#bergen_county

Stormwake snorts. CLearly any colt of his blood will be fierce and proud

Star stamps. Her filly will be slender and swift as the wind.

Pat pat. "Your foal will be beautiful, Star."

A whicker of agreement.

Gerd looks to Connor "I think you wanted to say something to Dagmar?"

"Oh, um. No." He slides off the fence and faces her, straightening up with a somber look. "You came after me to help out Gerd because she is your friend and you are my friend and because you are a troll and it is your duty. I shouldna done what I did, even if..." He stops, and restarts. "Shouldna. My duty is to be an ember and not go causing work when there are Missions to do. So I am reporting for duty."

Dagmar crouches to get her head on level with Connor. "I accept your apology. And I know, sometimes - wanting or feeling a thing so much... well. It's not wrong to want to see your father, Connor. I understand that. I know you love him."

"And... we love you, yeah? Rivervale, all of us."

"I love my birth-mother. Even though I can't let her hurt me, and she's not able to be different... I love her anyways, yeah?"

Jaymes is quiet, patting Star lightly stroking with a brush

His chin quivers a bit, and he starts to reach out, then stops, and asks, "Are you too mad for a hug?"

Gerd has hung back

"I'm not mad, kiddo."

She opens her arms.

He gives her a fierce hug - though he probably seems little stronger than, say, Snow to her estimations. She could crush him! She never would... but she COULD. How can folk be so fragile? Hmmph. That's why trolls were made, to protect them.

She handles him as gently as a glass egg, letting him set the time of the hug.

"But... I am here for duty." He nods solemnly when the hug ends. "From now through all of July, just like with Miss Kerri."

"He's offering to handle a shovel " Gerd translates

He nods. "Stormwake makes a lot of duty, and Star does too, even if she acts like she's too fancy to do such a thing. I'll do the shovel work so you can do other things."

"Well... if that's what you want to offer, I'll accept that. But you know I'm still your friend, right? So you don't have to tuck your tail the whole month, okay?"

"And I might just need help with carrots and brushing, too. Or someone smaller than me to help ride Star."

"I didn't want to offer to do the work that isn't work. You LIKE brushing and carrots and riding."

"No one likes duty! Not even trolls." A hint of a grin there.

Gerd's turn to snerk

"That doesn't mean I don't need the help. And hey, who's the boss here?"

"According to Vali it's some guy named Tony Danza"

"Who?"

"that's what I asked" She says

Clueless shrug

"Vali's weird."

"I know" She sighs "it's my great fear I'll become like him... "A pause "And sometimes its almost a life goal. Meh" She says "Let the Pup on Poop Patrol"

"Honestly, horse poop isn't that bad."

"It's poop" A nose wrinkle from Gerd

"You? Dagmar is the Danza?"

"I though that Nadeen was the Danza snow. Is she YOUR boss?"

"Nadeen's my friend, not my boss."

"I think Star is the boss."

"...yeah, she kinda is."

"mm" Jaymes considers that then nods

"Oh. Um. I have to apologize to Symon." He scuffs a foot. "Do you think he'll put me in a jar? If he does, will it have holes to breath?"

"I will make sure he punches holes."

"Lily says she saw his workshop and it's filled with TOES of people who put their feet up on the seats on the bus."

"He also has a peanut-butter jar full of toe-jam."

"I'll put in a word to Symon as well" Gerd says

"No! Really? I don't want to be in the toejam!" He gives Gerd a worried look. "I will NEVER mess with no sluagh again, ever, never, just don't let me be the peanut butter in a sluagh sandwich."

"Smart."

"Then it's Adam after that... and I don't know which is harder."

Ears drooping. "I didn't do nice by either of them. And... maybe Adam would have gone anyways if I had just asked..."

"Maybe... but I think Adam.. I think will be kinder than you think" She says

"Connor, you just gotta be brave, okay?"