#bergen_county

"To friends!" May says raising hers

"Hear Hear" Lucia says

"To boon companions " Gerd nods

"To Amazons" Lupe finishes

"To US!" Sylvi chimes in.

That gets a round of praise

Sam taps her slice gently against the others.

"Oh. can I have some of that tea, Gerd? I'll need to wash down my pills. I've cut down on them so much, figure it's best I have at least a dose now" May says

Sylvi looks at Dagmar.

"Why?" Sam blurts.

"Have you been taking them at all? I thought you were out."

"Not all this week" She assures "it just makes sense to make sure I reduce a little instead of cold turkey" May says.. ANd then.. she bites down on her pizza slice..

(Which may be enchanted?)

Dagmar tenses.

"Please don't freak out." May and Lupe.

Sylvi nods agreement with Dagmar. "Everything's okay. Lupe, you know."

Lupe bit hers.. and blinks "What the .. oh.. right"

May chews it, and for a moment, does NOT catch alight

Then May says "Why would I feak out?" The glamour dies rather than enchant her

"Ummmmm....because pineapple on pizza is weird?" Sylvi lamely covers. "Some say."

Sam's eyes flare wide.

"Oh it's fine. Though it's actually a canadian invention, not really from Hawaii"

LLupe isn't sure what's gone wrong, but it's clear it has.

She swallows. "Maybe Hawaiian-Canadians. Mixed marriage."

A curious look. "So...May...have you been in touch with anybody from Cali while you've been back here?"

Gerd says "her's your tea. SIp it first, make sure I got the mix right before you down those pills?" She offers the steaming cup

She picks up the container of parmesan cheese and rolls it between her palms a couple of times, trying to enchant that.

"Oh.. yes, this ..friend" Dubious lie "Trying to talk me back into creative writing. SIlly isn't it?" May says, and takes the cup

"I'm sure it's fine, Gerd, thank you." May looks about for her pills

Sam's shoulders curl.

"Not silly."

Sylvi reaches over and sprinkles the parmesan on May's slice.

"You're a good writer. Did... did you get a chance to read my notes on the scripts?"

"I did, and they mean the world to me. I liked your idea about a secondary villain" She says

She picks at her toppings. "Maybe it'd be better if we could talk through them. Easier to talk than write, for me."

"What's the idea about the secondary villain?"

"Ah ha..where are my.. okay... I can't find them" She says looking in her bag

LUcia says "Maybe they're at your house. YOu can take em later" She says

"You'll be okay." Trying not to panic.

"If you've been off them this long, another day won't matter, right?"

May is likely oblivious. But wolves can smell fear, Sylvi & Gerd speak troll, and Lucia's a boggan.

"Here, try it with the parmesan."

Sylvi gives Dagmar a look of We're going to figure this out, stay strong.

She does, taking a bit and the glamour glows and for a moment it seems she's going to light up but then... "Too heavy with the paramsean, regular is better. Thanks though" As the second enchantment doesn't take

"Oh come on" Lucia almost says aloud, rather a whisper

Sylvi kenns May...is there something on her, some charm or something, that's blocking the enchantment?

No.. she's just a bit more banal than before. A week off pills isn't going to undo months of accounting and dream deadeners it seems

"Did you know that T.S. Eliot was a banker?"

A blink at Dagmar. "Um...he was?"

"No. I didn't know that" may admits