#goldfinchfreehold

"And that's the whole story" Olgar and Kerri have finished the news to their daughter. They don't visit Goldfinch often, they respect her space, but here they made a show of it so they won't pull rank on her

She might be a little anxious about the visit -- I mean, isn't it always a little nerve-wracking with the folks visit your new place? -- but she brought them down to the freehold proper before they talked. Now she sits, agog, as the story concludes.

After a moment, she says, "Seriously? Merri? Mom, please let Dad beat him up."

A wry grin from Kerri. "Maybe someday. Right now it would just complicate matters."

"I've always said our daughter was a genius" Olgar tells Kerri

Sylvi pouts in disappointment, but only for a moment. "Well...okay...so this isn't so much about his opinion of me as his opinion of you. That doesn't exactly make it better, though. Wow, what an entitled pr-....person."

"You were right the first time" Her dad mmmphs "Oh I'm pretty sure he's also got a grudge against new media. Failed TV reporter who never made anchor? "

"Oh! I didn't make that connection..." Kerri says, the pieces falling into place.

"Ack." Sylvi rolls her eyes. "That totally makes sense, now." She gets a calculating look.

"Hey? I'm one up on the two of you? This is a rare treat. I could be wrong" He admits "But it seems like the perfect combo. A grudge against your mom, Sylvi, that you have to pay for, and there you are, a moderate success online"

Perhaps more than her parents know. Sylvi recently started checking her Patreon accounts. Thanks to her mother and Sally Mae, she knows finances better than most teenagers, but she's making at least the same money as a 40 hour fast food job would make.

Whether she told her parents of this, well... that's up to her

"A little more than moderate, to be honest. Yeah, it's a perfect storm," Sylvi replies. "Not sure how to sail it, though. I mean...there are options, but I'm not sure how mature I feel like being about it."

"Well, we can handle it instead if you want, but your mom thought you should have first dibs" Olgar says "which doesn't mean neither of us was tempted."

The ugly man pops a knuckle as if to demonstrate

"Honey," Kerri puts a hand on his arm, "tempting as it might be, she might not want it to look like she needs to be rescued."

"No, totally," Sylvi nods agreement with her mother. "What I really want to do is throw my monthly earnings statement in his face and make complimentary comments about local news anchors."

"But that would be tacky."

Olgar nods as Kerri puts a hand on his arm, then blinks at mention of monthly earning statement, but lets it slide "Okay, so do you have a plan B instead of Tacky? Maybe something with a cantrip at the right place right time would embarrass him? It's a bit pooka esque, and possibly also tacky"

Sylvi takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "What I should do, if I was gonna be mature about it...is write some kind of essay about how modern media should look back to traditional media for guidance about, like, ethics and stuff." Clearly she finds this distasteful. "Kind of pandering, though."

"Oh! I could ask Eden for pooka-help. She could prank him good...but...she might not know when to stop."

"I'm willing to hear options, though?" She bites her lip a moment, then adds, "Ones that won't end up with any of us in jail."

"Well, you got allies. And no shame in that. I don't mean me and your mother. Eden might help, I think Rikki would just for kicks.. but you got more than pooka now that I think of it. Zane's gone, but the other satyrs here might back you up. Piper may have ideas, though with her currently on that tour thing she might not be able to run back. Mmm I know Lucia's got your back."

"If you're looking for mature," Kerri says, "I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help this time. I want to call him out in front of the school board."

"Mo-om!" Sylvi's caught between shock and laughter.

"The day your momma socked it to, the harper valley PTA" A chuckle "Great song"

Kerri offers her husband a fist-bump.

"I...hm...I think I might be getting an idea. And yeah, Dad, I'll enlist the others. I think I'll go high, but have others go low. Although my 'high' is still gonna be kinda low, really."

He returns it

"oh?" Olgar looks intrigued "I know it's your life honey, but hope we get to hear the results of whatever?"

"The results, totally. But...it's still in development in my brain right now, so I don't really want to share it just yet. Um...you know he's probably going to tank my grades either way, cuz I'm not going to suck up to him."

"Maybe," Kerri agrees seriously. "That won't be an excuse not to do the work for that class."

"Yeahhhh," Sylvi sighs. "I know."

"Also, depending on hwo this goes, we could still go to your principal and see if those grades could be corrected. Or we could ask for your class to be changed to another? " A focused look "is this one mandatory?"

"Yeah, it's mandatory. AND he's the only one who teaches it!"

"I checked," she adds.

"Damn" A sigh "Well, let's hope your plan works. Because at thsi point I'm tempted to kidnap him so they have to get a Sub for a week"

Her dad might be joking

"I'll keep you posted. Huh...I bet we'd get Mr. Casso. Probably be an improvement."

She doesn't sound entirely convinced.

"I know school's not your favorite subject, but I hope there are least a few teachers you like there or who you consider good?" Olgar squeezes his wife's hand as he asks his daughter. Kerri can read him. He worries he's not been attentive enough in their daughter's school life

Kerri squeezes back reassuringly, but she wonders, too.

Sylvi shakes her head. "It's... I mean, there's so much else that needs doing that's more important, you know? And yeah, school's good for getting exposed to a lot of ideas, and I mean the social stuff is really important, too...but I'm already doing things. I'm mastering my craft, I'm making connections and getting exposure, I'm managing my money...and I'm being a freeholder, too. I'm doing stuff, not just getting ready to maybe do stuff."

"And yeah, some of the teachers are good. And some are okay. Mr. Grant's really the only one that sucks this year."

"I get that" he nods, hoping his little girl hasn't given up on college before she gives it a try. Of course, not having gone he knows he's a bit of a hypocrite for wanting that for her "But like the DeBukes say, invest in just one crop and one bad season will kill ya"

not the exact phrase ,but close

"I think I remember something from high school biology," Kerri adds, looking upward as she pulls on the memory. "I think it's...overspecialization leads to extinction? Something like that?"

Sylvi rolls her eyes. "I'm not a toad or a burrowing owl or something like that. And anyway...I know things aren't going to stay the same forever. And when I have to figure out the next thing...I will."

"Annnd...." she says before they can continue. "Yes, I promised Dagmar...I'll go to college, for at least one year."

"Good head on her shoulders, that Dagmar" Olgar nods gamely

trying not to look TOO pleased

She gives her father a look. "Not like you're comparing or anything."