#bergen_county

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Dagmar can't embroider. She's tried.

The little needles are just too fine for her hands, and she can't work at counting tiny threads.

She can, however, carve wood.

And that's what she's currently up to.

It might not help that BrownDog sometimes gets underfoot while she works

Brown dog might notice Symon approaching, even if his soft steps are quiet, he can likely be smelled.

The door has been opened to the run-in, so the horses are able to go between the warm stable and the paddock - Spark is trying to eat falling snowflakes.

The goats, however, are very much inside. Star & Stormwake are also, though they seem to be keeping a parental eye on the yearling.

Browndog wags. Clearly someone is bringing in a carcas!

"What is it?" She reaches over to pat the dog's side.

"Hey." Symon raises a hand, moving into view.

"Oh, hey!" She smiles.

"You look better."

She cuts away another curl of wood with the knife.

"Yeah... What are you making?" He wanders closer, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

She holds it out - a relief, looking like a geometric pattern of triangles and.. dumbbells?

"Block prints."

"That's cool. Is it for stencil work for embossed paper, like letterhead?"

"For Carnival. I.. uh.." A flush of purple. "So, you know there was that Disney movie?"

"How could I avoid it? It's everywhere." Deadpan.

She rubs the back of her neck.

"Yeah, well. Um."

"I outgrew my Thor costume."

"And, like... I thought maybe I'd try something different this year?"

"Like, you're taller, or you're no longer 'feeling it'?" Curiously.

"Both? I've done the same one for a few years now..."

"Ah, the outfit. I get it. Just if you said you'd outgrown Thor then we might have trouble." A thin smile. "Unlike a video game, you can't just reassign skill points from 'Thunder of the Heavens' into a new area quite so easily."

A soft chuff. "Gotcha. Yeah."

"So. Um." She frowns at the block. "I mean, yeah. I know it's a kid's movie."

"I could maybe look at some green fabric. Vali's the one that sees the future, but Bruno has strong sluagh vibes. I mean, he lives behind cracks in the walls with rats, for chissakes."

A pause. "And he's all, like, misunderstood, and loathed, those are sluggish too."

"The kids were watching it when I checked on Lily." He says, lest they think Symon the Denier watches Disney - her Gwydion-dar might ping just a touch.

"Bruno's pretty cool. And, I mean, your eyes glow when you do the thing."

"They do?" He blinks. "You know, I've never seen myself doing it... Huh. That's kinda cool."

"It is. And a little freaky, which, for you, is probably a bonus."

"Tove's helping me with the sewing part... um. If... if you wanted, I could carve an hourglass print?"

"I think they're meant to be woven or embroidered in the movie, but..." She shrugs.

"I have to go back to Earthrunes soon. They have this pooka there that does amazing work." He considers. "Maybe I could do something like that. I mean, I'm really good with fine manipulation work."

"A print would be cool, though. I've never tried wood. It looks hard, you probably need more hand strength then I have to get through the harder pieces."

"Well, this isn't super hard - there's a range."

"You want to laugh, though, give me a needle."

"But, like, I figured I could stamp the motifs since they repeat. For, um.. Luisa, y'know. I mean, you have to dress up for Carnival."

"Yeah... Carnival. Hey, um. Do you got a few minutes? To talk?"

"...Sure?"

He pokes with his foot a bit at a curl of wood on the ground.

Brow-furrow.

"What's wrong?"

He's slow to bring it up. "Remember last week, when I got shot?" One for the 'phrases you don't hear every day' notebook.

"I... I thought it missed you?"

He rubs at a spot on his chest awkwardly. "Not... exactly. I mean, at the time, I thought it was a dud, he was shooting blanks? But... no, I got hit by something. There was a mark and everything, though I think it's gone now."