#anywhere

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Patrols maybe a little more dull for Dagmar than she thought. No one is trying to attack them ,but folks wave. It seems that the Chieftain is very popular with the locals and so are those under her

Dagmar tries not to grin at the waves, but she DOES stand up a bit taller.

"Hello, Dagmar" Lucia's mom says "You are patrol? Good, familia business! You too, Sylvi!'

She DOES grin, and tip a salute at the Boggan.

Sylvi nods to Lucia's mom, but she doesn't grin or salute. In fact, she's pretty quiet.

Dirk looks wigged out "Why are folks being ..nice? what do they want?"

"They want us to keep them safe." Sylvi says, low.

"So it's a protection rack it" He nods

"Sort of, sure. Like being nice to the mob so the gangs stay out."

"Neat" Dirk says

Sylvi doesn't argue.

Vali rolls his eyes "Okay, let's split the grtoup here, Sylvi, you're with me. Jaymes , you got those two?"

Jaymes grunts "Dirk, Dagmar this way"

Sylvi nods and goes with Vali.

As the groups break up, Jaymes says "It's not exactly the same as a protection racket, but yeah, we keep worse things out. It's... more like looking after your home town. "

"This isn't my home town."

"Well, it is now kind of" Jaymes says

"I guess?"

"Nowhere has ever been home for more than a year."

"We'll break that record" Jaymes says

Dirk shrugs "Lived here for a long time, it's not always nice . you should see where I li...used to live. It's a shithole. Trailertrash laugh at us"

She shrugs. "I know shitholes."

"Well, hopefully both of your stars are looking up," Jaymes says "Look. I've been in some ugly spots too, as if I might di8e there...and let me say, just because you had to live in shit, doesn't mean you ARE Shit. Hell, it usually means you're tough"

She snorts.

Jaymes raises a brow, "You're saying I'm not tough?"

"You know that ain't what I'm saying."

"I do..." He admits

"But you know what I'm saying too if you think about it. You both been through stuff, imagine some of your class mates going thorugh the same thing. This didn't make you tougher, but it does show how tough you are. You both have strength you don't even know and I'm talking insi.." A frown "huh, got chatty. Unlike me. "

"They ain't been through it. You can tell when they have."

"Been through what?" Dirk says dimly, then "oh..the shit. yeah"

Jaymes nods "And I wish you two hadn't either. But what we can do ? We can keep others from enduring what either of you did."

"Hmph."

"Why would we?" Dirk blinks

"Because it sucks. And people like that shouldn't be allowed to get their hands on nobody."

Jaymes nods "Because of that"

"But.." The cap looks confused "What's in it for us?"

"Revenge?"

"What if it's different guys?"

"Of a sorts, at least. For the ones we can't get direct."

"Think of it as Power," Jaymes says "Now, I think yhou should use your power to do good things, won't lie. But still, having power TO do good sure as hell beats being powerless period, don't it?"

The redcap looks at the two trolls. "I can get with that"

"being powerless sucks."

"I got teeth" The redcap says "If I can bite on it, I can kill it"

"Sure. But killing people is against the rules."

"I didn't make em" H e grumbles

"Who ever does?"

"Just because you or I didn't make them doesdn't mean they're not good rules. Might keep someone from killing YOU. Or if they do, at least they get punsiehd for it so..hey, you get to laugh at them in your next life"

That from Jaymes

"But I don't remember my other life. And Vali's sayin' that I'm not the same, not even the same name."