#goldfinchfreehold

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Sylvi yawns and frowns as she goes over some bills for the studio. Water, electric...

Heavy footsteps in the hallway. Dagmar can be quiet in a pinch, but she sure don't default to it.

"Sylvi?"

"In here!" As if that's not clear enough, she peeks her head out of the kitchenette. "Hey, you! What's up?"

"Hey. Your mom tasked me." She holds up a bag, containing a stack of cardboard boxes.

"Oooh! Love to see you anytime and for any reason, but this is a nice bonus." She helps offload the bag onto the counters and starts opening containers. "Everything okay over there?"

"Yeah, she's been on a cookie kick. I don't think Chieftain is capable of making less than five dozen of anything."

Sylvi laughs and picks up a peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookie. She gestures for Dagmar to help herself as she takes a bite. "Oh, mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"

Dagmar ponders, and then gets a molasses cookie.

"Things okay here? I've been kinda spreading word on the boycott."

"Yeah. Lucia was here when you texted me, but I didn't tell her. You know it's only a matter of time until she finds out, right?"

She shrugs.

"Maybe."

"She had nothing to do with it, and we're leaving the grumps out."

"Yeah, but she's going to have feelings about it. Not sure what those feelings will be, but pretty sure they'll be complicated, whatever they are."

"Probably. Hopefully it will be 'your friends care about you and your parents were wrong."

"Yup. And honestly..." she lowers her voice "...the pizza's better at the other place."

Grin!

"Lupe and her crew are cool, anyways."

"How's stuff for you? Everything good with you and Symon?"

A flush of purple and a soft smile. She nods. "Things are good."

"S'funny how it still feels new?"

"Well, it still is kinda new. I mean, the new part being where you both know that the other's really into you."

She bobs her head. "Instead of, I dunno, dancing around it for years. It's good. Like - warm? I dunno."

Sylvi grins. "I'm glad. That year of She Who Will Not Be Named was rough, though."

"Uhg. Yeah."

"Kinda like one of those novels by ... oh, you know who I mean." She can't find the name.

"Even when we're both busy - he's got some pretty intense labs this semester - it's still.. still feels close, I guess. Oh god, that one Piper likes? Talia Amore? Aimer? How you say it?"

"That's the one. It's just like one of those. Like, a meet-cute, and growing attraction, and doubts, then big crisis, then happy ending."

"May loves her. All those Bridgerton love triangles and brooding artists and gothic manors. But yeah, happy ending."

"And not for nothing, but you two are adorable."

They can hear music (not a surprise) from one of the studios, sounds like Piper is in a lesson. A crash of cymbals, off key - yeesh, apparently a drum lesson, and it's necessary.

Snort. "Can you imagine Miss Talia faced with love between a sluagh and a troll?"

Sylvi winces at the drum fiasco, then laughs with Dagmar. "Sure not the first combo people would think of, no."

"Oof." A look towards the direction of the crash.

"Right? Works for us, though." Oh, she's glowing.

At the oof. "Yeah. I think somebody got drums for the holidays, and their parents now regret it."

"Well, Piper can use her powers for good."

"Geez, we could power the whole town for a week on your happy-grin."

She ducks her head and shrugs.

She helps herself to another cookie, this one a ginger snap.

"I mean that as a good thing, not something to hide. Sorry, didn't mean for it to come off as teasing or something."

"It didn't. S'nice."

A smile. "Good."

"I think... I think it'll help, too, when we get busy? Like I have fieldwork, or he's stuck in a long lab? Because you can still feel it."

"Yeah, that's gotta be reassuring. And given who you both are, there'll probably be times that you do have to be apart for a while, right?"

"Yeah. Especially if what Vali's talking about happens."

"Oh? What's Vali talking about?"

An exhale. "Emissary work for me."