#anywhere

"You didn't say there were TWO of them!" Lesleah says

"Yeah, you're going to have to fight that one, I've got a text" Leonora says "hit and run, honey"

"What? I... AAAAAAHHH" Hate Fiona Hate hate Fiona! the black and silver squire races for another tree

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Colton's phone gets a text. Can you talk?

A few moments later, the phone rings.

He picks up "Hey? Everything okay"

"Hey, Colton." She sounds like she's smiling, but tensely. "Yeah, everything's okay. Just want to talk to you. About that dance I told you about."

"the dance? Oh yeah, sorry I can't make it, but you know, there's a black and white at my school about a month after that"

"Um...great! I'd like that. But...um...before that. I'm...going to the Sadie Hawkins dance here."

"You're going stag? Gee, I'm sorry, that's awkard for you"

"Um...no. Colton, I'm taking a guy to the dance. Not somebody I want a relationship with...just an escort for the dance."

A long pause"I..what?"

She sighs. "It's a social thing. I'm going. I'm not going stag. You can't make it. I invited this guy. Mortal, not fae. And it's just for the dance."

"You..you're going with another guy? Seriously, Sylvi?"

"I'm not dating another guy, Colton. I'm taking another guy to the dance that you can't go to."

"How is that not a date? "

"It's A date. It's not dating."

"So you admit you're going on A date- with another guy."

A long pause.

Then a sigh. "Colton...it's...I'm supposed to go. You said yourself, going stag is awkward."

"What, is this mandatory? "

"No, it's not. But...socially? It's expected."

"So... you're doing what's 'expected' because...Sylvi, since when do you put what's expected before what's right?"

"Colton, this isn't wrong. I told him, it's just for the dance, not for...not for anything more...."

"Either it's important, or it's not, if it's not, then 'expected' shouldn't matter. If it is important, it's important enough that it should mean something and you wouldn't just take anyone I... how can you expect me to be cool with this? How would you feel if I went on a dance date with some sidhe lady I didn't have to go to because it was 'expected'?"

"It's important socially, Colton. And you know what? I want to go. And if you wanted to go to something where you were supposed to have a partner...like, oh let's say, a QUEST?...and I couldn't go, then I'd just have to deal with it when you went with somebody else, wouldn't I?"

"is what this is about? Some weird payback? the quest wasn't social! It wasn't tea, it wasn't a dance! it was order of a baroness I respected very much and a way to bring a treasure back to the Dreaming ... you think it was FUN times getting attacked? Losing the person I was supposed to protect? Even for a time? Yeah, the wounds I was covered in when I returned were a big whoop, Sylvi!"

"No! Colton, I....no, that's not what I mean! It's not that....it's...." a frustrated pause "...so...so you're over there and I'm over here and...and sometimes we're not going to be able to do things together...."

"I get that, but then we work on what we can do together, and we take each others feelings into accounts. Wouldn't you want to be told in advance if I was going to have another girl in my arms all night? Even if it was to be 'social'"? I... Sylvi. I.. I ..I'm upset. And maybe I'm not thinking straight but this doesn't seem like something you should have just done."

"I'm telling you now. I had to choose then because otherwise I wasn't going to have many choices left. And I get that you're upset. And I get that you have a right to be upset. And I...I'm _sorry."

"I..." A deep breath , "Sorry enough to tell him you can't make it?"

A pause. "Is that what you want?"

"I want to know if you would if I asked"

A longer pause.

"For this? Yes."

"For something more important? I can't say."

"And I don't like it."

Then... "Okay. I don't like it, but you would for this and that's..something. And maybe I'm selfish or jealous or over sensitive, but I needed to hear that. You two have fun. Do you still want to go to my black and white later in the year?"

"Yes." Her voice is quiet.

"I would like that. ANd... Enjoy Sadie Hawkins. I really wish I could have made that."

He sounds subdued

Silence.

Silence back

"Okay."

"Bye, Colton."

She hangs up.

Somewhere Colton sighs