#rivervale_lodge

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On the phone, texting "nuProbs, mum and da are still glad to be backtogether so I can totes meetwitcha'

Siv is trying to get the hang of texting like other teens do, but she admits to herself Sometimes I'm not sure I'm doing this right before continuing to flirt and text with boys.

Then one guy sends a message that surprises her

Her brows knit

She tries to think of a good reply. No? No pretty much says it all but he might not like her if she's mean about it. Maybe 'you wish'? clearly he does wish

She types playfully 'you wish' with a winky face. THere, done. He'll drop it now

But he persists, encouraging her, wheedling, and explaining how others do it. Do others do it? This sounds suspicious. She bites her bottom lip. Didn't mum and da warn her about abusing this phone? They did. ANd it's their phone. She's got to remember that.

'No. It's not my phone. ' and then she puts down an angry face. THere, firm.

and he makes some comment about she doesn't have to be THAT way and she frowns again... and just types 'gotta go' and puts it away. Troubled.

A thought Can't tell dad. Dad would hunt him down and kill him she's not sure it's hyperbole.

She needs to talk to SOMEONE, but who?

she walks off to think about it.

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Kerri's routine is pretty well set, so her blend of food prep/cleaning/shopping all goes smoothly enough to allow for interruptions. Currently, some bread dough is getting customarily rough treatment before being put in to bake.

Siv peeks in the kitchen, making sure no one else is there then, "Uhm..Hearth? I.. uhm."

A glance over the shoulder. "Hey, Siv." THUMP goes the bread. "Come in. Hungry?"

"Not so much I" She comes in, purples a bit, "It's nothing you're working i should leave you be"

A raised-brow look, and an easy smile. "I can talk and work. What is it?"

Easy, practiced motions. A large ball of dough, a few quick passes with a knife, and she's now working with nine smaller balls of dough...and cuts them smaller yet before forming them into rolls and setting them on a baking tray.

A cough "Mum and Da told me not to use my new phone for things besides texting and calling and they made some worried sounds about pictures? Now, i feel a fool as I didn't know what harm a picture would do...but ah..." SHe holds up her phone "There's this boy, nice boy, well, Ithought he was nice. He wants me to show a picture of ..ahm myself ..ah" BRIGHT Purple

Kerri pauses and turns, looking at the girl. A moment. "Nudes?" The smile is gone.

"Topless so half nude?" She blusshes "Don't get me wrong. Ialmost went skinny dipping once so I'm not ah, adverse to the idea- one day? after I know a fellow ? But... it would shame mum and da powerful so I didn't. ..and now this comes up, but he says lots of girls do it- and I'm too new to phones to know but it seems like a lot do. And ..." SHe babbles a bit "I to make a joke of it, then I tried to explain it's not my phone and put an angry face at that...and he thinks I'm being bitchy about it and am over reacting and... I should tell mum but she'll have to tell dad and dad will break his face."

She considers this, absently cleaning dough from her fingers. "You know the boy? Face-to-face?"

"Meet him camping... mum only met him once so she doesn't know him as well as I do. For a week he seemed nice enough. We flirted? you know? I didn't mean to lead him on?"

Kerri shakes her head. "Whether or not you flirted, he has no right to ask for those kinds of photos from somebody he's not in a real relationship with. Nudes aren't something to share casually. You have every right to be angry...he's trying to manipulate you."

"Just because he says lots of girls do it doesn't mean they do...and even if they do, you don't have to act like them."

"You're right, I know that I suppose, when I thinkj on it, but tis good to hear. I..." A deep breath "Now what? Do I uhm.. block him? Or tell him no and not to guilt trip me but let him keep texting if he amends his ways? I...please don't tell Dagmar about this. SHe already says I'm boy crazy and thinks every lad out there is a monster...well, except Sy who she seems to see as a 'not boy'"

"I promise, not a word to Dagmar, and not a word to your mother unless things get out of hand." Kerri goes back to shaping the rolls as she speaks. "Is he local? Will he be in the same school as you this year?"

She looks a bit relieved "Actually, no. He was from upstate new york?"

Kerri nods. "That's good, but not out of the woods. If he's friends with others of your friends, he might bad-mouth you. Word travels fast on phones." She shakes her head. "I think...and I might be wrong, but it's worth a try...don't block him, but don't respond to him immediately when he texts. Get around to it eventually, as if he doesn't matter that much to you. Which, I hope, he doesn't. He might get bored and find other targets..." A pause. "...but on the other hand, if he gets angry, he might try to spread rumors about you to anybody you know in common."

She groans "why would anyone... he's doing the wrong but he'll try to lambast me as the bad one? Argh."

"Siv...you'll find a lot of people play that game. Mortals...fae...even some clever chimera. It's not fair, and it's not right, but it happens, and you've got to be ready for it." She puts the tray of rolls in the oven. "This boy's mortal, right?"

"Yeah. I'd expect this from an Ailil. Been warned about them" then a sigh "That's not fair. Mum and Da tried to warn me too. I may owe them an apology" an admission "sometimes I hate when they're right."

"Hey, something else they might have mentioned but bears repeating...if you don't know them in person, if they're friends of friends, avoid texting them, and definitely avoid flirting with them. The one who says he's seventeen and into lacrosse might very well be in his fifties and looking for a young girl to seduce." An arched brow for emphasis.

"BLeargh!" She makes a gag face "Gee, thanks, Aunt Kerri- ye just ruined at least 20 future imaginings next time I text with somoene I have nae met" accusatory look "you do that on purpose?"

"Yup," she confirms easily, wiping down counters. "And honey, I'm sorry. I know it's disappointing when somebody proves to be less than you thought of him."

"Yeah, at least you're an elder" She says "Bancroft tried to warn me of the same. Not in so many words."

"Did he? How did that conversation come up?"

"Oh I talk to him a bout a lot of things. He's quiet and listens more than he talks and that's so rare among we trolls" Straight faced "He's a great lump at times, but he's.." she shrugs "I don't know. Nice. But also annoying. You know when I asked about his opinion? he says 'I do tend to give opinions when I am asked for them-satisfaction not guarenteed' all somber faced. Who does that? Anyway when I visit teaneck he's there, and sometimes he delivers missives on behalf of the baron. So we talk. Well, I talk. This came up when I mentioned cute guys at camp I was looking forward to getting to know"

Kerri listens, curious, and pours them both a drink (herself a water, Siv whatever she likes best). "It's funny to hear a sidhe described as 'a great lump.'" A grin and a sip. "So he warned you about guys being fake online?"

"yes, him getting all fussy now. And I suppose he's more like a short lump, by troll standards- but he does the most annoying things. I talk about how this or that person at the lodge is being unreasonable, and sometimes he gets quiet or just says 'I can see how you think that' and I'm like 'think that' and learn he doesn't agree? Infuriating. Other boys are oft eager to tell me how right I am. but somehow he missed the memo"

Kerri hides a grin behind her glass. "Sounds as though he's got your attention."

"Ha!" she scoffs "he's a pretty boy true enough, but what's it to me if he's easy to talk to? I have lots of folks to talk to. Reasonable folk who tell me things I like to hear" She tilts her head "Still, when he does give praise, it means more, you know?" then with a proviso "Not that I need some lad's approval. You and mum both warned about that"

"Oh, but approval can be very appealing. And boys know that. And we're back to manipulation again. After all...weren't you worried about losing that boy's approval if you were firm about not sending the photos he asked for?"

"yeeesss..." A cautious slow hiss of admission, then she rallies with a smile "But that was so long ago"

Kerri rolls her eyes. "Well...regardless, it sounds as though Bancroft may just have a bit of a brain between his ears. That's a good thing."

"Oh he's powerful smart sometimes, seems to have his shit together in one sock. WHich I do envy."

"Mmmm." Kerri nods, glancing through the glass door of the oven at the rolls, which are doing nicely. "Be careful about envying sidhe. They do tend to make things look easy, because many things are easier for them...but we're not sidhe. Life for us is going to take some work, and it's going to be awkward a lot of times."