#anywhere

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"...it!" The old man appears in the lodge, and looks about not sure where he is but having a bad feeling about this , "That miserable little Zoomer is going to get a ..."

"What the hell are YOU doing here?" A hiss, as one Wildheart sees another.

Emmit turns and says "Of course you were right around the corner. If I didn't know better I'd swear zara was playing with fortune to help this along..."

But how will it go from here?

We don't know.

(End this scene)

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Nadeen sighs as they make their way back to deliver a message to the Countess. "I can't believe I cried in front of you, in front of the Chieftain and the Mountain"

"They won't tell anybody."

"It still happened" facepalm, "And Siv might have been watching."

"SIv cries all the time."

"I haven't seen it. Grouse, whine, bitch, and comment yes."

"She does all of those, too, yeah."

"Not like us, reserved, proper, dignified"

A grunt. And the tiniest of smiles.

"Well, anyway, sorry I got your tabard damp"

"It dried just fine." Reassuring.

"Fff" She says "Still mortifying. At least Gerd didn't see it. She confuses bitchy for edgy some days"

"She does. But thirteen sucks."

"Yeah, I feel sorry for her. The boy she's crushing on is a known player," A frown "Meant to warn her about that"

Eyebrow.

"I Did" She says

Truth

"I mean, the player part? What's the deal there?"

"I mean he's gotten girls strung along, used them to get information about places, and ....also sometimes... gone further than a 13 year old should go in..a relationship"

Scowl.

"Not that Gerd would listen."

"I know.. I was thinking of talking to the young man myself.. discretely. If I can get dirt on him, he'll leave her be"

She nods. "And that won't set off the Gerd-bomb..."

"Exactly"

Huff.

"I wish there was just a bad guy to smash."

A smile "You never did appreciate the full complexity of a pattern"

"Or maybe it was you who once told me 'a straight line IS a pattern'"

GRIN.

"It is!"

She elbows the big girl lightly

"Hey, I know what I'm good at."

"You're fantastic at straight lines, but you do have artistry and even nuance in your soul too. I've seen your craft work"

A touch of purple. "Ain't like Tove or Chief yet. I want to be."

"I bet they practiced many years to get as good as they did"

She nods. "Exactly. Now, see, this nine week we were doing metal... I made a TON of cookie-cutters for Kerri and Tove..."

"Any sunshaped ones?"

She nods!

"So maybe we can make Varich cookies?"

"You're the best"

She actually smiles

"Yes yes... you two are hard to catch up with at times" Siv says

"Oh, hey Siv... I didn't know you were coming."