#bergen_county

"So it's safe again" she assures, "yes, Nab? Am I in danger from her while here and enchanted?"

A shrug. "Maybe. She's only tried to, uh, possess girls who aren't enchanted though. I mean, you could probably stop her yourself. I haven't seen her since Lana's."

"Possession, geez, that's a terrifying power" A sip of her drink

Adam looks away to the floor. "She shouldn't have done it. Told her not to."

"Chimera are even more limited than the Kithain are," A shake of her head, looking resigned, "In short, both can be hard learners."

"Hard learners?"

"That which is faerie is filled with wonder, they might boast they are tied to if not the source of wonder, but each kith is tied to a limited sort of dreams. Redcaps can be brave, even heroic, but they are born of nightmares of hunger and horror and will never really be pleasant. Satyrs cannot really be calm, they can pretend to be, but they're born of passion. Trolls? Duty... they can't turn that off. They can't step away from it like we can. Together they cover almost every type of dream there is, but as an individual? They are stuck in their path. It is only because of their human side they have as much free will as they do. You and I? We might feel urges down one path or another, but it's optional. It's how we're stronger than they."

Said without gloating.

"So.... we're, what do ya call it.... incompatable."

"So to get a Changeling to learn more... sometimes they have trouble grasping things that clash with their path, their purpose. And Chimera are even simpler creatures. They are literally dreams manifest. That's not to say Nab can't learn, but she's going to seem very dense. Would you prefer her captured or destroyed?" Flat iowa practicality

She smiles at the incompatible part, "Hardly. We can bend where they can't, and that means we can adapt to them with effort. I assure you, quite a few kinian end up dating kithain. It's hardly incompatible, it is some work at times."

The slightest glimmer of interest. "Yeah?"

"Oh sure, a lot of trolls of my family go out into the world now and then, fall in love with a nice kinian, usually troll blooded, marry them and come back to the farm. While sometimes we Kinian can get an inferiority complex... I know I did, the truth is we can be essential to them at times. That whole resistance to banality bit? Think of it as being resistant to a disease or radiation so we can go where they can't. ... or at least can go longer. "

"It's quite literally very banal work, but we also have our creative side. Nothing keeping us from picking up Art hobbies even if we work a dull 9-5. That's what i mean by the fact we hold out better and can, in some ways ,do more."

"me? for a time, I thought I was just a baby making factory in training" A scowl, "It was Hearth Kerri who helped me realize I could be much more"

She does blush at that admission.

"B...baby making?" He stares and flushes at the same time.

"Yeah," A cough "Sorry about that. Clearly that's a hang up you won't have to deal with, at least not in that way, but understand my lodge is big on the family angle. I did say I'd be talking about my views and experiences. Yours? I don't and can't knwo yours as well...though if you want, I have two ears and you have a welcome to use them"

"Uh."

"You, uh, are you.... is that why you're at the Lodge? This one? To, in, to find.....??"

"No," she laughs softly, then "Not anymore anyway. I had a chance to go to a college nearby, and I chose to do that. The folks at Rivervale gave me the option. I might have been thinking I 'needed' to get my .MRS' as well as a BS... but mostly I came here for an education that I could use to help my family eventually, but that is my choice. I can do a lot of things if I want. But I do love my big corn fed family, even if many of them don't appreciate big city shopping or other things I like. The Vale are allies to the Farm and vice versa, and I had earned enough good will that I was accepted, but to be fair and perhaps to frustrate, that wouldn't have been likely if I didn't have the farm's reference. I was a stranger to them save by name"

Adam nods, looking down again. "Yeah."

"They're amazingly fragile creatures. Add to that the trolls being dreams of guardinianship, and you can end up with a well intentioned big blue barricade. " A huff "Frustrating it was. The trolls got to learn a lot more secrets than I did when I was a kid..and I grew up around them but I had to oath to keep it secret. Felt like I was working twice as hard to get to do half as much"

Adam nods slowly.

"I'm sorry, you probably don't need to hear me feel sorry for my childhood. IT has a lot of positives. And I don't regret much. If not for them I'd never have learned what I did."

A listless teen shrug. "S'ok."

"Thanks for tolerating it then," she says "now, about your math skills"

"Yeah." He drags his pack open and heaves his work onto the table. He shows her what today's work is, a combination of tablet and book work.

Sally Mae glances over it with intense expertise. This is her jam, he can tell. Soon she sorts out where he is at, what he's doing, but she also says "I want to see you work through a few here. Maybe I can show you some short cuts while still allowing you to show your work."

He sighs, but nods and sets to work.

When she reviews, she nods, "Okay. Not bad, not bad. But let me suggest..." And yes, her way works better and helps him keep track of some of the errant numerals trying to wander off.

This is not his favorite thing, not the thing he's best at, but he plods along and incorporates her suggestions.

By the time his parents return, he's probably the better for it.

"How's it going?" Mr. Thomas says.

"Hi dad."

"You have a very bright son, sir." Sally Mae says, "I think we can get his grade point up a bit and thus get him some more options if he wants them."

"Glad to hear it," he says, then grins, "Hey, Adam. "

"Let me gather my things up and I'll be out." Sally Mae says. As she gathers her things up, she does flash something before Adam, a note, long enough for him to read it.

There is a spark of hope that dulls, and he shrugs. He starts loading up his backapck.

She puts the note away. Then says "Good work today. I'll be back next week. You have my phone number if you need to talk over a particularly big problem"

"Yes, Miss Sally."

And off she goes. Leaving Adam with more to think on.

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