#rivervale_lodge

"Hold on a second, you haven't been to Colton's room have you?"

"No. I haven't been anywhere. Sylvi says I can't go on a trod yet."

"Well, later maybe we'll see if he'll let us visit, because he was talking about his mentor and liege, she's a sidhe, but more impoortantly an artist. She put the room up at his place how he liked it...you know what he's got? Paintings and posters of superheroes. And Colton is older than you"

"But he's a boy."

"So what? More girls going to superhero movies than ever before. Also... I'm not sure, it's hard to make out whispers, but I did pay attention as best I could when Symon gave you that because it made you happy at first. I don't think he said the quilt was stupid. he said his stepmom screwed up because she doesn't even know the Avenger Thor and went Mythic. Sy thought you might be sad it wasn't superhero thor like in the movies. The little guy is strange, but you really think he'd give you something just so he could mock you for it?"

She shrugs. "Maybe. Midsummer is about pranks, Sylvi said."

"Only once you fall asleep. It's Highsummer the pooka call Pranksgiving. I may have to sit on Vali"

"I screwed it up."

"How? You didn't design it. You didn't even ask for it. Your crime was you liking it. Unless you mean you screwd up the holiday, and no baby, you didn't. I went back out with Tove because you wanted space. and I thought maybe you would eat if it wasn't there. Instead it made yo ufeel like I didn't care, so if anyone screwed up it was me."

"No..."

"I thought.. I... I screwed everything up..." She frowns and squeezes her eyes shut. "I just wanted to get away for a little bit. And I couldn't sleep there..."

"..here.."

A thoughtful look, "I don't want you to feel scared to be near me. And when you run off without telling anyone where you're going, what else I am to think except you think I'm another bad one? Another person who mistreats you? I don't want to see me that way, Dagmar. Not ever , but if you do, if you see me as the same as those who hit you and called you shit, then I need to know."

She shrinks. "No..."

"No. You've been nice."

"Then, I still don't understand why you didn't talk to me about it. Or couldn't sleep here" A frown "I..if you'r hurting, even if you think it's for a stupid reason, I need to knnow, or I can't help you. Dagmar, I'm a guy. Guys try to fix problems. iT's what we do. When Siv has something bothering her and won't let others help, Frank gets an EYE twitch. I think I'm starting to grasp that sort of paternal instinct."

Her jaw juts out, stubbornly. "Don't need to talk to nobody."

"It's not your needs I'm talking about." He says

"I don't understand."

"I know, and I'm not good at explaining- Sorry about that. I mean I feel a need to help, not because of Duty, but because it I care about you, and so when I cn't help and you won't even talk, how can I even try?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly." He sighs "Okay. Why did you go to the Glome's? "

" I mean, you ran because you were miserable, and I'm sorry for that, but why there specifically?"

"I wasn't going there... you saw Klump? I didn't wake up at all... I was thinking maybe I'd go to the Barn, but there was this dog following me, so I turned off the path... and.. I dunno... I wound up there."

"I knew it'd be safe there. Nobody'd prank me."

"mmm well, no one was going to prank you here, but you might have been pranked there. A cat, looks like"

"Hunh?"

"Don't get upset but that.. uh, Lovecraft?"

"That's Symon's cat."

"Right. Look at your face. "

She gets up, going over to check in Sylvi's mirror. She touches her cheek with blunt fingers before cracking a surprised grin. "Oh. Well. Okay."

"I'm glad you're not upset about it, but no tattoos until your 21"

A chuckle. "Lovecraft is pretty cool."

"Oh, my gosh!" The door to the room shoves open, and Sylvi enters, drying her hair with a towel. "That facepaint took forever to wash off..." Then she see's Jaymes and stops in her tracks. "Oh. Um...sorry?" A glance to Dagmar.

"Morning Sylvi."

"It's your room, Sylvi. Need me to go?"

"Uh...no...no, I can get stuff and dress in the bathroom, it's fine." She smiles a bit, glancing between them, then starts to go through her dresser drawers.

"Sylvi, look! Lovecraft got me!" She points at the pawprint.

Jaymes actually seems to be relaxing

"Huh?" A look at the pawprint, then she checks Dagmar's expression. "You, uh, okay with that?"

"Lovecraft would, wouldn't she?"

A smirk. "She totally would." A pause. "You should tell Symon. Maybe at the thing today, at school?" A hopeful tone.

Jaymes nods, "Maybe you and he should talk period, school is a good place to do it"

"Oh... the thing? I don't think he's going..." She rubs the back of her neck, smile faltering.

"He probably would if you texted him and asked him to"

"He told me he would...." she trails off. "It'll be like the team moves up in rank...you and me, and Symon, and Zane, and Eden....c'mon, please?"

"I've only been there a couple months..."

"So?"

Jaymes keeps his yap shut

"You really want everybody there, don't you?"