#anywhere

"Lily?"

"i was insulting his lack of sensitivity under my breath and hoping not to get caught" the little girl says "din't work" A sigh (All true)

"LILY" Brenda fusses

Lily hangs her head "can't lie to a gwydion, mom"

That does get a big-brother eye roll and long suffering, superior sigh.

"So.... Fae like.... pay off, settle stuff up... with money?" He's back to business.

"Hm." An eyebrow at the little sluagh, then to Adam, "Adam, what they took from you was money. They repaid in kind."

He looks at her, baffled. "No.... no. Well, maybe partly?"

"It's a symbol" Kyle repeats "Very symbolic society"

"Yes." Brekke agrees with Kyle.

"You must resolve this with Leya and Lola. Now...Brenda, what do you think needs to happen to make things right between Adam and you?"

Adam sits back, disbelieving but not rejecting; just trying to get his head around the new shape of the world.

"I need to apologize to Adam for fighting his battle for him... I don't think he understands that I don;t see it as HIS Battle, or MY battle, but OUR battle, because w'ere a family. When one of us hurt, or wronged, we're all hurt or wronged. That's how I see it, but I guess he doesn't," She sighs 'This alarms me... and makes me think he doesn't want to be part of this family. But I am hoping that's just my fears talking." A breath "And Adam needs to understand that we are still his parents, like Kyle said, we still have the right and duty to put some boundaries on him and he needs to respect that. And from a personal matter, he needs to not be be a hypocrite for he can be rather demanding of others while trying to shake the demands of others"

She let it out in a rapid rush to be sure, as if trying to form words to catch the up with the emotions

Adam waits.

A nod. "Adam...I ask you...what do you think needs to happen to make things right between Brenda and you?"

Lily goes back to wrtiing on her note pad

"I want to be part of this family." Just a touch sullenly. " 'Course I do. But we're not like... you know. Norm.... mortal families. And we can't be. I get the, uh, Right of Ignorance so if we have to make it look like we're all mortals and a mortal family, fine." A pause. "And, uh, Beltaine.... you guys didn't bi... complain or stop me from drinking. A little! And that was.... that was cool."

Kyle actually nods

Brekke nods, but waits for more.

"But, Chief, how many Fae families around here rush off and fight their wilder's battles for them? Don't wilders fight them? Don't families fight together? Sounded from the Brag that they did; heard from more than one person how everyone came together to fight the Dragon, and other stuff."

Brekke nods slowly. "Yes, this is true. We do not fight each other's battles...we do not undermine each other's honor...unless we are asked to do so, or unless there is no other choice."

Brenda winces at something

Lily writes notes down

Adam only just avoids looking smug; at least he makes the effort.

"Which makes me think of something I had been considering earlier....but that will wait. Adam, you have not answered: What needs to happen to make things right between Brenda and you?"

Lily makes another note

"Don't fight my battles. Might be I come and ask for help, and that's fine. To be honest, there were times before.... before you.... were Fae that I felt out of my depth and I wanted to ask for help but I -couldn't-." Emphasis on that, and he looks at Brekke. "And I didn't. But I would have."

"But let me do it myself." The battle cry of children of all ages everywhere.

Kyle and Brenda exchange looks, whisper lightly

"Adam...you understand that if you wish them to respect that for you...you must respect that they have the right to set certain boundaries common to teenagers."

Adam hesitates, shifts in his seat. "Teenagers?"

Lily rolls her eyes

A blink. "For all that you are a hero, you are also their son, and their underage son, at that. With certain mortal laws, if you are found in violation, your parents bear the brunt of the punishment. And that is only the mundane legal consideration."

Brenda definitely kept herself from saying something there

A glance at Brenda, but to Adam she says, "This is part of your role as a member of the family." A slight brow...and he might be reminded of an earlier conversation about comparative duties.

He nods slowly. "For the mortal stuff, yeah. Like I said." A pause while he thinks it through, then he sighs. "Yeah. Ok." He's agreeing to... something.

A nod. "Then...can you agree to your parents' request to adhere to their limitations, or at least discuss them openly?"

He nods.

Lily raises a brow and scribbles something

"Adam...this may be another issue of understanding the culture. Words have power. Nods do not. Do you agree?"

He sits up. "I agree, Chief. Mom, Dad."

His parents say "Thank you, son." more or less at the same time

A nod. "Adam, do you feel your mother has resolved her harm to you?"

"Yes."

A nod. Then, "Lily."

"I don't" Brenda says "I haven't properly..." She shushes

A blink. "No, Brenda, say what you will..."

"I was saying, I don't think I properly apologized to Adam. I said I should, and recognized it, but if we're going to stress how words are important it's only just that I say it to him." She looks at her son "Adam, I was wrong to do what I did to those girls. That I told you. But I am very sorry I fought your battle for you that night... at the time I completely did not get that it would dishonor you...but even then I should have tried to work WITH you to resolve it or 'avenge' if I was going to avenge it all. You're part of this family, and that means that even if I think a hurt has been done to us all, I should not leave you out when you were involved even before I was. It was thoughtless, and, to be honest, a bit selfish of me as well. I hope you can forgive me for that terrible screw up and the insult entwined in it to you"

His mother looks at him with GREAT passion about this. She's letting it out on the line.