#anywhere

"Colton...I still need to be Sylvi now. Not Sylvi and . I don't know if that makes sense to you, but...I'm not ready to be us again."

Quiet and apologetic, but firm.

"Well, then that's that" he accepts it , a breath "I can't say I'm.. surprised. I mean, when we first did this break I thought ..rather arrogantly, that it was something you needed to 'get out of your system'. But ...I guess I came to realize it was more than that.. A part of me will always think fondly of 'us'.. and yes, even miss 'us' some. Don't ask me to apologize for that, our paths forward are often built on the cobble stones of regrets and might have beens."

A blink of surprise at the last phrase. "That's poetic."

"And no, I wouldn't ask you to apologize for that. Because I have those same feelings. But like I said...it's sometimes."

A blush at the poetic comment "mm.. I blame it on the pizza" Then he nods "Sometimes isn't enough to build on. I get it. How.. how ARE you doing, being Sylvi?"

"I'd...um...I'd like if we can still talk now and then? Like we're doing here?" she indicates the pizza and the restaurant in general.

A sad sort of smile "i'd like that. Lame as it sounds, I don't want to lose our friendship"

Another blush at the question. "I'm doing okay. I mean...I'm having some fun, and getting some stuff done." Then a grin at his last. "I agree."

"Come to think of it, if we're not dating, I don't have any interest in maintiaining YOUR figure. Want another pizza?" His eyes dance with brazen humor despite his attempt at a straight delivery

She gives him a fake pout and swats lightly at his shoulder. "Jerk," she says with a laugh.

He chuckles , "It was low fruit and I'm tall enough it's no trouble. " Then more somberly "I'm glad to hear you're all right. I sometimes worry you spread yourself kind of thin with G.F. and college and all, but I guess with friends like Sam and Symon you're hardly roughing it alone"

The amusement fades out of her expression. "Well...you'd think that. It's been tricky. College is a thing and I don't think any of us were really prepared for what it was really going to be like. We...haven't all been there for each other as much as I thought we would be. My fault as much as anybody else's." She looks like she wants to say more, but settles on, "I'll get by."

"And...you're doing okay? Being Colton?" echoing his earlier question.

He seems surprised at the admission of trouble with getting together "I hope Symon and Sam are okay? I mean... doesn't sound like them not to... help:

"

Then "As for me, to paraphrase a movie, I am "Colt-nuf"" A weak smile at that "The programs I'm helping with for others with prosthetics are ... well, uplifting you know? Helps me as much as the folks I try to inspire. Highlight really. Stormwork is actually easier now, more free time. College? Ugh. Some courses are boring but core"

She bites her lip, and her brow furrows. She gives him a troubled look. "I'm not sure how much I should say. I think Sam was planning on visiting DarkGate with him sometime soon."

A half-grin at the Barbie movie reference, and a fuller grin as he describes inspiring others. "I'm glad you can do that for them. And yeah...some college stuff you just have to endure." An ick face.

She swirls the ice cubes in her glass idly.

"If you or they need help, just ask" He says "We owe symon.. bigly" then at her sympathetic understanding of classes, "Oh, which one is your Rock up a Hill course?"

"Or was " speaking of last year

"I had to do this class that's like statistics-for-educators...grading, and means, and whisker graphs, and how to curve scores and whether curving scores is even a good thing, and line-item analysis..." she sighs.

"Ouch." he says "Who knew not teaching math would require so much math?"

She nods quietly, swirling the glass again.

She looks over at him. "I'm not really liking it." Confession.

"Okay. What classes are you liking? Any of them got the right subject, the right professor, or both to help balance the blahs?"

"Oh, some are better than others. Child Psych is interesting, though sometimes it's really tragic. Classroom management is okay."

"Huh... " he ponders "Do you mind if I make a weird suggestion on what helps me with some classes?"

"Sure?"

"Well, " Another double check, nope, no one nearby and the juke box makes enough noise to cover so he goes on "We're trolls. And Zane actually said that as changelings, the morer we can correlate anything in a relation to our dream, the better we do as kithain. SO.. for my studies, I sometimes try to associate it with me protecting something or someone. Like, your child psychology,. that's easy to visualize .. I suspect, as shielding a child from more trauma. Weird as it is, next time you have to do curve scores work or the like, maybe imagine it as... throwing material to a drowning victim? Or defending the integrity of your educational patrol?"

A half-hearted grin. "I suppose. I can give that a try. I mean, I have tried that, sometimes, but I guess I just thought I wouldn't have to do that so much to find purpose in this. But...I'll approach it that way. And...I'll get through it. I'll get the degree."

"You totally will, and if MY advice is bullshit, you'll find a better path to it" He says "Though I confess, I kind of like the idea of you wielding a bell curve shaped shield as you do battle against unjust probability armed only with your sword of statistics. "

He believes in her. He always did. And that is one thing that has not changed

She wrinkles her nose in distaste at the image, though she appreciates the humor. "We'll get through it." She raises her glass in toast to him, as she believes in him, too.

He raises his soda, "To getting through it"

A toast is made between good friends, and over damn delicious pizza. Not a bad moment in life.

(End Scene)