#bergen_county

Dagmar doesn't have to wait long before her dad shows up with pizza. his face is stoic but she suspects he's not happy either

Dag doesn't say much.

He moves setting the pizza down, then quietly "thank you for baby sitting"

Grunt. ("I am not happy about why I was babysitting, though I do not begrudge CJ time.")

Mmmm He nods and sets up a slice for CJ ("I understand and feel the same. I'll watch him now.") a thoughtful look as if he's considering something

"Mmph." (Did she tell YOU more?)

A shrug ("Not sure. Don't know exactly what she told you")

"Nothing!"

"She told FRANK."

"But not ME."

"Just that there's some troll from Thyle?"

"She didn't tell me that, Frank did. SHE told me to stay home and babysit."

A concerned look, and a nod "She hurt you. i know your mother. she didn't mean to hurt either of us. She told me roughly what she told your uncle, so it is easy for me to say. I"m sorry"

"Who came? What is she doing? Where is she going? Why would she leave CJ and not call ME?"

"you were at school when it happened. I don't know who came. Picking them up or giving them a ride I think? Helping was vague" He puts a hand on his daughter's shoulder. he doesn't have to reach as far down as he did a year ago "Whatever is going on, it clearly has your mother focused on it. When trolls get focused, we can be a bit insensitive. I'm going to trust your mother to tell me more later."

"(Not happy about it mind you") he grunts after

"I don't like this!"

A nod "Me neither. But I'm not some wilder that can seek a way to find out what someone else is doing and charge into the middle of their adventure without asking"

A brow.

"Of course, the wilder would likely get in trouble anyway, but it would be an option" A pause "If I were a wilder"

And he smiles jUST a bit

Interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Tove?! Wait, she would knock normally. Wait… she wouldn't knock on her own door.

A look at his daughter, a grunt ("get that, would you?") as he tends to CJ

Dag tromps over.

Symon waits outside. He looks tired, yet smug.

"Sy! I swear, you have the best timing..."

“Dagmar! We finally did…” hee starts, then pauses. “Do I?”

"Symon you want some food? We have some pasta I was about to throw out"

"Did what?"

“I ate before I came by, thanks. I was over at Earthrunes, and they always have a full spoiled larder.”

He beams over at Dagmar- a rather grotesque expression- and wiggles his fingers. “It worked. Sir Florin Squidfingers of Fiona! Well, he might not call himself that. But others might.”

"Oh! Great!"

"Gross, but great!"

“I was really worried it wouldn't take, and after all that work… a group effort.” He admits. “But still, my magnum opus. So far.”

"Pity your Dad can't really appreciate it."

“He was a real help, even though he doesn't know it. He even let me watch a hand surgery- and during COVID.”

Symon gives a bit of a guilty fidget at that, “might have led him on a bit that it might encourage me in that direction.”

"Well, you were talking maybe mortuary stuff or being an ME... that's kind of close?"

“I’m not sure he'll see it that way. But… what’s going on? Am I in time for Forged in Fire or something?”

Dagmar's face creases into a frown.

"Tove's off doing.. I dunno. She left everything for some stranger."

At this, Jaymes and CJ seem to have slipped back into the kitchen fully

His brow furrows a bit. “That’s not like her.” A glance up to see that they are alone. “Do you think she was coerced? Blackmailed?”

"I don't know!"

"Like, she just left CJ. Sure, she called Frank to come watch him - but what would be that pressing?"

“I wonder if there was danger. Like, if it was just a simple errand she'd take him with…”

A grimace and a nod.

“If you want… I could do a backwards glance. Watch what she was doing before she left, maybe there was a conversation or a phone call that might give you hints? If you think she needs help. Otherwise she might get pissed off being spied on…”

"Oh! I was trying to think who had soothsay, but - yeah, that... could you?"

“You know I’d not do this on your family unless it was important, right?” He says, even as he dug in his pockets to look for dross. “Like.., I don’t care what anyone else thinks. But I care that YOU guys know I'm not some sketchy voyeur.”

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Sky is blue, Dagmar trusts Symon.