#bergen_county

"All you had to do was ask. Anyone of you..that's all I'm saying. "

"Well, I'm askin'."

"Guess none of us are mind-readers, right?"

"Oh..." Zane says, that deflates him, "Next one is at that min golf put put thing that went out of biz..."

Sylvi's back on the shore, and pauses, looking back at the group still on the pier, pouting angrily.

He names the time.

"Hey, you think Adam might like that?"

"Sure, he had a good time the other week"

A happy shrug.

A crease between her brows. "...Oh."

Siv watches this.

"But he'd like it even better if you came, Dagmar. " Zane says "He thinks you're like the nicest girl, you know?"

Siv puts a hand on Sylvi's shoulder "It's...me, Sylvi. You're good enough toh ide this stuff. I get caught. "

Sylvi catches that. "Adam knows? Wowwww...." She turns and heads off again.

She flushes purple. "He.. hunh. Uh."

"Seriously, Zane?" Siv shoots a look.

"What? it's the one place the kinian are allowed to really unwind" Zane says "And I told you guys I'd look after him. He needs to see the FUN of our world too you know?"

Siv rolls her eyes and moves to catch up with Sylvi

"..Yeah." A frown.

Zane looks at Dagmar "I tried to talk him out of a bad spot the other day... I think he's really proud, you know? it hurts him to be left out so I thought including him on THIS would be..." A pause, his brow knits "Well , shit."

Siv mutters "Talk about insult to injury" Next to Sylvi.

When Siv catches up with Sylvi, the younger troll is carefully wiping at her eyes to make sure she's not too badly smudged.

"Hey, you okay?" Siv whispers.

Zane sighs, and hands Dagmar a box of chocolates "Please give this to them with... my apologies to you all. It really wasn't meant to slap you guys."

"Well..." She frowns.

"It's...it's not fair. I know I care about people not getting hurt and stuff, and protecting people...but...but I want to have fun too, y'know?"

"Sylvi feels left out, so she gets.. y'know?"

"I can tell them where it is?"

"I know," Siv says "You're working your ass off, and then... that work works against you? it.. hurts."

"I'm used to it more, I guess."

Zane sighs "yeah... if they go, tell them to use my name and that I invited them."

"Do they leaves us out of other stuff?" she sniffs. "All of them?"

"Not that I know of," Siv says "But then, I didn't know about this. I can't picture Luci snubbing you lots, or for that matter maybe Eden told us.. and we didn't understand?"

Zane is sure he was in the right.. he had confidence, then he had righteous outrage... and now comes the guilt. He sure hopes this emotion passes quickly.

"Maybe...." She doesn't sound convinced.

"...yeah, okay. I gotta go catch up with them. Thank you for taking Adam."

"Hey, he's a friend" Zane says "We both gotta look out for him right? Later Dags"

A glance over where the girls are... Zane gets that flip in his belly. No, this isn't going fast enough

"Later." Up-nod before she turns to follow her kithmates.

Siv says "no maybe. I bet the Gloaming is relatively new..and hey, I'm not sure Zane is in charge of it anyway"

Another careful dab, a sniff, and she tosses her head to stand a bit more proudly as they go. "I bet he's not. Don't think that matters, though. He knew. He didn't tell us."

"Hey, wait up.."

Siv turns to see Dagmar 'Hey, Dagmar."

"Hey. So, Zane told me when the next one is, if you guys decide to go."

Sylvi slows and glances back as Dagmar catches up. Definitely a close call on cry-face.

Dagmar is carrying a box of assorted choclates

Siv eyes the chocolates, "So... the next one is..."

"He told you?"

Shrug. "I asked."

Siv facepalms "She asked"