#rivervale_lodge

"Okay okay" Vali smiles, "Anyway, your lap top is set up. You entered your pass words. If you have any trouble, you know where to find me, Okay? I have to adjust my course plans."

"Sure. Thanks Vali."

"Anytime, Dagmar."//Jaymes nods his own thanks./Vali with draws. /"He talks too much, but he's okay" Jaymes observes.

"He just had a whole computer to spare?"

"Yeah. Apparently he wanted a newer one since hew was teaching," Jaymes says 'I'm paying him for it. But it's a good deal." A thought "I wanted to talk to you about something I said earlier, and something you said tonight."

"You paid... for me? After everything else?"

"that's what guardians and parents do," He says, "And you don't have to earn As or anything...it's like a text book, you might need it for school period. And..that's what i wanted to talk to you about. On Monday, when we talked about pets. I mentioned worrying about one distracting you from school. You said it wouldn't. I should have left it at that." A frown "then I screwed up, didn't I? ruined it."

Her jaw moves just a bit, a stubborn set. "It's fine."

"Please," he sits down, "Let me apologize. I didn't realize at the time how that came out. Like you only got it if you..." Asigh "Dagmar. I don't know how to say this, but I realize now I shouldn't have made you feel like it was a carrot to lead you on or something I would take away if you weren't 'good enough'. Do I want you to do your homework, make good grades, and learn? Sure, any parent.. or guardian, would. But I wouldn't take away an animal just because you had trouble at school and I shouldn't have linked the two. " A frown, "i'm still new at this. You see?"

"It's fine. I don't want any stupid cat."

"Well, if we do get a stupid cat or a dumb dog, it's going to have nothing to do with your grades." he hurumphs. "You had enough of that jumping through hoops stuff at other places and I ddint' realize I'd fallen into it"

He scowls at the wall, because, well, he's not gonna scowl at the kid

She folds her arms, looking uncomfortable.

They stare at the wall awkwardly together.

A long pause

"So..fortnite eh?"

"It's a game. You shoot stuff."

A nod "Okay. We'll set it up, and if we ccan't we'll get Vali's help. "

"Or Symon, I bet."

"Mm yeah, probably.Gonna be weird. You two both play, does that mean you'll shoot each other?"

"Yup!"

"he seems nice, but is it okay I hope you riddle him full of videogame lead?"

"I think so."

"Cool." A nod.

"Cool."

And the tension goes down, seeming to leak out of the room.The idea of blowing holes in video game Symon and silence combine to help

"...You wanna watch the new forged in fire?"

"Yeah" He reaches for the remote "Popcorn or no popcorn?"

"Popcorn! I'll get it!"

"Kay" A nod

She barrells off for the kitchen, slamming cupboards as she collects supplies.

Popcorn and Weapons that "keeel". Good way to kill an hour.

And so they do.

(End scene)