#bergen_county

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Symon sighs inwardly, and tries again to explain to Dirk.

"It's Chuseok, not "choke out". It's one of the biggest Korean holidays. You should like it, it involves eating. Traditionally it was to celebrate a good harvest, but now it's more... kinda like Korean Samhain or Dia de los Muertos. End of summer, start of Fall. Remember the dead, eat traditional food."

As he tells his foster brother why Ann Marie took the afternoon off to cook fish and roast chestnuts, and try her hand at little pastries made of rice cake and sweet fillings. And why Dirk can't just eat the ingredients...

"Remember the dead? What , all the folks I've snuffed or ALL dead? Cuz that last would get tiring"

"No, not all of them, just like, ancestors. Did you have anyone in your old fam who kicked it that you liked?"

"Nope, all pretty much assholes.."

"Good. Then just the eating part. I figured we could maybe invite Eden over. She might miss some of these foods, and, y'know, I can't eat most of them until next week anyways."

Symon watches Dirk for a moment, then asks, "You ever think about oaths?"

"Not much, but I make up for it by swearing a lot"

Clearly he thinks this is funny "Get it? Like the Mummy Movie? "Do you swear?' "Every damned day' HA!"

A small smirk. At least watching movies is like having culture. "I meant like, for a motley."

"Unless you and Pris' are going to start a corby or something."

"I thought about it," He admits "And .. Priss sometimes talks about truehearts being stupid... but maybe not THAT stupid" THe Redcap looks a bit spooked there, "But I figure if I ever take any Oath i better get something out of it. What's the point of sometihng that might keep me from helpin...err kicking ass for a friend when some oath might hold be back? If I EVER Take an oath, you can bet it'll have some of them..whatcha call it, provisos? Maybe the Dreaming will reward me less, but it'll also hold me back less"

"Dagmar and I were talking about seeing if folk wanted to officially be part of a motley." He shrugs. "You'd have someone, some of us, like, contractually obligated to have your back."

"Huh... " A startled look, then he ponders "I wouldn't have to worry so much about either of you if you were in a motley... she can protect your scrawny ass, and you could show her when honor is making her stupid"

"The invite might just be for you." He warns. "Would Prissy get pissy if that was the case?"

"Oh.." He ponders "Not sure... Look man, I don't know about women exactly. Wait, you guys want me in your motley?" Dirk suddenly seems to sink in "I didn't think Dags liked me that much. Respect sure. We got a mutual 'we could hurt each other real bad in a fight' recognition. SHe'd kill me with fly swatter, I think I'd win without... and both of us are cool with that cuz we look out for the same wimpier people and for the lodge"

"You don't gotta like someone to respect 'em. Or consider them as family, for that matter." He says, and then looks away, a bit embarrassed.

Dirk also looks away, possibly causing NEITHER boy to realize the other is looking away in the first place "Well, you don't suck"

"Yeah, if you died, I'd feel bad and put out, like, incense for you on Chuseok."

"And some offerings too. That's food for your ghost to eat. Not sure if it works with fae souls, but hey, it's the thought, right?"

"Would you drink of my skull? That'd be kind of cool."

"Uh." He has to think about that for a moment. Would have to use some sort of resin to fill the cracks and cover the eye holes.. "Yeah, sure thing."

"Cool.. course mom and dad might flip if they found out but if any could hide it from them you could" He nods "Tell Dagmar if she wants me, I'd think about it"

He nods. "Cool."

Enough said!

Indeed! And he could get a skull out of this some day!

(end Scene)