#rivervale_lodge

"He enjoyed things more openly, the hunt, demonstration of his might and skill. Normally too modest. I wouldn't say he bragged? Or preened? But he no longer felt he had to be modest either"

"Arrogant?"

"A bit maybe. But I've seen worse even among the seelie"

"Then... well, there's Tove"

Sylvi hushes to listen.

"Tove entertains, so you think she'd get all vain and full of herself... but she also spent a life time of caring for her oathbroken father.... now his honor is restored, but ... it left it's mark I think." A curious tilt "I don't want you judging them you understand?"

"Spit it out, then!"

"Yeah...how could being a caregiver be like an unseelie thing?"

"Well, it might be, your dad cares a lot" she says perhaps misunderstanding "Tove gets a bit vain, true, but not just in what she looks like... in what she owns and how she uses it.. in the style. She becomes more material... seems..shallow? She's tired, I think, of worrying about her da, about work... she wants to be spoiled is part of it, but also kind of wants to show others why they should spoil her and adore her and that will be enough"

Dagmar's expression closes off. "...Oh."

Sylvi too, but likely for different reasons. "Oh."

"She had so little, now she wants more..I ... Hey, you two okay? You'd think I told you she took up canablism"

"I'm fine, sure."

"Well..." A sigh and a guilty half-grin. "That sounds a lot like how Mom says I get. The word 'brat' comes up a lot."

Pauses. "Am I that different? Now, I mean?"

"That makes sense" Siv nods faux sagely at Sylvi, then smiles "Not sure it's quite the same, but maybe" A look to Dagmar "Don't worry, she might feel a pull come samhain, but Tove is pretty seelie, not 'must be honorable grr' but it's just the way she naturally points. She once told me that Beauty is Life is one of her favorite parts of the Seelie Code. THe music, the crafting... it makes sense that she might"

Sylvi looks at Dagmar. "Different from what?"

"Sure. But... " That face again - doubt? Insecurity? She shakes her head. "Well, Vali says I'm seelie now, but that I wasn't before."

"Truth, Dagmar, Hard to tell how much is just time and how much is the seasons with you. You're unsained and I know ye get tired of hearing that, but you do seem less angry..but then, you had a lot more to be angry about I think, a lot less people you felt you could rely on. Mind you, school will be a test of us all... have to be Sam the student by school day"

"Oh. Well..." Sylvi thinks. "It's not like a switch with two settings. It's more like...like a range."

A nod at that

A thought. "So...when you're Sam the student...can we still hang out?"

She bristles. "Can't I be... sort of Dagmar, still?"

"Just be called Sam?"

'Well, I guess like Clark Kent is Superman, and SUperman is Clark Kent" Siv says

"Sure. I mean, you already are, right?"

"Right. I just... like a code name, I guess. Sure. But I don't want to go back to being just Sam.."

"Well...you can't. Not unless you, like, totally forget being fae. You're always going to be both."

"Right. So I'm not really Sam, just, like, most people won't see it."

"She's right, it's like, Sam is the foundation that the temple of Dagmar is built upon"

She shoots a glare at Siv. "Take that back."

A blink. "That...wasn't an insult, Dagmar."

Siv blinks "Why?"

" I mean, why do you find it insulting?" She adds confused

Her chin juts out. "Dagmar's the real me. The one that went through different lives, yeah? The part that's magic."

"Well, the Liam believe mortals maybe the source of magic as they're the source of the dreams" She starts to explain "That's why I said built upon. The temple is grand, wonderful, amazing... but you need the stone under it or it sinks into the nothing"

"You don't have any mortal soul."

"Well...yeah...." Sylvi's puzzled. "Look, I wasn't really ever 'just-Sylvi' for very long, so...I don't get what you mean."

She sighs. "I mean, I've known I was fae since I was really little."

Siv stiffens "no..I suppose I don't.. pardon me." She rises "I should probably get some school things done"

"Hey!" Sylvi looks upset. "Siv, stop...please?"

"Why are you mad?" Her frown deepens. "Stop!"

"It's okay I really do have work...prep you know? First day ever at a public school... everyone knows how big it will be or so they keep telling me. So I should..." A look at Dagmar "And why do you get to be all angry that you have a mortal half and I'm not allowed to leave when reminded when I don't have one?"

"Dagmar, you just...guys...please?"

She scowls. "No, I'll go."

"I'm not asking you to leave, Dagmar. I just don't understand why you...no, that's not true. You don't understand what I wouldn't give to have a dual soul like yours. What it means.."

"Wait!" Sylvi raises her voice. "Guys, please...sit..."

ANd then "Sorry, Sylvi I..didn't mean to make trouble"

"You just get to be you, and you aren't broken... you act like... listen, you don't understand what Sam's like..."

"If Dagmar depends on Sam... it's..."