#baronyofthesilverwolf

Thistle fidgets. "You can't go there. It's too cold."

"It's not safe. I saved some things - Gwen helped."

"We'll just need to go when he's not there."

"I mean... maybe?"

"All of the stuff he took, though, it wasn't... it wasn't good..."

"Ted's or Karen's maybe.."

He frowns a little. "If you're sure... we can use something else. But it needs something from you. And I didn't want you to have to break or ruin anything new you've made, you know? Although I guess when it becomes part of the bigger art project, it's not really broken any more..."

Her breath hitches.

"Does it need something of mine? I don't have anything good to show..."

"They'll see that he's right."

Art frowns, looking over at Thistle with some consternation. "But he's not right. Your work is fantastic. It just does not fit in his rigid little paradigm. He... it's like he built a box around himself called 'art' and has to reject anything that doesn't fit inside. You know you're better than him..."

"Don't let him win."

"This will work if we have good art to show. But not... it won't help our cause... they're sloppy..."

Art shoves his hands in his pockets, frowning. "I don't like it when you talk like that. Did you cut corners, and do lazy work when you were in his class?"

"No! I tried..."

"Then how could it be sloppy?" He sounds earnestly baffled. "If you put your heart into it, then it's not sloppy."

"Because everything I touch gets screwed up."

"The mug you made me for Yule wasn't. Nor the alarm that saved your brother..." He sighs. "I don't want to argue with you. But when you talk bad about yourself, it makes me feel bad, too. You're my friend. How can I listen to someone bad-mouthing my friend?"

"Because you're my friend, you just don't see it."

"Which... which is really, really nice."

"...okay. I won't push. But can you come by tomorrow to look over the project? Some of the pieces aren't quite... well, you'll see. It's together, but something is missing. Maybe you'll see it?"

She chafes her arms and nods. "I can, yeah."

A bright smile from Art! "Cool! And I want to hear about what you plan to do with your feathers, too!"

"They're really cool, I gotta do something with them. It's be a waste not to."

"I'm sure you'll think of something! I have to go now, Mom's working a double so I want to get home and watch after 'Wain. Lance is home, but he'll just give him a box of snack crackers and not a real dinner. I can at least make the macaroni pasta that comes in the blue box."

"Kraft is the superior mac. Good choice."

"Would you like to come? I can make two boxes!"

"Though," He says with realization, "I'm sure that whatever Marigold is making here is bound to be far superior." A sheepish grin.

"I like mac n cheese!"

"Could maybe boil up some hot dogs, too. You can cut them into little coins, and break up some pringles... make like a casserole..."

"You can DO that?" He sounds dubious, but "Let's try it out!"

"I bet Wain will love it!" She grins now.