#bergen_county

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yes, Ma'am, I've noticed is often code for 'if I nod a lot maybe she'll stop this oh god oh god please let this end'" Anne Marie says "Adam, do you know that boggans are considered the masters of Gossip?"

"Yes....?"

"So, when you tell other wilders, that Dirk is a 'psycho' 'going to end up on death row', and worse 'not to be trusted' and encourage them to isolate him, and ostracize him... I end up hearing about it even before Dirk does." Anne Marie says looks at Adam.

Adam's cheeks.... burn. He swallows. "I said those things. Yes."

"And you might have even believed them, because it made you feel better to believe it. Every wilder wants to be a hero, I think, perhaps every teenager, and every hero needs a villain. You make a good villain for Dirk too I think. He believes the gossip about you because it makes more sense to his own story. But that's not really smart or wise in a world where both of you may have to fight side by side to protect your families, lodge, and friends, is it?"

She gives Dirk a look too "is it?"

"Probably not.." Mutter grumble from Dirk

"I believe that, yes." Adam owns it.

"Yeah well, everyone thinks you're an entitled prick who has it on easy mode... " Dirk snaps

Anne Marie slaps a hand against the kitchen table. Sudden, abrupt

And dirk stops

Adam jerks, startled.

"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth" Anne Marie says "It's an African proverb. Do you two know what that means? What the message is?"

"That... uh... that people can kill the thing that's supposed to support them?"

"Interesting.. " A look "Dirk? do you know?"

Dirk says "Uh..Payback delayed is an even bigger bitch?" Unsure

"What it means is that we all need connection, we need to be a part of more than just ourselves. When we find no welcome, when we feel constantly rejected, we can grow hostile. Everyone is a danger, everyone only hurts us.. there fore we learn the wrong lesson that everyone is the enemy. Adam, whatever you BELIEVE ... when you try to drive Dirk away from our village, to cut him off... all you do is make what you THINK he will be MORE likely because you're arranging so it's ALL anyone gives him. You make the lies you tell yourself about him the only truth he's allowed to become. Dirk, when you and others say that Adam is an entitled prick on easy mode, that he's self absorbed and intolerant... and everyone treats him that way, what room does that give him to improve? Where does it leave you? With a redcap who must MUST be a brute to even his friends? With a sidhe lord who is just as much a bully with sharp words and tyranical demands? Is that what you boys want? To be RIGHT about each other so badly that it ends up with each of you lost and innocent folks caught in the wake? "

"I'm -not- any of that!" Vehemently, then remembering himself. "Mrs. Lee. I'm not any of that."

"Well, I'm not a psycho who'd kill his own friends" Dirk says

Anne Marie puts one hand on each of the boys' free hands "I know that. I see that. Both of you have flaws, things to work on, but we cannot allow ourselves to be dragged down by the worst expectations of others. "

"I assure you, no one is perfect... " Her tone remains gentle "I assure you.. I have done some horrible things in my own life. But instead of focusing on me, let's take another example. Dagmar.. Sam. You two remember what she was like in her earliest days?"

"Yeah." Wistful, and sad.

"A fucking hot mess..." DIrk says

"HEY!" Adam takes exception to that description.

"While I don't appreciate the language Dirk used, Adam, , he has the right of it. She was even on worse ground before you got to know her. Now, where do you two think she would be if she did not end up with Jaymes and then Tove? Where would she be if the Chieftain had decided 'this girl is an unseelie piece of shit and there's no helping her' so we'll do the basics... food, glamour, and some lessons and then she's on her own?" A brow "Where would she be today?"

Adam squirms uncomfortably.

"She's strong....."

"And she's better with swords now but she could fight before" Dirk admits "Good puncher "

"That tells me how strong she is... it doesn't answer my question. But let me ask more exactly, not where would she be. WHO would she be?" Anne Marie says "What kind of Changeling would she be?"

"She'd be.... Dagmar. Different, but .... Dagmar?"

"What kind of Dagmar would that Dagmar be?"

"She owuldn't trust nobody, and who could blame her?" Dirk says "She was in the system."

And Adam can see Dirk actually looks sympathetic

"Probably wouldn't have Nadeen." On reflection.

"You're right htere, Adam. ALl the good deeds she did... she'd never have had the chance to, because everyone would have worked hard to keep her down instead of letting her rise up. Nadeen lost... Vali probably dead.. maybe Siv. Connor might be far messed up." She says "She is a child who was EMBRACED by her village... and she has shined. And so, are you two. Dirk has saved more lives than he ever took... helped more people than he ever hurt innocents..."

Dirk's brow knits.. and he resists the urge to break out fingers and start counting

Ironically, Adam looks like he's fighting the same battle.

"Adam, you have done more than fight a linnorm. You have saved people yes, but you also helped Zane when he was lost about what to do with his passion... any story in the world would tell you that that's Dark Wizard direction when a young seeker of the mystic is denied too long. You helped Jimmy gain confidence. You've hurt folks too, but the help you've done... outshines that. And you both are still growing"

Now Dirk looks dubious at the comment about Adam helping more folks than he hurt, but he lets it slide

Adam knows of more acts... but says nothing.

"So what I want, what I really want.... is for you two to apologize to each other for the mean things you've said and done to each other. That's what lead to ME getting insulted when you think about it. Stored up history and resentment growing. If it hadn't been Gerd trying to help, bless her good intentions, something ELSE would have set it off." A gentle look "Now, could you two at least agree to clean the slate. Give each other a fresh start? Realize that you WILL have to work together and whatever yester Dirk was like, or Yester Adam was like, those two young fellows live in history, and you two new fellows live in the now? Can you do that?"

Adam looks uncomfortable, and struggles. "I can try."

Dirk grumbles 'ma I... " He looks at her big eyes and sighs "I'll try."

"I'll trust you both to be true Crashes of the Storm and not just spouting empty words then" Anne Marie nods "You will give effort, real effort, to work with each other instead of sniping against each other. Thank you both for being brave enough, bold enough to try to do this."

"Kay" Dirk says

"I'll try." Adam reiterates honestly.

"now," Anne Marie says happily "Group hug!" She holds out her hands

Adam's face.... is a picture.

Dirk's is a horror show "Uh..."