#anywhere

She sighs and shrugs. "Homesick, maybe?"

“Yeah. Do you want to go home? You can, you know. But I thought you wanted to meet that grand gathering of gwydions.”

Her mouth tugs down.

"I'm being difficult."

“You are not.”

Symon reassures. “We’re here for you. That means this is your campaign, and we can do whatever you want. If that means heading home, or staying, or anything in between?” A boneless shrug.

"I feel like a fraud. Like - I'm not needed here? So I'm playacting at being some big emissary. But, like - the Kings are here, Syvli was the one who did all the work. I'm just..."

“Love.”

He is kind but blunt, in his Symon way.

“They are GWYDS. They wouldn’t ask you here if they didn’t want you. YOU, not the other Kings or Sylvi.”

Her gold eyes search his dark ones, but find no lies. She'll have to reconcile that.

He gums at his lip, then gets a thought.

“Want to call the lodge? Check in on how everything is going? See how many shoes your squire has eaten this week.”

"...be nice to hear. Maybe. Yeah."

"And Connor hasn't eaten any shoes in at least a year."

He thumbs the quick dial on her phone before she even realizes he has slipped it from her pocket. Or before she can second guess. Sneaky.

Wait, does he know her passcode? Or did he tilt it to catch her face?

Maybe he lifted her finger prints…

No time to wonder now, it’s ringing!!

It's Sy. Her Guile has ways.

<#CAFAKGYJF|>

“Everyone holding up?” He asks, as though his keen ears couldn't catch every word.

"Yeah. Homey and quiet, sounds like."

"Which - don't think I'd be okay if something really threatening happened and I was way out here."

“The Gerd express would fetch you if needed.”

She nods. "Reassuring."

"And, da'an knows, somehow the whisperers would tell you if something was awry. Even here."

“Where the only tea is iced.” Deadpan.

Snort!

“So how are you going to get your oversized pony up here to show off? You could fetch her yourself. Visit while you're at it.”

"I was thinking maybe Siv could bring her on the boat?"

“Do horses do well on boats?” Curious

"Star's a very smart girl."

“Kinda surprised she hasn’t shown up on her own.” Only half joking.

"She doesn't usually fly on her own. SOmebody's gotta get her saddled for that."

“Hm. Then surprised she hasn’t shown up with your squire.”

"Actually... point."

“I suppose someone finally beat some sense of responsibility into him.” A nudge.

"Hey! No beatings involved!"

"I spent ages practicing my Dissapointed-Brekke-Forehead-Wrinkle."

"Look." She scrunches her eyebrows.

“Oof. I can feel it from here. Makes me want to straighten up and fly right.”

“Almost as effective as that “Oh, Symon” head shake that Anne Marie had.”

Perhaps revealing a TOUCH of homesickness himself. Wait, no, never.

"Oh, the one with the tiny smile?"

He mock-winces.

"Yeah, I know the one then."

“It… kinda grows on you.”

“Like a fungus.”

"You like fungi."

“Yeah, well. I've seen you eat a slice of mushroom pizza.”

A pause, and… “ but wouldn't a bowl of mom’s yukgaejang be good in this weather?”

"Omigawd, yeah."

He suddenly convulses with what others might think a seizure, but Dagmar recognizes as laughter. “ remember the time she tried to add southern style dumplings to it?”

“ and all of the beef fat congealed with the flour, and it turned into glue…”