#anywhere

Earl frowns. Devilmaykare.stuff using his painting for their website is onething, but... here they are, selling shirts with his art on it?

A phone number is fond, and... rather non productive "What do you mean it was your 'idea' to put it on a shirt so it's not really mine any more? I'm stiffling Your creativity?"

"That's nuts. No wait, that's theft!"

"What? you're recording me for slander? Are you? Buddy I have not begun to make threats."

Then a frown, No, she doesn't need to know about this. She's got a million things to do. She doesn't need more stress

"Look, this is an official request to stop selling my artwork. So I hope you are recording. You'll be getting similar from email and mail mail. And..whatever else I can think of. I'm serious."

Sneers, and jeers and someone 'burns' him...because they're that kind of edgy self starter biz

"Dont' say you weren't warned, assholes" His eyes darken a little. He hangs up, and paces. He doesn't normally do this, but he stomps. Yes, he stomps as he paces

Which is when Doyle comes in, a more humble Doyle than before perhaps, but mostly an easy going guy who just loves dance.

Even he knows to watch out when trolls get dark eyed. "Hey man how's it... what happened? Someone call Poe a hack?"

"IT's nothing" He snorts

Doyle nods "Riiiight"

"Fine... I.. I got robbed." The troll says

"Geez, did they have a gun? are you okay?" Doyle says

"I'm not okay, I'm angry and...they didn't mug me they...here" He turns the screen of his lap top to the website's shop.

"Hey, T shirts! That's a great idea! You..." Doyle is not dim, and says "Shit, you didn't authorize this, did you?"

"Wouldn't be mad if I had" Earl paces

"You should sue em" Doyle says "I mean, if it was like just a fun youtube thing or whatever, I'd be down with it, but this is them making money of your work."

"With what lawyer?" Earl says

Doyle ponders then "At the risk of getting punched, and I feel bad saying it- isn't your girflriend from a jewish family?"

Ealr gives Doyle a look like 'seriously??!'

"Sorry, sorry, just saying maybe they know someone if you don't?" Doyle shrugs

"I'm not telling Zara, she's got enough problems" Earl says

"Those problems you won't tell me about?" Doyle recalls

"Right" Earl paces again, less stompy

"Ah huh." Doyle says then "Look, I made a mistake about your friend and you once. Frankly, at this point, I know she is NOT my friend, but that's my screw up. She was more than cool to me after you know.. things....but..."

"But?" earl eyes him "And mind what you say about her next"

"Oh she's fine" The satyr counters "But you're fucking up here."

"What?" Earl blinks. "How was I supposed to know they'd steal my art?"

"It's not THAT," Doyle rolls his eyes "Look, satyrs maybe a bit more casual..okay, a lot more casual, but this girl means the world to you. Right?"

"Right" Earl loooks at the idiot who acts like the obvious is a revelation, and wonders if this how Zara feels around some of her non sluagh friends all the time.

"And she's CLEARLY got the cold and clammies for you... most sluagh don't play the field."

"This getting somewhere?" Earl asks

"The same reason you don't want to bother her with this is the same reason you should" Doyle says "The girl is crazy about you. You love her. SHe's your world, so what's that say when you shut her out? When she finds out, and they always find out..."

"They being sluagh, got it" Earl sighs

"No, They being women," Doyle says "THey figure things out. Smart gender, study their prey."

Earl smirks "Okay, see, if you talked like that to zara she might have liked you more"

"Yeah yeah, maybe.. my point is, she'll be hurt when she finds out you're keeping secrets from her" Doyle says.

"She's kept secrets from me" Earl says, then feels surprised. He didn't think there was any real resenement over that, then tells Doyle, as much as himself "THough she did fill me eventually"

"Right.. so do you want to even the score in some weird contest with your own girlfriend, or do you want to show her you love and trust her?" Doyle says "Because if it's the former, totally hide it from her for exactly as long as she hid whatever from you. That's mature right?"

Earl blushes a bit, "Point. I love her. I should tell her." A look to the lap top "Though I'm worried she'll send them to the bug house. And I don't want her to think I need her to protect me."

"So weird to hear a troll say that" Doyle says "Tell her that too. she may not agree, but at least she'll understand," the satyr shrugs "Look, this is your art! It's part of your life a big part. You shut her out of this, you're shutting her out a lot, and she'll know it. It'll hurt her, and you'll hate yourself. All I'm saying is, for once, skip the soap opera and go straight to the boring support that every person who doesn't have wishes they have."

Earl sighs "I don't like it when you're right."

"Me neither" The satyr smirks "It's scary and unnatural."

Earl actually smiles a bit, then "Fine. I'll talk to her when I see her next about it."

"Good , and..uhm.. don't tell her I assumed every Jewish family has a lawyer. It slipped." The satyr says

Earl groans "Given how big you are for LGBT rights, it is confusing to me ...but fine."

"I never got the shit out of me because someone mistakenly thought I was Jewish" the dancer reminds "I did when they thought I was gay. Builds sympathy for a cause"

Earl nods, then looks back at the lap top, "I think I want to learn more about this company, but I'll talk to her. And I won't mention you run at the mouth sometiems when you don't mean to. Though I think she knows."