#rivervale_lodge

Jaymes says "Well, ah, dating can be hard for some."

She nods. "Scary, maybe...."

"Shouldn't be hard to start," Tove says as she glances at the last of her donut "The fellow gets the courage to ask a girl out, and then she might say yes. "

"Not for me. But, like, some people."

"But she might say 'no' " Jaymes points out.

She points at Jaymes, and nods. "Or say yes, but then they get to know you and decide they don't want you..."

"He won't know until he tries, and maybe the fellow already knows the girl? Then what's his excuse?" Tove inquires

"Maybe he thinks she maybe...could get hurt." He points out

"Maybe he should realize she's not a fragile doll" Tove says.

This conversation seems to have veered a bit oddly

"Maybe he has had her around for dinners and movies and sees no reason to ruin a good thing ?" Jaymes adds.

"Maybe what he thinks is good isn't quite good enough? " Tove gives him a look

Jaymes holds up his hands helplessly "Maybe I... he, maybe he, is worried about a lot of things. SOmeone saying no, someone saying yes and it going places he has no idea how to deal with. Maybe the guy likes things simple? COuldn't she cut him a little slack?"

Dag's eyes dart back and forth between the pair.

"Maybe she has, a lot, weeks, months now, and while he seems to get cranky when she sees someone else, he seems to expect her to have a holding pattern forever..." CHOMP go her delicate wolf teeth on the last of the donut

"See? It makes everything hard..."

"Good things are worth fighting for, worth risk," Tove says to ..well, Dagmar thought this was talking to her, but now she's not entirely sure "And it's the only way to really live instead of just survive." She turns to Jaymes "Symon's donut."

"Look, maybe he has been out of..." A blink at the non sequitor "Symon's donut?"

"That one there, it's to be left out to decay a bit then sealed, it's for Symon. When he visits Dagmar." She explains, "Do enjoy the rest you two. I should go back to cheering Sally Mae up."

Dagmar looks crestfallen, shoulders sagging.

Tove sighs as she sees Dagmar deflate, and her hand strokes the girl's head, "Sorry, Dagmar. I didn't mean to bring you down. I just... I really should go."

"Will you be back?"

"Of course I will" She says with a smile, "You and I are donut friends. This is a sacred trust."

A pause. "If Jaymes asked, would you say yes?"

"He has to ask," SHe says "And I don't mean it to be some sort of extortion..."

"It's not, you're right. I'm treating you like you're on call, and I don't like it with snooty brit guys steal you away, only they're not stealing you because you're not mine...you're your own. And it's not unreasonable for you to......expect me to man up or let you down easy. " A deep breath, "May I buy you dinner sometime on a night out, Tove?"

Tove freezes like a deer who didn't expect a parked car's headlights to actually turn on. then, "You're...asking me out on a ..."

"Date." He finishes. A pause, a silence. Well, that's annoying so he breaks the silence "Well?"

Dagmar STARES.

"Well? " SHe puts her hands on her hips "Really? 'Well'?"

He grunts, looks heavenward as if for strength, then says "Would you please go out with me on a date?"

"Yes," She says blushing, and gets her things, "Call me."

and gives a smile to both of them, and actually kisses Dagmar on the head and heads out.

"...She didn't say no."

"No, she didn't" He says almost surprised, "Crap. I'm going to have to find a nice shirt."

"Maybe Frank or Vali have nice ones?"

"I could spend the night at the lodge, so you can stay up late..."

"Yeah, maybe" He admits, and then looks at her, "You sure? I'm supposed to be looking after you, not chasing women, even classy ones like Tove"

"I'm fourteen!"

"And I won't be alone..."

"Okay okay... yeah, yeah. Just you know, want to hold up my end. You've been great lately and I don't want you to feel like it's all give and no take." He says "If you're done with the donuts for tonight, we better store em safe. We don't want to attract ants."

"No bugs. And we gotta keep Sy's safe. I wonder if you can, like, plant mold?"

"I'll put it up here where bugs can't reach it so easy" He says "And maybe. Let's not worry about it. Now, if your'e done. You might want to take a shower, and arrange your clothes. School's starting soon"

"Not until thursday."

"Got all day tomorrow AND monday."

"You're not going to do that thing where you wait until tomorrow, then say 'oh wait, I got mondey' and then on monday have so much more interesting things to do that you forget until Tuesday morning and suddenly we are in a crazy game of hurry up to get what you should have done on the weekend done in less than fifteen minutes?"

"Well, the whole first week is, like, nothing big."

A look "let's treat it like it is. You know, for shits and giggles" Dryly

"You and Sylvi, both so serious."

"We're buzzkills like that" He says with a nod, "Go on... take the shower and at least think about organizing"