#bergen_county

"No problem!"

and the nocker heads off.

"What the heck is that?" Sylvi says from her bedroom window, referring to the battering ram.

It would appear to be a battering ram but whether Dagmar confirms it or not is up to her.

"Uh... a battering ram?"

"It sure is, but I mean...why is it here? Is there going to be a seige?"

"It's a gift."

"For Nadeen? Wow...she's going to need a hold, so she has someplace to keep it. Hey, you want me to help you with makeup before we go?"

"Oh! Oh, it's a sidhe hold... I should, right?"

"If you want. Come on up!" She smiles and closes the window.

Dagmar tromps upstairs.

In her room, Sylvi's got some music playing and has her dress for court hanging on the closet door, complete with freshly pressed emissary sash. "Just eyeliner, or a bit more?"

"Maybe a little more. Could.. like, Varich are gold, and Gwydion have gold..."

"Like.." She gestures at her eyes. "Y'know?"

Sylvi beams. "I love it, yes! Come on, grab a seat." She fishes through her makeup for gold cream shadow. Flopsy supervises from his seat on the bed.

"Thank god you know what you're doing."

Floppsy says says "She's very good, and you're going to look smashing"

"Oh, she's a pro."

"Okay, you two, you know I'm loving every second of that, and it's going to go to my head. Okay, Dagmar, eyes closed, chin up."

She complies!

"Oh, well, if it helps, at your last cheer practice your recovery from that roll was a bit weak. You'd never escape a wolf with recovery time off like that"

"I told the flying wolves about Wolfenoot. They like the idea of it."

"Thanks, Flopsy," Sylvi says drily. "Totally helpful." A pause before she starts. "Could I, like, do a little bit of foundation, too?"

"Um. Not the fancy stuff?"

"Flying wolves, " A sigh " Iknow they're chimera too, but those pups.. it's like they have a bounty on my ears"

"Like, you know, with the contour?"

"I know, Flopsy, but they're also really cool. I wish you and they could be better friends." Then to Dagmar, "No, nothing like that, just really subtle, but it'll make the gold pop nicely."

"Well... I trust you."

"I'm gonna wear that black and gold sash I got. Think my armour would be okay, or just my good viking stuff?"

"Cool." And soon Dagmar can feel Sylvi working on her face, dabbing here and there. "I think either of those would be great. So, have you seen Nadeen since we spoke in the park? Is she doing any better?"

"I haven't seen her."

"Maybe it's better."

"She's always been reserved. I wonder if it's a varich thing" Flopsy says

"What do you mean, 'maybe it's better'?" Dab dab dab. Pause. Dab.

"Dunno. SInce she's leaving."

A pause, some rustling of beauty supplies. "Better than her staying? I thought you guys were getting along."

Her brows drop, a crease forming between them.

"She's gotten nicer, yeah."

"Guess I got used to her."

"You okay? Try to relax your forehead. I'm going to start on your eyelids."

Flopsy says "mm she hardly even uses her sword anymore..well, the screaming it does"

"Yeah, she got a lot better about stuff like that."

"She

"She's not a bad person, she's just.. like.. out of her what she knew."

"Yeah, I get that. I mean, I still don't love the sluagh-hating stuff, but like Flopsy said, she's toned that down. And she used to boss you around a ton, but now she even asked...." A sudden stop. "Um."

"See, thing is - I don't think she knew sluagh, before. She'd just been told stuff."

Flopsy cocks an ear

"Well, yeah. Makes sense she wouldn't have treated them okay." Gentle strokes of the makeup wand on her eyelid.

"And... and it's hard, like, to betray your family and everything you've been told."

"So she can't just be pro-sluagh, not without going against the whole House."