..."

"And if they see it, and freak out, they might try to explain it or just flat-out deny it.... and that can -kill- it. And you. The you that's part of the Dreaming."

Frank nods.

"Is that why the school felt weird? I sort of... ditched... today. But like, it was.. parts were just grey and cold and I didn't feel good. Parts were ok, too."

Frank nods. "That's it exactly."

"After I foster, if I manage to stay a whole year...."

"You'll be considered, essentially, a free adult. Adventure, quest, pick a cause and live for it, find or make a family.... up to you."

"So it's like aging out."

Frank considers. "More like graduation. But you're not far wrong."

"What would I have to do to be part of here, or a place like here?"

"You already are, but if you want you can ask the Chieftess." Mildly.

A doubtful look.

"Really." He assures.

"It doesn't really work like that. But it's nice of you to say."

A sigh, and she flumps on the table, chin in her hands. "Is this going to be, like, school after school? If I have to come a lot, maybe you can tell my fosters that you are a tutor. Or a friend's dad."

"our like scouts or brownies" A voice pipes up from the stairs

young, girlish

Hazel eyes dart in the voice's direction, and she's sitting ramrod upright again. "Who?"

The nine year old girl has dark curly hair that falls over her left eye, no matter how she blows at it to behave. She's dressed in a floral print dress. However, to fae sight, her fair skin is sky blue, and her dark hair is snow white. Instead of a floral print dress, her voile is a chimerical chain skirt.. with embossed flower designs, "Sorry, I got curious. I'm Gerd. I hadn't seen you yet so..."

She assesses the childling, and relaxes a bit after deciding she's not a threat. "I'm Dagmar. I'm new."

'I know, I heard. I hear you're strong, stronger than most trolls. Neat. That's the blessin' o atas I bet. Wow."

The childling seems to have a wisdom that sparks in her eyes

"It really does work like that." He says evenly. "Hello Gerd."

"I don't know how I compare, really. I'm sure Frank and Olgar are stronger."

"Hello, Mountain Frank." She smiles, then to Dagmar "Yeah, but they're grown up. You're gonna be like an amazon. "Then, "Uhm... Mister Frank doesn't lie. It really does work like that."