#bergen_county

TXT: Seriously? You're ghosting me?

Nadeen's text to Symon

Finally, a response. Been busy. What's up?

TXT: I think we should talk. In person? I promise it's not a trap.

Txt: Not on MY side anyway

He snickers, but doesn't give that away over text that the thought HAD come to mind. Where?

TXT: Neutral ground I guess. Garden of RV? Dress warmly

TXT Likewise

He looks out the window. So far, no snow has fallen, but it's dropped below freezing. A sigh, thinking of his wallet, and he dials up Knight's Heart on his app.

Can get there in three minutes

Fine, he sucks it up and orders a ride. And bundles up. Moving quietly, to not disturb Ann Marie at work in her little office.

And by her he slips, she appears to be on the phone "Yes yes, I got a copy of the letter. I don't know, if he's coming back she may not want to go. But I"m not sure how to advise you. "

And he sees out he window, Eden's car pullilng up

Hesitating, he listens for a moment longer, sliding on ear muffs and then hiding them under a knit cap, pulling on his slender gloves with the capacitive finger tips...

"Well, I know Symon will miss her, they're very good friends but I understand you're not going to force her. I just think she'd be happier with social interaction in person."

Ah, this he knows about. And slides out the door before Eden can honk the horn. "Sup, Scales?" He greets her, sliding into the car. "Just the Lodge today."

She is buried in a sweater and gloves and earmuffs herself "God I love being a winter person"

Definitely gonna look for that letter mentioned later, though. He thinks to himself.

Symon is similarly bundled up. "Yeah, but I don't do great in hot weather either, so I just wish for longer falls. Try a heat lamp and a hot rock?"

"Tikki's had me as a kept woman in a heated air aquarium for weeks" They drive moving along "How's life with the tyranical networker of nice? and the eating machine?"

"Ann Marie wouldn't say if she went out on Samhain... and I honestly am not sure I'd want to know. I'm interested to see how she does in the winter, it's like.. call it a scientific observation. I'm guessing a bit more ruthless in advocating for her cases. If she stood up for herself a bit more, I'd not be upset either. Dirk? ...he's Dirk."

"Some stone-skinned Ailil troll managed to withstand getting whaled on by him at the back-ally melee at Pennons. Even bloodied his nose. If you ask me, he should get her number. A chick that can stand him for 10 minutes even when NOT fighting is probably worth knowing."

"Oh, the Sliver woof crew" She nods "Tikki could take her. Tikki could take Dirk. But then I'd be all alone at home writing bad fan fiction about Hermonie and Draco and where does that get us?"

"Uh." He blinks. "I'm not sure." He admits, lost on that.

"Exactly" she nods and they pull up to tthe lodge and hands him a chimerical card it says 'Trips to the lodge are half price to honor right of haven'

"One 'not throwing away my shot' will do it" She holds a hand out

He digs through his pockets, but the dross he has... he's not sure if she'd approve. Instead, he offers cash. "Will this do for now? Unless you really like dead crickets. Un, no judgement."

She shrugs 'both are trash" seeming okay with either

Belatedly he understands the cost, but he'd already given her a 10, so he sticks by it. "Ride home later too?"

"Only because you've got an honest face"

And she puts the car in park and waits.

He snorts, but nods. "Thanks..." And heads out to figure out what the Varich wants.

She waits in the garden, her voile fine furs and elegance. She's chosen a spot where it would be hard to appraoch her without being a clear line of sight, and she is currently checking her face with a compact... probably so she can watch her back

He considers his options. There's a tree where he could climb and drop down unexpected... or test his stealth to come from around the corner... but, nah. He walks straight down the path, shoulders slumped in his normal nonchalant posture.

She looks up and closes the compact

"Thank you for coming" She says

"Do you like this weather?" He asks. Not so much just small talk, but... curious. "It would snow, if it tried to rain today. But by the time the storms get here, it's gonna be a bit warmer, so it's just going to be cold and wet. Dank and dreary."

"I like snow, I understand ice. Not so delighted with cold rain. You?"

"I like when it's cooler out. And the wet doesn't bother me, though Ann Marie claims I'll catch cold. It's when it gets really bitter and sharp that I have to stay inside." He picks a spot to lean.

"I'd say we should have tea, if I was being proper, but even my mentor says I'm not much of a proper slug." Not that Madame Grey would ever use such a vulgar word. "...would you have drank it if I made it, even?"

The Varich ponders, "Probably not to be honest. Not if it were just us. But this isn't just about us. It's about dagmar and how we ... how our relationship troubles her.So I've called you out so I could say this. I apologize for my behavior at Pennons. It may seem an empty apology because you know the reason I'm sorry is because it hurt her for me to do it, not you, but we both know if I gave you a hug you'd worry about a knife in your back after and that pretending it was true guilt for your sake would be.. insincere. Still, it's the apology I have, and it's true meant"

The wince she gives indicates it hurt a bit to come that clean to him, to admit that much.

"I thought about it... and I tried to explain to Dagmar, but I don't know if she understood, really. She's too... maybe I just suck at what I try to say. But I don't accept your apology. You can apologize to Dagmar because it bothered her, but don't apologize to me for being... honest. I mean, you were fucking with me. But you did it in the open, to try to get my goat. You didn't sabotage my stuff, or sneak around, or... or like hex it so that whoever bought it would get hurt and then blame me."

"...if it had been someone else's stuff, I'd have thought it was funny as shit." He shuffles his feet a bit, scowling - not at her, but at the effort to try to put his thoughts into words. Sluagh aren't at a social negative for nothing.

A delicate snort "See? I thought it was hilarious myself, but I'm biased. Fine, you won't accept my apology, I will accept your compliment. I don't know what that means but there we are. And Dagmar is fragile in some ways. Honestly, I'd like to drag half the people who hurt her when she was just Samantha and show those who abused her new worlds of pain for every thing they've done. I do love her, Symon, and though I'm sure you've warned her against me, I ..think, I WANT to believe, it is not because I am varich, but because you care for her too. I suppose I am a bad match. We Varich aren't meant for love." Wistful then sigh "Damn Kerri and the others for putting the notion my head that it could ever be so. "

"For what it's worth - I didn't warn her against you. I warned her about being with someone who treats her like she deserves. But in the showshoe fit..." A shrug. He is blunt, but not trying to rub it in.

And in an effort of will, he does not bring up that Nadeen can by counted in the number who hurt Sam, by stealing Tanya... but it's a close call there.

"You're free to think whatever you want of me. A lot is probably true, or at least a compliment to work towards. I know what I am, and I've never pretended to be anything else. But one thing you can count on is that I'd NEVER hurt Dagmar, OR Sam. I might not be able to protect her from being hurt by anyone else.... even if she admitted that she needed it or even wanted to be... but if she did get hurt, I'd never let anyone get away with it."

A flush, his cheeks a rather bilious-looking mottled green and grey. "And about the apology - it's not that I reject it. It's I reject the reason for it. I don't think you need to apologize, is all. But if it makes Dagmar happy, just tell her you apologized, and I said we're square on it. That's the truth."

A brow, cold and shining eyes for a moment, but at his pronouncements about loyalty to Sam and Dagmar , She takes a breath "Putting aside any debate of how I treated her in the interest of peace. I realize I was blind to some of her wants. She's not always good at expressing them, and I do not claim to be naturally empathic." The snow queen come to flesh looks at him, "I feel as you do about avenging her if we cannot protect. Though I imagine we each have..different lines where that stands. And thank you for accepting the apology, for Dagmar's sake." She looks away "Symon, we're probably never going to be friends. But I hope we never become true enemies. You've said you're not much of a proper slug. Maybe what is annoying to others of your kith and a source of insecurity to you is a rung of a ladder of trust I can latch onto .Not that you need my approval or trust. There is bad blood between your kith and my House, and we can swap stories or opinions all day on who is to blame for it- but I think , and correct me if I'm wrong, we both have far more important things to do than dwell on it?"

He scowls a bit more. It rankles to be called an annoyance and insecure. Even if it might be true. Especially if it's true. He's allowed to deprecate himself, but that's his own prerogative. And even when she's being what she calls polite - damn sidhe, it feels like being talked down to.

"Yeah." He agrees, leaving it at that. "I got a quest coming up. And I hear you do, too."

"Yes." she says "I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about the details on yours but I understand if you can't or won't share"

He scoffs. "It's something Vali tossed together. I have even odds on it turning out to be just a school field trip. Yours is something horses, which figures."

"Vali? I hope one of you speaks French. It would be just like him to send you on a mission where knowing it is vital"

"I haven't been able to pin him down. And when you can't find a seer, you figure he's gotta not want to be found."